#If you do decide to use this for some reason credit is always appreciated but not necessary. But I would like to see what you do with it!

[eomayas]

tell me a joke • hjs

pairing: husband!joshua x wife!reader, established relationship & parent au

genre: smut 18+ MINORS DNI!!!!!!!!!, fluff, slice of life, reader is jealous

synopsis: reader definitely isn't jealous when she sees her husband making another woman laugh, and she'd like to know what is so funny.

warnings: p in v, oral (f receiving), slight dom/sub dynamics, implied jealousy, joshua makes a bad joke (my bad).

a/n: i do think joshua is funny but for the purposes of this fic, reader doesn’t give him enough credit 😭😭 enjoy. this is sort of ass but yk.

your husband was funny, but he wasn’t that funny. your attention keeps being. pull from the group conversation you’re having, to your husband and another woman having a conversation a few feet away. you don’t have a problem with joshua talking to and with other women, you trust your husband and don’t feel threatened by other women. but, the amount of laughter you’ve heard come from her mouth in the last few minutes is enough to make your eyebrows raise and be curious as to when joshua picked up a side career as a comedian. again, he’s funny, but he is not that funny.

casting another glance in that direction, you take a notice of the hand she places on his arm and decide you’d like to hear some of the jokes he’s been telling, since he’s so funny. “hold on, i’ve got to go check on my husband,” you say to the group of women you’re currently talking to, downing the rest of the water in your cup and setting it down on the table. they all cast their eyes on joshua, a few of them snickering.

“do what you’ve got to do, girl,” you appreciate the support and start to make your way towards joshua until you are intercepted by tiny arms wrapping themselves around your legs.

“mama, we found a lizard!” your daughter shouts, bouncing on her feet. you look at her with big eyes and wide smile, bending down to pick her up and swoop her in your arms.

“really? was it a baby? or was it big?” you ask, carrying her over to joshua with you. it’s probably messed up to use your own daughter as a reason to interrupt your husband talking to another woman, but you don’t want to come off as jealous or clingy.

“mmm, in the middle. it was so cool, mommy! can i get one?” she asks, making you give her an absolutely not look. she pouts and gives you puppy eyes that always work on you, and sigh.

“let’s ask papa,” you say, sidling up next to joshua and interrupting the conversation. joshua looks over at you and your daughter and smiles a big smile, opening his arms to engulf the two of you in a hug. you feel a sense of relief wash over you, and you wish you didn’t because you really do trust joshua, you just don’t know the woman he’s talking with.

“ask me what?” he asks, a curious look on his face.

“oh, papa, can i get a lizard? please?” she begs, reaching for him. if anything, he was the one who would crack easiest out of the two of you. the moment she asks for anything, he usually says yes unless it’s extreme, but even then he’ll take it into consideration.

joshua flashes you a look of confusion and kisses your daughter on the cheek. “a lizard?”

“yes, papa, we just found one! oh, put me down please!” she struggles to get out of his grip until he sets her feet down on the ground, and she takes off running to go play with the other kids. you can help but laugh, your daughter being a ball of energy neither of you really know where to place.

“that girl, i tell you,” he chuckles, watching her run off and play with a look in his eye that breaks your heart in the best way. it’s the same look he had the first time he held her after you gave birth, one that lets you know that there’s nothing in this world that he loves more than being a father. “but hey, honey.” he says, grabbing your hand and pulling you towards him.

neither of you are too big on PDA, but you take the opportunity to kiss him, the hand that’s not holding onto his going to rest on his abdomen. when you two pull apart, he looks at you quizzically before remembering that you’re in front of company. “oh, minhee, this is my wife, y/n,” you give her a polite smile and extend your hand.

“hi, im yeji’s mom,” she says and you nod, the polite smile on your face. but you never drop joshua’s hand and he rubs the back of it with his thumb.

you decide that you’ve really seen enough and that it’s time for you to go back to the group you just came from. “well, it was nice to meet you!” you turn to your husband and kiss him on the cheek, your hand resting on his side. he can tell there’s something up, but he’s not sure what it is and knows it’s not the time to bring it up. he squeezes your hand before you slip away and out of his grasp, and makes a mental note to bring it up later.

slipping into bed, you pull on your glasses and pick up the book on your nightstand. you’re grateful for a calm and quiet night, your daughter having a sleepover with her cousins thus allowing you and joshua to have a night of uninterrupted sleep. your daughter is prone to waking up in the middle of the night, for a bad dream or otherwise, and ends up sleeping between the two of you more than half the time.

joshua comes out of the bathroom and shuts off the big light in the room, only leaving your lamps on the nightstands to illuminate the room. you look up from your page and give him a smile before going back to your novel. he hovers above his side of the bed for a second and you notice, ready to say something until he finally slips under the covers with you.

"hmm?" you hum, not looking up from the page you are currently reading. you can tell joshua has something to say, you know him too well, and he knows that you know him too well.

"it was a nice party, yeah?" you chuckle to yourself at the small talk. its his lead in, of course, to whatever is on his mind that he feels like he can't outright say.

"mhm. it was cute; minji had a lot of fun," you say. he makes a noise of agreement and then its quiet. you stop reading but keep your eyes trained on the page. he shifts in bed, and then a heavy hand is placed on your leg above the sheets. you feel its warmth all the same, and put your bookmark back into you book before placing it on your nightstand. "yes?"

joshua gives you a bashful smile and lightly shakes his head. "what was that earlier?" he questions, cheeks lightly dusted with a cute blush. you pretend like you don't know exactly what he is referring to, and furrow your eyebrows and ask him, "what as what earlier?"

he chuckles and lets out a sigh, gently patting your thigh. "oh, you're cute," he says, lolling his head to the side and looking up at you, an amused expression on his face. he knows you too well. "were you j- don't say it!" you cut him off and gently hit him across his stomach. he knows you hate that word, hate it being used in reference to your personality or behavior especially.

joshua captures your hand and brings it up to his mouth and places a kiss on the back of it. you watch him and let out a sigh through your nose. "I wasn't jealous," you state, but even you know that isn't entirely true. "I just wanted to know when you got so funny." you state. joshua laughs in mild confusion and sits up against the headboard.

"i'm always funny."

"no, you're not. but I love you anyway," you say, gently pinching his cheek. he rolls his eyes and pushes your hand away and you laugh. "if you're so funny, tell me a joke."

"you want to hear a joke?"

"if you're as funny as you and minhee seem think, yeah."

he smiles at you and squeezes your hand. "okay, i'll tell you a joke," joshua starts. you raise your eyebrows in anticipation. joshua presses a long kiss to your cheek, clearly stalling and further proving your point. "okay, i've got one." he says against your skin, gently dragging his teeth against your jaw.

"shoot."

he rolls on top of you and tugs you down flat onto your pillow. he kisses your neck, right under your jaw and then moves to the column of your throat. "what do you call a wet plain?" he mutters, mouth moving down to your collarbones as one of his hands skates up the side of your thigh and underneath your short, silk nightdress.

"a wet plain?" you question as his mouth skates across the tops of your breasts. he hums and hooks his fingers in the band of your underwear and pulls them down to your knees. "what?" you gasp when joshua drags two fingers up your folds, collecting your wetness and spreading it around your clit, making you twitch and knees press together.

joshua flicks his eyes up to meet your own and gives you a knowing look. flushing, you tell him the joke sucks, and let out a loud gasp when he disappears underneath the covers and attaches his lips to your clit. he suckles on your nub and yanks your underwear down the rest of your legs. "j-josh! fuck!" you cry ripping off your reading glasses and pushing the blanket down to rest on the back of his neck. your husband licks up between your folds before pushing his tongue into you hole, making you gasp and arch your back off the bed. sheets get crumpled beneath your hands and your thighs try to lock around his head, but joshua forces your legs open and uses his shoulders to keep you spread out for him.

your hips buck up into his face as he laps at you, sucking and licking at every inch of you. with each whimper and moan from you, joshua grows painfully more hard. his dick aches in his pants, desperately wanting to be free and buried inside of you. "o-oh, f-fuck! joshua, fuck!" you shriek. he knows your body like the back of his hand, understands what every whimper, gasp, and moan means. it all encourages him to keep going, but he knows that you are close.

joshua inserts two fingers inside of you and curls them upwards and attaches his mouth around your clit again. he fucks his fingers into you and you cry out his name, thrashing on the bed above him. your entire body feels hot and sweat coats you face, neck, and chest with a light sheen.

"im g-gonna cum!" you yelp, hips bucking up into his face. joshua continues to suckle on you clit and move his fingers in and out of you, pushing into that spongy spot inside. your vision goes spotty as the coil in the pit of your stomach snaps and brings you to your release. joshua slurps up your juices in an attempt to get every drop. you lie above him with your eyes closed as you try to regain your breath, your chest rising and falling like you've just ran a marathon. "shit." you breathe out, followed by a small whimper when he pulls his fingers out of you.

you crack an eye open when you feel joshua move from between you legs and sit on his knees above you. he places his fingers in his mouth and sucks your arousal off and shoves his other hand down his pants to stroke his aching cock. "fuck," he hisses, eyebrows furrowing as he shamelessly pumps his own cock in front of you. "baby, i need to fuck you." he says, his voice full of lust and desire.

"then fuck me," you say, pulling your bottom lip in between your teeth. you fully open your eyes to watch him pull off his pants and boxers to let his dick spring free. the tip is red and swollen, and pre-cum leaks out of it.

"i love, you know," he rasps, grabbing your left leg. he kisses the inside of your ankle before draping it over his shoulder and doing the same to your right. "does this feel alright?" he asks, fingertips mindlessly stroking you skin softly.

you nod and reply, "i know." to his previous statement. he kisses your knee and lets go of one of your thighs to grab onto his cock to line it up with your entrance. "i love you, too."

he smiles at you and leans down to kiss you on the lips, and to test if folding you in half is uncomfortable. when you don't make a sound of discomfort, he pulls back and starts to push his cock forward into you. when he presses the tip in, your mouth falls open in a silent gasp. he presses in a few more inches then stops to let you adjust to the stretch, but he doesn't give you long before he starts moving in and out. "fuck, you're tight," he grunts. you involuntarily clench around him and he lets out a harsh breath. "shit."

"more, joshie," you whine, grabbing a fistful of the sheets. joshua drops his head and speeds up his thrusts, groaning every time he pushes into you. you pant out his name and squeeze your eyes shut.

with every thrust into you, it feels like he’s knocking the air from your lungs. he’s reaching deep inside of you, hitting spots that have you seeing stars. “fuck, baby, i-i love you,” he grunts, pushing your legs closer to your chest. “and i love this perfect pussy.” you sob out his name, legs shaking on his shoulders.

“shua, i-i cant t-take it!” you cry out, clenching around him each time he pushes into you. that familiar knot forms in your stomach and grows tighter and tighter each second.

“i’m close too, baby,” his hips lose rhythm as he slams into you harder than he previously was, each thrust punctuated by a swear. “fuck, i’m close. fuck!”

moments later, you’re coming for the second time and he follows seconds behind you, filling you up and stuffing you full of his seed. he stays still inside of you, keeping his cum from spilling out of you. “i love you,” you pant, legs feeling like jelly when you try to move them off of his shoulders. joshua kisses you calf and gently takes your legs down onto the bed but keeps himself stuffed inside of you. “so much.” you add, reaching out to him. joshua leans down and captures you lips in a kiss. the movement makes his hips rock into you and you gasp against his mouth, hands splaying across his broad back. you can feel his love with the way he holds you, with the desire he kisses you with.

pulling back from your lips, you whimper when he moves inside of you again and he only winks at you before pulling his cock out of you. melting against the mattress is practically what happens, and he falls into place next to you. he grabs your hand and strokes the back of it with his thumb. “you don’t have to worry, y/n,” his voice is soft and makes you feel warm all over.

“i know. it was stupid,” you say, turning your head to look at him. he leans towards you and kisses your forehead. “i just wanted to laugh too.” you add pettily. joshua chuckles and sighs, rolling you onto your side and tugging your backside into his front.

“wanna hear another joke?” he mumbles into your ear, the arm that he’s laying on coming up to cup your breast in his hand while the other skates up your nightdress. soft sighs leave your mouth when he squeezes your boob and tweaks your nipple through the thin fabric.

“s-sure,” you breathe when his hand slips between your thighs. the setup and pun is lost on you, and you’re not sure if it’s better than the first because he buries two fingers inside of you and yanks the top of your dress down to let your breasts spill free. bad jokes be damned, he makes you cum two more times—once on his fingers and the second on his cock, your throat scratchy from crying out his name.

joshua may not make you laugh with his jokes, but he knows how to fuck you just right.

[afterthatidontknow]

₊˚⊹♡ 𝐚 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞

— ₊⊹ 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 . WandaNat x fem! virgin! reader

— ₊⊹ 𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 . [based on this request.] Natasha and Wanda's relationship was going well... when talking generally. — they completed each other. but something was still missing. and there was no better person to reach out to, other than you, their closest friend. will you allow them to show you a whole new concept of.. love?

— ₊⊹ 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 . smut! i am not responsible for your content consumption! — established relationship, soft doms WandaNat, subby reader, little bit of angst on the begining if you look very closely, swearing, reader's first time, threesome, making out, Wanda's enchanted strap, breast play (r receives), penetration (r receives), oral (N receives), multiple orgasms, cum eating, pet names, aftercare.

— ₊⊹ 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔 . english is not my first language (🇧🇷) so i apologize for any spelling errors! feedback is highly appreciated!! <3

never thought it was so hard to write a threesome 😭

divider credits: @anitalenia . ݁₊

small droplets of sweat started to build on Wanda's hairline, ready to roll down — soft pants and huffs leaving her mouth as she desperately tries to increase the pace, the pace that was already fast — she tries to accelerate even more. to get Natasha there, like she always did. but for some reason, it wasn't working. it wasn't being of any use. no matter how she tried to change positions, or angles.. Natasha just breathed heavily, with no result.

"stop, stop.." Natasha pants out and pats Wanda's shoulder, multiple times. "stop, baby. 'ts okay."

the woman reluctantly slows down her movements and groans, a mixture of tiredness and frustration.. and a little bit of sadness. right now, she was feeling so, so incapable, worthless. since when did that happen? since when a woman couldn't even bring her girlfriend an orgasm?

eventually, she pulls the strap out of her, making Natasha hiss quietly due sensitivity. she turns on her back and removes the strap off herself, waving her hand to disenchant it. her hand reaches out and puts the toy on the nightstand. the witch's eyes squeeze tight, clearing her throat as she does her best to catch her breath again.

Natasha of course, didn't need Wanda to tell her how she was feeling. as a spy, and like anybody else in this situation, she knew it. the russian weakly turns on her side and wraps her arm around Wanda's waist, placing her head on her shoulder and looking up into her eyes. deep down, both of them knew this wasn't physical.. it was phychological. lately, whenever it came to sex, both their minds couldn't completely focus on each other — and it wasn't fault of either of them. their toughts always wandered to her, that girl.. you.

"i'm sorry," Wanda whispers, wrapping her arms around Natasha and pulling her to herself. she sighs heavily and nuzzles into her soft red locks. "i'm sorry."

her heart was at war. battling to decide between giving into her desires, or holding back, in respect to Natasha. she just didn't know that the russian felt the same way. both of them did towards you. you're their closest friend, not an avenger, but an ordinary girl. thinking about that, it made sense — two people with a fucked up past, heavy emotional baggage, needed someone like you in their lives. someone soft, gentle, almost innocent, to say at least. the way you dressed, the way you smelled. always captivated the redheads. in the middle of all the chaos they called life, you were their beautiful, sweet escape of routine.

"don't apologize." Natasha replies, voice low and husky as she traces imaginary patterns on Wanda's chest. "i can't read minds like you do, so why don't you tell me what you're thinking about?"

Wanda chuckles at the remark, and turns her head to look at her girlfriend. she takes a slow, shaky breath again. she knows she can't hide anything from Natasha, and wouldn't try to. "look. can you listen to everything i got to say, before making any conclusions or saying anything else?"

Natasha nods, giving her a small, genuine smile, that showed patience. so Wanda started talking again.

"it's.. it's not easy to talk about this, i admit. it's like a taboo, and stuff.. we've been together for three years now, and i love you. i love you so much. i always tell you that and i always mean it. we help each other, we work together, you're the perfect fit for me, Nat. but.. lately, i've been thinking a lot about.."

"i know." Natasha interrupts anyway, and her smile doesn't vanish. "i know you have. i see it. and god, I think about her too."

surprise immediately shows in Wanda's wide eyes, and she exhales the air she was holding. relief washed over her being, even if Natasha hadn't elaborated yet.

"Wanda, darling." she chuckles, nuzzling closer and placing her hand on the woman's cheek. "we struggle sometimes. and it's not our fault. she's a ray of sunshine. it's everything we need, don't you think?"

"are you saying that we should consider.." Wanda says, in a softer tone.. her hand finds it's way to Natasha's back, nails tracing her spine. the mere thought already got her in a better mood. "inviting.. her.. in?"

"yeah." Natasha bits on her bottom lip. both of them had never tried a threesome before, but it seemed like a good idea. it felt like a good idea. if they both had thoughts and maybe even feelings for you, why don't act on them? "let's invite her tomorrow. tomorrow night."

"oh, Natasha." Wanda chuckles, understanding the implication. she leans down to peck Natasha's lips, and looks at her with a new sparkle in her eyes. "are you sure? completely sure about this? i never, ever want to hurt you, or make things weird between us—"

"we trust her. and basically, the only reason that we've been failing is because we want her and don't act on it." Natasha raises her eyebrows and pokes Wanda's nose, then wraps her arms around her neck. "and also. she's not a child. we'll talk about everything, and if it doesn't work out, we'll just seek another solution."

they both stay silent for a moment, and Wanda agrees. she giggles to herself, pulling the blankets over them and snuggling against Natasha, their legs tangling. they went to sleep happily, the tension from before eased because of you. they would just wait for the next day, and hope for the best.

₊˚⊹♡

the word to describe what you were feeling in that moment was: anticipation.

Natasha and Wanda had never invited you over to their place like this: at night, with no special occasion. they had told you they wanted to see you again, and to talk about a few things. you had absolutely no clue about what it was, so jumping to the most probable conclusion was what you did: a casual catch up.

yeah, for sure.

Wanda was the one to open the door after you knocked, and she shamelessly looked at you from head to toe, which got your eyes to snap open. you cleared your throat as she took in the sight of you, in a small, pink dress that covered just a little more than your ass — hair falling down your shoulders, a light makeup.

"Natasha," she calls out, tilting her head towards you. "you gotta see this,"

okay, you were so confused. first, one of your friends that was taken, clearly looks at you in a not so friendly way, and now, she's calling her girlfriend to do the same? you stand there, flustered, a little disoriented.

the other redhead comes. she opens the door wider so she could see you better, and stops in track when her eyes land on your figure. they exchange looks, and silently communicate — as if saying, why didn't we think of this before?

"come in, sweetheart." the russian says and allows you inside the house, closing the door right after.

you observe as the two of them talk between themselves, quickly finishing so they could return their attention to you. they notice how nervous the greeting had made you, and decide to get straight to the business. they sit on the couch, letting a little space between them and patting on it, so you could sit. you place your purse on the entrance counter and chuckle nervously, then walk towards them and sit where they wanted you to.

"so... hi!" you finally speak, still feeling a little awkward. "uhm.. is everything okay with you two?"

"absolutely." Wanda nods, shifting on her seat. her knee brushes against yours as she places her hand on your cheek, thumb caressing your jawline. "you just look so beautiful right now, we couldn't resist."

as she speaks, Natasha's hand lands on your thigh, and you were absolutely sure you looked redder than a tomato right now. but it still felt wrong. you gently placed your hand above both of theirs to still their touches.

"i don't get it."

"alright, dorogaya. that's the whole reason we invited you over." Natasha says and Wanda nods, allowing the russian to explain. "first, we want you to know that is absolutely alright if you don't feel comfortable with this. you can just say 'no' and leave, we're not forcing you into something you don't want to."

by this moment, just with those vague words, combined with their previous actions, you had a slight idea of what this was about, and it made you shiver. ever since you met them, you had a little crush on both, but they were avengers. superheroes, powerful, and older than you. they're gorgeous women that unfortunately were taken— well, you felt lucky just for having their friendship.

"we've been thinking about you. a lot." Natasha admits with a deep breath and purposefully scoots closer, making you almost a little sandwich with them. "the way you talk to us.. the way you look at us whenever we're together."

"like right now. the way your eyes are sparkling." Wanda breathes, her arms sneaking around your waist and her chin on your shoulder.

"you're so perfect.. so precious to us, detka." Natasha whispers and wraps her arms around you too, tilting her head and pressing a kiss on Wanda's forehead, then on yours. "so we want to know, if you're okay with trying out with us."

a deep sigh leaves you, and you melt like a puddle between the women. your weight leans on Wanda's body, and your eyes travel from one to the other. your defenses vanished, completely, and the thought of this being.. uncommon, was buried deep down in your mind.

"trying out?" your voice sounds more like a whimper, and your hand grabs Natasha's wrist, that still rested on your thigh.

"yeah.. trying out." Wanda whispers on your ear, her hand turning your hair into a makeshift ponytail, exposing your neck for them. "just for tonight.. then we'll give you time to think."

"but i never.." you stutter, feeling Natasha's warm breath on your neck, as her lips began trailing kisses there — right above your pulse. "i-i've never.."

"it's okay." Wanda breathes in your ear, watching as Natasha took her sweet time to taste you, feel the softness of your skin. "we're gonna take care of you."

"i never.. i never had.." you continue, voice becoming weaker and weaker. "i never went beyond kisses.."

that was new information. Natasha slowly pulled away from your neck and exchanged a look with Wanda. so you were still a virgin. that just turned them on even more. they'd be the first ones to play with you, make you their good girl.

"god, sweetheart." the witch purrs, her hands cupping your waist and giving it a little squeeze. "you have no idea what you're doing to us."

the action coaxes a soft, needy sound out your throat, head lolling backwards against her shoulder.

"please, baby. let us have you." Natasha begs. you don't gotta be asked twice.

₊˚⊹♡

the room was dark — burgundy walls, the yellow light of the dim lamp casting on the furniture and being the only source of illumination. you couldn't put in words the way you felt. Natasha, naked, the freckles on her pale skin on display for you. toned breasts, muscular arms. red hair naturally wavy, not straightened like she usually had it. she looked like a true goddess. her gaze, hungry yet tender, had you frozen in place.

Wanda's hands guided you towards the bed — her chest against your back, an amused chuckle leaving her. you looked so innocent. it was clear you never even thought of the possibility of that.

"look at her," Wanda coos. Natasha's eyes remain glued on you, but travel to your body as Wanda starts to slowly get that dress off you. her pointer and thumb pull the zipper down and the straps fall down your shoulders, revealing your bra. she kisses your shoulder and places her palms flat on your stomach, letting them roam downwards, to your hips, and pulling the pink fabric of the dress down, as it pools around your feet. the woman hum together in satisfaction, being allowed to see your half-naked body. "such a precious little thing. now go with Nat and watch me strip."

you couldn't help but blush a little bit under their gaze, and the way they were addressing to you. doing as you're told, you climb on the bed, and Nat spreads her legs. your heart hammers against your ribcage. she only did that so you could lay against her chest, but accidentally — or not — your eyes landed on her intimacy, and the slick arousal that was almost dripping down her thighs.

"oh my god, Natasha." you moan, allowing her to pull your back against her chest. she smirks, unclasping your bra and tossing it aside.

now, it's Wanda's turn to get the unnecessary clothes off her. she firstly discard her blouse, then her jeans, and lingerie — she uses her foot to kick the pile of clothes away, and walks to the nightstand, opening the drawer and pulling out the.. toy. it does get you a little tense. but they had a way of showing you there was no reason to be. with a wave of her hand, the strap is enchanted, and she will be able to feel everything. everything she dreamed of with you.

"we will take good care of you, kotenok." Natasha whispers and grabs your chin, tilting your head up — and kissing you.

a kiss never felt so good. throughout your whole life, you never had a kiss like this one — warm, slow, needed. her tongue mingled with yours, slender fingers tangling in your hair to keep you in place. Wanda watches with a hungry, almost predatory gaze as she sees her two favourite women making out. she climbs on the bed with you and hooks her fingers on the waistband of your panties, pulling them down — your hips instinctively lifting to make her work easier. you were slowly letting yourself go.

Natasha releases your lips, panting. her hands pull you back even more against herself, pressing your body against hers and go to your breasts, kneading the skin, slowly, massaging them, knowing exactly how to pleasure you. you moan sweetly, throwing your head back against her shoulder as her fingers pinch your hard nipples.

"that's it, baby." Wanda hums, satisfied with the scene. she liked that you were comfortable with them, which meant she could do everything she wanted.

you don't even realize as they start to adjust your body, the positions — Natasha brings her knees up and spread them a little, Wanda bringing your legs around Natasha's, so you were completely spread and open.

"oh, fuck." she says, knees digging into the mattress as she takes a good look between your legs. "such a beautiful pussy. can't believe we're the only ones to have it."

her words make you gasp, and your back arches a little — but before you could do anything, her cock was already stretching you out, with little effort. the woman groans, placing her hands on your waist and hovering you. she leans up and kisses Natasha, a low chuckle leaving her as she whispers. "so warm and wet. she's a perfect girl."

"we're not gonna let you go," Natasha whispers in your ear. her arms wrap around your waist, securing you, and with that, Wanda starts moving.

her movements are gentle — not too slow, not too fast, showing you how it was to be deliciously filled up. the new, foreign sensations consume you, breath coming out in soft gasps. your eyes look at the redhead who was fucking you, half-lidded, in pure bliss, adoration. the strap drags up your sensitive walls, until the tip was the only thing inside of you, then pushes back in, discovering spots you had never found before with your own fingers.

"oh my god," you grip Wanda's shoulder with one hand, and intertwine your fingers of the free hand with one of Natasha's that held your waist. your hips buck upwards, matching the movements with Wanda's cock pounding inside you. "feel so good,"

"you're so tight, detka," Wanda mutters, feeling her climax starting to build up. she had to speed up, had to feel you more, clenching around her so perfectly.

"s-shit... ah.." you moan and arch your back, doing your best not to fall apart that quickly. but Natasha doesn't allow you to hold back.

her hand slides down your stomach, to where Wanda was connected with you, and starts to rub lazy circles on your clitoris, looking up at her girlfriend with a satisfied smirk. "you can come for us,"

"i'm close too," Wanda moans, head lolling back as she grips your hips tighter, chasing after her so needed release, which doesn't take long to come.

your vision starts to blur a little, not being able to focus on anything specific. your eyelids fall shut, and all the sounds around fade — the first real orgasm you ever had washing over you. an almost pornographic moan echoes on the room, coming from your throat, and your legs tremble around Natasha's — cum coating Wanda's strap, juices rolling down your legs and mixing with Natasha's who was under you. Wanda's climax comes right after and she quickly pulls out, painting your stomach white as you laid there, dumb and cute, drained.

Wanda rolls on her back and closes her eyes, the high still present. she hadn't felt that good in so, so long, she had missed it so much. now it's Natasha's turn to take control.

she carefully lays you down next to her and licks Wanda's release from your stomach, missing the taste of it. she takes some on her fingers and point them at your mouth. "open up,"

you blush softly, opening your mouth and welcoming Natasha's fingers in. your tongue swirls around her digits, swallowing obediently.

"good job, malyshka." she praises, cradling the side of your head and pressing a kiss on your forehead. you look at her up and down, then weakly sits up on the bed.

"wanna taste you too, Natty," you say, and it drives her crazy.

undoubtedly, Natasha was more than dripping, and yes, she wanted you to teach you how to eat a woman out. she leans back against the headboard of the bed and intertwines her fingers with her tired girlfriend, winking down at her. she spreads her legs. "come over here, princess."

your legs, still shakily, dig into the mattress and you settle yourself on your knees, hands holding Natasha's thighs apart as your face approaches her core. she was so sensitive and achy.. and you'd repay her, for everything she had done. it shocked her, you didn't show inexperience — your tongue licked a long strip, slipping between her folds and brushing inside her, stimulating her g-spot and making her mouth agape. her fingers gently tug on your hair, pulling you closer, pressing your face against her cunt. your nose brushes her clit, and it doesn't take long for Natasha to cum too.

"oh, malyshka.." she stutters out between moans and whimpers, hips bucking upwards as she released. "s-such a.. perfect.. mhm.. girl.."

you swallow her sweet juices, pressing a kiss on her inner thigh and pulling your face back. just by watching both of their expressions, a tired and proud expression showed on your face, knowing you did a great job.

₊˚⊹♡

now, the digital clock on the nightstand showed 2AM. the sheets were crumpled, blankets all over the floor, long forgotten. you laid there, naked and vulnerable on the bed, waiting for Wanda and Natasha to come back to the room.

when they did, they were both wearing silky robes — Natasha held aspirin and a bottle of water, and Wanda, a cloth, and an additional robe that they hoped would fit you.

they walk towards you and Natasha places the items on the nightstand, sitting on the edge of the bed. she carefully handles your body and pulls you onto her lap, holding you closely, your side against her chest. you felt warm again, fuzzy, happy.

"you were perfect, sweetheart." Wanda smiles, carefully spreading your legs and using the cloth to clean the sticky cum still there. you whimper, feeling a little stingy and sore.

"we got aspirin for tomorrow, in case you need it." Natasha grabs the water bottle and opens it, bringing it up to your lips, helping you sip on it. "there you go..."

"now, we'll sleep. and tomorrow we are gonna prepare you a nice warm bath." Wanda chuckles and puts away the cloth, closing your legs afterwards.

you all settle on the bed comfortably again, having to grab the blanket from the floor and cover you up. you sigh softly, lying between them and gathering courage to speak.

"was this just... a playtime?"

that question was expected, and they were ready for it. they sweetly smile and replied in sync.

"you are our missing piece."

para o anon que fez o pedido: mto mto obrigada!! eu sei que adicionei várias coisas, porém eu precisava de um contexto para encaixar o seu pedido. espero que tenha ficado bom! 🥹

[maniacwatchestheworld]

Things to do with Jack and Maddie without them being abusive

As someone who actually likes Jack and Maddie as characters (I'm a fervent shipper of Maddie/Jack/Vlad), it's a real bummer to see so many people out there deciding that for their DPxDC AUs that Jack and Maddie are abusive, when that really doesn't represent how they are in canon. Now I fully acknowledge that doing this can be a very useful tool for telling certain types of stories, and if you want to make a story about recovering from abuse and finding a new found family, all the more power to you for that! But for any other type of story where them being abusive isn't necessary for the backstory of the story you want to tell... It's just a bummer to do that, y'know? If you don't want to tell a story with Jack and Maddie in it, that's entirely fine! I'm not asking you to. But there are ways to get rid of them without making them abusive or dying. Of the two, I personally would prefer them dying (I just like the story potential of that, especially as far as Vlad is concerned). But there are plenty of easy things to do with them to keep them out of the story that don't require them being abusive or dead! So I'm here to give a list of things that can happen to them (that have precedent within either Danny Phantom itself or the DC universe) that keep them out of the story that don't require much explanation as well as some other ideas for what you can do with them if you have no idea what to do with them otherwise.

Lots of ideas under the cut! (Feel free to take what you want. As always, credit is appreciated, but not necessary. But I would love to see what you do with it!)

If you need them permanently absent so that Danny can get adopted

Fell into the Ghost Zone and cannot be found.

They are gone for whatever reason and Jazz is currently Danny's legal guardian (she's 18 or older and is therefore a legal adult).

While in the Ghost Zone, they accidentally traveled through time/got transported somewhere where they can't get home easily.

They got severely Joker gassed and are in medical care. (This is actually what happened to Duke's parents!)

They got severely Scarecrow gassed and are in medical care.

Went insane for some supervillain-related reason and are now missing/in medical care.

They were kidnapped by a villain for some reason.

They were kidnapped by a villain and are currently in a lotus-eaters simulation and therefore don't even know that they've gone missing.

Abducted by aliens.

They got wrapped up in some supervillain bullshit and now have amnesia and are unable to recognize Danny and Jazz.

They got magicked into something that can't take care of Danny and Jazz.

They were experimented on and are now incapable of taking care of Danny and Jazz.

Some cosmic entity did a whoopsie that effected Jack and Maddie and now they're in a condition/situation where they cannot take care of Danny and Jazz.

Got arrested and are in jail for some reason.

Were arrested and sent to jail for a long time. Have since joined Task Force X/the Suicide Squad for lienency.

Got hit by a stray Zeta-Beam and are now on some alien planet.

They got teleported somehow. We aren't certain about the details.

They fell into a hole to another world.

They no-clipped out of their normal reality.

Stranded with no way home.

They somehow ended up on a different planet. They are just hanging out with Space Cabbie now, who is just having a ROUGH day and can't find Earth for whatever reason.

Inducted into a Lantern Corps and are VERY busy because of it!

Coma.

Effected by a debilitating illness/disease/condition that makes them incapable of taking care of others.

They were forced to go undercover for some reason and therefore vanished. (Letting their kids know is optional)

They were forced to go undercover for some reason and were forced to fake their deaths.

They died, but came back to life. Danny has not been informed of this.

They got possessed by a superhero or supervillain who just wandered off with their bodies.

They got separated following a disaster and haven't been able to find each other again.

They've been retconned to hell and back again to the point where no one is entirely certain where they are, what they're doing, or even if they're alive anymore. Don't worry about it! Only mention them when it's relevant and the rest of the time we aren't going to bother explaining what's going on with them. If they are mentioned, accounts of where they are and what's going on with them are contradictory.

They're around, but will go unseen throughout this story

Any of the situations in the previous section, but it only happened to one of the parents, and the other is just too busy working and taking care of the kids by themselves.

The same as previous, but they also moved to Gotham.

Retcon things so that the events of Danny Phantom actually happened in Gotham City all along. (Maybe Amity Park is like... A suburb in the greater Gotham area.)

They went on vacation/were hired for a job that would take them away from home. They left Danny and Jazz to be taken care of by Vlad. Vlad is an asshole, so they ran away from him.

They went on vacation/were hired for a job that would take them away from home, but now that Jazz is over 18, she's been left in charge.

Put into Witness Protection by the government/the Guys in White.

Danny and friends have graduated from high school and are now legal adults, perhaps in college.

Danny's whole family moved to Gotham City. They're just at home/working during the events of this story.

Jack and Maddie have been hired to do some work with the Justice League and need to be away from home for an extended period of time. They have left a member of the Justice League to take care of Danny and Jazz in the meantime.

Fieldtrip/school trip to Gotham City.

Danny is old and responsible enough that Jack and Maddie trust Danny (and/or Jazz) to travel on their own. His parents are just a call away if he needs help.

Jack and Maddie are separated for whatever reason (one went missing/one is working abroad/they are divorced/one died) and the other moved to Gotham and is taking care of the kids in the meantime, but is busy and so will not appear.

Something happened to Fenton Works and the family needs to temporarily stay somewhere else while the problem with Fenton Works is sorted.

The family was driven out of town and they ran off to Gotham to escape the angry mob. (Or at least to wait until things cool down again.)

Jack or Maddie are able to work remotely and so they've moved to Gotham to do so. The kids came along/are visiting.

Jack and/or Maddie were hired for temporary work in Gotham and decided to bring the kids along.

One family member was taken to Arkham Asylum. They moved to Gotham to be closer.

Jazz went to Gotham for college. Danny is visiting.

Danny is sent to Gotham/Arkham for specialized health reasons.

Jack and Maddie have gotten in contact with a specialist that lives in Gotham and are visiting for work-related reasons.

They are on vacation in Gotham and brought the kids along. Danny and Jazz have been let off the leash to go where they want while Jack and Maddie do touristy stuff.

Visiting family/family friends living in Gotham.

They were passing through but are now unable to leave. (Bonus points if it's a No Man's Land situation.)

They were passing through, but were robbed. Jack and Maddie are dealing with the robbery stuff where Danny is off somewhere else.

They were just passing through, but Maddie and Jack got SEVERELY distracted by something and have run off to who knows where!

They are traveling with Vlad and expected Vlad to take care of and watch the kids!

Danny was abducted to Gotham.

Danny accidently ended up in Gotham somehow.

Danny somehow got transported/teleported to Gotham.

Doing an educational trip/apprenticeship/internship over in Gotham.

Danny ran away impulsively.

Some villain threatened Danny's family and forced him to run away from home.

Danny has revealed his secret to his parents, and while they might worry about Danny being a vigilante, believe in and trust Danny to do the right thing and allow him to do what he feels that he must to protect people.

The same as above, but Vlad also came out and is supervising.

They died.

I cannot understate the sheer JUICY storytelling potential that you can have by killing Jack and Maddie off! We already know how it might effect people and events from what we see in The Ultimate Enemy, but there really is limitless potential in terms of ways to twist, turn, and play with things to have different outcomes! Additionally, Jack and Maddie being genuinely good parents that die protecting Danny and Jazz offers lots of ways for Bruce to relate to Danny and Jazz! (He decided to become Batman so that no one would have to face what he did ever again... And he failed...) And the way that they die can offer some lovely different flavors of angst, coping mechanisms, motovations, and learning to deal with their loss. So here are some ideas for how to kill them off!

The universe exploded again, and when it was put back together, Jack and Maddie ceased to exist in current canon continuity. (This happens more often than you'd think.)

Vlad Wins.

They were killed in an apocalypse-level event.

They were killed in the crossfire of some superhero/supervillain fight.

They were taken by some villain. They were killed before the heroes could arrive.

They were killed in a random act of violence/crime. (Much like Batman's backstory. Do this to gain extra points from Bruce.)

Died in prison/after joining the Suicide Squad.

Gang violence.

Any of the previous but Gotham is just THAT dangerous!

Same as any gassing or supervillain plan, but they died instead of being missing or in medical care.

Got transported to a place where they died very far away from home.

They just died suddenly or because of an accident. It happens sometimes.

Things to note

Believe it or not, but your parents can still be in your life AND you can join the Batfamily AT THE SAME TIME! :D

Examples:

Barbra Gordon is very much in the Batfamily and both of her parents are alive and well. She's a very important part of the family, and in the comics, it is not uncommon to see her calling up her dad and talking to him! They'll even call each other if they need help with something. This does not take away from the fatherly role Bruce often has in her life. (She can have 2 dads and good for her for that!)

When Tim initially became Robin, his parents were alive and well. They would later die because comic writers are just like that, but being an orphan without loving parents in your life is not a prerequisite to being Robin.

Duke's parents are also alive! They are under the effects of Joker toxin, but they are alive, and if they ever find a cure for it, I imagine that they would be more than happy to have Duke back in their lives!

Terry from Batman Beyond is not an orphan and was taken under Bruce's wing to be the next Batman! Terry is even going to inherit a fair amount of Bruce's wealth for deciding to take on the responsibility of being Batman. But while his dad did die, his mom is still alive and well over the course of the series! And he has a little brother too! Terry may still be a teenager, but he is a bit of a breadwinner for his household while also still being an important part of Bruce's family. (He is often someone who helps Bruce take care of himself.)

But if the story you truly want to explore requires being adopted specifically... Well... You don't have to be a kid to be adopted! Jack and Maddie can still raise Danny and Jazz into adults and Bruce is able to adopt them later if he wants, once they have been well and established in his family! Hell, you don't even have to wait! As long as Bruce asks permission from Jack and Maddie, they can be alive AND he can adopt Danny! There is more than one way to be in a family, you know! And sometimes it takes a village! And really, would Jack and Maddie really object to Danny being adopted by billionaire Bruce Wayne, especially if Danny really is enjoying his time being a part of his family and if Bruce has been an absolutely lovely person to them whenever he visits?

So I hope that you're able to take some inspiration from all of this for your own stories! If you need some elaboration on what I mean with some of these, or want to ask who could be responsible for some of these and how, feel free to drop on by and send me an ask! I would be more than happy to go into some more detail about these! Happy writing!

[hayakawalove]

Test of Love (Chapter Eight)

Chapter Eight

All Chapters

Summary: The moment we've all been waiting for.

A/N: I'm sorry this took so long. I really hope it pays off in the end for you guys. I did forget to add Suguru's tattoos and piercings in previous chapters, so we're going to pretend I did that. It's very important that he has those I swear. And by important I mean that I really really really really want him to have them. I hope you guys like it! I am so grateful for each and every one of you. Thank you! And as always, comments are appreciated! This chapter can be read stand alone if for some reason you only are reading this chapter and not the entire fic.

CW: Smut, Vaginal Sex, Threesome MMF, Cunnilingus, Hand Job, Oral F to M, Body Worship, Dirty Talk, Praise, Humiliation, Nipple Play, Creampie, Choking (on cock), Fem Reader, AFAB Reader

W/C: 6,981

Credit to benkeibear for the banner

“Suguru.” Your lips feel tingly as you speak, eyes wide as you look at the other man. “Stay.” 

The room is silent for a moment as your words settle over you. You didn’t regret asking him to stay, not in the least, but you did feel something creeping up your stomach, clawing at your insides. Fear? 

Suguru’s eyes study your face for a moment before flicking to his lover. His expression is unreadable and you’re almost positive the two of them are communicating silently. 

You dig your nails into Satoru’s shirt and fiddle with it a bit, twisting it around your fingers as your breathing comes out in shallow bursts. 

Suguru takes two steps towards you, it’s all he needs before he's right beside you. There’s an emotion on his face but you can't quite place it. 

“You want me here?” He questions. 

He shuffles your body until you’re facing him. 

“Yes.” 

“And what about Satoru?” 

“Want you both.” 

Suguru’s lips twist into a grin. You have a feeling they knew exactly what you wanted when you asked him to stay, but that they just wanted to hear you say it. 

The height difference is staggering as they leer above you. Satoru is at your back, hands kneading your sides as he digs his face into your neck. He's letting out short breaths that heat your flesh. 

“Tell us if you need to stop.” Suguru leans into you, his eyes darting from your lips to your face. 

You’re waiting for him to seal the moment with his lips on yours, but it never comes. It's making your mind spin at how close he is. He must be doing this on purpose. 

You press forward, smashing your lips on his. You think you feel a smirk spread across his face. His lips are like flower petals against yours, the softness making you groan. All the while Satoru’s decided to start kissing down your neck. His teeth drag down the side of your throat, following the path of a vein before he bites down. You would have half the mind to tell him to leave no marks, but you aren’t sure you have a mind at all.

Suguru’s tongue slides out to brush against your bottom lip. You tentatively open your mouth to greet him, letting the two of your tongues collide. It's hard to focus when you’re in nothing but a towel and they're dressed. The feeling of four hands covering your figure makes your stomach flip, right where one hand ends another one begins. 

A palm, you think it’s Satoru’s, glides up your thigh below the towel. It isn’t where you need it, but it’s close. The heat from his fingertips travel across your skin, making your stomach tighten. 

You almost wondered why you had waited so long to have sex as a group, until you're forced to remember. It’s suffocating. Their touch was almost too much for you to handle, yet you found yourself craving more and more of it. 

Suguru pulls away and brushes hair out of your eyes, and you look up at him, gaze hazy with lust. 

“How’re you doing, baby?” He questions, dragging his thumb across your bottom lip. 

His thumb is coated in a mixture of your salivas now, shining in the low light of the bedroom. 

You open your mouth to answer, but Satoru bites down on your neck. You let out a groan at the sensation, your eyes rolling back in your head.

“Good,” you sigh out. “So good.”

Suguru hums and watches his boyfriend abuse your neck. Satoru was going to leave bruises. Suguru can't say he hated the idea of marks caused by the two of them left on your body. He runs a hand through Satoru’s hair before leaning down to kiss the side of your mouth. Your lips pucker in an attempt to kiss him back, but Suguru can tell the action is lazy. Your movements are unhurried as you tilt your head to the side even more to allow more access to Satoru, who’s leaving a wet trail of saliva down the column of your neck. 

You don’t think you’ve ever felt so good in your whole life. They hadn’t even touched you yet, not really at least, but it already felt like an unreal experience. It felt like all the puzzle pieces were finally falling into place, this event being set into motion for longer than you were even aware of. 

No, you had no idea how long Satoru had been planning this. You had no idea how many nights he spent talking to Suguru, going into detail about how much he wanted you, and how much Suguru would want you too once he met you. You weren’t aware of how many times they’ve had sex since meeting you, your name slipping from their lips as they openly fantasized about you being there with them. 

Suguru grabs your hand and tugs you away from Satoru, who’s cerulean eyes flick up in frustration. Suguru was sure that Satoru could stay in that position forever, leaving hickeys on your throat until you were entirely bruised. But Suguru had bigger plans.

He positions you in front of the bed, his hands reaching up to trail the towel lining your body. His eyes are heavy as he looks down at you. 

“We don’t need this anymore, do we princess?” He questions, his voice quiet. 

Your bottom lip trembles as your throat goes dry. You feel like you’re under his spell. 

“No.” You murmur, looking up at him as you tug the towel, letting it fall to the floor. 

You don’t think you’ve ever heard a room get so quiet before. The heat of both of their gazes is searing into your skin, burning you more than the hot water of their shower did. It’s nearly impossible not to shy away under their gaze, your hands fiddling with each other while you wait for something to happen. 

“Fuck,” Satoru groans under his breath as he looks at you. 

The both of them had seen you naked before, but never like this, not in the presence of each other. 

“Do you know how perfect you are?” Suguru asks.You can’t tell if it's rhetorical or not. 

Suguru lifts a hand to grab your fingers, pulling your hand up. He places a kiss on your wrist, turning your arm over outstretched in front of you. He's kissing the inside of your arm, slowly making his way up. 

You had never felt so worshiped before. You suppose that was a good way to describe Suguru’s affection. Fondness that bordered on dedication. 

His actions are slow and deliberate as he goes up. You aren’t sure what exactly it is you need, but you know you need more. 

“Suguru-“ you begin. 

He pauses his ministrations to look at you. The intensity in his eyes borderlines on too much. 

He rests your arm to your side before hooking a finger under your chin, tilting your head up. His lips are on yours before he pulls them away. 

“What is it?” He asks. 

How do you tell two beings who are nearly gods that you want more from them? Take, take, take, it's all you know how to do. 

“I want more.” You speak. 

Suguru guides you to sit on the bed, nudging you to scoot back all the way. He looks behind his shoulder at the other man before grinning. You weren’t sure if you should be scared of their antics, but whatever it was they were planning you knew it would be better than not being touched at all. 

Suguru steps to the side, letting Satoru stride up behind him. He's already yanking his shirt over his head, allowing his perfect form to gleam under the light. His gaze causes your stomach to twist, watching the way his eyes clearly feast on your exposed body like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. 

Like he hadn’t fucked you in weeks, even though you were sure there was still remnants of his cum leaking from your hole. 

You clench the sheets beneath your fingers, squeezing the fabric to give you some semblance of comfort. He’s hovering over your legs now, his hands gripping your knees. 

Satoru spreads your legs forcefully, a bit too harsh causing you to gasp. Suguru’s watching the event unfold as he sits beside you, next to your shoulders. 

“Easy Satoru, you wouldn't want to break our new toy, would you?” 

“I'm sure she’d like it if we did.” Satoru replies slyly. 

You feel your pussy clench at that, the idea of being used and abused by them coursing through your body. 

“Oh, would you look at that. She would like it.” Satoru says, looking at the way you clench for him. 

Suguru lifts his hand up and grazes it over the skin on your chest. He’s not running his fingers over where you need them, instead opting to smooth down in between your breasts. 

“Is that right, princess?” He questions. “Want us to use you?” 

Suguru’s finger pinches your nipple and you moan, arching into his touch. He’s looking down his nose at you, and it's hard to focus under the pressure of it all. 

“I w-“ you start to speak. 

Satoru cuts you off as he lays between your thighs, holding them open as he drags his tongue through your pussy. Your legs tremble at the sudden action, nearly snapping closed if not for his tight grip. Suguru’s still pinching your nipple, twisting it slowly as he watches your expression. 

It’s too good, and they’ve barely touched you. 

Satoru slides his tongue up to prod at your clit. You can feel that you’re already swollen and needy, and Satoru’s actions are only making it worse. 

His strong hands keep your thighs spread apart to accommodate his giant frame. He looks comically large between your legs, but he also looks completely at home. His eyes are closed and there’s a ruddy hue on his cheeks, his tongue poking out from his lips to drag along your pussy. 

He was the strongest man in the world, and here he was making himself at home at your altar. 

Your moans flow freely from your lips, noises that you’re nearly embarrassed for, but not quite. They sound pornographic, but you can't help the way they spill from you. 

“Is he good at it?” Suguru asks, watching the way his boyfriend's tongue dips into your pussy. 

“Uhuh, h-he’s-“ you groan as Satoru’s tongue speeds up. 

“You hear that, Satoru?” Suguru pulls your nipple before letting go, looking at the way your eyes roll into the back of your head. 

He almost wants to coo at the expressions you’re making, they're so precious. He loved having sex with Satoru, but there was something special with the way you reacted. 

Satoru slides his tongue from your clit to your hole then back up once more. His breath is hot against your tender flesh, making you buck up against his mouth. You wonder if he can taste himself on you. 

Suguru brushes your hair back, grinning to himself at the way sweat was quickly accumulating on your forehead. It was hard work getting doted on by two men. The weight of his hand is comforting against your head, and you nuzzle into him. 

You force your eyes open to look down at Satoru, and nearly cum on the spot. His lips are shiny with your arousal, lids heavy as he drinks everything you have to give him. He must feel your eyes on him, because he looks up. He grins once he notices you staring, purposely beginning to put on a show for you.

Your clit is being strummed by his tongue, wetness coating you. He was going to make you cum. 

“Move.” Suguru murmurs, snaking his hand down your body. 

Satoru follows the order seamlessly, you didn’t even know he was capable of following orders, and instead sticks his tongue out to poke into your hole. You clench around his tongue, warmth spreading into the darkest corners of you. 

Suguru’s middle finger glides over your clit, the soft skin of his finger swirling against you. He somehow knows how to provide the perfect amount of pleasure, causing a whine to fall from your lips. The boys were working together perfectly, although you knew that shouldn’t surprise you. Satoru’s tongue is dipping into your hole while Suguru teases your clit, bringing you closer to the edge.

“You're dripping, you poor thing.” Suguru says under his breath, focusing on the way your body twitches beneath him. 

How were you supposed to last like this? Matter of fact, how were you supposed to keep going? You hadn’t touched either of them yet, there was a long night ahead of you. 

“Please, please!” You're whimpering, tears beginning to prick your vision. 

Satoru speeds up. Always eager, that one. He curls his tongue inside you, letting your slick trickle down into his mouth. He’s a mess below you, groaning with a shiny face. Suguru on the other hand maintains his pace, letting his finger stroke you at the speed he wants. 

You look up towards Suguru, allowing yourself to appreciate his features. His fox eyes were trained on your clit, although you were positive he must be able to feel the heat of your gaze. You’re looking up at him in a silent plea, asking for more even though you’re not sure you can handle it. 

“Suguru, please,” 

You moan and shift beside him, your muscles starting to ache from the strain of keeping your legs open. Suguru looks away from your pussy to grin softly at you. A face that reminds you of the calm before the storm. 

He allows his finger to rub your clit faster, chuckling to himself when you squeal and let your eyes close. 

“Feels so good, feels so good,” 

Your pussy clenches around Satoru’s tongue, making him groan louder. You would warn them of your impending orgasm, but you’re sure they knew already. It was hard not to, with the way you were twisting beneath them, your moans uncontained. 

“Think she's close, Satoru.” Suguru says, pulling his hand back from your clit. 

You almost yell from the action. You were almost there. 

Suguru brings his fingers to his lips where he dips them inside, savoring the taste of you. You're distracted watching him, so it zaps your system when you feel something warm around your clit. 

Satoru’s sucking the poor area, his tongue swirling around as his eyes fall closed. You gasp, your hand flying down to grip his white hair. He must like the way you tug it, because he sucks harder. 

Satoru eases a finger into you, then adds a second. You think the room is spinning. Everything is so hot and you can't stop bucking against his face. Your pussy clenches before you feel heat spread across your body. You're cumming, and you aren’t sure how long for. 

Satoru doesn't let up, even when you’re finished. You try to push his head away but Satoru is much stronger than you, and doesn't move. 

“Hey, take it easy on her.” Suguru lightly commands. 

His words snap Satoru out of his pussy drunk stupor. His eyes are crazed when he pulls away, unblinking as he stares down at the mess you made. 

“Sit.” Suguru tells Satoru. 

When Satoru looks up at Suguru you almost jump back. It looks like a silent battle of control, one that Satoru would normally win. That being said, you learned the rules of nature with Satoru didn’t apply when Suguru was in the mix.

Satoru gives up and looks away, grumbling under his breath. He was so excited. It was cute. You were glad Suguru was there to hold him back, otherwise you would have gotten destroyed.

Suguru sits on the edge of the bed with Satoru beside him, you on his other side. The bulge in his pants is prominent, it's hard to look away. Your legs feel wobbly beneath you as you lean over, palming at his cock. Suguru gently swipes your hair back, holding it out of the way for you as you pull down his pants. It surprises you how large he is. You’ve only had sex once, but you still aren’t used to it. 

You stick your tongue out to graze his cock, grinning to yourself when you hear his sharp intake of breath. 

“Take them off.” Suguru says to the other man. 

You don't see it, but you feel the bed shift as Satoru slides his boxers off in a hurry, allowing his cock to spring up and slap against his stomach. 

“She did a number on you, huh?” Suguru uses a hand to wrap around Satoru’s cock. 

You hear Satoru moan as you ease Suguru’s cock into your mouth, hoping your throat will open up a bit more. There’s precum sliding down your tongue, the tangy taste making you shift your legs. You wish you could watch the scene beside you, but you're too focused on your task at hand. 

Satoru’s bottom lip is jutted out as he looks down, watching Suguru jerk his cock. He’s so needy it hurts. Suguru always only ever goes at the pace he wants, but Satoru wants more. He pathetically tries to hump into his hand, whimpers flowing from his lips as Suguru maintains his steady pace. 

“I know, you want more.” Suguru says lowly, leaning towards Satoru. 

Satoru jumps at the chance and smashes his lips against Suguru, immediately sticking his tongue out to push against his lips. Suguru chuckles into the kiss and opens his mouth, tangling his tongue with his boyfriends. 

All you hear are lips smacking and muted moans. 

It’s making you turned on again. 

You aren’t sure you can take his entire cock without passing out. But you want to try. You force your head all the way down, Suguru’s cock making you gag. Your tongue slides underneath his shaft, brushing the sensitive veins lining it. Suguru’s hand stays stationed in your hair, holding it in a firm grasp. 

Suguru pulls away from Satoru, eyes watching as Satoru tries to chase his lips. Suguru looks down at Satoru’s cock, letting spit drip from his lips. It flows down until it lands on his cock, the man hissing at the sensation. Honey eyes stare at the sight, spreading his spit around to make the glide easier. Suguru had never seen Satoru so hard before. Was he like this every time he fucked you? 

Suguru groans at the way Satoru’s cock leaks into his hand. They should have brought you into their relationship sooner. Satoru should have mentioned you years ago, Suguru was almost mad that they’ve been missing out on your sweet body this whole time. 

Suguru breathes deep as he feels your lips wrap around his tip, your saliva steadily coating his cock. Luckily he had more patience than Satoru. He wasn’t sure how long the other man would last. 

“S-Suguru, ah,” Satoru groans, his abs clenching at the way Suguru’s hand glides down his shaft. 

“What?” Suguru asks, kissing Satoru’s cheek. “You gonna cum already, Satoru?” He questions. 

His voice is a bit demeaning, you think. Not rude enough at first glance, but the deeper you look into the tone, the more you see. 

“F-Feels too good.” Satoru’s lips part as he watches Suguru’s hand speed up. He's letting out an airy chuckle, body tensing. 

“Yeah?” Suguru says. 

“Yeah- fuck, fuck!” Satoru shoves his hips up. 

Suguru decides to grant him some mercy. He lets Satoru hump into his hand, his tongue gliding against his bottom lip.

The noises make you speed up. You bob your head down on Suguru’s cock, gags filling the room as you swallow each drop of precum he gifts you with. You almost wonder how he’s focusing right now, briefly hoping you're doing a good enough job. 

“Suguru please, please-“ Satoru pleads. 

You feel bad for him. If you were in Suguru’s position you don't think you’d be able to hold strong.

Suguru squeezes the tip of Satoru’s cock before speeding his hand up once more. The schlick schlick schlick noises make you flustered, as if you didn’t have a cock down your throat. 

You hear Satoru whimper before the bed goes still. His head is thrown back as he cums, thick white ropes painting Suguru’s hand. He continues to slide his palm down Satoru’s cock, only pulling away once he stops leaking. 

“Good job, Satoru.” It sounds like he’s teasing him. 

Suguru pulls his hand back, bringing it to his lips. His tongue glides along the back on his hand, licking up Satoru’s cum. You don’t stop sucking his cock, you don't think you could even if you wanted to. 

The length of him brushes down your throat as you slide all the way down. You’re lost in your own world, tongue slathering along his shaft when you feel his fingers lace through your hair. 

“Princess,” he speaks quietly. 

When you tear your mouth away from him the sight above you nearly stops you in your tracks. Two beautiful men above you, yours for the taking. 

Satoru’s skin is a bit flushed from his recent orgasm, a pink hue settling over his cheeks as his chest heaves. Suguru’s faring a little better, but not by much. You must’ve been getting to him. His lips are slick with saliva, his eyes hooded and low as he looks down at you. 

“Pretty baby.” He says at the sight of you, mostly to himself you think. 

Suguru reaches over and swipes his thumb underneath your lip, ridding you from the spit that was dribbling down your chin. You almost feel embarrassed by the mess you had created. For how salacious the men looked above you, you knew you looked worse, you appeared absolutely ruined. Your poor face is a mess of tears and spit, but they think you’ve never looked more beautiful. 

Suguru pops his thumb in his mouth, licking up the saliva he wiped away. He moans to himself at the taste before easing you off him so he can stand. 

He looks daunting above you. He pulls his hair down completely, shaking his head to flick the strands from his face. It was hard to conjure up another image as beautiful as him, save for the other ethereal man beside you.

Said man's hands are grabbing at you as he slides closer to your body, his body heat easily transferring over to you. You want to pay attention to him, but it’s nearly impossible to look away from the man in front of you. 

Suguru reaches down to tug on his shirt, before yanking it off his body. He turns around to toss the discarded clothing into the laundry basket, granting you a flash of his back. A tattoo. You hadn’t gotten a chance to see his back yet, it was better than you could’ve imagined. Ink blotted his skin, taking the shape of a dragon. It spanned nearly across his whole back, it was beautiful. 

“You like bad boys?” Satoru murmurs in your ear, a teasing tone in his voice. “So do I, it’s why he’s mine.” 

Satoru leans down and wraps his lips around one of your nipples, his tongue smoothing over the tender flesh as he suckles. 

You’re moaning, one hand dragging through Satoru’s hair as you watch Suguru. He faces you once more, and you catch sight of yet another thing you missed. A belly ring and nipples piercings. 

“You didn’t have those before-“ your voice falls at the end as Satoru lightly bites your nipple. 

“Oh yeah, I didn’t have the jewelry in last time. What do you think?” 

Is he really asking that? You’re sure he can see your opinion on your face, eyes almost rolling back in your head. 

Suguru steps out of his pants before gliding into the bed, sitting up against the headboard. He looks large on the bed, you wonder how the two men even fit when they sleep at night. 

“Bring her over here, Satoru.”

Satoru either doesn’t hear Suguru, or doesn't care. He continues to suck your nipple, running a finger through your folds. You’re already so sensitive, it almost hurts. You whimper as he applies pressure against your tight hole. At this point you didn’t care who it was, you needed one of them in you. 

“Satoru.” Suguru’s voice lowers, and it works. 

Satoru eases his finger back out, pulling away to pop the finger into his mouth. It’s your chance to finally be filled up. You flip around to crawl towards Suguru, watching as he lazily strokes his cock. 

“Gotta learn how to share.” Suguru speaks, offering a hand to help you slide onto his lap. 

“I wanted her first.” Satoru murmurs as he sits behind you, sandwiching you between the two. 

“Oh, feeling a little jealous are we?” Suguru stares at Satoru, a grin on his face as you slide down his cock. 

You groan, clawing at his chest as your walls attempt to accommodate him. Satoru makes a similar noise beside your ear, stomach clenching as he watches his boyfriend fill you to the brim. 

“No, just impatient.” Satoru says. 

“You usually are.” Suguru is trying to keep his voice neutral, but you can tell it’s hard. 

You finally sit down all the way, heat spreading across your stomach as he stays still. All you want to do is start bouncing, although you knew Suguru wouldn't let you. 

“Come here.” Suguru speaks quietly. 

Satoru pushes against your back, making you press into Suguru. Suguru leans over you, meeting Satoru halfway. The two join in a kiss, a messy kiss, lips locking as Suguru tries to placate Satoru. 

You whimper at the sight, head turned back to watch the way their tongues collide. You’ve seen them kiss before, but you almost felt like an outsider at the time. There was no denying that you were intrinsically involved with the two of them now.

Suguru pulls back, lips glossy with Satoru’s spit. 

“You like watching us kiss?” He questions. “Naughty girl, can feel you clenching.” 

He pushes his lips against Satoru once more. The two of them are putting on a bit of a show, extra saliva falling from the corners of their lips as they kiss above you. 

You rock your hips back and forth as you observe the sight, needing to feel something. Suguru holds your hip with one hand, helping you rock. Satoru runs his hand through Suguru’s hair, groaning into the kiss. 

You want to keep watching, but you need more. 

Your movements speed up as you quietly plead, your pussy leaking around his cock. 

Suguru pulls away from Satoru and leans back against the headrest, both hands falling on your hips. The room around you is hot, you’re nearly burning up. Suguru’s cock is reaching the deepest parts of you, every slight movement only making it worse. 

“Ready, pretty girl?” Suguru asks. 

Your teeth dig into your bottom lip as you avoid eye contact. Why were you feeling bashful? 

“Please.” 

You don't catch the way Suguru’s lip quirks up. His hands flex on your hips as he starts to lift you up on his cock. He wasn’t going fast, but he was going hard. Each time he pushed into you it felt like you stopped breathing. 

Noises fill the room, sounds from your sopping pussy and your ass clapping against his thighs. You can almost feel the impatience of Satoru behind you. 

You’re moaning from the pleasure of Suguru’s cock, but if you listen closely enough you think you can hear Satoru making noise as well. His hand is wrapped tightly around his cock, matching the pace at which Suguru was fucking you. 

He had just cum, but his body needed more. He was so wet, precum spilling out from the sensitive tip of his cock. 

He’s split between watching you from behind, and watching the way Suguru’s expression changes each time he bottoms out. He knows exactly how Suguru feels. Satoru knows how warm, wet, and tight you are. He’d never forget. 

You hold onto Suguru’s forearms as you bounce on his cock, your eyes rolling back in your head each time he fills you up. Your breasts are bouncing with the motion, a sight that has Suguru almost doubling over. 

You never wanted this night to end. 

You don’t think you’ve ever felt so good before. 

“Suguru-“ Satoru interrupts your train of thought. 

Suguru peeks over you and smiles to himself at the sight. Satoru was rubbing himself, a pouty frown playing on his lips. 

“Can’t wait your turn?”

No reply comes. 

“Think you can take two at once princess?” 

Suguru’s looking up at you with such reverence it makes your stomach flip. Could you take both of them? You weren’t positive, but there was only one way to find out. 

“Y-yes.” You say lowly. 

Suguru presses a kiss on your forehead before easing you off his cock. Your pussy mourns the loss of him already, craving the way he stretched you out. 

“Lay down for me.” Suguru murmurs in your ear. 

You lay down on the bed, eyes fluttering at the feeling of the cool sheets beneath you. Suguru slots himself between your legs, looking up at Satoru. 

Suddenly you’re moving, body being pulled closer to the end of the bed. 

“Hey wait a,” you begin, looking up to see what was happening. 

Your head is hanging off the bed, the room upside down as you frantically look up. When you do, you’re met with the sight of Satoru’s cock above your head. It looks even bigger this way. 

“Open.” Satoru says.

Your breathing catches in your chest as you stare above you, your mouth opening in the direction of his cock. 

Satoru slides himself into your mouth, slowly until he’s filling your throat completely. 

Suguru spreads your legs wider, holding his cock with one hand as he presses into your pussy. You eagerly accept him, sucking him deep inside you. 

“Fuck.” Satoru groans, body stilling as your lips tighten around his cock. 

“Good, isn’t it?” Suguru speaks. 

They're talking about you and using you almost like you aren’t there. Why was that so fucking sexy? 

Suguru begins to thrust inside you, filling you over again as you suck Satoru’s cock. It’s nearly impossible to breathe with the way Satoru’s down your throat, the lack of oxygen making you dizzy. It doesn't help that your head is upside down. 

“Perfect, so perfect.” Satoru answers, slowly beginning to pump inside your throat. 

There was only one thing on your mind right now. You wanted to make them feel good, you wanted to make them cum. 

Suguru’s warm palms smooth down your thighs as his speed increases, cock thrusting into you, making you clench against him. You want to tell him how good it feels, but you just can't. 

Satoru’s moaning above you, staring down at the way your throat greedily accepts him. He’s wanted this for so long. The sight of your pretty lips wrapped around his cock, your drool painting his skin. 

A hand runs through his hair and tugs his face forward, causing him to inhale sharply. Suguru pulls him forward, smashing his lips against his. It was hard to remember, Satoru was always the needy one but Suguru could be just as, if not more needy than Satoru. 

Suguru wraps his tongue around Satoru’s while fucking into you, moans quietly escaping from his throat. Satoru kisses back fervently, his hips fucking into your throat irregularly. Below them, you can hear the sounds of their lips smacking. Suguru must’ve been right when he asked if you liked to watch them kiss, because you can feel yourself begin to drip even more. You couldn’t see them, but you didn’t need to. The sounds were good enough, causing your stomach to flip as they made out.

People rarely could keep up with the two boys. It was one of the reasons they worked so well together, always being the only one who understood the other. Where things might be too fast and hard for some people in the bedroom, they matched each other's styles perfectly. Suguru was a bit worried you wouldn't have been able to match them. He didn’t mind slowing down for you, but it turns out you didn’t even need that. You were accepting them just as easily as they accepted each other, and that made his heart skip a bit. Satoru wasn’t worried though, he never was. He could see it in your eyes since the day he met you. You were cut from the same cloth as the two men. 

Suguru never takes his lips off Satoru, pushing into him as his cock pistons into you faster. He could feel you rhythmically clenching around him, especially each time he knocked his cock against that spongy spot inside of you. 

Were you going to cum like this? God, he hoped you were going to cum like this. 

He desperately wants to feel you hold his cock in a vice grip as you lose it, but he knows he should probably let Satoru take the honors. He’s been such a good boy waiting for his turn, after all. 

Satoru’s cock slides down your throat, body using yours to get off. You just knew you would be sore tomorrow morning. You moan around him, your tongue smoothing up the sides of him.

Suguru pulls away from Satoru, not because he wants to, and holds you tightly. 

“G-gonna fucking cum.” He says under his breath.

“Cum inside her.” Satoru pleads, pushing himself into your throat harder. 

Suguru breathlessly chuckles at Satoru, staring down at the way your walls squeezed him. 

“Yeah? Think I should?” 

“Please.” Satoru moans. 

Suguru pistons into you one, two more times before he unloads, his cock flooding you with his cum. Your body twists below him, wanting more. 

You would sit up to look at Suguru, maybe even run your fingers through his hair and pull him in for a kiss. But you can't. Your lips are too occupied, your throat still being stuffed full from cock. 

Satoru’s thrusting into your mouth, groans slipping from his lips as he watches Suguru pull out slowly. The second he does, you can feel his cum begin to pour from you, dripping down your swollen core. 

It's getting harder to breathe now. Satoru’s fucking into your face so fast you don’t have even a moment to collect yourself. 

Suguru must sense your distress, because he rounds the bed and pushes himself up behind Satoru. 

Fingers wrap around the base of Satoru’s cock, sliding him from your mouth. There’s strings of saliva connecting him to you. You’re finally able to gasp for air. 

“Come on baby, don't you wanna put this cock to good use?” Suguru purrs in Satoru’s ear, grazing his lips down Satoru’s throat. 

Satoru whimpers and looks down at you, your wide eyes staring up as you catch your breath. He looks like such a mess. Bursting at the seams, desperate to fuck his cock into something so he cum. 

“Mhm.” Satoru murmurs, never looking away from you. 

“Good boy.” You think you hear Suguru reply. 

It’s hard to tell, he’s speaking so quietly against Satoru’s skin. 

“Will you turn around, baby?” Suguru asks you. 

You sit on your elbows, head woozy now that it's upright. You may have passed out if it went on for much longer. Then again, passing out while sucking Satoru’s cock didn’t sound like the worst idea.

Twisting your body, you lay with your legs facing Satoru, putting your dripping pussy front and center. The heat of the two men's gazes burn into you, it's hard to tell what’s more hot, their eyes or the cum that seeps from your hole. 

Suguru strokes Satoru’s cock several times before releasing him, lifting his hand up to his mouth to suck off the precum and saliva that covered him. 

Satoru’s eyes almost scare you. He’s unblinking, watching your pussy as he kneels down. Satoru looks like he’s about ready to sink his teeth into you. 

“Give me a moment.” He murmurs before holding your legs open, dipping down. 

“Oh my fucking god-“ you moan, his tongue gliding through your folds. 

He’s cleaning you out. He’s eating Suguru’s cum from you. 

“God, you taste so fucking,” he groans “good.” 

Satoru’s hand is wrapped around his cock as he strokes it lazily, poking his tongue inside your hole and drinking the mixture of Suguru’s and your cum. 

You fly your hands down to grip onto Satoru’s hair, pulling him in closer. His mouth feels heaven sent against you, hot tongue gliding through you. 

“Okay, ready?” Satoru asks, pulling away. 

He looks more bummed than you do at having to stop himself. 

Strings of your cum are attached to his lips as he stands up, the liquid snapping as he runs his thumb along his lip. His hands grip your waist and he tugs you closer, his cock head pushing against your hole.

Your words fail you, so instead you just look up at him with pleading eyes. He gifts you a sly grin before easing his cock into you. Satoru throws his head back and groans at how your walls feel against him. 

He can practically feel the shape of Suguru inside you. 

It feels so fucking good. He thrusts into you shallowly several times before picking up the pace, slamming inside you. 

You must be greedy, because even after Suguru fucked you, you still wanted more. 

“S-Satoru!” You all but yell. 

“Y-yeah that’s it baby, scream my fucking name.”

You’re happy he’s holding your hips, helping ground you. If he wasn’t holding you, you were sure you’d be pushed around the mattress from the force of him. 

Deep, he’s so deep. 

Gentle hands lift up your shoulders, it must be Suguru. He sits underneath you, resting your head on his lap. His legs are spread as you lay your shoulders against his stomach. You cling to his forearms, looking up at Satoru as he pushes into you. 

Suguru slides a hand down your body to rest on your clit, swirling around it to bring you closer to the edge.

“Oh my g-god, fuck, FUCK!” You want to cry at how good it feels. 

“It's alright, you’re okay baby.” Suguru says, increasing the pace. 

It’s too good. 

You’re gonna cum. You’re gonna cum. 

Satoru groans, fucking into you at an incredible pace. It’s impossible to stop moaning with the way the two men are playing your body. You dig your fingers into one of Suguru’s forearms, attempting to ground yourself.

“I know, I know.” He murmurs to you. 

“Holy shit-“ Satoru groans. 

Satoru’s movements are fluid as he pounds into you. You couldn’t get enough of him, even though you had sex earlier that day. Your pussy pulls him in with each thrust, your body begging for him.

He’s fucking you so good you just know you won’t be able to walk normally for the rest of the week. The two are working in perfect tandem. 

Your walls tighten around Satoru and you squeeze your eyes shut, letting go. You wouldn't have been able to keep it in. 

Satoru whimpers at the feeling of you cumming around his cock. Right after you fall off the edge, Satoru follows suit. Suguru’s looking up at him as he cums, caramel eyes full of love as he watches the other man, his body shaking as he comes to a stop inside of you. 

Suguru slowly strokes your clit until you come back to consciousness and weakly push his hand away. With the look he gives you you can tell that normally he wouldn’t be so gracious. Instead he takes his hands and runs them down your body while Satoru slowly slides out.

His cum seeps from your hole and you bury your face in Suguru’s lap, wincing at the feeling. Satoru’s off to find a towel. Your body’s going to be a mess tomorrow. The soreness was already starting to settle in, your limbs feeling heavy as Suguru holds you. 

“How are you feeling, baby?” He asks. 

You nuzzle your face further into his lap. At some point throughout Satoru fucking you he slid on shorts, the fabric feels like the softest thing in the world against your sweaty face. 

Satoru comes back with a washcloth, sliding it through your pussy to gather the spent cum. You’re extremely sensitive, the feeling of the rough cloth making you whine. How long would it take to get back to normal? Honestly, it was worth it. 

“Good.” You murmur, curling up. “Thank you.” 

Suguru smiles softly. Were you thanking them for fucking you or for taking care of you? 

Satoru scoops you up, holding you tight against his chest as he walks around the bed. It was easy to forget how strong he was. He doesn't even break a sweat as he slides under the covers, holding you next to him. You were suddenly grateful for his after sex neediness. 

Satoru’s arms feel nice around your body, squeezing you in a loving embrace. When you look up at him, you find that he’s already peering down at you. There’s a small grin on his lips, the flush on his face beginning to fade. You push your body in closer to him, indulging in the skin to skin contact. 

“Suguru” Satoru whines. 

“I’m coming I’m coming.” Suguru says, standing up to turn off the light. 

He glides into the bed on your other side, resting a hand on your body.

It feels so safe being between the two bodies, you forget how you ever felt safe only falling asleep next to one.

Tag List: @tojislittleprincesss, @dinolvrrr, @kimi01985, @mikisspeak, @spookysoowpprince, @reosnagi, @faerie-soirxx, @platrom, @oownowonwoo, @megumisdivinedogs, @sakui1, @maskedpacific, @riri-twix, @nanasukii28, @sugu-love, @bunviixo, @zeyzeys-stuff, @sad-darksoul, @holylonelyponyeatingmacaroni, @gothiccwhore666, @reiluvr

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[indecisive-capricorn]

Headcanons to Miguel O'Hara x Spider-Woman Reader:

WARNINGS: Fluff, a few dirty jokes (if you're not 18+, please don't read this post), a few mentions of death, etc.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before everyone reads this, I just want to say that the timeline begins way before ATSV. Like, it starts around the same time as the Miguel O'Hara we see in the SATSV credit scene. Also yes, the dirty jokes might have been a little unnecessary but I couldn't help myself, it was literally right there! And I wanted to make this longer but I'll just continue it with a part II instead. :)

MASTERLIST: Feel free to check out my other works! :)

On the day you had met Miguel O'Hara, you felt relieved and lucky to have another superhero alongside you. Not just because you are the clumsiest spider woman to probably ever live and needed some help before you get into an accident from slipping becuse of a banana or a bag or had fallen down multiple times during a fight for no reason at all. Seriously, it's not your fault. You either have bad luck or just have really bad balance but either way, meeting Miguel O'Hara for the first time had assured you that you weren't the only one going through everything you have endured as a superhero.

You were a loner practically because of your secret life. You were aware of the dangers that could happen to you and to those you tell your secrets to, so you decided to keep your mouth shut on it until Miguel came along.

Miguel was a little awkward but quite nice to you during your first meeting after he had helped you defeat a Doctor Octavius who was not from your dimension. Miguel explained to you about the multiverse and how people like the Doctor Octavius who came to your dimension are called anomalies and his plans to create a team of spider people to keep the universe in balance. You were a little reluctant to join at first because let's face it, you already have a lot of trouble keeping your own dimension's villain in place and you didn't want to burden Miguel either, but eventually, you agreed.

Miguel said so himself that he had only recently found a way to go to other dimensions but it's a little tricky and because of it, the team was still small and consisted only of a few members, including Miguel, you, another spider woman named Jessica Drew who's a total badass and a Peter Benjamin Parker who looks quire similar to your old college friend, Peter Parker but that's a story for another time.

In almost all of your missions, you were paired up with Miguel. You've went on a few missions with Peter and Jess too, but you worked mostly with Miguel and actually got bonded well with him. At first you two got along over your love for empanadas and although you were under the impression that Miguel might be a humourless, stoic guy, you were met with the complete opposite. Sure, he can be serious at times but he was also funny and casual and loves to joke with you in his own sarcastic way.

Miguel trained you as well. Whenever you made a mistake during training or during the missions, he would help teach you a move or two to help improve your skill and you've always appreciated that, especially when you noticed how he was using his free time to train you, outside of working hours, even when the sun was already setting.

Since the two of you are practically partners-in-crime at work or sometimes jokingly called work wife and work husband by Peter and Jess, you would be around each other most of the time. While Miguel would be busy finishing an invention in his lab, a watch that's supposed to bring you to any dimension you want and stops the person wearing them from glitching, you were busy watching for any anomalies that might pop up in the dimensions. Miguel insisted for you to do it near him, so that way he could glance at the screens every once in a while too when he stops momentarily for a break.

You were the one to always remind him to eat, either bringing him some homemade empanadas, which became his personal favourite ever since he took the first bite but he'll never admit it to you , for lunch or lasagna for dinner. It became a habit at that point and you end up bringing two homemade dishes instead of one to work. The first time you gave him some of your homemade food, Miguel was insistent to pay you back somehow, though it was hard for him to resist any of the food you give him. Either out of hunger or just because his tongue loves the way all the food you bring tastes. And technically, it's not the only thing his tongue loves to taste if you swing in the right direction and put enough courage to it. ;)

However, when you were secretly watching Miguel— yes, you're quite nosy — as he took over to check for any anomalies on the screens, you couldn't help but notice that he would always look to a particular dimension. You weren't sure which dimension it is, but you knew that the Miguel O'Hara in that dimension has a daughter named Gabriella. You caught him looking over to that dimension a couple more times but dismissed it to be nothing and decided to mind your own business on it.

You only began to become suspicious when Miguel didn't come to his missions or even come to Spider Society. Miguel had managed to recruit a lot more spider variants but it was very unlike him to not be present in the team. Out of everyone, Miguel was the one who insisted for Jess, Peter and you to work just as hard when the team was still little. And the times Miguel did come for missions or to make an invention, he would always be in a hurry, as if he had some other businese to attend to.

Miguel could also be a bit unfocus at times. One time, you noticed him staring at a file about a mission report and tried to ask him an absurd question. "Miguel?" "Hm?" "Is it alright if I redecorate the whole office and cover it with hot pink glitter and rainbows?" "Sure, as long as you think it's benefical for the mission."

You were of course a little very hurt by his frequent absence but you didn't want to immediately confront him about it. You knew how hard it was for Miguel to manage a whole team, especially one that's growing rapidly by the day, so you tried to be understanding and stayed quiet about it.

That was until one day, you had enough. Your patience could only go so far and that thin line broke when Miguel had suddenly left during an important mission. The mission was a success and you managed to take down the anomaly, but after the fight, you were left with a severely broken arm. When Miguel received news about your state, he quickly went over to the infirmary where you were being treated at. You were silent the whole time he was apologizing to you for abruptly leaving and began tending to your arm instead of the spider healer that had been assigned to you.

Miguel had stuck around, bringing in snacks and drinks to comfort you during your time in the infirmary until the sun went down. He used the excuse that he needed to do check the multiverse for any activities of an anomaly. However, you knew that wasn't the case and right after he left the infirmary, you soon followed after him, making sure to be careful and silent with your steps.

When Miguel had arrived to his office, you noticed him using his newest invention, the watch that allows anyone to go to another dimension, and witnessed firsthand as he disappeared into a portal. You managed to slip into the portal but since you weren't thinking things through, you had completely forgotten that the portals were often opened from the sky, and with that broken arm of yours, it's no wonder you might get more injuries from the fall. Thankfully though, your instincts kicked in and it was around night time as well, so you managed to stick your webs to the building before you hit the ground and without anyone noticing you.

After landing on the ground, you were eventually able to follow Miguel again but turned confused when you saw him going into a house that you were unfamiliar with. You had been to Miguel's universe before and knew what his home looked like in Nueva York, but you were not in Miguel's universe and the house he had went to looked less extravagant than the penthouse he had let you stayed in for the night, which you promised to yourself to never discuss it with anyone.

You observed from a far distance to ensure that Miguel wouldn't catch you and watched as he climbed into the window on the second floor of the house and you began to get doubtful of your suspicions, wonderinv if perhaps he was just on a secret mission you didn't know about. Miguel tends to be secretive at times.

An old lady soon stepped out of the house, seemingly a neighbour, but what shocked you was that when the house door opened for the old lady to go out, you saw a glimpse of Miguel with Gabriella.

You froze in your spot for some time, completely dumbstruck by the revelation. When you finally snapped out of your trance, you noticed Miguel and Gabriella watching a soccer match on the television, actively cheering for their favourite team with popcorn and sodas. You were amused slightly at the sight but not so much with the idea of what exactly was happening at that moment because as far as you know, Miguel never had a daughter to begin with in his own dimension.

So, to be sure, you went back to headquarters and checked the backgrounde of both Gabriella's and Miguel's universes. With Lyla's help, you found out that Gabriella's father, the Miguel O'Hara in her universe, had been killed several weeks ago— the exact same time your well, not your your Miguel became more absent in the Spider Society. It was a canon event and nothing could be done to prevent it or else it could have caused chaos. You became suspicious and after checking his watch's history, you discovered ghat Miguel had went to Gabriella's dimension during the important mission and he had also went there multiple times during his frequent absence at work.

You confronted Miguel about it after you had gathered all of the evidence to prove what he had been up to the past several weeks. You didn't want to be harsh but you knew you needed to be upfront about it, knowing how Miguel is like. It wasn't much of a confrontation but you had asked him for his side of the story. You wanted to hear his reasons.

Miguel explained to you that he wanted to raise Gabriella for the time being until he can find a suitable guardian for her since Gabriella's father was raising her by himself without her mother nor grandparents. Miguel didn't want Gabriella to know that her father had been killed either since it would distress her, so he had secretly been living as the Miguel O'Hara in that universe. You understood his reasons, of course, but you warned him that if he doesn't find a guardian for Gabriella soon, there will be consequences for both him and Gabriella's universe.

Even after you had warned him, Miguel still kept on going to Gabriella's universe, but he was a little more present at work as well. You avoided Miguel as much as you could at work, finding it to be ironic that the man who was dedicated to protecting the multiverse was also about to disrupt another universe's canon. However, you couldn't blame him either. Gabriella is his own child in another universe and having to go through a parent's death is already hard enough as it is, especially at a young age. Miguel was trying to protect her from that pain as long as he could until he was able to find a suitable guardian for her, which is really hard since before her father's death, Gabriella lived alone with her father and had no other family. From the universe's data, her mother had left after she had given birth to Gabriella and Gabriella's grandparents from Miguel's side had already died while Gabriella's mother's family wanted nothing to do with them.

Although you understood his reasons for continuing, you still feared of the consequences that might come to Miguel and Gabriella, so after your missions, you would go to Gabriella's dimension and watched over her from a distance to check if there were any glitches or potential dangers around her, even when Miguel was not around her. Miguel noticed it eventually, but instead of scolding or confronting you about it, he introduced you to Gabriella and told her that you're "Papa's good friend from work".

Gabriella was shy and quiet when you first met her, but after meeting her a few more times, she slowly opened up and revealed her curious side to you. Gabriella is quite adorable and would sometimes aske you questions about her father and how close the two of you are. You didn't find it odd, especially since Gabriella's father probably didn't bring any of his friends back home to meet Gabriella, and answered all of Gabriella's questions with enthusiasm.

At first, you only wanted to meet Gabriella a couple times just so that you knew what she is like, but you weren't able to say no when Gabriella had asked if you could go to her soccer match on Thursday with big, wide eyes. Okay, you admit you have a soft spot for children but how can anyone blame you for saying yes when an adorable kid asks you to go to their soccer match looking all excited?

You ended up going to Gabriella's soccer match and Miguel was a little smug that you came, especially since you didn't really want to get too attached to Gabriella, but Miguel didn't comment anything about it and just bought you some snacks for the soccer match while you two cheer for Gabriella. She was so excited when she realized that you came and hugged you tightly after she had won the match, though Gabriella turned a little sad when you had to leave. In order to cheer her up, you made a pinky promise to Gabriella that she will see you soon enough.

[whatdoeseverybodywant]

all can we get a part 4 of all i wanted was you when they have a baby 😩😩 that would be so cute

Love - Chapter 1

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS

Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated ❤ 

Janelle is played by Justine Skye

Hopefully this is only 2 chapters but you know me lol it might be more.

Sequel to All I Need Is You: Read Here

Taglist: @christinabae @southerngirl41 @reci24 @jeyusos-girl @jeyusosgirl @melaninsugababy @baconeggndcheez @bemybabiibish @jstarr86 @nbanenefrmdao @purplehairgawdess @arination99 @alyyaanna @m3llowww @gomussy @jeysbae @hennyyybarb @babysyhsy @bebesobrielo

“I think I'm pregnant.” Janelle said out of the blue, causing Trinity and Sefa’s wife Maya to choke on their drinks and look over at her. 

“Girl what! What do you mean you think?”  Janelle sighed and looked over to where Josh was playing football with his brothers and some of his cousins. Josh and Janelle had just moved into a new house and Josh had wanted to throw a housewarming party. 

“I mean we haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other lately and my period is late.”  Trinity sat up in her lawn chair and stared at Janelle. 

“Did you take a test?” Janelle shook her head. “Why not?” 

“Because..” She said trailing off and shrugging her shoulders. 

“I mean you and Josh moved into a bigger house for a reason right?” Maya asked, arching her eyebrow. Janelle rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah, better schools in this county for Xavi and more backyard space for stuff like this.” She said, nodding her head towards the backyard, where damn near all of Josh’s family had gathered. 

Trinity rolled her eyes. “Ok if the last part was true y’all could’ve gotten a house with 4 bedrooms like the old house, instead yall got 6 bedrooms. What y'all need 6 bedrooms for?” 

Janelle sighed and looked back over at Josh. “I bought the test. I’m just scared to take it.” Trinity jumped to her feet and grabbed Janelle pulling her into the house and Maya followed them. 

“Come on, take the test.” Janelle let Trinity lead her to the bedroom. 

“Lock the door behind you.” Janelle said to Maya as she walked over to her dresser and pulled the pregnancy test out. She looked over and Trinity who pointed to the bathroom door. Janelle ground as she made her way to the bathroom. 

What if she was pregnant? She wanted to have kids with Josh but what if she wasn’t a good mom? What if she actually turned out to be like her mom? 

She jumped when the timer on her phone went off. She wiped her palms on her tights before standing up off the toilet and grabbing the test. She let out a gasp when she seen the plus sign. 

She jumped again when Trinity called her name . “J? What's taking so long?” 

Janelle opened the door and handed Trinity the test. “I’m pregnant.”  Maya gasped and tried to contain her smile.  Maya looked between Trinity and Janelle. Trinity had a wide smile on her face and was bouncing on her toes. Janelle looked scared. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking a bit. 

“Janelle, calm down.” Maya said as she grabbed a hold of Janelle’s hands and let her over to the bed. “Here, sit down.” Janelle sat down and stared down at the test in her hands. Pregnant… She was pregnant. 

“What am I going to do?” She asked looking up at Maya and Trinity. 

“Well for now we’re going to go back outside and continue on with the party. Then you’ll tell Josh and you guys will decide from there.” Maya said rubbing Janelles shoulder comfortably. “Everything is going to be okay.” 

Josh’s face was scrunched up in confusion as he looked around for Janelle. Maya and Trinity were missing too. 

“Hey, have you seen Janelle?” He asked one of his aunties who shook her head. Josh shrugged and made his way into the house, needing to use the bathroom. He decided to use the one in his bedroom. Before he could open the door he heard Trin, Maya and Janelle talking. 

He knew that It was wrong to listen in on their conversation but Janelle had been acting off all day. His eyebrows furrowed when he heard Janelle ask what she was going to do. He was about to walk away when the door opened and Janelle stood in front of him. 

“Josh. What are you doing?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Me? I was coming to use the bathroom. What are you doing?” He asked, peeking into the room. 

“Talking.” She said as Maya and Trinity walked out of the room, giving them privacy. 

“About what?” He asked and she sighed. It was now or never. 

“I’m pregnant.” She blurted out. He froze mid stride. 

“Josh?” She said when he didn’t move. She got off the bed and walked towards his placing a hand on his shoulder, breaking him out of his trance. 

“I uh. I have to pee.” He said pointing towards the bathroom and walking in, shutting the door. Janelle stared at the closed door, she honestly didn’t know how to feel about his reaction. She sighed and plopped down on the bed, resting her head in her hands. She looked up when the bathroom door opened and Josh walked out the bathroom. 

“So” He said, coming and squatting down in front of her. “We’re having a baby.” She nodded. 

“Yeah I think.” She whispered. “Are you okay?” 

“Are you okay?” He countered with. Grabbing her hands and squeezing them. She nodded again. 

“Yeah I'm just..” She trailed off shrugging. “Scared I guess.” He placed a kiss on the back of her hand, 

“That's understandable J.” He stood up and pulled her to her feet. He placed his hands on her stomach and smiled at her. “I love you.” She smiled and placed her hands over his. 

“I love you too.” 

“Are you okay?” She asked placing her hand on his knee so he would stop bouncing it. He nodded and shifted in his seat. 

“Yeah, I just wish they hurry up.”  She laughed and looked back at the magazine she was reading. 

“Josh, we only been here for 5 minutes, relax.” He huffed at her and shifted in his seat again. She let out a sigh of relief when she heard her name being called. She and Josh stood up and followed the worker into one of the exam rooms. 

“So I see you’re here because you took a pregnancy test ?” She asked typing on the computer. 

“Yes. We just wanted to make sure it’s not a false positive.” The nurse nodded her head and typed something else. 

“Completely understandable.” She turned in her chair and smiled at Janelle and Josh. “I’ll be right back.” She said getting up and walking out the door. 

Janelle nodded and let out a breath that she was holding. She looked over at Josh who smiled at her. “You good?” He asked her and she nodded. 

They both looked towards the door when it opened and the nurse walked in handing Janelle a urine cup. “The bathroom is this way, you can follow me.” 

“How long does it normally take?” Josh asked once Janelle came back in the room. She shrugged and sat down on the chair next to him. 

“I don’t know.” She said chewing on her bottom lip. “It shouldn’t be that long.”  He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. 

“No matter what. I love you Janelle.” 

“I love you too Joshua.” She said as she leaned over to kiss him. They broke apart once the door opened and the nurse walked in. 

“Hi Ms Porter. So I have your results and you are indeed pregnant.” Janelle let out the breath that she had been holding. “I sent some prenatal vitamins over to the pharmacy we have on file just make sure you take one every morning, preferably in the morning and make sure you take it with food, never on an empty stomach.”  Janelle nodded and smiled at Josh when he placed a hand on her stomach. 

“Let's set you up for a follow up appointment.” Josh leaned over and kissed Janelle on her cheek. 

“We havin’ a baby Nelle.” 

Hey guys. I've been working on this for a minute. Hopefully you all enjoy ❤️

[warmaidensrevenge]

Love and pinball

Pairing: Eddie x Plus!size fem reader

A/N: Oh man it's been a long while. I've been taking a long needed break. But now I'm back and I have a bunch of ideas that need to be written. So I'm looking forward to what's next. I would also like to add that I had help from @salenorona23 to write this fic. I would liked to thank you. You honestly come up with the best ideas.

Thanks for sticking around. I appreciate all of you. I hope you enjoy the conclusion of Love and Pinball.

The song I added was an inspiration to me. Kay love ya. Byyyye.

Word count: 3,199

I do not give permission for my work to be published anywhere else. Please respect all creators. All the pictures I used for my collage were taken from a Google search. A credit to the original posters

Warnings: 18+ no minors please. Sexual implications, loss, grief, heartache and angst. Not proof read.

Part 8: Together

Summary: Grief will rip us apart. But love, real love can help us back to each other.

You stirred a little and placed a hand on your stomach. There was something wrong. You felt empty.

You weakly called out for Eddie. " B-baby?"

Your eyes opened slowly and the sun was blinding. You looked around and saw Paul and your mom. Then you saw Eddie who was sitting next to the bed, holding your hand. He had never looked so bad.

It was quiet. The silence and the single heart beat on the monitor was ominous. You remembered a little of what happened when you got to the hospital. But you were in and out of it.

"Is-ugh-is the baby okay?" You asked, trying to sit up.

Eddie and Paul stood quiet as your mom came to your side and started stroking your hair.

" Honey…I'm so sorry."

-

You cried for four days straight, with your mom never leaving your side. Even though you knew Eddie had to be with Liam. It hurt so much more to go through the loss of the baby without him.

Those four days were the worst in Eddie's life. When he was away he wished he was with you. And when he was with you all he did was hold you as you sobbed.

He felt like he was the reason you guys were suffering.

On the fifth day, you were going to be discharged from the hospital. Eddie had left work early to be the one to take you home. However, when he got there you were already gone.

Confused and worried he went home. Only to find suitcases by the door.

" Sweetheart?" He called out.

He found you in the nursery clutching the baby blanket from the hospital.

" Sweetheart?"

When you looked at him, he had never seen so much pain in someone's eyes.

You were dreading this moment ever since you decided to run. The only thing that kept you from taking off without a single care was the respect you had for Eddie. He deserved more than him coming home to see you were gone. He needed to know that you would be okay.

You looked back at the empty crib and felt such heartache. To the means of something you could not put into words.

" My mom went to say goodbye to Paul and Natalie. She's going to be back soon."

Eddie remained quiet and watched you. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

" I-I'm gonna go back with her."

His heart sank.

" I need some time…"

You didn't need to finish for him to understand what you needed. And though it tore him apart, he wanted you to be okay.

He took a few steps towards you. "Y/n, I think it's a good idea. You should be with your mom for a few days."

You tensed under his hand that was suddenly on your back. He almost lost it. He almost broke down. But he couldn't. So he didn't.

What he did instead was help put your bags in the trunk and helped you with your seatbelt.

Not once did you look at him. You barely said anything at all.

" Sweetheart, I'll be here when you get back."

Your head was hung while you nodded.

Eddie's heart shattered all over again watching the car fade into the distance.

Maybe this was for the best. Maybe it wasn't what was best for him. But it was what you needed. Right now all you needed was family.

…

3 weeks later

You always did hate how hot New Mexico was. You hated the bugs and the disgusting dry heat. But all of those things didn't bother you anymore. Those inconveniences were nothing compared to the suffering you felt.

It had been three long weeks since the loss of your baby girl and you couldn't find it in you to get out of bed. Or to really talk things out with Eddie.

Sure he called countless times, asking when you were gonna come home. But the answer was always the same. You didn't know.

That wasn't true though. You were never going back. How could you? How could you go on and pretend that baby Claire never existed? How could you face the man you loved knowing it was your fault she didn't make it? That the family you wanted was gone.

Chrissy gave him something you couldn't. A baby. And you hated her for that. You hated that she had a healthy beautiful baby boy, while you were left with this empty feeling.

That wasn't the person you wanted to be. And it was definitely not something you wanted Eddie to see.

It took everything you had to breathe. To wake up and not blame yourself.

But the agony you felt wouldn't go away no matter how hard you tried. And no matter how many tears flowed, there was always more.

It especially hurt when Eddie would call and you could hear Liam crying. It was excruciating to hear cries that weren't hers.

Deep down you wanted to be with Eddie. And you really did love Liam. But you just couldn't do it. It was too hard.

On the fourth week you were woken up by a tiny human.

" Tee? Wake up Tee."

You opened your eyes and found big blue ones looking back at you.

"Morning Tee."

You smiled as she climbed into bed and gave you a big hug.

" Hi baby. Oh I've missed you."

Natalie giggled when you gave her a bunch of kisses.

" Hey champ."

You looked up from Natalie and saw Paul standing by the door.

Your eyes started to swell and your chin trembled." H-hi."

After hello hugs you went to the kitchen and sat there watching Natalie eat.

" What're you guys doing here?"

Your mom poured you and Paul coffee and put a hand on your shoulder.

" Honey, your brother is leaving Natalie here for a while."

You looked over at Paul and he nodded. " I uhhh Natalie needs you…and I think you need her too."

You frowned and tears filled your eyes again. Then you nodded and sniffled. " I do."

You wiped away your tears and lightly laughed. " I'm sorry."

" Tee don't be sad."

You smiled softly at her. "I'm just really happy to see you."

She giggled and got down from her chair and raised her arms up for you to pick her up. Once on your lap she started humming.

" Tee, can we make cookies?"

You kissed the top of her little head. " Of course baby."

You looked up at Paul and your mom and saw them giving you small smiles.

For the first time in a month, you felt ok…Better.

-

Eddie was going through it. Sure he still had Liam, but he lost a daughter too. And he started resenting you for leaving him. Especially since you were only supposed to be gone for a little bit.

It was now a month and a half later and you still haven't said when you were coming back.

That was until you called him.

" Hey sweetheart."

" Hi."

He sat down on the bed. " How are you?"

You sighed. " Better."

His brows pinched together. " Yeah? That's good. I uhh miss you.”

“Eddie I- ummm I left a few things and I was hoping you could send them to me?”

He was quiet for a second. Didn't you miss him too?

“ Uhh yeah. Yeah. Sure baby. What do you need?”

He wrote down the list of things and was confused. Photo albums, jewelry and your diploma. Things that were important and likely irreplaceable.

“Umm sweetheart? Do…do you really want me to send this stuff?”

You cleared your throat before answering. “ Yeah.”

He nodded and fought back his tears. Why did it feel like you weren't coming back?

" Y/n? You're coming home…right?"

He heard you sniffle and knew your answer.

" Baby, please. I-I-"

"I have to go. I'm sorry."

-

When you hung up, it was like you felt everything you felt a month ago. But ten fold. It was horrible.

You originally hoped calling him would change your mind about not going back. Instead, all it did was solidify that you could never go back and face him.

You laid in bed that night thinking of all the things that you should've said to him. You should have said you were sorry for falling that day. For losing Claire. For running away. But most of all you wanted to say you loved him very much.

All the pain you felt started making you cry. After a minute or so you felt a little bit of movement behind you. Then you felt a tiny hand stroking your hair.

You turned around and saw Natalie staring at you.

" Don't cry Tee."

You whimpered a little as you wiped your eyes.

She grabbed your hand." Everything's gonna be alright."

" I know, baby. I know."

" Then-then why are you crying?"

You sniffled. " Everyone cries baby."

Natalie frowned. " I don't like it when you cry Tee. It scares me."

Your brows pinched together and you reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear. " Why honey?"

" Because when big people cry, that means something bad happened. And I don't want bad things to happen."

You sucked in a breath and nodded. " I'm sorry. I-I won't cry anymore."

She held out her pinky. " Promise."

You let out a small laugh and hooked your pinky with hers. " I promise baby."

She leaned in and gave you a hug and a kiss before getting under the covers. Then she started humming a familiar tune until she fell asleep.

You squeezed her gently and thought of the day you guys went shopping with Eddie replayed in your head.

It was at that moment you knew what you had to do.

It was time to work on getting better. For your family. And for Eddie.

-

Eddie cried after he hung up the phone. He never felt so alone before. Or so sad. What did he need to do to get you home?

He wanted to go to you, but with Liam and work he really couldn't. On top of that he was heartbroken.

But what made things worse was that Chrissy decided to give him full custody of Liam. All she said when she dropped him off was that Jason proposed to her. So she handed him Liam and paperwork that she had a lawyer draw up.

That was a week ago.

Thank God for his friends. He didn't know what he would do without Gareth or Robin. They were his saving grace. But the only person he really wanted was you. Looks like he wasn't going to get that happy ending he always wanted.

-

Two weeks later

It was a stormy Saturday afternoon. Eddie had just put Liam down for a nap. He had been so fussy today. He had this little cough that scared him. So after a doctor's visit he gave him some medicine and put him to bed.

Eddie went outside to sit on the porch and look at the paper. He was searching for an affordable place that he and Liam could move into. He felt that it wasn't right to stay in your place without you.

However, the only place he could afford was in Forest Hills and he wanted better for Liam. But there was no other choice.

He closed his eyes and sighed. “ Wish you would come home.”

He then heard a car door close. When he looked up he saw you standing there. Umbrella in one hand and a suitcase in the other.

When the cab drove off you started towards him.

He was in shock. With no clue what to actually say or do, he just sat there.

You reached the steps and stared at him. All you could think about was how much you've missed him.

“I…I know there's nothing I can say to take back what happened and how I reacted to it. Just know that I am so sorry for leaving you.” You moistened your lips and continued. “ I should've known that losing our girl was going to hurt you too. I was selfish and a jerk… and I get it if you can't forgive me. I just came back to apologize and to say if you need me, I'll be here... And I need you to know that I'm not 100% right now. And...and I don't think I ever will be. But I'm willing to try and be. For you and Liam...For me too.

He stood up and dropped the newspaper. Just then the slight drizzle turned into a downpour. He went down the steps and pulled you into a hug. Your body trembled in his arms as tears filled his eyes.

“ I missed you so much baby.” he leaned back and kissed you.

After a few seconds you guys heard Liam cough.

He looked down at you and put his forehead on yours. “ I know what you're gonna say. But I don't care. I like how much of a cliche we are together…That's how I know it's real.”

You nodded. “ I guess you're right…Curls?”

“ Yeah sweetheart?”

“ I'm not leaving again. Not ever. Well not willfully.”

He chuckled and went to kiss you again but you put a hand on his chest.

“ Common bud, I wanna see Liam.”

He nodded and grabbed your luggage. Following you inside.

-

You never ran. Not when Chrissy came back crying that Jason left her and then tried to take Liam. Not when he was let go from the plant. Even when things got overwhelming when Hannah and Layla were born. When postpartum hit you like a truck. You didn't leave.

Even when things got better and the band got a record deal and he spent more time on the road than at home. You stayed and supported him. You said and did all the things a partner should. You challenged him to be better and you were honest with him. You did so much for him and the family. You took care of the house and the kids, even though you needed help. You didn't leave when he missed so many birthdays, little league games and ballet recitals.

Because you loved him and he loved you. No matter how hard or easy things were. You both showed up for each other. No matter what, you had each other's back.

-

Eddie hadn't been home in a few months and you never missed him more. Maybe it was because the kids were asking when he was coming back. Or maybe it was because your anniversary was coming up and you needed your anniversary kisses. Either way he was way overdue for a cuddle session.

All day you tried to focus on the daycare. And for the most part you kept it together. That was until you were about to leave for the day.

He was there. Leaning against his red BMW with his legs crossed at the ankles and hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.

You could cry right now. But instead you melted seeing him smile at you.

“ Hey Mrs. Munson. Beautiful weather we're having.”

You shook your head and went to him. Giving him hugs and all the kisses you've been saving just for him.

“ Mmmmm sweetheart. Let me get you home first.”

He led you to the passenger side and opened the door. As soon as you slid in, you climbed down from cloud nine. You opened your mouth to say something when he closed the door and held up his hand.

“ Don't worry, your car will be safe here and the kids are at Paul's. It's just you and me tonight.”

-

You didn't make it past the living room. You were on each other as soon as the front door closed.

Eddie sighed with satisfaction. “ God I've missed you.”

“ Better have.”

He chuckled and placed a wet kiss on your cheek. “ I always miss you when I'm gone. You and the kids.”

You swallow and nod. “ So how long do we get you for?”

He hummed and pulled you to lay in his arms. “ I'm not sure. 1 or 2, maybe 3 years.”

You lifted your head and gave him a surprise look.

He grinned at you. “ The band decided we needed a break. To get back to our roots and be with our families. So we all agreed that a long vacation would do us good. Obviously, we can't just disappear for 3 years.”

“ Right.”

He reached up and tucked your hair behind your shoulder. “ Yeah. So we set it up to only do local shows a few times a month and do 9 big venues in the surrounding states. But only in the summer so I can bring you guys with me.”

You were speechless. You've been wanting to hear those words from him for a long time now. It was the best thing he had ever said to you.

You smiled softly.“The kids would love that.”

“ What about you?”

You laid your head back on his chest. “ Well I don't know. I guess I can take it or leave it.”

He gasped. “ I beg your pardon!” He then started to tickle your sides and made his way on top of you.

“ Ahhh curls! Okay okay!”

He stopped and grinned down at you.

You smiled back at him. “ I would love nothing more than for all of us to be together. I love that you're home…I miss you bud. So much.”

He nodded slightly before leaning for a kiss.

“ Mmm sooo speaking of all of us…I was thinking maybe we could work on baby 4 and 5.”

You clicked your tongue. “ Hmmm that sounds fun. Maybe pinball after?”

He chuckled lightly. “ Love then pinball?”

“ Or.” You raised a brow. “ Love and pinball?”

“ Oh you're naughty baby.”

You both grinned at each other for a moment before he got up.

“ I'll get us snacks and juice boxes.”

You laughed as he helped you up. “ I'll be down stairs beating your score.”

He smacked your bottom. “ We'll see about that “

-

As you stood in front of the thing that started it all you couldn't help but feel joy. The very same Grand Prix game you guys played all those years ago was now yours. Well it has been since Eddie gifted it to you as a wedding present.

You sighed happily as you took the quarter from the return slot and popped it in. The lights and music were the exact same as always.

You pulled back the spring handle and the ball was off. Whirls and dings were all too exciting. It was perfect. And in a few minutes you were almost to the high score. But then there were hands on your hips pulling you back so that you were flushed against his chest.

“ No distract-” you tried to say but cut off as you watched as the silver ball fell right between your paddles. Then you heard a slight chuckle.

“ Sorry sweetheart. You lost.”

Sighing in defeat, you turned around in his arms and wrapped yours around his neck. “ No bud. I think I won.”

Eddie looked back and forth between your eyes and understood what you meant.

He put his forehead on yours. “ We won.”

...

@marsmunson86 @browneyes528 @erinsingalong @salenorona23 @emsgoodthinkin @eddie-is-a-god @manda-panda-monium

[jamielea81]

Just Friends

One Shot - 2,700 words

Chris Evans x Reader

Warning: A little heartbreaky. A little sweet. A lightly funny. Fluffy. My usual.

Notes: This is just for fun. I know nothing of the private life of Mr. Evans, so take with a grain of salt. This is a little self indulgent as the reader is tall, but it’s only mentioned like twice. No use of Y/N. Enjoy my lovelies. 

Feedback and reblogs are appreciated but never expected. They do keep me fueled though. 

**

It was ridiculous. Utterly and completely ridiculous. Chris was being a butthead. Plain and simple.

He was the best person you knew but, also the most aggravating person you knew. And he was pissed at you. Not the kind of pissed where it’s forgiven in a day over a beer. No, he wasn’t speaking to you and frankly you didn’t care.

Okay, you did care. But you were pissed at him too. If he hadn’t of asked for your opinion several of times, you wouldn’t have been forced to tell him the truth. He knew better than to ask you five times in one night what you thought about Amelia, especially when you had been drinking.

Amelia was an airhead. She thought too highly of herself and it wasn’t warranted. She didn’t deserve Chris and that’s exactly what you told him. Yes, it was blunt, but he asked you five times. Five. You could only lie so much. And why did he care so much about your damn opinion anyway?

Was your crush on Chris part of the reason for not liking Amelia? No. She really wasn’t a great person and, in your defense, your crush on Chris was new.

It wasn’t one of those “I’ve loved him my whole life” kind of crushes. The kind that you torture yourself with for years. No. Chris had always been your buddy. Your pal. Kind of like a brother to you. Only that had changed in the last year. Honestly, you never thought of him more than a friend. Of course, you had always found him attractive, but you knew lots of guys that were attractive.

Your feelings had changed for him after a night of trivia. It amazed you that you were able to pinpoint so easily when your feelings for him changed.

It was game night at Chris’ place and the two of you partnered up and decided to call your team Whiskeypedia. {Your idea, but he took the credit.) Hugs seemed to last longer than normal that night. Shoulder bumping nudges were frequent, and high fives turned into handholding that made your tummy do flips throughout the evening. These new feelings made you extremely happy and terrified all at the same time. Often you felt yourself shake. Like your nerves, heart, and head could not take it.

Something had changed between the two of you in a few short hours, but you didn’t act on it. You couldn’t. This was Chris! And you, well, you were you.

You were a guy’s girl. Everyone’s buddy. Everyone’s wingman. It has always been that way, even before high school. Always a bridesmaid, but never a bride in a sense. You were too tall at nearly six feet and had curves. And not just in the chest or ass that guys often used to describe a curvy girl. No, you had legitimate curves. Even though you were confident in who you were, you found yourself shrinking down when meeting new people. Hunching your shoulders, and hugging yourself in an attempt to always make yourself smaller.

Men were always a bit intimidated of the tall woman. But with Chris, you were yourself. Never shy about getting in his face when he was being a shithead. Always the first one to have dance off with him when he was being goofy. You were just the real you around him.

The two of you had been friends for a decade and hadn’t gone more than a week without talking, until now. Now two weeks had gone by without a single word from him. You hadn’t picked up the phone either, so that was on you too.

He said some pretty harsh things. Called you too judgmental and selfish. Said you didn’t like when anyone else was happy. That one hurt the most. The words really made you re-evaluate your life and your friendships. You didn’t feel that way. You had been happy most of your adult life. Always celebrated your friends and family’s accomplishments.

He was wrong. The words did not make sense and they really hurt. Especially coming from Chris. From someone you felt knew you so well.

Amelia had come into your life two months ago. Chris had always been quick to fall in love or maybe lust, so when she was suddenly around your friend group all the time, you weren’t surprised. It was something you were used to. He dated a lot and that was just the way it was.

You treated her like you did any of your friend’s significant other’s. You were friendly and welcoming and if you didn’t hit it off, you remained polite.

So, it had been two weeks. Two weeks of trying to keep busy. Two weeks of visiting your parent’s place way more than normal. Thankfully, they weren’t questioning it. Two weeks of feeling pretty low and spending too much money on things that made you feel pretty. New shoes, new clothes, fresh seafood, organic veggies from that upscale grocery store. If anything, this was a life detox. And maybe you needed this break. After all, the crush you had on him for the better part of a year had not dimmed.

**

Another four days had passed without word from him. But in the midst of water boiling and bacon sautéing in a pan, you heard the doorbell ring. You clicked the Nest icon on your phone which pulled up the front door camera. It was Chris. Chris with his ballcap on backwards, dressed in a sweatshirt and joggers. Despite how good he looked in a backwards cap, he looked rough.

You clicked out of the app and decided to ignore the door. This did little to get rid of your unplanned guest as the doorbell rang again followed by a text message.

Chris: I know you’re home. When you’re out, you leave the outdoor lights on. Let me in.

You replied almost immediately.

You: I’m busy.

You: And frankly, you should have called before coming.

Chris: We don’t do that. You and I have an open-door policy. Don’t make me use my spare key.

“Fucker,” you muttered as you walked to your front door. You turned the lock and walked away, not bothering to open it for him.

The door opened softly and closed with a click. Back in your kitchen, you poured the pasta into the pot, and added a touch more salt to the water.

“Smells good,” he said, as he pulled out a bar stool from the island.

You hummed in response and pulled out two beers from the refrigerator. You placed both in front of him; the unspoken rule that he would uncap the bottle for you.

He tried again. “What are you making?”

“Bacon mac and cheese,” you replied softly before you took a long pull from your beer.

“Do I get to sample this delicacy?”

You shut the burner off where the bacon was cooking and moved the strips to a plate lined with a couple of paper towels, ignoring his question.

“You look like shit, Chris.”

“I feel like it. And thanks,” he said with a smirk.

You shrugged a shoulder and took another pull from your bottle. You busied yourself with wiping down the already cleaned counter and after a few minutes drained the pasta water. You added cream to the pot, salt, pepper, and a little flour. “Make yourself useful and chop up that bacon.” you nodded to the plate.

Chris didn’t object and got to work on his task. He sampled a couple of slivered slices of bacon, but you let it slide.

Once the pasta was finished with way too much cheese, he passed you the plate of chopped bacon and you mixed it in, sprinkling more on top of the completed dish. You grabbed two plates from the cupboard and dished up a large portion for each of you. Picking up your plate, you brought it to your dining table knowing Chris would follow behind you.

Once you both were seated and you had eaten a few bites, you looked him in the eyes for the first time that night. He really did look a little worse for the wear. Dark circles under his eyes with hair mussed after a bit of scratching after he pulled his hat off. “What are you doing here, Chris?”

He exhaled and set his fork on his plate. His hand trailed down his face stopping in his scruff. “I’m sorry,” he breathed out before taking a deep breath. “I’m here to apologize.”

“Apologize for what exactly?”

Were you being a bit of a snot? Maybe. But you were hurt and didn’t know where your friendship stood. He wasn’t getting off easy.

He took a breath and scratched at his scruff again. “For being an ass to you. For saying things I should have never said to you. Things that aren’t true. Really.” He nodded his head once and took another breath, keeping his eyes on yours. “I’m sorry. I’ve been miserable these last couple of weeks without you.”

You pushed your plate away and stood up, downing your beer as you walked back to the kitchen. You grabbed two more bottles and placed them in front of him to open. He did and passed one to you.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m miserable too but you really hurt me. Like this is soul crushing and I’m angry and I’ve never been angry at you. I’ve been mad at you before and you’ve ticked me off, but nothing like this.”

He smirked. The fucker smirked. “Just a time or two.”

“So, I don’t know what to do here, Chris. How do we move on or move forward?” you asked.

It was his turn to stand. He abandoned his beer and went to the living room making himself comfortable on your large sofa. You stood up leaving your beer for a moment before turning around to grab it and bring it with you. You took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa and turned your body to face him.

Chris took a ragged breath and sat forward in his seat. “I think I’ve fallen for you.” He turned to face you, scooting one seat closer, but leaving one cushion between you. He shook his head. “I have feelings for you. You’re my best friend and this scares the fuck out of me.”

Your stomach dropped and it felt like it ran to your bathroom where it was certainly emptying itself. God did you feel like you could puke. This isn’t real life. He has feelings for you? Since when? Why? How? You couldn’t get the words out but the tears sure chose to drop from your eyes at that exact moment.

“Say something. Anything. Please sweetheart.” He reached for your hand and you let him take it.

Sweetheart. Something you have heard him call the women he has dated, but never you. What was happening?

“I – I don’t know what to say.” You shook your head and blinked the tears away. “You have feelings for me?” Anger edged your voice. “Since when? What about Amelia?”

He scooted closer again, using both hands to hold yours now. You yanked yours away and it stunned him for a second.

“I think,” he began “I think I was seeking validation from you when I was asking what you thought about Amelia. I wanted you to tell me she was great and that we were good together.” He licked his lips and grabbed your hand again and you let him. “I think I’ve had feelings for you for quite some time. But we’ve never been that way. We’ve always been friends, so when things started to change for me…”

“When?” you interrupted. “When did your feelings start to change?”

“Whiskeypedia.”

You nodded your head. “Me too,” you whispered.

His eyes widen and he gripped your hand tighter. “I lashed out when you told me how you really felt about her. I knew you weren’t wrong, but I wanted something to work. At least one relationship to work. I screw things up, relationships, I mean. Always have. But I can’t do that with you. I can’t. You mean too much to me to fuck up what we have. But I cannot pretend I don’t want something more.”

“What do you want to do? I can’t stop being your friend, I don’t know how. But now that this is out here in the atmosphere, I don’t know how to go back to that.” You squeezed his hand and let your other hand land on his arm. “I’m scared, Chris.”

“I think we try. I think we go on being us but we see what more we can become,” he said. “It’s us. We can be smart sometimes. Mainly you, but I try.”

You gave him a smile and he used his thumb to wipe away the fresh tears from your face. “Okay... I agree. I guess I did make you dinner after all.”

Chris chuckled and then shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me that feelings had changed for you?”

“Me?” you questioned. “Chris, come on. Look at you and then look at me.” You shook your head. At this rate you would have a major headache for the next several days. “Look at the girls you’ve dated. All gorgeous.”

You stood up and walked to the dinning room, grabbing both plates and then bringing them to the sink in the kitchen to rinse. Chris followed behind you, letting you place the plates in the sink before grabbing your arm and turning you around to face him.

“You are gorgeous. You are smart. You are hilarious. You are caring. You’re my best friend and you are everything.”

Suddenly he was so close to you that his breath kissed your face. The two of you lined up perfectly, eye to eye.

“I came here thinking I’d lose you. I’d tell you I wanted something more and you’d tell me I’m crazy and just your friend. That I would have to go on and pretend I’ve gotten over you and that I could just accept that,” he said. Chris moved a strand of hair behind your ear and held his hand in place while his other hand rested on your shoulder. “Can I kiss you? Please.”

The tears were back. You were scared to death. Scared he would change his mind and realize you were better off friends. Scared his feelings would change and you would lose your friend. Scared he would find someone that would fit the type of woman he normally dated. But you needed to try. You had to try for you and for him. A year of hiding your true feelings and the two of you dating people just to pass the time wasn’t doing either of you any favors.

“Yes,” you whispered.

Chris leaned in slowly. One armed wrapped around your waist bringing your body flush against his while the other held your neck. Both of your hands hugged his waist as you let him take control. It wasn’t rushed. It was in slow motion. His eyes crinkled and he smiled as your noses bumped. You closed your eyes just and your lips brushed against each other’s. Neither of you pulled back, you just held your lips together for what felt like a minute. He pulled back slightly before kissing you again. And again. You smiled against his lips and attempted to pull away but he chuckled and kissed you again. Both your hands traveled up his waist to his ribcage and then to his shoulders as the kiss intensified. One of your hands slipped into his hair and scratched lightly. He let out a little groan and you smiled against his lips again. Chris took this as an invitation to stroke his tongue into your mouth causing a moan of your own. He chuckled and kissed your lips softly before pulling away. His kissed your cheek and pulled the two of you into a hug.

“Maybe we should stop. I don’t wanna, but we probably should. You should probably let me take you out,” he said.

“I probably should, huh? Don’t want you thinking I’m that type of girl.”

“Sweetheart, you couldn’t convince me you aren’t the best type of girl even if you tried.”

**

Tag list: @mustangshelby04 @bellaireland1981 @carolina-thiell @@denise1605 @mcuclintasha @iam-cj @trynnabemultifandom @chrisevansforever @kelbabyblue @broadwayandnetflix @kyjey @i-just-feel-like @daddieslittlefangirl @stankface @im-not-an-armrest-im-short @whymalu @the-doctors-fallen-angel @tessabb7 @thinkxlovexloud @the-murder-strut-murdered-me @greyeyedsmile14 @ripvandrinkle @bitterstar88 @zestygingergirl @onceuponathreetwoone @supraveng @michelehansel@agirlcanstilldream @what-is-your-plan-today @jessyballet @capstopavenger @titty-teetee @twittytelly @princessmisery666 @tanelle83 @pinknerdpanda @allaboutthebooz @patzammit @xoxabs88xox @heartislubbingdubbing @ab-baybay​ @xostephanie @smoothdogsgirl @maeleeme​ @denisemarieangelina​ @rvgrsbrns​ @icanfeelastormbrewing​ @kitkat1690​ @smilexcaptainx​ @dwights-new-plague​ @dont-need-another-fandom​ @chrisevansforever​ @bitterstar88​ @squirrelnotsam​ @kitkatd7​ @marvelislove10​ @hista-girl​ @cocomel0613​ @also-fangirlinsweden​ @lovebittenbyevans​ @blacktithe7​ @itsmycorneroftheinternet​

[emberfrostlovesloki]

Your Side of Town [Aaron x Reader]

Photo credits: Left (@taybrinafavs) Center (@dilfgifs) Right (The Killers - From "Your Side of Town" music video)

Prompt: When the reader starts going to UC Riverside to get her PhD, she meets the dangerous and enigmatic Aaron Hotchner in her Tax Fraud class. She is forced to ask why she likes him, and if he is as dangerous as her friend, Emily Prentiss, says. 

Pairing: College!Aaron x Non-BAU!Reader, fem!Reader. The reader uses she/her pronouns 

Category: Angst 

Word Count: 14.5K 

Content Warnings: Language, mention of drinking alcohol, beating [Aaron], mention of gangs and criminal organizations, a brief description of murder and blood. Please let me know if I missed any. 

A/N: Hi all! I hope you are all doing very well! This is a long note, but hopefully, it will explain this fic better before you read it. It started this story a few months ago when The Killers released the song “Your Side of Town.” It gave me such strong Aaron vibes that I had to write a fic based on it. I decided to write a college AU where the reader is in school with Aaron who is working on his law degree. I’ve made some changes to the setting and period, but I’ve tried to keep the characters as true to the show as possible, even with the changes. Much of this chapter is setting up the future storyline and depending on if people like this chapter or not, I might work on a part two. This is something very different for me, so I hope it’s okay. Please be kind to yourselves this week and do something you love, you are so special. If you enjoy this fic, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated! Love Levi - ❤️

List with all stories 

y/n 

y/f/c/d = Your favorite coffee (or coffee adjacent drink). 

d/b = department building 

y/l/n = your last name. 

y/f/s = your favorite subject 

The California sun beat down on y/n, as she walked toward campus She walked quickly, even if she didn’t need to. Her pace demonstrated her stress. She had barely slept even though she had intentionally gone to bed early. y/n couldn’t tell if it was worse to be in bed unable to sleep or be awake and dreaming, longing, praying for sleep. She couldn’t decide and she was too nervous to think about it at the moment. The walk from the commuter parking lot to the UC Riverside campus was pretty, but it was a hot day. As y/n dipped into her normal coffee shop, it was a bit more crowded than usual, but certainly not as bad as it would be at 10 a.m. 

Perhaps getting up and out of her apartment at 6 a.m. had paid off. As she reached the counter, y/n ordered a coffee straight and an iced y/f/c/d. She lingered by the pickup counter, looking at the mostly older patrons sitting and reading the local paper or chatting with friends who were up as early as themselves. 

These people didn’t seem like students. One or two of the twelve patrons of the shop could be seniors, but it was hard for her to tell. y/n knew she was rubbish at guessing ages. Always had been. y/n’s name was called shortly after and she made it back outside. From the coffee shop, it was only a short walk to the crosswalk that would take her onto campus proper. Because her hands were full, she leaned her hip against the crosswalk button. The electronic voice droned out, “Wait to cross, West Campus Drive.” y/n let out a sigh. She knew her anxiety was unfounded. She had graduated from undergrad, and then grad school, there was no reason she should not be able to obtain her PhD in four or five years or so. 

Even if this was the case, imposter syndrome was still a constant stalker. The crosswalk voice told her she was good to walk. y/n had zoned out, and sure thing. The walk sign was on. y/n got a move on. The road wasn't long, but cars were known to speed down the blind curve, and over the summer, when y/n had moved into her apartment, got to meetings with her advisor, gotten used to campus, and gotten to know her two roommates, she had seen many an accident on West Campus Drive. She didn’t fancy getting into an accident. Not when their life was finally coming to something. 

y/n had agreed that this was going to be the year that she stopped running from her past. She contemplated this as she made it safely onto campus and the short walk to her d/b. As she approached the door, a colleague whom she was getting to know, Ted Anderson, walked up the steps. He saw that she didn’t have a free hand and moved more quickly. He pulled the door open and flashed her a smile before saying, “Moring, y/l/n. You ready for this?” y/n gave him a small smile back and said, “As ready as I’ll ever be. I’ve got my syllabi printed, my two coffees, and Fraud in the U.S. tonight at six, so if it’s not a good day, at least it will be a busy one.” Anderson nodded as he moved behind her into the building saying, “I’m sure you’ll do great.” y/n gave him a soft smile as they diverted paths. Her office was on the third floor and his on the first. y/n wasn’t sure why she had been graced with an office with a window, but she would enjoy the sunlight streaming through the window as she worked. She had nothing to complain about there. 

The first half of the day went well. The two sophomore-level courses on _y/f/s had gone by quickly. The first day both lecture halls had been packed with around two hundred students each. The imposter syndrome seemed to melt away as a learned mask of confidence and the need to be in control took its place, even if the persona wasn’t fully formed yet for herself or the class. It was refreshing. It gave her the boost that she needed until lunchtime rolled around. y/n moved to the department office and got some copies of a reading from the student worker, got a fresh cup of much worse coffee from the shared office pot. 

The last two classes of the day were more varied than the first. One was a junior-level cross-cultural course on y/f/s and the last, at 3:30 p.m., was a freshman introductory course on y/n’s field of study. Although it already felt far too early to be behind on work on the first freaking day of the semester, that didn’t mean that there weren’t things to do. Chief of which was annotating the U.S. Fraud and Compliance course that y/n was auditing this semester. y/n’s field of study and research was primarily in equity and inequality in the United States over the last two decades. As it turned out, things like tax fraud and White-Collar crime turned out many of the policies that caused inequality and not murder or violence as the government and law enforcement liked to tout every year with new stats that “Crime was going up.” 

Sure Organized crime was a part of it, but a lot of the original crime syndicates had come out of the early 1920s because of prohibition and bootlegging. And new crime rings had popped up from the disastrous War on Drugs. The policy had only seemed to push cocaine into marginalized communities which allowed the law to continue over-policing and criminalizing those communities. Thus, the desire to audit the Fraud course. 

The elderly professor, Dr. Porter, had been kind enough to respond to y/n’s email asking if he would allow it. He had requested a meeting with her in his office in central campus. She had gone, and they made their introductions. Dr. Porter had asked, “So why do you want to take the course? It’s a pretty small class, with only twenty-two students. There’d be room for you, I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page. I’d require that you do all the work and participate in the class. It wouldn’t be fair to the other students.” y/n explained her research to the man and he listened and took some notes. When she had finished her explanation, Mr. Porter nodded and said, “That sounds very interesting. I’d be happy for you to take the course as long as you don’t think this coursework along with your teaching and research will be too much for you?” 

y/n had thought about this, labored about it even. However, she knew that it would be a lot. However, taking a course on the subject taught by an expert in the field, felt like a safer bet than trying to learn it all herself. That was just too much history and policy for her to attempt to grasp solo. With a determined look, y/n nodded and said, “Yes. It’d be an honor to Take this with you and your students. Thank you so much for making this accommodation for me. Porter smiled and said, “Well, thank you for your enthusiasm. Fraud and Tax Law isn’t something people usually get excited about. It’s bound to be an interesting semester.” The man’s words were a foretelling of the start of something much bigger than a student taking on an extra class.

         y/n turned her attention to the syllabus for the course. It was thick, with pages on pages about the class, an introduction for the materials to be covered, the four pre-class reading assignments, two pages of prerequisites, and then the grading system, required texts and materials, and lastly, The course calendar. y/n had skimmed it ounce and done all of the pre-readings which were stashed in a file folder in her suede shoulder bag. Now, she was going to sit down and thoroughly annotate the lengthy syllabus. When y/n had finished with that, she moved outside to get a quick bite to eat and another coffee before she would need to head to her office, grab her things, and head across campus to the Law Building. 

The quad was now much busier with students scurrying about to and fro. y/n moved into the crowd and moved her way upstream to the crosswalk she had been at a few hours prior. y/n had intended to pack a lunch, but in the bustle of the morning, it had slipped her mind. She wasn’t going to be too hard on herself about it. She would make sure to bring one tomorrow and all the days after. One meal out wasn’t going to ruin her budget. y/n did have to keep a pretty strict budget. Even if UC Riverside was a preeminent school in California, and even though her department had offered her a position in the program and waived her tuition costs, with rent, gas, and food prices all at a premium, the small pay she got from her lecturing always seemed to be running low by the end of the month. Thus, the need for a budget. If she worked hard enough and was dedicated to her financial plan, she would be able to start some savings. She needed that. She wasn’t going to be caught unawares like she had in the past. She wanted to settle. To stop running. And that took a different kind of work than constant escapism. 

After a light meal, y/n moved back to the coffee shop from before and got a coffee and a shot of espresso. y/n doctored her coffee the way she liked and then walked back to campus. If nothing else, her constant desire for coffee got her some daily exercise. Everyone she had spoken to had promised her that Cali would be a consistent cool temperature. However, as the five o’clock sun beat down on her, if did not feel cool. The month she had moved in with her roommates, the papers and TV kept saying that they were in a “record heat wave,” and that the heat was expected to keep rising until the first two weeks of September. y/n longed for it to be just a bit cooler. A 70-degree day would heal her and put her at ease. The heat did the opposite. 

Back in her office, y/n took off her blazer and fanned herself with some loose papers. She sat, and drained the espresso knowing this much caffeine was a bad idea so late in the day, but that was a later problem. For now, she sat down, took a few deep breaths, and gathered her things for her cross-campus commute. When everything was packed and ready to go, she checked her outfit, choosing to leave the blazer behind. She didn’t need to impress the people in this class as much as she did for her students. Entering the large lux building, y/n moved up the stairs to the fourth floor and found her class. There were still twenty minutes before the lecture would begin, but that would give her time to find a seat that was in the back so the real students could be close to Dr. Porter.

         There were four students already in the class scattered in the small space. There were tables, with two chairs at each table. They were set in two neat rows that led to the front of the room with the wooden lectern and the bulky equipment for the projector. y/n took a seat at the table on the far-left side of the room. There were three extra seats in the room to accommodate the twenty-two students and herself. Thus, she felt alright if she sat in the seat near the row and not next to the wall. It would give her a better view of the screen. y/n had an idea that she was going to be having a lot of eye strain this semester. A few more students moved into the room, and y/n got out her colored markers and notebooks, and the pre-readings along with the syllabus. 

Just as y/n was taking the first sip of her coffee, five students walked in followed by Dr. Porter who called her to the front of the class. y/n flushed slightly but waited for the man sitting across from her to get seated. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder, black Levi’s, a white shirt, and a leather jacket. He was far less professional-looking than many of the other students in the room. 

Some of the younger men even wore suits, though y/n was unsure if such gestures mattered to the law professors or not. The man was, if not professional, at least very attractive. He had smooth light skin and a sharp jaw. His dark hair contrasting his skin was short and had a little curve in the front, framing his face well. The man gave her a wicked smile, his dark brown eyes captivating as she moved past him now that he was finally seated. For a moment, y/n thought that those were the kinds of eyes she could get lost in. The thought only lasted that, though, a moment. She pulled herself together and thought, “Come on now, some pretty boy isn’t going to turn your head like a teenager, this isn’t a romance.’ Those types of feelings were uncharacteristic for y/n, and she let the idea pass quickly the man turned to who appeared to be his friend and said, “Yeah, I’d skip Constitutional with Leery. Try and see if you can get a section with Menendez. He made it fun, as strange as those sounds coming from me.”

         y/n moved down the aisle and got some looks from the other students. When she got to the older man, she smiled at him and asked, “What can I do for you, Dr. Porter?” Porter pointed to the Rolodex and said, “Do you know how to work these things? This one is frozen on a blank slide. I’ve not grown with the technology as you can see.” y/n nodded and said, “Let me see if I can get it working for you, Sir.” y/n moved behind the equipment and knelt. She made sure her skirt was at an acceptable level. Even if no one was behind her to see anything and she was wearing black tights, it was a natural teacher habit to make sure everything was covered appropriately. 

The slide deck appeared to be jammed. y/n fiddled with it with her finger for a moment and it slipped back into place with a satisfying click. y/n looked up to Dr. Porter and asked, “Do you have the deck you want to use for today?” The man nodded and looked around his desk for a second before he found the miniaturized slides and handed them to her. y/n slotted them into the space and pushed them down. She looked up at the screen and it now read the first slide: “Tax Fraud in the United States. LW5000. Fall 1991. Dr. E. L. Porter.” y/n stood up and the Doctor said, “You’re a lifesaver. I always need someone younger than me to help me with this new-fangled technology. How was your first day? Did everything go smoothly?” y/n nodded and said, “I’m happy to help anytime, and the first day was good. Busy but good.” Porter smiled and y/n moved back to her seat. Not all of the class hadn’t been paying attention to what was happening at the front, but some had been watching the two speak so causally with looks of veiled interest. 

y/n moved back to her seat, the man in the leather jacket shot her a quizzical look, one eyebrow raised higher than the other. y/n turned her face away from his gaze, trying to hide the rising blush in her face. She wished someone less attractive had decided to sit next to her. Honestly one of those pretentious suits would do fine, but she was happy with her spot and she wasn’t planning on moving. She was sure the attractive man would do something to irk her and stop whatever little infatuation she felt for him. 

The class started in earnest and because it was such a small class, the professor had everyone give a small two or three-sentence introduction with each student’s name, what year they were in, and what they hoped to do once they graduated. Dr. Porter started at the front and moved back. The answers ran the gambit from a desire to work in the FBI fraud department, to a criminal lawyer, to a CPA. y/n noted names of students who seemed particularly driven but not overconfident. She knew she was going to need help with the course given it wasn’t her area of study. When it got to the man sitting across from her, she looked at him. He raised a lazy hand and said, “Hey, I’m Aaron Hotchner. I’m in L2 and I want to be a public defender when I graduate.” At hearing his name, some gave a little gasp, and others shot him a dirty glare. This reaction didn’t seem to bother him. However, it left y/n at a bit of a loss. She had no clue why this man’s classmates had reacted this way. There was a dynamic playing out here that she was not aware of. 

The university taught around 26,000 students each semester and there was no way she could keep up with half the drama. It took half a second to realize that she was the last person who needed to speak, and she snapped back to attention. y/n gave a small smile and said, “Hi. I’m y/n y/l/n. I’m just auditing this class. I’m a PhD candidate in the y/d department. This class aligns with my research and Dr. Porter graciously is allowing me to sit in.” Porter inclined his head toward her and said, “We’re happy to have you Ms. y/l/n. Now with the introductions over, let’s cover the basics of the Criminal Tax System. It will be helpful if you pull out your readings as I will be calling on some students to answer questions.” 

Everyone shuffled to get the readings out of their bag. y/n looked as Aaron pulled the readings out of his shoulder bag and flipped to the first page of the reading. If he seemed very casual in his dress, the copious notes he had taken on the reading showed that he was at least taking this class seriously. y/n wondered if she should add his name to the list of people to try and befriend for help, but the class's response to his being here had her hesitate. She didn’t want to get involved in some bigger drama that she wasn’t aware of. She looked up from his papers only to catch his dark brown eyes. Both of them looked to the front of the class as Dr. Porter called on the first student for an answer. Neither y/n nor the enigmatic man across from her got called during the first three hours of class. The last slide on the Rolodex was the lengthy homework included a chapter from the required textbook and five separate cases for review. Dr. Porter dismissed everyone. Some students moved to the front to introduce themselves to the professor while others moved out into the hallway. It was dark as y/n moved outside. As she pulled her shoulder bag up and over her neck, someone called her name. y/n turned and found Parker, a student who seemed like a nice and cool student trying to catch up to her. y/n slowed and said, “Hey, what’s up Parker?” The girl beamed at being remembered and said, “I just wanted to hear more about your research. It sounds very cool.” y/n flushed and said, “Really? Thanks that’s nice.” The two walked in the same direction talking a bit about each other, the class, and y/n’s research. The whole walk made y/n feel like her work wasn’t for nothing, or extremely boring. The two women exchanged numbers as they headed toward different parts of campus. 

As she moved, yet again someone called her name. The voice was familiar and she whipped her head to the side to see Aaron now rambling beside her. It had become clear that he had been walking behind her and Parker, and y/n hadn’t noticed him. She chastised herself for not being more aware of her surroundings. y/n let out a breath and said, “Oh, it’s you. Is there something you want, Aaron?” Mr. Hotchner gave a sly smile indicating that he knew she knew there was more to him than he was letting on. Aaron replied to her question with, “Are you really smart or something, or really stupid?” y/n had not expected to be insulted in her first real interaction with this odd, odd, man and said, “Sorry, what?” Aaron laughed slightly and said, “Well auditing Tax Fraud with Porter? He’s like the most demanding prof in the department. He’s brutal from what I’ve heard.” 

y/n flushed, and was grateful that it was too dark for the man to see. She had heard of Dr. Porter's reputation as a strict and demanding professor. She wasn’t going to let on that she was unaware of the man’s full reputation. Instead, she said, “Well, on this subject, maybe I’m somewhere in the middle.” She hesitated and added, “And, he was the only person willing to let me audit the course. I might be a fucking idiot for agreeing to this, but I’m going to do my damn best. It’s the least I can do for Dr. Porter to let me in. The worst that can happen is that I’m the class clown and dunce. I’ll still have learned something if that’s the case.” 

It seemed that Aaron had not expected that response. He stopped in his tracks for a moment and looked at her with incredulity. He gave a very soft, “Huh,” and then kept walking next to her. y/n wondered, ‘Why was this handsome man walking with her? What he could want from her apart from a reaction was beyond her.’ Aaron looked like he was about to say something else, but another, new voice pierced the quiet atmosphere of the near-silent campus. Aaron and y/n looked over as a built man approached saying, “Hey, Hotch. How was the first day?” 

Aaron rolled his eyes and said, “Fine. Normal. How was your first day, Morgan?” The new man stepped into the light. y/n observed the new figure. He wore dark blue jeans and a loose green t-shirt had hid what y/n assumed was a built frame given the man’s strong forearms. The color of his shirt matched the deep tone of his skin well. The man looked her over for one second before saying, “Yeah it was fine. I mean I slept through my first alarm. So I skipped the rest of my classes for the day. Sunk cost ya’ know.” At hearing this, Aaron facepalmed and said, “Morgan, are you trying to buy yourself another fucking semester here?” 

It was clear to y/n that ‘Hotch’ and Morgan were friends given how casually they were addressing each other and Aaron’s use of profanity. y/n felt like she was intruding on a private conversation and was glad when she reached her turn-off. She moved to the left and Aaron called out, saying, “Good luck with all your stuff.” She looked over to the two men and said, “Yeah, thanks. See you next week.” As she moved farther away, she could overhear Morgan say, “Who was that chick man?” And Aaron’s response of, “Just a girl in my class. Now come on. Let’s go home. I’m fucking tired.” There was something so odd about Aaron, his demeanor, and his ‘friend’ to y/n. She shook off the encounter for the moment as she finally got to her car. 

When y/n got back to her shared apartment at around ten p.m., the lights were still burning downstairs. She thought, ‘Must be Emily.’ Emily was the only one that made sense. But the young attractive brunette didn’t normally stay up that late. Emily’s morning shifts required her to be up at around four a.m., so it was odd that she would be up so late. It certainly wasn’t Garcia. y/n’s most eccentric roommate, Penelope Garcia, seemed to be up all hours of the day and night. y/n had wondered if Garcia took uppers to stay up all night at the club or with her coding pals, or sometimes both at the same time. The one time Penelope had dragged her out to a rave, y/n found it miraculous that the spunky blonde with her gang of friends had elbowed their way to the back, found an empty table, and pulled out a clunky PC. The group, and Garcia in particular had a penchant for finding creepy guys online and making sure they got reported to whatever authorities seemed necessary. Pen was fantastic with finding people online, and y/n was glad she wasn’t on that woman’s bad side. Shockingly, Garcia hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, but all four of her friends took pity on y/n, clearly not in her environment with the strobe lights and deafening music in the background. Each of the friends got her a drink and a nice man asked her to dance. It had been an exciting night, but not one she planned on replicating soon. 

When y/n entered the first story she was met with Emily smiling and holding out a glass of red wine for her. y/n smiled and said, “Em this is so sweet. What’s the occasion?” y/n noticed the uncorked bottle on the counter. Prentiss grabbed her glass and said, “To celebrate your first day of course. I know you’ve been stressed about it. So, first cheers. And then tell me how it went.” y/n clinked glasses with Em and began regaling her with the events of the day. She tried to keep it short, knowing that her roommate would want to get to bed soon. Prentiss listened with rapt attention. Emily never seemed like the type of person y/n could be close friends with. y/n would like to think she was easy to get along with. She kept the shared space clean, offered food when she made it, and tried to stay pretty quiet and unobtrusive, but the more time she spent in Emily’s company, the more she liked her. Emily was so dedicated given all the crap her job threw at her, especially all the sexism and misogyny she faced. But even on top of those hurdles, she generally was just a funny and caring person. Emily was fiercely dedicated to the people she liked and it seemed that y/n was one of them. y/n wasn’t sure if she had taken pity on her when she first moved in or not, but if it was the latter, y/n wasn’t even mad about it. She had felt truly lost when she first moved to the city, and Emily, given her beat as a policewoman for the LAPD, had told her where to avoid late at night and showed her around their apartment area thoroughly. That had been a kindness.  

As y/n finished wrapping up her narrative of the evening events, she included the strange interaction with the man who sat across from her saying, “And there was this really cute guy in my class. Strange but cute. He kind of insinuated that I was stupid for auditing the class which was insulting, but damn was he cute. Everyone else in the class seemed shocked when they heard his name.” Emily raised an eyebrow and said, “Well, who is this dude? Do you remember his name?” y/n rolled her eyes and said, “Well yeah. How could I forget given the reception he got? His name’s Aaron Hotchner. Do you know him or something?” At hearing the name, Em stilled and seemed to pale. This was not the response y/n had been expecting and she said quickly, “Should I know who that is?” y/n was at a loss for this response for a seemingly hot guy in a leather jacket. Emily took a deep breath before saying, “I’d stay away from him. The Hotchner name has a, well a reputation.” y/n furrowed her brows and said, “Okay. Now you have me worried. Who is this guy?” Em let out another breath and stroked her hands through her hair saying, “Well. I can tell you this. His dad, Mr. Hotchner Sr. is the head of one of the largest gangs in this part of the city. The man and his gang are in deep with the drug trade. As for his son, well, from what I hear he’s not involved. At least not yet, but people are keeping an eye on him.” 

y/n couldn’t stop herself from letting her mouth drop open. That was a real surprise. Suddenly the response of the class made more sense. To have someone of that status, studying law was an oddity. How Aaron Hotchner had chosen this path of study was bizarre. It wasn’t her place to think about it, but even if that was the case, the idea stuck with her. Prentiss could see this look stuck on y/n’s face and warned, “Listen, y/n. Just for your sake, stay away from him. I can’t tell you what Aaron Hotchner is doing with his life, but his dad’s not a good guy. I wouldn’t want you to get tied up in some unsafe stuff.” y/n flushed and said, “Don’t worry Em. I’m not planning on it. He might be cute, but given your new information, he’s not that cute. Now, pour me another glass. And I’ll be happy to pay you back for half the bottle, given how good this stuff tastes, I’m assuming it’s not cheap.” Prentiss held out the bottle and refilled y/n’s glass saying, “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. This one’s my treat.” y/n smiled at Emily. She really was the best. Once they had finished off the bottle, both women moved quickly to their rooms and headed to their separate bedrooms. Both women fell into bed bed too exhausted to think about much more than sleep. 

The semester seemed to move like those in grad school had two years before. Without concrete classes to ground her, y/n’s classes and her weekly meetings with her advisor were the only things that kept time a constant. y/n had prepped for the larger sophomore seminar class, but the smaller classes she just arranged weekly. The law class also added a level of stability, if not a whole load of extra work on top of her own research and writing time. It was a burden but also allowed her time outside of her office to make some new friends. y/n found friends with Parker and Steven. They would prep for their case assignments. After the first three weeks of the class, when all three of them had been called on, now, they had a better understanding of how the class would be. 

It was a learning curve to be in a law class. It wasn’t like any of her other classes. There had been plenty of courses centered on discussion mostly, but this type of interrogation that the class required was difficult for her. y/n and her new friends who were more adept at law than her prepped for this type of questioning. Demanding, interrogatory, personal even. The group had all worked on coming up with practice questions, some more accurate than others. After the fourth class, the friend group had each been called. It had been y/n’s first time. She had been called about the United States v. Caldwell case in 2016. Her copious notes had helped her provide a semi-succinct response. The friend group walked across campus after class each going to their respective cars. As they walked, they talked about the class, and y/n’s response, and what she might have said differently. As they moved down the quad, they rambled slowly across the campus not wanting to leave each other’s company yet. 

A new voice was added to the mix as someone left one of the many buildings on the quad. y/n looked up and smiled. It was Spencer. y/n beamed, she hadn’t seen Dr. Reid in some time. She had met him at one of those awkward faculty socials. Everyone else at the social had at least one friend there except for her and Spencer. So naturally they had made their way to each other and introduced themselves. The young and brilliant Dr. Reid was teaching an abnormal psychology class and getting a third PhD in chemistry while also teaching. 

Suddenly y/n had felt very stupid and that her schedule didn’t seem that busy at all. Dr. Reid, having done this for a long time could see the look on her face and he rushed to reassure y/n that she was taking on a lot too and that he was just a freak who literally couldn’t get his mind to slow down no matter how hard he tried. That had made her feel better, at least a little. Then Spencer had asked her about her research and his genuine interest in her field had validated her even more. Her imposter syndrome slipping away. As it turned out, Dr. Reid was a fount of knowledge about her area of interest as well, and the young slender man offered to give her information or loan her any of his slew of books if she wanted. y/n had readily agreed and the pair swapped email addresses. y/n thought that if she was less busy she might have thought Spencer was the type of man she might be attracted to. But she was too busy for an attempt at a romance and she had just moved in. Getting her feet under her was her current goal, not finding a fling. Perhaps, if she survived the semester she would think about it later, However, she would be surprised if the young man wasn’t taken already. From what she could see, he was a catch. After the mixer b, both of them had spent their social batteries and Spencer was nice enough to drive her to her car in the commuter lot. As they parted ways they vowed to meet up for a coffee and chat soon. 

They had met up once before the semester started for coffee at another place the genius liked. They had both bemoaned making syllabi and the heat and anything else they wanted to get off their chests. The conversation had been cathartic. Unfortunately, the semester had picked up at a furious pace and they hadn’t met up since then. Spencer had been kind enough to send her an email or two checking in, which she had responded to. y/n was very pleased to see him again in person. She called him over, and Dr. Reid’s long legs got him to her in a few strides. Reid was in a sweater vest and black slacks with his distinctive brown shoulder bag. The two friends checked in. After a brief conversation, y/n introduced Spencer to her friends. 

Everyone said their hello’s and the four of them now moved across the large campus. The lights on the quad seemed to be placed haphazardly, not fully or well illuminating the space. Emily had told y/n to carry pepper spray when she walked at night. y/n assumed that Preniss had multiple stories of nights gone wrong for young women on campus given her job as a policewoman, and y/n believed her. Thus, y/n always carried some pepper spray with her in the side pocket of her bag, just in reach. The group rounded a corner to see the first strong light of the night. The beam of light from a solitary lamp shone down on a large imposing figure silhouetted against the glow of the light. Suddenly the warm camaraderie of the night that had been forming between the new and old friends felt like it was cut with a knife. Something felt very wrong about the person standing in the shadow and the group of young adults stopped in their tracks. Even though all their cars were in this direction, nobody felt like moving forward. Noting the palpable tension in front of them. 

They all stood there for a minute looking to see if the figure would move, but he didn’t. The figure stood stock still, apparently unaware of the group's intimidation of him. Or, perhaps that was the goal as another, familiar voice came from behind them. The four students turned and y/n was surprised to find Aaron approaching them with a stiff gait. y/n was used to seeing him smooth and loose and what appeared as ease, but this was not that. Suddenly y/n wondered if that apathetic demeanor was all an act that Hotch put on. Aaron stepped forward and everyone in the law class they shared with him cocked a weary eyebrow. Hotch sighed and said, “I’m not joking, beat it. Find an alternative route or take thirty minutes to talk in the library or something. Just don’t be here right now.” Parker, Steven, and Spencer’s eyes all moved to the man in the shadows and then turned, but y/n kept her eyes glued on Aaron. 

After hearing Emily’s warning about him, she had withdrawn a bit in class. Hotch had spoken to her a few times, and she engaged him in light conversation about her research and job as a senior lecturer. It seemed that the conversation never steered in his direction. It was never about his life or his choice to join law school even though y/n had tried to get him to say something about himself. The man was infuriatingly hard to read. y/n wasn’t sure why she was trying to get him to speak about himself. It wasn’t like Aaron was interested in her. For the most part, when he talked to her, it seemed to fill empty silence during the breaks in the class. y/n didn’t want to be involved in any drama, certainly not anything that would get her in trouble. But the enigmatic figures of Aaron were enticing in his way. Perhaps it was just the intrigue of someone like him. She was personally familiar with more white-collar crime, but the grit and darkness of the mob, or the mafia, or whatever his father was involved in had caught her attention. y/n assumed it was like a bad case of curiosity killed the cat. y/n hadn’t turned yet as the rest moved back from the direction they had come from. She watched as Aaron turned toward the man. Aaron’s shoulders were tense beneath his jacket. She could feel that he was ill at ease. y/n caught sight of Aaron’s friend from before, Morgan, standing a few feet to the left of Aaron. She hadn’t seen him in the gloom of the night until now. It seemed that this meeting might have been planned ahead of time given the coordination. 

y/n felt someone take her hand and she looked up at Spencer. Dr. Reid didn’t say anything. He just pulled her away from the scene. The tension only seemed to grow as the group moved farther away. Spencer looked back once as he hustled y/n down the path. Whoever had joined the man who had told the group to leave gave Spencer a grateful nod before moving toward his friend. Reid chose not to look anymore, as he wrapped a protective arm around y/n’s waist and said, “I’ll drive you to your car. Mine’s in lot B anyway. Not far from the commuter lot.” y/n looked up at him again, and gave a small smile, saying, “Yeah, thanks that’d be nice.” y/n resisted the urge to say, ‘You’re a terrible liar, Spence. We both know that lot B and the commuter lot are on opposite ends of the campus’ but she kept that to herself. y/n was grateful to have a colleague like Spencer to give her rides at all. y/n quickly said goodbye to her other friends and joined Reid at the stairs that led down to the parking area with his car. y/n’s head was filled with thoughts about Aaron and what was happening back at the quad. If Aaron was going to be okay. If he had expected to be meeting that man tonight or if it was as much of a surprise to him as it had been to all of them. Given his tone, she assumed that it was a surprise to him too, but she may never be sure. 

Back in the quad, Aaron scowled. How many times had he told his father, and his father’s men over and over again to not find him in public? If he had to be dragged into some sordid affair that his dad had caused. Morgan stepped a few feet toward Aaron but Hotch raised a hand and said, “Don’t get involved Derek. I don’t expect this to be anything but some intimidation crap.” Morgan nodded and took a step back, but the built man still slipped a hand to the back pocket of his pants fingering the cool metal of his diamond back gun. Derek kept his eyes on Jeffries, one of Mr. Hotchner Sr.’s largest enforcers. Derek thought it was stupid to send Jeffries, if Mr. Hotchner wanted his son’s attention, that would not be the man he would send. 

Hotch stepped forward and said, “I don’t have anything to say to my father. He knows that so what the hell does he want with me.” Aaron was standing right next to the man. Even though Aaron was tall, he was nothing compared to Jeffries. Jeffries was a mountain of a man. Hotch was not intimidated. This man was here to threaten him physically. He was here to impose a different kind of demand on the son of the Boss. After an unsettling moment of silence, in a deep voice, one laced with the stress of a chain smoker, Jeffries said, “Mr. Hotchner Sr. wants to meet with you on Saturday at the Mercado Club. His treat.” Aaron scoffed and replied, “You think I’m going on his turf on a meeting night? God the man needs more of a grip than I thought. Jesus.” Hotch took a breath; he took a moment to look to the side, and he saw Morgan uncomfortably shuffling from one foot to the other. Aaron turned back to Jeffries and said, “You can tell my father that’s not happening. I’m out, and I don’t know how many more times I can keep telling him that.” The large man replied, “Tell him yourself on Saturday at the club. I’m not a messenger pigeon, and Aaron, this is the third time you’ve blown off your father. He’s not pleased and you know how he gets, so this isn’t a meeting I’d push off.” 

Hotch let out a big breath and gave a small nod. He wasn’t looking forward to a meeting with his old man, but whatever fuckery his dad could impose on his life wasn’t worth a half hour of animosity and argumentation about his life goals. Jeffries sensing a concession from Aaron, gave a tiny nod and moved out of the solitary spotlight and back into the darkness. As large and imposing a man as Jeffries was, he easily and quickly slipped back and away into the darkness of the campus. Aaron was so angry at having been contacted against his direct wishes. Not only had his father contacted him in public, putting his image in question, but he had done it in front of… Aaron considered what to call the people in his class. They weren’t his friends precisely, but colleagues and classmates felt a bit too dismissive. Aaron thought especially of the woman who was auditing the class. From their first meeting, he had assumed that she had no idea who he was. That rarely happened to him, though he assumed someone had filled her in after the fact. Even if that was the case, she had remained respectful and friendly toward him. Every time she or he entered the class, she would ask how he was doing with an interest that didn’t seem forced or faked. It was the first real interaction he felt like he had had in the department in years. 

Aaron thought it was rather pathetic, but looked forward to the beginning of each class just to have a few words with y/n. Hotch’s mind switched back to the present as Morgan approached him. Aaron looked over to his friend and saint, “Did you know this was going to happen?” His voice came out harsher than he intended, but Derek’s demeanor told him that his friend and pseudo-bodyguard had been more aware than he’d been. Hotch let out a scoff and said, “Unfucking believable. You should have told me and I could have walked fifteen thousand other ways back to my car.” Morgan put his hands up and said, “Listen, Hotch. I couldn’t have stopped it. And I know I stick with you more than your old man, but technically he’s still paying me to look out for you. And there are some things that even I’m not going to argue with.” Aaron could understand where Derek was coming from and he lifted a hand saying, “I get it. I’m just pissed. Now, let’s go home. I need to get wasted or something after tonight.” The pair moved together into the darkness with a sense of their friendship slightly strained. Aaron’s life was taking a turn he had desperately tried to avoid, but it seemed his family, and his past was haunting him like a ghost who just would not quit. 

y/n got home safely. She quietly moved into her room. She took a hot shower, letting the warm water steam up her small bathroom. Even though the rent was outrageous, there was the perk that each of the women had their own bathroom and shower. Her mind swelled with images of Aaron standing in front of the large man. She thought about what Emily had said about his father being the head of some sort of gang. y/n hadn’t had the time time to look into it at all. Her interactions with Aaron had all seemed pleasant and if she didn’t know about his shadowy past, she might have just thought he was some cocky young man trying to look cool with his rings and classic leather jacket. These thoughts persisted until she was in bed and eventually asleep. In the morning, y/n got dressed for a meeting with her advisor and office hours. y/n started a big pot of coffee. She knew that Em would be down in a minute because the shower upstairs had just turned off. True to form, Prentiss was down the stairs just as the coffee was finished. y/n poured her roomie a mugful, and Emily gave her a gentle smile. The brunette in her police uniform with cuffs, and gun and all. As the woman drank their liquid breakfast, y/n’s brain flashed to last night and she asked, “Hey Emily. What kind of gang is Aaron’s father the leader of? There was some threatening guy on campus last night. It seems he was there to talk to Aaron or something.” 

Hearing this, Em’s ears perked up. She had been trying for two years to impress her supervisor. She had gone above and beyond in terms of the effort and hours she put in on the street. She picked up shifts and did the jobs no one wanted. And all her efforts had been for naught. She was still in her entry-level position and had crappy entry-level pay. At this point, Emily was looking at anything to try and get a step ahead of all the other men in the department. She had started looking at stalled cases or those that were backlogged at the department. One of those cases was the Hotchner crime ring. The thought of a new lead had Emily on her toes. Prentiss was excited but also realized that y/n could have also been in a degree of danger. Emily thought about her words before she said, “Well, from my research and knowledge of the gang activity in the area, I can tell you this, Mr. Hotchner Sr. isn’t running some West Side Story turf gang. The man is in deep. His gang is a criminal organization. I’d say that it was closer to the mafia than a gang, but he doesn’t have quite that much influence yet. If the department would only spend a few more dollars looking into that group, they’d easily find more than they have now. Honestly, it’s infuriating.” 

This was all news to y/n. She wasn’t versed in any of the things that Emily was talking about. There was a moment of silence before Prentiss said, “So the guy you saw, the one that spoke to Aaron, did you hear any of that conversation? Did you see the man at all?” y/n shook her head no and replied, “Not really. Aaron told us to leave another way. I can tell you the guy was big, but I couldn’t see him very well. He was weathering a suit, but that’s about it.” Em nodded and took another thoughtful sip of her coffee. When she set the cup down, she said, not to anyone in particular, “I swear gangs and drugs are ruining this city and the cops aren’t doing a thing about it.” 

Just as Emily said this, Garcia entered the room. She was dressed in her normal eccentric style. She had star decals on her face and wore a bubble gum pink lip. From the blonde's energy, it was hard to tell if she was just coming back from an all-nighter or just heading out for brunch. y/n asked the clarifying question, “Pen, you just getting in or going out?” Garcia beamed and said, “I just had a lovely night out. Club, club, another club, and then my friend JJ’s house. You’d both like her I think. Now what did I hear about gangs and drugs? You’re not planning on locking me up, are you Emily?” Prentiss laughed at this and said, “Garcia, you’re forgetting that Lexaporo and Adderal are prescription medications. Unless you’re selling your pills on the side of the road, you’re scott-free in my book.” 

That had all of them laughing. Penelope, after getting a cup of coffee, did ask genuinely, “But really what gangs are you talking about?” Emily looked over to y/n and said, “Well Aaron, the ‘bad boy’ in y/n’s class had a run-in with one of his father’s associates on campus last night. Tense affair.” Garcia’s eyes went wide and she said, “From what I’ve heard about the Hotchner group from my friends and fellow hackers they aren’t to be trifled with. Let’s hope Aaron’s father doesn’t want anything serious with his son.” y/n frowned at hearing this. She had never assumed that Aaron’s circumstances were easy. Clearly, from the class's perception of him, they weren’t, but an actual threat of harm or violence to her classmate set her nerves on edge in a way she had not anticipated. However, the time on the clock on the wall caught y/n’s attention. She needed to leave to make her appointment with a student struggling with grades. y/n burned her mouth as she chugged her coffee and said, “Sorry, gotta run ladies. See you both tonight!” With that, she grabbed her backpack and purse and dashed out the door and toward her car. For the rest of the busy day, y/n forgot about Aaron Hotchner, but she would be reminded of him again soon enough. For now, there were the problems of today to solve. 

For Aaron the week went by both shockingly fast and maddeningly long. Time felt like it was playing a sick prank on him as he waited for Saturday night. Hotch went to his normal classes and studied as much as he could given the circumstances. He did shockingly well given the circumstances. Finally, Saturday arrived and Aaron and Morgan drove toward the Mercado Club on the far East side of town. The club was packed. Saturday nights were disco nights with drinks half off. This ensured that the large space was always packed for meeting nights in the more private backroom of the establishment. Morgan had a designated spot on the street and parallel parked between two of the gang member's cars. As Morgan stopped the car, he grabbed Aaron’s shoulder and said, “Listen, man, don’t make this hard on yourself. How many times has Richard done this to you? Know know what he’s gonna do to you if you say no again, so just… just think about it before you say no. If you make me wash blood out of these leather seats again, I’m making you pay for it this time.” 

Derek said this out of a genuine concern for his friend. Morgan had seen this song and dance before and the look in Aaron’s eyes told him that it would be the same old result. After all, money didn’t matter to Hotch. He had more money than he needed, even if he didn’t want to admit it. The fifty dollars it cost to clean or even redetail Morgan’s car didn’t matter to the older Hotchner sibling. Derek wished it did, for his friend's sake. But he had said his peace, and he couldn’t stop Aaron from walking out of the car with a determined stride. Derek followed quickly after Aaron. 

Aaron, clad in his normal leather jacket moved into the club. He had access to the service entry which led to quieter corridors and direct access to the gang's private meeting room. Aaron, however, refused to use his key and elbowed his way through the thick crowd of dancers and revelers. After about five minutes, he made it to the back corridors and toward the club room. Unceremoniously Aaron, and shortly after, Derek, moved into the crowded room. All eyes of the gang members moved to the two new additions to the room. Richard Hotchner, seated at the center of the room raised a hand and quieted the room. Mr. Hotchner Sr. said, “Good of you to join us, gentlemen. Take a seat and we’ll continue the meeting. There were only two extra chairs open in the room. One was in the back and the room. It was clear that Aaron was to take the seat next to his father. Hotch did as expected and sat next to his father. The young man could have laughed at the scene. It felt like something out of The Godfather, except he knew what was coming once the meeting was over. The meeting which covered Hotchern Sr.’s continued plan to spread drugs and gain ground throughout the East and West sides of town seemed to go on forever. Aaron listened as each sector spoke and gave updates with half interest. His father’s criminal activities and need for power and control were the juxtaposition of the life that Aaron hoped to build for himself. He had seen the real pain that his father had not only inflicted on his men, but on the community the gang encompassed as a whole. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to escape his father's control. 

After another hour and a half, the meeting adjourned as Richard raised a hand. Everyone, including Derek, stood and left the room; that was, except for Aaron. Once the whole gang was out, two large men entered the room. One was Jeffries, the other was another security man just as big and intimidating as Jeffries. Richard looked at his son and said, “You know what I’m going to say already.” Hotch sighed and replied, “And you know my response, Dad.” Richard sighed and said, “Every time we have one of these meetings I pray for a Prodigal Son, but I get a Cain instead. But either way, this is in your blood boy and you can’t fight it forever.” By ‘In your blood’ Aaron knew that his father meant, ‘You will take responsibility for my criminal organization. To take the reigns and make it bigger and better than ever before.’ \

At this comment, Aaron said, “Fuck my blood, and fuck you too.” Almost instantaneously after this remark, Hotch’s face was thrown to the side due to a harsh slap to the side of his face. Aaron leveled a glare at his father and managed to say, “Have me beaten black and blue again Dad. It’s not gonna change my mind. I’m never joining you.” Richard shook his head and replied, “You asked for it. And one day, one day it’s gonna work son. Just you wait.” With that, Richard stood and motioned for the two security guards to do as Mr. Hotchner Sr. wanted. Outside the room, Derek stood and listened to the sounds of violence and brutality that were happening inside the space he had just been sitting in. Morgan cringed as the rhythmic sound of fist against flesh continued. The occasional grunt from Aaron cut through the sound of violence. 

After around a half hour, the two large men dragged the barely conscious body of Aaron from the room. Morgan did nothing to stop them. He just followed after them as they dragged Hotch’s body down the quiet hallway. Aaron was unceremoniously dropped down the two concrete stairs to the back entrance of the club. Morgan flushed his body to the railing as Jeffries and the other man moved back inside. Once the security detail was inside, Derek rushed forward toward Aaron’s prone figure. Hotch muttered incoherently against the concrete as Morgan lifted his friend up and toward his car. Derek thought, ‘Yup, it’s gonna be another interior cleaning job tomorrow,’ as he hauled Aaron’s bloodied body toward his parked car. 

Morgan lifted Aaron into the passenger seat and buckled him in. Hotch made a whimpering sound as he was jostled for a moment. Derek, though he was paid by Richard, cared more for his employer's son than he would like to admit. They had built up a pretty strong friendship over the years they had known each other. It had been tense at first because Aaron didn’t want and resented having a bodyguard. This was when he was still in high school and Richard was in some hot water with both the FBI and another gang that was trying to recruit some of his men. Morgan was already a member of the gang and was a loyal member given how young he was. It was only natural that he guard Aaron from any unwanted attention and keep the Boss’s son out of trouble. 

Aaron was, at the time full of anger from recently losing his mother and was making reckless choices for himself and the gang. He had hated Morgan, but the man had pulled him out of some bad situations numerous times over the years. The more time they spent together, the more Hotch sympathized with Morgan. Not in the awkward pitying type of way that many had when Derek was asked to open up, like in counseling centers or at one disastrous youth program he had been sent to. No. Aaron understood why Morgan had turned to a gang for security, and community too. Even if it was a bad community. One rooted in violence and illegality. Derek had to chalk it up to the fact that Aaron’s father was the leader. Aaron had to have seen to full spectrum of reasons for people to join a gang. And a full spectrum of violence as well. The beating Aaron had received tonight was no different than any other except that Richard hadn’t joined in. This was another thing he and Hotch had in common. The first time Aaron had taken his shirt off in front of Morgan, it had been after a workout or something, Derek had been shocked to see a smearing of dark purple and yellow bruises mottling the man’s skin. Morgan had asked if a group and jumped him, but Aaron’s response of, “I only got jumped by someone I know. Don’t worry about it.” It wasn’t until weeks later that Morgan saw Richard strike his son, and suddenly it all made more sense. Then Morgan felt sympathy for Aaron as well. After they came to more of an understanding, Hotch had stood up for Morgan against his father a few times and that had sealed their friendship. Morgan rode as smoothly as he could back to their apartment, with just the radio playing some rap on a low level and Aaron’s labored breathing for company. 

The next Monday, y/n arrived at class just on time. She was surprised to see that Aaron wasn’t in his normal seat. She did shoot Parker and Steven a smile as she pulled out her notes as the lecturer began. During the break, y/n moved to the ladies room. Midterms were fast approaching and almost everyone in the class was huddled up making study plans. y/n had already made her study plan with her friends in the class. As she washed her hands she heard a pained sound coming from the men’s room which was just a wall away from the women’s restrooms. y/n quickly wiped her hands free of water and moved outside. There was no one in the hallway and she got close to the door of the men's room and called out, “Hey, um… are you okay in there?” There was a pause and then a little grunt as someone from inside said, “I'm fine.” The voice was familiar, but there was a lisp in it which was making it hard to pinpoint. There were still another twenty minutes to the break, and y/n was interested to see who was suffering in the bathroom and stood leaning against the wall. After around five minutes the door opened and she looked up. Aaron Hotchner was the last person she expected to see limp out of the bathroom. y/n’s eyes widened as she looked at his face which was bruised on the left side. His lips were also split on the top and the bottom. Without thinking much y/n said, “Jesus Christ. What happened to you?” Hotch’s eyes snapped to her. He hadn’t thought anyone was outside. He had been stranding himself in the bathroom for longer than he had thought. He wasn’t sure why he had even come to campus in the first place. It wasn’t like he could go to class like this. Or perhaps he was toying with the idea he would go to class. To make his life harder, or to give his classmates something to talk about, or because he just couldn’t care anymore he wasn’t sure, but y/n had caught him off guard. Her use of expletives for one and the genuine concern on her face as she looked him over with an intense stare. 

Aaron thought of fleeing for a moment. Of running, or limping down the hall as fast as he could, but he realized that he needed help. Help from someone not so invested in him as the son of a gangster and criminal. If that was anyone in the class, it was y/n. As the sound of the lecture room door opened, Aaron moved quickly. He grabbed y/n’s wrist and pulled her into a hallway and then left into another hallway. This one was less lit. Half of the fluorescent bulbs in the hallway seemed to be out and those that were functioning flickered rather ominously. The turn of events had happened so quickly that y/n didn’t say anything until they were stopped in the hallway when y/n said, “Aaron, what’s going on? What happened to you?” 

The original concern was still in her voice, but there was an added edge including a hint of fear for herself. She looked around the space as if expecting something or someone to pop out of a doorway or darkened corner. Aaron took a deep breath and said, “Listen. Sorry for being so abrupt. I don’t even know why I’m here really and I’m sure I’m going to get an earful from Dr. Porter when I come back next week, but I saw you and I thought… well I thought I’d ask a favor, even if I don’t deserve one.” Hotch’s left eyebrow was cocked and y/n listened for him for a minute as if he was speaking a foreign language. She snapped back to herself as her watch beeped the five minutes before class started again. y/n asked, “What’s the favor?” Aaron seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said, “Can I get your notes from today’s class before next week?” You could fax them to me or I could get them from your tomorrow in your office or something? I’d understood if you said no. It’s just that I really can’t fall behind in this class.” 

There was a very short silence as y/n considered. She didn’t have a lot of time to think because she needed to get back to class, like, now. Two thoughts ran through her head. The first was from the more rational and logical part of her brain. The part that Emily would agree with. It said, ‘Ma’am, look at him right now. Something bad happened here and I don’t think he just tripped on the library stairs. It probably has to do with his family or gang involvement or something. Don’t. Be. Stupid.’ But the other part of her brain said, ‘Look at him. That’s gotta hurt and those cuts and bruises were a few days old which meant they had hurt more back then.’ Going against her logical brain she said, “Yeah. I’ll give you my notes. She rummaged around in her purse pulled out an old receipt and pen and jotted down her home number. She handed him the slip of paper and said, “Here’s my number. Call me later and we can coordinate a meeting time.” 

She had just seen the contents of her bag and she noticed that there was an ibuprofen in there along with an assortment of random stuff. She asked, “Have you had any painkillers recently?” Aaron’s eyes snapped back to her. He looked surprised that she was still talking to him. He looked back to the ground and said, “It’s been like three hours now or something.” y/n pulled out the bottle and undid the cap quickly. She really needed to get back to class and she rushed to tip two tablets into her hand. She closed the bottle and half-pressed the pills into Aaron’s hand. She said, “Call me later,” and then ran back to the lecture. The lecture was in full swing when she got back and y/n noticed that she was about five minutes late. She tried her best to slip into the room. At least she sat at the very back, but her tardy return had a few of the guys in suits and one or two girls in the class giving her the stink eye. 

Dr. Porter also glanced at her, but it was brief before he returned to talking. The rest of the class, y/n had conflicting emotions. The first of which was that she felt bad for being late. Dr. Porter had taken a risk on her, and she was probably letting him down. The other thought she had was if she had made a catastrophic mistake in waiting to see who had been in the men’s restroom. She knew that Em would say she was stupid for getting involved, and part of her agreed, but when she had seen the normally cocky and confidant Aaron Hotchner in such a state, she had let her emotions get the best of her. She pondered if that was her fatal flaw or not. y/n did her best to push away these thoughts and focus on the lecture. If all else failed, she could just ignore Aaron’s call. Little did y/n know that getting involved with Hotch would do much more than cause her stress in Tax Fraud. 

The class progressed as it normally would with just a hint of awkwardness. Dr. Porteer did call her, but her response was coherent and she defended her point about the verdict in the U.S. v Ofshe case and how the drugs that had been obtained and the oversimplification of the government violated the defendant's Fifth Amendment rights. After she had spoken a ghost of a smile graced Dr. Porter’s face. He was happy with her response. If y/n was anything, it was thorough. 

When the class ended everyone filed out of the room, and y/n approached Porter. Parker finished asking a 1uqtion quickly and moved out of the room, patting y/n on the shoulder as they left. y/n and Dr. Porter were alone and y/n said, “I’m sorry for being late after the break. Something, personal, came up. I didn’t expect it to take that long.” Dr. Porter looked at her, a hint of concern in the crinkles at the corner of his eyes. He asked, “Is everything alright, y/l/n?” y/n let out a sigh realizing that saying anything was opening avenues to conversations that she might not want to elaborate on. To keep Aaron’s situation private, she simply said, “Well it’s not me that’s having the problems, It’s a friend of mine. They’ve gotten themself into some trouble and I just needed to check in to make sure they were okay. Porter nodded but didn’t look convinced,  and said, “Alright. Well if you ever need anything, or feel overwhelmed with all that you’re juggling this semester, you can always email me or see me during office hours.” y/n smiled warmly and said, “Thanks. Dr. Porter. That means a lot to me.” The older man gave her arm an affectionate squeeze before letting her go for the night. 

The drive home was peaceful,  serene even. It juxtaposed the earlier moment of tension from that evening. y/n hoped to stay relaxed for the rest of the night. Just do some reading, have a glass of wine, a very hot shower, and hit the bed. Her hopes for calm and quietude were crushed when she got into the apartment and Emily was leaning against the kitchen counter with a deep frown on her face. Before y/n even had the chance to ask, “What’s wrong, Prentiss?” The strong-minded brunette said, “You’re ‘friend’ called about five minutes ago.” This stopped y/n in her tracks. y/n knew that Emily was talking about Aaron, and she was about to get an earful. She steadied herself as her roommate started saying, “y/n, Aaron Hotchner is not the type of guy you want to get tangled up with, okay? I might sound nice and charming and play-act as a ‘bad boy,’ but there is nothing good about him or his family. Promise me you’re not going to be so stupid as to meet up with him and give him your notes. What if he starts expecting things from you? Have you ever thought about that scary moment on campus last week?” 

y/n while taking the verbal reprimand hadn’t thought about the fact that Aaron’s injuries could be related to that event on campus. Had something bad happened to him after Spencer had dragged her away? Although y/n realized that Aaron might have been in a serious and dangerous situation, that didn’t stop her from still being concerned for him. In some small way, y/n was annoyed that Em was so tied into her personal life. So what if she wanted to give Aaron her notes? But the logical part of her brain stopped her from snapping back. y/n took a deep breath and said, “I see where you’re coming from Em. But, he looked so hurt tonight. Desperate. If giving him my notes in a public place, like the coffee shop is a crime, then so be it. I told him I would, and I’m one to keep my promises.” y/n expected some sort of reprimand, but instead, Em sighed and said, “Fine. Call him back. I left his number on the pad on the fridge. But for the love of god, either have me. Garcia, or Spence come with you whenever you meet him?” y/n smiled and said, “Thanks Em. I knew you were a softie under that hard shell of yours.” 

Em scoffed and said, “Well I might be a softie for you. Aaron Hotchner is another matter entirely. At least with you knowing him, I can snoop in on his life. You never know, maybe he’ll give you a hint about his dad and you can pass that info over to me.” y/n rolled her eyes and said, “Whatever you say Em. Now let me call him back. Buffy’s coming on in a half hour and I don’t plan on missing another episode. Do you wanna join? There’s a bottle of red in the fridge we can share?” Emily nodded and said, “You bet. I’ll get the channel pulled up while you talk to your boyfriend.” That comment had y/n rolling her eyes again, but she didn’t say anything as she moved into the kitchen. 

As Prentiss had said, there was a note on the notepad stuck to the fridge that read ‘A.H.’s Number,’ and then a list of seven digits. The phone hung to the left of the fridge. It was egg yolk yellow, a design choice that y/n still didn’t understand as the rest of the kitchen was a pale blue with white accents. Ignoring the contrasting colors of the kitchen, y/n tapped on the phone number and held the receiver to her ear as the dial tone beeped. After the second ring someone answered, but it wasn’t Aaron. The low, husky voice said, “This is Morgan. Who is it?” y/n paused for a second before replying, “Um, this is y/n. y/l/n. I’m calling for Aaron. I’m in his Tax Fraud class, and he wanted my notes from today? I was just trying to arrange a meeting.” y/n stopped talking. She felt like she had said too much, or maybe not enough. The silence was awkward and lingered. Finally, Derek who had mercifully pulled the phone away from his mouth called out, “Hotch, a girl’s on the phone for you.” After a moment, Derek  said, “He’ll be here in a minute.” Then there was silence again. y/n tried to think about where she knew Morgan from. The voice wasn’t wholly new. She had scant few encounters with Aaron and she tried to pinpoint each of them in her mind. The night last week came to mind and she thought of the other man that had been with Aaron as Spencer had pulled her away. She assumed this was the same guy. She pinned the name, Morgan in her head in case she ever needed it. 

She had no clue why she would ever need it, but it couldn’t hurt. After another minute there was more sound, a muffled conversation, and a small grunt before the phone clicked a bit and Aaron’s familiar voice tapped in on the line. He said, “Hey, y/n. Sorry I was out back. Thanks for doing this by the way.” y/n nodded and said, “Yeah. No problem. So my schedule is pretty full this week but I can do Wednesday morning, Thursday in the evening, or Saturday morning. Does one of those times work for you?” Aaron replied, “Saturday works for me. Any place work for you? I can come over or we can meet anywhere that works for you really.” y/n didn’t hesitate as she said, “Let’s do the coffee shop near West campus. You can come and copy my stuff while I grade or read or something.” 

There was a softy, nearly inaudible breath before Hotch said, “It’s a date. Is 9:00 a.m. too early for you?” y/n replied, “Nope. Nine is good. See you then.” Hotch replied, “Right on. See ya then.” Then he disconnected the call. y/n did the same. y/n sighed, again questioning why exactly she was doing what she was. Was it care, curiosity, or a little of both? She couldn’t pinpoint it in her mind. There was also the fact that Aaron had said, “‘It’s a date’” in an infuriating manner. Like he knew that was going to spark some kind of response. Of course, it was a joke, but even so, it irked her because it was working. 

y/n let out a sigh of frustration. She looked up at the clock and realized that she needed to grab the glasses and wine as Buffy would be starting soon. Just as the new episode started. Emily and y/n settled in and just like clockwork, Garcia came down from her room. The charming Pen shuffled into the room and sat down on the couch. y/n knew her third roommate would be down once the show started and had already poured a glass for her. Em was looking at y/n as if asking, ‘So, when are you meeting him?’ And Garcia was looking at Emily as if asking, ‘What’s going on? Why do you have that look on your face?’ Thankfully Buffy was the silencing buffer. None of them dared talk during the episode. It was that important to them. The group's shared love of the campy monster of the week show drew them together in a funny way. In the beginning, y/n thought she was too much of a nerd for Prentiss, but it turned out even the dedicated policewoman couldn’t be turned down by Angel and Spike's charm. They would have to debrief once the commercials started in ten minutes or so, but for now, there was a calm as they all sat in front of the TV. 

The week went by quickly. y/n’s advisor got sick on Wednesday night and emailed her saying that he wouldn’t be able to make it to their Thursday morning meeting. This opened up her morning and she planned to sleep in. That was the plan at least. However, at 7:30 a.m. a knock on her door woke her. y/n was groggy as she made her way to her door. A sharp crack of thunder and lightning had her come more to her senses. It was pouring cats and dogs. y/n rubbed her eyes as she opened the door to the hall light. Emily was standing outside in her uniform. y/n asked sleepily, “What is it Em?” Prentiss bit her bottom lip and said, “My car won’t start. Engine problems. Can I borrow your keys or can you give me a ride to the station? The brunette looked embarrassed to ask, but y/n understood her predicament and said, “Yeah I got you. Let me put on a bra and some pants.” In under ten minutes, the duo were out the door. y/n drove slowly and carefully. The rain continued to pour down. y/n felt a small feeling of dread in the air. As they got to the station, y/n said, “Just give me or Garcia a call when you need to be picked up if you don’t get a ride from your co-workers, okay?” Em nodded and said, “Thanks a million. y/n you’re a lifesaver.” y/n got back into her car and drove to campus. Even though she didn’t have an umbrella, she got half-soaked walking to her office, and Mary Janes squeaked awfully on the floor. In her office, y/n sat down in front of a stack of papers, half of them her students and the other half her own. There was a loud crash of thunder and y/n looked out the window when she saw a dark hooded figure standing outside her office in the downpour. She couldn’t see the person's face in the beating rain. A sound in the hallway caught her attention for a moment. Another pair of noisy shoes. By the time she looked back out of the window, the figure was gone. She shook her head wondering if she’d made up the man. She let the thought pass as she kept working late into the night. 

Emily did end up calling y/n and letting her know that Penelope had picked her up already. y/n was grateful for this. She was exhausted from her day and early morning. She quickly packed up the work that she was taking home with her and switched off the lights and lamps in her office. The rain had stopped hours ago, but it left the ground damp and mist and humidity rose off the earth like a dense fog. y/n got into her car and drove toward home. She took a shortcut to avoid a traffic light that was out. As her headlight illuminated a dark back alleyway behind a store, y/n saw for a moment the same figure from earlier that day. They were leaning over something else. ‘Is that a body?’ y/n stalled, startled like a dear in headlights, even though it was the reverse scenario. For a second y/n made eye contact with the person, and she distinctly saw blood on their mouth, staining their chin a gruesome red. y/n’s heart stopped beating and a moment later a loud honk from behind her shocked her. y/n was blinded by the bright lights behind her. She had not seen the sedan pull up behind her car. In a panicked state, she hit the accelerator and finished her drive home terrified of what she’d just seen. 

y/n rushed into the house and found Emily at the stove. Prentiss turned and her, “Welcome home” died on her lips as she saw her friend. Em turned off the fire under her boiling potatoes and asked, “y/n, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” y/n swallowed trying to get some saliva back into her mouth and throat. She raised her and said in a hoarse voice, “I think I just saw a murder.” Emily’s jaw went slack for a second before she moved forward, police-like, and said, “Okay, y/n. You could have seen anything. It’s dark and gloomy out there.” y/n shook her head and said, “No, Em. Whatever I saw it was bad. I could feel it in my core.” Prentiss nodded, taking y/n seriously, the only one who would for a few days at least. She said, “Okay, y/n. Tell me everything. Think about things as clearly as possible. Don’t try and fill in any gaps, just tell me what you saw.” 

An hour later with Em trying to jog y/n’s memory to get the best information and writing down all the little and big details in her police pad, Prentiss said, “I’ll leave early tomorrow morning and check it out, y/n. Before I head to the station.” y/n’s eyes widened and she protested, “Shouldn’t we look now? There could be someone dying out there.” Emily dropped her eyes and sighed replying, “No, y/n. If what you say is true, then there’s nothing I can do tonight. I’d need more men, dogs, a whole setup.” After a pause Prentiss added, “And, y/n. There is no we in this. It’s dangerous. It’s safest for you to pretend you didn’t see anything tonight. Forget about it and don’t tell anyone.” y/n was frustrated by this response. However, she knew Em was correct. What could she do? Before y/n had a chance to say she was going to bed, Emily said, “Who are you bringing with you to meet Hotchner again?” 

y/n said in an almost deadpan voice, “Reid.” Emily frowned and said, “y/n, I’m going with you for that. I don’t trust Hotchner.” y/n’s head whipped up and she said, “Emily, it’s not like you can just stroll in there with Spence, and I. If Aaron and his family are as smart and powerful as you say, then he’ll know you’re a cop. I don’t think he’ll love that and I do still have to show up to a class with him, and sit across from him for the rest of the semester.” Prentiss could see y/n’s discomfort and replied, “I get it, y/n. And I know you’re trying to be nice, but I don’t want you going alone, and no, I don’t count Reid. I won’t walk in with you, and I won’t talk to you at all, but I will go and just keep an eye out.” y/n rubbed her tired eyes, saying, “Okay, Prentiss. We can talk about it tomorrow. I just want to go to bed now.” Em didn’t try and stop y/n as she moved past her and upstairs. y/n stripped out of her clothes from the day and fell into bed. She’d try and convince Em that she was a big girl tomorrow and didn’t need a bodyguard, but she was asleep before she could think of what she would say. y/n tossed and turned as she dreamed of the man outside her window and the person she’d seen with blood on their mouth, looking into her soul.

Text Break Banne by @cafekitsune

Tag list: @silk-spun @geminitapestry @alicewonderao3 @potatovoyager @samaldonado5 @princessjax @looking1016

Want to be added to my tag list? Please check out this post (linked) 

Want to send in a request? Please check out this post, CM Request Post (linked)

[packsvlog]

HI I am literally OBSESSED with your works and wanted to send in a match-up request after lurking for a hot minute <333 Please and thank you!! You are awesome!!!

I use she/her pronouns, and I'm of pretty average height with a pear-shaped body type. I have thick, wavy brown hair and moles all over my body. I wear thick plastic glasses and wear loose, comfortable clothes.

My personality type is INTP, though I'd describe myself as an ambivert. I really like talking to people, I just have a limited social battery and (medicated) anxiety. In public I'm cracking jokes pretty much all the time because I love making people laugh (I also think my jokes are funny asf so I'm usually laughing too). At home I just want to cuddle my cat and quietly recharge (parallel play rules!!). Also, if it matters, I'm a Pisces!

My hobbies include: playing guitar, D&D, reading comics and manga, and playing video games (though I'm lowkey bad at them). Mostly, I'm into nerd shit. I get really excited when I get to share it with someone, especially when they're just as into it!

I'm an adult, so I would appreciate if you could match me up with an adult too. Thank you again! Pls take your time writing this if you choose to and be well <3 looking forward to your next SMAU!

first of all, thank you for putting your pronouns and telling me to not pair you with a minor, sometimes i have to scratch my head with the other matches, fearing i might do something wrong or uncomfortable. anyways, thank you for enjoying my work, it means the world to me! hope you enjoy this!!

✶ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: geto suguru

How wonderful and scary it is to be your most vulnerable self with someone else? Geto Suguru had always hold his emotions into the deepest parts of his soul, trembling in fear of the face others would give when seeing his pure self. He should know that there is no way to hide himself from you, his best friend.

To his credit, he tries, at first. Holding his hands in a fist, letting his stoic voice shake while he recounts his life as of lately. That’s so out of character for him, it takes you no more than a second to hug him, desperately.

Truth be admitted, Geto crumbled into your arms and cried, cried. . . cried. Until, he begged you to take his mind away from this cruel world, let him be lighted by your presence, do whatever it takes.

And that’s what you do. Grabbing your guitar, you decide to stroke some chords, the soft melody blending with his quiet hiccups, before you decide to teach him to play.

“You have always looked like the type of guy to play guitar.” You mumble while you’re positioning your fingers on top of his. Geto laughs.

It’s like giving him medicine, if the world seems too chaotic, and his thoughts are spiraling terribly, he grabs your guitar. His emotions gallop around your room in the form of melodies, you dare not complain.

Suguru takes attention in other things you do, copying your way to cease his fears, have new hobbies and avoid the voices and fears plaguing his mind. He reads comics with you, even growing red in the face when you both disagree on a plot or losing a game. Unfortunately, he draws the line at D&D, not because it’s not his cup of tea, it’s just when you start to teach him how to play, his mind goes blank — not for bad reasons, his focus and thoughts goes only to you.

Your way of fixing your glasses, hands moving while explaining the game, your beautiful voice. And, once, you used a shirt that presented your upper body moles for him, and how beautiful it seems to be crafted with dozens of constellations, like a designed creature made by the universe itself. In that moment, he knew you were not his world, but much better you’re his whole sky, shinning bright the light of millions of stars.

He kisses you while you explained your character he could barely record the name.

It’s a habit he takes while your relationship is blooming and it will last until your very last breath. When you talk happily of your interests, and you move a certain way or the breeze flows into your body, he will kiss you, and you’ll let him. Geto kisses, specially, after your jokes, and he could get drunk on the sight of your lovesick smile mixed with your sweet laugh.

It shakes him. Your whole essence and presence, it all shakes Geto Suguru to a crazy extent. It can be admitted that love with him can be intense, but none of you would pick any other way.

──── ✎ ° ⋆ FUN FACTS.

◛ ₊· geto loves you to a whole extent, that being said, he would fight you for the chance to cuddle your cat.

◛ ₊· said cat also has a thing for your boyfriend, much rather preferring to be on his lap during hours to no end.

◛ ₊· you go to sleep and wake up in the same way everyday, peacefully into his loving arms, and his hands are always tracing your moles. he has been doing it for such a long time that he has them all memorized.

◛ ₊· if you leave your glasses anywhere and suddenly they are missing, chances are your boyfriend is using them and acting as if not. or maybe he forgets, he should be going to an eye doctor, actually.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Unexpected 26

Sequel to Unsolicited

Warnings: non/dubcon, pregnancy, car sex, Lloyd being the worst, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

Lloyd rarely surprises you anymore but that night, you admit, you are. He leaves you be. You just can't decide if it's because he actually listened or for some other Lloyd reason.

You hear Dottie and Harlan come home and try not to hear what comes after. You sleep as well as you can through the persistent ache in your hip bones. You hug the pillow between your legs, finding your comfort with a blanket under your belly. Adjusting to your body is the hardest part, you were never very comfortable in it to begin with.

You get up before nine. You never really slept in. Well, before you were working night shifts and going to sleep at this time. Those years really did a number on you.

You dress and hobble downstairs, yawning as the scent of cinnamon leads you into the kitchen. Dottie is there at the stove, chiming at your entry with "good morning" to rival any songbird.

"Hi," you go to the fridge, mourning your ritual of a hot coffee and opting instead for some mango orange juice. "How was your night?"

"Ah, ya know, Harlan's all tired out," she giggles, "but I should ask ya, dear, about yours."

"Mm, it was a night," you shrug as you pour yourself a glass, "what are you making? It smells so good."

"My famous cinnamon donuts," she announces proudly, "little Marion was the biggest fan, back when he wasn't so stingy on sugar."

"Ah," you take a sip of the tangy juice.

"I can't think the night was mighty successful," she mulls, "not with him leavin' so fast this mornin'."

You put the carton back and grab your glass. You lean against the count and take a large gulp.

"He left," you don't quite make it a question.

"Didn't he say goodbye?"

You keep your face vacant, "probably for the best."

"Work, he said," she offers, "off to make some money for the little one."

"Mm," you chew your lip and think. You peek over at her, "I… hope you don't think-- I worked, you know. More than twenty years and I busted my ass. I didn't… want to quit and not do anything."

"Ah don't you worry, sweetheart, I ain't judgin'. He just wants to take care of ya and the kiddo. I don't think nothin' bout it." She shakes her head and chuckles, "ask Marion, he'll tell ya I never worked a day in my life, not outside chasin' after him but let me tell ya a secret," she turns the dough in the oil, "I would get my money at night. Where we live, you make a killin' with that phone sex stuff. All them horny old men."

"Dot," you gasp.

"Oh, Harlan knew, he thought it was so funny, ya know? I'd tell him when one of the fellas he worked with would call," she cackles, "got a good laugh."

"Money is money," you say.

"Damn right, talkin' up them old pervs got my boy into Harvard," she smirks, "that's the thing about men. That one part of em is always the easiest to talk to."

"Uh huh," you step away and rest your hand on your stomach, "god, I can't stop peeing." You put your cup down hastily as your bladder squeezes.

"Ah, I don't miss that," she calls after you, "baby boy used to line dance on my bladder."

You close yourself into the bathroom and struggle to get your leggings down. You sit and sigh, letting the pressure drain and the news sink in. Maybe he took a few words to heart or maybe you're giving him too much credit. Either way, he's gone and you can breathe.

💎

"It's all comin' together," Dottie says as Harlan pushes the crip against the wall, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his head.

"Yes, looks good," you agree, "I like the bunnies. Good choice."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Dottie trills and goes over to the white box on the change table, "Harlan picked this one out. Hun, don't forget to hang it."

She opens the flaps and Harlan nears her. She lifts out the large orb, a fascimile moon, and turns to him. They're cute together, you won't ever have that.

He takes it and hangs it from the hook over the crib. He smiles up at it, "I always liked to watch the moon, ya know?"

"Lights up and everything," Dottie explains, "all different colours for the baby."

You stare at it. This baby if anything will be spoiled. You'll have to be the bad guy. The one who moderates. The one who says no when everyone else says yes.

Like everyone else you've ever known, this child will hate you.

You feel your chest caving in at the thought. You can never be what this baby needs. You've never been enough for anyone. A girl, too.

What a curse. To be a girl in this world. With a father like him and a mother like you.

"I… it's beautiful," you're not lying and the crack in your voice startles even you. But it's not the sentimentality that it seems, it's absolute and consuming terror. "I'm sorry, I need to lay down."

"You feel alright?" Harlan asks with concern.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just… tired."

"Well, you take it easy, darling," he girds.

"You let us know if ya need anything, honeybun," Dottie says.

"Of course, uh," you swallow tightly, "thank you. Both."

"It's nothin'," Dottie insists.

"No, really, thank you for being so… kind."

"Well, honey, you're our daughter as much as Marion's our boy," she smiles, "don't you forget that now."

You leave them and go back to the bedroom. You climb into bed and cocoon yourself in the blankets. You hate it. You hate how hot, how sharp every emotion is.

All this baby stuff makes you wonder and worry. You don't imagine your parents were ever that excited for you. They never beamed over your crip or delighted in choose cute stuffies or the perfect pacifier.

You are unwanted. Unexpected and unloved.

You didn't of that shit. Not for years. So why now?

You can be better than that. You have to be. You can't live with the idea you might pass on all this insecurity.

You sniffle and dab your eyes before they can prick. You blow out between your lips and lay flat. Big mistake.

You grunt as you sit up. As much as you'd love to sleep it into oblivion, you're restless. You hate the fact that Lloyd's unannounced absence has you on edge. He'll be back and not knowing when is worse than having him around.

There's a gentle tapping on the door. You try to shake off your nerves and you clear your throat.

"Yes?"

"Uh, don't mean to bother none, but… we didn't get to that finale… that lil snake eyed boy got me curious," Harlan says from the other side.

You can't help but smile. You never would've guessed his interest in trashy reality TV.

"Come in," you reach for your phone.

He opens the door slowly, inching inside, "you sure, kid?"

"Kid? No one's called me that in ages," you chuckle, "yeah, I'm ready to see it all go up in flames."

He has a tablet in hand and comes around the other side of the bed, "may I?"

"Sit, sit," you pat the mattress.

He's got the episode queued up and you help prop it between you with a pillow. He sits back with arms crossed and you hit play, the recap rolling at once.

You're quiet as the narrator goes through the most dramatic scenes of the season. You glance at Harlan from the corner of your eye. You never had this, never had a dad who wanted to do anything with you. Nothing aside from holding a wrench as he ignored you.

"Why are you so nice?" You ask at last.

He shifts and looks at you, "why don't you think you deserve that?"

You scoff and shake your head, "you don't know me."

"I know you're too good for my son, and I'm gonna let him know that. Again. Maybe this time, he'll hear me," he reaches over, gently taking your hand, "I'm still young enough to kick his ass."

You grin and feel the tension seep from you. You relax and lean against his shoulder, turning to watch the screen. He squeezes your hand as he rests his head against yours.

It’s peace. For now.

[multi-fandomsfreak]

Hey, man 🧍‍♀️

How are you? I hope your doing well 👍🏽

Anyways, I got somewhat of a good request… I think..?

Alright, so imagine Reader was friends with I hate you Luigi and Mario. Reader was friends with the brothers before the events of I hate you (Where Luigi fell into lava and burned.) Even though everyone loved Mario Reader always preferred Luigi more. Luigi feels extremely grateful that at-least someone didn’t compare him to his brother and actually cared about him but this wasn’t enough for Luigi so he teamed up with Bowser without telling Reader. The events of I hate you happen and Mario comes back with Princess Peach. Reader is wondering where Luigi is. Reader asks Mario where Luigi was and Mario tells Reader that it’s best if they don’t know. Which leaves Reader even more confused and is now worried that something happened to their friend Luigi.

(You can decide if Reader and IHY Luigi get to see each other again.)

(Also this is more of a platonic fic than a romantic one and also can you use She/They pronouns pls.)

In addition if you can’t do this request then have some random images from my phone gallery 🧍 and have a great day/afternoon/night…

Burning Memory

(IHY!Luigi x Reader) (Platonic)

Hey there! Thanks for the ask!

I’m doing great hope you’re doing great as well. Honestly ever since I’ve started playing any sort of Mario games I’ve always had a preference over Luigi rather than Mario (Although I love Mario just as much). If Luigi was a playable character I would always choose him that’s how much I love him (Thanks for the photos as well).

Also I tried to make this as angsty as I could because I’m in that mood lol. Anyways hope you like this. ~Blaze/Dawn

Pronouns: She/They

Warning: ⚠️Death/Murder + Spoilers for the creepypasta/game⚠️

Requested: Yes/No

Characters: Luigi + Mario + Peach + Mentions of Bowser

Proofread: ❌

Credits: Art by ??? + Banner by aerineey on Pinterest

———————————

- The Mario bros. Everyone knows them and everyone loves them, especially you. You pretty much had the luck of getting to know the brothers and eventually became friends with them. Honestly you admire the two especially the taller brother Luigi however you seemed to notice that people had more of a preference over Mario practically ignoring his younger brother presence. But you didn’t pay much attention to them and mostly focused your attention on him.

- Honestly when Luigi saw how much attention his brother was getting compared to him it really hurt him. Why weren’t people praising him? He helped as well, why didn't he get the recognition as well? What did Mario have that he didn’t? They were practically the same. All those questions were running through his mind but before they got too extreme they managed to get cut off by you. The only person who seemed to acknowledge his skills. That was the only reason he had to keep going despite what was going on. Being around you was the only reason he didn’t snap and do whatever at least for now.

- You had no idea about how he was feeling about the whole ordeal with his brother, mostly because he didn’t express them to you. Why didn’t he do it? You honestly had no idea but you definitely would’ve assumed he was at least a little bit upset. I mean who wouldn’t. But when you try to see what was matter he just played his emotions off to a recent adventure he had. But regardless of the reason you made sure to cheer him up which he appreciates. But eventually although he does get noticed by you he got tired of being in Mario’s shadow and decided to risk it and join the bad guy himself Bowser.

- He didn’t tell pretty much anyone that he joined bowser because obviously he doesn’t think that people would care enough about him so why should he care but when it came to you he mostly didn’t tell you out of guilt. I mean he’s only doing this to get the recognition that he wants just like his brother but he’s getting some from you so why wasn’t it enough for him? He just wants to be loved by people even if it means that he has to join the bad guy he and his own brother have fought the princess for. What was personally to him the hardest part about this wasn’t how his brother may feel about this, he was sort of the reason why he was in this situation to begin with even if he wasn’t aware of it. He was more worried about your reaction to it. He was thinking things like ‘she’s been there for me when I’ve felt down’ and ‘they’re been treating me the way I wanted so why isn't it enough?’. Honestly deep down he knows that this may be wrong but he feels as if he doesn’t have a choice. If he wants to be seen just like Mario then he’ll have to be the bad guy even if it means he has to hurt people that deeply care about him.

- Eventually though everyone does have a reaching point that causes them to snap and unfortunately it happened to Luigi. One day it was a regular adventure for Mario, focusing on rescuing Peach once again from Bowser’s grasp but today was different. Once he arrived at the castle she was trapped in but instead of being confronted by him he was confronted by his own brother which ended up turning into a fight and ended in the younger brother being burnt to death in the lava he was knocked into. Mario didn’t want to do it and he didn’t mean to; he just needed to defend himself but ended up killing his own brother in the process. Although he was betrayed by his brother and had the right to feel angry at him. All he could feel was upset about what happened and how it had to end. Despite the reasons for why Luigi decided join bowser he was regardless his brother he cared for, after wiping the tears that were rolling down his cheeks as he witnessed his brother being engulfed by the lava he had no choice but to go on and accept the fact that he killed Luigi roam his mind for the rest of the time he will be alive for. Eventually Peach noticed the sadness that appeared in Mario and he had no choice but to tell her what happened and of course she was upset as well. She pretty much has known Luigi as long as she did with Mario so this came to a surprise for her as well. All she could do was cry herself with her head in her hands as Mario just stood there starting to cry again himself before the both of them returned back to her castle.

- Mario knew that he should tell you about what happened to Luigi. He noticed that you happened to be closer towards his younger brother compared to him and honestly he didn’t mind it, he was just glad that Luigi had someone to rely on but now that he was dead you had the right to know but he just couldn’t. He knows he should but he just couldn’t.

+ You were made aware of Mario needing to rescue Peach again and assumed that Luigi would be joining him as well. How many times will it take for Bowser to get the hint and leave them alone? After wishing him good luck you had no choice but to wait patiently knowing that Mario would win once again and you were right but unfortunately you would learn some unfortunate news, well sort of. As you heard Mario and Peach return you immediately went up and greeted them however you quickly noticed something. They both seemed upset about something but what was it? Then you noticed something else “where’s Luigi?” You managed to speak up wanting to know what happened to your friend but you met with silence which only worried you more “I’m sorry [Name] I can’t say” Mario somehow managed to say while choking back some tears before leaving you alone with Peach who herself was holding back tears. You couldn’t understand what caused the two of them to be this upset. Obviously something must have happened to him but why weren’t they telling you? You started to get slightly pissed but not outright and also upset. Even Peach herself asked Mario “Mario you should tell her you know” she said, she understands how you feel she also happened to be close towards Luigi as well. She really thinks that Mario should at least hint at what happened to Luigi “I’m sorry Peach but I can’t tell her, I just can’t.” Mario replied back “I know it must be hard to comprehend and it’s not your fault but they deserved to know what happened to him. They’re the closest to him out of all of us.” Peach reassured him but Mario couldn’t say anything else. She has a point and he knows that but why couldn’t he do it? But after much bugging and not receiving an answer you had no choice but to give up. Pretty much accepting that he’s missing and that you might not see him again.

- It definitely felt weird not having Luigi around. He was actually really nice to be around, especially you. You don’t understand what could’ve happened to him. Even if wasn’t recognised widely still you didn’t understand who would have an outing for him. You ended up excluding yourself from others minus Mario and Peach but even then you didn’t see them much.

- But even with the thought that he was missing you just couldn’t shake it off that he was somehow alive. You know him too well although a bit reclusive himself he wouldn’t just die, he would keep up a fight even if it takes some encouragement for him to do so. So you decided to try to at least find him even if by the time you found him he was actually dead. You decided to go to the last place Mario was and it just so happened to be where Peach was last captured and went there without letting Mario or Peach know where you were going. Although it was a little nerve wrecking going out alone, you decided to risk it if it meant that you could see your friend again.

+ After some time you managed to arrive at the castle and entered it. You felt a cold wave of air flow right past you immediately sending a shiver down your spine. “It’s really quiet here…” you said to yourself. Although this place had no reason to have anything in it you would’ve at least expected to hear some boo’s at least. You managed to arrive in a room and the cold was immediately replaced with heat. You looked down to see lava and immediately cautioned yourself to be careful unless you wanted to fall into it, as you kept walking you saw some sort of being not that far in front of you. Although you were happy that at least someone else was here you still needed to be careful of yourself. Little did you know that the man in front of you was Luigi himself.

+ Ever since his death Luigi had pretty much been forced to stay in the castle that he last saw his brother and pretty much everyone else. All that he could feel was anger and hurt. Anger that he managed to get beaten by his brother and of course hurt because he literally got burned to death. But he also felt lonely. He didn’t want to feel this but since it was just him eventually he was going to start feeling it at some point. All he could do was get lost in his thoughts about things that happened before his inevitable demise. But he was snapped out of his thoughts by something or rather someone. He heard something and immediately assumed the worst. Maybe it was his brother wanting more or maybe trying to convince him that he didn’t mean to throw him into the lava. He could already feel himself getting angry again. He wanted to yell at someone for what happened to him. Blaming anyone for the reason he ended up like this, he stood up causing the person which ended up being you to freeze. He started preparing to send them away but as soon as he took in the moment to process who was in the same room as him he immediately froze himself. Unless he was hallucinating you were right in front of him. “[Name], is that you?” He spoke up in shock.

+ At first you couldn’t recognise him, I mean yeah it sounded like him although a little groggily and yes he was wearing his clothes although they had some holes in them but it was kind of hard to piece that it was him due to him being pretty much burnt to no recognition. If it wasn’t for him calling your name you wouldn’t have known it was him. “[Name], please tell me that it’s you?” He said once again just wanting a sign that it was actually you and that he wasn’t seeing things. “Yeah it is..” you managed to speak up but slightly teary “Luigi, what the hell happened to you?” You quietly spoke, it hurt seeing him like this. His skin had practically melted off. He changed physically that it felt weird seeing him. He wasn’t able to say something, he wanted to but he was starting to get caught up in his emotions. As much as he hated everyone he couldn’t find himself to hate you. In reality he knew he couldn’t hate you. You were his only friend all this time, even now although it took a while you eventually found him again which proved that you still cared about him. He walked up closer to you slightly limping before bringing you into a hug. At first it felt weird hugging him, his body felt oddly leathery. You managed to hug him back before hearing a slight whimpering coming from him. Before you knew it you started to hear him cry. “…[Name]” All he could say through his tears was your name causing you to tear up yourself. He didn’t care that he felt slight pain due to his burnt skin being touched by you. All he cared about was just being in your arms after being lonely for so long. You could feel your heart breaking hearing Luigi cry, although you’ve seen him upset you haven’t seen him this upset and actually crying right in front of you. You tried to move slightly so you could look at him directly but he quickly tightened the hug not wanting you to move. “…please, please don’t leave me [Name]…” he said in between his sobs thinking that you were trying to leave. You decided to save your questions for later, you could tell he needed this even though you had no idea what happened between his demise and now so you let him cry his heart out until he was ready to tell you what happened. For now you and ended in a tight felt hug not letting go until the both of you got your feelings out and managed to catch up with each other.

———————————

[batsplat]

What was the deal with dovi and his two teammates he did NOT get along with? Personal dislike or what?

so I've rattled off the actual details of the dovi/jorge feud here and this post gives great insight for dovi/iannone. the thing about dovi is that it's kind of funny that it happened twice to him of all people, you know? and the fact that there's (to my knowledge) been fuck all reconciliation? like I said here:

which I think is probably like... my general explanation. it's a) circumstance and b) abysmal interpersonal chemistry. in both cases, you've met the general criteria for intra-team issues:

I should have added that the first criterion is a little more complex than that, because it's also about how competitive the bike is versus expectations. if you thought you were going to be fighting for a title and you're not because the bike is shit, then that's not really the time and place to be starting feuds. but by 2015 ducati was very much on the way up again: for a hot moment early that year it looked like dovi might be a genuine title threat in that year and in 2016 they got their first win since 2010. so, suddenly you've got a manufacturer that's reevaluating its current line up and deciding they want a bigger name to lead the actual title charge... which is where you get the stakes from in both those feuds. dovi/iannone was driven in large part by 'which one of us will get fired' and dovi/lorenzo had the tension of 'this is not the challenger ducati was expecting'. so now you are competing over something a little more substantial... and that makes the difference between 'ah whatever I can paper over these interpersonal tensions' and 'you know what fuck this guy'

the interpersonal chemistry question is obviously more opaque, and again you have to say dovi just got a little unlucky in that regard. from how he talks in his autobiography, it seems like the first feud was just a bit of a radical mismatch of personalities. in iannone, dovi sees someone who is arrogant, obsessed with image and too concerned with beating dovi. it's not exactly a surprise that dovi was severely displeased when he thought he would be dropped for iannone. with jorge... well, you can really see how the competitiveness comes in here, right - the relationship was broadly cordial in 2017 when jorge was in the wilderness and then swiftly deteriorated when he actually got to grips with the bike

also, clearly jorge had some slightly weird stuff going on with dovi... idk, some of the passages read like he thought dovi kinda looked down on him? constantly talking about how clever dovi is, how dovi knows what he's doing... the thing about jorge is that he had a lot of stuff going on as a young man and he was overthinking a lot of things... and some of those things were definitely his rivals... and that did affect several of those relationships for quite a few years. then there's the stuff where jorge repeatedly says how much effort he put into that relationship, celebrating dovi's results in 2017, dovi not appreciating it... I mean, maybe? I can imagine dovi being extremely unmoved by this lol, and certainly not feeling like it means jorge has any credit in the bank the following year. he doesn't like jorge, which is fine... but then occasionally he says something in the press with just enough ambiguity that it allows jorge to go absolutely ape shit and it spirals from there. just a bad combination, really. jorge thought he'd be number one, dovi was very possessive of that project and not willing to cede the lead without one hell of a fight... and they have history and they're both not really particularly willing to give each other the benefit of the doubt. not great

as much as I obviously wasn't being serious calling dovi an awful teammate, he's also not that conflict-averse. he's always been opinionated, reasonably willing to get into arguments (including with the ducati higher ups) and also clearly willing to judge his fellow riders, often quite harshly. he's perhaps not particularly inclined to change his mind either once he's made it up... definitely a character, and perhaps not the type who's really interested in reevaluating relationships post-retirement. jorge on his part has mended quite a few bridges, but it really is just with his fellow aliens - you'll note he's repeatedly incredibly rude about dovi's track record and lack of premier class titles. jorge in general can have a bit of a habit of 'punching down' in a way you won't really get from the other aliens. his nostalgia-inflected warmth towards other riders again really does seem pretty limited to just the aliens, which is how you get him doing instagram throwbacks to motegi 2010 (bonkers lol) and all this *gestures* dani stuff... but with him and dovi, neither of them have really made an effort, and I doubt they will. dovi's the type of guy who wants to see himself as honest and straightforward with these things, so no forcing reconciliation after the fact I reckon. what's wrong with a couple of burnt bridges, right

[noa-nightingale]

✨ Gay Oars Project 2024 ✨

I am bringing it back! :D

I started the Gay Oars Project in 2021, continued in 2022 and had to take a break in 2023 for mental health reasons. Now here is the updated version.

What is the Gay Oars Donation Project?

It used to be this: People requested fan art from me, and in exchange donated some money to one of two GoFundMes.

I like drawing but I am always and forever a word person first. So, this time, instead of art, there will be short stories and poems! <3

What do you write?

Anything Watcher and Buzzfeed Unsolved. I specialize in puppets and anthropomorphic foodstuff but I will accept other requests too. Keep it clean, though!

Where are the donations going to and how much do I donate?

Like last time, these are the options:

Tonya Kay’s GoFundMe

GoFundMe for @queerunsolved​‘s mom

You decide how much you want to donate. I am okay with any amount and I won’t judge you for donating a small amount. This is completely up to you.

BUT! If you have another person or charity in mind, please tell me!

How will you know that I really donated?

I would like to think of this as a gentlemen’s agreement, so to speak. I don’t want to ask for excessive proof. When you get a confirmation email for your donation (or similar), a screenshot will be okay (with your personal info blocked out, of course). I really don’t want to make this more complicated than it needs to be.

Is there a minimum age I have to be?

Apologies in advance but you have to be at least 18.

Text first or donation first?

Please don’t donate right away! I probably won’t be able to tell you exactly how long I will take with writing your request - I don’t want anyone to donate and then have to wait for their text/poem.

I will let you know when it is is done, please don’t donate beforehand.

What happens with the text?

I will post it on my tumblr, and you will have permission to re-post it on your own social media (with credit!). Other people do not have permission to re-post it.

Why are you doing this?

I want to help people, and I can’t give a lot of money on my own. The idea here is that we come together to support others.

If you have questions, ask me! I want to keep this as barrier-free and informal as possible. I am not a professional and this is not meant to be a big scary thing, just a little project to help some people out.

Here are some examples of my work:

Gay Oars Poem

Gay Oars Haiku

We're Meant to Be

Gay Oars Fanfiction

But wait! There is more!

I have told Team Watcher about the Gay Oars Project via their p.o. box - I am fairly certain that at least Shane is aware of the project. At the end of the year, I will compile a list of people who participated and send it to the p.o. box again. So here's your chance to be on that list! (Or to tell me not to put you on that list because you don't want to be perceived lol.)

Thanks for reading. Reblogs are very appreciated! 💖

[andydrysdalerogers]

Sliding Into Home ~ Finale

Pairing: MLB!Frank Adler x Abigail Hernandez (OFC)

Synopsis:

After a trade from Boston to Los Angeles, first baseman Frank Adler would seem to have it all. Money, women, an amazing niece, yes Frank should have it all. Except for one thing. One thing that left after a mistake five years ago. Los Angeles should be the chance to start over. Except she is supposed to be in Boston. Not his new medical director.

* A Frank Adler AU x Major League Baseball Story**

Warning: ANGST (i can't stress this enough), second chances, cheating, S~M~U~T!!, slow burn, drug use, abandonment issues, betrayal, domestic violence (i may have missed some), flashbacks

Dividers by me!

A/N: So this is it folks! This is the end. There isn't anymore. I hate to say goodbye but maybe we will revisit in one shots!

Thank you for following me on this journey!

Also, there is a spotify playlist for this one. Click here!

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Previous: Oh Captain, My Captain!

Sliding Into Home Master List Main Masterlist

Four Years Later... 

The playoffs this year have been exhausting. Frank was used to it but now, he had one more reason to be home.  The world series would start next week for the Dodgers.  It was their second bid in four years and Frank felt like this was their time.  Johnny was pitching better than ever and the team that Dave and Todd had put together was golden.   

As he drove home in his beloved Camero, he thought back on how he ended up here.  

The trial for Mike Weiss was long and exhaustive. Mike faught to the bitter end, continuing to claim that he only kidnapped Mary to speak to her, get to know her, since Frank and Abby had forbade him from coming close to his family.  The law was on their side, as Diane provided testimoney of Mike’s obsession in destroying the Adlers from way back to when Frank and Abby first started their relationship.  It had been a 20 year obsession that had catipulted him delusions.  

Unfortunately, Mike never saw a day of his sentence.  Frank was disappointed in how Mike ended up taking his own life from an accidental overdose after finding out the guilty verdict. They had given him one week to set up his affairs. Frank didn’t want the man to die but Mike couldn’t live with the idea of going in sober and clean.  The “friend” that found him said he wanted one more party before he went inside.  Was it accidental?  No one will ever really know beside the man who had been Frank’s best friend for 15 years.  

Diane was a better story.  After staying for for treatment for a year, Diane was sober and in her right mind.  She had visited with Frank and Mary once, before moving to Maine with her boyfriend.  She told Frank that she would never contest custody and hoped to maintain an “auntie” sort of relationship with Mary.  Abby couldn’t bring herself to face her again.  She had gotten her answers and forgave her former friend.  But she set down the law: her future children would not have a relationship with their aunt. Frank respected her decision. 

Bobby Fuller was banned by the league after their investigation into him found his drug use and his collaboration in helping Mike.  At the insistence of Frank, the district attorney did not press charges against him. Frank decided losing his passion, his career was punishment enough.  they never spoke again.  

A year after the loss of the world Series, Johnny decided to propose to Katie, at Christmas, on Dodger Field.  Frank had been right that he would propose, all be it, a year later than he thought.  But Katie had a surprise for him after she said yes.  She was pregnant, with twins.  Sam and David Storm joined the family at the beginning of June the following year.  

Susie had made an honest man out of Marco in the summer after the first world series.  They bought a house in the same neighborhood as Frank and Abby.  Susie was honored after her discovery of a new star in the sky.  Marco still worked as security for the Adlers, especially after Abby decided to resign as medical director for the Dodgers.  She went to take over as  Chief of Staff at USC.  The hours changed so security for the children had to be updated as well.  

Scott and Steve married after dating for three years.  Frank stood as his best man and signed their marriage certificate.  Luckily, the Adler property had a small house in the back that Scott turned into a home for them.  Scott stayed on as the nanny, not wanting to separate from his godchildren.  Steve was so understanding and was happy to be honored as the kid’s second godfather.  

Frank smiled as he drove down the familiar street.  The leaves were starting to turn and the air in California finally started to have a chill in the mornings.  He was looking forward to an early morning coffee with his Cricket on the balcony before the kids woke up.  Mary was still working on her science project, a fully functioning telescope from scratch.  The now 14-year-old was in college level science, a brain box just like her mothers.  Susie loved having a prodigy to work with.  She still went to a normal school but twice a week, Susie would take her to her college classes as her guardian and professor.  

Turning into the driveway, Frank groaned at the toys all over the yard. “Dammit Mary,” he muttered.  She had just a few responsibilities at the house, and one was to make sure all of the toys were put away for the night.  He looked at his watch.  It was just past eight.  He grabbed his bag and headed into the house.  

“Hello, hello!” He called out.  

“Daddy!!” 

A streak of dark curls rushed at him.  He crouched down and caught three-year-old Lorelei in his arms.  

“Hi princess,”he said as he hugged and kissed his daughter.  

“Daddy, you were ever and ever,” she pouted.  

“I know princess, but I’ll be home for a few days.  Uncle Johnny and Auntie Katie are coming over tomorrow.”  

“Yay!!!” She hung on to his neck as he stood up to see his Mary walking over. “Hey Nugget.”  

“Hey dad!” Mary hugged him hard. “That was an awesome play yesterday.”  

“Thanks.  But you’re in trouble.” Mary looked at him confused. “The toys?”  

“Oh, cr-,” she stopped, “crazy,” she said, looking at her sister. “I’ll take care of it right now.”  She darted out the door, Dodger on her heels after getting a pat from Frank.  

“Hey Frankie.”  

Frank turned to see his girl, his Cricket walking over to him, holding their eight-week-old son, Anthony, in her arms.  “Hi Cricket.”  He put Rory down and took his son in his arms. “Hey little man.” He kissed his forehead and was rewarded with a sleepy yawn and a blink of his ocean blues.  “He’s bigger.”  

“Went for his checkup yesterday,” Abby said. “He’s at 12 pounds now, growing like a weed.”  

Anthony had been born four weeks early and was just under six pounds when he was born, but healthy.  He had an appetite like his dad, which Abby complained about at the 3 AM feedings.  

“I’ve missed you guys.” Frank pulled Abby close and kissed her softly.  

“We missed you.”  Abby took his hand and guided him to the counter. “I thought you would be earlier, and I made dinner.”  

“Sorry baby, the flight got delayed on the tarmac and I had no signal.” Frank sighed.  “Whatcha make?” 

“Lasagna.” Frank groaned as Abby's lasagna was second to none. Abby smiled. “I’ll cut you a piece.”  

“You’re the best Cricket.  I should marry you.”  

“Already did Frankie. Best decision ever.”  

“Without a doubt.” 

Later that night, as the house settled for the night, Abby laid Tony in his bassinet. She smoothed his blanket before kissing him goodnight.  Frank leaned over and kissed him as well.  “Sweet dreams, pal. Love you son.”  

Abby could never get over how sweet it was to watch Frank with all his kids. He helped with Mary’s homework, read stories to Rory and cuddled with Tony when Abby wanted to take a shower.  This man, this man that she met 20 years ago, was everything she ever dreamed of.  As they climbed into bed, Abby lay on Frank’s chest.  “You’re thinking really loud, Cricket.  What’s on your mind?” 

Abby chewed her lip for a moment before asking, “Are you happy Frankie?” 

“The happiest I’ve ever been.  Why do you ask?” 

“I dunno.  Lots of changes.” 

Frank sat up and pulled his wife onto his lap.  “Cricket, winning you back, having our family, it's like beating the throw and sliding into home.  It’s a high that I am so happy I get to live with you.”  

Abby melted at his sweet words. “I love you so much Frankie.”  

“And I love you, Cricket forever and ever.” He kissed her softly.  “Need some help getting to sleep?” He smirked.  

“Always.” Abby giggled as Frank flipped her onto her back, pulled the blanket over them and they sighed.  

THE END 

Taglist

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@firephotogrl74

@before-we-get-started

@tinkerbelle67

@bunnyforhim

@peaceinourtime82

[queenimmadolla]

𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞 ─ 𝐏. 𝐈𝐈𝐈.

series master list ─ PI, PII

summary: . . . after making nice with Eddie, you get roped into a movie night that teases the boundaries of your new friendship.

chapter warnings: slow burn, fluff, some good ole’ longing, bullying, heavy flirting, and two people who want each other so bad it makes them look stupid. 

a/n: Soak up these next few chapters, ‘cause an angst storm is coming. Additionally, this chapter features a special cameo of a character called Clover, and that is not her birth name, it’s a nickname because that’s the Reader for a Robin x Reader fic I’m working on so yeah, you get to make appearances in other fics about you, lol. Same with Judy, but because I already gave her a name I’ll either go back and switch it out with a nickname or just ignore it in her Steve Harrington x Reader fic (let me know what you think I should do, suggestions are appreciated). Special thank you to @kitmon for beta-ing this long awaited addition! as always, still no keep reading tab because Tumblr eats parts of my fics when I use it so happy scrolling!  𝐓𝐚𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭

You stepped into fourth period, Biology, with your head held high, still feeling refreshed from having made up with Eddie at the party. While you hadn’t had much time to talk, you were still satisfied with how the night ended for the both of you.

Shortly after you’d agreed to be friends, the cops had pulled up; someone on the residential street had finally grown tired of the loud music and drunk teens pouring from the house and into the streets. You and Eddie had made a quick escape, forced to part in your respective vehicles as you were both positive parents and guardians were going to be called the moment police realized alcohol and drugs were involved and underage teenagers were the cause of it. You didn’t exactly have a good track record with Chief Hopper, so you were hoping to avoid another run in with him.

You’d been giddy all weekend, dancing around the house, willingly doing your chores. Even the old hag couldn’t bring you down, you’d ignored her menacing glares while you bounced and bopped around the kitchen, waltzing around with the mop.

When Monday came around, unlike your peers, you were ecstatic to go to school simply for the fact that Eddie would be there; the pretty heavy metal lover, shrouded in spikes, thorns, and scorn to protect himself. But not with you. Now that you knew your affections for him hadn’t been completely one-sided, you were sure he’d show up. After all, the only reason he regularly attended Algebra II was so he could see you. Eddie had told you so himself. He’d want to see you, too. So, you took your time getting ready, back to being unbothered about arriving late if it meant you were gonna look your best (for a weekday at school, anyway).

When you arrived, the parking lot had been full and the hallways of the school had been nearly empty, save for a few stragglers, also late or just ditching. You could see Suzie coming out of one of the classrooms, wearing the neon orange sash that marked her as the Hall Monitor and as you quickly ducked into your class, hellbent on avoiding her while she wore that—it turned her into a monster—, you couldn’t help but wonder how she even had the time to do it. Didn’t she have class, too? Sure, she was stupid smart, but she still needed credits to pass.

Mrs. Boucher stopped in her introduction of the day’s agenda, giving you an unimpressed look as you shot her a sheepish smile.

“Glad to see you have decided to grace us with your presence on this fine Monday morning. Would you like to stand around or take your seat?” 

You almost stopped your scuttle, having slowly been inching your way towards your desk—grouped up with three others—from the moment you came into the class, eyes squinting at her in disbelief as you held a hand out in a gesture to what you were doing but she just turned back to the board, going back to the agenda. There was nothing you hated more than an authoritative figure telling you to do something that you were already doing.

You huffed as you sat down and Heather grinned from the seat across from you, amused with the whole interaction. 

“Thought you were going to be on time from now on?”

You lifted your shoulders in a shrug, unable to keep your lips from curving up into a smile, “I changed my mind.”

She hummed, eyeing you playfully before she began jotting down in her notebook. You probably should have started focusing on your notes, too, but that wasn’t all that important to you at the moment. That was second on your agenda. The first thing to do was check for Eddie.

You waited about five minutes to ensure you’d lost your teacher’s attention, then you tried to slowly and casually turn your head towards the tables behind you without being caught; specifically, the one near the windows. Only, you were caught immediately, locking eyes with Eddie’s brown ones the second you allowed your gaze to follow your head.

Oh, fuck.

Your head snapped back around as you felt your face get hot before you remembered you had nothing to hide anymore. When you looked back again, you weren’t discreet and found Eddie still staring. When he realized you weren’t going to look away that fast, he grinned, his whole face lighting up.

You did the same, wiggling your fingers at him; his joy was contagious. He rested an elbow on the top of his desk and pulled his hair to the front of his face as if to hide behind it, but you could still make out his smile. Then he lifted a hand, his deft, ring covered fingers waving in return.

You forced yourself to turn back around in your seat as your heart did gymnastics in your chest. Get a grip, you chided yourself. You’d never be able to pay attention in class if you kept thinking about Eddie like you so badly wanted to, and it wouldn’t be good for your strictly new found friendship. You had to distract yourself.

You did a full rundown of your schedule for the day, ending with cheer practice and you mentally groaned at the thought. You loved Cheer, loved being in the spotlight (had hated the thought of it before but, in actuality, a cheer routine didn’t go past like four minutes and then it was over and attention was redirected so it wasn’t so bad!) ,you loved most of the team and you loved that you got to leave from certain classes early on days where you had to cheer. But, your coach was always on your asses. She wanted perfection—and she’d let the entire squad know just how disappointed she was when she didn’t get it—but above all, she really did believe everyone had a place on the team in the worst of fucking ways.

Connie, your coach, favored some individuals over others. It wasn’t a constant factor but, depending on the situation, competition or routine, she actively encouraged others to stand out, while persuading others to appear as unremarkable as possible. Took the ‘Squad’ right out of Cheer Squad.

If you’d been in ballet, that would have been fine because it was expected, but not with Cheer. The whole purpose of cheerleading—other than flying and tumbling which you were lucky enough to do—was to bring cheer to people, encourage them. It was hard to do that when you were constantly experiencing the opposite. You and Judy had dubbed most of Coach Connie’s spews as de-motivational quotes;while other cheer teams got pep talks, yours got, ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, odds are you’re not talented’ and your personal favorite, ‘why stand out when you were born to be a background character?’ You thought about that one a lot. It was humbling, really, and you were lucky enough to not have it directed towards you very often, as she needed you, specifically, to be thrown around in the air, most of the other girls fearing your particular position. Judy was the only other member willing to be a flyer and tumble which is how you two became friends and, while you had alternatives, they often chewed you out and sent you low glares anytime they had to step in for you.

Sarah Silva had sprained her ankle on Thursday and you just knew Coach Connie would throw a fit, so you spent the rest of the class trying to judge how unpleasant practice would be instead of thinking about Eddie. If you had been paying attention to him, you would have crumbled under the heavy weight of his stare, still focused on you.

The rest of your classes were mundane and Eddie-less, with the only interesting one proving to be your fourth period class, AP Biology. You loved it and your spunky old teacher, Mr. Hoagie.

“Everyone up against the left and right walls, please. Now that we’re done with the introductory phase of utilizing this lab, I’ll be assigning you a table and a partner,” he instructed, and you made your way to the left side, eager to see who you’d be matched up with. 

When he called your name and the number of your assigned table, you rushed over to it, placing your backpack on top of the cold, metal top just as a binder dropped onto it and a boy with long, black hair and colorful clothes took a seat on the stool next to you. 

He regarded you for a moment, head bobbing in acknowledgement.

“‘Sup, I’m Argyle.” That hadn’t been the name called out alongside yours, so you were positive he was going by a nickname or his last name. He looked familiar, though. You squinted as you raked your brain for his face, trying to place it in a setting.

It dawned when you watched him turn on the bunsen burner, pull out a lunchbox from his backpack, produce a cold slice of pizza and hold said pizza over the flame to warm it. “You’re Eden’s boyfriend!” 

They were a relatively new couple, Eden didn’t talk about her romantic life too much, still breaking free from her former Mormon habits. She’d only brought up having started a relationship three weeks ago, with the guy who delivered her family’s Friday night pizzas. Apparently, they’d hot box his car whenever he went through the area; tale as old as time. 

While you knew he was still in high school, Eden liked to spend her time in school with you and Judy. Her time outside of school was usually spent with her boyfriend, if not also with the two of you. She’d only pointed him out in the halls a couple of times. You just assumed she was still shy about it.

He grinned, white teeth on display as his head bobbed in confirmation, “Yeah, man! That’s me! Wait—does she talk about me a lot? Is it good? Or bad? Did she tell you about the anchovy and woody thing?”

“The what?”

Argyle went quiet (it already seemed uncharacteristic of him and you’d only known him two minutes), his voice low and soft as he followed up with, “Nothing. Are you Judy?”

You laughed and shook your head before introducing yourself, awkwardly offering out your hand for a quick handshake.

“Oh! I know you! You’re my boy Eddie’s girl.” The urge to allow your body to slide to the ground like mush was strong, knees weak at the thought of Eddie talking about you to his friend’s (small world, by the way). His girl? Was that how Eddie had referred to you as or was that all just Argyle? Argyle looked down at your hand and the pizza he was still holding before setting it down on top of his binder. He took your hand in both of his, carefully tucking your fingers in to form a fist. Then, he fist bumped you with his own, pleased with himself before he picked up the pizza and took a bite.

“Nice ta meet ya,” he mumbled out, very much the type to talk with his mouth full. For some reason, when he did it, it was endearing, almost expected, really. You also had an inkling he was high, judging by the pink tint to the whites of his eyes. 

“Nice to finally meet you, too, Argyle.”

Your teacher passed out some supplies: glue, little bottles of food coloring, baking soda, and contact solution before he announced that he hated Mondays so you’d be making some slime to make up for the terrible day of the week.

You and Argyle had fun with it as you violently squeezed out every last drop from the Elmer’s glue squeeze bottles. He couldn’t stop laughing when the bottles started to make a farting sound as they neared empty and you couldn’t stop giggling at how high pitched his voice got when he was trying to talk after his laughing fits. His talking voice almost matched your giggle pitch, and when you pointed it out, it sent him into another wave of hysterics. The rest of the class seemed to be getting some enjoyment out of your antics, too, with even your teacher teasing him.

You accidentally made a little mess of the baking soda—Argyle was baffled after discovering it was a powder and not a liquid, very misleading—but Argyle just scooped it up and dumped it into the bowl as you mixed it in with the glue. You were torn between the colors, though; you wanted pink or purple but Argyle was set on green. He caved after you insisted if you were going to be playing with slime, you wouldn’t be doing so with a batch that looked like a giant booger and soon added drops of white and red food coloring until the desired shade of pink was accomplished. 

You’d finished faster than the rest of your classmates, but it wasn’t a problem considering how surprisingly fun it was to play with, though you planned on throwing it away after school.

Argyle was being inappropriate with his, had it clenched in his fist as he fingered it to create a wet, squelching sound for his amusement.

“You should come to the movies tonight. A bunch of us are watching that new horror flick, Fright Night.”

You’d heard about the film, had seen a couple of previews for it between Alf and Matlock and while you enjoyed horror movies in your home, you didn’t watch them too often in theaters. Mostly because you couldn't hide when something got too gross for you. That and you wanted to avoid experiencing secondhand embarrassment because the character on screen was doing something stupid.

“Eddie will be there,” he added in a sing-song voice, thick eyebrows wiggling in a silly, rather than suggestive, manner.

Danger. Bad. If you watched a horror movie alongside Eddie, you’d no doubt be hiding your face in his shoulder or something and he’d probably be more than willing to comfort you and friends don’t get that friendly with each other. Okay, they don’t mean it when they do, at least.

“I’ll think about it.” That seemed to satisfy Argyle, who had begun to roll the slime all over the table top, collecting dust, dirt, and random particles until his slime was pretty disgusting looking.

When class let out for lunch, you made a stop at your locker to stuff your backpack inside after pulling out your lunch box and then tried not to run to the cafeteria, eager to inform your friends of your current predicament.

Judy, Eden and Judy’s younger sister were already at the table when you arrived.

“Argyle invited me to the movies with a group of people and I don’t know if I should go or not because Eddie’s gonna be there,” you blurted out as soon as you took your seat next to Eden.

“Hey, how are you? We’re good. Weekend was boring. Thought about shaving my head, didn’t though,” Judy rambled with a smile, having obviously noticed your lack of a greeting. “We think you should go, considering we’re the group of people.”

You frowned, “Wait, you guys are going, too? I expected Eden—‘cause, you know, Argyle—but you, Judy? And you weren’t going to invite me?!”

“Eddie’s going! We didn’t want you to be on edge and uncomfortable. Plus, I already put him on my revenge list for you and I’m gonna make him uncomfortable with my trademark glowering stare,” Eden defended and you realized you hadn’t called them on Sunday to mention what occurred at the party on Saturday.

“Oh. Uh, yeah, about that. . .” You gave them the rundown, not missing out on a single detail as you recalled the night; how Eddie had called you out and how the two of you had made up but agreed to continue as friends. 

“No offense, but what the fuck? You had him right where you wanted him! That boy was so ready to romance you, hell, you could have asked him on a date right then and you asked him to be your friend? Please explain your reasoning, I need to understand.” Judy begged, she and Eden leaning in, having been thoroughly sucked into your romance ,or rather, lack thereof. 

“We don’t really know each other!”

“That’s the point of dating, you get to know each other!” Judy shot back and you rolled your eyes. Ugh, she was right but she was missing a crucial detail.

“And if it doesn’t work out, you break up and never talk to each other again. I like Eddie, and I do want to get to know him better which is why I want to be friends. “I don’t want to mess anything up by rushing into things. If it doesn’t end well, we an end up not  being friends. Not being anything.” “You’d be exes,” Clover, Judy’s little sister, supplied to which Judy slapped a hand over her mouth.

Judy seemed to contemplate that for a moment, then she appeared more sympathetic. You wondered if she was musing over her own situations.

“Relationships are scary,” Eden declared, attracting both your attention and Judy’s.

“You’re literally the only one in a relationship,” you pointed out and, for once, her stiff posture relaxed as she became shy, pale cheeks tinging into a pretty shade of pink. She didn’t respond but she didn’t need to, the gentle smile on her lips told the status of her relationship.

“You should go,” Judy continued after taking a bite of her sandwich. “I’m biased, obviously, I’d like you to already be with Eddie but if you’re just going to be friends, then you actually have to be his friend. Friends hang out, you know.”

You began to nibble on your lower lip, something you did whenever you were nervous, “What if—’’

“You end up liking Eddie even more? Then, you like him more. You two already know you’re attracted to each other, more than just physically, so if it happens this way then it happens. You don’t have to fight it, sweetie. I know taking the risk is scary, but missing out is sometimes worse. Come with us. We’ll even sit between you and Eddie if you want.”

You sighed, lips pursed as you considered the offer.You did really want to see Eddie, and you did agree to be his friend, so really, what harm could come from hanging out with your friends?

“Okay, looks like I’m coming with you.” Eden pulled you into a side hug, grinning and you were sure you’d made the right decision.

Eden was about to say something when Payton Alabaster walked by the table, dumping the contents of her tray all over Eden’s sweater.

“HEY!” Judy shouted. The reactions were immediate, you and Judy pushed yourselves back from the table and sprang up while Eden sank into herself, trying to disappear as she tried to brush the food and milk off of her with her hands.

Payton didn’t look all that apologetic, red lips pursed into a condescending pout. “Oops.” 

You were positive she wasn’t sorry about what she’d intentionally done.

“Gee, Eden. I’m sorry, I must have mistaken you for a trash can with that outfit.” She leaned down, her hazel eyes glaring daggers at Eden who wilted under her gaze. “It looks better this way.”

You’d had enough of the bullying and forced your way between them, easily holding Payton’s gaze as she raised an eyebrow, unused to being challenged. “You’d look better out of sight, as in go away.”

“So the Easter Bunny’s feeling brave now?” She refused to step back, leaving you two almost nose to nose but you’d grown used to her using the costume mishap against you, it didn’t even bother you anymore, not coming from her.

You’d gladly take her verbal abuse if it meant it spared Eden, who did nothing to deserve it and bothered no one. You were aware she had a hard time standing up for herself and while you had no intentions on glorifying yourself by trying to be her hero, you weren’t about to let someone bully one of your best friends. Especially some generic, mediocre mean girl.

“Why don’t you meet me in the parking lot after school and find out, brunette?” Payton Alabaster claimed her blonde hair was natural but her roots said otherwise.

She scoffed, holding your glare in an attempt to intimidate you. Had she encountered you two years ago, you would have submitted like a dog, with your tail between your legs. Not anymore. Peyton seemed to come to the same conclusion, she looked absolutely hate filled as she turned and walked away, stomping right out of the cafeteria while her herd of followers scrambled to keep up. 

The cafeteria returned to normal as you sat down. Clover went to retrieve some napkins while you and Judy used the ones currently at the table to try and clean Eden’s sweater. You brushed remnants of a salad off of Eden’s hair.

“Thank you.” You almost didn’t hear Eden’s whisper; her eyes were downcast, you were sure they’d be watery if you could see them and her voice sounded rough. She was trying to hold back tears. Suddenly you wished you had just downright tackled Payton right then and there instead of challenging her to a fight after school.

“And I’d do it again.”

By the time school was over—Payton’s Miata nowhere in sight, the coward—and you’d made it through cheer practice, you had about an hour and half until you had to be at the movie theater. You’d all agreed to meet at Judy’s house to get ready since she had the biggest room. So you rushed home, scrubbed yourself clean, threw on a t-shirt and some shorts before shoving a couple of possible outfits in a cheer bag and rushing to your car.

Eden had already arrived by the time you reached Judy’s home. If you hadn’t witnessed it yourself, you never would have known she’d had such a negative encounter, she was all small smiles and cleaned up, still dressed head to toe in dark colors. You were happy that despite enduring the abuse, Eden didn’t let it get to her enough to change herself.

Precisely why she reminded you of Eddie.

“I don’t know what to wear,” you confessed. 

Eden and Judy took your bag from you, laying out the contents of it along Judy’s bed. They had you try on the outfits multiple times before you’d all agreed on a lavendar long sleeve blouse, a pair of green corduroy pants that were blessedly comfortable and stretchy, a jean jacket that had formerly been your mother’s and your favorite shoes.

You all piled into Judy’s Bronco (Clover had managed to beg her way into coming along) and arrived at the theater 20 minutes before show time. You’d grown more nervous about your decision to go the closer you got to the movie theater with Clover having to practically drag you out of the backseat. 

All doubts faded from your mind the second you saw Eddie. He was talking to Argyle, Steve—maybe teasing him judging by how unimpressed Steve looked—and Robin. Eddie looked absolutely delectable. He had traded in his blue jeans and hellfire shirt for a black sabbath shirt that had the sleeves ripped off, the hem unmanicured and scraggly with loose threads. The bottom length of the shirt had also been cut off, with the hem curling just below his belly button; it was sure to peek out if he so much as stretched. You could see the smattering of light brown hair that was his happy trail disappear into a pair of tight, black jeans with a frayed hole along one of his thighs and another just above his knee. Eddie had his leather jacket with him, but the evening was still warm so it was clutched in his grasp. 

You wouldn’t be surviving tonight, he had to be trying to kill you.

You didn’t even get time to compose yourself; Eden called out to Argyle attracting all their attention and you willed yourself to stare at Nancy Wheeler, tucked into Jonathan’s side, instead because you didn’t quite trust your knees to carry you the rest of the way if you Eddie turned you into a puddle by making eye contact. 

When your groups finally merged, despite their promise—and you should have known better, honestly—Judy and Eden abandoned you in favor of mingling with Argyle, Jonathan and Nancy while Clover dragged you over to Robin, Steve and, yup, Eddie. 

You feared that it may be awkward but apparently it was Clover’s turn to take charge, the junior didn’t even let your hand go when she introduced you while you squinted at her because you were sure introductions weren’t needed given the fact that you knew all of them. Eddie seemed to find it amusing, sauntering right up to you.

“Very nice to meet you, again.” 

You decided to play along, head cocking, “Do I know you from somewhere? Detention, maybe?”

Eddie rolled his eyes, moving behind you to place his hands on your shoulders and guide you towards the movie theater doors, “Alright, that’s enough out of you, I already bought your ticket.”

He bought your ticket for you, of course he did. He was actively trying to make you regret your choice by being the biggest sweetheart you’d ever known and making you want to cry a little. A tingle, sharp and electric, raced up your spine the moment he put his hands on you and despite the layers of clothes separating your skin from actually feeling his touch, you’d never felt more alive.

The others followed the two of you in and you could see the grin practically splitting Judy’s face in half from your peripheral vision. 

“I actually didn’t expect you to come,” Eddie admitted, drawing your attention back to him as his hands dropped back to his sides and you turned to face him. God, he was just so stunning and it was criminal that he didn’t even know it. “I mean—I really, really wanted you to, but, uh, I guess I just figured you wouldn’t.”

Because of your habit of avoiding him, you concluded. You were reminded of how happy he’d been when you looked back at him in class that second time, and didn’t look away in shame again. You wanted to kick yourself.

Eddie was taller than you, so you had to crane your neck up, which you were thankful for as it kept your eyes from roaming about his figure, specifically the exposed skin of his lower stomach you found yourself desperate to lick. And his thighs? Oh, man, his thighs. You had no idea you even had a thing for thighs, but you suspected it was all just Eddie you had a thing for. This close you could see how defined his curls were, he’d probably showered before coming and washed his hair. Your fingers itched to play with the strands.

You became aware of Eddie waving a hand in your face—another thing about him that surprised you but shouldn’t have; his hand was about the same size as your head, maybe even bigger and the lady downstairs decided she was a big fan of that—and blinked, rising from your borderline inappropriate thoughts.

“What?”

Eddie smirked, chocolate eyes shining under the neon lights of the lobby, “I said I didn’t think you’d come.”

His statement sparked his previous one in your mind and you blushed as you realized you had, indeed, mentally checked him out again instead of answering him. It wasn’t your fault!

“Sorry, I just—you’re pretty. Um, pretty distracting.” You cleared your throat, eyes nervously darting to the side when his stare and his smirk became more intense. “I actually wasn’t going to, but I was convinced. A couple of people pointed out that I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t spend some time with you.”

His smirk softened into a smile as he regarded you thoughtfully, head nodding slowly as he lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck. “I’m glad you’re a good friend.”

You found yourself returning his smile as your top teeth bit gently into your lower lip before you continued, “And as a good friend, it’s my duty to buy you junk food since you bought my ticket.”

“Well, I can’t argue against that.”

The concession line wasn’t insane since it was a weekday—excellent idea, Argyle—and after you’d gotten Eddie his popcorn, disgustingly saturated in butter, a soda he coaxed you into sharing because he didn’t like to drink a whole lot of it, and a couple of sour patch kids that he compared to your personality—you’d pinched him and he had laughed, playfully pushing your head away—you settled into your theater, not even surprised when Judy and Eden sat themselves away from you and Eddie instead of between the two of you as promised. You’d accepted the fact that you’d fallen into their perfectly planned set-up and you didn’t mind all that much. You couldn’t when Eddie was just so wonderful. Upon sitting down, you hadn’t lowered the cup holder that would essentially separate your two seats and neither did Eddie, meaning should the opportunity arise, he could put his arm around you. You doubted he would, he seemed pretty respectable so far, but a part of you hoped.

You were so caught up in him that you didn’t even mind Steve’s loud talking during the previews. A couple of other people shushed him but he paid them no mind, only shutting up when Clover threatened him, Robin laughing behind her fist.

When the movie began, you were immediately suspicious of Jerry, satisfied when Charley caught on just as fast as you had, the movie proving to be tolerable, for now, and not like one of those movies you rolled your eyes at because the protagonist was too stupid or horny to notice the obvious danger. You watched as the harassment between the two continued, progressing in violence.

Despite your hatred for butter, your hand reached for the popcorn in Eddie’s lap just as he reached for some—it was stupid cliche, but the moment his hand touched yours, you felt sparks and were pleased to discover his hands were just as warm and soft as they had been the last time you’d touched them, ot had been much more formal. You pulled your hand back, sans popcorn, as the two of you shared a smile. You thought something else may have passed between the two of you, but you couldn’t quite pinpoint what. You mumbled an apology but he just shook his head, like you had nothing to be sorry for. You turned your head back to the screen but you could still feel his gaze burning into the side of your face. Eventually, he gave his attention back to the movie and you were free to caress your own hand, trying to savor the feeling of Eddie’s touch.

The movie progressed and, in a moment of fear for the main characters when they returned to Jerry’s house to rescue Amy and slay Jerry, your hand reached down to grip onto the arm of the cupholder between the two of you, recalling too late that you hadn’t lowered it. You glanced down to find your hand on Eddie’s thigh, just over the frayed hole, and raised your gaze to find him looking back at you. Before you could withdraw your hand, he placed his larger one over yours, giving it a comforting squeeze as he looked back at the screen.

Neither one of your hands moved, and you’d definitely need to watch this movie again because despite the action on the screen, you couldn’t pay attention to anything except the warm flesh of Eddie’s thigh against your palm and the soft, slightly clammy skin of his palm over your hand. His thumb would occasionally stroke over it, causing your heart rate to pick up just when it would finally settle. It’s like he was aware of the effect he had on you. You wondered. . . 

You snuck your thumb under the ripped fabric of his jeans, feeling victorious when you felt him tense under your touch but he didn’t stop you or discourage you. He stayed still, the slight tremor you felt as you stroked the skin of his thigh confirmed you had the same effect on him.

He squeezed your hand as you continued to caress him, only allowing him relief when you’d felt you got even. You stopped stroking your thumb but it remained there, the heat of his skin warming it.

Soon, the movie was over and the credits were rolling as the lights came on; employees were eager to clean the theater and go home. You all stood, discarding your trash as you exited the theater and walked through the lobby to the main exit.

You were the first to break the silence, “Those Vampires were really ugly.”

“Thank you!” Robin responded, going into a rant about how random it was that Amy’s cute little pixie cut grew out like 12 inches when she was a vampire for seemingly no reason and how grotesque they looked in full Vamp form.

Argyle thought it was cool but was certain they’d have jaw problems. Eddie was unusually quiet, listening as they all rambled about the movie for a couple minutes. You noticed Steve slowly making his way closer towards Judy, who announced she was tired and you’d all better be getting home since it was a school night. Before you could fully walk over to join the girls as they prepared to make their way to the parking lot, Eddie’s hand grasped your wrist to stop you.

“I could give you a ride,” he blurted out, “I gotta go that way, anyway.”

You glanced back at Judy and Co. to find them already walking towards her Bronco, backwards as they didn’t bother hiding their elation for you, mouths wide in sly grins with Clover giving you two overly enthusiastic thumbs up. Very discreet. Nice.

You turned back to find Eddie trying to hide his own smile, having obviously seen them, too.

“Lead the way.”

You both bid Robin and Steve goodbye. Nancy pulled you into a hug and so did Jonathan. That made you feel soft; he seemed so reserved so you felt kind of honored that he was comfortable enough with you to do so. Argyle fist bumped you, pleased when you knew the routine and he didn’t have to form a fist for you again. Then, Eddie was leading you to his van.

He opened the passenger door for you, bowing as he gestured for you to enter, “My lady.”

You shook your head in amusement, climbing in. You reached up to pull the seat belt into place but Eddie beat you to it, yanking hard to get it to stretch as he pulled it over your chest and buckled it in. Your breath hitched when he leaned over you, his face almost directly in front of yours.

“S-sorry, it’s kind of a piece of shit so you gotta pull on it hard.” He looked pretty affected by how close he’d had to get to you, too.

“It’s okay,” you breathed out. He swallowed before giving you another smile as he closed the door and hurried over to the other side. Once he was in the seat, he started up the van and cranked on the heat, spreading his leather jacket out on your lap to warm you until the van could. Then he began shuffling through some tapes he had on the middle of the seat, frowning in concentration until he found one he liked and popped it into the cassette player.

An almost violent guitar solo flooded through the speakers of the van and you smiled at his choice. It was so very Eddie.

“I should’ve known you were an Ozzy man.” 

Eddie’s eyes lit up as he realized you were familiar with the song, “You like Ozzy?”

“Yeah, I mean, like any other artist, there are some of his songs I like more than others and a couple I don’t care for, but I like how enthusiastic he is.”

Eddie lowered the volume—something that surprised you—so you could continue to converse as he pulled out of the parking lot. “You know, I kind of expected you to be a Madonna type of girl. Cyndi Lauper, maybe Michael Jackson and Whitney. Prince, even.”

“I do, I’m fans of those artists, too, and if we’re talking pop, I’m partial to ABBA, Janet, Bananarama, and Billy Idol. But I also listen to Run-DMC, Peter Gabriel—thought he was the best out of all of Genesis so I’m excited for his new solo album—, Beastie Boys, Whitesnake, Ozzy, Metallica, Billy Squier, Twisted Sister and so on. I like all kinds of music and artists. That’s not illegal, is it?”

You were testing him, you’d heard his occasional rants in the cafeteria, it didn’t happen often and while you understood where his frustration was coming from, you didn’t like how he seemed to ostracize those with different interests than him, he sounded a lot like those who harassed him when he did that.

But Eddie just shook his head, his smile laced with affection as he glanced over at you, “No, that’s not. I actually admire you for that. Despite my rugged looks, I also occasionally venture out of Metal and genres related to it. I like Janet—she’s really hot and she can sing—and I haven’t listened to a whole lot of his stuff, but I like that one song by Billy Idol.”

You grinned, twisting in your spot to lean closer, “You can say it. I know you know what it’s called, I promise I won’t tell.”

He groaned but the smile didn’t leave his face, in fact, it widened as he cheekily tongued his canine. “Alright, alright. I like Dancing With Myself.”

You held back your squeal, “See, that wasn’t so hard and the world didn’t end! That’s my favorite happy song. I can’t ever get tired of it, it’s just an instant pick me up when I’m down and even when I’m not. What about ABBA?”

Eddie winced a little, “It’s—they’re a lot.”

You were pushing your luck, you’d known it when you asked but you nodded to yourself. “That’s okay, we’ll work on it. I’ll ease you in.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows, his teeth on full display as he laughed, “Oh, you will, huh?”

“Yeah, I mean, if we’re gonna be hanging out, we’re gonna have to listen to each other’s music, right?” You shrugged your shoulders but stared at him with a hopeful expression as you raised his leather jacket to cover your chest, despite how warm the van had grown as he drove. You liked having him close to you in this way.

Eddie’s eyes drifted from the road to soak you up, if the road hadn’t been empty you might have been concerned with just how long he kept his eyes off of it.

“Yeah. You’re right.” It came out as a whisper, almost. The rest of the ride was filled with a comfortable silence, you risked a couple of glances to find him still smiling and occasionally caught him looking at you, too. When you arrived at your house, you realized Eddie knew where you lived and you hadn’t even given him directions.

“Hey, how’d you know where I live?” You asked as you unbuckled yourself, surprised at how fast the seatbelt recoiled. Yeah, that shit was definitely broken.

“My buddy, Jeff, lives on this street and your car is pretty recognizable,” He nodded to where your purple bug was parked just ahead of where he’d pulled up. Still, it warmed you that Eddie drove past your house, saw your car and thought of you enough to remember.

“Oh, right. Well, thanks for the ride, Eddie.” You placed his jacket on the middle of the seat, besides the tapes as you opened the passenger door and hopped out, “Drive safe, okay?”

He nodded, looking a little less happy than you’d seen him that entire night. You closed the door and pushed yourself off the van, making your way up the driveway. You heard the sound of a door opening and closing then Eddie was shouting after you.

“Hey—wait a minute!”

You stopped just as you met the walkway that would lead you to your front door, “Yeah?”

Eddie had walked around to the other side of the van, leaning his back against the passenger side door where you had been moments ago, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. “You, um, wanna do something stupid? I mean—you wanna hang out? Sometime? With me? Just us? As friends, of course.”

You could feel the high, that only Eddie seemed to give you, returning and you grinned, flashing him your pearly whites as you nodded, “Yeah, I love doing stupid things, so I’d love to hang out. With you, specifically.”

Eddie grinned just as hard as you, his ankles crossing. “Great. We can plan it this week?”

You nodded again, “Sounds good to me.”

“Alright, goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Eddie.” You couldn’t control the joy on your face as you continued up the walkway and unlocked your front door, slipping in and resting against it for a few moments as you let your happiness sink into your bones, the butterflies in your stomach all a flutter.

You peaked through the window on the side of the door and you could see Eddie still leaning against the passenger door of his van. He was still grinning, but it was directed down at the ground, then he threw his head back to rest against the window of the van and it looked like he was sighing happily before he walked around and got into the driver’s side. He gave your house one last look—you ducked to avoid being spotted—then he was pulling away from the curb and out onto the road, out of sight. 

You stood up once he was gone, trying to ignore the void in your heart that seemed to form the moment he was gone and turned to head upstairs, jumping when you finally noticed your grandmother sitting on the coach and staring at you.

“Oh, I didn’t see you there.” But she didn’t say anything, only continued to fix you with her beady eyes.

You weren’t about to let her ruin your happiness, though.

You continued on your way to the stairs mumbling out a quick ‘night’—she didn’t deserve to have a good one—and once you got to your room, you let yourself fall onto the soft blankets of your bed, consumed with thoughts of long curls, soft, warm brown eyes, even warmer skin and how pretty Eddie’s teeth were when he smiled that wide.

You couldn’t wait ’til it was just the two of you again.