#all three of us. like. I didn’t say anything even remotely flirty to his best friend bc he’s in a relationship and I was there w a dude I

[blipblooopp]

Let It Be Me

Summary: Choi San is many things. The most talented man you have ever seen. Be it on the dance floor or in front of a mic during a gig. He was the kindest person, always holding the door for the people behind him, helping the elderly carry things, even paying for strangers randomly. He got along famously with your parents and even better with your grandparents. He was charming like that, capturing the attention of anyone and everyone who even looked his way. He’s the love of your life, you’re sure of it but he’s also your best friend. Pairing: Boy Band AU!Choi San x F!Reader Words: 5.6k Genre: Angst/Smut

You’ve heard of a thing called platonic soulmates but it’s taken you years and years of watching Choi San grow to realize you weren’t. Well, you hoped you weren’t. Everything about him made your body erupt into a fire.

San looked at everything with adoration, finding all the good in life, including you. It was a double-edged sword, really. It made you feel special… important. But you could barely concentrate when his eyes were on you.

It didn’t help that he was gifted in pretty much everything; it made you nervous beyond belief. He’s pretty much perfect and as much as you wanted to be with him, you knew the odds of him liking you back were slim to none.

You’ve come to terms with it for the most part. It hurt to see him flirt with girls in front of you, hurt even worse when he started dating this awful girl named Areum. She didn’t give a fuck about him, actually. She barely responded to his calls and texts, going as far as blocking him one time. They fought nonstop. Every time you two hung out, San had a new dilemma to talk about. For some reason, San wouldn’t break up with her.

You had asked him after a night of you two getting drunk together, after another night of listening to his relationship problems. He laughed dryly, taking another sip of his beer, “I love her so much.”

Apparently, it was his “slow-motion” moment. He and his band had been wrapping up the night with their last song, soaking up every second they could have. Halfway through the song, San had noticed Areum in the front row. You were there too so you noticed the look on his face. A look you had never seen him make before. It basically tore your heart out when he told you that he couldn’t get “that beautiful girl” out of his head. She ended up becoming a dedicated face in the crowd so San asked her out.

You would’ve thought they were soulmates from the way they looked in the beginning. Lord only knows how they got to this point. How you got to this point, with San crying in your lap.

It was 10:00 pm when someone started banging on your door. You were enjoying a cup of coffee but you almost had a heart attack at that moment. You opened the door with shaking hands, hoping that whatever killer was on the side wasn’t actually a killer. Instead, you saw your best friend, with swollen red eyes, sniffling.

“Oh my god, San! You scared— what’s wrong?” You immediately dragged him in, locking the door behind you. He sniffled again as he slumped into your couch. You took a seat next to him and took his hand in yours. “Was it another fight?” You knew it wasn’t. In all the fights you had heard, San never cried.

“She was cheating on me… this whole time.” He hiccuped as he talked.

“That bitch.” You said under your breath. You held onto his hand a little tighter, trying to contain your anger.

“I went to her house tonight because she wasn’t responding to me again. I wanted to talk it out with her but she opened her front door in her underwear with some motherfucker sitting on her couch!” Although you had many words to say with Areum, you were speechless in front of San. What were you supposed to say? All you could do was scoot back on the couch and guide San's head onto a pillow in your lap.

“It’s gonna be okay.” You ran your fingers through his hair, “You can cry for as long as you want.”

And cry he did.

____

The next morning was hard. You woke up on your couch sitting up-right with a terrible case of stiff-neck. That’s not the only reason it was hard. No, it was worse seeing San still laying on your lap. He was wide-awake, dark eye bags contrasting against his face. His eyes stared deep into the ceiling.

“What’re you thinking about, Sannie?” You started to run your fingers through his hair again and watched as his eyes fluttered shut, his body instantly relaxing.

His eyes opened again, “Why didn’t she love me?” You couldn’t respond, not that he let you. “I knew we weren’t perfect, knew she wasn’t perfect… but we always made it through the end of the day. I can’t believe she would do this to me.”

“It’s her loss.” You finally said. “You don’t need her anyway. It was her decision to cheat and you had nothing to do with it.”

San didn’t say anything after that, just continued to stare at your ceiling.

___

The first few weeks were the hardest for sure. San had spent most of them at your place, barely leaving even for band practice. When he did practice with the guys he would leave early, only strumming a few chords on his guitar before deciding that it reminded him too much of Areum.

“He’s been really out of it.” Yunho, the bassist commented one time. San hadn’t even played that day. He just sat in the corner for an hour. You stayed behind for a few minutes and told San to wait in the car. You wanted to catch up with the other band members.

“Can you blame him? That bitch was… well, a bitch.” Wooyoung shot back, setting his drum sticks down.

“How has he been holding up?” Hongjoong asked.

You scoffed, “Have you seen the man? I don’t even think San’s there anymore! God, if I see her, it’s on sight!”

You did your best to help him through those weeks. You had been through a few hard breakups in the past so you understood that the early stages were the worst. You even used up all of your sick time to stay home with him. You had never seen him this gloomy. At one point, he went through five pints of ice cream in three days.

____

It took three months for San to be even remotely okay. He started going to practice more and this time, he actually played. You couldn't say you were surprised. San loved playing with the band and you knew it was probably the only thing that would bring him out of his funk.

"You look good, man!" Hongjoong slapped his hand on San's back playfully and for the first time in months, San had his usual dimpled smile.

"I feel good." He replied, setting down his guitar and taking a seat next to you on the beat-up couch. "It's thanks to you, y/n"

Your eyes widened. "Me?"

He nodded. "You stayed up with me, didn't go to work, even made me breakfast when you knew I didn't have the energy to get off your couch."

You couldn't lie; your heart was racing. All you could do was stare back into his eyes with a goofy smile painted on your face. San put his hand on your thigh, skinship being normal between you two, especially within these past months.

Your friendship remained just that, a friendship, for the next month. You were okay with this, though. At least you had a small sliver of hope now that he was single. That tiny bit of hope that he'd love you back was able to tide you over.

Until one night.

San had come over for your weekly movie nights, an event you had been doing since high school but stopped doing because his ex got jealous easily. You tried calming your nerves as you sat next to each other, his arm wrapped around you.

You were so close you could smell his cologne. It was intoxicating. Maybe it was the fact that he was newly single now, filling up your thoughts even more recently, but his entire presence was overwhelming tonight.

“You alright, beautiful?” Since San was single now, his usual playful flirty side was coming out again. Just like everything else about him, you had a love-hate relationship with it. It doesn't mean anything. You had to remind yourself. He talked like this with everyone, especially when he wanted to get a rise out of his bandmates.

You gulped when you looked up at him. How could a man have this effect on you? You would think that after years of unrequited love, you'd be able to at least contain yourself. “Yeah.”

San gave you a dimpled smile, shifting his gaze to a piece of your hair, moving it behind your ear. Your mouth parts, probably to say something but you can't be too sure right now. If someone walked in, they would think you guys are about to kiss. Maybe you are... you want to kiss him.

With your heart pounding in your ears, you slowly lean forward, keeping your eyes on his lips. They look too good not to look at but you're also scared of seeing the look in his eyes, the potential disgust that might be taking over at the thought of your lips touching his.

Everything is moving in slow motion. From your hand caressing his cheek to the moment your lips make contact. He's stiff against you and you can only imagine that it's because he's uncomfortable. You start to pull away, dreading the awkward conversation you're about to have but San is quick. His hand grips your thigh and he's kissing you back with fervor.

Your head is spinning, Is this really happening? These sparks you're feeling all over your body, does he feel the same way? You push away any thoughts you're having, trying to focus on keeping up with San. You needed to enjoy this moment. Without realizing it, you swing your leg and straddle San's lap. He groans underneath you but before you can question it, he's giving you a reassuring squeeze on your waist.

You don't want to take the initiative of going further, but man, your hands are burning to touch his bare skin. Your hands, instead, rest on his shoulders, gripping and releasing every few seconds. As if he was reading your mind, San's hands move to the hem of your shirt and for the first time, you break the kiss.

The second your shirt passes your head, San's moving to kiss your neck, occasionally sucking to leave hickies that are sure to last a whole week. You're breathless, taking this as a sign to take off San's shirt. Your hands are all over each other, San's going from your cheek to unbuttoning your jeans, your fingers feeling his abs contract under your touch.

It feels like a flash. San suddenly laying you down on your bed, both of your clothes littered behind you on the floor, his lips still on your neck. It's only when he's about to insert himself does he stop and look at you with dark eyes. He doesn't give you enough time to question it, pushing himself inside you. You both gasp at the feeling.

"Fuck, you're so tight!" He grips your hip with one hand, the other holding the headboard like his life depends on it. He feels like he'll burst any second.

You're right there with him though, the mere feelings of this moment making you sensitive. "You're just big. Holy shit!"

It takes him a second, taking a moment to give both of you a moment to adjust before he moves inside you. You can't contain the sounds coming out of you as he hits all the right spots with ease. You couldn't have pegged San to have this big of a dick, yet here he was.

Before you can realize it, your hands are finding purchase on his back and your nails are sinking into his skin. He hisses above you but his thrusts get harsher and the moaning in your ear doesn't get any quieter.

"You feel so good... so warm and tight for me." He's practically whimpering into your neck. You try to keep your cool, trying not to cum so fast but he's hitting that spot inside you with ease.

Your nails dig into him deeper, "S-san," You stutter out. "Close... so close."

"I know... but you gotta wait for me. Can you do that?" His thrusts get faster and deeper, you don't even comprehend his words properly.

"Can you do that for me, pretty girl? Be a good girl for me?" He's using both hands to clench onto the headboard now, the force making it harder to not cum. You just nod and wrap your legs around his waist. San is drilling into you with so much force and he's hoping that the bed isn't going to break. After a few more thrusts, he starts to get sloppy, and your vision's crossing.

"Alright, beautiful. Cum for me." He grunts out, trying not to cum at the feeling of you clenching around him. You finally let the waves of pleasure course through you, seeing stars. If you were lucid, you most definitely would have been embarrassed by the noises coming out of your mouth and your pussy.

With a loud sigh, San pulls out of you and releases onto your stomach. Almost immediately, he’s up and cleaning you, you’re body’s too tired to do anything but lay there. You’re surprised, because instead of leaving, San lays next to you, even going as far as pulling you close to him.

You have so much on your mind but you're too tired now.

____

This goes on for weeks. Sometimes you would hang out. Sometimes do other things. Everything happened so fast. The friendship that you held so dear had become a muddled mess of lust and confusion. You obviously still had feelings for San but you had no idea where he stood.

You'd never even talked about the first time you guys had sex. When you woke up he was gone and when you saw each other again, he acted like nothing had happened. You didn't want to be that clingy girl who expected a relationship so you never brought it up. Now you're in this endless cycle of sleeping with each other and never addressing the elephant in the room.

What didn't help was how San was acting differently. He was much more touchy with you, always having to touch you in some way whenever you were together. His hand on your thigh, holding your hand, arm around your shoulder, he did it all. Before the incident, you would have considered him touchy but that's nothing compared to him now.

Your hangouts started to become more elaborate as well. You guys were actually going out to movies instead of watching Netflix at your house. Small coffee shop hangouts started becoming intimate dinners. It was like you guys were dating. These dates gave you hope that he would eventually open up and ask you out properly but you didn't want to force it out of him. So, you just decided to go with whatever he wanted.

"Let's go ice-skating." The handsome man suggested his left-hand steering and his right hand on your thigh.

"You know I can't ice-skate." You deadpan, getting distracted by your fingers playing with his.

He glances at you with a honey-sweet smile before bringing his eyes back to the road. "I can teach you, ya know."

"Please, you just want to see me fall so you can laugh at me."

"That too."

San taught you how to ice-skate for maybe ten minutes. After that, he decided that it would be best to let you learn through trial and error.

"San, I'm literally gonna fall on my face!" You cried, your legs shaking as you attempted to walk on the ice.

"You're doing great. Just try skating to me." He held out his hand for you. Every time you got even remotely close to him, however, he would slowly start backing up. You were struggling around the rink but he made sure to sprinkle in encouragements so you wouldn't be too mad at him.

Just when you thought you were doing good, you got too cocky and propelled yourself towards San, wanting so desperately to close that gap. Your feet weren't pointed straight enough causing your left skate to hit your right, tripping you onto the ice.

"Holy shit, y/n! Are you alright?" San appears in front of you with seconds. Helping you up with ease. Your knees ache and you could feel the bruise forming on your hip.

“Did you not see me eat shit?” You bark out, now gripping his arm for dead life.

“I did but it’s always polite to ask.” You slap his arm playfully as he guides you off the ice and onto the benches. “Are you actually okay?”

You shook your head and pouted like a child. San chuckled to himself, seeing right through you. Instead of saying anything, he pecked your lips innocently and took a seat next to you. It was the first time he’s kissed you in public which only confused you further. Is he doing this on purpose? You really had to ask him.

You’re too lost in your thoughts to see San staring at you. It’s not until he’s moving a piece of hair out of your face that you’re snapped out of your thoughts. You jolt slightly and hum at him in response. He just shakes his head and returns his gaze to the people skating.

It was your turn to stare at him, to memorize his features for the nth time. He’s just as beautiful as he was two seconds ago and the butterflies are still strong. You open your mouth to question him about your relationship, finally building up the courage just when…—

“San? Is that you?” You freeze. Her, you think. That manipulative bitch.

“Areum?” San stands as if he’s been caught doing something bad like a child. She offers him a warm smile, completely disregarding you as always. You feel like you did during the concert. His eyes are no longer on you… but trained on her. You feel that distance he created on the ice growing bigger and bigger.

“What’re you doing here?” The man asks, still shocked to see her.

“Ah, I was just walking around.” The nerve of this girl to act like she didn’t do anything wrong. “What’re you doing here?” Her eyes land on you but she quickly looks back at him.

You stand this time. “We’re…” Don’t say it. Don’t be petty. Don’t say it. Don’t say it. “On a date.” You entwine your arm with San’s.

Areum’s lip twitches in annoyance. “Oh?” She quirks a brow and glances at San. “Is this true?”

San freaks out without thinking and shakes his arm from yours. “No!— I mean like a friendly date, sure. We’re just hanging out like old times.”

There’s your answer.

His ex smiles with victory at your defeated state. “Well, we should catch up, San. I know we ended things on a bad note but I think we should talk.”

The car ride home was awfully silent. Usually, they were filled with laughter and off-key singing but tonight, you gave San short answers in his poor attempt to talk. When you entered your apartment, you told him you were going to bed early and that he should lock up when he leaves.

Instead, you feel his warm body climb into your bed and hold you at 12 am. As always, you didn’t tell him to leave. Because, as always, you couldn’t say no to Choi San.

____

You wake up and San's not next to you but there is a text.

San : Sorry I didn't want to wake you but I left to go to practice. It'll probably end late today so if you feel up to it, come hang out. :)

Should you? Maybe it's just better if you pretend like nothing happened. Obviously, that's what he's doing. Besides, it’s not like his bandmates gave you false hope just to reject you in front of their ex. You end up going to the practice, a huge lump in your throat. If you brought up the situation, you're sure that whatever you guys had would be over the second you said anything.

Jongho, the lead singer, greets you with a smile and a nod in your direction as he warms up.

"y/n!" Wooyoung calls out, getting off of his drum stool and engulfing you in a hug.

You giggle on command, loving his enthusiasm. “Wooyoung, why do you always act like we haven’t seen each other for years!”

He smiles and whispers, “Don’t tell the guys I told you, but you’re like… our muse!”

You roll your eyes and pull away from his chest just to look at him, “I think you’re the only one crazy enough to even consider that.”

Wooyoung lets you go completely and returns to his drum set, you follow suit. “Maybe but you’ve been our number one supporter since day one! Plus you’re beautiful and beauty inspires art, does it not?”

Laughter erupts from you again at his cheesiness and your feel an arm wrap around your shoulder. You didn’t have to look to know who it was, the signature cologne giving him away.

“What’s so funny?” San’s smiling but you can tell there’s something different in his tone.

“Just exposing how important y/n is to the band.” Wooyoung sends you a playful wink, your cheeks burning slightly. San forces a laugh, something you don’t notice, before sitting you down on the couch.

After practice was over, you waited outside of the room for San so you could go back to your place. That wasn't the original plan but San insisted. The chilly air made you wrap your arms around yourself, internally scolding yourself over not bringing a jacket.

Wooyoung was the first to come out, fishing his lighter out of his pocket. He wasn't the only cigarette smoker in the group but he was definitely the one that smoked the most. He grinned at the sight of you, resting his hand in his pocket instead.

"Why're you waiting out here? It's cold as hell."

"Yeah... But I didn't want to get in your guys' way." You rubbed your hands up and down your arms trying to create heat. Wooyoung took off his jacket and wrapped it around you without hesitation. "A true gentleman." You remarked.

He put his hand on his chest, his face contorting to look hurt. "I've always been a gentleman. Even when I'm freezing my ass off."

Your eyes widened, ready to give the jacket back. "Woah there, missy. I gave it to you for a reason. We don't want our muse to die of hypothermia." The joke makes you laugh lightly. "You waiting on San?"

You nod, staring at the ground and rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet. “It’s been a lot of waiting recently.” You accidentally confess.

“Uh oh.” He leans against the wall. "I noticed something was different."

"What do you mean?" You hear your heartbeat through your ears and you find it hard to breathe all of a sudden.

"You guys are a lot closer... You guys are best friends, sure, but the air's been different between you two. He still doesn't notice how you look at him."

You scoff, "That obvious, huh?"

"To everyone but him, it seems. Can I be honest?" Wooyoung rolls to face you. You nod, now looking at him. "Unless you tell him how you feel, you'll be doing nothing but waiting on him."

"But our friendship-"

"If you're about to tell me that it's enough for you, so help me God, y/n, I will kick your ass." You laugh for the first time since the conversation started. You understand what you have to do. You guys have already crossed so many boundaries and clearly, he feels something for you, right?

The door to the practice room swings open and this time it's Yeosang and San. San's bright smile seems to falter as his eyes instantly land on the jacket that's wrapped around you. His eyes shift between you and the drummer then he strides to you, grabbing your wrist.

"Let's go?" You don't have time to answer. San's practically ripping the jacket off of you and throwing it at Wooyoung who barely catches it. This time, you don't miss the change in his tone. He replaces Wooyoung's jacket with his hoodie, not saying a word as he puts it on you.

Just like the night before, the tension in the car is thick but unlike last night, it's you who's trying to spark a conversation. San's knuckles are turning white as he drives and it's starting to worry you. You've never seen San this upset before and you're still trying to place the reasoning. Was it jealousy?

You pull up to the house, expecting him to follow you like he always does but he doesn't. Instead, he leaves the engine running and his eyes on the street. For some reason, this sets you off. This man had the audacity to pull away from you, act like you were just a friend in front of the ex that cheated on him, but gets jealous over you casually talking to another guy?

You scoff and unbuckle your seatbelt, stepped out of the car, and slammed the door shut. San was feeling extra temperamental tonight. He couldn't understand why he felt like this either. Maybe he was looking for a fight. He turned off the engine and followed you inside. Before you could close and lock the door, he stepped into your house.

"What is your problem?" You asked venomously.

"What is your problem?"

"I didn't have any problem until you decided to get all confusing!" You dropped your tote bag on the floor, turning to face him fully.

"I'm confusing? Are kidding me?" He huffs out, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Actually, I'm not. You've been driving me nuts since we started hooking up. I'm over it!" His lip twitches into a sarcastic smile. "What the fuck was that with your ex? You completely pushed me aside. She treated you like shit, remember? She cheated, she lied, and she manipulated you. Do you want to get back to-"

"You're not my girlfriend, y/n!" He cut you off. "God, it's like you don't know your place." Tears pricked your eyes but you felt more angry than sad. Angry, you've never felt this way with San before. You're experiencing a lot of firsts tonight. San immediately realizes what he said, how hurt you were. He took a step closer to you but you put up your hands, putting up your boundaries for the first time.

"No, you're right. It's not like you hold my hand wherever we go or put your hands on my waist in public. You don't smile at me sweetly during dates. We're not completely vulnerable with each other, telling each other things we'd never breathe to others. It's not like we fuck almost every day! Do friends do what we do? Please, enlighten me. What's my place?"

"I'm sorry, y/n. I shouldn't have-" You're full-on bawling now, sucking in breaths where you can.

"I can't believe I've loved you for so long. I've torn my heart out for you and you just... you just throw it back at me like it's nothing!" His mouth opens but nothing comes out, instead he wraps his arms around you. You react once you feel him, trying to fight him off but he's stronger, trying to calm you down by hugging you.

You're screaming, all the feelings you've held inside bursting out of you, "Why can't you let me in?" You start to pound on your chest even though you know you shouldn't. You don't even notice that he's crying too. "Why can't it be me for once? Let it be me!"

"I'm sorry," He coos. You couldn't hold yourself up anymore, your feelings making it hard to focus. San catches you though, guiding you to sit on the floor.

San does his best to understand what you're saying through your sobs. He wants to understand what he's feeling. He thought he was doing this to get over Areum but why was he doing all the other things? He could've just stuck to the bare minimum but he didn't. Better question, how had he not noticed your feelings?

San was so caught in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed you had cried yourself to sleep. He was holding your head to his chest and he sighed, finally relaxing a bit. He couldn't really relax though, his mind still processing what you had said. He carried you bridal style to your room and thanking God that you had exhausted yourself.

San tucked you in and, after some hard debating, decided to lay in bed with you. He made sure that he wasn't touching you even though he knew he was going to leave before you woke up. He sighed to himself.

Even as you slept you were beautiful and he beat himself up for only now noticing how exhausted you looked. The man never understood why he was so willing and ready to sleep with you. He could acknowledge that there was steaming sexual tension but he never thought it would get this far. Nevertheless, you guys were in this situation; the very foggy area between friends and more.

Is this how you felt, absolutely terrified? You guys certainly couldn't go back to being friends after everything that's happened between you two. San's body started to shake as he silently cried. He couldn't even comprehend how much pain he's put you through these last few months.

____

You're not surprised to find your bed empty the next day; you wouldn't be surprised if San had sent you a message ending your friendship and promptly blocking you. You stare at your ceiling with tears already prickling your eyes. You weren't going to check your phone for texts. You just went to work.

The day went by fast, your boss giving you plenty of work to distract yourself. You were doing just fine until you pulled up to your apartment to find Wooyoung waiting to knock on your door.

"Wooyoung?" The man turned around, almost like a deer in headlights.

"Oh- Hey!" He quickly put his hands in his jean pockets. You walked to your door silently, unlocking the front door and inviting him in.

“What can I help you with?” You try to be casual even though all you’re thinking about is San and how you know Wooyoung’s here to soothe whatever problem you guys are having.

“I’m gonna cut to the chase. Talk to San. It’s only been a day of you two fighting and all of us are tired of him sulking.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“He came into practice looking all down and he didn’t talk to any of us. He just went through practice barely saying ten words throughout the whole thing.”

"How do you know this has something to do with me?"

“… Do I look blind to you? Everyone knows something’s going on between you two.” Wooyoung sighs and runs his hands through his hair. “Look, I don’t know what happened but I’m sure it was probably his fault. I’m not saying you should forgive him right away but just talk to him. Please?”

——

So now, here you are, outside his door. You took in a deep breath before knocking hard on his door. You couldn’t muster the courage to ask if he was home but there was no practice so you hoped for the best.

The door unlocked within a few minutes. “y/n?”

“H-Hi,” You stuttered out, feeling the weight on your shoulders get heavier. “Can I come in?”

San gestures you inside and you take a seat on his couch. There’s an awkward silence when he joins you and you can’t recall any other time it’s been like this. It was so easy to talk to San before but now you can’t even form a sentence.

“So—“

“What’d—“

You said at the same time.

“You first.” San breathed.

“I just figured we had a lot to talk about.”

"Right..." He brushed off his legs with a sigh.

"I like you, San- actually, I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you for so long and we slept together and it got messy. We've never talked about what we were after that night. You just made me a rebound and I turned the other way..."

His eyes burnt into your face and you were too scared to meet them. "I'm sorry. I never meant to put you in that kind of situation. I shouldn't have been so selfish. I didn't think about the way you were feeling."

San's warm hand grabs yours. "I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to see how you feel about me. I'm so sorry I said that you didn't know where your place was. Your place..." He takes a big deep breath, making you look at him, "Your place is right next to me. I lost you for one day and in that one day, I've realized what you really mean to me. I'm in love with you, y/n."

He places his hand on your cheek, wiping away a tear you didn't even notice. You're falling apart at his touch but you were so happy that he felt the same way and- Oh my god! Choi San was in love with you!

"You just said you were in love with me." You breathed, a smile breaking out on your lips.

"I did, didn't I?" He chuckles, closing the distance between your faces. Your breath hitches. "Are you going to give me a chance to love you for real this time?"

Your heart is going to burst and you don't really give it much thought.

"Yes."

[xiaq]

That’s so cute that you’re dating your friend! ☺️ I’m curious though, how did that transition happen? Did you go from platonic friends to dating or was it like a flirty, I’ve always liked them as more than friends to dating? How does one even start that conversation to tell their friend that they like like them

What started as a quick answer has now turned into a small novel with a whole lot of sappy drivel at the end. So uh. Enjoy.

Once upon a time, X moved to Dallas, but dearly missed her rock climbing friends back in Austin. So every other month or so, she’d go back for a long weekend visit and climb. B was one of her climbing friends over the years she spent in grad school. She had a low-key crush on him because he was a genuinely good person (climbing with someone tells you a lot about how they handle physical challenges as well as the full spectrum of human emotion), but she didn’t think he had the slightest interest in her. When the pandemic hit, she moved back to Austin to finish grad school remotely. Due to the pandemic, she had a small group of friends who more or less isolated together; she and B started spending more time together— climbing, hiking, game nights, and playing D&D (you also learn a lot about a person through a campaign!), and generally hanging out and talking. She might have actually Attempted (likely terrible) Flirting was it not for her imminent move to Colorado.

They stayed in contact during the year that X was in CO, and after the relatively disastrous end to the nearly 5-month relationship she had while in CO, B gave her an A+ hug her upon her return to Austin over Christmas break. He also was extra nice to her during D&D despite the fact that their characters were usually fighting (She played a chaotic neutral thief-turned-bard. He played a lawful good ranger). He (and all of her climbing/D&D friends) (with varying levels of tact) did their best to cheer her up post-breakup and it was very sweet.

They started texting a bit more once she returned to CO, and he visited (with one of their other climbing friends) before she moved back to Austin. She still didn’t think he was interested, and after her prior relationship, she wasn’t interested in dating anyway (she actually said to her BFF, K, at that point, that she wasn’t going to date anymore and it was a relief to stop caring about what other people thought about her/expected of her. She cut off her hair and dyed it purple and told her dog it’d just be them from there on out)

Except, once she moved back to Austin, she was spending an awful lot of time at B’s place. At the end of a climb, he’d invite over for dinner, or to swim at Barton Springs. And then there weren’t even climbs involved and he was inviting her to play pickleball or watch hockey playoffs. It was a lot of time. Like, a lot. More than she was usually comfortable spending with someone because she liked her alone time and very quickly got “peopled-out” and needed to recharge by herself (preferably with a book). Except she didn’t get tired of spending time with him. But aside from hugs goodbye that tended to linger, she still didn’t get any indication from him that he was interested in a romantic relationship (ok, laying it out like this, I do feel a little dense, now).

Finally, after dinner one night, he carefully told her that he was interested in making their relationship a romantic one. X was conflicted. She’d liked him for a long time in that abstract it’ll-never-happen-so-it’s-ok-if-I’m-a-little-infatuated way and realizing that it COULD happen was pretty damn scary. Especially because she had some…not healthy expectations about what a relationship would entail, at that point. She laid out her concerns (tried to talk him out of it), and he validated those concerns while also telling her exactly how he’d like to approach them while pursuing a relationship. She was too selfish to say no. Because over the years she’d seen him in all sorts of situations and she’d talked to him about everything from religion and politics to moral/ethical dilemmas to the inadequacies of the film adaptations of the Marvel universe. And he'd seen her in all those same situations and apparently still liked her even when she was at her sweatiest, grumpiest, sleep-deprived worst, so she had a whole lot of evidence that they were compatible. Also, she really wanted to kiss the freckles on his nose and that’s not really a friend-sanctioned activity.

A month in, she was pretty sure she was in love with him.

Two months in, she was definitely sure.

Three months in, she is the happiest she’s ever been in a relationship. She’d always heard that relationships were work, and they are! Two people negotiating life together will always take work. But she always thought that the simple act of being with someone was also supposed to be work. She’s realized that’s not the case, now.

Because being with B is easy. It’s like having a best friend who you go on adventures with, but then at the end of the day you also get to lay on top of them while you watch the Olympics and they’ll pet you and give you a mohawk and talk about how you’d make a very lovely troli doll, and then you hold hands while taking the dog for a last nighttime walk. And when you get back, you clean the kitchen together and intentionally get in each other’s way so you have to stop to kiss for a bit with soap suds on your hands, and later you shower together without being anxious because you know that when they touch you it’s because they just want to touch you, not because they're going to demand anything else. And you go to bed and they sprawl on top of you like a particularly warm, fond, anchor, and ask you about obscure literary or history facts, or you ask them about places they’ve traveled or favorite memories until your voices are rough and you’re ready to sleep. And in the morning you wake up with your best friend. With your foreheads pressed together and your legs tangled and maybe you have sex, but maybe you don’t and it doesn’t even matter because the important thing is that you get to spend another day together.

Okay, I’m getting off track, here. But that was the transition in a not-so-brief nutshell. And I don’t know how one is supposed to start the conversation, but B started it with, “Have you ever thought about us dating?” Best question I’ve ever been asked, tbh.

10/10 do recommend dating a friend.

[koganegawasimp]

Hello! I’m so happy about how my request had turned out! I noticed how you said you would live some poly seijoh requests... that would’ve have been apart of my last one but I didn’t think you wrote for that. So! What I’m saying is, how about you write some of your own poly seijoh headcanons! Anything you’d like! I really love those boys and would kill to read it! 🤍🤍

Hi!! I loved writing these so much oh my god!! I also added to my rules that I’ll write for poly relationships!! I kind of went a little bit overboard with this, and I wasn’t 100% sure about how to end it, but I hope you enjoy!! I tried to write an equal amount about each boy but I feel like I didn’t write as much for Iwa but oh well. And thank you SO MUCH for requesting them I love them so much!! (There’s a part two now, you can find it right here!

Poly Seijoh Third Years

Word Count: 3000 words (...yeah)

Warnings: some timeskip spoilers, proceed with caution if you don’t know their timeskip occupations

You’ve all been very good friends since first year, and are practically inseparable

Since you’re all a pretty popular friend group, there are a lot of people who have crushes on you guys and end up confessing

But none of you ever end up accepting any confessions, which leads to some rumors about how you’re all hooking up or how some of you are dating

And I mean the rumors are at least a little bit based in reality; I mean no one can miss how Makki and Mattsun walk around with their pinkies practically interlaced, or how Iwaizumi always buys you and Oikawa lunch and snacks, or how Oikawa stares at Makki in class when he thinks no one is looking, or how Mattsun teases you in the hallways, or how you all borderline cuddle in public whenever one of you have a bad day

You’re all hanging on a precipice between friendship and dating, and everyone’s too terrified of making a move and risking “the end of your friendship” (even though I don’t think any of them would actually end a friendship over a crush)

One night after their practice, you’re all hanging out at Oikawa’s house

The fast food you got earlier is strewn all over the coffee table, and everyone’s draped all over the living room furniture while you watch (heckle) shitty horror movies

Oikawa is sitting in Mattsun’s lap, Makki’s head is on your thighs, Iwaizumi has his arm flung over your and Mattsun’s shoulders

It’s somehow both incredibly calm and comforting, as well as tense

Out of basically nowhere, Mattsun picks up the remote and pauses the movie

“Hey, is everything ok?” Iwaizumi asks, clearly very concerned.

Mattsun just sucks in a deep breath

“Hey, I really like you guys” he finally says

“Uh yeah I sure hope so? We’re best friends it would kind of suck if you couldn’t stand us” Makki laughs nervously

“Not like that dumbass. I mean I like you like I want to be able to hold hands with you guys and kiss you and go on dates that we actually call dates instead of just ‘hang outs’ you know?”

Everyone breathes out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding

“Oh thank god, I was so worried I was reading all the signs wrong” Oikawa says

You just kind of sit in silence for a little longer, it’s a lot to process! You just found out that your friends all want to date you, and you want to date them too!

“So...does this mean we’re all...dating now??”

Everyone just kind of nods in agreement and in an incredibly anticlimactic fashion, you all just go back to watching the movie

So now you’re all officially dating!

Literally no one at school is surprised

Going from a platonic friend group to a romantic polyamorous relationship is incredibly smooth

It’s basically the same as it was before, but now you hold hands walking around school, and you kiss each other goodbye, and you finally get to tell each other how you feel about them whenever you want, and Oikawa stares at Makki in class without caring about who’s watching (once they got detention because they were literally blowing each other kisses in the middle of Calculus. You and Mattsun found it absolutely hilarious. Iwaizumi was not amused.)

You also all had a pretty long talk at the very beginning about boundaries (communication is super important especially if your relationship has more than two people!!)

Everyone is on a different level of comfort when it comes to PDA, but they’re all ok with at least some of it

Oikawa is the most comfortable and oh my god he is so clingy

He will literally drape himself on top of you in public if he feels like he’s not getting enough attention

Hanamaki is in second, he has no shame and he really likes physical affection (I think one of his main love languages is physical touch) and he’s also really flirty (but more in goofy way)

He tends to stick to holding hands and cheek/forehead kisses, but he will occasionally pick you up and kiss you all over your face while calling you his “personal ray of sunshine” to make you giggly and embarrassed

Matsukawa is in third, he is also pretty shameless but he does prefer being affectionate at home and in private

He does almost always have his arm around someone’s shoulder or waist, and sometimes he’ll just hug you from behind and rest his head on your shoulder while you’re in the middle of a conversation

Iwaizumi is the least comfortable with it, but he still likes it!! He’s just worried that he’ll end up making the people around you uncomfortable if you’re all too affectionate

He likes it when you lay your head on his shoulder whenever you’re both sitting down

Also, because there’s so much communication and because you’ve all been close to each other, there’s almost never any jealousy or fighting

Even when there are arguments and fights, it’s almost always resolved by the end of the day, and there are no hard feelings after the fact

You all go on dates every weekend! Oikawa likes going on super fancy and romantic dinner dates, Hanamaki likes amusement park dates, Matsukawa loves arcade dates (once you all had a laser tag date and it was incredibly fun but also so competitive that you almost got kicked out) and Iwaizumi actually really loves museum and aquarium dates

Whenever you guys don’t really feel like going out for a date you just watch movies together at home while cuddling

Once Iwaizumi tricked Mattsun and Oikawa into studying by promising a “study date” which actually just ended up being Iwa yelling at both of them to focus

Also sometimes some of you will go on dates with only two or three of you (you all have a groupchat, and everytime there’s a date like that everyone on the date spams the groupchat with cute date pictures)

Pet names! There are so many pet names!

They use such a wide variety of pet names on you and each other, Iwa usually sticks to the classic ones like baby, Makki calls you sweetheart (both in a genuine way and to be a little shit), Mattsun calls you gorgeous/handsome, and Oikawa has SO MANY names for you (sunshine, prince/princess, angel, my love, etc.)

Once Mattsun called Oikawa his “handsome prince” as a joke and Oikawa blushed SO hard (he never lived that one down)

Whenever you all have sleepovers it is so soft and wholesome oh my god

They’re all so so cuddly

Oikawa is definitely a little spoon BFDBGBSG he just really likes being held! He genuinely loves how safe and warm and at home he feels in your arms

Hanamaki likes sleeping on his stomach with his head on your chest so he can hear your heartbeat

Matsukawa is a little bit of a starfish, so he’s always just super spread out. He usually ends up just kind of draping his limbs on top of everyone else

Iwaizumi sleeps like a koala! He will fully wrap his whole body around one person, and it’s somehow both incredibly comforting and a little bit suffocating

It doesn’t really matter how you guys are positioned when you fall asleep, when you wake up in the morning you’re all just a huge tangle of limbs

Getting up is a challenge because in addition to being stuck in the middle of a bunch of ridiculously tall dudes, you have to deal with Iwa holding you hostage and Oikawa whining about how he just wants to stay in bed all day

Makki is absolutely the type of person who would fart and trap you under the covers while cackling maniacally

Mattsun has the WORST morning breath but he also loves sleepy morning kisses

When Oikawa wakes up before you, he likes to turn around in your arms and play with your hair and watch your face, he just thinks you look so peaceful and happy in your sleep!

Lazy mornings with them are the absolute BEST you can not convince me otherwise

Even after you’re all awake, you all just stay in bed cuddling until someone has to get up to pee or you’re just too hungry

Mattsun is such a good cook! He makes everyone a really nice breakfast!

Oikawa helps him out by decorating all the food, he definitely knows how to cut fruits into like flower shapes and all that fancy shit

Once graduation rolls around, you’re really worried that you’ll all grow apart and break up once you’re all in college and actually working

But they’re all quick to reassure you that they all love you so much and they’re all willing to try and make the relationship work

You all go to college pretty close to each other, so instead of moving into a dorm, you just get an apartment together

Some of your parents are worried that you’re all moving too fast, and that you’ve only been together for just over a year, but you’ve all been this close for such a long time that moving in together just feels natural

Speaking of parents, not all of your parents were really 100% accepting of this relationship

But over time, everyone can see how happy you make each other, and eventually accept it

So anyway, now you’re all officially living together!

It doesn’t really change your relationship much, besides doing chores and getting ready in the morning together

Everyone divides up chores pretty evenly between the five of you

Matsukawa still cooks for everyone, and sometimes if he’s feeling really sweet he’ll pack lunches for everyone

Oikawa usually requests being on laundry duty, something about it is super comforting and relaxing for him

Getting ready in the morning is...interesting to say the least

Iwaizumi wakes up at the asscrack of dawn to go for a run, and usually drags Oikawa out of bed to go with him

Mattsun gets up around half an hour later to make breakfast

Makki stays in bed as long as possible, usually until Mattsun announces that breakfast is ready

Oikawa and Iwa get home sometime while Matsukawa is in the middle of cooking, and take a quick shower (once they did not shower before breakfast and the rest of you complained about how much they stank the whole time BFGFBFDBGH)

You all sit down to breakfast and talk and laugh and joke around until someone points out that you’ve all gotta leave in twenty minutes

After that it’s a mad rush to get dressed, brush your hair and teeth, and do the whole rest of your morning routines

On weekends or any days where you’re all free, it’s a lot more relaxed, Iwa and Oikawa stay in bed with the rest of you until past 10 a.m

Also speaking of showers! They all really like taking showers with you (NOT in a sexual way, it’s just really cute and domestic) as long as you’re comfortable with it!

When Oikawa tells you all that he’s moving away to pursuit volleyball, he is in tears, and he’s terrified that your relationship won’t work out while he’s so far away

But you reassure him that you’ll all still love him no matter how far away he is

Long distance actually works out really well for you all

You keep the group chat going strong in his absence, you all send him pictures of your lives and he sends some back!

You also videocall him almost every single day

It feels almost as if he’s never left, since he’s still so involved in your life

He visits whenever he can, which is not as often as you’d like, but you all make the most of it

The years pass, you’re all still together, Iwa’s still lecturing Oikawa for staying up too late, Mattsun’s still making shitty puns constantly, Makki’s still posting the goofiest candid photos if everyone else, and you all love each other so much

Iwaizumi is such a stable and comforting presence, always checking to make sure that you’re feeling alright, holding you whenever you cry

He is pretty busy helping out the Japan team though, and Matsukawa also has work, so if you’re ever at home during the day you’re probably hanging out with Makki

Mattsun and Makki are constantly teasing each other about their respective professions (or lack thereof)

“Oi Mattsun, what’s it like spending your whole work day with dead people?”

“Oi Makki, what’s it like spending your whole work day-oh wait.”

When the Olympics roll around, you, Matsukawa, and Hanamaki go to support Oikawa (and Iwaizumi)

He looks a little bit nervous before the game, but the second his eyes fall on the three of you sitting right at the edge of the court, he visibly relaxes

The whole game, everyone around you is staring at you because of how loud you’re cheering, but you’re just so proud of them!

You take a moment to think about how much those four have changed since you met them as first years so long ago. If someone told you at that point that you would end up in a strong romantic relationship with them, you wouldn’t have believed it, but now looking at the guys you love, it feels like the most natural thing in the world

You can’t believe how far you’ve all come, and how happy you all are

When Oikawa finally sets up for the winning point, you all scream and run outside to meet up with him and Iwa

You run into Iwaizumi first, who tells you about how Oikawa’s swamped with fans

When you finally find him in the middle of a crowd, he makes eye contact with you and smiles, pushing through the crowd and coming straight for your little group

He pulls all four of you into a big group hug, everyone’s laughing and crying and taking pictures and screaming as you all just hold onto each other

Oikawa breaks the hug first, and takes a few steps back, before getting down on one knee

[nakunakunomi]

Hii,i really like you’re Writing and if it’s possible can i request a headcanon with the monster trio where they meet after 2 years with their shy girlfriend but now she is super confident and sexier. She had matured a lot in the time skip both Physically and mentally Ps you have to write more for Ace pls i live for him good luck and thank you🧡

Hiya anon! First of all: thank you!  Ever since this request I've written a little more Ace (I, too, live for him and his freckled face that I just want to smooch)! That being said, if you want more Ace, you need only request! 🙈 (once the box is open again.. which is gonna be soon). Anyhow, this RQ is about the monster trio that I love and live for as well 😭👌🏻 Enjoy!

Monster Trio and an s/o who’s had a glow-up over the time skip 

Sanji 

Get this man some tissues because there will be blood.

Out of all three, Sanji is the one who notices your physical glow-up most. 

And god, he loves you for who you are as a person, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't falling for you all over again. 

And now that you're more confident, very well aware of your renewed sex appeal, you're definitely making good use of that to flirt with him a bit. 

He's nearly fainting. He wants to shower you in all the compliments, say all the things he's been saving up in his head for 2 years. All the romantic poems he's come up with, all the compliments, all the affirmations, he can just feel them leaking out of his ears, stumbling over his words as he only can gasp and stutter out your name, ears and face redder than the little stream of blood that is now trickling out of his nose. 

Once he finds his words again, they all come out together. How he's missed you, how he's missed holding you, kissing you, how he hopes you've missed him as well, and just how damn great you look. 

You cannot help but take it all in with a grin, telling him about the many things you've learned, playfully teasing and touching him as you tell him about your two years. 

He does his absolute best to listen, but he's so distracted, still absolutely flabbergasted that his sweet, shy y/n changed so much and grew into this confident playful lady that he's still lucky to call his. 

Zoro 

Zoro notices your new appearance right away but isn’t too sure to comment on it. 

Poor guy has never really been a flirt, and it had taken ages for the two of you to start a relationship, with the two of you getting flustered the very moment anything even remotely intimate happened. 

He eventually gets out one flirty/snarky compliment, but the way you reply, with newfound confidence, turns his cheeks, nose, and ears all red. 

You cannot help but giggle at the prospect of getting him flustered more often. 

He’s trying to change the subject a few times, but every time he starts a sentence both his eyes and his mind drift off. It’s hilarious. 

With your new strength, you can now help him train as well, which goes all right for about 4 times before you overdo it with the slightly suggestive movements and Zoro suggests he should probably train by himself. 

Flusteredness aside, Zoro is super proud of you. He feels like he has to worry less whenever the group gets separated.

He had been thinking about the whole crew while on Kuraigana with Mihawk and Perona and he hoped everybody had trained properly to face the dangers of the new world. 

He’s glad that you had taken it seriously too, and he can’t wait to kick some ass together with you.

Luffy 

You had always been shy. But never weak. Luffy did not like weak people. He didn't mind that you didn't speak up much before, other people on the crew are more of the silent types too. 

Luffy doesn’t really care for looks, barely noticing the glow up in terms of your physique, but noting that you look so much stronger and powerful, mostly due to your now way more confident posture. 

It’s the first thing he comments on, well, as soon as he lets you go from his typical jump-hug. He’s so happy to see you again. 

When you grin and comment on how he’s grown, he starts to notice just how much more confident you look, how much prouder you stand, and he cannot help but laugh. 

“shishishi y/n, you really have become a stronger lady over the break! Looking forward to seeing all the new things you can do! Let’s go kick the new world’s asses” 

He wants to hear all your stories of how you trained, like he wants to hear the whole crew’s stories, but you, as his girlfriend are just a teeeeeeny bit more important to listen to. 

“oi y/n, now that you’re bigger and stronger, we can eat more together too right?” 

[ikleesfiction]

I'm a fucking alcoholic (with a sweet tooth)

Fandom : Chicago PD TV Word count : 1,623 words Pairing : Jay Halstead x reader Author's note : This is the third one shot of "Will you follow through if I fall for you" fic continuation. It would be better if you read it first. But if you don't, here's the quick summary. Warning : It's fluff. I hope it doesn't end up too cringy?

Disclaimer

◢◤

It is a cold Friday in Chicago. You would say it is super cold since you worked in the warm weather of Los Angeles last week. Jay is coming over to your place after work. Now both of you are snuggling on the couch, watching movies on TV.

"I cannot watch this part," You hide your face in Jay's chest, preparing for the frightening scene. The darkness in the room increases the tension.

"What are you talking about? This is not even a horror movie," Jay looks down at you, bemused.

"Say you! Watching Tom Cruise blowing up a Gallardo distressed me. My soul is crying. It is a nightmare!"

You move out from Jay's embrace to point out the screen where Maggie Q said it is such a nice car. "Yes, it is! Don't do it, Zhen," yell you at the TV.

However, The Lamborghini on screen still went kaboom and was engulfed in fire. "Oh, no!" You put your hand on your heart, feeling devastated.

Jay grins at your silliness, "I'm sorry for your loss," He rubs your back, offering his condolences. However, his smile turns flirty. "If there's anything I can do to ease your pain..."

You play along with his idea. "Hmm, is that so?" Your hands wrap around Jay, pulling him closer. Your nose is tracing his neck, up to his jaw, his cheek. Your lips softly grace his skin, make their way closer to his. Jay wasted no time to kiss you and keep kissing you.

You don't know how long it goes, and you don't care to know. Until Jay moves back abruptly, tilting his head away from you, "Your pho..."

Your lips cut his words as you get on his lap. Jay puts his hands on your waist to stop you, halfheartedly, "Babe, your phone is ringing,"

Your hands curl behind his neck. "Let it ring." You whisper to his ear. Jay shudders when he feels your breath on his neck. Your mouth soon follows to make a mark on the same point. Jay tries to hold himself back from reciprocating the gesture.

Unlike Jay and his work, you got no obligation to pick up your phone. No life or death depends on you tonight. But the phone keeps shrieking. It started to annoy you because Jay stops participating in this make-out session.

"Might be important," This is one of the rare times you want to curse Jay's occupation.

"I assure you it won't be," You try to get Jay back in the game.

"Well, at least you can tell them to call you back later," Jay lands a soft kiss on your forehead. With a loud sigh, you move away from Jay's lap to pick up your phone.

Seeing the caller ID frustrates you even further. "You are interrupting our date night," is the first thing you say to your best friend, Alex, when you receive the call and put it on speaker.

"Hi, Jay!" Alex chirps his greeting, ignoring your complaint.

Jay greets back with a chuckle, "Hey, man. Nice to hear from you," He takes the remote to pause the movie, where Tom Cruise is gunning a Mercedes CLK down the road.

"No, it's not." You grumble under your breath. "What's up? Did you just come up with a song idea that would make Bruno Mars wished he wrote it?"

As a fellow songwriter/producer, you understand that song inspiration could come anytime. But it would still piss you off if Alex insists on working for it tonight.

"Not yet. But we do have a potential project for you,"

"Couldn't it wait until next week?" You moan your refusal. "Jay and I got plans for the weekend,"

"Of course. As long as you promise to pick up your phone when Angelique calls. I know you have been dodging her." Alex chides you.

Huffing your aversion, you lay your head on Jay's lap. In reflex, he plays with your hair. "Who's Angelique? A new talent?" Jay never heard that name before. He is pretty sure that he knows everybody at Pyramid, Alex's record label in Amsterdam where you work for.

Alex starts to explain, "She is a singer. Been around for a while,"

"Country singer, turned bubblegum pop singer, and now I guess she wants to try dance music as well?" You elaborate to Jay and asking Alex at the same time. You have written and produced songs from various genres, but your notable works so far are mostly EDM.

"Maybe," Alex answers casually.

"Angelique..." Jay ponders for a moment before lighting up, "Oh! Is she the one whose songs you keep skipping whenever they pop up, babe?"

Your best friend lets out a big laugh from the other side of the phone. "Angelique wants Y/N to produce her next album, but all of a sudden Y/N here cannot find the receive button on her phone," Alex emphasizes his sarcasm.

"I took yours, didn't I?"

However, Alex begins his interrogation. "Why are you avoiding her calls anyway?"

"I don't wanna work with her," You know you sound petulant.

"Come on, Y/N, it would be great! Angelique's third album sold triple more than her second. Her last single went neck to neck with Taylor Swift's song. Now, she is gonna let you work on her fourth album! Other producers would kill for this opportunity," Alex tries to reason.

Jay whistles, being impressed by the story.

"Well, my boyfriend here is a cop. I don't wanna get involved in any criminal activity," You are intentionally being obtuse. "If it were so great, why don't you do it? You're the one who still works on stage."

"You know people talked about how you could be the next Max Martin, right? Made sense that she asked for you," Alex states. "Angelique doesn't need another artist to perform with her. She needs someone who writes and produces good stuff."

"Every producer could be the next Max Martin if they work hard," You shrug the notion.

Jay looks confused with all these new names. "And Max Martin is...?"

"We are never ever ever getting back together?" Alex starts singing a couple bars to show Jay some examples of Max Martin's works.

"Uh..." Jay doesn't show any recognition.

"ou make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream?" Alex sings another song. Your best friend is nothing but persistent.

"Uhm.." And yet, Jay is still clueless.

"Jay is not keeping up with pop music for the last decade, Lex," You joke to your best friend. "Try some songs from the Backstreet Boys,"

"Hey!" Jay protests. "I know your songs," He smirks at you in full smug. "Especially the ones that were written about me."

You laugh at his adorable and sexy smirk. Sitting up from Jay's lap, you kiss the smug out of him.

"Guys, I'm still here." The flat tone of Alex on the phone stops Jay from taking the kiss further.

You peck a corner of Jay's lips one more time. "Your own fault. Who told you to call during our date night anyway?"

"Since I'm not there to poke and pinch you, I hope Jay could help me convince you to take this project." Your best friend is shameless.

"Is Angelique not a good person or something?" Jay tries to understand the situation. He knows you are a hard worker. It is rare for you to run off from a big project like this. "She ought to be a good singer, right? With all of that achievements,"

You cross your arms and glare at your boyfriend, "It is a prerogative to hate your best friend's exes, no?"

Jay frowns, "Wait, Angelique is Alex's ex?"

"Oh, come on!" groans Alex. "It was years ago!"

"You know how the saying goes. Quote-unquote, "You are my friend. She is your ex. You get to forgive and move on. I get to hold a grudge until I die”

"That was kinda harsh," Jay comments.

"Your best friend still hates me until now, Jay." You roll your eyes at your boyfriend.

"Mouse doesn't hate you. I even haven't got a chance to tell him about you since he's been deployed," Jay raises his eyebrows.

"She meant your work partner," Alex answers Jay for you.

Jay frowns deeper, "Hailey doesn't hate you."

"Wanna bet on that?" You challenge him.

Alex prevents the couple from bickering further, "Guys, listen! Angelique and I broke up amicably. There were no hard feelings between us now,"

"Excuse you!" You exclaim. "I still remember those dark days. You cried over so many Tequila bottles. And those boxes of chocolate!! Why did we have to consume that much chocolate over a breakup?? My waistline did not come back to its original measurement for three months!!"

Jay lets out an amused snort.

"Oh, you don't get to talk, man!" Alex hits the couple back. "Your temporary breakup also forced me to replenish my Jenever stocks! I got bakeries phone numbers on speed dial for chocolate cake emergencies!"

Jay puts his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. You guys continue to discuss business," He stands up from the couch. "I'm gonna go warm up some pie," Jay gestures to the kitchen area. "Alex, it's nice to catch up with you. Hope the next time we talk, it would be more social and less about business,"

"And you, love, try to listen to what Alex offers first before you cut him off," Jay bends down to kiss your lips teasingly. "Please don't pull out any bottles with more than 40% alcohol content. I need you sober for our plans tonight." He winks at you before moving to the kitchen, leaving you to deal with your pushy best friend alone.

+x Taglist +x

@lorenakaspersen @life-treatments @itsdesiree86

Foot Note: - Tom Cruise and Maggie Q blew up a Lamborghini Gallardo in Mission: Impossible III (2006). All of the MI movies are classics in my household. - Max Martin is a Swedish record producer, songwriter. You might not know his name, but I'm sure you know his songs. In reference to this fic, he co-wrote and co-produced Taylor Swift's "We are never ever ever getting back together", co-wrote Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", co-wrote and co-produced some of Backstreet Boys' biggest hits. - "You are my friend. She is your ex. You get to forgive and move on. I get to hold a grudge until I die" line is taken from Henrietta Wilson on 9-1-1 TV Series S02E04 "Stuck". I thought it was hilarious. The line became the reason for this particular fic's existence.

I'm sorry for the long note. Thank you for reading this fic and the note. You are so welcome to reply, ask or tag me. We can talk about music, series or Jesse Lee Soffer's abs. :p

[princecharmingmendes]

Best Friend's Brother | Raul Mendes

Growing up with your best friend is amazing, having this loving and caring relationship is fantastic, planning your lives together seemed natural, what Y/N didn’t include in her plans was falling in love with Raul Mendes, Peter’s brother.

Hi hi, lovies! I know, I know, I disappeared, but I’m back with a Raul piece! It’s been ages since the last time I posted something and I missed it so much! I had a really hard time writing for the past few weeks and I’m really happy that I was finally able to finish it. So I’m so sorry it took me way too long and thank you so much for being so patient, really 💘 I’ll stop rambling now! I hope you enjoy it!

*Word Count: 8.5k+

*Warnings: a few curse words, drinking, injure (sprained ankle in case this triggering), and I guess that’s it!

*Posted: October 5th, 2020.

                                                     -*-

You could say Y/N was in trouble.

Growing up with someone right beside you will always create that invisible string that’ll keep you two together for, what some say, the rest of your life. It forms a bond so strong you can tell what they’re feeling just by a single look in their eyes and you just know exactly what to do. And if life allows you, you’ll keep them around for a long time and have them around you for every occasion, being it good or bad, but always near you to support you. And thankfully, that were the triplets for her. She met them in High School, Shawn was obsessed with music, Peter was the cute nerd that took amazing pictures and Raul was the typical bad boy and Y/N was a sweet and quiet bookworm. They met when she was asked to tutor Raul and he ended up asking her to meet him at his place, and that’s how she ended up with three best friends and a crush.

She was a bit closer to Peter since they had similar interests in general and also had similar plans on Friday nights, and they’re basically glued to the hip and everyone outside from their little bubble were one hundred percent sure they’re together somehow. And the fact that the three of them (Shawn was too busy touring the world) went to the same college didn’t exactly helped with the rumors. But in reality, the triplet that makes her heart skip a bit, her stomach to do flips and her breath to get caught on her throat was Raul. And if she was honest, how could someone honestly resist him? Girls who didn’t even know him normally wanted him, and Y/N knew him like the back of her hand and knew that behind the bad boy exterior there was the softest and biggest heart on the planet, was almost impossible to resist.

And even though she had all this feelings and felt all warm inside when he playfully winked at her, she never acted on them. Peter obviously knew about it, but she never told anyone else. Hell, she didn’t even tell him, he somehow managed to notice it.

Peter tried encouraging her to talk to him about it or do something about the whole thing, mostly because he was tired of seeing her suffering every single time she saw him with another girl, which wasn’t very uncommon. But she never did. Y/N doesn’t like comparing girls, that’s just mean, because everyone is different, and just because you don’t look like someone doesn’t mean you’re not enough or good at all, just makes you unique, but she can’t help thinking she’s not his ‘type’. Not that she noticed he has a specific body type or something, she’s just not the kind of person who would catch his eye.

It’s just he literally models on the side, goes to med school and has amazing grades, while still going on parties, having hook ups and living his best life while getting tattoos and having fun. While Y/N likes to light up a candle and read a good book on her couch, maybe with Peter while they eat some pizza and discuss from the latest thing that happened on campus to the theory of wormholes. They are close, they are friends, but they are polar opposites.

And the worst part? He acts as if she was the reason the sun rose every single day and treats her as if she’s the reason he’s capable of breathing, but in a “you’re my best friend and I love you like you are family” type of thing, not in a “I am hopelessly in love with you”. He was very touchy and big on pet names, specially when Peter went to sleep and it was just the two of them watching stuff on his living room, but never did anything to lead her into thinking he likes her more than a friend. It’s all her fault for looking too much into it and having her heart broken whenever he had a girl over when she was there (which wasn’t that common since he wasn’t big into having a serious relationship, at least not enough to bring someone to their flat) or when she saw him all heart eyes or making out with someone.

Y/N swears she tried burying those feelings down, even going as far as hanging out less with him and avoiding going to his place, taking way too long to reply to his texts and dodging him everywhere she could like the plague. He wasn’t having it, so he randomly showed up at her dorm room at midnight, looking like an abandoned puppy and begging her to forgive him for whatever he had done that upset her so badly. And that’s when she decided that maybe that wasn’t her greatest idea. That maybe all she needed to do was just to forget those stupid feelings and butterflies that felt like ripping out of her body whenever he smiled at her. Well, that didn’t work either. So, to sum it all up, Y/N was in trouble.

In a big, big, gigantic trouble.

                                                    -*-

So it was a Friday night when Peter called her to crash at his place so they could watch the last season of How to Get Away with Murder while he worked on a project for his class or something like that, and she agreed almost immediately, it’s not like she planned on doing much better. Y/N gathered what she considered to be important in a few seconds cause he told her he was going to pick her up since he was still on campus and ran to the entrance of her building, already seeing his car parked outside. The ride to his place was quiet and consisted on them basically talking about what theories they had for the end of the season since they met for lunch.

“I don’t think Raul’s home yet, his bike wasn’t on his usual parking space” Peter hummed as he opened the door to his apartment.

“Yeah, I didn’t see it either” was all she could answer. And Y/N didn’t know how to feel about it, it’s been a week since she had the chance to talk to him and she missed it,  but at the same time, she wasn’t going to end up a blushing mess around his natural flirty persona.

“Let me just grab my camera and computer, you can drop your stuff on the guest room if you want”

“Okay, don’t start the show without me” she said before starting to walk away and all she could hear was a ‘don’t take too long then’ Peter muttered under his breath.

She giggled to herself from his silliness as she placed her backpack on the bed and took off her shoes, getting rid of her jacket and pulling her hair in a loose ponytail, only grabbing her phone as she got back to meet Peter on the living room, already on the couch with his stuff around him as he let out a frustrated groan.

“What’s wrong, grumpy?”

“Raul’s an idiot, he took the remote to his room since he stepped on his or something like that and he’s too lazy to get his fixed or return the other one to its place”

“But is it in his room?”

“Probably, could you please grab it for me?”

“Wouldn’t he get mad I got into his room without him being around?”

“Oh please, Y/N, Raul mad at you? He’d probably get mad at me for making you go in there to grab it for us”

“It’s not like that”

“Of course it is, Raul could never even look at you slightly pissed, and even if he did, he’d feel guilty”

“If he gets mad I’ll tell him it was your fault”

“He won’t, honey, he’s not even home yet”

“Fine” she ended up giving up, arguing with Peter was always pointless.

So Y/N turned around and headed for Raul’s room, knocking tentatively and without response, she just got in and tried to find the control without looking at his stuff for too long, she didn’t want to be nosy. Since she was busy with the task of finding it, she didn’t notice the soft sounds coming from the bathroom or the gentle click of the door when someone opened it. Her attention was finally brought the other side of the room, when she hear someone clearing their throat. Her eyes widened as she looked up only to find Raul standing across from her, with his hair damp and naked apart from the fluffy towel hanging low on his hips.

He had a little smirk on his lips and a funny expression, but that didn’t stop from almost giving Y/N a heart attack. She started mumbling a string of apologies as she covered eyes with both hands, walking backward until she hit her head on a shelf and tripped over something, falling right on her butt.

“Ouch!” she said reaching one of her hands on the back of her head to try and relive some of the throbbing, still covering her eyes “I’m so so so incredibly sorry, I didn’t mean to simply walk in here, but we thought you weren’t home, and I knocked, and Peter told me to come in here to grab the remote, and said you wouldn’t mind, and...”

“Hey, no, it’s okay” Raul said hurriedly, walking towards her a crouching down in front of her, lightly wrapping his fingers around her wrists “Y/N, it’s okay, look at me, love”

And with the gentle tug on her hands she decided to let go, opening her eyes to be met with his honey orbs “I’m so so sorry, I really didn’t mean to invade your privacy, if I knew you’d be here I wouldn’t- I would never come in, please don’t be mad at me, please”

“Oh, sweetheart, there’s no reason for you to apologize, really, I’m not even naked, or completely naked at least, and even if I was? wouldn’t have minded, yeah?” Raul said gently cupping her face “and I’m not mad at you, how could I ever be mad at you? You’re the sweetest person I know and you didn’t do anything wrong”

“I’m sorry” Y/N mumbled softly and he just chuckled, leaning in and pressing a kiss at the top of her head.

“It’s okay, are you staying the night?”

She nodded “we’re having a marathon, we’re rewatching How to Get Away with Murder”

“Oh, do you mind if I join?”

“You’re not busy?”

“Not at all, but it’s okay if you want to watch just the two of you”

“No, of course not, you can join us if you want”

“Are you ordering food or do you want me to make us something?”

“We didn’t order anything, and I don’t want to bother you with cooking”

“I’d gladly do it, I can make us something quick so it won’t get in the middle of your shows

“I really don’t want to bother you, Raul”

“It’s not a bother, come on, the remote is over there, I’ll change real quick and make us something to eat, and you two can start the show, I’ll meet you guys in the middle, yeah? Sounds good?”

“Sounds amazing”

“Now go, you pervert, I need to change” he said trying to hold back a laugh.

“Oh, sure” she mumbled as she scrambled to get back at her feet.

“Or you can just stay and enjoy the show" Raul threw a wink at her direction as she was already by the door.

Y/N only closed his door a bit harsher than she should, feeling her whole body heating up, she just couldn’t decide if it was of embarrassment or... something else. She shook her head to get rid of the dirty thoughts about her best friend’s brother out of her head and got back to Peter at the leaving room. Seeing he was sitting at the armchair, with all of his stuff around him for him to work comfortably, leaving her the loveseat.

“Oh hey, is Raul at home?!”

“Yeah, he was at the shower, so thank you for putting me in that position”

“Was he mad at you?”

“No”

“Told ya, got the remote?”

“Yeah, by the way, he’s going to make us dinner and join us later”

“Oh, thought he was going out tonight” Peter said opening his computer  “do you want to arrange the show?”

“Don’t you think we should wait for him?”

“Nah, don’t think so”

“Wait for who?” Raul asked coming out of the hallway wearing a pair of sweatpants and thin white T-shirt.

“You, to start the show” Peter answered without looking up from the screen.

“Oh no, go ahead, I’ll make us some food and I’ll bring you guys some, okay?”

“Do you need help?”

“No, it’s okay, sweetheart, it’ll be pretty basic”

Y/N hummed in response as she started the first episode and things were as normal as every Friday she spent watching anything with Peter. Only this time, he was a bit less focused on the show and more on his work, but still was able to make comments about the all the scenes. They would both laugh and joke around a lot more than actually watch anything, specially since this wasn’t the first time they watched this. Almost at the end of the first episode, Raul showed up with plates of a very appetizing looking pasta, placing one in front of Peter and one on Y/N’s lap. He went back into the kitchen and coming back with his own, plopping down beside Y/N.

“This is the first, right?”

“Yeah, the end of it”

“Oh, it’s been a while since the last time I watched it, I don’t think I’ve ever finished it”

“Really?”

“I kind of forgot it, I was watching another one at the time, but I remember liking it a lot”

“Well it’s a great thing we decided to follow the episodes and not just jump into our favorites, and by the way, this is amazing”

“Oh, thanks, it’s really simple actually”

“Don’t even start, you always make the most basic stuff like grilled cheese taste like gourmet food”

“He just likes to be praised” Peter said with a chuckle.

“Fuck off, Peter” Raul chuckled and before he could throw a pillow at him, Y/N grabbed his wrist “hey!”

“His camera is there”

“Oh”

“Thanks, Y/N, but this pasta is actually amazing, I have to give you that”

“Was that too hard?” Raul asked and Peter just shrugged with a laugh.

“Maybe we should focus on the show” Y/N said pressing the next episode before they both decided to start something.

Peter got up after they finished dinner to place everyone’s dishes in the sink, going back to his place and work silently. As they watched the episodes, Peter was getting silent as he focused more on his work and Raul was the one commenting on the episodes and talking to Y/N. Which she didn’t mind at all. He was always pretty funny and manage to make her laugh at the silliest jokes.

Maybe that’s the reason so many people were attracted to him. He had a mysterious vibe going on, since he was pretty close with people in general, but could be a sweetheart with the close ones, he had the looks that had everyone’s head turning, he was funny and intelligent. He’s just so good and she hates to admit that even her fell for his charming smile and golden heart. And when he leaned a bit closer to her as the episodes went by, she hated to admit that her body felt a bit warmer and she was itching to lean into him as well. But what made it worse was him laying his head on her lap as he wrapped himself in a throw blanket, giving her a sheepish smile and turning back to the TV. That had her fingers practically moving to its own accord to tangle on his curls, and she couldn’t help but brush them out of his face. And just as she was about to mumble an apology, he let out a content sigh and leaned into her hand.

After a few moments Peter looked up at them and just chuckled softly, and as Y/N looked up at him he just shook his head and pointed towards Raul “He fell asleep with you playing with his hair, just like a puppy”

“Do you think he’ll mind when he wakes up?” she said barely above a whisper.

“Not at all, he loves you, he can never be upset with you”

“That’s not true”

“It is, ask Shawn or Aaliyah, they’ll agree, he’s got a soft spot only for you”

“Shut it, Peter, we’ve known each other for years, he’s just nice because I’m your best friend”

“That’s not true, but I’ll drop it, I think I might go to bed now”

“Okay, I think I’m going to finish this episode”

“You know you can wake him up, right?”

“I know, I just don’t know if I feel like doing it”

“I can do it for you” Peter offered as he gathered his stuff.

“No, it’s okay, I’m going to finish this episode first”

“Do you want me to roll out the sofa and make it more comfortable for you? You don’t have to move”

“Yes please”

“Okay” he answered as he leaned down to extend the couch into a kind of makeshift bed as carefully as he could to not disturb his brother “call me if you need anything”

“Okay, thanks, Peter” she said smiling at him as he shook his head and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead.

“Goodnight, dummy”

“Night, Peter”

He grabbed his stuff and threw one last look at her direction, but she was far too distracted with Raul’s curls to have noticed, and he caught a glimpse of his brother slowly opening his eyes, only to close them again and nuzzle closer to Y/N. Peter hold back a laugh as he went back to his room, he would never figure out how the most brilliant people he knew could be so oblivious.

                                                    -*-

Y/N didn’t intend to fall asleep, but the warmth radiating from his body, the soft light coming from the TV and the soft cushions lulled her to sleep without her even noticing. She only noticed she fell asleep when she woke up to rushed whispers in the living room and the soft click of the front door closing.

She was a bit confused, but the strong Raul’s strong scent and the comfortable position she was currently at made it hard for her to come back into consciousness. But as soon as she opened her eyes, Y/N noticed she had her face nuzzled into Raul’s neck, with her body partially on top of him and cuddled close with his arm around her waist. Her immediate  thought was to pretend to be asleep so she could come up with a better plan of getting rid of the embarrassment. But before she could do anything, she heard Raul’s warm chuckle.

“Morning, sweetheart” he said combing his fingers through her hair gently, almost making her melt back into his chest.

“Hi” she said sitting up and knuckling at his eyes softly “I didn’t even notice when I fell asleep”

“Me neither, I was completely drained”

“I’m sorry for -you know, being on top of you”

“Oh, it’s okay, I woke up in the middle of the night and I didn’t feel like waking you up, cause you seemed so peaceful, so I just rearranged us, and I guess we ended up cuddled”

“Yeah” Y/N said brushing her hair out of her face.

“You know I don’t mind, right?”

“Mind what?”

Raul gave her a knowing look and she could feel her face beating up “It happens, sweetheart, and there’s no reason to be ashamed, I slept like a baby with you”

“Oh, I slept well too, is Peter gone already?”

“Yeah, he said something about having to buy something for his camera or something like it”

“He saw us?”

“You make it seem like we were doing something so scandalous, he found it cute actually” he said with a chuckle.

“Oh, okay”

Raul gently grabbed her hand and placed a kiss at the back of it “Relax, darling, hungry?”

“A bit, yeah”

“Want to go and grab breakfast? I can drop you home after if you want”

“That’d be amazing, but only if you’re available”

“Of course I am, I always have time for you, now let’s go, I’m starving”

“Already?”

“I’ve been waiting for you to wake up for a while now”

“Why?!”

“Didn’t want to disturb you, you needed to rest, sweetheart”

“You’re too sweet”

“Only for you” he said throwing a little wink on her direction.

He had no idea how much that affected her.

                                                    -*-

Aaliyah’s birthday was always an amazing event. The triplets always committed to provide her the best birthday they could every single year and they never let her down. It has always been like this since the triplets parties were always nice for the three boys, they felt like they needed to give her the best time possible. She was their little baby after all.

This year was no different.

Her seventeenth birthday party was beautiful and she was literally gleaming, surrounded by her closest friends and family. Raul had a tough week and was feeling a bit off for a few days, there were many reasons to it but he could never ruin his sister’s birthday, so he put on his best smile and went smoothly along with his siblings. He tried his best having fun and forgetting about everything else, but he about half an hour into the party he sat down by the bar and decided just to sit there and drink until he felt lightheaded. Raul just sat there and watched everyone, sometimes having a small talk with anyone who sat down beside him, but mostly, his gaze was constantly searching for Y/N. He didn’t mean to act like a thirteen year old boy with a school crush, he didn’t even mean to keep on searching for her, but she looked so damn adorable he couldn’t help it. She was wearing a beautiful summer dress, in a peachy color that accentuated her gorgeous curves and of a silky kind of material, urging him to run his hands through it. But he knew better, he knew her since they’re kids and he knew he wasn’t what she needed or wanted, or at least, that’s what seemed. So he just stood there, watching from a safe distance and from time to time, but as soon as he started feeling tipsier than he desired, he decided to move away from the bar and take a breath of fresh air.

As soon as he got in the balcony, he let out a sigh of relief as he noticed no one was around, so he would have a least a little bit of peace. He placed both of his hands on the stone railing, feeling his footing not the most balanced one, maybe he had too many drinks for the night and maybe he should go back and grab a bottle of water and something to eat. But before he could actually really think about it, Raul heard a pair of heels clicking behind him, and since no one called him or made a noise to call his attention he just ignored. He felt the person coming closer and he saw on his peripheral the same coloured dress he’d been staring all night. As he turned his face slightly on the person’s direction, he saw Y/N standing beside him, mimicking his position and looking down at the city. Neither of them felt like breaking the silence, so they just enjoyed each other’s company in a comfortable silence. At least until he saw her body shivering from the colder temperature it was outside, which led him to taking out his leather jacket for her and handing it to her.

“It’s okay, I don’t want you to be cold” Y/N mumbled as if not to disturb the peaceful environment.

“I’m okay, sweetheart, but you’re visibly cold”

“Thank you” she said giving him a soft smile that made his whole body warm up as she put on his jacket, wrapping her arms around her own body “but let me know if you need it back”

Raul chuckled “Fine”

“So… Are you going to pretend everything’s okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Raul, I’ve known you all my life, you don’t have to tell me what’s wrong, you just don’t have to act as if you’re fine around me”

“It’s silly and nothing to worry about, really, you should go and enjoy the party”

“I’m okay here, actually, ’m a bit tired”

“Oh” he said with a nod and looked forward at nothing in particular.

“And I also didn’t want to leave you all alone, and I want you to know that I’m here in case you want to talk”

“Thank you” he said turning to face her and she looked up at him ‘’you’re beautiful, but tonight you look just perfect”

“Oh, thanks” Y/N brushed the hair out of her face “you look gorgeous, as always”

“Yeah, I do, right?” he joked as she giggled, making a smirk appear on his lips.

“Yeah, right” she said looking down at the city.

Raul spoke up after a few moments of silence, regretting almost immediately “I saw you with Mike yesterday”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, you’re leaving the movies at the mall, Peter asked me to buy his new lens and I saw the both of you, was it nice?”

“What?”

“The date”

“Oh, no, it wasn’t like that, he’s actually into Jeff and we go to the same classes since I got in college, he needed to vent and to get distracted, so we went to see a movie”

“Sorry, I had no idea”

“No need to apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong”

And back to the silence. Raul was embarrassed for bringing it up and relieved in a very selfish way she wasn’t going out with him. And he was also afraid he was going to blurt another inappropriate question or comment, the alcohol normally tended to make him lose his filter.

“Was it a shitty week?”

“Huh?” Raul hummed looking back at her.

“Was it a shitty week? That left you like this”

“Yeah, I guess you can say that”

“Is it about the girl you were seeing?”

“Anna? No, we’re not going out anymore, I haven’t even seen her in a while” He answered taking a deep breath “It’s just, sometimes I wish I had someone that understood me, that was there for me, that cared about me besides my family, I don’t know, and I had so much work to do this week was insane, I’m sorry for rambling, I’m just- I don’t even know, I’m sorry”

“Hey, it’s okay, you can ramble as much as you want, sometimes it gets hard, and you should know by now that I’m here for you and that I care for you, yeah?” Y/N said reaching for his hand and squeezing it lightly and he nodded, pulling her into a hug.

“Thank you” he mumbled against her hair as she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

“Now come on, let’s sober you up a bit for the cake, okay?” she said placing her chin on his sternum to look up at him and he nodded chuckling lightly.

“Whatever you want, sweetheart”

“Don’t give me this amount of power, Raul, I might regret it”

“Would never regret it, ’sides, I’m already yours for you to do whatever you want” he said and her heart did a flip, but she only giggled.

“Oh, darling, you have no idea of the mistake you just made” she said grabbing his hand as he slotted their fingers together, letting her drag him back inside.

And to be honest? The party was much better after she showed up to talk to him, specially since she was practically glued to his side making sure he was having a good time.

                                                   -*-

To say Y/N and Raul got closer was an understatement. Since his sister’s birthday, they were hanging out pretty much every single day they could, Peter was involved almost all of the time, but something that didn’t happen before was only Y/N and Raul going out alone just for the sake of hanging out. And even though it was completely new, it felt completely natural as if they’re the closest for years. So, for the past month she felt really connected to him and she also felt her crush multiplying like crazy, which could end up pretty bad, but she couldn’t stop herself from being closer and wanting to be around him. And when Shawn called Raul on FaceTime one night and who picked up was Y/N he was delighted. He was coming home on the next weekend and he suggested they went camping, like they did when they’re younger, renting cabins, bonfire, guitar and marshmallows type of thing.

And of course the triples were instantly excited and planning everything and Y/N was included on the camping trip from the moment she picked up the phone, her wanting or not. Not that she was opposed.

So they rented the cabins, one for Peter and Y/N, one for Shawn, Brian and Raul, and one for Mark, one of the guys’ friend and his girlfriend. Raul took her to the market the night before of the trip to buy supplies and food (mostly snacks, but Raul insisted on buying at least some stuff to make a real meal).ul insisted on buying at least a few things to make a real meal for them “we can’t survive two days with cookies and marshmallows, baby”). He even went to her place to help her pack and offered her to stay the night and his flat with Peter so she could sleep a bit more before they hit the road the next day. She couldn’t deny, specially when Peter was complaining Raul was stealing her from him and that he missed her, and since Raul was pouting and begging while using the silliest pet names he could come up with, and he was pretty creative.

When the time to wake up and get ready to leave, she was awaken by rowdy boys on the hallway, clearly too excited to go camping, just like children as they practically bounced on their feet. The ride was pretty nice, she even took a nap on Shawn’s shoulder as Raul and Peter listened to something on the radio softly and chattered about random stuff. Arriving there brought back that nostalgic feeling of when they’re young and came here twice a month on summer days. They quickly dropped their bags on their respective cabins and went out the explore, going to the lake until it was lunchtime and everyone was starving.

After resting a bit, they decided to go on a hike up the hill to watch the sunset from the top of it. Which was clearly filled with jokes, laughs and a bunch of random pranks they pulled off. If anyone was to tell their age, they’d never say anything over 15 years old. Sarah, the only girl on the group apart from Y/N was pretty nice and was walking side by side with her, laughing at the boys and just talking about everything when Raul came back, face flushed from laughing too hard and grabbing Y/N’s hand.

“I was informed your boyfriend misses you and I’m here to keep miss Y/N company”

“Very well then” she said giggling and throwing Y/N a knowing look and a little wink, walking a bit faster to reach John.

“What?” Y/N asked as she heard Raul laughing “what did you do?”

“Hey! I didn’t do anything”

“Oh really?”

“I did not! Brian did though”

“Oh God, what is it then?”

“He might’ve pushed John into the mud” Raul said sheepishly and Y/N laughed.

“And why do you seem so guilty?”

“Cause I was the one who saw it”

“Of course you did” she said slightly bumping her shoulder into him.

“I wasn’t the one who pushed him though”

“That’s true, but doesn’t make you completely innocent”

“It’s not my fault I pay attention to stuff”

“No, but it is your fault telling Brian you saw it”

“You got me there” he said bumping her shoulder back as he chuckled and she laughed shaking her head.

“Hey, lovebirds, come on, it’s almost staring!” Shawn shouted a few feet away already at the top.

Y/N felt her cheeks heating up and Raul just laughed, walking to where everyone was already waiting for the sunset.

They sat down to watch the process, and since they’re both the last ones to reach the top, they sat down in the end of the semicircle they formed. Y/N leaned her head on his shoulder and he did the same, laying his head on top of hers as they chattered watching the sun to set on the horizon. Y/N’s heart felt a bit warmer being so close to Raul and having such a beautiful view. He grabbed one of her hands and placed it on his lap, carefully playing with her fingers and tracing random patterns at the back of her hand.

“Maybe we should go back before if gets too dark” Peter suggested as everyone got up and grabbed their stuff.

On the way back the guys were trying to make it as an obstacle course, always making fun of every situation as Y/N and Sarah laughed leading the way. At least until Brian called out Y/N when she started roaring with laughter as he fell face first on the mud.

“That’s what I call Karma”

“It’s easy to laugh and not do anything princess, bet I can get to the cabin before you do”

“Well, I was on the tracking team”

“Well, I’m better than you”

“First one to get there is free from all the chores?”

“Deal” Brian said “on three, who’s counting?”

“I am!” John chirped in.

“This is not the greatest ide-” Peter was cut off by John”

“3... 2... 1 and GO!”

That was all it took for both of them to start running down the hill as they laughed, the others hurrying their steps to follow them. The cabins weren’t that far and as soon as Y/N got there, she tripped in one of the firewoods the guys placed there sooner, falling down and feeling the pain crawling up her leg in a burning sensation.

“Fuck, Y/N!” Brian was the first to arrive, kneeling down beside her “are you okay?! Are you hurt?! What the hell?! Who let this shit in here?!”

“It’s okay, I-“ her words got caught in her throat as she tried to move her feet to get up, feeling her eyes welling up with tears from the burning sensation.

“Y/N!” Raul shouted rushing towards her, flopping down beside her “what happened?”

“She tripped on the damn firewood someone left here early”

“It’s not their fault” she let out with her voice a bit strained.

“It doesn’t matter right now, what’s hurting, baby?”

“My foot”

“Which one?”

“Left”

“Can I see it?” he asked and she just nodded, knowing that if she spoke another word her voice would break and she would start crying for real.

“Holy shit, what’s going on?” Shawn was the first to ask.

“She tripped and now she’s hurt”

“Do you need me to get you something?!” Peter was the first to offer.

“Yeah, I brought an aid kit in case something happened, it’s in the car, also, grab me a bottle of water” Raul said almost robotically as he carefully worked on taking her shoe off “it’s swelling, it looks like a sprained ankle, but it doesn’t seem like you feared any ligaments for now”

“Should we go back?” Shawn asked.

“No! Please don’t!” Y/N barely chocked out as Raul looked up at her and she focused on looking at him because it was calming her a bit “I don’t want you guys to miss all the fun due to my clumsiness”

“Honey, we don’t mind, we ca-”

“Please, Shawn, I- no, okay? I want to stay, and it’s dangerous to drive at night” Y/N cut him off, still looking directly at Raul.

“Here!” Peter said coming back with a bag.

“Thanks, I don’t think it’s too bad” Raul finally said “I’ll keep on checking it through the night, if the swelling gets too bad or if there are any signs that she might have tore or stretched a ligament I’ll take her back, is that okay?” he asked and she just nodded, looking down at her lap.

“You should stay with her tonight, I can spend the night with Shawn and Brian if she doesn’t mind” Peter offered.

“I’d appreciate it, do you mind, Y/N?” Raul asked and she nodded “okay, I’ll take her to her cabin so we can have a better look at it and shower, can you guys take care of the bonfire?”

“Sure, do whatever you need to” John said.

“Okay, can I pick you up, sweetheart?” and again she just nodded, so he picked her from the ground bridal style and carried her back to (now) their cabin.

“I’m okay, you don’t have to do this”

“Of course I do, and it’s okay, we need to put some ice on it, where do you want to sit?”

“Not on the bed, I’m probably too dirty to sit there”

“Okay” he replied placing her down on an armchair, with her feet up “wait just a sec” he said before going through the mini fridge to retrieve an icepack “here”

“Thank you”

“It’s okay, sweetheart” Raul said kneeling down beside her on the floor “is it hurting?”

“A bit, it was worse before”

“Okay, good, you can’t put much weight on it, yeah? Or it’ll only get worse” Raul softly grabbed her hand, lightly thumbing at her knuckles “if you need anything, just let me know and I’ll do it for you, yeah?”

“You don’t have to do this, I don’t want to bother you”

“You won’t, don’t worry about it”

“Raul, you’re literally going to have to babysit me, I’m ruining your weekend”

“You’re not ruining my weekend”

“Of course I am, this is what you do every single day, you’re supposed to be free to relax and not take care of people all the time”

“This is different, this is you we’re talking about and I really don’t mind spoiling you and caring you around the whole campsite if it need be, besides, I like doing what I do, so it’s no bother at all, you’re not ruining everything, now try to relax a bit, you don’t need sore muscles to appear too”

“Okay” Y/N squeezed his hand lightly.

“Good, I’m going to grab my stuff and hand Peter his, is it okay?”

“Yeah, sure”

“Be right back” he said placing a kiss to her forehead and leaving.

Y/N reached into her bag to grab a book to pass the time, Raul quickly came in and said we was going to shower so she would be free to do the same when the ice was done. She got so deep into reading it, that she barely noticed when he got out of the shower, only realized he was in the room when she her gentle humming to a song. Looking up from behind her book, only to find Raul with only a towel wrapped around his hips, looking through his duffle bag for something to wear. Y/N really tried to look away quickly, but maybe her brain was too clouded by him to actually make a quick move, and since he was literally standing in front of a mirror he caught her glimpsing at him, causing his famous smirk to appear on his lips as he got back into the bathroom to get dressed.

“Don’t” Y/N warned before he could even say a word when he came out with a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie.

“What?”

“Just don’t, I know you”

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to be shy, you can look, I don’t mind, I actually like it”

Y/N scoffed and threw the pillow that was behind her at him as he laughed “Fuck off, Raul”

“Okay, stinky lady, let’s get you to the bathroom, I got a little plastic chair for you to sit instead of being on your feet”

“Hey! I’m not stinky”

“Oh really? How can you be so sure?”

“Shut up, Raul, I hate you”

“Fine, then you won’t be taken to the bathroom”

“Okay, then I’ll walk!” Y/N said standing up and before she could put her feet to the floor, Raul was swiping her off her feet (quite literally) and she let out a squeak as he chuckled “put me down!”

‘’Nope, you can’t simply walk without a cast or something, so I’ll be your knight and shining armour”

“My saviour” she mumbled rolling her eyes and he laughed, pressing a kiss to her cheek and placing her seated on the little plastic chair for her shower.

“Okay, smelly girl, do you need help with anything?”

“I think I’m good, can you just grab me something to wear?”

“Sure, ma’am”

And with that he left, only to come back with a similar look to his and left her to shower. It wasn’t the easiest event of her life, but she managed it just fine, trying to get out to the door by jumping in only on foot, and as soon she opened the door to the bedroom, Raul was already there by her side with furrowed brows, hands on her waist to steady her and helping her to the bed as he informed her they had a bonfire ready and food as well outside. And they decided to grab some shoes and meet the rest of the group outside, Raul tried wrapping her foot the best he could to imobilize it with what he had there, and he did a pretty great job. So they sat down on the little wood kind of benches already on the ground with everyone, and they started talking about the most random stuff and Brian was trying to convince everyone to tell creepy stories like the movies, which quickly turned into a huge joke cause they couldn’t be serious for a long time. The environment was pretty light and filled with laughs as they ate the burgers Peter was making, Shawn even grabbed the guitar and played some songs, that were quickly ruined by everyone else shouting atop of his voice and messing up the lyrics. As they started to roas the marshmallows and calm down a bit, acting like civilized humans again, Y/N started to feel a bit sleepy.

She was wrapped up in a cozy blanket with Raul, making her just absolutely toasty and comfy, a bit drowsy from the painkillers she took and all the food, feeling just delighted to be surrounded by this people. She loved to be around the triplets, and Brian and John have been around long enough that she was completely used to them and liked them very much. They always made sure she was okay and having fun, the whole Mendes Family if she’s honest, she always felt very welcomed and glad to have them around, specially since she grew up with them. Maybe it was all of that great feeling, associated with the medicine and the that comforting feeling, she felt herself leaning into Raul a bit as Y/N struggled to stay awake, and instead of pushing her softly or saying something about her falling asleep too soon, he wrapped his arm around her welcoming her in his arms as she laid her head on his chest. She heard his warm chuckle as he placed a kiss on the top of her hair.

“Do you want to go to bed?” he asked softly rubbing intricate shapes on her back in a gentle way and she shook her head “let me know whenever you’re ready, yeah?”

She just nodded, nuzzling closer to him and without even noticing, she fell asleep.

                                                      -*-

She woke up what felt only moments later feeling her body moving and when she opened her eyes, she noticed that Raul was placing her on the bed for the night.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you” Raul whispered, pulling the covers up her body.

“It’s okay, I didn’t mean to fall asleep”

“It was a long day, sweetheart, it’s only natural” he said going to grab them each a bottle of water and flopping down beside her and she giggled.

“Thank you”

“For what?”

“For taking care of me and being the sweetest person”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything, you deserve it”

“But I do” Y/N said knuckling at her eye and reaching out for his hand, slotting their fingers together and squeeze it gently “thank you”

Raul smiled and leaned in to place a kiss at her forehead “you’re so beautiful, you know that, right?”

“Stop being silly” she laughed as he feigned an insulted expression.

“I’m not, you’re just the prettiest girl I’ve ever met and I’ve always thought this”

“Oh really? Aren’t you just trying to butter me up?”

“Me? I would never do that!” Raul scoffed and she just chuckled giving him a knowing look “okay, okay, you caught me, I’m just trying to steal your heart”

Y/N gasped “why would you do that to me?”

“Because I want it”

“For what? I’m not an athlete anymore, it’s a poor heart, and I love junk food, you won’t be able to sell it”

“You’re ridiculous, you know?”

“Look, you have to decide if I’m pretty, smelly or ridiculous, can’t be all of them” she said and he laughed.

“You’re impossible”

“Oh great, thanks, can you elaborate?”

“Don’t feel like doing it, no” he said and she rolled her eyes, turning away from him on the bed.

“Fine, then goodnight” Y/N turned off the lamp from her side of the bed and he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back flush against his chest “Hey! I-“

“Do you really want to know?” he said taking a deep sigh and burying his face on her neck.

“Well, if there’s an explanation to it, then yeah, but I was just being dramatic and-“

Raul cut her off trying to gather all the courage possible “There is and I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while, I was just trying to find the best timing and not ruin our friendship”

“You won’t end our friendship, yeah? You can just tell me” she said trying to turn in his arms but he had a vice grip on her, so she just gave up, interlacing their fingers together.

“We’ve known each other for years now, and even though you are closer to Peter most of the time, I couldn’t help it but want you closer. You’re always the cutest and sweetest little thing, always caring about the people around you and taking care of others, and being this funny smart person that always make the environment better around you, so I felt drawn to you. And for years I pushed it aside cause you’re always shy around me and I thought you just weren’t interested so I never made a move or something, but recently that was proven to be impossible, since that night you spent over and we slept on the couch I’ve been wanting to ask you about it or just do something about it“ Raul slowly loosened the grip on her and she decided to turn around to face him “You’re not impossible, maybe sometimes when you really want something, but what was really impossible was not falling for you, and you don’t have to say anything, I just thought you should know”

And Y/N couldn’t even speak and she wanted to. She was just speechless. The guy she had a crush on for years just told her he liked her, what the hell was she supposed to say?! She truly wanted to shout that she liked him too, that she wanted him too and that she felt like this for years, but the only thing she could do instead of gaping him like a fish was lean forward and press their lips together, and that’s what she did.

Raul was completely shocked at first and didn’t react at all, which made Y/N instantly regret her decision starting to pull back, but before she could completely pull away, Raul cradled her face in his hand and smeared their lips together in a sweet yet passionate kiss, pulling her closer as she wrapped her fingers in his hair, tangling on his curls. Y/N couldn’t believe this was actually real, the only thing that made her understand this wasn’t a dream, was the warmth and butterflies spreading through her body as he swept his tongue on her bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth genlty. Her head was spinning when they finally parted for air without actually leaning away. Raul rested his forehead on hers as they both panted softly, a bright smile spreading on his lips and Y/N just chuckled, making him do the same.

“I’ve had a crush on you for years now, you idiot” she said and he laughed.

“So sweet” he retorted and she laughed.

“But it’s true! I thought I was so obvious!”

“If I knew I wanted me too I would’ve done it sooner” he said before leaning in and pressing another kiss to her lips.

“Well maybe I should’ve said it sooner”

“Well, we can change that now, but I can take you on a date as soon as we get back and your feet is a bit better”

“Or we can just ignore my feet and go!”

“Not a chance, we can hang out at my place or yours and then go out”

“Sounds pretty nice”

“Then it’s settled”

“Oh, we have to deal with Peter”

“Hm, we can deal with him tomorrow, yeah? Really don’t want to think about my brother right now” he said pulling her to his chest and she giggled.

Okay, maybe she wasn’t completely fucked as she thought a month ago.

                                                     -*-

*Please reblog or like this post if you liked it so I’ll know.

*I’m sorry if there are any spelling mistakes.

*Please do not repost this without giving me the credit, this is a completely original piece and I do not give permission to copy this!

*Hope you guys enjoyed it!

*xoxo

-🌙

[averykedavra]

don’t fight me now (you might need me later)

Hey, remember how self-indulgent my last fic was? It has now been surpassed. Superheroes! Flirty superheroes! Enemies-to-lovers! Parentheses in the title! Anyway, might be the...angstiest thing I’ve written yet for this month, and also the longest, because I just love superheroes, okay? Oh, and I got some dialogue and general encouragement from @becca-becky! You’re the best, Becs! <3

(Tagging @tsshipmonth2020! Title from Bloodsport by Raleigh Ritchie. Ao3.)

Prompt: Everyone is born with a super power, but when soulmates touch, their powers are nullified by each other.


Pairing: Romantic Roloceit.

Words: 10,884

Warnings: brief panic attack, violence, knives, blood, mentions of head trauma, discussions of death and murder, all three of them (Ro, Lo, and Jan) are kinda morally grey, food mention, falling, injury, anxiety, insecurity, scars, explosions

It was a lovely, peaceful day. The clouds clustered over the city streets and the cars trundled back and forth. The windows were wide open to catch the breeze, which smelled like smog and old pizza, but it was better than the usual static air that clung to the roads and the buildings. Most people in the city were at work, or strolling along the sidewalks, or setting up stands in the sprawling farmer’s market to the west. A ‘perfect’ day was probably unachievable, but Logan guessed this was pretty close.

That was why he was ninety-percent certain there would be an explosion.

The best viewpoint for witnessing such an event was high up. So he’d commandeered his usual rooftop, which belonged to what might have been a tax firm at some point. He wasn’t sure if it was technically legal to sit on this roof. But there was no way anyone could reach Logan without him seeing, and by this point, he was an expert at avoiding confrontation.

Besides, superheroes could do what they liked.

Logan hadn’t brought his phone. Phones tended to get destroyed in fights. Also, he didn’t want to be tracked--a remote possibility, but he had fought some technology-based villains in the past, and one could never be too cautious.

Still, as the afternoon droned on, he found himself wishing for it. Perhaps he could work on his taxes or read a book. This was ridiculously tedious. Why hadn’t anything happened yet?

It was on days like these that Logan wished for a sidekick, a partner, even an assistant on the ground. Doing his own surveillance was spotty at best and boring at worst. He was relatively sure he’d be able to see any activity from here, but if the Prince tried something new--

No, he was ridiculously predictable. Logan would almost think he wanted to be caught.

Logan squinted at the skyline. No signs of dust or clouds, no screams, only one ambulance that was careening out of the city towards the suburbs. Everything was calm and quiet, almost enough for Logan to believe that he was wrong, that his nemesis had taken a break.

If Logan had a partner--had anyone--he could do sweeps of the city. He could have a communication system, he could--

Logan shook himself. There were reasons he didn’t work with anyone else, and he’d gotten this far, hadn’t he? The most respected superhero in the city. Also the one with the lowest casualty count, although the fight with Amber Arrow had put a dent in that.

Sometimes, things just didn’t go perfectly.

Logan was still getting used to that.

He leaned over the edge of the building and craned his neck. He probably looked ridiculous. In costume, staring into the sky, legs dangling over the edge. He was also at risk of falling. Logan wasn’t afraid of heights--it would be hard to be, since he spent so much time in them, but once again, caution won out. He scooted back from the edge and ran a hand along the sunwarmed stone, listening to the thrum of engines.

“Come here often?”

Logan jerked, his hand coming up to his side. A young woman with shocking auburn hair and dark skin was strolling towards him, looking as if she was out for an afternoon walk. On top of a building.

Logan rolled his eyes. “I don’t have time for this right now.”

“How rude!” she--he--gasped. “Do you always turn away citizens in need?”

“The only thing you need is a jail cell.”

“Rude,” Dee said again, sitting next to Logan and kicking his legs out. Logan turned away and did his best to ignore Dee. It was hard. Dee made it very difficult for anyone to ignore him, especially with that hair.

"How’d you recognize me, Lo?” Dee asked.

“You wanted me to,” Logan said shortly.

“I didn’t,” Dee said, smirking. That was a blatant lie. If Dee wanted to go undercover, Logan wouldn’t know who he was until Dee’s knives were in his back.

“Quite a look,” Logan remarked after a few moments of silence, when it became clear that Dee wasn’t going to leave. “Not very clandestine.”

“When I can look however I want, why settle for monotony?” Dee kicked his legs out and twirled a lock of hair. “Anyway, there’s no one to hide from up here, unless--” He pressed a hand to his mouth in mock shock. “Unless you would be so bold as to arrest me?”

Logan sighed. “I have bigger concerns at the moment. Besides, we’re at least tangentially on the same side.”

“Says who?”

“The media.”

“The media,” Dee repeated, smirking. “You’ve hated the media ever since they gave you that name, Lo.”

Logan huffed. He still, admittedly, was annoyed about that. Astrological, although a good pun in some ways, was nonetheless a pun. Besides, astrology was a ridiculous venture that besmirched the good name of science. Everything could be explained rationally--even soulmates, the usual argument of so-called astrologists. It was an evolutionary defect, nothing more and nothing less.

Astrological. Ridiculous. At least they often shortened it to Logic, which wasn’t so bad.

“You should talk,” Logan decided to say, because he was bored and a little bit irritated and needling at Dee was always a fun past-time. “Deceit.”

“I think it fits me,” Dee said smoothly. He said everything smoothly. He spoke without hesitation, but as if he’d already planned the whole conversation, answering questions he knew Logan would ask. It was unsettling. Dee was unsettling, with his sparkling eyes and shifting appearance and ability to get on a roof without being spotted.

“So,” Dee said idly, “what ‘bigger concerns’ are there for you today, Lo?”

“You know what concerns,” Logan said. “Why are you asking?”

“You’re no fun.” Dee crossed his arms and looked out over the city. The wind blew his hair about, a mass of curls, glinting in the pale sun. He was wearing his usual black outfit with yellow accents, and Logan knew all too well that several knives were locked within the stitches, ready to be unsheathed if Logan so much as breathed wrong. “Any sign of him?”

“You’d know,” Logan said again, aware that was the point, aware that Dee was stringing him along once again, but unable to stop himself. “You know everything, don’t you?”

“Comes with the territory.” Dee swung a hand over the edge and waved at the cars. “Aren’t you going to ask why I’m here?”

Logan sighed. “I hoped if I didn’t, you would leave.”

“Ouch,” Dee drawled.

“Besides, I’m assuming it’s the same thing I am.” Logan gave Dee a quick glance before scouring the horizon again. No sign of him. “Why else would you be here?”

“I could be here to kill you.”

“Then why talk to me?”

“To make it entertaining.” Dee held out for a second longer before laughing. “I’m kidding. Of course I’m kidding. I have--what did you say--bigger concerns, darling.”

Logan shifted. “I’m glad you have some sense of justice.”

“I’m all justice, Lo, don’t you know me?” Dee gave him a wolfish smile. “Justice just looks a little different when it’s in my hands instead of a goody-two-shoes wannabe hero.”

“You’re still going after the villain.”

“Because he’s currently a bigger threat,” Dee said. “Rest assured, you’re as bad as each other, and when I’m done with him, you’re next.”

The threat should have made Logan angry, or terrified. But he had heard it a million times before. Dee wouldn’t kill him until the Prince was out of the picture, so for now, they were begrudging allies.

Logan shouldn’t let Dee even be that. Consorting with vigilantes was a terrible move, both morality-wise and safety-wise. Still, getting rid of Dee was like getting rid of a particularly clingy barnacle. Dee was here, for better or for worse, and the only way to get rid of him would be to fight him.

Logan wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

He was eighty-percent sure he’d win--he was powerful, and he’d gone out of his way to stay away from anyone who might be his soulmate, and Dee was growing more and more recognizable in his various disguises as Logan got to know him--but there was always that twenty percent.

And Logan knew, in his heart, that Dee would keep coming back. Dee couldn’t be confined by jails, normal or powered or otherwise. Dee could find his soulmate and he’d still manage to be a nuisance.

The only way to get rid of him, for good, would be to kill him.

Logan wasn’t ready for that.

Not yet.

“What’s on your mind?” Dee teased, bringing Logan back down to reality. He’d just zoned out with an enemy next to him--a foolish oversight on his part.

“How to get you to leave,” Logan said. “And if you’ll be interfering with the fight later.”

“What fight?” Dee asked. “Will there be a fight?”

Logan sighed and watched the buildings for a telltale red flash. “There’s always a fight.”

“Then yes,” Dee said. “Someone has to protect the innocent civilians.”

“So you won’t be on my side,” Logan said, rolling his eyes. “I should have figured.”

“I’m on my own side, Lo.” Dee shrugged. “If it’s any comfort, like I said, Princey is the priority.”

Logan paused and decided to dive head-first into an argument he’d posed many times before. “Have you ever considered--”

“Not being a vigilante,” Dee finished, rolling his eyes. “I know your opinion on this, Lo.”

“But if you would--”

“Someone’s gotta keep you in line,” Dee said, standing up. His hair flew around him, and the golden sun slipped over his skin, making him gleam in stark relief against the city. “Too much power runs unchecked, and you forget what it’s like without it. I’m just finding targets that need corralling, and I’m doing what needs doing.”

“And I’m a target?” Logan squared his shoulders. “Why, because I haven’t found my soulmate? Because I irritate you? The Prince is ten times as bad, why am I even on your list?”

“You’re as bad as each other,” Dee said, like he’d said a million times.

“Falsehood,” Logan said, like he’d said a million times.

He knew how this argument ended, and it hurt every time, and yet he always fell into it again. Logan was as predictable as the villains he fought, something Dee always pointed out. Everything was so predictable. Logan was a hero, he fought villains, and Dee was always there in the shadows to remind Logan of how fragile his pedestal was.

Logan could avoid everyone he knew to keep from touching his soulmate. Logan could fight every day and night until he was covered in bruises the next morning. Logan could win again and again, but one day, he was going to lose.

And Dee would be there, saying “I told you so.”

Dee would always be there, and Logan wished he could get rid of him, and wished Dee didn’t know exactly how to hurt him.

Logan braced himself for what he knew was coming.

“You’re both murderers,” Dee said, and if Logan didn’t know him as well as he did, he wouldn’t hear the steel in Dee’s voice. “Only difference is, Princey owns it.”

“You’re one to talk,” Logan said weakly, and at this point that jab should stop hurting.

Every time. Every time, it knocked the breath from Logan’s lungs. Logan curled his fingers around the edge of the roof, knowing Dee could see his discomfort and was reveling in it.

Every time. Logan should stop letting Dee get to him, but that would mean turning on Dee, and Logan wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

“It’s not murder,” Dee complained. “Not if they deserved it. It’s just...death by natural causes, if blades count as natural.”

“They don’t.” Logan sighed. “Besides, he--”

“Deserved it,” Dee finished, and for a second, the smirk was gone from his face. “You’ve told me.”

“You’re the one asking questions you know the answer to,” Logan said. “I don’t know why you think I’d say something different.”

“I don’t know.” Dee looked at the cars below. “Maybe I’m just holding out hope.”

Logan didn’t know what to say to that. He settled for giving Dee an annoyed look and returning to his vigil. The city was quiet. Logan found himself hoping that the Prince wouldn’t show up, and Logan could just sit here, not needing to fight anyone.

A foolish wish. He’d chosen this and there was no turning back now. If it wasn’t him protecting the city, who else would step up?

He felt Dee’s eyes on him. He definitely wasn’t leaving Dee unchecked--he shuddered to think of the systems Dee would topple if he wasn’t focused on taunting Logan.

Logan had sacrificed his life for this--his day job, his social life, the possibility of his soulmate. His best friend.

And maybe one day, he’d give up. Or lose. One of the two.

But not yet.

Logan’s eyes widened as a flash of red lit up the sky, followed by an explosion. Then came the screams, right on schedule. He really was predictable.

Despite himself, Logan found his mouth curving in a smile.

“There you are,” he said, pushing off the roof and letting the wind catch him.

He glanced back at the roof. Dee was already gone. Logan knew he’d be back soon enough--probably getting in the middle of things again, or skating on the edge of the fight, blades gleaming. Dee was tough to get rid of.

Still, Dee couldn’t fly.

So Logan would have a few glorious moments to himself, and he intended to make the most of them.

Ahead of him, the sky was lit up a bloody shade of red.

---

On days like this, Roman fervently wished real life had a soundtrack.

All of his evil plans were dramatic and fabulous and evil, but they’d be even more dramatic and fabulous and evil with a dramatic, fabulous, and evil accompaniment. He’d considered hiring a musician to play his theme song whenever he entered, but said musician would probably get killed by debris, and that would be kind of nasty. Roman didn’t like getting people killed unless it was absolutely necessary, or just easier on him.

So sadly, Roman was left soundtrack-less. He simply had to imagine it as he dashed through the debris, a smudge of pastel-pink ahead of him. He lifted a hand and crumbled the wall behind him, red lightning darting over the stones as it shuddered into place. No escape.

Heroes weren’t supposed to run, but this one was. Roman couldn’t blame them--he was extremely intimidating at all times. Also, they seemed like a younger one. Roman would have let them turn tail--they weren’t the real target here--but they might alert the police.

Although, most likely, the police had heard the explosion. It had been rather large.

Well. Never mind, then. Roman skidded to a stop. The hero glanced back and stopped, probably assuming he was plotting something devious. Roman gave them a lazy grin.

Their eyes widened and they stumbled backwards, raising a hand. Fire powers. Weak ones at that. Their hand glowed and they sent a beam towards Roman, who dodged easily.

“Come on now, run,” Roman said, shooing at them. “Go on. This doesn’t concern you.”

Another blast of fire, even weaker than the first. Roman watched it curl into nothingness. He winced as they stumbled--they’d already overtaxed themselves? Roman almost felt bad for them.

“Are you going to leave?” Roman asked slowly.

A third blast of fire. The hero was trembling, but no, they weren’t.

Roman really wanted to let them go. He didn’t care about some newbie with a flashy pink costume. Besides, he’d been there, a long time ago. Just on the opposite side.

Then again, if word got around that he’d gone soft, he’d be the one trapped in a burning building.

Roman flicked his fingers.

A section of ceiling slammed into them and sent them collapsing to the ground. Their head hit the floor with a crack and the fire died in their hand.

Roman winced in sympathy. Roofs being dropped on one’s head were never fun.

They’d be fine. Probably. Maybe.

Either way, it wasn’t Roman’s problem.

Roman paused to cough--why did buildings have to be so smoky when they exploded--and muscled his way between gaping pipes and crumbled piles of building. He probably could have done this without an explosion, if he really tried. However, explosions were dramatic. And they erased like five steps from the enter-a-building-and-rob-it list. Enter the building? Very easy when there was no longer a door, or a front wall, or a ceiling.

Now he just had to rob it.

He’d been studying the blueprints. Well, he’d glanced at them while eating a donut. But everything looked different when he was on the ground, and several walls seemed to have changed places in the explosion. Whoops. Maybe if he just went in the general direction of the center of the building, he’d find the safes?

Maybe.

He didn’t even know what he was supposed to be getting, of course. It was best to avoid asking questions and just get the job done. While making it look like this was entirely his idea, of course.

Because it was! Totally. He cared so much about...whatever it was that he was stealing.

Hey, it was steal one thing every few weeks or work for them full-time, and Roman didn’t really like being a team player.

And this meant he got to have some fun.

Speaking of which...

Roman spun on his heel, squinting through the dust. He levitated a pipe next to him and sent it flying into the clouds, lighting its way. It hit a brick wall and fell to the ground. He was alone, for now.

Boo. It was never any fun until his esteemed nemesis showed up.

Roman dragged his feet down the hallway, listening for the telltale whoosh of air. Logic thought he was all sneaky, but Roman could always hear him coming. Not that Roman could judge. His powers were definitely flashy.

Awesome, though.

Roman lifted a stone and punched through the wall, stepping through the gash it left behind. He grinned. Definitely awesome.

Top that, Logic, he thought--

And there came the whoosh.

Roman should have known insulting the guy, even in his head, would be enough to get him here.

A pipe came sailing through the air, fast as a bullet. Roman threw out his hand and stopped it. Lightning sunk into the metal and burned it apart, bit by bit. It fell into a pile at Roman’s feet.

Roman turned around and gave his nemesis a dazzling smile. “You’ll have to try harder than that, villain.”

Logic rolled his eyes, the only part of his body that Roman could see. “Don’t call me that,” he complained, like always.

“Why not?” Roman teased, sticking one hand behind him and levitating a chunk of rock. It wouldn’t fool Logic, but it was still worth a shot. “You’re my foil, my enemy, my esteemed nemesis--”

“So I’ve heard.” Logic ducked as a piece of roof crashed to the ground. The whole building was little more than a burned-out shell at this point, and if Roman wanted, he could tear the whole thing down with one hand.

It was fun, though, to drag things out.

“We meet again,” Roman announced, puffing up his chest. “Who, tonight, shall be the victor?”

“It’s afternoon,” Logic said.

“It’s a figurative night,” Roman ad-libbed on the spot, because he wasn’t about to admit that he’d forgotten it was still afternoon. “The night of this city as hope dims and integrity is destroyed, piece by piece.”

“Mm-hmm.” Logic nodded. “Integrity. The integrity of destroying government property, for instance.”

“You get it!” Roman snapped his fingers and grinned. “There’s hope for you after all.”

“It was sarcasm,” Logic muttered.

“I rescind my previous statement.”

Logic rolled his eyes again. He did that a lot. Maybe because it was the only way he could communicate, since his whole face was covered. “Are you done, or--”

“Not even close!” Roman exclaimed. “Villain, I have much more to say!”

He didn’t, of course, but he had four or five backup speeches memorized, and he could just pick and choose from those!

“Go ahead, then.” Logic raised an eyebrow. Roman grinned. Logic was bound to listen to him out of common courtesy--a superhero needed to hear a villain out, after all, and figure out if they could be redeemed.

Roman couldn’t and wouldn’t be redeemed. But Logic always followed the rules, so Logic would listen anyway, pretending he cared what Roman had to say.

Hey, Roman didn’t mind a captive audience.

“Now, my dear villain,” Roman said, enjoying the way Logic’s face twitched. “I shall tell you my reasons for robbing the city bank--”

Logic blinked. “This isn’t the city bank.”

“What? Yes it--”

“No, the bank was last week.” Logic pointed at the roof that was nothing but a patch of smoky sky, raining plaster and dripping dust. “This is a government building.”

“Wh--” Roman mentally rewound the past week or so. “Oh yeah! Sorry, I got my scripts all messed up, gimme a sec--”

Logic somehow managed to look even more annoyed. “Oh, by all means, take your time.”

Roman nodded and shuffled his speeches around in his head. He practiced most of them in the mirror, but it was one thing to belt them out in the early morning, and yet another to remember them when in a smoky building, facing down his nemesis.

"I’ll take you down,” Roman finally said. Simple and a little boring, but it would hopefully do the trick.

“Will you?” Logic stepped forward, and a glint rose in his eyes. “Is that a challenge?”

“Attack me anyway,” Roman dared him.

“There are rules.”

“A villain like you has no need for rules,” Roman said, just because it would annoy Logic. The guy wasn’t actually a villain. He was the most heroic person Roman had ever met.

Which made him really freaking boring.

And made him a good challenge.

Roman waved at Logic, who hadn’t taken another step. Nothing new, but Roman figured that one day, he’d break. Roman was well-practiced at being annoying, and if he could annoy someone into villainy, that’d be the best thing to put on his resumé.

“Attack me,” Roman said.

“Are you challenging me?” Logic asked, every word clearly enunciated. As if he was making sure the microphones caught his oh-so-heroic restraint. Seriously, couldn’t Roman’s nemesis take a break once in a while? Let down his hair? Do some murder? It’d probably be good for him.

Roman took a deep breath and held up his hands.

“Yes,” he said.

The word was barely out of his mouth before Logic was on him, a gust of wind sweeping Roman up and sending him flying towards the wall.

Roman twisted around and kicked off the wall. He waved a hand. Several tons of drywall tore themselves away from the building and lunged at Logic. Logic dove out of the way just in time. They slammed into the ground and lightning spasmed, painting the whole scene blood-red.

Logic flew at him. Roman caught a glimpse of metal as Logic’s sword slipped into his hand. Three feet. Two inches across. Roman knew that sword way too well.

Logic slashed at Roman’s stomach. Roman dipped out of the way and threw out a hand, twisting Logic’s wrist. Logic barely flinched.

A gust of wind met Roman.

Roman stumbled backward. He threw up a wall in front of him and caught his breath.

Logic vaulted over the wall and landed, swords gleaming. Roman had to hand it to him--he looked good, like this, mid-fight. Eyes practically glowing, dark hair cropped close, and suit snug in all the right ways. Plus the sword, and Roman was weak for swords, this was unfair--

Said sword swung at his head. Roman was uncomfortably reminded that they were currently trying to kill each other. He put the gay on hold and pulled up a few projectiles, sparking crimson and flying at Logic. Logic cut the first in half and blasted the rest away with a gust of wind.

Logic could do more than this. But he was probably afraid of the building collapsing around them.

The smart thing would be to use this to Roman’s advantage.

But Roman liked watching Logan push his limits.

Roman rolled through a gap in the wall. He climbed a crumbling chimney to the roof and ran down a somewhat-intact section. He was several stories above ground. Cars squealed below him, skidding around the rubble. The police were already massed at the parking lot. A helicopter looped them and Roman threw a hand at it without thinking. It careened towards the bay, barely missing the bridge and coming to an unsteady stop somewhere by the docks. Roman smirked.

The ring of sword against stone made Roman turn around. Logic had stabbed his sword into the roof, dangling from it. He swayed left and kicked up, pulling himself to the roof. A quick roll, and he was upright, leveling his sword at Roman.

“It’s over,” Logic said.

“No, it’s not,” Roman said, because if Logic was going to be cliche, so was Roman. “We’re just getting started, villain.”

“You know, Princey,” said a new voice, “for once, you make a good point.”

Roman looked over at the edge of the roof. A man with bleach-blond hair and deep green eyes was swinging knives from his hands, smirking.

“Oh, great,” Roman complained. “You again.”

“Come on!” The smirk turned to a pout. “Why does everyone recognize me today?”

“It’s just the vibe,” Roman said, waving a hand at Deceit. “All sneaky and snaky. You’re a reptilian rapscallion in whatever shape you take.”

“You wound me,” Deceit said idly, strolling over and giving Logic a little wave. Logic glared back.

“Also,” Logic pointed out, his words clipped, “you are carrying your knives.”

“Oh.” Deceit shrugged and slipped into a fighting stance. “I suppose I just got overeager.”

“For what, defeat?” Roman waved a hand. “This is a private fight, so unless you’re going to help me murder my nemesis, please skedaddle.”

“I could,” Deceit said, looking over at Logic. “He is a prick.”

“I know, right?”

Logic sighed. “Dee, enough kidding around.”

“But that’s half the fun of this job!” Deceit rolled his eyes and turned to Roman.

Roman barely stepped back before Deceit was there, knives slashing centimeters from Roman’s chest. He stopped one in midair, lightning running up and down the length. Before Deceit could tug it free, Roman kicked Deceit in the chest and ran.

There wasn’t anywhere to run, though. They were standing on the last section of roof, and it shook beneath Roman’s feet. He tried to stabilize it, but there were too many moving parts, so he settled for lodging a pillar under it.

Deceit stumbled to his feet again. And he was running again, knives out. Logic was on Roman’s left, a tornado brewing in his hands--there, there was the stuff Roman enjoyed, just not when he was on top of a collapsing building. Roman threw himself sideways as a blast of wind sent him flying. He grabbed the edge of the roof and swung himself back on top.

Logic on one side, Deceit on the other.

Well, only one of them was out to kill him, right? So easy choice.

Roman lunged at Logic, rocks sharpening themselves as they flew, headed for his heart. He knew Logic could get rid of those easily, but he had no energy for anything else. He was listening to the building beneath him as it creaked and shuddered.

He was never using an explosion again.

Somewhere down there was what he needed, he knew that. He could do his job and hopefully get everyone off his back, or he could make a break for it.

Or he could fight. Again. He could throw all his cards on the table and enjoy the feeling, the brief feeling, of being on top of the world.

Roman felt power thrum through his fingertips and smiled.

The roof ruptured. A chasm grew between him and the other two. Deceit backed away, hands on his knives like he could fight a collapsing building. Logic took a running leap and landed on Roman’s side, feet from him. His eyes were narrowed. Wind blew around his feet, a hurricane waiting to be unleashed.

Roman had never seen Logic use all of his power. One day, he hoped to be lucky enough to see it.

He’d probably be on the receiving end, of course, but it would still be fun to witness. To know, for an instant, that he was the one who made Logic lose control.

Someday, but apparently, not yet.

Logic lunged at Roman and Roman dodged, grabbing his arm and tugging Logic forward. They were inches from the edge of the roof. Below, cars milled about and people yelled at each other. It was a long way down.

Deceit still paced back and forth, watching them with shifty green eyes. He was making no effort to follow them. Roman didn’t blame him. The building was falling apart around them. Roman’s powers sparked weakly in the corners, but the lightning faded, leaving nothing but the bright golden glow of late afternoon.

The sun was setting between the buildings, making windows catch fire and the sky deepen in hue. Clouds, tinged with gold and pink and silver, drifted above. Below, the alleyways of the city were already cool and shadowed. It would be a long night, and doubtless Logic would be in the thick of it.

Sometimes Roman worried that Logic would get hurt. Or killed. That was unacceptable--the only person allowed to kill Logic was Roman.

And the only person allowed to kill Roman was Logic.

It would be one or the other, and Roman had known that from day one, and he still kept coming back. Because--why? Because he didn’t have anything else to do with his life? Because Logic was fun and sarcastic and kind of a snack? Because Roman always itched for a fight, a spectacle, a chance to show off? What was the use of power if he didn’t show it, if he didn’t use it to bend the world to his will, to claw his way to the top of the heap?

What was the use of power if he let it go, for the sake of true love, of mercy?

What was the use of power if he didn’t use it?

Logic wouldn’t get it, of course. Even now, balanced on the edge of the roof, Logic wasn’t even trying to push him off it. Wasn’t even trying to tear him into pieces, rob him of breath, pull the clouds around them into a tempest. Logic could do so many things, Roman could feel it, and yet he contented himself with this. Cheap masquerades and flimsy heroics and rules that only hurt him.

That’s why Roman was the bad guy. He had never played well with rules, and being a hero had never been his calling.

Besides, everyone loved the villain.

“Compromising position,” Roman said as Logan placed the sword under his chin. The blade was cool against Roman’s throat. Logan’s eyes were cooler--cold, the same intense cold he always got when he was too wrapped up in a fight. Roman would be lying if it wasn’t kind of terrifying, in the best way possible.

The sword got a bit too close to some sensitive veins. Roman stepped back, except there wasn’t a back to step to. His foot skidded on open air. His eyes widened and he scrambled for purchase.

Logic’s hand whipped out and grabbed Roman’s sash. Wind whipped around Roman and kept him still, half-fallen off the side of the building. The road hummed below them.

Logic pulled Roman closer, sword sneaking around to cup the back of Roman’s neck.

“You saved me,” Roman teased. “Knew you couldn’t resist my dashing looks--”

“Surrender,” Logic said.

“All business with you, isn’t it?” Roman wriggled closer to the open air and enjoyed the wind that cupped his waist and shoulders. It was like a cushion. He’d never had Logic hold him up before.

“Surrender,” Logic repeated.

“Or what?” Roman asked.

Logic blinked a few times, and Roman could tell he hadn’t thought of that part.

“Or what?” Roman repeated, grabbing Logic’s waist and tugging him further over. “You’ll kill me?”

Logic’s eyes hardened. “Maybe.”

Roman gasped. “What? Really? How could you possibly justify such an atrocious action?”

“You’re a villain.”

“Really?” Roman pulled Logic even closer, reveling in the fact that Logic was letting him. “And here I thought I was your hero.”

“You’re no one’s hero but your own, I’m afraid.” Logic took a step forward of his own. Roman lifted himself up on his tiptoes and leaned out even more. They were practically horizontal at this point. Logic’s sword dug into Roman’s neck, colder than the air around them. Deceit was nowhere to be seen--he was missing out, Roman thought idly, though on what he wasn’t really sure.

“I could drop you,” Logic warned, flexing his fingers on Roman’s sash.

“Then do it.”

“What?”

“Do it,” Roman said, grinning. “Drop me.”

Logic’s eyes widened, just for a second, and Roman counted that as victory.

“Drop me,” Roman repeated. “Go ahead, let go.”

“I could,” Logic said, unconvincingly.

“You could do a lot of things.” Roman pulled himself so close to Logic that he could make out every fleck in his eyes. “You won’t, though, will you?”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know enough. It’s been too long for me not to.”

“You don’t--” Logic’s hand fisted on Roman’s sash. The winds sliced at Roman’s skin. “I could.”

“Then do it.” Roman grinned wider. “Surprise me. God knows I could use the excitement.”

“I could drop you right now and--”

“Do it!” Roman started to laugh. “Do it, then! Stop talking yourself in a circle and actually drop me, villain, without catching me halfway down. Stop being a hero and just drop me, I dare you.”

Logic looked away.

“Thought so.” Roman reached up and ran a hand along the line of Logic’s mask, the only strip of skin Roman could see. “You’re really predictable, you know that?”

Logic’s eyes widened.

The air around them thudded back to normal. Normal, cool, and not solid at all. Just a slice of late evening sky, far above the pavement.

And gravity hit.

And Roman’s sash tore across the center, leaving Logic grasping a piece of red fabric.

And Roman fell.

And Logic reached for him, and Roman reached for his own power, and nothing came. He was empty and powerless and cold in the wind.

Roman fell, and the last thing he saw was Logic slipping off the edge.

---

Janus was used to fights. Breaking up fights, when they were normal scuffles, just fists against fists. Joining fights, when there were powers involved, and he needed to minimize civilian casualties. Ending fights, usually by incapacitating one or both of the people involved.

Starting fights? He never started fights. He just finished them.

Janus had fought a million people, and yet, Logic and Princey intrigued him.

Perhaps that’s why he kept coming to try and kill them.

He could have stayed home today. Or he could have started attacking that corrupt firm up north, or patrolled the streets. He didn’t have to babysit these two idiots again, and he knew as well as anyone that he couldn’t kill them yet.

Still, he’d come here, and he told himself it was out of duty, but Janus couldn’t lie to himself.

He didn’t figure he’d regret it.

Now? He did.

They’d just fallen off the roof.

The two of them had been sparring, exchanging blows and flirting, and being as ridiculously gay as they usually were. Everything had seemed in-control, so Janus had slipped down to the street below, shepherding the people away from the rubble.

Then they’d fallen.

If he hadn’t seen it himself, he wouldn’t have believed it.

See, the little problem with this event was that Logic could fly. And although Logic might be a little too ruthless for his own good, he would never drop Princey. For all of his talk about justice, Logic was weak for that villain. Janus could tell.

Yet they’d fallen nonetheless. They’d plummeted out of the sky and hit the pavement with a sickening thunk.

A fall from that height could have killed them both.

Janus didn’t hesitate. He ran over to them.

He scrabbled for purchase on the rubble. Dust coated his legs and his blades. People were running over, the medics, the police--oh, come on. This was going to be a media fiasco in a few seconds, especially if they were really dead. Janus should get out of here now.

With a thought, he lengthened his hair and dyed the tips blue, giving himself an upturned nose and tons of freckles. It wouldn’t fool anyone who knew vigilantes, but it would buy him a few seconds of anonymity, which was more than enough for Janus’ needs.

He vaulted over a crumbled wall and knelt in the little crater they’d left behind. Both were covered in dust. Blood dripped from Princey’s eyes, his mask askew, his sash shredded. Logic’s head lolled on the rock, his dark hair whitened by the plaster, his extended hand clutching a piece of red fabric.

It hit Janus, very suddenly, that this was real. Unless a villain with illusion powers had appeared, they were right here. Dead, or nearly. Lying at his feet as if he’d killed them himself, with the knives in his hands, like he’d tried to a million times.

It must have been the dust that choked him up.

Janus walked over on trembling feet. “Hey,” he managed, “don’t go dying on me now, I won’t have a chance to kill you.”

Princey shifted. “Rude,” he mumbled, hand coming up to wipe at his mouth.

A strange emotion ricocheted through Janus. He kept his face neutral and raised his knives.

“Oh, come on,” Princey complained, focusing on Janus. “Gimme a second to get up, why don’t you? It’s undignified to die lying down.”

Janus looked down at his knives and back at Princey. It would be so easy, just a slash--

Princey pulled himself up, blood smearing on his skin as he sat upright. He breathed heavily for a few seconds, but when he looked up, his eyes were clearer.

“Where’s--”

Janus inclined his head in Logic’s direction.

Princey turned and swore. Logic was still lying there, a shift of the rubble by his chest the only indication of his breathing. His arm lay across his chest.

Princey poked at him and he shifted a bit, but his eyes remained closed.

“Hey. Hey, villain. Hey.” Princey poked him again. “Get up. Hey.”

“Yes, keep needling him, he can totally hear you.” Janus stepped forward. “Can you move aside so--”

“Don’t kill him!” Princey burst out. He blinked, seeming as surprised by the outburst as Janus was. But he recovered himself quickly. “I want to kill him.”

“Then do it,” Janus said.

“Not now.” Princey groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. “Right now I’m heading home and patching myself up. I feel like--”

“Like you fell off a roof,” Janus finished. “I wonder why.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Princey looked at Logic again. “Did he--drop me?”

“I’m assuming,” Janus said, although the words felt oily on his tongue. “What else could have happened?”

“But he grabbed for me,” Princey said, his voice distant. “He tried to--”

Janus stared at Logic’s broken form on the rocks.

None of this made sense. Janus wanted answers. He wanted someone to stab, perhaps several someones. Instead, he had an unconscious “hero” and an injured “villain” and medical personnel already clambering over the rubble towards them.

It would be so easy to kill them.

Well, he couldn’t do it in plain sight like this, could he?

“We need to get out,” Janus said, walking closer to Logic. He knelt down and checked Logic’s pulse. Steady but weak. Logic’s skin was cold beneath his own, and Janus suddenly felt unsteady, as if his skin was peeling away.

“I can--” Princey turned to the approaching people and raised a hand. Nothing happened. “Ugh. I guess I’m out of juice or something.”

“Imagine, not being at your best after falling off a building,” Janus pointed out. He looked around. “Can you walk?”

“Yes?” Princey took a step and immediately tripped. “Maybe. Sort of.”

Janus sighed. “That will have to be good enough. We’re going to head somewhere quiet, dark, and preferably empty. Perhaps a nearby alley.”

“Why?” Princey asked. “You planning to kill us?”

“You’ll just have to find out, won’t you?”

Princey shrugged. “Guess I will.”

Without hesitation, he started to climb the rocks around them. Janus stared after him, wondering if Princey was usually this brazen towards possible death, or if the fall had given him a concussion. Or, even more terrifying, Princey didn’t view Janus as a threat.

This was good, of course. It made things easier on Janus in the end. He could just drag the two of them into an alley, make quick work of them, and leave in yet another face--

Janus pressed his lips together. Princey was grinning at him from the top of the rubble, waving at him to come along.

Janus kneeled and slipped one hand under Logic’s shoulders and the other under his knees. He leaned back and pulled Logic into his arms.

Logic was...light. Lighter than Janus had expected. His head lolled against Janus’ shoulder and his hair fluttered with his breathing. His mask was slipping, exposing the bridge of his nose. Janus shifted him around until he felt somewhat secure that Logic wouldn’t fall out and crack his head, then levered his way to his feet.

Princey was staring at him. Janus gave him a cool glare, hoping he would leave it and not ask questions.

“Question,” Princey said anyway, because Princey lived to make Janus’ life miserable.

“I don’t care,” Janus snapped, walking towards Princey with Logic in his arms. It was slow going, and Janus’ feet skidded on the pebbles and bits of concrete. He probably looked ridiculous, in blue hair and his black uniform, carrying the city’s favorite “hero.”

“Question,” Princey repeated. “Why are you--”

“I need to get him out of here before the people come,” Janus said. “And he’s not exactly in any shape to walk.”

“Huh.” Princey had a weird look on his face. “His mask is slipping.”

“Even more?” Janus looked down. Yes, he could see the pink blush of lips. He quickly pulled it back up until it was the usual eye window. He brushed his hands over Logan’s forehead and felt dirt and blood under his fingers.

“You just--” Princey placed a hand on his own mask. “Why didn’t you--you could have figured out our secret identities!”

Janus scoffed, finally making it up to where Princey was. “I do have morals.”

“And here I thought you were a kindred spirit.”

Janus smirked and didn’t say that quite honestly, he could have tracked down their real identities years ago.

It made it easy to kill people when they didn’t feel like people.

Princey stumbled down the other side of the rubble and Janus followed. Logic mumbled something and shifted, and Janus tightened his grip. Logic mumbled something else.

“Stop it,” Janus told him. “No moving or I drop you.”

Logic, predictably, didn’t respond.

“Everyone’s staring,” Princey said as they crossed the rubble, heading for the only intact street nearby.

“It’s fine,” Janus said. “I’m in disguise.”

“I was more worried about me,” Princey said.

“Well, good luck, then.”

“Hey!” Princey gasped and placed a hand on his chest. “And for your information, having brown hair and a scar does not make you entirely incognito, oh devious one.”

Janus smirked. “Of course it does, it--” 

His chest went cold.

He hadn’t given himself brown hair. And he’d never--

Janus’ hand came up to touch his face. A familiar ridge met his fingers, dipping from his eye and knotting next to his mouth. He knew its path way too well.

He looked down at Logic, at the bare strips of skin where his uniform rode up, touching Janus’ own.

They’d never touched before, had they?

“Deceit?” Princey asked, eyebrows furrowing. “Are you--”

“Fine,” Janus snapped. “I’m fine.”

“You look--” Princey pointed at Janus’ face, Janus’ hands, and just the entirety of Janus. “Nervous.”

Nervous was just a bit of an understatement, wasn’t it?

Janus was exposed. He was laid bare in the afternoon sun. Princey hadn’t made any comments about the scar, but that’s because Princey thought this was just another disguise, another face Janus wore to get what he wanted.

He’d never gotten what he wanted in this face, and he’d hoped dearly to never wear it again.

He rubbed at the line of his scar, unable to stop himself.

“Deceit?” Princey asked again, and if Janus didn’t know better, he’d swear there was a tinge of worry in his tone.

Janus looked down at Logic, still unconscious in his arms, cape torn to shreds and that familiar black-and-blue costume rubbing against Janus’ fingerless gloves.

He had more important things to worry about at the moment.

“Hurry up,” Janus said, leading Princey out of the rubble.

They walked to the edge of the parking lot and stepped onto the road. Cars careened around them and people clustered at the edge. Janus had guessed that nobody would bother them, and he was right--they made it to the nearest alleyway with no further incident.

It smelled like rubbish. Janus wrinkled his nose and padded down it, Princey just a step behind him. The apartments careened into the air on either side, windows ashy, fire escapes coiling up and down the bricks like snakes. Janus kept to the shadows automatically, and as he crept between the buildings, he almost felt normal--like this was just another patrol, knives out, eyes sharp.

His hair skimmed his ears as he walked. He’d never liked this haircut and he’d never bothered to get a new one. Janus pushed his hair aside, feeling so strange about it, unused to the realness of his real hair.

He tried to shift. It was usually as easy as breathing--imagine a face, some features, and tug them into place. Janus kept an album on his phone of possible features, and it was like playing mix-and-match, like slipping on a second skin. Almost entirely thoughtless.

Now, it was like flexing a muscle he’d lost, reaching for something and finding nothing at all.

Janus felt powerless, and quite honestly, he’d never been so scared in his life.

“We, um, reached the end of the alley,” Princey pointed out, jolting Janus from his thoughts. “What do we do now?”

Janus sighed and kicked aside a garbage can. “What else can we do? See if Logic wakes up, I presume.”

“This doesn’t seem sanitary.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers.” Janus lowered Logic onto the ground and propped up his head against the wall. He was somewhat certain one was supposed to elevate the head in case of head trauma. If not, well, they’d all find out together.

“Won’t they come after us?” Princey asked, flexing his fingers. “I’m--I’m still out of power, I can’t do anything--”

“I do have knives, you know.” Janus looked Princey up and down. “You’re all out of power? That could be a sign of a concussion--how many fingers am I holding up?”

Princey looked at Janus’ hands. “You’re just flipping me off.”

“Wonderful, your head’s intact. I suppose amnesia was too much to hope for.” Janus gave Logic another check-over and swatted him on the shoulder. “Logic? Are you going to wake up?”

Logic mumbled something and swatted at Janus in return.

“He’s trying to fight me,” Janus noted. “Seems like everything’s normal.”

“So now what?” Princey asked. “I’m hungry, my whole everything hurts, and you’re gonna kill us in three seconds and I am not prepared.”

“I’m not going to kill you,” Janus said, rolling his eyes. “I want to figure out what happened first. And I can’t get the information until Logic wakes up.”

He didn’t add that a) he wasn’t too keen on Logic dying, period, and that b) he already had a pretty concrete idea of what had happened. However, he didn’t feel like thinking about it. At all.

What did this situation call for? Denial and fast food.

“Stay here,” Janus instructed, backing away. “Don’t kill each other. If Logic dies, bury him. If Logic wakes up, holler for me. I won’t hear you, but I bet he’ll find it entertaining.”

Princey blinked and opened his big mouth to either complain or say something very stupid. Janus, who was used to both of those events, turned and ran down the alleyway before Princey could finish.

The nearest fast food place was a gas station. The sun was setting in the sky, turning the city shades of gold, and the gas station already had its lights on. All the food was probably poisonous in several different ways, but it was food, and there was most likely some medical supplies there as well.

Janus looked down at himself and his famous vigilante costume and his long, sharp knives.

He might have to make a bit of a wardrobe change.

Janus tossed his knives in a nearby alley, peeled off his uniform, and un-rumpled the t-short and shorts under it. He tried to fluff his terrible haircut into something approximating actual hair. He touched his scar and steeled himself. It was just in and out, after all. Never mind that this was the first time he’d left his house as himself in years.

Janus walked up to the gas station, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

It was a small gas station. The floor was grimy and half the lights were broken, and the air smelled like bubblegum and cigarette smoke. A lone teller tapped at their phone, red hair swinging in their face. There weren’t even any other customers, and nobody was looking at him, save for the beady eye of a little store camera. Janus resisted the automatic urge to slash it in half. He was incognito right now.

Ironic.

Janus took another deep breath and padded down the halls, running his hand along the shelves. He grabbed a few bags of chips and a box of bandaids, because the station didn’t seem to have any actual medical supplies after all. Maybe Janus could put a bandaid on Logic’s head and have it magically erase any concussions.

He stopped by the soda cooler and opened it, a hiss of cool air blasting him in the face. He grabbed a few soda bottles and stuck them under his arm before closing the door again. For a second, he caught his own reflection in the glass pane--narrow brown eyes, ragged hair, and that scar.

He looked like Janus. And despite being only in a gas station, despite being out of costume and out of danger, he felt like his only safety net had been torn out from under him. Any moment now he could be stabbed, shot, burned, because there was no barrier between him and the rest of the city, no identity he could hide in--

Janus closed his eyes and placed his hand on the cooler, focusing on the chill. Breathe. In and out. This was fine, everything was under control, and he’d be able to fix things soon enough.

Of course, that was a blatant lie. Soulmates couldn’t be fixed. Soulmate couldn’t be undone. Soulmates tied you down and tore you open whether you liked it or not.

Janus was only Janus now, and he was powerless, and he had nowhere left to hide.

Janus swallowed, pulled the chips and soda to the counter, and let his hair fall across his face as the cashier rang him up. Their eyes still skated across his scar, and Janus pretended he didn’t notice. He ordered a hamburger as well and drummed his fingers on the counter until he was handed it. It smelled only vaguely like a hamburger. Good enough.

Janus ran all the way back. He grabbed his stuff from the trash can, tucked it under one arm, and kept to the shadows like that would hide him from himself. He almost expected his idiots to be gone from the alley when he returned, or for one of them to be lying in a pool of blood. However, he just saw Princey and Logic, right where he’d left them.

“He’s awake!” Princey declared as Janus stepped closer. “And I did not holler for you because I value my dignity!”

“I can speak for myself,” Logic complained, glaring at both of them.

“How do you feel?” Janus asked. He set the food down in front of them. Princey grabbed some chips and soda eagerly, while Logic hesitantly reached for the hamburger, wincing as his shoulder twisted.

“Easy,” Janus murmured.

“I’m fine,” Logic said. He nibbled at the hamburger and his face twisted. “This is the best you could get?”

“Don’t thank me all at once,” Janus complained. He dug his feet into the wall and scaled it to the first landing of the fire escape. He sat down and let his legs dangle through, wind playing across his skin.

Princey was gobbling chips at an alarming rate. Logic was taking small bites of hamburger and sipping at soda. Janus watched them both to make sure they weren’t going to collapse--they both seemed somewhat steady, which was good.

Good for what, he wasn’t sure. It definitely wasn’t good for attacking them. Then again, if Janus’ theories were correct, they were both powerless. He could attack them whether or not they were injured, and he’d win, because if powers weren’t in the picture Janus was the strongest and the fastest and the most skilled.

This made everything easier on him.

It also was the worst possible scenario ever.

Janus sighed and curled his hand around the fire escape. His fingers slipped on the metal. Of all the days to wear fingerless gloves.

He glanced down at Logic and Princey again. Logic was wiping at the dried blood on his suit. Princey was doing some hesitant stretches, chip dust around his mouth.

“Don’t strain yourself,” Janus called down without thinking.

“What do you care?” Princey fired back with a smirk.

Janus rolled his eyes instead of responding.

“Dee,” Logic said weakly.

“Yeah, Lo?”

“What are you wearing?”

Janus started and looked down at his old yellow t-shirt and black jeans. “Clothes?”

“You’re not in costume.”

“Yes, because I could totally have gone shopping in full costume, they’d give me a discount for being a hero to the city.” Janus leaned forward and tucked his chin over the fire escape. “What, like what you see?”

“Of course not,” Logic said. “I was just...surprised.”

“I don’t wear nothing under the costume,” Janus pointed out.

“Anyway,” Princey interrupted. “Um. We all seem to be okay and somewhat chatty, so may I ask--what now?”

“I don’t know,” Janus drawled, “do you have any expert advice?”

“Let’s start with what happened,” Logic said, hand raising to rub at the back of his head. “I remember fighting you, on the roof? Then...we fell.”

“You did indeed fall,” Janus said. “And I caught you in my own arms and carried you to safety.”

“You did?”

“No, you both clocked your heads on the pavement like a pair of idiots.” Janus pulled at his gloves. “Anything to say for yourselves?”

“I didn’t fall on purpose!” Princey argued, folding his arms. “Logic dropped me!”

“What?” Logic’s face screwed up in an emotion Janus couldn’t name. “I didn’t. I would never--”

Janus opened his mouth to explain what had happened. The words died on his throat. Maybe he could just lie to them about it, until he was far enough away to escape, to run and find a new identity and never see the two of them again.

But he had a duty to the city to kill them, a duty to himself to see this through--and a duty to them to explain.

“We’re--” Janus swallowed. “Princey, did you touch Logic, by any chance? Skin-to-skin?”

“What?” Princey blinked. “Um, did I--oh! I did! But what does that--”

“Oh, no.” Logic’s voice was quiet. “Oh, no, no, no--”

“Calm down,” Janus hissed, “let me explain to Princey here--”

“No.” Logic shook his head. “No, that’s not--”

“Let me explain to you, then, because unfortunately--”

“No!” Logic stumbled to his feet. “No, I can’t--we can’t--I’m not--”

“What’s happening?” Princey asked, his voice taking on a terrified edge. “What--what happened?”

“You both lost your powers,” Janus reported, his voice dull. “I touched Logic here, and I lost my own, so I’m assuming the three of us are soulmates.”

“What?” Princey yelled.

“No.” Logic squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “No, no, no--”

“Will you calm down and let me finish?” Janus snapped. “This isn’t such a disaster, I’m sure there’s some way to reverse it--”

“It’s fate!” Princey looked about to either cry or punch something. “You can’t fight fate, Deceit, no matter what--”

“No.” Logic stared at his hands and stumbled backwards until he hit the wall with a thud. He wrapped his arms around himself, one hand seizing his sword, his eyes clamped shut.

“Hey.” Princey’s anger wavered. “Logic? You...good?”

“I can’t--” Logic’s voice choked itself off. “This can’t--”

Janus stared at him as he pressed himself into the wall, shoulders shaking.

Oh.

Princey was watching Logic with a kind of helpless worry. Logic himself looked about three seconds from falling to his knees. And Janus was still sitting on the fire escape, because it gave him several outs from the situation. It was better to be above the ground for surveillance purposes.

Janus sighed and vaulted over the fire escape, dropping to the ground in front of Logic.

“Hey.” Janus held up his hands and stepped forward. “Okay, Lo, I’m going to need you to breathe. Alright?”

Logic nodded briefly.

“In and out. Slowly.” Janus motioned at Princey to take a step back, and Princey did so, without hesitation. “You’re okay, Lo, I promise. We’re all okay right now, and we’re going to figure this out.”

“You’re trying to kill me,” Logic managed, his voice tight. A ghost of a smirk flickered over his face. “I hardly call that safe.”

“I’m not killing you,” Janus said. “Not yet, anyway. We have to figure this out first.”

“What is there to figure out?” Princey asked, his voice hushed. Maybe he was trying to stay quiet so as not to overwhelm Logic. Janus found that strangely endearing. “It happened. We--we lost our powers. There’s no going back from that.”

Logic shuddered.

“We lost our powers!” Princey burst out, apparently unable to keep himself quiet ay longer. “We lost them, and what am I supposed to do now, Remy is going to be pissed and this is my only source of income and I don’t want to die, thank you!”

“Nobody is dying!” Janus protested, which was probably a blatant lie. But Princey and Logic being anxious was making him anxious and he needed to get them to calm down. “I’m sure there’s a way to reverse being soulmates with someone--”

“You can’t!” Princey yelled. “You can’t, we’re stuck with each other, and I--” Princey’s fist slammed into the wall behind him. He swore and stuck his pinky in his mouth.

“It’s impossible,” Princey whispered when he’d stopped nursing his bruised hand. “Even for you, Mr. Smarty-Pants Deceit.”

“I don’t know,” Logic said slowly, drawing their attention. He’d mostly uncurled and his eyes were alight with a spark Janus recognized. It was the gleam of an idea. And Janus woudl be lying if he said it didn’t make him breathless with anticipation. “I think a lot of things are possible if you go to the right sources.”

“There are rumors,” Janus agreed. “In the black market, the underbelly of the city, so to speak. People can do a lot of things when nobody’s looking.”

Princey still looked skeptical, but he wasn’t punching the wall again, so that was a start.

“If we track down some of those leads,” Logic said, eyes widening, “we could possibly--”

“Ge our powers back,” Janus finished. “It would be like we’d never met in the first place.”

“Hold on, hold on.” Princey raised his hands. “I’m all for getting my super-awesome powers back, but we’re just going to trust Deceit on this? He’s literally named Deceit! This isn’t even his real face!”

Janus winced. “No. No, it is. I lost my powers too, remember?”

“Oh.” Princey paused. “I--right.”

“It’s fine.” Janus turned away, feeling his scar itch. “We’re all getting used to this.”

“He raises a fair point, though.” Logic was staring at Janus intently as if he could get all the answers he needed by parsing Janus’ eyes. Janus stared right back because he knew Logic couldn’t find a single thing. “Why are you helping us? Why--why did you help this? Is this all some sort of plot?”

“If it was, I wouldn’t tell you.” Janus looked at Princey, who also looked curious. “Oh, come on, are you two really going to question this? Would you rather I go slash-slash and lop your stupid heads off?”

“No,” Princey admitted, “but you have to admit, this seems...out of character. For you.”

“Undoing our soulmate bond serves me, too,” Janus said. “I can’t do my job in only one face.”

“Wear a mask,” Logic suggested. “It works well for me.”

“Being a shapeshifter is my brand!” Janus huffed. “Besides, I--if given the opportunity, I would prefer not to look like this all day. It...draws attention.”

Princey was watching him with what Janus was pretty sure was pity. He bristled.

“I like your hair,” Logic said.

Janus blinked at him. When it became clear Logic was dead serious, Janus laughed. “What?”

“Your hair.” Logic tilted his head. “And your...face-shape? It is aesthetically pleasing.”

“Are you trying to compliment me?” Janus said incredulously.

“Yes?”

Janus stared at Logic for a few more seconds. Predictable he might be, but he also managed to surprise Janus in perhaps the best way possible.

“Well,” Janus said, recovering himself, “good to know my charms are still in working order.”

“Er, I’m the charming one here,” Princey said. “Don’t steal my thing.”

“Of course. Apologies.” Janus looked around at the alley. The sun was almost set, leaving them standing in darkness. The city would be crawling with menaces both powered and non, and usually, Logic or Janus would be in the thick or it. Or Princey would be there, one of the perpetrators.

How would things work without the city’s biggest hero and fiercest villain? Or without the vigilante who kept them both in check?

It was unfair to the city to keep things this way. Logic and Princey might be nuisances, but they were familiar nuisances, and Janus would take murderers he knew how to handle over mysterious new threats any day. Besides, Janus couldn’t even imagine life without his powers, life with only one identity, no fallbacks or shields for when people came after him.

Janus needed to fix things.

And perhaps it was impossible, like Princey said. Or perhaps not, like Logic said. Either way, they’d find out together.

It was worth a shot.

“So we’re doing this?” he clarified, looking at his two worst enemies, his soulmates. “We’re going to try and get our powers back.”

Princey chewed on his lip, then squared his shoulders and nodded. “I’m not going back to the bottom of the heap.”

Logic nodded to himself. “They need me. And--I can’t exactly let everything I’ve done be for nothing, can I?”

“You do realize,” Janus said slowly, “we’re all going to kill each other one day.”

“Yeah, that’s the fun part!” Princey grinned. “It wouldn’t be sporting to fight an un-powered opponent!”

“We’ll kill each other,” Logic agreed. A smile flickered across his face. “But not yet.”

He held out a hand. Princey placed his on top. Both of them turned and looked expectantly at Janus.

Janus swallowed.

He wasn’t going powerless, and he wasn’t going without faces to hide in, and he wasn’t going to try this alone.

They would all kill each other--but not yet.

They all hated each other, but that wasn’t Janus’ problem.

This was the opposite of safe, but Janus couldn’t help but try, because what was the use of an opportunity if he didn’t take it?

Maybe he’d regret this.

But Logic and Princey intrigued him.

And how would he know unless he took the plunge?

Janus put his hand on top.

“Fantastic,” he said, and found himself smiling. “Let’s go mess with fate.”

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[fandom-imagines-stories]

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Gif credit @rainbow-motors

Dean Winchester x Reader 

Words: 1518

Summary: Alone on a hunt for the holidays, 19-year-old Dean calls up his childhood friend. 

Notes: I’ve been obsessed with Young Jensen content and I found this gif (Thanks to the creator!) and I really wanted to write something for a younger Dean. Call me lazy, but I didn’t want to include the hunt itself in this one. I thought writing the moments before and after would be cute, so enjoy! (Bit of a mess, but I hope you like it)

Want more Supernatural? Find it HERE

-

“Hey Sammy, it’s me,” Dean started the voicemail grimly. It was the third one he’d left for his younger brother, “I know you’re not happy with me and that’s why you won’t take my calls, but dammit man, I’ll be back as soon as I can. It’s just another hunt Sam. I’ll be back before you can say Hanukkah.” He thought for a moment before finishing. “Merry Christmas, Sammy.” 

He ended the message and tossed his phone on the motel bed with a huff. He knew Sam was pissed about him going on a hunt alone, especially over Christmas, but he didn’t think the silent treatment was going to last this long. Dad gave him an order and he wasn’t going to let him down. 

Dean sat down in front of a pile of books and sighed. He hated the research parts of hunts. He just wanted to kill the son-of-a-bitch. Unfortunately, he wasn’t totally sure what this particular son-of-a-bitch was. Over the course of seven years, 15 kids have gone missing right around Christmas time. No notes, no bodies, nothing. If his dad had any theories, he certainly hadn’t shared them. So research time it was. 

About three hours and two illegally obtained beers later, he had a couple of theories ready. It didn’t seem like a spirit or vampires, and without heartless bodies, it wasn’t a werewolf. Since the disappearances always happened around the holidays, he figured that the creature might have Pagan roots. Either that, or it could be a Grinch of a witch somewhere. Whatever it was, it was sure putting a dent in his holiday. 

Maybe that’s why he dialed the number. Sure, his dad told him he needed to do this on his own, but if it really was some Pagan entity, he wasn’t really sure he could take it on by himself- not that he would ever tell his father that. As far as his dad was concerned, Dean could handle anything that the dark world threw at him. But right now, looking at the Christmas lights through the frosty motel window, he wanted a friend. 

“Jack Frost, can’t say I was expecting a call from you.” Your amused voice made Dean smile. You had the phone wedged between your shoulder and your ear as you painted your toenails Christmas Tree green. Just because you were a badass hunter didn’t mean you couldn’t be festive. 

“Hey Y/N,” Dean chuckled, pushing away from the book covered table and cracking open another beer, “how’ve things been on your side of the Midwest?” 

“Oh, you know, vengeful spirit here, vampire there, nothing too exciting.” You twisted the top back on the polish and hopped off the bathroom counter, being careful when you walked so you didn’t get any polish on the carpet. “Mom’s been off with the twins, trying to give them a little bit of a normal Christmas up in Oregon.” 

“Why aren’t you with them?” Dean wondered. Your family wasn’t like his family. You and your mom somehow made it work. You weren’t usually separated, at least not for long. 

“I had a hunch that someone else was going to be needing me this year.” Dean let out a long, frustrated groan.

“Sam called you, didn’t he?” 

“Sammy boy was worried that you’d have a lonely Christmas so he asked me to hang around in case you needed some help.” You shrugged.

“Hang around? What do you mean hang around?” 

“Come to room 114 and find out Dean-o.” With a smirk, you hung up and waited at the foot of your bed, flipping through channels on the television. You settled on a channel that was playing The Year Without a Santa Claus. 

When you heard the knock on the door you walked on your heels to open it. Dean gave you an annoyed glare, but you could tell he was happy to see you. He barreled passed you, nearly knocking you off balance. 

“Watch the feet!” You whined, pointing at your newly painted toes. Dean rolled his eyes. 

“You painted your toenails?” He scoffed. “What are you? 13?” 

“Don’t be a Scrooge, they look nice.” You had long been able to handle Dean’s snarkiness. 

Your mother had run into John Winchester back in 1990 on a spirit case. Dean was 11, you were 10 and Sam and the twins were about 7. While your parents took down the ghost, you and Dean had to babysit. While he was obnoxious at first, the two of you got along pretty well. You bonded over being the oldest siblings, constantly having to look out for your kid brothers, worrying whether or not your parents would come home, remembering the parent that you’d lost, for Dean, it was his mother to a demon, for you it was your dad to a werewolf. 

After that, John and your mom would sometimes meet up if only to have you and Dean look after the younger kids. You even ended up going to the same high school for a while. Dean was probably the closest thing you had in your monster-hunting world to a best friend. And you, not that he would ever say it, were the closest thing he’d ever had to a crush. 

“I think I may have a lead on what we’re looking for here.” You informed, tossing him your journal. Astonished, Dean scanned the page. 

“How did you-”

“I’ve been researching gods in my free time.” 

“You are such a nerd.” Dean scoffed, taking a closer look at something you wrote. 

“Yeah well this nerd has saved your ass more than a fair share so shut it, Winchester.” You smirked, snatching back your journal. “Based on the case files of the missing kids, I have an idea of who we might be dealing with. Gryla is from Icelandic folklore and she, uh, eats naughty children.” 

“And here I complained about the coal.” Dean grimaced. 

“If we don’t figure out where she is, these kids become Christmas dinner.” While you dove into more research, Dean looked over your shoulder at the TV. 

“Are those puppets?” 

You scrambled to turn off the TV, but Dean stole the remote. 

“It’s a Christmas classic.” You reasoned, feeling yourself turn red. “I watched it with the twins all the time when we were kids.” 

“I think it’s adorable.” He leaned ever so closer to you without realizing it. Like a magnet pulling you together, you found yourself inching closer and closer until-

“Are we going to hunt this thing or not?” You suddenly exclaimed, backing away quickly. He was just kidding around. Dean was always pretty flirty. It was just part of your friendship. He didn’t feel that way about you- the way you felt about him. 

-

You burst through your motel room door, half carrying Dean in with you. In a panicked rush, you sat him down on the bed and scrambled to find your first aid kit. 

“At least we beat the damn thing, right?” Dean smirked before wincing at the pain. His wound wasn’t life threatening, but it sure hurt like a bitch. 

“This is going to hurt.” You warned, turning on the radio to drown out any pained sounds that Dean made. As you cleaned the wound, his eyes were locked on you. You tried not to notice. It was the pain that was making him look at you like that. You covered the wound with a bandage and put a fair distance between the two of you. You hoped he couldn’t see how much you were shaking. 

“Everything okay?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah, yeah everything’s fine, Dean.” You lied, laughing nervously. “I just got kinda freaked out when I saw her attack you.” 

“You sure that’s all that’s bothering you?”

“I thought you were going to die, Dean, I think that’s a sufficient reason to be a little jittery.” Dean got up from his place on the bed and walked towards you. 

“We’ve known each other for how long, Y/N? I can tell when you’re not telling me the whole story.” 

You ignored him, electing to listen to the Christmas music coming from the radio instead. It was one of your favorites. You mouthed the words to yourself. 

“Through the years, we all will be together. If the fates allow.” 

“Fate hasn’t exactly been our friend.” You scoffed. 

“Huh?”

“The song. It says ‘if the fates allow’. Fate doesn’t seem to like us this year.” 

“I don’t believe in all that.” Dean said, shaking his head. “And if I did, it looks like ‘fate’ has had it out for me for the past fifteen years.” 

“Fair enough.” You crossed your arms over your chest, watching snow start to fall outside the window. Neither of you said anything. You both just watched the white flecks tumble down to the earth. You turned around and found him standing right behind you. It didn’t startle you. It felt like he was meant to be close to you. You breathed in slowly before whispering. “Merry Christmas Dean.” 

“Merry Christmas.” 

You didn’t need any mistletoe for what came next. 

[barnes-dameron]

Just a Little Mix-Up

*gif not mine*

Modern!Poe Dameron x reader

Word Count: 3.8k

Summary: Two identical folders: one containing boring office work, the other containing race pictures of you. What happens when your crush of three years, Poe Dameron, accidentally has the latter? 

To say that your heart was going the same speed of a race car during the final lap of the Daytona 500 was an understatement. You prayed that the world would open up and swallow you rather than have the most embarrassing event in history happen to you. You tried to think back on what went wrong; what you could’ve prevented from something like this happening to you. 

The last thing that you wanted to happen, happened. Poe Dameron, your crush of three years, has ever exposing pictures of you. After a deep breath in effort to clear your mind, you went back, and assessed the events that led up to this horrific one. 

One month ago...

The cafe was alive with both loyal and new patrons as the usual band played their new music. You always loved this place. The people were always interesting, the music lifted spirits, and everything on the menu was perfected to a delicious and savory taste. There was no way you could’ve found this place on your own. Finn, a friend from the office at which you both worked, invited you to the cafe one evening to meet his friends, Rey and Poe. 

The moment you saw Poe, butterflies erupted in your stomach. The last time something like that happened was a middle school crush. You thought he would be charming, but instead he was a huge dork with the brightest smile in the galaxy. It relieved you to know that he was human instead of some mythical god. After that night, it wasn’t just Finn inviting you out but Poe as well. On multiple occasions, Poe has freely confessed to you that he enjoys your company and sarcastic sense of humor. Especially since he could make jokes with you that Rey and Finn wouldn’t understand. Apparently, to him, you two have more in common than what he has with Finn and Rey. These interactions only made your feelings grow, but you always kept them to yourself. You didn’t think you weren’t enough for him or anything. But the fear of losing his friendship and the risk of the friendship being awkward in case of rejection prevented you from voicing your own feelings. However, you were content with the friendship for now. At this point, you and Poe were so comfortable with each other that he would put his arm around your shoulder while walking or sitting. Whenever you got cold, he would lend you his jacket. You hated how you cherished these little displays of affection. You consistently have to remind yourself that things are platonic, and will remain platonic. 

But you weren’t at the cafe for Poe. You sat a table, waiting for your friend, Lina. You and Lina have been friends since high school, and were always there for each other for the good and the bad. Sometimes you would talk to her about Poe, which she always replies with “Don’t be a baby, and just tell him,” to which you ignored. She texted you this morning saying she wanted to see you. 

Lina came in, greeted you with a hug like always, and sat across from you at the table. After some small talk and catching up on each other’s lives, Lina’s demeanor changes before your eyes. Her usual smile disappeared, her stare turns towards the table, and she starts to fidget with her hands. 

“Y/N,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I need to ask you a favor.”

Your heart sank. Surely this must be something serious if she’s so nervous to ask. 

“Of course,” you replied. “Anything.”

“So you know I’m in fashion school,” she began, and only going further after a nod from you. “Well, there was an assignment where we design and reproduce an article of clothing. For the assignment, we need to bring in the clothes and have pictures of someone modeling the clothing. My model dropped out on me, and I need a new one. And I was wondering if you can do it?”

The question confused you, but you were glad it was this kind of favor and not one asking for an organ. This would be a walk in the park. 

“Are you kidding me?” you said. “Lina, I would love too. It sounds like fun.”

“Really?” she squeaked, light returning to her eyes and a smile reemerging to her face. 

“Yeah,” you replied. “What kind of clothing is it?” 

“Lingerie,” Lina said. 

Your heart stopped. 

“Lingerie?” you repeated. “Lina, I can’t do that!”

“Why not?” she retorted. “Give me one reason you can’t model lingerie?”

“Look at me,” you said while making a hand gesture towards your body. “I don’t have the confidence to pull it off. And frankly, I’m not comfortable with your class seeing half naked pictures of me.”

“Okay,” Lina started. “You have a great body and you could totally pull this off without a problem. Once you try it on and we get some good music on, you’re not going to want to take it off. And besides, my professor will be the only one seeing it. Other than her, me, you, and the photographer, no one else will see those pictures. You can trust me on that.”

Maybe it was her reasoning or your kind heart, but you made the decision that would set the spark to the bomb that would become your downfall. 

“Okay,” you sighed. 

Two weeks ago...

You stood in the dressing room, facing the mirror while cringing. Why did you agree to this? You looked over yourself in the black lingerie set that Lina designed and made. Your breasts were pushed up to the max, the lace clung to your torso like a second layer of skin, and the panties barely covered your front much less the back. Lina styled your hair and did your make-up before you went in to change. You probably would’ve stayed in the changing room if it hadn’t been for Lina’s impatient shouts. You sighed heavily, and opened the door. 

“Look at you, sexy,” Lina said as soon as she saw you. 

You rolled your eyes, and approached her. 

“Lina, I look ridiculous,” you hissed, not wanting the photographer to hear. 

“Okay first off, don’t say that because I designed that,” she replied, holding up a finger to accompany her offended look. “And second, you look great. You’re just not used to seeing yourself this gorgeous.”

There was a certain truth behind her words. You rarely ever put on lingerie, and rarely had a chance to do so. Ever since meeting Poe, your love life went down the drain. Every man you met who seemed remotely interested in you, you immediately turned down. You came to terms that you liked Poe, and it wasn’t fair to pretend to reciprocate feelings towards other men who aren’t him. Maybe if something does happen between you and Poe, you could wear this for him. Lina did say you can keep it after her professor grades it. 

“You’ll feel better once I put on music,” Lina said kindly, while stroking your arm up and down. 

She was right. Once the music was turned on, your whole demeanor changed. You went from shy and embarrassed to confident and outgoing. You posed left and right, showing off certain parts of the lingerie. You felt sexy. You showed off your ass and breasts, flipped your hair while giving the over the shoulder look, and gave flirty and seductive looks to the camera. At this point, nothing could’ve brought you down. You felt euphoric and gorgeous. For the first time, you felt like you were on top of the world. Once the shoot was done, you, Lina, and the photographer examined all the pictures. 

“Damn, Y/N,” Lina exclaimed. “You look so sexy. These pictures could be on the cover of Playboy.”

“These might be the best pictures I’ve ever taken,” the photographer mumbled to himself. 

“Okay, cool it,” Lina warned. “Can you print all of these?”

“Yeah, no problem,” he said. “I could get them to you after about a week and a half. I still got to play with them a bit.”

“Okay,” Lina replied. “Just make sure you don’t play with yourself while playing with the pictures.”

You couldn’t but laugh while watching the interaction. As you made your way back to the changing room, Lina caught up. She walked besides you when saying:

“I’m serious. You looks so hot, I swear some of those pictures look like scenes from some porno.”

You laughed again, before shaking your head. 

“Well, I’m glad you liked them. Just make sure that no one else sees them.”

“I promise,” Lina swore. 

You smiled at her before walking into the changing room. A part of you didn’t want to take the lingerie off. You wanted to keep it on. You wanted to call Poe while wearing it. You wanted to show it off to him. But reality came back just as fast as the fantasies. You took off the outfit, and set it aside. Little did you know that the outfit was the device to your own destruction. 

Yesterday

After a long day from work, Finn invited you to his apartment for dinner. You immediately accepted his offer, knowing that you’d get to see Poe. You told Finn you had to stop by the printing place before going though. Lina asked you to get the photos from the shoot since she’ll be in class. 

The photos were the size of average pieces of paper and came in a plain manila folder. Simple pick-up, but the cashier did give you weird looks and wrote his number on the back of receipt. You immediately knew that he looked at the pictures, but you figured you’d never see him again so why care?

Once outside the printers, you opened up the folder and skimmed through the pictures. You couldn’t even recognize yourself. It was like looking at your alter ego. Your sexy, confident, alter ego. You smiled to yourself, secretly loving how you looked in the photos. Shaking your head, you closed the folder and headed to Finn’s place.

Once you got there, you saw that Rey already arrived and was helping Finn out by setting the table. When she saw you come in, she came over to greet you as you placed the folder on the kitchen counter. 

“Hey Y/N,” Rey said, coming up beside you. “What do you got there?”

“Just something for my friend,” you replied, shrugging off the topic. “But I think the real question is, what is Finn cooking over there?”

The two of you laughed, while Finn mocked you two from his place at the stove. He wasn’t the best cook, but he was better than the three of you combined. Rey grabbed some beers from the fridge, and you talked about how Finn accidentally used hot sauce on his lunch instead of ketchup today at work. You were doing well until Poe came. 

Your heart began to pick up as you watched him take off his jacket. Poe let out a loud sigh before slamming down a manila folder on the counter. 

“I’m so overworked!” Poe yelled, before going straight to the fridge for a beer. “Leia has been giving me so many project lately since Ben has been slacking off. I mean, what is that guy even doing anymore? I’ve got so much work that I had to bring some home.”

“Oh, that sucks,” you said, immediately scolding yourself after saying that. 

That’s the best you got, you thought to yourself. 

“I really need this,” Poe sighed, after taking a long swig from his beer. Poe moved around the kitchen island towards you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pushing you against his chest in a half hug. You heard Poe hum, which went straight through you and caused your heart to skip a beat. He let you go with a smile on his face. “I needed that too.”  

The dinner went smoothly, but you did have a little too much to drink. You were still sober enough to get home, but you were a little tipsy. You gave out your goodbyes, grabbed your folder, and left Finn’s apartment. 

That little mistake will cost you dearly in the end. 

Earlier today...

You met up with Lina at the cafe per her request. It started off as an ordinary day. You ordered your drink and waited for Lina to come. And when she did, you two talked about your respective personal lives, catching up on the past couple of weeks. 

“Oh, hey,” Lina said, changing the conversation. “Did you pick up the pictures?”

“Yes, I did,” you replied proudly, producing the manila folder from your bag and placing it on the table. “And you were right. Some of them were border-lining porn.”

Lina took the folder with a laugh escaping her lips. You watched as she opened the folder and gave out a mocking laugh, different from the previous one. You gave her a confused look before she said, 

“Very funny, but where are they?”

“What do you mean?” you asked. “They’re there, aren’t they?”

“Y/N,” Lina said, her voice tone changing to a more serious one compared to her carefree attitude. “This is just budget forms and analysis sheets from Organa Co. Where are the pictures?”

In that moment, the memories from last night flashed before your eyes. You remembered there being two identical folders on the counter, but you for sure thought you picked the right one. Your heart began to race at the implication. 

Poe Dameron has the sexy lingerie photos of YOU. 

Your mouth began to dry and heat rushed to your face. You got up from your seat at the cafe in a hurry, grabbing your bag and the folder. 

“I have to go,” you uttered, before sprinting to the door and down the sidewalk. 

The present... 

You ran down the sidewalk, avoiding people the best you can in effort to reach Organa Co. in time. A part of you hoped that Poe didn’t see the pictures last night when he got home. You hoped he just went straight to bed after drinking so many beers at Finn’s. You hoped that he didn’t have time yet at work to open the folder. 

You cursed yourself for grabbing the wrong folder. You cursed the model who cancelled on your friend in the last minute. You cursed Lina for choosing to make lingerie instead of a jacket or something else. But mostly, you cursed yourself for agreeing to model and posing for those pictures. You could’ve said no, but you had to say yes.

Sweat began to glisten on your skin as your work blouse clung onto your upper back. Multiple times you had to push the hair out of your face in order not to bump into the street carts and newspaper stands. Your heels began to break out in blisters the faster you ran, but you ignored the pain. Quite honestly, you preferred the pain over suffering humiliation from the only man you have a crush on. 

As you approached the building, a short sigh of relief came to your lips. But your mission wasn’t done just yet. You pushed through the glass doors and went up to the third floor where you knew where Poe worked. At this point, you didn’t care about your disheveled appearance. You just wanted your damn pictures. 

You walked into the office with a calm atmosphere around you, contradicting your appearance. You walked between the aisle way of desks in seek of Poe’s small office space. You tried to ignore the stares you got from the other employees, but they were burning into you as if someone were pressing hot spoons against your skin. Your grip on the manila folder tightened as you approached the door with the plaque that read “Poe Dameron: Manager.”

You took a deep breath, trying to still your beating heart for even a minute. Closing your eyes briefly, you knocked on the door, the sound reverberating within your ears. You heard a muffled “Come in,” and then opened the door. 

Poe was sitting at his desk. His dark curls were combed and put in a place that was appropriate for his work setting, much different compared to his late nights with friends where they ran wild. His button up shirt hugged his biceps and stretched over his broad chest, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. You couldn’t ignore the smile that appeared on his face when his beautiful brown eyes landed on you. 

“Y/N,” he said, surprise and excitement in his voice. “What are you doing here?” You watched as Poe got up from his desk and moved around it to perch himself on the front, leaning against the edge. “Not that I mind the surprise.” 

“Hey Poe,” you replied. You scolded yourself for being so unprepared. You should’ve rehearsed what you were going to say. You couldn’t be like ‘Hey Poe, you know those sexy pictures of me? Well, that’s not me trying to make a move on you or anything, those are for someone else. Can I have them back? Thanks.’ You scrambled through your mind to think of the right words to say in a situation like this. “I think there was a little mix up last night. You see, I accidentally picked up your folder instead of mine.”

“Really?” Poe asked. “Huh, I didn’t notice.” 

You have never been more relieved in your entire life. The headache that appeared during the elevator ride up, disapparated. Your breathing came back to normal, and your heart returned to a steady pace. Poe got up from his position and grabbed the manila folder off his desk and held it out to you. You held out your folder in return as the two of you traded off. Once the picture folder was in your hands, you held it to your chest. 

“I’m so sorry,” you breathed out. “This is totally on me.”

“No worries,” Poe replied. “Last night, I was so tired that I didn’t even want to look at work. And today was so busy, that I didn’t even get a chance to glance over the papers in the folder.”

“But you got the right folder now,” you joked, trying your best to remove any tension out of the air. 

“I do, even if I didn’t noticed,” Poe said in the same joking manner. 

“Well, I’ll leave you to your work, then,” you said, making your way towards his door. “Thanks, Poe.”

“No problem, Y/N,” Poe replied, moving around his office to walk you to the elevator. “Thank you for delivering me my folder. Feel free to stop by whenever.”

“Thanks,” you repeated. “Bye, Poe.”

“Bye, Y/N,” he said. 

The elevator doors closed. Now alone, you couldn’t help letting out the laugh that was bubbling up in your chest. He didn’t even look at them. The two of you are fine, and now nothing awkward will be hung over you guys whenever you see each other. You wanted to dance, to scream in victory, but you restrained yourself. That could wait. But, you couldn’t wait to get these pictures out of your life. But you’ll keep the lingerie... 

Later that night...

The sky faded from a baby blue to dark navy as the street lights outside of Poe’s office windows began to turn on. One by one, employees left the office, saying their goodbyes and good nights to Poe as they walked past his office to the elevator. Poe would either wave or return the same pleasantries. Per usual, he was the last to leave the office, but that was part of the job. After the last person left, Poe took one last look around the floor. Once he decided it was clear, he went straight back to his office, and closed the door. He could never be too careful, something that he carried with him from his military days. 

Poe sat in his chair, but pushed it back to access his bottom drawer. Once it was opened, he laid his eyes on the holy artifact. He’d never done this before, and a part of him was against doing such a thing. However, the rational side lost the battle to his desire. He reached in and grabbed the picture and placed it on his desk. 

He felt bad about lying to you, but he knew you like the back of his hand. Poe didn’t want to risk your friendship over something like this. However, he felt even more guilty on keeping one of the pictures from the stack. But it was his favorite. 

You had your back to the camera, but your face was turned to the side so it was still visible, showing off your beautiful profile. He liked the way your skin looked so soft. You were sitting on the edge of something, he couldn’t tell what, but he admired the shape of your ass and how the panties barely gave cover, leaving much exposure. 

Just looking at the picture made Poe’s mouth water and his pupils dilate with lust. He’d be lying if he said he never thought of being with you in an intimate way. He couldn’t help it at times. Ever since Finn introduced him to you, Poe knew he wanted to be with you. He has been trying to hint his intentions on a relationship with you multiple times, but it seems like you mistook his signals for platonic exchanges between friends. Poe wanted to have something more. He wanted dates without his friends accompanying him, kisses that were on the lips instead of on the cheek, and of course, he wanted to make love to you. He didn’t want to fuck, because to him that was impersonal. No, Poe wanted to be in the moment with you; to feel you, to pleasure you, to love you. 

He couldn’t remember how long he stared at the picture. His eyes gleamed over every detail: every scar, every birthmark, every stretch mark, you name it. Poe didn’t even look at the time on his watch until he began to feel the tightness in his pants. Yeah, he’d been staring at it too long. He took a deep breath, got up from his chair, and grabbed his bag. Poe looked down at the image one last time before heading out, debating to himself. Should I leave it here and wait for a good time to give it back or take it with me?

Poe shook his head, turned off the lamp on his desk, and walked out of the office. It didn’t take long for him to comeback, and snatch the picture from his desk. 

“Yeah,” Poe whispered to himself. “You’re coming with me.” 

[writings-n-stuff]

High Tide (Jacob x Reader)

Pairing: Jacob Black (with long hair) x (gender neutral) Reader (who lives on the Quileute reservation)

Summary: After insisting that the reader’s childhood friend (and crush!), Jacob Black, could never charm her, Jacob proves he can sweep them off their feet. In doing so, he reveals his mutual feelings for his forever friend. 

Words: 2,857 words

Content Warnings: a couple swear words, fluff, reader wearing a dress

Note: The reader is written to be Indigenous, a member of the Quileute community. Please keep that in mind!

The beach waves tickled your feet in chilly, bubble-filled water as you watched the sun set in the distance. The tide was coming in at La Push Beach, and though the wind had been blowing heavily all day, you enjoyed the way that the frigid water felt on your skin. 

You spent almost the entire day out at the beach, sitting by yourself and just enjoying the crash of the waves, the smell of the water, the way the cloudy sun bathed everything in a soft, comforting warmth. Being so naturally warm, the slight frigidness of the water and wind was calming for you in a way that almost no one else on the reservation seemed to enjoy. Why would you choose to be cold, your parents remarked, when our community is alive with warmth? When we’ve protected ourselves against the Cold Ones for so long? To nearly everyone else, one overcast day was completely backwards.

Hair still damp and filled with sand already, you lie on your back as the water rolled up and around your body. The bubbles tickled your ears as the waves crept further up the beach. Soon you would have to depart; the tide was coming in, and your mother had made it abundantly clear that you needed to be ready by the time Billy and Jacob Black arrived for dinner. You had decided that sunset gave you a perfect amount of time to run back to your house, shower, and change clothes. You didn’t want to miss a moment with your closest friend.

You closed your eyes, smiled as your thoughts wandered towards Jacob. Long hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a smile to die for, Jacob Black had been the object of your affection since you were kids. Ever since you could remember, he was there: playing in the dirt, racing through the woods, roasting marshmallows, hearing the history of the reservation, passing notes in class. Jacob had been your friend since you could walk, the person you turned to when you scraped your knee or when your parents spent the night arguing. He was always there, a warm hand to hold, a carefully placed joke, and eyes that just seemed to get you.

Almost as long as you could remember being friends with Jacob, you had also been completely head over heels for him. Though his bear hugs, his warm smile and flirty, simmering comebacks been so clearly platonic, you still imagined his actions being rooted in something else. Something that was more delicate, and much deeper. 

“Better get out before you get swallowed up!”

You looked left, right, seeing only beach, water, and trees a little ways away. A laugh already building in your throat, you propped yourself up on your elbows and looked directly behind you. As expected, Jacob was walking towards you with a similar grin. Coming to stop right behind you, he lightly nudged your arm. “I’d still love to have dinner with my best friend,” he stated, crouching down so his face hovered directly above yours, “but I can’t do that if you were swept out to sea.” This close to him, you felt his body heat warm your wind-blown skin. His eyes were light and playful with a hint of something else. Something sizzling. 

Rolling your eyes, you pulled your knees into your body, preparing to stand. “I guess you bring up a good point.” You took your time swiping your arms and legs, getting some of the built up sand off your body, before pushing yourself up on your feet. Stretching your arms above your head, you let out a little yawn. “At least the ocean could sweep me off my feet.”

Hair blowing and curling in the wind, Jacob smirked handsomely as you prepared to walk towards your house. “You think I can’t sweep you off your feet, babe?” he joked, matching his step with yours.

You shrugged, exaggerating your doubtful expression. Your insides fluttered as he used the nickname you jokingly called each other, a secret joke that just stuck after one night of bashing cringey pet names. Though you initially hated the idea of calling someone “babe,” you quickly warmed up to it as Jacob began to use it when he tried his best to annoy you. Now, it only gave you butterflies and wishes that he’d feel the same. “I’m just saying you’ve never done it before, babe.”

The line of residential houses coming into sight, Jacob glanced at you, smiled, then started nodding, accepting his new challenge. “All right,” he said, acting out stretching his arms, warming up his muscles. “I promise, tonight I’m gonna blow you away,” he vowed, eyes staring right at you. There was an excitement there, one that released another round of fluttery feelings in your stomach. He stared at you with so much intensity that you felt a blush warming your cheeks already.

Walking you to your door, Jacob took your hand and squeezed for a moment. Stopping in front of you, his passionate gaze felt too intimate for the outside air. He ran his thumb over the back of your hand, and he moved your connected fingers to his chest, thin t-shirt tightly stretching over what you knew to be a sculpted body. “I’ll see you in a bit, babe,” he said sincerely, running his thumb over the back of your hand.

You were almost convinced that he was honest, almost. A little smile playing at the corner of his lips suggested his competitive strategy. Still, while you just wore a similar t-shirt-and-shorts outfit, you could have been wearing the most elegant gown with the way he stared at you. Or nothing at all, you thought darkly.

Getting more flustered by the second, you playfully punched his chest. “Yeah, whatever, babe,” you retorted, trying hard to diffuse the sudden emotional tension between you. Hiding your quickly warming face, you let go of his hand and quickly made towards your front door. Leaving no time for Jacob to reply, you shut the door behind you and made a beeline to the bathroom.

As you walked inside, Jacob chuckled after you. Why were you so damn cute? Your soft eyes in his mind, he mussed his free-flying hair, determined to make you realize how he felt for you. How he desperately wanted to sweep you off your feet, make you blush, make you laugh, make you want him. He wanted to prove to you that he wasn’t just the boy that launched spit balls at your bullies, but that he was the boy that covered your eyes during the scariest scenes of Monster House, the boy that invited you to stay with him when your parents went out of town for two weeks, the boy that slept on your floor when you had called him, sobbing incoherently. The boy that also stayed home when you were sick, kissed your forehead, wiped cold towels over your cheeks and arms until your fever broke in the middle of the night. He was there, and he wanted to stay.

- - - - - 

Rinsing conditioner from your hair, you thought deeply about Jacob’s sudden change in energy. It all happened so quickly: one moment he was all smiles, the next simmering with all kinds of tension. You couldn’t understand how easily it was for him to shift his mood, and how easily he could gain a reaction from you.

I am so pathetic, you thought, combing the last bits of sand from your hair. Jacob had done things like this before, proving that he could be just another boy that you could crush on instead of his lifelong friend. You fell for it every time. You were just glad to be graced with a sly tongue and a quick mind that could play it off... most of the time.

Turning off the water, you stepped out of the shower and wrapped yourself in a towel. What could he possibly try tonight? Especially when parents were around? Jacob would no doubt let Billy in on the plan, asking him to insist that “the kids have their kid time,” allowing you both to retreat to the backyard or your room or really any setting in which you were alone. This would give Jacob the freedom to truly try anything he could to reduce you to an anxious, romantically confused mess. 

Yes, tonight was going to be interesting for sure

- - - - - 

Unsure about how this evening was going to go, you lingered in your room for a while until your mother impatiently knocked on your door, informing you that Billy and Jacob had arrived. “Come on, honey,” she said, “come greet them! I know Jacob’s excited to see you.”

Frowning one last time in your mirror, you trudged out of your room and into the dining room, where your parents, Jacob, and Billy greeted you warmly. Jacob especially smiled, tilting his head a bit and eyeing the dress you chose to wear, the only piece of clothing which you felt could charm the pants off Jacob back. Stepping towards you, away from the adults’ discussion, he sighed, biting his upturned lip. “You look beautiful,” he beamed, shoving his hands shyly in the pockets of his Nice Jeans, one of his three button downs fitting across his shoulders nicely. Very nicely.

His hair was braided back, just a little more formal than the event called for, but you weren’t complaining. For some reason, a part of this meeting felt like some sort of date: the dressy clothes, the awkward compliments, the steady eye contact. “So do you,” you replied, rubbing the back of your neck, unsure of what to do.

Just as you expected, Billy insisted that the kids “have their kid time,” making you take paper plates loaded with food out to the backyard. You rolled your eyes as your mom raised her eyebrows at you, wanting to comment on Jacob’s change in attire. Somehow, she knew about Jacob’s crush on you and got overexcited whenever he did anything even remotely kind. You just shook your head at her and followed Jacob out to the back porch. 

Having missed Harry Clearwater’s homemade fish fry, the first minutes of your alone time was spent in the usual comfortable silence. Sitting shoulder to shoulder, you and Jacob ate heartily, practically shoveling bites of food into your mouths while you sat on the porch steps, plates balanced on your laps. Having grown up eating with Jacob, it seemed unnatural to even think about being any type of polite. However weird this situation was at the moment, you were still sitting next to your best friend. “This food is so fucking good.”

“When is it not?”

Soon, your eating slowed and the unfamiliar tension came back between you. Taking your plate and his, Jacob placed your dishes off to the side. As he turned back to focus on you, he let out a long, content sigh. “So, tell me about your day.”

The taste of the amazing fried fish still on your tongue, you looked up at the darkening sky. “Honestly? I spent the whole day at the beach,” you replied honestly, curling your toes as you remembered the cool sand on your feet and the saltwater in the air. “The entire day.”

Jacob listened intently, that deep, polite smile on his lips. “Any reason why?” He leaned back on his hands, one arm resting behind your torso, the first step towards an arm around your shoulder. The fish swam around in your gut. “What were you thinking about?”

A sudden burst of confidence, you met his intense gaze fearlessly. “The wind felt so freeing.” You shrugged, your fingers playing with the hem of your dress as you thought. “I don’t know, it all feels connected out by the water, more real. I...” you thought about how to verbalize your day, “I think my memories feel like they make sense out by the sea.” You broke eye contact, chuckling nervously at your sincerity. “It’s kind of silly,” you retreated, already embarrassed to share something so deep. 

Jacob shook his head, expression hanging onto each word. He leaned into you, your shoulder touching his side. As always, he knew exactly where your mind was. “No, I totally get it.” He looked out at the sky. “I kind of feel that way when I’m walking through the woods. Like everything that I am is finally a part of something greater, but that it truly always has been.” He sighed, eyes proving that he was out among the trees, shadows of the canopy’s leaves playing over his face, mulling over the Quileute tradition as he thought about his own journey. “It always seems complicated, but in those moments it all makes sense.”

You nodded, remembering your own collection of days thinking the same thing, resting your head on Jacob’s shoulder. Naturally, he wrapped his arm around you, thrilled to hold you close and smell your freshly conditioned hair. You sighed. “I just don’t want to forget how important this is to me,” you said softly, thinking about how many of your friends, people that you looked up to as a child, had moved away, choosing better jobs or better homes rather than staying within the reservation. Most of your current friends wanted to leave as soon as possible, go to college far away and find some well-paying arrangement. Jacob was one of the few people your age that truly wanted to stay on the reservation forever. Whenever you thought about it, your eyes stung with the possibility of tears. All those memories that you shared growing up could never compare to an expensive life outside of your home. 

You both continued to think, almost in each others’ minds as you subconsciously leaned closer together. Jacob ran a hand over your arm, his warmth electrifying, making your skin feel radiant, awakening somehow. You responded by placing a hand softly on his knee, squeezing lightly, feeling the years-old connection between the two of you. Stars began to shine in the sky, the inky blue settling into the night.

This felt so much more intimate than you had ever dreamed.

“What are you thinking about now?” Jacob asked huskily, breath fanning across your face. You looked up at him, almost startled at his smoldering gaze. He was in love with you. Your heartbeat roared in your ears, a flood of white noise blocking out everything but him. The way he traced circles into your side, his lips held slightly open, eyes half in memory and half caught in you, the realization that your forever friend was looking at you in this way filled you with relief as well as anxiety. When did this happen? you questioned yourself, And how long did I ignore it?

Silently telling yourself to kick up some courage, you carefully practiced your answer in your head once before responding with the honest truth. If you stuttered or tripped on your words, the perfect moment might slip away “I’m thinking about kissing you right now,” you said clearly, answering his question and asking your own. 

As you nervously waited for his reply, Jacob smiled with an incalculable emotion you had never seen so clearly before. “Me, too.” Taking one last breath together, you both seemed to lean in at once, mutually inviting each other’s kiss. 

Waves of emotion crashed around you, and settled in your mutual embrace. The little ball of anxiety that followed you whenever Jacob was around finally released. Filled with all that you had dreamed of and more, Jacob’s lips felt like pure fire meeting yours. Unimaginably soft, his lips moved slowly with yours, your actions mirroring each other’s and almost anticipating the other’s moves and flowing together. 

Fully embracing you, Jacob held you close, resting a hand on your jaw, his thumb lightly grazing your cheek carefully. Your own hands were on his chest, one at the base of his neck, the other curled over his fast-beating heart. You were sure your own heart was running a mile, so distracted by the feeling of his lips on yours, his hands on you, that you were forgetting to breathe. In your distracted state, a small part of you noticed that Jacob had forgotten to breathe, too. 

Just as your lips moved together, you both pulled away in the same moment. Holding each others’ faces in your hands, a tenderness that rarely graced your friendship was showing its full force, bubbling up between both of you. Though the sky was dark, you could swear only a pink and orange sky and puffy clouds surrounded you both. Still riding the high tide that your longest crush felt the same, you couldn’t wrap words around what you were feeling. 

Luckily Jacob found his footing first. Exhaling heavily, a smile radiant with pure love, he said, “I think you swept me off my feet.” He laughed to himself, giddy under your touch and your gaze.

You smiled in kind, kissed his cheek tenderly. “And you swept me off mine.”

[blissfulparker]

12 days of Christmas Day.1

Parings→ tom holland x reader

Summary→ tom plans on proposing to you on Christmas, although when toms been gone for months and left you with Harrison who started to let his feelings for you come back, 12 days of Christmas quickly becomes 12 days of tension

Warnings→ jealousy, fluff, Christmas fluff.

A/n→ this is my holiday au that I was talking about! I hope you guys enjoy and my plan so far is to post everyday of the 12 days December. There is no read more sign because I’m on Mobil and don’t know how to add it but next time I will have one for sure!💕

Warm cinnamon rolls pulled out of the oven as fire wood burned in the fireplace for the first time this season.

You were snowed in, officially snowed in. Most people would complain about the event of it snowing so bad that they can’t go to work or leave the house but you loved it. It was a perfect excuse to not leave the house and made for a day of baking and christmas movies. Harrison was laying on the couch, Tom was supposed to be home soon, everything was perfect for this season. The tree was lit up and each boy had a stocking, even Tessa had her own. You went all out this holiday season and couldn’t wait for the day that made it all worth it.

“Harrison!” You call out and he looks up from the living room couch. “I need your help with the frosting.” Your apron is messy with the flour from the homemade rolls, it was now time to put on the frosting you had chilling in the fridge.

Tom being gone for filming meant that Harrison was here with you. The whole month was Harrison and you bonding and getting closer. At first tom really didn’t care, Harrison had a girl in mind and he knew it wasn’t you. Then Harrison lost that opportunity with the girl and then it was just you. You and him. You and him staying up late doing dishes together, watching movies, taking care of one another when sick, rides to work, everything and anything you needed, you two had given to each other. It was only natural for Harrison to develop feelings, you were gorgeous, beautiful personality, cared about him, and so it was no surprise when he started to feel a little more special.

“Can you do the tray on the right, add as much as you want. These ones are mostly for Tom and he doesn’t like that much frosting.” You smiled and Harrison nodded.

Harrison watched how excited you were, how happy you were about this season and how in 11 days from now you’d be mrs. Holland. If you said yes of course, why would you not? It broke Harrison’s heart a little when Tom told him he’d be proposing to you, that it was officially set in stone that he’d get the ring and pop the question on christmas morning over by the tree you spent a day picking and hours decorating.

“So I was thinking something simple but breathtaking you know? Maybe like a ruby because they’re red and we met around christmas time?” Tom talked to his best friend and brothers in the beginning of November about this act.

“That sounds perfect!” Harry patted Tom's shoulder. Tom couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he thought about it.

“And then I’d propose on Christmas because it’s her favorite holiday and of course our anniversary is two days before Christmas. But like I’d do it on Christmas because that’s normally when we celebrate our anniversary.” He takes a swig of his beer and can’t help the excitement and nerves running through his body.

“She’ll love it mate, I mean she loves you so much and she has so much holiday spirit I mean I know she’ll love it.” Sam encourages and Harrison stays somewhat quiet. He’s happy for his best friend, he’s extremely happy. But the two of you having a wedding would confirm your relationship and love.

“Yeah that’s great mate. I know she’ll love it.” He smiles and pats toms chest.

“You wanna watch Rudolph the rednosed reindeer? I think it’s on.” He offers and you nod with a smile.

“Yeah of course.” You give a soft smile and hit his shoulder playfully because why wouldn’t you want to watch it.

“I don’t know why I even asked, it’s one of your favorites.” He laughs before grabbing the remote.

“You know, I never understood why Tom doesn’t like frosty the snowman. I mean it’s one of the classics and I just love it. I mean he’ll watch it but like...I don’t know.” You shrug and Harrison comes back into the kitchen to frost his side of the cinnamon rolls. You made 36 in total, 12 for you guys and 24 for the Christmas dinner party you were having when Tom got home.

“I love frosty the snowman.” He states with a sleepy smile.

“Maybe that will be our movie.” You tease nudging his shoulder. He looks down at you and how cute you were. He wanted to kiss you, feel just how soft your lips were. but you were Toms, his best friend since primary schools girlfriend.

“What?” You look up and catch him staring. You notice the small amount of flour in his eyebrow and push it out for him. He closes his crystal blue eyes before and takes in the feeling of your hand. “There was flour in your eyebrow, somehow. You didn’t even help.” You chuckle a little and he wraps his arm around your waist.

He doesn’t say anything, his left arm around your waist and his right was holding the stupid spoon used for frosting so tight that his knuckles were white.

“Harrison?” You look at him up and down. His breath was caught in his throat and his heart was pounding.

“Tom wouldn’t have to know.” Was all he said as his grip got somewhat looser.

“Harrison—“ you start again and he feels his body heating up.

“(Y/n), we’ve been in this house together for the whole month of November and half of December. You can’t deny that there’s some sort of tension and feeling between us. We cuddle and watch Christmas movies. Take care of each other. Y-You can’t lie to me and tell me you don’t feel anything.” He looks down at your lips and you shake your head.

“H-Harrison, I love Tom. I-I always have.” You step back and he knows, he knows he’s a dickhead for doing this and he knows this makes him the worst friend in the world but he needed to tell you. It would be worse if he told you before your wedding or before anything big.

“(Y/n), I’m sorry I know I shouldn’t do this and I know I should just push aside my feelings and get over it but I-I can’t.” He says and you drop your spoon and wipe your dirty hand on your apron.

“I can’t kiss you haz. I can’t. I can’t have feelings for you. I don’t have feelings for you. It was fun being here with you because you’re like a best friend. You are one of my best friends and I’m lucky to have you but Harrison, I’m in love with tom, I always have been. You’re my best friend and he’s something else I can’t explain. He’s my boyfriend and I love him. We’ve been together for three years and I’ve loved all of those three years. And you, you’re an amazing best friend I can always rely on.” You sniffle and he nods setting down his spoon not even caring about stupid cinnamon rolls anymore.

“I know, I’m sorry. I respect tom and I respect you. It’s just theses months got a little out of hand. I’m sorry.” He wipes his fingers on the kitchen towel.

“I know, I know. I understand that maybe you saw this as a chance but I just—I can’t do that to tom.” You say and he nods. You look over at the half frosted cinnamon rolls for Tom. You smile at them softly because too much frosting is too sweet, but extra cinnamon is the best.

“Wow, would you look at that?” You look over at the microwave time and Harrison does too. “Tom should be off work by now. I’m gonna call him and say goodnight before he falls asleep. He should be up packing anyways.” You wipe your nose before leaving the kitchen.

“I’ll clean up.” Harrison said as he grabbed the bowls and started placing them into the sink. He tried to distract himself with the warm water that hit his skin.

You flopped onto your bed and let out a sigh. Harrison wanted to kiss you. Harrison thought about you this way for months. He had feelings for you and no one knew. You’d been here with Haz without Tom and he fell for you yet you still somewhat feel guilty for the way you acted. It was somewhat a flirty personality, you’d cuddle sometimes and he’d massage your back some days just like you did his but never did you think it was him falling in love with you.

Your phone rang loudly Abrupting your thoughts and worries. A picture of tom appears on your phone and his name with two hearts.

You don’t hesitate to answer, you slide the FaceTime answer button and see his beautiful face.

“Hey princess!” He’s bundled up in a beanie and snow coat. His lips are slightly chapped and his eyes beg for sleep.

“Hi bubs!” You know harrison can hear and you hate that.

“How’s my girl doing?” He asks and props his phone up on a mug he’s found and starts to take off his coat.

“She’s doing good. I just got done making cinnamon rolls. It was a snowy day in London and so we didn’t go out.” You smile and he comes and sits down at the chair.

“Oh, Haz is still Home? Let me say hi.” He sits back and you look over at your door. It’s best he doesn’t see him right now, not after that state.

“He’s sick, terrible fever. He’s taking a nap right now so he probably won’t be up any time soon.” You smile and he pouts.

“Awe, tell him I hope he gets better. Anyways, you made your famous cinnamon rolls?” He asks quirks an eye brow.

“Every year, you know that.” You smile softly and he moans at the thought of your cooking.

“I can’t wait to be home, your cinnamon rolls sound so good. I can’t wait to be in your arms.” He smiles and folds his arms pretty much flexing his muscles.

“Neither can I.” You blow him a kiss and he blushes.

“Mmh, it’s late isn’t it sweets?” He sees your yawns and you nod looking over at your alarm clock seeing the time. It is late, you’d be surprised if Harrison was still awake cleaning up.

“It’s only 10:30.” You shrug and he sees the sleep in your face.

“Take a shower, or bath, and then go to bed. I’ll be home before you even know it.” He smiles and you blow him one last kiss.

“Love you, have fun for your last day of filming. Not too much fun.” You wink and he lets out a soft chuckle.

“You know I won’t go crazy.” He says before clearing his throat. Harry walks in without even knocking and tom turns back. Harry says something, most likely that they’re going to a pub. “Alright, love you baby. I’ll see you soon!” He smiles and you do too.

“Love you too lovebug.” You kiss one more time.

“Alright bye bye.” The phone goes back to your home screen.

You stare at the picture of you and tom at the airport before he left. The picture was Tom hugging you tight and giving you a kiss on the cheek. He told you that picture was just to remind you that he’d be home before you knew it. The second picture of your lock screen was of everyone and your vacation from Hawaii over the summer, you, Tom, Harry, Sam, Haz, and even paddy was there. All in wetsuits ready for the waves. Your heart pounds as both Tom and Harrison’s arms are around you. You feel your heart beating and you quickly go to settings and change the lock screen to a picture of you and tom again, this time it was a picture of last Christmas where you caught tom playing tug of war with Tessa near the tree. That was the perfect memory. One that made that Christmas perfect.

You thought about calling back tom and telling him about today, you thought about checking Harry’s Instagram story or one of the set mates snapchats to see what they were doing. But you didn’t, you needed to sleep. The day was fine, your Christmas was going to be fine. Everything was going to be fine. Tom came home tomorrow, you two will have a party that same day, and then there will be ten days til Christmas after that.

Everyone and everything was going to be fine, this was your holiday season, this was toms holiday season, hell, this was everyone’s holiday season. No one should be upset this time of year and you were gonna keep it this way.

Please leave feedback it helps me out and let’s me know if you want another part!

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Taglist for 12doc: @bibby-baby

[okayoonoh]

best part (1): lee taeyong

“you don’t know babe, when you hold me and kiss me slowly, it’s the sweetest thing.”

---

- PAIRING: lee taeyong x reader - GENRE: ANGST ANGST ANGST, a little tiny tiny smut in there but it barely counts tbh - RATING: it’s a good M for mature. - WORD COUNT: 4,514 - WARNINGS: it’s sad and there’s a little smut in here. it’s not super explicit tho.

a/n: this honestly makes me sad, but i need to learn to write angst and simply doing it is one of the best ways. i hope you guys like it :,)

---

---

Knock, knock, knock

“Y/N please, let me in.”

Your heart aches at every knock. Every fiber of your being is telling you to keep that door shut, to keep him out and forget about him forever. It’s easier this way, for his career and your’s. Everyone knows that nothing about this is okay, you know it and he does as well.

And yet, why do you find yourself standing up and walking towards the door?

You take slow steps walking towards your front door. You hear his knocking becoming even more desperate, almost as if he thought that the louder he knocked, the quicker you would open your door. 

“Y/N please… just let me in. I just want to talk to you...”

Your hand comes in contact with the doorknob, tears still spilling out of your eyes. You keep telling yourself not to open that goddamn door, over and over like a mantra in your head.

And yet, you find yourself turning the doorknob and looking into those wide tear-stained eyes you told yourself you’d never see again. The second the door opened wide enough for him to enter, he wrapped his arms around you, holding the back of your head, pressing your sobbing form against his body. You grasped onto the grey sweater he was wearing, sobbing. You want to break away from him. You want to live far away so you’ll never have to see him anymore. You want to push him away. You want to live a life without him. 

It’s crazy, really. 2 months ago, your mindset about him was complete the complete opposite. 2 months ago, you thought you’d never push him away. 2 months ago you were his best friend, the one friend that stuck with him when he became an idol. You told him everything and he to you. Any little issue and accomplishment, he told you. Any little exam you passed and depressing mood you’ve been in, you’ve confided in him. You never thought you would ever want to let him go, he was your lifeline, the one and only thing you’ve ever wanted to hold onto for the rest of your life. He was your best friend, your ride or die. He made you feel so safe and accepted every when you were at your worst. So, why are you sitting here, the most confused you’ve been your entire life, about him? Someone you used to be so sure, so confident that you would never, ever, have to worry about him of all people. Why him?

---

4 months ago

---

“Y/N! Open your door! I have news!” 

You move your laptop to the side as you walk towards your door, rolling your eyes. You know that voice like the back of your hand. You twist the door handle and pull, greeted by the excited expression of your best friend.

“Hyunzie? Why are you here at 10:00 at night? I thought you were at Sicheng’s place?” you quip.

She rolls her eyes, already walking inside of your apartment, “Wow, I love you too. But I was at Sicheng’s place but this news is way too important for me not to tell you now!” 

She stalks over to your kitchen, making herself and you a cup of tea. 

“Okay, Hyunzie, if it’s this important, why are you making me tea?” You ask while accepting the mug she hands you. 

“Because I would like to ‘spill the tea’” Her eyes light up, waiting for your response. 

You give her a true, mint condition, authentic, fake laugh, “Ha ha. Seriously, Hyunzie. I was finalizing some reports while watching the last episode of ‘The Amazing Irish Cooking Show’. What is so urgent that you had to cut me off from Moira taking home the gold?”

“Okay, first of all, Moira doesn’t even win, second of all, why are you so sassy today?” 

“Hyunzie.”

“Fine Mr. Grumpy Pants I’ll tell you. So, I’m just going to tell you the most important thing now since I don’t think you want the build up. We’re moving to Seoul.”

“Hyunzie, stop messing around, just tell me the news and go home, it’s getting late.”

“No, Y/N, I’m being 100% serious. You remember how Sicheng and Taeyong sent in your song to SM? They’re offering us a job!”

You look your best friend directly in her eyes. You know when she’s lying, but none of those signs are being shown right now.

You stutter, “We-- We’re leaving? You’re not kidding me, right? And-- and us? Did they--”

She purses her lips and nods, “Yes! Sicheng sent in my artwork as well, they want me to work for them for their next comeback! We’re moving to Seoul!”

You open your arms, enveloping Hyunzie in the biggest hug. Tears threaten to spill from your eyes. You did it. You’re finally getting a chance to be heard. You can finally put an end to your mindless desk job and do the thing you’ve dreamed of doing ever since, well, ever. 

You separate from the hug and press your hand to your burning cheeks, trying not to freak out too badly. “So, when do we leave?”

Hyunzie doesn’t miss a beat, “As soon as possible. Sicheng has already laid out a place for us to stay until we find a place. I’m ready to go whenever you are. I know it’ll take a while for you to actually quit your job and stuff, but I’ll help you pack and everything! We’re in this together Y/N.”

You nod and grab your laptop from where you set it down. “I’ll send in the 2 weeks now.” Hyunzie nods back, grabbing the remote and pressing play, putting your favorite show back on. 

A couple hours past and Hyunzie fell asleep on the side of your couch when you added the final touch to your reports and your two weeks notice. You yawn, looking towards your best friend. Your heart fills with so much love knowing that she is sticking with you throughout this entire event. Ever since her secret relationship with Sicheng started, she’s been nothing but the best version of herself. No, Sicheng is not the man who “magically” changed her, he knows that, but he also knows that Hyunzie doesn’t need him. Hyunzie and Sicheng compliment each other so well, not one personality being overshined by the other. The sneaking around between the two is something that most couples would hate, but due to the secretive and private nature of the both of them, they find it thrilling to flirt in the shadows and act as complete “strangers”.  

If Hyunzie never took the chance to talk to the cute regular who showed up in the cafe where she worked, you would have never had the chance to even send in your music to SM. Sure, Taeyong could have given you the inside scoop, but you never wanted to seem like you were using Taeyong. Sicheng was willing to stop by and he felt the same about you and your music. He agrees that your music should be shared and with the help of Taeyong, your music now has a greater chance than ever before. 

Ring ring ring

Your ears perk as you look at the caller ID. Speak of the devil.

“Y/N, it’s me! Did Hyunzie tell you the news? I’m so sorry, I finally got a free chance to talk to you, I’m actually in the States right now with the rest of the member--”

“Hey Taeyong-ie, and yes, Hyunzie is actually sleeping on my couch at this very moment. She told be the information like an hour ago? Look, I can’t thank you enoug--”

“Nonsense, I’ve always known your music should be shared. I just didn’t know what time would be best and apparently Sicheng just sent it in today, and I wasn’t even there to see everyone’s reactions!”

You giggle, “Don’t worry about it, Youngie. I’m still in shock with everything right now.” 

“I know, it’s a crazy feeling isn’t it? I can’t even remember what went through my mind when I passed my audition.”

“I honestly am not sure with anything I’m feeling, but I have one thing for certain.”

“Hm?”

“I can’t wait to work with you on the daily. It’ll be just like when we were kids.”

You can practically hear his smile through the phone, your heart flutters at the thought. 

“I know Y/N! It’ll be just like old times! I can’t wait for you to meet the rest of the members, I just hope Johnny and Jaehyun can turn down the flirtiness when you get here. We have no room for any relationships, except for the godly couple of Hyunzie and Sicheng, they are the exception.”

“Amen. Well, I just finished my two weeks. I’m going to send it in tomorrow and begin packing as soon as I can.”

“I’m glad! You can do so much better than that mindless job, Y/N. I always knew you could… You’ve always been so -- What? What do you mean Xuxi broke the entire light structure? -- I’m so sorry Y/N, I have to take care of this. Look, text me if you need anything, I’m down to help you with whatever you need. We leave the States in three days, so I’ll be home to help you by then. I’ll see you when I get home!”

“It’s okay, Youngie, you have your leader duties to attend to. Tell Lucas to be careful and take it easy on yourself, okay? I’ll see you soon, thank you for everything.”

“Thank you too, bye bye!”

The call ends and you hold your phone close to your chest. Even just the sound of Taeyong’s voice makes you happy beyond belief. Imagining spending everyday with him fills you with so much elation, it’s hard to hold back. Taeyong and you grew up together, best friends before you even met Hyunzie. Together, you and him could conquer the world. Your parents would say that, even his sister. You both were notorious for talking the ears off of anyone and everyone and even conducting elaborate pranks you pulled on his sister and even your family members. When he joined SM, he had to move away to Seoul while you stayed in your hometown. He knew that he didn’t want to lose contact with you, and did all he could to make sure you would never lose this close bond the two of you have. There are underlying feelings between you two, you just can’t quite pinpoint it. Or your mind simply won’t let you knowing about all of that negative backlash that you would receive. 

A loud snore shakes you from your thoughts as your eyes shoot towards Hyunzie’s sleeping form. You giggle lightly, grabbing the blanket that drapes off of the side of the bed and lay it on your best friend. You turn off the lamp then head off to your room, getting ready to start this new era of your life. 

---

2 weeks (and, like, 2 days) later

---

Surprisingly, with the help of your movers and all of the free members of NCT, you were able to move and unpack almost instantly. Hyunzie and you basically sold all of your old furniture to buy new ones, so the only things you both had to worry about was your clothes and such. The new apartment is filled with loud music and laughs all throughout as the members all work hard to help you build all of your new furniture from the iconic Ikea. Hyunzie and Sicheng occupy themselves with the coffee table, flirting and lightly arguing more than building the actual surface. You, Johnny, and Taeyong busy yourselves in the kitchen, sorting out all of the dishes and pans, Johnny’s main goal is carefully placing all of your important bowls and dishes in the high shelf. 

“Again, thank you so much for all of your help,” You say, handing Johnny a decorative bowl your mother gave you as a gift when you moved to your own place for the first time.

“It’s no problem! We’re in between comebacks right now, so all we really do is wait for the Dreamies to post ASMR videos or my JCC stuff, but sometimes taking a break and doing things like this is better than filming everything 24/7 y’know? It’s almost therapeutic.” Johnny says cheerfully, giving you a gentle smile. 

“So Y/N,” Johnny begins, lifting the next box and moving to the next set of cabinets, “How did you and Taeyong meet? I know you guys grew up together, but like what’s the history?”

You smile, looking at the boy in the living room who is currently settling the argument between Sicheng and his girlfriend. 

“Well, historically, we’ve just been close friends,”

“No, no. Like, romantically. I’ve seen the way Taeyong lights up when he talks about you. There’s no way there’s no history between the two of you.”

You hesitate when you hand him the next plate. He is right, it’s not like there wasn’t anything going between the two of you, there definitely was something, “Well… if I’m being completely honest, there was. But it all ended when he left.”

Johnny nods, “I see, I see. Well, never say never! You’re back now, so anything could happen. And I mean, if it doesn’t work with him.... I know this tall, Chicago man that is available…” 

He smirks at you suggestively. You pull the towel that rests on his neck then hit his side.

“Hey hey, don’t hate the player, hate the game.” He laughs. You roll your eyes as you grab the empty box and put it in the pile of empty boxes. 

The rest of the afternoon goes rather smoothly as everyone finishes up with your’s and Hyunzie’s apartment. You and Taeyong sit on the couch while Hyunzie and Sicheng sit on the ground, leaning against the coffee table they assembled together. Hyunzie leans her head on Sichengs shoulder, dozing off. A movie plays in the background while you and Taeyong talk softly.

You stretch while Taeyong grabs your attention.

“Y/N, I just wanted to let you know that I’m so happy you’re here now.”

You smile at you him, “I am, too. I finally feel like I’m doing something worth my time, you know?”

He nods at you, “I know what you mean. Look, I also want to apologize for not being there for you--”

“--Tae, I’m going to stop you right there. I completely understand, I wouldn’t still be your best friend if I didn’t understand. I love you, more than you could ever know, Tae. You never have to apologize to me for anything.”

He gives you a somber smile, then gently places his hand over yours, “Thank you for being you. I love you, too.”

Your heart clenches, hearing him say those words truly fills you with joy. You know that he said it platonically, but you for sure didn’t. You honestly don’t mind it being a one-sided love. It’s better this way for everyone. Well, everyone except for you. But you were at peace with it. You know that Taeyong simply can’t be with you; the repercussions are too extreme. But right now, he isn’t Taeyong, the leader of NCT. He’s Lee Taeyong, your childhood best friend and the man you’re completely and utterly in love with.

---

2 months later

---

Your life as a songwriter has been amazing for its first month. Your song was recorded with all of the boys singing it wonderfully; the head producer said the songs you wrote were some of NCT’s best. 

You sit in a studio, laying some tracks over each other when you hear a knock at the door. The clear glass door shows the handsome features of Taeyong and you smile at him, stepping out of your chair to let him in.

He lifts up a plastic bag filled, two boxes of sushi inside. Your eyes light up as you walk with him to the couch inside of the studio.

“I got you your favorite,” he smiles while taking out a box for you.

“You know me so well,”

“Of course I do! I also know that you’re not going to be able to break these chopsticks evenly.”

Snap. Right as he says that, you broke your chopsticks, unevenly at the top. You stick your tongue out at him, giving him some sass.

“Okay you, you’re right but you didn’t have to be.”

He laughs, “I’m sorry. I just can’t resist. Anyway, how is the song-writing going? Are you giving Renjun any insane lines?”

You shake your head, “I’m actually just working on the beat for the rap track right now. Jaemin and Jeno have really increased their rap game from what I can remember. They can deal with something super complex.”

Taeyong nods, “Who would you say is your favorite rapper right now?”

“Between Jaemin and Jeno?”

“No, just in general.”

“NCT in general? Or in general, general?”

“In general, general! Y/N, stop bouncing around the question,” he whines slightly. You snicker. You know he’s trying to get you to say his name, but you won’t give him that satisfaction.

“Well, my favorite rapper right now has to be the rap god of NCT.”

“See! Was that so--”

“Yes, Mark Freaking Lee. Baby Lion really knows whats up.”

“O-Oh…” Taeyong suddenly finds his sushi really interesting as his gaze isn’t on you anymore.

You punch his arm, “Stop pouting dummy, of course I’m kidding. You’re my favorite rapper by default.”

His expression lights up, “Hehe, thank you.”

You both finish up the meal, happy and full. A chime goes off on your phone and you check it, your stomach drops. Even though it’s only your second month working for SM, other companies have noticed your work and they want you to work for them. SM gives you a pretty paycheck, but these other companies want to give you more. After they saw your work with NCT’s comeback, they want to see what else you can do. Other companies are offering you more money for your songs and you genuinely don’t know what to do.

“Tae, I have to tell you something.”

He knows that tone. He knows that you want to talk to him about something serious. “Let’s go for a walk.” 

---

You walk outside, your breath coming out as puffs of clouds because of the cold air. Taeyong walks beside you, walking perfectly at your side.

You hide your head in your scarf, attempting to warm your cheeks, as you sigh.

“Yongie, JYP is offering me a job. They’re willing to pay me almost double what SM is paying me right now.”

Taeyong stops walking as you do too.  “Y/N! That’s amazing!”

You sigh, “That’s the thing. I want to take it, but I love working for SM and more importantly, I love working with you.”

Taeyong sighs and places his hands on your shoulder, causing you to look up at him, “Look, distance has never been an issue with us. Whatever choice you make, you’ll make the right one. I’ll be by your side no matter what happens.”

“Yeah bu--”

“No! No buts. No matter what happens, we’ll be okay Y/N, I promise.”

You look up at him. You take in his beautiful face, something you’re so glad you can see it up close. You look at his big doe eyes, his angled nose and jawline that seem like they were sculpted by the gods themselves. You pay close attention to his lips that are formed in a slight pout. You never realized how soft his lips looked before. You question how they might feel against--

Woah. Where did that come from? 

You sniff as the lump in your throat isn’t so tight anymore. You look back up to his eyes and nod. You know you’ll be happy with whatever you choose because you have him. He gives you a light hearted smile then he reaches for your cold hand, holding it in his warm ones. Your heart flutters, but you don’t question him. This is exactly the amount of comfort you need right now. 

You guys continue your walk, hand in hand, his warmth reassuring you that everything will be okay.

Click. Click. Click.

---

3 months later

---

This all leads you  here. That night, you were being reckless and you or Taeyong didn’t think about the repercussions. Taeyong walked you home that night and you woke up to your social media and your email and your texts all full beyond belief.

New SM employee already cozies up to NCT’S Leader, Lee Taeyong

“Who is this girl? She’s a nobody.”

“It finally makes sense how she got into SM! It’s all Taeyong’s doing!”

“I can’t believe someone is taking our Taeyong away from us! She’s not nearly good enough for him!”

“What does Taeyong see in a girl like her??? She’s not even pretty.”

You read all those comments and immediately shut down. You didn’t realize what had happened that night until you read who the source was from. Dispatch saw you and Taeyong that night and ran with the story. Your whole career and Taeyong’s career was ruined. Hyunzie ran into your room that morning, throwing your phone away from you. You cried. Because that one night, you were so reckless, you ruined your best friends career. You packed a bag then headed back to your hometown, you needed to be away from there for a while.

From that moment, you cut off all ties you had with Taeyong, not even talking to him after that event. You were only thinking for him. It’s better for everyone this way. You took the job with JYP and you have been working there ever since. 

You moved back in with Hyunzie after everything died down a bit. She promised you that she wouldn’t let Taeyong in when he came, but it seemed that he didn’t want to see you either. He didn’t visit you after he learned you moved away. He was away on tour when you came back, so you knew you didn’t have to avoid him.

Except for now.

He just returned from tour and it brings you back here, he’s knocking at your door. God, of all the times Hyunzie chose to be with Sicheng, it had to be now. You’re weak, you open the door and he lets himself in as he hugs you. Your tears spilling into his shirt. 

He holds you tight and he holds you close, seeming scared that you would float away from him if he let go. He holds the back of your head into his chest as he leans into your neck, crying himself.

“Y/N, why?” he sobs quietly. “What happened?”

You don’t answer. You quietly cry into his shirt. You don’t know why. You thought it would be best for everyone this way, but now, in his arms, you realize it wasn’t.

He breaks away from the hug and holds your face in his hands, his tear stained eyes staring into yours. You don’t think it’s possible for your heart to break anymore than it already has, but it does when you see his glossy eyes. He wipes the tears that spill from your eyes as he places his forehead against yours. 

He whispers so softly, “Please, don’t leave me.”

Again, you don’t respond. You gently brush your lips against his and he returns your kiss. He kisses you slowly, your heart clenches. This moment is the sweetest you’ve ever had, but it’s equally the saddest. You’re finally doing the thing you’ve wanted to do for the longest time, but why does it hurt?

You break away from the kiss as he keeps his forehead on yours. You close your eyes, trying to savor the moment. You feel safe, you feel protected, you feel love. 

You know none of this can’t last.

Those happy emotions you feel make everything so much worse. You know that he can’t stay. You know that it can’t be like this. You know that your heart will just break in the end.

He kisses you again, this time with more passion. It hurts, but you can’t stop.

“Y/N please, I’m sorry.”

“Prove it to me, then. Don’t stop kissing me.”

He doesn’t. He holds you so close because it’s almost as if he knows the second that he lets go, you let go too.

Your back hits your mattress, his lips still on yours. Clothes are shed, tears still fall. Your bodies mold as one as he proves to you, again and again, the extent of his love. You cry even more. You love him so much, but that’s why you can’t be with him. 

When he holds you, when he kisses you, it’s the sweetest thing. That’s why it hurts the most.

The life of an idol isn’t one for you and you know that. It fits Taeyong well, which is why this is your last night with him. You love him so much, that’s why you can’t keep him. He was never your’s to keep.

You look over at his sleeping form, his bottom half covered by your covers. You lean over and kiss his head one more time before you stand up. You quietly pack up your bag then head out the door. JYP has a branch in Japan that they want you to head and you were on the fence about it. 

Seeing Taeyong one more time helped you make up your mind. You leave a note for Hyunzie and send her a text. You found a last minute flight to Tokyo, you bought the last ticket, and you’re on your way.

You love Lee Taeyong too much to stay with him. Staying with him will only taint his image.

When he held you, when he kissed you, it was the sweetest thing. 

But it’ll just have to live on in that memory.

---

i hate writing angst for this exact reason....

this is my first official angsty piece tho! i hope you guys liked it :)

it’s been a while but my writer’s block is finally gone! i’ll continue on with more fluffy pieces for this series :)))

anyway, this part may have a part 2? we’ll see the vibes of the lyrics

- amy <3

[thenovelartist]

Disruptor Designer and her Model, day 14

<Previous  Next>

14. Pictures

Marinette looked over at Adrien’s expression, giggling at the shock on his face.

“Wow,” he said.

“Yup,” she agreed. “I do one video like this every week, and then, as you know, I do a whole outfit per video. I do all the work in big batches and then wait until I have several outfits finished so I only have to set up the studio for a modelling set up once and do it all in one big batch.

“There’s, like, three boxes of clothes here,” he said.

“I know. That’s, like, five weeks’ worth of videos that I need to finish up.”

Adrien nodded. “Okay. So I’m here to help you set up and be your photographer?”

Marinette nodded. “Usually, my friend Alya is the one to help me out here, but she’s out of town, so…”

“So, boyfriend to the rescue?” he asked, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

She could feel a little warmth lingering on her own. “Please?”

He leaned over to wrap an arm around her. “Anything for you, bugaboo.”

“Thank you, hot stuff.”

Within moments, Marinette was showing Adrien where all the lighting and backdrops were and Adrien managed to put them in a good configuration without even being told.

“Okay,” he said, taking the camera and checking the battery and memory card. Once that was done, he lifted the lens toward the empty back drop and started adjusting the settings.

“You’re doing that manually?” she asked.

“I am,” he said. “You get more control that way.”

“Someone knows their way around a camera,” Marinette said with a smirk.

“For someone who spent as much time in front of one as I did, I got curious as to just what the cameramen did and all, so I bought a camera and taught myself.”

“I’ll only be impressed once I see what your pictures look like.”

“You might be surprised, bugaboo. I might take over Alya and become your full-time photographer.”

Honestly, she’d like that far too much to admit. So, instead of responding, Marinette slipped behind the dressing screen to put on her first outfit, and when she returned, she immediately got to posing in front of the camera. Adrien fiddled with the camera a lot, clearly trying to get the best settings, but soon enough, he lowered the camera.

“Are we good?” she asked.

“A few more poses.”

At which point, Adrien proceeded to pose her. Everything from the way her skirt fell to how her hair draped over her shoulder was posed.

“Picky, picky,” she teased, not daring to move as he shifted her jacket.

“Just wanting you and the clothes to look perfect.”

“As long as they look good enough, that’s fine.”

“Why settle for looking good when I want you to look beautiful.”

She scoffed.

“Actually,” he said, leaning in close. “You look beautiful every day. I just want to show off nothing but your best.”

Fire lit her cheeks, and that was the second Adrien leaned away and snapped a photo.

She whipped her head around to look at him, only for the flash to go off again.

He was chuckling. “Those are mine,” he said.

“You’re ridiculous,” she managed, that fire expanding from her cheeks down her neck.

He shot her a wink, and suddenly, she didn’t know how she was going to make it through the day.

Thankfully, everything went fairly smoothly, following the pattern of her posing herself then him shouting orders for her to follow then lastly, him picky posing her.

“I’ll probably not use these ones,” she said as he fluffed her hair over her shoulders. “If they come off too forced.”

“Good. Then they’ll be all mine.”

She snorted a laugh, that blush of hers coming back. “Someone is flirty today,” she commented.

It was, finally, his turn to blush. “I’m… kinda enjoying myself,” he said. “This is really fun.”

“Are you saying you want to be my cameraman again?”

“Yes,” he said. “I’d happily play camera man, especially if I can somehow make you go from good to model.”

She scoffed, biting her lip to hold back the embarrassed smile. “Flirt.”

Though he now sported pink cheeks, he shrugged and stole another picture of her.

Eventually, there was only one last item to do; the ugly valentine’s dress.

She grinned. She couldn’t wait for him to see this one. She’d worked hard to make it something she could be proud of, and she’d spilled dye all over her grout for this. Thank goodness for Adrien coming over and helping her remove as much as possible before they went to a hardware store together and had to ask for help because they had no idea what they were doing.

That day had ended with recolored grout and delivered pizza that they ate on her couch while curled up together. An amazing end to a crappy day.

She glanced at herself in the mirror, plenty proud of what had become of the dress. She’d ditched the ruffles on the neck, now making it one that barely rested on her shoulders. The skirt length was altered, the train cut so she now could stand in flats and not have it drag on the ground, and she tailored the fit of the bodice snug against her torso. Finally, she dyed it burgundy, getting rid of the mediocre heart pattern and turning it into a dress someone would actually be willing to pay two-seventy-five for.

When she stepped out from behind the screen, excited to see his reaction, she was not disappointed.

“Wow,” Adrien said on a breath.

Marinette grinned. “What do you think?”

Adrien’s jaw opened and shut several times before he settled on, “wow.”

She giggled, though she could feel herself blush at his attention.

“Um…” he said, seemingly barely pulling himself together. “Pictures.”

She made a show of nodding. “Are you able to finish the photoshoot?” she teased.

“I don’t know. Fifty-fifty shot you kill me at this point.”

The words rolled so easily off his tongue, she wondered if he realized what he’d just said. Because she did, and it was making her a blushing mess.

Eventually, Adrien was able to pull himself together enough to finish the photoshoot. But Marinette didn’t want to be done yet.

She took the camera from Adrien, only to set it up on the tri-pod. She then searched in her camera bag for her camera remote.

“I did a couple of these photoshoots solo when I first started out,” she mentioned. “But they’re such a pain.”

“Understandably,” Adrien said. It seemed he was only capable of one or two words at the moment, but that was okay. Frankly, she didn’t want him to be fully functioning. It would make the shots she had in mind more fun.

“Come here,” she said, taking his hands and pulling him into the set with her. “I want pictures together.”

He looked down at his outfit. “Had you said something, I would have dressed up.”

“You look plenty handsome,” she assured. After all, any girl’s weakness is a guy with the sleeves of his button-down rolled up to his elbows, showing off very nicely toned arms.

“Not standing next to you all dressed up like that,” he whined.

“Trust me,” she said, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck and pulling him close. “I think you’re perfect.”

He smiled, and she clicked the button. He was shocked for a moment, but then broke into a laughing grin. She hit the button again.

“All right, miss photographer,” he said, grin wide and eyes gleaming. “Get this.”

He cupped her jaw, pulling her close against him, and pressing a firm kiss to her lips.

She barely remembered to snag a picture before losing herself in the bliss of him.

[hecohansen31]

Gurl if you got more ideas for them please dish! Lol that's my request, just more of that, whatever your ideas are for them lol

(A/N): Hello sweetie!

I know that I have already started a story about those two, but hey… I literally wrote this supernatural AU (although I don’t know if this could be properly called AU, since Roman is already a supernatural being) a few months ago and it was supposed to be about an OC insert (so if you see Heco, sorry it’s reader) and it was supposed to be actually MichaelxReaderXIvar… but I feel like Roman is just more fitting, so…

I really hope that you’ll enjoy it and if you like this verse please let me know because I literally finished the first chapter of the other fanfic I was working on so I will be working on the smutty continue of this…

Thank you, again for your support lovelY!

(Also I am tagging @walkxthexmoon, since she expressed her love for it, if you want to be tagged into something else… let me know!).

Also, since it is implied but not explained: Ivar is a werewolf, whereas Roman is a vampire (actually a “upir” but both Ivar and Reader tease him calling him “vampire” so I am here doing the same thing!).

WARNINGS: Bad Friends (I literally have to say that each time I am wirting about shitty friends I am like “No, my friends are not like this”, and then they make something… and I am like “this is karma for being assholes), Bitchy Reader, Heavy Flirting and Mentions of Sex and Threesomes.

She couldn’t help but feel a bit betrayed when her friends had sent her into that demonic village, as a birthday gift.

She was almost wondering if they hated her that much

(Was it the fact that she was more successful than them, or the fact that she was the only single one of the group, ruining with her mere presence the life of all its components…).

Because there was no way that journey was a vacation, it was absolutely a punishment of some kind, starting from the fact that her freaking car had stopped working an hour before arriving to the hotel, on a full bus, with her heavy luggage.

She was supposed to spend a weekend as a single lady with her newly broken-up best friend, except…

Except her ex-boyfriend appeared a few days ago, proposing to her and basically blowing off her plans.

If you could call “plans” something which had been thrown on your way.

She still regretted all the books she might have received, instead of being sent in this shithole.

She didn’t mean to judge a book from the cover, or better by the shitty phone reception, and the shitty appearance of the hotel where she was staying for two nights and three days and the shitty shops.

She hoped she might find some kind of bookshop… because that’s where she hoped to spend the days… although there were a lot of bar and liquor shops, maybe people liked to get drunk enough to forget about this shithole.

No, she wouldn’t be judging, not even as it started raining just when she stepped off the bus and reached hurryingly the hotel, almost slamming herself on the closed door, that thank God gave out under a little pressure, allowing her inside and in the warmth of the hall, for which she was thankful.

She spent a few minutes trying to recollect herself and thanking whatever make-up goddess, she hadn’t worn any, alongside collecting from her bag the vacation’s document and her wallet.

She approached the receptionist, a man, bigger than her of a few good inches, and turned around fixing some documents, till she coughed, more because of the cold she had been in than anything else, gaining his attention, or better a very pissed glare.

She almost though about fleeing the scene and checking the buses station, but the glare dissipated as soon as he took her in: she was sure she looked a mess enough to pray for his pity.

-Well… it is raining outside, isn’t it? – he mused almost shyly, immediately leaning on the table of the reception hall, almost as if to be closer to her, making her squeak lightly and in response her social anxiety kicked in, making her shove her folder with the payments and bookings in his face.

He smiled, with his shining blue eyes, taking (very gently for a man of his stature) the documents and setting down his eyes on them, and she almost whined to be robbed of those two spots of ocean, but she tried again just to readjust her appearance, wanting to seem calm and at ease, although she hated doing anything that remotely made her have contact with strangers.

-(Y/N) (L/N)? – he asked and she had to stop herself from saluting him as a freaking soldier, but the voice raspy and rough made him seem like someone who wanted everyone to stand at attention when he spoke to them, so she tried her best, although staring right into the ocean was a bit scary -… but I don’t see any Annie Howin, are you waiting for her? -.

Here came the hard part: explaining her friend had balled out of this “magical adventure” and if she could use a single room, instead of a double…

-… nope…- she almost wanted to slap herself for the childish expression, but the guy looked at her wolfish, clearly amused by the way she had rolled the word, which made her blush (wasn’t it too warm here? Or was she just burning from embarrassment?) -… you see… we were supposed to spend a weekend as singles…-

-You are,,, single?- he seemed  almost surprised by the way she said it, but she tried not to mind the comment too much, spitting out the discourse she had rehearsed for two days.

-… but her ex-boyfriend came back in town and… he proposed…-

-… and she accepted? – he commented as if they were in some kind of cheap telenovela, bringing a smile on her lips, while his own mimicked it in a smirk, a very sensual smirk (part of her thought it was the one lovers offered when they were teasing the other, as if humoring them but also trying to get them out of the shyness shell).

-Yep- again the childish expression and again the wolf-like smirk, which honesty made her wonder if his teeth were freaking sharp or it was just an impression -… and after he cheated on her… the dude kind of sucks…-

-Well, he must have other talents- the innuendos made her start out a laugh, mostly because of the absurdity of the situation: shy little (Y/N) gossiping with a gorgeous receptionist, who seemed into her.

(Key-word: “seemed”, she was pretty sure he was just flirty by nature, with those good looks and arms that could carry her everywhere, no she wasn’t totally imagining herself clinging at them, meanwhile he whispered naughty things, before dropping her to their shared bed…).

-I don’t know, I wasn’t the one he cheated her with…- and then she went back to the straight discourse, gaining a little laugh from the receptionist -… so she is not coming… and I am all by myself…-.

She didn’t meant to appear that pathetic, but it must have seemed that way to the guy, who rose his head, as if his ears could stand at attention as a well-trained dog, before giving her a sultry look and in that moment she remembered how stuck to her body her clothing was, nothing too transparent but… she was definitely vulnerable and that guy was checking her out as a piece of meat.

But not in the “sexual harassment” way, the “I really want you in my bed” way, and she was sure she was just mistaking the signs.

She was not ugly, but not a boy magnet: she just eased the “feminist who won’t put up with your shit” attitude, and it didn’t help to have social anxiety and shyness.

-So, you are all alone in a wedding suite… that’s honestly sad…- he mumbled but he didn’t seem sad for her, he was still leaning, and although his head was at the same level of her cleavage he was being a gentleman and still staring at her eyes.

-Yep, that’s why I would like to change it to a single: wedding suite is definitely too big for me…-.

-Sorry, lovely- she almost jumped at the nickname but he just smiled at her sweetly, letting the flirty persona behind -… we can’t change, but I am sure you will find the wedding suite to your liking, it is one of our best-.

Oh, just her luck.

She must have shown her disgust on her face (not a difficult thing, since she couldn’t hide anything) because he smiled apologetically to her:

-I swear it is a lot better than it looks, and we have warm water-

-But no wi-fi- she mumbled sadly at the sign on the window.

He scratched his head nervously, nodding.

-That sucks absolutely, but you can find an amazing wi-fi connection at “Shiny Moon”, it’s a bar near here, if you want, I can accompany you later-.

She seriously was flattered by the offer, but she didn’t know this guy and although he had been a gentleman (still sending her a few glance that made her feel hot and bothered, but maybe she was imagining them) she didn’t want trouble, mostly with hunks.

-Thank you, but I am sure I will find it, also I wouldn’t want to disrupt your work- she tried to push the “don’t want to bother you” excuse and he clearly didn’t believe it, but nodded as if he was used to that rejection and she thought for a moment to tell him, that maybe he…

But a beautiful blond-haired woman appeared catching the receptionist’s attention.

-Ivar! – she shouted, the name probably written on the little thing on the man’s tight t-shirt, which she couldn’t read because her glasses were a mess.

Ivar didn’t seem happy to be called and (Y/N) honestly didn’t get why: the woman looked like she came straight from a Swedish version of “Sports Illustrated”, definitely a model, who had unluckily chosen a shitty hotel.

-The water in my room isn’t working- she didn’t acknowledge (Y/N) as soon as she stepped near the receptionist table, locking eyes with Ivar, who turned his head down, avoiding categorically her gaze, but grunting a “ok” -… it needs to be fixated immediately, so come to my room-.

The last part of the quote seemed a clear invitation and it was what made Ivar snap, turning around abruptly and sending a glare at the woman, before recognizing her presence and softening his grim grin.

She didn’t know why, probably for empathy, but she smiled straight back at her, before coughing to make the rude model acknowledge her presence and whisper, trying to appear sultry.

-Ivar was minding my case, give him five minutes and he will solve your problem…- she wanted to add “your attitude problem” but she didn’t dare, already having said much more than the model expected, from her smiling face which sent her way a venomously sweet smile, nodding.

She didn’t answer to her, just turning to Ivar again and mumbling in a languid voice.

-Be swift, I don’t think it can wait much longer-.

Ivar just nodded, eyes fixed on the desk, and raising just when (Y/N) whispered a “she is gone”.

-She is a…- he tried to mumble, clearly numbing his rage to her benefit, meanwhile she shot him a compassionate look.

-Some people should just get a kick in their beautifully shaped butt- she mumbled and laughed honestly, as if releasing all the tension, something which was truly heartwarming for her, and made her smile to him as genuinely as she could do.

-I mean I would, but I am scared it would get just stuck there…- he made her laugh brightly and for a moment she thought about how embarrassing she must have sounded: nobody liked her voice or her laugh, too high-pitched, childish and definitely creepy but he looked at her as if she had just told him she was the freaking Virgin Mary, before turning around and catching a key.

-I am supposed to photocopy your document, but since you seem pretty cold and have dealt with an assholish receptionist, I’d say you can go to your room and warm up, it should be done by now- he put the key in her hands, reaching out for the physical contact.

He could have thrown them at her, made them dangle in front of her, but he straight up waited for her to offer her hands, gently putting the keys into them, covering them with his: that freaking contact was not accidental.

But she enjoyed the warmness of his hands, smiling thankfully at him, before trying to take everything in her hands.

And just when she was going for the elevator, she felt herself being called out.

-I know you might already know, because Fredys gave it out, but I am Ivar-.

She got into the elevator and she faced him smiling brightly before offering her hands as if she could grip his.

-I am (Y/N), but I think the documents gave it away-

-… unless they are fake, (Y/N) a pretty common name…- he made her laugh so easily she forgot to push the button, thankfully somebody else called the elevator and she made it in time just to smile at him and start her phrase.

-Strangest…-

-… parents- she mumbled meanwhile she reached her number, forty-eight, she low key liked it and the place looked much nicer inside, the old style that made everything seem “vintage” although it was a step from destroying itself, which might happen with her luck.

The key actually worked and she slipped swiftly inside the room, smiling at the clean smell and the warmth of it: a shower and a change of clothes would do her good, but firstly she moved around the room to check everything was alright and was surprised to find out how luxurious it actually looked, with even a bathtub, with hydromassage and a long plump bed where you could roll around in silk sheets.

The architecture was old and there was the much hated and anti-hygienic moquette, alongside with a horrible fantasy on it but everything looked in a classy way, much better than the motel she expected to find and much more than for what she had paid for her.

The place didn’t cost too much, according to her last research but it looked like it was worth every penny, if you ignored the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere with no wi-fi.

It was perfect if you looked for the perfect place for a “Shining” replica.

She tried to focus on positive thoughts, such as the fact that she shower water was immediately warm and she was happy to sing a little meanwhile relaxing her tights muscles from carrying her luggage every freaking where.

She then blow-dried her hair with the hair-drier that was there working perfectly, meanwhile slipping in a more comfortable attire: she had mostly short dresses, since she thought she would be out partying, a few sweater and her beloved high-waisted skinny jeans but she had managed to slip some ugly leggings and an old ruined university sweater.

It was barely three p.m. but she was tired for the long journey, which should have been a very short one, but the breaking of her car didn’t help (she had thought for a moment it was a sign that she should have just gone back home); she had had to deal with the police, coming to help her.

She had thought that maybe luck would be on her side, when she saw the bus coming on her way.

Unluckily the freaking bus journey sucked, so… she was tired AF and the cheap reality show she had chosen didn’t help and she ended up falling asleep on the plush bed, mumbling something about how bitchy bridesmaids could be…

She woke up because something on her head was vibrating and scared her into thinking about a possible earthquake, but it was just her phone.

It was Annie, from whom she had missed five calls and thousands of messages.

But she was so tired, that she actually thought about not answering her back and going back to Tom Hardy’s muscled arms.

(She had dreamt for a minute about the reception boy… Ivar… but it low key felt wrong; he wouldn’t definitely be involved into the situation she was dreaming, alongside the fact that it would be low key disgraceful to see him and blush after what she had seen in her dream).

-Hey Annie… I was sleeping- she even yawned, trying to tell her friend to make it quick.

They had never really been best-friends, forever competitors in everything and at the social level it seemed Annie was winning.

-Thank God you answered! I was getting worried…- she mumbled, clearly chewing her lips, she was also probably staring at her elegant diamond ring, part of (Y/N) wanted to tell her it was as small as her boyfriend’s dick, or so the rumors said, but she had stopped herself from doing anything, she had just “awed” stupidly alongside her other friends, when Annie had shown it to them (the ring, not her boyfriend’s dick)-… did you arrive? -.

-Yeah- and she watched her watch, apparently it was late enough that she might have missed her dinner, because of her little nap and outside it was pretty dark.

She put her friend on speaker, trying to put on a decent outfit, nothing too much to go to the “Shiny Moon”, which she highly hoped wasn’t some kind of exclusive club or a strip-club, because she had no intention to stick her tired body in a skirt, so she ended up in her comfortable jeans and an even more comfortable sweater.

-… so I am still sorry, but I felt like me and Gerry had to have our space and time, after the proposal… did I tell you he took me out to the “Sinatra”…- the most expensive place in their hometown, Heco remembered how it was something Annie always wished to do, and she was low key happy her friend could cross that off the list.

-Oh, it’s beautiful! – she commented, grabbing in her hand the sheer lace of her mini-black dress, the sexiest dress she owned and definitely the one she used to go out to clubs, but she immediately put outfit down, not feeling confident enough for that look -Hope you two had fun! -.

-I hope you will, too, (Y/N), is the room nice? -she asked, quitting the chipping about everything else.

-Oh, yeah, I have a jacuzzi- she heard her friend “owww” and mumble “maybe I should have come” -… and I am going out to get wi-fi, that’s why I haven’t been answering your messages because my 3G is not working so well…-.

-Yeah, I can’t hear you well…- mumbled Annie, but this didn’t discourage her from keeping up the conversation meanwhile (Y/N) adjusted her head in a high ponytail -… so I was thinking about the maid of honor: my sister or my cousin? -.

She low key didn’t expect to be the maid of honor, but not even being considered?

They hadn’t been best friends but (Y/N) had tried to play the part, remembering her friend’s birthday and gifting her lavish gifts, consoling her when asshole Gerry had left her and helping her build her confidence.

Annie had always left (Y/N) behind, after she was alright, and (Y/N) had been ok with that, she had stopped expecting people to do something for her, but still, it stung…

And to avoid confrontation, she started making horrible sounds and stumbling on her words as if she was seriously having a shitty phone reception, hearing Annie trying to scream and give up in the end, telling her to call her when the phone reception would get better.

She threw the phone on the bed, huffing and breathing heavily before adjusting elegantly her appearance and attempt to go out.

She stalked the reception hall and found a woman instead of Ivar: a beautiful blonde woman who seriously made her wonder if everyone there was a model.

She chatted a bit, asking for directions for the “Shiny Moon”, meanwhile the woman photocopied her ID, but clearly as disinterested as Ivar had been flirty.

She thanked the woman and adjusting her light coat she moved outside.

It was November and it was definitely cold but not as cold as in some  other states: the sweater and the coat kept her warm for the ten-minutes-journey to the “Shiny Moon” a dark and grimy place.

Still from the window she saw that there were many people dressed just like her, just with their computers or chatting up.

She entered and although the main colors of the club were golden and black, in a very tacky assemble that mixed a sex-club with a diner, the atmosphere was peaceful, alongside almost empty.

She sat at the bar stool, immediately making eye contact with a pretty girl of her age.

-Hi, welcome to the “Shiny Moon”! What can I get you? – her voice was emotionless although she showed off a smart smirk.

-Whatever can get me the wi-fi password?- she asked, trying to get straight to the point and gaining a sincere smile from the girl, who took a little piece of paper and offered it to her, before asking if that was all.

-Can I get a menu if I am not too late for dinner? – she asked, feeling her stomach grumble miserably, since she had avoided lunch.

-You are lucky, the kitchen is open for another hour and in the meanwhile can I bring you some kind of drink? – she said, putting out a white notebook and offering a plastic menu.

-Oh…- she didn’t know what to say -… coca cola? -.

-With rum? – added the girl, smiling at her teasingly and making her blush.

-No, no alcohol- she liked alcohol, but only when she knew she would make a fool of himself between people who did know her, not a strange grimy place, where she knew nobody, although if they looked all like models she could make an exception -… I need to go back on my own, so…-.

-If you can wait till my turn is over, I can accompany you- offered the girl she had just met and this brightened (Y/N)’s heart, but also she didn’t understand why a stranger might offer her help, after a few minutes of knowing.

-Oh, no I don’t want to bother you- she mumbled, using again the excuse she loved, since she constantly felt like a bother for everyone, even strangers she just met in a bar.

-Oh no bother, sweetie- the girl cheered sweetly -Us girls must stick together-.

And she sent a wink her way, worsening her blush, but she was immediately distracted by a blonde ghost appearing beside her.

-What have I said about talking with clients, Destiny? We have a full night.. we have no time to…- and then she met the ghost bluish-green eyes -… well I think I can make a little time for you, doll-.

Ivar adjusted the hydraulic tools back again on their shelf, fixing his appearance.

He had managed to avoid Fredys’ advances this time, although he hadn’t minded the flirty attitude of the new guest.

It wasn’t a typically flirty, more like he was the one doing all the flirty parts and she was just batting her long eyelashes, smiling shyly and worst of all: her freaking hips…

They looked like a freaking goddess’ hips, large and he wanted to see them in his hands, meanwhile he pushed them down on the bed, reassuring her with kisses on them.

Shit, the little girlie had done just a few steps in his direction and he wanted to bed her already, something he couldn’t do, but still nothing made him avoid the pleasure of making her blush and maybe if he played his cards right he would get to feel those hips.

He had a serious problem, worse than Hvitserk and food.

Talking about Hvitserk, he was coming up the stairs just when Ivar was going down on them, swiftly.

-Oh, hello there! – saluted him cheerily his brother, meanwhile he stopped alongside Ivar -Going out? -.

-Yep, I am going out for a few shots at the “Shiny Mood”, want to come? – he proposed.

-Sadly not, me and Ubbe have clan thing to do, but maybe I can join you later…- he knew he had lost the faith of his brothers and it hurt every time they reminded him of that but he tried to rein in his anger.

-Ok, have fun at the clan meeting- he tried not to sound bitter, but he knew he had failed when Hvitserk failed to keep his own straight face.

-You know we would absolutely love for you to be here with us, but… the clan is still not trusting you…- and he patted on his younger brother’s back -… you’ll be back soon-.

-I hope- he mumbled closing the conversation, and moving down the stairs, meanwhile his brother stuck there, but got a last look from Ivar -Oh… and we have a new guest, room forty-eight, she is mine, don’t try anything funny-.

If with Ivar, the flirting was strangely comical and harmless, with the green-eyed bartender she felt dangerously exposed even in her turtleneck and her full fitting jeans.

-Just cola, so, beautiful? – she just nodded, avoiding the bartender’s gaze.

Men weren’t usually that blunt with her and not having the control made her feel definitely vulnerable.

-… Destiny you can go to deal with other clients, I got this one- he ordered to the gentle girl and (Y/N) shot her a glance as if to ask her not to leave her with the hot bartender.

But the girl just sent her a sorry glance, before moving off to the other clients.

-You are new in town- it wasn’t a question, but she still nodded again, just to feel a hand under her chin, gently raising it up so that her ink eyes could meet the bluish and greenish of the bartender, who sweetly stare into her making her feel as if she was showing him her soul.

And she was thankful he liked what he saw.

-Much better, doll, look at me in the face while we speak, you have pretty eyes and even a prettier mouth-.

-I have never been told that- she mumbled but kept her eyes up.

-Oh, what a shame- he replied, moving his hand, which was still resting on her chin, to her hair, caressing her as if she was some kind of dog, something which made her roll her eyes but also lean into the touch -… women like you need to be cherished each day-.

-Aren’t you the flatterer…- she mumbled and he laughed sensually, dropping his head and turning around, thing that made her almost drop a whine, being robbed of the beauty, but he came back immediately, with her drink, and exactly like Ivar, he handed it to her with extreme physical contact, thing that made her almost wink at him.

-Just the truth, lovely mystery lady- he replied, before dropping on his elbows so he could stare at her at the same height, making her blush and cough out her cola.

-You didn’t tell me anything about yourself also, mysterious bartender- she sassed him and it got a pretty smile and an hand offered to her.

-Roman- and she accepted it, offering her own name.

-(Y/N)-.

-Pretty strange name, (Y/N) look more like a tequila girl- he humored her making her cackle a laugh.

-I do like tequila, but I am in the middle of nowhere and I don’t want to be kicked out of my single night out-.

-Ohh… single night out…- Michael almost whistled, clearly focused more on the single part than the ladies night -We host a thousand of ladies night, but don’t they involve another friend? - .

-Didn’t I tell you I am nothing like ordinary? – she said, with a bitter smile, drinking her sorrows away in the sugary drink -My last single friend got engaged a few days before, so I am all out of single friends, that was why I was trying to talk Destiny to join my night out… you literally ruined my night-.

-Oh, did I? – and he did a thing with his tongue that made her almost faint.

-Yeah, you are obviously not a single lady- she mumbled, trying to regain the upper hand in the conversation.

-I am not a lady- he appointed -… but I am single, sweetheart-.

And the hand was back on her cheek, coaxing her nearer, till she felt somebody occupying the bar sit next to her…

-…well I am single too, so can I join the single train? -.

Shit, flirty! Ivar was back again.

Roman had had a tough night, a full night at the “Shiny Moo” and Roman had wandered off, meanwhile Destiny was chatting up clients, making others wait, and he had immediately moved to tell her to move her ass, till he saw the pretty girl she was talking to.

Clearly the type of girl who didn’t care to walk in a bar in simple clothes and she still managed to be the most stunning girl in there, and she was just wearing jeans, jeans that looked like they were painted on her perky butt, and a mickey mouse sweater, he honestly thought looked deviously innocent.

Part of her looked like she could have just come out of a fairy tale books, but the way she talked and once the shyness went away… she seemed to come out straight from an erotic novel, the well written kind.

She honestly made his night better.

Ivar, a little less.

The fact that they wanted to bring the same girl in their beds made it… interesting.

-Hello there, lovely, saw you found the “Shiny Moon”-.

The girl smiled more at ease, than with him; Ivar was a people-charmer, whereas Roman was more sensual and the girl looked like she was entirely scared by her sexuality.

So, Ivar clearly had the advantage, but Roman knew how to get everybody on their knees for him.

-… yeah, I mean I am not amazing with directions, but this place is basically in front of the hotel so…-.

-So, you are staying at the old “Kattegat”? – asked Roman, trying to get more info than Ivar, also because he was honestly mesmerized by the girl, utterly smitten and curious to know more.

-Yeah, just for the weekend- and then she moved her little chin to Ivar, smiling slightly and asking -Oh by the way the room is beautiful-.

Ivar looked like a puppy who got a treat after the compliment he had received, nodding immediately meanwhile he mumbled lowly a few words.

-… that place might seem a terrible on the outside, but believe me, it’s very much worse inside, alongside the fact that his owners are all assholes- replied Roman, wanting her eyes back on him and getting them, alongside a shocked expression and a grunt from Ivar, which was immediately suppressed by something that said “do you want war? I will bring it to you”.

-People only come here for the free wi-fi- replied swiftly the other man, sparking a little fight.

And immediately (Y/N) came between those two, touching Ivar’s chest.

-Woah woah… your places are equally broken on the outside, but they are prettier on the inside, and yeah the wi-fi bonus is amazing- she laughed lightly, but her intention was clear: she wanted no riot or brawl in there, cocking an eyebrow at Roman, in a little show of dominance.

He, instead, licked his lips, a little aroused by a girl that could handle two extremely territorial males, without and ounce of fear; Ivar was thinking the same, looking at the hand on his chest with wide eyes.

-You are definitely all over men’s bullshit- mumbled attentively Roman, making her drop her hand from Ivar, who looked a few minutes from crying for the loss.

-Oh, all over every person’s bullshit, but you men are just the absolute worst- she laughed timidly, before downing again her drink, as she tried to avoid thinking about the two men looking at her smugly and intensively.

“Well you are lucky, we are not men, sweetie” that’s what he wanted to tell her, but seeing through all  the confidence she was faking, that she was pretty shy, it wasn’t the time to tell her they were supernatural beings.

Although she seemed smart to figure that out on her own.

-… men disappointed you, lovely? – Ivar asked, tried to sound compassionate, meanwhile he adjusted himself on the stool, probably because of his legs bothering him.

-It’s just…-.

-Are you a lesbian? – asked again Ivar and Roman sent him a death glare, knowing perfectly from the adorable blush she was wearing that they had just burned a chance to talk with her.

-No, I mean girls are beautiful, but not interested into them, although maybe I should, men are…-.

-… the worst- mumbled Roman, sending a straight up glare at Ivar, as if to let the sweetheart know that he was indeed “the worst”.

Ivar clearly looked embarrassed by the way she mumbled back, and moved near to get her attention, offering and half-hearted apology, helped by his sweet and dramatic blue eyes.

-Sorry, didn’t mean…-.

-Don’t worry- she mumbled leaning towards him -… a lot of people assumed it the same: no dates, no guys out of my house and I frighten every boy who comes my way-.

She tried to laugh it off but Roman could find how much it actually pained her: the loneliness and the sadness made her feel as if she was not enough.

But she was so so much more than enough and sweet, and she had already two men courting her.

-They were all boys to be frightened by such a pretty and powerful girl- replied Ivar, immediately gaining points by the pretty compliments, she leaned back into him, not enough to touch but… Ivar helped the contact by putting a hand over her shoulders, making her blush even more and sending Roman a winning smirk.

But he hadn’t lost.

-So, pretty girlie, do you have any plans for this weekend? – he asked, taking away the attention from Ivar and leaning forward, thing that was made by (Y/N) herself.

-Just to relax and do anything else-.

-Never thought about a threesome? – and the look of shock was enough to be a win for him.

Ivar seriously couldn’t be the prouder guy in the entire bar with the prettiest girl in town under his arm, smiling sweetly and with red shadows on her cheeks he wanted to kiss and maybe he would get to if he accompanied her back to the room.

Also, it was a little win over Roman, who instead of him, just needed to look at a girl to have her in her bed, and he also had had another little advantaged over him.

But he ruined anything as soon as Roman spit out the “threesome” proposition; it wasn’t rare for them to share a girl, mostly because of Ivar’s “little problem”, but this girl so sweet and pure… he felt like the sharing option was crazy.

She looked shell shocked in her expression of true shock, even worse than the one that she had on her face after his “embarrassing question”, but she almost laughed out, probably expecting it all to be a little joke.

Michael looked at her like a cat with a mouse, clearly trying to stay serious, although he laughed it off as if it was joke before going back to being serious.

-But seriously sweetie… if you want to do something more than just relax, we are more than willing to help you with a little fun-.

[doedreamss]

Fanfiction Trope FMK: Adam Hangman Page, Joey Janela and Jon Moxley. ;P

hahaha, I got this same three batch of men from our darling von last night, and try as I might, I can’t swap the answers around (although I still don’t think moxley and I would go from enemies to lovers, or even start off as enemies to begin with, but also, I don’t think I’d be enemies with hangman or joey so he just kind of gets… put there lmao poor mox).  but!!!  I was so inspired by the stuff you wrote for your answer, I decided to write a one-shot for one of mine!!  and it has my two favorite things: hangman adam page and horses.

That’s Our Deal

Ship: Hangman Adam Page x Glitter Sidesplitter (FOC)

Rating: General (there may be some foul language but there’s nothing super troubling I don’t think?)

Length: 2,886 words

“Howlong have you two been friends now?”

 “Idon’t know.  Year and a half?  Twoyears?”

 “Andyou haven’t made a move on him once?”

 “No! Remember?  I made the mistake of being a little extra flirty one time whenwe went out to ride Honey and Bandit and I swear he all but ignored me.  Ithink that was the only time Adam has ever been remotely rude to me and it wasmortifying.  So, no.  I will not risk us losing our friendshipbecause I can’t keep it in my pants.  I’m perfectly capable of just beinghis friend.”

 “Uh-huh,”her tag team partner, Neon (ring name, of course – Nihilistic Neon), peeredover her phone at her with an expression that said she wasn’t buying it. Beneath that look, Glitter (also a ring name – Glitter Sidesplitter) squirmed.

 “Neon,he doesn’t even like me like that.  That’s why he didn’t respond when Itried to cross the line and see if he’d take the bait.  We’refriends.  We’re good friends.  Hell, I’d say we’re best friends,even.  I can call him or text him any time of night just to talk and he’s there. It never feels awkward or forced when we’re together.  We spend almostevery afternoon together out at the ranch.  I don’t think I could handlelosing him if I finally fessed up and told him how I felt.  He’s becomesuch an important part of my life.”

 Neonhad set her phone down and was watching her.  She shook her head slowlyback and forth and sighed.

 “You’vegot it bad, girlfriend.”

 Glittergroaned, pressing her hands against her face and sinking down deep into thecouch.

 “WhenI came and asked you for advice on how to bury my feelings you weren’t supposedto expose them and make me realize I’m fucking in love with him.  It’snever going to happen, Neon.  I’m not the kind of girl Adam’s lookingfor.  We’re friends.  Sometimes life isn’t fair.  Sometimes youdon’t get the storybook ending.  The prince doesn’t get to theprincess.  That whole thing.”

 “Wow…”Neon’s shapely, sharp black brow lifted, and her green eyes steadied onGlitter, slouched in anguish.  “You do remember I’m supposed to be thedoom and gloom one in our little dynamic, right?”

 “Shutup.” Glitter muttered and smiled, shaking her head.

 “Glitz,”Neon sighed, setting her phone down and leaning forward on the couch acrossfrom the one Glitter was sitting on.  “Do you remember a couple monthsback when you had your singles match on Dark?”

 “Yeah?” Glitter frowned.

 “Well,I was in the back, watching the match on the monitors, right?”

 “Yeah…” Glitter didn’t understand where Neon was going with this.  They alwayssupported one another if ever they were in a match the other wasn’t wrestlingin.

 “Adamwas there too.  Watching you.  Remember?  He was right therewhen you came backstage, celebrating you and telling you about all the waysyou’ve improved since you started with the company, how you were selling it tothe crowd…”

 “Neon…that doesn’t mean anything.  He was just being a good friend.  Iasked him to help me train a bit after we first became friends, remember? He was just… congratulating me for all that hard work paying off.”

 “Aye,”a frustrated breath disturbed them both, and Neon and Glitter glanced to seetheir friend, Mariana had entered the room at some point during theconversation.  She waved the water bottle she was holding at Glitter andlooked at Neon.  “¡Ellanunca va a escuchar!” 

 “Hey!–” Glitter started, having enough grasp on Spanish to know Mariana had saidsomething about her not listening.  Before she could stick up for herself,Mariana shushed her.

 “Youcan tell her about how Adam gets distracted every time she enters a room. You can tell her about how Adam starts smiling that dumb smile we all make funof when she’s talking.  You can tell herabout how it’s so fucking clear to the rest of us that they’re madly in lovewith each other, but clearly she knows everything and therefore is not going tolisten.”

 Marianaflopped herself down on the couch beside Neon and lifted her boots, plantingthe heels on the little table in front of them. She gave Glitter a pointed look.

 “Okay,”Glitter shook her head, “if any of that were the least bit true, I’d havenoticed by now.”

 Flickersand flashes of memories came speeding at her, like the way Adam grinned themoment they crossed paths with a smile that lit up his face and made herstomach do somersaults.  But he smiled ateveryone, didn’t he?  He was a genuine,kindhearted soul.  She remembered the fewtimes they stood near one another in a room, Adam sometimes gently touched her,let his fingers brush her arm or her hand or even, once, her thigh.  But it could just be natural reflex, sheargued.  If he was trying to touch herintimately, she’d know.  Everyone wasjust reading too much into something and Glitter wasn’t interested in ruiningthe friendship she and Adam had.  Let therumors keep flying.  She’d learn to buryher feelings her own damn self.  Somehelp her friends were!

 Herphone buzzed in her pocket and, giving it a quick read, she leaped for thechance to escape this lunacy like she was drowning and had been thrown a lifepreserver.

 “Well,this has not been insightful at all.  Youguys are all fucking crazy.”  She flashedher characteristic ‘mad grin’ she was known for in-character.  “It’s time for me to go take care of Honey.”

 “Havefun with Adam!”  Neon called teasingly ather back just as the door swung closed.

* * ** * *

Glitterglanced askance at Adam, who sat astride his bay frame overo gelding, Bandit, notfor the first time that afternoon since they’d met up at the stables.  He was in his head, which left her plenty oftime to study his profile, handsome as a devil, and wonder if what Neon andMariana had said was true.  Did Adamreally light up when she entered a room? Was it because they were such good friends – she’d dare to say bestfriends – or was it because he felt something romantic for her too?  The only person who had the answers was Adam,but the only way to know them was to ask. If she asked flat-out if he had feelings for her and he said no, thefabric of their friendship would change.

 Sure,they were both grown adults and could laugh off the misunderstanding… but she’dalways be left aching, and he’d always know she cared for him in a way he didnot care for her.

 As ifhe felt her eyes on him, Adam turned and frowned when he caught her watchinghim.  He always had those soft, almostsad, worried eyes, but when his brows dipped a little more the emotion seemedto increase by about a tenfold. Sometimes it made her want to say nothing, just wrap him in her arms andpull him in close and hold him until he was smiling again.  Right now, however, she felt like she’d beencaught red-handed and blushed, glancing away quick.

 “Everythingalright, Glitz?”

 Glitteradjusted her seat in the saddle, the leather creaking gently with Honey’s gentlypaced walk.

 “Yeah,I’m alright.  You?”  She forced herself to look at him and triedfor a casual, inquisitive look.

 “Yeah…I’m alright.”  He was still frowning ather skeptically.  He hadn’t bought it.

 Adamreadjusted his seat and cheated his torso toward her.  His palm rested on the saddle horn and hisother hands loosely held Bandit’s reins. Today was just a pleasure ride, letting the horses stretch their legs alittle bit without working them hard in the arena, so they were currently beinggiven their head.  Neither Adam norGlitter needed to pay much mind.  Honeyand Bandit had been ridden miles throughout the farmland and forest surroundingthe ranch she and Adam boarded them at and were therefore familiar with theterrain.  They were more than happy tobehave, walking side-by-side through the orchard and flicking their ears tolisten to the human’s conversation as Adam and Glitter talked.

 “Areyou sure you’re alright?  You’ve beenacting kind of funny ever since you got here. Glitz,” he paused, tipping his cowboy hat back a little so the afternoonlight hit his face and those blue eyes showed an ache that immediately made herheart seize.  “Hey,” his country drawlwas soft, “you know you can tell me everything, right?”

 “Ofcourse, Adam.  You know I’d never hideanything from you.”  Guilt twisted herbelly and made her feel sick.  She’d toldhim so many of her deepest, darkest secrets over their hours and hours of conversation,never once hiding a single detail.

 “Wellalright,” he said with a fair amount of skepticism drenched across his tone.  “Just remember you can tell me anything.  That’s our deal, ain’t it?”

 “Yeah,”Glitter said, and forced the smile on her face. “That’s our deal.”

 Glitterfaced forward in the saddle and gathered Honey’s reins.  

 “Raceya to the creek?”  She asked, giving hima glance and then, before he could say yes or no, she squeezed with her knees,adding gentle pressure to Honey’s sides and cracked the reins against her thick,muscled neck.  “Yah!”  She shouted and Honey responded to her energy,gathering her legs under her and lurching forward.

 “Hey!”  Adam yelled at her back.  Glitters laugh was stolen on the wind, herhat nearly flying off her head if not for the string that held it around herneck.  Her black hair tumbled and tuggedback, and she leaned forward, squinting against the air blown past herface.  

 Honey’sstride ate up the ground in a blur, but the pounding of hooves close behinddidn’t take long.  Stretching out herneck, Honey threw more of her energy into the run, picking up her hooves and lurchingas far as her stride would take her. Glitter hollered and cheered her on, feeling the mare’s energy like astorm.  Honey was a young mare andsmaller than Adam’s paint horse gelding, Bandit.

 Thehuffs and puffs of Bandit’s breathing soon became louder than the poundinghooves, and Adam pulled him up alongside her, their horses’ nose-to-nose asthey ran.  Glitter and Adam looked at oneanother and he smiled that wild, happy smile he sometimes got when they didthings like this, free and away from the pressures becoming a weekly televisedwrestler gave them.  Just the pair ofthem, horse nerds at heart, out riding in the wide-open countryside.

 Thetilled farmlands fell away to hills that dipped into valleys just before theline of ponderosa pine trees and firs. The horses began to pull up their gait, careful of the uneven andunpredictable terrain.  Glitter knew thecreek was coming up as soon as they crossed a few lengths of forest and leanedforward, encouraging Honey with a hopeful shout.  Adam held the reins in one hand and snappedthem on Bandit’s neck, hollering, one hand holding his hat firm on his blondcurls that whipped back in the wind.

 Comeon!  Come on!  Come on! Glitter encouraged Honey, her little can-do ranch mare.  

 She’dfallen in love with her the second she saw an advertisement for her, the prettylittle palomino quarter horse with one sock on her back-left leg.  She’d asked Adam to go with her when shelooked at her, because she hadn’t ever owned her own horse, always just tooklessons on horses that weren’t hers. Adam had been so excited and so thrilled she’d asked him to be therewhen she looked Honey over.  He’d beenserious and ready to grill the owner on every question and really check herover to make sure she was perfectly sound and didn’t seem prone to anyweaknesses that’d be a problem later.

 Butthen he’d saw the way Glitter looked at her when he saw her and he’d smiled,elbowed her and said, “Why don’t you go say hi to her?”

 Nowtheir horses were racing neck and neck…

 Honeypulled her nose ahead right at the end, surging forward as if she’d seized anew burst of energy as the winding, babbling waters of the creek came into herline of sight.  Glitter laughed andleaned back in the saddle, pulling gently on the reins and guiding Honey toslow her gait to a walk.  She turned inher saddle to stick her tongue out at Adam once he’d pulled Bandit up.

 “Loser!”

 Adamgrinned and shook his head, whistling low under his breath as he arched a browat Honey.

 “Yougot yourself one hell of a mare there, Glitz.”

 “Iknow!”  Glitter said and turned backaround, patting Honey’s warm, damp neck lovingly.  “If I wasn’t so busy in wrestling, I’dseriously consider putting her in working cow horse competitions.”

 “She’dwin every blue ribbon there is to win, and every trophy too.”

 Theypulled the horses up at the creek and dropped their reins before sliding out ofthe saddle, letting them drink and rest after their unplanned burst ofenergetic fun.  As Honey drank, Glitter gentlyran her fingers through her mane and patted her neck while murmuring littleterms of endearment.  She didn’t noticeAdam watching her from over Bandit’s back, an adoring smile hung loose over hismouth.

 Adamwas already leaning against a tree that grew close to the creek’s edge, thick,muscular arms crossed over that equally built chest.  He’d readjusted his hat and fixed his curlsfrom where the wind had whipped them a little wild.  The brim was pushed back, and Glitter couldsee his handsome face beneath the dappled shade and sun.  Butterflies fluttered in a frenzy in herstomach and she breathed a low breath, desperate to steady herself and keepfrom revealing anything.

 “Hey,what did you want for your prize?”  

 “My prize?”  Glitter questioned, stepping away from Honeyand walking up the bank to where he was lounging upright against the treetrunk.

 “Yeah,for you and Honey winning the race.  Youcan ask me for anything, and I have to give it to you.”

 Wasshe imagining things or had Adam’s eyes dropped to her lips for a second therewhen he asked her that?  Why was herheart suddenly racing a thousand beats per second?  Why did it feel like she was walking on atilt-a-whirl instead of the steady ground?

 “Oh…I…”  She blinked.  Shit, she was staring at his lips.  Her tongue swept the break between hers andshe forced her eyes up to his.  He waswatching her intently and it made her stomach feel like it was doing those highsoaring moonsaults off the ring post that he did.  “I didn’t think there was going to be aprize.  I was just happy holding it overyour head that I was the winner.”  She saidweakly, trying for a casual, nonplussed shrug that probably didn’t come off ascollected and cool as she hoped it would.

 “That’stoo bad,” Adam said, and he looked at her, that strange, piercing look he’d wornfor a moment gone and, in its place, something hopeful and nervous.  His eyes dropped.  Glitter’s gaze followed and noticed he waswringing his hands.  He sniffed hard andforced his eyes back up while hers lifted with them.  “I was hoping you might ask me for a kiss.”

 Hadshe heard him correctly?

 Whileshe stood in front of him, stunned to absolute silence, Adam drew on some sortof courage she was impressed (and a little turned-on) to see he had inhim.  He moved toward her and reachedout, hands gently grasping her arms and pulling her close until they stood toe-to-toe.  She tilted her head up at him, hair tumblingdown her back and hat fallen too.  One ofhis hands slipped and wrapped around her back, encouraging her to press againsthim.  The other gently caught her chinbetween his fingers, turned her head a little and bent to catch his lipsperfectly, softly, sweetly against her own.

 Ittook her all but one second to catch up to the reality that was Adam leaningover her, kissing her deeply.  Shepressed back desperately into him, years of ache and waiting trapped insideher.  It unleashed like a storm, and hertongue slipped into his mouth, and her fingers flew to his plaid button-upshirt and curled tight into the fabric before yanking him close.  He groaned against her tongue as the lengthof her body was pushed against his.

 Theybroke apart only when their lungs were starved and stood, inches apart, warmbreaths shared.  

 “Iwish you would have done that like a year and a half ago,” she whispered onceshe finally felt like she could catch her breath.  

 Theymoved just back enough that their eyes could meet.  He smiled.

 “Metoo, Glitz.”  He leaned forward and theirforeheads gently pressed together.  “Metoo.”

[starlightsoulwriting]

Constellations Against Skin

n.t. “You hold him in your arms, a thousand stars in the bones of a man, and nobody could have thought you’d come so close to holding constellations against your skin.”

Dean Winchester X Reader; Castiel X Reader

Soulmate AU

[AO3] [Chapter List]

Three: Homecoming

There were lungs on the table.

Lungs that were outside of their body. On a steel table.

Man, Dean fucking hated autopsies.

"Are you alright, Agent Mason?" The coroner, Dr. Sinha, looked at him, concerned. As if laying organs out on a table was normal or even remotely okay.

"I'm fine," He grunted, looking away from the steel tray where the nigh-completely incinerated lungs sat, instead focusing on a very peculiar black-brown stain on the floor. "Keep going."

The woman shrugged before gesturing at the body. Dean wasn’t sure if her subtle accent was British or not, but her words sounded airy coming out of her mouth. "As I was saying," She squished her fingers into an incision that circled its way around the organs, before peeling them open like butterflied chicken. The inside was basically charcoal, somehow squishy and crumbly at the same time.

And there went Dean’s dinner plans. He could not eat a burger after seeing that.

"Cause of death is pretty obvious. It's like someone poured lighter fluid into his lungs and lit him up. There was a sustained flame inside this man's body. Smoke inhalation doesn’t look like this." She turned and inspected the body on the other steel table. Her dark eyebrows furrowed, like she was convinced that if she looked hard enough she would find answers Dean knew weren’t there. "But there's no outward signs of any trauma. No wounds on his skin at all."

"Is there anything else off here, besides the obvious?" Sam asked, poking at a charred lung with a gloved hand. Dean smacked his hand away, giving him a look and a quiet ‘what the hell’. Sam just kicked him in the back of the knee while the doctor was turned away, nearly making him fall on the floor. Sam, of course, composed himself before Dr. Sinha turned back around with a blood sample, leaving Dean looking like an idiot.

Dr. Sihna just ignored the commotion, thank god, raising her eyebrows with a smug smile instead. In her hand was a vial that normally held blood, but this sample was obviously super fucked up. "You mean like this?"

The blood was green.

“Excuse me?” Sam’s jaw went a little slack, eyes widening. “That’s… Is that blood?”

Sinha nodded. “Straight from Mr. Doe himself.”

“Wait,” Dean rubbed the back of his neck. He was too tired for this shit. “I thought that was just a Star Trek thing.”

“Star Trek? Seriously?” Sam looked like he was about to start making fun of him but Dr. Sinha spoke up before he could.

“It’s not just a Star Trek thing, no,” She peeled off her gloves and handed him a file-folder to look through. “Sulfhemoglobinemia. It’s rare - I’ve never encountered it in the field, so it was quite the shock when I went to do a tox screen and it came out green.” She gestured to the report, which Dean started leafing through. It was a lot of medical terms and a graph with one very tall spike labeled ‘Sulfur.’ “It’s caused by sulphur, either from direct exposure or medication, binding to hemoglobin. The amount in his system is off the charts. He should have died weeks ago.” She put the vial back in the fridge, pulling on a new pair of gloves.

“There’s no signs of cyanosis - oxygen deprivation. It leaves skin blue, normally. Of course, not in this case.” Dr. Sinha pulled the man’s lips back to reveal that his gums were still very much pink. “I can’t wait to write this up. Strangest body I’ve ever found.” She looked at Dean again and winked. “You’ve snagged a hell of a case, Mulder.”

“What can I say?” Dean gave her a lopsided, flirty grin back. “I like a good mystery.”

“Well, let me know if you solve this one.” She leaned in conspiratorially, lowering her voice to a murmur. “It’ll look better for when I publish.”

“We’ll do our best, Doctor,” Sam started, grabbing on to Dean’s arm lightly as if to drag him out. “Thanks for all your help.”

“You’re welcome. It’s been interesting.”

Sam let go of his arm once they were out in the hallway. “We still think this guy’s just the meatsuit? I’ve never seen something like that.”

Dean shrugged. “I don’t know, the sulphur might’ve just built up in his system for however long the demon’s been wearing him. I think. If that’s how it works.”

“Must’ve been a hell of a long time,” Sam scoffed.

“No kidding.”

A shrill, ringing phone screamed in Dean’s pocket, breaking the silence of the ME’s office. He answered just as they walked through the exit and into the overcast, windy day outside.

"Hello?"

"Dean?" You rasp through the phone. "Bobby and I are finished up at the hospital, we’re heading out."

--

"Shouldn't you be resting?" You heard him ask.

“I mean, yes,” You sigh and carefully tug on an oversized hoodie from your luggage - all your things were thankfully still at the motel, including your car, which was a huge weight off your chest. That car was your baby. It’d been a hell of a time to restore. “But I can’t stay here when we don’t know where Alioth is.”

“That’s fair,” Dean said. “Any other reason for the call, or is this just a heads up that y'all are ditching us?”

“Yeah, actually.” You hum and grab a filthy shirt from your personal effects and study it - the one you wore the night of the attack. It’d been bothering you since the nurse brought it back to you. Running your fingers along an odd oily patch in the fabric, your fingers were left tingling, almost like they were half-asleep. “Was there any oil at the crime scene? My clothes have giant blotches of the stuff.”

There was a moment of silence as he thought. “I think so. It was an abandoned factory.”

“This stuff is just super weird.” You slash a scrap of fabric from the shirt with your pocket knife and shove it in a ziplock, the feeling of menthol and static lingering in your fingertips. You might be able to figure out what it was later. “It feels like old magic. Not sure what or why, though.”

“What does that even mean?" He muttered into the phone and you heard Sam say something. A sigh. "There were some spell ingredients on the floor. Probably picked some up.”

“The demon was doing something shady, huh? What a surprise,” You scoff and mount your crutches, glancing back at the shabby motel room for the last time. Good fucking riddance.

“I don’t know how many answers you two are going to find, though.” You say softly, unsure if there was even anything left to find. You didn’t even know if any evidence they could find would even matter. You were content to forget everything that happened in this stupid town. What good would finding out what happened do, even, besides tell you whether Alioth had been exorcised or not.

Bobby was going to drive you to his house in your, leaving the truck in the motel lot. He’d already helped you pack your meager duffel full of your laundry and you were completely ready to leave.

You left the clothes from the crime scene in the trash where they belonged. They were absolutely ruined, and even if they hadn't been, you would’ve never been able to bring yourself to wear them again. “It might be a good idea to just fall back to Bobby’s and try to find the Colt. Solve both of our Demon Problems.”

The was silence and shuffling, and you heard the muffled voices of Dean and Sam talking - or were they arguing? After a moment Dean’s voice rang through the phone again. “If we don’t find anything more by tomorrow we’ll head back to Bobby's.”

“Alright.” You carefully navigate into the passenger seat of your Candy-Apple Red Mustang, shooing away Bobby’s attempts to help you in. No way we're you accepting that. You were a stubborn bitch, and he’d already helped enough just by loading up all your shit. “I’ll be looking for demon omens in the meantime.”

Dean sighed. “You really should take it easy, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” You rolled your eyes, a smile growing on your face against your will. It was kind of cute that he cared, even if you had the feeling he would’ve said that to anyone that’d just gotten out of the hospital. But it was nice. “And if some punk put you in the hospital you would be fine letting everyone else do all the work?” You dig, knowing how most hunters, including yourself, could be about self care - absolutely horrible at it.

“Awfully bold of you to assume I can be hurt.” He shot back. Oh, you could practically hear the arrogant, uneven grin on his face. Cheeky.

“My mistake,” You chuckle before wincing as it moves the bandages rubbing against your ribs. “I didn’t know you’re secretly Achilles.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart.” He said, the pet name making you feel things you weren’t quite ready to deal with. A blush worked its way across your cheeks despite yourself. “I don’t have a weakness.”

Bobby rose his eyebrows at your stupid, lovestruck grin before he started your car. You ignored him, smiling still. “I’ll keep that in mind, Winchester.”

“Please do,” His voice was low and rough in your ear. God, that was everything. “See you two in a few days, then.”

“I look forward to it.” You said, and you really meant it.

The line went dead.

There was silence in the car until you reached over and turned on the radio. Your favorite music started blaring, and Bobby grimaced at the volume before he turned it down.

More silence. You yawned and settled in for the long drive home.

Huh. It’d been a while since you’ve called that place home.

“So…” He started, glancing at you from the corner of his eyes before turning back to the road. He looked awfully smug, which was never good, “Dean, huh?”

Oh, god, this was not happening. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Uh-huh.” He frew the syllables out, as if to rub in your face how much he didn’t believe you. “You haven't had moon-eyes like that since you left that Natalie girl in Wisconsin.”

“Bobby...” You groan. He was not going to bring that stupid prom stunt into this, was he? “That was like ten years ago.”

He hummed all too knowingly. “Exactly.”

Shithead.

You would never admit that he’s right, of course.

“Hey, (Y/n)...” He started, voice almost hesitant. “You’re sure this all has nothing to do with… whatever the hell you were doing those three years away, right? We’re sure it’s Alioth?”

Ah, shit, he went there. And your stomach just lodged itself into your throat.

“Yeah, Bobby. It was definitely Alioth. You heard what the boys said.” You forced out through strangling anxiety rising in your chest. Your heartbeat thundered in your ears and made everything else feel quiet.

He went quiet for a moment before he sighed, slapping his hand on the steering wheel. “Are you ever gonna tell me what happened?” His voice was low and exasperated, and also soft at the same time, somehow, as if he was afraid of scaring you away. “You were missing, (Y/n). For three entire, god-damn years, and you don’t expect me to want to know where you were? To not be bothered? I thought you'd gotten yourself killed!”

“You know I can’t talk about it,” You said, curling into your seat more, facing the window instead of him, suddenly nauseous . You couldn’t look at him now. Not like this. If you looked him in the eyes your resolve might crumble away into nothing.

“What, you show up on my doorstep last year, half-dead and catatonic, after years of nothing, and you can’t tell me jack shit?”

“No,” You murmured, hiding as best you could when sharing a car with someone, covering your head with your arms. Hot tears pricked at your eyes. You shut them tight against the tears. You were not going to cry. You promised yourself you would never cry over Him. Him or anyone else from New York. They didn’t deserve your tears. “I can’t.” Your voice cracked embarrassingly, but you didn’t care. You just wanted this conversation to be over.

Bobby let out a frustrated sigh and you knew that was the end of it. Thank god. You wiped at your face with your good hand, trailing off the tears that never fell, and stared steadfastly at the trees outside the window. Every once in a while you passed farms instead of woods.

The quiet hung in the car like an oppressive fog, stopping both of you from trying to speak. You didn’t bother complaining when Bobby changed the music sporadically, even if it drove you nuts. It wasn't worth it.

You had a pillow you jacked from the hospital under your head, and the gentle white noise of tires on asphalt had you drifting deeper and deeper into the veil of sleep.

You felt so tired. Maybe Dean was right. You should rest.

A nap sounded really nice…

…

A clear sky in the middle of summer. Sunny meadows and flying kites. Children laughing and chasing each other in the park.

Gentle fingers carding through your hair as you lay your head on a steady chest. Soft grass underneath you.

A warm voice.

"You don't have to apologize to me, veleshenai. I'm the one who should apologize."

The sound of wings and ancient whispers carried along the wind. Familiar and strange, powerful and soft. Warm, like the feeling of sun on your skin.

"I should’ve gotten to you sooner. But you're safe now."

A babbling brook somewhere in the distance. Songbirds. The smell of grass and pine and honeysuckles.

"It'll be alright. You can rest now. I'll watch over you."

You could stay there forever.

…

You startled awake when the car jolted against a pothole.

Any memories you'd just formed faded away into obscurity with the rest of your forgotten dreams, leaving nothing behind but tinnitus and a lingering, heartbreaking echo of warmth in your soul. The more you tried to remember the more the feelings and sounds fell through your fingers like grains of sand.

By the time you sat up in your chair it was completely gone.

It was past dark in South Dakota, your Shelby’s headlights the only bright spot in the darkness of a lonely back road. Dark trees rushed past your window at blinding speeds, blurring into a solid green monolith lining the highway.

The first thing you felt was that everything fucking hurt. You bit back a groan, swallowing your painkiller without bothering to get water.

It better kick in fast.

“Hope you slept well, kid.” Bobby's voice echoed strangely against your ringing ears and felt like your head was being stabbed through. “We’re almost back at my place.”

You just nodded at him, looking forward to a bed you recognized. Bobby’s guest bed was cheap, and lumpy, and he refused to let you buy him a new one, but it was home. You smiled weakly. “I can order some delivery if you want me to. It’s the least I can do.”

He waved you off. “You know I hate that. I can handle my damn self.”

You don't know what else you expected.

You pulled up to his property not long later. The sight of an old made your stomach churn. You always felt bad going down the driveway of the yard and seeing once-beautiful cars left to rust. How many memories got eroded away by the wear of time.

But the junkyard gave you isolation when you needed it - it’d been home to more than one of your poorly thought-out, cocky shoot-offs with any and every hunter you could rope into it. When you were sixteen you shot some poor sap in the leg . And even though it had been a ricochet, you weren’t allowed to sneak off with other guests for a year.

You’d been alone by then, always on the move. But Bobby's had always stayed home, no matter how long it far you strayed. It was worlds better than the group home, even with constant talk of killing monsters and drunk hunters and crazy stories. Here you could afford to be yourself, without the cruel judgment if your peers. Just Bobby.

You were free - even with him shoving GED courses in your face nonstop. That was just about the only real education you’d ever gotten.

The car slowed to a stop in the garage, engine slowing down and then going quiet. You pulled yourself onto your crutches and out of the car, refusing to your spinning head stop you from walking by yourself. So you hobbled up the half-rotted wood stairs while Bobby hauled your duffel bag into his guest room. Even though you’d just slept you were already tired enough to crash, whether it was from the stress of your injuries, your pain meds, or both.

You didn’t have the energy to bring up how many empty alcohol bottles cluttered the tables inside the house. More than usual. Instead, you ate your canned soup in silence, idly looking for abnormal weather patterns on your laptop. Bobby was on the phone catching up on whatever hunter chatter he’d missed in the past two days.

You managed to towel-wash yourself well enough to not feel gross before you maneuvered yourself into the familiar, squeaky mattress in the guest room. Your room in all but name at this point. You pulled the quilts tight over your head and closed your eyes, praying that sleep would take you quickly.

You just needed to get through the next month and a half.

It's funny.

Dean and Sam had probably spent a good amount of their childhood sleeping in this room, too.

It was kind of infuriating, actually - how hard John tried to keep you away from his kids, even when all of you spent an inordinate amount of time at Bobby’s.

How much planning had gone into that? How many last minute plan changes?

A familiar pain rang through your chest. The sting of rejection. You would think you'd be over it by now. After all, you barely even knew him. He'd made sure of that. You'd long since given up chasing the approval of someone who never cared.

But it still hurt.

John thought you were a freak.

Couldn't let his sons be tainted by your mere presence. God forbid you have friends or a sense of safety for once in your life.

You knew the only reason he ever helped you fight Alioth off all those times was because he thought the demon could lead him to Yellow Eyes. Alioth only ever mocked him about that. But you’d wanted the help. You wanted to live.

John saved your life and then dropped you like a sack of potatoes.

Bitch.

…

You slept horribly.

Your stupid casts were all in the stupid way, you couldn't get comfortable for the life of you, every other hour you woke up in burning, throbbing pain, and you were sure that you could feel every last one of your bandages rubbing against your skin.

At 5:46 in the morning you woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. So you gave in and got out of bed, slogging through your new morning routine. You had to brush your teeth sitting down.

At least you could make coffee and toast with one hand.

You sat down on the couch and scrolled through newspaper reports. looking for the standard demonic omens. Cattle mutilations and crop failures. But you also searched for any missing person/arson combos that happened since Saturday.

For a demon, Alioth was extremely flashy when he picked hosts. Always upper-middle class men. Men that had fancy suits to steal and giant, overly expensive houses to light on fire.

You took only a small amount of comfort in the fact you found nothing.

---

Sam and Dean found nothing.

There were no leads. No cameras anywhere near the factory where you'd been found. The body, while nuts, went nowhere. Even going by the crime scene again yielded nothing but the soot outline of a triangle shaped knife.

All they could really do was take photos of the blood sigil and gather some of the spell ingredients from the floor. Get the evidence back to you and Bobby, because the two of you had time to research wacko demon magic rituals, and he had monsters to kill.

On one hand, they could get back to taking cases that might actually go somewhere. Save people from spooks that were still around.

On the other, now they knew that there were more sociopath demons running around killing people. It didn’t exactly feel very good knowing the bastards were escalating. All the talk about a war coming and these 'special kids.' It left a hell of a pit in Dean's stomach.

He was left with the lingering feeling that all of this had been a big waste of time. He got to meet a hunter his own age, which was cool - they were few and far between, but that was about it. Everything was dead ends. They had no idea where that damn demon ran off to.

He couldn’t fault Bobby for dragging them out there, though. If the thing had still been there he would’ve needed backup.

He was still disappointed he didn't get to punch the bastard in his smarmy fucking face though.

Was he projecting? Maybe.

Did it matter? Not really.

He just drove, and listened to music, and didn't let his thoughts linger on things like that.

He got to Bobby’s place before Sam did. Since you couldn’t drive, there had been a bit of musical chairs that ended with his brother driving Bobby’s truck back to the house. Between Dean's lead foot and the Impala's engine he had a solid hour or two lead.

And you were arguing when he got there.

“Bobby, I am perfectly able to go to my workshop. You don’t have to bring anything into the damn kitchen.” You were sitting in one of the ratty chairs with your leg propped up on another, all crossed arms and pouting face. The bruises on your face were mostly gone by now, leaving you looking more tired than anything.

A toolbox full of god-knows what sat on the table in front of you. Gungy 1990’s stickers covered the surface almost entirely. Was that Lisa Frank or a just a rainbow? ACDC, NASA, all sorts of other acronyms he didn't understand, and a barely legible Terminator graphic on one side.

“Perfectly able? You can hardly get out of that chair and you think you can go down the rickety stairs to my basement?” Bobby drawled, and let a heavy, metal case thunk onto the dining table next to the tool box. Dean felt the impact rattle in his bones. “No, either you let me help you down the damn stairs, don't start working, or I’m hauling everything else up!”

“Maybe try not having shitty stairs, genius!”

Dean cleared his throat, making you jump in your seat, eyes darting to him in surprise.

Damn, that blush on your face was cute. And you would absolutely kill him if he ever said as much, he just knew it. He tried not to stare at your lips, red from you worrying at them. His stomach did a flip and he had no idea if he was freaked out or, god forbid, smitten.

You still kind of gave him the heebie-jeebies, though. Just a little. But he would ignore it as long as you didn't root around in his brains.

“Need any help?” He gave his signature, charming grin to the both of you.

“Yes!” “No!” The two of you shouted at the same time. You resumed your staring match with Bobby, eyes on fire. Tense silence hung thick in the air and he swore he saw sparks start flying.

A look struck you like you just had an idea.

“Hey, Dean?” You sing-songed in a voice he recognized - the same one he used when he was about to annoy the shit out of Sam. You were about to be a smartass.

“Yeah?” He half-smiled, anticipation like static in his chest.

“D'ya mind helping me downstairs?” You say with a wry smile.

"You're fucking insufferable, kid." Bobby groaned and left the room, leaving you with a mischievous gleam in your eye. Apparently that was exactly how you wanted him to react.

You sti

You stuck your tongue out at his back.

Dean recognized a fellow professional in the Fine Art of Being a Pain in the Ass when he saw one. He respected the hustle.

He sauntered over to you as you wobbled onto your crutches. “So what was all that about?”

You sighed as he walked with you to the half-rotten stairs that caused the argument in the first place. “You have ears.” You grumbled, but relented after his deadpan look. “Fine, fine.” You opened the door to the basement. “He just still acts like I’m a kid, sometimes. I -” You looked away from him and started chewing at your bottom lip again. “I tend to get pissed off when people try and help me too much, okay?”

You apparently decided to throw pride out the window, because you maneuvered yourself to sit at the top of the stairs, before scooting yourself down one stair at a time.

Well, that's one way to do that.

Since you seemed to be determined to do this yourself, he grabbed the toolbox from the table that he assumed belonged to you.

“You two seem close,” He said, more of a question than anything else.

He waited awkwardly at the top of the stairs as you made your way down by yourself.

“Yeah,” You started up again when you made it to the bottom, and Dean followed when you were clear. “I mentioned before that John wanted me away from you two,” You yanked yourself upright using one hand on the bannister. “So when I started pestering him about hunting, he dropped me here. Half the time I was here and the other half I was on hunts with whatever poor sap I annoyed into letting me join them.” You shrugged and mounted your crutches, moving to a workbench in a cozy alcove off to the left. “Mostly badass ladies like Ellen for obvious reasons. But Bobby's taken care of me more than anybody else ever has.”

“He’s good at that, huh?” Dean murmured. It hurt more than he could admit that it was probably true for him, too.

You gave him a soft smile, tension visibly flowing out of your frame. You idly played with a coil of wire from the desk. “Yeah, he is.” He set the toolbox down next to you, and the delighted surprise on your face told him everything he needed to know.

“Thanks.” A chuckle worked its way from your throat and his heart hammered harder than ever in his chest. You had a great smile.

Shit, he was in trouble.

---

“We’re goin’ do-own in an earlier round, and sugar we’re goin’ down swingin’~” You hummed along to the now-familiar track playing on the stereo. You were barely paying attention, though, your focus held tight by the project in your hands.

You'd taken to customizing hunting weapons, charms, spell seals. There was a decent amount of money you could make helping other hunters - at least from the ones that were well off. You weren't stingy, though, if someone needed a charmed knife you would give it to them.

Being forced home-bound for a few weeks could give you some time to build up inventory, and that's exactly what you were doing. The more you made from this, the less you had to win from poker games. And the less attention you drew to yourself, the better.

From the moment you could move your hands they were always doing something, whether it was drawing, or weaving, or, eventually, etching intricate designs into knife blades. You were prone to incorporating spells, runes, and magic into your art, even when that art was made with crayons. It'd been what caught John's attention the week before you met him - your parents had thought you were possessed.

Eventually you gave in and dove into magic-craft headfirst. You were accidentally doing shit anyway, might as well actually get something out of it.

You realized almost immediately that you were super weird. Not that you didn’t already know that. But most of the spells you ‘just knew’ were old magic. Magic that trailed all the way back to biblical times. Enochian seals you knew better than the back of your hand.

The language that flowed from your pen easier than water, it was the same as the one on your ribs - used to be - on your ribs. The words felt powerful and ancient and so, so right that sometimes you ached for a home that was never yours, but was actually your soulmate's. A soulmate you were pretty sure was never going to come.

You might've believed in angels, but you didn't dare believe you were special enough for them to come out of hiding.

You tried not to think about the fact your ribs were blank or that you were going to die alone.

Instead, you worked.

The weapon you engraved was relatively simple, by your standards. You just hoped it worked well. You didn’t have the energy or ingredients to do a more comprehensive spell right then. The seals would do most of the heavy lifting here, though, so it should be fine. You could always do a better ritual later.

Footsteps thundered down the stairs and then stopped. When you turned around there was none other than Sam Winchester himself standing at the bottom of the stairs. God, he's tall. "Hey," He smiled, eyes drifting to your work. "We're all here, ready to start planning?"

"Sure," You nodded, not looking up at him. "Just a minute, I gotta finish this inscription." Silver glinted in the low light of the basement as you carved the last few runes into the metal.

"Are those brass knuckles?" Sam quirked his brow, pulling up a chair and sitting next to you - close enough to talk easily without hovering. Humming a positive noise, you held the silver-coated punchers a bit farther away so you could see it better as a whole.

Beside you, Sam's was bouncing his leg up and down, and he played with his own hands. "Um, do you mind if we talk?"

"We are talking." You winked. "But, nah, I don't mind. What's up?"

"I have… a lot of questions." His eyebrows raised and you swore your heart was going to explode. Puppy eyes. "But I guess the first one is how you know my dad. I read some vague stuff about the demon after you in his journal, but there's not much besides that."

You sighed. You knew this was coming sooner or later. "Your dad saved my life when I was a kid," You set down the brass knuckles and kept working. "The night Alioth killed my parents. Worked with him on a few exorcisms once I started hunting. It's not like I knew him all that well." You hissed, harsher than you meant to. You paused a moment, gathering yourself. You huffed before you spoke again. "He didn't like that I could see in his head. If you’re looking to know him better, I'm not the person to ask."

"That actually sounds exactly like him." Sam let out a humorless laugh and rubbed at his temples. "I'm sorry. About your parents."

You gave him a tight-lipped smile, chest tightening. "Thanks. I know."

His eyes widened a fraction. "Oh, um, because… powers?" He gestured to his temple.

You chuckled against your rising nerves, nudging his leg with yours "No, because anyone with a sense of decency says that, genius."

An embarrassed, adorable smile grew on his face. "Right."

Hehe, he had dimples.

"I can't hear you right now, by the way, in case you're worried." You set down your etcher before holding up your charmed necklace for him to see - a silver trinity knot you'd enchanted yourself. "This keeps things quiet for me - like earmuffs. It was a bitch to figure out the spellwork for it, though."

"So how does it work? Your... psychic thing, I mean. Not the necklace." He said the word psychic quietly, like he was afraid of it, head tilting in a way that reminded you of a sad labrador.

There's a story here that you're missing, huh? But this was important to him. You didn't need to read his mind to know that.

You closed your eyes and tried to think of a good analogy, hand fisting in the fabric of your sweatpants.

It came to you after a moment.

"Imagine… imagine you're in a cafeteria, right? You hear everyone talking all at once so you have no idea what anybody's saying," You opened your eyes and looked at him again. "But if you're having a conversation with someone right in front of you, you can hear them just fine because you're focused on them. Thoughts are exactly the same way."

He rubbed at the back of his neck. "And when did it start? The mind reading?"

Let's think. All events in your life fell under one of two categories. Before the fire, Alioth, and being orphaned. And after.

You moved back to the brass knuckles, narrowing your eyes at the seals. More wobbly than your usual standard. "Since before my house fire." You murmured, only half paying attention.

Sam made a weird strangled noise next to you and you looked at him with a worried expression. Was he okay?

"You had a house fire?" He choked out before clearing his throat. "And you’re psychic?"

"Yeah.” You raised an eyebrow at that. What did any of it matter? “And?"

He looked at the floor, the workbench, the ceiling. Anywhere but you. "I've recently met a few psychics who had nursery fires when they were six months old. All connected to the yellow-eyed demon."

Ah. That would do it.

"Honey, I was eight." You grabbed his hand in your good one. When he finally met your gaze again his eyes were glassy. "Whatever pattern you're looking for here isn't with me."

"You're sure? It starts with migraines, then there are nightmares, and-"

"Sam." You interrupted, getting his attention back on you.

He stopped. "Yeah?"

"Would you like me to make a charm for," You paused a moment, looking at him closely. He obviously felt uncomfortable. You would let him hide under the guise of worrying about a friend for now. "-for your friend?"

"He doesn't hear thoughts." He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes, voice thick with emotion. "I don't think it would help. Thanks for the offer, though."

"Okay," You said softly, squeezing his hand lightly before you turned back to the bench and put away your tools. "Let me know if he changes his mind."

He nodded and hair fell into his face. "I will."

You couldn't tell if you’d made him feel better or worse.

It only took five minutes for you to hobble up the stairs - enough time for Sam to regain composure. He didn't look like he was about to cry anymore, which was good. He didn't need to be teased by his brother.

"Finally," Dean groaned. "What the hell took you so long?"

You just stared at him.

At the look you and Sam gave him he rolled his eyes and went back to eating the deli sandwich in front of him.

Oh, Bobby made lunch. Nice.

"You know what? I don't even wanna know."

And he said that through mouthfuls of food. Classy.

You rolled your eyes at Dean and sat down at the table. "So anyone got any ideas besides just keeping track of omens?” Your cast made your leg stretch in an odd way, bumping up against Dean’s shins. Amazing. Not awkward at all. “Cause I don't, short of summoning the bastard, which is the last thing we wanna do, really."

Dean shrugged.

Sam shook his head.

"I think that's about all we can do, kid.” Bobby sighed between sips of beer. “Wait for you to recover, keep track of omens, and try to nail down The Colt. Keep hunting in the meantime."

"Guess I'm playing research assistant for the next while." You sighed, before resting your hand on your heart like a lonely maiden from a Shakespeare play. "How am I supposed to live without the sweet, sweet freedom of the open road." You leaned back and put your arm over your eyes. "I will never again know the feeling of asphalt under my tires. My poor, beautiful car is destined to rot in the gara-"

"Oh, don't start this shit again, (Y/n)." Bobby grumbled. Dean laughed quietly, watching the exchange go down with no small amount of amusement.

You stuck out your tongue at Bobby. "You're no fun."

"And you're a drama queen."

"Yeah," You held out your hands in a 'duh' gesture. "Cause it's funny."

He rolled his eyes at you. "And I've been hearing the same spiel for over ten years. Forgive me if I don't think it's funny the ten-thousandth time."

“You love me.”

“Whatever.”

A short silence took over the kitchen as you all ate.

Then Dean looked at you from across the table and raised his eyebrows, rougish smile playing across his stupid, beautiful face. "You said somethin’ about a beautiful car?”

You rested your chin on your palm, smirk playing across your face. “1968 Shelby GT500 KR, original engine, Candy Apple Red. With white Le Mans stripes, of course”

A smooth whistle rolled from his lips and you tried not to stare at them too much. “Badass.”

Sam gave you a grossed out look before he seemed to realize that the conversation was going nowhere, and he left with a short goodbye. Bobby followed, grumbling about ‘You two and your damn cars.’

He probably knew you were about to get competitive.

“Of course, nothing can beat my Impala." Dean smiled again, smug, green eyes catching in the sunlight streaming in from outside. Then he opened his mouth and interrupted your staring. "Black 1967 with a 327 engine.”

"I know, I've been in her a few times," You hum, rapping your fingers on the table. It was John’s car, after all. He’d saved your life in that thing.

And, well, you didn’t mean to brag, but…

“Too bad she’s slower than Phoenix." You touched his arm lightly as if in consolation. The leather of his jacket felt soft against your fingertips. Your voice was low and your eyes were playful. Teasing. "We can clock a 13.7 second quarter-mile. Zero to sixty in 5.5 seconds.”

“But can you match that on the strip?” The cocky look was back on his face, leaning in closer to you and refusing to admit your car had better specs than his. You knew she did - you may or may not have checked before. “Record times don’t matter if you suck.”

“What makes you think I can’t drive, hmm?” You tilted your head, quirking your mouth and raising a brow.

A spark. An idea forming in your mind.

A predatory grin spread across your face in the next second, “You know what? Wanna put your money where your mouth is?” You held out your good hand for him to shake. “Drag race when I get out of this cast?”

“Deal.” He said instantly, the gears turning behind his eyes, expression darkening just as yours had. “Loser has to do whatever the winner wants for a day.”

“You’re on, Winchester.” You grabbed his hand, holding his challenging gaze for a moment before giving him a wink. “You better practice while you can. You'll need all the help you can get.”

“Don’t get your hopes up too much, sweetheart.” An arrogant chuckle left his lips. “Baby and I are going to destroy you."

"I don't know," You lean in even farther and at this point you could count the freckles on his face. "Phoenix and I give a pretty good ride."

You could just eat him alive. And he looked like he thought the same of you, lips slightly parted, pupils half-blown. His low voice just about killed you.

A loud thunk startled you out of your trance, moment lost. Was that Bobby in the other room?

God damn it.

A/N: Lol I had to post this before I edit it into oblivion and drive myself insane. Any, as always, I hope you enjoyed! Have a great day, and please give me some feedback! Your guys' comments mean the world to me, thank you so much for reading!