#also if anyone reading this is worried about four walls being updated

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

me waiting for my writer’s block to fuck off and leave me alone so i can finish this chapter:

[thebowieconstricker]

Head Over Heels - Chapter 2

(The Creature x Reader)

A Lisa Frankenstein (2024) fic

masterlist link

Finally, an update! A lot of stuff goes down in this chapter but I’d like to say this: in this chapter, you go through the same experience that Lisa goes through in the movie. I’m not comfortable writing out that experience, so instead, there’s a time skip to after that event has taken place. I know that so far it seems a little self-insert-y, and it DEFINITELY is, but don’t worry, I’m gonna spice things up. Also, I’m cooking up a one shot! Enjoy!

~~~

You looked over Micheal. You’d never had such a straightforward view of him before. He was always sitting in front of you or passing you in the hallway. Never talking to you.

His brown hair was straight and long, framing his very pretty face nicely. He had dark brown eyes and sharp eyebrows. His lips were in a smirk.

Why was he looking at you like that?

“(Y/N) McFadden.” He said.

WHY DID HE KNOW YOUR NAME???

“Micheal Trent.” You replied, trying to sound confident but definitely failing. “You… you know me?” You asked, very taken aback.

He chuckled. “Well, we’re both currently being educated in the same walls of asbestos.” You nodded and smiled at his comment. Micheal continued.

“Plus, you’ve submitted some really strong poems to The Grackle.”

Your eyes widened as you felt your face get hot with embarrassment. The Grackle was your school newspaper, and as soon as you heard about it, you were submitting your poems. In your last four years of school, you had even managed to get some published. But you didn’t think anyone actually paid attention to them.

“You like my poems?” You asked smiling, twisting the lid of the water bottle in your hand.

Micheal shrugged in a way that managed to be cute. “I wouldn’t have published them if I didn’t.”

Oh right, he’s the editor. HE’S THE EDITOR. HE’S READ MULTIPLE OF YOUR POEMS HOLY-

Suddenly, a girl walked over to Micheal, putting her hand on his shoulder. You recognized her immediately by her black lipstick and teased hair. Tamara White. The smile on your face fell.

“Hey Micheal, I found the keg. It’s Clydesdale piss, but, you know…” She was holding a solo cup in her other hand, not bothering to make eye contact with you. Or even look at you.

You cleared your throat. “Hey, Tamera.”

She then looked at you, her eyes narrowing. Dang, she has good eyeliner, you thought absentmindedly. She smiled a bit too wide to be genuine.

“Hi… sorry, do we know each other?”

You fought back the urge to roll your eyes. “Just a couple classes.” You said, gritting your teeth.

She cocked her head. “This year?”

You blinked. “This semester.”

Micheal looked down, fighting back a laugh.

You made him laugh? That wasn’t even funny-

Tamara coughed. “Bless. Anyways, do you want a sip?” She gestured her cup towards Micheal, the drink so full it nearly sloshed over the sides. Micheal took a look and grimaced. “Uh…”

And then, you did something extraordinarily stupid. For some reason, either the atmosphere of the party, or the fear of missing out taking over your body, or your desire to be seen as a well-adjusted individual, you decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to illegally drink for the first time in your life.

“I’ll take one.” You said, a bit too loudly. Micheal and Tamara both looked at you strangely. Micheal frowned, then looked at Tamara as if she was to blame for your sudden outburst.

Tamara smirked. “What? They’re allowed to party.” She outstretched her arm to give you the cup. Staring you down this time, she raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.

This is a challenge, you realized.

You took the cup gingerly and, after taking a breath, took a big gulp.

Immediate regret. The drink fizzed in your mouth and burned going down your throat, straight to your stomach where it immediately began to growl. You hated the smell of alcohol, it was artificial and gross and now it was all you could taste. Also, it tasted like there was something else in there, an extra layer of bubbling that made you lightheaded.

“What is this?” You asked, not noticing Tamara snickering to Micheal.

“You know, I’m not really sure.” She said, making Micheal push her shoulder slightly. Tamara stopped smiling. “I got it off, uh… Darren? I think his name is?” Micheal rolled his eyes.

“Come on. Poor kid just went from Pepsi Free to PCP.”

You were not a kid. You were 18, you could handle yourself. You thought, a little annoyed.

Tamara went back to laughing. “You’re being so dramatic.”

You staggered backwards, your head now swimming with sickness. Accidentally, your leg hit the cooler behind you, making a loud thump and gaining the attention of some of the teens around you.

Including Taffy.

She immediately rushed over to you, concern clear in her expression.

“Hey, (N/N), you okay?” She put a hand around your shoulder, the other going to take your drink. She sniffed it and her eyes widened.

“Did those darksiders give you something?!”

You wrinkled your nose. What kind of name was that? They were cool people, at least Micheal was-

It then occurred to you that you would’ve liked to be Tamara’s friend, actually. You liked her style and the way she carried herself. You recalled walking with her to class your freshman year.

Why did she act like this now?

Taffy poured your drink out in the grass and threw the cup down, then walked around in front of you to grab you by your shoulders.

“This is not what I expected from you! You have so much potential, (Y/N)!” You couldn’t look Taffy in the eyes, the world around her was too busy. You could only stare at the ground.

Taffy stood up straight, then turned to walk towards Micheal and Tamara.

“Hey, you! We need to talk!” She angrily shouted. You heard vague sounds of an argument in front of you, but there was a sudden ringing in your ears, only adding to your discomfort.

You walked awkwardly around the cooler, deciding that what you really needed was to sit down. Heading towards the house, you dodged drunk teen after drunk teen, all living their lives around you. It was like they were in bubbles, perfectly content in their own worlds, as you were completely shut out of theirs. The music around you was loud, the light and colors floating and swirling around you like the Starry Night painting.

Your stomach growled again as you walked past the glass doors shutting you out from the living room. You wanted to make it to the couch, but a pang of sharpness went through your head and you collapsed behind it instead.

How did this get so bad so fast? You thought, head bumping against the back of the couch. These were supposed to be the best years of your life. Instead, you felt like you were drowning.

You pulled your knees to your chest and held your head in your hands. Stomach churning, you realized that you were definitely gonna vomit tonight.

And then, without warning, a small figure walked towards you. Hearing the footsteps, you looked up and squinted, your vision blurry. Slowly, you recognized a face as it crouched down next to you.

“Hey, Y/N.” He was sort of smiling, like he was catching you in an awkward situation.

You furrowed your brows, trying to remember his name.

He frowned at your reaction. “Are you okay?” He put a hand on your shoulder and you flinched, but it was a soft touch. The bright lights of the living room were blaring on his face, making it look like a kaleidoscope.

“Who are you?” You muttered, clear enough that he could hear you.

“Uh, it’s-“ He took a breath. “-it’s me, it’s Doug. Your lab partner?”

Oh, it’s Doug! Doug Ram was your lab partner! He was always pretty nice to you, even if you barely spoke a word in class. He was smart, too. You always got good grades when you worked with him.

You tried to nod, but your head just fell forward limply. Doug’s arm moved to go around your shoulders.

“Okay, um… let’s find somewhere for you to sit for a bit, yeah?”

He helped you to your feet and you leaned against him, despite the fact that he was a great deal smaller than you.

And then, he led you through the party. He rambled about something, maybe about wishing he was somewhere else, but you couldn’t really pay attention. The music was so loud.

As he talked, you wished you were at the cemetery. There, you had room to breathe. It was lush and green and natural. Your companion there wouldn’t be talking so much, and you would feel comfortable enough to drone on and on about whatever you wanted to.

You missed him, Mr. Unmarked. Though you didn’t call him that, you just said, “You,” when you read to him.

Walking with Doug, you walked past a few paintings on the walls, admiring how the paints would swirl and dance on the canvas.

Wait- where were you?

“Who’s your favorite director of all time?” Doug’s random question distracted you from your confusion.

You tried to clear your throat and said, “Pabst,” on instinct. Pandora’s Box was your personal favorite of his.

Doug laughed. “Oh, you’re just reading my beer can.”

You shook your head, somewhat annoyed. “No. He was…” You ran your fingers along the wallpaper as the figures on it twisted. “…a real director.”

Doug made a ‘hmm’ sound. “What kind of movies did he direct?” You turned to him, suddenly giggly. “Silents.” You answered, whispering.

Doug chuckled. “Okay, I’ll be quiet.” He whispered back.

What? No, that’s not what you meant-

And then, a crash of thunder from outside. You jumped, and in the moment, you gagged. Doug quickly realized what was happening and ushered you to a bathroom. You got on your knees over the toilet and started to puke. Thankfully, Doug was kind enough to hold back your hair.

“There ya go, kiddo. How many cans of White Rain you got in there?” He said.

Why was he calling you that? You’re not a child!

You continued to throw up until most of the sick was out of your system. You finally tilted your head back up and motioned to Doug that you were done. He nodded and helped you stand back up, now guiding you to one of the other rooms in the house. This one had a bed, which he sat you down on. Then, he left the room to get you a bottle of water.

You listened to the rain pounding on the roof, soothed by its ambiance. Another pang on thunder shook the house. You smiled to yourself, appreciating the kindness of your friend. At least he was on your side.

He entered the room with a bottle in hand. You took it and immediately uncapped it, then took a long sip. It was cold and crisp, making you feel better already.

“Thank you.” You said to him. He nodded and sat next to you on the bed.

Another roll of thunder. “Looks like the angels are bowling, as my mom used to say.” You chuckled and nodded.

Then… then something happened.

~~~

You ran through the house, down the stairs, back out through the glass door of the living room, tears pouring down your face as you tried to catch your breath. The rain was picking up now, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

Doug was not kind. He was not your friend.

How could you be so stupid?

You stumbled through the crowd, faces blurring into a mass of cackling forms. Everything was too loud and too bright and you couldn’t do this.

You needed peace.

You needed nature.

You ran into the woods, which wasn’t too far from whoever’s house you had ended up at. With the rain, the usually soft ground was turning muddy, but you ran nonetheless. You could barely see the trees around you, but your body had walked this trail a million times, and it didn’t take you long to find your way to the bachelors cemetery. Here, the thick canopy of leaves above you blocked out some of the rain, though you could still hear thunder all around you.

You walked slowly now, careful not to trip over any of the graves around you. After looking over the forest floor, you finally, finally spotted the stoic bust of your companion.

You moved over to him, his grave standing tall amongst the other lower ones. You found yourself falling down, body leaning almost entirely on the base of his grave. You looked up to his face, still crying, as you whispered the only thing you could think of.

“I wish I was with you.”

And you meant it. Being in the ground, safe and away from everybody else, was all you wanted in that moment.

Your exhaustion overtook you, and you laid at the base of your friend’s grave. A true friend, although you had never spoken. Over the past four years, he had been the most consistent kindly force in your life. You knew that with him, here, at this sacred place, you were safe.

And then you fell asleep.

Tag list! @strawbeii @world-of-bitchcraft @sativamommy @snowangelz @kenqki

I’m gonna start tagging people every time I update this story, so let me know if you’d like to be taken off the list or added! Thanks for reading! <333

[talyns-fanfics]

Hi, Talyn’s FanFics fans! I have a personal update to post so y’all know where I am at mentally.

I mostly write when I’m feeling a strong emotion. Right now, that emotion has been anger. I have been feeling this for almost a week now. You may also have noticed that I’ve finally posted the fourth chapter of “My Hero Fantasy”. It’s because of my heightened anger. When my emotions are heightened like this, I just have the urge and the drive to write write write. I finished chapter four last night and got halfway done with chapter five.

My anger currently stems from my family literally being torn apart by the seams. My sister is wanting to leave the family and the state. Normally, I’d be okay with this. But she is just freshly an adult and doesn’t know how the world works despite how much me and my family try to help her. My father and sister have fought multiple times on this and I have tried to meditate, which has only caused me to break down and/or completely seal myself off from the rest of the household. Yesterday was the latter and I was able to finish and post chapter four.

Someone once told me that writers and psychopaths are physiologically the same, and I believe that. One reason why I believe so many writers are not convicted is because they have healthy outlets. I’m one of those writers. I’m grateful for this platform where I can share story ideas and write for so many people. It’s not just the writing I love, it’s you guys. Anyone that has read/interacted with my stories fill me with the drive to continue writing. With how my family is, I would have been driven up the wall and sent into an insane spiral had it not been for this opportunity I have been given.

Thank you all for sticking with me and letting me air out my thoughts. I’m still worried about my family, but I’m less so now. Expect more fanfics. I love you guys.🩷🩵

[marvelescape]

a falling out

summary: You knew Bucky was hurt but why is he ignoring you?

the 4th part of a kiss on your hand but can be read as a one-shot

pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

words: 3,650

warning/s: cussing, mentions of injuries and blood, angst? fluff!

GIF is not mine. Credits to its owner! ✨

There was an unspoken promise that whenever either one of you goes out on a mission, one would greet the other at the door as soon as they're home.

The whole team has always been briefed together of what each mission is about in case of necessary backups but the specific details are only kept within the group that will be out in the field. Thus, usually, those who are left in the tower to monitor other issues or have free time have no idea what is happening out there. They have no chance but to wait and wish for the best.

This was your situation for the last two weeks now.

Waiting and wishing for the best.

You hoped that you were not too clingy or too obvious with your true feelings with a certain super soldier but you have been nothing but anxious the last weeks Bucky was gone with Steve, Sam and Scott.

You knew he could handle himself- he got the guys with him- but still. You can't help but think.

Natasha and Wanda, even Tony, have been receiving ends of your constant worrying questions and while they have been reassuring you every single time, you know it wouldn't be long before they would snap.

It should have only been three days.

At least that was what you were all briefed about.

So something must have gone wrong right?

But why aren't Maria and Fury haven't updated nor asked for the rest of the Avengers' help if that was the case?

Your now routinely done spiraling was interrupted when the elevator in the common room, where you hung out and have an unread book on your lap, dinged.

"Oh my god," you exclaimed as soon as your eyes met the worn-out blood-covered bodies of your friends. "Why the fuck are you guys here? You should've gone straight towards the hospital wing!" you huffed and ran towards their side to assist Steve in carrying a limping Sam.

Bruce, who was silently reading with you a while ago ran towards Scott to ask what exactly happened. He alerted Friday and instructed the AI to inform every single one of the team of the guys' arrival.

"You guys could've taken the other elevator to get there easily!" you added, still pertaining to the hospital wing.

The men just sighed and kept quiet.

You took a glance at the man who has been living in your head the past few days as you walked along the hallways to where the resident doctors of the tower are.

He had a few cuts on his face, some already have dried blood. A black eye was definitely going to be decorated on that same face too.

His limbs look okay. He's not limping like Sam. His arms look unscathed.

He's hunched for a little bit and you figured that his upper body probably also had a few injuries under his gray and black get-up. His muscles are also surely sore from whatever they have been through.

As your eyes traveled back to his eyes, you saw his grayish eyes looking straight back at you. Unlike his usual ocean blues, the pair is currently glassy and an unknown sadness was hidden behind it.

And so your worry started to cripple back- bigger than before.

Because to you, it was obvious.

Bucky was not okay.

As much as you wanted to run up to him and ask the bubbling questions in your mind, you decided to focus first on helping a certain Falcon walk and headed straight to the hallways with white walls.

You were never given a chance to ask him your questions.

It's been three days since the four men returned and you never had a chance to talk to Bucky.

They were recovering in their respective rooms and each of them asked Friday to not let anyone in.

The mission must have been that rough, you thought.

And while the fact that Bucky was already home, safe and sound, relieved your worry, him being in the same building as you yet he's shutting you out tugged on your nerves even more.

You were never a clingy one. You actually tried to make people think you never cared because honestly, you knew you cared too much. Especially since you can remember everything.

But with Bucky, you just can't help but do care.

You don't have to try and overthink and remember every single thing.

You just... care.

And you had no problems showing that to him; making him feel that you'll always be there.

Fortunately, for the last years you were in the team, you were sure that the concern has always been reciprocated.

It would always make your heart beat faster than it should when you realize how Bucky cared for you more than he did for anyone else.

Even Steve (and Steve was the one who pointed it out).

So now, what happened?

Why was he distant?

You weren't asking him to be attached to your hip all the time but...

You just needed to know that he's really okay.

"Hey, Friday?" you called on the AI as you sat in the common area, the show on the television long forgotten as you drowned in your thoughts.

"Yes, Ms. Y/L/N?" Friday replied.

"Do you happen to know what happened during the last mission?" You know Friday knows and you know that you're pulling a limb here but you have to try, right?

"I believe that's classified, Ma'am," a monotonous reply reached your ears.

You sighed and nodded as if she can see you (maybe she can? You honestly don't know how this works).

"Can you ask Bucky if he's okay? Maybe I can talk to him?" You knew you sounded desperate but deep in your gut, there's that feeling. Something has to be wrong.

It was silent for a few seconds before the AI spoke again, "Mr. Barnes said he's fine but he can't talk to anyone right now, especially you, Ma'am."

What the hell?

"What do you mean especially me?" You frustratedly stood up and waited for a reply but didn't get any.

You sighed and stomped towards the elevator, heading to his room upstairs.

You would have dropped it and continued to respect his space but what the heck does 'especially you' mean?

You dug through your perfectly capable brain of anything you might have done to offend him. The last few days. The last weeks. The days before the mission.

Nothing.

You two even bid goodbye with a few teasing and jokes about how you're sitting this mission out – the first one in two months.

"What is his problem?" You thought out loud as you came face to face to his door.

"Barnes!" You knocked, sorry pounded, on the door. "What the hell?" was all you could say as your knuckles continued to make contact with the wood.

"Ms. Y/L/N, Mr. Barnes told me to tell you that he would appreciate not seeing you right now." Friday's voice traveled through the hallway again and you felt your anger rise up.

You ignored the AI and continued to knock, blinded by your feelings. "The fuck is that supposed to mean, Bucky?" you hissed. "I was going to respect your space, believe me, but you can't just say shit like that and expect me to sit still. Talk to me, you fossil!"

You knew you were somehow making a scene at that point but you were enraged by this unusual and unwelcome treatment the super soldier was giving you.

"I've waited long enough, Barnes. At least let me see that you're okay!" you continued.

A muffled voice then came from the other side of the door. "I'm fine, Y/N."

"Okay," you exhaled. "Then talk to me. Open the door, please?" you softly asked, hand now resting on the door.

Silence met you.

"Buck. Look, I just want to know why you don't want to talk to me. That's all. Then you can–"

The door interrupted you as it opened and you now came face to face with Bucky.

You were right. He was sporting a black eye but it was already healing. His cuts on his face were nothing more than light scars already.

Ah yes, to be a super-soldier. Come back beaten up one day and heal as fast as you got the injuries.

You gave him a once over, looking for any more wounds or injuries that may have bothered him but he looked almost good as new in his thin black shirt and jogger pants.

"There," you sighed as you meet his eyes. "Okay. See was that hard?"

He stayed silent, stepped aside and gestured for you to go inside his room like you always did before.

You went in quietly and you turned to him at the same time he closed the door. "Now, tell me. What did Friday mean when she told me you said you did not want to see me?"

You kept your voice low, acknowledging the fact that he went through a rough mission.

"You're smart, Y/N. It's self-explanatory, don't you think?" he replied and sat in an armchair at the corner of his room.

Your forehead creased at his colder-than-winter answer. "Dial down the sass, would you? I understand I can't ask what went down on that mission but goodness, what's up your ass?" you huffed.

Bucky only stared at you, emotionless.

You crossed your arms and raised a brow at him. "Just tell me what's your problem with me, Buck. You know I hate getting the silent treatment. Talk then I'll be out of your hair."

Silence.

"If you think I'll walk out of here without answers then you do not know me at all." You smirked.

It was a minute or two of you having a staring competition before he sighed, stood up and walked towards you.

A good meter was kept between the two of you. You stood your ground and nodded at him, urging him to talk.

He gave you a small smile before he said, "I've always been ready, Y/N."

You frowned at the way his voice cracked. "What?" was all you could reply.

“I’ve always been ready," he repeated. "Ready to die on the field, Y/N!" His voice got louder this time as he chuckled bitterly. "God, even when I was still in the 40s, in the middle of a war, I wake up every day accepting the fact that it might be my last.”

You kept quiet as he pushed his hair up, frustration obvious in his voice.

“Dying has always been a part of my job, I know that! I was trained to know and accept that. But-" He chuckled again before continuing, "-it frustrates me because now… last mission, I found myself in the tiniest bit of inconvenience and immediately prayed to all the gods that they won’t take me because I can’t. Because I do not want to!”

He put both of his hands on his head before looking at you. "It's all your fault," he said.

"What?!" You can't help but react.

"I'm an Avenger, Y/N!" he expressed. "I've been a soldier, an assassin. Super soldier serum was injected in me yet it only took you for me to fear death." He pointed at you frustratedly as he continued.

Bucky then laughed sarcastically as his voice went down. “I've been through hell and back and it was only you who made me afraid to die." He licked his lips as he sighed and whispered the next words. "Because I still want to be with you.”

Your breath hitched as you listened.

"I can’t die because I want to still see you, feel you, talk to you. I don’t want to die because I want to come home to you." Bucky's blue eyes looked back at yours, tears starting to form in his. "I can’t die without you knowing that I am deeply, hopelessly in love with you, Y/N."

You felt your heartbeat stop as the words sunk in.

Tears started to well up in your eyes as well. You felt your face warm up.

Your mind was screaming for you to say something. Tell him your feelings that you had tried to bury for a long time. Tell him that you love him too. Words wanted to come out of your throat but can't.

You were frozen.

And Bucky seemed to misinterpret as to why.

“Fuck, it scares me, Y/N. It scares me because I never knew how in love I was with you until now that I almost did not have the chance to tell you." He bit the inside of his cheek and took a step back. "And I know that you don’t feel the same. That me coming home to you without life wouldn’t matter that much, wouldn't hurt as much as it would be to me if the roles were reversed."

Your face hardened at the sharpness of his words. “Excuse me, what? What did you just say to me?”

He ignored you and said, "I get it, Y/N. So until then, I am trying to create a space between us because god knows I would fall deeper if I wouldn’t.”

“Okay what? How fucking dare you, Barnes,” you replied, taking a step closer to him and raising your fist to punch his chest. "How dare you tell me that you dying on a mission wouldn’t be as painful? Is that what you think of me, huh? What you think of our friendship?!"

Bucky snickered. "Friendship," he said, the bitterness of the word in his mouth wasn't concealed in his voice.

You pushed his shoulder, forcing him to look at you. “Just imagining Steve walking through that door without you behind him fucking kills me, you know that?!" you angrily confessed. "Why do you think I always make sure to wait and greet you all as soon as you come back?”

You stepped back and paced around his room. You pointed at him, rage filling your body and said, “And how dare you assume that I’m not in love with you too? You think you know what I feel, huh, James? How dare you decide for the both of us and ignore me?”

"Idiot," you whispered to yourself as you continued to pace. You were flabbergasted by the words exchanged for the last three minutes, it was almost comical. "Just fucking talk to me, goddamnit," you told him. "You should have talked to me as soon as you realized then you would have known that I also love you!”

As soon as you looked back at him, you found blue eyes wide as saucers. His jaw was dropping. His cheeks were flushed. “What?” he weakly stated.

You groaned. “You’re a fucking idiot!” You started to walk towards the door but were halted by his grip on your wrist.

“What did you just say?” His soft voice invaded your ears.

You huffed. "You could have saved us a ton of drama if you weren’t a dumbass.”

He held your shoulders and made you face him. “Say that again," he requested.

You rolled your eyes and repeated. “You’re a dumbass."

He laughed and held your hands. He took a moment to maybe let everything sink in, a crease on his forehead being more visible as he did yet so was a small smile on his lips.

"I guess I really am a dumbass," he whispered more to himself than to you.

You chuckled lightly and raised your brows at him. "Yeah, you are."

“I’m sorry," he said, biting his lip and looking down.

You tried to come off as tough and replied, “You should be."

As Bucky stayed quiet, not knowing what to say, you gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Buck, you’re my best friend," you started in a soft voice.

With that, however, his smile immediately turned into a frown and if it was an entirely different situation, you would’ve cackled. He let go of your hand.

Did he misinterpret it? Misheard? Is this the part where you reject him?

“Drama queen, hear me out first,” you chastised and grab a hold of his hands, gripping it tighter than before. You looked straight into his eyes and words just came naturally out of your mouth. “You’re my best friend first. You will always be. That means you can always talk to me about anything, right?”

You remembered the times when he would knock on your room after a nightmare or that time when he started to let you in with the stories of his past - the Bucky in the 40s and the Winter Soldier.

You have always been grateful for the trust that Bucky gave you, of him considering you to be the only person aside from Steve to truly know him.

Not having any idea that he likes someone, moreover likes you, made you uneasy.

But then thinking about the situation, you understood. Especially when he muttered, "Not when I have the chance to lose you.”

You immediately replied, "But you can’t lose me. Not yesterday, not today, not ever. Especially since I’m deeply, hopelessly in love with you too.” You smirked as you repeated his words a while ago.

“And what if you weren’t? What if you’re just saying that to not make me feel stupid?” Bucky expresses his insecurities.

“Buck, you do know that I would be one of the first people to tell you if you were acting stupid, right?” When his face didn’t waver, you knew it wasn’t the right words to say at the moment. You gave him a small smile and rested your forehead on his. “Remember that first party? When we danced? Just us because everyone else was already too wasted to even know what’s going on.”

His eyes widened and he pulled away from you.

You haven’t spoken about that night since, well- that night. It seemed like there had been an unspoken agreement to never bring it up again when you greeted each other almost too casually the next morning.

“You-you remember that?”

“I remember very clearly." You smiled. "I remember you holding me close. I remember you thanking me. I remember us just swaying to that song.”

A small smile painted on Bucky's face as he too looked to be reminiscing of the first time he held you close.

“I clearly remember that night because I think that was the first time I felt like I have feelings for you. And it may be funny ‘cause we barely knew each other then. So I never took it seriously." You held his hands tighter. "Then we became friends. Then we would save each other’s asses- most of the time it would be me saving you." You both shared a chuckle. You looked straight into his eyes as you continued. "Then I didn’t notice that along those times, I just fell harder. I realized only a few weeks ago that I was in deep when I asked you what we would be watching for our movie date that one night and you said (your favorite movie) because that's my favorite and you knew I was upset that Clint beat me at Pictionary.”

Bucky laughed softly at the memory and looked at you with that soft gaze you realized he always gave you.

You shrugged. “I know that didn’t make sense on how I realized but- I just did.”

He whispered your name as he sighed contentedly and held your jaw.

This time, you were the one to pull away. “Well don’t get too cocky now. You were still a jerk for ignoring me.”

His smile only became bigger as he nodded.

A comfortable silence lasted for half a minute before he muttered, “I love you," looking straight into your eyes as his lips made contact with the back of your left palm.

Your next words were lost as you heard him say the words directly this time with a gesture that you come to memorize and crave by now.

Those three words. With conviction. With passion in his voice. With love in his eyes.

He kissed your hand again before saying, “I am sorry for dragging you into the mess that I am. I am sorry for hurting you as I tried to protect myself. I’m sorry, Y/N.”

You shook your head. “If you are a mess, then you're one that I would gladly deal with, Buck.” You winked, lightening up the mood. “You are my mess. A beautiful mess." You caressed his cheek as the distance between the two of you shortened. "You're beautiful," you sighed.

“God, I love you, Y/N,” he repeated.

“I love you too, Bucky," you replied.

He sighed contentedly as your noses touched. "Can I kiss you now?" he whispered to your lips.

You lightly nodded and smiled. "On the lips this time?"

Bucky chuckled at your question before pulling away and holding your left hand up again and giving it a light kiss. "Now, yes, on the lips," he then said.

You giggled and nodded.

With that, he caressed your cheeks and leaned in, his soft sweet lips finally meeting yours.

You sighed contentedly as you kissed back, tightening your hold onto his arm as your lips found a home in his.

You don't know how long you two were close but you both finally pulled away when your lungs forced you to.

His forehead rested on yours as his hands remained on your cheeks. Bucky's blue eyes met yours once again and you just know that at this moment, he can see your soul.

"I love you, doll," he said one more time. Then another. And another, kisses between each I love yous.

You rested your face on his hand and smiled. "I love you, Buck."

taglist: @dontstopxx

[fruitcoops]

Ok so what sbout remus/sirius being too sick to go to an away game so the other one has to go alone, and then tons of facetime conversations and "get well soon" videos from the team?

This is related to this fic about Remus and Finn bonding over terrible reporters--hope you enjoy! SW credit goes to @lumosinlove, and the Loops/ Talker bonding is for @lee-1012!

TW for illness

“You don’t look so good.” Remus frowned as he held the inside of his wrist against Sirius’ forehead. “And you definitely have a fever.”

“Non.” Sirius sat up on his elbows with a groan, then almost immediately flopped back down.

“Yes.” He leaned back on his heels and checked the clock—they had two hours before they had to be at the airport. “Baby, I don’t think you should—”

“ ‘m going.”

“It’s not a good—”

“Gotta go. Games.” Sirius cracked one glassy eye open. “Two weeks away. I’ll take the first couple days off.”

Remus sighed through his nose and brushed his sweaty hair out of his eyes. “You shouldn’t go on the plane if you’re sick. Not just for your sake, but for the rest of us. We don’t need everyone to come down with this.”

He received a halfhearted glare in response, but Sirius finally huffed and curled on his side to nuzzle against his thigh. “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too, baby,” Remus said quietly, bending to kiss his temple. They hadn’t been apart for that long since before he was a player, nearly a year prior. Hell, he had never played a game without Sirius, let alone two weeks’ worth. “Lily will check on you, okay?”

Sirius mumbled an incoherent response and cuddled closer when he began combing his fingers through his hair. The second alarm beeped, loud against the quiet of their bedroom; time to go, he thought ruefully. Sirius touched his knee as he started to stand. “Love you. Be safe.”

“Love you more.”

“Love you most.”

“Go back to sleep,” Remus said as his heart clenched. “I’ll let Coach know what happened, but you’ve got to rest and take care of yourself. Hydrate or die-drate, yeah?”

“Yeah. Love you.”

“Sleep,” he repeated, kissing his forehead once more before hauling himself out of bed and tucking the covers around Sirius’ shoulders. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

------------------------

The clouds were a soft, pastel pink around them as the sun rose—Sirius’ favorite. If his phone was correct, Lily would be there soon to let Hattie out and make sure Sirius wasn’t pushing himself too hard. The thought brought Remus a bit of relief, but not enough to quell his concern.

Talker poked his forearm, snapping him from his reverie. “What’s going on?”

“Just worrying.”

“About Cap?”

Remus waved a hand vaguely. “And Hattie, and Lily, and whether he’s got a cold or something worse. Feels weird being here without him.”

Talker hummed his agreement and offered one of his earbuds. “Want to listen to half of Bohemian Rhapsody with me? It’ll give you five minutes and 55 seconds of relative peace.”

“It’s too quiet,” James groaned just before he pressed ‘play’.

Across the aisle, Remus saw Kasey roll his eyes. “Your husband is sick, dude, not dead. He doesn’t talk to you on planes anyway.”

“It’s the principle of the thing, Bliz.”

“Oh my god,” Kasey muttered under his breath, securing his headphones tightly over his ears.

James let his head flop to the side with a baleful look. “Loops, you’re on my side, right?”

“I’ve got you, buddy,” he assured him. Talker stifled a laugh, and the opening chords began as more clouds rolled past. Remus let himself drift with them, taking deep breaths to soothe his worries; Sirius would be fine. He had the sniffles, or at worst the flu, and he would be join them for the second week in top form. There was nothing to worry about.

---------------------------------

“He’s got pneumonia,” Lily sighed.

“He what?”

“A mild case, but the doctor said it would take a week of antibiotics and rest before he’s close to a hundred percent. No hockey for about a month, too.”

Remus stared at the wall of his empty hotel room, lost for words. “Well, fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck.”

“Pretty m—absolutely not, go lay down.” There was a rustling noise and two grumbling voices. “Sorry about that.”

“Will you put me on speaker real quick?” Remus asked, pinching the bridge of his nose until he heard a faint click. “Sirius? You there?”

“Yes! I miss you, and I was just going to tell you that it’s really not that—”

“Please sit your ass down. Lily, if he tries to fuck around and find out exactly how nasty pneumonia is, you have full permission to sit on him. I miss you too, love,” he added after a short pause.

“He’s blowing you a kiss,” Lily informed him. “Oh, and he’s giving me the puppy eyes.”

“Resist if you can. Love you both. Give Hattie lots of cuddles from me.”

“We will,” she promised.

The second the call ended, Remus groaned aloud and thumped his head against the wall before padding down the hall. Just my fucking luck. The door swung open after the second knock; Arthur’s face fell. “How bad is it?”

“Mild pneumonia.”

“Fuck.”

“Yep. Doctor said he’d be out for a month.”

Arthur rubbed his eyes and nodded, motioning Remus back towards his own room. “Get some rest, then. I’ll let everyone know in the morning. Any idea how he got it?”

“Not a clue.”

“Thanks for the update, Loops. Sleep tight.”

“I will,” Remus lied as he headed back for a sleepless night between cold sheets.

----------------------------

Lily sent updates every few hours; most reported that Sirius was sleeping well and looking better with each passing day, but Remus couldn’t help but feel overwhelmingly guilty. If something happened while he was hundreds of miles away, he would never forgive himself. He had sworn in front of their closest friends and family to be there in sickness and in health—what kind of husband ditches their partner for one of a million roadies?

This one. He stabbed a piece of broccoli and shoved it in his mouth. And then he goes and makes an idiot of himself for the world to see.

The interview was supposed to be easy, but he couldn’t let it roll off anymore. Not when he couldn’t answer their questions even when he wanted to, not when he was states away from the love of his life while he was sick, not when he felt helpless and shoved aside in every current aspect of his life.

“So.” The chair next to him creaked as Talker planted his full weight in it and set his plate decisively on the table.

“What.”

“Oh, pissy Loops. Haven’t seen you in a while. Talked to Cap yet?”

“Yeah.” Another piece of broccoli fell victim to his frustration.

“How’s he sound?”

“Better.”

“Sweet.” Talker continued to munch away on his dinner. “Anyone ever told you that you have the general disposition of a wet cat when you’re upset?”

Remus tried and failed to keep down a smile. “I seem to recall you bringing it up on occasion, yes.”

His dark eyes softened and he bumped their elbows together. “He’ll be okay.”

“I know.”

“Really, Loops. Cap’s going to be just fine. Lily doesn’t sugar-coat this kind of stuff, and he’s a tough guy. Mild pneumonia doesn’t stand a chance. Besides, we’ve only got four days left and we need you to kick some ass out there.”

If Remus was a little more emotionally vulnerable, he would’ve burst into tears. Instead, he settled for leaning his temple against Talker’s with a quiet ‘thanks’ and allowed himself to be pulled into a side hug. Across the dining hall, Finn shot him a thumbs-up and a wink. “Love you, man.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Talker teased. “The internet is already coming to your aid, you know.”

“About…?”

“Not only have those asshole reporters become a new meme, you’ve also got a shit ton of people bringing up past mistreatment of athletes in the press room. You’re the face of a revolution, Loops.”

“I’ve been the face of too many revolutions for one person,” he groused, not even bothering to duck out of the way when Talker ruffled his hair.

“Well, one more won’t kill you.”

---------------------------------------

Remus’ heart raced as he stepped off the plane. The logical part of him knew that Sirius would be waiting outside the security gate, but everything else screamed to see him now, now, right now so he could be sure he was alright. At least he had sounded healthier on the phone the night before—Remus wasn’t sure what he would do otherwise.

“Deep breaths,” James reminded him as they walked toward the baggage claim. “I’m sure he’s—”

An excited shout broke through the thick crowds. Remus’ heart skipped a beat, and then he was running, racing through the people that parted for him as his vision tunneled. His carry-on hit the ground with a low thud that he hardly heard as Sirius lifted him straight off the ground and held him tight.

“I love you,” Remus said immediately, locking his ankles around Sirius’ lower back and squeezing his eyes shut. “Are you okay?”

In lieu of a response, Sirius pulled back and kissed him, cradling one side of his face in his warm, warm hand. Two weeks may as well have been an eternity. He broke away after a moment, searching his face for any signs of illness or pain. “I’m fine,” Sirius said softly, as if he could read his mind. “I promise. A little tired and sore, but there’s no lasting damage.”

“Don’t do that again,” Remus said into the side of his neck as he hugged him close. He smelled like home. “Not when I have to leave.”

Sirius’ arms were steady around his back. “I won’t.”

“I’m going to grill you on everything as soon as we get home.”

“I know.”

“But right now, I’m just going to hug you because I missed you and I worried myself into a hole, like, every night.”

He could feel Sirius’ smile against his shoulder. “I know.”

[maddiwrites]

The Hybrid (Prologue)

Pairing: JJ x Reader

Summary: The Pogues rekindle their friendship with their old childhood best friend and JJ’s first crush, Y/N. Old feelings resurface for JJ and Y/N, possibly leading to a summer neither one of them could ever forget. Due to past trauma, Y/N is reluctant to let anyone into her heart, but JJ never backs down from a challenge, even if he knows it will come back to haunt him in the end.

Note: So happy to be back with another series!!! I honestly really missed posting. Unlike Secrets of the Shore, updates will be slower because I don’t have them all written out yet. A couple things I wanted to let you know before you read. I based Y/N’s family off of Gilmore Girls. I thought they were the perfect fit for this story and the show in general and I just love their dynamic. (Including Luke who I renamed Steve for obvious reasons). Chapter 1 will explain more obviously but I wanted to give you guys a little snippet of the characters and relationships. So let me know what y'all think!

Word Count: 3.3k

Outer Banks. Paradise on Earth. It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island. As you know, the Outer Banks is essentially divided into two groups. If we want to be blunt - it’s the rich and the poor. Figure Eight is home to the rich. Aka the Kooks. With houses bigger than necessary with extra rooms that go untouched, boats the size of homes on the Cut - the other side of the island. Most people who live on Figure Eight are your naturally raised assholes. People who don’t know the value of a dollar and take advantage of people who do most of their dirty work that lets them prance around the island with perfectly manicured fingernails. These hard workers are the Pogues. They live on the south side of the island where most Kooks wouldn’t be found dead. They serve fancy meals at the country club for shitty tips, mow lawns, and work their asses off at any other job for minimum wage. The drastic difference in lifestyles tend to cause many spats and arguments between the two communities. Especially between the teenagers who still don’t know how to control their raging emotions or know when to bite back their tongue. For the Kooks, every fight is a fight for dominance where as the Pogues fight for equality - to put the Kooks in their place. Many of these fights happen at summer parties where the two groups clash to find a good time with their friends filled with alcohol, drugs, and good music.

That’s where they find themselves tonight. The infamous Pogues. John B, JJ, Kie, Pope, and now Sarah Cameron. Although born a natural Kook, she’s earned her spot next to the adventurous teens and her boyfriend. Unlike her brother Rafe who basically is the leader of his notorious group. Topper and Kelce are his best friends who follow him blindly.

The Pogues watch them from their spot surrounding the keg. Kie purses her lips in distaste as the boys cat call for the ladies around them. Somehow most of them finding it flattering. Sarah sips on her beer to hide her embarrassment, often wondering how she and her brother grew up to be so different. Pope and John B stay mostly disinterested, only worried if they try to make a pass at an unwilling girl or fire a degrading comment at their short tempered friend. JJ Maybank is known around the island for his trouble making behavior. Usually if he gets in trouble for fights, no one ever asks who the other people were in the scuffle. Because if JJ Maybank is in the fight, he’s the one who started it, right? Wrong. In fact, JJ usually is never the one to start it. He’s good at keeping his head down and only speaking when spoken to when it comes to the Kooks - the only form of advice worth taking from his father. But his short temper is something the Kooks his age loved to take advantage of because they liked getting a rise out of him. It was like an adrenaline rush.

Luckily, tonight both groups were keeping their distance, either only talking to each other or random Tourons that have found their way to the party. This is usually JJ’s favorite part of a boneyard party. Finding his one fish in a sea of many that he can reel in just for the night and never have to worry about seeing them again.

He has his eyes set on a beautiful blonde making her way to the bonfire when all of a sudden Kie’s voice pulls him out of his trance.

“What’s she doing here?”

JJ follows her line of vision, spotting you walking down the wooden steps that lead to the beach, pulling your best friend behind you by his wrist. He first notices your smile and how it brightens up your entire face. Then of course his eyes scan down your slim but athletically toned body. You’re wearing a pair of jean shorts and a cropped white T shirt that says UNC across the chest. Who knew someone could look so good without even trying?

Well JJ did. He’s known it for a while.

“Careful. I think you’re drooling,” John B whispers in his best friend’s ear.

JJ pushes him away and mutters, “Shut up. No I’m not.”

But maybe he was.

Y/N Y/L/N is a unique resident of the island. Unlike majority of the island, she doesn’t fall in either Kook or Pogue category. She’s what everyone calls the Hybrid.

People who work hard for what they have but haven’t fallen to be Pogue status. Quite literally living in the middle in a place they call the Crest.

Your story is well versed among the gossipers of the island (which tends to be just about everybody).  And mainly that’s because of who your grandparents are.  Claude and Doris Y/L/N. Two of the riches people on the island, living in a three story house on the beach. Many people fear them, others envy them. Most feel both. Even Ward Cameron walks on egg shells around them, which is quite often, considering he works for Claude. They’re the kind of people who have never heard of Barefoot wine or Walmart. They keep their noses up and turn a blind eye to the suffering communities around them. Thirty four years ago, Doris gave birth to a daughter that couldn’t be more opposite than them. Lorelai Y/L/N was a wild child. A rule breaker. She snuck out at nights, dated boys her parents would never approve of, dabbled in breaking the law here and there. It didn’t matter how many times her parents disciplined her. She always managed to make her parents’ life a living hell. 

No one was surprised when word got passed around that Lorelai had gotten pregnant at eighteen. Although it was with another Kook, she brought shame upon her family name when she refused to get an abortion, even when her mom tried dragging her by her hair. 

Lorelai risked everything by running away from her parents’ home in the middle of a windy night. With only one suitcase, the baby daddy out of the picture, and less than a grand in her pocket, she managed to make a life for herself on the South side of the island. She worked two jobs, found an affordable apartment for cheap rent, and managed to save some money before her babies were born.

Yes, babies. As in more than one. Five months after running away from home, she gave birth to twin girls and they instantly became her entire life. With the help of her best friend Steve, who she met one month after being on her own, meeting him at his automotive shop when she very much literally rolled her junky car into the garage, she raised you and your sister on the Cut. The two of you are her greatest accomplishment. Every now and then, she mentally throws up a middle finger to everybody who doubted her, proud of who the two of you have become. 

Right before you turned ten, your mom took a business risk and opened her own Cafe. The Bikini Beans cafe, very popular amongst both Kooks and Pogues. The business did so well that she was able to move the three of you out of your shitty apartment into a beautiful one story home with three bedrooms in between the Cut and Figure Eight, aka the Crest, the summer going into your freshman year.

You actually used to be best friends with John B Routledge, JJ Maybank, and Pope Heyward. It was easier being friends with them than the girls, finding more joy in sports and rough housing than makeup and gossip. 

Doing the same summer that you moved, your mom pulled you out of Kildare County High and placed you in Outer Banks Private Academy. Aka Kook Academy. Around this time, your grandparents had also become more involved in your life, and you wondered if they had somehow bribed your mom into forcing you to transfer schools. You tried asking her during one of your many fights that started with you begging her to keep you at Kildare County High, but she quickly shut you down and told you to be grateful. That was ironic coming from the woman who ran away from the people giving her an expensive high school career. 

You had no choice but to do what your grandparents wanted and attend Kook Academy. Making friends was a lot harder there than it was in Kildare County High. You managed to make one friend in your freshman year. Andre Cortez. Due to an incident a couple years back, you built thick walls and Andre was the only one able to break them down. You were grateful for your friendship, but hanging out with him was nothing like hanging out with the Pogues. 

When you transferred schools, you lost touch with the Pogues slowly. Your life became busy with school and playing dress up for your grandparents and the boys were starting to work. Eventually all contact was cut and ever since, you’ve felt a void in your heart.

“Look,” You tell Andre. “I told you I would be your wing woman and I’m not backing down from what could possibly be the most important role in my life.”

You didn’t notice the Pogues or any of the stares around you. It’s true you’re not much of a party girl. I mean, you’ll go out here and there, have a drink or two, but you felt more comfortable at places where you weren’t surrounded by drunk and horny teenagers. 

“He’s probably not even here,” Andre says. He’s trying to look nonchalant but you notice the way his eyes dance from face to face of the people around him. 

“He told you he was going to be here, right?” You ask him with one brow raised. Andre nods. “Then, we’ll find him.”

Sarah and Kie never made any effort to talk to you at school, but to be fair, neither have you. You’ve heard mixed reviews, some people call them spoiled brats, ungrateful...some even go as far as calling them ‘The Cut Sluts.’ Of course you never take any of those things to heart. You can’t judge a book but it's cover. Plus, they’re friends with your old best friends. They can’t be that bad for John B and JJ and Pope to be hanging out with them, right?

“You think she'll come over here?” Kie asks. No one’s ever said it out loud, but her friends wonder if deep down, Kie was a little jealous of you. Because you were their first real girl friend. You were the first girl they ever let in and opened their heart too. That was a tough pill for Kie to swallow when she originally thought she was that girl. Of course the boys don’t like you any more than Kie and vice versa. But sometimes Kie wishes she could have grown up with the boys the same way you had. 

“Probably not. Unless she’s drinking,” Pope says and motions towards the keg they’re near. 

“I have an idea,” John B says and fills up a red solo cup. He hands it to JJ. “Why don’t you go offer her a cup.”

JJ snags the cup out of John B’s hand and glares at him. “Fuck off, dude.” 

“Do you guys ever see her around at school?” Pope asks the girls.

Sarah shrugs. “Not really. She doesn’t really get a long with my old group of friends.”

Kie rolls her eyes. “No one gets along with your old group of friends.”

Sarah playfully shoves Kie by the shoulder and they laugh. 

“I heard she turned down Raymond Easterling a couple weeks ago and he didn’t take it very well,” Pope says, remembering the words he heard from the kids in his class roaming the school hallways. 

Raymond goes to Kildcare County High with the Pogues. He’s known to be a trouble maker and a class clown. He works with JJ at the country club. The kid can make JJ laugh sometimes, but he wouldn’t necessarily say he likes him all that much. He can be an arrogant asshole with an ego bigger than it should be.

“She turns down everybody,” Sarah says. “Some people at my school call her ‘The Heart Sucker’ because she can pull people in with the snap of her fingers and break their heart just as quickly.”

Something stirred in the pit of JJ’s stomach.

“Hey! Where you going?” John B calls out to JJ who’s making his way deeper into the sea of people on the beach. 

“Taking advantage of a good boneyard party, my friend,” JJ calls back and slugs the rest of his beer. Looking left and right, he searches for the blonde he had eyes on earlier. Because right now, he needed a distraction. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The party starts to die down a little after midnight. Some people leave to find another party, some are passed out in the back of their cars, and others had already found what they were looking for - someone to leave with. 

The boneyard party wasn’t as bad as you expected it to be. You had found a couple of kids from your school who were nice enough to make small talk with you while Andre left to find a guy named Devon, a Touron he’s been talking to who’s renting for the entire summer. 

Now you’re waiting for Andre to come back so the two of you can walk home. You find comfort under a slanted palm tree towards the back of the beach, scrolling through random apps on your phone to pass the time.

“Y/N?” You look up from you phone and smile when you see your former best friend inching closer to you, squinting in the dark to see if it’s really you. 

“Maybank? What are you still doing here?” You stand up and pat the sand off your hands on you thighs. 

Your heart skips a beat in your chest when you look at him. He’s beautiful. Lucious blonde hair, perfectly tanned skin, piercing blue eyes. You always knew JJ was going to grow up to be gorgeous. He was cute when he was younger. At least you always thought so. 

“I was just leaving, but I thought I saw you sitting here and wanted to make sure you were all right.” He knows it’s not like you to stay this late at a party, especially all by yourself. When he first saw you sitting there, he didn’t know if he should say something. Mostly due to nerves of seeing you again. But the other Pogues had already left and he didn’t trust anyone else at the party to be near you alone late at night. It didn’t matter if you were sober or not. 

“Aw. Was JJ Maybank worried about me?” You tease. Talking to him felt easy. As if you never stopped being friends. A few years ago, you and JJ had the best banter. Despite constantly bickering back and forth, John B always swore the two of you would get married one day. The two of you just always clicked like a natural connection. And even now, when only seeing each other every now and then for a few minutes at a time, it felt normal. You smirk when JJ rolls his eyes. “I’m kidding. Yeah, I’m okay. Just waiting for my friend to come back from his little rendezvous,” You say. 

JJ nods. “Did you have a good time? I feel like I never you see at these things.”

“Yeah. Parties aren’t really my thing. But Andre was nervous to meet this guy he’s been talking to for a little while so I came for moral support.”

“Looks like he didn’t need much of the support.”

You shrug. “It’s better that way, anyway. I don’t mind waiting for him. What about you?”

“What about me?” 

“Did you have a good time tonight? I hear your quite the ladies’ man at these things.”

“Come on, Sparky. You know better than to believe everything you hear.”

Your face lights up at the mention of your old nickname. You use to always be busting out the seams with energy. On days where the boys just wanted to chill and play video games, you would drag them to the park for a game of kick ball. Or when they wanted to sleep in after a long week, you showed up at 8 am to drag them out of bed to catch the morning waves. So one day JJ started calling you Sparky, and it stuck with the rest of your little gang. You always pretended to hate it, but secretly you loved it. 

“Oh I don’t believe everything I hear. I do, however, believe what I see. And your arm around that tall blonde in the little black dress looked quite convincing.”

You first saw JJ at the party when he was making his way to the pretty girl by the water. Your teeth involuntarily clenched and there was a twisted feeling in your stomach you couldn’t shake whenever you looked at them. 

In that instant, JJ felt grateful for the dark sky. He felt the rush of heat rise up his neck to his cheeks before he could stop it. He knew the motivation to see that girl was because of you. He just wished you never saw it. But he didn’t know why. 

“I walked her home. She wasn’t my type,” JJ plays it off. 

“I didn’t realize you had a type,” You giggle, but a small part felt relieved to hear this. “So what is it? Your type?”

Hybrids with a Pogue attitude, bright smile, beautiful eyes, and a mouth that could make any sailor turn around, JJ thought. 

“I don’t know. Haven’t figured it out yet.”

You roll your eyes playfully. “Well, when you figure it out let me know.”

“Why? So you can transform into my ideal girl?” He teases.

Now you’re the one thankful for the dark sky. “In your dreams, Maybank. But so far, I do have the perfect wing-woman track record, so if you needed help -”

“I don’t think I need any help in that department. Thank you very much.”

You throw your hands up in fake surrender. “Ooo. Touchy subject.”

JJ rolls his eyes at the same time your phone pings with a text message. You pull it out of your shorts pocket and open the text from Andre, telling you to leave without him because he’s gonna stay out late with Devon and won’t know what time he’s going to be done.

“Everything all right?” JJ says, watching you read the message.

You lock your phone and stuff it in your back pocket again. “Like I said. Perfect wing-woman track record.”

“That was Andre?” 

“Yeah. He’s most likely not coming home tonight.”

“Lucky bastard.”

“At least one of us is,” You joke. 

JJ’s grin slightly falters but you don’t catch it. You have no idea how much he wishes the two of you could be equally as lucky. Together. 

“Well, I should probably go,” You say and bend down to grab your flip flops.

“Let me walk you home,” JJ offers. 

“Oh no. It’s okay -”

“You’re cute. It’s wasn’t up for debate. I’m not letting you walk back by yourself.”

You scoff lightly. “I’ll be fine.”

“Just humor me.”

You roll your eyes and smirk but choose not to argue. In fact, you’re excited to spend more time with JJ. It’s been so long.

“Fine.”

“And here I thought you might’ve grown out of your stubborn phase by now.”

You shove him playfully by the shoulder. “Shut up!”

And just like that, it felt like old times.

[nikibogwater]

The Final Becoming--a Tales of Arcadia fanfiction: Chapter One

A gentle king, a warrior queen, a clever prince, and a Master Wizard. Together with their allies, these four heroes must reform the ancient kingdom of Camelot and rise up to face the Arcane Order in a decisive final battle for the fate of everything they hold dear.

An alternate take on the series ending for those for whom Rise of the Titans didn't quite make the cut. Updates every Friday (weather permitting).

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Hello, hello, hello, my sweet readers! Before we begin, I had just a handful of things I wanted to say in regards to this project--I promise I won't take too long!

First, I want to make it clear that this fic is in no way intended to be a slight against the creative team behind Rise of the Titans, or against anyone who liked that film. I still have a great deal of respect for the people who worked on it, and I in no way wish to begrudge others for their enjoyment of it. That being said, a significant portion of the Tales of Arcadia fanbase (myself included) feels like we didn't get the ending we were hoping for. I wrote this fic as a way of giving myself, and hopefully others like me, the satisfying conclusion we felt Rise of the Titans was unable to give us.

Second, I felt like I should let you all know a few things about this story before you sink your teeth into it. While I did pretty much completely disregard the majority of story elements in Rise of the Titans, I still wanted this fic to feel as much like the Tales of Arcadia series as possible, and to be a logical follow-up to Wizards. As such, the primary focus of this story will be on the four main characters of the series: Jim, Aja, Krel, and Douxie. With such an enormous cast of characters, I had to narrow my focus down to these four in order to keep the story from becoming an overly-complicated, incomprehensible mess. Don't worry, the other characters are still here, and play crucial parts in the story, but they're going to be in supporting roles. I did my best to give everyone some time to shine, but even so, there will be a few side characters who have to be relegated to brief cameos in order to keep the pace and flow of the story.

Finally, I want to say thank you to everyone who's been following this project and giving me the support I needed to make this a reality. This is, bar none, the biggest project I've ever taken on, and I couldn't have done it without the enthusiastic support of my Tumblr followers and my friends. Extra special thanks goes to my bestie @poetryinmotion-author for beta reading and being a constant source of encouragement and advice.

Alright, I think that's everything. Now, on with the show! I hope you all enjoy. ✨

*****

New York City wasn’t exactly kind during the month of March. Then again, Douxie thought as he shivered and pulled his hoodie tighter around himself to ward off the chill, New York City hadn’t really been kind to him in any month. Perhaps against his better judgement, he had been hoping the city would prove just as exciting and romantic as popular culture would have him believe; towering skyscrapers that sparkled in the afternoon sunlight, street musicians playing slow jazz at the subway station, the cheerful beeping of yellow taxis picking up bustling tourists. And to be fair, he had seen all of those things at one point or another during the last eight months. But he had also seen a lot of things tourism journalists conveniently left out of their descriptions of the Big Apple, things that took a great deal away from that romantic and exciting image he’d had in his mind when he first moved here.

For starters, the cost of living here made Arcadia Oaks look positively cheap by comparison. The apartment he shared with Archie and Nari was a studio on the top floor of a very tired-looking, red brick building, sandwiched between some slightly newer, but no less worn down complexes on a fissured and narrow street. It was a dimly lit room with cracked, paperless walls and coarse grey carpet. There was a kitchenette equipped with an ancient stove and refrigerator that were miraculously still functioning, and a miniscule bathroom that more than earned the moniker of water closet. And they were lucky they were able to get that much on such short notice. During their first month, he’d taken on three different jobs just to be able to make the first rent payment.

There was also the matter of the city itself. It wasn’t just bustling--it was crowded . He could scarcely walk to work each morning without brushing elbows with at least ten different strangers. That also explained why everyone here seemed to be in a perpetually bad mood. The first time he’d tried taking Nari for a stroll to get some fresh air, she’d accidentally tripped over a lady’s dog and been harshly scolded for it. It was a few weeks before she was ready to venture out into the human world again after that. Douxie later found the same woman waiting for a taxi, and discreetly turned her purse into a toad, reveling in the high-pitched shrieking that shortly followed.

That really was the worst of it, Douxie thought, having to watch Nari wither away in a place like this. He and Archie had always been fairly adaptable, able to make the most out of even the poorest of living conditions. But Nari wasn’t like them. She was born from the earth itself, meant to roam wherever she pleased. She needed the open sky and the grass beneath her feet in the same way that Douxie needed his music. With each passing day, he worried more and more that this prolonged confinement might soon begin to affect her physical health. And yet that was precisely why they had to stay here. The smog in the air, the crowds in the streets, the blare of traffic--it all combined to form an effective cover that he hoped would be enough to keep the Arcane Order from finding her. A place so choked with human noise that even some humans found it unpleasant? They likely wouldn’t even bother to look for her here. And even if they did, finding her in this mess would be another challenge in and of itself.

With a sigh, he shook these gloomy thoughts from his mind, and turned down the street where they lived. The front door of the complex creaked wearily as he let himself in, and he took the broken, uneven stairs two at a time until he made it to the top floor. He fiddled with his keys to keep up appearances as he quietly undid the magical seals placed on their apartment door. It was much warmer inside than it was out in the hall, and he sighed again, this time with contentment, as he slipped off his hoodie and threw it over the back of the broken-down sofa. Shabby and cramped it may be, but this tiny room was his home, and it never failed to welcome him at the end of a long day.

“Ah, Douxie,” Archie greeted him. The Familiar was lounging on the island countertop next to an empty tuna can, but he stood up to bump his head against Douxie’s hand in greeting. “Nari’s up top on the roof. She made you a salad. It’s in the fridge.”

“I never should have picked up that cooking magazine for her,” Douxie grumbled good-naturedly. “What I wouldn’t give for one of those cheap microwavable lasagnas now, after a solid month of nothing but salads.”

“Don’t be an ingrate,” Archie scolded. “You know she works hard on her salads just for you. And you must admit, your complexion and energy levels have been much improved since this dietary change.”

“I know, I know,” Douxie chuckled, opening the fridge and taking out the dish in question. There were little heart-shaped slices of radish carefully arranged on top of the greens--Douxie did not particularly like radishes, but he felt strangely compelled to savor these ones nonetheless. A gust of wind buffeted against the window as he dug his fork into one of them. “...She’ll catch a cold up there,” he muttered, setting aside his dinner and taking up his jacket again. Archie followed him out onto the tiny balcony, where a strategically-placed patio chair made climbing up onto the roof an easy feat. Douxie hauled himself up to find Nari curled up next to a chimney, staring up at the clouded night sky. She was hugging her knees against her chest, trembling from the chill, yet she continued to gaze upward, as though searching for something.

“She’s been out here for a while,” Archie admitted softly. “Longer than usual.” Douxie sighed and crossed the distance between them. He held his hand out to Nari.

“Hey,” he murmured. “Come inside. It’s too cold out here.” She finally tore her gaze away from the clouds above and looked up at him, a troubled look in her eyes. After a moment, she let out a sigh of her own, and took his offered hand, allowing him to help her to her feet. The two made their way back down onto the balcony. “Getting restless again?” Douxie asked once they were back in the warmth of the apartment. “I know it’s been a while since we’ve been to the park....I’m sorry. I’ve been caught up in some stuff with work and I haven’t been--”

“That is not what troubles me,” Nari interrupted, stopping by the countertop to absentmindedly rearrange a few of the radishes on Douxie’s salad. “Or....I should say, that is not what is making me restless tonight.”

“What is it, then?”

“I am not sure,” she replied softly. “I have been growing uneasy these last few days. I fear that the Order is getting too close, though I cannot say why I feel this way.” She folded her legs beneath herself, hovering in midair for a moment before settling on the floor in front of the sofa.

“While I am never one to discount the value of trusting your own instincts,” Archie began, hopping up on the couch and settling down near Nari’s head as Douxie sat on the floor across from her. “I cannot imagine a safer place for you to be. Tracing a magic aura through the chaos of this city would be an astronomical feat, and one that they likely could not accomplish without alerting us to their presence in some way. But there hasn’t been so much as a lick of a magical stirring in this area since we got here, apart from our own, of course.”

“I know, Archie,” Nari sighed. “This is perhaps the safest I have ever been since leaving the Order. But Bellroc and Skrael are cunning, and capable of more than perhaps even I could know. I was only able to evade them for as long as I did by staying on the move. I suppose that could explain my anxiety now. It has been many centuries since I last dwelled in a single place for longer than a few moons. But still....I just cannot shake the feeling that we are in grave danger here.”

“...Alright,” Douxie said after a pause. “If you truly feel it’s not safe here, just say the word, and we’ll be out of here by this time tomorrow..”

“No,” Nari returned vehemently. “I-I am frightened by what may await us if we stay but...” She released another sorrowful sigh. “...I am so weary of running. Yet I know that the consequences of being caught are too horrible to even consider remaining still.”

An ember of fury sparked deep within Douxie’s chest. None of this should be happening. Nari should not feel as though her only place of sanctuary was this drafty, moth-eaten studio at the top of a rickety old building. And she certainly shouldn’t feel as though that pitiful sanctuary was in danger of being ripped away from her. Not for the first time, Douxie found the injustice of this entire situation staring him in the face, laughing at his inability to provide better for her as her guardian. But he was quick to douse the fire that was trying to flicker to life in his heart. Anger wouldn’t help Nari now--if anything, it would make her feel worse.

“Nari...” he said softly, clasping her shoulder and prompting her to look him in the eye. “Whatever comes, whatever the Order throws at us, I promise, I won’t let them take you. They’ll never win, not while I draw breath.” Rather than looking reassured, the sadness in Nari’s eyes only deepened. She opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to think better of it, and merely leaned in to embrace him. She clung to him tightly, face hidden in his shoulder, as he and Archie shared a glance over the top of her head. With a sigh, Douxie wrapped his arms around her, bringing a hand up to stroke her hair gently. “It’s going to be alright,” he murmured. “I promise.”

Silence fell between the three of them for a few minutes, broken only by Archie’s purring as he joined them, slipping beneath Douxie’s arm and pressing against Nari’s side consolingly.

“If....If we didn’t have to run anymore Nari,” Douxie began hesitantly. “If you could go anywhere you wanted....Where would you go?”

“Home,” she sighed, pulling back and conjuring a wispy image in her hands. It was a tree, that much Douxie could tell, but it was unlike any tree he had ever seen. It was almost hourglass in shape, with both its branches and roots extending higher and farther than Nari’s little image could contain. In the center of the trunk there was a hollow, carved inside and out with ancient, creeping vines of sigils and runes.

“Yggdrasil?” Archie asked softly, the green light of her spell reflected in his wide, golden eyes.

“Yes,” Nari answered. “The World Tree is the heart of the Eternal Forest, and it is the place of my birth. Much of my power lies dormant within it. Bellroc and Skrael sealed the Forest after I abandoned the Order. I have not seen my home in more than a thousand years.” The image flickered and faded away. Nari closed her fingers and dropped her hands to her lap. “Now more than ever, I long to return there. I want to share it with the two of you.” She reached out and stroked Archie’s head, looking up to meet Douxie’s gaze.

“We’ll find a way,” he said resolutely. “Someday, Nari, we’ll break that seal, and then you can show us everything. I promise.”

“You are making an awful lot of promises this evening, Douxie,” Nari giggled. She pulled Archie in close and leaned into Douxie once more. “...Thank you.”

Douxie held his tiny family in his arms, the weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders as heavily as ever. Yet sitting here, with Nari tucked under his chin and Archie purring against his ribs, he felt more certain than ever that he could bear it.

*****

The sky above Arcadia Oaks was a wonderful shade of crystal blue, the kind that looks so clear and bright, Jim could almost imagine reaching out and touching it, feeling its silky smoothness beneath the palm of his hand. The sun shone down on the world with a gentle, welcoming warmth, causing the neatly-trimmed and freshly-watered lawns to glitter like the surface of a still pond. Jim let out a contented sigh, reveling in the heat of the sunlight on his skin, the cool dampness of the grass beneath him, and above all, the sense of peaceful, lazy stillness that lay over everything.

Claire and Toby were lying next to him, one on either side. Claire’s hand was in his, their fingers loosely threaded together. Toby was blinking drowsily as he stared up at the clouds, hands folded over his stomach and thumbs twiddling idly. Jim couldn’t remember how they established this little ritual, but almost every day, the three of them would end up out here like this at some point, just resting and listening as time passed. If you had asked him two years ago how he liked to spend his afternoons, something like this would have been the furthest thing from his mind. Now though, after everything that had happened, there was nowhere else he would rather be.

Claire shifted next to him, squeezing his hand briefly before sitting up and stretching her arms above her head. She leaned back, propped upright on one arm, and looked down at Jim and Toby.

“...So, what now?” she sighed.

“What? You getting bored?” Jim replied.

“I heard they finally got the theater fixed up after that giant alien dude stepped on it. Gun-Robot 7 is supposed to be awesome,” Toby suggested, still staring up at the sky.

“No, I meant...What are we going to do next? We’re not kids anymore. High-school’s over. We’re all graduates now.”

“Somehow...” Jim muttered. He could only imagine the strings that had to be pulled and the rules that had to be broken in order for Principle Uhl to let him and Toby pass.

“...So what do we do now?” she continued. “Like, with our lives. We’re not exactly the Trollhunters anymore. Douxie says there’s been no sign of the Arcane Order since he blasted them out of the sky last summer. I guess....we should probably start thinking about what we want to do now that everything’s settled.”

“...I guess we should,” Jim murmured.

“...Honestly, I never thought we’d make it this far,” Toby marveled. “The past two years have just been so crazy-town banana-pants, I sort of thought it was going to be like that forever.”

“Things could still get crazy again, Tobes,” Jim reminded him. “The Arcane Order is still out there. We may have to fight them again someday. But....I guess Claire’s right. Maybe it’s time to think about what’s next.”

“What, like college or something?” Toby asked.

“Or something,” Jim replied. “I think for now....I just want to live again. Do what we’re doing right now. Feel the sun. Take care of my mom. Maybe try to get back some of what I missed these past three years.” Claire’s face fell in sympathy, and she took his hand again, giving it another squeeze. He sighed, sending her a wan smile, and continued. “What about you guys? What do you want to do, Tobes?”

“Nana wants me to go to some fancy school in Europe--apparently my parents went there when they were my age. But I think just living sounds good for now. I just wanna be with you guys. Just like it used to be. For a little while longer, anyways.”

“...Okay. For now, I guess we just keep living,” Claire agreed, laying back down and resting her head against Jim’s shoulder. There were a few more moments of blissful silence.

“Jim!” Barbara called from inside the house. “We’re back with Chinese food! Can you come set the table for lunch?”

“...Well, I guess that’s part of living too,” Jim chuckled, kissing Claire on the forehead before sitting up and stretching. The other two joined him. “Arguably my favorite part,” he added, as a warm, spicy aroma greeted them in the kitchen.

There was a contentment resting on Jim’s home that he hadn’t felt since before his father left. Barbara’s smile was lively as she dished up fried rice and chicken, laughing as Toby shared some amusing anecdote about getting the wrong order from his favorite taco place. The diamond and emerald ring on her left hand sparkled under the dining room lights, and Jim felt a happy twinge in his heart every time it caught his eye. Strickler sat next to him in the living room, the two of them eating from fold-out trays, as there wasn’t enough room at the table for all of them.

“Have you heard from that wizarding friend of yours recently?” the Changeling asked, finally looking up from his book.

“Nope. Douxie’s the kind of guy who’s not so good at keeping in touch,” Jim answered. “But I figure no news is good news.”

“Indeed,” Strickler hummed. There was a pause. “...How are the nightmares?”

“...Getting better,” Jim said softly. “There’s still times when I have to remind myself that the sun won’t hurt me anymore, but....I think I’m finally on the mend.”

“Hm. Very good,” Strickler replied shortly, and although his tone was nothing but professional, Jim could feel that he meant it. “By the way....There is something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“This better not be one of your pop quizzes,” Jim deadpanned, taking a bite of his food. Strickler waited until he had been chewing for a while before speaking again.

“I would like to ask you to be my best man.”

Jim choked, and Strickler waited with amused patience as the boy frantically chugged some water before looking up at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“S-seriously?” he squeaked.

“Yes. Your mother and I have finally decided on a date--April nineteenth next spring. We’re not going to do anything extravagant, but we were thinking about putting together a small party of friends and family. I....don’t exactly have much of either of those, but seeing as you were always my favorite student, and now that you are going to be my step-son, I thought--” He was cut short by Jim snickering, and then laughing out loud. “...Something amusing, Young Atlas?”

“I-I just....If you had told me three years ago that you’d be marrying my mom--and that you’d want me to be your best man--I would’ve had an aneurysm!”

“I suppose this was a rather unexpected unfolding of events,” Strickler conceded with a chuckle of his own.

“You tried to kill me in that very dining room.” Jim was smiling broadly as he gestured to the room in question.

“And you snuck into my car to threaten me with the Sword of Daylight,” Strickler returned, also smiling. Jim laughed again,

“I’d be honored to be your best man, Mr. Strickler,” he affirmed. His grin softened as he looked over at his mother. “...On one condition.”

“And that is?” Jim looked back at Strickler, the mirth in his eyes now replaced with sincerity.

“You have to take care of her. No matter what happens, even if it means you have put her safety above mine--above everything else . I need you to swear that you won’t abandon her, that you’ll protect her.”

“...You have my word, Jim,” Strickler vowed.

Jim’s smile returned, brighter than ever. He couldn’t find the words to express the feeling of joy and rightness that was welling up in his chest, so he simply settled for giving the Changeling a short nod. Strickler understood. He reached over and clasped Jim’s shoulder, then quietly went back to his book and his lunch. Jim cut a piece of chicken in half absentmindedly, his attention back on his mother, laughing and smiling with Toby and Claire.

For the first time in almost three years, everything was finally alright.

*****

There was something energizing about being alone in Camelot Castle, Krel thought, listening to the rhythmic beat of his footsteps echoing off of the high ceilings. The ancient citadel housed a solemn stillness within its walls, a sacred silence, broken only by the gentle hum of magic paired with Akiridion tech. The weight of nearly ten centuries worth of history lay within Camelot, and now it was his to command.

He ran a hand across a lofty pillar as he paced unhurriedly down one of the many hallways. Once little more than a crumbling pile of stone, it was now restored to its former glory--and even improved, in his opinion. Putting Camelot back together had been an enormous undertaking, and one that he still wasn’t sure why he decided to take on. But Krel Tarron knew better than to question his creative muse. Something had sparked to life in him when he first saw this place lying in ruins where it had fallen just outside of Arcadia. He hadn’t understood the purpose of it, but gladly fanned that spark into a flame nonetheless, and immediately set to work on reconstructing the ancient citadel. Collaborating with Douxie to create the time trap had opened up an entirely new avenue of research on the applications of magic within Akiridion tech, and restoring Camelot had been the perfect way to pursue that research.

He breathed a contented sigh as he entered the roundtable room, fondly looking around at his creation. Sunlight streamed into the center of the room, specks of dust floating in and out of the rays lazily. Akiridion circuitry snaked up the walls, intertwined with the ancient glyphs and sigils used in magic, as the energy conductors in the alcoves hummed gently. The newly refurbished roundtable beeped in a welcoming way as he activated the controls and brought up the holographic displays for the castle’s systems. Everything was running smoothly, as expected. He activated the launch procedure, beaming with pride as the landing gear retracted and the massive ship took to the heavens with little more than a soft whirring sound.

A few more swipes across the holograph, a few dials turned, and then the rush of exhilaration in his core as Camelot exploded to life. The fast-paced beat echoed in every hallway, as the musical whine of a synthesizer filled the once-silent castle. Krel took a moment to relish in the sound, feeling his core pulse in time with the bass. Silence was all well and good, but it was music that got the work done. Already, he could feel his mind clearing, avenues of discovery opening before him as he pulled up a holograph for the ship’s schematics. He tapped his foot in time to the beat as he mentally sorted through the information at lightning speed, searching for his next great project.

“There you are...” he muttered with a grin as the puzzle pieces slotted into place in his brain. An opening for improvement, right there between the lines of Akiridion script that detailed the ship’s core functions. He pulled up a blank display and began feverishly typing, his mind held aloft by the music as his fingers danced over the keyboard. This was Krel Tarron in his element, seeing potential where others would miss it, and harnessing that potential to take his creations to ever newer heights.

As such, the sudden interruption of his work by the shrill beeping of his communicator came as both a shock and an annoyance. He groaned and forced himself to tap the communications display. Douxie was calling him. Of course. With a sigh, he turned down his music and accepted the call.

“Better make this quick,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “I’ve just discovered a way to re-route the magical energies charging this place into the cannons. With a little more Akiridion tech, I can have this stone ship battle-ready and better than ever.”

“That’s great Krel,” Douxie replied wearily. “Listen, have your scanners picked up on any strange magical wavelengths in the past few days?”

“Ai, ai, ai, Douxie, you asked me this two days ago, and again two days before that. The scanners have detected nothing out of the ordinary. I would have called you if they did. Those Arcane Order skelteks are off hiding somewhere, probably licking their wounds and regretting ever crossing the likes of us. Assuming they even survived your fancy magic trick in the first place.”

“Nari says she can still feel them,” Douxie insisted. “They’re still out there, and she’s afraid they’re close to finding our location again. You need to keep constant vigilance on the planetary aura, make sure nothing unusual slips our notice.”

“Ugh, fine, yes, captain, I will double up on the magic scanning. Are you happy?”

“Very. Thank you, Krel,” Douxie said sincerely.

“You know, when all of this is over, you are going to owe me a kleb-ton of favors,” Krel grumbled good-naturedly, pulling up the displays for the castle’s scanning system and activating it.

“I’ll repay you someday, I promise,” Douxie chuckled. “Now, how’s the other project going?”

“Slower than I would have liked--your handwriting is not the easiest to decipher, but I think I have finally made some sense of your blueprints. But you know I cannot finish it without your magic.”

“If the time comes, I will rejoin you and cast the necessary spells. But I’m hoping it won’t ever come to that. As long as we can keep Nari away from the Order, we won’t need the new amulet, or Excalibur.”

“...So you intend to spend the rest of your life running?” Krel asked, suddenly serious.

“It’s....It’s all we can do right now,” Douxie sighed. “I can’t guarantee that I would survive another fight with the Order, and without the Amulet of Daylight, our Trollhunter is at a severe disadvantage. We don’t have the firepower for a confrontation with them, and even if we did, I would just as soon avoid one anyways. Jim was in no fit shape to fight the last time I saw him, and I don’t want to risk any of you until it becomes clear that we have no other choice. Even if it means I spend the rest of my life running with Nari, I have to choose the path that is safest for her--and for all of you. That is my duty as a Master Wizard.”

“You are sounding more and more like that old wizard.”

“Nah, Merlin never cared half as much about you guys as I do,” Douxie returned bluntly. “...but he entrusted me with Nari’s safety, and with the safety of the whole world. I won’t let him down, no matter what.”

“I see.” There was a pause. Krel absentmindedly tapped a finger on the roundtable. “My sister and I, we were in a similar situation not so long ago, as I’m sure you are aware,” he began. “We had to flee our home, hide away on this mud ball and try to keep our injured parents safe. But in the end, General Morando found us. We were forced to fight him. And we lost our parents forever because of that.”

“...Krel...I...”

“Sorry,” Krel interrupted, shaking his head as though to clear it of such gloomy reminiscing. “Didn’t mean to make this worse or anything. My sister says I can be....what is the word for it? Castor? Calcium?”

“Er....you mean callous? ” Douxie offered .

“Yes, that is it! Apparently I can ‘stress people out,’ whatever that is supposed to mean. But I want you to know that I understand your fears. I will do what I can to help you, and our other friends. Even if your nagging gets on my nerves sometimes.” Douxie barked out a laugh.

“Thanks, Krel. And....I’m sorry about what happened to your parents.”

“...It is in the past now,” Krel replied gruffly. “And even if I could travel back to it as you did, I do not think it would be wise to meddle with this timeline any more than you already have. Now, we must keep moving forward.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose wearily as his communicator began insistently beeping once again. “...speaking of which. Aja is calling me now, Douxie. I must take this.”

“Right. Thanks again, Krel. Keep me posted.”

“As if you give me any choice,” Krel chuckled, closing the link with Douxie and answering Aja’s call. “Aja, what can I do for you?”

“Little Brother!” Aja’s voice shouted over a loud whirring sound. “Where is the manual override switch for the cooling system in the barracks?!”

*****

Queen Aja flopped down over her desk, burying her face in her arms with a groan. Her hover-seat bounced beneath the force of her weight for a moment, as though it too was struggling to hold up the burdens she carried.

“I don’t remember so many things going wrong when Mama and Papa were ruling,” she mumbled.

“General Morando’s takeover shook up a lot of things here,” Eli said, setting a cup of Akiridion tea at her elbow. “I’m sure it will all start settling down soon.”

“I just feel like I should know how to handle all of this,” she sighed, lifting her head up from her arms. “But half the time I am guessing, and the other half, I am asking my brother or Varvatos for help.”

“I’m sure your parents had people helping them too,” Eli consoled her.

“I cannot remember. I never paid enough attention to those things. I spent my whole life running from my duty here. And I....I never thought I would have to do this without Mama and Papa.” She sighed again and took an unladylike swig from her drink. “I thought I was finally ready to be Queen, Eli. But somehow I feel as though I know even less than I did before.”

Eli regarded her sympathetically for a moment, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. He seemed about to say something, but was interrupted by Zadra bursting into the room, looking every bit as frazzled as Aja felt.

“Apologies for the abrupt entrance, my queen,” she began, placing her hand over her heart in a hasty salute. “but there is another insurgence rising in the south quadrant of the capital. It is merely a protest for now, but I am concerned they will turn to violence if we do not intervene. What would you like us to do?”

Never a moment’s rest, Aja thought glumly, before answering aloud. “I will address the protesters myself.” She wearily rose from her seat. “They think me a coward for dismantling Morando’s army. I will not prove them right by hiding here in the palace while those who are loyal to House Tarron fight my battles for me.”

“Very well,” Zadra said with a curt nod. “We will take my ship. Vex is already there awaiting orders.”

“Good. I am sure I will need his help...” Aja murmured. She picked up her serrator from the desk and began to leave.

“Aja?” Eli put in. She turned to face him. “I think you know more than you give yourself credit for.”

*****

“House Tarron is not fit to rule!”

“The Omens are our only hope!”

“Pacifism is cowardice!”

Aja’s head rang with the sounds of dozens of protesting voices as she emerged from Zadra’s ship. A small crowd of Akiridions were gathered in the plaza, some of them holding up holographic images of the damage done by Morando’s takeover. Aja felt a knot form in her throat, and she faltered. A heavy, familiar hand landed on her shoulder.

“You are safe, my Queen,” Vex reassured her. “This protest is a peaceful one, though it is still most blasphemous.”

“The people have the right to speak and criticize their rulers,” Aja reminded him. “...And it is not my safety for which I am concerned.” She took in the sight of the exhausted faces of her people, the expression of sadness and desperation that weighed down their countenances. These were people who had suffered because House Tarron could do nothing to protect them from Morando’s forces. Much as she wished she could feel indignant, Aja understood their anger all too well.

“People of Akiridion V!” she called, stepping into their midst. “I hear your protests, and I understand your frustration. But--”

“My sister was killed because House Tarron did nothing to stop Morando’s coup!” one of the protesters shouted, cutting her off.

“My parents did everything they could!” Aja shot back hotly. She felt Zadra’s hand on her shoulder now, squeezing gently as though in warning. The young queen did her best to school her emotions. “...We had no way of foreseeing Morando’s attack. We had no way of preparing our defenses against him.”

“And you would have us remain defenseless now!” another protestor accused. “The Taylon Phalanx was destroyed! We have no protection from invasion! You would have us sacrifice our lives for the ideology of cowards!”

“You dare speak ill of your former king and queen?!” Vex roared.

“Peace, Varvatos!” Aja barked. “If we lash out now, we will only make things worse,” she added in a lower voice. She addressed the people once more. “Morando’s Omens contain technology the likes of which we have never seen. We can harness and repurpose that technology for peaceful means. The Omens can be reprogrammed to serve as medical bots, builders, pilots--they could elevate life on Akiridion V to greater heights than we have ever known before. But if I were to have them reprogrammed to serve Akiridion V’s military, I would be painting a target on our backs. How could we expect to form any true alliances when the rest of the galaxy can see that we wield such deadly power? How long before another planet tries to take that power from us? Bonds formed in fear will inevitably break. To use the Omens as an army now would be to resign ourselves to an inevitable war, while also denying ourselves the opportunity to improve life here on Akiridion V. My parents....I believe that true peace can only be achieved through friendship and compromise. Rest assured that I will do everything in my power to restore the Akiridion army, but I will not be a ruler who controls others with fear. I will not be like General Morando.”

“She cares more for outsiders than for her own people,” a voice in the crowd grumbled, and there was an uproar of agreement.

“Perhaps the people of the mud planet have bribed her!” another suggested.

“Where is Prince Krel? He was supposed to rule us alongside you, yet he chose to stay among the humans instead of taking up his birthright!”

“House Tarron has abandoned us!”

“Enough!” Zadra bellowed, stepping forward. “Your queen has spoken. It is her right as ruler to use the Omens as she sees fit, as it is also Prince Krel’s right to postpone his kingship. You will all disband immediately and return to your homes. We have no time for this chaos and unrest--not while there is still so much that needs to be rebuilt. Now go!” She punctuated her demand by slamming the end of her serrator against the ground.

Aja turned to leave, her cape swishing behind her, feeling anger and frustration churning in her core. She wanted nothing more than to return to the palace and unleash her fury on a few unsuspecting training Blanks. But before she could board Zadra’s ship, she was stopped by a gentle tug on her cape. She looked down to see a young Akiridion gazing up at her.

“...My mama says you’re right,” she said in a small voice, as though she was afraid of inciting a response from the dispersing crowd. “Akiridion V should be a peaceful planet. My papa was killed by the Omens. Mama says she doesn’t want anyone else to know what that feels like.” Aja felt the fury in her chest begin to cool.

“...Thank you, little one,” she replied softly. “Please tell your mama that I will remember her loyalty to House Tarron, should there ever come a time when she needs our aid. And--” She looked around. Vex and Zadra were still distracted with shooing the protestors away. The queen knelt and whispered in a low voice, “Come by the palace with your mama sometime and we’ll sneak into my brother’s old room. His collection of holo-games is still there, and they’re much more fun with three players.” The little girl’s eyes lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically, before darting away.

Aja stood back up, a small smile on her face. Despite all of her doubts, her confusion, her struggle to maintain order on her planet, there was one thing she knew for certain. Her foremost duty was to provide for her people--to ease the struggles of Akiridions just like that little girl and her mother. It was to that end that she had chosen to repurpose the Omens. Akiridion V’s army was no longer what it once was, but it would hold for now, as long as she maintained peace within the planetary alliances. She couldn’t blind herself to the suffering of her people in order to safeguard against a threat that may never come to pass. Though there was still some uncertainty lingering in her mind regarding just about everything else in her queenship, this was the one choice she had made that she knew, without a doubt, was the right one.

Perhaps Eli was right after all.

Thanks for reading! ✨

(Link to Chapter Two)

[honeypiehotchner]

intelligence & issues (Hotch x Fem!Reader) -- chapter twenty-two

I’m liking this two updates a week schedule because I hate leaving you guys hanging like that!! I hope this chapter makes it all better xx.

Oh btw the title of this chapter and last chapter are lyrics from “Hold On” by Chord Overstreet! (Also I know the gif is irrelevant but the ~emotion~ of it is relevant)

ALSO (wow I have a lot I keep forgetting to add) I meant to @ her last chapter, but all of these medical scenes and things were 100% done with the help of @thedumpsterqueen​ because I know next to nothing about all this stuff and she was an angel and let me ask all the crazy questions <333 (P.S. she has a Hotch fic called Standards of Performance on her blog that you guys should alllll read if you haven’t already!! It’s SO good it’s one of my favorites)

Warnings: angst and sadness, but that’s pretty much it

Previous chapter || Fic Masterlist

Chapter Twenty-Two: I can’t imagine a world with you gone

Everything is a blur in Hotch’s mind before and after the first gunshot rings through the air. He didn’t need to hear the buzzing in his ear to know it had hit you.

He took off at a sprint, as did the rest of the team.

His ears are ringing. His thoughts are racing. He’s never been a man who talks frequently to God, but he’s praying. Hoping you’re alive. Begging you to not be dead.

Aaron would never forgive himself if you died. As it stands, though, he won’t ever forgive himself for this.

Prentiss, Reid, and Rossi take off in one direction. Hotch and Morgan take the other. Police officers fill the gaps and follow behind, everyone searching for you and Savannah.

Morgan is the first to stumble on the room. His throat aches when he screams for Hotch, keeping his weapon aimed at Savannah.

“Put the gun down!” Morgan yells.

Hotch comes skidding to a stop in the doorway a second later, weapon raised, but his eyes are focused on you. Savannah’s boot is pressing into your thigh, blood oozing from your wound, soaking your pants, spilling onto the concrete. Hotch’s heart drops at the sight. He’s seen enough bullet wounds to know how much blood should come from them. That is too much.

The bullet must’ve hit the major artery. And the thought terrifies him.

Morgan takes the shot when Savannah refuses to move. It hits her stomach and she stumbles for a moment before falling. Morgan yells for the paramedics again, distantly thinking they should be in here by now.

Hotch falls to the ground beside you, his hands cupping your face, not caring who sees. His thumbs tap your cheeks, willing you to open your eyes. You have a pulse, but it’s weak. Weaker than what it should be.

He presses hard over your wound, hoping to slow the bleeding, but there’s more surrounding your leg than he wants to see.

“Y/N?” He says, his eyes watching your eyelids for any movement. He lets out a momentary sigh of relief when your eyes open. “Y/N, please, can you hear me?”

You stare back at him, no signs of his words registering in your eyes. They’re empty. Haunted, again, but for a different reason this time. This time it’s different. “Aaron…”

“I’m here,” Hotch says gently, pressing his hand harder, his heart breaking when you groan in pain. “I know,” he says, shushing you.

Your eyes travel around the room then, and Aaron follows. Morgan is pressing his hand over Savannah’s wound, speaking into his wrist, asking the others where the hell the paramedics are at.

But Aaron doesn’t want you to see that, so he cups your jaw again, turning your eyes back on him. He smiles as best he can, the tears beginning to spill from his eyes as he takes in your face.

“There’s my girl,” he says softly. “Keep holding on. They’re almost here.”

“Aaron,” you try to say, your voice low and strained, and Aaron shakes his head, trying to get you to stop talking. “Aaron...I don’t wanna go without-- I need to tell you that I--”

“Shhh,” he tries again, not wanting you to waste any energy. “You don’t need to.”

“I love you,” you finally get it out. And he’s stunned to complete silence and tears. “I love you so...so much. It hurts.”

“Y/N,” he says, panicked. Your eyes are closing. “Y/N! Come back, Y/N, come back to me. Y/N. Y/N, please.”

Hotch is too caught up in holding your face and keeping pressure on your wound to notice the paramedics have arrived. One team goes to Savannah, relieving Morgan, while the other comes to you, trying to usher Hotch away, but he doesn’t budge.  

“Hotch,” Morgan tugs on the unit chief, grabbing at his arms, his heart breaking for the both of you. “Hotch, you need to let them get to her.”

Reluctantly, Hotch backs up, clenching his bloodied fist, grimacing at the way your blood sticks his skin together.

Everything else is a blur.

What does it need to be clear for, anyway? If you’re not here?

+++

You’re still in surgery.

It’s been an hour. But it feels longer. It feels like it’s been an entire twenty-four hours.

The entire team has taken up camp in a waiting room at the hospital.

Reid is reading and rereading every magazine he can get his hands on to distract himself, never mind the fact that he reads them so fast that he rips a page on one from turning it so quickly. Morgan has Garcia on the phone and has left to get coffee at least three times, the first time returning with a tray of steaming cups and the next two times returning with only one, but two tearful eyes. Emily has been pacing and will wear a hole into the tile at this rate if she walks for another hour. JJ has been staring at the wall, chewing so hard on the inside of her cheek that she flinches when she draws blood.

Rossi has been staring at the wall, too, but mostly he’s been worrying about and watching Hotch.

Aaron has been biting his nails, tugging at his hair, angrily wiping away tears, and left once to go on a walk before returning two minutes later, asking if they had heard anything. Those two minutes had felt like two hours and he was worried sick for all 120 seconds that he missed something.

Dave hasn’t tried to say anything to Aaron, though he wants to. It’s heartbreaking to watch Aaron like this.

You’re going to pull through. Dave — and the rest of the team — can’t afford to think otherwise. And they refuse to think otherwise, unable to imagine what it would be like if you weren’t here.

But it seems like Aaron is thinking otherwise.

Truthfully, he is. But he’s thinking about so much more.

You love him. You love him. You love him.

And he was too stunned to say it back. The one chance he had, and it might be gone now. Ripped away. Forever.

He sent you in there. He did this to you. He had his reservations, but the call had already been made. You seemed so sure. You wanted to do this so badly. He didn’t want another fight about him not trusting you because it’s not about his trust for you, it’s about how terrified he was for you.

He’ll never forgive himself for this now. Not ever.

It’s a world he can’t even bear to imagine. One without you in it.

Yet here he is, grappling with the fact that he might not have to imagine it soon. He sent you in there. He knowingly put your life in danger. And now he’ll have to live with the consequences.

+++

Aaron is shaken from his trance by the doctor and a nurse coming in to inform the team that you’re out of surgery and that it went well.

But you’re in the ICU.

“She lost a great deal of blood,” the doctor says gravely. “But we think she’ll pull through. She just needs to be watched closely for the time being.”

Everyone nods silently, not sure of what else to say, other than feeling relief that you’re alive.

“Visiting hours are long over, so I recommend you all get some rest,” the nurse says. “She’s in good hands here.”

“Thank you,” Rossi replies.

The doctor excused himself, but the nurse stayed, offering to answer any extra questions. “Visiting hours start at seven a.m.,” she says first. “And in the ICU, only two visitors are allowed in her room at a time.” She doesn’t voice an apology, but one is in her tone as she glances between the six team members.

“Can I stay?” Hotch blurts out of nowhere. The team member’s heads all turn to look at him in surprise. “Can anyone stay the night, I mean.”

“Uh, yeah,” the nurse nods. “One person can.” Her eyebrows furrow sincerely. “Are you her dad?”

Morgan internalizes a snort.

“No,” Hotch replies kindly. “I’m not, but I’d like to stay. I’m her boss.”

Still the nurse looks skeptical. “Would she be okay with—”

“She’s his girlfriend,” Emily blurts out, tired of waiting. And when Hotch sends her a look, she says, “What? It would’ve taken you hours to say it.”

“Oh,” the nurse chuckles, embarrassed. “I’m so sorry. Yes, of course you can stay.”

Hotch lets a tiny smile shine through, but it’s not much. Truth is, he’s terrified to see you. But leaving you here alone – even if this is a hospital – terrifies him more.

The rest of the team says goodbye to head back to the hotel for some much-needed rest, if they can sleep at all. They know they’ll wake every couple hours to worry about you before sleep consumes them once more.

In the meantime, Hotch will be here to look after you for all of them. You’re like a little sister to the rest of them, even though Morgan is the only one to have voiced that. You’re loved here. Loved more than you’ll ever be able to comprehend.

You’re loved by Aaron much more than he’ll ever be able to articulate to you. But he’ll try. He’ll try to help you see.

+++

Hotch is finally walking to your room in the ICU after another half hour of waiting. The nurse said they had to get everything settled in your room before he could come back, which only made Hotch’s worry spike even more.

But eventually, he’s in your room with you. A pillow and blanket is in the chair by the window, but he’s not paying attention to it.

You. You’re asleep, of course, and probably will be for a few more hours. The nurse said you had already woken up once, but because of the pain medicine and the overall stress your body has been under in the past few hours, you fell back to sleep almost instantly.

Tears well in his eyes at the sight of you, laid up in the hospital bed, IVs and wires all over you. The beeping of the heart monitor is the only real sign to him that you’re even alive. Your chest is rising and falling, but it’s barely visible underneath the gown and blankets and wires.

You have one regular IV placed on the top of your left hand. Some other line is in your upper arm, and another in your wrist. He has no idea what they’re all for, he just knows he hates seeing you connected to so much.

Aaron wipes at his eyes angrily. Does he have a right to be this upset when he’s the one who sent you in there?

He turns and sets the pillow and blankets in the other chair, knowing he won’t sleep tonight even if he wanted to. Instead, he pulls the chair closer to your bed, where he can place his hand next to yours.

And, if you happen to wake up, you can reach for him if you need to.

+++

Three hours pass and you still haven’t woken up. Aaron knows. He’s been watching you the entire time.

The nurses have come to check on you a few times, assuring Aaron that it’s normal for you to be sleeping like this. But he just nods silently.

He wants you to wake up. Just for a minute. He needs you to just open your eyes and look at him, just once. That’s all he needs.

But it’s wishful thinking as the sky begins to lighten, showing the first signs of dawn.

Aaron links his pinky with yours, afraid to do much else and risk messing up your IV. Holding pinky fingers is enough right now. Or at least, it’ll have to be.

“I’m sorry,” he says out loud, to you, or really to no one at all, because he’s not even sure you can hear him. “I’m just so...sorry, Y/N.”

Stupid tears gather in his eyes again, clogging his throat, stopping his words.

But he keeps going.

“It’s my fault,” he says. “And I know you’ll try to convince me that it’s not, but Y/N, it is and I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I let this happen to you.”

He leans his head into the palm of his free hand, tightening his pinky finger’s grip on yours.

“I love you,” he blurts it out, tears warming his palm as they cascade down his cheeks. “I love you and I need you to wake up because I need you to hear it. I love you. I don’t think there’s ever been a day that I’ve known you that I haven’t loved you.”

He sniffles, loud and body-rattling, glad he’s alone in this room with you because he’d never let anyone else see him like this. No one but you.

“I tried to get it out before, but you were already gone, and I— You need to wake up. I need you to wake up. Please.”

Aaron keeps his eyes closed and head down for a few minutes longer. He doesn’t even see that you’ve opened your eyes.

Until your pinky finger gently squeezes his.

He lifts his head quickly, eyes wide and wild when he sees you’re looking back at him, eyes glassy with tears and exhaustion.

And just like that, just seeing your eyes open and looking right at him, the dam breaks once more. He’s a mess of tears when he leans his head down onto the bed. You lift your hand and thread your fingers through his hair, closing your eyes as more tears slip down your cheeks.

You scratch a soothing pattern on the base of his skull, moving your other hand over your body to hold onto his arm. He senses the movement and lifts his head, grabbing your hand and pressing it to his lips.

He’s not sure how long he stays there, all he knows is his back aches when he straightens up again, and you’ve fallen back asleep.

Next chapter

[corpsedaydream]

I just like the concept of the reader going on and on about something and him with his head in his palms, total heart eyes "listing" to the one sided conversation

i think by some of the things i’ve written before we all know this is a trope i loooooooove lets do it

edit before posting: this has lowkey become one of my favourite things i’ve written on this account! omg i am rly proud of it and i hope u guys like it too 🥺🥺🥺 pls let me know what u think of it!

word count: 1.5k

_______________________________

carrots

so maybe you were a little bit of a picky eater. but you’d never be caught admitting to that, to yourself, or to anyone. when someone happened to bring it up, you would just say something along the lines of that, you were just peculiar about what you ate.

you still remember the first moment corpse had said something about it.

-

"you’re picky, aren’t you?” he’d asked and your eyes snapped up. he’d been watching and listening to you closely as your eyes scanned the menu. the first time he’d been witness to it. you had been babbling out loud about what sounded best to you, but then you would also mention things you would want to switch out and add in to make it even better. you were moreso talking to yourself, but corpse had been so zoned in on you. things between the both you were still so recent, he was still learning you and he liked to pay attention.

“i’m what?” you sounded offended. and corpse had to try really hard not to crack a smirk.

“you’re a little picky, right?” he also tried keeping his tone from becoming too teasing, yet.

“no.” your response was very quick, you were on the defence. and he couldn’t help but to smile then. he knew he was right.

“there’s nothing wrong if you are, i’m just wondering.”

“well stop wondering and figure out what you’re ordering and not worry about what i’m getting.” you were a little hangry at this point, too. another fact corpse had come to learn about you. if you didn’t eat when you announced you were hungry, it would only be a short amount of time until that hangry monster in you emerged.

“i already know what i’m getting.” he counteracted. 

“well, good.”

“because i’m not picky.” he couldn’t help himself but to tease you.

“i’m not picky! i just like what i like.”

-

ever since then, whenever the two of you had found yourselves in a situation where it involved reading a menu, he loved to watch you do it. you always took a lot longer than corpse to order, but he never minded. each time, you studied it like you were studying for an important exam and you would mumble audibly, lost in a quiet conversation between you and yourself. and how he loved to listen in, like it was exclusive information and corpse was a fly on the wall. he had made a habit of deciding on his food very quickly so he could give you his full attention for these moments.

still to this day, you weren’t aware he did this. you would be so caught up in reading the menu, figuring out how you were going to satisfy your picky eating habits that you’d never looked up to find your boyfriend looking so lovingly at you.

he then, would even love to see how you interacted with the staff when you did finally make up your mind and were ready to order. you always spoke to everyone as if they were a friend you hadn’t seen in a while. you were like no one else, so warm, so bright, so inviting. in world where social interaction could be so awkward, you thrived instead. you’d smile and make jokes, you were a social butterfly. sometimes, though, he’d catch himself feeling slightly jealous if the person working was getting a little too caught up in your words and getting a little too lost in your eyes. your words were for him to get caught up in, a soundtrack he’d play over and over if he could. and your eyes were for him to peer into, for him to wonder if the brain inside your head was made of something different to make you this enchanting.

but then you’d always look back to corpse and you’d give him a smile that was reserved for only him. a smile that no one else was lucky enough to witness. it was a smile that was made out of the genuine love you felt only for him. one that said, it’s okay, i’m with you, i’m yours. and he’d feel better. how could he not when that sunshine you radiated made it’s way into him and made him feel brighter.

"what’d you decide on?” he always asked you this. even though he’d just heard your thoughts leading up to your final decision. but he still liked to hear you answer him at a normal level, when you were actually engaging in conversation with him and he wasn’t just overhearing your spoken thoughts with yourself.

he wasn’t often surprised when you told him of your order, because of how much he already had listened to you. but tonight you did say something that surprised him.

“it comes with cooked carrots, but i just won’t eat them.”

“you love carrots?” he questioned, because he thought he was so sure of this. it was often a snack you had some days during sometime in the mid afternoon to tie you over until dinner. and you wouldn’t just eat one either, you’d eat about three or four. in fact, there’d been multiple times he’d told you if you ate that many carrots you wouldn’t be hungry for dinner.

“i do, but only fresh.” you answered him. “i hate cooked carrots.”

“are they not the same-”

“no!” immediately you cut him off, and instantly he was entertained. he knew right away this was going to turn into you going off on a tangent. you often would get oh so passionate about topics that didn’t require any actual level of passion, but oh how he loved to sit and listen when your words ran off with your fire fuelled personality. 

you continued on, “don’t even finish that sentence! they are not the same thing at all.”

corpse remained silent, instead, he moved to place his elbows on the top of the table to rest his head in his hand, to really show he was paying attention. this was for both you and him, he knew your love language was quality time and that meant you wanting undivided attention and for him, he was too excited to learn this new found information about you.

“first of all, i would like to know who was the first person who even decided to cook a carrot.” and so you began. “they’re literally perfect with how they are already.” you took a deep breath in and corpse had to fight off a laugh. “they’re the perfect amount of crunch, the perfect amount of fresh, the perfect shape to hold as you eat it, the perfect size to go in your mouth, it’s always satisfying to chomp through a carrot.” you were talking with your hands, lifting a finger each time you mentioned something you loved about carrots. then you paused, holding your hand up to signal you were going to continue after you took a quick sip of water.

apparently you really meant business about carrots. and as he watched you drink the water, he wondered how on earth could he have missed this breaking update that you didn’t like cooked carrots? he wondered why he hadn’t picked up on it during all of his time of watching you read through menus.

“like, who ate a carrot in its natural and best form and thought, this is so great, i love carrots, now i’m going to try and ruin it!”

“ruin it?”

“yes, ruin it, corpse!”

“i don’t think they intended to ruin it.”

“well they did! and for what?” you questioned out loud, but corpse knew it wasn’t for him to answer, you were questioning the universe. “what was the point of ruining carrots? a food that was already so perfect, it’s so dumb.”

for a second, he thought you might have finished right there, but you didn’t.

“and the fact that it gets cooked in so many different ways? like, stop! no one asked you to do that.” you huffed, and he smiled. you were talking about carrots of all things, but he was going to listen to every word you said. “like, find me one person who prefers cooked carrots over normal carrots? you can’t!”

“i bet i could.” corpse only said this to will you on further.

“no you couldn’t!” how easily you argued against his words and he did laugh that time, but you still weren’t finished talking about carrots. “and if you ever do, you better run for your life because that person would be a serial killer.”

he continued to laugh and you knew you were being overdramatic, but you had accepted a long time ago, that, that was a very definitive part of your personality. it was a part of you that corpse had come to adore when it came out like this.

“carrots are perfect, like, truly an ideal food. and i will never forgive whoever was the first person who ever cooked a carrot.”

“what if it was me?” he couldn’t help but to say, his tone a little teasing. 

and there it was that again, that smile of yours. “maybe i’d consider, but it would be a hard battle to win me over.”

[mrpenguinpants]

Andrius, Venti, and Dvalin: General HCs [+ unhinged Venti]

Oh no, not strange at all! I love seeing the art people have done on human Dvalin and Andrius. I’m not entirely sure if you wanted a Venti x Dvalin x Andrius pairing but I’m going to assume so. But just in case, I added a few points of all 4 of your hanging out. How my desk is positioned with my window, the sun is shining directly into my eyes so I have to type in this weird position unless I want my eyeballs to melt.

Also, if any of this is wrong just look away. This took forever because holy crap there is so much lore on these 3. Not sure what exactly you had in mind so I made some general/friendship HCs

Alright, today’s appreciations post is for maagdalen​​. Super lovely person with some lovely emotes. Oh and your english is really good btw^^ and ty for chatting with me 💕💕💕

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[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first. 

@hanniejji​​  @mikeysbike​​ @unionwitch​ @musekala​ @twistedsunnshiii​ @stanzastic​ @akaasea​ @xoneaboveallx​ @adoring-ghost​ @asheseiler​ @childelover​ @dilucsz​

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Andrius, Venti, and Dvalin: General HCs

Andrius

Andrius, also known as Lupus Boreas, was tasked with protecting the nation of Mondstadt under the request of Barbatos. He had a noble soul and mainly stays in the area of Wolvendom. He was strict, to the point, and never really partakes in whatever “foolish” activities Venti or Dvain get themselves into. But it’s all just a front because as soon as one of them get’s hurt or is in danger, his fangs and teeth are out. Even if it’s a cute hydro slime. Then he’ll take them by the scruff of their neck back to Wolvendom to get their wounds checked. On Venti it works, but with Dvalin’s dragon form. It’s amusing to see a pouting dragon getting dragged off by a wolf that wasn’t even double his size.

Not many Mondstadt citizen’s know but Andrius isn’t actually a wolf. He chooses to take the form of a wolf and should any of the wolves in Wolvendom be threaten, that’s the form he will appear in. But in truth, it was because Venti suggested it. If he was going to stay in Wolvendom and protect wolves then it made sense that his form would be the big bad wolf. Really Andrius just believes that Venti has a secret vendetta against cats and Andrius wouldn’t talk to Venti if he suggested that he take the form a dog.

There is a bit of discourse between Andrius and Venti due to Venti’s human-like appearance since Andrius views human society as a disappointment. Only accepting abandoned infants that have no where to go. But he does respect Barbatos and helped in his efforts to rebuild Mondstadt and protect it as one of the Four Winds.

While he doesn’t completely enjoy Venti’s extravagant personality he’s glad that Barbatos adopted the name and is living his life in freedom. Despite being the anemo archon, he chooses to live as Venti. Having fun in taverns and doing what he loves.

Venti

Venti always brings stories and sings for the two whenever he decides that it’s been too long since he’s seen his friends. He usually brings a bottle of wine even if he’s the only one that ever drinks - which is probably why he brings wine - which leads to Andrius scolding Venti to try and act civilized when he gets drunk and saying “No Dvalin, you cannot have some. The last time we let you drink you cried so much that Springvale still has a waterfall.”

It’s amusing to hear that after the war, the biggest problem Venti has right now is getting constantly ID checked. Dvalin takes this quite literally, since he still isn’t fully aware of taverns rules and regulations, that it takes both Venti and Andrius to hold him down before another Stormterror incident happens.

Venti has always been bold, never afraid to say anything, which was a trait that Dvalin and Andrius liked about the anemo archon. It was what made him the archon of freedom but sometimes Venti is a bit too bold and pretends to play fetch with Andrius wolf form. He is not amused. When he tries it with Dvalin, Dvalin will participate but he get’s confused and ends up just sitting beside Venti when the archon throws the stick. Which causes Venti to make a walk of shame to get the stick back.

When Venti acts as the Wind Archon it’s always a bit of whiplash when he talks in his philosophical state that it reminds Dvalin and Andrius that despite his childlike appearance and attitude, he was still the anemo archon. But it get quickly covered up when he says it’s time to switch back to Venti time.

It’s hard for them all to meet up in the present day. Dvalin stays in his domain while Andrius stays in Wolvendorm, all alone in their own domain. Venti prefers lively places than those quiet and solitude areas so he’s either in the City of Freedom or under the Windrise tree. But on occasions where he feels lonely he’ll swing by Dvalin’s lair and use the winds to carry their conversation to Andrius. Just so he isn’t left out.

If anyone asks where the ballads that Venti sings that are about a strict wolf and a nervous dragon, he’ll just say it was a passing tune he made up.

Dvalin

Dvalin, same as Andrius, lost his faith in humanity and the city of Mondstadt. He was released as his role as one of the four winds but continued to remain in Mondstadt. Similarly to Andrius he is distrustful around humans after being betrayed by them, chose to avoids human contact but he tries to adopt a more friendly side when Venti visits him.

Dvalin cares about Venti more and isn’t as standoffish in showing that he appreciates Venti compared to Andrius. Venti explained to him and showed him what freedom truly was he felt connected with someone for the first time. He did want to be understood and loved by the humans for who he was and what he wanted to protect. But that’s still a long road ahead.

He’s a curious but clumsy dragon. He’s pure of heart and steadfast in his goals which Venti is full-heartily cheering him on while Andrius disagrees but allows Dvalin to continue on this own path. Even if Andrius is on the other side of Mondstadt, he still tries to keep an eye out for Dvalin should the Abyss Order ever try and take his friend under their control.

However, due to how almost naïve the dragon is, he get’s into rather...interesting situations. While Andrius groans and Venti loses his absolute shit when Dvalin, still in his dragon form, lands and tries to observe the wolves. He only hides behind a thin tree that barely covers even 2% of his entire body and ends up scaring the wolves who run back to Andrius for safety. It takes a lot of consoling from Venti that the wolves didn’t like him, they were just scared and perhaps he should adopt a smaller form?

He’s still a bit sick from the aftermath of the Abyss Order and the poison of Durin so he can’t travel as far as he would like so Venti keeps him company. Telling him what the citizens of Mondstadt have been up to and playing music with his lyre.

---

I love writing Venti, he’s so much fun. :) I say this but I live for Venti who hides behind this happy persona but is actually unhinged or deluded. I have many thoughts on this but I didn’t want to break the pace of the fic (plus this is getting pretty long anyways). So feel free to skip the rest of this if that makes you uncomfortable. I’m just spit balling right now.

But nervous and shy dragon Dvalin plus mother hen Andrius is canon. You cannot convince me otherwise.

This week has just turned into “what will we awaken today?” In other news, Lisa and Diluc. But it might be a bit late since this took some time to finish. In extra news, solo leveling just updated. Oh and jjk is (hopefully) getting a new episode tmr^^

---

Barbatos

Andrius and Dvalin trust Venti to fulfill his archon duties should anything ever happen to Mondstadt. The same way Venti trusts the Four Winds will protect Mondstadt should anything dangerous arise. With the carefree nature of Venti making a sudden appearance after Barbatos’s year long nap, they both got a bit too comfortable with this happy-go-lucky version of their archon.

That is until Venti brings a fourth person into their trio. Someone who knew how to play the lyre and wished to fly and see the birds. Andrius and Dvalin share a quick look of anxious tension and it’s confirmed when Venti makes a small slip of the tongue and calls you by a certain boy’s name. They aren’t sure what to do or if Venti was starting to regress back into Barbatos and what that could mean for this innocent traveler.

“Barbatos defeated the previous ruler and left the city to rest because he didn’t want to become the same tyrant. But an archon is still an archon with responsibilities. Those responsibilities can be warped to the point that they believe they are helping and guiding their followers, but are actually trapping them in their cage. He is an archon that believes in freedom so his cage is just a bit bigger. Big enough that you can’t see the walls. Be careful traveler.”

Venti goes to greet you the next day you see him but his words seem to fade away when he approach's you. He asks if you’ve been talking to Andrius lately. You nod and ask how he knows. He says that you just spell like wolfhooks and that you shouldn’t worry about anything. 

The next day Andrius apologizes to you about his words and that he was mistaken. There was nothing to worry about and to trust Venti. You can see Dvalin a bit off to the side looking away nervously and a bit guilty.

Venti always makes sure that Andrius and Dvalin keep an eye on you, especially Dvalin when you’re in stormterror land. It was a pretty dangerous landscape to trek through. As for Andrius, he doesn’t want you to get hurt during your weekly practice fights. It wouldn’t do you any good if you got hurt and couldn’t explore this vast world with him.

[hoodharlow]

The Rat

EL Novio Quarantine Edition: Part 2

AN: Here's Part 2. It was suuposed to be posted yesterday but I spent the whole day out running errands, and I got home late. Hope you enjoy

Warnings: Mentions of dog bites, blood, waiting room scene, some sex jokes, baby talk and baby fever (idk if it’s baby fever but yeah lol)

Word Count: 2.2k 

"Your mans fans can't be this oblivious." Medelyn told Claudia, sliding her phone to read yet another tweet about Calum and Claudia's friendship. 

At the start of quarantine, fans were surprised to see that Calum was in Torrey Pines and not at his house in Los Angeles. They weren't surprised to see him at the Santos' home. They all gathered that he has become a friend of the family. Some of their fans joked that he was using Claudia to get to Diego so he can then get to Guy Fieri since he obsessively watched Guy's Grocery Games. Some fans didn't think much of it, they were just happy to get Calum content whenever Claudia would record him trying her baking goods for TikTok. 

The one thing that they never guessed is that they were dating. The few fans that listened to Claudia's podcast knew that her boyfriend was staying with her and her family. They just didn't know her boyfriend is Calum. 

"They are." Claudia said, taking a large gulp of her licuado. "They're still trying to figure out if the girl from Taylor's party and Benito's album release are the same person. They're struggling because my hair was straight in New York and curly in Miami."

"Stop," Medelyn laughed. "Speaking of your mans, where is he?"

"He took Duke and Panchito out on a walk. My dad doesn't need him at the restaurant until later." 

"I still can't believe Diego is making him make deliveries." 

"He's gotta pull his weight." Claudia joked.

Medelyn went to check on her sleeping newborn in the living room where he slept on a bassinet. She came back a few minutes later to keep talking to Claudia. It was still a surprise to anyone that knew them back in high school to see them get along. A few weeks ago they talked about it in Claudia's podcast and dissected why they didn't like each other in high school. It had mostly to do with the internalized misogyny and how because they were both latina, they both couldn't be at the top. One of them had to fail while the other was successful. Listeners compared it to how Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks were pitted against each other. But unlike the supermodels, Claudia and Medelyn were able to put their differences aside and eventually became friends. 

The barking of multiple dogs was heard out in the front yard. Claudia got up from where she was sitting and went to see what was going on. The front door opened and closed as she tied her shoes. 

"That fucking rat has it out for Duke and Panchito and it's owner has it out on me." Calum cursed, unclipping Duke and Panchito's leashes. 

Claudia scoffed and watched him take off his shoes. "You're being dramatic. Mrs. Garner and her dog are literally so nice." 

"The rat nearly attacked Panchito. If it weren't for Duke, we'd be on our way to the animal hospital."

"Ah ha okay."

"Claudia, I'm being serious." Calum got up and put away the leashes in the coat closet. "If you get bitten by that rat then don't come crying that you need a ride to the hospital."

***

"How the fuck did we end up watching three kids and a baby?" Claudia asked Calum as she slipped on some leggings. "They're not even ours."

"Because you wouldn't let me battle your brother in rock paper scissors. You're so predictable when you play." He said. 

Calum leaned back on her bed and watched her get changed for their hike. It wasn't really a hike, they're just going to walk on the dirt trail behind the neighborhood with her niece and nephews while Danny and Medelyn spend some time together. 

He gently smacked Claudia's ass a few times, watching it bounce against the fabric of her leggings. "I fucking love your ass."

"And I love yours. Jesse is a miracle worker." She said repeating his actions. 

Calum rolled his eyes and followed Claudia out of her room to the living room. Guito, Paloma and Damian sat on the couch watching Duck Tales as they passed a giant bowl of popcorn. The three kids looked nothing alike, but it was obvious they were Junior and Marlene's kids. They all had distinct features from their parents. After spending time with them, it always left Calum wondering about how his kids with Claudia would look like. 

Of course they haven't talked about having kids anytime soon. Claudia was about to graduate and attend grad school at UCLA. Calum knew better than to get in the way of her academic future. For now he just kept the thought of kids to himself. He also knew that Diego would murder him if he uttered baby making and Claudia in the same sentence.

Claudia emerged from the kitchen with a lunch bag and waters. She squatted down in front of the stroller and put in the things in the bottom basket along with the diaper bag Medelyn packed for them. She turned back and caught Calum's eyes permanently glued on her ass. 

"I'm gonna ask Danny for a rematch." he said, pushing himself up from the couch. 

"No you're not." Medelyn said, stopping him. "We need this. We stopped having sex the minute I couldn't see my feet. And add the forty days I couldn't do anything. We need this."

"Cal, don't worry. We'll be back in a blink. Danny is gonna need at most five minutes." Claudia said. She wrapped her arms around him, and pushed back his growing curls. She kissed his cheek and whispered. "When we get back I'll suck your dick."

"Let's get this show on the road." Calum told the kids. "When we get back, Danny and Medelyn can take all of you to Coldstone."

"Can we get Ice Cream cake?" Paloma quietly asked him. 

"Sure."

The three kids cheered. One by one, they went to the front door and put on their shoes. Calum carried the stroller down the steps and helped Claudia put Sebastian in the stroller. After spending a good five minutes on the importance of 'Slip-Slop-Slap' and sunscreen, the party of six plus Duke and Panchito were on their way. The kids walked just a few feet ahead of Claudia while she pushed the stroller. Calum stayed back with Duke and Panchito. He didn't mind, the trail was slightly slanted and it gave him a spectacular view of Claudia's ass. 

About halfway around the trial they all stopped at a bench under a tree. The kids sat down and ate some Gansitos. Claudia set down two bowls of water for Duke and Panchito to drink. 

"You think they're done?" Calum asked Claudia when sat on the ground. 

“Honestly, the last thing on my mind is how long my brother takes o fuck his girlfriend.” She said reaching over for her water.

He took off his windbreaker, leaving him shirtless. He stretched and flexed his muscles. 

"You're so rude." Claudia said before taking a large gulp from her pink Hydro Flask. 

They stayed in the shades area for another half an hour and then turned back home. Claudia and Calum fell into step while the kids raced each other distances determined by what they saw on the ground. They made a quick pit stop at the kids' house because Damian had too much water. He couldn't hold it until they got back to Claudia's house, who lived four houses up the same street. 

When they got to the house, they found Danny and Medelyn passed out on the couch while 'Sortilegio' played in the background. Claudia placed Sebastian on his bassinet and unclipped Duke and Panchito's leashes. Damian and Guito stayed outside wanting to play some soccer with Calum. So Claudia and Paloma migrated to the kitchen to make some brownies. 

 Paloma left to play on her iPad the second Claudia placed the baking dish on the oven, leaving her to do all the cleaning. 

A loud growl followed by a scream came from outside where Calum and the boys were. The front door slammed open with Calum carrying Damian with Guito following him. 

"The rat bit him." Calum told Claudia when he sat Damian on the counter. 

"Let me see." Medelyn said motioning Calum to step aside. She snapped her fingers at them. "Someone get me a first aid. Hopefully he doesn't need stitches."

Calum went to the pantry and grabbed the box hanging on the wall. Medelyn took it and got to work on Damian's arm.

After five minutes of tending the bite, Medelyn wrapped up his arm in a gauze and motioned Calum, Claudia and Danny. 

"He needs stitches. The cut is pretty deep and he may need a shot, too." She said. 

"Fuck." Danny cursed. 

"I'll take him." Calum volunteered. 

"I'll go with you." Claudia said. 

After lots of convincing and crying, Damian, Claudia and Calum were on their way to a community clinic. Claudia's knee bounced while they waited for Damian's name to be called. He had fallen asleep on Calum's arms. 

She texted Junior and Marlene updates. They were waiting outside in the parking lot for them. Ten more minutes pass until they call for Damian. Claudia stayed back while Calum went with him since he was there when the bite happened. Half an hour later they came out. 

"So?" Claudia asked anxiously. 

"The nurse gave Tío Cal her number, but he said no thank you." Damian said sticking a Spider-Man sticker on his shirt. 

"Oh?" Claudia quirked an eyebrow at him. 

"I still got it." Calum smirked. 

"You say that as if you're fifty and not twenty-four." She snorted. 

They made their way to the parking lot. Damian let go of Claudia's hand and went to hug his mom. He proudly told Junior and Marlene that the stitches and the shot didn't hurt. Calum briefly told them what happened and how the someone from the Humane Society was going to over in a few days to put the dog on house arrest. 

Damian rode with his parents on the way back to Claudia's. The car ride was quiet. Calum and Claudia didn't even bother to put on music or a podcast.

"You okay?" she asked him when they got to her house. "Regret not taking the nurse's number?"

"Funny," He said. He took off his cap and scratched his head. "Just thinking about Damian and everything. I don't know, I just feel like this is my fault. Obviously it's not, I wasn't the one who bit him nor that was my dog. But I just can't help thinking that if we played in the backyard like we always do, he wouldn't have gotten bitten."

"I have no idea how to respond because I don't wanna dismiss what you're feeling, ya know. But I just wanna say that I'm very impressed at how responsive and on top of it you were. Like when we have kids, I'm not gonna worry because I know you'll be at my side ready." She said. 

"When?" Calum asked. 

Claudia's eyes widened, realizing what she said. 

"Shit. I didn't mean it like that. Like today when we babysat. You knew what to do and stuff…"

"Miss Santos do you wanna have my children?" He teased her. Noting how uncomfortable she got, he stopped laughing. He cleared his throat and silently counted to five. "Would you ever want kids?" With me? He added in his head.

Claudia stopped playing with the elastic on her facemask and turned on her side and faced him. Calum mirrored her actions and shyly smiled at her. 

"I didn't think we'd have this talk so soon." She giggled. 

"Better sooner than later." he shrugged. "I'd want some or at least one."

"Yeah?"

"Preferably with you of course. But if Katy Perry drops Orlando Bloom, then we go our separate ways."

"That's fine, I'll just hit him up." She giggled. "Jokes aside, I do want kids. Just not right now. I mean we're in a pandemic for fucks sake. I also feel like it's too soon. Like my parents and brothers had their kids pretty young. I don't want to be responsible for someone when I'm barely learning to take care of me, you know? Like once we're more settled down and whatnot we can talk about starting a family. But for now I don't wanna share you with anyone."

"I agree with you 100%." Calum said, pulling her to kiss her. He pulled away. "We probably shouldn't kiss after coming from a clinic."

"You're right." Claudia laughed, pulling away from him. She pointed behind her. "Plus my dad's watching us."

***

Claudia and Calum took out their grocery bags from Calum's car when someone cleared their throat behind them. It was Mrs. Garner, the owner of the dog that bit Damian. A few days ago the Humane Society came by and put her poodle mix on house arrest for two weeks.

"Hi, Mrs. Garner." Claudia greeted, pulling up her mask to cover her nose and mouth. 

"You're going to regret the day you crossed me and reported my baby, mark my words. You don't know who you're messing with." 

With that Mrs. Garner turned on her heel and went back to her house. 

"What the fuck?" Claudia said, trying not to laugh. 

"C'mon, your ice cream and dino nuggets are going to melt." Calum motioned her. 

Claudia turned back to Mrs. Garner's house and then back to Calum. "Has she always had cameras in front of her house?"

Taglist: @f-mu​ @another-lonely-heart​​ @sunshinebabycal-deactivated2021​   @calumscalm​​ @karajaynetoday​​ @cherryxwildflower​​ @myloverboyash​​  @idontneedanyone​​ @findingliam-o​​ @5-secondsofcolor​​ @spicycal​​ @sexgodashton​​ @fckingpernico​​ @2fangirl4u​​ @calpops​

[thewhitejournal]

“The Intern” Part Three

Aaron Hotchner x Female!Reader

(not my gif)

hello all! i am so sorry for the wait, i know it’s been quite anticipated by some of you. i just got a little stuck but hopefully things are rolling again and going my way with the story so, please enjoy! :) the first part is here and the second part is here in case you haven’t read either yet.

feel free to message me/comment if you want to be tagged in future updates :)

content warnings: minimal cursing, light mention of abuse and violence

disclaimer: i am not a writer for criminal minds so therefore i cannot write the details of a case to save my life. i hope you can enjoy it despite the fact.

-

The pilot helped you halfway up the stairs to the jet; you walked with caution so you didn’t get your heels caught on a step. Boarding the jet, you turned to your right and walked into the cabin. All the teams’ eyes were on you, including Aaron.

“You all know our intern, (Y/N) (Y/L/N). I’ve invited her on this case, she’s on the team for now so treat her as such.” He told the rest of the team sternly. They all muttered things like “you got it” and “of course”. It made you smile. They were all very accepting of you already.

Morgan, Reid, JJ and Prentiss were sitting in the four chairs that faced the table, files and pictures spread out all over it. Rossi was on the couch, legs propped up on it as well. The only spot left where you could converse with the team was next to Aaron on the loveseat. You watched your feet as you walked past him, sitting down next to him. You still didn’t make eye contact with him, just the four that were currently discussing the case and their theories right in front of you. You tried watching him out the corner of your eye, but you couldn’t get a good look, and you didn’t want to be too obvious either.

“Maybe there was some kind of trigger with the original Oakland County killer? Reid, what do you know?” Derek asked; all eyes were on Spencer now. Spencer sighed, shaking his head.

“The Oakland County Child killer was never caught. They had a DNA profile, but it didn’t match either suspect or anyone else in connection with the case. So there’s no way to tell.”

“So this probably isn’t an exact copycat, right?” Despite your nerves, you spoke up. The teams’ heads turned to look at you. You were still trying to learn, but that didn’t mean you weren’t afraid to mess up in front of them. They were the professionals.

Derek shrugged. “Probably, that’d be my guess too.” Some of the other guys nodded their heads; you didn’t miss the upward twinge on Hotch’s lips. You weren’t sure what that meant, but surely it was good, right?

“Morgan and Prentiss, you’ll go to the crime scene, see if there’s any type of signature on the body or at the scene. Dave and Reid, I want you to go talk to the parents, see what you can find out. JJ, you, (Y/N) and I will set up at the station.”, Hotch said. At the mention of yours and JJ’s name in the same sentence, you two made eye contact. She gave you a bright smile, and you returned it. You liked her already; her energy was so pleasant to be around.

Of course, you didn’t slide over the fact that Hotch said your first name so casually; your heart fluttered at the sound of your name on his lips. The team nodded curtly, gathering the contents of each file and compiling it again. The jet would be landing in about an hour, and everyone resorted to their forms of ways to pass the time.

Morgan plugged in some headphones and laid against the seat, getting lost in whatever was flowing through those speakers. Reid pulled out a book, flipping through the pages at a speed you couldn’t do while also understanding the material. Rossi opened the file again, eyes flickering over all the material. JJ held a light conversation with Prentiss about their personal lives; you didn’t listen in, even though they were among everyone else and it wouldn’t have necessarily been considered rude.

Your leg was crossed over the other, body facing away from Hotch, but you started to lose feeling in the leg on the bottom, so you switched, crossing your ankles. Your body shifted closer to Hotch; this was entirely coincidental, but he changed positions at the same time you did. He brought his knee up and sat in a way that his leg was against your thigh. You’d expected him to move, but he didn’t. You felt frozen; sure, you didn’t mind the physical contact, even something so small. The thing you were really worried about was the team or even Aaron noticing that you were flustered, so you tried your best to keep your feelings under wraps.

Distracting yourself with the case file seemed like the best option at the time, so you opened it up and read over all the details again, gory and sad as they were. Suddenly, it felt like Aaron moved even closer to you. Surely he was teasing you or something at this point. You decided to take the risk and look over at him, but not before making sure the rest of the team was preoccupied first.

He was reading a book; you couldn’t tell what it was, but the size of his hands made the book look so tiny in his palm. You watched his fingers move so gracefully as he turned the next page, and you looked up at his face. His light brown eyes moved back and forth as they took in every line on the page, but suddenly he slowly turned his head and looked at you.

You wanted to look away, but it was like you were in a trance of some kind. His eyes searched your face, and he looked different than usual. His expression was soft, like how you’d seen in the picture on his desk of him and his son. He looked genuinely relaxed; even though you hadn’t known him long, you knew this was very rare. The left corner of his lip twinged upwards into a tiny smile, and how could you not return it? The exchange was small, but not to you.

You both turned your attention back to the reading material in your hands, a smile on your face. There was one trying to show on his lips, too.

~

The ride to the police station was short; Aaron drove while you and JJ sat in the back. She made conversation with you about your life and you asked about hers, which you didn’t mind. But all you could think about was Aaron was listening to every little detail you shared about yourself, gaining knowledge about you while you had little to none about him. And it’s not like he probably wouldn’t have figured out most of these things on his own; it is his job, after all, to figure people out. He was damn good at it too.

Hotch parked the car out front and you all got out. He held the door open for you and JJ, but you didn’t walk in first. You left that up to either Aaron or JJ. Hotch took the lead, which did not surprise you in the least. The sheriff greeted him almost immediately.

“Hey, thank y’all so much for coming up. It means the world to us. I’m Sheriff Bradbury.” The two men shook hands. Aaron turned his body so you and JJ were more visible to the sheriff.

“These are agents Jareau and (Y/L/N).” Your heart felt like it was going to burst; he introduced you as ‘agent’. You’ll admit, the sound of it was nice to hear. The sheriff reached out to shake yours and JJ’s hands, giving you an acknowledging nod.

“Everything you requested is just in that room there.” Sheriff Bradbury gestured to an empty conference room with a whiteboard standing against the wall and a box of what you assumed to be the case files and other information you hadn’t yet been provided with.

“Thank you.” Aaron told him, giving him a curt nod and walking to the room, you and JJ in suit. There were only about three or four boxes on the table, which didn’t seem like much to you, so that was a relief. Some of the boxes were files and evidence from the case that the current unsub seemed to be copying; most of the boxes were older. There seemed to be not much information on the newest case. But you were sure that was going to change soon.

Hotch thought it would be a good idea for a pair of fresh eyes like yours to analyze the older case files, so he started showing you what to look for and how easiest to find connections between the two cases. He said he would help you look over them because the information on the ‘77 case rivaled the files on the new one in an outstanding amount. JJ started combing over the finer details of the newest case but watching the two of you interact at the same time.

Aaron sat in the office chair next to you, looking over and perceiving the information in front of him much quicker than you could. You had to keep reminding yourself that he did this every day, and this was your first time. Being next to him calmed the nerves you had wiring inside you though; it was unexplainable. Something about his presence was just so...right, to you.

After having settled into your seat and your role, for the most part, you realized it was a bit chilly in the conference room. You pulled your blazer closer to your body, clasping the button on the front. JJ unrolled her sleeves and buttoned them at her wrists, attention never breaking from the papers in front of her. The slight chill to the room seemed to have no effect on Aaron, which didn’t surprise you. He was still reading over the file in his hand, dark brows furrowed on his forehead.

A sudden shiver went down your spine.

“It is kinda chilly in here, hm?” JJ remarked, rubbing her arms. She pulled her suit jacket over her shoulders. You just chuckled at her statement. You liked the little small talk and the fact that with each passing second, there was no awkward silence. Suddenly, Aaron sat the file that was in his hand down on the table and pulled his arms from his jacket, removing it. JJ raised a brow slightly at this, watching his next move. You were too, just trying not to make it as obvious.

The jacket was in his hand now and outstretched to you. Your face began to heat up. JJ watched for your reaction, but Aaron didn’t look over at you.

“Thank you Hotch, but I’m okay-“ He interrupted you. He looked over at you now, a soft look in his eyes but the small stern look still on his face.

“I insist, (Y/L/N).” Shyly, you took it and draped it over your shoulders, returning to your work. Mostly so that your face was faced more towards the papers and not to him, just in case your cheeks were red. As you turned away, you swore you saw a little smile on his face.

“Thank you.” You mumbled. He hummed in an acknowledging tone.

The jacket was warm, almost a bit overwhelmingly so. It smelled like him, too. The actual smell was hard to place, but it made sense that that’s what he smelled like. Maybe a little bit of cinnamon and vanilla, oddly enough. It was a very cozy and homey smell, and you loved it. You resisted the urge to snuggle into it; you imagine it was almost as good as actually hugging him.

Some time passes as the three of you read over the material in front of you. You read some police reports of some of the suspects in their younger years; they acted out quite a bit. The main suspect was the focus of your attention; he had been charged for things like vandalism, arson, all the way up to domestic disputes with his girlfriends. It didn’t make sense to you. These activities usually describe several different types of unsubs, not just a single one. Not all of these crimes usually fit in with one type of killer.

What was also strange to you was the fact that the original killer strayed away from one gender in his victims; the reason why was usually harder to put a finger on. There’s usually no sexual motive behind someone like this. You were just remembering things from what you’d seen at the beginning of some of your textbooks. The types of killers you might see and how they act. That was about all of the information you had on them though; your further work went more into the technical side of things. You liked being in the field, but you felt useless. You didn’t have the kind of knowledge the rest of the team did about this type of work. Hopefully, you could contribute, you thought to yourself.

“Anyone find anything?” Hotch spoke up. This was your chance. Even though you hadn’t found anything solid, it was still something. But you waited to hear from JJ first. She sighed, shaking her head. Aaron looked over at you. You cleared your throat.

“I saw that the main suspect in ‘77 had a lot of charges in his youth, but they’re all over the place. I just don’t think it makes sense.” Your eyes didn’t leave the paper in front of you. But the two agents’ gazes were on you. You felt it was probably best to meet their eyes, as much as you were surprisingly afraid to meet Aaron’s. You looked up, eyes meeting JJ’s first.

“I mean, he was charged with arson and domestic violence, several times for both. We don’t usually see unsubs with so many outlets for their rage, right? Usually, they just pick one and stick with it.” You looked over at Hotch. His eyebrows were knitted together, but his body language suggested he was open to your ideas. One arm propped up on the table, the other resting in his lap, his body turned towards you. The palm of his hand that was on the table outstretched, motioning for you to hand him the file. You complied immediately.

He read over it, seeing what you meant. “She’s right. Usually, it’s either physical violence or arson, not both.” JJ nodded in agreeance.

“So what does that mean?” You asked aloud to no one in particular. Suddenly, Rossi and Reid enter the room. Your body froze, not because you were cold this time. You remembered Aaron’s jacket was still over your shoulders. You shrugged it off so that it fell behind your back, hopefully before Spencer and Rossi could notice.

“The parents said Nathan was on a gaming website where chat rooms were available and that’s likely how the two met. The unsub probably lured him out that way. He likely asked Nathan to meet him in real life under the ruse that he was around Nathan’s age. Was that Hotch’s jacket?” Spencer stated, then asked the question as if it were nothing. Your face started to grow red and JJ tried to hide a smile. Before you could object or try to say anything in defense of yourself, Aaron spoke up.

“The unsub has evolved, its unlikely it can be the same unsub or anyone close to them. The original suspect would’ve continued luring his victims without any technology, stuck to his ways.” You saw Rossi smirking at you and Hotch, realizing Reid’s observation was correct.

“So this unsub is like a modern-day version of the original?” JJ asked. You agreed silently, as did most of the team. They continued discussing the details of the case and new things they’d found, along with Derek and Prentiss who’d just entered the room a minute or two ago. They talked about what they saw at the crime scene, which wasn’t much. You couldn’t focus on anything they were saying or if you had anything to contribute, plus you weren’t sure what to say. You had zero experience with how to work an actual case, you’d only done a couple of exercises at the beginning of your classes.

“(Y/L/N)?” Hotch’s voice pulled you from your thoughts. It was just the two of you in the room, for the first time. You hadn’t noticed the rest of the team had left. You looked over at him, shaking your head internally. How could you be so out of it, in the middle of something so important? Maybe you were better off as a tech analyst, as much as you wanted to be as close to Aaron and the team as possible.

“Sorry, I guess I got kind of preoccupied.” You pinched the bridge of your nose, sighing and closing your eyes.

“With what?” Aaron asked you. You scoffed lightly, turning and getting his jacket from behind you and handing it to him. His brows were knitted together as they usually were, but his eyes were a softer brown, filled with something you might place as concern. He reluctantly took the jacket, draping it over his knee. “Is everything okay, (Y/N)?”, he questioned again. Your heart skipped a beat at the sound of your first name on his voice.

“I don’t think I’m right for the field.” He didn’t answer you; he just sat there, listening for what you had to say. You sighed. “I never know what’s right or wrong to say,” you continued, “I don’t know what it means when an unsub acts the way they do or anything that you all are already skilled in. Maybe I would just be better in Quantico, behind a screen.” For some reason, it felt like a confession. You felt guilty, maybe that you’d disappointed him in some way.

“(Y/N), I’m not going to tell you where to go or what to do. Go wherever you’re more comfortable, there’s no pressure. But while you’re here, I want your head in it. Can you do that?” You only nodded, hardly meeting his eyes. His hand rested on top of yours, pulling your eyes to meet his.

“I’m here for you.” He said in a low tone with a small smile, patting your hand. You returned the smile, looking into his amber eyes. Something in the air sizzles between the two of you, but you can’t quite place what the feeling is. But it feels mutual.

He stands, pulling his jacket on. “We’re going to check into the hotel, do you want a ride?” He starts gathering his briefcase and all the files he was looking at together.

“No, I think I’ll just walk.” You say slyly, flashing a smile at him. He looks concerned for a moment like he didn’t realize you were kidding. But then he chuckles, looking at the floor. Your smile grows wider at the fact that you made him laugh.

“Come on, (Y/L/N).”

“Yes, sir.”

-

tags:

@dilaudidwinchester

@awriterincrime

@art-and-thoughts

@royallybookish

@bihoeofmanyfandoms

[commander-diomika]

(Click to Read From the Beginning) Part 6 - Pairing: Zolf Smith/Oscar Wilde Word Count: 4700 Additional Tags: Slow Burn, 18-Month Time Gap (Rusty Quill Gaming), Opposites Attract, Trans Male Character, Forced Outing, Pining, Additional Warnings In Author's Note

Summary: New intel from Curie brings new rules about the quarantine process. This puts Zolf and Wilde in an awkward position. A/N - The forced outing depicted in this chapter isn’t through any malicious intent, but rather circumstances outside character control. There are no transphobic sentiments portrayed in this series, internalised or direct, but some of Wilde’s caution around disclosing indicates that this is a world where transphobia exists. These things could make for an uncomfortable experience for some readers.

The few times that Zolf went out on missions alone, usually on fruitless attempts to scout the Shoin Institute, it had been Barnes that welcomed him back and locked him in. Zolf didn’t mind isolation stretches, but he didn’t love that Wilde kept himself absent for the entire duration. He understood why, but there was something unsettling about coming home, and yet having to wait for what he felt like was the proper homecoming of being reunited with Wilde. But he coped with it just fine.

When the invitation from Curie came for a meeting, and specified that only one person was welcome, Zolf fought hard for it to be him.

“You’ve never even met Curie.” Wilde pointed out, voice level despite the heat in Zolf’s tone. “It makes far more sense for me to go, and someone needs to stay here.”

“At least take Barnes with you,” Zolf countered, knowing he was being ridiculous but unable to help it. He’d known that this time was coming but that didn’t make it come any easier. “He don’t have to come with you to meet her, but he can keep you safe.”

Wilde’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”

Zolf crossed his arms, stymied. It wasn’t that he was overprotective. But he couldn’t squash the memory of Wilde’s face, slippery with blood beneath frantic fingers, or the haunted look in Wilde’s eyes when he emerged from isolation.

“I won’t even be gone long, Zolf. Curie is going to meet me in Hiroshima.”

Zolf opened his mouth to argue further, and was stopped by Wilde closing his eyes, looking genuinely tired for a moment. Normally Wilde relished a bit of verbal sparring and the two of them fought as easily as they breathed. But something about the way he sighed gave Zolf pause.

When Wilde next spoke, his voice was soft, a rare pleading in his tone. “I know, Zolf. I know you don’t like it. I don’t like it, but I have been looking at these same four walls for months. I am sick of not being a productive member of this team.”

“WHAT!” Zolf exploded. “You are the most productive member! Me n’ Barnes n’ Carter would be nothin’ without-”

“You know what I mean!” Wilde said, frustrated. Zolf hardly ever saw him like this. Anger was an emotion that Wilde kept locked away, just like his fear. “I’m sick of people treating me like I’m some sort of china doll, just because I can’t cast anymore!”

Zolf spluttered. “You’re not- we don’- nobody said-”

Wilde raised his hand. “I appreciate your concern, Zolf, I really do. But I’m going on this mission. And I am asking you-” Wilde drew a deep breath in through his nose “-to trust me.”

Well. That had been played like a trump card. Zolf felt something in him release, the angry churn of his stomach dissipating. If there was any truth left in the world at this point, it was that Zolf trusted Wilde.

He nodded.

---

As was protocol, on the evening he returned, Zolf, Barnes and Carter made themselves scarce until Wilde was safely in the anti-magic chamber, not detouring to any other rooms of the inn. They had arrangements for how to handle if a returning party member didn’t head straight for what they’d all started calling “the box,” but thankfully it was yet to come up. Zolf headed in after, with the keys to the cell, fresh clothes, and a bowl of prawn gyoza in hand.

“How’s Hiroshima?” Zolf asked, locking up and passing through the food.

Wilde didn’t respond, just levelled Zolf with a flat glare.

Zolf shrugged. “You can talk to me, an’ if at the end of the week you’re compromised, I’ll just assume that anythin’ you said was false intel, yeah? Until then,” Zolf pulled up the chair that sat outside and cell and settled it. “There’s no harm in it going this way,” he swept his hand from Wilde’s direction toward himself. “I just won’t tell you anything you don’t already know.” He, quite simply, was not going to take no for an answer. He wasn’t leaving Wilde alone with his thoughts for a week.

Wilde managed to look disapproving for a moment more, then a little smirk slipped through the veneer. “I find it difficult to believe you know anything I don’t, Smith.”

“Oh, sod off.”

“I can’t help it if I just happen to be the brains of the operation.” Wilde gave a small, defeated chuckle, and sat on the cot. He started undoing the anti-magic cuffs and massaging his ankles. Sometimes when there was no one using the box, Wilde would come sleep down here just for a chance to take them off for a little while.

“Hiroshima is well enough, but Curie says Cairo is a mess. The sandstorms have been giving it absolute hell. Anyone who doesn’t still need to be there isn’t, though it’s still seeing a lot of refugee traffic.” He picked up the food Zolf had passed through.

“From Europe?”

Wilde nodded between popping gyoza into his mouth. “These are very good, you know.”

Zolf waved a hand. “Hiromi’s been giving me lessons. She’s much nicer about it than her husband.”

Wilde updated Zolf on Curie’s operation. When he mentioned that she had been gifted the old Tahan estate, Zolf’s gut squeezed. It had been… almost over a year since he’d seen Hamid, and months since they’d last heard from him and the others. It was almost impossible to think that they were still alive, but without bodies or news, there was no way forward. Both men were left lingering in ambivalence, hope laid thick and heavy over a grief that couldn’t surface.

Wilde finished his food and frowned. He spoke more hesitantly than before. “There is one more thing I should tell you. We need to update some of the protocols.”

“Yeh? Howso?”

“The blue vein rumours? About the infected? Confirmed. More importantly, Curie says in every instance of a double agent, the blue veins have appeared on the body first, not the face or hands.” Wilde was overexplaining in a way that was unlike him. “In addition to the quarantine, being on the lookout for behavioural changes, Curie also recommended we do,” Wilde hesitated, again in a most un-Wilde-like fashion, “…visual inspections of those in quarantine. Thorough ones.” He fluttered nervous hands up and down his torso to illustrate.

As Zolf slowly turned over the implications, Wilde turned to rummage through his bag and withdraw papers. He gestured for Zolf to come take them through the slot.

“Reports, signed and sealed, detailing it all.”

Zolf took them, still absorbing what Wilde had said. He didn’t look through the bars. If he had, he would have seen something cautious and watchful in Wilde’s eyes.

The silence stretched on too long between them.

“Anyway, if you don’t mind, I am going to get some sleep. The boat from here to the mainland isn’t exactly a luxury cruiser, and I am exhausted.” Wilde flumped down onto the cot to punctuate the point.

“I… yeh. I’ll go have a look through these reports.” As Zolf walked away from the box, he paused in the door. “I’m glad you’re back,” he said. I’m glad you’re safe, he didn’t add.

“Of course you are,” Wilde replied without missing a beat. “This place must be dreadfully dull without me to liven it up for you.”

Zolf rolled his eyes and headed upstairs.

Having read through Curie’s reports, the next day Zolf went back to Wilde’s cell with his heart in his mouth.

Naked inspections. It’s just one thing after another in this brave new fucking world, isn’t it, he thought, agitated.

The whole situation was ridiculous. What was he so worried about? After everything they’d been through there was a certain trust, an ease between them now. What was a bit of nudity in the face of all that?

He was only feeling nervy about it because he was sure that Wilde was going to be a dick about it, in his usual style. Getting under Zolf’s skin hadn’t stopped being a hobby of Wilde’s, and this whole situation set the stage for his insufferable needling.

Wilde stood quickly as Zolf entered. He’d changed out of the clothes he’d travelled to Hiroshima in, and was now wearing long dark pants and his favourite yukata, the one with green and pink floral pattern.

“I read through all the reports,” Zolf began.

“We might as well get this over with,” Wilde said at the same time, and then laughed a little manically.

Zolf took his seat, waited for Wilde to quiet, then continued. “Curie also recommended we start askin’ people to tell us stories of things that only the other would know. Code words aren’t enough because it’s more about how you do the retellin’ than it is about the information.” Wilde’s face relaxed at the notion of delaying what came next.

“I’ll get you to tell me about… tell me how you remember our first meetin’, then.” Zolf said. Since all the other people who were there are either dead or presumed dead, he didn’t want to add.

Wilde launched into an explanation of flaming notepads, blood noses, slipping into his storyteller shoes with relief. It was nice to listen to him perform, even if thinking about Hamid and Sasha was depressing.

“And,” Wilde wound up, “I just happened to linger by the door and overhear you mention something about my bum, of all things. Now, if you’ll do me the favour of telling what that was, and we can all move forward assured of each other’s memory, though probably not their integrity.”

Oh, curses. He hadn’t thought Wilde had still been around for those comments. He crossed his arms and frowned loudly.

“Come now Zolf, you’ve already said it, you can’t take it back now.” Exactly as Zolf had suspected, Wilde seemed to be delighting in causing Zolf discomfort once again, whilst he slipped back into his old, familiar smarm. Wilde wrapped his hands around the bars of the cell and bounced slightly on his toes.

“I said,” Zolf pinched the bridge of his nose. “I said it was very nice.” And he stood by it, but Wilde didn’t need to know that.

Wilde laughed, free and throaty, running his hand through his hair in a way that Zolf knew, if he had access to his magic, would be accompanied by a bawdy shimmer of sparkles. For a moment, things felt bright.

The energy snapped back. Wilde wasn’t performing for a party, he wasn’t needling Zolf for a laugh, he was locked up in a cell waiting to find out if he had an infection that would turn him into something unrecognizable and dangerous… Wilde dropped his hands from the adamantine, and the two of them fell silent.

“I can go get Barnes, if you’d prefer,” Zolf said with a useless gesture. Wilde was already shaking his head.

“What’s a bit of nudity between… friends.” Wilde asked, with a quizzical tilt of his head. His eyes were asking does friends really cover it anymore? Zolf didn’t have an answer.

Zolf didn’t know how to get this whole awkward scenario started, so he just waited, his mouth dry. There was something so grim in Wilde’s face, and Zolf didn’t understand. His obvious discomfort with the notion of watching Wilde undress should’ve delighted the man. It should have been ammunition.

As Wilde started on the ties of his yukata, for the briefest of moments, Zolf’s discomfort was replaced by a blistering anger at the absurdity of it all. All those moments he had wanted to be closer to Wilde, to touch his bare skin or to hold him… but he hadn’t asked for this. Between the two of them hung a nascent possibility. A possibility that Zolf was only just starting to acknowledge, and that deserved a chance to blossom.

That instead it should be forced to happen like this, through cell bars, was perversely unfair. To him. To Wilde. To the pair of them and all the ways that this could have been different.

Wilde paused, as if seeing the flash of anger in Zolf’s eyes. He spoke quietly, almost to himself. “Thinking about… hmph. The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” With that non sequitur, he disrobed, turning his body to drape the cloth over the cot.

As he turned back, Zolf was struck by a sudden realisation; he’d never seen Wilde with his shirt off. Never swum together, never seen him coming back from bathing with a towel around his waist. Even in the heat, Wilde always wore his shirt buttoned, his yukata firmly tied. Zolf swore he could see Wilde’s chest in his mind’s eye. It just made sense. Wilde had certainly seen Zolf’s chest; they’d been living in each other’s pockets for almost a year now and Zolf didn’t think much of it.

But no, because if he’d seen Wilde without the shirt, he would know that Wilde had a smattering of dark chest hair. And more scars on his torso than seemed right. The wounds from Douglas had torn two messy gashes near the ribs, and those scars were present as expected. But there were two more - slightly crescent shaped, uniform and well-healed - swooping across his chest just beneath flat nipples.

Surgical scars.

The air was knocked out of Zolf’s lungs. His body had grasped answers before his mind did. His thoughts felt sluggish, crawling, gasping to catch up, and when they did it was with the lurching realisation of just how unfair it was that they had been brought here, to this cell, to this grotesque scenario, against their will.

Wilde undid the drawstring of his pants and stepped out of them. Dark hair ran in a soft line from his navel down, fanning out to the triangle that dipped between his legs. His face was carefully blank, as he lifted his hands, palms up, in a sardonic “ta-dah” gesture.

Zolf was frozen inside his mind, as Wilde turned slowly on the spot.

He did have a fantastic arse, the perfect balance of muscular and plush, and once again Zolf was furious that any hint of eros in this had been utterly perverted.

Wilde turned back to face Zolf and raised his eyebrows in a silent question. Zolf nodded again, his mouth dry. Wilde dressed, not rushed but efficient.

They sat in silence for a time.

“You never told me,” was all Zolf could think of to say.

“Fantastically witty and incisive commentary from one Zolf Smith, yet again,” Wilde said, voice like acrid smoke. Nothing made Wilde bite like losing the upper hand.

“I’m- I’m sorry. I jus’, I’ll go-” Zolf tried to walk and turn at the same time and knocked into the stool, clanging it down to the floor. He righted it with hands that shook and headed for the stairs.

“Zolf!” Wilde called after him. “You don’t have to leave.”

Well. That was as close to begging as Wilde ever got.

Zolf returned to his stool, and re-joined the silence. Wilde sat on the cot, watching the close wall of the cell with a face that Zolf recognised; it was one of Wilde’s favourite expressions, deliberately mild, open, waiting. It gave away nothing and invited everything. For Wilde, it was safety.

Other people, people who didn’t know Wilde as well, might take that as an invitation to speak. Zolf wasn’t other people. He thought about all the times he’d stumbled through something awkward, with good intentions but clumsy words. He had no idea how to proceed, other than it was probably wise to wait, and let Wilde find words first.

“Don’t feel bad about me not telling you.” Wilde said eventually. “It usually doesn’t come up, unless I’m sleeping with someone. Even then you’d be impressed at what can be achieved with creative use of props, dim lighting and a bit of magic.” He trailed his hand wistfully through the air, an impotent somatic component.

Zolf continued to wait, to leave the man space. Zolf wasn’t the one who’d been stripped, forced into a deeply personal disclosure without plan or intent.

“It’s not that I’m ashamed, you see. It's more… it feels like handing over a weapon, and I try to avoid that if I can. And well, I’m usually not in someone’s acquaintance long enough to feel bad about keeping it a secret.” There was an apology tucked between the words, and Zolf nodded even though Wilde wasn’t watching

He paused to run his thumb over the facial scarring, once, twice. “Bosie knew.”

Wilde let the silence stretch on long enough that Zolf felt like he had to speak or he would never stop thinking about skidding through Wilde’s blood on a cold stone floor. “You… you used to use your magic for it, righ’?”

Wilde barked out a harsh laugh. “Oh yes, for practically all of it! It was the reason I got so good at glamours! Back in Cairo I… I suspected that an anti-magic chamber or cuffs might halt the hexing, but I couldn’t, you see? I’d been doing it for so long. Everyone knew me as a man.” He shrugged, saying obviously with his shoulders. “I couldn’t go back.”

Zolf examined Wilde’s face. He was still carefully keeping his gaze on the cell wall. He still had that mild expression on his face, as though they discussed what to have for lunch, not one of the lowest points of his life. But he didn’t seem upset, so Zolf pressed on. “What happened?”

“Oh I…” he huffed a small laugh. “I got lucky. Turns out Grizzop already knew. I don’t think I reacted quite right when he punched me in the crotch.” Now something like genuine fondness crept into Wilde’s voice. “He suspected what might happen if I had to stop casting; he helped smooth things over. I was in no position to be fending for myself at that juncture, I had let the curse go on too long.” Wilde looked at his hands. “I will always be grateful to him.”

Wilde sounded like a man who knew, without a doubt, that the object of his gratitude was dead.

“Once it became clear the cuffs were going to become a permanent accessory, he set things up with the Cult of Aphrodite for me to have surgery and for them to supply the right potions. They have all the gear and know-how, of course. Not everyone in my position is a caster.”

Something else clicked in place for Zolf as he pondered the technicalities of non-magical surgery.

“Wait a minute. You were still recovering from that when we joined back up, weren’t you?”

Wilde’s brow crinkled as he considered timelines. “That’s right. Scarring needs to heal with almost no magical intervention, otherwise it’s back to square one. So it was… quite painful, to be quite honest. And compared to magical healing, the process drags on and on.”

Wilde smoothed a hand over his robe-clad chest. “I like it better this way now. No more binding my chest just in case, though I try to be careful about who sees the scars.” His voice was light, that faux-levelness starting to fade and he just, talked. Wilde was relieved, Zolf realised with a start. He wanted to tell Zolf about these things.

“It’s nice to just … be myself. Even at the end of day when I’m tired and can’t cast anymore.” And he finally looked at Zolf and smiled. Not a smirk or grin, just a completely open smile that welcomed Zolf into his joy instead of belittling or declaring victory with it. Even with the scar, sitting in a dim cell, he looked radiant.

As Zolf went to smile back, he felt his face wobble. This - Wilde smiling, confiding, being easy and honest with him - it was a better outcome than he could have hoped for. He felt the sudden bloom of Wilde’s smile in his chest, the warmth of the man’s trust.

But this was merely day one of seven, and it was still terrifyingly possible that the man who sat across from him was not Wilde at all. So Zolf’s smile twisted as it appeared on his face, and he didn’t reply, allowing them to lapse back into silence.

Day 2

“Wouldn’ it be- well not easier but less, I dunno- to just wait and do one inspection on the last day?” Zolf asked. He’d brought down breakfast and the paper, and they’d sat quietly as they ate; Wilde had finished eating and was starting on the motions of undressing.

“Zolf. My dear.” Wilde cocked his head in that patronising way that he did when he thought Zolf had said something legitimately dumb. “If I am reading your intentions correctly, your plan for the week is to eschew all your other jobs to waste away at my door-” Zolf opened his mouth to argue and Wilde simply raised his voice and pressed on “-not that I am complaining, but if you truly are going to while away the days with me, and then on the final day, you find out I have been infected the whole time and have to kill me, how, pray tell, is that going to make you feel?”

Zolf snapped his mouth shut.

“Wouldn’t you rather know as soon as it comes up?” Wilde pointed out, frustratingly reasonable.

Zolf simply wanted to throw the cell doors open because there didn’t seem any possibility that the man behind the bars was anything other than 100% pure, vexatious Oscar Wilde, but he stilled his twitching hand. Wilde’s question was to remain unanswered as Zolf simply gestured go on then and Wilde, with a grim, self-satisfied nod, started to strip.

Day 3

“No, don’tcha see, if Jennifer had gone to Antony in the garden, her mother would have known from the get-go-”

“But I simply don’t see how Alianne knowing would have improved things for Jennifer-”

“She was supportive, she could’ve helped smooth things over when Antony’s sister started her meddlin’, and they could have wrapped the whole thing up before supper!”

“Yes, but where is the fun in that, Zolf?”

Day 4

As Wilde dispassionately disrobed for a fourth time, Zolf realised there was now a familiarity to Wilde’s naked body, and that was jarring.

He wasn’t lanky, not really, but Zolf couldn’t help but think of most humans that way. The truth was he was solid enough in build, surprisingly muscular for a man who mostly rode a desk. His legs and arse especially were firm with it. He does a lot of walking about the village, I s’pose.

Zolf watched Wilde turn on the spot and he longed to trace the shape of Wilde’s shoulders, cup his ass, rub my damn nose in that soft lookin’ chest hair and…

Zolf ground his teeth against the wrongness of it all.

He thought of slipping his hands between Wilde’s legs, and though the shape of the fantasy had changed, the intensity had not.

It had been a long time since Zolf had felt a physical or sexual attraction like this, and the fact that it was at the most inconvenient time, and the most unlikely person, was enough to make him think he’d made a mistake breaking ties with Poseidon. Maybe if he hadn’t eschewed divine favour, he would have been protected from whatever trickster god had decided to throw this at him.

He kept his hands in his pockets so that Wilde wouldn’t see him clench his fists.

Maybe I should offer to strip too. At least that would put us on an equally horrible footing, Zolf mused.

Wilde dressed and turned back to look at Zolf with careful, watchful eyes. Wilde was in the business of reading even the most inscrutable enemies like a book, and at this point he had a thorough translation guide for Zolf. He knew it bothered the dwarf. The fact that Wilde hadn’t made a bunch of lewd comments was probably his idea of a kindness, but the absence of Wilde’s typical peacocking it somehow made it worse.

When he looked at him like that, it made Zolf feel like he was the one in the cell.

Zolf cleared his throat. “Got a new crossword book if you like?”

Day 5

“Pawn to E4.”

A chess board sat on a small table just outside the cell. Zolf moved the white pawn for Wilde then took his own move.

“Knight to G3.” Wilde said in a bored tone. He’d voted for bridge, but Zolf had talked him out of it. Too difficult to wrangle cards between the cell’s bars and mesh, he’d pointed out. Which was true, but what was also true was that Wilde was surprisingly bad at chess (it was much easier to cheat in cards).

Whilst Zolf did feel sympathy for Wilde, things weren’t so bad that Zolf wasn’t going to relish the opportunity to beat him at something for a change.

Day 6

Each day Wilde got closer to being comfortable with the inspections. Closer but not there. Half a lifetime of needing to be guarded about who saw your body created some strong foundational habits. That foundation wasn’t going to be eroded in seven days, regardless of how much you trusted the person who saw you.

But still, it could have been worse. Zolf shuddered to think what would have happened if this situation had been thrust on them a year ago. Their friendship, tenuous as it was, might not have been able to survive.

Dressing again, Wilde stretched the kinks out of neck. “I cannot wait to get out of here and have a proper bath and a nice long walk.”

“Nearly there.” Zolf said absently. He’d stopped needing to worry every second moment that Wilde was infected. Even though they’d been dealing with it all with distractions, with laughter, with pretending like it wasn’t happening, Zolf felt the sudden urge to be honest.

“I’m sorry that… that it happened like this. That you didn’t get a choice in tellin’ me about...” Your past? Your journey? Your truth? “…Everythin’.”

Wilde made a face of surprise, but instead of deflecting the offer of an honest conversation, he accepted. “Me too. I intended to, but as I said. I’m rarely… close enough with someone that I feel they deserve it. I wish-” Wilde paused, considering his next words, and what other weapons he might be handing over, deeply. “I wish that the circumstances had been different.”

Zolf could just ask what he meant. He could. It was practically an invitation for him to press, to force Wilde to clarify exactly under what circumstance he’d envisioned sharing secrets about his body with Zolf… but he didn’t.

Inside Zolf, uneasy guilt gnawed at him. The circumstances they had were only these ones. Wilde was vulnerable, caged, and thoroughly without a choice; but Zolf knew there were moments he’d chosen to ignore those elements. He knew, deep in his guilty core, he had been inspecting far more than he had the right. It didn’t feel honourable to press Wilde any further after that.

“Yeah.” Zolf stood. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Wilde. Last day ‘n all.”

Day 7

“It would have been too much to hope that the bloody sun would come out for this, wouldn’t it,” Wilde grumbled.

Freshly released, he was pondering umbrella selection in the entry hall.

“I’m guessing you don’t want me to come with,” Zolf ventured. Wilde had come out of his quarantine cheerful enough, but there was something understandably off about him; something distant and a little contemplative. Zolf had been half-expecting, or even hoping for, one of Wilde’s warm shoulder-touches. But he had kept his hands firmly to himself.

Wilde looked up, mouth twisted wryly. “I think I’ll be fine.” He hesitated, as he always did before saying something sincere. “I do appreciate what you’ve done for me this week, Zolf, but I could use a little space.”

Zolf nodded. He’d expected as much.

Inside him, the guilt twisted a little, the word violator rising in his mind. No. Neither of them had chosen anything about this situation. If anything, their connection felt even stronger for having been through the wringer, yet again. Whatever liberties Zolf accused himself of taking, it wasn’t enough to dent that.

We’re alright. Zolf thought.

We’ll be alright. I think we both could use a little time, is all.

Wilde selected the green umbrella, gave Zolf a tentative smile, and headed out into the rain.

[horansqueen]

Stuck With You - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Let My Love Open The Door

🡪chapter 1  🡪chapter 2  🡪chapter 3  🡪chapter 4  🡪chapter 5  🡪chapter 6   🡪chapter 7  🡪chapter 8  🡪chapter 9  🡪chapter 10  🡪chapter 11 🡪chapter 12 🡪chapter 13 🡪chapter 14 🡪chapter 15 🡪chapter 16 🡪chapter 17 🡪chapter 18 🡪chapter 19 🡪chapter 20 🡪chapter 21 🡪chapter 22 🡪chapter 23 🡪chapter 24 🡪chapter 25 🡪chapter 26

College Enemies To Lovers AU

characters // masterlist // instagrams // mood board

When people keep repeating That you'll never fall in love When everybody keeps retreating But you can't seem to get enough

Let my love open the door Let my love open the door Let my love open the door To your heart

When everything feels all over Everybody seems unkind I'll give you a four-leaf clover Take all worry out of your mind

Let my love open the door Let my love open the door Let my love open the door To your heart

The only key to your heart That can stop you falling apart Try today, you'll find this way Come on and give me a chance to say

Let my love open the door It's all I'm livin' for Release yourself from misery There's only one thing gonna set you free

click here to be on the update list

NIALL

                                            I wanted to ask Devon what we would do when we'd go back to school. Would we pretend nothing happened or would we keep this little thing going on between us? I wanted to know but I didn't want to ask, scared of the answer and of what it would do to my mood. Instead, we kept laughing together, playing board games, watching tv and discussing. I didn't want things to end and I was ready to stay locked in this apartment forever if it meant that our relationship, whatever it was, would never stop. I knew it was impossible but I decided to just enjoy the time we spent together and try to figure out the rest later, when we'd go back to normal.

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms on my chest as I stared at her putting some music on. She was only wearing a hoodie and panties and even if it made it difficult to concentrate, I loved that she felt at ease like that around me. A song invaded the room and she just started dancing, making me chuckle.

"Late night, a long day Somehow it's never quite enough And maybe I'm lazy It's been so long, sometimes I feel like giving up

So now I'm staying up all night 'Cause I'm trying to understand Why I feel like I've been stuck here forever

Break out today I'm throwing my fears away You don't even know Break out today I'm throwing my fears away You don't even know You don't even know

Maybe I'll get through Just one more day of feeling dumb I don't think I need to Get over this until I feel like growing up

So now I'm staying up all night 'Cause I'm trying to understand Why I feel like I've been stuck here forever

Break out today I'm throwing my fears away You don't even know Break out today I'm throwing my fears away You don't even know You don't even know"

I listened to the song and my amused smile turned into a sad one. I was trying so hard to throw my fears away and be the way I used to be before my ex girlfriend made a mess out of me but I was just starting to realize that fears are normal. What is not normal, however, is to stop myself from living my life and find love just because someone fucked me up before. I looked at Devon, wishing she could understand the meaning behind the lyrics she was singing herself and when the song ended, I took a few steps closer and my smile changed again as she looked at me with a laugh.

"Sorry!" she chuckled, licking her lips. "I didn't want to annoy you."

"You never annoy me."

Her lips curled in a fond smile and she bent slightly to take my hands in hers. "You wanna dance with me?"

I chuckled but raised my nose up before letting out a groan. "I'm not very good at that..."

"Come on, you just saw me dance, you can't be worse than me!"

My lips curled more and I brought one of my hands up to make her twirl. She started giggling and I pulled her closer. She almost tripped and bumped into my chest. Instead to move back, she looked up in my eyes and smiled gently at me before licking her lips.

"Maybe you'd rather do something else, then?" she asked in a whisper, nibbling on her bottom lip and raising her eyebrows.

I knew what she meant and I couldn't say I was not tempted. I let my eyes roam on her and squeezed her fingers in mine. "We can dance."

She seemed surprised but she just nodded and I looked around for my phone. I found it on the couch and grabbed it, quickly putting a song that started gently on the speakers. I put my phone away and extended my hand to her. She seemed to hesitate but she finally put her palm against mine and I pulled her closer gently. We danced in silence until I slid my hand to her lower back, pulling her slightly closer and she pressed her cheek on my chest, near my shoulder. I was not really into dancing. In fact, we could have just stayed there, in each other's arms, without moving, and it would have been good with me. I leaned my chin on her head and closed my eyes as a bunch of thoughts invaded my head.

Being afraid was normal, it was so obvious now, but I had to overcome those fears, and my biggest fear at the moment was about the girl I was holding close to me, and the feelings I had for her.

"I like you too, Devie."

She seemed to tense against me but I ran my fingertips softly on her back and she relaxed a bit.

"Before we left, you said you really liked me." I explained, licking my lips as she pulled away gently. I looked down at her  and let my eyes roam on her face. I could read fear but also something else in her eyes, and it was the very first time I couldn't decipher what it was. "I just wanted to say that I like you too. Maybe even more than that."

"You... you don't even know me."

"I know you more than I knew my ex girlfriend." I pointed out with a shrug. "And you know me more than pretty much anyone. I've opened up to you in a way I can't with anyone else."

I waited a few seconds as her lips parted and I sighed, taking a few steps back but pulling her with me by her hand. I sat on the coffee table and she placed herself between my legs, her bare thighs brushing against mine. I wanted to run my hands on her but instead, I grabbed her other hand and squeezed her fingers.

"I tried pushing you away, but the more I push you away, the closer I want you to be." I admitted, shaking my head but still staring up at her. "I'm not asking you for a romantic relationship, I know you're not ready and to be quite honest, I don't think I am either. But there's something between us, right? Something stronger than lust? Something that's different than friendship?"

Her traits softened and she shook her head slightly. "I'm trying not to think about it, Niall." she whispered, bringing both her hands on my cheeks as she cupped my face. "I don't want to analyze everything, I don't want to give a name to what we have. I don't want to ask myself too many questions. It was different since day 1. I mean, I don't just make out with my friends, and I don't get stuck with random people often." This time, I chuckled sadly. "I don't know what it is, and I don't want to know."

I thought about the soft kisses I gave her in the elevator after we made out. They were the same type of kisses she gave me earlier after we both came.

"I know you said you never wanted to fall in love again." I pointed out in a murmur, feeling my heart jump in my chest. "I've said the same thing. But, do you think about it sometimes?"

"About what?" she asked just as low.

"About love."

Her eyes roamed on me and one of her thumbs brushed against my bottom lip. I could have sworn she was about to tear up and I held my breath, waiting for her answer.

"No. Almost never." she admitted with a sad smile. "But if I had to fall in love again, It would probably be with you."

Her words made something stir so bad in my stomach I thought I was about to throw up. Slowly, I got up and her arms fell on her sides. I grabbed her face the way she had cupped mine a few seconds before, my fingers spread on her cheeks, chin and jaw, and bent down to kiss her. She let me, whimpering low in my mouth as I felt her grip the front of my shirt.

"Niall, wait." she expressed after a few seconds, pulling away and shaking her head. "You know we can't date right? We'd just destroy each other. Love... it's not for me. I've tried it and hated it. It hurts too much. But we can be... something, I don't know what." she shrugged and pressed her lips together. She was near tears and I shook my head, bending down to kiss her again. "I'm sorry."

"No, hey, shh." I kissed her lips a few times, cupping her face again. "We can be friends. We can make each other feel good. Let's start with that okay?"

"Okay." she whispered, nodding, as I pressed my mouth on hers again, leaving some love on her lips. "I just.. I need a shower."

She quickly moved away from me and walked past me as I sighed, remaining standing up and closing my eyes. I felt like the first few weeks after we met, we could have ended up dating. Hell, I felt like before Henry appeared, she would have been willing to at least try, maybe go on a date with me or something like that. But now? I hated this man for fucking her up like that and I hated myself for not being honest with her and with myself from the beginning. I couldn't help but wonder if she would have broken up with me after seeing Henry again, had we started dating earlier, but I pushed that thought away. We would never know and it really didn't matter anyway. It's not like I could go back in time to fix my mistakes even if I wanted to.

I waited until I heard the shower and sighed again, going back to my room to grab a t-shirt and two pairs of sweatpants. I put one on and walked to the bathroom, knocking at the door with one of my knuckles.

"Yes?"

I opened the door slightly and glanced at her through the glass before turning around and leaving the pants and the shirt on the counter, trying to fight the urge to look at her again.

"I brought clothes for you."

"Oh, thank you."

She sounded disappointed but I tried not to think too much about it and got out, closing the door behind me and walking back to the living room. I grabbed my guitar and started playing an old song on it to change my mind. It brought me back to when I was dating Abby and I held my breath, closing my eyes at all the memories. It's insane how we mostly remember the nice moments with someone when they're not around anymore. I knew I had more bad moments than good ones with her but the first thing that came to my mind was the first time I saw her, the first time I kissed her, and even if I knew she never really loved me, the first time she said 'i love you'.

It was so different with Devon and I felt so lost. I didn't know what to do, I barely knew what I wanted. All I knew was that I needed her close to me at all times, and it seemed extremely selfish of me. The first time I saw Abby, my heart had jumped in my chest and I remembered how beautiful she was. The first time I saw Devon, her physical appearance didn't matter to me. All I could feel was the electric connection between us and I knew immediately that we had something special going on. It was not just something I felt towards her, it was something reciprocal, something I felt because she felt it and vice-versa. Even now, I could see it in her eyes when she looked at me and I knew she saw the same thing in mine.

When she came back, she was wearing my clothes and I let my eyes travel on her body. Her hair was wet and messy but she looked cute and when she bent down to grab my guitar and put it away, I just let her. Slowly, she straddled me and when I realized what she was doing, I spread my legs on the couch.

"I thought you were going to join me in the shower." she admitted, nibbling on her bottom lip.

"Did you want me to?"

"Mm, maybe."

Slowly, she pressed her lips on mine and my fingers gripped the couch harder. We didn’t really kiss the last few times we touched each other and feeling her mouth so impatient and eager against mine reminded me how much I had missed it. Our kiss grew and when I slipped my tongue in her mouth, she wrapped her lips around it and started sucking on it.

"Fuck, don't do that." I whispered with a chuckle, my eyes still closed. "Can't stop thinking what it would feel like around my cock."

"Well, maybe I could-"

"No, stay here." I cut her, opening my eyes and letting them roam on her face. She raised her eyebrows and my hands slipped from her upper arms until her waist before I pulled her closer and licked my lips. "Please, stay here."

"I want you so bad." she whispered, her lips brushing against mine as she talked. "I can't believe we didn't fuck yet."

I kissed her harder and she whimpered in my mouth as I pushed her more against my lap. I could feel my cock swell between her legs and she ground down on me, making me even harder. I gripped her hips hard and helped her move on me slowly, feeling her pussy rub on my cock, separated by the fabric of our pants.

"How does my cock feel? Good?"

She just grabbed one of my hands on her waist to bring it on her breasts, over her shirt, and I leaned a bit on the couch as she kept grinding on me. I gripped one of her tits and she moaned more when my thumb rubbed on her nipple. I wanted to lie her down, take her clothes off and push my cock inside her to find out how she felt but the wait was making me dizzy and I knew that when it would happen, it would be even better.

"Is that what you meant when you said we can make each other feel good?" she asked in a whisper, her pussy still rubbing slowly against me.

"Fuck yes that's what I meant." I admitted low, making her smile. "I bet you're so fucking wet right now."

"I'm dripping."

My hand grabbed her tit tighter and I let the other slide down to her ass, gripping one of her cheeks hard enough to make her whimper and squirm a bit. "You're such a horny little slut, yea?"

I felt my heart jump in my chest at the words that came out of my mouth. We had never discussed what we liked and I didn't want to insult her or turn her off. I was about to apologize profusely when she whimpered.

"Mmhm, yes, I'm so horny for you."

My lips curled and she leaned her forehead against mine, her eyes closed. I moved my hips up to meet hers and groaned, feeling my sweatpants rub harder against my cock as she went quicker.

"You know what I'm gonna do to you next time?" I asked in a whisper, not waiting for her answer. "I'm gonna grab your hair and fuck your mouth. You like that?"

The simple thought of my cock in her mouth brought me close to an orgasm and when she moaned, I ran my hand to her other breast and gripped her hair tight.

"Do you? D'you want to feel the tip of my cock at the back of your throat?

"You know I do." she admitted, squirming on my lap and bringing a new sensation to me as my heart jumped. I was so close I could cum any second and I closed my eyes, trying to last a little longer, at least until she'd start cumming too. "I'm going to beg for it."

"Ride me harder." I just said, making her sit up immediately.

She started doing what I told her and I brought my mouth closer to her breasts. I could see her nipples peak through the fabric and groaned low as I brought my lips to them, sucking on one through her shirt and making her shake over me. I couldn't take it anymore and grabbed her waist, laying her down a bit roughly on the couch before moving over her and crushing my mouth against hers. I felt her hips grind up against my cock and I couldn't stop thinking that if we weren't wearing pants, it would definitely slip inside her and I would be able to feel her throb around me. The thought made me push my hips so hard against her that I felt her sink a bit in the cushion of the couch. Her hands reached for my hair and she gripped it tight as my lips ran to her neck.

"Cum for me, I want to feel you shake." I ordered in a low tone, hoping she'd just comply.

It took a few seconds and she started squirming, her grip tightening in my hair and her back arching as she quivered beneath me, It brought a rush to my brain, a mix of her getting an orgasm against me and the fact that she obeyed me without question, and I started cumming too, biting maybe a bit too hard the skin of her neck.

"Fuck."

Our orgasms both lasted longer than normally and when it left my body, I relaxed suddenly and buried my face in her neck. She smelled of my soap with a hint of sweat and I turned my head, placing a few kisses behind her ear.

"I thought you were just gonna take my pants off and fuck me." she admitted with a chuckle.

"Can't lie and say I didn't think about it." I chuckled too, moving my head up and holding myself with my upper arms on each side of her head. "I should have?"

"Mm, no, we can keep that for tomorrow."

"You want to fuck tomorrow?" I asked with an amused smile, making her raise her nose up in an embarrassed way.

"You think we can stop ourselves from fucking?"

This time, I laughed louder. "No!"

We remained silent for a while and the more she looked at me, the more her lips curled. "How does anyone look so good from this angle?" she asked, making me shake my head.

"You think I look good?" I asked jokingly, waving my eyebrows a few times and making her groan.

"Oh shut up."

"Alright alright," I smirked, moving off of her and getting up before extending my hand to her. She grabbed it and I helped her up quickly.

"I need new pants." I admitted, scratching the back of my head with a grimace. "Are you tired?"

We ended up laying down together in my bed in silence. I stared at the ceiling, not really knowing what to say. I loved doing anything sexual with her but when it was over, I ended up wondering how long it would last and how bad it would hurt when it would stop. I tried to accept that maybe she would never want to date me but I couldn't give up yet, it was too hard and painful to do.

"Do you think you could fall in love with Abby again if she came back and said she still loved you?" she asked randomly, making my lips part slightly. The question was legitimate and at the same time, I had no idea how to answer it. Would I give Abby a second chance? Probably not. "I mean, you can never know how you'll feel when it happens. You may think you know how you'll react to a certain situation but until it really happens, you can't be sure of what you'll feel or what you'll do." she added, making me believe she was talking about Henry and the fact that she saw him again after a few months when she probably thought she never would again.

"I can't be sure, but I like to think that I would never give her the chance to hurt me again." I finally admitted, turning my head her way. "Why? Did Henry message you or something?"

"Yes."

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest by my throat and I sat up quickly, turning her way and bending down a bit to look in her eyes. I had never felt so nervous in my life and let my eyes roam on her face, trying to decipher her expression.

"You're not gonna go back with him, will you?"

Devon moved up slightly, holding herself on her elbows. Her face was close to mine but not close enough to touch and the left corner of her lips raised up slightly in a sad smile. "Don't be silly, Niall." she expressed softly. "He didn't say he wanted me back, and there's no way I'd go back to him."

My shoulders fell and I exhaled, just realizing that I was holding my breath. "What did he want?"

"He just apologized." she explained, shrugging a shoulder. "Said he missed me, and that he was sorry about how it all ended."

"Devie, you won't let him play with your heart again, right?"

Her facial expression changed into a fond one and slowly, she brought her hand behind my head, pulling me closer to her. I felt every muscle of my body relax when our lips touched and she brought me down with her as she lied back on the bed. The kiss was slow and soft, and somehow, I hoped it showed just all the feelings I had for her. I felt her palm slide slowly from my hair to my jaw and when the kiss broke, she licked her lips.

"No one's gonna play with my heart again, especially not him." she let out in a whisper, making me nod. "Niall?" I raised my eyebrows and she moved her head up a bit to kiss me again. "You make me feel alive, and.. and wanted. And smart, and pretty. No one ever did that before."

I sent her a small smile and rubbed my nose gently against hers. "You feel like that because you are all those things. You don't need me."

She pressed her lips together and teared up, making my heart twist in my chest again.

"I do. I need you."

[ofmermaidstories]

girl why would you feel bad about writing chonker chapters everyone likes a chonker chapter, more time to read it and more tiem to love what you're reading!! If it was smaller i'd probably get antsy lol

Well, I mean like — okay, so there’s three specific reasons I end up feeling guilty whenever I write (and publish) a chonker chapter:

1. I worry it’s not sustainable in the long run,

2. It’s actively encouraging bad writing habits (lmao) and —

3. At some stage, it becomes a question of accessibility.

Fanfic 2.0, as I’ve been calling this stage of it in my life, was a way for me to write without having to worry about like… the strictness I needed with it in other genres. So, for example: the last thing i worked on before surrender was a manuscript, YA, that clocked in at a rough 82k — for comparison, surrender is roughly 93k, completed. The Deku fic, including the unfinished chapter four… is sitting at 86k LOL. And it’s just going to get bigger!!!

I enjoy writing what I do, it’s why you guys get it. And I’ve enjoyed (mostly) just letting loose with the Deku fic — because I know that I can get away with it. But the thing is, it’s not sustainable. We could get to the Todoroki fic I have planned after it and the chapters halve themselves. It’d mean faster updates, but like — I dunno, as you kind of show, I do sort of feel like the attraction of my fics is… that they’re long, LMAO dskfjdlskfj. I mean, I know that’s not entirely it, but I do wonder if it’s a big part of the draw??? Word count gets hyped up so much, sometimes, because people want to be taken out themselves for a little while, I get that, I do, but — you know what? Big wordcounts really aren’t all that LMAO. sdlkfjsdlkfjkdlj. There is a genuine art in being able to tell a satisfying story succinctly and wholly. I know my strengths lie in other areas; I just envy it, LOL. Especially when I know that like… one day, I could very well burn myself out. I haven’t yet, because I’m generally pretty good at taking breaks (ANIMAL CROSSING), but like… it’s the same with anyone who likes to create things, I guess. The threat is always there. Like over-listening to a favourite song.

The other thing is the bad habits — I let myself indulge, with these fics (it’s literally why i write them) but also at some point, you do kinda have to kill your darlings? I mean, i just don’t in fic LMAO because why else does it exist, if not to give me everything I want — but if I ever crawl out of this Bakugou-lined hole I’m in and go back to writing my own stuff some day, I do worry that I’ll be taking that inability to axe things that should be axed with me.

And the accessibility thing — I dunno, it’s tricky. Because I think most of the people who read the stuff I offer up are generally…. the same crowd? Consistent! So, you guys already know what to expect: you’re here for a reason!!! People will weed themselves out pretty quickly when faced with like, a solid block of a billizon words — but staring at a screen for long periods of time isn’t good for anyone!!!! And when you publish like 36k in a single-page update it’s just — it’s harder to take a break, you know??? I dunno. Fanfic is only as fun as the community is, and I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy this one — which means, in turn, I want to make your experience reading something that I give you as… easy as possible, I suppose.

I dunno, I say all this, but also: you guys are going to get the fat-ass chapter that is Chapter Four. Because I have been banging my head against a wall wondering if I can do what I want to write about justice for too long to wanna split it. Because I like the idea of it all presented to you in one solid go. And, ultimately, because at the end of the day I am a horrible little trash goblin!!!! i am absolutely feral!!!!!!!!! it delights me to smash out these words with my grubby little hands and then click a button and be like DONE! and wait for people I like to tell me I’ve done a good job, LOL.

Just because I feel bad doesn’t mean anything’s gonna change, LMAO, it just means I feel bad while doing it anyway. :’)

[ntamain]

Is my (24F) neighbour (27F) into me or is she just being friendly? How do I know if she's gay?

another gay gem from the r/relationship reddit

Update:

Image ID under the cut, please let me know if I did it wrong!

[Image ID: four screenshots of a post from the relationship subreddit by tumblr user nta-main. The title reads “Is my (24F) neighbour (27F) into me or is she just being friendly? How do I know if she’s gay?”

The text reads “Update post is now locked, I cant believe so many people were interested in us!! Thank you again for your support, comments and messages.

Hi all, I can't believe I'm asking for advice from a bunch of strangers on the internet but I don't really have anyone I can talk to about this. Sorry for the incoming essay but I guess I need to give history. I bought my first house in September last year, It was an odd time but everything just fell into place. It's quite a small village and everyone is really friendly so I got to know my neighbours soon after moving in - yes, socially distanced. Then I met my over-the-road neighbour, let's call her Elle. I can't describe it but it's the first time I've ever met someone and been lost for words and my heart was racing and just thought "omg", y'know?? So after I blushed my way through a welcome to the village type convo we only saw each other for a wave and hello for a few days.

To help kinda settle in I had my dog (Bea) with me for the first few weeks. During this time there was a massive increase in dog thefts in a nearby town, not just from gardens but literally wrestled away from people. If I'd have been working (furloughed off and on since March) then I would've taken Bea back to mum's but since I was home with her all day she stayed. So the local police advised to not walk dogs alone but we go out twice a day, a 10k run in the morning and a few miles walk in the evening. So obvs this scares me, but at the same time she is honestly a pain in the arse and gets upset if she doesn't go for a run and needs to be tired out so I'm kind of stuck at this point. Then along comes Elle. She knocked on the door and offered to come with us as she'd seen Bea and me in the evenings and everything kind of spiralled from there. I told her about my morning runs but she didn't really bite so I thought nothing of it. Then a few days later I bumped into her on a run, so she started joining us on those too.

A few months later and we are spending more and more time together everyday. It has now progressed to a run early morning, afternoon coffee, dinner most evenings and then the evening walk. It just seemed to happen without me really noticing. I didn't read into things that much as I don't want to get my hopes up and ruin anything until another neighbour commented about how much time we spend together and how "it's nice to see you young gals getting on" and winked. She actually winked at me. I asked her what she meant but she just laughed and said "you know what I mean". So now I'm looking back on things and wondering if she could like me too?

Here's some reasons why she might like me:

I went running along the same route at the same time for nearly 2 weeks before I happened to run into her a few days after I told her this?

I make her a coffee every afternoon (Elle is WFH) and take it over in her fave mug. She says I make good coffee but I'm pretty sure I saw a fancy coffee machine the first time I went round (it's not there now?).

Elle carried on running and walking with me even after Bea went home. I told her she was going back to mum's and she said well "I'll have to make another excuse to join you" and then we just carried on everyday.

She has tried really hard to bond with Bea. Bea is a very anxious dog and is scared of everyone except me and mum. Elle bought special treats to give her everyday and has been so amazing with her and never tried to force anything. When I asked her she said "it's important to me that she likes me and is comfortable". Bea actually fell asleep between us on the sofa yesterday and It just makes my heart skip a beat guys.

She invited me to the zoom quiz she does with her friends every fortnight or so and they were all like "oh so this is who we've heard so much about "

We realised we had become each other's support bubble. Elle asked if I was meeting anyone else and I said no, she said she was glad she had me all to herself (!!)

We gave each other quite personal xmas presents. Like, it actually made me tear up it meant so much to me. And she bought stuff for Bea!!

Reasons why she might not like me:

All the reasons above, but that she's just doing them because she's a fucking great person and we're friends?

It might sound dumb but idk I need your help guys. She is the just the most incredible person I have ever met and I really really like her but if she isn't gay or doesn't feel the same I don't want to lose her friendship as she has become such a huge part of my life. I genuinely have no experience with these kind of things as I went to quite a strict all girls school, so it's not as if there were any relationships around me as a teen and then I went to a very small uni (8 of us on my course). I guess another reason is that I've struggled with anxiety and depression for the past 10 years, as well as my weight and working on my self confidence, but I can say that right now I am the happiest and healthiest (both mentally and physically) I have ever been. I've only just really become comfortable with the fact that I'm gay and I have never really told anyone in real life, but I don't think people would be too surprised lol. I don't have any close friends as no one stuck around when I was really struggling with my MH a few years ago so I can't discuss this with anyone irl.

So I need your advice : how do I find out if she is gay? And no, I don't have the confidence to just ask!! What if she says no and I ruin everything? She has never mentioned anything about past relationships and I'm pretty tactless so not sure how I could naturally slip it into the convo. Like, "hey tell me have you ever had a girlfriend? Do you want one now?" Lol. And how can I make a move without really making a move so I don't ruin things??

tl;dr : Don't know whether my neighbour is gay and into me or is just really friendly. How can I make a move without ruining our friendship?

Edit: Ok guys, thank you so so much for all your support and encouragement. You've all given me a lot to think about. I think I'm going to casually slip some gay stuff into conversation and see how she reacts. Then bring up the neighbours comment like some of you suggested, seeing as tho the neighbour was heavily implying that we're gay. I'll do it tonight otherwise I'll talk myself out of it again. I will post an update to let you know what happens (eek). If you never hear from me again assume it went badly and I am consoling myself with cake and watching brokeback mountain in floods of tears.

Hi reddit, yes it's me the useless lesbian. First off I want to thank you all for your support, encouragement and advice - and the undeserved awards! I never expected this many of you to take the time to comment and that so many of you were rooting for us.

So I had the plan to drop these gay hints into convo like you guys suggested but honestly it all went out the window. Elle was kinda stressed friday after a shitty work zoom and just needed to vent so it wasnt the right time to start anything. Though I guess I must have been a bit off thanks to spending all day overthinking things on here, as Elle turned up Saturday morning rambling about stressing me out and apologised (!!) for ruining dinner. Obvs I said "what are you talking about you can talk to me about anything", and she said "anything?" and I said "anything" back. And guys the tension was unreal, staring at each other and hoping our lesbian mind reading powers would kick in.

Then there was some loud noise like a car backfiring or something and the moment went. So I went to make coffee and then Elle asked me why I was a bit quiet the night before and I said something about overthinking stuff and she said "what stuff" and idk you guys I wasnt prepared to be put on the spot my casual gay pop culture references were useless in this moment. My mind just went completely blank and I forgot every single thing you guys suggested and my heart was pounding and I just blurted out you know I like you, right?.

...And then she kissed me. Kissed me. We straight up just snogged in the kitchen and it was fucking great. So...you were right. You were all fucking right. She's gay, she likes me and has been trying to drop hints for nearly 5 months. sigh

We were both just too scared to make a move or ruin anything. Turns out she's been burned by straight girls in the past, so she's pretty wary and was hoping I'd straight up say I'm a lesbian so she'd know for sure - maybe the I'm a lesbian wall hanging would've been a good idea after all? Her friends have been helping her drop hints, she showed me the group chat and guys their suggestions ranged from flirting more to just turning up in a trenchcoat and nothing else lol. Also, the winking neighbour has been making comments to her as well, so shout out to her for trying to make this happen too.

So no cake and cry watching brokeback mountain, just 5 months of dating to catch up on. As for worrying about how our current schedule could be more date like during lockdown, you were right it's kinda irrelevant when you've essentially been dating the whole time. Though we never made it to our morning run yesterday, in fact we didn't leave the house at all, ha.

Thank you guys for giving me hope, even if all your suggestions completely disappeared in the moment. Maybe I'll show her the post later and ask if any of the suggestions would have worked.

tl;dr: she's gay, into me and I'm an idiot”

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