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#and I was pleasantly surprised they held off on the romance as long as they did
booasaur · 11 months
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Gotham Knights - 1x07
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ohtobeleah · 3 months
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Was It Over? // Jake Seresin
-> Chapter Five:: [Why Do They Call It Love?]
Summary: Jake spends time with his side of the family and your kiddos in Texas. The lies quickly come to an end though when an overworked and overwhelmed nursing student makes the wrong call to your not-so-emergent contact.
Warnings: Sick!reader. Breast cancer diagnosis. Jake Seresin x F!reader. Angst, hospital & medical inaccuracies. SLOW BURN ROMANCE/ Inaccurate medical information. Relationship turmoil. Overbearing mothers.
Word Count: 5K
Author Note: The last chapter update before Christmas! EEP! It's one of the moments we've all been waiting for too.
Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist
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It’s not too late you know—“ Jake watched as his father, the man who had many times throughout his childhood and teenage adolescents put his hands on him, poured himself a drink at the small but decent bar in the room Jake and his groomsmen were getting ready in. “To call this whole thing off that is.” 
All Jake could do was press his lips together in a fine line of disappointment, he’d expected this. Hell if anything he was actually pleasantly surprised Rod had been able to hold off for as long as he could. 
“I wouldn’t have asked Y/n to marry me if I didn’t want to marry her, Dad.” Jake sighed as he watched his father smirk and swirl his scotch around in the glass he held firmly in his ageing hand. 
“You're not afraid of being reductive, are you son?.” Rodney Seresin was a hard man to understand, he showed little empathy towards others or emotion in general. Jake had never even seen the man drink anything beside single malt scotch. “I doubt you have more fear than the average asshole who decides to get hitched.” The almost self deprecating follow up did little to soothe the frown etched almost permanently onto Jake's face whenever he was around his father. “If anything you seem pretty fearless walking headstrong into a marriage that will surely end up on some poor clerks desk just waiting to be stamped as null and void.” Jake couldn’t find the right words to say as he watched Rodney take a swig of the amber liquor that would surely give the bastard liver cancer at some stage. But Jake mustard up the first few that came to mind. 
“Okay, I think you’ve had enough to drink pops, you’re projecting your own fears about love onto me, on my wedding day.” Jake had a lot of big emotions about his father. Deep down Jake wanted him to be proud of the man he’d become, especially on his wedding day. But Jake also knew, after some pretty intense therapy sessions, that his father’s approval never really meant anything. 
“Oh please, everyone’s scared of love dipshit—you learn that in your twenties, or at least I did anyway.” Jake's father grumbled as he went about pouring himself another drink. Only this time he reached for another glass to pour Jake one too. “It takes a special kind of lunacy to not be afraid of happiness and my boy do you fit the bill.” 
“That’s so dumb—“ Jake scoffed, he wasn’t about to stand here and listen to a cranky old man project his beliefs, he’d done that all throughout his childhood whenever his father made comments about his mother only being good for two things. Those two things eventually evolved into three once Jake was old enough for the ‘birds and the bees’ talk. 
“No you’re dumb and that’s exactly why you aren’t afraid of happiness.” Rodney huffed. “The smarter you are the more you know, happiness is a fucking trap that can’t and won’t ever last forever.”
“That woman out there is about to be my wife—“ Jake argued as he tried to contain his rage. The vein in his neck throbbed as he clenched his jaw and balled his fist to maintain his control. This guy wasn’t worth it, he never had been and never would be and the last thing Jake ever wanted was to be any way, shape, or form like his father. “You don’t get to tell me I won’t be happy marrying the woman I love, who I’ve been in love with since the first time I saw her. The woman, who mind you, is one of the most intelligent people I know, loves me for me! Without the goddamn last name or family values, she loves me for me which is something that you wouldn’t understand.” Jake would never forget this, that on his wedding day or all days his father felt it was necessary to get up on his soap box. “You’re unbelievable—“ 
“You really think that some aspiring author who’s biggest accomplishment is working a full time position at the local bookstore is the love of your life?” Rodney asked with enough conviction in his tone that Jake thought for a moment it was a genuine question—but as always it was used to mask a dig at your chosen profession. The real question was if Jake loved you for you, the answer would always be wholeheartedly. 
“I’ve experienced more love knowing Y/n these last few years than you ever had with Ma and as much as I hate that for her I’m glad she doesn’t give two shits about you.” Jake argued, the anger had materialised across his face in a deep shade of red. 
“Jacob, even if you consider this girl to be the love of your life It’s still going to end.” Jake stepped a little further forward to close some distance between himself and his father. The older man reached out to extend the amber liquid to his only son. The disappointment, the mistake. Jake reluctantly accepted the vessel. “It's inevitable, whether it be by the slow pull of disease, or the shock of loose footing on a hiking trail.” Rodney grumbled on as he eyed his son down trying to make a point that this day for Jake would eventually be as meaningless as his existence. “Or perhaps in your case it’ll be the corrosion of two different personalities that reshape each other until they’re no longer compatible.” 
“You’re just a cranky old bastard aren’t you?” Jake couldn’t think of anything else to say to his father as his groomsmen filed back into the room all laughing and ready to lead Jake out to the ceremony. 
“Maybe, but I’m a bastard with a point—happiness always ends.” Rodney smirked. “Think about it, the best case scenario, son, is that you both die at the same time.” Jake felt like he couldn’t breathe as his best man slapped his hands on his suited up shoulders. They’d just gotten back from their own first look with you. Some still had tears in their eyes. You were just that beautiful. 
“You ready man? It’s time.” Jake looked down at the drink in his hand his father had poured him before he took the entirety of the amber liquid he hoped one day would be the reason for his father’s demise in his mouth. The eye contact between father and son never broke as Jake swallowed without a fuss. 
“As I’ll ever be.” 
***~***~***~***~***~
The Oncology ward was never your favourite place, hell it was never a place you thought you’d have to frequent, but the copious amounts of Christmas decorations that lined the halls and boarded the nurses station, put a smile to your weary face. Those decorations hadn't been there the last time you met with your oncologist to discuss your treatment plan. That meeting had felt like a lifetime go, but in reality it was only a mere few weeks. 
“Okay so this is your room.” One of the nurses that had helped admit you as a patient to Rhode Island Hospital oncology ward smiled behind you as you and your mum carried your bags into the room. “Try to make yourself at home, we find that the more homely people make their room the easier the stay is.” 
She was young, fresh out of college and still had those brown baby eyes that looked like they just wanted to save every person she came into contact with. High hopes that would soon come to realise that in life you couldn’t save everyone. Lydia was her name, or so the badge credentials that hung from her scrub top told you.  
“Will do.” You smiled, nothing would make this easier. Nothing about this entire situation was or would be easy. 
Lydia left you and your mother alone to settle your things, knowing you were about to spend a your holidays couped up in a hospital room made your heart ache for the holiday memories where your children were opening presents under the tree as you and Jake drank coffee spiked with Baileys at six am in the afternoon. 
The ever looming crisis of impending death always made you wonder if last Christmas would be your last Christmas with your little family. It made you wonder if you’d ever get to spend a holiday like this with them again. Lucy and Lennox would turn seven in February, Samuel would be three in August, it dawned on you as you placed your toiletries in the bathroom, would you get to see your children grow? Watch them fall in love for the first time, learn new skills, develop into adults, get married, graduate. All the things you wanted to see as a mother. 
“Where do you want me to put these?” Your mother called out as you turned around to see her holding up a string of multicoloured Christmas lights. You frowned at the woman who had been there for you through thick and thin with her childlike mannerisms and christmas cheer. 
“Mum, why do you have Christmas lights?” You sighed softly like you were trying to be brave and take all of this on the chin. 
“I thought that the least I could do would be to help decorate your room, you are in here over the holidays afterall, why not spend some time decorating while you can?” She beamed as she took you under her arm and wrapped her arm around your shoulders. “Brought you a little Christmas tree too.” 
“You didn’t have to do that—“ You appreciated the festive atmosphere though and knew over the coming days that you’d appreciate the warmth even more. Right now though all you wanted to do was sleep. 
“I know, but you’re my baby—“ She whispered back softly as you both looked around the blank space, the sterile environment that was about to be your home for the next three weeks at the minimum. “So I reckon we put them all the way around the room.”
“It’s gonna look like the first season of stranger things in here.” You chuckled which quickly turned into a throaty cough your mother frowned in worry over, but you reassured her you were fine once you caught your breath. “I’m fine, promise—“ The world felt off for a split second. Like tunnel vision was threatening to take you hostage out of nowhere–a blackening darkness loomed behind your eyes as spotted fragments came and left in the space of a few seconds. “Woah, that was a little odd.” 
“Sweetheart?” Your mothers eyes nearly popped out of her head when she realised what was happening. “Do you feel okay?” It was a hard question to answer, it always had been. But right now it was harder than ever. 
“I’m a little light headed, why?” It wasn’t anything unusual, but with the way your mum was staring at you like you’d just grown another head from your shoulder made you think it was something more serious. “Mum?” Something was off as you stood trying to figure out what was going on, your body felt weird, like a tingling sensation had tickled its way across your skin. 
“The left side of your face is drooping.” Your mother explained as she put the lights down on your bed. “Your cheek is–”
“What?” You asked nearly in disbelief at her reaction to face slightly drooping opposed to your right. “What are you even talking about?” 
“I’m getting the nurse, I think somethings wrong, I think you're having a stroke.” This couldn’t be happening, what more could life throw at you? First a breast cancer diagnosis and now a fucking stroke? “Stay here.”
“I’m literally admitted! Where do you think I’m going to go!” Your voice followed your mother out towards the nurses station as you tried to take a few steps, that’s when you realised though that the entire left side of your body had gone numb and tingly. “Oh god—“ Panic soon set in as you took a seat on your hospital bed. Tears flooded your eyes as an immense wave of anger and despair erupted out of your soul. 
This wasn’t fair. None of it was. 
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~
“Dad!! Push me higher!” Lenny laughed as Jake pushed him on the swing set in the backyard of his family’s home. 
“Any higher and you’ll do a loop around man.” Jake chuckled but he obliged by his son's wishes and gave him a little more of a chesty send off when the swing carrying his son came back his way. 
More of the Seresins spending Christmas and new years at home had since arrived and the festivities were well and truly underway. Jake watched as the sun set below the rolling hills along the horizon as his mothers festoon lights illuminated the back deck. They reminded him of Penny’s, the ones that always made the Hard Deck balcony seem so much brighter. 
“When mum told me Y/n wasn’t coming this year I thought she was lying.” Jasmine called out as she made her way across the backyard to where Jake stood playing with his two boys. Sammy sat by his leg fixated on the tonka truck Jake swore was gonna leave the biggest bruise on his shin if the kid kept ramming it into him. “What’s going on with you two?” 
“You know—“ Jake groaned, he was just about over the question as much as you were. Everyone knew, it wasn’t a secret Jake kept close to his chest. He knew he fucked his marriage up, he knew he was the problem. But it didn’t help when everyone asked what was going on between the pair of you over and over and over again. 
It was like opening up an old wound over and over again. Watching the infection spread, watching the tissue decay and slapping a gauze on it hoping that it’ll heal in time. 
But as you pointed out, time didn’t always heal old wounds and you were still very much healing from the damage Jake had caused when he lost focus and sight of the things that mattered most to him. 
He didn’t realise you were gone until you had locked the door behind you and taken the key. 
“I just thought it was a rough patch. I didn't think you guys wouldn’t spend Christmas together.” Jasmine Seresin was the youngest daughter of all the Seresin Siblings and Jake's most fearsome protector. She was always in his corner ready to go into bat for him just as much as Jake was for her. “What’s she doing anyway?” Jake assumed it was because of their close age gap, Jasmine always said it was because Jake couldn't throw a solid punch to save himself.
“Uh she’s going on a trip to Banff—“ Jake continued to push Lenny on the swing set his uncle had built over thirty years ago. It was a ridiculous thing with its over the top attachments and its stainless steel finishing. The slide used to burn the crap out of your ass if you went down the thing in the midsummer Texas heat. But it was still good as it was the first day Jake and his sisters took it for its very first spin. Now he was a dad, pushing his son on that same damn swing he cried on when he scuffed his knee playing tag. “Some friend's trip she was invited on.” Jake wished he knew more but he never wanted to pry. You had a private life now he wasn't privy to. “She hasn’t really told me much about it and I didnt wanna ask in case she thought I was being controlling.” 
“Oh.” Jasmine had to stop herself from saying what she was thinking straight off the top of her head, but Jake knew her better than that. He could practically see the cogs in her brain twisting and turning and working together to formulate her next opinion. 
“Say it—“ Jake encouraged. “Go on, I know you want to.” 
“It’s just Banff can be awfully romantic this time of year and all.” She shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to tell my ex husband about a new fling that’s taking me to Banff for Christmas either.” 
“I wonder how the conversation will go when she tells that guys she fucked said ex husband the night before she flew out then.” Jake smirked as he pushed his son a little higher to hear his screams of joy as Jasmine cupped her hand over her wide open mouth. “I don’t think there’s a guy.” 
“Holy shit you two are so getting back together.” 
“If mum had it her way I’d be divorced six ways till Sunday and have an open day down at the church for potential candidates she approves of.” Jake couldn’t have rolled his eyes any harder as Jasmine groaned and rubbed her temples. 
“You’re her baby boy Jake, she’s obsessed with you—god she never did like Y/n all that much did she?” 
“Nah—and I honestly think this whole separation has just made her delusional self more delusional.” 
“I don’t want you two losing sight of the love you have for each other because of a rough patch.” Jasmine nearly warned as she bumped Jake's hip with her own. “You're too pig-headed sometimes.” 
“Funny, I’ve got a wingwoman who says the same damn thing.”
“Sounds like my kinda gal.” Jake had to scoff at the idea that immediately popped into his mind. Phoenix was very much his sister's type and he knew that. 
“You tell mum about Racheal yet?” What Janeen Seresin didn’t know about her youngest daughter was that she and her husband Eric, who stood grilling away with Jake's father, had recently decided that monogamy just wasn’t their thing. Racheal had started off as a babysitter for the couple's two kids, ten year old Stacey and eight year old Lewis. When Jake found out that Jasmine was bisexual he didn’t blink and eye, but he did spit his beer all over Rooster when she told him she and Eric where both happily fucking the nanny. Sometimes together. 
“Are you fucking kidding me? She’s already on the verge of an eruption over one of her kids on the brink of no fault divorce, could you imagine what would happen if I came out at the family Christmas party?” Jake just chuckled and shook his head pretending like he didn’t already know it would end in disaster. “I’d meet our ancestors Jake, all the way back to pre colonial times my guy, you’re my scapegoat right now.” 
“Happy to be of assistance.” Jake just laughed at his sister's chaos. He watched with a smile half the size of his face as she turned to walk off. Not before she turned around and gave the most obnoxious salute she could have. 
“Appropriate your service, Lieutenant.” 
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***
“Your daughter’s going under for a procedure we call a thrombectomy to remove the suspected blood clot from inside her artery.” Your mother sat in the waiting area of the emergency surgery floor she’d been escorted to once you had been whisked away. “Luckily for her we caught this so early she should have practically no defecates depending on how the surgery goes.” 
First your separation, then your breast cancer diagnosis and now a stroke, what more could you possibly have to deal with. 
“What caused it? She's been rather sick the last few days, throwing up, not sleeping, eating.” Your mother explained to the resident who had come out to update her on your status. “She's already dealing with so much.” 
“Unfortunately this isn't uncommon in young woman who go through severe bouts of stress, i've read your daughter's file and its safe to say that the clot was probably due to her current oral chemo, plus a combination of high stress from the diagnosis, her blood pressure and her bodies inability to sustain proper nutrients, it's a perfect storm for these sorts of things.” It made sense but the explanation didn't make the outcome of the situation you were facing any easier for your mother to handle. “Rest assured your daughter is in really good hands and the fact she was already inside the hospital when the stroke started to manifest itself means her chances of a full recovery are rather high.” 
“But now she’ll just live long enough to slowly deteriorate and be taken by the cancer, won't she?” Your mother wouldn't ever admit it to you, but the phone call where you told her that you had been diagnosed with Stage three A, triple positive grade three invasive doctoral carcinoma, was one of the worst days of her life. The first being the day your father and the love of her life died far too young far too quickly. “My daughter is strong, Doctor Phillips, but she's just one woman, how much is she expected to be dealt before she gives up.” 
Doctor Phillips, the resident who had been tasked with updating your mother, just flashed her a look of sympathy laced in professionalism that truly showed a testament to her ability to not let her own feelings get in the way of her patients and their families. 
“Let's take this one step at a time, Miss O’riley.” She added politely before saying goodbye and left your mother to sit in silence watching the clock tick, although she didn't take her eyes off the clock on the wall for a mere second, time still felt like it stood still while you were on that operating table.
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***
The day had been long, overdrawn, and full of mindless family drama over dinner on the back deck the first night Jake and the kids were in Texas. One night down only.. “Oh God–” Jake groaned as he finally let his head rest on the pillow and realised he would be here for a full two weeks before he could escape the family he never wanted to be anything alike. 
The kids had gone down relatively easy with little to no tears, Lucy was a little upset that you never called like you said you would and Jake was slightly concerned that you never returned his calls or texts. However he also understood you didn't owe him a damn thing and for all he knew, you were still up in the air, on your way to the very beginning of what he hoped would be a fantastic kid tree trip. You did after all deserve some time away. 
Jake had thought quickly on his feet before the tears could start though, he told Lucy that you had said you'd call in the morning because you knew that you'd keep her up far too long. He just hoped as his own head hit the pillow that you would in fact call in the morning. 
Ten o'clock seemed rather early to be heading off to bed but Jake needed to reset his mind in order to be able to handle his family for two more weeks. He needed at least a solid eight hours before his sister Abigail joined in on the festivities for tomorrow with her own family. Jake was the only Seresin sibling this year without his partner present and god did he feel like the black sheep. 
What really cemented that fact he was the family disappointment was when his father had handed him a beer and said the only thing he’d spoken to Jake the entire time he’d been home. A quick, monotone “I told you so son, happiness never lasts.” 
His childhood bedroom hadn’t changed a single bit. As Jake laid in the twin bed he lost his virginity in, he listened to the baby monitor that kept a watchful eye on his three kids just down the hall. Little Sammy was sound asleep, Lucy and Lenny thought they were in the clear but they were up talking about whatever it is young twins talk about late at night while they’re visiting their grandparents place. 
Jake wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep but the sound of his phone going off on the small bedside table surely woke him up in enough of a frazzled state to know it had been a few hours, long enough for his body to truly settle into a deep state of rest. 
“Fuck–” Jake growled as he reached up for his phone. “The fuck is–who the hell is–” Jake grumbled as he sat up in the twin bed and tried to remember where he knew that area code from as the unknown number illuminated his phonescreen. “Hello?” It was a last minute decision to answer once Jake had actually seen the time, two thirty in the morning to be exact. 
“Hi, would I be speaking to Mr. Seresin?” Lydia asked politely on the other end of the line, she sat at the nurses station on the ass end of her double shift. A double shift she wasn't supposed to be working. She couldn't feel her feet with how badly they were throbbing, her eyelids were far too heavy to keep up and she hadn’t eaten since noon yesterday, but her patients came first. Lydia Hudson was determined to be the best nurse she could be and that included updating your emergency contact on your post-op recovery. 
“This is he.” Jake replied rather roughly into the phone as he held it to his ear in the darkness of his childhood bedroom. His voice was an octave deeper than it usually was with how tired he was. 
“Hi Jake, this is Lydia calling from Rhode Island Hospital.” It took Jake's brain a moment to catch up to his heart as the women on the other end of the line spoke, but it caught up soon enough. “I'm just calling to let you know how your wife went in her emergent surgery, it seems as though we were able to retrieve the clot before it could cause any irreparable deficits.” Jake frowned as he ran his hand over his face, he wasn't sure what the hell he was listening to but his heart was hammering inside his chest. “There doesn't seem to be any critical deficits at the moment, she's on some pretty intense pain medication but we’re hoping that it won't interfere with her upcoming Mastectomy and chemotherapy sessions.” 
“Im–I'm sorry, do you have the wrong number?” Jake questioned. “You said my wife?” 
“Y/n Seresin?, I’m so sorry if no one had updated you sooner, but while she was setting up her room in oncology she suffered a moderate stroke we think was brought on by the–” 
“Oncology meaning?” Jake was beginning to break out in a sweat as his heart raced. No, no you were supposed to be on a plane to Banff, you should have been in Calgary by now. 
“The cancer ward–?” Lydia replied. “Mr. Seresin you do know your wife was admitted for stage three A, triple positive grade three invasive doctoral carcinoma, right?” Lydia frowned as she read over your notes again trying to understand why the man she had just called, your husband, didn’t seem to know a damn thing about your situation. “She was just put through admission today when she–” Lydia paused when she saw it, your actual emergency contact. It wasn’t Jake Seresin who was listed as your emergency contact on your paperwork, but your mother who was currently sitting at your bedside watching your chest move up and down post your operation. “Oh my god–” 
“Y/n—“ Jake couldn’t make sense of what he’d just been told. “Has cancer? My wife Y/n has cancer?” Jake had to say it out loud for the realisation to kick in. “She has cancer? My wife had a stroke? What the hell is–” 
“Mr. Seresin I’m so unbelievably sorry but I can’t share any more details with you under HIPAA, I’ve just realised you weren’t listed as your wife’s emergency contact.” 
“She has cancer? My Y/n has cancer?” The vomiting, the flu that Lucy said you had had for weeks now, how tired you looked, it all made sense. “Oh god—“ Jake felt the tears spilling down his cheeks as he jumped out of his childhood bed and hit the light switch. “No, oh god no.” He felt like he was going to throw up as he rummaged through his duffle for a clean shirt and shorts. “How long has she known?” The call, the need for Jake to take the kids, the way you wouldn't even give him a chance to right his wrongs, divorce…. “How long has she known for?” 
“I’m so sorry Jake, I can’t share any more details with you.” Lydia apologised before she began to panic and hung up the phone, leaving Jake in his newest existential crisis. 
Jake had to go, he had to get back to you, why the fuck would you not tell him this? How long have you known? How long did you have left even? What was your prognosis? Jake had so many questions that were left unanswered as he changed and grabbed his wallet. He was booking the next available flight back to Rhode Island as he shoved all his stuff back into his duffel bag. 
The kids would have to stay—oh god the kids. Your kids. No. No this wasn’t happening, it couldn’t be. Jake felt his heart racing as he silently cried in the middle of his childhood bedroom. His hand came to cover his mouth, minimising his cries to a silent but painful whale. He couldn’t lose you like this. What did that nurse mean when she said you had a stroke? 
But out of everything Jake had been told he knew one thing for sure as he tried to pull himself together off the floor and get back to you as soon as he could. 
That there never had been a Banff trip planned.
***~***~***~***~***~***~
Tags: @blindedbythelightt @starset21 @tayl0rhuynh @mamachasesmayhem @marvelogic @itsmytimetoodream @maverick-wingman @kodzukenmaaa @eternalsams @seitmai @nota-professional l @jessicab1991 91 @hardballoonlove @senawashere @lafrone @fanficfandomlove ve @withahappyrefrain @dizzybee03 @maisie-rebloging-blog @goldenseresinretriever @a-reader-and-a-writer @sunlightmurdock @shelbycillian @memoriesat30 @accioprocrastination @the-aspiring-fanfic-writer @athenabarnes @eternallyvenus
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saetoru · 1 year
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#SORRY TO INTERRUPT
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「 SYNOPSIS 」 ⋮ hey siri, how do you apologize to your ex boyfriend for fucking his roommate?
— pairing ⋮ alhaitham x reader (ft. past! kaveh x reader)
— length ⋮ 2.1k words
— contents ⋮ one night stand! alhaitham, ex boyfriend! kaveh, cunnilingus, fingering, handjobs, unprotected sex, slight size kink, creampie, kaveh walking in on y’all rip
— notes ⋮ i need to suck alhaitham’s tits bro. ty catnip for beta reading i luv u
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you don’t expect it, in all honesty—it happens in a blur before you even have a moment to question it.
one moment you’re exchanging snide banter with a certain scribe, and the next moment you’re in his bed. you don’t ever expect him to be so willing. in your defense, alhaitham isn’t exactly what most people would deem a casual fuck kind of guy—or so you thought.
truth be told, it’s better this way, you think.
this way, you know this is a hookup that isn’t in it for the romance—at least, you assume so, anyway. alhaitham also doesn’t really seem the kind of guy who’s looking for a relationship. so really, it’s perfect this way. getting into bed with a muscular, well-built, smart, attractive man such as him to keep your mind off your ex is a great plan if you ask yourself.
alhaitham is already far better than most of your recent hookups—you’re pleasantly surprised. he sprawls you onto his mattress, lips curving along your own gently yet firmly, knee slotting between your legs as it rubs over your dripping cunt through the fabric. you mewl against his mouth as the friction finds your clit, making your hands clutch tightly onto any part of him you can grasp—which happens to be the bulging muscles of his bicep.
“so pretty,” he mumbles, pulling away and staring down at your swollen lips and hazed eyes—and he means it. you are pretty, sweet and pliant under him as he cages you with his weight.
it’s been a while since someone’s touched you like this, like you’re fragile and precious under the fingertips that trace your dips and curves. it’s been a while since someone’s paid attention to your body like this—which makes you all the more desperate as alhaitham’s fingers hook onto the waistband of your pants, pulling them down your hips swiftly along with your underwear.
he grins as he realizes that you’re drenched—your slick glistening along your folds and making him groan at the sight. you don’t even have a moment to register what’s happening, let alone protest when his face instantly inches down to bury itself between your legs.
“oh—h-haitham,” you gasp as his tongue circles your clit, licking a stripe along your folds before finding the sensitive nub once more, making your voice break with a desperate moan.
if you weren’t so lost in the pleasure of his mouth slowly making out with your pussy, on the way his tongue traces along your entrance so perfectly before it fucks into you, you might have just fallen for him after the delicate kiss to your clit before he’s diving his tongue past your folds.
it’s been so long since someone has been this diligent with you, so long since someone has taken the time to make sure your pleasure comes first before even thinking about moving on to the main part. when was the last time? you can’t even remember.
it’s must’ve been….oh, right. the last time must’ve been during kaveh. the time before the breakup that leaves you numb and aching. the same breakup that lands you here in alhaitham’s bed in the first place, searching for something—anything—to keep your mind off of your loss.
but then, just before the pang in your heart can present itself as you think about the previous man who held your heart, just before your mind can wander to the man you’ve left behind, two thick fingers slide past your folds, curling into your sweet spot perfectly.
“f-fuck—feels good,” you sob, “so good, please, please,” you chant, grinding your cunt against his face as his lips wrap around your clit.
alhaitham is just a little cocky at the way your voice cracks—chuckling lowly as he presses yet another kiss to your clit before pulling away.
“please what?” he smirks, “c’mon, you can’t just leave a sentence unfinished now,” he urges. but he knows exactly what he’s doing—sinking his fingertips deeper into you, brushing against the velvety spot of your walls, and grinning as you whine at the feeling instead of answering his question.
“p-please—don’t stop,” you beg, moans spilling freely from your mouth, “gonna cum,” you cry.
“good,” he nods, “why don’t you be good and cum then? i’d love to see it.”
it’s instantaneous—the way you shatter for him as his fingers fuck into you fast and cruel, filling the room with the messy sound of his digits bullying into your wet cunt. his lips suck around your clit, tongue rubbing back and forth against it and making you sob as your back arches and your toes curl from the intensity of your orgasm.
it feels good—so good. alhaitham knows his way around your body, licking and sucking along every patch of skin he can find. the insides of your thighs are painted vividly with proof of his lips, and so is the valley of your breast and the column of your neck. for living in a place that frowns upon the arts the way that it does, alhaitham is an artist of his own kind. he marks every stroke of his brush against your skin deliberately, like the slow scratches of pen on paper as a story unfolds.
you can feel the strain of his cock in his pants, thick and practically throbbing through the fabric as he hovers over you and grinds his erection against your thigh.
“fuck,” he curses, arms wobbling just a little as he tries to hold himself over you. even the slightest friction against his aching length is enough to break his composure like that—and you can’t help but find it endearing. “see this?” he hums lowly, breath fanning over your lips, “see what you do to me?”
“please, alhaitham,” you whine impatiently, hand finding its way between your bodies to slip under his waistband, wrapping tightly around his thick girth and squeezing. he chokes, lets out a surprised grunt as your thumb grazes his slit and smears the pre cum leaking around his sensitive tip. “give it to me,” you say, “all of it.”
something in him snaps—something that breaks off every part of his rationality before he’s growling and sliding his pants down his legs, stiff cock meeting the cool air of the room while he hisses.
your hand finds him immediately, slowly stroking his length and squeezing around the base. he’s flushed a pretty red at the tip, leaking with pre cum and swollen as he aches painfully to sink into you, to stretch you wide and split you open on his cock.
“impatient are we?” he croaks, trying not to let his voice break as he moans softly when your thumb glides through his slit again, face falling to the crook of your neck, “mm, k-keep going,” he encourages against your skin, sucking and licking along your neck as you drag your fist up and down his length.
the filthy, squelching sound of his cock fucking into your first is all but deafening, overtaking your senses as you focus on the way he’s hot and heavy in your hands, thick and curved just right that you know he’ll fill you up perfectly and then some.
and just as you’re about to plead, to beg desperately to just let you feel him already, he grabs your wrist and pins it over your head, grabbing his cock and gritting his teeth as the uncomfortable ache of his orgasm dying down settles in. the blunt head of his length nudges against your entrance, making you gasp before he slowly inches into you.
he’s big—he takes a good amount of time slowly sinking into you as you try to accommodate his size.
“‘s big,” you sniffle, “too big. won’t fit—can’t fit it all,” you try to tell him, but he scoffs, hand grabbing your cheeks and squeezing them together as he tilts your head to meet his gaze.
“oh yeah? think you know better than me?” he raises a brow, making your teary eyes widen as he sinks a little deeper into you. the stretch stings—but you can’t deny that the drag of every vein along your tight walls makes your head spin and spine jolt with pleasure. “we’ll make it fit,” he growls, “and it’ll fit just fine too. that much, i can assure.”
but even as stern as his words are, his lips are gentle as they kiss away the tears, mapping your skin sweetly as the last bit of him slides into you and he bottoms out. he groans, panting erratically against your forehead as your tight walls hug around his cock. he needs to cum—needs to fill you up and fuck you until you’re dripping the remains of his cum that leaks from your folds.
his hips roll with a steady rhythm, yet another mystery as to how someone so smart and serious is so skilled with the arts. alhaitham fucks you like he hits every note of a tune you don’t think you’ll ever forget, stuck in your mind to replay over and over as you feel him slam against every sensitive spot deep within you. his hips slam against yours and the sound of skin slapping rings in your ears like background music. but the sound of his voice—melodic against your ear and sweet as it sings moans and praises makes your walls flutter around him.
“so tight,” he grunts, “s-so tight,” he pants against your ear, voice breathy and soft, “don’t know how long i’ll last like this.”
his thumb moves between your bodies to circle your clit, making your head fall back against the plush of the pillows under you, eyes fluttering shut and mouth hanging open as wanton moans spill from your lips.
sometimes, when you miss kaveh a little extra, when the nights are lonely and the bed is even lonelier, you find yourself seeking out the warmth of another body. usually, your mind always craves the touch of your ex boyfriend, aching to feel the familiarity of soft blonde strands of hair between your fingers and the heat of his pale skin against yours. you find the remnants of your love in the strangers your bed, holding onto the few seconds that you can trick yourself into thinking the body pressed against yours is the one you wish for so desperately.
but somehow…something with alhaitham doesn’t feel like every other time. this time, you don’t let your mind unconsciously slip into imagining kaveh. this time, you’re distinctly aware that it’s alhaitham hovering over you, that it’s alhaitham bullying his thick cock into your abused cunt, that it’s alhaitham moaning into your ear, that it’s alhaitham lighting up your body as you reach the precipice of your high.
and all too suddenly, his mouth presses against yours, tasting you like there’s decadence on your tongue and sweetness that trickles from your lips. his hips are sloppy as they angle into you, the mess of slick and pre cum coating your inner thighs and forming a ring around the base of his cock. his voice lilts to a soft whine as you squeeze around him, the thick head of his cock kissing the parts deep within you that make your hips jolt and your mind haze with pleasure.
“c-close,” you whimper sweetly, “so close, ‘m gonna…gonna cum—”
“i know,” he rasps, “i know, me too. cum with me.” if you didn’t know any better, you’d say the last part comes out as a plea, a slightly needy tone that makes your walls quiver around him.
with a few more harsh strokes of his thumb over your clit, you cum with a wail, and he follows you not long after, the deep rasp of your name falling off his tongue like a prayer as his hips still and his cum fills your cunt with thick ropes. he fucks his load into you sloppily, lost from any rhythm as he desperately rolls his hips and drills his cock into you while riding through the shocks of his orgasm.
your fingers thread through his hair, sweaty and soft under your touch—and the deep groan you pull from him as you tug almost makes you cum again from the sound alone. with a few more thrusts of his hips, he collapses beside you, panting as his chest rises and falls while he catches his breath.
after a while, he glances at you from the corner of his eyes, “uh…are you…are you okay? was i…did i hurt—”
“i’m fine,” you snort, grinning at him. it’s almost…cute—the way his cheeks flush and his lips are almost a pout as he scoffs.
“you don’t have to laugh,” he grumbles, “there’s nothing funny about asking a regular question.”
“i’m not laughing at you,” you tease, “i’m laughing with you.”
“well, that makes no sense. i’m not laughing at all,” he rolls his eyes.
“well, you—”
you’re cut off by the door being pushed open, the creak making both of your heads turn to the source of your interruption. instantly, alhaitham’s face sours—but you pause, eyes wide and mouth dry as you take in just who’s at the door and just whose voice you’re hearing.
“are you ignoring me on purpose? i’ve been calling out for the past—” kaveh’s eyes are wide, mouth parted as he stops mid-sentence and his eyes linger on your face before registering your lack of clothing. the hand on the doorknob tightens its grip and his face turns red while his eyes narrow.
“k-kaveh?” you whisper.
“you know each other?” you can faintly hear alhaitham’s confused voice beside you, but you’re too busy watching as hurt and then anger sink into kaveh’s features.
“well, i’ll just leave my roommate and my past lover to their devices then,” he spits coldly, “sorry to interrupt.”
and before you can ask him to wait, before alhaitham’s hand can reach for you as you hurriedly climb out of bed to chase after the blonde, the door slams hard enough that you can almost feel the walls shake.
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© hanmas do not plagiarize, repost, translate to other sites, or recommend on platforms outside tumblr such as tik tok
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atiny-piratequeen · 6 months
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𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒉.𝟓 (𝑷.𝑺𝒉)
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✧.*Summary  ✧.*-Due to olden traditions, you’re sent off to be a sacrifice to an unseen beast on an island far from home. You’re not exactly the one to go down without a fight and you promise when you get yourself out of this situation, you’re going back for revenge.
After an encounter in the ocean and arriving on the island in question, you collect yourself and begin making preparations to get yourself off of this island.
All while being watched over by a pair of unfamiliar, narrowed emerald eyes.
✧.*Pairing  ✧.*-Siren!Park Seonghwa x Fem!Reader
✧.*Genres  ✧.*-Angst, Romance, Smut, Action, Fantasy, Survival, Slight Horror Elements, Hurt/Comfort, Revenge, Siren AU, Monster AU, Enemies to Lovers
✧.*TWs  ✧.*-Guilt, Intimidation, Stabbing, Blood, Biting, Pregnancy (Oh Look, the Consequences to our actions-)
✧.*Sws ✧.* - Creampie, Chase Kink, Cunnilingus, Breeding Kink (Yall look what all that stuffed poosi did-), Double Penetration, Monster Anatomy (Double Cocks), Scent Kink, Fingering
✧.*Rating  ✧.*- Explicit (18+)-Minors DNI
✧.*WC  ✧.*-+ 11.9k
✧.*Previous Chapter
✧.*Next Chapter
✧.*A/N  ✧.*This was originally a 3k+ paid commission thanks to the lovely @jacksons-goddess-gaia​​ but I loved the idea so much that I decided to make this into a short series! Thank you again for allowing me to turn your comm into something of a bigger scale and I hope you and everyone else also likes this little series! Just a note of warning, the ending of this series does have a pretty dark ending so please be mindful of the tws of each respective chapter (tbh I don’t think its any darker than the shit I make yall suffer through write anyway but just a fair warning, you are not ending this as any kind of pacifist lol)
✧.*Series Playlist ✧.* (I keep fidling with this one so dont be surprised if songs are added lmao)
✧.*  AO3 | Ataraxia Info| Taglist Form | Commission Sheet  ✧.*    
✧.*  ©atiny-piratequeen. do not repost, translate, or use my works. Minors DNI✧.*
✧.*Network Pings- @kwritersworld | @kdiarynet | @k-vanity
Divider Cr.- @benkeibear (tysm ily)
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“It’s time to wake up, my love.” 
You feel lips against your head and grumble, tucking yourself firmly against the warmth pressed against your cheek. There’s a deep chuckle that rattled your bones and for a moment, you are under the wrong assumption that you’d be able to go back to sleep. 
Instead, you’re lifted clean up, and your eyes snap open, large and silver as you scramble to hold onto the giant so rudely mocking you with his dumbass handsome face. 
“Good morning, Y/n.” 
You stare at him, unimpressed, and for a moment you lament not being able to shift into your SeaBorn form at will. You’d found slapping Seonghwa with your tail was surpiringly effective when it came to him teasing you. 
You could only do it when wet, though. 
For now. 
Speaking of wet, you blush feeling a distinct wetness run down between your legs, reminding you of last night's messy love making. You huff, crossing your arms as Seonghwa held you up off the ground. 
“How wrong are you going to hold me up?” 
Seonghwa looked at you for a moment in confusion before he chuckled. 
“Long.”
You arch a brow. 
“Yes, you’re wrong.” 
He shook his head, gently, touching your lips. 
“You’re still getting used to your new language. Here, follow me.” 
Seonghwa repeated the sentence and you flush, realizing your clicks had, in fact, been off. You’d come a long way since you and him mated a week ago, but you still found yourself stuttering over your clicks or holding down a note too long occasionally as you spoke to him. 
As flustered as it made you, Seonghwa found your pattern of speech rather cute, calmly helping you every time you stumbled. 
He’d actually been pleasantly surprised when he found out you wanted to talk to him only in your new language, and for the first three days after you’d mated, you couldn’t understand a damn word he was saying. 
Seonghwa had been surprised by how adamant you had been to understand, fumbling through your tones and hums until he’d perked midday through the third day, hearing you call to him and ask him for a kiss because you were frustrated. 
The look on your face when you’d gotten the desired kiss all but made him fall in love all over with you again.
“I dod it!”
“‘Did’ it, baby.”
“I did it!”
Back to the present, Seonghwa walked you to the beach, the salty air blowing his bangs as he looked out at the ocean. You look up at him and then follow his gaze. 
“...Wanna go tell Hongjoong the good news?”
You don’t miss the way he perked, his eyes lightening, excited as he nodded. You kiss him, cupping his jaw lightly before he walked you to the water.
“Remember, don’t panic. I have you, and I won’t let you drown. Ever.” He assured you. You smile and kiss him gently. 
You hadn’t gotten the hang of holding your breath quite yet. Seonghwa had assured you the more you did it, the longer you’d be able to do it, and you’d be able to talk freely as well. 
For now, all of your focus usually went into not panicking while underwater. 
Seonghwa waited until you were ready and gently waded into the water, holding you bridal style so your legs would shift, the dark grey speckles of your legs stretching up to your torso, a thick, rather smooth tail forming. Seonghwa ran his fingers up the speckles, smiling to himself despite the shiver that ran through your body at the intimate touch. 
“Sorry, I got distracted. Let’s begin. If you do well, we’ll go down and visit Hongjoong.” 
You smile and nod, floating vertically with your head above the water as Seonghwa let you go. You drifted a bit from him before gently keeping yourself in place, your hips working gently as you watched his tail slap the surface in his usual fashion. 
You feel his hand lace into yours and dive in, smiling as he pulled you lower. 
The water is pleasantly cool, but you find yourself marvelling at Seonghwa’s tail. 
While yours was a simple grey, dotted with different colored splotches, and much rounder and thicker than his, Seonghwa’s tail had definitely gained some color since you both had mated. 
Before his tail was a simple, yet elegant ombre of platinum and gold, now it held many intricate designs and colors along the expanse. 
Thick, brown stripes started along the midway point of his tail, with beautiful orange and yellow dots speckling the space along the stripes, all the way down to his tail, which was a contrasting black with a single, distinct electric blue stripe going along the tips of his tail fin. 
You found yourself mesmerized by the upper half of his tail, which was the same electric blue as the tips of his tail, a series of mesmerizing (and sometimes glowing) platinum rings drawing your gaze directly to him. 
He smiled at you and swam backwards, encouraging you to follow after him, and you clumsily do so before you get into the groove again. 
The two of you swim in tandem, twirling around one another, swimming through reefs and enjoying each other. Seonghwa didn’t rush you, and instead waited until you took your breaths before continuing. Each time, he’d keep you for longer and longer, encouraging you with clicks and words of affirmations. 
After the fith dive, you hear a loud, distinct bellow that drew your attention. 
“My, look at this.” 
You look down and find Hongjoong casually circling you, his expression interested as he eyed your tail. You smile and wave at him. 
“Helho!” 
He blinked before chuckling and swimming closer, greeting Seonghwa with a gentle nudge. 
“Hello, Y/n. You’re learning the language a lot quicker than any human I’ve ever met, besides myself. How are you handling swimming?”
You purse your lips, frowning for a moment. 
“I still can’t stay underwater indefinitely.” 
He chuckled and crossed his arms. 
“You wouldn’t be able to, anyway. It’s the Landling in you. We are Reborns. Humans turned Seaborn. We have to come up for air eventually. It's just a matter of perfecting closing down one breathing system and using the other.”
You blink slightly and tilt your head at him. 
“‘We’ have to? Hongjoong? Were you also-”
“A story for another day, but yes. I was.” There’s something…dark in his eyes the moment you mention him previously being a human, and you immediately decide it’s none of your business to pry. 
Hongjoong seemed to appreciate you not doing so, and in an instant, you watch his eyes lighten back up as he looked at Seonghwa. 
“You’re doing a wonderful job, Angelfish.” 
Seonghwa’s scales tinted pink for a moment before he coughed and looked away bashfully. Both you and Hongjoong noticed immediately, matching grins on your faces. 
“Cute~” You both chirrup. 
“Oh oceans no, please don’t start ganging up on me” Seonghwa immediately half heartedly complained. You laugh, raising yourself to the surface for a fresh breath of air with both of the men trailing behind you. 
When your head surfaces, you find its night out, the stars twinkling in the sky as a crescent moon illuminated the surface of the water. 
The three of you don’t say a word, simply bobbing in the water as you enjoy each other’s company. Seonghwa kissed the top of your head, a calm smile on his face as he hugged you close to his body. 
“I think it’s about time she meets the others, don’t you?” Hongjoong inquired sometime a while later. You hadn’t even realized you’d been nodding off, your head resting on Seonghwa’s chest as he held you from behind to keep you from drifting. 
Seonghwa let out a nervous laugh that made your head perk up. 
“I’ll call them, Wooyoung probably will need to be warmed up first.” 
You frown and turn your head to look at his expression. His eyes were tinged white around the edges, something you’d never seen before. 
Was he…afraid?
“Who is Wooyoung?” You quietly speak up, reminding both of the men that you were not only right there, but able to understand them through the bouncy notes and hums of their conversation. 
Seonghwa looked at you and gently rubbed your hips. 
“He’s our best friend. One of them.” 
You purse your lips. 
“So why do you look afraid?” 
Hongjoong chuckled quietly. 
“Because he’s worried Wooyoung might not exactly take it kindly knowing you stabbed Seonghwa and nearly killed him.” he answered honestly.
You feel the weight of the world slam into you. Your lips part and you find yourself unable to speak. It hadn’t came up again since you’d dragged Seonghwa to the ocean to save his life. You glance at him again, and Seonghwa doesn’t respond, staring at the dark inky waves as he held your hips, the cogs in his head turning quickly. 
“What…what exactly does ‘not take kindly’ mean?” You ask slowly, putting your hand over Seonghwa’s. Hongjoong clicked his tongue, floating past both of you, looking at the sky. 
“Do you want to tell her?” He looked at Seonghwa but the SeaBorn simply shuddered and kissed your head. 
“It’ll be fine. I’ll talk to him tonight using the resonance stone.” He muttered. You could smell his scent, tinged with anxiety and fear, and press yourself back into his chest more to comfort him as much as you could. Even though you had no idea what was going on. 
Hongjoong hummed and gently flicked his tail hard enough to send both of you drifting to the left. Seonghwa sent him a curious look before Hongjoong waved his hand dismissively. 
“Go to sleep. I’ll check back on you both tomorrow.” He encouraged before he dove down, disappearing into the dark waters. Seonghwa took your hand and guided you to the shore, carrying you once you got there. 
You cup his chin and kiss his cheek several times until you make him turn his gaze down to you. When he does, you steal a kiss from his lips. 
“I really am sorry I hurt you.” You whisper. He nodded.
“I’ve long since stopped being angry and hurt about it. You were scared and defending yourself.” 
You nod and then gently press your forehead together with his. 
“I’ll explain myself to this friend of yours. Even if they yell at me, I deserve it. So don’t look so sad. We were having such a wonderful day, tomorrow will be the same.” You encourage and Seonghwa sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. 
You had no idea the beast of a man that Wooyoung was, but Seonghwa would undoubtedly handle the man’s ire first that way you could meet everyone worry-free. 
It’ll be fine. 
When he opened his eyes again, they were back to their normal emerald, and he gently walked you back to camp, settling you in your bed. Since you couldn’t hold your breath as long as Hongjoong could, you still preferred to sleep on land and Seonghwa didn’t mind accommodating you. 
You find yourself drifting once more against his neck and he gently sung, soft, airy notes swirling through your mind. Seonghwa rubbed the space between your shoulders, kneading out any tension his fingers found there. 
“Just rest. Tomorrow I’ll make a big breakfast for us.” He promised. You smile and let the embrace of sleep pull you under. 
For the briefest of moments, you feel as if you’re being watched by the sky itself, but you pay it no mind and drift off.
.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.
Something warm began to rouse you from your sleep the next morning. There are undeniable puffs of air blowing directly onto your face, and while tinged with the scent of amber, you couldn’t help the way the hair at the back of your neck stood on end. 
You should wake up. 
“Rrrrr.”
The moment you hear a growl, your eyes fly open, and in an instant, you’re greeted with a mass of hair, a GIANT canine standing over you with blazing, molten eyes that looked like fire peering out at you past their undeniably bear-esque face. 
You stare up at them in horror, your voice caught in your throat. The canine doesn’t move from their spot above you, though you watch where you assume the ears are under all of that fur twitch and rotate, listening. They raised their head, looking North East before looking back at you, letting out a bark that rattled your bones. 
You scream and scramble up to your feet, grabbing your knife in a hurry, but the dog made a snap at your heels, and you decide running is much more viable for you in this moment. 
“SEOGNGHWA” You scream, rushing into the trees with the giant dog on your heels. Every time you moved to make a turn and shake them off, they threw their massive body in that direction, howling and barking and forcing you to pivot in the opposite direction. 
Had you had been a bit of a calmer mind, you’d realized this demon dog was much faster than you, and seemed to be corralling you in whichever direction they wanted you to go in. 
You, however, are not of a calm mind, and keep running for your life, screaming Seonghwa’s name, panic flooding into your system when you realize he hadn’t came for you yet. 
Above you, the sky is blotted out for a brief moment as something humongous flew overhead, obscuring the sun for a few seconds before it was gone, also heading in the direction you were running in. There’s the sound of a primal roar that vibrates the air. 
You pay none of that any mind, nearly tripping over your own feet as you catch a root on your ankle. The dog grabbed your dress in their jaws and spun their body, nearly hurling you in the direction you were running in. Surprisingly, the maneuver doesn’t tear your dress, and you keep sprinting after the close call, finally breaking the treeline. 
Seriously, where the fuck is Seonghwa?!
“SEONG-”You stop yourself, eyes wide as you finally see your lover. 
Your stomach drops in an instant. 
He’s being held above the water of the ocean by his throat, a different man staring at him with an unimpressed look in his eyes. They were glowing a shifting deep purple and blue. 
In an instant, all of your fear melted away, your claws elongating and your eyes bleeding red. Seonghwa looked in your direction, and threw his hands up. 
“Y/n, wait, no!”
You don’t heed his words, rushing over, tossing the sheath to your knife away, your feet moving faster than they did even with the dog on your heels.
You don’t ask questions, driving and twisting the knife hard into the man’s back, throwing your body between them as much as you could and biting down on his forearm, tearing the skin and crunching down on bone. 
Seonghwa paled and the man hardly flinched, his gaze, once fixed on Seonghwa’s face, now snapped down to you. 
You don’t back down, your nose scrunched as you lock your jaw, biting harder. His blood runs down between your lips, into your mouth. You ignore all of it, glaring hateful daggers at the unmoving and infuriatingly smug looking man. 
“So. You’re the mate, hm?” 
“Wooyoung, listen to me, calm down.”
You don’t hear anything but the blood rushing through your own ears. Wooyoung smiled at you, but you can see a wild look in his eyes as he cocked his head ever so slightly to the left. 
“Is this how you did it? Did you stab him the same way here? Or was it a little higher? How about to the left? Mm? Hit any organs? How about we try again? I don’t quite feel like I’m getting the full experience, little seal woman. Though, the bite is certainly new.” 
You hear a bark from somewhere behind you and Seonghwa reached to touch your head and try and push you off. 
“Y/n, baby, my angel please I’m begging you, let go. You’re making it worse.” He genuinely looked terrified, his eyes pale platinum as he glanced at you and Wooyoung.
“No, no, Seonghwa. Let her do what she wants. I’m finding out every little thing I need to know here.”  
You hesitate and Wooyoung’s arm flexes in your mouth, in a moment, he lets Seonghwa go, grabbing your jaw and leaning into your face. 
“I don’t take too kindly to having harm fall upon my loved ones. So, what should I do, seal woman? I’m facing a dilemma.” He sighed dramatically, ignoring Seonghwa’s rapidly protesting and trying to separate you both. 
Suddenly, he perked, looking at the tall SeaBorn for a moment. 
“My, that was a dangerous thought, Park Seonghwa. Were you thinking of biting me too? Putting your fist through my chest? Are you sure that’s what you want to do here?” 
Seonghwa froze and you frown. He hadn’t said anything threatening. Hadn’t even moved. But the look on his face told you everything you needed to know. 
Who is this guy?
Instantly, purple and blue eyes are back on you, as deep as the night sky, speckled with stars. 
What is this guy?
“Jung Wooyoung. Eldritch god. Any other questions? I’d be careful, if I were you. I’m not sure how much of my blood you’ve consumed~ Who knows what could happen to you consuming the blood of a god like this.” He teased. 
You let go in an instant, and everything hit you in an instant, horror crossing your face. 
This was the friend, the one Hongjoong mentioned. You look at Seonghwa and he looked distraught, reaching for you. Wooyoung narrowed his gaze, and a barrier instantly separated him from the two of you. 
“Haven’t I let you do whatever you want for too long, dear Hyung?” He inquired, though the honorific sounded more like teasing venom with his tone of voice. Seonghwa locked his jaw, red bleeding into his pale eyes as anger began to swell in him. 
“Wooyoung, that’s enough.” 
“Is it? You nearly die, don’t call me even once to save you, and now you think the person responsible can suffer no consequences? When you fell, did you crack your head, perhaps? I gave each and every one of you a resonance stone and instead of it being anywhere near you for a case of emergency, where is it? Hm?” He turned his gaze to you, and you shrink back from the overwhelming pressure coming from him as he looked at the peridot earring dangling from your ear. 
“I was hoping you’d help protect her from harm in case I wasn’t enough.” 
“Protect her? She almost killed you.” 
“The spider almost killed me. The toxins would have killed me before I bled out.” 
Wooyoung looks infuriated, turning his head in an instant. 
“And WHO could have avoided all of that if he’d just called me? Are you out of your mind, Park Seonghwa? Do I need to remind you of how important you are to m-”
You can see he’s about to lay into him, and before you can think, you reach out, grabbing his face and forcing his head back to look at you. 
“I’m sorry. Whatever it is, I’ll take responsibility, just…please, enough of this. My mate is upset and I hate this. You think I don’t already feel horrible for what I did? I did then and I do now, every time I see him, I see the scars he got from that day and it won’t go away, it never will. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love him. So whatever it is that you’re going to do, whatever punishment you feel I need or deserve for it, just do it already so I can go back into his arms. This has been a very long and fucking chaotic morning.” You speak a mile a minute and Wooyoung stared at you with a half lidded look once more. 
“So, you’ll die? Because that’s what I deem appropriate for hurting one of my seven.” He answered flatly, all emotion gone from his voice. You hear a bark again, and a different noise that sounds like a growl, but you don't tear your eyes away from Wooyoung. Seonghwa pounded on the barrier, frantic and enraged. 
“WOOYOUNG?!”
You feel his killing intent, but don’t look away from him. 
“If that’s what you think I deserve. Just make sure he’s not hurt.” 
Seonghwa’s voice nearly breaks from the sheer rage in his voice as he slammed on the barrier, and for a moment, you think you hear a crack. Wooyoung looked into your eyes for a long moment before looking down at your stomach, cold fingertips pressing against your abdomen. A thoughtful hum left his lips. Seonghwa’s enraged voice grew louder. 
Wooyoung looked up, meeting your unwavering gaze. You were terrified, but you didn’t back down. A long pause stretched between the two of you.
Then, he chuckled. 
“Welcome to The Fold, Seal.” 
He snapped his fingers, and in an instant, you feel the world rush by. Colors and scents whirl past you until-
-you jolt upright, heart hammering. You’re back in your hut. 
…what were you doing?
Seonghwa startled from beside you, and the moment you lay eyes on him, you burst into tears, kissing and embracing him tightly. 
“Y/n? Why are you crying, my love?” He inquired. You open your mouth to ask him if he was alright after seeing…who, again? 
Why are you crying? 
Seonghwa looked at you, checking your head, your face, and your neck for any injuries. You relax the moment you feel his touch, putting your hand over his. 
“I guess I had a bad dream. I’m okay as long as you are.” You kiss his nose and smile. He sniffed gently, making sure you weren’t hurt before he kissed you deeply, hovering over you. 
You run your fingers down his abdomen, smiling at the way he rumbled and shuddered into the kiss. Seonghwa’s scales turned pink around the edges of his eyes and he smiled. 
“Oh? Is this how you want to start your morning?” He purred, pressing his hips down and grinding between your legs. You smile and thread your fingers through his hair, intending on pulling him into a kiss when a bone-shaking bark drew a loud scream out of you. 
Instantly both of you jolt up and Seonghwa looked perplexed for a moment, standing and sticking his head out of the hut. 
It took a brief second before a black and red blur tackled him back into it. You scream again, reaching for your knife and then frowning when you note it definitely wasn’t where you’d left it last. 
When the hell did it get so far from you?
“Yunho!”
You turn your head to the sound of your mate's voice, and in an instant, you relax when you hear Seonghwa laughing.
Your gaze falls upon this massive mass of black and crimson fur. They appeared to be a canine, and you got the confirmation when they licked Seonghwa’s face, nudging his hand until he began roughly rustling and ruffling their fur. 
“Y…Yunho?” You parrot, slowly coming closer, the knife forgotten. Yunho turned his head towards you and keened. 
“This is one of my best friends. What are you doing here?” Seonghwa inquired. Yunho wagged his tail, sitting straight. You were amazed at his massive form, and you nearly forgot to wave in greeting to the canine. 
“Wooyoung said we had to meet your partner.” Yunho spoke despite his form. Seonghwa paused, and you could smell the twinge of anxiety in his scent. 
“Oh, please. Just come outside, we made this feast for you and it's going to be eaten completely the longer we wait.” 
You hear a voice seemingly coming from the sky and Yunho made a gruff keen before turning himself around and lowering himself, seemingly waiting for you both to get on his back. 
“Yunho, I’m too big to be riding-”
You jolt as Yunho let out a dramatic yowl, slamming his weight playfully against Seonghwa and nearly knocking him over. Seonghwa caught himself and sent him a scandalous look. 
“Fine!” He huffed and turned to you, smiling sweetly and picking you up. He kissed your nose and raised you high, setting you carefully on Yunho’s shoulders. He rumbled and you smile, gently scratching his ears. He radiated warmth, but he wasn’t uncomfortably hot to the touch. Seonghwa mounted him next, wrapping his arms around your waist. Yunho rumbled and stood up to his full height. 
If you weren’t tightly clenching your thighs to keep yourself in place, you're sure you’d fall right off. Falling from this height would hurt like a bitch.
Was Yunho as tall as Seonghwa on all fours like this? Was he taller? 
"Hold on, I'm going to go fast." He warned before he walked outside. Seonghwa tightened his grip on you, kissing your head before Yunho broadened his stance and took off like a shot. 
You let out a scream before you cover your mouth and burst into joyful laughter as Seonghwa held you. Yunho wove through the trees as if he’d done it a thousand times before. 
When he stepped foot on the beach, he slowed down to a trot, walking over to a group of men talking amongst themselves. 
“I brought them.” Yunho keened, closing his eyes and wagging his tail as the tallest of the group, a man who towered over the others, scratched below his chin. 
“Good job. I hope you didn’t startle our new friend too bad.” the man with the golden hair with the deep orange tips spoke. Yunho nudged his hands. 
“I didn’t mean to, if I did.” 
You look at the two of them and then take the time to survey your surroundings. 
Hongjoong is here, his arms crossed as he looked down at a man who was sitting on….air? His legs crossed and a cup of tea to his lips. A man with long hair and a ponytail stood with them, seemingly scolding the man sitting on nothing with his quiet gaze. 
There was a fire pit on the beach, and beside that was another man clad in tight, form fitting black clothing. He had part of his pendant in his mouth, and he seemed to be focused on getting the food on the fire cooked to the perfect degree. The man beside him watched on quietly, though he cast you a few cautious glances, the scorpion tail swaying behind him twitching every now and again. 
Seonghwa got off first, gently letting you down and smiling before he looked over at the man floating in air. He took a breath, seemingly steadying himself. 
“Just wait here, I’ll go talk to-”
“There’s no need.” 
You’d blinked, and in an instant. The man with the teacup was floating in front of you, his blue and purple eyes twinkling like the night sky itself. You startle, Seonghwa’s hand instinctively goes in front of you. 
“Wooyoung, I want to-”
“I said there’s no need. I’ve learned everything I needed to know already. Isn’t that right, Seal? Or, rather, Y/n?” He inquired, offering his cup to you. You blink at him and then gently take the cup, sniffing. 
It smells sweet. 
Seonghwa looked stunned, watching the two of you and the look of joy bloom on your face as you sip the tea. Wooyoung smiled casually and leaned back, sending Seonghwa a mysterious smile. 
Seonghwa pursed his lips. 
“Did…did you do something? You’re taking this a lot…calmer than I expected.” He admitted. Wooyoung shrugged a shoulder. 
“Have I done anything? Is there something wrong with me greeting one of my seven’s partners with open arms and a cup of healthy, immune system boosting tea?” He inquired, looking in your direction as you drank another sip, peeking over the rim of the cup at the two of them. 
Something about him seemed familiar, but you couldn’t put your finger on it. Seonghwa touched his abdomen subconsciously but then he relaxed, putting an arm around you. 
“Y/n, these are my seven. They’re…the most important people in my life. I didn’t know everyone would come to greet you.” He shied, rubbing his neck as he looked at the others. Hongjoong shrugged, wearing attire you weren’t familiar with, though he looked comfy as he approached you. It dawned on you that you hadn’t seen him on land until today. 
The man who was beside him followed and stopped in front of you, a row of freckles stretched across his cheeks and nose, and a nearly heart-shaped, splotchy birthmark at the corner of his left eye. You stare at him for a moment, taking in the unique look of his eyes. They were an interesting mixture of blues and pastel yellow and they glittered in the morning sun as he smiled sweetly at you. 
“My name is Yeosang. I’ve heard you’ve had quite a rough time. If there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know.” He greeted, glancing at your stomach for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment before looking back at your face.
The man with the gold and orange hair towered above you, smiling and extending his hand. 
“Name’s Mingi. The weather is quite nice out here today.” 
You took his hand, marveling at how huge every part of him was. Two thick horns sprouted from his forehead and the moment you nodded and greeted him back, you noticed his massive tail swaying to and fro behind him. 
Speaking of massive, the dog you’d come to know as Yunho shifted before you all, standing taller than Seonghwa, as well. 
The corners of his crimson eyes had smudges as if left from the cinders of a once-burned fire and he smiled from ear to ear as he offered his hand to you, as well. 
“Hi, Yunho. Thank you for carrying us here.” You smile and hand Wooyoung back the now-empty teacup. Yunho’s tail wagged so fast, it thumped into Yeosang’s hips. 
“Who are they?” You inquire, pointing to the men by the fire pit. Seonghwa took your hand and gently brought you over to the two. 
The man with the scorpion tail tensed for a moment before relaxing the moment Mingi sat to his left and Yunho to his right. His ears, rounded, yet cat-like, twitched and swiveled. 
“Good morning.” He quietly greeted. You nod and sit across from him. 
“Good morning..uh…sorry, what is your name? My name is Y/n.” 
“....San.” 
He didn’t meet your eyes, but you found Mingi subtly opening his posture so the man could press closer. The small, yet familiar action made you smile. 
‘He must be nervous because of something.’ You think, not realizing you’re doing the same, leaning into Seonghwa’s chest as your eyes fall upon the last man. 
The one with the black clothes and hazel eyes. He had a laser focus on the food in the fire, his pendant firmly in his mouth as he turned the fish and gently stirred the pot that had what looked like a stew inside of it. 
Where on earth did he get that on this island?
“Jongho, baby bear, you’re being rude.” Yeosang gently scolded, touching the back of his neck to get his attention. 
He tensed in an instant, his spade-shaped tail sticking straight up. That was the only indication of him being startled aside from his wide eyes. In an instant, he relaxed and looked over the fire at you, smiling. 
“Oh, uh. Sorry. I spaced out. My name is Jongho. It’s nice to meet you.” He greeted. He smelled incredibly sweet, almost mouth wateringly so.
You waved at him and introduced yourself, looking at the group. 
“To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting all of my mates…seven?” You’re not sure what the significance of them calling each other their ‘seven’, but you don’t pry. They all seem very close with one another, no matter what. 
“We figured we might as well stop by and say hello just in case a certain angelfish decided to not bring you around to greet any of us.” Yunho answered, staring as Jongho finally finished one of the bigger pieces. He nodded in his direction and he picked it up right out of the fire, seemingly unbothered by the flames nor the heat of the fish as he immediately tore into it. Mingi followed suit, splitting his piece with San and continuing between bites. 
“Our den isn’t exactly ready for other people to be in it.” He rumbled. San made a sour face before biting into his fish to seemingly keep his comment to himself. 
He didn’t seem privy on you being in their ‘den’ yet.
You hummed and accepted a cooler piece of fish on a stick Seonghwa had passed over to you. It was full of flavor and you can’t help the seal-like bark of joy that came out of your mouth. 
All eyes land on you and you blush, clearing your throat and looking away. 
Wooyoung smiled smugly as Seonghwa gently broke off more of his fish to hand to you. 
“Jongho, make sure to give our lovely new friend extra.”  He instructed. Jongho nodded and handed you a bowl. 
You look down into it and tilt your head. 
“It’s full of protein, and I brought some freshly harvested veggies to stew in there. I added some spices, too. Not too many, though, I promise. It's very good for you.” Yeosang smiled softly and handed you a spoon. You sniff gently, the aroma smelling slightly spiced and savory. You take a sip with the spoon and smile, going in for more. 
Seonghwa leaned over your shoulder, blinking owlishly. 
“I want some.” 
“It’s not for you.” Hongjoong muttered flatly. Seonghwa gasped in horror while Wooyoung laughed, leaning on Yeosang. 
“Why not?! There’s a whole pot full of it!” He complained. Hongjoong arched a brow at him and San eyed the two of you before speaking up. 
“Y/n needs the extra protein.” He spoke gently, wiping his mouth. He seemed to be trying to convey something, but it seemed to have gone over Seonghwa’s head.
Instead, you tilt your head and look at the bowl before sneaking him a spoonful anyway. 
“It’s okay. I know I’m still growing into my size now that I’m SeaBorn, but I still will share with him, and you all, too. I can’t possibly eat an entire pot full of food all by myself.” You tell them. 
They seem to exchange a look with one another before Yeosang sent you a gentle smile. 
“Well, it’s alright. We’ll all eat until you’re full. If you want more, just call us back and we’ll be happy to make more. Or, Seonghwa can bring you around The Whetū Faewilds and I can cook something different, but just as nutritious for you.” He cooed, and you can see the freckles along his skin twinkle and glitter. 
“I’d love to visit everyone’s home one day. Maybe I can make some food from my old home for you all….”you trail off, thinking about your village. 
Oh. 
You’d been so engrossed in your new life, you forgot your promise of revenge. You stare idly into your bowl of food, brows pulled together. 
Wooyoung looked at you from across the pit, eyes narrowing for a split moment before he gently was slapped on the back of the neck. 
“Stop reading the poor girl’s mind.” Yeosang scolded him, his voice low. San, Mingi, and Yunho perked regardless, looking over at you as you nurse your bowl in your hands, unbothered by the heat. Your eyes had begun to bleed into a deep red color.
“Not my fault her thoughts are so loud. That woman’s mind has a storm just festering below all the goody goody emotions Angelfish is giving her.” 
Yeosang blinked before he looked over at you, as well. A stormy expression crossed your face before it disappeared the moment Seonghwa kissed you. Your grip on the stone bowl in your hands loosened and you relaxed once more into his grip, clicking and purring as he peppered kisses all over your face. 
“Give it a few months, tops. She’ll call us. I’ll bet on it.” He rumbled, leaning on Yeosang. The faerie exhaled and looked at him. 
“True as it may be, you need to let it come to pass naturally. For now, stop prying.” 
“Yeah, yeah. You’re no fun.” 
You eat and listen to the stories of the group of unlikely friends until you feel yourself dozing off, your eyes growing heavy. Seonghwa wrapped his arm around you, smiling softly. 
“I think it’s time we head to bed, everyone. I promise I’ll be better about visiting.” 
San sent him a look and then looked at you instead. 
“....I’ll let you in our den if you make him stop by. This one is terrible at keeping his word. He gets too comfortable on this island taking care of sea turtle babies and monkeys and neglects us.” 
“I do not!” Seonghwa gasped, scandalized. Jongho snorted and Mingi arched a brow. 
“You haven’t stopped by in months.” 
“It was during Season! You two were-” His cheeks flared red before he cleared his throat, San's face igniting as well while Mingi stared back, unbothered.
“And I told you, you could have joined. I have two-”
“I’llDoBetterLet’sJustDropIt.” Seonghwa muttered quickly, his face dusted with pink scales. You looked at him before snickering. 
“It’s a promise. I want to visit, anyway.” You tell them through a yawn. Hongjoong gently motions with his hand. 
“Go rest. We’ll clean up.” 
You wave goodbye to them and get on Seonghwa’s back, your limbs dangling as he chuckles and disappeared back into the trees. 
The seven remaining men watched the two of you leave and Yeosang glanced at Wooyoung. 
“I know what you did in the first meeting, Wooyoung. Must you threaten people like that all the time? What if the stress was too much?” He scolded. Yunho sent them a curious look before tilting his head. 
“Did you do something? Is that why I have this weird sense of deja vu?” 
Wooyoung yawned, stretching his limbs before he flopped back, his head resting on San’s thighs. San gently ran his fingers through his hair, looking down at him. 
“If anyone intends to get near you, they go through me. I needed to see if she was worthy. Besides, she’s not nearly at the point where overstress would be a concern. If I were you, I’d worry about that hatred she’s got in her pretty little head instead of me testing her.” Wooyoung checked his nails before locking eyes with a concerned Yeosang. 
“That woman has murder on her mind. It’s below the surface, quieted only by her love for him, but it’s there. All we need is one monumental event, and it’s all over for that sorry-ass village. And when that time comes…”Wooyoung trailed off, humming softly. 
“We help. Where she goes, Seonghwa goes and where he goes, we go.” Hongjoong cut in. 
In an instant, all of their eyes hardened. Wooyoung’s lip quirked. 
“Now who’s the one who’s being threatening?”
Yeosang looked at him flatly and threw a ball of magic his way. It exploded into dandelion-esque puffs and Wooyoung instantly began sneezing. 
“Oh, shut up, you sound like a damn villain. Help us clean up the beach.” 
 .·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈*¨¨*:·.
1 Month Later
.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈*¨¨*:·.
You feel the wind blow by you, and your lungs protest from the strain as you rush through the trees. 
Several tree branches snap behind you, but you pay it no mind, rushing faster through the island’s forest. 
You’re almost there. You’re so close. 
Goodness, you’re a bit more winded than usual today, aren’t you? 
In the briefest of moments, as your mind trailed off, you feel yourself get swept off of your feet. 
“I caught you.” 
You look up, sweat running down your temple as you meet Seonghwa’s gaze. He’s looking at you with deep magenta eyes, his chest rising and falling as he catches his breath. 
You smile. 
“You won this round. I won before. That means we need a tie breaker.” You tell him through pants, reaching to wipe his face. Seonghwa gently set you on your feet and held you close to him instead, burying his face in your neck. 
You look at him, smiling softly. He’s breathing in your scent deep, and with him so close, you find yourself doing the same, grazing your fangs over his shoulder, pressing yourself against his sturdy body. 
“How about we do something else?” You coo, running your fingers through damp blonde locks and tugging. Seonghwa purred deep from his core, his cock hard against your thigh as he tilted his head back. 
“Kneel for me.” 
Seonghwa doesn’t make you ask twice, getting down on one of his knees before you and looking up. You run your fingers through his hair, pushing it back before you lift your thigh and set it on his shoulder, smiling sweetly. 
“Go ahead. Enjoy your meal.”
Seonghwa let out a keen, grabbing both of the globes of your ass and pulling you flush against him after muttering a soft ‘thank you’. 
You clench and sigh, feeling him work his tongue into you, his claws leaving indents in your skin as he curled his tongue. 
You move his head, thigh flexing every now and again as the sparking pleasure from his saliva started to creep into your system. 
“Don’t make me cum yet, I want to make a mess of your cocks.” 
You watch his pupils dilate, a reverberating growl tearing from his lips as he looked up at you. You smile, sweet as nectar as you push his face flush between your legs, challenging both him and yourself to actually fulfill that wish. 
Seonghwa, for his own credit, ate you out slower and more deliberately than he usually did, kneading and panting against your pussy as your juices ran down his chin. 
You don’t think you’ll ever get tired of the look on his face when he’s between your legs, dazed with his eyes deep and pink. 
He could be there for hours, if you let him. You’d tested that one day and he’d only stopped because your eyes were full of pleasured tears and your legs were trembling. 
You pull and tug at his hair and grit your teeth. Reluctantly, he stilled all movement, looking up at you with half lidded eyes. 
“Where?” He growled, short and simple. You growl back at him, trembling and impatient. 
“Right here. Both.” 
He stared at you for a moment before he chuckled and pulled away from you, letting your thigh down and slowly licking his lips. He stood to his full height, backing  you against a tree and leaning into your space, tilting your chin up to make you gaze deep into his eyes. 
“My, you haven’t had a single time where you didn’t ask me for both.”
You stare back at him, brow arching. 
“Why should I? You’re mine and that means both of them are mine too.” You fire back, running your fingers down the expanse of his abdomen until you stopped over the slit at his pelvis, smiling at the way his eyes darkened. 
“You’re insatiable.” He whispered, though it distinctly lacked any real reluctance. You smile, regardless. 
“Am I?” 
“Yeah.” 
You pretend to think for a moment before nodding, kissing the tip of his nose. 
“Okay.” 
He blinked, head tilting, and in an instant, you bolt back through the trees, leaving him stunned in your wake. 
“I’ll take care of myself, then~” You call over your shoulder. 
It took another second, and you fight the urge not to laugh as you hear the loud, undeniable roar of your name come from behind you. 
The birds in the trees squawked and flew off as Seonghwa tore through the island, chasing you with renewed vigor. 
“Y/N!”
“Seonghwa~!” You mock him lovingly, calling his name as you make sharp turns and pivots through the familiar terrain. This island had become your home in your time here, you were more than familiar with all it hid.
Seonghwa, of course, knew this place like the back of his hand and in no time he skid into your view, scales shimmering and glittering beautifully in the sun as he laid eyes on you. A smile stretched across his face as you rush to the left, giggling to yourself. 
You find yourself at a familiar rock formation, the same from when you first arrived on the island, and realize with a pout that you’ve hit a dead end. 
The sound of Seonghwa growling behind you confirmed it and you don’t even get the chance to turn around before you’re being embraced from behind. Seonghwa purred, planting kisses upon your shoulder and up your neck and ear before he nibbled the shell of it, clicking slowly. 
“I caught you again. What do I win?” He purred. You smile and turn your head to kiss him, taking one of his hands and guiding it between your legs. He got the hint, long fingers working you open while he held you flush against his body. 
You sigh and relax into his grip, moaning as your head rolled onto his shoulder. Seonghwa kissed you with an urgency his fingers did not share, and the mixed speeds made your head spin. 
You move his other hand to your breast, smiling as he kneaded it in his free hand, rutting his cocks against your ass. You can feel him dribbling against the dimples at the small of your back and you have a passing thought. 
‘He’s wasting it.’
You’ve long since stopped being flustered about these thoughts, and cup your hand over his, pushing your own fingers in beside his as you kiss him with a tad more aggression. 
“Want you.” You growl, hoping he gets the hint. Seonghwa moaned into the kiss and pinched your nipple between two fingers. 
“Bend over.” 
You pull your fingers from yourself, sending him a searing look over your shoulder as you lick them clean. Seonghwa followed the movement with his eyes before they drifted up to yours.
“Ah ah, down here.” You spread your legs and hold your folds open, your core aching. Seonghwa pressed himself against you in an instant, slowly guiding his cock coated in essence into you first. Your eyes nearly roll back at the pleasure of finally having his warmth inside of you. A shaky gasp left your mouth as he held your hip, pushing the other into you once he was sure you’d adjusted to the first properly. 
Seonghwa waited until you were ready, kissing your head and singing sweet nothings into your hair. 
“Put your arms back.” He instructed and you do so, feeling him work one of his arms through both of yours, pinning them back as he slowly rolled his hips forward and keeping you arched. 
“Seonghwa~”
“You’ve become such a fast baby, Y/n. I wonder what you would have done if you got away from me. Maybe I should’ve let you this time, just sit back and watch you pleasure yourself just right.” He growled against your ear, taking your earlobe between his teeth. You whine, clenching down possessively on his cocks. 
He noticed, a deep, throaty groan ripping from his chest as he snapped his hips up before reminding himself he wanted to drive you crazy, slowing himself back down. 
“I would have called to you-ah…faster, it’s too slow-” You whimper, trying to rock your hips back. Seonghwa’s arm flexed between yours as he held them back, clicking his tongue in your ear. 
“I’m enjoying my mate. Be still.” 
You shudder and feel yourself gush around him. Your body is getting hotter again, and you loosen up. Feeling precum run between your thighs as he moved faster over time. 
You stand on your tiptoes as he rocked into you, moaning his name like a chorus as he nuzzled your neck. 
“Sweet…you smell so sweet.” He panted, both of his cocks rocking hard into your gspot at the same time. 
You feel your brain disconnect for a moment, your mouth falling open before a guttural moan of pleasure fell from your lips as Seonghwa repeated the action. Encouraged by your song, he angled his hips, focusing on making you melt in his arms, his teeth sinking into your shoulder. 
Beautiful, glittering silver droplets run down as you feel him let go of your arms, pressing them above your head on the smooth rock wall as he thrusted into you. 
“Seonghwa! S-seonghwa slow down I’m gonna cum-” You try fruitlessly to drag it out for longer. Seonghwa had other plans, his free hand finding its way between your legs, rubbing your clit in rapid circles as he licked your shoulder bites closed. 
“Cum for me, then. You sound s-so pretty for me, clenching me like a vice….c’mon, don’t hold back. Make a mess. That’s what you want right? To make a mess of your mate’s cocks?” He chuckled into your ear, both of his cocks throbbing deep inside of you. You can feel them, and your mouth waters at the undeniable need to be bred swirling in your mind. 
“K-kiss me?” You plead, nearly crying in relief as he immediately tilted his head to do so, his tongue melding against yours as you feel yourself standing on your tiptoes due to the force of his thrusts and his heights. 
Your stomach bulges from the size of his cocks and the moment you hear him growl ‘I love you’ into the kiss, you feel yourself clench down, fingers flexing and clenching as you came with a spine-shaking orgasm.
Seonghwa moaned, your scent flooding his senses as he sped up his own thrusts, cumming deep inside of you and keeping himself still as he kissed you, keeping you pinned between him and the wall. 
“Love you, I love you.” You pant, mewling as you look back at him, your eyes no doubt matching his in their magenta color. He smiled and hugged you close, keeping himself inside of you. 
“I love you.” He rumbled, letting both of you catch your breaths and settle down before pulling out, watching as his cum and essence roll out in thick pearls, leaving a glittering puddle on the stone between your legs.
You pant, and for a moment, you consider cupping yourself to keep it inside, but you blush and perish the thought, instead.
Seonghwa picked you up, kissing your temple and carrying you off to the waterfall where you both had first gotten intimate. He gently guided you into the water, chuckling at the way your legs instantly shifted into your tail. 
You look down and he ran his fingers over your tail, smiling fondly. 
"Your tail really is beautiful."
You look at the gray speckles and purse your lips. 
"Yours is stunning. Mine is just…"you trail off and Seonghwa clicks disapprovingly.
"Beautiful." He ran his fingertips in small loops, tracing words of love and patterns of lace along your tail and chuckling as you shudder.
"You can always tell the difference between a Seaborn who was born that way and one who used to be human. We call them Reborns, at least, the older generations did. As Hongjoong told you, humans who were turned into Seaborn will retain mammal traits. Namely, the tail." Seonghwa hummed, drumming his fingers along your tail. You look at his face, watching the cogs turn. 
"Everything else is basically the same no matter the type. Our strength, our longevity, our basic anatomies, how we give birth, it's very similar regardless of being Reborn or Seaborn." He continued, beginning to wash your tail with long caresses after opening the container of self-made soap he'd left at this particular waterfall since it held sentimental value for you both. 
"How do Seaborns give birth?" You inquire. He blushed and rubbed his neck. 
"Laying eggs and keeping them warm? 
You blink at him.
"Laying eggs…and then keeping them warm after that?"
"Yes."
"Like a chicken?"
Seonghwa gave you a funny look, his eyebrows and nose scrunching up.
"....did you just compare us to chickens?"
"....its kinda chicken-like"
He stared flatly at you and pushed you into the water further, face deadpan as you came back up laughing.
"Seonghwa! I'm right!"
"No, wash yourself, chicken girl"
You snicker and come close to him, resting your arms on his knees as you feel him work his hands into your hair, gently washing and scratching your scalp.
“Our village is fortunate. There is an underwater volcano within our territory. There is a nursery nearby that is protected by magic and round the clock security. This is for couples who are active in hunting or may not have time to incubate them above water, in sand. During particularly busy egg hatching seasons, Yunho will come and stay within one of Hongjoong’s gardens and use his body heat to keep them warm. We have had our numbers quadruple and our success rate for hatching guppies almost perfect itself because of him and Yeosang enchanting our nursery gardens for Hongjoong." Seonghwa explained, purring softly as you close your eyes. 
You don't even realize the way your tail slapped the surface of the water, just enjoying the feeling of him taking care of you. He chuckled and reached in, picking you up out of the water as he continued to wash you. 
His hand wanders as he sings and hums to you, but so do your lips, and it takes but a few minutes of him cleaning his essence and cum out of you before you press your face into his throat, kissing and nibbling at his pulse. 
Seonghwa opened his mouth to tease you again, but paused. Once again he can smell it. That sweet scent lacing your usual one. 
His fingers twitched. As you place nips and kisses along the edges of some of his scales, you can hear him rumbling. 
".....sweet."
You look at him, blinking. 
"Sweet?"
"Yes. You smell sweet."
You blink before you hum quietly. Your eyes drift between your legs.
"Your fingers are still inside of me."
Seonghwa’s platinum scales along his cheekbones and the corners of his eyes turn a dusty pink, but all he did was hold you close. 
"Y/n."
"Yes, Seonghwa?"
You can tell there was nothing to panic about-yet-Seonghwa had spoken in a calm tone, his scales never paling or his scent tinging with fear. 
Instead, excitement? Nervousness?
"I think you're pregnant."
You stare at him. 
He stared back.
For a while, you think the world had stopped, had it not have been for the rushing sound of the water behind you and the gentle, steady sound of splashing as he continued to wash you with gentle, reverent hands. 
Then, your eyes well up. Seonghwa bit his lip and smiled as you bring your hand to your stomach. 
“Pregnant?” 
“Your scent has changed. It’s sweeter than usual, gentler.” 
He gently ran his hand over your stomach, landing on top of yours. 
Tears roll down your cheek as you pull him down for a kiss, feeling like you were floating. He smiled into it, holding you securely as you both sang and purred words of love and adoration to one another. 
That would explain…a lot, actually. The hunger you felt growing steadily, your portions growing significantly, getting winded easier while doing work around the island and in the ocean, and the increased clinginess from Seonghwa. 
You two clean up and Seonghwa held your hands in his, smiling softly. 
“How about we visit The Whetū Faewilds tomorrow? Yeosang may be able to help us out. He’s really good at helping out new families and I want him to give you a protection enchantment. I need to see if I can have my own seagarden somewhere here for our eggs so you can lay them separate from everyone elses. Maybe if Yunho brings a magma stone we can keep them warm on our own and-”
You watch fondly as Seonghwa excitedly chattered on about setting up your own nursery for your eggs. You cup his cheek minutes later and he stops mid-sentence, looking into your eyes. 
Neither of you say a word and he simply pressed his cheek into your palm, smiling. 
“Let’s get settled into bed early. We’ll leave for Yeosang’s early tomorrow.” Seonghwa suggested. You nod and smile, letting him carry you off to bed, a new kind of joy settling in your body as you cuddle into his arms that night. 
˚**✿❀༓❀✿**˚
“So how are we getting to Yeosang’s faewilds? Do we swim?” You inquire, looking over at Seonghwa the following morning as you both stand on the beach. 
Seonghwa fiddled with his ear, blinking as they brushed against a peridot earring. 
He had a feeling something had been misaligned, but couldn’t put his finger on what. Instead, he gripped the earring and called out to the ocean. 
“Wooyoung?” 
There’s a silence that stretches between you both. The ocean swayed calmly, unbothered. 
Seonghwa furrowed his brow and opened his mouth. 
“I’m right here. What do you need?” 
Both of you look behind you, finding Wooyoung standing on the air above both of you, looking down as you clutch your chest, startled. Seonghwa rubbed the small of your back and Wooyoung cocked a brow. 
“You two don’t look like you’re in danger. What do you want?” He yawned, stepping off of whatever invisible platform of air he was standing on, getting right in both of your faces. 
“We need a lift to The Whetū Faewilds, please.” Seonghwa informed him, smiling in greeting. Wooyoung blinked before looking at you. 
Whether you noticed or not, you’d been idly rubbing small circles along your stomach, taking note of the subtle bulge forming. 
“Oh, good. You both realized she’s pregnant. I see.” Wooyoung stretched and ignored the stammering coming from Seonghwa. 
“You knew?”
“We all knew. Now, c’mon before I change my mind. I don’t recall when it was I said I was suddenly a transportation service.” Wooyoung grumbled. He took a few steps towards the ocean, and you could see trails of stardust glinting with his every step. 
You blink. 
His feet never actually made contact with the sand, now that you looked closer. 
Wooyoung made a sweeping motion and in an instant, a tear appeared before you all. You frown, looking at the unnatural tear space and peer through it, holding Seonghwa’s hand. Through it, you can see a lush forest. 
“I don’t have all day, go on.” Wooyoung urged, nodding towards the tear. Seonghwa smiled at you, kissing your knuckles before he pulled you towards the spacial tear, guiding you into it. 
Immediately, the aroma around you changes. 
The smell of sea salt disappeared into the distance, now replaced with fresh rain and flowers. You breathe deep, smiling as it caresses you and brings about an instant calm. The forest seemed to welcome your presences, and you watch as a tiny, cotton ball shaped entity bounced over to you. 
It made a noise you could only describe as a puppy-like squeak before it ran down a row of fragrant plumeria and gardenia bushes. 
“That’s a faerie, they’re leading us to Yeosang.” Seonghwa explained. You smile and turn to thank Wooyoung, but find him already missing. 
“Oh-uh, okay, let’s go.” You take Seonghwa’s hand and follow the fae through the forest. You are careful not to step on any flowers along the way. A few other fae peeked out of the bushes, watching you before they began following you both, some of them cooing and climbing up Seonghwa’s body with a sense of familiarity. 
You smile, watching as the small glowing puffs dot your mate. One of them crossed the bridge between your and his shoulders, squeaking as it pressed against your cheek and began to shake in what you assumed was excitement. 
“Ah, you’re here. Welcome.” 
You look up and blink in surprise, finding yourself standing in front of a beautiful hut in the center of a village you don’t remember walking into. You look around, lips parted as you spy faeries of all shapes and sizes, looking curiously at you as they held fruit and flora in various baskets. 
Your eyes drift back in front of you and you find Yeosang smiling softly at you both, his hair secured back in a clip and a dangling jewled hairclip catching your attention as he walked closer. 
“You kept your word and stopped by. I appreciate it. We’ve missed you,Seonghwa, and my people have wanted to greet you, Y/n.” He gently gave Seonghwa a hug. Seonghwa closed his eyes and leaned down, pressing his forehead to Yeosang’s. Yeosang closed his eyes back, gently holding Seonghwa’s forearms. 
When they pulled away, Yeosang muttered something in a tongue you couldn’t understand, smiling softly before he looked at you. 
“Do you mind?” He asked, holding his arms open. You smile and lean into his embrace without a second’s hesitation. Yeosang smiled and hugged you back. He pulled away after a moment or two and you follow what Seonghwa had done, closing your eyes and tilting your head up slightly. You miss the small look of surprise on Yeosang’s face before it melted into a fond look, with him leaning down to press his forehead to yours, breathing gently. 
A sense of warmth and welcome washed over you, and just like with Seonghwa, Yeosang pulled away and muttered something. This time you could understand him. 
‘Welcome home.’
Seonghwa put his arm around you and guided you into Yeosang’s home, sitting down first and patting his lap. You sit down with a small blush, settling into his embrace as Yeosang began to move about his home, grabbing some decorative cups and setting them in front of you both before he set down a few small ceramic bowls. 
“So, I can smell the excitement on you both, and I noticed you had Wooyoung bring you here instead of making the day-long swim…I’m assuming you both have come to realize you are with children, yes?” Yeosang inquired, his movements graceful as he removed the lids of each bowl. You lift your head to peek, seeing dried flowers and fruit inside of each one, as well as the one at the end having some form of glittering powder. 
“Was I really the last to know?” Seonghwa frowned. You laugh behind your hand and kiss his jaw after turning your head and Yeosang chuckled, gently adding certain petals and leaves to a small bag, tucking them carefully into it. 
“It’s alright. Love is as exhilarating as it is blinding.” Yeosang mused, looking at both of you with a gentle fondness in his eyes. 
“How are you feeling, Miss?” He inquired. You wave gently. 
“Y/n is fine, Yeosang. I’ve been slowing down a bit but I’m okay. I imagine in the next eight months that may change drastically.” 
Both he and Seonghwa looked at you curiously before Yeosang hummed gently, adding dried apple and lemon to one bag. 
“Seaborns do not hold their eggs for nine months like humans do their young. You will probably need to lay in about two or so months. You’re a month in, so you’ll notice your body adjusting and changing fairly quickly from here on out.” He explained. You feel your lips part, staring at him in surprise. 
“Two months?” 
“Or somewhere about that time, yes. I recommend you keep your stress levels down and try and stay away from dangerous situations until then.” He met your eyes and you feel like there’s something he’s not saying in this moment. You don’t look away, rubbing Seonghwa’s knuckles as he adjusted his embrace. 
“What would I be doing that’s dangerous, Yeosang?”
Yeosang’s eyes didn’t betray anything in his head, and instead he only shrugged a shoulder. 
“I don’t know, I’m just warning you regardless.” 
He put the bags in the cups and gently poured the water into them. A pleasant aroma flooded the room and you find yourself sniffing eagerly, watching as he covered each cup with a small lid made of some kind of wood. 
He closed his eyes and took a moment, seemingly thinking before he looked at you both once more. 
“You would like me to place a protective enchantment on your womb, correct?” Yeosang inquired. You and Seonghwa nod in unison and Yeosang hummed, staring at the cups. 
“Have you chosen a place to lay your clutch?” He inquired, looking into Seonghwa’s eyes. 
“On the island, in a mini spring with a waterfall.” 
“Is it deep enough to have a magma stone placed in it without overheating it?” 
“I would need a smaller stone than usual, but yes. It's a good twenty-five feet deep. At least.” 
Yeosang tapped his lip and nodded quietly, humming to himself. He took the lid off of the cups and gently grabbed some of the glittering dust from the final ceramic bowl, sprinkling it into your cup before smiling softly and handing it to you. 
“Here.” 
You take a moment to take a deep breath, enjoying the aroma of hibiscus mixed with dried fruit. You sip gently and lean back against Seonghwa’s chest fully. 
“How many guppies do Seaborns usually have?” 
Yeosang looked at Seonghwa, arching a brow. Seonghwa rubbed your hips, putting his chin over your head. 
“If all goes well, usually two or three. If they aren't incubated properly, they won’t make it. We also would have to watch for predators. Usually, the creatures of the ocean stray clear of Seaborns but nurseries that aren't properly guarded have been known to have opportunity hunters go after the eggs.” he sighed. 
The sound of a growl drew both of their attention to you. A deep leer settled on your face, your eyes bleeding into crimson as you gripped the cup tight. 
“Baby?”
“I’ll kill anything that comes near my fucking babies, Seonghwa.” 
He blinked in surprise before he rubbed your hips and kissed your cheek. 
“I know, baby. Nothing will get close to our nursery.”
Yeosang watched the two of you and moved closer, sitting in front of you. 
“Can you lift your shirt? Just so I can see your stomach?” He inquired. Seonghwa moved his hands away from yours so you could decide and after you sit up a bit, you lift your shirt up until it was bunched over your belly. 
Yeosang’s eyes gleamed, and he held his hand over your stomach, fingertips glowing. He blinked for a moment before he exhaled, laughing to himself. You frown at him, worry settling in your brow. 
“What? What’s wrong?” You ask quickly. He waved and pressed his palm firmly against your belly. 
“Nothing, just thinking. Hold still for a moment.” He instructed. You hold your breath without thinking. Yeosang’s fingertips begin to glow with a soft, pastel yellow twinkle, small symbols appearing around the curve of your stomach before he pulled his hand away and gently lowered your shirt. 
“I’ve put some protective magic over your womb. Remember to be careful, it doesn’t make you immune to injuries, but it simply makes it easier for you with carrying and eventually when you lay. I’ll send you both home with some fae meals to keep your energy high and boost your health. Because you are a Reborn, you will find that your body will most likely begin to lactate, as well. Only Reborns can, seeing as you hold onto your mammal genetics to some extent. You can come back to me when your guppies are born and I will provide you with more Fae meals in order to keep your body healthy and cleansed of toxins so you can nurse them…if you choose to do so.” Yeosang explained, moving to sit back down, taking a sip of the tea in front of him. You touch your stomach ever so slightly and looked over at the kind Fae man. 
“That’s so kind of you…all of this is…Is there anything I can to repay you for your kindness?” 
Seonghwa kissed your head and pressed a kiss to your temple. 
“Yeosang, I’d like to show her around the village and your forest. Is it alright if I do it alone? I want her to see the Vermillion Gardens. If you don’t want anyone there, I understand, too.” Seonghwa spoke gently, and you could tell from the way Yeosang had paused his drinking, this was something of a special place. 
He rose his gaze up to the two of you before he smiled, his nose scrunching slightly. 
“Just be mindful of the flowers. Do not stray too far from them. My Faewilds may be friendly towards those I welcome here, but that does not mean you shouldn’t watch your own back.“
Seonghwa smiled wide and took your hand, pulling you out of the hut and guiding you through the beautiful village. 
Yeosang watched the two of you leave and sat down, bringing a cup of tea up to his lips. 
“I never expected you to be such a softie for an addition of The Fold.” He spoke into the brim of the cup. For a moment, there was no response in the seemingly empty room. 
Then, 
“A ‘softie’? You wound me. I don’t give a damn about that woman or those kids, I just want to make sure-”
“There was an Eldritch rune on her womb long before I touched her. I wonder who that came from.” Yeosang cut him off and motioned to the empty spot beside him, his fingers glowing as a second cup of tea began brewing. Sure enough, Wooyoung emerged, taking a seat beside him, pouting. 
“I really can’t hide a thing from you, huh?” He grumbled. Yeosang sent him a smile, eyes twinking with mirth. 
“No, you can’t. I don’t even know why you try at this point.” 
˚**✿❀༓❀✿**˚
You step carefully as you trek through the Vermillion Garden, the petals of countless spider lilies tickling your ankles as you walk beside Seonghwa. There was a gazebo in the center of the field and Seonghwa carefully helped you sit in a bench, touching you with added care, as if you were to lay at any moment. 
It was as equally adorable as it was endearing. 
Seonghwa put an arm around you, looking at the illuminated flowers as he took a deep breath. You admire your surroundings, holding Seonghwa’s hand. 
“This flower field…is it special?” You inquire. Seonghwa nodded, looking up at the stars above. The sky was a much different color than the one back on the beach. 
Instead of a pitch black or a deep blue, the night sky was a deep purple. A shimmering aurora flowed through the sky above the two of you, and for a few moments, you forget to breathe, simply taking it all in. 
“The heart and soul of the Faewilds. It all started here. Yeosang always brought us here when something good would happen in our lives. Something about the flowers helping lift the soul and spirit. So…its only right I bring you here.” 
You blush and smile, kissing him slowly. Around you, the flowers begin the glow, wisps of light dancing around the night sky like fireflies. You cup Seonghwa’s face, feeling like you were floating. 
Everything was going to be alright. 
….right?
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶
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liaromancewriter · 1 year
Text
Summer Romance
Premise: Ethan and Cassie define their status over breakfast, set early in their secret relationship.
Book: Open Heart Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine) Rating/Category: Teen. Fluff. Words: 1,525
A/N: Submission to @choicesjanuarychallenge​ Day 3 prompt “Breakfast”. I’m using @choicesflashfics​ week 14, Prompt 1 which will be in bold. I’m also using Prompt 9 from @creativepromptsforwriting​ Teasing Dialogues. Tagging for reblog to @creativepromptfills​​
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Cassie Valentine was up early, and she didn’t like it. As a second-year medical resident, she got one day off a week, if she was lucky, to just laze around in bed. She was not a fan of wasting the opportunity to be a sloth.
She wasn’t sure what had woken her up or even what time it was, just that she’d rather go back to sleep. Sadly, her senses weren’t cooperating, and she was wide awake.
She cocked one ear, but the apartment was silent. Either her roommates were still asleep or were quiet as mice. She thought it was likely both since Sienna was an early riser and quiet to boot.
A lock of blond hair fell across her eyes, and she blew the errant strands away. She briefly wondered if she should get bangs but then remembered she had no patience for the growing-out phase.
Cassie took her phone off the charger and huddled under the covers. She unlocked the screen to catch up on notifications from her news and social media apps. Before she could click on Pictagram, Ethan’s name appeared at the top of her screen.
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Still smiling at the exchange—and somewhat bemused by the impromptu date—Cassie shoved the covers aside and grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed. If lucky, she could have first dibs on the shower and the hot water.
It was almost seven-thirty when Cassie got off the T near Ethan’s apartment building. She looked up the café address on her phone and started walking. It was a beautiful summer day, and she was glad Ethan had suggested a day out.
She told herself not to read too much into it. They might have known each other for a year, but their romantic relationship was still so new and shiny.
She often rushed in; it was an unfortunate habit. Like when she told Ethan last April that she was in love with him, not knowing if he felt anything more for her than lust.
Well, this time, she would just enjoy the romance and heady feeling of a new relationship. She wouldn’t push for more than Ethan was ready to give, even if a small corner of her heart ached to hear those three words.
Lost in thought, Cassie almost passed the café when she heard Ethan calling her name.
“Hey, good morning,” she smiled, placing her hands on his arms and stretching on her toes to peck his lips. “Have you been waiting long?”
“Just a few minutes,” he said, staring intently at her. “You looked a million miles away.”
She chuckled. “Well, it’s early, and I haven’t had my coffee yet. I’m assuming these amazing croissants come with an excellent roast?”
“Have I ever let you down when it comes to coffee?” he asked, quirking one eyebrow.
“Not yet, but the day’s young,” she teased as he held the door open for her.
Given the early hour, Cassie was surprised to find the café busy. There were still a few seats available, including one near the window being bussed.
“They have the standard pastries and brunch specials,” Ethan explained the menu as they took their place in line.
She perused the black chalkboard and took Ethan’s advice on what was good. They stepped up to the counter, placed their order and then snagged the window seat before someone else could.
When the barista called their number, Ethan told her to stay seated while he fetched their order.
Cassie smiled when she caught the eye of an old woman sitting across from her. She had been staring at the two of them from the moment they sat down.
“Your young man is quite the catch,” the woman said pleasantly, eyeing Ethan’s broad back. “If I was twenty years younger, I’d give you a run for your money.”
“And I’m sure you’d win,” Cassie said, smiling to show she wasn’t offended.
She winked at the woman when Ethan returned with their breakfast. He caught her mid-wink and twisted in his seat to see who it was.
When the woman called him a hottie and fanned herself dramatically, Cassie burst into laughter. Ethan mumbled thanks awkwardly and quickly turned back around, his face flushed and red pricks high on his cheekbones.
“I think I’m going to have you paged as Doctor Hottie from now on,” Cassie teased, taking a photo of their breakfast to post on Pictagram.
She kept the caption short and sweet and clicked send.
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Setting her phone facedown on the table, she lifted her coffee cup to take that first life-affirming sip.
“You flirt in the most awkward situations,” Ethan muttered, the red spreading to the tips of his ears.
“You know you love it,” Cassie said, blowing him a kiss and giggling when he rolled his eyes.
She broke off a corner of the flaky croissant and popped it in her mouth, humming in pleasure when the buttery chocolate flavor exploded on her tongue.
“I had my doubts when you texted me because I’m picky about my croissants,” she said slowly, nibbling at her pastry. “But these are divine. I wish the café was near the hospital because I’d be here daily.”
“The baristas at Derry’s will be heartbroken,” he said with a sardonic twist of his lips. “Especially since they bend over backward to accommodate your every request. I think they like you more than me.”
“You always know exactly what to say to make me smile,” she grinned and stuck her tongue out at him.
Ethan didn’t protest when she took a bite of his almond croissant. For taste, she expounded. He was well used to her surf and turf method of eating off his plate. She figured if they were going to last for any period of time, he should know what he was in for from the start.
“Tastes like marzipan,” she said, pursing her lips at the bitter aftertaste. “I’ll stick to chocolate.”
She held the coffee cup between her hands and leaned forward, deciding to lay it all on the line despite her earlier resolve. “I was surprised to get your invite.”
Ethan paused mid-sip. “Is it so bizarre that I want to spend the day with my girlfriend?”
“Bizarre? No. Unexpected? Yes,” she said truthfully. “Don’t get me wrong. I love spending days off with you, and I like us. But I guess I’m not sure what you want or need from this relationship. I kinda jumped the gun earlier this year when I told you I loved you. I don’t want you to think I’m expecting too much too soon.”
She shrugged when he continued staring at her, his blue eyes reading her like an open book. He took her hand off the table and folded it in his. Their palms connected and set off sparks they were both used to by now.
“If we’re being honest, I am taking every day as it comes,” he said, keeping his eyes locked on hers.
He tightened his hold when Cassie started to look away, and her eyes snapped into his. She remained silent, sensing he had more to say.
“When we came together last spring,” he began and stopped, hesitating as if formulating his thoughts. “Back then, I wasn’t sure I had anything to give to someone like you. People gravitate toward you because you’re personable and funny, and you care. From asking Bobby, the security guard, how his kids are doing to remembering the birthdays of the nursing staff that cover our floors. You leave a mark, Cassie.”
He wiped away a lone tear that escaped past her cheek.
“What I’m trying to say—badly—is that for the first time in my adult life, I’m enjoying the romance of it all and being a couple. I’m leaning into a relationship with a woman who makes me feel it’s okay to be me.”
Cassie saw the sincerity on his face, and she knew she had pushed as much as possible. She smiled and squeezed his hand to let him know she was okay. They were okay.
“I believe you promised me a drive along the coast,” she said, changing the subject. “Where specifically?”
“I thought we might drive up to Nahant Bay and take the scenic route along Lynn Shore Drive. There’s a diner in the area that does great lobster rolls.”
“Road trip! I have the perfect playlist for that,” Cassie exclaimed, getting excited about his plan. “No opera or symphonies.” She threw him a steely-eyed look. “Those two genres are not synonymous with road trips.”
Ethan started to protest on principle, but her excitement was infectious. “Fine, but I draw the line at bubble gum pop.”
“I can accept your stipulation,” she said, bowing her head in mock reverence.
Hand in hand, they left the café and strolled down the street toward his building. He talked about nothing in particular, she teased and flirted, and all was as it should be in their world, thought Cassie.
Romance and wanting to be in a relationship were both good foundations. She could live with that. For now.
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​​All Fics & Edits: @a-crepusculo​​ @annfg8​​ @bex-la-get​​ @bluebelle08​​ @cariantha​​ @choicesaddict5​​ @coffeeheartaddict2​​ @crazy-loca-blog​​ @doriopenheart​​ @genevievemd​​ @headoverheelsforramsey​​ @lucy-268​​ @jamespotterthefirst​​ @jerzwriter​​ @mysticalgalaxysstuff​​ @openheartforeverinmyheart​​ @peonierose​​ @takemyopenheart​​ @potionsprefect​ @queencarb​ @quixoticdreamer16​ @rookiemartin​​ @trappedinfanfiction​​ @vi-writes-stuff​​ @zahrachoices​​ 
Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations​​ @openheartfanfics​​ 
Ethan & Cassie only: @custaroonie​​ @lady-calypso​​ @hopelessromantic1352​​
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battlecries-dear · 2 years
Text
at least until it happened again Ch1.
2.1k
read it here or on AO3
The way it started was, in hindsight, entirely foreseeable.
Jaskier is an incorrigible flirt, Geralt is a man who gets turned away at the door of brothels more often than he’s let in. They’re both terrible romantics. 
The way it started was at a festival outside of Posada celebrating a god of romance and fertility or something of the sort. It seemed to be quite an important event,  new and old couples alike in their displays of affection. Single people looking to change that. Just an air of love and lust and flirtation and declaration. 
Jaskier was having a delightful time. A young woman with short chestnut hair and the clearest blue eyes he had ever seen was making eyes at him across the street, an older man hanging off the arm of another kept whispering to his partner and looking toward Jaskier, if he wasn’t propositioned soon, he’d be off doing the propositioning. 
His thoughts were interrupted by Geralt reapproaching, something held carefully between his two large hands. He wasn’t smiling, but he might as well have been. A subtle lift of his lips, a crinkling beside his eyes, it was a look Jaskier was so taken with. 
Jaskier caught his eye in a quick questioning look before Geralt walked in close. Not, well— not terribly close, not necessarily improper, especially not in this setting, but Geralt always stood just a hair closer than Jaskier felt was appropriate for two people who were just friends, and it did funny things to his heart he wasn’t ready to examine at this point. Regardless, Geralt began to speak.
“I didn’t think they’d have them, but I always check when we're in a festival town.”
Jaskier was confused for a moment longer before Geralt opened his hands and presented something wrapped in brown baker's paper, setting it in Jaskiers hands. 
“Oh,” he was taken aback at the sight. It was two small pastries, he could smell the nuts and honey and that was enough to remind him of a childhood where he wanted for nothing, of him and his mother laughing while covered head to toe in flour. 
“You mentioned never being able to find them outside of Lettenhove, I doubt these are as good as your mothers but maybe good enough to remind you of home,” he looked a bit sheepish now, but Jaskier began to speak before it turned to any sort of shame as his gentle witcher was prone to.
“I didn’t think you'd remember, it must’ve been two years ago I mentioned missing these,” he paused to meet his eyes, “thank you Geralt.” 
Jaskier was well and truly struck every time Geralt showed he cared more than he let on, and this was no exception. 
He really was smiling now, one that just barely showed off the points of his canines, it was one of those rare smiles that Jaskier treasured more than any of his earthly possessions. 
“Here,” Jaskier said, and offered one of the pastries to Geralt.
“Oh, no I got them for you,” the witcher was quick to correct.
“Yes love, and I appreciate that more than I can properly express with words, and expressing things with words is how I make my coin, but I want you to have this.”
All prior thoughts of the implications of a fertility festival, and eyeing up potential suitors were long forgotten at the fond look on Geralt's face as he took a hesitant bite from the pastry in Jaskiers hand. Jaskier took a bite of his own and was pleasantly surprised. No it wasn't as good as his mother's, but it was damn near close, (or maybe Geralt looked too fond for Jaskier to even begin to care about the slight overabundance of honey in the treat). 
“That was… good,” there was something about Geralt's softness in the moment, something unguarded that was driving Jaskier crazy.
“Y’know these were my favorite as a child because of time spent making them with my mother, but they were my favorite as a teen because they were usually made sweet enough you could taste the honey on someone's tongue after they ate one,” Jaskier could feel the look on his face was far more sincere than it usually was after a salacious comment directed at his companion, and that probably had something to do with the way Geralt's bottom lip had a bit of shine to it where some honey remained. 
And the look Geralt gave him in return? It was like a blacksmith was starting a fire in his ribcage. 
“Hm,” the witcher replied shortly, and Jaskier already knew the myth that witchers couldn't flush was shit, but it was still so rare to see the pretty pink dusted across Geralt's nose and cheeks. 
“What, don’t you believe me? We could always give it a try—”
“Jaskier—”
“If you’d like…” 
“Jaskier,” and how did he not notice Geralt moving in even closer? It was enough they were sharing breaths, and Geralt brought his hand up to Jaskiers neck, “Jaskier,” he said again, and there was an unfamiliar breathlessness to his voice Jaskier wanted to hear every day for the rest of his life. 
Geralt quickly wet his bottom lip with his tongue. It was a shame, Jaskier wanted to taste the honey there. 
Who actually started the kiss, whoever closed that last bit of space was unclear. Later, Jaskier claims it was him, a romantic hero in every moment. Later still Jaskier admits that every second of the encounter is forever burned into his mind and that it was Geralt who leaned in first. 
It was— as far as first kisses go (usually with at least a bit of awkward fumbling in Jaskiers experience) and as far as Jaskier was concerned— the best he’s ever been kissed. 
Jaskier brought a hand up behind Geralt's head to pull him in closer and the witcher let out the breathiest little gasp, Jaskier was gone. That's it pack it up boys your humble bard was going to have his heart give out right then and there and he was gonna die happy.
Then Geralt was pulling back and there was a wild look in his eyes. 
He opened and closed his mouth a few times before, “we should go back to the inn,” and fuck, Jaskier couldn’t argue with that.
“Yes, we absolutely should, what a wonderful idea.” 
~~ 
The short walk back to their accommodation was made a bit longer by Geralt crowding him up against any vertical surface and kissing the daylights out of him, but you wouldn't hear Jaskier complaining 
~~
“Fuck,” Geralt groaned.
“Eloquent as ever my dear,” Jaskier couldn't really blame him for his return to monosyllabic responses. The second they made it back to their room Jaskier pushed him against the door and fell to his knees, “Is this alright?” he asked.
“Is this— yes this is alright, fuck.”
Jaskier started undoing the clasp on Geralt's trousers, gently palming at the bulge there and relishing in the tiny gasping breaths from above him. He remembers one drunken night where Geralt confessed to Jaskier that the trials didn't just heighten his senses, it heightened his sensitivity as well. And even a gentle touch could get him wired. 
It was one thing knowing that, and an entirely different ball game actually seeing it, being the cause of it. Jaskier could get used to those gasps.  
He shoved Geralt's pants down to his mid-thigh and just took a moment to breathe. 
“Oh, sweetheart…” 
Geralt's hips surged forward, Jaskier placed a steadying hand on his bare hip. 
“Be patient love, I’ll take good care of you,” Jaskier murmured as he leaned in, nosing at the crease where Geralt’s cock met his thigh. 
The witcher above him fucking whined, and Jaskier couldn’t help but feel if he didn't get his mouth on Geralt right this instant he would literally die. 
He took Geralt in his hand and wasted no time following with his tongue. Jaskier pressed the flat of it against the underside of Geralt’s cock before taking him fully into his mouth. He bobbed  his head a few times experimentally before pulling off.
“Jaskier,” Geralt rasped.
“Fuck—fuck,” he took a moment to catch his breath, “darling, that door mustn’t be comfortable, we’ve got the rarity of a perfectly serviceable bed, let’s use it.”
“I don't care— it’s, it’s fine.”
“I don’t care about fine, I’m going for magnificent, or stupendous, or life changing—”
“Jaskier, please,” he said impatiently.
“Sorry love,” he said “really though, I’d like to get these clothes off of you and get you more comfortable.”
Geralt shuddered a bit at that, and Jaskier made quick work of fully removing Geralt's clothes. He guided them a few short steps to the bed before pushing Geralt down and making himself comfortable on top of him. 
“Usually I like to take my time a bit more, but you really need it, don’t you love?” Geralt answered with a grunt that was teetering on moan, and Jaskier grinned.
He began to kiss his way down Geralt's body, only mildly frustrated the bruises he was kissing onto his neck wouldn’t even last the night. 
He paused when he made it back down to Geralt's cock and took in the scene, smiling up at him, “oh sweetheart, you’re even prettier than I had imagined… and gods did I imagine.”
Geralt chuckled before Jaskier was back on him with fervor, any sounds coming from him now were gasps and whimpers. 
After putting to work a few different techniques (Jaskier was a well traveled lover after all), he started focusing more on the head with sloppier, shallower thrusts, and Geralt started pleading. 
“Jask—please,” he gasped, “please, I need—” he cut himself off with a wet sounding gasp. 
Jaskier couldn’t offer any words at the moment, but he gently patted his left hand against Geralt’s thigh. The pleading though, that was too much, he started grinding his hips against the bed to try and alleviate some of the burning arousal in his gut. 
His comforting pat on the leg quickly became a bruising grab, and Jaskier felt Geralt's whole body shudder with the pressure, “yes— yes Jaskier please, please.”
Jaskier couldn’t help but bemoan the fact that if Geralt didn’t stop making all those noises, he’d come rutting against the bed like a damn teenager. 
“Fuck, just like that, please— don’t stop,”
‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ Jaskier couldn't help but think as he moved his hips faster against the bed.
“Jask— Jaskier I’m—” he groaned, “I’m going to—”
Jaskier didn’t let up, the whine in Geralt's voice had him coming in his own pants before Geralt even had a chance to make good on his statement.
As soon as he started calming down, Geralt was coming down his throat with a full body shiver. 
Jaskier would be thinking about this moment for the rest of his life. Forget every ballad hes ever written, the last half hour— Geralts fucking symphonious moaning— was the most valuable bit of art he’d ever had a hand in. 
He pulled off Geralt slowly, and as much as he’d love to just press his face into Geralt’s chest and whisper sweet nothings and fall asleep for ten years, he really didn’t want to stay in wet trousers any longer than necessary. He pulled himself off of Geralt and took just a moment to stare down at him. 
“Wait c’mere,” Geralt was still mumbling, “you didn’t—”
“Oh you really don’t need to worry about that,” he laughed as realization dawned on Geralt's face, “ I’ve just got to clean up the mess I just made of myself, be back in a dash.”
Jaskier returned from the bathroom down the hall in less than two minutes in fresh trousers. Geralt seemed to have made himself a bit more presentable as well, now in his smallclothes sitting on the edge of the bed. 
He looked up at Jaskier, and he looked terrified where he sat, opening and closing his mouth a few times. And that? That was a move Jaskier knew all too well. You sleep with someone, and then they immediately start to regret it but don’t know how to politely tell you that so they flounder there for a moment before awkwardly trying to let you down gently. 
Knowing Geralts' general issues with expressing what's going on in that pretty head of his, it would be a long while of painful floundering for a less than gentle letting down. 
“It’s alright Geralt, you don’t have to look so terrified all of a sudden,” he paused, unable to meet the witcher's eyes, “I’m not gonna propose marriage or anything. I’m a romantic at heart but I can understand the merits of a good ol’ no strings attached fuck,” there was something like skepticism on Geralt’s face, “I promise darling, nothings going to change because of one truly divine roll in the hay.”
“Yes—” his voice came out low and scratchy, “yeah, it's alright.”
And with that it was done, well, with that Jaskier thought it was done.
At least until it happened again. 
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Text
Continued from here for @electricea due to new blog + beta editor!
She didn't doubt it, as she listened to Ryuji with a strained, sympathetic smile. Until she moved abroad for school, Sonia's idea of owning a shop had been nothing short of an idyllic romance. A pleasantly simple life of stocking shelves and helping customers who were always polite and thankful to do business there. The reality, she'd learned after beginning her time at Hope's Peak Academy, had been something rather different. And by the time she and Ryuji met that fateful night a few months ago, she hadn't even been surprised by the rude customer behind her, demanding she speed up her transaction. Her lack of expedience and perchance for manners, particularly as the clock neared midnight, had turned her into a blonde, foreign annoyance for the other customers behind her as she'd chatted amiably with Ryuji behind the counter.
It was far less aggravating, she supposed, for everyone that she spend time with him like this instead. Surrounded by various prepackaged offerings and waiting for him to bring a selection of sodas, she found she rather preferred it too. He didn't have the same tone he utilized behind the counter: it was the sort new members of staff used when working for the Royal Family, before they came to know the family they worked for, and they with them in turn. "When I was younger, I loved reading anything I could get my hands on, really!" She admitted, smiling fondly at the memory. "I think I mentioned that I was tutored at home until middle school and my parents chose my friends for me, so much of my way of learning about the world was through books or television. I still must read quite a bit for work, but it's usually news reports or various proposals. For fun, I like novels, particularly gothic romance and horror, and manga as well. They are very soothing for me."
If he was imagining something akin to a library in an animated enchanted castle, Sonia would have to admit that it wasn't far off. Except instead of being full of fairy tales and love stories, it was full of texts on history, language, philosophy, mathematics, science, and more. Though she'd taken care in finding all the fiction she could, including books that her parents would've been horrified to know she found, and read, as a young girl. They should've stored the naughty books somewhere a bit more discreet, she thought as he returned with the drinks. Or at least somewhere a young child wouldn't be compelled to climb up a ladder to reach.
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"When you aren't here, where do you like to go to have fun?" she asked, now torn between her inquiry and the vibrant, colorful sodas and their labels he set before them. "I'm afraid I'm not terribly familiar with energy drinks! Do they simply contain a lot of caffeine?"
Her version had always been tea or, if absolutely necessary, coffee with enough sweetened syrup to take away the bitterness of roasted beans. Hopefully energy drinks weren't as sour or bitter as plain coffee or espresso was: she wouldn't enjoy it if that were the case. Unlike the strawberry soda he now held out to her, eliciting a bright smile and a nod from the princess.
"Oh yes, I agree, everyone loves strawberry. That is an excellent choice, thank you," She agreed, accepting the bottle. It wasn't the most unique flavor, but it was reliably enjoyed. Ryuji would know, Sonia thought as she uncapped the bottle: he was the one selling them.
Still, her eyes widened at his description of the seasonal noodles. Not only seasonal, but autumn and Halloween appropriate. Precisely the sort of thing that sparked her interest, causing her to set her soda aside for the moment. "Oh, pumpkin noodles!" She exclaimed, "I should like to try those. But you are right: I like to try new flavors, as long as they aren't terribly sour, bitter, or plum. I often am introduced to new foods when I travel for work, so I take those opportunities as they come. They aren't quite like this though, convenience shop food and such. I'd imagine you like to try everything the shop gets in stock!"
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dojimakaichou · 2 years
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“  well,  are you gonna make the first move or shall i? ”
some flirty memes ★ accepting
★. ―
Daigo met Akiyama at Sky Finance that evening. He didn’t have to wait long before the moneylender appeared. The ex - yakuza mused over the fluttering sensation in his stomach  ―    wasn’t that what they called it ? butterflies ?  ―  regardless, it was a feeling he couldn’t shake. 
          Akiyama’s leisurely stroll kept pace well enough with Daigo’s commanding stride. Cigarettes were lit soon, wreathing the two men in a pleasant halo of smoke. They moved beneath the flickering neon lights of Kamurocho with ease. Every crack in the pavement ; those few infamously uneven street corners that had never been adjusted ; the spaces in between the street lamps. There wasn’t a stretch of the district that they weren’t familiar with. 
           It was always interesting to walk like this with Akiyama. Daigo could see the contrast between their reputations clearly : everyone flocked toward the Lifeline of Kamurocho and few approached the former Sixth Chairman of the Tojo Clan. Those that dared to greet Daigo did so respectfully with bowed heads and murmurs of his surname. Akiyama’s connections were far more open with him. They laughed as they showed him pictures on their phones of the latest developments life had handed them. To be fair, these differences had a great deal to do with the men themselves. Daigo was so quick to startle and step in front of Akiyama at a sharp noise ( not that his protection was needed, of course, but it was in the ex - yakuza’s nature ). Occasionally, his fingers twitched toward the pistol holstered under his suit jacket. Akiyama was comparatively calmer. He responded to the circumstances and people at hand as they came to him, and his ability to handle even the most difficult of either with a seemingly easy grace was mesmerizing.
          Daigo couldn’t help but wonder. The ghostly smile on his lips betrayed how lost in thought he was. Nicotine on his tongue had finally soothed his immediate nerves, but he nonetheless felt  .    .    .  amused. A man at his age with a crush like this was almost laughable  ―  especially when he considered how settled he had been with being alone up until very recently. Daigo had made his peace with a life lived solitary a long time ago ; romance, a partner, even something as simple as a date couldn’t possibly be in the cards for him. The Chairman of the Tojo Clan wasn’t afforded such luxuries, and his complicated past with love and loss had turned him away from trying to prove that bitter statement otherwise.
          Yet, here they were. HERE HE WAS : a man with his office stripped away and the structure of his world entirely upended. The best shot in the country ( calloused palms bloody with the lives he had taken ) now happily shaking hands at rehabilitation programs for the individuals who had once served under him and fighting the public perception against them with lofty words and positive advertising campaigns. A hard - hearted, stubborn person who had always thrived when left alone.
           ― but he wasn’t. Not now. The twisting of his insides and the absence of his breath reminded him of that. Daigo’s eyes flicked to the side, peering beneath dark lashes, and he was pleasantly surprised to find Akiyama doing the same. Glittering brown irises, shades lighter than Daigo’s own, met and held his stare with no hesitation.
          “ Well, are you gonna make the first move or shall I ? ”
          Akiyama’s playful remark caught Daigo off - guard, and the ex - yakuza’s foot hesitated behind him. He stumbled forward hard. Daigo’s cigarette tumbled out of his fingertips. A string of curses left his lips. This pitch toward the ground was too unexpected, and there was little he could do except brace to hit the pavement. So he thought.
          The moneylender at his side was fast. A bit of luck mixed with quick thinking and locked knees kept Daigo mostly upright  ―  though Akiyama was ready to accept a portion of the older man’s weight, he was forced to dig his heels in at the impact of it. Daigo really was a bull, wasn’t he : there was no aspect of his broad torso that felt soft as Akiyama’s arm looped around it. He half  - caught the former Chairman against his front, which allowed Daigo to sink into him. Large hands found purchase behind Akiyama’s back.
          A few steadying breaths and blinks helped Daigo focus. Hesitantly, he rose to his full height, body held flush to the loan shark’s. His hammering heartbeat roared in his ears as their eyes locked again. In the dim lights provided by a nearby ramen shop sign and close street light, the deep blush on Daigo was evident.
          At the sight of a teasing smile on Akiyama’s lips, Daigo tried to explain. “I didn’t, Akiyama-san  ―  THAT WASN’T A  .    .    .  ” Fucking hell. To hold Akiyama this close effectively rendered Daigo speechless, and he was unable to express that tripping hadn’t been his ‘ first move. ’ He disentangled himself from the moneylender with obvious regret and took a careful step back.
          “Gravity,” Daigo said pointedly, fixing his tie. Fingers ran back through his hair, and he inhaled an immense breath. “ THAT WAS GRAVITY. ”
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waitimcomingtoo · 3 years
Text
The Proposal ~ T.H
chapter two: the trip
series masterlist
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“Good morning, miss.” Tom greeted when you walked into your shared office. “The updated manuscript is on your desk with new tabs. And I have your matcha right here. I already tested it to make sure they put soy milk and not regular.”
“Thank you, assistant.” You smiled tightly as you took the cup from him. “Are you ready to go to city hall this weekend? I want to get this over with as soon as possible.”
“About that.” Tom grimaced. “There’s been a small hiccup.”
“Hiccup?” You said, unamused.
“Small.” He pinched his fingers together. “More like a gurgle, really.”
“What is it?”
“I was going to go home for the week, remember?” He reminded you. “You approved my time off?”
“Damn it. Why would I do that?” You sighed. “Does it have to be this week?”
“It’s my little brothers birthday and I promised him I’d be there. I’m sorry.” Tom apologized. “Can we do it next week?”
“I don’t have until next week.” You whined. “We have a meeting with an IRCC agent next Monday and we need to be convincingly married by then.”
“I’m sorry.” He repeated. “But it’s his 16th birthday and I never get to see him.”
“Where are you from?” You asked him.
“Kingston, miss.”
“That’s an hour away from here.” You furrowed your eyebrows. “Can’t you just drive there and drive back after the party?”
“He and I have a tradition where we stay up the night before his birthday and watch movies. You know, so we don’t miss a second of his birthday.” Tom explained shyly. “I’d have to be there overnight. And my family is expecting me for the whole week. It’ll break their hearts if I leave after the party.”
“Tom.” You sighed and rubbed your temples. “We need to be studying facts about each other so the agent doesn’t think we’re committing fraud. How are we supposed to do that of you’re gone?”
Tom smiled a little as you called him but his first name, a rarity for you. He could feel the power dynamic between you shifting and he wanted to see how much he could push it.
“Why don’t you come with me?” He suggested. “You can meet my family and we can spend the week together. That should be enough time to build a semi-convincing relationship, right? I mean, it’s not like we’re strangers. We spend 9 hours a day together.”
“As colleagues.” You pointed out. “I hardly know anything about you.”
“I’ll teach you everything you need to know this week. And you can teach me all about you.” He offered. “You can tell me all the things you like to do when you’re not sending your flying monkies after little girls and their dogs.”
“Thanks, but I’d rather sit on a cactus than spend the week with you and your family.” You smiled tightly.
“Fine then.” Tom shrugged. “Enjoy Canada.”
“Wait.” You held up a hand. “I’ll go. We need to learn about each other if we’re gonna make this work.”
“Okay.” Tom smiled a little. “Great.”
“Stop smiling.” You snapped. “And no more witch jokes.”
“Sorry, miss.” Tom obliged. “It won’t happen again.”
You looked at him for a moment before scribbling something down on your business card. He heard the click of your high heels coming over to his desk, making his heart rate jump.
“Pick me up at this address tomorrow at 1.” You said as you handed him the card. “Don’t be late.”
“Yes, miss.” He blushed a little as he rubbed his thumb over your address. It took two years, but he finally knew a little about you.
Tom parked outside your house the next afternoon at 12:45 pm and waited patiently. He knew you well enough to know that being punctual meant being early. You came out of your house with your luggage in hand and a large black hat on your head. He smirked a little at the sight of you in something other than work clothes. He quickly got out of the drivers seat and opened the car door for you.
“Good afternoon.” He said as he put your bags in the back seat. “You look lovely today.”
“Don’t compliment me.”
“Sorry, miss.” He said as he got back into the drivers seat.
“Your car smells like laundry detergent”. You sighed and touched up your lipstick in his mirror.
“Sorry.” He said again.
“You don’t have to keep apologizing.” You told him. “Just drive.”
Tom nodded and took off, heading in the direction of Kingston. He snuck glances at you every now and then, unsure of how to act around you in a non work setting. You seemed content with sitting quietly for the next hour, but he didn’t want to do that.
“I can’t wait to see my family.” Tom sparked up a conversation. “I think you’ll really like them. And they’ll like you.”
“Doubt it. When was the last time you saw them?”
“A little over two years now.” He told you. You shifted in your seat to look at him in confusion.
“Really?” You asked. “If you only live an hour away, how come you never see them?”
“You keep me pretty busy.” He said sheepishly. Your jaw dropped a little, but you quickly shut it.
“Oh.” You said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right.” Tom shrugged. “I love the job. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.”
“I know. I love it too.” You smiled a little. “You can imagine why I’m fighting so hard to keep this job. I can’t go back to Canada.”
“Canada can’t be that bad, can it?” He asked.
“Nothings wrong with Canada.” You told him. “I’d just be alone if I went back.”
“Isn’t your family there?”
You got quietly suddenly and stared out his car window. Tom looked at you nervously, hoping he hadn’t touched a nerve.
“I don’t really have any family.” You said after a minute. “My parents had a nasty divorce before I was born so my dads side cut me and my mom off. I’ve never met them.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Tom looked at your sympathetically. “That must have been really difficult for you.”
“Yeah.” You avoided eye contact. “It was.”
“You know.” Tom began. “That was the first personal thing you’ve ever told me.”
“If you tell anyone, I’ll have you fired.” You said flatly.
“Oh, will you?” He humored you. “From Canada?”
“Shut up.” You laughed a little, but quickly stopped.
“Yes, miss.” He obliged and shut his mouth.
“You don’t have to keeping calling me “miss”. You can call me Y/n.” You rolled your eyes before looking at him.
“Does that mean you’ll stop calling me “assistant”?” He asked with a smile.
“That’s your name.” You insisted, and he let out a laugh. You smiled a little to yourself, realizing you had never heard him laugh before.
“Was that a joke?” He asked. “Are you capable of things other than commands?”
“I’m not all business.” You shrugged. “I can be funny when I want to be.”
“I can see that.” Tom grinned. “Still, you should start calling me Tom. I am your fiancé, after all.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t flatter yourself.” You waved him off. “This is strictly a business deal. And you are so not my type.”
“Oh yeah?” He raised his eyebrows. “Then what is your type?”
“I like a man in power.” You stated. “And you’re just an assistant.”
“Not for long.” He reminded you. “As soon as you’re Mrs. Holland, I’m Mr. Editor-at-a-big-shot-publishing-company.”
“Hmm.” You hummed. “Call me then and we’ll see.”
Tom looked at you and smiled, and you unexpectedly smiled back. You quickly stopped smiling, not wanting him to think he’d broken your walls down.
“You know, I always had a little crush on you.” Tom admitted when he returned his eyes to the road.
“It’s a big crush and I’ve known since your first day.” You said simply.
“What?” He laughed. “How’d you know?”
“Please.” You rolled your eyes. “Changing your coffee order to match mine? I’ve had you whipped since the first time I asked you to print something.”
“I couldn’t help it.” He said shyly. “You’re so bossy and mean. It’s enticing.”
“Yeah.” You laughed uneasily. “Not many people think that.”
“Come on.” He scoffed. “You’re in charge of every room you walk in. You must have men falling at your feet.”
“I do.” You agreed. “But then I let them get too close and I scare them away.”
You sucked in a sharp breath suddenly and looked out the window, feeling like you said too much.
“What’s wrong?” Tom asked when he noticed you getting quiet.
“I don’t know why I said that.” You admitted. “I don’t really like to open up.”
“It’s okay.” He shrugged. “You can open up to me.”
“No.” You shook your head.
“No?”
“Keep your eyes on the road.” You changed the subject. “And fix your hands. Both of them need to be on the steering wheel.”
“Yes miss.” He nodded and put his other hand back on the wheel. “I mean, Y/n.”
“Good boy.” You murmured as you looked at him out of the corner of your eye. “That’s better.”
“We should be there pretty soon.” Tom changed the subject. “I should warn you about my mum. She’s a hugger. She’s gonna squeeze you real tight. Like, make you turn purple kinda tight.”
“Yeah, no.” You scrunched your nose. “I don’t do hugs.”
“You’re gonna have to if you want to be my wife.” Tom shrugged.
“I don’t want to be your wife.” You told him. “I just don’t want to be deported.”
“Ah.” Tom smiled. “Modern romance.”
“What else do I need to be prepared for?” You asked him. “I don’t like surprises.”
“My dad will try to make you laugh. And he won’t stop until he does.” Tom began. “Harry and Sam are my twins brothers. They’re gonna have a lot of questions for us. They’re always up my ass about my love life.”
“I thought you just had the one brother? The one turning 16.”
“No. I’m the oldest of four.” Tom told you. “Paddy’s the youngest. He’s the one turning 16.”
“Wow.” You blinked. “That’s a big family.”
“Yeah. They’re a lot to handle at first but they’re all really good people.”
“Okay.” You nodded. “Good to know.”
“Looks like we’re here.” Tom said as he turned a corner and pulled into a driveway. You gulped anxiously and looked around, pleasantly surprised with how nice his childhood home looked. Tom parked and quickly got out of his seat so he could open your door. He got your bags from the backseat and carried them inside.
You stood awkwardly at his side and looked around his living room. Suddenly, a dog ran into the room and jumped on Tom.
“Whats that?” You backed away in fear.
“Thats Tessa.” Tom smiled happily and bent down to pet the dog. “Hi, princess. Did you miss me?”
“You didn’t tell me you had a dog.” You kicked his side lightly.
“I must’ve forgotten to mention her.” He looked up at you as Tessa licked his face. “Hi, pretty girl. Did you miss me? Did you miss daddy?”
“No.” You gulped and backed away even further. “I hate dogs. I can’t be here.”
“What?” Tom asked. “How can you hate dogs?”
“They stink and slobber all over you.” You whined as Tessa began to sniff your leg. “Oh my God, get it away.”
“She likes you.” Tom grinned. “Let her sniff you. It’s how she says hello.”
“Her nose is wet.” You gagged.
“Well, she is a dog.”
“I’m gonna vomit.” You gagged again. “Oh God. Assistant, get me a bucket.”
“Tom? Is that you?”
You looked around for the unfamiliar voice just as a kind looking woman came into the room.
“Hi mum.” Tom got up and went to hug his mom. “Good to see you.”
“Oh, Tom.” She broke into a smile and hugged him back. “I’ve missed you so much. You need to come home more.”
“I know. I will.” Tom said as he pulled away. “Where’s dad?”
“Hes outside with the boys.” She told him. You couldn’t help but smile at sight in front of you, feeling a sense of longing for a hug as well.
“Who’s this?” His mom asked as her eyes shifted to you.
“This is Y/n. My girlfriend.” Tom said as he took your hand and pulled you closer.
“I thought Y/n was your boss?” She looked at Tom curiously.
“I am.” You spoke up. “But after sharing an office with him for two years, I couldn’t help but fall for him.”
“Ah! That’s wonderful. Come here.” His mom beamed and pulled you into a tight hug. You looked at Tom over her shoulder as she squeezed the air out of you.
“Sorry.” He mouthed with a smile.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Y/n.” She said once she pulled away. “Look at you. So beautiful.”
“Thank you, Mrs...” You trailed off as you once against forgot Toms last name. You looked at him for help and he mouthed the answer.
“Holland.” You read his lips. “Your home is beautiful, by the way. Thank you for having me.”
“Of course.” She cupped your face. “It’s so nice to have you here. What a lovely surprise.”
You smiled and leaned into his moms hand, missing the warmth of a mother’s touch. His mom let go of you after a minute and turned her attention back to Tom.
“I set up your old room for you.” She told him. “Why don’t you put your bags down and meet us outside?”
“Sure. Thanks, mum.” Tom kissed her cheek before grabbing your bags. This time, you helped him with the bags and picked your own up.
“Thank you, Mrs. Holland.” You said before leaving the room.
“You can call me Nikki.” She told you and pinched your cheek again. “I’ll see you two in a minute.”
You turned to follow Tom to his room, but caught him staring at you with a smile.
“What?” You asked.
“Nothing.” He chuckled. “You’re nice when you want to be.”
“Shut up.” You scoffed, returning to your usual bossy behavior. “My feet hurt. Where’s your room?”
“Right this way.” He nodded towards the hallway and you followed him. You didn’t give his room a second glance as you dropped your bags on his floor and got ready to leave.
“Let’s go.” You commanded. “Your mom is expecting us outside. And remember, we have to act like we’re in love.”
“I know.” Tom said quietly, feeling unexpectedly eager to act like your boyfriend.
“It’ll be easy for you, since you already kiss my ass so much.” You tried to joke. “But I’ll probably have a hard time since I don’t care about you at all.”
“Love you too, honey.” He smiled and took your hand. You let him tug you to his backyard, where the rest of his family was seated. You stood back and let Tom greet each member of his family with a hug and a kiss, feeling a weird sense of jealously. You didn’t really think of Tom outside the office, so it was strange to see him as someone’s son.
“Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Y/n.” Tom suddenly gestured to you. “She’ll be staying with us this week.”
“Hello everyone”. You waved awkwardly. It was the first time in your life you didn’t feel in control of a room. “Thank you for having me.”
“These are my brothers, Harry, Sam, and Paddy.” Tom gestured to three similar looking boys on the couch.
“Hello.” You smiled shyly.
“And this is my dad.” He continued. The spitting image of an older looking Tom stood up to greet you. You held your hand out to shake his, but he pulled you by that hand and kissed both of your cheeks.
“Lovely to meet you, Y/n.” He said as he squeezed your hand.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Holland.” You smiled at the gesture. “I’ve heard great things about you.”
“I’ve heard plenty about you too.” He replied, and he wasn’t lying like you were. “Tom speaks very highly of you. I hear you’re quite accomplished for your age.”
“Well you can get a lot done when you have help. Luckily, I have the best assistant in all of England.” You complimented Tom as the two of you took a seat. Tom hesitantly put his hand on your knee to sell the look of a couple. You pushed his hand off immediately, and he gave you a stern look. You blew out an annoyed breath and let him put his hand back on your knee.
“I can’t believe you’re just an assistant.” Harry snorted. “What do you even do?”
“I do a lot.” Tom insisted. “I answer Y/n’s phone calls, I schedule her meetings, I print manuscripts for her, I help her with editing. Things like that.”
“That’s so lame.” Sam laughed. “Does he get your coffee for you too?”
“I drink matcha, but yes.” You nodded. You could tell that their words were hurting Tom from the way his body slumped.
“Oh my God, mate.” Harry egged on. “You’re like her little pet.”
“Actually, I’ll be promoting Tom soon.” You spoke up in Tom’s favor.
“Really?” Nikki asked.
“Yes.” You nodded. “I’m making him my editor. He’ll hold the highest position in the company. After me, of course.”
“Wow.” Dom lit up. “That’s amazing.”
“We’re proud of you, Tom.” Nikki added.
“Wow.” Harry looked impressed. “So how did you guys get together anyway?”
“Um...” You looked at Tom in a panic, but he was prepared.
“A few months ago, we had to stay late to finish editing this manuscript.” Tom jumped in. “It was hundreds of pages but we needed to get it in by the morning. Y/n took the first ten chapters and I took the last ten. After two hours of reading, we realized we had been reading two different books.”
“Yeah.” You nodded along as if you knew the story. “We were so exhausted at that point that we laughed for ten minutes straight instead of getting upset. It didn’t even matter anymore.”
“It was the first time I really heard her laugh, and I remember thinking that I had never seen her look so beautiful.” Tom continued as he looked at you. “Hair all messy and eyes begging for sleep. I couldn’t help myself. I just leaned in and kissed her. We’ve been together ever since.”
Your lips curved into a smile at Tom’s unexpected story. You put your hand over his and squeezed it to bring it home.
“Took him long enough.” You chuckled. “But yeah, that was the night he finally kissed me.”
“That’s amazing.” Nikki gushed. “I always knew he liked you. He used to go on and on about how amazing you were. I can finally see what he meant.”
“Well he’s pretty amazing himself.” You replied. “It’s hard to find good help these days, but he’s always there when I need him. That’s how I knew he was the one.”
“The one?” Sam mused. “So you guys must be pretty serious.”
“We are.” Tom nodded and looked at you for permission. “We um, we’re engaged actually.”
“Engaged?” Nikki gasped.
“Yes. Engaged.” You faked a smile, and you were met with a slew of congratulations and hugs. You knew telling Tom’s family that the marriage was fake would make them liabilities, but you still felt guilty about getting their hopes up.
“Nicely done, son.” Dom pulled Tom into a tight hug and patted his back.
“Thank you.” Tom mumbled, feeling undeserving of his fathers praise.
“Where’s the ring?” Harry wondered.
“At home.” Tom lied. “Y/n didn’t want to travel with it.”
“Home.” Nikki gushed. “So you live together?”
“We do.” You nodded quickly. “Tom moved in with me a few weeks ago. We live in a house by a park.”
“That sounds lovely.” Nikki sighed. “We’ll have to come visit for the holidays.”
“Of course.” You looked at Tom with wide eyes. “Holidays. Together. As a family.”
“I’ll teach you all the family recipes, Y/n.” Sam jumped in. “Every Holland must know how to make my great grandmothers special cinnamon raisin bread.”
“Ugh, don’t talk about it.” Tom chuckled. “You’ll make me want some. And we only make it around Christmas.”
“Well we can make it for Paddys birthday on Sunday.” Sam shrugged. “You can be my sous chef, Y/n.”
“Oh, sure.” You said hesitantly. You were supposed to be spending the week with Tom, not his random brother.
“You have to see the amazing food Sam has made. Look at this cake he made for my birthday last year.” Nikki said as she handed you her phone.
“Wow.” You were impressed with the picture. “Did you take this?”
“I did.” Nikki nodded. “I’m a photographer.”
“It’s beautiful.” You complimented. “The cake looks great. And you have a great eye for pictures.”
“Thank you. Aw, could I get a picture of you and Tom?” Nikki asked. Tom looked at your for permission and you reluctantly agreed.
“Sure.” You forced a smile and scooted closer to Tom.
“Come on.” Nikki laughed. “Get closer. Look like you like each other.”
Tom gave you an apologetic look before wrapped his arm around you. You reluctantly wrapped your arm around his waist and leaned into his side, smiling at his moms camera.
“You two are so sweet.” Nikki said as she snapped a few pictures. “Let’s see a kiss.”
“Oh, no.” You said quickly. “That’s okay.”
“Come on!” Dom chimed in. “Kiss your bride.”
“Really, that’s okay.” Tom insisted.
“Don’t be shy. It’s for my portfolio.” Nikki pleaded. “And I have enough photos of your smiling. I want a kiss.”
Tom gave you another apologetic look at you glared at him. You didn’t want to kiss him, but there was no way to avoid it.
“All right.” He announced. “Going in for a kiss now.”
You gave Tom one more angry look before shutting your eyes and pressing your lips against his. The kiss quickly went from feeling forced to feeling magnetic as your scrunched features softened. You felt Toms hand come to rest on your cheek as he kissed you, and for a moment, it felt right.
“Oh. Look how beautiful.” Nikki gushed when you pulled away. “I’m going to frame this.”
You stayed staring at Tom as the family talked amongst themselves. He looked different all the sudden, like you were seeing him for the first time. Tom gulped as his eyes flicked back down to your lips, silently fighting the urge to lean in for another kiss.
“You two make a great couple.” Dom spoke up. “We’re so happy to have you in our family.”
“Yeah.” You finally tore your eyes away from him to force a smile at Nikki. “Family.”
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260 notes · View notes
wrenhyperfixates · 3 years
Text
Fluff Alphabet
A/N: This is a bit of a collab with my bestest best friend @lokistan! The ever amazing Star helped me come up with a question for each letter and she wrote the entirety of “N” herself! Hope you enjoy :)
Permanent Tag List: @lucywrites02​ @frostedgiant​ @lunarmoon8​ @twhiddlestonsstuff​ @lokistan​ @lowkeyorlokificrecs​ @gaitwae​ @whatafuckingdumbass​ @castiels-majestic-wings​ @kozkaboi​ @cozy-the-overlord​ @birdgirl90​ @myraiswack​ @mythicalgarlicknot​ @what-a-flammable-heart​ @mlqcikemenmc​
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A=Adoration: What do they adore about you? • Everything. How understanding you are. Loki’s been through a lot, and you’re always patient with him. Even if he was nervous about the relationship in the beginning, you let him take his time, reassuring him you could go slow. And knowing all that, you always checked if he was alright, making sure you weren’t doing anything that made him uncomfortable or weren’t going to fast. He didn’t think anyone else would be quite as considerate as you.
B=Beauty: What do they find most beautiful about you? • Your smile. When you look at him with your face all lit up, he thinks his heart is going to burst from joy. No one else had ever looked at him quite as softly, as kindly, as genuinely as that. He likes to think about your smile as he drifts off at night. It gives him the best dreams.
C=Cuddles: Do they like cuddling? • Not at first. Loki is very guarded and letting anyone into his space is a big decision. Once he warms up to you, however, all he wants to do is snuggle. His preference between big spoon and small spoon depends on the day. When he’s feeling particularly antsy or small, all he wants is to be held in your arms as if sheltered from the world. But on his better days, when he just wants to protect his little mortal, he likes to wrap his body around yours, keeping the two of you in your own little bubble of happiness.
D=Date: What’s their favorite date you’ve had? • The first one. He was too nervous at first to go out with you in public, resulting in a dinner for two in his quarters at the Tower. It was happiness like he’d never known before, the first of many soft, quiet moments you two would share. Loki remembers being too nervous to take your hand in his and being pleasantly surprised when you were the one to hesitantly intertwine your fingers together. He doesn’t think he’ll ever forget a single moment of that night.
E=Embarrassed: What about you makes them flustered? • The little things. Like when you take his hand in public. Or say you love him. Or throw a smile his way during a debriefing. Or laugh at one of his jokes. Everything you do seems so natural, so genuine, that it throws him off guard for a moment. When he realizes that’s because all the small things are reflections of how much you love him, his face goes bright red!
F=Forever: How do they plan the rest of your life together going? • Honestly, Loki doesn’t like to think about it. He just knows he needs to be with you, and that’s enough. Though, he did find a spell to expand a mortal lifespan, and plans on asking you if it’s ok to use it. If you say yes, he imagines whisking you away to a cabin in the woods for a while, spending some of your many years just basking in each other’s presence. If you say no, that’s fine too; he’ll still treasure every moment you have together and knows he’ll see you again some day.
G=Gifts: Do they like giving gifts? Receiving them? • Loves giving them; mixed feelings on receiving. Loki adores you so wholly and completely, he thinks it only natural he gives you a gift here and there. Ok, at least twice a month. If he sees something that reminds him of you—and most things do in some way—why not gift it to you? You always love them and want to give back to him. It always makes Loki confused because he had never seen himself worthy of such tokens of love. With every one you give him, you change his mind a little more.
H=Hello: What’s their favorite way to greet you? • With a kiss. Nothing long or extremely passionate, usually just a peck on the cheek or back of the hand. Sometimes, he’s too nervous to say he loves you out loud, but the little kiss says it all. Besides, the god considers it an honor to be allowed to be the one to give you such affections, and he plans on making the most of the privilege.
I=Impression: What was their first impression of you? • He’s intrigued. Loki never liked to have particularly strong feelings either way toward someone. But, despite being the God of Lies, he doesn’t like to deceive himself. There was some unplaceable thing about you that drew him in. Eventually, he realized it was because you never scorned him or cowered for him. No, you were always attentive and interested in listening to him. For someone like Loki, that was rare, so of course he wanted to stick around you.
J=Journal: Do they keep a journal? • Yes. Not religiously or anything. If he misses a few nights, it’s no big deal. He does like to quickly jot down a few thoughts when he can, though, usually about time he spent with you. Then when he can’t be with you at the moment for whatever reason, he can pull it out and flip through, reliving the memories with a smile on his face.
K=Kisses: What’s their favorite part of you to kiss? • The back of your hand. Asgard was a fairly formal place, and having been raised a prince, it was common for him to bow and place a kiss there. But with you, it was different. More meaningful. It was almost a way of bringing his old culture with him, yet making it his own. He wouldn’t always bow when he did it. In fact, more often than not, it was sans bow. Instead, if you were walking down the street hand in hand, he’d lift yours to his lips and plant a quick, gentle kiss there. Or if you were sitting together on the couch, he would do the same. Really, they were a good, fast little reminder of his affection for you at any time of the day. How adorably flustered it made you was just a bonus.
L=Love: How do they tell you they love you? • Through the things he does. Sometimes it’s hard for Loki to actually say the words because of his fears, so he opts to show you. He’ll ask if it’s ok to take care of you if it’s something bigger, not wanting to make you uncomfortable. So if you have a tough day, he’ll ask if it’d be alright if he draws you a bath or gives you a massage. If it’s a smaller thing, he doesn’t mention it. He’s not looking for praise, he just wants to show he loves you. So, sometimes he’ll make your favorites for dinner or dessert, or suggest watching your favorite movie or comfort TV show. Of course, you always notice and respond with “I love you, too.”
M=Mischief: Do they prank you? Prank with you? • Absolutely. Loki is the God of Mischief, a title he prides himself on much more than God of Lies. He never does anything too serious to you, just small things. Like convincing you of something absurd or making an illusion of a rather large bug, just enough to make you jump. Even better is pulling pranks with you. Like convincing Thor everyone but him can lift Mjolnir now. Or making Tony believe he’s going crazy and that beeping he keeps hearing is in his mind. And the best part of it all is when Loki gets to hear your beautiful laugh.
N=Never: What's something they would never do to you? • Push you. Loki understands that some things take time and patience. He would never pressure you to do something that you're not ready to do or say. Loki knows what the weight of the world feels like and would never put you through that. 
O=Original: How original are they when it comes to wooing you? • It can go either way. After all, not too many people have magic at their disposal, and Loki loves using it to impress you. Then again, he loves to throw in cheesy pickup lines that make you grin like an idiot because he just looks so adorable saying them.
P=Protective: How protective are they of you? • Very, but he tries not to let it show. Loki doesn’t want to stifle you or make you think he believes you’re weak. You’re actually one of the strongest people he knows. Still, he always watches over you and checks in on you, making sure you’re alright and no one is upsetting you. And if someone has, oh boy, they better watch out because he certainly will have some choice words for them. Of course, that would come with a threat to the person not to let you know he’d spoken to them. Unless he’d gotten your permission to intervene.
Q=Quiet: What quiet, peaceful moments do they appreciate the most? • The ones where you don’t need to be doing anything else. So many people always need to be talking, but with the storm of thoughts always swirling in his mind, Loki appreciates the quiet. The fact that you two can just lay together saying nothing means so much to Loki. He likes just enjoying your calming presence, looking into each other’s eyes, almost as if communicating through the silence, the special kind that only those as close as you two could truly understand and appreciate.
R=Romance: How romantic are they? • Extremely. Loki loves to sweep you off your feet. He’s a little shy about it at first, but once he’s comfortable, he’s constantly writing/reading you love poems and songs. Candlelit dinners become commonplace and you find rose petals lining your way the table more often than not. And if you ever watch a rom-com, you can bet Loki will be taking notes.
S=Sharing: Are they good at sharing their emotions with you? • Sometimes. If his fears of you leaving get the better of him or cause the problem, he doesn’t really want to talk about it and risk making you upset. Instead, he just lets you hold him when you can tell something’s wrong. But for most other cases he slowly learns how to trust and open up to you, telling you what’s going on inside his mind.
T=Trust: How much do they trust you? • A lot. There's not a single other person in the universe Loki would ever let hold him the way you do. He doesn’t tell anyone else his feelings, either. He loves you and knows you’re there for him, though, so he trusts you won’t tell anyone else. It helps that you trust him so much too.
U=Upset: How do they comfort you when your upset? • By holding you. Even if you’re not at the point where you need to cry, Loki will encompass your body with his, tucking your head under his chin. He’ll whisper sweet nothings in your ear until you feel better, rubbing his hands up and down your back. When you finally look up at him, he’ll shower your face with kisses and ask if you need to talk. If you say no, he just keeps holding you for as long as you’ll let him. If you say yes, he listens intently, offering words of encouragement or advice when you finish. He always makes sure to tell you how proud of you he is for doing your best.
V=Vulnerable: When was the first time they were vulnerable with you? • The first time his nightmares woke you up. You’d both fallen asleep on the sofa watching a movie. Unfortunately, he was startled from his slumber by the dreams that so often plagued him. You rubbed his back while he caught his breath and calmed down. Once he was doing better, you offered to listen to what was wrong. Unable to keep it in any longer, he broke down in your arms. After sharing with you, he felt better than he had in a long time. He didn’t have another nightmare for two months.
W=When: When did they realize they were in love with you? • The first time he said the words. He hadn’t thought about it, so it wasn’t premeditated. You two were just swaying to some music, and you’d looked up to place a quick kiss to his lips. He just looked at you and said the three-word phrase. You replied immediately, seemingly not thinking about it either. Loki realized his heart had known it before his brain, but it was in that moment he realized how true the words were. He loved you.
X=Xaphoon: What kind of music reminds them of you? • Classical music with big, sweeping movements. So often they start off soft, feather-light. Then they crescendo into something bigger, something brighter, something dramatic. It reminds him of the way he feels for you, how it swelled into that big moment of pure and complete love and adoration. If the piece calmed back down again, that was the best, since he’s feelings had settled into his bones, becoming part of him.
Y=Yearning: Do they yearn for you when you’re apart? • Very much so. If he has to go on a mission for a while or accompany Thor to Asgard, he misses you terribly. He’ll look at photos or make an illusion of you, but it’s not the same as actually having you there. When he gets back home, the first thing he does is run into your arms, telling you how much he missed you. The sudden confession he never exactly plans always made him blush.
Z=Zoo: Would they want any pets? • Only if you did. Loki was kind of neutral toward the whole pet thing. Sure, if someone else had one he’d always go and pet it, but having one of his own wasn’t that big of a deal to him. If you did want one, though, Loki would immediately take you to find just the right companion. And once you brought it back home, he’d love to play with it or look at it or tell it how cute it is. Practically becoming its best friend, he can be easily persuaded to adopt one or two or a dozen more. And, of course, he��s so absolutely adorable with it, you’d risk your heart exploding from a cuteness overload and let him pick the one to adopt that time.
295 notes · View notes
pillow-anime-talk · 3 years
Text
daddy, please.
synopsis: “Hey, daddy. I have a little surprise for you.”
# tags: headcanons + scenarios; current relationships & crush culture & sponsorship; romance; smut; nsfw
warnings: mention of sex and sexual activities, daddy kink, size kink, lingerie, pet names & more
includes: female reader ft. rei amayado, hitoya amaguni & jakurai jinguji {hypmic}
author’s note: let’s fucking gooooo!!! here are my wet thoughts and dreams 😳🤚 don’t judge me, pls.
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— REI
↘ You met each other at one night when Sasara took Rei and Rosho to a small but very nice bar on the outskirts of the city. Of course, the green-haired twenty-six-year-old praised the local alcohol and service earlier, so his two friends had no choice but to agree to a few drinks and many hours of talks about their group, work or other life difficulties.
↘ Then you appeared in front of three men as an extremely enchanting and full of smile barmaid; you charmed two new guests. Two, because you knew the leader of Dotsuitare Hompo for several days by served him the best and strongest alcohols and small starters. So now, everyone was delighted with you, which is why they showed up at your bar more and more. Rei himself was there practically every day, and you quickly got used to the presence of his deep voice, the same orders and nice, sometimes confident compliments or small gifts that were of unknown origin.
↘ You couldn’t hide that his person also interested you indescribably. He was so damn handsome, and literally no one of your age could compare to his extravagant outfits, silly smirk or the way he held a cigarette between his long fingers.
↘ And when one day he brushed a few stray hairs from your pretty face and tied them up with a golden hairpin – or rather another, new present for you – your cheeks were never as red as at that moment.
↘ Of course, he was much older than you, but it didn’t make you feel bad; how could you feel like this when Rei often walked you home or just asked about how you were doing in college and work? The fact that the bar was practically empty that evening resulted in an honest, lengthy conversation in which you admitted that you have a hard time trying to reconcile so many things at once. You didn’t want to be a ‘victim’, but you admitted that your parents rarely helped you, so you lived and supported yourself completely alone.
↘ Rei thought it was a good time to offer you some help; he asked if you would like to ‘work’ for him, so you could earn more while not overworking your body like you would when you were a barmaid or waitress. This proposition caught your interest, so you nodded, still ruddy on your both cheeks. Meanwhile, Rei took off his sunglasses, making eye contact with you; his orbs were more than mesmerizing.
↘ “... I’m a little old now and well... Wouldn’t you just like to come live with me and spend your free time with me? I must admit that having such a cute doll would be really worth coming home every night.”
↘ You would be an idiot if you didn’t agree to the offer of the man you liked from the first appearance at the bar, where he always ordered golden whiskey or bourbon.
↘ In addition, the gifts you got from him... were so wonderful and always suited your taste, so you were curious what else the older conman could give you.
↘ As it turned out, entering into this seemingly innocent relationship with the dark-haired one was the best thing you could have had.
*:・゚✧*
Rei always came home around eleven at night, and you were always waiting for him patiently; sometimes with a good book in hand and sometimes with a glass of wine, relaxing in front of your favorite series or movie. On that day, however, you wanted to surprise him pleasantly and thank him for the last few weeks during which you lived as you never dreamed of before; after all, you could use his money and credit cards, his whole house, his cars, his everything without worrying about anything but your own studies, which you still attended.
Therefore, covered with a delicate, white bathrobe that showed through your lace lingerie, you waited for the arrival of your lover. You knew that he would bring you a gift as every day – a watch, new shoes, a bracelet or an invitation to the SPA, that’s why you wanted to pay him back this evening, obviously with your tiny, magnificent body marked with countless bites, bruises and colorful marks.
When you heard the sound of the key and the door opening, your legs tightened and you felt a feeling of uncertainty in your heart, but also of great exhilaration. You quickly got up from the black, leather couch and then moved towards the hall to greet the black-haired man. Your tender voice reached Rei’s ears, who turned to you with his signature smirk. However, seeing your current outfit, his facial expressions changed immediately. Still, this didn’t demotivate you before your next step.
“Hi, daddy, I’ve been waiting for you. Do you want to spend some time with me, please?” Looking innocently at him and flapping your eyelashes you instantly made his pants tight. A second later, he approached you, not caring about his favorite hat fell on the wooden floor.
“You look as beautiful as always, my pretty doll.” He said in a warm tone of voice, cupping your soft face with his big, right hand. His strong grip on your cheeks caused big and hot blush. “I didn’t expect you to call me that. It’s quite brave, don’t you think?”
“You don’t like it, daddy? Should I speak to you differently? By your first name or something else?”
“No. Of course that I like it. You don’t even know how much I like it, doll. I’m so fucking hard thanks to you, you know? So what are you going to do with it now, baby?” He asked, sticking his thumb in your wet mouth. You politely sucked his finger, still staring into his glowing with excitement eyes.
Your hand, in meantime, found a bulge on the white fabric, causing a low hiss from the forty-six-year-old.
“I want to make my daddy feel good, so... can I sit on you, daddy? I want your fat dick in my little pussy, daddy. I was polite, I swear by my little finger.”
Of course you were. 
Rei had no doubts about it, so he willingly gave you everything you wished for tonight; all he wanted in return was for you to keep calling him by that lascivious phrase, because... well, well, well. It turned out that he had a huge kink for it.
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— HITOYA
↘ Your first meeting was in a sense accidental, but at the same time it wasn’t something unusual or unimaginable; sooner or later you would meet your little brother’s two best friends, and that it happened faster than you thought, it’s just a funny twist of fate.
↘ Jyushi on that sunny day asked you to bring him lunch to the place indicated in the text message. Knowing that he would be as always spending time with the two men he often told you about, you decided to make dinner for all of them. So you prepared three large bentos filled with white rice, fried chicken, broccoli and in each plastic wrapper you put a small chocolate cupcake, because you baked a large amount of them the day before. You also got them something to drink, in this case it was iced, peach tea in a bottles. Ready, you could meet with your two years younger brother and his friends from the rap team.
↘ Kuko liked you right away. He had a lot of respect for you because you were a year older than him, but he was also eager to joke that you were completely unlike your siblings; you were much shorter, a little calmer and more open to new friends. You shrugged with amusement at this sentence, in meantime trying to calm your brother, who blushed furiously on both cheeks and the tips of his ears.
↘ On the other hand, Hitoya was watching you closely; maybe he did it because of his lawyer work, but he couldn’t hide the fact that it was nice to watch your gentle smile, your reddish face and how you took care of your brother and also of the second, younger than you teenager.
↘ Over time, the thirty-five-year-old noticed how tired you seemed to be because of working, studying, cleaning the house, making lunch or shopping. Of course, every time a man politely asked you if you were feeling well, you assured him that yes, you were fine and it was just bad weather or atmospheric pressure. But, oops. You couldn’t cover the bags under your eyes and pale skin with even the best cosmetics.
↘ “Let me take care of you, okay?” It was an innocent request that slowly turned into something more. Naturally, at first Hitoya just offered you mental support and money to pay fee for an apartment and shopping. But then, his hands started rubbing your tense back and more and more invisible traces of sweet kisses appeared on your forehead.
↘ You didn’t even notice when you started looking at a handsome lawyer as a potential partner, and when your heart was beating much faster when you had the opportunity to call him or read the messages he sent you.
↘ You confessed your feelings to him first because you couldn’t stand the rising warmth in your heart when an older man took you on his lap or when he brought home your favorite junk food and wine to celebrate your passed exams or his own, successful trials. He spoiled you so badly and thanks to this you finally felt appreciated and felt what you have been missing over the years, and it was a feeling of indescribable protection and loyalty.
↘ You wondered how you should thank for all of this because you had nothing to offer but yourself.
*:・゚✧*
It was a stupid thought that had haunted you from the last week. Last Wednesday you read an erotic book in which the main, female character called her partner ‘master’ and it was something new for you, something very interesting. However, the word ‘master’ itself wasn’t as encouraging as ‘owner’ or ‘daddy’, which was definitely more suited to the delicate personality and sense of safety that Hitoya gave you from the beginning of your relationship. That’s why you’ve read a few articles on role-playing in bed, and you had to admit that the thought of calling your man ‘daddy’ made a strange feeling of warmth and wet between your legs. You had to take a few deep breaths when you ordered on Tuesday afternoon a pretty, slightly pink lingerie that your lover would definitely like.
Three days later, on Friday, when Hitoya was at work, you at the same time were preparing your whole body and mind for what should be coming around 8pm. You took a relaxing bath, you used a goat’s milk lotion, you loosened your muscles with one glass of dry red wine, and created a sensual playlist with songs that were more than perfect for night with your beloved one.
At twenty minutes past eight you heard the characteristic clatter of shoes in the hall, and your arms tensed slightly in anticipation of your lover; but still, you were still sitting politely on the bed. Your body was surrounded by a delicate lace, and you also hung a cute collar with a metal heart around your colorful neck. You heard Hitoya pacing around the kitchen, living room and bathroom, less than a quarter of an hour later the door to your enormous bedroom opened and you looked shyly at the man who stood with a brown towel wrapped around his thin waist. Seeing you, his left eyebrow lifted and a small smirk appeared on his front.
“Oi, oi?”
“Surprise?” You looked hesitantly into his light green eyes, and then your face flushed at the sight of the towel under which an huge erection began to form. “I... I just wanted to give you some joy as a thank you for what you do for me all the time... daddy.”
Hearing how sweet you pronounce the last word, your partner’s smile only widened. Slowly, but confidently, he moved towards the king sized bed, and as he sat down next to you, his hand was immediately on your smooth, pouty cheek.
“Just being here with me is joy enough for me, darling. But thank you for dressing up so gorgeous for me. Daddy is very, very happy.” You breathed a sigh of relief to hear that the two of you are playing the same game.
“So... could you please lie down, daddy?” You asked softly, and your loved one’s hand moved much lower to your waist, and then to your hot thigh as well. He squeezed the skin lightly and you sighed with satisfaction. “I... Umm...”
“I know you probably wanted to please me tonight, but... But when I look at you, my pretty one, I can’t let you do that. I prefer to take care of you, so will you let me do it?” The warm look that was sent to you from the older man made you jump slightly, nodding your head. “Good girl. Open your legs for your daddy, dear.”
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— JAKURAI
↘ You started working in a hospital as part of extra-curricular activities at your university. You quickly liked all the staff, and your warm, even captivating personality added joy to everyone in the building; doctors, other nurses and patients, especially children who considered you ‘super onee-chan’. So Jakurai was no exception and was very eager to answer all your curious questions, as well as the gentle smiles you would send him whenever you passed each other in a bright hallway or doorway, when you finished or started work at the same time and shift.
↘ Sometimes he also helped you with the material for your classes, so that you would get even better grades and join the work in the hospital permanently.
↘ Jakurai liked you a lot, maybe a little more than ‘a lot’, because the fact was that he cared very much about your well-being and whether you were feeling well in the hospital, in your clothes, in your office. He has always asked you how your day or night has been, if you have anything to eat or drink, when you finish your work that day or if you are staying overtime, and even if you want him to walk you home or go with you to the store for shopping. You were totally and irreversibly charmed by it, but you didn’t think that something more would come out of your relation. So you continued to act as before, just thinking it was his natural behavior towards younger women.
↘ But then Jakurai tried to change your job position and you became his assistant who spent more time with him than before. So you talked even more lively and longer than normal, and sometimes after work, if you both had some free time, you would go for a walk to talk about something more peaceful and down-to-earth; about your favorite types of teas or coffees, about the countries you visited, about your favorite music, even about the worst alcoholic drinks you have had the opportunity to try in your lifetime.
↘ With the passing of time, you started going to your apartments on weekends to watch a random movie, cook dinner or bake a cake together. From time to time, if the weather was good, the thirty-five-years-old also took you to the lake and thus shared his passion for fishing with you. You felt really special with the thought that you were the only girl in his environment who could and was so close to him.
↘ The fact that he would sometimes buy you small gifts such as jewelry, science books, or pay for your shopping at the gallery was an added bonus of being able to feel like someone really, like really special to him.
↘ And at the same moment, you felt indescribably safe in his company – Jakurai was unusually tall compared to you, and his soft, warm hands perfectly suited to your small head or tiny body that he stroked every time you did something right or when you passed another exam in a row. He was a bit like an older brother, supportive father, vacation/summer lover, and longtime partner. You have never felt so loved and respected as with him.
↘ That’s why one evening, when you were spending time at your home cooking Italian pasta (it was his idea, btw!), you didn’t notice at what point your attention was shifted from arranging plates and cutlery to his handsome face and focused eyes that looked at the boiling sauce. He was definitely perfect in every way, both inside and outside, and you would be really pathetic not to admit that you had crush on him... or even you were in love with him. Naturally, your staring at his body didn’t go unnoticed. Jakurai chuckled under his breath as his head turned towards you.
↘ “Do you like what you see?”
↘ “Yes, daddy.”
↘ You turned pale and panicked when you understood what you said.
↘ However, Jakurai didn’t seem to be angry, disappointed or disgusted with you. On the contrary. The man turned off the cooking red sauce, improved the locks of hair falling on his pale face, then moved away from the burners, walking towards you. You automatically stepped back, of course, but when his smooth hand was on your cheek, you knew you could still feel safe and valuable with him.
*:・゚✧*
“... So you like talking to men like that?”
“N-No, I don’t know what got into me, really. It was the first time in my life...! You’re just so nice to me, you always buy me so many things and I... I don’t know. If it was uncomfortable for you, I’m so terribly sorry and I promi...” You started, feeling again that what you did wasn’t quite right, but at some point Jakurai put his long, index finger to your soft mouth and you calmed down immediately, looking up into his warm, understanding and gentle amusement, blue eyes.
“I didn’t say it bothered me. Why don’t we talk about it on the sofa?” The low voice reached your ears one more time, and you nodded hesitantly.
You wanted to sit on your regular place next to the fluffy, gray pillow, but the man frowned as he patted his both, huge thighs. You blushed immediately, but obediently took your seat next to his crotch. You could swear he was already hard, that’s why your pussy got wet.
“I have long wondered if you like me any different than as a coworker and friend. Because you see, kitten, I personally thought of you more than you might think.” He smiled slightly and you bit your lower, sweet lip between your teeth, nodding your head once again in confirmation of his words.
It took a while to get your mind ready to answer, but after a few longer seconds you turned your head towards a calm and masculine face, admitted that you also thought about him and about whether he will accept your feelings, if you ever confess them. Your pinkish cheeks and glowing eyes were by far the most wonderful thing Dr. Jinguji had ever seen. So he was the first to take your heated left cheek, then close his own eyes, pressing his lips to yours. His free, other hand moved to your right thigh and squeezed the soft skin covered with the fabric of a skirt. A few moments later, you moaned as warm fingers touched your cool skin. Jakurai lost his mind.
“Have you ever touched yourself while you thinking of me, princess?”
“I... Well, I...” You moved away from his mouth, and then you felt your ears and the tip of your nose burn with shame and delight. “Yes, daddy. Three times. B-But my fingers were never enough. I prefer your cock, daddy. It certainly is fat and big, and perfect for my little pussy that has never be fucked by such a mature and gorgeous man.”
“Oh, my love. Daddy’s cock will definitely be perfect for you.” His hands passed under the light blue fabric of your clothes, and after a short while, picked up the colored material. “Hmm. I feel that this situation was planned. Am I wrong?” He stated by touching his finger to your still wet slit, which was covered with white lace. You blushed once more, but you didn’t have a chance to respond to that remark, because your lips again tasted the lips of a man fourteen years older than you who after a quick moment laid your fragile body on the dark couch.
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merakiaes · 4 years
Text
The Ship Has Sailed - Aaron Hotchner
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Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x reader
Requested: By @witchcraftandwit​ and Anon. 
Prompts: #48 and #57 from the fluff/humor-list.
Warnings/notes: SMUT! This is a combination of two requests. I don’t know why it ended up so long, I kinda hate it but oh well. The smut scene is short and rushed because I lost inspiration and it’s hard to avoid writing the smut scene identical to the other ones I’ve written. I hope you like it anyway😩 NOT PROOFREAD, AND THE TIMELINE MIGHT BE A BIT WRONG. 
Wordcount: 6550
Summary: Hotch first met you, JJ’s older sister, when you came to the BAU to fill your younger sister’s empty spot while she went on maternity leave and as Penelope Garcia would have put it, sparks flied. The chemistry was there and it was strong, and you shared a drunken moment on a night out, but nothing became of it as Hotch deemed it to be too unprofessional. You went back to your old job and you didn’t hear from each other for a year, but now JJ is taking some time off to be with her family and who better fit to temporarily replace her than you?
Jealousy was never a nice feeling to have surging through your body, not for anyone, not under any circumstances.
Luckily, Aaron Hotchner wasn’t a frequent victim of the nasty feeling, having met Haley when they were both still just kids and never having any reason to worry about her leaving him for somebody else.
But Haley was gone now. He was a widower and in theory, he was back on the market for new relationship. Emotionally? Not so much. But again, theoretically, he wasn’t married anymore. He no longer wore his wedding band and one would be surprised at how easily women picked up on a naked ring finger.
Since Haley’s passing over two years ago, women had approached him in more ways than one. Witnesses during cases, single mothers at Jack’s school, athletes in the park, both workers and fellow customers at bars, restaurants, and grocery stores.
He’d lost count of how many times he had been approached and asked out, just as he had lost count of how many times he’d had to turn them down, and how many times his team had tried convincing him to rethink and give it a shot.
He was well aware of the fact that he deserved to be happy, that he deserved to be anything other than the miserable, up-tight man he currently was, as Rossi had once told him. A very big part of him wanted to get back up on the horse, to try to find love again, but he couldn’t. Something always came in the way when he wanted to say “yes”, and it wasn’t Haley like most people thought; it was himself.
But then you showed up; JJ’s older sister, recruited on your younger sister’s request when she gave birth to Michael and once more needed a temporary replacement while she went on maternity leave.
At first look, no one would’ve been able to tell you were Jennifer’s sister. You were so different personality and appearance wise, and it became apparent to the entire team when they first worked with you that it was you your younger sister took after.
Seeing the way you worked on a case, it was so clear that JJ’s way of working was an attempt to work, act and be like you. She had always been like that, trying to impress you seeing as you were her oldest sister. But when Roslyn died, that role model-connection she felt toward you grew stronger and your care for her bigger.
You were all each other had left and JJ always spoke so highly of you that when the time came for you to finally meet the team in person, their expectations of you were so high, they were nearly unattainable.
But they were pleasantly surprised and it was sure to say you did not disappoint, the expectations they’d had for you being nothing in comparison to what the real you brought to the table.  
But it wasn’t just in a professional, platonic way that you were surprising, at least not to Hotch.
Both of you had felt the strange spark the second your eyes first met and your hands touched to shake.
Undeniable attraction grew in both of your chests unbecknownst to each other,  but believing herself to be a matchmaker and personal messenger for Cupid, Penelope Garcia did not miss a beat, instantly picking up on the way the two of you held hands just a few second longer than you’d done with any of the others, herself included.
And of course, to no surprise, she rushed to excuse herself once introductions were out of the way and she was no longer needed in the room, to run into her office and call your little sister.
Since then, Penelope and JJ had both made it their mission in life to set the two of you up. The former tried giving hints to Hotch, as carefully as she possibly could as the fear to overstep and get fired still lingered, while the latter blatantly told you to go for it.
Hotch eventually picked up on what Garcia was trying to do and instantly shut down her suggestion that there should be anything romantic between the two of you, just like you had done to your sister for months.
But both of you were lying. That much was clear to both of the brave and unsuccessful matchmakers, with the lingering touches and ‘too long to be just friends’-gazes shared from across the room every time the two of you found yourself close, but not close enough.
JJ was home with the baby and obviously hadn’t witnessed the blossoming romance in the workplace, but the way Penelope described your behavior, she knew that she was right. And she got it confirmed when she got to see the two of you interact for herself during a night out.
The entire night, the two of them tried to get the two of you alone, in any way they could. They would send the two of you to fetch more drinks together at the bar, or they would drag literally everyone but the two of you to the dancefloor or to sing karaoke, knowing more than well enough that this was not something either of you would agree to.
But getting you alone wasn’t enough, as they watched you remain a good distance apart from each other from afar, stubbornly holding your professional relationship and barely even looking at each other.
So they did the only remaining thing to do and tried to drink you both under the table, which worked to some extent. Apparently, the two of you had more self-control than they’d hoped for and eventually, they just gave up and called it a night.
But unbecknownst to them, you were both a lot more buzzed than you let on, and while the others were too busy drinking and talking to notice, Hotch left the table no more than a minute after you had slipped away to go outside.
You were standing outside of the bar, leaning back against the brick wall and looking out over the still busy street when he joined you and as you noticed his presence, you turned your head to look at him.
No words were spoken, the two of you holding each other’s eyes for a moment, before slowly moving toward each other and meeting in the middle for a kiss.
There were fireworks, explosions, butterflies, tingles and every other expression you’d hear a lovestruck teenager use to describe their first kiss with their long-term crush, all mixed together.
The passion was so strong that you nearly forgot how to breathe, but it was over just as quickly as it started, leaving you disappointed and yearning for more.
You could see that Hotch had felt the exact same things you had, judging by the way he was squeezing his eyes shut as if his life depended on it while he backed away from you.
But he was clearly not a man who prioritized following his heart, the words leaving his mouth just a second later being not a confession of his attraction, but a rejection you had only experienced once in your life before.
It was because of the fear of rejection that you’d never really gotten into dating, but you’d been ready to make an exception for him from early in the start of your acquaintance.
You guessed that was your mistake, and you couldn’t really blame him. He wanted to be professional and at the end of the day, so did you, but it was still a struggle to pretend nothing had happened, that there was nothing there when in reality, there was so much.
Penelope understood almost instantly that something had happened when she saw you work together the next day, the two of you now suddenly acting like you didn’t even know each other.
And JJ, she picked it up on you alone and asked you about it. But you didn’t tell her, in an attempt to avoid complications with the team, and while she didn’t push you, she knew. And when she returned to work only two weeks later, Hotch knew that she knew.
You probably did too, but you didn’t care. You were just happy you didn’t have to put on a feign bravado around him for longer, as it wasn’t the easiest of things to do without alerting a team of trained profilers that something was wrong.
You went back to your previous job and Hotch remained at the BAU, the two of you going on with your lives without as much as a word to each other.
A year had passed since then and neither of you expected that you’d ever have to work together again. But JJ had made a last-minute decision to take some time of with Will and the boys and since she couldn’t find another replacement on such short notice, you were her only shot of getting her vacation days approved.
And what kind of sister would you be to get in the way of that?
You didn’t like it but you agreed despite it, for her sake and for the fact that you were an adult and an entire year had passed since your kiss with Hotch, so there could hardly be any chemistry left between the two of you after all that time.
But there was, and Penelope picked up on it the second you walked into the conference room and locked eyes with him, just like she had the first time you’d met.
Things were even tenser now than they’d been when you left and this time around, even the team picked up on the strained, awkward and hesitant energy both you and their boss seemed to radiate; more so than any other time when you were with each other.
Hotch must have picked up on the strange looks he was getting because much to your surprise, he asked you to come along to the crime scene with him and Derek, where things only proceeded to get worse.
Turns out, the lead detective of the case was a man in your age, a very handsome and charismatic one, who wasted no time in flirting with you, much to Hotch’s dismay.
Just like you, he hadn’t expected the spark to still be there after an entire year of not speaking to each other, but it was, and so were the other feelings that automatically came along with attraction; the good, and the bad ones.
Jealousy was a foreign feeling for him. The feeling of feeling replaced, watching from the outside and feeling like the odd man out, it was not something he’d experienced before.
He hadn’t realized how much he actually cared until he found himself clenching his fists to keep himself calm, surges of possessiveness going through his body that, in turn, he did his best to rationalize away and dismiss with a heavy heart.
For a moment, only for a moment, he wanted you to touch him, just for a second, so that he could feel like there was a single gesture, a single moment that he could say was meant specifically for him. It would’ve saved him from the unpleasant feeling and unwelcome thoughts he was currently doing his best to push through without losing his temper.
But when he overheard the detective beginning to talk about local restaurants, he snapped, leaving Derek’s side where they stood by one of the two bodies to approach you where you stood by the second.
“A word?” He asked as he came up behind you, and you turned around, eyebrows raised in surprise.
His face was hard and strict and his eyes showed no emotion pleasant. Still, you nodded your head, turning your body entirely in his direction while the detective excused himself.
“Sure. What’s up?” You asked, and watched as his face hardened even further, his lips pulling into a tight line and his entire posture more rigid than you’d ever seen it before.
“I would appreciate it if you’d focus on this case rather than flirting away precious time. As you are aware, we don’t have a lot of it before the unsub strikes again.” He spoke after a moment of silence, and to a start, all you could do was snort.
“Are you serious?” You asked lightheartedly, humor evident on your face and in your eyes. You couldn’t comprehend that he’d spoken those words in all seriousness at first, but when he did nothing to suggest he was joking, your smile fell.
“You’re serious? You’re really accusing me of flirting with the detective?” You asked again, wasting no time in crossing your arms over your chest in a defensive manner.
You stared him down, annoyance growing in the pit of your stomach, but he wasn’t fazed. “I’m not blind, and it wouldn’t be the first time you made a move on a co-worker, so if you want to keep this job until your sister gets back from her vacation, I’d suggest you’d do as I say.”
Not the first time? Not the first time?!
Anger quickly took over your entire body at the sound of his words and when looking up into the brown eyes that only minutes before would’ve been able to make your heart swell in your chest, you now only saw red.
Contrary to people’s belief, you didn’t have the best control of your anger, so before you did something stupid, you simply gave him a curt nod, spoke an equally as curt: “Yes, sir.”, and walked away.
As he watched your retreiving figure, he caught you mumbling something under your breath that sounded an awful lot like “fucking asshole”, but he wasn’t left a lot of time to dwell on it before Derek joined his side once more, having witnessed the entire thing and now having even more questions than he’d had before.
“What the hell was that?” He wasted no time in asking, and only then did Hotch move his eyes away from you to look down at the body at his feet.
“I was simply giving her pointers on how to do her job.” He replied, bending down by his knees and beginning to put on the blue gloves he’d been given at his arrival.
Derek stayed on his feet, crossing his arms and looking down at his superior. “Pointers wouldn’t have made her react like that so what’s really going on? What’s wrong with you today? You’ve been acting weird since she arrived this morning.”
“Nothing  is wrong.” Hotch shot back. “I just didn’t get a lot of sleep.”
He began removing his gloves again and stood back up, looking everywhere but at Derek as the man in question continued. “I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. I’ve been watching the two of you and I recognize this behavior well enough to know that you’re jealous. Why?”
“I have nothing to be jealous of.” Hotch shot back without missing a beat, throwing his gloves in a nearby dumpster.
“There’s clearly something.” Derek pushed, walking after him as he began exiting the alleyway. “What happened between you?”
At this, Hotch finally looked up to meet his curious and determined gaze, meeting it with a stern glare.
“Nothing happened and this conversation is over.” He quickly shot him down.
“Hotch…” Derek attempted to push the subject once more, but before he could go on, Hotch had sped up and walked ahead of him, going up to one of the crime scene investigators on the scene to ask about the victims.
The annoyance lingered at the back of his head even when he kept busy with the case. Apparently, more people had picked up on the complicated relationship between the two of you than he’d originally thought, and he didn’t like it one bit.
The rest of the day went by with little to no direct conversation between the two of you, but the indirect communication and interaction was plenty.
He kept dropping passive aggressive comments both about you and the detective, who couldn’t seem to take the hint that you weren’t interested, and both of those things were driving you crazy.
You didn’t know how you’d be able to put up with his cold behavior for an entire week but luckily, the unsub turned out to be quite sloppy, leading to a quick arrest and for the team to be back at the office before the night was over.
The six of you returned to the office together but Morgan left pretty much instantly again, after picking Penelope up from her office to go to the movies, which Spencer ended up going along to, as well.
While Rossi, Emily and yourself went to your respective desks, chatting slightly among yourselves, you watched as Hotch walked right past you and into his office, where he shut himself in with a slam of the door.
The loud sound made the three of you trail off topic for a moment, all of you just turning to look at the door where the blinds were still swinging back and forth from the force.  
“What’s up his ass today?” Emily asked after a moment of silence, and Rossi turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised in amusement but his eyes showing he was just as confused as her.
“I asked, but didn’t get much of a response.” He replied, and while they shook their heads, you lowered yours, hoping they wouldn’t ask you if you knew anything about it.
You were a good agent, a good profiler, but you were not a good liar when it came to people you knew personally. Criminals? Sure, you had no problem lying to them, but with the team? You wouldn’t have been able to keep a straight poker face.
Luckily, they dropped the subject quickly, turning back to their respective desks to gather the things they were planning on taking with them home.
While they did that, you sat down in your chair with a sigh, grabbing the high stack of paper work on your desk and moving it in front of you to begin.
“We’re gonna go get a drink before going home. Do you want to come with us?” Emily asked from behind you, and you spun around in your chair to face her only to find both her and Rossi looking at you, their bags now slung over their shoulders.
“Uh, no, not tonight. I have to fill all of this out.” You gave them a tense smile, motioning for the stack behind you. “Raincheck?” You added, and Emily smiled and nodded.
“I’ll hold you to that.” She said, and you chuckled.
“Take it easy, you two.”
“No promises.” Rossi teased, putting his hand on your head as an act of fondness as he passed you.
You spun back around to face the paperwork as they left, keeping your eyes on the file in front of you while listening to them leave. You kept pretending you were busy until the sound of the elevator reached your ears, only then looking back up and wasting no time in getting to your feet, heading straight for Hotch’s office.
When you reached his closed door, you peeked through the blinds, spotting him at his desk, looking to be filling out paperwork as if nothing had happened, as if nothing was wrong.
His nonchalant act only succeeded in making you more annoyed.
Still, you politely knocked on the glass window of the door before pushing it open, just enough for him to be able to see you.
When he raised his head to meet your eyes, you raised an eyebrow. “Can I come in?” You asked, as politely as you could, to which he only lowered his gaze again.
“I’m busy.” Was all he said, and that’s all that you could take.
“Okay, Aaron. We’re both adults here so let’s cut the crap.” You said, dropping the nice girl act and letting yourself in, closing the door behind you and wasting no time in approaching his desk.
“You’ve been giving me shit, questioned my methods and criticized my every move all day so either you’re jealous that another man was showing interest in me, or you’ve suddenly decided that you hate me, so which one is it?”
For just a moment, your mood taking such a determined and interrogative turn seemed to stun him, but he quickly regained his composure, pushing the file in front of him to the side.
“He was acting unprofessionally. I don’t blame him for being attracted to you but the professional thing to do would have been to wait with the flirting until the case was over, not head right into it at the scene of a crime, only a few feet away from a body.”
“OH, so you were jealous?” You raised an eyebrow, crossing your arms over your chest.
“Are you listening to me?” He asked back, his face pulling into an expression of annoyance to match your own.
“If by ‘listening’ you mean listening to you spew out the world’s worst excuse, then yeah, I’m listening. You seem to forget that I’m a profiler, too. I can smell your bullshit from miles away.”
“Do I have to remind you that I am still your supe-“
“No, you listen to me.” You interrupted him, uncrossing your arms and taking a step forward. “You’re the one who wanted to end what we had going, before it had even begun. Do you expect me to live in celibacy for the rest of my life just because you can’t stand seeing me with a man who’s not you? I won’t do that.”
You shook your head as you finished and he stood up from his seat, taking a few steps closer to you and never letting his eyes leave yours.
“I have feelings for you and it’s clouding my judgement.” He finally confessed. “It feels wrong because you’re the older sister of one of my long-time colleagues and friends, but everything else feels right when I’m with you and I’m conflicted. I have never been in a situation like this before and I’m having a hard time figuring it out.”
You had laid awake so many nights after your kiss, wishing that he’d just confessed to the attraction you knew he felt just like you. And yet now that it actually happened, it wasn’t enough.
Your annoyed glare fell, instead being replaced by a straight, stoic expression as you swallowed. “I’m gonna ask you one question. Do you want me?” You asked, simply and straight-forward.
His face faltered, his eyes softening, but just as you’d expected, he said nothing.
You shook your head. “You’re gonna have to make up your mind, because I know my worth and I am worth way more than being held back by someone who doesn’t even want to be with me.”
“(Y/N)-“ He tried, taking a step closer in your direction and holding out his hand, but you interrupted him once more.
“No, this conversation is finished.” You glared again. “It’s clear that this is coming in the way of us properly doing our jobs so I’ll fill in the paperwork first thing tomorrow morning and find someone else to take my place until Jennifer comes back to make it easier for both of us. Good night.”
You turned around and headed for the door, your hand coming in contact with the cold metal of the knob.
But before you could open the door further than a thin slit, a hand was placed on the glass-window right by your head, said hand pushing the door back shut with a loud bang while another was placed on your upper arm, roughly turning you around.
You came face to face with him once more, this time with little to no space left between the two of you. “I am your superior and this conversation is finished when I say it is.” He glared down at you, one of his hands still placed by the side of your head, while the other moved to lock the door.
You were left breathless. The combination of the shock, the proximity, and the way he was acting so dominantly leaving you speechless.
“That was kind of hot…” Were the only words you could get out in all your flustered glory and you inwardly cringed, but he didn’t even seem to hear you, as his lips were on yours within the next second.
The moment he kissed you, all of the remaining shock melted right off, your body and mind reacting instinctively.
You moved your arms to wrap around his neck and his hands went straight for your waist. Your tongues met in no time and you were all on board, until you felt his hands begin to pull your shirt up from inside the hem of your pants.
When he successfully did so and you felt his warm fingers against the skin of your stomach, you pulled your lips away from his, your breath heavy and your eyes meeting his as he opened them.
“In your office? Who are you and what have you done with Agent Hotchner?” You panted, uncertainty and mischief battling in your mind, body and the tone of your voice.
Hotch only chuckled, raising a hand to your chin. “Behave and be quiet.” Was all he said back, before reattaching his lips to yours.
It was meant as a lighthearted joke you were sure, but the seemingly innocent combination of words did things to you that he could never imagine, setting every part of you on fire and drowning out all of the remaining uncertainty.
The kiss quickly intensified as it had the first time and this time you didn’t stop him when he moved his hands up your bare sides.
On the contrary, you helped him hurry it all along, moving your hands from the back of his neck to the front where you began working on his tie.
It came undone and found a spot on the floor and you wasted no time in moving on to the buttons of his shirt while he followed your lead and did the same to you.
Once your shirts were discarded as well, he broke away from the kiss and gave you a look you’d never found yourself at the receiving end of before.
“By my desk.” He told you simply, and the words tumbled out of your lips before you could stop them.
“Yes, sir.”
It wasn’t meant to be kinky in any way, the submissive address falling off your tongue naturally, but by no means did he seem opposed to it, his eyes darkening and his jaw clenching.
Exchanging no more words, you did as told and walked over to his desk while he walked around the room to close the blinds.
Everyone had gone home for the evening but in a place like this, you never knew when someone could show up out of the blue and you’d rather be safe than sorry.
While he did that, you undid the button of your pants and pulled them down, shaking them off your feet just as he finished with the windows and joined you by the desk, wasting no time in going in for your lips for the third time.
And you didn’t waste any time either, circling your arms back around his neck to pull him closer while he undid the buckle of his own belt.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” He mumbled in question against your lips, his hands moving back to your waist and his movements temporarily halting.
You found it both amusing and adorable, the way he could be dominate one second and be the very person who started what you were doing in the first place, and then change back into his hesitant, careful self in a matter of minutes.
You didn’t say anything back, simply pressing your lips harder against his again and moving your hands down to the hem of his trousers to undo the button and zipper, and that’s the only answer he needed to take control once more.
His grip on your waist tightened and before you got the time to react, he effortlessly lifted you onto his desk, the sudden move causing a small sound of surprise to escape from your lips, being muffled against his.
He stepped in between your legs and didn’t waste any time, moving one of his hands to your stomach where he trailed his fingers down to the hem of your underwear, leaving a blaze of heat and goosebumps behind as he went.
He didn’t hesitate to dip his hand inside the thin fabric and you moaned, the new feeling being more exhilarating than words could explain.
You were already wet and hadn’t you been so impatient for him to take you right then and there, you would’ve been embarrassed because just like you were, he was a profiler. His job was to study human behavior and you knew that he knew just as well as you did that the only one who could have that effect on you was him.
And he wasn’t any different, his length rock hard in his boxers and throbbing with need just as you were.
He slowly pushed a finger inside you, followed by another, using his thumb to intensify your pleasure and need. He continued with this for only a moment, just to warm you up and stretch you out enough to be ready.
And when you were, he wasted no time in releasing himself from his boxers and lining himself up at your entrance.
He stopped himself for a moment, silently making sure you were still sure, and he got his answer when you wrapped your legs around him and pushed him in, to which he instantly responded by slowly beginning to meet your hips with his.
It started out slowly, your hands moving to his hair while his held a steady grip on your hips, your lips still joined together in continuous sloppy kisses. But he picked up his pace in no time, at which point you couldn’t hold the kiss any longer.
Instead, his face fell to the crook of your neck where you kept cradling the back of his head with one of your hands, holding on to his raven black hair while your other hand held your body upright on the desk.
The building was empty save the two of you but you still tried to make as little noise as you possibly could, your cautious side taking over like it almost always did and the creaking and banging noises from the desk being loud enough already.
You stayed in this position for a while, the only thing being heard being your merged breaths, the creaking of wood and the occasional moan leaving your mouths, but somewhere through the act, when you were both beginning to build up your climaxes, you switched positions so that you were bent forward over his desk.
His face was now positioned right by yours, his breath fanning your neck and his guttural groans and grunts being released right into your ear.
His thrusts were rough but his touches were everything but, his hands and fingers traveling your body with featherlight caresses and his lips pressing against your skin so gently it seemed as if he thought that you’d break if he added any more pressure.
You supported your weight with your forearms laid flat against the wooden surface in order to not fall face first into the wood and your entire face was pulled into an expression of pure bliss as his thumb rapidly rubbed tiny circles over and around the throbbing bundle of nerves while simultaneously rocking his hips into you.
Your moans were uncontrollable at this point as you felt the familiar knot build up in the pit of your stomach.
Soon enough, his thrusts began to get sloppy and unrhythmical, and after that it wasn’t long before you felt him release inside of you.
He rode out his high but continued, picking up his pace again for another few minutes before you finally followed his example and toppled over the edge, only then allowing your forehead to sink to the desk as you didn’t have the strength to hold yourself up anymore.
He continued thrusting into you until you came back down from your high, slowly pulling out only when he felt you relax in his arms and backing away, pulling his boxers back up.
You instantly grew colder without his body pressed tightly against yours and you pushed yourself up again as a shiver went down your spine.
Turning around, your eyes found his form instantly, watching as he reached to the other side of the desk for a box of tissues.
Sitting yourself down on the desk, you watched fondly with a small smile playing on your lips as he came back over to you and wordlessly began cleaning you up, wiping the tissue up your inner thigh with careful touches.
Once you were clean, the two of you separately began gathering your clothes and putting them back on.
Hotch was still over by his desk, dressed only at the lower part of his body while you stood by the door, watching him from afar while buttoning your shirt up where you had discarded it.
He fiddled with something at his desk, opening and closing drawers and making sure to throw the tissues in the bin at the floor, and you had just finished buttoning your shirt and picking up his from the floor when he approached you, your eyes meeting.
He took the light blue piece of clothing from your hand as you stretched it out for him and put it on, and you instinctively began buttoning it for him, something he didn’t protest against.
“Are you alright?” He carefully asked as he stared down at you, and you glanced up to meet his gaze.
“Was this just a casual, no strings attached, one-time thing?” You asked just as softly, and the way he stared down at you with an expression so stoic, you feared for a moment that he would leave your question unanswered like he had before.
But after a moment of silence, he shook his head and replied: “No.”, instantly causing a smile to rise to your lips.
“Then I’m feeling great.”
You moved your gaze back to your hands as you continued working on his buttons and he smiled lightly at the sight, admiring your gentle movements.
“I’m sorry, for turning you down the way I did. Not a day has gone by since you left that I haven’t regretted it.” He confessed quietly and you hummed, remaining silent until the last of the buttons was buttoned.
You looked back up at him only then, holding his gaze as you straightened his collar. “Well, I’m here now, and I’m giving you a second chance. So what are you going to do about it?”
The corner of his lips tugged, his eyes still watching you fondly as you began working on his tie. “Some of those restaurants the detective suggested are pretty good.” He hinted and you raised an eyebrow.
“So you were jealous? Listening in to all of our conversations?”
He had to fight back the smile at the sight of your complacency, shrugging his shoulders in a feign unbothered manner. “Maybe. A little bit.” He replied plainly, which only caused your smirk to widen.
“A little bit, he says, after just having taken me from behind against his desk.”
Your bold and blunt remark caused his eyes to widen slightly with surprise, a chuckle slipping past his lips.
“Funny.” He remarked.
“Aren’t I?” You grinned, gently slapping his chest as you finished restoring his tie to its former, crisp glory. “So, when should I expect my carriage?”
His chuckle died down into a sincere smile, and your heart thudded in your chest when he stepped closer to you and gently took your upper arms in his hands. “Friday, eight o’clock.” He said. “If you’re free.”
“Friday it is.” You agreed. “Don’t be late.”
You gave him a teasing look and moved your arms out of his grasp so that you could take his hands in yours, which he did nothing to stop.
“You have my word.” He smiled back, putting his dimple on full display.
You nodded your head in approval and began backing away toward the door, only letting go of his hands when they became too far away to reach and turning around to unlock and open the door.
“Hey.” His voice called from behind you before you could exit his office and before you could react, he had once again grabbed your hand and spun you around to face him.
You gave him a questioning look but before you could wonder aloud, he leaned in and pressed his lips against yours.
It was quick and more of a peck than a real kiss, but it left both of you smiling from ear to ear nonetheless.
“Good night.” He told you once you broke apart again.
“Night.” You softly replied, squeezing his hand and sharing one last glance before he let go of your hand and allowed you to leave.
You had to force yourself to keep your shit together until you were out of his line of sight, at which point your rapidly beating heart and dizzy head caught up with you, a breath you hadn’t known you were holding being released from your quivering lips.
Once you made it out of the building, you wasted no time in getting to your car and heading straight for your sister’s house, where the entire family was most likely sleeping seeing as they would be up and at it in less than five hours to catch their plane.
But you didn’t care about the hour of the night, and obviously, neither did JJ once she saw the look on your face, knowing what had happened before you’d even gotten the chance to open your mouth.
Will was less than pleased to be awoken by your rapid knocking in the middle of the night but he quickly retreated into the bedroom to fall back asleep once he made sure you weren’t an intruder, leaving you to yourselves.
JJ demanded to know everything, every little detail, and you obeyed, giving her every piece of information you had to give.
Once an hour had passed, you finally stood up to leave and JJ followed you to the front door, waving you off and keeping her composure until you were gone.
The second she could no longer see the headlights of your car, she hurried back into the house and dived straight for her phone. 
Penelope was not the kind of person who appreciated being woken up from her slumber but much like JJ, she didn’t care in the slightest once she heard what her fine, furry friend had to say, loudly celebrating into the speaker much to the dismay of Kevin who was left grumbling in the background, that their ship had finally sailed.
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Okay, now for my complaints about RNM season 3 (C’mon, you knew they were coming!) Warnings for statements that could be considered Anti-Maria and Anti-Wyatt. I personally view it as being against the writing of certain plots, not necessarily the characters themselves, but forewarning for potential discourse. 
I said it last season, and earlier on in this season, but I’ll say it again:  Please stop making every side character a love interest or romantic foil.  It truly lowers my interest in a character, and it can ruin a character - especially if the character lacks any sort of relevance to the main plots or interactions with the other characters.   Both Steph and Forrest are examples of this. Honestly, I don’t think anything would have made Steph interesting, but the fact that she basically only existed to give Kyle a non-Liz romance and ended up keeping him disconnected from the main plots for a long stretch of season 2 because she was so non-plot relevant?  Yeah, not a good look.  Forrest, on the flip side, was a complete waste of what would have otherwise been a fascinating character.  He first revealed useful information about the history of the Long Farm that ended up connected with the Pod Squad’s parents.  He also had a lot of potential with his connection to both the Longs and Deep Sky to be a complex and interesting side character.  But then he was demoted to romantic foil.  He became nothing so much as Alex’s temporary love interest, there for the sole purpose of preventing Malex from getting together “too soon”, with what turned into an unnecessary and unexplained connection to Deep Sky that could have been provided completely by Eduardo in season 3.  They didn’t even bother to bring him back for Wyatt’s badly written and unnecessary redemption plotline despite them being cousins and Forrest previously claiming he supposedly hung out with him and Kate in their childhood.
I felt the same disinterest in Heath in early season 3 as I felt for Steph in season 2.  He seemed like nothing so much as a knock-off version of Kyle whose romance with Liz really didn’t serve any purpose aside from being a romantic foil to Echo.  Honestly, not a single of the plot relevant parts of Heath and Liz in early s3 would have changed by having Heath be just a good friend and colleague rather than a love interest.  Until the reveal of his friendship with Dallas, I was honestly annoyed by the reappearance of Heath into the plot.  I held so little interest in his character until then.
Which brings me to Anatsa.  Who is suffering from a really frustrating whiplash of this same issue.  I really don’t understand the writing choice to basically introduce a character they were planning on having in a romance with Isobel by having her have a one night stand with Max.  Honestly, if they wanted Isobel with an old fling of Max’s, Jenna Cameron already existed.  (And already knows about the aliens, Project Shepherd, and Deep Sky.)  At first I thought Anatsa was going to be another Echo foil, so I was pleasantly surprised when, instead, her one night stand with Max remained a one night stand, and instead her character focus seemed to shift to being plot relevant.  Yay!  And then, instead of having her continue to be involved with researching the mysteries in Roswell and become a potential danger/ally to the group, she’s turned into a love interest.  Sure, we’re told she’s researching for a story, which is why her and Isobel break into Dallas’s office, but suddenly she just… what?  Stops researching it?  Never shows up anywhere else or interacts with other characters except in relation to Isobel and her romance for the rest of the season?  Anatsa being in that scene is used solely for the purpose of furthering Isobel and her romance rather than her actual involvement in a plot being used to allow their romance to further.
And I can literally use Kybel as an example of the parallel.  Because they gave us so much of Kyle and Isobel this season.  Think of the scene between them while they work to save Dallas,  Pretty plot relevant, right?  Yet the moments between them exist inside this plot, rather than the moment being manufactured to further their romance.  Kyle continues to interact with other characters, continues his own involvement in the plot.  By comparison, Anatsa is left cooling her heels and only showing up to romance Isobel, twice specifically so Kyle and her don’t share a moment.  Which makes her trend towards romantic foil even more than love interest.  It’s really only the early parts of season 2 that prevent her from falling completely into that category. And that’s not good.
I feel like a traitor to my own sexuality, but I’m not feeling much interest in Isobel and Anatsa as a couple.  First, after everything that happened with Noah, and between Echo and Malex and even Miluca, Isobel is really going to get serious with someone she’s lying to?  Who she’s unwilling to share their secrets with?  I don’t see it.  Secondly, we didn’t even get any kind of on-screen build up of sexual and romantic tension between her and Isobel, we basically get a “tell, don’t show” with Maria suddenly shoving Isobel at Anatsa and claiming they had a moment.  Not a fan of the lack of on-screen preface.  It makes the whole thing feel very contrived rather than natural.  Thirdly, I don't see them putting Kyle into another love triangle where he loses out in the end.  Which means Isobel and Anatsa aren’t even going to be in a serious relationship? They’re, what, only together to be a romantic foil for Kybel? I’m so confused by these choices.  Like Forrest before her, Anatsa could be so much more than a romantic foil, but the writers don’t seem interested in taking advantage of that.  I have been dying for some w/w on RNM, and disappointed doesn’t even begin to cover how I feel about what they’ve given me.
To be honest, I already wrote a post about my struggles with the handling of Maria’s character.  (Which involved my belief that she, too, was demoted from side character to romantic foil.)  It doesn’t help that I heavily disliked season 2 Miluca.  I liked Season 1 Miluca.  Couldn’t stand season 2 Miluca.  So putting Maria directly into another romance seemed an odd choice for me.  And, to be honest, I felt like what they did to Gregory this season was very similar to what they did to Maria last season.  He went from a side character who was relevant to the plot, to being a love interest.  At least he escaped the romantic foil, since he did interact with other characters a handful of times and isn’t interfering with another potential romance.  But there was no reason for him to not be more involved with the plot this season - especially in regards to Alex’s arc.  We only got one conversation between the brothers in season 3.  We got no scenes between them after Alex got involved with Deep Sky. I would have loved to see an interaction between him and Eduardo given his protectiveness towards Alex.  He would have had words for Eduardo.  (I like Eduardo, don’t get me wrong, but I definitely feel like Gregory would be suspicious of him.)  And, honestly, as much as Jesse Manes deserved to die, I really would have liked more about Gregory’s struggles with killing his own father.  Hell, given Michael’s breakdown about the same subject, we could have had an excellent interaction between Michael and Gregory on it.  The lack of touching on that subject is a disservice to his character. 
I feel like I could like Delmanes  (That’s their ship name, right?), but a few things are in my way.  One part is, as I said, Gregory, not getting more involved with the plot and lacking solo interactions with other characters.  Hell, why wasn’t it him interacting with Max thanking him for looking out for Maria rather than Michael?  Why wasn’t he more involved with Maria’s quest for having more visions? Jenna was Max’s season one love interest and Echos’s romantic foil, but still managed to have solo scenes with Jesse Manes, Alex and Kyle, and even Liz and Isobel.  While it is true that Cameron is a character from Roswell High and her season one plot is directly taken from the novels (With the exception of her being romantically linked to Michael in the books rather than Max), if they could manage all that with her in season one, I don’t understand the lack of the same courtesy for Gregory in season 3. I would have also felt so much better and interested in Delmanes if even one scene between them was used to delve into Gregory’s backstory and struggles. Not just Maria’s. Balance is important, and the writers never seem to balance Maria’s romantic relationships well.  So instead of using pretty much any of Gregory’s scenes to further his character, his scenes were almost all used specifically to move his “relationship” with Maria forward.  And, yes there’s a reason for those quotes.  I really wish they’d simply started the season with them already in a relationship, rather than having them get together during the season because - and I’m going to say it:
They do realize people that age date, right?
Like us older people, we still go to dinners, and movies, and art museums.  We don’t just have a drink at a bar and hop into bed together and call it a relationship?  They do know older people can properly date, right?  Cuz I’m honestly getting a “older people don’t go on dates” vibe.  I know they do know that, seeing as Echo got a date last season, and Liz got one with Heath this season, and Michael mentions to Isobel how he and Alex are going on their first real date in the season finale.  But almost every relationship in the show just seems to skip that part.  Miluca, Delmanes, Isobel and Anatsa (what’s their shipname, btw?)  Technically even Malex and Echo skipped that part and didn’t go on dates until after getting together.  (I mean, I guess we can count Echo’s desert trip at 17, but then they didn’t go on another date until Max had amnesia.)  And, honestly?  I’m starting to get pretty salty about that approach to older relationships.  Sex is great, but so is actually taking time to get to know the other person first.  To see if they’re worth putting yourself out there for.  Healthy relationships, people.  They really aren’t unsexy if you write them right.
Another thing I’m going to just say - the idea that Maria is the heart of the RNM Found Family is utter bullshit. It’s the writers trying desperately to sell an idea they haven’t bothered to put the effort into.  You know what the “heart of a group” does?  They're the ones others in the group rely on when they need help. They’re the ones who help protect and prop up their friends when they flounder. Who respect others capabilities and would never speak ill of them behind their backs.  To their faces, maybe, but never behind their backs.  Maria has not been that character since Season One ended.  Period.  
Do you know who is the heart of the RNM Found Family?  Kyle Valenti.
Kyle is the one Liz first tells about the aliens. Who moves past his previous romantic feelings towards Liz to form a friendship with her and even checks in on her even after she leaves Roswell.
Kyle is the one who in season one apologizes to Alex for his past actions and forms a friendship that allows him to encourage him and support him in the following seasons.
Kyle is the one who helps save Isobel in season one despite his mixed feelings towards what happened with the murders and who continues to be a good friend to her and encourage her as the show progresses.
Kyle is the one who manages to move past his old rivalry with Max enough to work to save his life, to work with him to uncover what’s happening in season 2, and continues to look out for his health in season 3 - even when Max doesn’t want him to.
Kyle is the one who, despite a continued antagonistic relationship with Michael, shows respect for his skills regardless. From trusting the alien pacemaker he made to seeking him out for help in regards to the radio.
Kyle is the one who looks out for Maria’s health. Who is willing to go so far as risk his career to help her with her quest to have more visions. Despite being against her doing so as her doctor - he still supports her choice.
Kyle is the one who is shown to be there for Rosa multiple times the last couple seasons. Including when she was initially spiraling during season 2.  And coming to her aid after she drugs Wyatt.
No amount of lip service for Maria can compete with the sheer number of scenes where Kyle is shown to care for and support the other characters. So, yeah, no, Maria is not and never can be the heart of this version of Roswell.  That is and always will be Kyle.
This isn’t even about my own struggles with Maria’s characterization. They simply have not put in the effort for that claim. Her interactions with Max have been almost non-existent since season one. Her interactions with both Kyle and Michael have almost all been about them supporting her.  After their scene together with Arizona, Maria did not support Michael’s character once until finding him stabbed at the end of season 3 - including their entire romantic relationship! The scenes between Kyle and Maria were scarce and equally slanted towards him supplying support for her rather than her for him.  In season one, Maria and Alex’s interactions were evenly about checking in on each other’s well being, but since the start of season 2, Maria has done absolutely nothing to support Alex.  Even her relationship with Liz suffered - with the writers not bothering to even write a full scene for their reconciliation in season 2 after their fight!  Rosa and her were fleeced in season 2 - we never even got to see her give Rosa the necklace!  The only real relationship of Maria’s that is developed properly on screen with a show of equal support of each other is her and Isobel!  Don’t get me wrong, their scenes are excellent. But you can’t skip over every other relationship Maria has on screen and then try to sell us on this idea she has become irreplaceable in importance to the group.  Especially in the same season she complained to Isobel of feeling left out!  You can’t have it both ways!
Sigh. I don’t think I’ll ever love Maria’s character again like I did in season one. But, hey, the writers managed to make me hate Max a lot less this season, so anything is possible.
I have written no less than two posts (One. Two.) about my dislike of Wyatt’s amnesia plot.  If they were dead set on doing this plot, however, they needed to do it correctly - and they didn’t. At all.  How Wyatt is written?  Hoo boy. 
Look, hard facts. As someone who has literally taken management seminars on this sort of thing. People can be completely unaware of their own prejudices.  They will make statements or form opinions that they have no idea are based on prejudice. Until someone smacks them across the face with it.  And that is people raised in, as much as I hate the use of the word, “normal” environments. Who weren’t subjected to racist beliefs from a young age. Before they were even old enough to form their own opinions.
And, yes, people can overcome these types of upbringings. They can go out in the world and realize their family beliefs are wrong.  They can do better.  But it takes time and effort. And they will find themselves messing up and making mistakes.  Thinking or even saying the wrong things.
Wyatt is not written like that. At all. He is written as some pure innocent character completely without prejudice. As if he’s unaware and horrified by its very existence.  That’s… wrong.  It’s insulting even.  Wyatt, even if he was a friend of Rosa’s in the past who had been working to escape his family’s beliefs, would be fully aware of prejudice. Of the terrible things his family and others like them do. He would still mess up and probably say the wrong thing and need someone to call him on it.
In my opinion, this plot should never have been bothered with at all, not for Wyatt. To me his previous actions were too far down a road of violence that speaks of something psychological being wrong with him. People can become assholes.  Even prejudice assholes. But that isn’t the same as being violent.  That definitely isn’t the same as being an unrepentant murderer.  And the way they have written this plot has taken it from bad to absolute worst case scenario.
So, yeah, my biggest complaint about season 3 is Wyatt. And how absolutely wrong it was to write this arc at all. Let alone the way it has been written. 
And, seriously, seriously, if they do not give me a Flint Manes redemption arc after making me put up with this Wyatt Long bullshit, I will never stop complaining about it.
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goldentournesol · 4 years
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Twin Flames
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(Spencer Reid x Reader)
The one where Reader deals with the aftermath of Maeve while she struggles with her intense feelings for Spencer.
Length: 4.3k
A/N: lots of angst...like lots of it. Big thanks to @hopefulfangirl24​ for requesting. i totally broke my own heart writing this. ENJOY!
masterlist
Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go, it's starting over. -Nicole Sobon
Starting over.
What did starting over even look like for Spencer? Will the dread and guilt ever stop washing over him as the sun melts into the horizon and the moon takes its place? 
It was starting to feel like he could never move on from the pain of losing Maeve. Day and night, he stared at the four walls of his apartment wondering what could have been if he had said something different. He wondered if the outcome would be the same. He wondered whether fate had ever been kind to him in at least one of the infinite universes that might exist, giving him the ending he so desperately wanted. After so many years, Spencer finally allowed himself to be brave enough to fall in love and oh how he wished he regretted it, but falling in love was anything but regrettable. Falling in love meant being vulnerable, and he knew that, but he didn’t know just how much it would hurt. The purity of Spencer’s soul allowed him to love so deeply, so intensely, and with all his heart which made it all the more easy to hurt so deeply and so intensely.
He yearned to become unfamiliar with the feeling of heaviness. Everything was so heavy, his heart, his stomach, his tears. Each of them weighing on him like anvils that he couldn’t lift no matter how hard he tried. In theory, he knew the anvils could be lifted with help from others, but that was too much of a strenuous task to tackle right now. He’ll handle the anvils all on his own for now. 
The world seemed eerily desolate and Spencer couldn’t seem to remember what it looked like before it turned into the dull, washed out version he became acquainted with now. Penelope had tried to add some color back into his life, but her actions were futile against the monstrosity of grief. The entire team had tried to reach out and while he appreciated the gestures, he had no capacity for anything other than the agony that consumed him. 
Derek left what seemed like a thousand messages on his phone, but he still checked to see who called every time his phone rang. Which is exactly why it was unprecedented to see a different name pop up at the sound of his ringtone in the middle of the day. A name which belonged to a person he’d held very dear for so long. They haven’t spoken in months, maybe a year and if Spencer’s mind wasn’t currently overcrowded with thoughts, he’d definitely be able to recall the exact amount of time between speaking to her last and now. Why is she calling him now? What if something was wrong? Did she know about what happened? No, how would she find out? His curiosity had possessed his body, making him answer the call.
“Y/N?” He croaked, clearing his throat, having not used his voice in days.
“Spencer! How’s my favorite genius doing? I didn’t know if you’d changed your number or something, but I’d just thought I’d call anyway! Are you at work? Sorry, I can call you back later if-” She shouted excitedly into the phone, but Spencer was quick to end her worries.
“No, no. I’m not at work.” Spencer said curtly.
“Oh, is everything alright?” She asked, concerned. She could tell by the tone of his voice that something was not right.
“Did Garcia put you up to this?” Spencer deflected defensively. 
He knew Garcia was aware that Y/N was the only person he’d never turn away from. Not after all they’d been through. She was the one person who never left his side. She and Spencer were undeniably connected by some sort of un-explainable, otherworldly force. Call them soulmates, twin flames, mirror souls--whatever. That was what they were. It didn’t matter to them if they were romantically involved or not, the connection between them had surpassed the simple stages of romance. Spencer often found himself wondering what could have been if he’d never left Vegas. If he’d never left her.
“Garcia? The tech analyst? No, why? Spencer, did something happen?” She recalled meeting the eccentric woman when she visited Spencer in Quantico a few years back. 
Spencer’s brow furrowed and his mouth spoke before his brain could tell it not to, “Then why are you calling me?” He spat impatiently, pinching the bridge of his nose, already wishing he didn’t have to prolong the conversation.
Y/N was taken aback through the phone at his retort but her heart ached for him, knowing that something dreadful must have happened for him to act so out of character, but she took the phone off her ear to check if she had dialed the correct number anyway. She had.
“I just wanted to catch up with you. Is this about not calling you recently? I’m sorry, Spencer, I got caught up with work and I moved into a new apartment, and things have just been really hectic lately. Are you okay?” She worried through the phone and Spencer could practically feel her disquietude seeping from the speaker.
“So, you really don’t know…?” Spencer trailed off, already feeling the guilt bubble up in his chest, still avoiding the question. He didn’t even know what okay meant anymore.
“Know what, Spence? Oh God, is Diana okay?!” She shrieked, her mind snapping to the worst case scenario.
Her genuine reaction had made Spencer ease the frown that had been permanently etched onto his features for days. It wasn’t a smile yet, but it was something. She and his mother had always shared a bond that he never really understood, even as an adult. That was how compassionate she was, she was able to instantly connect with people and she would do it so well. It used to baffle Spencer when they were children, but perhaps that’s what drew her to him. Their souls were tied together with an invisible string.
She heard him release a huff and some shuffling was heard from his side, “My mom is fine.”
She let out a sigh of relief, “So, what’s going on?”
He paused, debating whether or not to tell her. She sighed again, knowing it must have been something terrible if he wasn’t willing to talk about it.
“Spencer?” She called softly when he fell silent. She was already browsing for plane tickets from Las Vegas to DC.
“I...I couldn’t do it, Y/N. I couldn’t save her.” He sniffled into the phone and her heart had practically escaped from its place in her chest and landed in the pits of her stomach. Her arms and shoulders were immediately overtaken with chills. She didn’t know who he was referring to, but the dread set in quicker than she imagined. She could tell this was bad, even for Spencer and his line of work. Whatever happened had ripped him to shreds and she was not about to sit idly in Vegas.
Two days later, she struggled to haul a small suitcase out of the cab she took from the airport to Spencer’s apartment complex. The flight was way more exhausting than it should have been. She placed the suitcase on the ground with a huff and spotted two blonde women descending from the stairs that led to Spencer’s apartment as she neared the entrance. She quickly recognized them as Spencer’s beloved coworkers, Garcia and JJ. Garcia’s eyes found hers and let out a surprised gasp.
“Hey, I know you! You’re Spencer’s friend--from Vegas! Y/N, right?” Garcia announced as Y/N entered the building, stopping right before the stairs.
“Hi, Penelope.” Y/N said expectantly with a playful smile. Garcia was pleasantly surprised when she remembered who she was and pulled her into a warm embrace.
“Hi, JJ.” she smiled as she gave her a hug, “Any luck with Spencer?”
The two women shared a look and sighed deeply.
“No, he hasn’t even spoken to us through the door.” JJ said with a heavy heart before she continued, “How did you know? Did he call you?”
Y/N shook her head, “No, I called him.”
“And he picked up?!” Garcia exclaimed, eliciting a half-laugh from Y/N.
“Yeah, he did. I don’t know how it happened, I just, you know when you get a feeling like in the pit of your stomach? It felt like he needed me all of a sudden--sorry, that sounds so weird.” She apologized, shaking her head slightly.
“No, it’s okay. Maybe you can get through to him. We’re all really worried about him.” JJ explained and Y/N nodded.
“I still don’t really know what happened, was it...that bad?” Y/N felt silly for asking. The two shared another look. A look that held so much shared trauma and empathy for their friend. Y/N’s heart sank as she let out a shuddered breath at their silent reaction. She glanced up at the stairs helplessly, wondering if she was strong enough to help him through the turmoil he’s experiencing.
“He’s refused to see anyone for the past two weeks, please let us know if anything changes.” Garcia pleaded and they proceeded to exchange numbers to keep in touch. Y/N nodded and smiled gratefully at them before making her way up the stairs and facing Spencer’s door. 
She took a deep breath before knocking. Spencer held back a groan as he dropped his copy of The Narrative of John Smith into his lap, bringing his hands to his face in an act of exhaustion. He wanted to scream at them to leave him alone, but he simply didn’t have the energy to do so. He’d settle on ignoring them for now. The knocking carried on, but it was paired with a gentle voice that Spencer knew all too well. JJ and Garcia watched from the bottom of the steps, bouncing with anticipation.
“Spencer? It’s Y/N. Can you please open up?” She called through the wooden door. 
Spencer froze in his place. Was he finally asleep and dreaming? Did she really come all this way for him or was he imagining it? Was fate finally giving him a taste of kindness? A kindness he so desperately wished for? He suddenly retreated into the darkest corner of his mind, the dark place which never failed to remind him on an hourly basis just how unworthy of love he really was. Not hers, not Maeve’s, not anyone’s. His thoughts were interrupted yet again by another insistent knock. It sounded too clear to be a figment of his imagination. He forced himself up from his place on the couch and made his way to the door. She heard shuffling from the other side and bit her lip. JJ and Garcia made a move to leave before they heard the sound of the door opening. They shared an excited look, not even caring that they were almost half an hour late to work at this point.
Spencer’s sullen eyes found her bright ones immediately. She gave him a soft smile and he swore the world around him withered away slightly.
“Hey, genius.” She spoke with her signature tenderness and Spencer didn’t hesitate to engulf her in a long awaited embrace. She let out a breath at the sudden force but welcomed him into her arms anyway. JJ and Garcia grinned at each other, a newfound wave of relief hitting the both of them. They left for work, grins of relief never leaving their faces.
“You’re....you’re here? You’re really here?” Spencer mumbled as he stuffed his face into her neck, her presence filling him with a sense of familiarity, one he so hopelessly craved.
She nodded into his shoulder, squeezing him impossibly tighter, “Yeah, Spence, I’m right here.” 
She felt his chest expand against hers and he released a deep, heavy sigh. He suddenly felt a sense of security wash over him, his arms tightened around her waist, lifting her off the ground slightly as he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to relish in her warm embrace for just a few moments longer. Relief flooded his chest, and he felt like he could breathe again. He was inexplicably glad that the first thing he could breathe in again was the smell of her perfume. He vouched to never allow himself to forget the level of comfort she brought again. Spencer momentarily forgot about his sorrows in her arms, but the agony was far too unforgiving and the moment of bliss didn’t last. His chest clenched again as he set her down and pulled away from her.
“Y-you didn’t have to come all the way out here.” He frowned, struggling to hold himself together in front of her.
“Stop that, you know I’d drop everything in a heartbeat for you.” She attempted to smile despite her eyes welling up with tears at the sight of his suffering. He nodded and they both stepped into his apartment, her dragging her suitcase in with her.
“You came from the airport?” He said with a small voice as he saw her pull the bag in. He had expected her to stop by whichever hotel she booked a room at first.
“Yeah, I came as soon as I landed. I needed to see you first.” She said, pulling him to his couch by the hand, careful not to step on any of the books that lay on the floor.
“Do you…” he paused, swallowing his tears, “do you have to stay at the hotel?”
“No, Spence, I don’t have to. I can stay here if you want.” She gently stroked her thumb across his knuckles.
“Please? Please...stay?” His voice cracked and suddenly his face scrunched up in an attempt to suppress a sob, but to no avail. 
A heartbreaking sob escaped from his lips and she wrapped herself around him without a second thought. Cooing at him lovingly and rubbing his back, reminding him every so often that she was right there. Once the floodgates had opened, they had no idea when they would stop. She held his shaking body tightly to hers as if she could somehow absorb some of the pain he felt and tried not to let any of her own tears fall onto him. It broke her heart to see him so saddened. 
She pressed kisses to the side of his head as he calmed down, threading her fingers through his messy, tangled hair. Spencer’s ear was now resting against her heartbeat, he focused on the steady sound and he felt his eyes droop with the exhaustion of days without sleep. She smiled slightly and soon fell asleep, making up for the sleep she missed on the flight over.
Hours later, they awoke and moved around the apartment in silence. Or rather she moved in silence while he stayed on the couch, looking for anything to drown out his sorrows. She focused on making him a balanced breakfast, despite the fact that it was almost 3 pm. 
“Spencer? Come eat. I made coffee, too.” She called out, already eating off her plate. She hoped she wouldn’t have to physically drag him off the couch. She smiled when she heard him drag his feet all the way to the kitchen. They ate together in silence, although Spencer was thankful for the warm food.
“Do you know why I joined the FBI?” He asked after a while. She stared at him curiously and he continued, “I joined the FBI to protect people. That’s the whole point of the job. I wanted to protect her, I wanted to save her, and I failed. I failed, Y/N. What’s the point of me being an FBI agent if I can’t even protect the ones I love?” He ranted as he looked at her for answers.
“What is the point of loving anyone if I can’t protect them?” He frowned, tears pooling on the inside of his eyes. She frowned in response, clutching the cup of coffee tight between her hands.
“Do you want to start from the beginning?” She offered and he quickly realized she had no idea who he was talking about.
“Her name is...was Maeve. She was the geneticist who helped me get rid of my migraines. I sent her my brain scan and she was the only one who actually helped. I never actually met her, though, all our communication happened through payphones or letters because she had a stalker. She didn’t know who they were, just that they were dangerous. I’d call her every Sunday and we’d just...talk. We sent letters under pseudonyms. It was nice. It was more than nice, actually. It was the first time I ever felt appreciated for who I am, I didn’t have to worry about her judging the way I looked. I-I fell in love with her before I even saw her. We planned a date, finally, but I sent her home because I thought I saw her stalker. So stupid. I was so stupid. I was so paranoid, Y/N. Good things just don’t happen to Spencer Reid, I should have known.” He paused, shaking his head and holding back tears.
“Anyway, she was abducted by her stalker. We thought it was her fiance at first, but it wasn’t. It was his girlfriend...Diane.” He shuddered as the name left his lips. “She was a grad student at the university Maeve taught at and she rejected her thesis. Can you believe that? I lost the one good thing I had over a thesis?” He laughed bitterly, tears streaming down his face. It was deeper than that, but he didn’t care to explain. 
“I only got 2,412 hours of communication with her. Even though I remember every word, it’ll never be enough.” He aggressively wiped at his cheeks. “I told Diane I’d die for her...for Maeve. I meant it, too. I would have died for her!” He slammed a frustrated hand on the table, shaking the tableware. 
“Apparently that was the worst possible thing to say because it set her off. She...she shot herself in the head and the bullet...the b-bullet--” He cut himself off with a sob, unable to finish the sentence, the grief hitting him like it was a tsunami and he was an unsuspecting beach town.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” She repeated as she rushed to crouch down in front of him, taking both his hands. She kissed his knuckles before wiping her own tears. 
What kind of world did they live in where they had to worry about tragedies like this? She suddenly had a brewing hatred for the world around her. How could it let something so terrible happen to someone so good. Spencer Reid was good, and he deserves nothing but good things in his life. As much as the story pained her, she couldn’t begin to imagine the pain he was feeling. 
“I know you blame yourself, Spence. It’s gonna be hard not to at first. But you have to understand that none of this is your fault. You didn’t pull that trigger. She did. I’m so sorry, Spence. I’m so, so sorry. This should have never happened to you, or to anyone. The pain is gonna suck, grief is not easy, but you don’t have to go through it alone. You know that right?” She spoke softly, trying as hard as she could to keep her voice steady for him. He looked at her and saw the truth in her eyes. He nodded ever so slightly and sniffled.
“I know.” He squeezed her hands once and she smiled reassuringly. Her smile made him feel a little bit better. He didn’t want the team’s help, they’d all just treat him like a wounded puppy. She was so unconditionally compassionate and loving, he never wanted to stray far from her again. She got up from her crouched position and pulled him to stand with her. She wrapped her arms around his back and leaned into his chest. He squeezed her tighter, tears soaking into her shirt once again. “Thank you.” He muttered. She nodded. “How long are you staying?” His heart clenched, not wanting to see her go.
“I’ll be here for as long as you need, love.” She rubbed circles across his back. He pulled away to face her.
“What about your job?” He frowned, wiping a hand over his face.
“Don’t worry about that, I’ve got lots of vacation days saved up.” She reassured, “Besides, I’d rather be here with you than at that stupid job anyway.” She rolled her eyes, thinking of her impossible boss. Spencer suppressed a smile.
“Wait, you’re still working for--”
“Yup, same asshole.” She laughed and Spencer smiled. 
He smiled! 
He remembered all the times she would complain about her horrible boss over the phone.
“So, you said you moved?” Spencer asked, leading her back to the couch.
“Yeah, I really hated my old apartment.” Spencer nodded, “I’m really sorry for not calling you. I missed you so much and I thought about you practically every day...it’s just, you know, it’s easy to get caught up in all the little things.” She apologized, feeling guilty.
“It’s just as much my fault, I haven’t called either. And...I missed you too.” Spencer said.
“It’s alright, we’ve both been busy.” She smiled at him.
“You would have loved her.” Spencer trailed off, frowning. She let out a sigh.
“I’m sure I would have, Spence.” She mirrored his frown.
“She reminded me of you in a lot of ways now that I think about it. She was kind and compassionate. She was funny, she liked to make puns and she was good with words.” He reminisced sadly. All she could do was smile halfheartedly. On one hand, she was glad he got to experience such a love, but on the other, she found herself fighting off a feeling of jealousy.
“I never thought I’d get over you.” He admitted, fidgeting with his hands and avoiding her gaze, yet he said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Spencer had already bared his soul to her, what was this one confession in the grand scheme of things?
“What?” She whispered, completely caught off guard. He glanced at her to see her shocked face.
“What? Don’t act like you didn’t know.” He scoffed lightly. He was right, she always suspected his feelings for her but she never wanted to entertain the idea of it in case she was wrong. She’d been hurt so many times that she didn’t even want to think about being hurt by the one person she’d loved more than anyone else.
She loved Spencer. She knew that. There was no doubt in her mind. They were twin flames. They danced around each other and separated, but never burnt out.
“In fact, I don’t think I could ever get over you, Y/N. I’ve always loved you.” He spoke quietly. “You don’t have to say anything right now, I’m not expecting you to. I think I’m so upset over Maeve because, of course, I loved her, but in so many ways she reminded me of you. And if I can’t protect her, then I can’t protect you.” 
“I, um, I don’t know what to say.” She stammered. She knew he was overwhelmed with emotion so she tried not to take his words too literally. But the confession hit her like a truck. She didn’t know what to do. He’s mourning the loss of his girlfriend, it would be completely selfish for her to take advantage of his feelings. It’s not like he was asking anything of her, he was just hanging it all out to dry. He was so vulnerable right now, she couldn’t act upon her own feelings. They both knew that.
She felt her throat run dry at all the words she wanted to say, but she settled on, “We should talk about this later, Spence.” 
He gave her a half smile and nodded, the numbness setting in.
The next few days blurred into each other. They consisted of Y/N cleaning up around the apartment, making food, doing laundry. Spencer was doing his best to help her out, but he found too much comfort inside the walls he built for himself. She didn’t push him to do anything he didn’t want to do. She’d convinced him to leave the house twice, both times going for a walk in the sunlight. She made sure he brushed his hair and shaved his face. Honestly without her, he’d probably still be stuck in his spot on the couch. She updated his coworkers daily, letting them know that he was doing better. She even held him at night when he cried for the love that was ripped too soon from him. 
“Y/N?” Spencer called one morning as he walked in on her in the kitchen.
“Yeah?” She turned away from the coffee machine to face him. She still looked as beautiful  as ever even under the light coming from his dodgy kitchen window.
“I just want to thank you. For all you’ve done for me. It couldn’t have been easy for you.” He smiled shyly. She smiled brightly at him, moving closer to wrap her arms around him tightly.
“You don’t have to thank me. You would have done the same for me.” She looked up at him and into his honey colored eyes. The eyes that have shed buckets worth of tears in the past few days.
“Yeah, I would have.” He joked, finally feeling like himself again, resting his hands on her waist. “I meant what I said, by the way.”
She nodded, “I know. But we’re not in any rush, are we? I’d wait for you forever if I had to, Spencer Reid.”
And he wouldn’t have to worry, because twin flames always find each other.
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petri808 · 3 years
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Pranks Are So Revealing Sometimes…
@itafushiweek One bed prompt
After everything had finally settled and damages were assessed to Tokyo jujutsu high following the Kamo incident, the faculty decided it was time for a full renovation. They would fix the damaged areas but also update other undamaged parts. Including the dorms according to their teacher. The students were given a schedule of when each of their rooms would be worked on and given boxes to pack their belongings for temporary storage.
“Don’t worry,” Gojo grinned. “Shouldn’t take more than a day or two per room.”
“Yeah, okay,” Megumi stared back up at his teacher after reading the information. “But where are we supposed to sleep if our room is being renovated?”
“Oh, well since the unoccupied rooms will also be renovated during this process…” the man tapped his chin. “Got it! You bunk with Yuuji, then switch when it’s his rooms turn.”
“Cool! A sleepover!” Yuuji pumped his fists in the air. “We can hang out and watch movies and eat junk food and just crash from a food coma.”
Megumi swallowed thickly with a groan. “I’d rather you give me your credit card,” directing his comment to Gojo, “so I can get a hotel room.”
“No, can do buddy. Come on, it won’t be that bad.”
Yuuji threw an arm over Megumi’s. “It’ll be fine,” his brilliant smile causing the man’s cheeks to redden. “Movies and food, we’ll have fun.”
Megumi looked away and crossed his arms over his chest. “Ugh! Fine!”
“Good.” Gojo patted his student on the shoulder. “Now that’s settled, get packing young Megumi. Tomorrow we’ll be starting with your room.”
With Yuuji’s help, it didn’t take long for Megumi to pack up his belongings. There really wasn’t much, fitting everything into 3 medium sized boxes. Mostly clothes, some books, and minor items. He packed a bag with just enough to be displaced a couple of days, and if the renovations took longer, he could probably just borrow clothes from Yuuji. They were roughly the same size anyway. The boxes were then taken to Yuuji’s room and stacked in a corner out of the way.
But the full toll of the situation didn’t really hit Megumi until the morning of the renovations. He was awoken around 7 am by Gojo, letting him know the construction workers would be there in 15 minutes. Great. So, he dragged himself out of bed and walked into Yuuji’s room planning to get a couple more hours of sleep. It should be fine considering Yuuji rarely got up early on a day off.
The problem was— ‘Only one bed…’ Megumi groaned internally as he swiped his hand down his face. Duh! How could he have missed this detail?! And there was no way to fit a second bed in the room since they were only designed for single occupancy.
“Ugh…” Megumi shuffled back out of the room in irritation. Guess he’ll just go get breakfast and figure out what to do next!
Look, he didn’t have a problem sharing a bed with another person. It’s just sleeping on a bed instead of the hardwood floor, what’s the issue with that? If it was anyone else, Nobara, Toge, Maki, Yuta, whatever— no problem. The PROBLEM is it’s Yuuji. Maybe one of them will let him stay with them? Megumi put his head down on the kitchen table with his arms over his head in frustration. No… that would be weird to ask. Gojo already made all the arrangements between everyone, so if he suddenly had an issue with it, they might find that suspicious and he really didn’t need them asking questions, or worse teasing him about it.
He could hear it all too. What’s wrong with Yuuji? You worried something might happen? Too afraid to confront your feelings. Wink, wink. Aww that’s so cute you’re embarrassed. But Yuuji’s a good catch. Yada, Yada. Maki’s monotone, “just man up” tone was not something Megumi wanted to hear. ‘It’s just a night or two… no big deal. He’ll sleep on one side; I’ll sleep on the other. What could go wrong?’
“Morning!”
Megumi’s body immediately went stiff at the sound of Yuuji voice. Damn guy was like a cat this morning, he never heard him come in! Or did he just miss it because he was too wrapped up in his mind?
“Yeah… morning,” Megumi responded as he sat up in his chair and pretended everything was fine. “Sorry, I didn’t make coffee or anything yet.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I can make breakfast. Want some?” Yuuji responded in his chipper way.
“Sure, since you’re offering.”
“I see they started working on your room. That’s what woke me up.”
“Huh? Oh yeah, That’s why I’m up too. Gojo kicked me out at 7.”
“Oh, if you were tired, you could’ve just gone back to sleep in my room.”
“Nah. I’m fine.”
“You still look tired.”
“I’m fine.”
“If you say so,” Yuuji placed a plate of food in front of his friend, then sat down across from him with his own. “So, got any plans for today?”
“Not really.”
“I was thinking of grabbing some snacks from the store for tonight.”
“Something happening tonight?”
“Movie night! Remember?”
“You were serious about that?!”
“Of course! We rarely have time to relax, so this is a perfect opportunity.”
“Well, since I’m stuck in your room… what movie are you picking?”
“You can choose. I don’t really care. How about I’m in charge of snacks and you grab the movies.”
“Fine. I’ll dig something up.”
The pair part ways for the rest of the day. Megumi felt it best to keep himself occupied so he wouldn’t think about that night. So, after breakfast he got some training in with Yuta and Maki who between the two really kept him on his toes. The construction work on his room sounded a lot more extensive than Gojo had relayed based on all the noise coming from within. Someone had placed a “do not enter” sign on the door, and so when Megumi walked past it, he didn’t bother peeking. By the time he returned from shopping around 5pm, it was silent. ‘Guess they’re done for the day.’ But since the sign was still up, it wasn’t finished. ‘Ugh, it better be done by tomorrow night.’
“Hey, Megumi!”
Megumi froze in place. Damn it with Yuuji sneaking up on him! He turned around. “Yeah?”
“I got food!” Yuuji held up two plastic bags stuffed full. “Dinner, snacks, drinks. Did you grab the movies?”
Megumi pulled three DVD cases out of his shopping bag and showed it to his friend. Three movies would kill about six hours, which meant sleeping right after they were finished, equaled less dead time to worry about.
“Sweet! Let’s get started!”
The moment of dread was upon Megumi the instant he walked into Yuuji’s room and laid eyes on that single bed. And as the dorm mate puttered around oblivious to his nervousness, he just watched quietly as the man plopped the bags onto the bed and grabbed a laptop from the desk. This was it, no turning back now.
“Why are you just standing there?” Yuuji questioned with laughter in his tone and patted the bed. “Come on, before the food gets cold.”
Megumi rolled his eyes as if nothing was wrong, but his heartbeat picked up the pace with each step towards the bed. He should be happy that Yuuji was so oblivious to emotions, and yet a part of him was annoyed… maybe disappointed… Megumi quickly shut those thoughts down as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“So, just to get it out of the way. How is this gonna work? Like which side do I sleep on?” Megumi questioned.
Yuuji stopped fusing with a food container and looked over. “Oh, hmm, doesn’t matter to me. I can sleep on either side.”
Well since he was already on one side. “I’ll just take this side I’m on then.”
Yuuji gave him a thumbs up. “Pass me the first movie.”
The first movie… all the movies he’d chosen were just action types. Megumi wanted something with as little romance as possible and knew Yuuji didn’t mind action or horror. Frankly, he thought it was funny his friend still loved horror after becoming a jujutsu sorcerer. Don’t they see enough of it in real life? Between the movies and the eating, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Yuuji became so engrossed in what was on the screen, it helped his anxieties stay lowered.
Megumi had taken up a position with his back against the wall sitting upright, and legs stretched out in front of him, while Yuuji was next to him with about a foot of space between them. Mid-way through the third movie, Megumi was genuinely paying attention since he’d never seen it before, when he felt a pressure against his shoulder. His eyes flared, cheeks heated up, and adrenaline spiked his heart rate. Yuuji had fallen asleep against his shoulder. No kidding this guy could fall asleep anywhere! Versus him who was too wide awake now to even think about it.
The last thing he wanted to do was awaken the sleeping man and make things even more awkward. So, Megumi tried to gently push his friend away to simply rest against the wall. His first several tries failed, but on the fourth, success… briefly.
“Mmm,” Yuuji stirred without waking and shifted on his own to curl up in Megumi’s lap instead!
‘Fuck, my life!’ Megumi screamed in his head. Things just went from bad to a disaster!
Again, Megumi tried to shift the man away, but every time he tried Yuuji would whine.
“Stop moving…” Yuuji mumbled and wrapped his arms around Megumi’s waist, snuggling his face deeper into the man’s leg.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Megumi gritted out in a muffled anger. By now, his whole body felt like it’d been stuck in a furnace and was being roasted alive. Ugh! Yuuji had turned into a damn octopus clinging to its meal! And yet… Megumi had to admit the man was cute as he slept. Geez, he even smiled in his sleep!
Not much he could really do, Megumi exhaled in defeat. So, he did his best to turn off the laptop screen using his foot and shift it close enough to reach. He then grabbed it and placed it onto the nightstand next to the bed, leaving them in a darkened room with only the gentle breathing of Yuuji as any sound. Okay, fine! Megumi counseled himself. Just ignore the fact there’s someone attached to you and try to get some sleep. The faster he went to sleep, the faster the nightmare would end. So, he shifted his body to lie down, then turned over onto his side hoping Yuuji would also readjust.
And the man did, just not in a way Megumi wanted. Yuuji simply snuggled up to his back and weaved an arm around his torso like he was one of those giant stuffed animals you win at a fair! He pushed the arm away, but it sprang back into place.
Megumi screamed in his head. He was so tired… ‘just ignore it, ignore it, ignore it…’
The sound of birds chirping caused Megumi to rouse the next morning. Perfect, his torture was over, it was time to get up— ‘Why was the pillow so hard—’ his eyes opened in a panic as his hand felt the unmistakable sensation of muscle beneath clothing. Without moving an inch only his eyes shifted over and saw the outline of Yuuji’s body lying on his back and he was curled up against his side! ‘Oh, fuck!’
Fight or flight kicked into overdrive as Megumi sprang from the bed like a cat and bolted out of the room. Every nerve ending along his skin was on fire and his mind freaking out, praying Yuuji had slept through it all. ‘This is gonna be so awkward if— What the?!’
As soon as he made it out of the room, Megumi almost ran right smack into Gojo. The man had one hand on Megumi’s bedroom door and the other carried a cursed doll, like the one Yuuji had trained with to practice energy control. “What is that for?”
Realizing he was busted, Gojo slipped the doll behind his back. “Nothing. I was just gonna check on the progress.”
“Uh-huh…” Megumi’s eyebrow raised, instantly suspicious. “Well, let’s just check,” he opened the door himself and walked in. “What’s going on?!��� He whipped around. “Are they finished?” Because his room looked exactly like he’d left it the morning before. And he meant exactly!
“Really?!” Gojo pretended to be surprised. “That was quick! Looks like you can move back in. Well, see you at breakfast.”
Gojo turned to leave but Megumi grabbed his shoulder.
“Oi! What the hell?! There was no construction was there you prick?!”
“Nonsense! They must’ve finished yesterday.”
Megumi narrowed a menacing glare at the teacher. “That damn doll was the one making all the noise, wasn’t it?”
“Um… no…”
“And you were about to plant it for a second day!”
“Of course, not! I’m just carrying it around…”
“You’re such a shit liar!”
“Careful Megumi, might wanna keep your voice down lest wake up Yuuji.”
“What do I care if he wakes up now?”
“He’ll find you missing and the bed empty and be sad.” Gojo grinned defiantly then took off in a sprint, cackling like a mad man down the hall.
Bastard pranked him! Megumi screamed as he took off after the man. “I’M GONNA KILL YOU!”
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love-of-fandoms · 3 years
Text
Moonflowers (Apollo + OC)
Blood of Zeus Apollo Oneshot, can be read as reader-insert
Pairing: Apollo + OC
Word Count: 4909 words
Prompt: “Do you think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are?” From this prompt list
It was a rare, calm day at the peak of Mount Olympus when Apollo saw it. Nobody was screaming at anyone for cheating, Zeus’ long list of bastards weren’t being harassed for their illegitimate status, and there were no impending threats.
As such, Apollo was able to peacefully stare off the balcony and watch the mortals uninterrupted. He wasn’t watching anything in particular, just observing, eyes flitting from place to place. Occasionally he’d spot one of his many ex-lovers, though to call them ex lovers always sounded wrong. To be someone’s ex implied bad blood between them, but Apollo never created false expectations. He was upfront in the fact that he didn’t do romance, and while he would say pretty words and was always up for sex or cuddling, there wouldn’t be any relationship, not one with commitment, at least. So when he would spot someone he had taken to bed, he would smile slightly, or frown if they weren’t doing well. But he wouldn’t intervene.
It wasn’t a person that caused his gaze to stop on a particular thing, though. Rather a beautiful garden.
There were many beautiful gardens all over the world, many just in Greece alone, but what had stood out at first with this garden was that it wasn’t some palace courtyard, or in the middle of a prosperous city. Neither was it in some rich merchant’s villa. This beautiful, well maintained garden was in the middle of a forest, the Efki Forest to be specific, with not a single town for miles around it. The god’s eyes narrowed in curiosity as he looked at it. There was a small cottage in the garden, and many animals roamed the gardens freely. He admired the beauty, content to look at it from afar, but his contentment to stay on Olympus was disrupted when he caught sight of a specific patch of flowers in the center of the garden.
Moonflowers.
Flowers that bloomed only when the sun was set, or almost set. However, it was midday as Apollo gazed at the widely blooming moonflowers. Apollo barely processed a thought as his feet took him to where his chariot was kept, barely even noticed as he climbed on and allowed the horses to take him to the garden.
Moonflowers blooming during the day wasn’t just rare, it didn’t happen. It didn’t happen unless Artemis blessed them. So that begged the question, why had his twin blessed a random patch of flowers in a random, oddly placed garden? Motivated by his profound curiosity for the occurrence, and perhaps by the ache he felt whenever his sister was gone from Olympus. She had departed on a hunt two weeks ago, and knowing her she could be back today, or in a year.
Apollo stepped off his chariot, allowing the horses to go back to Olympus until he called for them. Looking around, he saw that the garden was even more vibrant up close, and surprisingly the animals were not skittish at all. While most would flee at the very sight of what appeared to be a gigantic human, these animals were calm, and some even approached him and rubbed against his legs. Apollo’s brows furrowed in confusion. He had seen this happen with Demeter and Persephone only a handful of times, Aphrodite once or twice, but most animals were just normal around him. Not particularly frightened, but not particularly inclined to like him either. He crouched down, peering at the moonflowers curiously.
“Oh!” a soft voice exclaimed, and Apollo whipped around, standing as he did so, and the sudden movement caused the rabbit that had been curiously sniffing his toes to bolt off. Standing at the edge of the clearing, where the garden ended and the true forest began, was a human woman. She had long, brown hair, so long in fact that Apollo wasn’t sure it had even been cut, and wore a simple white dress that hung loosely around her pleasantly plump figure. She was short, not just because Apollo himself stood at 10 feet, but even for a human she would be considered short, just barely 5 feet, and in one of her hands she held a basket of what looked like mushrooms.
The two stared at each other for a moment, the human gaping, and Apollo simply studying her with his head tilted slightly to the side.
“Um, h-how may I be o-of serv-vice, Si-ir Apol-Apollo?” she stumbled out, bowing her head meekly, and Apollo’s eyes widened at her easy recognition of him, though beyond that he did not show his surprise.
“I was simply admiring this garden, little one,” he said with a soft smile, gesturing around the area, and the human nodded slowly. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she nodded again.
“Y-yes, I put a lo-a lot of work in-into it,” she stammered, and Apollo’s eyes widened once more, his smile becoming wider as well.
“Oh, this is your garden?” she nodded in confirmation, her hair falling down in front of her eyes as she did so, making her seem even more meek. “Then perhaps you can answer my question,” her face scrunched in worry at the statement.
“Wh-wh-what question?” Apollo chuckled then, the sound soft and sweet, causing the human’s tensed shoulders to relax unknowingly.
“Nothing bad, I assure you,” he said. “I simply wished to know how your moonflowers had come to be blessed by my twin?” he asked, and the woman’s face relaxed.
“Oh,” she sighed in relief. “They’re just such a pretty flower, and only blooming in my garden at night seemed like such a pity, since most only really appreciate it in the day, so I prayed to Artemis to allow them to bloom all the time,” Apollo’s eyes widened.
“And she granted your wish?” the woman nodded. 
“She was… impressed, I suppose,” she was no longer stuttering, Apollo was happy to note, she was clearly in her element talking about her garden, a sort of comfort zone, but her voice was so soft. It was pleasant, melodic even, if Apollo were to be poetic about it, which he always was, but quiet. He stepped closer, wishing to hear her better, and a slight pink came to her cheeks. Apollo thought it contrasted quite prettily with her sea green eyes, which he could see as she timidly rose a hand to brush her long unruly hair out of her face. “I have a-a way with animals,” she explained, gesturing to the animals calmly walking around them, and Apollo’s head tilted in confusion.
“I had wondered why they were so calm,” the woman smiled now, and Apollo’s breath was almost taken from him at the sight. It wasn’t a large smile, only a small quirk of her lips, but her eyes squinted and shone with a joy he couldn’t quite place, and Apollo thought it was one of the most beautiful sights he had seen in his long life.
“I don’t know why,” she began, walking over to a brown rabbit and sinking to sit on her knees in front of it. Instead of scurrying away, the rabbit actually hopped up to her, it’s ears perked happily. She reached down to stroke it across its head softly. “But my presence calms animals, and they make me happy,” her smile widened a bit as another rabbit hopped over, butting its head against the other’s as if fighting for her attention, though it was only an adorably friendly competition. “Call it a nice symbiosis, if you will,” Apollo nodded, approaching her slowly, not wishing to spook the rabbits. She glanced up at him, one corner of her lips quirking further up into a mirthful smirk. “Do you want to pet them?” she asked, gesturing to the rabbits, and Apollo simply nodded. “They’re siblings, Ruo and Dina,” she said, motioning for him to crouch down, he did so, reaching out his hand to stroke them, but he stopped when they flinched away.  The woman giggled a bit, and Apollo felt a pleasant warmth spread through him at the sound. She reached for his own hand, stopping before she touched him, and he nodded his permission. She grabbed the back of his hand, and Apollo found himself in awe of just how… tiny she was. Granted, he wasn’t even in his human, form, and thus was still huge in comparison to all humans, but still. Her fingertips barely met the base of his own fingers as she guided his hand towards the rabbits. They sniffed him cautiously, before one of them hopped forward and rubbed its head against Apollo’s palm.
“Amazing,” he murmured, stroking softly down the rabbit’s neck and back, and the woman grinned.
“Isn’t it?” she exclaimed, allowing the other rabbit to hop up into her lap and snuggle into her soft thighs. Her hand left Apollo’s to stroke the rabbit, and the back of his hand felt suddenly cold without her contact. The woman hummed a nameless tune as they sat there, stroking the rabbits, and after a moment, Apollo realized something in horror.
“How rude of me,” he began, voice quiet as to not spook the animals. The woman’s brows furrowed as she turned her head to look at him. “I have not asked your name,” the woman smiled softly.
“Althaia, my lord,” she answered, and Apollo scowled at the title.
“There is no need to call me such things,” he assured her, hand leaving the rabbit to rest on her shoulder. She flinched in surprise, wide green eyes gazing up at him. For a moment he thought he recognized her eyes, but he ended up attributing it to the forest surrounding them.  “Just Apollo will do,” she nodded shyly, her cheeks pink once more. “Are you alone here, Althaia?” she shivered slightly at the sound of her name in his voice, and Apollo relished in it.
“I-I have the animals,” she answered, gaze darting to the side, and Apollo sighed.
“But there are no other humans? Or perhaps nymphs?” she shook her head.
“I’m the only one,” she said, and Apollo hummed, displeased.
“Well that won’t do,” he said, and Althaia flinched.
“Wh-what do you m-mean?” Apollo was sad to hear her stutter return as she asked him that.
“You can’t be alone for so long, humans aren’t made for it,” he said calmly, but Althaia only seemed to become more distressed.
“B-but my garden! The animals!” she protested, but Apollo held up a hand, stopping her from going on.
“I am not suggesting you leave this wonderful place you’ve curated,” he quickly soothed her, and Althaia’s shoulders slumped in relief. “I simply meant that I would have to visit you, so you don’t get too lonely,” he smiled brightly at her, and Althaia was reminded that he was the sun god as his beautiful grin almost blinded her.
“Oh! You-you don’t need to b-burden yourself with that, my lo-” at Apollo’s look, she cringed. “Apollo,” she amended.
“It’s not at all a burden, I assure you,” his voice was serious as he said this, and he fully turned to her, a huge hand gently grasping her chin to get her to look him in the eyes. “It would be my honor to visit you in such a beautiful place, to be in the company of such a beautiful woman, too” Althaia blushed brightly, trying to avert her eyes, but Apollo simply leaned closer, refusing to allow her to hide. “Would you accept my company?”
“Of course!” she nodded hastily, cheeks a bright red, and Apollo grinned at her.
“Wonderful!” he announced, standing when he realized how much time they had spent in the garden. He had been gone from Olympus for bordering on three hours at this point, and the sun would need to set soon. “Until our next meeting, Althaia,” he bade her, and Althaia bowed her head as he called his chariot, the horses appearing almost instantly before him and allowing him to climb on.
“Goodbye,” Althaia, rose a hand to wave at him as he flew away, going to set the sun. “Apollo,”
Althaia didn’t expect to see Apollo for months, or perhaps he wouldn’t come back at all. But instead, much to her surprise, he came back only two days later.
This time, Althaia was in her cottage preparing a stew with some of the mushrooms she had gathered. Upon realizing this, Apollo shrunk himself to human size, where he stood around 6 foot 3, and knocked on her door. Althaia let out a shout of surprise, dropping a plate in her shock and cursing when it landed on her toe. She stumbled over to the door, whipping it open to reveal Apollo. It was an overcast day, but the sun god still seemed to shine, as if it was him who was emitting pure light, instead of reflecting the sun’s. Her eyes widened.
“A-Apollo!” she greeted, bowing her head. “I di-didn’t expect you to be back so soon!” Apollo smiled softly at her.
“Why wouldn’t I wish to come back as soon as I could?” he countered, and Althaia blushed. She couldn’t be that important. “May I come in?” Althaia’s eyes widened as she stepped aside, allowing him into her small cottage. He found himself having to duck, the cottage more suitable to people around Althaia’s height. A bed was pushed against one wall, with a window just above it, letting light stream in. On the opposite side of the cottage was a table with a shelf where various bowls and pots were placed, and a window above that. A firepit sat in the middle and two chairs next to the fire pit. There were herb racks lining the walls, and Apollo was surprised to see an easel with a beautiful meadow painted across it.
“You paint?” he asked in surprise, and Althaia blushed as she quickly went to cover the painting.
“Um… yes,” she muttered. “Not very well, though,” Apollo’s hand reached out to stop hers without even a glance as she went to throw a sheet over the canvas.
“I would disagree,” he hummed, finally taking his eyes off the painting to look at her, gently taking the sheet from her hand and throwing it back over the chair it had been draped across. “I think this is beautiful,” he told her, eyes flitting away from her to take in the painting, and Althaia simply gaped at him, unsure of what to say. Now that the two were inside the cottage, Althaia could now see that Apollo was in fact glowing, his golden light showing slightly on the walls and her painting. She found herself feeling… dull. Even his eyes were a beautiful golden shade, his blonde flowing hair shining even brighter than a human’s would. She found herself uttering it without really thinking, a stray thought.
“Do you think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are?” she murmured, and Apollo’s eyes widened as he turned away from her painting, fully facing her.
“What?” he had heard her perfectly well, and a small smile was present on his face as he asked her to repeat her question. She blushed, her head ducking down to avoid his gaze.
“I-it’s nothing,” she muttered, and Apollo chuckled, stepping closer to her and hunching his shoulders so he could look her in the eyes. 
“I’m quite sure my twin is prettier than me,” Apollo told her with a soft chuckle, and was pleased to hear Althaia giggle sweetly.
“I’d say you’re both equally pretty,” her voice was still quiet, as if she half-hoped that he wouldn’t hear her, and his smile widened. 
“Why thank you,” he said, accepting her praise. She had met his twin sister, after all. Althaia darted her eyes to the side, avoiding him again. His smile turned down a bit at that, but he tried not to take it personally. She was shy, after spending who knows how long alone with only the animals for company in this forest. Shy and perfect.
Apollo hadn’t realized he was stepping towards her, pulled by an inexplicable force, until Althaia let out a sharp gasp as their chests touched. Her breasts brushed his abdomen as she breathed heavily, and Apollo’s eyes were drawn to a pendant around her neck. It was dull, as if she had worn it for years, but he could still make out the design. It was a half moon, half sun symbol. Apollo’s eyes widened as he lifted his hand to allow his fingers to brush against the pendant. Althaia’s chest stilled as he did so, holding her breath.
“Where did you get this?” he asked, and Althaia smiled shyly.
“You and Artemis gave it to me,” she told him, and Apollo’s hand pulled back as he gasped. That was why her eyes were familiar.
There are only two times a day Apollo and Artemis could see each other when they weren’t on Olympus. Dawn and dusk was their time, when the moon and the sun shared their light over the same place, and the twins could enjoy time together.
Often, they would follow the line across the Earth to spend more time together, making a single dusk or dawn last for hours or days.
It was dusk on this particular occasion. Artemis was trying and failing to improve Apollo’s skills with a bow. While she was the goddess of the hunt, her twin couldn’t use ranged weapons for the life of him. He pulled the string back, breathing in deeply as Artemis had instructed, and focused on the tree he was aiming for. After a moment, he loosed the arrow, and it went flying… a solid 45 degrees to the left of a tree. Artemis began to sigh disappointedly, but they froze at the sound of a startled squeak. Apollo’s head snapped between her and the direction of the squeak.
“Did you-”
“Let’s go,” was all Artemis uttered before she was sprinting through the forest, through the bushes before Apollo felt like he could even blink. He followed her after only a moment.
That was not the squeak of an injured animal. That was a child. A human child. Had he just shot a human child with his sister’s bow?
Apollo burst through the bushes the arrow had gone through, gasping in relief to see a rabbit with an arrow through its side. He was less relieved, however, to see the small child kneeling next to the rabbit, tears welling up in her eyes. Artemis knelt down next to the child, a hand going to her shoulder.
“I’m sorry, little one,” she murmured to the girl, who’s head snapped to gape up at the goddess. “We didn’t mean to scare you,” the girl hiccuped, some tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Did you mean to kill Samis?” she asked accusingly, and Apollo flinched.
“No,” he muttered, kneeling down on the opposite side of the girl as his sister. “That was my mistake, I’m sorry,” the girl looked up at him sadly.
“She has three babies,” the girl said, her eyes narrowed, and Apollo and Artemis exchanged a look. “Are you sure you’re sorry?” Apollo cringed, sighing before nodding.
“I am,” he said to the girl, who turned her bright green eyes to glare directly at him. “How can I prove that to you?” the girl stood suddenly, one hand shooting out to grip Apollo’s finger, unable to even reach his palm to actually grasp his palm. She also reached out to hold Artemis’ skirt. The two gods exchanged awkward glances, before the girl began to lead them further through the forest.
“Where are you taking us, little one?” Apollo asked, and the girl just looked over her shoulder to shoot him an upset glare. His eyes widened, and he shrugged his shoulders.
After a minute or so of walking, the girls hands dropped to her sides, and at first the two gods thought that perhaps her small arms had gotten tired being raised so far above her head, but then the girl crouched down in front of a bush, whispering softly.
“Hey guys,” she murmured, and the gods were stunned when three baby bunnies timidly hopped out of the foliage. “Y-your mom is-isn’t coming back,” she stuttered through some tears, and the baby bunnies seemed to understand her, their ears drooping sadly. “But this guy is gonna take care of you,” she said, gesturing over her shoulder at Apollo, whose eyes widened in shock. Artemis’ hand rose to her mouth to stifle an amused chuckle. 
The girl grabbed the bottom of her skirt, lifting it slightly to make a sort of hammock, and gestured for the bunnies to hop in. They did so without complaint, and she stood, turning to Apollo. 
“Do you know a safe place for them to live?” she asked, and Apollo nodded, a soft smile on his face.
“I do,” he confirmed.
“And you will feed them at least twice a day?” she asked, and Apollo nodded again.
“I will,” he agreed.
Usually, a god of Olympus would be offended at the audacity of a mortal just presuming that a god would do them a favor. Or presume that the mortal could just decide how a god repays them for a slight. But Apollo found himself endeared to this young girl.
“Where will you take them?” she asked, and Apollo smiled.
“I will bring them back to Olympus,” he said, and the girl’s eyes widened.
“O-Olympus?” she gasped. “Are you-” Apollo nodded, cutting her off.
“My name is Apollo, this is my twin sister, Artemis,” the girl gasped, bending at the waist in a low bow.
“I-I’m sorry!” she squeaked, and Artemis sighed, kneeling down next to the girl.
“Don’t apologize, little one,” she soothed, and the girl took in a deep breath. 
“B-but I-I shouldn’t ha-have,” Artemis cut her off.
“It’s alright, sweetheart,” she assured the girl, turning to Apollo.
The mortals would just call it “a twin thing”, but their connection went deeper than that. Upon sharing a look, they both knew exactly what they would do. Artemis place a hand on the girl’s small shoulders, standing and leading her to Apollo. The two gods brought their hands together, a burst of deep blue and yellow light came out from their hands. The girl flinched back, her eyes squinting at the assault to her eyes. When the light faded, the gods held a beautiful pendant between them. One half was the sun, the other the moon.
“What is your name, little one?” Artemis asked, and the girl blushed.
“Al-Althaia,” she answered, and Artemis and Apollo smiled. It was the same, radiant smile on their faces, and Althaia couldn’t stop her mouth from falling open in awe.
“Well, Althaia,” Artemis began. “Accept this token from us,”
“As proof that you have done no wrong,” Apollo finished, and the two gods knelt to drape the pendant over her head and around her neck. The girl grinned shyly, and the two gods grinned back. Apollo cupped his hands together, placing them in front of where Althaia held her skirt, and after she nodded, the bunnies hopped into his palms. After a moment, Artemis turned to her brother, whose glow was beginning to fade as night truly began to fall. “Go back to Olympus, I’ll take care of her,” he nodded, calling his chariot to carry him back.
“Althaia,” Apollo breathed, his hand going to her cheek, gently tilting her chin back so he could meet her eyes. He laughed breathlessly. “They’re still alive, you know,” her eyes widened.
“Wh-what?” she gasped, and Apollo chuckled.
“The three rabbits, they’re still alive,” he repeated. “You didn’t tell me their names, so I had to give them new ones, I hope you don’t mind,” Althaia’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“Th-that was t-twenty years ag-ago,” she gasped, and Apollo nodded.
“Olympus is a special place,” he said, and Althaia giggled.
“Really?” she quipped sarcastically, and Apollo grinned at the sass, glad that she was at least coming out of her shell enough to say that.
“-and as such,” he continued, his grin fading to a fond smile. “Aging works differently. For some, it slows, but for others, it stops completely,”
“Wow,” she muttered, and Apollo nodded, his hand finally dropping from her cheek, only to grasp her own.
“Would you like to see them?” he asked, and Althaia’s eyes widened.
“Y-you mean… go to Olympus?” she gasped, and Apollo nodded.
“Of course,” he said, beginning to lead her out of her cottage, calling his chariot. He only stopped when Althaia dug her feet into the ground, eyes wide. “What is it?”
“A-am I even allowed on Olympus?” she asked, and Apollo shrugged.
“Gods are allowed to bring mortals to Olympus, as long as they don’t bring too many,” he told her, eyes warm, and Althaia hesitantly began to follow him once more. She blinked, and suddenly Apollo was 10 feet tall once more, and there was a golden chariot behind him, pulled by beautiful golden horses. His huge hands dropped to her waist, and he raised his brows. “May I?” she nodded, and he lifted her up onto the chariot, stepping on behind her. “Ready?” he asked, and Althaia nodded, this time with more apprehension. 
Apollo clicked his tongue spurring the horses forward, and Althaia screamed when they were suddenly airborne. Apollo laughed, an arm wrapping around her waist and hoisting her higher, so the crown of her head rested just under his chin.
“Relax,” he said in her ear, and Althaia’s hands went down to grasp tightly at his forearm. If he was mortal, Apollo was sure she would’ve scratched his arms deep enough to draw blood. Her looked down, seeing her eyes tightly squeezed shut. “We’re above the clouds, open your eyes,” he told her, and Althaia shook her head.
“It-it’s scary!” she said back, and Apollo’s grip tightened.
“You have no need to be afraid, Althaia,” he said, lips brushing the shell of her ear. Althaia shivered. “I would never let you fall,” he assured her. “Open your eyes, little one, see how beautiful things are from up here,” Althaia nodded this time, taking a deep breath in before opening her eyes. She gasped at the sight that affronted her eyes.
They were above the clouds, indeed, but she could still see through breaks down into the forest. The sun hit the clouds in the most beautiful way, making them shine yellow and orange.
“Wow,” she murmured, and Apollo chuckled.
“Beautiful, right?” he prompted, and Althaia nodded vigorously.
“It’s gorgeous!” she shouted above the wind, and Apollo nodded, tucking his chin against her neck.
“Just like you, little one,” if he had been able to see her face, Apollo would have been both endeared and amused by  the fiery blush that took over Althaia’s cheeks.
They rode to Olympus in silence after that, and it wasn’t long before they were in one of the many gardens. Althaia looked around excitedly, turning to Apollo when she didn’t see any of the bunnies.
“Where are they?” she asked, and Apollo chuckled, leading her further through the garden, softly calling for them as he did so.
“Come out!” he called. “Dusk, Ef, Ki!” he continued, and Althaia looked at him in surprise at the names.
Althaia grinned at the rustling of bushes ahead of them, kneeling down just in time for a large rabbit with a soft auburn coat to dart forwards. Without missing a beat, the rabbit lept into her arms, excitedly snuffling at her neck as she embraced him. Apollo chuckled, amused.
“This is Dusk,” he told her as he knelt down beside her. “He’s the most… exuberant of the three,”
Dusk, when we first met.
Two more equally large rabbits came out after their brother, though more careful with the approach. One, who Althaia remembered had a grey coat last she saw, had a coat of almost pure black, with some brown fur peeking out when the light hit it just right. The other was a light brown color, with a white spot just on his nose. They cautiously sniffed at Althaia’s legs before following their brother into her embrace.
“Ef,” Apollo pointed to the almost-black one. “Ki,” the light brown one.
Efki, my forest.
After a couple of minutes, Althaia finally raised her head from gazing in adoration at the trio of rabbits, who in that time had shuffled off her lap and were contently laying against her. Tears were in her eyes as she smiled brightly at Apollo, who was taken aback by her expression.
“Th-thank you,” she breathed, and Apollo smiled softly, shifting closer and raising his arm, an invitation if she wished for it. She took it, leaning against Apollo’s side with a happy sigh.
“Of course,” Apollo placed a kiss to her temple, a sign of affection so common for him that he didn’t consider how it would affect a girl with little to no contact with people for possibly years. Althaia flinched, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, to find that he was looking at her adoringly, golden eyes shining. “Anything for you,” he said softly, a whisper that Althaia could barely hear. She smiled shyly, relaxing further into Apollo’s side, content for now to snuggle with the rabbits and the sun god.
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