#and before anyone tells me anything I did get permission from her to add it as the story's header :)

[patscorner]

That Damn Australian

Summary: Your relationship with Georgia isn't public knowledge, but after one big win, you decide time is up.

wc: 1,271

Contains: a singular kiss

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“Can you come to this one game, pleeeeeeaaaasssseeee?” your girlfriend whined for the umpteenth time. You and Georgia had been dating for almost two years, away from the media. You knew what type of backlash she could get, and you didn't want to add more to her plate than necessary.

She saw no issue with it, and as much as she wanted to tell the world that you were hers, she respected your boundaries and never posted you.

Over the past two years, she'd ask for your permission before she posted something even slightly attention-grabbing. You always said yes, and at this point the fans were becoming suspicious. What you knew would seal the deal is if you went to one of her games. You'd been, of course, but never in the stands, away from the cameras and anyone who might recognize you.

Georgia always asked for you to come to the games and be courtside, but you always refused and she never pushed you. She never made you feel pressured, but the longer you guys dated, the more in love you fell and the more you wanted to be present, regardless of who was there.

“Baby, you know I want to, but-”

“But you don't want to draw attention, yeah, yeah. I just wish you could be there.” She says, snuggling into your chest further as you lay in bed, legs interlocked.

“I know. Me too.” You whisper, rubbing shapes on her back. She tried to hide her disappointment, but you could always tell.

And you weren't gonna let it last for long.

Georgia walks out of your bedroom, while you sit on the couch, cuddled up under the blankets. She's got sweats and a Virginia tech hoodie on. She grabs her keys before making her way over to you. “Love you.” She mutters, not hiding her disappointment.

“Hey, wait, c’mere.” You say, pushing the blanket off your lap, standing up. Georgia turns around, and makes her way towards you.

You knew she really wanted you to go, she always did, but for some reason, this time it hurt more than usual. And if you asked her, she would have said it was just another big game, but that would be a lie.

“I'll make it up to you, okay? I'm sorry.” You say, pulling away. She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. “It's okay, baby.”

You kiss her gently, before letting her go, smacking her ass as she turns around to leave. “Go get 'em for me.”

As soon as you heard her car pull off, you sprung from the couch and rushed to put your plan in action.

The ball soars through the air, as the audience silences. Game is tied 95-95, and your girlfriend just made the final shot from half court. The crowd roars as the final buzzer goes off, signaling a win for the Virginia Tech Hokies, the score 98 to 95. They just beat Marshall Thundering Herd in the NCAA Tournament.

The team celebrates mid court, surrounding Georgia. You can't help but smile, your heart filled with profound excitement for your girlfriend and her teammates. You know how hard they all worked to get to where they are, spending long hours practicing and perfecting plays.

Now, normally, you'd be in the front, courtside, so you could see the action first hand, but in order for this to work, you had to blend in. It was easy to dodge the cameras, mostly directing their attention to the game. It was the people, the people who've seen you two walking around campus, and the ones who stared at you two too long.

But that falls to the back of your mind as you see your girlfriend smiling brightly. Her teammates are in one group, but she stays behind. You observe as a flash of something in her face, the same look she had when she left the dorm.

After observing her for a bit, you decide you can't take the heartbreak anymore. You get up from the stands and make your way onto the floor. Her teammates recognize you immediately, but they don't say anything, as you slowly walk over to Georgia.

Her eyes dance around the players, not searching for anyone in particular, when they pause to lock onto yours for a moment, but continue skimming the room.

That's when realization hits Geargia, and she does a quick double take with a gasp. She lets out a squeal as she sprints over to you, almost tackling you into a bear hug.

You laugh as her arms wrap tightly around your waist, as your cross around the back of her neck. She sways you back and forth, for a split second, before lifting you up by the back of your thighs, to which you lift your legs to clasp around her hips. She's holding you longer than the two of you ever have on camera. You catch a glimpse of her teammates smiling at you both in adoration.

“Hi, baby.” You whisper to her, not hiding your mouth from the cameras, like you would typically do.

She pulls away, eyes glossy as she sniffles. You laugh lightly, wiping your own tears you didn't know were pooling. “Stop crying, you big baby.” You mutter to her.

Georgia lets out half laugh-half sob. “You first.” she looks up at you, the spark she was missing seemingly lit again. “How-Why are you here right now?”

“You really think I'd miss your big day?” You say teasingly. Her eyebrows raise, but she shakes her head. She doesn't say anything as her eyes trail down to your lips. “I really want to kiss you right now.” She whispers.

You look around, seeing cameras on you both, and instead of feeling nervous, like you usually would, you're excited. You want this. It's time.

“So do it.” You reply.

“Are you sure? I know how much you didn't want to be on film-” She says, her eyes never leaving yours.

“Yes, I'm sure.” You smile. “But baby, there's cameras every-” She reasons.

“Georgia.”

“Right.” She leans in, and your hands come around so you can cup her face. Her lips meet yours with invaluable enthusiasm, a representation of your undying support and devotion to each other.

You almost get lost in the kiss, your lips igniting a burning flame of your love, but you're brought back to reality by the claps and cheers of her teammates.

You smile, pulling away and meeting the shining eyes of your girlfriend. “I love you so fucking much.” she whispers as she places you down.

“You better, I'm missing the Bachelorette for this.” You frown playfully.

She throws her head back in laughter, and you can't help but stare at her in amazement. That damn laugh. The only sound that you could listen to forever.

“No, seriously, I want to see who she gives the rose to. Can we speed this up?” She rolls her eyes at your antics, but her face falls serious.

“I'm serious, thank you so much for being here.” Your heart flutters at her tone. “Of course. I know how much you wanted me to come to one, and even though I was scared as fuck, I got over it.” You smile.

“Because, nothing means more to me than you.”

She blushes, her eyes filling with tears. “Fuck.” She laughs.

You smile, which seems to be the only thing you can do when you're around her.

Because whether it's out of your comfort zone, there's nothing you wouldn't do for that damn Australian.

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taglist: @wintersstan @bueckerslover @lilia22hicks @fake-intelligences @girlokwhatever @pbloverr @breeloveschris-deactivated20240 @cosmopretty @hellokittyfeenie

[somehow-a-human]

The angels don't have to ask to enter the bookshop.

DO NOT ASK NEIL ABOUT FAN THEORY.

We've been operating under the assumption that BOTH the angels and demons have to ask to enter the bookshop, but I don't think that's true. I'm pretty sure it's one of our red herrings for season 2.

Continued under the cut.

When Gabriel shows up to the bookshop nude and oblivious, the doors are closed and (I believe) locked. Gabriel doesn't even know who or where he is, so he does what the default is... he knocks, and asks "Can I come in?" Aziraphale is frightened at first and tells him he can't come in but eventually our angels empathy wins and he says "Alright! Just... just get in!"

>> It's never clear that Gabriel would have physically been unable to come in otherwise.

When the Archangels show up Aziraphale literally cuts them off before they reach the door of the bookshop. Saraqael suggests, "Shall we discuss this inside?", and Aziraphale continues, "By all means. Would you like to come in?"

>> If Aziraphale hadn't rushed out to meet the angels, why wouldn't they have just walked into the bookshop like they did numerous times in season 1? Additionally I am fairly certain Aziraphale's "By all means. Would you like to come in?" was added in post via ADR. That doesn't necessarily add credence to anything, just an observation.

When Muriel arrives to surveil Aziraphale they ask, "Great! Well, could I come in and do it inside please? Only cause it's really noisy out here and I can't hear anything." Aziraphale replies, "By all means."

>> Muriel is an endearing angel who doesn't know much about life on earth, but had the shop been open and unlocked at the time of their arrival, they might've just wandered in as well.

We're never told the angels *can't* enter the bookshop explicitly like we are for the demons. We've always just assumed the same rules apply to all of the ethereal and occult beings.

But then, might I ask, why does Aziraphale tell us "Technically, this bookshop still counts as an Embassy"?

If the bookshop is still an embassy, the angels wouldn't need permission to enter, they would still have jurisdiction, and would still be able to monitor what's going on there... yes?

Let's compare this to the demons attempts to enter the bookshop, because Shax states clearly that she can't enter without permission. We see this again when she tries to get into the Bentley after it's canonically 'our car', and therefore at least partially owned by an angel.

I'm pretty sure John and Neil make a point of having the angels all ask in some way to enter, and Aziraphale seem to grant them permission as a red herring. They don't need to, but they want us to assume a false sense of security, to think that the bookshop is a safe space for our duo, outside of the reaches of both Heaven and Hell.

Technicalities are big in season 2 and I definitely think they're a huge underlying string running through all of Good Omens. In season 1, Crowley and Aziraphale stop Heaven and Hell from trying to restart Armageddon on a technicality. Gabriel and Beelzebub don't technically know if the great plan *is* the ineffable plan! It's definitely a favorite trope of Terry and Neil's to mock unfair, broken, bureaucratic systems, and Heaven and Hell are a PERFECT example of this.

**Somebody has written a meta on technicalities, I know I've seen it but I cannot for the life of me find it so if anyone could tag me so I could link it that would be brills! (Yeah that's right I'm adopting that from Charles from Dead Boy Detectives, 80's british slang ftw, I'm obsessed; please watch it, please, I need a second season.)

Neil has mentioned that the plot for season 3 might've had to be changed from he and Terry's original vision a bit, based on the political climate of the current day, and I'm sure that means we'll see some technicalities being the downfall of Heaven and Hells systems in Season 3 as well. I don't think the metatron is a villain, nor any of the other angels or demons. They're just fulfilling their function, following a set of rules, very much to a fault. This is all just God's big experiment after all, freewill, choice, eating the apple, and the angels and demons aren't exempt.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's some sort of technicality about the angels and demons themselves in season 3. We've seen that they're of the same stock, and we know Crowley at least is technically still the same person he was when he was an angel... more or less. Could the book of life end up revealing something like that the demons still exist perpetually as their angelsonas? A technicality, if you will?

Given the bookshop is still technically an embassy, is everything that happens inside observable by Heaven? Can they access the bookshop in their Earth Observation Files? There is some questionable blocking surrounding the bust in Aziraphale's bookshop, coupled with a curious record cover from Maggie's bookshop pointed out by @noneorother

Anyway... Let me know your thoughts. I haven't been posting as much, I have been mega busy and I'm trying to be thankful for it. Love you all, hope you have something nice happen for you today! <3

[bookuce]

Fools Rush In

SUMMARY: Nessa wasn’t looking for love, neither was Joe, but when you know, you know.

*DISCLAIMER: This is a multi-part series. I do not own any of the characters in the writing except for the OCs. The book uses actual names of wrestlers. Josh is Jey, Jon is Jimmy, Trinity is Naomi, Joe is Roman. The book is not realistic and does not take place during real events, but some actual events (matches, storylines) could pop up in the story eventually. I DO NOT GIVE ANYONE PERMISSION TO TRANSLATE OR REPOST MY WRITINGS ANYWHERE. THAAAAAANKS. *

PAIRING: Roman Reigns x Black OC

TROPE: Love At First Sight

WARNINGS: Language

WORD COUNT: 2.3K

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER FIVE

Nessa felt like shit, figuratively and literally. She blocked his number once she got home from Joe's hotel. Vanessa didn't want to see any texts or get any phone calls from him. She felt guilty enough for ghosting the man. Seeing or hearing anything from him would only make things worse. 

She sat on the shower floor, letting the water pour over her head. She tightly wrapped her arms around her legs, her eyes shut while she focused on breathing. The warm steam from the water comforted and relaxed her while she attempted to take her mind off what she had done. Unfortunately for her, she was failing miserably. Though her night was drunken, she could remember every bit of that evening. 

She could feel his hands on her body--all over her body, memorizing every dip and curve she had. Despite being pounded by the water from the shower, her skin still tingled in places he touched. Images of his face contorted in bliss, flushed pink cheeks, and sex-clouded eyes filled her mind. Oh, those eyes. Those eyes, hands, and perfectly pink and swollen lips kept reeling her in each time she thought she finished. How many times did he make her come last night? She lost count after the third time.

His voice echoed in her mind. Just like that, he praises. How do you want me, he asks. You feel so good, he tells her. The huskiness of his voice would send shivers down her spine. He somehow managed to make his already deep voice sound even more resounding. The way he spoke sometimes sounded animalistic. There was a growl with certain words, especially when he would say her name. 

Vanessa brings her right hand up to her ear. She swore she could feel his ragged breath on her skin just then. The tremble in his voice and the moans he let out were things she never heard before with a man--at least not with any man she's ever been with. Joe was vocal, but this wasn't a bad thing. She enjoyed that he talked her through the things they did. He made her feel in control at times, powerful even. She learned something new about herself, a new kink unveiled. 

Joe Anoa'i left quite the impression on this woman. Well, he did promise to make the evening unforgettable for her. Now look at her, dickmatized on the bathroom floor. Maybe she was overreacting about sleeping with the man. She needed this. She needed to be unwound and loosened up. She hadn't had sex in a year! She would never mention that out loud, though. It was bad enough that Isabel looked at her as if she grew three heads every time she remembered that her best friend was practicing celibacy. 

Everyone needs to have sex! She'd exclaim. There are health benefits to it! She'd add. She would ramble on about it being a natural stress and pain reliever. Did you know sex can cure a migraine? Te lo digo, Nessa, es bueno para la mente, el cuerpo y el espíritu--Yes, yes, she knows.

Despite her newfound guilt, she felt refreshed when she woke up this morning. Her body wasn't sore. It didn't hurt when she walked. She felt pretty light on her feet. It could have something to do with the fact that Joe stretched her--Alright, that's enough. Vanessa reaches to turn off the shower. The warm water ceased, and cold air rushed to sheathe her body in goosebumps. 

She pushes herself off the floor, a small sigh leaving her body as her joints pop with the movement. She steps out of the shower, snatching the towel that hung just above her head on the shower curtain rod. She wraps it around her body, exiting the bathroom. Instead of drying herself off, she drops onto the bed. Her eyes would meet the ceiling as she sucked in a tired breath. Vanessa brings her hand to her face, allowing her palm to drag down it. Her arm would then fly out to rest against the bed, hitting her cell phone. She turns her head towards the direction of the phone, flipping her hand over to grab it. 

The light turns on on the screen, displaying the time to her. It was now ten o'clock exactly. She watched her phone screen as if she was expecting a notification to appear. One would never come, though. Unblock Joe's number, commands a voice in her head. Unblock his number and text him. This voice wasn't thinking about her at all; at that moment, it was thinking about what Joe could do for her--what Joe could do to her. Look at her, acting like a touch-starved woman--Well, she was, but she refused to give in to those temptations again. Nessa did it once--er, twice...three times last night, but never again. She had a moment of weakness. Yeah, that's what she was going to go with. 

Texting that man after sneaking out while he slept and blocking his number would be foolish. He'd probably call her every name under the sun if he had the chance. Vanessa couldn't say she doesn't deserve it. She was a jerk and entirely too old to be doing this. She drops the phone back onto the bed, her eyes falling shut as she does so. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." She mutters to herself. Vanessa rolls onto her stomach, burying her face deep in the comforter she laid upon. She draws in a deep breath before letting out a muffled scream against her bedding. 

Why was she even this torn up over ditching a guy? People did it all the time. They hook up, and they go their separate ways! It's not like she was ever going to see the guy again. Joe lived in Pensacola, nearly a ten-hour drive from Miami. The chances of them ever running into each other again were slim. There was no need to feel embarrassed or upset, but for some reason, she was. These can't be her feelings; maybe they were his. Soul ties are a thing, or at least that's what she read somewhere once before.  

She lifts her head from the mattress, her eyes searching for her phone again. Once she locates it, she snatches it from its spot on the bed and opens her browser. How to get rid of soul-ties, she types into the search bar. Several links would appear on the screen before her, her eyes quickly skimming over article previews. "Addiction?" She whispers to herself, her brows furrowed. "The fuck..?" She turns off the screen of her phone once more. Perhaps she's being dramatic.

These feelings she felt are temporary and eventually will be a thing of the past. Hopefully, in about a week or two--or four, things will be alright again. Joe Anoa'i is a complete and total stranger to her, someone she met less than twenty-four hours ago. There was still plenty she didn't know about him despite getting to know the man last night. She learned normal, surface-level things about him; fun facts, if you will. It wasn't enough to pine away over. He was still a stranger to her. 

Nessa pushes herself off the bed, now walking to her closet for undergarments and clothes. She couldn't sit around the house, no, not in this state. Vanessa needed to get active and move around. Sitting at home would do nothing but make her mind drift off to the events of last night, and the last thing she needed was to think herself into a horny slump. Maybe a jog will fix this. Yeah, she'll go for a jog. 

Joe turns onto his side, his arm stretching out to drape over something that wasn't there. His dark brows knit together in confusion as he allowed his hand to glide over the empty spot next to him. The sheets were cool to the touch, meaning his bed was empty. He forces his eyes open, his semi-unconscious suspicions confirmed almost immediately. Nessa was not next to him. He lifts his head from his pillow, glancing around the room in a half-sleep daze. "Nessa?" He calls out groggily. 

He'd get no response back. Joe becomes still, his breathing quieting as he listens for movement. The suite was silent. He moves onto his back, his eyes finding the high ceilings cast in a dim white glow from the light outside. Alone was not how he imagined his morning would begin, but that seemed to be his reality.

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!

Joe sighs at the sound of his phone ringing from the nightstand. The timing for a phone call couldn't be more perfect. He lifts his head, reaching out to snatch the phone from its spot. Without checking the Caller ID, he swipes to answer the call. "Hello?" He says. 

"I thought your ass was never going to answer," Josh says from the other side of the phone. "Ay, you good?" Joe scoffs slightly at the question. He was something. He hadn't determined how he was feeling just yet.

"Yeah, I'm good." He lies.

"You sure?" Jon chimes in, now leaning into Josh's phone. "Because the damn plane was supposed to leave thirty minutes ago, and your ass ain't here."

Joe's brows furrow slightly at Jon's words. "What're you talking about?" He asks. Slowly, he pushes himself up in bed, allowing his hand to prop him up. His hair would fall around his face, dry curls caressing his cheeks. 

"You late, fool!" Jon exclaimed.

"Ay, Paul over here tweaking, Uce. You in trouble." Josh sings.

"Yeah, I ain't ever seen him this red before. Boy, that man is hot." Jon sings. Joe throws back the covers from his body, standing from the bed. His joints would pop as he stretched, a sigh leaving his lips as he did so. 

"Is that, Joe?" Paul says in the background. "Let me talk to him." Joe rolls his eyes, his head moving in a circular motion as he does so. He didn't have time for this.

"Nah, it's our dad, Wiseman." Josh lies. "Bruh, bring your ass on." He says lowly to Joe through clenched teeth. The call will end, sending Joe back into silence again. He tosses his phone on the bed, his eyes taking in the room around him.

"Ness?" He calls out again. No answer. The bathroom door was open; the small room shrouded in darkness. He'd grab a handful of sheets, pulling it from the bed to wrap around his waist.

Thin, white cotton sheets skimmed delicately against the marble floor as Joe approached the staircase. He stops at the top and peers over, hoping to see the beautiful woman from last night down below, but she is nowhere to be seen. He spots his clothes draped along the back of the couch, but hers, which once laid alongside his, is now gone. Joe's head turns slightly, his eyes finding the morning sky outside his windows. Vanessa had snuck out before he woke up. Has he ever had this happen before? No, no, Joe couldn't recall. Maybe while he was in college, but after? No, he couldn't say he has. 

Like he said earlier in the night, he wasn't interested in hooking up with her, and what happened between them was not planned. He just wanted to spend his last night in Miami with her. One thing led to another, and they ended up in bed together. Getting her there was not his intention at all. Hopefully, she doesn't assume that was what he had planned with inviting her here. His mouth would twitch to the left as he sniffled. Now that he thinks about it, maybe that's why she snuck off.  

Again, that wasn't his intention, and he thought he did a good job assuring her he wasn't one of those guys. Did he slip up at some point last night and say or do something that might've thrown her off? He recalls the night just as he remembered it best. They talked, swam a little, and lastly, came back here. Nothing happened between the roof and the bedroom, he thinks. The wine they had wasn't too strong--at least not strong enough to hinder his ability to remain courteous. 

Joe's gaze lowered to the floor, his shoulders rising with the breath he was taking in. He was feeling plenty of things right now: embarrassment, disappointment, confusion, and maybe a little anger. The anger is what confused him, though. Vanessa was essentially a stranger--why is he upset that she left? 

Try to call her, a voice says to him. No, shoot her a text instead, it backpedals. He shakes his head at the thoughts. No, both options were heavily confrontational. He didn't want to come off weird to her, but then again, it was probably too late. Joe lifts his hand to his forehead, pushing his hair back against his forehead. He shuts his eyes only briefly. "She's just a girl." He mutters, lifting his head. For some reason, those words sounded untrue--coming from his mouth. Was it a false statement? 

It doesn't matter--he'll get over it eventually.

Joe slowly turns, now sauntering towards the bathroom. He needed a shower. Vanessa's actions had left him questioning himself again. Was it the sex? His brows would knit together at the thought. It couldn't have been. One thing he knew for sure was that he was damned good at that. His mind would drift off to last night again. 

Joe thought they had spectacular bedroom chemistry. He and Nessa left not a single part of that bed untouched. How they managed to stop themselves from going longer than they already did was beyond him. 

His hand skims the wall, flicking on the lights within the bathroom. He'd come face to face with his reflection in the mirror, finally seeing his disheveled appearance. His hair stood wildly on his head, his curls defined in some spots and tangled in others. He looked well-rested despite getting hardly any sleep at all. The flight to Texas would be irritating with how the twins said Paul was acting. With how Joe felt, Paul might get some of that attitude back. 

He should've left yesterday when he said he would.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: I heard a lot of y'all was judging Nessa for sneaking out the crib before Joe woke up lol

What's that all about? Y'all wouldn't do the same thing after a one night stand? 😂😭

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[tilvcei]

► 𝐑𝐀𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄

⭢ In which: you feel left out and in the blind when ethan hangs out with his new friends and is around tara a lot, he barely tells you anything which makes you think he doesn’t like you anymore and has lost interest in you.

☆ | warning(s): language, alcohol,

☆ | note: I just wanna tell you guys or warn you guys, this may be a bit of ooc!ethan I don’t know, you’ll enjoy this though, I promise :)

☆ | gender: they/them (reader)

☆ | key: (e/c) means eye color

☆ | REMINDER: nothing in this fanfiction is real, it’s just all written for fun, do not take this seriously. writing is meant to be fun anyways! also do not copy nor translate without permission.

Ethan had called your number, asking if you could pick him up. he was at some party with his friends, he probably got drunk again and is now wasted which makes you think you’ll probably have to carry him inside the car.

You had your car keys in your hand, making your way into the house and once you made it inside you were immediately faced with crowded people who were everywhere.

Making your way through the musty, drunk, and sweaty crowd you found yourself in the kitchen. Ethan wasn’t there either.

"Hey, excuse me-" the bystander was paying you no mind, her phone was in her other hand, she must’ve been facetiming someone.

She laughed, you could smell the alcohol from her breath, making your face scrunch in disgust.

"Hey, excuse me. ma’am?" you said again, trying to get her attention. she slammed her red party cup on the marble designed countertop, turning to glare at you.

She clicked her tongue, "can’t you see I’m talking on the phone with someone? or are you blind or something? people barely have any patience nowadays, it’s crazy!" she exclaimed.

You squeezed the car keys in your hands, sucking in some air through your nose, holding your composure.

"Listen, all I wanted to ask is if you seen ethan? he’s this boy with curly brown hair and a dorky weird smile and brown eyes." you explained, all she did was giggle.

Was she high? no, you didn’t have time for this dumb shit right now. you had to find ethan.

"I haven’t seen no kid with brown curly hair. lemme add the laughing emoji beside that. anyways hotshot, you want a drink? I can make a special one for you." The girl said, grabbing your hand and placing a sloppy kiss on the back of it.

Oh how you wanted to just sock her in the face from just doing that, but surprisingly you didn’t. if that was anyone else who wasn’t drunk they’d definitely knock her out. and you were one of them. but you’ll admit it was kind of nice of her but she was drunk right now— and it made you weirded out and uncomfortable.

Your face felt like it was about to go red, wasn’t she just annoyed by your presence a few minutes ago?

"Yes, yes I know I was annoyed by you a few minutes ago but when I see someone like you? I can make time for it. so, beautiful, what’s it gonna be?" She asked, her words sounded like they were slurring from how much alcohol she consumed.

You sighed and yanked your hand out of her grip, "okay look, I just need to find my friend. and my advice for you is to go home and sleep the alcohol off. alright?" you told her.

"My names Andrea by the way. I think I’ve seen you in my classes, which one is it? uh- English? yeah, that class. I’m not that drunk, but erm, the boy with the curly and weird smile? I saw him talking with his roommate Chad. he’s somewhere in this damn house." Andrea explained, you gave her a slight nod.

"Uhm, thanks Andrea." you said, her eyes had a flash of sadness in them for a moment before she smiled and it quickly went away, "I have this campaign coming up with a couple of people who are interested in science. I was hoping.." Andrea trailed off before handing you a flyer. you took it from her hands, her fingers brushing yours for a minute before she pulled away with a very visible blush which you somehow weren’t able to see.

"I was hoping you’d come. all seats are opened, we just need a few more members and I thought you’d fit the spot. it’s up to you if you feel like it." Andrea said, you stared down at the flyer with a tilted head, reading the guidelines.

"I’d love to come." you told her, but then it completely slipped your mind— you had to look for ethan.

Andrea felt a ghost of a smile appear on her lips, "okay, I’ll see you then. go find you’re friend." she continued and giggled while placing a hand over her mouth.

You nodded and left her in the kitchen, at least she had the courage to speak to you. if she wasn’t drunk then maybe she wouldn’t feel so embarrassed- but right now she felt extremely embarrassed. especially when you had to see her like that.

Making your way into the livingroom, you saw tara, anika, and Mindy. you barely talked to the three of them since ethan never introduced you.

"Hey, I know I don’t know the three of you, but have you guys seen Ethan? Ethan landry?" you asked frantically, Tara recognized who you were.

"Oh, you’re (Y/n)! it’s nice to finally meet you. he’s uhm, over there I think. he’s also slightly drunk. kissing a few girls here and there." Tara explained, you felt the world around you come to a halt.

"She joking. the dude could barely even walk up to a girl or ask her out." Mindy added, you sighed in relief and stood up.

"Thank you, guys." You said, his friends were rather cool. but you really had to get to know them first before befriending them.

Hm, the only place left to search was upstairs. you hurried and fastened your pace, getting through the crowd of sweaty and drunk people. it was weird how you managed to get upstairs but you did not want to go through the crowd again.

As you searched every room for ethan, you could hear what sounded like— moans? no, no, kissing. that’s what it sounded like.

What was this little dork up to again? if he could find a girl that likes him- that’d be the first time he ever got someone to date him.

But they said he was 'slightly' drunk. so what harm could it possibly be? you placed your hand on the doorknob and opened the door slightly.

Ethan pushed away the girl that was on top of him, "Sorry, sorry. I just don’t think I’m in the right mind to do any of that stuff right now—" the girl that he had pushed away rolled her eyes and walked out the room, brushing past you.

Don’t get it wrong, you would always come and help ethan if he needed anything. of course you would. but this? it’s a huge NO for you.

Ethan smiled, "heyyy." he said, dragging the 'y'. he tried standing up but could only find himself leaning against the wall for support.

"I was waiting for you, pretty thing." said ethan, he wasn’t that drunk. they were right, but you were extremely pissed.

Your hands balled into fist, "Are you..serious? you were supposed to come and study with me. not do this dumb shit, and you lied to me too? you told me you had econ. you said you weren’t going to a party with your friends." you stated, reminding him of what he told you over the phone.

"I was at econ. I swear." Ethan stuttered, you stood there with crossed arms, "you keep lying. this is the 10th lie you’ve told me. what is it ethan? why don’t you want me to hang out with your friends or meet them? why— why are you being so goddamn distant?" you questioned.

He didn’t answer and scratched the back of his neck nervously, "I just don’t want you to be around those type of people-" you cut him off.

"But you are? Ethan there’s more than what you’re telling me, isn’t it? you’re starting to change, man." You told him, Ethan frowned when those words came from your mouth.

"I-I’m sorry that I lied. there..there’s really not much more for me to say other than I’m sorry." Ethan replied, fiddling with his hands.

"Sorry? you think that’s going to cut it? Hell no! I come every night to see you just drunk. every single time. when you should be fucking studying with me and working with me! it wasn’t just assigned, I had to do all the work my goddamn self! it just goes to show how much you leave me out now. you’re slacking on a lot of shit. but guess what? I’m doing it alone now. all the shit I do I’m doing alone. alone." you said.

A sigh escaped from ethan’s mouth, he realized what it was now, "you’re just jealous. you’re mad that it’s not you who I’m kissing. isn’t that it?" he said.

a shocked expression came from you, did he really-?

"JEALOUS? How can I be jealous? Half of the time when I try to fit my schedule in for you, I do it because I want us to hang out! I could never be jealous of someone I’m friends with, I’m not on that type of shit! I’ve been there for you since day one. day-fucking-one. there’s always excuse coming from you! there’s no time for me, for us! It’s always them. you’ve seem to have grown very close to them as I see. but I’m the one always picking up after you. of course I’d do that for you! only you. but what I’m upset about? I’m upset that we rarely hang out anymore. It’s been four months, ethan. four months. but you’re so stuck up on your 'friends' that I have to deal with the fact that I can’t even talk to you anymore. not even that, it’s the fact you hardly care what I have to say anymore! you were supposed to be the shoulder i lean and cry on for support. but no, I can’t have that either. but I’d do it for you. even if you didn’t ask, does it look like I care? I’ll only leave out of your life when you ask me to! but you keep disappearing ethan, you only call me or text me when you need me! And I don’t want our friendship to be like whatever the hell this is! I want us to be able to confide in each other and be able to speak our minds to one another without any judgement. and we can’t even do that. what is it ethan? what happened to us? I’m so desperately trying to reach out to you and grasp onto you, to see what changed. what really happened to us..?" you said, the tears were now falling down your eyes.

Ethan wasn’t able to say anything, he stood there speechless and shocked. this is what you expected anyways. he didn’t know you felt like that.

"If you want me out of you’re life just say that. but don’t keep me in the dark, I’m so sick of what you think is right for me. I’m so tired of everyone telling me that! so I’m asking you, to end this friendship either now or I end it for the both of us myself." You told him.

Ethan felt tears running down his eyes, you were his ray of sunshine. his everything. but he didn’t want it to end here like this. you were the only thing keeping him sane and protected.

"Say it already, so we can end this. I’m tired of being left in the dark, I’ve already been through enough. don’t make it harder for me." You said, he could see the dark bags under your eyes and as well as the tired look in your (e/c) eyes.

"I am so sorry, I didn’t want you to feel like that. I’ve never wanted you to feel like that, that wasn’t even my intention- I swear. I’ve just…been busy with some things." Ethan told you, and that was the truth.

"If not then why do I feel like it now? you don’t care about me. I see it now, there’s probably someone else you like. you go kissing these girls just for fun but they don’t like you. I know the truth stings but that’s the truth. they’re only using you to get things off their minds. it’s like having a one night stand." You explained.

Ethan walked closer to you, now the two of you barely inches away from each other, noses almost touching.

"I know that. but lately I’ve only been having one thing on my mind." Ethan told you, cupping your cheek.

"I’m not gonna be some fling, and I’m not like every other girl and guy. if what I’m feeling is real, then it’s real." You told him.

Ethan smirked, "so do something about it." he said.

"Wha-What?" you replied, stuttering a bit from the reply he gave.

He pulled you closer, "I said do something about it, love." he repeated.

"I expected you to kiss me and everything but not this." Ethan said, leaning against the window.

You stopped at a stop light, the music you were listening to earlier was now on low volume, you were bopping your head to the music while tapping at the steering wheel.

The song (< press it) you were playing was pretty nice actually and you’ve grown to love it ever since.

"You done drunk all you can drank~." You sung while tapping the steering while in rhythm to the beats, Ethan chuckled.

"I think that lyric is specifically aimed at me, isn’t it?" Ethan asked, you nodded in answer while paying attention to the road.

He groaned, "fuck, my head hurts. I think those Jello shots weren’t meant for me." he said.

"You think?" you added while still tapping at the steering wheel with the rhythm of the song, he placed his hand on your thigh.

"Thank you for knocking some sense into me back there, I really needed it." Ethan said, you shrugged.

"Like I said, I’d do anything for you. but now you have to be around me 24/7. catch up on the times we missed." You explained, Ethan nodded and yawned.

"m'gonna take a quick nap, tell me when we get there." Ethan said and turned away, he grabbed your jacket from the backseat and used it as a blanket.

You found yourself giggling at his actions, the red light eventually turned into a green light, you were almost near campus which was about 50 minutes away.

You really loved Ethan. you just hoped he would learn from this. cause like he said before: you were his ray of sunshine.

And he’d remember to cherish it this time.

Eh, I could’ve done better but let me know if you’d like a part to or just to keep this as a single and only part of Ray of sunshine :)

[onskepa]

Heya! I saw that you’re requests were open, and I wanted to try at it?

I was wondering if you could do some general head canons for fem!na’vi reader who’s just super BUFF? Like, jacked. And just her living her life and occasionally carrying either neteyam, lo’ak, ao’nung, and/or whoever else you’d like to add? It’s alright if not!

Muscleloveranon out💪🏼

BOI! let me tell you something! I was itching to get to this one! And Finally this shall be answered! For this one, I was granted permission by non other than @artsofmetamoor !! sooooooooo...THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LETTING ME USE YOUR OC DRAWING FOR THIS! XD

Everyone please check this dude's blog too! I swear the art is AMAZING~!! Art'OfMetamoor , Hope you all enjoy~!! ^^

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Titxur

Near a river, a female na'vi sat down taking a break. She was hunting but no such luck at the moment. And is getting worried she wont find anything before dinner. She isn't far from where she left her dear daughter to play while she hunts. Best to get back to her child.

"mama?"

The na'vi hears the voice of her child and turns. "ma'ite what are you-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKK!!!"

Like nothing, and standing proudly with her prize, the young little na'vi girl was holding a dead slinger, as though the corpse did not weight a thing to her. All the while her mother did her best not to have a heart attack.

If you Were to ask anyone from the Omatikaya clan, "Who is the true mighty warrior?". You will most likely get different names, from Eytukan, Tsu'tey, Jake, or neteyam. Those answers are great ones, each warrior has their strengths and devotion that each of those men are fit to be called mighty warriors. But if you really want an answer, many will say "Titxur".

Titxur is what a mighty warrior should be. Strong body, but also a strong mind. Titxur is mighty in many ways, talented in archery, hunting, brutal in strength, humble, loyal, wrestling, and so much more. Her body reflects her training and talent. Na'vi in general are slender and thing. Yet strong and firm due to their environment. But Titxur? She is literally built DIFFERENT.

Her body has more muscle mass than even a male na'vi has. The body of a "body builder". True titxur isn't thin or petite like the others, however, titxur is very comfortable and proud of her body. She isn't afraid to flex her muscles if asked. Would even pick up grown up adults and swing them around with ease. Heck, she has even carried mo'at when requested! Titxur sees it as a honor to be relied in such a way.

But she does more than just carrying na'vi around, with ease and gracefulness, she can carry a direhorse or a hexapede like they weight nothing!

Titxur is well respected among the clan, and all warriors look up to her for everything. Very popular among the kids who often seek her for helping in their training.

Tsu'tey is close second to titxur, even he agrees that she deserves her title as might warrior. From new born to growing up, titxur lived a happy life, raised by loving parents and is proud to be who she is and where she is from. She of course was like all the other's when the sky demons arrived on their home. Destroying everything in their path. Titxur loves her forest and hates it when the humans tore down their home tree, took lives of the young children, she had seen her fair share of terror.

Yet she moves on, trying her best to not let the inner emotions cloud judgement. When jake sully returned to the clan as the new Toruk Makto, Titxur right then and there, swore her loyalty to him and thus putting her full faith on him in saving her people and her home.

So when the war was on, she fought with all her might, destroying all demon technologies, putting her sharpest arrows in the demon's heading. Roaring out in victory for every sky demon that has fallen. Aiding her fellow brothers and sisters, and pray for the na'vi that had fallen.

After the war, she assisted the wounded, but she also took a moment to mourn her fellow brother at arms, Tsu'tey. Strong he was but at last, he can rest with their great mother. The healing after the war was long, but she and her clan rebuild, restore and rise.

She bore scars from the war, and continue after. Each scar on her body tells a interesting story. Even silly ones. Not always is she a perfect warrior the clans views her to be.

Titxur is a person with a humor of course. The children are witness to it. Neteyam and other children would often seek her out and play. One of his fondest memories was the arm swinging.

"titxur! titxur!" neteyam runs towards the na'vi in question. Titxur was laying beside a tree, enjoying the warmth of the sun until she heard a familiar voice. Opening her eyes, she is greeted by not only neteyam but a few of his friends. Smiling to see the young ones, she sits up.

"Hello children, what brings you here today?" she asks kindly. Some of the children giggle in unison as neteyam asks, "can you play with us?". All the children asked "please" in a long manner. Who is titxur to reject such a request?

Chuckling to herself, she gets up stretching. "Of course little ones!" a choir of cheers came from the children. Leaning down, one child on each side grabs hold of her biceps tightly and she stands up swinging them around. Squeals of joy and laughter filled the air.

titxur spins around, watching the kids smile brightly, and she laughs along with them. Each child took their turn in swinging around, even neteyam had his turn and it was amazing!

After an hour or so of none stop playing, the kids and titxur had a little break snacking on fruits. Huddling around her, listening to the vast stories titxur loves to share.

"And then, without even meaning to, I let go of my arrow to early and it struck my teachers tail! he gave such a screech it almost rivals that of a irkan!" the children laugh at her tales, never getting old. Neteyam laughs as well, but wonders just how much can she carry...?

"LO'AK!!"

"NO NO NO NO!! STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY!!"

Lo'ak was no match for titxur's speed. For someone of her age, how can she run so fast? Lo'ak ran as fast as if his life depended on it. Jumping and climbing, he did everything to get away from the giant muscle woman.

Making a leap of faith, lo'ak jumped from the tree in hopes to land a high ground. Until he felt familiar strong arms grabbing him by the waist.

Faith is dead to him.

"Lo'ak! my young tulkun rider~!!" titxur snuggles him and spins him around like a sack of beads. Lo'ak was blushing madly in embarrassment. Because in front of him was his girlfriend tsireya, who was currently looking away, terribly hiding her laughter.

Ao'nung and rotxo on the other hand?

Laughing their asses off.

"awe~ enjoy being carried like a baby??" ao'nung teases while still cackling away. Neteyam wanted to laugh but he too knows what lo'ak is feeling at the moment. And is too prideful now to be carried like how he used to.

Titxur turns to ao'nung and grins, "would you like to be carried like a baby too?". Before ao'nung could react, in a swift movement, he was already up in her arms and being swung around. Tsireya couldn't hold it any longer and let her who soul out to laugh like never before.

Tuk and kiri were enjoy whole scene, tuk using a special camera norm gifted her. Making sure to take every second in pictures. Oh this will be a story to tell with her friends.

"PUT ME DOWN!! I AM THE SON OF THE OLO'EYKTAN!! PUT ME DOWN!!" ao'nung shouted, trying to get titxur to stop the humiliation. But titxur just laughs in amusement, "and so is lo'ak, what makes you think your title will stop me? I have carried many people, even tsahik's! so relax child".

After finally putting down the two boys, with no shame whatsoever, tsireya and tuk run up to titxur asking for their turns to be swung around. Who is titxur to turn down such a request?

Aaaaaaaaand that is it for this one! I hope this is good cause I have re-written this one too many times! Let me know what you guys think! Yes, I used mitsuri's childhood flashback for the beginning from demon slayer XD until next time! see ya!

Titxur = Strength, power

[britt-kageryuu]

The stream is broadcasting from a new room today. A very large in ground pool that was indoors somewhere. There are different oceanic murals on the walls visible to the camera, and strings of lights seen strung along the ceiling, shifting between some colors. Some beach-themed music was playing from a speaker somewhere.

Raph and Leo are the only ones streaming today. Both of their models were visibly only wearing color-coded patterned swim shorts. Raph was leaning against one edge of the poo with his shell mostly facing the camera. Leo was floating around in a unicorn pool ring.

The two were just sharing stories back and forth about how things were going at their Day Jobs. Talking about plans that they were making, and the odd people they had to interact with recently.

Leo lets out a laugh, "I know it sounds crazy, but this lady was yelling at the Boneman, and claiming she got permission to hold Her wedding in His restaurant. Like she sure didn't know he was the owner. So he kicked her out, and told her that she and her party were banned until further notice."

Raph is slightly shaking from trying to not laugh out loud.

Then River suddenly surfaced next to Leo's floaty.

"Thank You Shadow_Surf for the $5, 'Speaking of Weddings, I was rewatching some of your VODs, and noticed that the stories about the Wedding don't add up. Why change the story?" She read off the notification, and then dived back into the water.

Leo lifted himself up a bit to look at Raph,"Wait, what did you tell, them happened at the wedding?" He askes while still trying to reposition without falling into the water, by flipping or through the hole.

Raph thought it over for a sec, "Well I think I left out me catching the bouquet, and just mentioned the fight for the second toss. I think Nocturne really tried to kill someone during the second go."

Leo did fall through the ring, and after a few seconds resurfaced next to Raph, "Wait, so you didn't tell them that Fuego was purposefully trying to get Mm-Star to catch the bouquet!! Why? Everyone was practically asking when's the wedding!" He shouts while splashing water into Raphs face.

Raph dunked Leo and pushes him away while shaking the water off him head. "And that's why I didn't. I didn't want to pull away from Fuegos Day. Sure she may've started it, but I didn't want to pull the attention to Us." Raph says with a sigh and a shake of his head.

Leo kinda pouts, "Well excuse me for getting excited, that my Big Bro might get married before Me. I swear you guys make the cutest couple! I can't wait for the wedding~" Leo teased.

Raph gave a huff while smiling, "Well I'm sure my little Bro will be Walking Down the Aisle before me. You and Yui will definitely get married before me." He says while rubbing Leo's head, much to said turtles annoyance. "Who's gonna take whose name? You gonna take his, or is he joining our crazy family even in name?" Raph says with a laugh.

Leo shoves Raphs hand from his head with a pout. "We haven't talked about this yet. But we both agreed to have a non-traditional wedding. Watch Mandarin somehow get hitched before either of us." Leo says trying to redirect the conversation.

Raph lets out another laugh, "More like Pops and Barry getting married before anyone else."

Leo pulls a disgusted face, gagging. "NO! Please don't put that image in my head!"

Raph just looks proud with himself, "A bigger surprise would be Dee getting married before everyone, even Apes."

"Dee would only marry for tax benefits, If anything. Though to who is definitely the big question." Leo replies back while swimming back to his pool ring, and tries to get back onto it again. "Let's switch to a different topic, like I heard about you looking into Sports Medicine courses. Tell me about that!"

Raph then proceeded to tell Leo and the audience about some of the lessons he'd already taken through the Wrestling League organizers.

The audience and chat were spamming emojis/emotes while the two talked. Though some were gossiping in fan groups about the new Tea.

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

Masterpost

If anyone saw my post about Leo and Usagi getting married, and how they would figure out their last names. This is from the prompt that made me think about it.

[skzoologist]

Hi hi, so I wanted to say I absolutely love your account. I was the anon who sent the very first two requests, I just didn't have the courage to send a non-anon ask. Could you maybe do something on Bae at the VMAs as Skz are performing. I think it would be really cute. It's ok if not though. Again love your account it makes me so happy

Thanks, Bye-Bye 😊

word count: ~615

warnings: none, Bae just got lost, as usual

a/n: Hey-ho! So it was you who sent those absolutely adorable and fitting first asks! Thank you so much, they still mean so much to me 😭 And congrats on sending this on non-anon, but don't ever feel pressured to do so! I accept anons and non-anons equally, so feel free to choose whichever one you feel more comfortable with. Really, thank you so much for loving this really niche and small account, it means a lot to me, especially because you are one of my regulars. I do notice you guys, don't think otherwise. I had to rush this if I wanted to post it today, since I live in Europe so everything happens when I sleep, and I also had an appointment to make today so. Yeah. Anyway, I hope you like this little drabble, I can always write more if you'd like 😊

Please let me know if I left a warning or anything out, I will add it in! Reblogs, likes and feedback are greatly appreciated!

!I don't condone anyone stealing my work and posting it anywhere without my permission, or feeding it to AI!

!This is just fiction, my interpretation of Stray Kids. By no means is this how they are and how they behave in real life!

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

Chan was befuddled.

His tallest kid was missing somehow, even though they were next to each other just 5 minutes ago.

Bae always did this, somehow disappearing unintentionally in the blink of an eye, leaving his band members in blind panic, trying to find him. Especially their leader, Chan. He swore he had white hair at this rate.

"Guys, guys, have you seen Bae? We're supposed to be on stage in like 20 minutes." - Chan asked, slight panic settling into his voice. "Where is he... ah, there. Hyung, look up." - Felix instructed immediately, the elder's eyes following.

"See that faint, moving dot on the ceiling? Somewhere under that is Bae hyung." "Wh... Is that a pointer? Why's there a pointer on him??" "Minho hyung had enough of searching for Bae hyung, so I put it into his bun, since I helped with his hair today. It's subtle enough that only we will notice it." - Hyunjin replied this time instead, amusedly looking at the moving dot of light on the ceiling. "How the... Nevermind, this is genius. Now let's go and get him." - Chan murmured out, his leader persona taking over.

The group swiftly made their way through the sea of people, careful not to bump into anyone. It was hard, but they were used to it, having been in similar situations before.

"Is that...is that Taylor Swift? Is he talking to her?" - Jisung murmured out, disbelief dripping from his voice.

And sure enough, he was right, their tallest member was standing in front of the celebrity, casually talking and... even slightly smiling? This shocked everyone, not used to their shy member doing such things. He usually just stood there silently, whenever they had to talk with strangers or acquaintances. Or even when they had to make a speech. Bae was basically a living decoration in those times.

"Bae?" - Chan asked, gaining the attention of the lost lamb. "Oh, the others are here too. Pleasure to meet you." - she introduced herself, causing everyone to immediately greet her back with a bow.

"Our time is up it seems. Take care of him boys, if everyone learns that he is this cute, even though he looks scary, everyone will be all over him. Oh, and good luck!" - and with that, she left with a smile and a wave, leaving everyone gaping at her leaving form.

"Okay dude, you gotta tell us what happened." - Jisung said as he gripped Bae's shoulders, the latter taken aback and embarrassed. "Yeah, you never do this with people! What did you do to our hyung??" - Jeongin added in, looking for the apparently lost, true Bae.

But Bae didn't really answer, he just looked away, lips pursed and cheeks dusted with a faint red colour.

"Did you get lost and she helped you?" - Seungmin said this time smugly, causing Bae to cover his face with his hand, basically confirming the puppy's statement.

This only caused everyone to burst out into laughter, gathering nearby people's attention.

"Can't believe you did it again! And S-STAY's gonna clip it, once again! They're gonna make entire compilations of you getting lost at this rate, I can't believe this!" - Felix forced out between bouts of silent laughter, trying hard not to laugh out too loudly. "Y-you mean, make more compilations? He already has several, dude!" - Jisung added salt to injury, both earning a little hit on the head from Bae. "He does, he does! Ah, don't hit me, I think it's cute." - Changbin defended himself, but it was fruitless.

"Okay, okay, I'm glad we're all happy and having fun, but we really need to go now and get ready. Especially you, our lost little otter, because you're our opening act. Now go, go go go." - Chan ushered everyone out, like a mother leading his little chicks.

[rainhidesmytears]

Valdemar x Wife! Reader

(This is honestly a cute little idea I had purely based upon my own fascination with this unique and lovingly violent character. We aren't here for perfection folks! The genre is called fantasy for a reason!! Please enjoy my sappy nonsense 🩷)

It was a fun little idea that I find amusing - this traveling doctor getting off from the ferry as it docks in Vesuvia, happens to be a penpal of Julian's that he's finally been able to convince to return home to visit everyone. Visiting the Palace to greet him because Nadia invited their friends to tea and he got permission to have a visitor join them.

It may be a little odd, but I don’t write much so it's okay, have fun!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ilya, is that you? You're much taller than I remember! It's good to see you! Nice eyepatch. It adds to the whole pirate look you've got going on." The woman greets the redhead warmly, embracing in a quick one armed hug as she still carried her bag on the opposite shoulder. "How've you been? Last I'd heard, you were off fighting magical beings and breaking chains and such. Bunch of sparkling, glittery nonsense, if you ask me." It gets Julian to laugh, as he was never very fond of magic to begin with, always preferring the cold hard facts of scientific research.

"You're telling me! I was thrown into a giant magical floating ocean with enormous flying sea creatures! They were very friendly, of course, and the view was incredible, but I didn't exactly appreciate being on a false ground that moved out from under my feet." As Julian had awaited her arrival on the ferry, the two had begun catching up as they made their way towards the Palace, having been granted permission to attend a sort of tea party with the Countess as everyone's relationships had since been mended after the defeat of the Devil. "You'll love the cakes, Portia bakes them herself. Oh! Did I tell you she and Nadia finally went on a date? You've much to catch up on, it's been ages since you've been home."

With the eager aggreance of his friend, the pair had finally made it inside and headed towards the salon where the others waited. Apparently the Countess had a last minute meeting that had to be dealt with, if the courtiers all filing out of the room after her were any indication. Though, before proper introductions could be held, the woman had suddenly dropped her bag and broke into a dead sprint towards the now somewhat reformed Quaestor. The five attendees of said tea party had no chance to warn her of the horned doctor's dislike of- well- anyone, before the entire hall was caught in a shocked silence at the scene before them.

Valdemar had originally intended to leave the meeting and return to the dungeons for more experiments, only to greet Julian's new friend with open arms when she had thrown herself into his waiting embrace. This mysterious friend of Julian's even has the audacity (or what any of the medical attendings would call the lack of a will to live) to press a chaste kiss to the side of the Quaestor's mask before being set back down. While the wide eyed stares on the pair of them seem to go unnoticed by the woman, Valdemar is very much amused by the current situation. Nadia doesn't have a chance to say anything before she's struck speechless by an amused and less than menacing chuckle from the Quaestor. No one has ever heard him show any sort of emotion that wasn't within malicious intent.

"You ruin the cleanliness of my masks at every turn. What am I going to do with you?" It's more of a tease than a true question, note even going as far as brushing himself off as he had done so with anyone else who came within close proximity. No one has the heart to move or say anything lest it end this confusion in bloodshed.

"I mean, you could always strap me to that vivisection table of yours, but then I think we'd both have a little too much fun and not in the way of science~" She had immediately began teasing the feared horned doctor, causing the corners of his eyes to crinkle, showing off more of the amusement he felt. The Quaestor certainly a master of composure, as anyone else would have laughed at such a frivolous remark. It was clear that this seemed to be a very happy reunion, but no one could figure out why.

"I take it you two know each other?" Julian's question sparks laughter from the woman and a quick amused glance away from the Quaestor. The current situation was hilarious in the eyes of the two, but he holds his reputation rather high, so they only laughter he usually allows is when it terrifies those around him. Had it not been for his friend jumping up and kissing his previous employer, he'd have been far braver in sense of curiosities needing to be quelled.

"Well, if I didn't know who he was, I doubt I'd have married him. Especially with that horrible habit of leaving unfinished experiments all over the dining room table~" She only teases her husband more, even in front of Julian and the Countess who was his underling and is his current employer respectively. Though instead of the fury or wrath they're expecting, all they see is his exasperated sigh and a light swatting at this cackling woman even while she pats his hands away. Their current view of the pair is almost like that of an old married couple they'd meet in the market.

"That is a stretch of the truth, as we are both well aware. You distract me frequently. How can I ever finish my work?" His tone is gentle and scolding, but it holds no real heat behind it. But his wife only laughs, beaming brightly up at the Quaestor as she still very clearly has to tilt her head back for them to see eye to eye. Had none of them been previously afraid of Valdemar, they'd see his gentle hand on the back of her head to prevent pain as endearing, and somewhat thoughtful.

"Every good doctor needs rest. Whether it's sleeping or reading a book by the fire with their ever distracting wife. You work too hard, Dear. I want you to be as healthy as you keep me. Demon capabilities or not, I am a woman and your wife. No matter how hard you try, you'll never win this argument." Her immediate reply to his light complaint is that of care and amusement, refusing to allow her beloved doctor to work himself to death regardless of the power he once held.

"You'd never allow me, regardless." Valdemar's brow raises at her quick agreance, only encouraging her further with another quiet chuckle before they've leaned down and moved their mask to leave a light kiss to the crown of her head. Once his posture had straightened, the Quaestor readjusted the mask and bid fairwell to the audience they had ended up with, as he left the party and headed back to the dungeons to work on an experiment.

No one had ever seen even the vague hints of his personal life, not even the other courtiers whom had known him for centuries had ever heard even a whisper from his lips of anything of himself that wasn't a carnal urge for blood or death. They all have so many questions once the party finally makes it into the salon, funnily enough by the woman's lead. Her laughter as the courtiers had quickly joined them, was only amplified by their rapid fire questions mixed together with Julian's and the others.

Nadia: "The Quaestor has a wife?"

Asra: "Wait- he's married? Like actually married?"

Portia: "You're not a zombie experiment that swears loyalty to him?"

Valerius: "How the fuck- please excuse my language, your Grace- but how the fuck did he get married?"

Julian: "The letters she writes are slanted and not nearly as neat as Valdemar’s and he's one dangerous stickler for neatness and cleanliness."

Vlastomis: "How the did you get him to exchange letters?"

Vulgora: "Did he best you in a fight? No? NO? WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO?"

Her laughter turns to wheezes under their investigation, especially when the Pontifex had brought mention of a lost duel into the conversation. "Stars, no! Nothing like that at all! We've been married for the last 15 years. No fights, or deals, or magical spells or experiments gone wrong, I can assure you." They finally calm themselves enough for her laughter to die down, and when she has the chance to give a little bit of the history between them, it only shocks them again.

"He'd happened to need stitches while I was traveling the continent, and we just sort of hit it off. He likes to say he'd had an entire courtship planned out, but he's just full of hot air. I had that man red in the face and wide eyed every time I flirted with him. Especially when he was covered in blood after an amputation. But that's a story for another time." The collective whines of wanting to hear more of the sappy details came mainly from the Devorak twins and Volta, but the others seemed relieved they wouldn't have to head the more mushy side of the Quaestor. It only seemed to make him that much more intimidating.

"He prides himself on his work, so I can't blame him for never mentioning me. Honestly, I feel like people would worry too much about the thought of him having a wife instead of the effort he puts into his work, so I've never had the idea to go broadcasting his name or occupation. But I'm so glad to see that he's right here in Vesuvia! Just means I can move into that house I bought to be closer to him instead of traveling by sea every month. Now! Julian mentioned some cakes, do we still have a chance for those?"

[acewithobsessions]

Headcanon ask game yayyy I love it!

I’m thinking what if Thomas went back to his parents’ house to tell his dad and mom he was leaving Britain forever to live with his partner in America. Because he knew he would never see them alive again. Although he very much knew his father would deny him once more, he just hoped maybe in his father’s twilight years, he would finally accept who his son was.

In my mind, Thomas really craved his father’s approval more than anything. That was projected to Carson since Downton became his home. But all was rooted in his father. So he wanted to have this one last chance to turn things around. Because Thomas knew that this was the only way he could truly accept himself, no matter what others think of him now.

I think when you watch Thomas’ expressions, even when he was invited back to be the butler, or when he smiled at Guy after he resigned, you can still see there was a glimpse of sadness behind his eyes. Maybe that was why.

So, do you think Thomas and his father could be reconciled with each other? And how about his mother? I think she would be more accepting (or perhaps she didn’t really care much idk)? Somehow I got the idea that Thomas was the only boy in the Barrow family so it mattered more to his father. Anyway, please tell me what you think <3

Oh man YES!!!!! (For some reason, as soon as you said it, I pictured the scene from les mis where Marius asks his dad for permission to marry Cosette??)

That part about Carson? Yes, PREACH. I love love love it when people pick up on this. It's one of the most fascinating bits of his character, imo.

Ok so in my personal headcanon, the reason he started work a bit later than was typical (he did this right??) is because his mother died, meaning there was no longer any sense of security at home. (Also because from what I remember, he talks about her in the past tense.) But if she were still alive, that adds even more layers to the whole thing. I'll have to set aside half an hour of my usual pacing to think about this lol

I'd imagine he shows up to their house kind of stiff, with a sort of "f*ck it" attitude. Guy's not there. He understands that this is something Thomas has to do by himself, and Thomas wasn't exactly eager to let him meet his parents, either.

There's no small talk -- he barely even comes inside. He just finds his parents and deadpans, "I'm leaving."

"What?" his mother asks, a little bit breathless.

"I'm leaving," he repeats. "I've got a beau and I'm going to America with him."

There's a familiar flash of anger across his father's face, but he looks so tired that it swallows it right up. He stands up and leaves. For a second, Thomas wonders if he's found ways to keep his thunderstorm inside, to stop it from raging and having the lightning strike others. He wonders if it makes a difference. It doesn't, he decides, but all the same, it's good to know.

(He wonders if he knows just how much the storm can hurt you when it is stuck inside.)

His mother asks him questions until she is satisfied. She doesn't approve, he knows that. But she knows her son is happy, and maybe enough of her cares that her disapproval isn't the most important thing to her anymore.

He finds his father leaning over the table, staring into space. He starts into his pre-prepared spiel - I'm sorry if I've disappointed you, this is who I am, blah blah etc - but his father cuts him off.

"I'm not happy for you." He still won't look up. "But truth be told, I don't think I'd have been happy for you if you'd settled down like the rest of us. I don't think I'd have been happy with anyone." Finally, finally, he looks up. They have the same eyes. How has Thomas never noticed this before? "You survived me. I guess that's as close to close as we're going to get."

Is he high? Maybe he's drunk. He looks sober enough, but Thomas can't connect this person with the image of his father he has in his mind.

Thomas leaves without feeling as though anything's been accomplished, but nothing got worse. Pick your battles and all that. Just as he's leaving, he thinks that maybe, maybe, his father's storm has blown itself out.

Ough, sorry, I wasn't actually trying to write anything. Anyways, all in all, I'd absolutely love to see this kinda thing, whether it goes horribly or not. (Tbh, I think his dad being so articulate in this iteration points to how he's been thinking about this for a while. Which is probably optimistic. So this is one of the better situations...)

Tysm for the ask!! Wonderful idea :D

[random-twst-and-oc-stuff]

Unexpected Love

There's a new student in NRC. She seems quite close to Nicole. Let's see what our siren thinks.

I never thought I'd fall in love again after what happened with my ex. Well, that was until she arrived. Of course I didn't much of her when she transferred except that she most likely did something bad to end up in a school like Night Raven College and she most likely convinced Crowley to be a student here with some cash since this is an all boys school. This crow is too easy, truly. Just give him something shiny and he'll do whatever you ask him to. Anyway, despite her kind nature, something told me something dark like the night sky she seems to adore lay beneath. But she told me there's beauty even in darkness, so maybe it's not so bad.

Azul thought she could be useful and sent me to befriend her. He had an eye for those things and who am I to oppose my housewarden? But I couldn't allow myself to lie or twist the truth either. So, I went and told her my true motivation. While Azul's intentions weren't exactly pure, I knew he wouldn't hurt anyone. That's what me and the twins are for. But there was no point in hurting her as she hadn't done anything wrong. Surprisingly, she accepted to hang out with me regardless. Land dwellers truly were strange sometimes. Did she hope I'll actually enjoy her company eventually?

She was right.

Not only did I enjoy her company, I also started growing fond of her in a way I was sure wasn't platonic. I was pretty sure I was developing feelings. Unsure about what to do with said feelings, I went to Lilia for advice. He simply told me to go for it and confess when I'm ready.

After a lot of internal conflict, I was ready. One Friday night, as we didn't have school the next day, she invited me over to have a sleepover. Both of us asked permission from our housewardens, of course. I still can remember it as if it was yesterday. We sat and drank while munching on some food I got from the Mostro Lounge which I paid for before Azul could chew me out. While employees didn't get the items for free if we wanted to order something, the price was lower for us. Back to the sleepover, we were having fun just hanging out and chatting away. I loved seeing her smile and laugh, and a selfish part of me wanted to be the reason for her happiness. After a while, she got the idea of braiding my hair. I was a little worried because of her lack of sight, but agreed anyway. As she started working on my hair, I let myself get lost in thought. When she was done did I act on my feelings, telling her what I felt. To my surprise and relief, she felt the same. I couldn't wait to tell everyone, knowing I had to wait until the next day.

I never thought I'd catch feelings again, but she came in and stole my heart. I'm grateful for her, she brings out the best in me. I can definitely add her to my future plans.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Tagging: @mitsuri28 @riddles-hedgehog @moonyasnow @ceruleancattail @the-v-lociraptor @alysspandacookie @riddlesimps

[nekoannie-chan]

Huge mistake

Pairing: Steve Rogers X Avenger!Mutant!Reader.

Word count: 1187 words.

Summary: Steve realized the mistake he did, he returned hoping you forgive him.

Warnings: Stupid Steve, fix fic, angst.

A/N: This my entry to @natashxromanovf​ 1K Followers Writing Challenge with angst prompt #3:

"This is not how family is supposed to feel."

You can read it on Wattpad and AO3 too.

@saiyanprincessswanie​

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

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1951

 Steve looked at the calendar; it was only a few weeks until his second wedding anniversary with Peggy; however, a strange feeling had come over him.

There was none of the laughter, none of the fun, and none of what he had experienced with you and your children.

He was even beginning to notice the strange Peggy behavior had had last weeks.

He saw the picture of you, Sarah, James, and himself; the picture was from when Sarah had just been born, and he was beginning to miss you.

Maybe he made the wrong decision.

"This is not how family is supposed to feel," was what Steve thought.

He was afraid too; if he went back... if he stayed... no, he had to go back; he made a mistake... would you forgive him?

Now his fear was losing what he had had if he hadn't already lost it, if so, he hoped somehow he could get them back.

2023

 The last few days had been complicated; a few hours before Steve left, they had argued, but fortunately, the kids didn't hear anything. Overcoming the pain you felt was difficult, but you forced yourself to do it because what mattered most to you were your children.

To keep them distracted, you decided to make pancakes for breakfast.

"Mommy, is Daddy going to be long before he gets back?" James asked as he put more whipping cream on his pancake.

"Dad's on a mission, you know how it is, and I don't know when he'll be back," you replied, taking the whipped cream jar from him. You knew your son was capable of emptying the whole jar into one pancake. "Or if he's ever coming back," you thought.

"Strawberries, daddy," Sarah said.

"What? "You turned in confusion to look at the girl.

"Sarah asked if Daddy was going to bring her strawberries when he comes back from the mission," her brother explained.

"Well... "I don't know, you'd better hurry up and eat your breakfast, or we'll be late," you said, ending the conversation.

You had not dared to tell your children that maybe their father would never come back and that he preferred not to be with his family.

You hoped that maybe Sarah, being so young, wouldn't remember him, although the only problem would be in a few years when James would keep asking questions about Steve.

What hurt and worried you the most was how they would take the news when they were older and found out what had really happened.

Sarah was four, while James was six; How long would it be before they found out the truth?

1951

 Steve realized the grave mistake he had made. He had to go back. He saw the capsule with the Pym particles; he would use them to go back.

He would take nothing as a souvenir of his return. He would start over again, but with his real family.

"This is not how family is supposed to feel like" was the last thing Steve said to Peggy before he left.

2023

 They had finally defeated Thanos; it seemed to have worked, but they weren't sure what the consequences would be.

"We have to go home... If Sarah or James...

"Steve, I'm sure they're fine, but first you have to get those wounds healed.” You don't want them to see you like this; they're going to freak out.” We also need to get cleaned up; we look terrible."

Now it was Steve who practically ran into the house. The two children were playing peacefully, oblivious to what had happened a few hours earlier.

You thanked Clarice for hiding when everything was back to normal; she didn't want to scare the kids either, and realizing how long it had been, she thought maybe James wouldn't remember her, although she didn't know the other girl either.

2018

 You saw Steve, and you couldn't understand what had just happened before your eyes, but immediately terror came over you, Clarice had been left looking after your son and the idea that the same thing had happened to her...

You saw Steve; he was scared too. If something had happened to your little James—if he had suffered the consequences—you couldn't bear it.

You burst open the house; the only thing you cared about was...

You held your breath when on the floor you saw the dust, you approached carefully... it was Clarice who had disappeared, James was still asleep.

A few seconds later, he woke up, and you hugged him as tight as you could because you needed to confirm that your son was still there.

2023

 You had finished reading a story to your children and tucked them in. Now that they were sleeping soundly, you went down to the living room. That afternoon, Bucky went to visit them to tell you that the rest of the team wanted to talk to you the next day. You knew what it was about, or rather, who they would talk about.

Around ten o'clock at night, the doorbell rang, it seemed strange to you, you opened the door and your anger increased when you saw who it was.

"What are you doing here?" you said, annoyed.

"May I come in?" Steve asked, and you could see the bag with gifts he was trying to hide.

"No," you answered sharply, and you tried to close the door, but he stopped you.

"Y/N, please, we have to talk." I have made a terrible mistake. I need you to forgive me. You have no idea how much I regret it. "I will do anything to earn your forgiveness."

When you realized, he was on his knees still begging for forgiveness and how sorry he was while hugging your legs.

He seemed honest, you caressed his cheek, maybe you should give him a chance, you could tell his regret was real. You let him pass, but not before demanding that he tell you everything that had happened.

"You can't stay here tonight; the children would ask too many questions and be angry because I didn't wake them up when you arrived," he said when he finished explaining.

"Could you forgive me?" he repeated again, and you nodded. "I understand. It's okay. You need time. I understand. I'll do whatever it takes. "I just want us to go back to being the happy family we've always been."

"I... I told them you were on a mission and I didn't know when you would be back; I didn't dare tell them the truth, Steve," you replied.

"I can come back tomorrow morning and tell them I was on a mission on the moon."

"Strawberries," you said suddenly.

"Excuse me?"

"Sarah asked me if you would bring strawberries when you got back, so bring them tomorrow," you asked.

"Are there strawberries on the moon?" Steve asked in confusion.

"No, but she thinks there are, so bring them; they won't even notice what happened."

He nodded; he wouldn't just bring strawberries; he would bring more things, whatever it took to make up for his mistake.

[blainesebastian]

mutually assured satisfaction (pt3)

words: 3,109 ship: austin butler x reader summary: reader’s agent approaches her with a PR stunt to date austin butler and promote both their careers. a mapped out plan, an electric relationship–what could possibly go wrong?   notes: masterlist is on my sidebar! :) previous parts can be found there. if you’d like to be added to the tag list, please let me know warnings: none tag list: @killerqueenfan, @karamelcoveredolicity, @elizabethrosecresswell, @gigisworldsstuff, @kittenlittle24, @slowsweetlove, @namoreno, @strokesofstokes, @callthedarknessdown, @kibumslatina, @al-co-hol-youlater, @frogoerson, @dancer4j 

Christina just kinda blinks when you go off into this tangent about your idea for hanging out with Austin. And okay, you get that, this… ‘contract’ for lack of a better word is in place for mutually assured satisfaction. There are specific dates mapped out, a break-up in mind, what should occur before that happens—there’s no need to complicate anything by weaving in these other things. Maybe you’re not actually thinking this whole thing through. It’s just…you and Austin have been talking a lot recently, ever since that press event for Elvis two weeks ago. And while it’s mostly been Facetime, a series of texts into early mornings and late nights, and a handful of phone calls, you’re convinced that this whole elaborate charade could be strengthened by actually getting to know one another.

It’s not like you need anyone’s permission to see Austin, to hang out with him, but for some reason you feel compelled to let Christian know what you’ve been thinking about. The look on her face says she doesn’t get it; the line of reasoning just doesn’t add up.

Why is this so complicated? And then you realize you’re talking about validating the idea of hanging out with your fake boyfriend so that you can see who he actually is so that your fake relationship appears more real.

Your head is spinning.

A soft breath leaves your mouth and you tap your fingers on the surface of your kitchen counter. Austin should be over within the next half hour and the rousing goal for the night is to argue about horror movie genres and maybe check out the pool on the roof of your apartment complex. No pressure of the public eye or overthinking every look, word or gesture. You can just be, no strings attached.

Christina sighs softly, “I get it, you want to build some sort of connection because it feels weird otherwise.”

And sure, that’s a part of it? But you’re coming at this from a totally practical standpoint, “The relationship will work better if we actually get to know one another. It’s…more difficult under the microscope of everyone asking questions and making assumptions. Definitely harder than I realized.”

The last thing you want is for this to somehow implode on both you and Austin. Putting more work and time in will guarantee it’ll be fine…at least this is what you’re telling yourself.

Your agent hums, “Y/N, there’s distance within the plan for a reason. I know it feels cold and disconnected, with the calendar and sets of dates and expectations, but it has to. Otherwise? Things get complicated.”

You frown, trying to follow her line of thought. “Complicated?”

Christina chews the inside of her cheek for a moment and you know that look, she’s attempting to figure out how to break something down for you. “Don’t you think if you start spending time with him outside the ‘contract’,” And yes, there’s air quotes, “that something could develop between you two? Like I dunno, feelings?”

You blink at her, mouth opening and closing because what? How did it go from a logical explanation to that? You know that you and Austin are toeing lines, blurring boundaries, kissing and touching one another and existing in the other’s spaces but…it’s all about putting on an act, a show. None of it is real, none of it is felt. You feel like you shouldn’t have to explain this to Christina.

You open your mouth to say something but your agent continues, “That’s all I’m trying to tell you—it’s kinda like when people think having sex with no strings is a good idea. Shit happens, emotions are hard to completely ignore. I know it sounds ridiculous but the more you get involved, the more likelihood you’re gonna develop feelings for him.”

You scoff out a light laugh because that is just…that is never gonna happen. You attempt to swallow down a bout of words that claw up your throat. Feelings? For Austin? Just…

You feel a soft blush kiss your cheeks, your one hand moving to rub at the back of your neck. You get it, the whole point of this fake dating PR stunt is to avoid the feelings train but…would that even be such a bad thing in the long run? Out of everything that could happen, real feelings are not the worse thing.

“Oh my god,” Christina says suddenly, her eyes widening, “You already have a crush on him.”

“What? No.” You say quickly…too quickly. “No I don’t.” Except at this point, why even bother attempting to cover up your reaction? You let out a dramatic breath which flutters your hair and you cannot believe you’ve managed to land yourself in this situation, but you’re trying to give yourself at least a little bit of grace.

“You do, I can see it on your face,” She laughs, “Damn—boy works fast.”

To your credit? Austin’s a beautiful man—obviously his looks are a selling point, he’s got those soft curls and bright blue eyes, the long legs and cupid-bow lips. Then…not that you’re totally thinking about any of these things, because you’re not, but he’s sweet, thoughtful, funny in this corny kinda way. You fully understand how ironic this whole thing is, the fact that you were so pissed off that you even had to do this in the first place and now you’re staring at this man sometimes like he’s a tall, iced tea on a hot summer day.

But…crushes can be reversed; this doesn’t have to be a whole thing. It’s mostly about looks anyways, right? And that stuff fizzles away first.

Shaking your head, you decide to cut the head off this notion before it unravels too much out of your control. “Do I think he’s attractive? Of course. I have eyes…just, doesn’t mean that I have a crush on him.”

Christina chuckles, putting her hands up in a I give up motion, “Alright fine—just a slippery slope.”

Rolling your eyes with a soft smile tugging the corners of your mouth, you push the conversation aside—outta sight, outta mind.

--

The night air is warm but not balmy, it doesn't stick to skin and it's slightly breezy on the top of your apartment building. The weather is still flip-flopping back and forth, the end of summer hanging on in small ways, bleeding into cooler temperatures.

Letting the door close behind you and Austin, you set down the bottle of wine you've been sharing on a small table near the pool. The lights reflecting from the water cast cyan ripples on the pavement and Austin's skin as he sits on one of the foldable lounge chairs, toeing off his shoes. He's in comfortable clothes again, jeans and a black t-shirt, jean jacket left in your living room. Neither of you are wearing swimsuits but you had this idea to come up here anyways, you like feeling the sky opening up above you, how connected you feel this close to stars, the fact that after nine PM, no one's ever up here.

Privacy--just Austin, you and the night sky.

"I'm just sayin'," Austin continues, opening his hand up for the bottle, which you hand him, "Nothin' is beating a thriller movie."

You crinkle your nose but let that comment sit in the air for a few moments. Austin came over a few hours ago and you watched a film, I Know What You Did Last Summer, total classic. Sprawled out on your couch, you shared a bag of microwave popcorn and decided you both were going to divvy up a bottle of red wine. It's...utterly comfortable and lowkey, something you haven't done with anyone else in a long time.

No standing on occasion, not having to settle into a persona of yourself. Just watching a bad horror movie with someone who enjoys it as much as you do.

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that," You smirk, pulling your hair back to pile in a large bun on top of your head. "What about slashers? Or better yet--Sci-Fi?"

Austin huffs out a laugh, which maybe shouldn't be so attractive, "Sci-Fi? What--you mean like aliens?"

And there's this skepticism there that digs under your skin, making you squirm a bit in your seat, "What? Yes I mean aliens, sheesh." Austin chuckles, his smile warm and inviting as he looks at you. You put your hand out for the bottle of wine and he does a high-five first before eventually passing over what you want. You hum, taking a small sip, "Signs, The Fourth Kind, Alien? Superior films."

He licks his lips, not buying it, but smiling a little at your passion nonetheless, "Sure, agreeing to disagree works just fine too."

You scoff and tip your head back to look at the sky. It’s a beautiful night out, your gaze slipping between stars, dark clouds, the tops of sparkling buildings and then eventually back down to Austin. Your stomach flip-flops like a pancake when you realize his eyes are already on you—not checking you out, but merely looking. Observing.

Chewing on your lower lip, you set the bottle of wine between your legs, “What?”

He shrugs his one shoulder, “Nothin’, you’re just not what I expected.”

You raise your eyebrows, unsure of how to take that for a moment, a laugh skittering out of your lungs. “What does that mean?”

He smirks too, reaching for the bottle, long fingers grasping around the neck. You notice he’s wearing rings tonight too and you…try not to think about why that makes your stomach clench. “Just—I’ve seen a few of your films like I told you, some interviews—”

“You did research on me?” You tease with a grin, like you hadn’t done the same thing many late nights after deciding you were going to do this thing together.

“Maybe,” Austin chuckles, taking another sip of wine. The bottle is almost empty and you can definitely feel the afterglow from drinking—everything slightly rose-colored, warm, fuzzy around the edges. It’s a great feeling, comfortable, not quite drunk but definitely not sober. “You’re silly, know how to have fun even if it’s with somethin’ simple. I didn’t expect that from you.”

And you’re trying to take everything with a grain of salt, a compliment, because Austin didn’t turn out how you expected either. But this is exactly what you meant when you said you thought it was important that you spent time together, getting to know what others don’t usually see? It’s only going to strengthen the fake relationship…especially since people will be looking for excuses to question everything. This relationship coming out of left field is definitely something to talk about…but everyone is always looking for that juicer story underneath.

Austin chews on his lower lip as if he’s not sure if he should say the words sitting in his mouth, he glances up at you, your eyes meeting. There’s a small smile on the corners of his lips, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but the interviews you gave within the last year, you just…seemed unhappy.”

You swallow, tearing your gaze away from him to look down at your hands on your lap. You can definitely understand that observation—but it really didn’t have anything to do with your career. “Uh,” Your eyebrows draw together. This isn’t usually something you talk about with anyone other than friends or family but…you suppose Austin is becoming…something, right?

“Well my grandma is sick.” And that’s honestly just the tip of the iceberg, you don’t really go into detail about how sick she really is, how you’re not sure how much longer she’s going to be here, how you’re worried that you won’t be able to see her that one last time before then. Any time you visit, she always asks about your movies and how she can’t wait to watch them on her tiny TV with her cats.

You swallow over a lump in your throat, clearing it after a moment before standing from your chair, needing to move.

Austin’s quiet for a few moments, lifting up the bottle of wine to hand off so you can finish it. You expect apologies and sympathies and him looking at you in a way that makes your skin crawl. He does none of that, “What’s her name?”

Hesitantly, you reach for the bottle and finish it with a few sips, “Mary-ann.”

He smiles a little and nods, running a hand through his hair, “What kind of movies does she like?”

And this…is quite surprising to you because, instead of Austin throwing empty words into the abyss—which people often do on accident because they either don’t know what to say or the grief makes them uncomfortable, he actually asks about her. There’s a warmth to his eyes, a concern and worry too, but still not attempting to coddle or placate you.

“She likes black-n-whites for sure but she,” You laugh, “She really loves Matt Damon so, like, The Borne Identity series is her favorite.”

Austin grins, “Can’t really argue about those.”

“No you can’t.” You hover in front of Austin for a moment, setting down the empty bottle on a small table between the two lounge chairs.

He tips his chin up to look at you, long legs bent and open to accommodate your body as you stand closer. You’re not sure what makes you do it, but you run your hand through some of his curls, playing with one between your fingers. Austin’s eyes are warm, his head keening a bit into the touch.

“Thank you for asking about her.” You reply, almost in a whisper and he hums off a soft noise.

Your gazes line up for a few moments and the longer you look at him, you realize that he has a bit of yellow around his pupil—just a brushstroke. Maybe it’s just from the reflection of the lights in the water behind you, hard to tell.

He licks his lips, motioning towards the pool, “You ever swim up here?”

Your hand drops from his hair and you nod, “Yeah, few times. Why?”

He shrugs his one shoulder, “Just curious.”

You’re about to ask him if he wants to go back inside or get another bottle of wine when Austin stands in one quick flourish. Before you can even comprehend what’s going on, he scoops you up into his arms,

“Austin!” You screech but it’s too late, he jumps feet first into the pool—you going right with him.

The water is warm but you gasp out of instinct, your head going underneath the water and clutching onto him as if you don’t know how to swim (you do). There’s some automatic floundering that happens and when you burst out of the water, shoving your hair out of your face, Austin is laughing.

“What is wrong with you?” You want your voice to be firm but the fact that you’re in a pool right now fully clothed, Austin cheeky as fuck across from you, it’s hard not to laugh yourself. You roll your eyes, splashing him. “Ridiculous.”

Austin hums, pushing his hair back out of his face. “Oh c’mon—I knew you wanted me in this pool the minute you invited me up onto this roof.”

Your cheeks flush a pink but luckily you think it’s too dark for him to really notice, “You just make this shit up.”

Austin smirks, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it to the side of the pool, the sopping fabric making a thick thwap noise when it lands, “I don’t think so.”

He’s so annoying.

You consider averting your eyes even though this isn’t the first time you’ve seen him without a shirt on, plenty of ways for that to have happened given film, photoshoots, the like. It’s not exactly fair however, that he just…walks around looking like that, and the fact that you’re in a pool and there’s water droplets sliding down his skin.

Well, two can play at this game.

You take off your shirt as well, tossing it aside, leaving you in a maroon lace bralette, a soft smile on your face as his eyes definitely slide over your form. You are well aware that this is probably a dangerous game you’re playing but at the same time, it feels relatively harmless. What’s so wrong with a little fizzling attraction? You’re supposed to be dating, in love, can’t get enough of the other. Right?

And yet there’s this small voice in the back of your mind that somehow sounds like Christina telling you to be careful.

“You think this whole thing will work?” Austin asks after a moment, floating closer to you in the pool.

You know what he’s talking about without having to ask, “Why wouldn’t it? We’re both dedicated to the plan, should help us out in the long run. Christina says I’ve already tacked on a few extra interviews that reached out since our debut,” You shrug your one shoulder—you’re sure they want to ask you about Austin but nonetheless, other questions about your career and the film you’re working on are bound to follow.

“And breakin’ up doesn’t look extra suspicious?”

There’s soft amusement to your face as you slide closer to Austin in the water. You suppose there is a bit of a point there? You’re kinda worried about the end game too, what it’ll look like for them to break up, if people will notice it was all a big scam or if it won’t even matter at that point because the benefits will already be done.

Reaching out for him, you settle your hands on his shoulders, “What—you just wanna stay together forever?” You tease, “Go steady?”

Austin shakes his head a little, his eyes on yours but occasionally slipping down to your lips, “M’sure you can’t wait to get out of this thing.”

Smiling slowly, you lift your chin and because of the proximity of your bodies, your nose bunny kisses with Austin’s. “Oh yeah, you’re the bane of my existence.”

The kiss seems to happen automatically, Austin cupping your cheek and pressing his mouth to yours. But as you kiss? You honestly can’t even begin to differentiate who made the first move. You suppose it doesn’t really matter, all that does is that it’s happening, that there’s this heat that’s pooling between your legs that’s undeniable.

But it’s just a crush, right? Just something physical, something fiery and primal. More importantly, it’s something that can be squashed, swept under the rug, forgotten—if necessary.

--

Thanks so much for reading and if you leave a comment, a like, an ask or a reblog :) always much appreciated!

[carolmunson]

on the verge (lil' steddie x reader smut blurb)

Anon request: ‘What about reader being in trouble with Steve and she’s not allowed to cum but when eddie is alone with her he tries to work her up.'

this content isn’t for anyone under 18, so bye. 

warnings: fem reader, female anatomy mention, D/s dynamics, daddy kink, orgasm denial mention, dom!eddie, dom!steve, brat!reader, fingering, oral (female receiving, male receiving mention), humiliation, degradation, name calling, some mild manipulation

You had two days left on your week long orgasm ban. It had been a bad one. You couldn’t cum, you had to kneel at Steve’s feet whenever he asked, a full day of crawling to get around the house (even though Eddie snuck you some knee pads), spending evenings while they watched TV writing lines at the kitchen table. Your throat was raw with all the blow jobs you’d been giving and your body was aching from edging every night for almost a week.

Steve would wake you up while Eddie slept, his hands in your panties, sliding his fingers against your slick skin, “You want it so bad, don’t you baby?” 

“Please, please daddy I’ll be good. I’ll be so good,” you’d beg. He’d tease his fingertips into you, a little further each time until your whines lilted into almost cries and then pull them out. Putting them at your mouth to diligently clean up your mess. 

“You only wanna be good now,” he’s tease before flipping over and going back to sleep. Leaving you there, soaked and aching. Steve wasn’t being very kind to you, even though you didn’t do anything wrong. 

“The fact that I have to keep reminding you is the biggest problem,” he’d say when you tried to tell him that, “I’ll add another day. You’re the one who isn’t allowed to finish, I’ve been finishing just fine.” 

So yeah, maybe you had caused a scene at the mall when you thought he was checking out the cashier at The Gap. Maybe you did embarrass him by going to visit him at Family Video and calling him ‘Daddy’ in front of a customer (which was totally Eddie’s fault because he kept throwing Raisinets at you from behind the shelves). Maybe you did get caught touching yourself without permission after Steve and Eddie were out late. Maybe you did drink a little past your limit at a girls night and threw up on his shoes at the front door. Maybe you wore a pair of shorts at that same girls night that were just a little too short. 

But you didn’t really do anything wrong. 

You’d spent the last half hour on your knees next to Steve who was working on his budget for next month at the kitchen table. He did wear glasses often, but had a pair on hand for when he had to start reading those tiny receipts. Steve put a hand to his forehead, tapping his pen on the notebook in front of him. 

“A hundred dollars on videos games alone?” Steve muttered, “Munson’s not getting shit from me until Christmas.” 

“That’s only like, two games,” you said from the floor. 

“That’s even worse,” he said looking down at you.

“Also, shut up. You’re on time out,” his tone was light and he gave your hair a gentle stroke. 

“Hey, wench.” Eddie said, stomping into the kitchen, patting your head roughly as he went to open the fridge. You pouted, wanting to retort, but you were on thin ice. 

Eddie emerged from the fridge with a can of coke and cracked it above your head, peering down at you, “Come upstairs with me, I need my little good luck charm to help me beat the next level on Super Mario.” 

“Can I go?” you asked Steve, putting your hand on his knee. You loved watching Eddie play video games. 

“Please? She needs a little break,” Eddie said, his tone matching yours. 

Steve sighed, leaned back in his chair and ran his hands his hands over his face, “Yeah, fine, fine. You freaks are distracting me anyway.” 

Eddie helped you up and raced you upstairs to him and Steve’s little man-cave, it made great use of the extra bedroom. When you got up there though, the TV wasn’t even on. The game was abandoned and unopened on the bookcase in the corner. Ed shut the door behind him. 

“Are we not playing?” you asked, cocking your head to the side. 

“Oh, we’re playing alright,” Eddie started, “Come on sweet girl, get on the couch.”  “Um,” you faltered, blushing, “Do you mean, like, playing?” 

“You know what I mean, baby,” he said, “Go sit on the couch and open those legs up for me. I know Daddy didn’t let you put anything on under that dress today – it was my idea.”  “I caan’t,” you whined, “I promised I’d be good.” 

“Having your legs open for me is very good behavior in my book,” he smiled, taking steps towards you, “Let me just taste you, princess, it’s been a long week for me too.” 

You sighed, you’d love for him to use his mouth on your right now, but you weren’t sure you’d be able to keep yourself together.

“Okay, okay,” you gave in, settling on the side cushion, hiking the skirt of your light blue dress up. You swung a leg over the arm of the couch and leaned back into the soft fabric. Eddie looked at you hungrily, taking his denim jacket off and tossing it on the arm chair by the other and of the couch. He kneeled before you, letting his fingers tease you first – sweat formed at your hairline, you were already so close. 

“I love when you’re a bad girl for Daddy,” he said huskily, flicking his tongue at your opening, “It makes you such a good girl for me.” 

“P-please don’t talk like that, it’s gonna be too much…” you whimpered out as your walls pulsed. You squirmed against his mouth, trying not to buck your hips too much while he slid two fingers into you. 

“So wet, too,” he said, slurping at your clit, “Stevie’s really been missing out.” 

“Ed-Eddie, I caaan’t…” you whined, your voice barely audible while you tried to hold your moans in. You clenched your abs, trying to ignore the pleasure rising between your legs, rapidly reaching its peak. 

“You can cum baby, I won’t tell Daddy,” he said, knowing just what to say to send you over the edge, “I won’t tell him what a bad girl you are.” 

Tears filled your eyes and you bit your lip hard to keep from everything spilling over. His fingers pumped into you like pistons and you shook beneath him. 

“Please Eddie, no, I’m not a bad girl, please,” you whined, tugging at his hair. He grunted over your clit, his tongue flicking over it with innate expertise. 

“Oh, yes you are, sweet thing,” he whispered, feeling your pussy pulse around his fingers, knowing he’d gotten you there. 

“Such a bad girl,” you heard, just as you came hard over Eddie fingers and mouth, crying at the overwhelming pleasure and shame from giving in. But it wasn’t Eddie who had admonished you – it was Steve, leaning on his shoulder in the doorway with his arms crossed. Your heart ached at the disappointed look on his face. 

“No,” you cried out, tears spilling out of you while after shocks shivered through you, “P-please don’t be mad. Please don’t be mad at me. Eddie said–” 

“Don’t put the blame on Eddie, baby. I know you’re lying,” he said, putting his glasses in his chest pocket, “I told him to do it. Can’t believe you were gonna lie to me.” 

“Wh-what?” you asked, putting your legs back together, feeling the wet spot you left on the couch cushion under you. 

Eddie wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, standing up and crossing his arms, “Just a little test, sweetheart, to see if you’d behave. ‘Cause Stevie knows I love when you don’t.” 

“See, if you were a good girl, you would’ve come down and told me that Ed wanted to play,” Steve said, pulling you up for the couch and into his arms, “You would’ve asked me if it was okay to finish. If you had asked, I might have said yes.” 

Tears spilled out of you again, “That’s not fuh-fuh-fair-r-r.” 

“Oooh, life’s not fair, baby,” Steve mocked, “So we’re gonna start the week over until you learn your lesson, yeah? You have to learn how to control yourself.” 

“I did learn!” you protested, “Please, we don’t have to start over.” 

“Yes we do,” he said, taking your hand and leading you back down stairs, Eddie following close behind, “We can start with you writing some more lines for me.” 

“Yeah like, ‘I’m an insatiable cumslut’, one hundred times,” Eddie said from behind the both of you as you got back to the kitchen. Steve looked over his shoulder. 

“Dude, no,” he said, furrowing his brows. You chuckled, but it quickly turned into a yelp when you were put on your knees again at Steve’s feet. 

Eddie shrugged, clicking his tongue, “Whatever. She likes it.”

[holidaywishes]

Happy Halloween

Hate Sex Part 4

Requested: 🤷‍♀️

Summary: After a rather awkward date with Auston, the two of you decide it’s probably best to leave things alone; but Halloween brings you both back to bad habits.

Warning: smut, some fluff and a bit of angst

  Author’s Note: Yes, I’m back. To be honest, I should be writing a sample for my ghostwriting thing but I can’t bring myself to sit down and do it. As you can tell, I started this all the way back in October and kept coming back to it but I never felt like it was finished. I feel like the voice is a little different in this one, maybe less snarky? I don't know, it's just different. I personally don't know how much more I can add to this story but if people keep requesting chapters, I can write some -- maybe just tell me where you want it to go lol. This one is long AF but hopefully, it fulfills everyone’s craving though.

  masterlist

the other masterlist

xx

Auston’s P.O.V

  Hearing (Y/N) say that there could be something more than sex between the two of you was almost like having air back in your lungs. But now where did you stand with her?

  “Wait,” Morgan stuttered as he sat across from you, both waiting for your server to bring your meals to the table, “what exactly are you asking me to do?”

  “Tell me I’m allowed to ask her out…” you awkwardly scoffed

  “You’re both adults. You wanna ask her out? Ask her out. You don’t need my permission,” he said, allowing a smile to spread across your face, “but she’ll probably say no”

  “Wow. Thanks”

  “I’m not gonna lie to you, Matts,” he started, leaning his elbows on the table, “she’s really not your biggest fan. Even if the two of you have been hooking up”

  “Yeah but she said s—

  “She didn’t say anything,” he interrupted and you furrowed your brow in return, “not about starting anything. I just don’t want you getting your hopes up…”

  “So I’m just supposed to leave it, her, alone now?” you asked, hoping for a different answer

  “Ask her out,” he said, “but if she says no, yeah. Let the situation end because if you keep going with the whole fuck buddies thing, one or both of you are going to get hurt.” You bit the inside of your cheek as you took in his words. You knew he was right, you were too emotionally invested already but you thought she was too and the idea of possibly cutting that off wasn’t something you were looking forward to.

xx

  You weren’t sure what to do now. Knowing that Auston had said he wanted more and that you had said you felt something as well had become all-consuming; not that you knew what any of it meant. The two of you hadn’t really talked since that night in the bathroom and now things were getting tense amongst your shared friend group.

  “What would you do?” you asked your best friend during a lunch break, “if you were me?”

  “What would you want to do?” she returned

  “No no,” you scoffed, “don’t do that. I asked what you would do, I really wanna know”

  “It seems pretty clear to me,” she added easily, a smirk quickly appearing on her face, “you both said you have feelings for each other, so it seems clear that you should go for it”

  “That’s what you would do?”

  “That’s what I know you would do,” she urged, “if it was anyone else”

  “It’s just that things are so weird!” you said, exasperated, “I mean I legit hated him and I always thought he hated me, and he probably did, but now he’s saying he has feelings for me and I’m changing my mind? Is that really what’s happening?”

  “Apparently”

  “If anything happens, it would be a terrible idea”

  “I think the terrible idea already happened,” she teased, “whatever happens now is probably a pretty normal thing.”

  “I just don’t like making anyone uncomfortable,” you admitted, “Tessa is asking me questions because Morgan is asking her questions because Auston is asking him questions. Yet, we haven’t spoken since we had sex in the bathroom so…”

  “Why did you have sex in the bathroom?” she asked and you shook your head once before shrugging, “I just mean, you always said public sex was a no, that it would never be the thing you did”

  “And then I did it…” you added with a heavy sigh, “I don’t know. I mean, it really did just sorta happen and there was alcohol involved — I guess I just got caught up in it, in him, that I didn’t really think about where we were.” When she smiled at you with that terrible poker face she had, you furrowed your brow, “what?”

  “You don’t think that your answer just now deserves a second look?” she asked before telling you that she needed to go back to work. “I’ll talk to you later, okay? I love you”

  “Love you” you said as you hugged her back and went your own way. As you drove back to your office, you thought about everything your best friend said, searching for more clarity on everything you’d talked about but only wound up more confused than you started.

xx

Auston’s P.O.V

  You decided just to go for it. Ask out (Y/N) and see what happens. But things were different now. Aside from the fact that you hadn’t spoken to her in months, you were now starting to rethink whether or not she actually meant what she said — because, if she did, why hadn’t she reached out either? You shook your head at your own thought and forced yourself to pick up the phone anyway

  “Hello” (Y/N)’s voice sang from the other end of the phone

  “Hi” you said shyly

  “Auston?”

  “Yeah, uhm,” you replied, clearing your throat to waste time as you thought about what to say, “what are you doing?”

  “What? You called me…” she giggled, a giggle that you could picture the perfect smile with, “how did you even get my number? I’m pretty sure I never gave it to you. For obvious reasons…”

“Mo gave it to me,” you said, “and I just meant what are you doing right now? Are you busy?”

  “Depends…”

  “On?”

  “On what you want.” You smiled, rubbing the back of your neck sheepishly as you paced around your apartment

  “I want— would you like to go on a date with me?”

  “No” it was almost a whisper and you could tell she was caught off guard

  “I mean a real date. In public. Sex completely off the table, not even a thought for either of us”

  “Why?” she asked, “why now? After everything?”

  “Because,” you answered, finally taking a seat, “I know how I feel but I want to be able to get to know each other. I’m really not as bad as you think I am”

  “That sounds like something a narcissist would say”

  “I promise,” you smirked, “I’m not a narcissist. I’d love for you to call me on all my bullshit but, to be fair, you’ll have to learn about me first”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Yeah…” you scoffed. There was silence on the line for a while and you dropped your head as you awaited her polite refusal

  “One date” she finally said and you tried your best to contain your surprise

  “Really?”

  “One date and if it doesn’t go well, then we stop,” she continued, “stop everything. No random calls out of nowhere. No second dates because you want another chance to change my mind. No hookups in bathrooms or hotel rooms. Nothing. It all ends”

  “That’s no fun” you joked

  “That’s the point,” she said sternly, “and that’s the deal.” You chuckled a bit at her seriousness but let your shoulders relax

  “Okay,” you agreed, your smile now beaming, “so are you free tonight?”

xx

  The date was... awkward. It was as if Auston forgot how to interact with not only you but people in general and you couldn’t seem to make it any better. You honestly didn’t know how

  “This is a nice place” you said to fill the empty space

  “Thanks,” he replied, coughing on the sip of water he had taken, “I mean, it’s not mine obviously so I don’t mean ‘thanks,’ I just mean...” You raised your eyebrows as he stumbled over his words before taking a breath, “I’m glad you like it”

  “I’m a little confused...” you whispered, leaning in so only the two of you could hear, “why are we here?”

  “It’s a date..?” he replied hesitantly as if to say ‘did you not get that?’

  “No, I know,” you scoffed, “but why here? I mean... it’s nice. It’s fancy but I don’t know, it doesn’t really seem like you”

  “Aren’t I supposed to be this super arrogant jerk who likes only the best?” he chided and you grinned sarcastically

  “Yes,” you quipped, “but this place isn’t even that. It’s... too fancy for me, yet, not fancy enough for the person you think you are”

  “The person I think I am?”

  “Exactly”

  “What does that even mean? Either I’m arrogant or I’m not, you can’t decide it’s both”

  “I’m not deciding it’s anything, I’m saying this is how it is. You have this image of yourself, an inflated ego that people gave you, and it comes across in everything you do.” Your explanation left his face contorted into what seemed like permanent confusion, “you are not a god, Auston, you’re just a hockey player. Everyone has just made you believe that you’re more than that because... they felt like it. So, you became what they wanted and now you have no idea who you are”

  “You really can’t go an entire conversation without fighting with me can you?”

  “I’m just being honest with you, Auston,” you scoffed, leaning back in your seat, “maybe I thought you’d respect that”

  “Maybe it comes across as condescending” he added, his own scoff mimicking yours

  “Maybe you’re just too sensitive”

  “Maybe you’re meaner than you let people believe”

  “And what if I am?” you sneered, arms crossed as you stared across the table at Auston, one eyebrow raised slightly

  “Then you can’t really say I have no idea who I am when no one has any idea who you are” he replied. You scoffed in return before grabbing your purse and flagging down your server

  “Hi, sorry,” you said politely, a shy smile appearing on your lips, “can I just pay for my meal”

  “(Y/N)…” Auston sighed, “come on that’s ridiculous”

  “When you have a chance, I’ll just grab my bill”

  “So.. it’s separate?” the server asked and you nodded

  “No” Auston countered

  “Yes” you insisted, smiling at the server before sending him on his way

  “Seriously?” Auston scoffed once more

  “I don’t want to be indebted to you. This way I won’t owe you — for anything”

  “I can’t tell if this is mature or petty”

  “That sounds like a you problem.” The server came over with your bill just then and, luckily, he brought out the machine with him so you were able to tap your card and go. “Thank you,” you said to the young man who clearly thought this date was going better than it had, turning to dismiss yourself to Auston, “look, we gave it a try. But we made a deal — if the date didn’t go well, then that would be it. No more. So, thanks, I guess, for the terrible decisions I’ve made these last few years. It’s been a wild ride, but one I never should’ve gotten on”

  “Okay the metaphors are a little much” he said, grabbing your arm as gently as he could to stop you from leaving

  “Let go” you said gently

  “Stay”

  “Why?” you groaned, “to argue some more? To disagree over fundamental parts of each other's personalities? No, sorry, I don’t need that. It was… interesting knowing you Matthews. Catch you in another life.” You left the restaurant hastily, sighing to yourself at the idea of wasting your time before quickly smiling when you realized this meant you could get your life back to normal. Back to when Auston was just some over-hyped, narcissistic man-child who you never asked to have in your life in the first place.

xx

Five months later

  Morticia Addams was always a good choice. Last minute or first thought, alone or couples costume, it always garnered the right kind of attention. It was one of your favourite go-to costumes and you’d always worn it well; perfecting it over the years, of course.

  “Morticia again?” your cousin, Martha, scoffed when you came out in your floor-length, tight black dress

  “It’s a classic” you laughed before fitting your black wig onto your head

  “If I had known that you were going to wear it this much, I never would’ve dressed you up all those years ago”

  “You’re just mad that it works so well on me”

  “Are you ready?” she sighed as she rolled her eyes

  “Yeah,” you smirked, “just gotta put on some lipstick. Go meet me in the car.” Martha’s heels clacked on the hardwood floor as she made her way to the car and you paced around trying to make sure you had everything you needed before going to Tessa and Mo’s Halloween party. When your cousin pulled up in front of the house, you made sure everything on you was where it needed to be — no malfunctions tonight.

  “So wait…” Martha started, “do you think Auston will be in there?”

  “Probably,” you responded, moving your coat to the backseat, “he’s part of the team”

  “Have you talked to him since that date?”

  “Nope” you replied, popping the p as you fixed your lipstick and fell back in the seat

  “So after five months, you’re gonna see him,” she said and you nodded to yourself before turning your body to face her, “what’s that gonna be like?”

  “It’ll be fine. We both agreed to go our separate ways and there shouldn’t be an issue with both of us being there,” you admitted, “we’re just going back to how our lives were before all the bad decisions.” She smirked and shook her head, pushing the car door open and walked to your side of the car

  “Alright,” Martha sighed as you got out of the car and headed toward the house. You spent the first hour grabbing a drink, talking with a few people you knew and meeting a few you didn’t before finally finding Mo

  “Happy Halloween!” he greeted, stretching out his arms and his Dracula cape

  “Happy Halloween!” you returned with a smile

  “Morticia?” Tessa asked as she handed you another drink as she approached the group

  “Yep!” you said happily before noticing her smirk at Morgan who shyly took a sip of his own drink, “what?”

  “Nothing,” Tessa smirked, “you look great.” You weren’t sure what was going on but she wasn’t telling you something. You decided not to let it get to you in order to enjoy the rest of the party; that’s when you saw him.

  “Of fucking course” you whispered to yourself when you noticed Auston in his Gomez Addams costume

  “You guys knew about this, didn’t you?” Martha asked Tessa and Mo with a small laugh

  “Oh yeah” Mo replied

  “I mean,” Tessa corrected, “we knew about his costume, not about hers. It really was all a happy coincidence.” Overhearing Tessa, Mo and Martha made you roll your eyes as Auston made his way to your group, finally stopping softly in front of you. He stood silently for a moment before outstretching his hand to you, grabbing yours to continue the coincidence; this was not a couples costume but he seemed to have everyone else fooled

  “Cara Mia” he smirked before kissing the back of your hand

  “Well isn’t this a… strange coincidence” you scoffed

  “Or it’s fate” he teased, leading you to shake your head and walk away toward the kitchen. “Oh come on,” he groaned as he followed you inside, “why not just play along?”

  “Because,” you replied as you poured yourself another drink, “we agreed to go back to normal life. Normal life didn’t include us playing along with anything.” When the music changed to a slowed-down version of the Addams family theme, courtesy of Martha and Tessa, the group around you and Auston began encouraging you two to dance.

  “What’dya say?” Auston said softly, his palm open toward you and the chanting began to get louder, the peer pressure setting in; you groaned and took his hand with a glare. As he placed his palm flat on the small of your back, you corrected the train of your dress from where it had wrapped around your own legs.

  “I’m doing this so I don’t get shunned,” you chided, “not because I want to”

  “We’re back to that, are we?”

  “We never really left it”

  “Yeah, well...” he paused, leaning in to whisper in your ear, “you look stunning tonight”

  “I know” you whispered back, hoping he didn’t hear the blush you were trying to hide. Your bodies moved together seamlessly and you forgot how terrible that date was for a second, only to be brought back to reality when he moved his hand just an inch down onto your ass and you pushed him away; promptly ending the dance. You walked quickly past him so you could get back to your cousin and enjoy the rest of the party, doing your best to ignore Auston... yet again.

xx

Auston’s P.O.V

You were happy you decided to go as Gomez Addams tonight, if for no other reason than (Y/N) as Morticia. She looked beautiful and bringing her out into the middle of the room for a dance made you flashback to the moments that made you fall for her and when she walked away, you couldn’t help but follow her; even though you knew you shouldn’t.

“Stop” you whined as you ran after her, reaching out to grab her arm but not before she could run up the stairs

“Auston, go back downstairs,” she said, “back to the party. I’m just looking for a bathroom”

“You’re sure you’re not just ignoring me?”

“Can’t I do both?” she smiled sarcastically and you scoffed to yourself. Her pacing between closed doors to find a bathroom proved fruitless and she was soon brought back to you. “You can’t seriously still be trying to do something…” she scoffed, “it’s been five months and that date was a disaster”

“That’s very true. It was a disaster,” you admitted, moving one step closer to her, “and, yet, I haven’t stopped thinking about you once”

“That’s your problem, not mine. I told you that if the date didn’t go well, we’d go back to being nothing to each other”

“Is that really what you want?”

“Are you trying to coerce me into backtracking?” you took a step back in surprise at her words

“What? No, of course not”

“It sounds like you are”

“Well I’m not”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Jesus (Y/N)!” you groaned, exasperated, and threw up your hands, “why can’t you admit that you felt something during that dance?”

“Because it was just a dance!”

“Why can’t you admit that you had feelings for me?”

“I didn’t. I felt… something. But they weren’t feelings for you. It was all lust. Everything between us has been just sex and you know it”

“BULLSHIT!”

“Keep your voice down!” she yelled in a whisper as she pulled you into a nearby room, “my god, you’re so dramatic”

“You’re lying to yourself if you think it’s all been sex”

“Auston, we haven’t seen or talked to each other in five months! I think that makes it pretty clear”

“I don’t,” he said, “I wanted you to stay but you left so I gave you your space”

“Because you thought you were too good that I wouldn't just break and call you?” you groaned and rolled your eyes

“Because I knew there was something there, that we had something, but I wasn’t gonna force it.” You admitted and you hoped she could hear the softness in your tone, “and yeah, sure, I guess I thought you’d realize that too.” You could tell she was hesitant but, once again, the two of you moved together like magnets. You set your hands on her hips, staying there while she stared up at you, a look so intense that you gulped in return.

xx

“Fuck,” you thought to yourself, before feeling his hands slowly climb your body until they cupped your face and, unintentionally, left you breathless. He leaned down with a smirk before kissing your forehead first as if to build the tension and your hands instinctively fell on his waist. When his lips finally met yours, you stepped into him and it wasn’t long until his hands were roaming your body, the kiss intensifying to the point of heavy breathing. “Wait,” you broke the kiss harshly and turned away from him, “we can’t keep doing this. This is dumb. This is bad. Toxic.”

“You’re toxic, I’m slipping under” he teasingly sang as walked over to you, wrapping his arms around your waist

“I’m serious” you whispered, feeling his hands move up your body until they cupped your breasts and pulled your body into him, earning a moan from you. His teeth grazed your neck as he placed kisses from your ear to your collarbone, his hands still firmly holding your breasts

“You look so fucking good right now,” he said breathlessly into your ear, your hands now finally raising to lay on top of his while your head dropped back onto his shoulder

“Fuck” you moaned, moving one hand to the back of his neck as he massaged your breasts. You finally turned back around, hastily removing his clothes with lips intertwined. Your dress wasn’t as easy to remove, being so tight, so Auston had to pull away from the kiss again to find the zipper on the side of your dress and let the fabric fall to the floor. He lifted you up and brought you to the bed, placing you on the edge so he could remove his pants. You pushed yourself back onto the pillows and Auston climbed on top of you shortly after, pulling him down to push your bodies together as his lips crashed into yours.

“Are you okay?” Auston asked suddenly, making you furrow your brow, “I just mean, should we keep going?”

“Yes,” you smiled, twirling your fingers in his hair as he kissed your neck. You hadn’t noticed his hand move down your body until he slid his fingers into your underwear, his calloused fingers moving up and down your folds. When Auston slid his long middle finger into you, you dug your nails into his shoulders and bit your lip to hold back the volume that would surely come out.

“The music’s loud,” he whispered, “you can be loud”

“Someone will still hear,” you said breathlessly, a small moan escaping your lips finally, “fuck”

“Come on,” he urged, planting kisses on the backs of your hands that clutches his shoulders, “be loud. You’re so wet, I wanna hear you scream my name.”

“You always do,” you breathed, “oh my god”

“Scream,” he said and you caught his smirk when you looked down, shaking your head before letting it fall back on the pillow. “Scream” he repeated

“You sound like a serial killer” you laughed, placing your hand on his cheek, bringing his face to yours and planting a kiss on his lips, his fingers working faster to bring you to your high. Your legs began to shake as he put a little bit of pressure on your clit, leading you to bite his lip in pleasure

“Cum, baby”

“Don’t call me baby”

“Cum” he repeated firmly. You continued the kiss, grabbing his hair so tight that you were sure you were going to tear a chunk out. He broke the kiss one last time, biting your collarbone and kissing the inside of your wrist before whispering one more time, “cum.” Something inside you unlocked and you moaned loudly as your body arched into him and your climax consumed you. “There she is” he smirked

“Shut up” you scoffed as Auston rolled onto his back, wrapping his arm around your shoulder and settling in. “What are you doing?” you asked

“What do you mean?”

“This isn’t what this is” you sighed, adjusting your head on his arm before gesturing to where it lay behind you

“Just taking a break…” he scoffed, forcing you to look up at him and furrow your brow, “that okay with you?” You shook your head, deciding to climb on top of him

“Just… shh” you whispered, Auston’s thighs tightening under you while his arms stayed behind his head. His eyes boring into yours as you began to ride him slowly

“Fuck” he breathed, moving one hand from behind his head to explore your chest, fingers trailing from collarbone to breast to nipple. You moaned quietly, hands resting on his chest as you kept your movements slow, feeling Auston’s breathing increase as he took his other hand from behind his head and placed it on your waist; squeezing your side as you moved up and down his length. You began to pant as you rode him, slightly faster now, letting your head fall back as you took in the pleasure you were feeling.

“Fuck” you moaned through heavy breaths and Auston rose up, bringing his chest to yours, halting your breath in your chest as your breasts were pressed against his body; hands gripping your sides intensely. The only thing going through your mind, when something could get past how close you were to your climax again, was how wrong this was. Knowing how terrible the two of you would be as a couple after that date, how he could so easily use someone to make you jealous, the way neither of you tried to make anything healthier if you really wanted to make something work. Because, damn, the sex was good. You brought his lips close to yours, planning on muffling your moans with a kiss when Auston grabbed your hips and kept himself deep inside of you, leaving you nearly shaking at the sensation.

“Don't” he breathed against your lips, making you furrow your brow in confusion as you rocked desperately against his hips; was he seriously telling you not to cum? “Don't say this is the last time”

“What?”

“You always say that this is the last time,” he sighed, hands still on your hips, keeping you in place, “that we can't keep doing this, but then we always end up here. Like this. Doing this...” he kissed your collarbone as you rode him slowly

“You know it's true”

“That doesn't matter”

“Yes it does” you scoffed

“Why do we keep ending up like this then? Naked and moaning in a dark room together?” With one strong thrust, you let out a small whimper and your legs went limp; you slid off his lap to lay on your back as you caught your breath

“Everyone makes a string of bad decisions in their 20s. I'm getting it out of my system”

“Oh is that what this is? Why didn't you say so?” he scoffed, jumping out of the bed to start getting dressed again, “I never would've taken you on that awful date if I knew that's all this was”

“Don't be a baby” you groaned

“You're stringing me along”

“What?!”

“You agr--”

“Do. Not!” you growled as you interrupted him, finally getting out of bed, and taking the top sheet with you to wrap around your body, “I never said that we should be something. I said that this was always a bad idea but for some reason, I couldn't stop myself from doing it”

“And then you said that you were feeling something!”

“Because I thought I was!” you yelled, dropping your head to your hands, “I was wrong. It was the post-sex high I guess. We're not the people who end up together. We fight, we fuck and we go our separate ways. That's it”

“It doesn't have to be...” he practically whined, “I mean if we just tried”

“What is it you like about me?” you asked before leaning down to grab your clothes from where they were strewn on the floor, “tell me honestly because I'm genuinely curious”

“You're smart,” he started, “you're... passionate, fiery, and infuriating but beautiful in spite of it”

“In spite of it?” you scoffed, hastily pulling up your underwear under the sheet and turning your back to him to put on your bra as the fabric fell to the ground, leaving you feeling more exposed than you thought it would. “Real charming,” you finally said, an eye-roll pairing with the harsh tone of voice you gave, “that's really what I would want my partner to think of me. That I'm beautiful in spite of everything else about me. As if that mattered the most”

“That's not what I said” he scoffed right back at you

“Oh but it is”

“No it's not!” he raised his voice slightly, putting on the last bit of his costume before approaching you once more, “I said you can be infuriating because you can be, just like you are now, but that I don't care because-”

“Because I'm beautiful” you sarcastically smiled, arms crossed over your still nearly naked body

“Fine, yeah, that's what I said,” he conceded, “but what's wrong with me thinking you're beautiful? And did you miss that I said you're smart and passionate?”

“No,” you said, stance firm in disobedience, “but it doesn't mean anything. Not once you mentioned how I looked”

“Why?” he asked and you could tell he was honestly curious. As if he was a student learning something new for the first time; like he'd never known that there could be something wrong with complimenting a girl on her appearance. You furrowed your brow, softly, as you thought about your words

“Because it negates everything that you said before it. I can be beautiful to you, sure, that's great. Thank you,” you explained, as politely as you could muster, “but if it's following that I'm smart and I'm passionate and I'm strong and I'm brave, for me, it's as if you're saying it's amazing that someone who is all those things is also beautiful. Like they're mutually exclusive. One or the other.”

“Okay...” he started, scrunching his eyebrows together in clear confusion as he sat down at the foot of the bed, “but if I don't say you're beautiful then you'll be offended. There's no winning!”

“Relax,” you teased, “look, maybe there's a girl who feels differently than I do. Maybe she wants to be told she's beautiful and maybe that's all that matters to her. But I would much rather hear someone say 'You're beautiful but I care more about your mind and your heart than your body.'” Your voice was softer now, you felt a sudden need to nurture this man who'd pretended to be so macho this whole time. You moved toward him until you were standing in front of him, placing the palm of your hand on his cheek, “I've spent too much of my life worrying about how people think of me based on how they look at me. I'm tired of being pretty or not pretty enough to someone and I don't want to be with someone who is still caught up in 'appearances matter.' Does that make sense?”

“Yes,” he said clearly, deep brown eyes piercing right through to your soul and you could feel yourself being pulled in again, “I'm sorry. I just... I want you to know how amazing I think you are and how amazing we could be if we decided to give us a shot”

“Auston...” you sighed, finally sitting down next to him, “Passion, desire, comes from a lot of different places but ours came from hate. It made the sex great, amazing even, but it's not like that means we're on track to start a relationship. I mean you don't really believe that, do you?”

“I mean, I could,” he admitted and you tilted your head, “I've grown legit- legitimate feelings for you,” he corrected his abbreviated word in what you considered to be his way of sounding more mature. “You can't argue with me on that because you're not me”

“You can see how this wouldn't work though, can't you?” you tried, hoping to somehow, someway, get through to him. Knowing that the two of you could easily end up in the same place another five months from now but that you would always leave feeling the same way -- like you were purposely running toward red flags because it meant you didn't have to commit to anything real.

“Maybe,” he sighed, rubbing his face harshly before dropping his elbows on his knees and looking straight ahead at the door, “but I also know what I'm feeling and I think we'd be stupid to ignore that you're feeling something too.” You took a deep breath, annoyed at the loop you'd found yourself in, and stood up to find your black dress strewn on the floor. Stepping in and shimmying into it slowly so as to not rip the zipper - a very real fear at this point in the night.

“Help me with this, won't you?” you asked, referring to the zipper that you could clearly do up on your own but you knew it would force you to feel his breath on your skin. Auston finished zipping your dress and placed his hands on your hips for a moment before kissing your temple

“I've never met anyone like you before,” he whispered and you turned your head slightly toward him, “I don't want to lose you.” You stood there for a minute, facing forward, Auston's hands on your hips, his chest against your back and his breath cascading down your neck. You took a minute to embrace the moment and appreciate how solid he felt behind you, scanning your mind desperately to find the same... hope he seemed to have about you with him. You fell back against his chest, a motion you'd done before when you needed to feel reassured; his steady heartbeat let the once chaotic mood in the room settle almost instantly.

“I wish I knew what to say here...” you admitted, finally turning to face him, your eyes slowly scanning his body up until his caught yours

“Say that you don’t wanna lose me either” he leaned down a little, fingers grazing your arms slowly

“I want…” you hesitated, turning away from his kiss at the last minute, “something normal. Something easy, uncomplicated,” you said simply, looking away from his eyes only long enough to watch your palms flatten on his chest. “I don’t think that’s with you.” His eyes searched yours and all you could do was give him a look of sympathy, knowing that’s not what he wanted to hear

“So I guess that’s it…” he huffed, backing away and you nodded, “or just until next time? Yet again?” You took a step toward him, feeling the train of your dress drag on the floor before you stopped in front of him, holding his hand in yours as you kissed his cheek. Whether it was the end or not, you couldn’t be sure, time had proven that you weren’t as strong as you thought you were, but right now, at this moment, you knew it had to be goodbye. You let go of his hand and turned to walk toward the door, looking back at him once you stood in the open frame, his stillness telling everything you needed to know.

You weren’t used to seeing him this vulnerable, even in times when you wished he would be, and you hated that you knew how much this was going to hurt him.

[readingandwritingandreading]

Some Hearts ~ Part 3

My Blurb: Sorry for the delay in getting this posted. I had an ovarian cyst rupture and it was not pleasant. The pain meds I have been on for the last week have not been super conducive to writing so if parts of this are wonky, I'm blaming that! I hope you enjoy! 

Disclaimer:  Alas, I own nothing but my ideas. I do not give permission for my writing to be shared anywhere without my consent. 

Summary: Reacher never needed anyone, he was a lone wolf and preferred it that way. But when he finds his mate beaten and bruised one night, she and the rest of the 110th show Reacher the benefits of being in a pack. Fated Mates, Shifter AU

Pairing: Jack Reacher x OFC Morgan Stone

Warnings: There are some darker things in this fic. Morgan is a rape and abuse survivor. Nothing is explicitly detailed but be advised. Your media consumption is your responsibility. This is a fated mates, wolf shifter AU and will contain claming, biting, mating and other wolf pack related things. 

Tagging: @pioched | @ashes-writing | @titty-teetee2 | @may85

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Rock Hill Village Hospital, New York

Reacher’s eyes don’t leave Morgan but he still senses the surprised looks from his friends. No one called him Jack, not his family when he was young, not his superiors in the military and not his friends now. He had always preferred Reacher but when she had asked for his name he wanted her to call him Jack. He wanted to hear the way it sounded when she said it. Her calling him anything else seemed like it would cause the tugging in his chest to rip open. 

He had already inspected the star shaped mark that had burned itself into the skin above his heart, a physical representation of the tether that bound them together. She hadn’t seemed to notice hers but Roscoe had said she was on some high pain killers. If she felt it she probably thought it was part of her other injuries and she hadn’t been awake long enough to see the matching mark on her own chest.

The door clicked close behind him but she didn't seem to notice. She was staring at him, her brown eyes wide, a look of shock and fear on her face. Shock he was expecting, he had delivered the news abruptly, but the fear concerned him. 

“My fated mate?” her voice had a slight tremor to it. “How is that possible?” 

Reacher shrugged, “O’Donnell tells me you can’t fight the Moon Goddess.” 

“No, I mean…” she took a deep breath before continuing, “There was a bonding ceremony. My father made sure it was all legitimate. And after…the claiming…” her good arm wrapped around her torso and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. “There's no way he told anyone he messed it up. It was too important to his dad and mine. He will do whatever it takes to find me. If he found out about you…I can’t drag anyone down with me.” She’s rambling, looking around the room in a panic.

“Morgan” He gently placed his hands on her shoulders, quieting her movements. She looked so small and lost sitting on the bed and the tugging in his chest grew stronger. His wolf was pacing, not liking the anxiety and fear coming off their mate in waves. “I know you’re scared, but this is real.” He lifted his shirt up until his right pec was visible, showing her the mark. “I’m your fated mate, we will sort out whatever that entails but you are mine to protect.”

She studied the mark before shyly peeking down the top of her hospital gown. He knew she saw it when she bit her lip and slowly met his eyes again. “You don’t even know me,” There was still a slight tremor in her voice but she didn’t look like she was ready to bolt anymore. 

“I know you’re brave and you’re smart. I served in the army for 13 years and there weren’t many that would do what you did, especially without a wolf. Going two weeks undetected while big men hunt you down. I'd like to get to know you more but right now you should rest.” He pulled the blanket over her legs and moved back to the chair beside her bed while she laid back. 

She looked like she wanted to protest but a yawn hit her as soon as she laid her head on the pillow. He eased himself back into the chair beside her bed and within minutes her breathing evened out and she was asleep again. 

He watched her for a while, thinking about the story she had told and her clear fear of being discovered by the other pack. A soft knock drew his attention to the door where Neagley had poked her head through and she nodded for him to follow her. 

Once in the hallway she handed him a folder, “Everything Sanchez and Orozco have found so far. Finlay is going to do some digging also. Her story checks out, there's an article about the ceremony, even some pictures.” She pointed him to a page that looked like a scan of a newspaper. There was Morgan in a fancy green dress, she was smiling but it looked forced and didn’t reach her eyes. The man who stood next to her was slim but athletic looking. He had a square jaw and was smirking at the camera, his arm locked firmly around Morgan. 

“What about her escape?” Reacher flipped through the file, noting her birthday from her passport. 

“There hasn’t been a single mention of her since the article about the ceremony. Sanchez said it looks like they are playing it close to their chest. The Kliner pack is making it seem like they are on their honeymoon and that’s why no one has seen them.” She raised an eyebrow when Reacher clenched his fist. “You ok big guy? Emotions aren’t really your thing.”

Reacher closed the folder before looking at his friend. “She’s been through alot, and fate shackled her with me. Hardly seems fair to her.” He paused, “Thank you for the information, I don’t want to take up more of your resources than I already have.” 

Neagley snorted, folding her arms across her chest. “You can pretend all you want that you aren’t a part of this pack Racher. But this is your home, and we are your family. Which makes that little wolf in there our family also.” She nodded towards Morgan’s room. “We protect our family.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It’s real, Franz witnessed the whole thing.” I jumped at the sound of Charlie’s voice echoing in the little bathroom. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you, just have to make sure you didn’t black out on us, plus Reacher’s getting antsy out there. 

I rolled my eyes at her while pulling the top of my hospital gown back up to cover the star shaped mark I had been inspecting. After talking with Jack, I slept another ten hours. My usual nightmares about my father and KJ finding me had been interrupted by the appearance of a large gray wolf who chased them away before sitting at my feet. After that I slept peacefully. It was the best sleep I'd gotten in years and I had awoken to find Jack asleep in the chair beside my bed. I studied him for a couple minutes noticing that even in sleep he still looked strong and firm. I shifted slightly and his eyes sprung open searching the room before finding me and relaxing. The tether between us hummed and I raised my hand to the mark on my chest.

A nurse appeared with food, breaking the tension. Then it was a whirlwind of x-rays and tests before Dr. Roscoe appeared and told me I could be released but she wanted to follow up with me in a week. My IV had been removed and Charlie had gone in search of some scrubs I could wear while I escaped to the bathroom. Jack had never strayed further than the hallway throughout the procedures and I needed a minute to figure out my plan without him bombarding my senses. 

Even with my exhausted mind, my hormones had paid more attention to his abs when he lifted the shirt last night than the mark he had shown me, but studying mine, it did seem like they matched. Charlie’s intrusion had pulled me out of a worry spiral that was threatening to send me escaping through another window. 

“You seem pretty close to my size, so these should fit you. I can bring some other stuff over to Reacher’s place tonight until you get your wardrobe figured out.” Charlie continued, placing a pair of green scrubs on the counter. 

“Thank you…wait, Reacher’s house?” I swung around to face her. 

She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. “Yes, Reacher’s house. Where you will be staying. You didn’t know that?” 

“No, I thought I could go to a motel or…although I guess I can’t pay for a motel but I could get a job or I could just…” My rambling was cut off by Charlie giggling. “Why are you laughing!” 

“He has lived in your hospital room since you came in.” She tried to stop another round of giggles. “Oh my gosh, I have to tell Neagley, she will die. You staying in a hotel on the other side of the village” 

“Charlie!” My screech sobered her but I heard Jack moving in the other room and the pull in my chest tugged a little causing me to reach my hand up and rub it. 

“You’re already tuned to each other.” Charlie smiled, rubbing a spot on her chest. “I’m sorry I laughed. If you want to stay in the hotel instead of his place, that’s fine. But be prepared for a roommate or a tent pitched outside your door. Reacher is a good man, he has helped my mate out more than once and always when he didn’t have to. You are safe with him.” She nodded her head towards the scrubs before retreating out the door. 

Changing into the scrubs with my one good arm proved challenging and by the time I had accomplished it I was sweating and wanted to sleep for another 10 hours but with a deep breath I steeled myself as I walked back into my room. 

As expected, Jack turned away from Charlie immediately, looking me over like he was checking for new injuries. I tried not to focus on the gaze that lingered on my chest making me hyper aware that I didn’t have a bra on.

Charlie broke the tension by bringing me a stack of papers. “These are your discharge instructions along with a note of everything we did or gave you while you were here. Roscoe already went over everything with Reacher but feel free to reach out. Are you feeling ok?” 

“Ya, just a little worn out from wrestling my clothes on with one hand.” I chuckled. 

“Reacher, why don’t you go pull the truck around. I’ll bring Morgan out in a minute.” She waved Jack off with an eyebrow raise when he didn’t immediately leave. Once he left she turned to me, her face serious, “If you want, when I drop the clothes off later, I can help you shower and get changed. I know you aren’t ready for him to help.” 

I nodded, heat climbing my cheeks, “I would appreciate that Charlie, thank you.” 

She grinned in response before turning us towards the door. I followed her into the hallway and then onto an elevator that opened into a lobby. The people we passed along the way were all friendly, greeting Charlie and smiling politely at me. I gasped when we stepped outside. The storm had shielded the beauty of the valley on the night I arrived. The clear view of the mountains and trees surrounding the village was a picturesque backdrop to the cabins and buildings on either side of the hospital. My gaze spun around before landing on Jack standing by a blue Ford pickup. He opened the passenger side and gestured for me.

“I’ll see you in a bit.” Charlie gave my hand an encouraging squeeze and I smiled before sliding into the passenger seat. 

I fiddled with my fingers as Jack rounded the truck and hopped in the driver's seat. Forcing myself to not watch him I looked out the window and at the hospital we were pulling away from. It was a large building, much larger than I would expect for a pack in the middle of nowhere. “Jack, how big is this pack?” 

“103 currently, growing though, now that the members have settled and started having kids.” He shrugged, turning onto a road that looked like it was part of a town square. 

“That’s very specific.” I smiled, “Does the hospital serve another pack? It seems bigger than needed” 

“Details matter” he waved at a couple walking on the sidewalk, “and at least half the pack are ex-military. The influx of kids combined with living out here keeps Roscoe busy.” 

I nodded, watching out the window as we made our way across the village. It wasn’t huge but from what I could see it was homey, clean and well maintained. A few people stared as we drove by but they all waved at Jack. “Everyone seems so…nice.” 

Jack chuckled, turning the truck onto a small road that curved between some trees. “Neagley is pretty strict about who she lets join. It also helps…or hurts…that everyone is connected. The starting members were from my old army unit. They brought in their families and it grew from there. O’Donnel knew Roscoe’s husband, Roscoe knew Charlie and so on and so forth.” 

“So the pack really is a big family?” Even I heard the wistfulness in my voice and I blushed when he glanced over at me but I had already spilled enough of my story to answer the question in his expression. 

“Here we are” he gestured out the windshield as a cabin came into view.

My jaw dropped as I took in the beautiful two story cabin with a wrap around porch and a chimney that had a curl of smoke coming out.  “This is your house? It’s beautiful.” 

“Technically. I paid for it but Neagley and Dixon did all the work. I keep telling them to let someone else move in but they said I would need it someday. Turns out they were right.” He put the truck in park and jogged around to my side before I could open the door. 

He watched me as I followed him into the house and took in the decor. It was simple and masculine. The same cedar wood was on the interior of the open floor plan. Soft brown leather sofas faced a fireplace that provided a comfortable glow into the rest of the house. A kitchen table sat near a large bay window that showcased another stunning view of the forest and mountains. The kitchen had stainless steel appliances and an island outfitted with barstools and the whole thing was overlooked by an upstairs loft. 

“Bathroom, laundry room and an office through there.” Jack pointed to a hallway off the kitchen. He stood back as I peeked into each area before gesturing to the stairs. “Bedrooms are up here.” The comforting colors continued upstairs. Jack pointed out another bathroom and his bedroom before opening a third door. “This can be your room.”

“Thank you,” I replied, stepping into the room. It wasn’t huge but it was cozy and the bed looked soft. There was a closet on one end and a dresser on the other. The nightstands matched the dresser and sported lamps with light blue shades. “This is beautiful.” 

“This is your space, you can make whatever changes you want. Just let me know.” I turned to find Jack standing in the doorway and that hum appeared in the tether again as we looked at each other. 

Before I could reply the doorbell rang and he went down to answer it. I stayed in the room a few minutes longer, running my hand over the comforter that matched the lamp shades and smiling to myself. Stepping onto the landing I heard Jack and another male voice. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thank you Mr. Mosley, you didn’t have to do this.” Reacher smiled at the older man as he put the food in the fridge and handed him a bottle of water. 

“You know my lady wouldn’t allow that to happen.” He replied with a chuckle, settling himself onto one of the barstools. “She would have come herself but her hip is acting up again after the storm.” 

Morgan timidly made her way down the staircase and he could almost feel the worry rolling off her. She was nervous to stay with him but hadn’t put up a fight like he had been worried she would. He wouldn’t have blamed her, all of the information they had dug up on her past pointed towards a rightful apprehension towards men. 

“Mr. Mosley, this is Morgan.” Reacher gestured for her to come in before continuing. “Morgan, this is Mr. Mosley. He and his wife run the pack grocery and hardware store. He brought us some dinner.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Mosley, thank you for the food.” Morgan smiled and shook the older man's hand. 

“The pleasure is all mine my dear, when we heard the big guy had found a pretty little mate and that she was injured, my wife started cooking. If you hadn’t gotten released when you did we would be out of fridge space. And I had to bring it over to make sure he saved some for you.” 

Morgan laughed softly at his words, visibly relaxing. “Jack has been very kind.” 

“Oh? Jack is it?” Mosley raised an eyebrow at Reacher who just rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You really must be his mate to have that honor.” He stage whispered to Morgan, causing her to giggle. 

Catching sight of Charlie’s car pulling in, he moved to the door to let her in. “So far so good?” She asked when she reached the door, a duffle bag in hand. 

“Ya, Mosley showed up at the end of the tour with food in tow. She seems relaxed.” Reacher placed the bag on the stairs, pausing to see the grin light up Morgan’s face when she saw Charlie. Mosley was trying to send food home with her when he rejoined the group.

“I’m good, Paul is making dinner. I just stopped by to bring Morgan some cast friendly clothes and help her get cleaned up and then I’ll head home.” Charlie smiled kindly at him. 

“I haven’t had a shower since before I fell and” Morgan held up her cast, “I discovered earlier that only having one good arm makes things like that difficult.” A happy hum vibrated through their tether and Reacher smiled to himself. 

“You ladies go ahead, I’ll help Reacher get supper ready and then head back to the misses. Don’t be a stranger, Morgan.” Mosley called as Morgan led Charlie up the stairs not missing the way Reacher watched his little mate until she was out of sight. 

[quietwingsinthesky]

i swear to god im going to write real fic again eventually but in the meantime here’s 2k of even & doctor angst and regret

“Don’t look at me like that,” Even says, softly. They won’t cross his TARDIS, won’t come closer to him. He doesn’t notice until he takes the first step, and they mirror him, keeping the console and the humming engine between them. He can only just see half of their face around it. “You don’t get to be disappointed in me.”

“How can you tell it’s a disappointed face? It’s a new face. Could mean anything.” He keeps walking, as though they’ll give up and stop and let him near. He catches them touch the console gently as they circle it, then snap their hand away like they’ve been burned, up to their chest to squeeze at- Nothing. They find empty air, and for a moment, they do freeze in place long enough for him to see the whole of them before they press their hand down and seem comforted by whatever they feel through the fabric of their shirt.

“It’s your face,” they answer. They sound uncertain.

They also aren’t wrong.

“What happened to you?” he asks, in lieu of saying something worse when they’re finally not trying to retreat from him. He dares a step closer and watches them tense like a frightened animal, shoulders drawn tight to make themselves smaller. He’s pictured finding Even, if they were alive, a thousand times over. When he was kinder to himself, he used to imagine that they’d grab his hands, overexcited and begging permission to touch more without being able to ask. (A regeneration ago, and he knows he would have pulled them in tight, buried his nose in their hair and held on until someone else interrupted him. Now, he’s not so sure, but he knows he wouldn’t let go of their hand.)

“I followed the Master,” they say. Their eyes cast away from him.

“You seem to be doing that a lot these days.” Even crosses their arms.

“Where else could I go?” they ask, standing in the middle of his TARDIS. Somewhere within her, their room is still waiting, untouched since they left.

They left.

“Home,” he intones, seriously, “where you’re supposed to be.”

Their mouth opens slightly in surprise before it curls around a sudden, “I can’t go home! You broke me!” The Doctor stops. All of him, from mind to body. Even one of his hearts misses a beat and leaves him with an aftermath of vertigo before it falls back in line. Even hadn’t raised their voice, but what tore through the air between them had been so angry- And had they ever been angry with him before? Just once in all their time together?

He watches their brief outburst crumple back inwards. Even blinks rapidly, pawing at whatever is beneath their shirt like it can steady them.

“Back with Donna,” he says, much quieter than he intends. Even blinks again, eyes clearly watering despite their attempts to stop it. “Making sure she’s safe.” He hasn’t let himself say her name in a long time. As though locking away the names of the people he cares about could keep them with him.

“Oh,” Even says, “you meant-”

Pettily, he adds, “You promised.” Whatever vulnerable thing had lighted on Even’s face when they heard Donna’s name evaporates, and that, he knows, is his fault. The brief vindication of their guilt isn’t worth it.

“What did you want me to do?” they beg. “Lie to her forever? Live my whole life with my best friend without being able to talk about any of the things that made us friends?”

“Did anyone tell you it would be easy?” he snaps. “Yes! She would have been safe!” You would have been safe, he couldn’t bring himself to say. He wants to believe, has to believe, that Even had ended up somewhere okay. Their present choice in company said otherwise, but more than that… He wonders if they know he can tell that some of their fingers are the wrong length. He’d almost thought he was misremembering, but they’re more incongruent upon further inspection — the shade of their skin slightly changed and the way they move. And that’s the part of them that he’s noticed has been modified. If there are others, he’s starting to think he just hasn’t seen them yet, not that they aren’t there.

They did a good job not answering his question earlier.

“I couldn’t live like that!” Even cries, cheeks finally stained with their first escaped tears. They flinch from the feeling of them, scrunching their eyes shut and failing to stop more. “Not with people I- I-“ Even makes a terrible noise, choked. The Doctor takes an unconscious step towards them, though he can’t make himself reach out to help. Their hesitation is too familiar to him, and his mind fills with a horrible litany of don’t stop there, say you didn’t learn to stop there from me, that can’t be the one thing you learned from me you didn’t forget. “With people I-“ Even makes a valiant second attempt. They fail. “People I cared about,” they finish, their failure obvious to themself and weighing heavily. “Care,” they correct, “care about.”

The TARDIS gives a warning hum as she nears her destination. He and Even both look up with recognition when they hear it.

He looks back at them before they do him. They gaze up at the TARDIS, towards the followable source of the noise — though the true source is somewhere else, much deeper within her. Their cheeks are still wet and their eyes are slightly red and puffy, but for those few seconds, their expression is one he’s missed so much that his hearts ache seeing it again: all wonder and delight at the TARDIS bringing them somewhere new.

And then their smile falls into a confused frown. They look at the Doctor, and then, gaze jumping to focus just over his shoulder instead, ask, “Doctor. Where are you taking me?”

He doesn’t have to answer. It was obvious where he thought they were supposed to be.

He’s going to say something, though. Maybe about the rarity of second chances.

Even’s expression goes blank. Against the contrast of their continuing tears, it’s unnerving. Without a word, they scan the TARDIS console. He doesn’t realize they actually know what they’re looking for until they’ve found it and dragged one lever into place with a protesting squeak. The TARDIS groans as she brakes in time.

The Doctor’s vision narrows to Even’s hand on the console. He doesn’t realize what he’s doing until his own hand is outstretched, and he hears the smack like a gunshot. Even jumps back, their eyes wide before they duck their head and brought their hand up against their lips. His palm stings slightly. On the tip of his tongue is a reprimand that dies before escaping. He’s standing as close to Even as they’ve allowed him to this entire time, and they’re cradling the hand he’d slapped away from the TARDIS’s controls.

They’d drawn the TARDIS to a halt properly, too. Not a guess or a reckless grab at any random button to throw them off-course.

They let their hand fall. There was a little red mark on it where he’d made contact.

“No,” they say.

“Even-”

“No,” they repeat. It scrapes out like a sob from the back of their throat.

“Then come with me.” He reaches out to touch their shoulder, and they move it inches from the tips of his fingers. “There’s room for you. You’ll meet Clara. You’d like Clara.” He has to say something to fill the air, or he’s going to keep staring at that fading red mark on their hand, feeling the skin on his palm slowly stop tingling. “You do the same thing with your eyes when you’re upset. You’ll have me outnumbered.” He wants Even’s eyes to go wide again and their lip to tremble, if only so he can point it out, just how similar they look and how well Even would get along with Clara if they were ever in the same room.

But Even doesn’t. They look exhausted instead.

“I already have a TARDIS to go to,” they say.

“Yes. Mine,” he insists, like he can make them stop before they say what he knows is coming. He’s still trying, though. He has to try.

“Mine.” He chooses to believe they’re just echoing what he said. (He misses when they did that, their voice catching the last words of his sentences and chirping them back again. He misses being caught in the loop himself, tossing a phrase back and forth until they couldn’t keep from laughing too hard to continue.) He chooses to believe that up until they say, voice strangely light compared to the rest of this conversation, “Missy will kill me if I’m late.”

He does not let his face fall. He does not let anything cross it, not anger or bitterness or grief.

Nonetheless, Even tilts their head slightly, brows knit, and adds, “I really can’t live here. Your TARDIS bites,” almost like an apology.

“And hers doesn’t?” He grips the TARDIS console, the contact with her controls calming him from the cool metal beneath his palms to the brushes of her consciousness against his own. He watches the stalled engine vibrate.

Even eyes him for a moment and cautiously steps closer into the space beside him. When he doesn’t move, they lay their hands on the console as well, mirroring his own. They twitch, once, a preemptive flinch and then, rest. He can feel every inch between their shoulders. Ghosts of laughter muffled against his coat or surprised grabs at his arm for reassurance haunt him. Even’s fingers curl, and they bring their hands together rather than keeping them outstretched and flat.

“No, actually,” they answer. “I think she’s too grateful for when we found and fixed her.” The Doctor chances turning his head to peer down at them.

His eyes catch on a shock of color amid their more subdued attire. They shift, and the color is swallowed up, melting into metallic grey, and revealing itself again the next time they adjust their stance. It’s a necklace, he realizes, chain interlaced with… something else. He finds the other spots of color easily, neon greens and yellows and blues. They look familiar.

“She does sometimes land us too close to walls, though,” Even continues. He can hear them smiling. “Most of the time, Missy stops before she runs into them. Most of the time.” He smiles despite himself, only half-listening as he studies their necklace or what he can see of it before it disappears beneath their shirt.

They’re beads. The pieces soldered into the chain are cheap, plastic beads.

The Doctor’s wrist feels suddenly bare, despite this wrist never having worn what it misses.

Even meets his eyes. They worry their lip between their teeth as they do, their effort to maintain it clear, and for that reason, he doesn’t look away for their sake like he might have otherwise.

“Would you really let me come back?” they say, slowly and carefully.

The Doctor doesn’t answer.

And he doesn’t answer.

And he doesn’t answer.

And finally, he says, “Yes.”

Even exhales and looks away. They squeeze their eyes shut.

When they extend their hand, it’s the Doctor’s turn to try not to flinch. He thinks he does an okay job of it, and if not, they aren’t looking anyway. The feel of their fingers wrapping loosely around his wrist is both new and familiar. Their adjust their grip as they bring his hand towards them, getting used to the changes they should have been expecting but that he knows they still weren’t, despite hearing his new voice and looking at his new face and knowing it wasn’t even the first he’d had since they’d last touched him.

Even draws his hand close to their chest and hesitates. They squeeze it once and continue. They hold it to their chest. He finds the outline of something beneath their shirt. They press his hand closer, eyes shut. The Doctor feels out the edges of the hidden object, round and hard, with no give but its own heat, its own energy pulsing with a steady rhythm that Even must feel in their chest constantly with it so near their skin. He runs his thumb over it again.

“I can’t stay with you.” Another apology. Their other hand comes up to cover what’s left of his that the first didn’t.

The Doctor finally knows how he could convince them. He can read it in the way they hold on. He knows exactly what he has to say to make it impossible for them to leave.

“Keep me close,” he says instead. Even huffs a little laugh.

“I try.” They release his hand, and with his invitation gone, he doesn’t try to take more than they’ve allowed. They aren’t running from him anymore. He knows how hard that is.

When he puts the TARDIS in motion again, he does everything he can not to think of Even’s intended destination, where or what or who it is, and to exist in the few moments they have together.

(He finds the box tucked into a corner of his own room, though he knows he didn’t leave it there. The TARDIS wants him to have it back. He takes out cheap, stretchy plastic bands and multicolored beads and lays them in a dozen rows of different shades before he makes anything from them. It goes much slower when he’s the only one sorting them out.

He strings them together, one by one. He tries to remember the colors he saw. He remembers their original order, but some were lost along the way and what’s the point in a friendship bracelet that doesn’t match?

Clara comments on it when she sees it. She says it’s cute, with a quirk to her mouth and eyebrows that says she’s confused but humoring him.

The Doctor tries not to take it off again, for however long that might last. He hopes it’s at least until Even sees it.)