#and i’m very excited that i get to see it twice in such close proximity & with two of my favorite people

[tulsa24]

when i say that i love the the outsiders musical i mean i’m seeing it twice in one week and i couldn’t be happier about it.

[mariaofdoranelle]

Look at Us Now - Ch. 11

Fic masterlist

This week I had to reassure two different friends about a Rowaelin HEA for this fic, can you believe this? It’s like you guys don’t trust my fluff-loving side at all lmaoo

Warnings: language, drunk idiots

Word count: 4,4k

As a soon-to-be mother, Aelin was so proud of her baby girl for growing so much.

As an orthopedist, she was mourning the perfect posture she used to have.

Fenrys stopped at the kitchen’s doorstep to stare at her. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m trying to save my lombardic curve. Stop being weird about it.”

He shrugged and sat on the nearest couch as Aelin tried to adjust that arched back of hers. Holy rutting Mala, why did pregnancy make her go through all that?

“Is Dorian coming tonight?”

“Probably. If he feels like it.” Fenrys shrugged. “It’s not that serious.”

Aelin crossed her arms, clamping her lips together as she tried to look serious. “You’re just casually seeing each other every day?”

“Exactly.” He turned on the TV. “Just like you and Rowan are platonically living together and having a baby.”

She gaped, but still sat by his side. “Take it back!”

“Absolutely not! Do you think Rowan just…” Fenrys flailed his arms around, looking for an example. “He doesn’t goes around massaging everyone’s feet, Aelin. I’m pretty sure you’re the only person he does that for.”

She crossed her arms, chin up. “He does it for me, but not because of me. I just happen to be carrying his baby.”

“The baby is inside the belly, not the feet.”

She sighed, forcing her voice into a lower, calmer tone. “Look, you weren’t there, but he clearly wasn’t interested. He only changed because of the baby. And I’m not complaining about it, I had fun, I’m just saying that if he wanted non-platonic stuff with me, he would tell me.”

Fenrys looked her dead in the eye. “You had a boyfriend.”

“And that never stopped him from fucking me senseless. Wouldn’t stop him from seeing me outside the base if he wanted to.”

It was true, and it was also killing her. Every time Rowan ran to a store to buy something she was craving or massaged her swollen feet, Aelin had the painful reminder that, when it was just her, all she got was cock and a couch inside his office. Rowan just learned very early on that happy mom means happy baby, and she was trying to be okay with it.

They were just having casual sex at first, and now he seemed okay with keeping things platonic for their kid. There was no use in reading between the lines.

After that, Aelin decided to go find Rowan at her house. Fenrys was nice enough to be silent when Dorian was there, but his bed still got squeaky sometimes.

She hired a company to paint her house, since she couldn’t smell paint because of the baby, nor could she let Rowan paint the entire four-bedroom house the Air Force provided her. He protested her decision, but he was already doing too much for her.

Aelin had a feeling that, if she asked him to build a house from scratch for this baby, he’d do it alone without thinking twice.

She had already grown familiar with the path between her house and Rowan’s. The sound of the leaves when the wind got a little stronger never failed to soothe her, and Aelin was excited to co-parent a kid with such close proximity.

Which could be even closer, if her new idea worked out.

When Aelin stepped into her house, the first thing she noticed was the faint sound of Syd Barrett spilling his guts, and she looked for the source until she found Rowan lying on the nursery’s floor.

He didn’t seem surprised when she walked in, though. He probably listened to her footsteps all the way to the baby’s room.

“I didn’t know you were into junkies from the 60’s.”

Rowan got up to get another pillow and help ease her onto the floor. “You listen to them all the time.”

Aelin closed her eyes, feeling the muscles on her back relax now that she was lying too. “My parents were fans.”

Rowan’s hand found her scalp, and Aelin almost purred. God, she was too weak for those.

“You think about them a lot?” He asked.

“More often now that I’m pregnant. And with insomnia.”

Pregnancy just made her think of them more often now, but it wasn’t the crushing type of grief she felt during her late childhood and early teen years. It was bittersweet.

Rowan hummed, never ceasing to caress her hair. “Did you try eating an apple before bed? It helps to induce sleep.”

“No, I haven’t.” Aelin hid her face on his side, trying her best not to laugh.

Apples before bed did absolutely nothing for people with sleep disorders. Rowan didn’t know that her pregnancy was just making a deeper problem worse, though. Aelin couldn’t take any kind of sleeping pills with a baby on the way, and telling him this problem with no solution was just going to make the Buzzard worry to death.

Aelin had been off her antidepressants for almost two years, so this new development made her ghost her psychiatrist and decide to go back once she stopped breastfeeding. She had plenty of time to tell Rowan about that.

Aelin closed her eyes and grinned. “This song is so silly. I love how he laughs halfway into it.”

It was a good song, but he just repeated the name Maisie over and over most of the time.

“It isn’t silly,” Rowan protested. “He’s stoned out of his mind, and the only thing he feels like doing is repeating that girl’s name over and over. It’s kinda relatable”

“Rowan Whitethorn.” Her voice was low as she looked at him with widened, surprised eyes. “Are you coming out as a stoner?”

Chuckling, he playfully pinched her upper arm and turned sideways to face her while lying. “The name is really cute.”

“Maisie?”

“Yeah.”

She chewed her bottom lip, thinking this over. The name was adorable. “But we’re not naming our daughter after a junkie’s song, right?”

“No.” He shook his head, as if erasing the idea. “Of course not.”

They just stayed there, letting the album play as Aelin took in the baby’s room. It was so cute she felt like her chest could burst any minute.

She made Rowan and Aedion put a baby blue wallpaper, even if the Air Force’s regiment said every wall should be plain white. The furniture was in white wood, except for the little dresser in the corner.

It was wooden as well, but every drawer was a different shade of blue, getting darker at the bottom. The knobs were sea life themed, and it took Aelin a lifetime to decide which animal went with what drawer.

It was the cutest, babiest little thing. She woke Rowan up at 1 am to show this finding when she saw it online. It was her favorite part of the nursery.

Aelin felt her heart bang again when she met Rowan’s deep, inquisitive eyes.

“What’s on your mind?”

She placed her pillow closer to Rowan and hugged him. “Thank you.”

He had been pulling Aelin’s house together day and night, completely ignoring her protests about not letting her do much.

Rowan didn’t say anything, just caressed her head in that way that made her melt.

“I’ve been thinking about something,” she continued.

He hummed.

“Your house doesn’t have much of the baby vibe. With the parade of one-night stands and all.”

Rowan sighed. “I know I need to have this talk with—“

She shushed him. The house was Fenrys’ as well, and she didn’t want a surprise baby to disrupt his lifestyle.

“I thought of something. It’s not a permanent solution, but I won’t put an expiration date on it either.”

Rowan leaned closer, watching her intently.

“When I move into this house, you could come with me—“

He engulfed her in a hug, burying his face in the crook of her neck. “Yes.”

“You can pick any room you’d—“

“Yes.”

“So neither of us will be alone with a newborn—“

“Yes.”

Aelin laughed, feeling her chest tremble against his own. Alright, he didn’t need a lot of explanations. She got that.

They just stared at each other for a moment. Aelin felt her heart knock on her throat and do fuzzy little flips as she watched how Rowan’s smile made his eyes light up.

For the first time, she could put a name on the jolt of electricity he made her feel.

She was falling, and bracing herself for the bone crush.

~~

It was funny how everyone from this soccer moms’ night out was telling her to stop being shy and sing with Lysandra. Aelin wasn’t a shy person at all, she was just someone who knew her strengths. Singing wasn’t one of them.

There was no amount of fancy drinks that could make her go up on that stage, but now that Lys made the crowd ask no nicely…

Dorian was trying to save Aedion’s love life in a bar two blocks away. If this became a huge embarrassment, she could just leave, pretend this never happened and join them there. Aelin got up and took the second mic, not missing the cheery crowd—and especially her table—stirring things up.

“What are you two singing?” The employee with the computer asked.

“Lana?” Aelin suggested, but her friend had a vacant stare on the crowd.

She poked Lys on the ribs. “What are we singing?”

“Oh.” She jerked Aelin’s way, blinking, but then her disoriented face turned into a roguish grin. “Peppers.”

Not a question, but Lys and the employee still sought Aelin’s confirmation before starting.

Aelin was just singing at first. She wasn’t stiff, but there was nothing much to her moves. However, when the pre-chorus was reaching its end, Lysandra placed one hand on hand on Aelin’s hips in an attempt to loosen it, and that’s when she understood.

Lys didn’t want to sing a song. She wanted them to give a full show. And now that Aelin understood, she wouldn’t settle for less.

She was rolling her hips, swaying her whole body and toying with her hair as the lyrics suggested. Aelin had no idea if the tables were stirring them in because they were actually good or just two excited drunks, but she was eating it up.

“Put your hands on my knees, baby!” Someone screamed, referencing the song lyric.

Aelin had a snarky remark ready, but kept to herself when she realized it came from a woman, not a creepy dude. Instead, she swayed her hips harder and went down so she could put her hands on her knees in a little provocative manner. The lesbian roared, making her cackle mid-chorus.

And you know what? Tonight was about girls. Aelin came with her soccer mom friends to talk about girl things and sip girly drinks. If she was doing sexy dances tonight, it was for the lesbians. And bisexual girls. Non-binary too—

Lys tapped her shoulder when she stopped singing, too distracted counting all the letters from the acronym to check if she wasn’t forgetting anything. Fuck. She blamed it on the tequila.

Aelin smiled at the crowd when the song ended, taking the applause and fame in. Maybe she should quit orthopedics to perform for a living. Maybe that was her true calling.

All of those thoughts came to a halt when she paused to carefully study the room, though. Her heart stopped just to go back at the highest speed.

Rowan. By the side of a hot redhead.

He was staring at her, and there was no way to decipher that intense look in his eyes. His lips were pursed, but even if Rowan looked pissed, he never took his eyes off her. Not while she was on stage, not when Lys dragged her by the arm to the ladies’ room.

The redhead was looking between them the whole time, probably figuring something out already.

Aelin didn’t do anything when she got to the bathroom, though. Just stood there, staring at a blank spot in the wall. She was so shocked she barely noticed the distinctive reek of a bar’s bathroom. Lys was watching her the whole time, forehead wrinkled and hands on her hips.

This silence was too much, especially since Lys knew most of whatever went down with Rowan.

Well, that didn’t matter now. If the last weeks gave her any doubt about how she should proceed now that they were in a better situation, this just gave her rational side more certainty. He had moved on already, and so should she.

Aelin decided to reapply her lipstick just to do something with her hands.

“I’m assuming you saw Rowan with that woman.”

Yes, and not with any woman. It was the kind of woman who made single moms question their sexuality.

“A redhead?” Aelin’s voice came out slightly high-pitched as she stopped reapplying her lipstick to protest, searching for Lys’ concerned gaze through the bathroom mirror. “I thought he liked blondes. When did blondes stop being the hottest option?”

“You’d still be hotter than her if she were blonde. Or if you were a redhead.”

“This is not about me.” Aelin closed her lipstick, rolling her eyes. “I’m talking about men’s choices in general. It’s an anthropological observation.”

Lies, lies, lies. But Aelin didn’t even tell her therapist about old feelings resurfacing, she wasn’t about to pour her heart out to her newest friend while drunk at a club. Especially not while Rowan was having a hot date.

She raised her eyebrows, looking as if she was tired of explaining something obvious. “Even though he was ogling you like a dog staring at meat through a butcher’s shop window?”

Aelin put away her lipstick and gave Lys a pointed look. “He was not.”

“I was there. I remember it all too well.”

Aelin’s eyes widened. “We could sing that.”

“We can, because you’re not crashing Rowan’s date tonight.”

Aelin was carefully silent. She’d be lying if she said that idea didn’t cross her mind.

“You’re not.” Lysandra’s tone was firm, and she placed both hands on her friend’s shoulders. “You’re going to repeat after me: I’m Aelin Galathynius.”

Aelin giggled. “You’re not Aelin Galathynius.”

Lys squeezed her friend’s shoulders harder than necessary. “Say it.”

She straightened her posture. “I’m Aelin Galathynius.”

“And I’m too mature to crash Rowan’s date.”

“And I’m too mature to crash Rowan’s date,” she lied.

“Great.” Lys took a deep breath and pointed to the door. “Let’s get back to our table.”

Aelin went from the restroom’s door straight to Rowan.

“Good to see you got out of your house for once.”

Rowan slowly assessed her outfit with that judgy gaze of his, making her skin burn. ”Good to see you singing something that isn’t a nursery rhyme.”

Aelin crossed her arms. “I thought you were seeing a guy tonight.”

Rowan mirrored her expression. “So did I.”

Wait, he thought who would be seeing a guy?

His date extended a hand. “Hi. I’m Ansel.”

She begrudgingly shook it. “Aelin.”

God, this was awkward. She should’ve listened to Lysandra and stayed at her table. But when she saw Rowan there on a date with this gorgeous homewrecker with incredibly shiny hair… Aelin felt like she was burning from the inside out, and not in a good way.

Something about her face must’ve showed, because Ansel pointed between her and Rowan and said, “This is totally platonic. Fenrys thought Rowan could have a night out, so he stayed with the kid and set this up.”

“This is…” Rowan tilted his head, frowning at the redhead. “Exactly and not exactly what happened at the same time.”

Ansel elbowed him, making him straighten his posture.

“This is exactly what happened,” Rowan amended.

“Rowan?” Ansel put a hand on his shoulder to grab his attention, and Aelin almost singed it off with her eyes. “Can we talk for a second?”

They excused themselves and got just far enough so they’d be out of earshot. It looked like they we bickering. Ansel pointed at Aelin with her head. Rowan’s body stiffened. She pointed at the door. He pulled at his shirt cuffs and nodded. Aelin would kill to hear whatever that exchange was, especially because when Rowan approached her, Ansel was… smirking? As weird at this sounds, it looked a lot like a smirk.

“Hey.” Rowan didn’t sit again, just got close enough so she’d hear him over the terrible performance of an 80’s song. “I’m going to call an uber. Can you stay here?”

Aelin felt her heart sink. “You’re leaving with her?”

“What? No!” His eyebrows shot up as if the idea was absurd. “I’m calling Ansel’s uber. I was asking if you can wait for me here. Or at the tables outside, anywhere but the club part.”

Aelin nodded, chuckling. The loud, buzzing dance floor by the entrance must’ve been a terrifying sight for Rowan.

She found the soccer moms and quickly explained she’d be with Rowan in the other room. They seemed to understand the situation, which was good. Aelin was friendly with everyone there, but the only person she was close with was Lys. That one would be blasting their DM tomorrow morning, there was no doubt.

Rowan came back just a few minutes after she found them a table at a calmer area outside.

The breeze hitting her shoulders was gentle, but still stronger than her thin, backless shirt. Still, Aelin held her head high, refusing to feel bad for crashing and ruining his date.

“How many beers did you pay her?”

Rowan leaned back on his chair, a playful glint in his eye. “Three, why?”

“You’re paying me four.” He opened his mouth, but she raised a finger and beat him to it. “No questions asked.”

Rowan chugged his beer after their first round came. “I don’t know why you’re being like this. Aren’t you dating other people too?”

“What?” Aelin slightly shook her head, mouth ajar. “Where is this coming from?”

He tilted his head. “You were very clear about wanting more kids.”

“And then you made an assumption about my dating life.”

Rowan didn’t answer, unwavering.

Aelin held a finger up. “First, I told you I haven’t figured that out yet.” Another finger up. “Second, I wasn’t in a relationship the first time, I don’t need one to have kids again.” She shrugged. “For all you know, I could be talking about adoption or fertilization.”

Rowan had his arms crossed, eyes squinted at her. “Why would you pay to have kids if we did that for free the last time?”

The mix of what he’d just said and his displeased face made her cackle. Hard. Her head was tilted back, her body trembling as she tried to regain composure and feel less breathless.

“Why is this funny?” He protested, trying and failing to hide a silly smile. “I’m just saying that if you don’t have another person you’d like to… share genes with, the reasonable thing to do would be make the other children genetically compatible with Maisie.” He sipped his beer, looking nonchalant. “In case one of them needs a kidney or a bone marrow transplant.”

“Alright.” She chugged the rest of her beer down. “Let’s suppose I decide to do that. Would you donate your sperm and sign off parental rights?”

“Absolutely not!” He blurted, clutching his beer for dear life as if it’d protect his imaginary kids from Aelin’s modern ideas. “I’d make and raise them the old-fashioned way.”

Aelin leaned towards Rowan, her pulse skyrocketing as her breath fanned against the shell of his ear. “I bet you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

There was no mistaking the way he trembled under her whisper. Rowan found the exposed curve of her waist with his hands like a magnet, the tips of his fingers pressing against her skin.

Rowan’s pupils were dilated, his forest-green irises looked on fire. “Stop teasing me. We’re drunk.”

Aelin leaned back on her seat and sipped her drink, chest filled with satisfaction even after being rejected. It was really hard to feel defeated now, since Rowan was too intoxicated to take his eyes off her golden top.

“You were a lot more fun six years ago.”

Rowan chuckled and finished his bottle. “Next round?”

Aelin confirmed at the same time her phone started ringing.

“Dor? Is everything okay—“

“I can’t stand your cousin anymore, Aelin! I’m dumping him in the sewers!”

She chuckled, not missing Rowan’s curious gaze. “Did Aed drink too much?”

“That too! He went straight to a woman and slurred: ‘you’re the prettiest girl I’ve seen this week.’ I can’t do this, Aelin. He’s unsalvageable.”

Aelin snorted. “Alright, give me five minutes and I’ll text you.”

“Too long!”

She finished the call before Dorian could protest further. Rowan had his head tilted, waiting for an explanation.

“Dorian’s bored, so he decided to be Aedion’s wingman tonight. They’re at a bar close by, so we agreed to uber back together.”

“Uber together where? Dorian lives in the opposite side of town.”

She shrugged. “Who knows? You know how Dorian is.”

That explanation seemed enough for Rowan. It didn’t take long for them to decide it was way past their bedtime already, so they decided to head out as well.

They needed to have their wristbands scanned at the cashier near the exit, and she took a step back when Rowan mentioned for her arm as well.

Aelin shook her head. “I spent a small fortune in frilly cocktails.”

He didn’t say a thing, just gently took her wrist and showed it to the cashier.

The outside of the club looked the same it did hours ago, except the line to enter was longer, making the street too loud for it to be the middle of the night.

“Heeeey.” Aelin made a twist to look him in the eye, but stumbled on her heels. Rowan tried to catch her from falling, but she beat him to it. She was just that kind of independent drunk. “Your mom invited me to your trip with Maisie the last time she was in town.”

Rowan snorted. “Sounds like her.”

Every year, Rowan and Maisie visited the southeastern beach house his parents retired in. Inviting Aelin to her ex’s trip without letting him know was something only Rory Whitethorn could pull off. She was a… peculiar person, to say the least. Aelin loved her to death.

“What did you tell her?” He asked.

Aelin tried to look nonchalant, thankful he couldn’t tell the tingling in her limbs. “What was I supposed to tell her? I already crashed your date, I won’t crash your trip too.”

To be fair, Aelin didn’t say anything because she would not, under any circumstance, invite herself to Rowan’s trip. And by under any circumstance, she meant only if she was drunk.

He shrugged. “Maisie would love it if you went.”

She gave him a pointed look. “Of course Maisie would want me to go. I’m talking about you. Would you feel comfortable with me there?”

Rowan’s shoulders dropped, and something in his eyes melted. “Of course I would. Do you want to come with me next month?”

Aelin flipped her hair, not looking him in the eye. “Well, since you asked so nicely.”

He snorted and placed a hand on the back of her shoulder, gently stroking that patch of skin with his thumb until their uber arrived.

Rowan opened the backseat door for her, but a very drunk Aedion called his name from the inside.

She leaned closer to Rowan and whispered, “I think he wants you to go in the middle.”

He sighed, but complied.

The moment they got inside and closed the door, Aedion laid down on the backseat, resting his head on Rowan’s lap and hugging his middle. “I love you, man.”

Rowan petted his head the same way he’d do to a dog. “You’re okay.”

“Aw,” Dorian cooed from the passenger seat. “He got so happy when he saw you outside.”

“Are you staying with Aedion?” Rowan asked, since the driver was getting them farther from Dorian’s apartment each minute.

“No, I’m staying with you. You stole my boyfriend, remember?”

Rowan’s face was flat when he replied, “Thanks for letting me know.”

Grinning at the bickering, Aelin rested her head on Rowan’s shoulders and nearly purred when his hand met her scalp. He chuckled. She lightly elbowed his ribs.

“You know damn well I’m weak for those,” she mumbled, eyes blissfully closed.

“I do.”

Aelin almost fell asleep right there, all because of Rowan’s skilled hands. She would’ve, if it wasn’t for the seat bumping as the driver sped, and the annoying air freshener in the car.

When they arrived, Rowan decided to drop Aelin off while Dorian did the same to a nearly dead drunk Aedion, and they’d meet later. Or Dorian could just break into the house through Fenrys’ window like he used to, that part wasn’t clear.

“There’s this thing nagging me,” Rowan said as they walked through her front garden.

“Spill.”

“Dorian seemed to know you were with the soccer moms all the time, but Fenrys seemed so clueless about this earlier today.”

“Oh.” Aelin leaned against a pillar, scrambling for a nice way to explain this. “Dorian doesn’t tell much about me to Fenrys, since it’d be the same as telling you. I never asked him to do this, but he’s just that loyal.”

Rowan’s expression seemed downcast for a beat, then he concealed it with a grin. “Keeping secrets, Lieutenant?”

Aelin crouched to get the keys from under the front mat, trying to downplay how much that harmless question made her heart twist. Something about her demeanor must’ve given it away, since he changed the subject.

“You know it’s not safe to leave your keys there, right? Why didn’t you take them with you?”

Aelin got up again and sighed, already knowing it was too much for his male brain to understand. “My purse is small, and the keys would scratch my lipstick tube.”

Rowan shook his head, but a small smile betrayed his disapproving face. “So between your lipstick and your house keys, you’d rather keep the lipstick?”

“Absolutely. I need to keep my priorities straight.”

He chuckled, eyes soft as their corners crinkled. “Good night, Aelin.”

Rowan held her upper arm for a beat, caressing it with his thumb, and then let her go.

This chapter has a bonus scene

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[dc418writes]

•|All I Need is You|•

Pairing: trucker!Ari Levinsonxblack!reader

Summary: Your plans for Ari’s birthday just keep falling apart

⚠️: First and foremost: Ari (the girls that get it, get it✨), pretty much all fluff, negative self talk by reader

*Disclaimer: although collage was made by me, I DO NOT claim ownership of the pictures used as they were all found on Pinterest

“What do you mean it’s gone?”

“I-I’m sorry ma’am, but there was a glitch with our system,” the young receptionist nervously explains pushing her black frames further up the bridge of her nose. “The room you ordered appeared to be available when it really wasn’t.”

Yet another mishap to what was supposed to be the perfect weekend.

The first being you taking much longer than you wanted to pack since you couldn’t find the extra special gift you bought for Ari. You searched your bag - twice -, the closet, under the bed. Ari tried to help you look, but you refused not wanting anything to be spoiled.

Finally tired of looking, you figured maybe you could find it when you returned and didn’t feel rushed. That was until your boyfriend opened the trunk to see a small, glossy black shopping bag resting in the corner.

“What’s this?,” he asked peaking in before you could stop him. At least you could tell he liked what was inside from the blush creeping along his cheeks and ears.

“It was your surprise,” you sigh instantly making him feel guilty for looking. “I forgot I left it in there since you were home and I couldn’t sneak it by.”

Taking your hands in his, he can tell you’re kicking yourself from the slight frown on your lips. He ducks down to be at your eye level flashing that adorable smile that always had one appearing on your face as well. “Well I’m definitely surprised if it makes you feel better gorgeous. And even more excited for this weekend.”

“I would set you up with another room, but unfortunately we’re all booked due to the game and the other events this weekend.”

The same game you were surprising Ari tickets with and built his birthday weekend around.

“Do you know if there’s any other hotel available?,” Ari asks.

“Preferably in this same area or like a 15 mile radius, please?”

“I’ll try to contact the hotels nearby, but I have a feeling they may be booked too. If you’d like to use our computers to look at some others, you’re more than welcome.”

Nodding your head along with a quick thanks from Ari, he follows behind sitting in the black, leather desk chair beside yours as you type away. The way your knee bounces and you sigh when the page doesn’t load fast enough Ari can tell you’re getting more frustrated as the time passes.

“Hey, it’ll be okay,” he softly smiles placing his larger hand on your thigh. Your eyes stay glued to the screen though moving on to the third hotel on the list of those somewhat close by.

“Um Ms. Y/L/N?,” the receptionist calls. Her heels clacking against the polished tile as she gets closer to the computer area. “I looked and I’m sorry to say that there’s no rooms available in those I mentioned earlier.”

You’re not surprised, but still disappointed nonetheless feeling what little hope you had drain away. “It’s okay. Thanks for looking.”

“Of course. And for the trouble, I can set your names aside so the next time you’re in town we’ll set you up in our best room! All amenities included and at a discount.”

“That’s very nice of you,” Ari states. “Thanks for everything.”

“I’m sorry again for the inconvenience. Your full refund should be in your account within three business days. I hope you two still have a nice weekend amid everything, a-and feel free to use the computer as long as you need.” Her heels clack once again as she walks back to the front desk cheerily greeting the family waiting for their keys.

Maybe even to the room you and Ari were supposed to have.

Another sigh slips past your lips checking the last hotel in close proximity to find it completely booked. You probably could find a room farther out, but then that would mess up everything time wise. You’d have to leave earlier than you planned due to traffic, then worry about parking since you wouldn’t be in walking distance anymore-

“Hey I was thinking, my family’s cabin is only a couple hours out from here. Why don’t we go there and then we don’t have to worry about a hotel?”

And potentially miss out on the game having to really be careful with your time now.

“If you don’t wanna go that’s fine too. I was just trying to make things easier.”

Honestly, it didn’t. Well not completely that is. But Ari loved that cabin. He’d told you countless stories of his vacations there as a kid and how he would have trips with his dad as part of their “man’s weekend” when he hit his teenage years. How could you say no to such a big part of his childhood? Especially after he’d mentioned wanting to take you there so you could experience this magical cabin for yourself.

“Sure,” you softly smile. Ari notices it doesn’t quite meet your eyes though. “That’s fine.”

“You sure? If you’d rather the hotel then-,”

“No no it’s okay. Plus it’s your birthday weekend and if that’s what you want then let’s do it bubbas.”

Following behind, you both wave a final goodbye to the kind receptionist - still appearing sympathetic for the system’s mistake - before Ari’s sliding in the driver’s seat of your Toyota. The ride seeming a bit quieter this time as you mostly gazed out the window.

With Ari’s hand on your thigh, he tried getting you to smile or laugh with his goofy antics and saying how excited he was finally being able to spend the weekend together, but your smiles and conversation didn’t last long. Eventually you were back to the window or briefly scrolling on your phone.

And your fiancée was left worried about what was going on in your head.

-

“Hey I’ll meet you on the snack aisle. I just need to grab something first,” Ari states handing you the nearest shopping cart.

“Oh um okay. You don’t need it?”

“No you go ahead. I’ll be fine.” Leaning in, he sweetly pecks your cheek before moving to your full lips, “Love you.”

“Love you too.” Watching you journey towards the chips and your other favorites, Ari removes his phone from his pocket as he turns for the opposite end of the store. His sneakers squeaking along the linoleum of the older looking supermarket while he hopes for someone to answer the phone.

“Hey honey, how’s everything? Did you guys make it to the hotel? Is it as luxurious as it looks online?!,” his mom excitedly asks. He can practically hear her bouncing in place on the other side of the phone.

“Well actually we’re on our way to the cabin. There was a glitch that caused us not to have a room,” he explains searching along the shelves of various wines and other alcoholic drinks.

“Oh no. Good thing you have that spare key then.”

“Yea,” he half heartedly chuckles finally settling on a Merlot and Moscato before moving onto the cold fridge of brightly colored bouquets.

“What’s wrong? You don’t seem excited this go round?”

“I am it’s just..I don’t think Y/N’s too excited to go. Really she’s seemed bummed since everything with the hotel.”

“Well, I know she’s been planning this trip for a while now and is probably just disappointed things didn’t pan out how she expected. Nothing personal against cabby.” He only hums in response quickly scanning his items in the self checkout while occasionally twisting his head to make sure you weren’t anywhere in sight.

“Have you tried talking with her?”

“No, not really. I’ve just been trying to get her mind off everything, but it’s not really working. I still got a few more tricks up my sleeve though so fingers crossed.”

His mom lightly giggles, “While I’m sure your tricks are well effective, talk with her too. Make sure she knows you’re still enjoying every moment even though there was a slight bump. I don’t have to be there to know she wants everything perfect for you.”

She was right. You were a perfectionist putting so much pressure on yourself since a young age to make things right for others and appear put together yourself. There were a few times over the span of your relationship that Ari would comfort you after a rough day at work where you made the smallest mistake but expected to be fired the next day. His body holding you close - nearly suffocating you - as he tried to help rid those negative thoughts from your mind with praises from his soothing voice and sweet kisses.

Even if everything fell apart this weekend he’d still love you though. By now he hoped you knew nothing could ever change that.

Sneaking out the store, he jogs to the car carefully placing his items in the trunk before returning back to the store searching down the aisles. Sure enough you were still with the snacks deep in thought as you held a box of Cheez-itz and a bag of Doritos.

“I’ll talk to her. I gotta go but I’ll text when we get there. Let you know how everything looks.”

“Okay, love you and drive safe! Tell Y/N I said hi.”

“Alright love you too. Bye.”

“Your mom?,” you ask.

“Yea just letting her know we’re headed to the cabin. Whatcha got?”

“There’s cookies; chocolate chip, Oreo, and sugar. Lays original and now I’m stuck between these two,” you answer holding out both. Ari looks like he’s in thought for a moment, taking both in his own hands as his eyes switch from the red box to the blue bag before he easily dumps both in the cart with a wide smile making you giggle.

“Or that works too.”

-

Ari couldn’t help the smile on his face as soon as he stepped out the car. The cabin was just as he remembered with its dark wood a bit worn from battling with the elements over the years. It’s grass and bushes a bit overgrown from the lack of visitors, but nothing he couldn’t handle before they left.

It’s inside only sparked more nostalgia as he remembered running across the wooden floor as a child with a blanket around his neck pretending he was a superhero. The floor littered with toys his mom repeatedly told him to pick up and take to his room before someone got hurt.

Eventually that someone was his dad having slipped and fell on one of his Hot Wheelz.

“Larissa begged and begged until she got that hanging chair,” Ari shares gesturing to the woven rope seat gently swinging on the front porch. He chuckles to himself remembering how exhausted their parents looked hearing his sister go on - yet again - about this super cool chair that she had to have because her favorite singer had one on the cover of some magazine.

“I think that’s the closest they ever came to locking her in the closet.”

You haven’t heard a word he’s said busy removing the contents of your purse before frantically moving on to the few shopping bags left on the counter. Each one aggressively rustling as you mumble to yourself.

“Um you okay?”

“M-My ring. I can’t find my engagement ring,” you nearly cry patting the pockets of your jeans.

“Hey, it’s fine sweetheart. We’ll just retrace your steps.” Ari tries to soothingly rub your back, but you move just out of his grasp now beginning to pace the small kitchen.

“It’s not fine Ari! That was your grandmother’s ring that I lost because I’m dumb and can’t do anything right-,”

“Y/N look at me,” he sternly orders immediately making you still as tears rolled down your heated cheeks. The confusion and concern in his blue eyes stepping closer towards you only causes more to flow while your chest heaves with soft hiccups. “Where’s all this coming from huh?”

Your stressed eyes close in a moment of peace feeling his warm palms on your cheeks and thumbs removing as much liquid from your skin as they could before another set is joining its predecessors. “Because it’s true,” you whisper.

“It’s not. Far from it.”

“If I would’ve checked on things beforehand, then I would’ve known about the room and gotten another one so we could go to the game-,”

“Game? What are you talking about?”

Taking a breath you try to shift your gaze down to the floor beneath you, but Ari’s grip purposefully makes that hard to do. You’re stuck meeting his eyes and his eyes only. “It was the other part of your surprise. I got tickets to the playoff game and at the hotel I was planning on getting us couples massages since you’ve never had one. Then go check out some new restaurants and do anything else you wanted, but all that’s ruined now because I didn’t check first.”

“C’mere,” Ari coos pulling you into his chest as he slowly rocks you back and forth. His lips staying attached to your temple while his hand rubs up and down your back. “Nothing’s ruined. We can still do all of that.”

“The spa’s only for guests. We can’t go anymore.”

“Well, guess we’ll just have to give each other massages then huh?,” he grins. Hearing your short, muffled giggle has his heart warming leaning back to wipe the remaining tears from your eyes.

“I just wanted everything to be perfect for you.”

“This is perfect! We’re seeing my favorite team in a sold out game, staying here in one of my favorite places. And not to mention I got my fiancé here with me for it all,” he smiles pecking your forehead. “As far as I’m concerned, this is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

“Better than the surprise party last year?,” you ask playfully quirking your brow.

“Yep, because I get you all to myself now.” His strong arms suddenly lift your feet from the floor as he races towards the bedroom with a trail of your squeals and laughs in his wake - the sweetest music to ever touch his ears. Soon you’re both hitting the bare mattress and Ari’s lips shower your face with unlimited kisses as he comfortably smothers your body with his bulkier form. “And if I wanna steal you away, I can.”

“You could’ve that day too.”

“Pretty sure I tried, but someone was very busy being hostess.” His head slightly tilts upward in the direction of the gleam that hits his eye, causing a short huff of a laugh to escape his lungs.

“What?,” you ask as he gently lifts on his hands to retrieve the small diamond ring from the beside table.

Specifically, your engagement ring.

“I think you were looking for this.”

“That’s right, I took it off back here when we sat our bags down because I was afraid it’d get caught on something. S-Sorry for freaking out earlier.” Sliding the cool metal on your finger, his lips meet your knuckles before he’s shifting to lie on his side with a comfortable sigh, and hand caresses the side of your neck. His thumb grazing against your jaw leaves a tickled sensation along your skin.

“Sweetheart I want you to really hear me when I say you don’t have to ever worry about being or doing anything perfect around me.”

“I know I know, I’m already perfect to you.”

“And I mean it. Hopefully you truly believe me when I say that.”

“…I-I know that’s how you feel, and I really appreciate it, but it’s hard sometimes to see in myself what you do,” you shyly admit leaning more into his touch. “Like we’re looking at two different people.”

“I assure you it’s the same person gorgeous. And I have no problem reminding you how wonderful you are until you finally realize it.”

A soft smile forms on your lips placing your hand over his to sweetly peck his palm. “You’re the one supposed to be getting all the compliments and nice words birthday boy.”

He shrugs. “My day, and I say different,” Ari smirks leaning down towards your waiting mouth. “Which reminds me..”

Carefully rolling out of bed, he jogs out the room to the kitchen where you hear a cabinet opening and closing before he’s jogging back with a giddy smile and hands behind his back.

“What are you up to?”

Rather than speak, he brings his hands in front of him to show the bouquet of pink lilies and a bottle of your favorite wine. God this man really was too good to you.

“After the hotel I could see how bummed you were so I thought I’d surprise you too,” he explains handing you the flowers then placing the bottle on the bedside table to join you on the bed. His lips find your cheek as you take in the sweet scent of each bud.

“They’re beautiful! When’d you get them?”

“While you were getting snacks. Then I snuck them out to the car.”

“Thank you for loving me like you do,” you whisper leaving a kiss on his shoulder before resting your head on the exact spot.

“Only showing exactly what you show me everyday gorgeous.”

Taglist: @celestianstars @stargirlfics @fumbling-fanfics @lady-olive-oil @themyscxiras @melinda-january @lovelymari4 @adoreyouusugar @lovebittenbyevans @royalwriteroftheuniverse @omg-mymelaninisbeautiful @theartisticqueen @chrisevans-world @literaturelove @ivorylei @elrw24 @pono-pura-vida @justile @sunsetfreedom05 @jackiekae @luvingmyships @give-me-a-million-dollars-pls @bekinds @maxcullen @curlyhairclub @plokyu23 @fullofmelaninsarcasmandepression @nunubug99 @felicity-x0 @ellixthea @jojolu @jnk-812 @captainsamwlsn @wildfirecracker @nina-sj @iammyownlover @chaneajoyyy @thesecretlifeofdaydreamss

[slightlyunconventional]

HELLOOOO i finally finished the follow-up to my last fic! so here it is 🤭 something i very very much enjoyed writing, and i hope you enjoy reading!!

perfume (a sequel to this, featuring kink!i/nej & a very allergic k/az)

Inej watches the rise and fall of Kaz’s chest as he slumps back in his chair, winded. His hair falls over his face now, the dark strands gorgeously out of place, his eyes are half-lidded and glassy, and his nose is flushed a deep pink - but she’s not done with him just yet. She knows she can unravel him even further than she already has, and what excites her more is that all it will take is a spritz of perfume to practically destroy him. 

“You know what? I’ll be right back,” she says to him with a mischievous quirk of her lips. A note of confused panic seeps into Kaz’s watery gaze. “Don’t look so scared, Kaz,” she laughs, “It’s nothing you haven’t dealt with before.”

She winks and leaves for her room once again. Inej knows exactly what she’s looking for - a delicate glass bottle of a strongly floral-scented perfume - so dainty yet so, so powerful. She’s only witnessed its effects on Kaz once before: she’d tried some on one evening, despite perfumes not really being her thing, and even with her having never been in close proximity to him, Kaz had repeatedly dissolved into seemingly neverending fits of uncontrollably harsh sneezes. Torture for him, but quite the opposite for her. A burst of adrenaline rushes through Inej as her hand closes around the bottle, and she has to suppress a giddy peal of laughter as she thinks of Kaz crumbling by her hand. It’s not often you get to see the Bastard of the Barrel’s dignity fall away into smithereens before your very eyes. 

Inej returns to Kaz’s office, practically bouncing with every step, and holds up the perfume bottle. He’s knuckling harshly at his nose again, exactly as he’d done before, eyes pressed shut, brows knitted together, and the bridge of his nose wrinkled in a manner not dissimilar to that of a rabbit. She clears her throat softly to catch his attention, and the dark-haired man looks up blearily. His face falls when he sees the bottle Inej is holding. Inej’s excitement spikes - this is sure to be fun, she thinks.

Kaz sighs. “Haven’t you tortured me enough?”

“Not at all,” replies Inej, giving him a smirk. “But, of course, if it gets too much or if you get uncomfortable, or anything, just let me know and we’ll stop, okay?” she adds.

“I’m sure I’ll be alright,” he says, “There’s only so many times a person can sneeze.”

We’ll see about that, Inej thinks, smug. She approaches him and returns to her position seated atop his desk. Kaz drags a gloved finger underneath his nose, back and forth, for a moment, almost as though to brace himself for what’s coming. The way it moves beneath his touch is mesmerising to Inej; the crinkles that appear, the to and fro push of the soft appendage, the nearly imperceptible twitch of his pink nostrils. She almost can’t take her eyes away, however Kaz’s voice pulls her from her trance.

“...Inej?” he says, lifting an eyebrow. 

“Ah. Sorry.” She meets his eyes and takes this opportunity to uncap the perfume. Something between pride and power rises in her as Kaz’s expression changes quickly from sceptical to rather wary. This tells Inej that they are both well aware how this is going to end.

“Ready?” she asks once more. Kaz nods without a word. His shoulders are tense and his eyes follow the bottle of perfume as if he’s scared it’ll attack him - it’s almost laughable. Inej spritzes the perfume, once, twice, thrice, about Kaz and watches his gaze follow the mist of droplets as they descend slowly. She wonders how long it will be for him to–

“hh’hehHh–!”

Ah. Almost instantly, Kaz hitches sharply, the back of his hand raised up to his face. 

“So soon?” Inej teases. “I thought you’d last longer than that.” She’s sure that under any other circumstance he would have given her the infamous Dirtyhands murder-glare, but judging by his welled-up eyes and quickly reddening nose, he’s a little too preoccupied for that. His breath hitches again, a sharp inhale that flares his nostrils and tells Inej that he’s got no chance of holding back the sneezes that are on the brink of eruption. And, sure enough, Kaz’s eyes slide shut and he tilts his head back, drawing in an immense breath– 

“h-haAHht–!”

–before pitching forward with a fit of rather explosive sneezes, muffled haphazardly into his hastily lifted tie. 

“-eh’sSZZHH’huh! heH’KXSHHhiew! ‘kzZSHHhuh! haAH’KSCHH-kKXSHhuh! Oh, fuck, fuck– I cah-cahhn’tstop–hhH’KZZSCHHhuuh! ehh’hehH’dtSCHHhiew! ah'haAHh-haahH'sZZHHh'ih! hh'hiht'sSHHUHh! Sai-hih-nts–"

Inej stares at him, transfixed, her deep brown eyes wide and mouth very slightly agape. A soft warmth rises in her cheeks as Kaz emerges from his tie and she notices the darker patch on the fabric. It's obvious he's nowhere near done, but also evident that he won't justify dissolving into another harsh fit quite yet, judging by the way his gloved fist is pressed firmly to the underside of his nose. His breathing is unsteady; it comes in heady gasps, each threatening more sneezes. Inej wonders just how much longer he'll fight it. Every time they meet like this, she feels like she gets more and more fascinated with Kaz's expert holdbacks - it's awe-inducing, the way he pushes a determined knuckle up against his nose, the way his breaths deepen and quicken and become desperate, vocal hitches, the way his eyes nearly roll back in his head as he tries everything within his power not to–

"haAH'ZZSSCHHhiew! Shi-hht!-KXZHHhuh! hh-heHt'zZSHHh'hue!"

The first of the fit erupts from him too fast to be covered, so it leaves a fine mist hanging upon the air in front of his face. Inej's cheeks grow warmer. He swears, or, tries to, between his desperate hitching breaths, before cupping his hands over his face to catch the next onslaught of vicious sneezes.

"hhahH'iihHKSHHhiew! 'ehHSZZHh’uh! hh’hehH’KISSHHhiew! heh’kKXZZHHh!” He lifts his head, features still twitching with need, from his hands with a grimace. Inej sees the palms of his gloves, shining slick with moisture. His ever-flaring red-rimmed nostrils and upper lip glisten slightly with the same slickness, too.

“Sai-saints, ihht’s all-all-hhaah–allovermyglovesSHHh! ‘dtSCHHh-sSHHhuh! Hehh’hhaAHh–! hahH’kKSZZHHhuuh! –hiihHTSCHHHh!” Kaz tries to get a sentence in before giving in to his nose, but his breathy words end up stumbling over one another until the final syllable rises into a desperate sneeze… and after that, he simply doesn’t have the strength to keep the following explosions at bay. The perfume really seems to be doing its job - in fact, Inej had no idea its effect on Kaz would be so immense - as she watches him sneeze relentlessly against the back of his wrist. It appears he is running out of ways to catch the unending fits, especially considering how wet they’re becoming. A part of her craves the idea of him simply sneezing over his lap, as he often did when wracked with one of his terrible hay-fever fits, snapping forward with each vicious outburst until every last drop of that perfume’s scent is out of his system – but she knows he won’t do anything too humiliating. However, Inej might have hit a stroke of luck. Kaz’s fit pauses, and he tilts his head back, the want, the need for release written all over his face. As he does so, the arm he was previously sneezing against drops weakly to his lap, and he’s left hitching in utter desperation with nothing to cover his face. His heavily lidded eyes glisten with tears that cling to his dark lashes and threaten to roll down his face, and his mouth falls slightly agape as his hitching breaths rise in intensity. Rather selfishly, Inej decides he’s taking much too long, and so decides to spray the perfume again, just once, in front of his face. She’s fascinated by the instantaneous rounding of his nostrils as the perfume’s potent aroma enters Kaz’s airways, so much so that a shudder of electric excitement courses up her spine. His chest expands greatly, and with a heaving gasp, he’s finally, finally pushed forward by a set of tearing sneezes, each one stronger than the last.

“hhaAH’SCHHH! 'hhSSHHHhiew! aAH'kKZZSCHHh! –khH'HIISSHHh'uh! hhxXSHHH'hue! 'HZZHHhiew! iihH'zZSHHhuuh! –hah'haAH-sSZZHHhuh! 'iHZZHhiew! F-fuhhck–"

Kaz can hardly get a breath in between violent sneezes, and with each comes a heavy mist of spray that hangs upon the air, almost perfectly mirroring the clouds of scented droplets from each spritz of perfume. Despite his eyes being pressed tightly shut as he's practically unable to force them open between sneezes, several irritated tears manage to sneak from them and slide down his pale cheeks. His nose stands out, a flushed, angry scarlet, from those pale cheeks, and evidently it's nowhere near finished sneezing.

"heh'ihKSSHHH! 'SSHHHhiew! haAH'SZZHHhuh! ahHkKSHHh'uhh! huh-hhuUh'hiihHSHHHhiew! 'kKZZHHh!"

Kaz manages to wrench open his eyes and shifts his watery gaze to Inej, fights back the next onslaught of sneezes to choke out, "S-saints, that's so- hheh–! st-strongGKSHHhiew! hh'haAHH'ISZZHH'hue!"

He pushes his fist firmly against his nose, not eager to continue this dreadfully uncontrollable fit, and hitches rapidly against the leather of his glove.

"Kaz, Ghezen, you're so," Inej says, her voice strained, breathless, "gorgeous." She wants nothing more than to reach out and cup his face with her hand, plant gentle kisses on his terribly sensitive nose, and watch in close-up as he explodes with fits of itchy sneezes - but she knows how vulnerable he's letting himself be, even with the distance between them. Maybe one day will he allow her to hold him as he's wracked with unrelenting bouts of allergies, but for now, she's perfectly happy watching him from afar. Him unravelling himself in this manner is more than enough.

Kaz's cheeks redden at Inej's breathless words, but he still manages to force out a snarky response between hitching breaths.

"N-not while I'm suhh-sneezihhng–!"

"Especially while you're sneezing," she corrects. "Now stop holding back. You needn't be embarrassed." 

He nods slowly, breath catching in desperate gasps, nostrils twitching and flaring in such a way that Inej could become addicted to the sight of it, and lifts one hand lazily in front of his face. Though, he seems wary about letting himself sneeze again, despite having done so countless times just moments prior.

"Go on," murmurs Inej encouragingly. It seems that's all the reassurance he needs, or possibly the tickle got too much for even him to contain, for he draws in a deep gasp and shuts his eyes, ducking forward once more.

"-ehh'szZHHhiew! h-huhh'kKTSHHhuh! hhxsSHHhue! Huuhh… hhH'KSHHhuh! 'sSHHUuh! Oh, I think it-it's– haH'isSHHhue! Huh.. think it's stopping… hhah– I hope- 'ihHtsHHhiew!"

His sneezes are beginning to slow down, and they start to sound rather exhausted. Inej takes this as an opportunity to dote on him a little.

"Poor nose getting tired, hmm?" she asks softly. He nods weakly. She internally decided against spraying the perfume again, feeling that he's been adequately tormented. "Do you have a handkerchief on you?"

"Yeah. In the dr–heh'shHhiuh! …sorry. The drawer."

Inej shifts across on the desk and slides open the drawer. Quickly she finds a neatly folded burgundy handkerchief and pulls it out. She gestures subtly toward Kaz's face.

"May I?" 

She watches as Kaz gently touches the side of his finger to the underside of his nose, and grimaces as what he sees when he pulls it away. "Saints," he says, repulsion tinting his voice, "Mm. Go ahead."

Inej begins to gently clean up the thin layer of slickness beneath Kaz's pink-hued nose and just above his upper lip with the handkerchief's soft fabric. She notices the almost imperceptible catch of his breath and pulls away just slightly.

"S-sorry, I haveto–tosneezeagainnhHSHHhiew! ah-haahh'szZHh'huh!" He leans back from Inej's outstretched hand to direct a pair of much softer, tired-sounding sneezes into the back of his wrist.

Inej smiles lovingly. "That's okay," she says softly. "Any more?"

He pauses for a second. "...no, yeah, I'm okay, you can- you can carry on."

She finishes up tending to his nose with the handkerchief and leans back with a deep sigh. Kaz looks up at her warily.

"Uh… how- how was that?" he asks rather awkwardly, absently rubbing at one side of his nose with a gloved knuckle.

"Oh, Kaz, love," breathes Inej, "you were spectacular. More than anything I ever could ask for."

Kaz's cheeks turn red. "Love," he mumbles, turning the endearment over in his mind. Evidently he tries to hide his fondness for the pet name, but the corners of his mouth still lift despite his best efforts to suppress it. 

"Love," Inej repeats with a smile. She holds Kaz's gaze for a moment or two, before sighing a little and picking the perfume bottle back up from the desk beside her. Brief panic flickers in his eyes, and she laughs softly.

"Don't worry, I'm just putting it away," she says. He nods, but halfway through his eyes haze over and the need to sneeze once more. "Another?" Inej teases, watching his features slowly slacken.

"Y-yes… last one, I hope– hheh-! heh'tSHhhiew! -oh, shit-hhdtsSHH'huh! Huuhh…"

"Bless you," she says, tilting her head lovingly to one side. "Bless you at least, what? Fifty times?"

Kaz pulls a face. "Definitely not that many."

"Well, forgive me for being a little too preoccupied to count them," she replies with a playful eye-roll. He responds with a sardonic shake of his head (and a series of soft sniffles).

"Right, I've got paperwork to be getting to," Kaz says shortly. His words are ever so slightly noted with a hint of congestion.

Inej lifts her eyebrows at him. "Straight back to business, after all that?"

"Well clearly you've got other… matters to attend to," he replies, looking Inej up and down. She feels her face heat up. 

"Right," she says quickly, "then I'll leave you to it."

[cloudlessly-light]

I got a bad desire

A/N: Sooooo after a very interesting conversation with @sequinsmile-x earlier today, this happened and it took on a life of its own but I’m crediting this idea 100% to her! This is basically 3000 words of pure filth but since I’m already going to hell, I might as well drag the rest of you with me. Title: I got a bad desire   Summary: Emily gets to truly top Aaron for the first time, but what happens when she drives him a little too crazy? Rating: Explicit Word Count: 3k Warnings: Smut, bondage, dirty talk, top Emily, face sitting, oral, teasing, rough sex, top Aaron

When Emily and Aaron got together it wasn’t immediate feelings or declarations of love. It was explosive and loud, something physical, an itch that needed scratching that morphed into quiet talks in the dark. It was clawing at clothes and biting back guttural moans into each other’s skin. It wasn’t pretty, it was dirty and rough as they used each other to get over the traumas they’ve seen, of the day they had. It was a release they needed that slowly evolved into something real.

It wasn’t pretty but it became beautiful. It became more than anybody would have ever imagined, but as their bond became stronger it became a relationship that no one really thought twice about because Aaron and Emily… they just fit. In between the heated touches and forceful kisses they fell in love. And neither looked back since.

Emily had never been in a relationship like the one she had with Aaron. It had taken her time to get used to it, she was so used to being on her own, to not have to look after anybody but herself once she was off duty. But then she fell in love with Aaron, kind and caring Aaron that also came with a child and an ex-wife and suddenly, Emily wasn’t on her own anymore.

Aaron had let her take her time, had taught her things about being in love that she hadn’t thought excited outside of the fairytales she read as a child.

On the flip side, Emily taught Aaron about desires, about giving in to what his body wanted. They had started off explosive and loud, that didn’t change just because they fell in love. While Aaron might have known love, Emily knew sex and as Aaron got to discover new sides of him, sides he never thought he would let see the light of day, she was right there with him.

To no one’s surprise Aaron had a thing about control, loved and craved it in all aspects of his life. Emily respected that, but sometimes she wished that just once, he would give in to her and let go completely. It happened slowly, almost so slow that he didn’t notice it but then one night Emily puts the black rope he usually tied her down with on their bed and told her that she wanted to use them on him.

“What?” He asked, almost scoffing because he had never been restrained in any way while they had sex.

“I want to tie you to the bed,” She tells him, voice soft and breathy as she closes the distance between their bodies. Her arms sneak around his neck, her lips are grazing his when she speaks again. “and have my way with you.”

Aaron feels his body react to her proximity, never able to deny her anything and he sighs as his hands wrap around her hips to pull her flush against his body.

“Wouldn’t it be more fun if I tied you down?” He tries but she’s already shaking her head, lips painted in red lipstick spreading into a dirty smile.

“No baby, I think it’s about time you let me be in charge for a bit.” She licks his bottom lip and his breath hitches. But she’s not going to force him into anything, of course she’s not, so when his hands loosen on her hips she pulls back to look at him properly. “You don’t have to.”

“But you want to?” He finished for her and as much as he wants to, he can’t deny that his cock is already stirring at the thought of it.

“I want to make you feel as good as you make me feel.” She says and any sign of teasing is gone as she watches his face. She knows him better than she knows herself at this point, can see the wheels turning in his head and after what feels like hours, he pulls her against him again, a smirk on his face.

“Okay.”

“Yeah?” She breathes as she grips the short hair at the nape of his neck and pulls him down towards her.

“Yeah.” He leans down the rest of the way to press his lips against hers, a wordless promise in the gentle action before he pulls back. When he meets her eyes this time there’s something dark, something hidden, in her brown orbs and he feels a surge of desire.

Emily tugs him back into another kiss with a firm grip on his hair, her tongue forcing his lips apart to lick inside his mouth. She feels his hands move over her body, his warm hands quickly pulling at her shirt as she pushes him towards the bed. She has his shirt unbuttoned and off his broad shoulders when the back of his knees hit the bed and she uses it to his advantage and pushes him back on it with a grin.

“I’m going to make you feel so good.” She whispers against his ear before biting the lobe and she feels him shudder underneath her. The rush of it all makes her flush, the power of it making the dull ache between her thighs that much harder to ignore.

Aaron can only watch as she kisses down his chest and stomach, he’s already panting want and something else making his head spin. He clenched the comforter in his hands as she licks over his still clothed cock, her tongue soaking his pants as she licks over the tented fabric. It had only been minutes, but he was already going crazy. Still he knew that Emily teasing him like this and being teased while tied down would be different. And somehow he couldn’t wait.

When she finally dragged the zipper down his head fell back with a groan. He tried to keep his eyes on her as she pulled his pants and boxers down, his breathing coming out shaky as she slowly jerked him in her hand.

“You like this.” She said, lips in a smug smile and one eyebrow arched high as he hissed as her nail dragged over his heated skin.

“Fuck Em.” His hips jerked against her touch and in an instant her hand was gone and she was sitting back on her heels in between his legs.

“Lie back.” She tells him before he has a chance to say anything. He looks at her for a moment, weighing his options but in the end he shuffles back onto the bed and at the same time Emily stands up. She undresses until all she’s wearing is the matching underwear set that she knew that Aaron loved on her and she straddled his waist.

He could feel her wetness even through the panties she was wearing, his stomach slick as she pressed her weight a little firmer into him. Aaron could feel her eyes on him, watching carefully as she tied one of his wrists to the bedpost of their bed. When he nodded she moved on to the other wrist and when she was done his arms were tied to each bedpost with a secure knot that he had taught her.

Emily sat back, her center grinding onto his cock as he tested out the knots and when they didn’t budge she smiled.

“Emily…” He breathed as she rolled her hips against his, the silk of her panties rubbing against the length of his shaft and he tries to jerk up against her.

“What do you want baby?” She coos and fuck him if it didn’t turn him on in ways he never would have imagined.

“Let me taste you.” He mumbles through clenched teeth and when Emily’s smirk only turns into a grin he knows that that’s exactly what she wanted. He watches through heavy lidded eyelids as she pulls her panties off and to his frustration leaves the bra on before she moves up on the bed.

Emily carefully staddles his face, keeps herself up enough to so he can’t reach her and she sighs happily as she watches his cock leak onto his stomach, already so swollen it’s turned an angry red. She waits another few seconds before lowering herself on his face and at the first swipe of his tongue she jerks in surprise. He’s relentless, his tongue moving through her folds like a man starving and she gasps at the feeling.

Aaron pushes his tongue as deep inside of her as he could, smirked against her wet skin when she grinded into it. She might be in complete control of his body, but he knew hers better than anything and making Emily lose control was something he took pride in. He grunted when she fell forward, her hand coming to support her weight on his hip as she continued to roll her hips against his tongue.

Emily knew that his face would be a mess of her, that his lips and cheeks would be coated by her and she couldn’t bring herself to care, not when his lips wrapped around her clit and he was groaning into her, the sound muffled and low as it vibrated against her.

“Fuck that’s so good.” She gasped as her thighs tightened around his head. She heard the headboard rattle as he fought the restraints in his search to pull her down against his face even harder. The low growl that followed made her shiver, the sound travelling down her spine and settled at her already aching clit.

All he wanted was to wrap his arms around her thighs, to keep her still as he made her come but as the rope dug into his skin he could only lay back and let her move her hips against him as he licked through her again and again. When her thighs started to tremble and her body got heavier he knew she was close and another wave of arousal rushed through him. He sucked her clit, licked over the bud faster and harder and when her thighs closed tighter around his head he knew it was only a matter of moments.

Emily came with a loud cry, her body spasming on top of his as her vision blurred. She fell forward, her forehead leaning against his hipbone as she continued to ride out her orgasmic high, his unrelenting tongue only prolonging her bliss. When she finally felt like she could breathe again, she rolled off him and slowly turned to face him.

His face was shining with her, his chest heaving as she moved closer to him and when her tongue lapped lazily over his cheek his teeth clenched and he felt more precum leak onto his stomach.

“Delicious.” She grinned before kissing him, tasting herself and something that was so distinctively Aaron on his tongue. She moved her hand down to his shaft without breaking apart from him and muffled his sound of pleased surprise with her lips as she jerked him slowly. He was harder than she’d ever felt him, his shaft hot and pulsing, skin angry red and she knew that he was enjoying this just as much as she was.

She jerked him, twisted her wrist and his hips stuttered up against her moving hand. She knew that she could make him come like this, lazily pumping his shaft as her lips trailed along his sweaty skin. As his muscles tensed and her name fell from his lips like a prayer she licked over one of his nipples.

“Jesus Christ.” He gasped as his orgasm built and then as quickly as she had started, she stopped and sat up, that same smug grin still on her face.

“Not yet.” She told him as she licked precum from her fingers, a low moan escaping as she did.

“Ride me.” He panted once she pulled away, the words needy and he tugged on the bindings again in a vain attempt to get free.

“Okay baby.” She whispers before throwing one leg over his hips. She glances at his wrists and waits another beat to see if he wants to stop but all he does is push his hips up against hers, his dark eyes heavy with desire. She lines him up with her center, slides down slower than she ever had as her eyes stay on his.

“Oh fuck, yes.” His jaw clenches as he finally gets some relief, his cock so hard it hurt and when he finally felt her around him his entire body shook with pleasure. She was hot and tight around him, her hips moving slowly and his head falls back into the bed as he lets Emily create friction for the both of them.

Emily rolls and twists her hips as she enjoys the feeling of him stretching her. She clenches around him and he thrusts up against her in response, so she does it again, and again until Aaron is tugging harder on his restraints and she forces him down by placing her hands on his chest.

“Fuck you look so good like this baby.” She whispers through pants and Aaron’s eyes narrow. “I’m so close, I’m going to come again.”

“Me too.” He grunts as he pushes up against her. He knows that he’ll have marks around his wrists from the way he’s straining and pulling on the bindings, the headboard creaking dangerously as Emily moves faster on top of him.

She’s straining the closer she gets, her muscles burning as the heat spreads through her body. She leans over him, whispers her pleasure into his neck as Aaron plants his feet against the mattress to fuck into her. It’s a small window of control and he relishes it. He can feel her clenching, can feel his own release nearing as Emily starts to tense above him.

“Fuck, don’t stop, don’t stop, do not fucking stop.” She rambles, the words cut off by moans and whimpers until she comes with a whine. She jerks against him and Aaron forces himself to hold off as she crashes into her orgasm hard enough for her nails to rip through the sheets on the bed.

Emily gives herself a few moments to relax into the warmth of his body until she sits up again. She knows that he’s impossibly close, can see the strain on his face and feel the way his hips twitch against hers and she hums.

“That was so good.” She says before climbing off his lap. “I think I’ll go prepare dinner, you can wait for me right?” She turns towards the door, a smirk on her lips when she hears the breaking of wood.

Aaron felt something snap and in his aroused rage he pulled hard enough for the headboard to break, the sound loud in the room as wood falls to the floor. But he doesn’t give it another thought, his only thought on Emily and the orgasm she was about to rip away from him once again. She stands stunned as she watches him, his eyes darker than she’s ever seen them, a dangerous smirk on his face that makes her shudder.

When he gets up all she can think about is how he’s eyeing her like a predator, slowly, calculating, the rope still around his wrists as he gets closer to her.

“Get the fuck over here.” He all but growls and Emily sucks in a breath. “Now.”

She’s not moving, carefully waits for his next move but somehow she still doesn’t expect it when he grabs her around the waist and throws her on the bed. He’s back inside of her with a hard thrust, his cock feeling like it’s digging a place inside of her as he sets a pace harder than she’d ever experienced.

“Game’s over.” He grunts into her ear. “You had your fun, now I’m having mine.”

She’s nodding, her legs wrapping around him as his teeth dig into her neck. She knows that he’s using her to get off, that his own release is the only thing he can think about and being used this way turns her on in ways she hadn’t expected.

“Think you can get what you want and leave?” He mutters through blurred pleasure, he’s not really aware of what he’s saying anymore. All he can focus on is the feel of Emily, clenching around him again as his own orgasm builds. “You love this don’t you?” He looks down at her and catches the way she nods. “Love being used like this.”

“Yes, yes, Aaron I love it.” She agrees breathlessly and she feels his lips curl into a smirk against her neck.

“Show me.” He orders and like her body was trained, she comes again, clinging to him and a broken sob falling from her lips as he continues to fuck into her hard and deep, the bed creaking with every push of his hips.

He doesn’t stop until he’s coming as well, his release hard enough to knock the air out of him as he trembles against Emily’s spent and sweaty body. He thinks he’s mumbling her name, can barely make out anything through the ringing in his ears and hazy eyes. It’s another few moments before he feels like he’s coming back to himself and he rolls off Emily, concern soon stamped onto his face.

“Are you okay?” He asks and carefully strokes over the bitemark sure enough to bruise on her neck.

“Huh?” She looks at him, dazed and a lazy smile on her lips before she turns into his body, seeking his warmth.

“Did I hurt you? Was it too much?” He kisses the top of her head and then guides her face so he can look at her properly. When she lets out a laugh he relaxes some.

“That was fucking fantastic.” She kisses him and with last eases the last of his anxiety. When they break apart she looks up at their bedframe, broken and for all purposes useless now.  “You’re buying a new bedframe though.” She laughs and he can’t help but to join her as he looks at the mess he created.

“That will teach you not to tease me like that.”

[thothunter-420]

Pls, I need to know the details of your The Who Pinterest board (if that’s alright with you)

IT IS SO ALRIGHT WITH ME, LET’S GO!! this might get long cuz this board is like my special little mental illness baby, but also i just like the who a totally normal amount ❤️ i’ve been on the hustle for over a year cuz i developed a special interest after having the whole “wow this band looks like ASS 😭😭” to the “needing pete townshend carnally” phase. anyways this board puts all my other band ones to shame, it’s twice as much as my next highest (which is the beatles, respectfully) like woo mama here we go!! i don’t have my computer on me cuz i’ve been traveling so fuck it we ball on mobile

so we have to start off with the men themselves cuz i really do adore all of them so much. i haven’t changed the names in like a year, but since i’m very multi band fandom with my bestie i do last names for a lot of men cuz all these brits threw a dart at a board with only 5 names on it and rolled with it. only pete gets full name privileges cuz the only other one we’ve got is peter tork. BUT ANYWAYS i have fought tooth and nail to get em all in close proximity of each other but the blond men liking illness has let daltrey take a strong lead as of late 🙄🙄

then there’s the duos section and i could try to squeeze em all in one photo but the favoritism is EMBARRASSING. not just cuz i favor these duos sm but cuz pint is a hard beast to wrangle fr!! so here’s the idea of what they look like, guys hanging out :) i always get so excited when i see a pic of a duo that i’ve never seen before, it feels so special!!

the group ones are a ton of fun too. i group them by eras that i personally can easily distinguish but often i have to make a lot of educated guesses and just roll with it. the names on these are especially silly but everything is phrased lovingly cuz i’m like “EW 😍😍”. also i live the life of being a 70s who truther when it comes to sexiest era cuz they all look disgusting but pint is so fond of those hilarious early 60s rats. it was so bad i actually had to split “baby who” into 2 sections as we can see. it was getting out of hand but uhmm i’d kiss them all still idc

there’s also a ‘78+ section and ones for them as weeee lil kidlet babies cuz i’m well rounded. then i get silly and i top it off with the goofy and informative stuff, which is either images i find funny for whatever reason in one section and then stuff like newspaper articles and interviews!! it’s the more misc section but i love having em, they’re essentials to all of my boards but the who have a pretty strong section for both considering i really have to sniff stuff out in this place

so that’s the tour!! i’ve only been into this band for a little over a year but it’s been a good year, always chadding to treat my fave bands right 😤😤 ty for asking teehee and hopefully this is what ya wanted to see!! i will gladly share more details if you want or i could even post some pics i enjoy from my massive stash if desired, just say the word!!

[meowzfordayz]

Hey T, sorry it’s been a while since I last dropped by!! School’s still been very busy so I’ve had a bit of burnout lmao 😅 Buttttt ☝🏼☝🏼 I did get to enjoy the weekend when we last talked, so that was nice! 😌😌

I’m rereading what you said and I’m so glad you guys got lucky with your flight! 😭 I bet that was pretty stressful so that’s great it worked out in the end!! And funnily enough, I also once had to make a hard stop to let a snake cross the road while coming home. I live near a nature preserve so I see a lot more wildlife up close and personal than I probably need to lmao 💀 A couple of years ago during COVID, a coyote decided to make my backyard into a playground so sometimes during zoom classes I’d look outside the window and just see it rolling around on the grass not to mention there was someone in my neighborhood whose patio got invaded by a literal mountain lion. Fun times 😅💀

Other than that, hopefully school and life in general has been going well for you since then! Anything exciting or new happen?? I also hope that you’ve been taking care of yourself!! ☺️ -💜

⚠️ road kill ⚠️

Heyo !! 💜 No worries — especially considering I seem to take just as long to answer Asks nowadays. 🥲

I'm sorry to hear you're feeling burnt out, but hope it's improved since? 🥺 I'm beginning to feel burnt out as well (from the academic semester), buuut it could also just be that we've moved on from ~easy units to memorization heavy units in orgo chem lmao. 😝🤓

I'm generally a careful driver, but I've unfortunately smooshed a chipmunk (while driving), and a squirrel — while bicycling. 😬 Long story short, I was biking through Harvard's campus (not even quickly, mind you), and 2 squirrels (1 chasing the other) ran out in front of me. I managed to stop enough for the first guy, but bc of #physics, I wasn't fully stopped in time for the second guy. 😶

Coyotes and mountain lions = incredible... assuming they're not within proximity to murder hunt play-not-so-nicely w/ you !! 🤗😂

I'm climbing once or twice a week atm (which I'm proud of) 🧗🏻‍♀️, writing ~a fanfic per week 😁, working 2-3 nights per week 😮‍💨, and just earned 40/40 on my social psych exam earlier today !! Totally not redirecting the focus away from orgo chem hehehe.

Sending you stinky farts /affectionate (my partner's nickname for me is "tootie butt") and s'mores vibes !! 💘

[spenciegoob]

Dethroned (Requested)

A/N: I know the request said the relationship between Reader and Luke is platonic, but I kinda dropped subtle hints that Luke is slightly pining for Reader... oop.

Request: smutty post-prison Reid being jealous. Like him just being absolutely in love with reader, like he had been since she joined the BAU but was too nervous to say anything so settled for being mega close best friends. Then when he returns from prison he finds out that her and Luke have become close friends whilst he’s been gone (its simply platonic though) and he ends up snapping and just absolutely annihilating the reader over her desk in the office after everyone else has left

Pairing: Post Prison!Spencer x Fem!Reader

Category: Smut

Content Warning: jealous!spencer, exhibition, hair pulling, degradation/praise, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, breeding kink

Masterlist

Word Count: 3.9K

______

It was a gradual realization on his part. Spencer was so overwhelmed with coming home, his mom and Cat to even really take notice in the shift of your attention from him to Luke Alvez.

It wasn’t like you completely ignored him since his return. You were Spencer’s best friend, the title he settled on all those years ago when you all but skipped into the BAU and into his life.

And it wasn’t like you didn’t have other male friends. Before his leave, Derek and you had gotten along pretty well right off the bat, and Spencer never thought about it twice. If anything, he was ecstatic that two people that were so important in his life were also important to each other.

But when Spencer was stuck behind physical bars that represented every feeling for you he’s tried to keep at bay, you found comfort in Luke. He couldn’t blame you for that either, especially when the first time you visited him all he could see was hurt in your eyes, and all he could do was stare back with the same expression.

The first time he noticed the shift was after everything had settled, and the groove of life, for the team at least, was back in motion. You all had decided to go out and grab a drink, and the second you agreed, Spencer was also on board. He would follow you just about anywhere if it meant the smile on your face when he said yes stayed forever.

Luke had whispered something in your ear, the music in the bar too loud for Spencer to catch what it was. It had to be hilarious by the way you threw your head back in laughter, Luke’s eyes immediately dropping to the newly exposed skin, before nudging his shoulder with yours. 

Spencer couldn't keep his eyes off the conversation in front of him. He should have when the grip on his glass was so hard it could’ve shattered. 

“You know, kid, if you talked to her, she’d know how you feel,” Rossi had told him that night.

“That’s exactly why I can’t,” Spencer thought in his head, but merely gave Rossi a whatever, and walked away to the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror that night, hoping the disgust he felt for how angry he got whenever he saw you with Luke was enough to make it disappear.

It never did.

Like right now, Spencer sat at his desk, a rubber band ball being suffocated in his hand as he watched you perch yourself on top of Luke’s desk. It was an innocent act on you part, but the way Luke leaned back in his chair, opening himself up to you, and allowed his eyes to flicker to your bare legs that were swinging back and forth softly was definitely not innocent... not in Spencer’s book anyway.

It came as no surprise to Spencer that Luke would at the very least find you attractive. You were, in every aspect. Spencer could stare at your for hours, and sometimes, he did.

He would look at the way your skirt hugged your curves in the best possible way, or he would stare at your neck when you leaned back to stretch out. He would watch the way you crossed and uncrossed your legs, a nervous habit you’ve always had. Spencer would think about how soft they probably were, like silk rubbing against each other.

But now Luke was also looking at you like that while you talked about what you were going to do this weekend. 

“If you’re not busy, you should totally come,” you told him, obviously excited with the idea of Luke tagging along to wherever you planned on going.

“Yeah, I think I can make that work,” he agreed, and when he did, you jumped up off his desk, enthusiasm practically dripping from you.

“Yes! It’ll be so much fun, I promise!” And then you did the one thing Spencer silently begged you would never. You kissed Luke on the cheek before scurrying back to your desk.

Of course you would kiss him on the cheek. To you, that was a seemingly innocent and friendly action, one that Spencer had been on the receiving end of for the past 10 years. 

But now, Luke stole his crown and was flaunting it in front of Spencer’s face like an older brother who just got an XBOX for Christmas. Okay, maybe Spencer was a tad on the dramatic side, but how could he not be when Luke all but physically railed you over his desk when his eyes unashamedly did?

There were many things Spencer could take and get back up like nothing had happened. He’s been shot, punched, kicked, framed for murder and hell, he even stabbed himself, but none of that compared to the deep rooted anger that blossomed in his chest like a flame to gasoline when the thought of Luke touching you swarmed his brain.

Enough was enough.

“Alright, you’ve all worked enough today. Please, go home and get some rest,” Emily’s voice traveled from outside her office door to the agents that still inhabited the bullpen like a second home. Most, including Emily in its rarity, gathered their stuff to finally call it a night.

“So, you’ll text me the information?” Luke asked you as he was putting his jacket on. You had yet to move from your slouched position over whatever paperwork you insisted on finishing before leaving. 

“Yeah, definitely!” You beamed up at him before returning back to your case file immediately. Luke walked away with a little more pep in his step than usual per Spencer’s analysis. 

“Hey, Spence. Do you think you can hang back a second and look over this for me?” You asked him, catching the attention of the stumbling genius as he tried to get back to his apartment as fast as possible and deal with his... issues with you and SSA Luke Alvez.

He was going to say no, really he tried, but when he looked up to your puppy dog eyes and slight pout, how could he? Spencer knew you were giving him that face on purpose, he had told you in the past that if you were to ever give him your best puppy dog eyes, he could never refuse.

Now it was coming back to bite him in the...

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Spencer made his way over to your desk that was piled high in paperwork more than anyone else’s.

“I took a bunch of work home, and I accidentally dropped all my files and they scattered every where. So now, all the paperwork is mixed up and Emily needs these by tonight. Basically I’m screwed, but I just wanted to make sure the arsonist in Kentu-”

“I’ll help you,” Spencer interrupted your rambling once he got a grip on himself after adjusting to being so close to you. The smell of your perfume wafted into Spencer’s nose and got him drunk faster than any alcohol could ever. 

“Oh no, Spence. Don’t worry I can handle this,” you immediately shut him down, but Spencer was not easy to convince, and once his mind is set to something, there’s no changing it.

“I want to, trust me.” Spencer had started to roll his desk chair over to you. You sat there momentarily stunned for two reasons:

1. He had dropped everything to help you.

2. He wasn’t affected by the close proximity of you two the same way you were, or at least knew how to hide it really well.

The buzzing of your phone on your desk pulled you from your trance as Spencer settled next to you and went to pull a new file from your overgrowing pile. 

You picked it up to find a text from Luke, opening your phone to a picture of Roxy enjoying the toy you got her last week.

Spencer turned to you to find you smiling and letting out a breathy laugh at your phone.

“What?” He asked, more sarcasm dripping from his tone than expected. If you noticed, you didn’t say anything.

“Just Luke and Roxy. I love that dog so much,” you said while putting your phone on silent and setting it face down. You didn’t look up at Spencer, but if you did you’d find him beet red with anger, and holding the armrests of his chair a little tighter than necessary. 

“Hm,” was all he mumbled in response. This, you didn’t ignore.

“Is something wrong? You really don't have to do this with me,” you fumbled over your words, worried that your clumsiness and disorganization was what was annoying Spencer.

“No no, it’s not this. I like paperwork, actually.” You finally looked over at Spencer to find him already staring at you. His gaze bore into you like a blade to the gut, his intensity something you had never been on the receiving end of. It would be a lie if you were to say it wasn’t making you nervous.

“Then what is it.” Your words were not meant to come out as a whisper, but with Spencer’s intimidation and the way it made your stomach flip, you were overwhelmed already.

“Nothing, just, uh,” his confident persona was gone just as quickly as it came. “You and Luke, huh?”

Now it makes sense. You couldn’t help the small smile that etched across your features at his unknowing admission. Spencer Reid was jealous, actually jealous.

“Yeah, he’s a great friend.” Your emphasis on the word friend did not go unnoticed by Spencer, but he couldn’t stop himself from letting the words crawling up his throat out.

“I’m sure he thinks the same about you. The profile in this case fi-”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Two can play at this game, and if it was going to end the way the two of you were unknowingly both hoping, you would have to succumb to the rules.

“Hm? Oh! So you’re oblivious to the way he looks at you?” Spencer spat back, jealous intimidation turning to full anger now.

“Jesus, Spencer. Of course I’m not oblivious, but that doesn’t mean I look at him like that.” At this point, you stood up from your chair, Spencer’s approach throwing you off and getting you more worked up than you cared to admit.

“Besides, I have eyes for someone else,” you mumbled quietly under your breath, but Spencer caught it. “I’m calling the night. I suggest you do the same.”

You picked up as many files you could, not wanting to reach over Spencer before turning around to make you descent home.

Before you could get far, though, Spencer grabbed your elbow and spun you back to crash into his hard chest. You gasped, not making eye contact and instead opting for staring at his lips.

“Who?” Spencer asked, also not looking up from your lips. Both of your minds swarmed with the desperation to feel each other’s against your own.

“You.” And that was all he needed to finally succumb to his mind’s wishes. Your lips moved together like a violin bow to a string, creating a perfectly conducted symphony of files falling from your arms and deep inhales of each other.

Spencer reached out behind you, never taking his lips off yours and pushed anything that was on your desk with a deafening crash. Pens, papers and tape now littered the bullpen floor, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care when all you could feel were Spencer’s hands gripping your waist as he hoisted you up to sit you on your now clear desk.

His lips finally detached from yours, the need for oxygen getting in the way of a kiss you wish could last for eternity. They didn’t go very far, Spencer attacking your neck with little nips, surely to leave incriminating bruises. Your hips started to involuntarily roll forward, searching for friction from his hardening member still constrained by his work slacks.

“Spencer, please,” you begged, needing to feel him, all of him at this moment. His lips abandoned your neck to slowly pull back and scan your body like a predator indulging in his final prey one last time before he answered.

“Please what, Princess,” Spencer whispered, his hands moving down to grip your thighs that were attempting to squeeze together at your new pet name.

“Please, fuck me,” you whimpered back. His deep chuckle resonated through you as he leaned closer until he was directly next to your ear, his hot breath fanning down your neck causing you to arch your back slightly.

“Right here on your desk like a little whore,” he whispered against you, his lips grazing the shell of your ear. Spencer shook his head slightly as he pulled back to grab your chin lightly with two fingers, forcing your head back.

He leaned in as close as possible to whisper against your lips one last time. “Only for you.”

Time stopped as hands sped up in a frenzy to rip each other’s clothes off, lips molding together like a lock and key never wanting to separate, and hips involuntarily grinding against each other in search for some friction in an overwhelming search for release.

Only when Spencer gave up on your shirt buttons and ripped the fabric apart, adding drums in the form of buttons hitting the desk and floor to the song you two collectively decided to dance to tonight, did he allow his lips to leave yours. Slowly, he nipped his way back down your neck, pushing you back softly until your body fully rolled down on the cool wood underneath you. 

Spencer’s eyes found yours again as his hands inched behind you, silently asking for permission to break down yet another barrier between your two bodies. After a pleading whimper from you, he unclasped your bra and slowly pulled it down your arms. 

Spencer maintained eye contact as he wrapped his mouth around your nipple, swirling his tongue around the peak before sinking his teeth in teasingly. Your back arched into him, a strangled whimper leaving your body as the heat between your thighs increased significantly.

“Spencer please hurry. I need you,” you whimpered softly, pulling his hair back from the top of his head in hopes of getting him in an area far more dire in need of attention. 

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted this?” Spencer mumbles in between kisses inching back up your body. His hands make their way under your skirt as he continues. “I want to take my time with you, but given our circumstances,” he paused to take a look at the deserted bullpen. “I’ll give you what you want, and fuck you like a whore.”

There was no other way to explain the way Spencer ripped your panties off so hard the lace snapped under his force than animalistic. He wasted no time stuffing them into his back pocket, and fully separating from you to stand straight and unbuckle his belt. Spencer’s eyes stared down at you, taking in every part of your body to file away in his brain in case he ever needs it. His once honey brown orbs were now absorbed with black, his pupils full and his eyes displaying a kind of fire only lust can fuel.

Once his belt was fully off, he smirked and folded it in his hands. Staring at the new object of his desire, he tantalizingly shook it back and forth slowly, watching the way it bounced with his movements.

“Should I gag you with this so you don't alert the whole goddamn building of how desperate you are?” Spencer looked back at you to find your cheeks a deep shade of red, partially at his degrading tone, but mostly at the idea of being gagged.

“No, sir. I wanna feel you.” The title slipped past your lips with no control or hesitation. Your cheeks burned further as Spencer’s movements stopped, his eyes widening slightly. 

“Fuck it,” he whispered before throwing the belt on the floor and unzipping his pants with more speed than you've ever seen him move. 

Spencer gave you zero time to even register his size before he was stepping in between your legs, lining himself up and slamming into you to the hilt with one hand, the other grabbed a fistful of your hair, pulling back hard, all while never taking his eyes off you.

You couldn’t stop the loud gasp leaving your body as Spencer groaned at the feeling of you around him.

“God, you’re so fucking tight, Princess,” he grounded out, the soft growl in his tone causing you to whimper and clench around him.

When he felt you start to squirm underneath him after adjusting to his size, Spencer started to move, setting a brutal pace immediately. Your entire body felt like it became engulfed in flames, the feeling of Spencer repeatedly hitting the sweetest spot inside you over and over with a force unmatched was too much to handle.

Tears started to well in your eyes as the soft whimpers and pleads left your lips. Spencer pulled himself from his position tucked neatly into your neck to stare down at you, never relenting on his pace.

“What’s wrong, Princess,” he teased, a smirk growing across his features at your tears. “Is it too much for your little cunt? What happened to the girl that begged to be fucked like a whore?”

Spencer let go of his grip on your hair to wipe the tears blackened with mascara that were running down your face. 

“So good, sir. Please don’t stop,” you mumbled, only half coherent. The only thing you could focus on was the feeling of Spencer filling you completely. His dark eyes flickered down from your face only for a second, but when he looked back up at you, excitement joined the lust in them, a swirl of emotions destined to destroy you in the end.

Spencer grabbed one of your hands that was gripping his shoulder, nails digging into the skin and leaving marks he wished would last forever. He placed in on your stomach, and confusion filled your mind for a moment until you felt the tip of his cock hit your hand.

“You feel that, Princess? You feel how deep I am? I’m gonna fill you up.” Your back arched, and you finally released a loud, wanton moan at his words. Spencer didn’t miss the way you clenched around him tighter at the thought. “God, I’m gonna fill you up with my cum, make you - fuck- carry my child. Make sure everyone knows who you belong to.”

You felt the knot in your stomach growing tighter with each word, and when Spencer lifted one of your legs into the crook of his elbow, hitting you impossibly deeper, you knew you weren't going to last much longer.

“Oh G-god, Spence. I- I’m gonna....”

“It’s okay, Princess. I’ve got you,” he groaned back, lifting two fingers to your lips before forcing them into your mouth. Instinctively, you hollowed out your cheeks and sucked on his digits. “Let go, Princess.”

All you needed was his permission before letting your orgasm rock through you, the muscles in your body seemingly losing and gaining all the tension in the world at once, your vision going white, and your mind blank except for one thought; Spencer.

Your loud moans were blocked by his fingers pushing deeper down your throat, catching them before any unwanted guests could hear. 

Your moans started to turn to whimpers around his fingers as the overstimulation kicked in. Spencer could sense it by the way you still clung to him as tightly as possible.

“Fuck that’s it. You’re doing so well, Princess, taking all of me,” he growled out, his hips losing their rhythm, signaling his own impending orgasm. Spencer leaned down further, pushing your leg farther up in the process, and again, hitting you deeper than imaginable.

Two more sloppy thrusts in that position, and Spencer was coming deep in you with your name and different praises being groaned in your ear. He bottomed out once more, coming to a stop buried deep, both of you trying your hardest to catch your breath.

When he started to pull out, you whimpered immediately at the feeling.

“I know, sweetheart. I’m almost done,” Spencer whispered, caressing your cheek as he fully unsheathed himself. The abandoned weight of him on top of you, and the loss of his cock filling you up left you cold as he went to rummage through your drawers for tissues, but all you could do was stare up at the lights hanging from the ceiling, your body still slightly twitching.

When Spencer returned to you, he sat you up and kissed your forehead before reaching in between your legs to clean you up. The second the tissue hit your sensitive cunt, you winced.

Spencer looked back up at you but before he could say anything, you cut him off.

“It’s okay. I’m okay,” you reassured him, smiling softly as you reached up to caress his cheek. Upon your approval, he went back to cleaning you up. “Actually, I’m more than okay. That was.. That was-”

“Yeah,” he said, chuckling slightly and shaking his head. “I know, right?”

“Maybe we should thank Luke,” you teased him. Immediately, his smile faded and he looked up at you with an expression that can only read “Seriously?”

You let out a full laugh now, obviously still entertained with the idea that the Dr. Spencer Reid was jealous of Luke Alvez.

“I’m joking,” you said, your smile turning from one of hilarity to adoration as Spencer straightened back up to stand between your legs and wrap his arms around your waist. “And Spence, it’s always been you. Not Luke, not anyone else. You.” You emphasized your point by jabbing a finger into his chest.

“Good, because that would make this really awkward,” he said back. You tilted your head in confusion to which he laughed at before continuing. “Do you want to go grab dinner?”

Your cheeks blushed profusely as he asked you out as if you didn’t just let him take you over your own desk at work. 

“I would love to say yes, but I still have to finis-” When you turned around to look at the pile of paperwork you had yet to complete, it was no longer on your desk, but scattered around it. During the rush of trying to feel each other completely, the two of you failed to notice the stack of files that started this whole thing had fallen all over the bullpen floor.

“Emily is going to kill me,” you said, turning back to Spencer who was still staring at the now empty spot on your desk.

“Actually, she has two reasons to kill us now.” You threw you head back in laughter, Spencer joining you at the thought of Emily finding out about the last 30 minutes. “But seriously, you go deal with the security footage, and I’ll deal with the paperwork.”

“Hmmmm...” You pretended to ponder the thought of not having to do all of that paperwork by yourself anymore. “Deal.”

“Deal,” Spencer repeated back, smiling softly before kissing you one more time.

__

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[redrobin-detective]

*crawls through you bedroom window* actually sorry I’m not done talking about the tragic, complicated clusterfuck which is Ben and Rook’s friendship/partnership. Because of how it was set up and their own personalities at the time, it was doomed to fail. I mentioned previously how neither got to know/understand the other and I retract that because it’s not entirely true. They did get to bond in a way that you almost have to when you’re in life or death situations together but they never talked about it and so each went on thinking they weren’t important to the other.

The whole nature of their partnership reeks of impermanence. Max obviously knew ahead of time that Gwen and Kevin were leaving for college and had time to prepare. Ben being on his own, reckless and stupid, was not an option. I wonder how many candidates they went through before they got to Rook. They chose someone who excelled at Plumber training, who knew the rules Ben never bothered to learn backwards and forwards. Someone who would balance out Ben and keep him reigned in. Someone who was obviously destined for higher management so why not give him the best field training possible? Rook, if not Ben, was certainly aware that it was a temporary thing. Ben was 16 going on 17, soon he wouldn’t need a partner anymore; this was the last attempt at training wheels. I imagine the partnership dissolved not long after Omniverse ends, when Rook becomes Magister and probably has new training and responsibilities. Ben, almost an adult by human standards and hopefully positively molded by Rook’s influence, is deemed ready to be on his own. 

So imagine you’re Rook, you’re a newly graduated Plumber who was ready to take on the universe. You’re informed you’re heading to Earth and you will be working one on one with your idol, the Ben 10, the one who inspired you to leave your traditional, isolated homeworld. You meet your hero and while he’s got the watch and the quips, he’s also a child in a culture you don’t understand. You’re disappointed that your hero isn’t as perfect as rumor and propaganda told you. You’re angry and frustrated and you don’t bother to hide it, Ben almost seems to retaliate by being more obnoxious. The more time you spend with Ben, you realize there’s a method to his madness. He wins more battles than he loses, what Rook at first took to be Ben’s flaws turn out to also be his strengths. Seeing Ben in action snarling and laughing in the face of certain destruction, he realizes that Ben is, at the same time, a stupid, idiot kid who barely has an idea of what he’s doing but also twice the hero Rook thought he was. Suddenly Ben 10 isn’t just a poster in his room or a radio show to listen to in the dark, he is a real person and that makes him even more worthy of admiration.

And Rook does admire him, quietly. Ben keeps up his walls and Rook lets him because who is he to try and really befriend Ben 10? Rook is just one of billions of Plumbers in the universe, Ben is the universe’s savior. I bet before Rook ever stepped foot on Earth it was drilled into him that Ben Tennyson was to be protected at all costs, that Rook’s life was nothing compared to Ben’s. Rook already comes from a very restrained and private culture, he won’t initiate anything beyond what is needed for to the mission and to save his partner. It is enough for him to be able to work alongside his hero (even if said hero is thoughtless and ridiculous and has no sense of self preservation and he drives Rook insane but by gum does he respect the hell out of Ben when he isn’t contemplating murdering him). When the time ultimately comes for Rook to depart, he will be sad but not mention it. Because he imagines he is only a blip on Ben’s radar, a temporary partner before Ben goes onto bigger and better things. He never tells Ben that his loyalty wasn’t to the Plumbers, to Ben 10 but to the scrawny, sleep deprived kid who always remembered Rook’s favorite smoothie flavor. 

Now imagine you’re Ben. You’ve saved the universe at the cost of your privacy, chance for a normal life, general sense of safety and sanity. You’re quickly losing track of what part is you and what part is the myth about you. Two of your three major support systems abandon you without notice. Over the years of AF/UAF, Gwen and Kevin saw all your brokenness, fears, vulnerabilities, watched you go from dumb kid to hero. You didn’t have to tell them these things, they saw them happen and just knew. And now they’re gone and you only have your grandpa who you love but is also sorta of your boss now. He tells you you’re being assigned a new partner, someone chosen without your consent, someone you’re expected to trust your life and secrets with. Fine, this Rook fellow will do. He can watch your back but he’s not having any pieces of your broken heart. 

You fight, both bad guys and each other. The two of you have such opposite styles that you clash. He may have training and discipline but you have experience and incredible power. You fumble and bicker and somewhere through it all find an understanding. Suddenly the rumble of his voice is familiar as Kevin’s once was, his logical approaches and teasing barbs slot in where Gwen’s used to be. It’s not bad, you tell yourself. You know this isn’t forever, that it’s not real, but it’s not bad. Because you know first and foremost that Rook is a Plumber and you are not. You also know he is a fan and you are acutely aware how short you fall from the perfect hero ideal. Ben laughs, clinging harder to the arrogant hero façade and pretends Rook’s disappointment doesn’t crush him. If someone who’s forced to work with him doesn’t like Ben, then how can he be the beloved savior everyone tells him he is even though he doesn’t quite know how he got there? He’s just a kid doing his best and soon buries himself in his perceived role.

Time passes, Ben and Rook have been through so much. Against your will, he’s seen some of your broken parts. He sees past your cracks, sees your guilt and grief and bone deep fear. But he doesn’t seem upset, even more disappointed by the failure hero. He is kind, friendly, understanding. Not enough that Ben feels comfortable to open up but he relaxes, just a bit. Rook isn’t just a forced upon partner, he’s now a friend. But he knows Rook is only here because he was ordered, he feels Rook’s annoyance with him and believes his kindness is only out of duty. It’s fine, he’s used to everyone around him bleeding him dry of everything he has and then some. Just another part of being a hero. He’s not Kevin or Gwen but he is Rook and he is grown on you because Ben is always an open soul, one who wants to receive some love he gives so freely. You finally feel steady, like you can stop pretending so much and try and find some peace and happiness in your dangerous, chaotic life.

Suddenly so fast, you’ve saved the universe once more and Rook is moving on. It’s like Gwen and Kevin leaving all over again. Rook himself seems excited to move up the ranks, to get more tassles on his uniform. He is a soldier at heart, you are not even if you play the part of one. You are a child only you’re not anymore, while you were busy saving everyone again and again your childhood was stolen from you. Now on the edge of adulthood, you’re told it’s time to take responsibility. You want to scream you’ve been doing that since you were 10 years old, that someone else can do  it for a change. You want to beg Rook to stay, to drag Gwen and Kevin home, to hide your loved ones away with you and not have to confront the big, bad universe alone. Instead, you do what you always do. You swallow all your fears, your wishes and hopes and shake his hand goodbye and wish him well. You don’t tell him you’ll miss him, neither does he. 

Rook and Ben part as the strangers they never stopped being even if both of them aches at the loss of the close proximity, of the friendship. Both are very much aware that the relationship was weak, transient, that it might have been something more if they gave it more attention. However, too many things were between them and both of them genuinely believed the other didn’t care as much. The rest of their lives they remain friendly, distant but polite. It’s not much different from when they fought side by side even if they wish it different.

[elysianslove]

Hi! <3 I'm the roomate hc anon again (lol) and can I request best friends to lovers hc for iwaizumi, kuroo and oikawa? Also this blog is gonna blow up soon so remember me when you're famous bro 😌✊️❤️

OMG HI AGAIN! i’m so sorry this is late :( but oh my the excitement that flooded through me when i saw this request hsvhjsd. i really hope you enjoy this!! also vshdks i luv u bb THANK YOU.

iwaizumi hajime

im making these as detailed as fuck so i apologize in advance <3

becoming best friends with hajime was a very out of the blue thing 

the two of you shared a lot of classes together, and since you were always seeing each other, you’d choose each other as partners a lot 

you’d sit next to him in all the classes that you could

you’d meet up a lot during school breaks and just hang out 

you two clicked very well honestly, like you found that it was so easy to talk to him, and it was so easy to lose yourself in the conversation 

most of your convos are v mature and sophisticated too like

it’s nice when you can talk to someone on the same brain wavelength as you yk 😼

anyways overtime you’d come to his practice sessions, and even if they were long you’d just stay and watch bc why not

if you had hw to do and he noticed you were a lil stressed about it, he’d tell u to come study while he practiced as a change of scenery and all 

he’d walk you home almost every night at this point

oikawa noticing and being jealous <3 

“they’re stealing you from me!” “they’re not— what is wrong with you oikawa.” 

okay so this best friend stuff has been going on for a long time

long enough for you to realize you wanted more from him

but this is iwaizumi hajime and it’s almost impossible to know what he’s thinking 

like

ever 

so you just keep it to yourself, thinking it’s just a small crush and it’s not worth ruining what the two of you have at this rate 

so all this had happened first year, and when you’re nearing the end of your second year

that’s when you realize that

shit

it’s not just a crush

and when you have feelings for someone, every little thing they do expands a million times in your head

so a hug from him that you’d once never go over twice has you thinking about it as you go to sleep

the hoodies he’d lend you during practice while you stayed in the gym bc it was ungodly cold in there now send tingles down your spine at the lingering scent of him

the way he’d grab your hand to drag you somewhere now leave a heavy effect on your palm, forcing you to trace it once he’s gone 

his texts give you butterflies 

every time his name pops up on your phone screen you have a mini heart attack

and yeah

those are all symptoms of a crush

but is a crush meant to last this long? 

at the start of your third year, you greet him outside of the school gates after not seeing you all summer

he smiles so bright and hugs you so, so tightly 

you already are so hyperaware of how strong iwa is

but the feelings you have for him that won’t go away are so not helping your fixation on the feel of his biceps 

anyways before this becomes v nsfw 

you two catch up like u had met yesterday 

and then at the end of the day, after practice, which you stay for bc u missed ur vbc boys 🥺

he walks you home 

like always

and as he stands by your front door, in a burst of courage, he takes your hand in his and pulls you harshly towards him, pushing his body against yours and capturing your lips in a heated kiss

it’s so messy and harsh and you pretty much collided 

but holy shit

you were pretty sure fireworks erupted when you two kissed

years of pining and what had felt like unrequited love finally being resolved 

it’s the most satisfying feeling ever

you never want to stop kissing him

but alas </3 

when he pulls back, you’re both breathing so heavily 

you’re not sure if it’s the adrenaline or the kiss itself 

and he just looks at you and goes “did u tan while you’re away ur eyes look brighter” 

no sir i am in love with you

when you two officiate things 

he’s actually way shyer than he was as best friends??? 

like as best friends he wouldn’t feel slightly weird about hugging you in public or grabbing at your hand randomly or being seen alone with you

but now like

people know ??? and somehow that scares iwa 

or makes him uncomfortable 

idk he just feels iffy

but ur so understanding bless ur heart <3 

ur so careful with him and take it at his own pace 

zero pda at the start of the relationship 

like he won’t even wanna hug u in front of the seijoh team 

but slowly he warms up 

and he starts getting more comfortable with things like hand holding and occasional pecks on the cheek/lips 

your traditions as best friends don’t die as lovers 

if anything you believe in them even more 

now you watch more diligently during practice 

you proudly attend his games in his jersey, cheering the loudest for him (and for the rest of the boys bc they: best) 

walks home with you are so much more serene 

always gives you a kiss before he parts ways 

idk it’s like some sort of commemoration for your first kiss/confession 

unless you invite him inside 😏

this is so fucking long im so sorry i just love iwa 

anyways anybody want boyfriend!iwa headcanons i got a lot hehe 

to conclude, it was so gradual and inevitable with the two of you, and you’re forever glad it happened when it did and you hadn’t rushed anything <3333

oikawa tōru

unlike hajime, this wasn’t something that took one or two years

this bitch couldn’t admit he was in love with you for like 10 years okay 

you’ve known him for the majority of your life, because you’d always lived in close proximity to each other 

but you were never best friends yk? just acquaintances 

it was around the end of middle school when you two got close

cause you saw he was applying to aoba johsai for high school

and you were like !!! i’m going there too 

at first he was like stop copying me 😾 

you guys had a staring contest bc y’all are idiots and there were legit tears streaming down ur face but u were not about to lose to a pissbaby like him

he blinked 😁👍🏼

and he lost 

and then he decided “you’re my best friend now ” 

anyways aside iwa, he now had someone else he was going into high school with

like it’s a completely new environment but he had two people he very much liked going with him !!! 

when the time came around to like apply for/join clubs, you had been so clueless 

but toru stuck by you !! and he was so adamant on helping you !! 

he would sit with you after school as he practiced tossing with hajime and just brainstorm with you what you liked to do

it’s what brought you two closer together

cause you realized just how many things in common you had with him 

for a full week he tried to help you come up with something

for the sake of this hc let’s say u decide to join the newsletter club 

you’re very wary at first but then he’s like when ur part of it you’ll visit the vbc regularly so u can take pictures/observe to write essays 

the fact that toru would be there kinda set you at ease 

now you’ve never seen toru play properly 

he’s practiced in front of you before

plenty of times

but a proper match? or a practice one? 

never 

so it’s safe to say u were in awe when you got assigned to go watch a practice match against (idk pick a school) 

it’s embarrassing to admit but your eyes were on him the entire time 

thank god he became the captain later on else it’d be so sus 

you really tried to pay attention to anybody else lmfao 

it’s kinda what drew you to him more

you still didn’t really have feelings

you only realized just how passionate he is about everything 

at some point you had an essay to write for your newsletter about the volleyball club

but you were having a hard time like really getting into it

so you immediately just called toru and were like “help 😃” 

he came over and you asked him a bunch of questions, and he would go on deadass 20 min rants for each of them

you were just 

so amazed 

like how could someone have so much passion for something like this?

you realize how but that’s for later

overtime you two got closer bc of how much your work was associated with him

he’s incredible as a best friend 

he’s the first one with the school’s weekly newsletter as soon as it’s out

granted it’s to read the section about him but yk, the sentiment’s there 

also love, love, loves lazy days with you 

he doesnt even care if the boys know that he worships the chick flicks you two watch 

i feel like oikawa would be an avid anime watcher

idk why i just do 

so he’d be blasting anime theme songs on a speaker as you’re in the shower and he’s in your room waiting for you and you’re both just singing w the sound of water rushing down 

actually it’s not just anime songs it’s all songs 

a l l songs 

anyways

so you two get really close, and then he has a super important match coming up 

let’s say it’s the spring interhigh one against karasuno

the one they won

idk im just choosing at random 

and the night before he’s like begging you on text to wear his jersey

he’s like PLEASE NO ONE’S EVER DONE THAT FOR ME

you’re like bruh u have a cult following ????? 

but eventually u say yes

ur not really sure where it’s coming from but this is oikawa he’s an unpredictable as can be

when you show up in a jersey he so conveniently left at your house once

he’s so genuinely shocked even though he was the one that asked for this???

gives you the biggest hug like spins you around and just 

“you’re my lucky charm” 

when he wins 

after celebrating with his team

he runs over to you

and just

he kisses you

full on the mouth

it’s probably the rush and excitement of winning that gave him the courage to finally spill all his feelings out into this kiss

you’re in his jersey, in the stands and you genuinely feel like it’s only just the two of you

despite how sudden it was the kiss is so gentle, like he’d been planning it since forever 

“i told you you’re my lucky charm” he says as he rests his forehead against yours and kisses you gently again

oikawa had already been affectionate as your best friend

always displaying his love outwardly with like always calling out your name so loud whenever he sees you and giving you bone crushing hugs

deadass his 6’0 self will just jump on you 

but now it’s extra

makki always gags around the two of you but you just stick ur tongue out at him and go “ur just mad ur best friend’s getting some pussy/dick and ur not” 

makki then proceeds to shriek at you like a fucking banshee <3 

anyways 

yes 

oikawa best friends to lovers excellence is so cute eeeekkk

and now u always wear his jersey at games 

(u couldnt make it to the game against karasuno where they lost for whatever reason and he held it against u for the longest time)

(“maybe if a certain someone were there we wouldn’t have lost”)

what a big baby you love him

kuroo tetsurō

AH SEXY CHEMISTRY NERD 👅👅👅

kuroo as ur best friend 

im frothing 

i feel like you’d grow close after meeting at an event or something 

like you’re a friend of a friend of a friend 

i see kuroo as someone who’s so suave and cool and flirty with people he doesn’t have feelings for

but put the crush factor in and he’s a mess

like his brain just stops working

so when he first met you

he thought u were so fucking hot 

but that’s it

his lower body was doing all the thinking <3 

so he was so flirty 

and that’s essentially what your friendship is built off of 

and when friends are so flirty with each other, they generally grow close and trust each other really quickly 

ur not a nekoma student but ur in tokyo so you meet up often 

you just

it’s so nice to be around him

you find it so easy to just be yourself around him 

going out with him is super fun 

and a lot of the times you guys have study dates and you literally don’t talk except during the 10 min breaks you two take

it’s just hyper focus for the two of you which is great

he really channels the best student in you what a man ! 

i think during your third year of high school you two got insanely close

because you were highly unsure if you were gonna leave japan or stay 

so you wanted to make the most out of everything 

so you’d go out with him more often

he’d stay during the weekends and you two would like bake christmas goods all night even if it’s literally september lmfao

cuddling is so natural 

like you’re both so touchy with each other but not in a weird way just a super comfortable kind of way

like if you’re shorter than him, he’s always leaning his arm on you like you’re his arm rest 

it’s a win win bc he gets to touch you and tease you

wow the horny really jumped out in that one

anyways

you go to every single one of his games !!

cheer him on so!! fucking!! loud!!

you probably make a provocative sign and stand a chair and just wave it around and kuroo’s so heart eyes lmfao

the climb up to becoming lovers is so

natural? 

i think kuroo first realizes that maybe, yk, he wants those flirtatious comments to mean something and those random touches to hold more romantic value to them, when you two are out together

it’s a completely chill day and it’s not really warm not really chilly. you’re just comfortable 

he takes you to a park after buying the both of you ice cream from the stand across the street and sits down at a bench with you

just people watching 

and then it kinda goes really silent

but 

it’s not awkward??? like at all???

he’s not looking to fill the silence with any random words

he’s just

enjoying simply being with you

and he glances at you momentarily and it hits him like so hard just how pretty you are 

his eyes slightly widen like

holy fuck

what the f u ck

remember when i said he’s all cool until feelings come into play

yeah 😼

he literally freezes up and blurts out, without even meaning to, “i think i have feelings for you.” 

he really didnt even process he said that

you kinda

pause for a second

and then you realize what you said and you just smile and lean over towards him, lifting your thumb up to the corner of his lips and brushing away some ice cream

“you think?” you tease, and then at the spot where the ice cream was misplaced, you placed a gentle kiss

he kinda relaxes and then eyes you as he says, “i know.” 

it is just. heaven after that

i think the two of you would be less flirty around each other once becoming official 

like yeah he definitely comments once or twice every now and then and don’t get me wrong, so do you

but it’s just less frequent 

like a blanket has been lifted to uncover the true, hidden meanings behind the comments and you can now just breathe easier 

you two end up in the same uni on accident hevejsk

like you had a long ass talk about how it’s okay if you didn’t end up in the same uni you’d still make it work

and it would’ve worked tbh

fate just ships you two too much

when you told each other you were literally that spiderman meme of the two spidermen pointing at each other lmao

power couple of the uni

power couple of tokyo

power couple of japan

you’re literally so happy with him you wouldn’t trade him for the world 

and maybe you saw it coming 

but it still remains a shock whenever you wake up and he’s there laying next to you, smiling lazily at you before reaching over to give you a gentle kiss 

anyways happy early birthday king i love you kuroo hehe

end note; i really had a lotta fun w this one omg!! thank you again for requesting, anon, and i hope everybody else enjoyed!! feel free to request, mwah <3

[illuminiscentboba]

😼 I’m so sorry !! I should have added more details !! I love Ushijima because he appears as a stoic person, like me, but deep down he is just really passionate 🥴 as for Osamu it’s because he is chill and leans towards the sarcastic side, which is something I like very much (+ he’s a great cook, can’t neglect that)

YOU’VE BEEN MATCHED WITH… USHIJIMA WAKATOSHI !!

this man is so in love with you.

he can be really sweet with tentative touches whether in public with arm brushes, shifting your hair out of your face to see you better, a hand gracing your shoulder or around your shoulder when introducing you as his s/o though he isn’t very shy with pressing a kiss to your cheek, temple, or lips before separating/heading to an appointment in public

He loves going on walks and runs with you and even will ask to join you even as you run errands just to spend time with you and help you where he can 

he loves your voice and when you get excited and even though he doesn’t always understand your info dumps he’ll will listen with his full attention, a smile gracing his face as his thumb runs circular motions along your held hands or across your cheek, his face a close proximity to yours as you explain it again to him

one of his best traits are his honesty and although he can be a bit hesitant and unsure when it comes to touch and relationships, he’s sure that he loves you, there’s the certain stability and he isn’t afraid to make it clear to you every now and then 😏 but you can see love in the way he goes out of his way with small notes, and favors, with the long phone calls, asking if you’ve ate and slept well, his warm secure hugs, etc.

and he always makes time for you, taking you aside and hearing about your worries when you have any, saddened when he ever makes you feel insecure and reassures you because to him, your the only one for him and no one besides you could change that

I feel like he’ll spoil you and take good care of you when your sick and when he feels like your pushing yourself too hard and you do the same for him, reminding him to have breaks and even spend quiet time with him to recharge together

while he has the stoic persona, it stems from his maturity, the maturity you can see in how he doesn’t cause too much of a fuss when accidents happen like broken utensils, spills, stains etc. grabbing a broom or wash cloth and helping you clean up

he’s the type to hear about your period cramps after searching for you in the house only to find you curled into a ball of pain and return with a heat pad, painkillers, food, (he has your order and favorite foods memorized by heart) and massages you, rubbing your back and holding the heat pad to your stomach when you sit up to eat

there’s that same maturity you see in how he respects your business, your opinions and the way you dress, not thinking twice before giving up his sweater/coat if you feel uncomfortable and his protective arm around you and stand in front of you when you feel threatened

there’s something both secure, protective and gentle about him and even though he’s seen as intimidating and towers over people, he kind of likes to be cared for and fussed over every now and then, and loves when you lead him by the hand and it jus makes his heart so warm to know theres someone like you that cares and loves him so much.

at one point he’s tried out a few awkward pick up lines that tendou had taught him, tendou who forgot to inform him that timing was just as important at the line and might pop some in every now and then when your sad just because you always find him telling you them hilarious. 

His development throughout your relationship started with him being awkward and unsure to the best cuddlier with the warmest hugs, wrapping you up especially when your down, 

sometimes when your down, he’d straight up toss you over his shoulder or bridal style carry you over to your bed convinced you need to cuddle or that he needs to cuddle when he notices your downcast expression

his duality when it comes to kissing though…

his kisses throughout the start of your relationship and every now and then can be shy and searching, wondering if he’s doing it right before he gets lost in the moment

now it has evolved to him approaching you while your doing your school work, lightly grabbing your chin tilting it up and him full on kissing you, a heated, passionate kiss, your hand getting lost in his hair, his loosely holding your waist before suddenly pulling away, and leaving you flustered because “I don’t want to bother you while your working. ” (tho he’ll do it less or on your breaks if it’s too much of an interruption)

you have a lot of different dates with this man ranging from domestic dates at home in each other’s company, cooking together or eating take out with a movie running. you guys often go on outdoor ones at parks and have picnics and you guys sometimes find yourself at unexpected places but that’s because he likes to surprise you and try out new locations and brainstorms them with tendou and his friends 

he likes to take pictures of you (after asking for your permission until you told him that he didn’t have to ask), especially when your having a good time and don’t notice him smiling as he snaps a picture to hold onto the moment for years to come

another endearing thing he does is often remind you that he loves you verbally, whether doing mundane things, or after grinning as you burst into a fit of giggles over this chaotic joke or as he digs into some food you prepared for him, you can see the love in his eyes before he says his feelings, not stopping even as you joke that it’s kind of cheesy because things like cheesiness don’t faze this warm bear

something he doesn’t really care for would be traditions but loves and maintains your traditions whether it be a good luck kiss, date nights, go visit your favorite park/flower field, he’ll be more than ready for it, in fact he’ll be the pouty, disappointed one of you were to forget about it

a/n: nooo don’t apologize I should’ve been more clear lmao djdjdj oh oh I’d like to say that you have iconic taste and thanks for participating :)) ✨✨ pls the funniest but most chaotic part was the way your passionate image kept conflicting with my shy and calm version of him 😭😭😂😂 tho it was a pretty fun challenge and I’m glad u picked him XD

[sankyeom]

splash! | l.jy

pairings: lee juyeon x reader genre: lifeguard!juyeon, summer love, strangers to lovers summary: in which you fall in love with the lifeguard at the hotel pool during your summer vacation and don’t want to have to say goodbye word count: 5.1k warnings: i said bullshit like once i think requested: nope, this is the result of me having a daydream about lifeguard juyeon and missing my home in santa cruz a lot bc i’m overseas right now note: i should have called this water after the boyz’ song, but i already made the banner say splash and i was too lazy to change it. also i was picturing ddd era juyeon for this fic so keep that in mind if you want 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝

The salty air blowing in the breeze wasn’t a familiar scent, but you welcomed it as you draped yourself across the beach lounge chair by the hotel pool. You couldn’t have been more thankful for your best friend who surprised you with a beach-side vacation for the summer. Your third year of University had been difficult to say the least, and after your friend had seen you buried in books and notes, they decided enough was enough.

“Didn’t I say this was a good idea?” your best friend asked, shielding their face with a broad-brimmed sun hat. The two of you had opted to lounge by the pool for the day instead of hitting the beach, mostly because your friend wasn’t particularly fond of the ocean.

“Yes,” you hummed in agreement. “Didn’t I already acknowledge that you’re a genius?” you retorted, turning on your side to face your best friend. They made a vaguely dismissive motion with their hand, eliciting a laugh from you as you decided what book to read while you soaked up some sun.

A shout interrupted your thoughts. “Hey!” the call came from the lifeguard up on the tall wooden chair that designated his position. Your eyes followed the sound, intrigued by the sudden call. The man in question was tall, slender, and broad-shouldered, with light brown hair and honey blond highlights. He was speaking into a megaphone and seemed to be targeting a group of teenage boys. “They’re not interested. Stop bothering them and go along with your day,” you noticed the group of boys in question seemed to be lingering near some teenage girls. They scowled at the lifeguard, faces clearly displaying their embarrassment at being called out. It seemed as though they wanted to reply, perhaps say something snooty about them being guests there, but the lifeguard wouldn’t have it. “Don’t make me go down there. I will go down there,” he warned.

You cracked a smile as the group of boys mumbled to one another before stalking off with glares on their faces. “Well that was nice of him,” your friend had peeked out from under their sunhat long enough to witness the encounter. “He’s pretty cute,” they observed.

Pretty cute was an understatement.

As far as bodies went, his was clearly well maintained and rather impressive, but his face was what had caught your attention initially. He had clear, sharp eyes and a small, slender nose. His dyed hair made him appear to almost glow in the summer sun, skin tanned from being outside all day long. When you glanced down to observe his face, you realised you had been glancing at the stranger’s lips for far longer than socially acceptable and decided to just look away.

“I saw that,” your friend pointed out. “You think he’s more than just pretty cute, huh?” they teased you, wiggling their eyebrows as best as they could to further taunt you.

“No, don’t be ridiculous,” you lied, risking another look back at the lifeguard.

You hadn’t realised it, but the fairly close proximity to the lifeguard’s chair gave Juyeon both a clear view of you and your friend as well as the ability to hear your chatter. Having noticed you earlier as well, Juyeon could feel his ears burning with embarrassment as the two of you locked eyes. When you and your friend arrived, you had caught his attention because the two of you looked like you were very close and having a lot of fun. His summer job thus far had been anything but fun, and the way you looked when you laughed was simply radiant.

Noticing the tension in the area, your friend beamed. “Do you need me to work my magic?” they wondered, taking their hat off and giving you their full attention.

“You don’t have any magic,” you hissed back, breaking eye contact with the cute lifeguard to hush your friend. “And don’t be so loud, he’s not that far away,” you added in a whisper.

“Oh honey,” your friend sighed. “You need all the help you can get. Leave this to me,” they winked, taking off their cover up as you began to protest.

“No, stop that,” you whisper-yelled. “What are you doing, why are you-“ you cut yourself off as your friend not-so-elegantly dove into the pool. You exhaled loudly, looking up at the sky and hoping to any god that existed that your friend wasn’t going to embarrass you.

When your friend started swimming and going nowhere near the lifeguard, you decided you could calm down and not worry about their actions anymore. That was until your friend started shouting and flailing about in the pool, calling out for the lifeguard to help them as they struggled in the water. You furrowed your brows together. They were a perfect swimmer, there was no way they could really be drowning in a pool shallow enough for them to stand.

Without waiting, the lifeguard gracefully dove into the pool and paddled towards your best friend. “I’ve got you, you’re okay,” he told your friend, pulling them towards the edge of the pool. Still, your friend made a big show out of panicking and clinging onto him as he lifted them out of the water.

“Please,” you friend said between exaggerated coughs. “Get my friend,” they pleaded.

You groaned. This had been their plan all along.

With quick steps, you made your way towards the pair. “Are you okay?” you asked your friend, narrowing your eyes at them in warning. Translation: you’re so dead when we’re alone.

Their eyes widened as they nodded. “I had a leg cramp,” they explained innocently, stretching out their right leg and wincing. “Oh look, all better!” with that they jumped up happily and walked back to your lounge chairs.

Your jaw dropped in surprise at their actions as they left you and the lifeguard to kneel on the floor alone. His eyes drifted back to meet yours and he coughed, reaching up to rub the back of his neck with flushed cheeks. The way your eyes peered curiously at him made him want to squeal like an excited child, but Juyeon managed to restrain himself. “Um, I hope they’re okay,” he said awkwardly instead.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” you assured him, feeling your face warm up. “Um, I’m really sorry about them,” you tried to apologise for your friend’s obvious, and terrible, acting.

The handsome lifeguard blinked innocently at you. “Oh, it’s fine. Leg cramps are really common and I wouldn’t want anyone getting hurt under my watch,” then he smiled in a way that made your insides melt, and you had to remind yourself to breathe.

He was the definition of breathtaking, and he seemed innocent and sweet enough to believe that your friend had really been in peril, which made him all the more cute. “I’m Juyeon,” he introduced himself, going to hold out his hand for you to shake before realising it was wet, and lowering it.

“I’m Y/n,” you replied, a laugh naturally escaping you without even trying. He was too sweet.

By the time you made your way back to your friend, they were already grinning at you with a knowing look on their face. “And you said I don’t have any magic,” they scoffed. “I wrote the book on magic, okay?”

“That was embarrassing as hell,” you said instead of agreeing with them. “Never do that again.”

Your friend ignored you. “What’s his name?” they asked.

You paused, getting comfortable on the lounge chair before facing them. “Juyeon,” you answered, and that was just as good as admitting their absurd plan had worked for your friend.

The bonfire was almost twice your own height by the time you arrived at the beach. Your friend had caught wind of the midnight bonfire from one of the waiters at the breakfast bar that morning, and had begged you to go almost all day long. After not seeing Juyeon at the pool all day, you were in the mood to get out of your head and eventually agreed to go.

You felt stupid looking for the lifeguard after only meeting him once, but there was something about him that made you want to get to know him better. Good looks aside, he was sweet and innocent and he had made your vacation a little more interesting by being your summer crush.

The night was slightly chilly, making you relieved that you had thought ahead and worn a cardigan so that you wouldn’t be cold. “Let’s get closer,” your friend suggested before dragging you to stand right by the fire pit. “Oh! It’s you,” their cheeky tone warned you of the fact that they had bumped into Juyeon before you even saw him. He looked comfortable in a short sleeve button up and jeans, and the fire illuminated his honey skin to make him appear as though he was truly glowing. “You saved my life,” your friend told him.

He laughed a low chuckle. “Ah, it’s just my job,” he waved it off with a small shrug. Then, his eyes met yours. “It’s good to see you again, Y/n,” Juyeon greeted.

The fact that he remembered your name shouldn’t have been such a big deal, but it definitely felt like a sign to you. You smiled. “You too,” you assured him. “What brings you here?”

“My friends Kevin and Jacob organised the bonfire,” Juyeon explained, pointing them out nearby. “I figured I might as well do something other than work all summer long,” he added with a bashful smile.

“Great idea,” your friend chimed. “I’m going to get some drinks, Y/n?” they offered but you waved them off, uninterested. Music started playing softly through a bluetooth speaker, and for a moment you were nervous that Juyeon would ask you to dance. You weren’t so confident in your ability to remember to breathe around him, nonetheless actually dance in an appealing way.

Almost as if he sensed your nerves, Juyeon held out his hand to you. “Want to see something cool?” he offered, titling his head slightly at you. Shrugging, you took his hand and let him lead you away from the bonfire and to a darker part of the beach.

“This is super suspicious, just so you know,” you informed him in a teasing tone. You weren’t actually nervous to be alone with Juyeon, there was something soothing about his presence that made you feel at ease.

Juyeon laughed. “Don’t you trust me?” he teased you right back.

“Well,” you hummed. “All I know about you is that you’re a lifeguard, your name is Juyeon, and that your friends are all back at the bonfire along with mine.”

“All the more reason to follow me,” he grinned, coming to a stop further down the beach. “Now,” Juyeon said, gently taking you by the shoulders to stand in front of him. “Look at this,” he pointed up, and you followed his finger until you saw a small cluster of golden lights leisurely twirling through the air.

Realisation struck you and you gasped audibly. “Oh my god,” you exclaimed. “Are those fireflies?”

Said fireflies were floating about the sky, some above you and some lower at the water, exploring their surroundings. “You ever seen those before?” you shook your head at Juyeon’s question. “They usually like to be in marshy, forest areas. But the other night I saw them close to here, exploring the shore.”

“This is incredible,” you admitted, eyes following the small glowing insects as they soar. “What makes them glow?” you asked, feeling Juyeon’s chest against your back as he inched closer.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s the same reason you and I are here right now,” you turn your head to look at Juyeon, curious. He was already smiling, as if he knew something that you didn’t. “Chemistry,” he whispered, making you laugh.

“That was cheesy.”

“Maybe so, but it’s true, isn’t it?”

You nod. “I suppose so,” you manage to agree.

Juyeon smiles. “Do you think I could kiss you?”

“I definitely think you should.”

When he kissed you, your eyes closed and you saw little dots of gold on the inside of your eyelids, perfectly mimicking the glow of the fireflies surrounding the both of you.

After your kiss with Juyeon, he seemed to be appearing everywhere you looked. At the pool when he was on duty, at the bar you and your friend were snacking at during his breaks, the beach during the sunset, and the dining hall for dinner. Your friend was pleased that you were finding something – or rather, someone – to entertain and soothe you after the difficult year you had at University.

Before you exited the pool for the day, Juyeon leaned down to whisper in your ear: “Meet me at the gate at midnight,” without any further explanation. Excited to spend more time with him, you easily nodded in agreement and left to tell your friend about your evening plans.

When the time came, you made your way down to the pool’s gate to meet Juyeon, finding it locked since the pool closed before sundown. As Juyeon approached you in a pair of board shorts and a t-shirt, waving a key in the air with an excited glint in his eyes, you quickly figured out what his plans for your night were. “Are you up for a midnight swim?” Juyeon wondered, greeting you with a hug. The small act of affection made an unavoidable and automatic smile appear on your lips.

“I’m up for anything,” you replied, winding your arms around his waist and leaning back enough to smile at Juyeon. “As long as you don’t get into trouble for it?” you added, eyeing the thick metal lock on the pool gates.

“I won’t get in trouble if we don’t get caught,” he retorted with a small wink, lifting his hand to gently stroke your cheek with his thumb. This was something you liked a lot about being with Juyeon: everything always felt easy and relaxed. “I’ve never gone for a midnight dip before, and I figure a lit-up pool is safer than the ocean.”

“Ah yes,” you laughed. “Safety first. How could I forget that I’m amidst Lee Juyeon, lifeguard extraordinaire.”

Juyeon burst out laughing at your words, eyes crinkling with his widened grin. He gave a shy smile when he was done, opening the gate to the pool for you and allowing you to enter first. Slightly excited at the idea of sneaking around with Juyeon, you made your way towards the pool, closely followed by Juyeon.

As you and Juyeon started undressing down to your bathing suits, you eyed the empty lifeguard chair that he usually occupied. “You’re pretty distracting up there on your little chair, you know?” you admitted, tucking your hair behind your ears.

“Me?” Juyeon exclaimed, pausing while attempting to take off his t-shirt. “I’m the one that has to work and pretend that I’m not sneaking glances at you every minute because you’re so captivating,” he argued, shaking his head in disbelief.

You snuck a quick look at his torso, half exposed from where he was paused. “You’re clueless,” you accused with a sigh, not understanding how Juyeon couldn’t understand how attractive he was. “Now hurry up, I want to swim,” you added with a slight whine.

At your encouragement, the two of you had soon made your way into the lukewarm water of the pool, gently splashing each other in a playful manner. Rather than swimming laps or diving in the water, you and Juyeon decided to stand in the water next to each other and see how the water trickled from your hands to his, underneath yours.

Although the silence wasn’t uncomfortable, you still wished to know more about the boy in front of you. “What’s your biggest fear?” you wondered, watching how little droplets of water sliding down the side of your palm fell into Juyeon’s larger palm.

Each time your fingertips brushed against his palm, tingles shot from the very tips of your fingers down to your toes. Warmth spread throughout your body. You always felt warm when you were with Juyeon.

Juyeon made a quiet sound akin to a chuckle, but thought about his answer. “Heartbreak,” he told you. You paused playing with the water to observe his expression. Usually, his eyes smiled whenever you looked at him. Now, his eyes seemed to be lost in something else.

“Funny,” you said. “That’s mine, too.”

The realisation that whatever the two of you were doing – be it dating casually or just having an exciting summer fling – might end in both of your biggest fear put a temporary stop to the careless relaxation you had been experiencing up until that point.

“I guess we just won’t break each other’s hearts,” Juyeon said it so simply that you believed him. 

Believed that you could have nothing but a small, summer fling with Juyeon. That maybe you wouldn’t fall for the kind-eyed man in front of you, and that your summer wouldn’t end in heartbreak.

So you smiled back at him and agreed.

Silently, you and Juyeon agreed to keep things fun and casual that summer. You had in depth conversations about your hopes and dreams for your futures; the lives you intended to live after your education was over. However, you never told one another things about your everyday lives that could make you get attached to one another. You didn’t speak about where you lived, your daily schedule, or what you looked for in a partner.

Lying beside Juyeon, your thighs brushing his and hands intertwined on his chest, felt comfortable; familiar. The night was still fairly warm out despite it being well past midnight, and the two of you had decided to lie down by the beach and admire the night sky.

The stars were so bright that evening, glowing and shimmering as if they had come out just so you could admire them. The glow they released felt like little fireflies hung up in the sky, as though you could reach out and touch them.

“I don’t know,” you answered Juyeon’s question about what you wanted to do as a career. Your tone caused Juyeon to turn his head to face you. His hair was still damp, and it fell flat against his forehead in a short fringe. You angled your body to face his, raising your hand to run your fingers through his hair. The intimate action didn’t seem to bother Juyeon, and you tried to ignore the way it made your stomach swirl. “I’m always scared to think about it. I just finished my third year of Uni, and I still have no idea what I want to do.”

“You have all the options in the world open to you,” Juyeon rephrased your troubles lightly. “All you have to do is reach out and take them.” he paused, closing his eyes to relish in the feeling of your hands in his hair. “I know what I want to do.”

“Yeah?” you asked, tightening Juyeon’s zip-up hoodie around your frame as the breeze blew stronger; the sound of waves crashing against the shore music to your ears. “What’s that?”

“I want to be a dancer,” Juyeon said. “I want to perform for others and tell a story. I want to sweat and bleed and hurt for it. Because I want to be perfect,” he chuckled. “I guess that’s my fatal flaw. Perfectionism.”

“Perfectionism is hardly fatal,” you disagreed. “Then go out there. Hurt and bleed and do it.”

“I wish it were that easy,” Juyeon muttered, pulling you gently against him. The moderate rhythm of his heart beat tenderly against your ear. “I just don’t know how to tell my parents. They still think I’m majoring in Economics. Guess I have one more year to tell them,” somehow, his statement managed to make the both of you laugh.

You mentally noted that you were in the same year of University, something personal that the both of you had agreed not to talk about. It would be foolish to get your hopes up about Juyeon wanting something serious with you; you forced yourself to let go of the idea altogether.

After all, you were scared of heartbreak too.

“Why is it so easy to talk to you?” Juyeon marvelled. “When I’m with my friends, I always feel like I never have a clue about anything. They’re always faster, wittier, and smarter than me. But with you, I feel like I can take my time.”

Your breath hitched in your throat as you pondered on how to respond. Not only had Juyeon captured exactly how you felt around him, but he had made a statement so personal that you couldn’t ignore it.

“You can take your time,” you decided to say. “We have all summer long.”

As the summer was coming to an end, you were already dreading having to say goodbye to Juyeon. He introduced you to his friends throughout the summer, too. Jacob and Kevin from the bonfire, and Hyunjae the bartender from the hotel bar. You understood what Juyeon meant about feeling slow; his friends were balls of energy and quick-wit. You had spent every night with him, walking the beach, exploring the island, and forgetting any of your troubles. The next day, you would always bring your friend to the places you had adventured through the night before; recounting your escapades with Juyeon and admiring how different things looked in the light.

“You really like this guy,” your friend realised immediately. “And not just in a hot lifeguard way.”

You smiled sadly. “Yeah,” you admitted. “I don’t want to say goodbye to him.” The view of the beach during the day with the sun shining wasn’t the same as the way the beach appeared at night. You almost wanted it to be dark every time you went to the ocean.

Your friend smiled. “Maybe you don’t have to? Long distance relationships can work out, too.”

“He doesn’t want to be in a relationship,” you denied.

With a small shake of their head, your friend asked “How do you know that?”

“Because he’s afraid of heartbreak,” you looked out into the sea, observing the families and couples playing in the water together and laughing.

“I’ve heard that before,” your friend recalled all the times you used that as an excuse during the semester. “You know, I love heartbreak.” With wide eyes, you faced your friend to listen to their reasoning. “If I get heartbroken, at least it means I felt something.”

“Well, yes,” you allowed. “But why would you want to put yourself and your feelings out in the world, only to have them broken and exploited?”

“Who cares?” your friend said. “Who cares if my feelings get broken and exploited? How am I ever going to feel anything – love, happiness, admiration – if I’m so scared of being hurt that I never let myself feel it to begin with?”

You knew your friend was right. The more you got to know Juyeon, the more you knew that no matter how hard you tried, it was impossible to prevent yourself from feeling an emotion you truly felt.

“I know that,” you confessed in a mumble. “That doesn’t mean that he feels the same.”

“Maybe you should try asking him?” your friend proposed. “Maybe he’ll surprise you. And maybe you should do it today, before we have to leave this afternoon,” they added, patting you gently on the shoulder and giving you their best encouraging smile.

You had already told Juyeon that you were leaving that day. He had mentioned that he had a shift at the pool in the early afternoon, but he promised that he would get away and say his goodbyes to you.

Perhaps you were holding on to his promise a little too tightly. That was why you felt so destroyed when Juyeon never showed, and you had to get the taxi on the way to the airport so you wouldn’t miss your flight.

“Are you okay?” your friend asked, sympathetic to your feelings.

“I’m okay,” you said. “Maybe I shouldn’t be so scared of being heartbroken. It seems like I have no control over that, anyway.”

When autumn came, you welcomed the cold.

The cold meant that you no longer had to think about Juyeon. Autumn in Seoul meant the leaves falling in magnificent shades of burnt orange and yellow, and it also meant going back to University for your final year of your degree. When school started again, you were thankful for the distraction. The more specialised and specific your classes became, the better idea you got of what you wanted to do with your degree in the future.

Coming out of a counselling session with your career counsellor, you felt confident with the options the two of you had come up with for careers to look in to. “I’ll be at the café soon,” you told your friend over the phone, almost rolling your eyes at their excitement over it being Friday. “Yes I promise. No more than ten minutes. Yes, I swear.”

As you hung up the phone, you hardly noticed someone in a black coat walking by you. “I’m so sorry!” the man exclaimed, picking up your dropped phone and handing it over to you. “I hope nothing happened to it,” he said.

You examined your phone, discovering that the screen wasn’t cracked and seemed to be functioning just find. “Don’t even worry about it,” you assured the man, glancing up at his bespectacled face. You paused. “I’m sorry, are you Jacob?” you asked him, vaguely recognising his face.

The man chuckled. “Kevin, actually,” he corrected. “It’s Y/n, right?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry,” you said. “I’m not so great with names. Not that I was really trying to remember this summer, anyway,” you added awkwardly.

Kevin hummed. “Do you go to school here?”

“I do,” you nodded.

“Me too,” Kevin smiled.

Your eyes widened. “You go to school with Juyeon, though,” you recalled. “That means…”

“He goes here too,” Kevin finished for you. He studied your expression. “You should really talk to him. I think that a few things got mixed up between you guys and I’d hate for you to keep thinking poorly of my friend.”

Talking to Juyeon again just when you were getting over thinking of him didn’t seem like the wisest idea to you. And yet, “Okay,” you agreed. “I’ll meet him.”

It seemed almost too ironic that Juyeon was waiting for Kevin in the same café your friend was waiting in. When you saw the two sitting together, you realised why your friend was so desperate to get you to the café quickly. Sneaky.

“Hey,” you greeted Juyeon, taking a seat opposite him as your friend and Kevin gave you some privacy.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t meet you,” Juyeon apologised. “I know this sounds ridiculous but I got fired for breaking into the pool at night.”

You hadn’t been expecting that. “What?”

“The manager saw that someone had been breaking into the pool after hours. It seemed that he hadn’t gotten the keys on the nights where I locked up, so he pretty quickly figured out who it was,” Juyeon was sheepish to admit. “They escorted me out of the hotel so I couldn’t stay to talk to you.”

“Why didn’t you call?” you wondered.

Juyeon smirked. “It’s not like we exchanged numbers,” he argued.

“That stupid not falling in love and not getting heartbroken bullshit,” you sighed.

Juyeon rose an eyebrow. “You think it’s bullshit too?” he asked. “Glad to hear it. I was getting pretty sick of it by the end of the summer too.”

“Tell me about it,” you grinned. “So, we go to the same University,” you stated the obvious.

“Looks like it,” Juyeon grinned back at you. “I don’t know. It almost seems like it’s fate or something.”

You snorted. “Fate? Three months ago you refused to fall in love, and now you believe in fate?”

“People change,” Juyeon defended himself. “Especially when they meet someone worth changing for.”

You rose an eyebrow in surprise. “Oh really?”

Juyeon leaned forward. “Go on a date with me,” he requested. You merely smiled disbelievingly at him. “Seriously,” Juyeon insisted, eyes slightly narrowed with focus. “I’ve had three months to get to know you and I’ve been missing you for two more. I don’t want to wait anymore.”

Your stomach fluttered with butterflies. You didn’t have to think about your answer for even one second. You were already head over heels for him. “And if we get heartbroken?” you asked quietly.

Juyeon cocked his head to the side, his familiar eye-smile appearing as he realised you felt the same as him. “Then at least I know that I loved you.”

note: this took me so long to write i’ve been working on it for a whole month. i hope you enjoyed it!!

updated note: guys i wrote this fic a year before thrill ride came out i basically predicted the future lmaooo

[halloweenhoneylover]

the window

summary: reader gives spencer a really cute holiday gift, and he really, really appreciates it (spencer reid x gn!reader)

word count: 2.7k

author’s note: this was supposed to be a blurb lmao. also anon, u did not specify gender, so this is gender neutral!!! also, this is for the holiday season and isn’t specific to christmas (aside from mentions of secret santa gift exchange). also also, spencer knits canonically.

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID.

Rolling your eyes, you closed the seemingly menacing pop-up on your screen and continued to finish up your paperwork. A few seconds passed before a second pop-up appeared.

DO NOT CLOSE MY MESSAGES!!!

You heaved a sigh and stood, making your way to Garcia’s lair. Pushing the door open, you skipped a greeting entirely and chided, “Dude, you gotta stop sending scary pop-ups to my computer. People are gonna start thinking that unsubs are hacking the FBI and threatening agents.”

From beneath her horn-rimmed glasses, Penelope tutted and chewed the end of her pen. “You are no fun. Besides, you are forgetting my immensely cool and mysterious origin story. ‘The Black Queen’ was not one of the good guys!”

“That’s true,” you admitted, “but you’re one of us now, so that means no more suspicious messages unless you want to be fired.”

She gave you a contemptuous glare, “Not gonna happen. Also, I’m really shocked that you thought you could distract me from the matter at hand.”

Furrowing your brow, you replied, “I don’t even know what the matter at hand is.”

Garcia’s smirk curled devilishly. “You and Reid.”

Further confusion ensued. “And what about us?”

She groaned and threw her head back, “Oh my god, you really are dragging this out. I know that you did not get him for Secret Santa, but you still got him a present.” The quirking of her eyebrows was enough to indicate that she meant more than what she was saying, and you were hesitant to explore the implications.

“Okay, first of all, it is illegal to look at my credit card history, and secondly, he is my best friend, so yes, I got him a present. Is that a crime?”

“Certainly not...but this does solidify the fact that you’re in love with him.”

“Dear god, Garcia, I am not in love with Spencer Reid.”

The look she gave you was one of utter incredulity. Her disbelief was so strong in fact that she did not deign your statement worthy of verbal response. Instead, she sat there. Staring. And under her rather unnerving gaze, you began to fidget, your resolve slowly dissolving. Squeezing your eyes shut, you relented. 

“Okay, maybe I am the littlest, tiniest bit in love with Spencer Reid.”

“Well, duh, but what I really need to know is when you’re gonna tell him.”

“When? Garcia, this is not a ‘when’ question. Actually, it’s not a question at all because never in a million years would I ever tell him.”

“Why not?” she exclaimed, gesturing with her pen still in hand. “You spend almost all of your time together, at work and at home! You guys go to bookstores and museums and cafes. He talks about his silly little statistics, and you listen, and you make your silly little jokes, and he laughs; you’re a match made in heaven! And he’s so obviously into you! That boy writes the definition of heart eyes every time he looks at you.”

Steeling your jaw, you rebutted, “That’s just not true.” Your voice faltered. “Sure, I’ve noticed a certain...affection, but he does not love me in the same way I love him.” You let out a shaky breath before deciding to continue. “Did you know that in all of our years of friendship he’s never touched me? I mean sure, it’s happened once or twice in the field, but that was always an accident. And yeah, I know he has his thing with germs, but don’t you think if he liked me as anything more than a friend, he would have done something by now? A pinky promise, a teasing elbow jab—I don’t know—something?”

Penelope’s face softened, and she tried to recover your confidence. “He’s like that with everyone! He likes his space. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him initiate contact with anyone on the team.”

 “But isn’t that the point, Garcia? I’m just like everyone else to him. He wants space from me.” Bitterness roiled in your stomach and dripped from your tongue. “Not very romantic, huh?” 

Trying to piece together a counterargument, she stumbled slightly, “No, I will give you that.” She paused. “But I think he’s just scared. Not of germs, not of you, but of his feelings for you. He’s not the most well-adjusted person I know.”

You chuckled lightly, gradually resuming your normally light-hearted disposition, “I would agree.”

“Well, I hope he likes his present.”

The semblance of a tired smile graced your face. “Yeah, me too.” 

You turned to walk out and had almost made it out the door when her voice stopped you. “Also, I will stop sending suspicious pop-ups to your computer.”

Peeking back through the doorway, you grinned.“I think it’d be for the best. Texting does exist for a reason.”

——— 

It had been a really good day. It wasn’t often where an entire day in the bullpen passed only with friends and laughter and love and light, but today was one of them. Snow fell silently outside the windows, but everything inside felt warm like laughing so hard that your cheeks ache and your stomach hurts.

By now, a sort of daze had befallen the team as the giddiness wore on and the alcohol set in, fuzzing eyes and minds. Most everyone had paired off after the gift exchange a few minutes prior, but no one had drifted too far. (Maybe it was the team instinct: never stray too far from the pack, but it was also likely that everyone just enjoyed the proximity to their loved ones, their family.) Garcia seemed to be in heaven, tucked into Morgan’s side on a couch that had been dragged haphazardly into the bullpen, and murmured conversation stretched on with intermittent peals of laughter. Predictably, Hotch and Rossi had sequestered themselves to a nearby desk, their scotch glasses never dry and grins never fading. (Hotch during the holidays was something special. His often frigid demeanor thawed, and out from the ice peeked his former self who wasn’t so serious. (His rare giggles were quite the surprise though.)) Emily and JJ sat on the latter’s desk, discussing anything and everything (except for psychopathic murderers), while you had pulled your chair up to sit beside Spencer at his desk. 

“So are you pleased about your gift from Rossi?” you asked, a faint grin playing at your lips.

“I am,” he replied, clearly enthused. “But I don’t think I’ll ever understand how he managed to get an authentic TARDIS key.” His finger traced the edge of the authenticity certificate Rossi had bestowed on him that sat on his desk; the key was already hanging around his neck.

You raised your eyebrows and nodded. “Well, money is a powerful thing.”

“True,” he mused before furrowing his brow. “But that’s another thing, the expense limit is not a suggestion, but he always treats it like it is. Puts all the rest of us to shame.”

“There’s no shame in an inexpensive gift!” you argued. “As long as time or thought was put in, it doesn’t matter.”

“Penelope surely didn’t skimp on time spent for yours,” he said, pointing to the homemade knitted hat and glove set on the desk beside you.

“No, I did not!” she yelled from her spot on the couch, somehow having managed to pick up on your conversation, and you laughed. “Lots and lots of time and love was poured into those!” Her speech was slightly slurred as her eggnog intake began to infringe on her lucidity.

“I know this, and I love you for it,” you beamed at her.

“I love you too.” She proceeded to bury her face in Derek’s shoulder who could only chuckle at her antics. 

You picked up a glove and inspected it. “I truly cannot comprehend how she made these. Circular knitting needles are my living hell.”

Sitting up with renewed interest, Spencer said, “If you need help with them, I could lend a hand. I knit my mom a sweater this year, and I think I finally understand how they work if you ever wanted me to show you.”

“I’d love that.” Hopefully, the flush of your cheeks could be blamed on the wine you had had. “Speaking of your mom, how is she? Are you excited to see her?”

The corners of his mouth turned up, and he nodded. “She’s good; her nurse said she’s been doing really well lately. She’s less paranoid, more alert, so I’m really excited. I think this will be a good trip.”

“I’m so glad!” You sat there with a dumb smile for a moment, your mind lagging for a moment (damn wine) before realization crashed onto you. “Wait, speaking of your mom, I have something for you!” He cocked his head to the side as you stood up and went to your desk, rifling through one of the drawers. Pulling out a neatly wrapped gift, you trotted back over and offered it to him. “This is for you.”

He took it, running a hand over the wrapping paper (it was the one with cowboys wearing Santa hats that you had found when shopping together a couple weeks before, his favorite). “(Y/N), you didn’t have to get me anything.”

Shrugging lightly, you said, “Yeah, I know we did the whole gift exchange thing, but I saw it, and I thought of you and had to get it.” And you definitely did not actively seek this out for him in the search for his perfect present. Which is something somebody who is definitely not in love with him would do.

He looked up at you, eyes already glassy and searching your face for something. You weren’t sure what he was looking for, but then he met your gaze with unwavering certainty. “Thank you, (Y/N/N).”

“No problem, ya big sap, now open it already.” 

Ever the cautious one, he opened it carefully, sliding a finger under the edge of the paper and gently easing the tape up. The small action of unwrapping a present so attentively was just so Spencer your heart swelled as you suppressed the growing grin. From the paper emerged a book.

“‘A Collection of Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer,’” he murmured, smoothing a hand over the cover.

When he didn’t immediately react, seemingly frozen, nerves crept up the back of your neck, and you sputtered out some sort of reasoning. “I know your mom used to read Chaucer to you; you mentioned ‘The Parliament of Fowls’ when we worked the Fisher King case, and it’s in this collection, and I thought it’d be fun for you to take it to Vegas and read it together and—”

Your explanation came to an abrupt halt as Spencer threw his arms around you, enveloping you in a bone-crushing hug. Immediately melting into it, you embraced him with a similar intensity and buried your face in his neck. Something in his touch allowed you to let go, and it felt like the moment you could finally exhale. 

A breath you’d been holding for longer than you could remember. 

You could smell the cologne that he wore for ‘special occasions’ and his shampoo and something so faint but so undeniably him, and his hand slid up to the back of your head, cradling it in the most tender fashion, and you felt like you could cry. So you pulled him closer, and he did the same.

The hug definitely lasted longer than what most people would find comfortable, but neither of you could be convinced to retreat until you became aware of the silence that had settled over the bullpen. You felt the many pairs of eyes on you, and it pained you to pry yourself off of Spencer. Breathless, you looked around at the shocked faces of your co-workers who sat with mouths agape and eyes wide. You coughed slightly to try to ease the tension and then for some reason beyond your knowledge, you decided to wave at them in the most awkward fashion. Sitting back down, you could feel stares lingering as conversation resumed, and you looked up at Reid who looked like a deer in headlights. You laughed quietly, tugging his sleeve until he received the memo and sat down again. 

He cleared his throat and avoided eye contact, glancing at his present. “Thank you for the book, (Y/N/N).”

“You’re welcome,” you replied, your tone earnest as ever. Still reeling from the hug, you faintly became aware of the speed of your heartbeat and unconsciously brought a hand to your chest. You attempted fruitlessly to sort through your raging thoughts, while across from you, Spencer tried to think of something, anything to say now. 

He couldn’t really believe he’d done it. His germaphobia remained everpresent, but somehow the emotion welling in his chest at your sincerity and benevolence had overridden it, and he felt helpless in stopping himself. His heart had lurched in his chest as if it was suddenly struck with the need to be in your hands, propelling him forward. But it wasn’t like he hadn’t wanted to. He had wanted to for so long, but he’d never mustered the courage before. There was something so special, so intimate about touch, and so many people gave it so freely, and he just didn’t understand how they could allow themselves the indulgence. The absolute luxury of giving and receiving love. Spencer often felt like he sat by a window, watching his life pass by outside of it, and he had always wanted to open it, to really experience all the joy and all the grief and all the love that was waiting for him, but it was scary to open himself up to those feelings and the hurt that could ensue. So, he usually sat discontented by his window. But today, it was like he’d grabbed a hammer and smashed the glass completely and stepped through to be able to return the love you had offered him. 

It felt so good.

But now, he had no idea what to do. He stood there in the midst of the shattered glass, and deep down, he knew had to take the last couple steps to get to you, but he didn’t know how. 

His fingers fidgeted in his lap as he analyzed your blank face, trying to find something to give him the next direction when a realization hit him. “I didn’t get you anything!”

Drawn back from the depths of whatever thought you had been stuck in, you met his gaze and shook your head. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. I broke the gift exchange rules to get you something, so you had no way of knowing.”

“But I feel terrible.” His eyebrows drew together, and he frantically tried to think of some way to repay you. “You get me an incredibly lovely and wonderfully thoughtful gift, and I’m the loser who didn’t get his best friend a present!”

“Spencer—”

“Wait!” he interrupted, a revelation arriving. (He knew how to take the last steps.) “When I get back after the holidays, do you want to get dinner with me? Then, we can go to the bookstore on 10th that you love, and you can pick out a book, and I’ll pay.”

Your eyes widened further than you thought possible, and your heart which had only partially recovered was off to the races once again. You decided to take the plunge and ask the burning question. “Do you—um, do you mean like a date?”

“Yeah,” he answered, beaming so brightly. “Yes. Like a date. If you want to.”

You held each other’s gaze, and the warmth that had filled the bullpen all day filled your chests, and you smiled so hard your faces hurt. 

So silly, you thought, to have wasted all this time boarding up my affection and keeping it tucked away, safe and useless.

So ridiculous, he thought, to have sat by that stupid window for so many years when the real thing feels so sweet.

“I think I’d like that a lot.”

[actualdegenerate]

I only have eyes for you

Pairing: Tanaka x Male Manager Reader

Genre: angst with a happy ending, hurt/comfort

Summary: how can you compete with the pretty manager he clearly adores?

Warnings: Insecurities?

A/N: I finished this at 3:30 am, so don’t judge the ending, also, the average male height in japan is 1.60 cm?? so i made the reader shorter than Tanaka assuming the reader is Japanese, sorry if you’re taller than him!

Words: 2 k

There she went, pretty as always, beauty so mesmerizing it managed to turn the heads of boys and girls alike. Black hair slightly falling into her face as she leaned to pick up the water bottles, gracefully as ever. You watched as she left quietly, disappearing from your vision as you continued with the net you were already setting up. She was mainly the reason you were here right now, having approached you after school, looking for a second manager for the volleyball team. You almost had a heart attack when you realized she was actually talking, to you of all people.

You ended up agreeing with her, considering that you had yet to find a club, and, yeah, even though you thought it was gonna be weird at first, managers stereotypically being girls but got used to it very quickly. Now your biggest problem with this came in the form of an overly excited bald boy who was not only in love with Kiyoko, but also probably straight.

And it’s not like the whole “same-gender” thing is a problem, you already had a questioning phase in your life that consisted of several awkward crushes and big realizations. Of course, some people knew, but you were not openly out yet, and the only person in the team that actually knew was Ennoshita, who was also your closest friend on the team, thanks, mostly, to shared classes. You couldn’t tell if he knew about your crush, but something about the looks he sent your way when Tanaka was teasing you told you he did.

Shaking out of your thoughts, you heard the rowdy first years arriving at the gym. After getting an actual coach and somehow getting a new manager, the team got bigger, and stronger along with that.

That was a problem. Well, no, it wasn’t, you enjoyed how alive the club had gotten with more members and all of that, but it made you feel more distant from everyone. You were the only male in the club who wasn’t playing volleyball and the only manager who wasn’t female, so naturally, it felt as if you were mostly watching from afar. It was always ‘the players’, ‘the cute managers’, and you.

Looking towards the team, you noticed most of them were already warming up, and everyone but Kiyoko and the second year pair was here. Sighing softly to yourself, you could already tell how things were gonna go. Nishinoya and Tanaka barging in behind your senior praising her like always, thanking Yachi for joining too, and making her talk and smile more.

“KIYOKO-SAN!!!” was heard from somewhere outside the gym, and you knew you were right in your assumption when she entered followed by the boys. Looking away, you decided to spare yourself and go get the manager notebooks and some towels for when they finish. You didn’t get very far, running into Yachi halfway there, books already in her hands, saying that Kiyoko got the towels.

“y/n-Kun, I was wondering if you'd let Yachi and I take notes for today? I want to make sure she learned how to do so last week.” Kiyoko asked as you entered the gym.

“Yeah, no problem,” you said, cause there really wasn’t anything else to say.

You looked around during the first break, gaze lingering over the tough boy that unknowingly had your heart. You can’t remember when you fell for him, but somewhere along the line, his loud, energetic personality somehow made you want to kiss him.

It's kinda funny, to talk about it like you didn’t know why you fell for him, not as it mattered anyway, as stated before, there is no way he could ever like you back.

And this is where that left you, looking longingly at him while he looked at someone else, someone who looks better than you ever will. That’s what you told yourself anyway, because, in reality, it hurt more knowing that you had no chance with him, to begin with.

So you did what you best know how to do, push them both away and hope your feelings disappear.

You walked away to spare yourself from watching him flirting and borderline worship her, you stopped hanging out with him as much, limiting interactions and avoiding him altogether. This, however, backfired, as you noticed that as much effort went into building a wall between your friendship, he put in twice as much to bring it down. Somewhat reluctantly, you accepted the fact that you might never be able to distance yourself enough from him to actually get over him, and his stubbornness and persistence to “save” your friendship only made your feelings act up.

Or so you thought.

...

To say you were surprised when someone after a match started flirting with you, a male volleyball player, at that, was an understatement. You felt your face heating up as his frame loomed over you in an attempt to be seductive, as flattered as you felt, being so new to the situation, your brain barely gave you time to react before there was a muscular back in front of you and a boy with a shaved head “protecting” you.

---

Now, Tanaka, despite being angry and rough around the edges, cared deeply about all his friends, and he couldn't, for the life of him, understand what he had done to push you away. He wasn't the only one that realized how averse you were to be around him and everyone on the team wondered what had he done to hurt you so much. Hell, he had spent more than one sleepless night wracking his brain thinking about what he did to be able to apologize properly, hitting nothing but dead-ends.

He never before has felt so absolutely horrible after the thought of losing someone as close as you were, he didn't even think about how important you were to him until recently and now his drive to spend more time with you turned into painful brooding over how your relationship looked like it wasn't going to last.

Rubbing his eyes, trying to dismiss the tears threatening to appear, he focused on the situation at hand.

The match against Kakugawa was harder than what they initially expected, but now it was over and done and all that was left was to wait for Kiyoko and Hinata to return. Turning around to Noya for a bit of distraction he noticed out of the corner of his eye the way someone was crowding you, eyes cast down and body slightly shifting.

He did not know what came over him, but suddenly the only thought in his mind was making him go away and bringing you back to safety next to him. Body acting on his own, he didn't even realize he moved until after coming between you two, body and mind on autopilot as he dragged you back to the group by the wrist.

Only after reaching the rest of the team, did he stop to look at you, small, disheveled, and faintly trembling, holding onto his arm. Your eyes met and his heart sped up.

“You okay? Y/N?” he asked, trying to play smooth.

“Why did- why did you do that?”

“Well, I couldn’t let our cutest manager be hit on like that!” he said as if it was the obvious answer, paying attention to the way your eyes widened and your breath stuttered.

Before you could say anything, Kiyoko and Hinata had returned with Hinata's bento box, meaning the end of your conversation.

you returned to your house that night with butterflies that didn’t seem to want to leave tasting bitter in your mouth as you wondered what had happened and hoped it meant more, knowing you were just feeding yourself with lies as you looked at your wrist where he had grabbed you.

Tanaka was doing no better, grabbing his head- at the lack of hair to pull- while tossing and turning, thoughts plagued with the way his stomach stirred when you were clinging to his arm earlier and how you fit next to him like matching puzzle pieces.

He didn’t understand exactly what it meant, Saeko had talked about the word ‘bisexual’ with him but he wasn’t really paying attention, he was more focused on his past stupidity. He had known for a while that he and Kiyoko might never work out, getting over her fairly quickly during his first year. His fawning nowadays was mostly to keep appearances and, don’t get him wrong, he still thought she was beautiful and amazing, it was more a matter of him no longer having romantic feelings towards her. Now it was as if he had gotten punched in the gut with feelings that he didn’t know were there, a crush that was a bit too big and no idea if it was mutual.

Without knowing who to turn to for help, seeing as Saeko had helped him figure his own stuff up, but hadn’t spent enough time around you to help him with that, he went to the only other people he could think of. And that's how the next afternoon Ennoshita was dragged to his house by Nishinoya and him, trying to avoid you after practice so that there were no suspicions nor hurt feelings.

Both of his friends, after yelling at him because “We thought you knew about your feelings??” Made him write you the neatest note he could, asking you to meet him after school the next day at ‘your usual spot’, which was just a tree that you guys sit under most days during lunchtime.

So, the following morning, you found yourself staring at a card that looked like it was written by a kid with how shaky the letters were, but had the unmistakable handwriting of a certain trouble-maker that left you tongue-tied.

Hours dragged by, and only after what must have been an eternity, were you able to almost run over to the tree, knowing there wasn’t much time left, the club leaving you barely with ten minutes.

You missed his arrival mostly because you were distracted by the letter, but refused to look up once you noticed him, fearing you might give away how nervous you were due to his proximity.

“Hey so, I- I kinda realized that, after being friends for a while, I might like you? As in, more than friends. I don't know why I'm telling you this, I don't even know if you like boys like that? Noya and Ennoshita kind of convinced me to do this out of the blue"

As shocked as you were from his words, which weren't really registering in your brain, the somersaults your heart was doing inside your chest urged you to give some sort of reaction.

“Well, I don't know, maybe if you feel a similar way we could, go out sometime? hopefully? I totally understand if you don't though, and I certainly would like to keep being friends either way, so, um, yeah."

Your heart melted upon seeing Tanaka's flushed face, hand rubbing his neck as he gently rocked back and forth, not being able to look at you properly. Thanking whatever god may be listening, in an outburst of excitement, you threw your arms around him in a hug, almost tackling him to the ground in the process.

“I always thought you liked Kiyoko,” you said, muffled from the place your head had taken, buried in his chest. You could feel his boisterous laugh enveloping you into such a safe space, you doubted you’d ever want to leave.

“I mean, I used to like her, but I don’t think I see her as anything other than a friend after all, plus, why would I like her when I have the cutest manager with me right now.” He said, placing a soft kiss on the forehead, that truly made you wonder how you could be so blind in the beginning as to not notice the oblivious volleyball player’s clear feelings towards you, but hey, at least you weren’t the only one.

[dani-escribe]

A Place To Call Home

Chapter 1 

Pairing: Marcus Pike x F! Reader 

Wordcount: 1,594 

Summary:  Who would have known that a day at the art museum could lead to meeting an extremely handsome FBI Agent ;)

Warnings:  An incredible amount of fluff (seriously, like cotton candy level). SLOW BURN (buckle up for the ride!). Reader is a pediatric nurse, so a few mentions of kids and medical procedures in later chapters. 

A/N:  Thanks so much for reading and I really hope you like it! This is my comeback into writing and I am honestly so excited to keep writing this series. After watching the Mentalist and seeing how it ended I wanted to give our precious Marcus a happy ending (this is totally self-indulgent bc why not!). I want to thank @lowlights @fastandfeminist @wbl75 for being my beta readers and for all of their support. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! :) 

Read here on ao3 

You didn't know what possessed you to go visit the art museum on a rainy Wednesday afternoon, but you’re sure glad you went. You hadn't really had time to go to many museums in the last couple of years and wanted to really take in the experience. You’d been walking around looking at all of the intricate paintings and reading the descriptions of each one to try to understand what they were about when you saw a man that fit right in with the artwork. His pensive stance and deep brown eyes drew you in right away. 

He was reading the description of the painting in front of him. He let out a short stifled laugh as if he knew something more about the painting that wasn't included in the description. The grey suit and black tie he was wearing made you wonder if he might be here on a date with someone or if he worked here. You were truly hoping that it was the latter of the two.

 When you noticed that you had been staring at him for a creepy amount of time, you started to turn away, and in that exact moment he seemed to catch your eye. The way that he smiled made it seem like the world stopped for a short second. Before your flirty gaze turned into an awkward stare, you gave him a smile back and retreated to look at other artwork. 

Walking around the other exhibits and looking at the sculptures and canvases from different time periods you began to think about all the wonders that you missed moving around as a kid. Your parents were teachers/potters and their jobs came with the occasional relocation to different places. They said that while teaching was their passion, ceramics had been their first true love. This meant that while you were usually in a stable place for a few years, during summer you and your sibling moved around with them to sell their art in different fairs. While you had seen and sold a lot of different types of art over the years, you never really had much time to appreciate it. 

Your parents had been incredible in providing for you, and had only moved to ensure you had the best opportunities; but you always wondered about the experiences that you missed while being in a hurry to assimilate for half of your life. You knew that their teaching jobs didn't pay much, and that they used the money they got from their art to help cover the bills. This is why you had decided to move close to your family after starting a job at a local hospital in order to find a permanent place for yourself, a place that you could call home. 

After making sure to see all of the exhibits at least once, you walked out of the museum with a sense of satisfaction: one, because you felt like you were catching up on lost time, and two, because of the interaction that you had had with a handsome stranger. 

One of the best things was that the drive back to your new apartment from the museum, and pretty much everything else, was only about 5 minutes (10 if you counted traffic during rush hour). This also meant that everything was within walkable distance, which was also good because you sure as hell needed to start buying some supplies if you were going to clean up the pile of unpacked boxes at your new apartment. 

As the night went on you were able to get most of your unpacking done, and you thought back to the stranger with those big brown eyes and gorgeous smile. He had a kind smile, one that made you feel like you could trust him, which was rare in a man you had just met. God, not only that but the suit that he had on made him seem like he was straight out of a James Bond movie. While putting away the last of your clothing, the blue scrubs that you had bought for your new job fell from the pile that you were carrying. This was enough to snap you out of your train of thought. You really needed to focus on thinking about that instead of daydreaming about a person you haven't even talked to, even if he had some of the cutest dimples you had seen. After trying to get him out of your thoughts unsuccessfully, you figured that it was either stressing about your new job or thinking about him. Ultimately you decided that a little daydreaming couldn't hurt too much. You wondered if you would ever see him again, and hoped that by some twist of fate you would. 

--- 

With your job starting today you figured it would be a sign of good comradery to bring your new coworkers some coffee from the cute diner down the street. Also, you found social interactions to be quite tricky at first and an ice breaker couldn't seem to hurt. Plus who doesn't like free breakfast, especially on a Monday morning right? 

As you got dressed in your blue scrubs you headed for the door a whole hour early to avoid being late and to try to make a good impression. Making sure to note as you entered the diner to grab some scones or muffins for those who don’t like coffee, you accidentally stumbled into the man exiting with his coffee. The splash drenched his tie and shirt, only leaving his pants unscathed. Starting to profusely apologize and grabbing a handful of napkins to clean up the mess, you almost missed the fact that the brown eyes that were looking at you right now were the same ones that had held your gaze in the museum. 

“I am so sorry, I can totally pay for your dry cleaning,” you gasped, both out of embarrassment and amazement that you were seeing the gorgeous stranger that had plagued your mind for the past couple of days. 

“No worries at all. I actually needed an excuse to get out of wearing this tie that I got as a gift last year, so to think of it you really saved me,” he let out a chuckle. Now that you're looking at it, it is a very… bold choice of clothing. It was a striped neon tie with pink and orange interchanging lines. 

“I got it as an office exchange party gift and now have the perfect excuse to change out of it.” Those killer dimples were showing along with the smile he gave you that helped to put you at ease. 

“Well at least let me replace your coffee,” you said with a laugh at his honesty. 

You went back inside to pay for his and your coffee orders and got to talking a bit before your orders were out. 

“So what brings you around here, besides the coffee of course. I haven't really seen you here before,” he stated as he moved slightly closer to hear your answer over the clinking of cutlery and dishes. 

“Oh I actually just moved near here. I’m starting today at the nearby hospital as a pediatric nurse. ” His proximity made you suddenly aware of how tall he was. He had at least a few good inches on you, and he leaned in to listen when you spoke. This didn’t help with your already flustered state to say the least. 

“That sounds really exciting, congrats! The closest I get with kids at my job is the ones on an oil painting,” his eyes crinkled a bit as he laughed. 

“Yeah, I totally understand. Little kids are such a wonder but working with them is not for everyone,” you chimed in with a bit of a laugh “Are you a curator then, is that why you were at the museum the other day?” You asked with a hope that he hadn't been there with anyone as a date. 

“Oh no, I actually work with the FBI. I’m in the art crimes division. I was doing research on a new case which is why I was down in the museum. Some inspiration never hurts.” Now it was your turn to be amazed. You didn’t actually think he would be an agent like James Bond, but you weren’t complaining. 

“I guess it doesn't hurt that it's really close to here too huh.” You added noting that it was a bit serendipitous to have met him twice in a few days within the same five mile radius. 

Just as you were about to say something else your name was called and your orders came out. When you were about to turn to leave he called to you. 

“I never did get your name,” he noted before heading out. 

You told him your name and he repeated it in a way that made it seem like he was trying it out. 

“And I feel like the least I can do is learn the name of the person who I so viciously attacked with a coffee cup.” You stated as you gave him a sheepish smile.  

He let out a short laugh and replied, “The name of the person who you saved from having to continue wearing a highlighter tie is Marcus.” You shook your head at his joke and turned to leave. 

As you grabbed the door handle you took one last look back and said “hope to see you around, Marcus.” You waved and parted ways to head in for your first day of work.

[angelkurenai]

Imagine trying to explain what a snowball fight is to Thor but failing because of your friends constantly messing with you.

“So is it like...a tradition? It must take place at least once a year, every year, or does it happen every couple of years?” Thor asked with a tilt of his head, watching you carefully as you poured a cup of hot chocolate for yourself.

“Oh I wish.” you sighed “But no, it's more like a game. Children often enjoy it, really. However, it is very common for adults too, it's fun whatever the age.”

“Did I hear fun and adults in one sentence correctly? Is this a topic where my vast knowledge comes in handy and is fully appreciated at last? Cause I could talk for hours if you just let me!” Tony, not surprisingly enough, was quick to say with a smirk barely seconds after he strolled into the room; as if he had been there the whole time and part of the conversation for just as long.

“Hm more like five or six minutes because that's how long that lasts with you, both in theory and in practice.” you scoffed a laugh, smiling to yourself even more when you noticed the look Tony gave you.

“One time, seriously, one time.” he muttered before shaking his head and making his way towards the coffee maker.

“And then... there was never a second one.” Natasha muttered as she walked past her friend, a smirk on her lips when Tony narrowed his eyes dangerously at her.

“How do you know that?” it was Steve who asked the question, his eyebrows furrowed deeply; an almost hard angry expression on his face, or at least you would have called it that if it weren't for the way he looked more like a sad kicked puppy than anything else.

“Yes, (Y/n), how do you know that?” the billionaire smirked, raising an eyebrow and earning a punch on the shoulder on your behalf from Natasha.

“Mistakes happen once or twice in life. Personally I believe it was twice because I had two extra shots even though I already knew I was wasted.” you shrugged calmly, taking a sip of your drink.

“Touche.” Tony muttered “I guess we'll wait and see how the new one performs huh?”

“New what?” Steve frowned, looking at Tony who just smirked with a shake of his head.

“You won't be a witness, Tony. For one. And for another, you didn't set the record very high to begin with.”

“Nobody. Don't worry, Cap, it's a well-known fact in all of the nine realms-” Tony grinned “That (Y/n)'s got eyes only for you and- how did Scott call it? Ah yeah, America's ass! Ain't nothin' that can steal her attention away from that, even on the battlefield, let me tell you!”

“Tony” you hissed but not mostly out of your own embarrassment but actually Steve's who had a far too adorable pink on his cheeks as his eyes widened slightly in realization.

“You're welcome by the way, darling.” Tony grinned anyway.

“You're unbelievable.” you shook your head “But that's besides the point here. How did the meeting go?”

“Just like any meeting with Ross involved would go.” Natasha sighed “What was that you guys were talking about again? Cause I have a feeling it is not what Tony so easily guessed.”

“You couldn't be more right. See it's snowing today and Thor saw a bunch of kids on the way here, engaging in a snowball fight. So I was explaining the concept to him.” you explained, getting up from the kitchen counter and making your way to the couch along with everybody else.

“Yeah, the temperature's dropped significantly. Before we know it winter will be here.” Steve sighed softly, sitting close to you and letting you drape your legs over his, the proximity and constant contact something you had both grown more than just used to. Content with it and almost seeking the touch was something you couldn't deny and would never do.

“Is that your way of suggesting you too should share body heat? Because I've seen scenes like this and the way they usually end up in is-” but the rest came out muffled from Tony's lips as Natasha pressed a hand over his mouth.

“For the love of, don't make me wish I was still stuck in a meeting room with Ross instead of here.” she gave him a look “Either drink or I'm gonna drag him in here, I swear to you.”

“You asked for it.” you shrugged, giving him a satisfied smile when he gave her a nod and thankfully didn't say another word.

“So, snowball fights? What was so interesting about it?”

“Oh plenty, I couldn't get enough answers it seems.” the god of thunder smiled “Besides, I've never been to a snowball fight.”

“Really? Like never ever?” Steve raised an eyebrow.

“Never, and it seems like such a fascinating thing. Yet, I don't even think I know the rules properly. Is there a point system or is it to death?”

He still looked so cheerful, excited even, as he kept his smile on. Even when the words came out, that you possibly couldn't help but share a look with the rest of your friends. However your eyes stayed glued on Tony as he parted his lips, ready to speak.

“Don't! Don't you dare!” you raised a finger “Otherwise I'm gonna have him snowball fight you to death!”