#and you put your face on your steering wheel and muster everything within you to burn with that wish and hope

[madamescarlette]

[6sakusa]

‘broken’ miya atsumu.

a/n : lol i almost cried writing this so enjoy.

warnings : angst, physical violence (slap), mentions of cheating, mild swearing, me not proof reading.

“y/n, i love you and i want to spend the rest of my life by your side, so will you marry me?” you watched your boyfriend of four years get on one knee. he had told you earlier on to dress up nicely as it was a ‘special’ occasion. you assumed the only reason was the fact that the two of you were going to one of the best resturants in the city which would no doubt produce a bank breaking bill. but you were wrong, the occasion was special and you could easily name it as one of the best moments of your life.

it was hard to imagine that anything would be able to overshadow this, the feeling of bliss in your heart as he said those words to you, the sparkle in your eyes as you watched him pull at the ring which he clearly spent a fortune on, the round of applause ringing in the background from the on-lookers who were also dining. perhaps the only thing that would be better than this would be the birth of your first child, or all your children in fact.

you’d always imagined a life with miya atsumu the moment he asked you to be his girlfriend, you knew that he was more of the apartment type, specifically penthouses since his professional volleyball career allowed him a generous pay. you on the other hand had always been a house type, you longed for something big enough to nurture a family in, the two of you had been bickering about this for years since high school since the both of you were so sure that you would end up being his wife.

“yes, yes, yes oh my god of course i’ll marry you.” you squealed in excitement leaping into his arms with the biggest smile you had ever flaunted in your entire life. and those were the words he wanted to hear more than anything because he too had imagined a perfect life with you.. if only he could abide by it.

you rested in his arms, only pulling away to run your fingers over the pricey ring he had bought you. and of course he knew you’d love it when you had it saved to one of your pinterest boards for years.

“congratulations.” an array of customers proclaimed giving in to the celebratory atmosphere. truly, this was everything you could have asked for in life, you had a wonderful fiance, a beautiful place to live, you were thriving in your career and your social life was buzzing, curtesy of many of atsumu’s friends.

“do you like it?” he asked taking your hand to admire how beautiful you looked under the lighting positioned directly under your table. in addition, the stunning dress you had picked for the night was making you anything but resistible. how badly he wanted to tear the fabric off you and pound into you until sunrise was something he was struggling to hide.

“it’s beautiful.” you were mesmerised by the sight of it and your fiancé’s thoughtfulness, there was a love erupting in you that you weren’t even aware it was possible to feel for another person.

“let’s go home and.. celebrate.” he smirked with a smug expression on his face leading you towards the car. you knew exactly what he was thinking and how needy he was getting but tonight especially you would allow him to indulge in his lewd thoughts.

he held the car door open for you, he noted how much you loved this model, in fact it was your favourite one. it was one of the many things he noted about you as he planned to buy all the things you liked. maybe then you would forgive him, right? he hoped so.

he tapped against the steering wheel as the two of you drove down the night streets of tokyo, you assumed it was out of impatience because you were too distracted by your own thoughts to be as observant as usual with your boyfriends emotional state.

“y/n.. i need to tell you something.” he looked out of the window avoiding making eye contact with you as his drumming got louder. you turned to face him, readying yourself for him to make one of his usual silly jokes, or maybe one of his lewd speeches that would often come out when he got particularly riled up by you.

“what is it?” you asked with a light chuckle, the atmosphere of just a few minutes ago still buzzing within you.

“i- there’s no right way to say this but .. a couple months ago i slept with another woman and — i can’t bear the thought of you marrying me without knowing.” his words spilled out, there was barely a space between them and to any one else it would have been completely incoherent.

“what are you talking about ‘tsumu? that’s not funny.” you rolled your eyes with a smile leaning back into the passenger seat feeling the way the car moved on the smooth roads beneath you. there was a brief pause before atsumu decided to speak again, and between those seconds you thought absolutely nothing of his words. how you wish he would have just laughed along and stayed quiet, why? why did he have to tell you?

“i’m being serious.” he clenched his jaw causing you to whip your head in his direction, his eyes were still ahead on the road but he could feel your glare boaring into his skull. he couldn’t bare to face you, no — he didn’t deserve to face you.

“what?” your expression faltered, a new atmosphere dawned between the both of you. one that was a lot thicker — almost suffocating and heavily juxtaposed the one from the resturant. there was a million thoughts going through your mind right now, how was this possible? how did you not notice? how long had this been going on? why was he just telling you now? it was almost impossible to process it all at once with the feeling of your heart pounding out of your chest and your stomach getting ready to reject the food that you had eaten just minutes ago.

“i’m sorry i just, i got carried away that day you know? it was only a one time thing but i—“ his voice was cut off by a harsh slap to his cheek. you watched as the surface of his face turned red, he didn’t bother reprimanding you for getting physical, if he was being honest he expected it from you, actually he expected more. it was almost scary the way you weren’t shouting and screaming at him, the way you weren’t kicking and clawing away at him, it made him feel all the much worse.

you sighed to yourself, your breath was shaky as your heart was shattering in your chest and you hadn’t even noticed that you were crying. maybe it was because you were too occupied realising the way your life had all come crashing down in a matter of moments. your fiancé had cheated on you.. what does that mean for your relationship? would you even call him your fiancé anymore? and what about your home with him? not to mention the friendships you had with an array of his friends. what did this all mean?

“why?” your voice was below a whisper, you could barely muster up the voice to speak, there was a sickening feeling in your chest that you were way too focused on instead of your words.

“it wasn’t you.. it’s never been you, you’re perfect you’re everything i’ve ever wanted, i don’t know why, i’m just an idiot i was so stupid and i’ve regretted it everyday since... but i’m gonna fix it i promise i’ll fix it.” his voice was shaky and uneven, you could tell without looking at him that he was on the verge of tears. but that was nothing compared to what you were feeling. the fact that you had laid next to him for months without knowing that he had bedded another woman. did he touch her the way he did you? did he prefer her to you? was she prettier than you?

“how? how are you going to fix it?” you turned to him, tears staining your mascara and eyeliner, there was no doubt know that you looked like a mess. what you didn’t know is that atsumu still thought you were the prettiest girl in the world but you were too occupied being hit by the crushing realisation that the best moment of your life had just turned into the worst. love had so easily turned to hate and all your time together meant absolutely nothing to you anymore.

“well we’re going to get married right? and you’ve always liked this car right babe? i’ll buy you one. and there’s that house you always wanted, i can put a down payment on it today—“

“no.” you buried your head into your hands at the thought of your next words. four years? what did four years of your life mean now? what did you have left? “we’re not getting married.”

“wha— but you already said yes, come on don’t be like that, don’t you remember it was just a few minutes ago, you were so happy.” he spewed out words frantically, desperate to say something, anything, that would make you stay. he was prepared to sell his soul if it meant keeping you by his side, the only woman he had ever loved, the only one he had ever imagined a future with, the only one he wanted to start a family with, you were his everything.

“that was before you told me that you cheated on me and here you are throwing all these material things at me, a car? really miya? four years together and you’re here treating me like some gold-digging whore after breaking my heart? that’s why you proposed to me isn’t it? you think this ring will make me stay.” you were crying uncontrollably now and nothing atsumu could say to you or offer you would ever make you feel better.

“miya? y/n please i don’t know what else to do i’m trying to be honest with you—“

“pull over.” you interrupted him once again and he had no choice but to oblige. he knew that right now he was in no position to deny your wishes. but this was all temporary.. because you would come around right?

“i don’t understand why you would do this to me.” you bit down on your lip hard enough to draw blood, your head was spinning and it felt like your throat was closing up. you needed to leave, because miya atsumu was now too suffocating for you to be around.

“i know, i know i’m sorry, please y/n i’m so sorry — look i’m getting the house now i still want a future with you.” he tugged on your arm begging you to look at his phone where he was already entering his account details for the place you had been fawning over.

“don’t fucking touch me.” you swatted his hand away. you didn’t want him to be anywhere near you knowing how close he had been with another.

“i’ll give you space if you need it, i’ll give you whatever you want just please — don’t leave me, please don’t.” his hands were shaking now as he tried entering various different numbers into his phone, he didn’t care if he had to buy the entire house now, he’d pay for the whole thing this second if it meant he could walk you down the aisle in a couple months time.

“i don’t need anything from you.. i don’t want this anymore, forget about that house, forget about a family together, forget about marrying me.”

“no no no y/n you’re just angry right now but please don’t say things like that you don’t know how it makes me feel.” he turned to face you and his heart clenched at the tears running down your face. your makeup was smudged and you had pushed yourself to the very edge of the car just to make sure you were as far away from him as possible.

“and what about how i feel huh? did you think about that when you were fucking some other girl wherever the two of you were? you have no idea how i feel, you have no idea..” you brought your hands to your face, concealing your weak figure from his eyes.

“i don’t want this.” you removed the ring from your finger, the same one you had saved to your pinterest board for years, the same one you had imagined atsumu using to propose to you countless times, the same one that had featured in both the best and worst moment of your life.

“y/n please..” his words were stuck in his throat now, he was finally realising that there was nothing he could say — nothing he could do to make you stay. you wouldn’t come around, you respected yourself too highly for that, he would never be able to call you his again. what did his life mean?

“i hate you miya atsumu.” you pushed the door open walking out of his car despite how much he begged you to stay. you didn’t care how he chased you down the road, you didn’t care what he said to you, you didn’t think you would ever care again.. you didn’t have it in you.

and the curse placed upon atsumu? he would never be able to find love again, because he betrayed the only person to stay by his side with unconditional love for years .. there was no one on the planet who loved him the way you did.

[ack3rlady]

The Universe Had His Back - Chapter 5

Sunrise

Summary: The aftermath of the breathtaking encounter between reader and Levi when true feelings are revealed

Chapters: Four | Five | Six

Master List

Warnings: Fem! Reader, Angst, Fluff, Modern AU, Reference to alcohol abuse, slight swearing.

Word Count: ~ 2.5k

Inspiration: Starry Night - Suho

Tags: @sooibian, @queenofcurse, @red-n-tall ; Anyone else who'd like to be tagged, please let me know!

You accepted Levi’s offer to drive you home, a decision you would come to regret the moment the car was in motion. The journey was quiet, with you mostly looking out of the window as he drove. Your greed for more time with him that you didn’t account for how dejected you would go on to feel once the adrenaline dried out. You hadn't exactly ended things with him on amicable terms. The ride home in his company just added salt to the unhealed wounds. Levi turned his head towards you several times like he wanted to say something, but didn't.

“How’s Luna?”, your words finally cut through the silence, voice low and shaky.

“She’s fine. Isabel stayed at home with her today.”, he responded, eyes focused on the road.

Then it was quiet again. It took all the strength to bottle up the multitude of emotions building up within you that were burning to be expressed. So, you decided to focus your attention on the row of lush green trees along the sidewalk, whirring past you.

Levi quelled his desire to lay his hand on yours more than once; intertwining your fingers snugly together while you ran soothing circles on the back of his palm - something he always did while driving with you by his side.

‘Old habits die hard’, he thought. Neither of you uttered a word again till your apartment building was around the corner. You sat glued to your seat, unmoving even after he parked.

“You know that you could just come see her, right? She asks about you every day.”, Levi’s gaze was still fixed on the car parked in front of his own, his voice barely audible.

You sighed, feeling ashamed for depriving your own baby of your presence.

“I’m not ready. What if I can't keep it together in front of her? I need to get better before she sees me.” you despaired, looking down at your feet, too afraid of the effect on Luna if she saw you like this.

“I’m going to be right there with you. And how do you expect to get any better if you deny yourself the exact person who is capable of making you feel so?”, Levi turned in his seat to face you, placing a firm hand on your shoulder.

He was right. Of course, Luna was the only one who could pull you out of this abyss. Why had you been running away from her this whole time?

“C-Can I come see her after work tomorrow?”, you squeaked.

“You don’t have to ask. We’ll both be waiting for you.”, he whispered moving his hand to rest on top of yours.

You finally mustered up the courage to look towards him. He wore the same smile on his face that you had been in love with for the last eight years; the exact one that always assured you that everything was going to be okay.

.

Reader’s POV

You entered your apartment and laid the shopping bags on the counter. Taking off your shoes, you placed them neatly on the rack by the door, taking a little step towards keeping the word you gave Miche this morning. It was late in the evening; the Sun having just set. You glanced around your gloomy apartment, at the dark shadows and how even the brightest colored paints and fabrics looked somber in the dusk’s dullness. The eeriness of the space was starting to eat at you when something shiny on the kitchen platform caught your eye. It was a bottle of whiskey, its amber liquid gleaming in the residual rays of light entering through the window.

The conflict in your head began as you started walking towards it absentmindedly. Was tonight going to be the same as the other wretched ones of the last two weeks? Faces of Luna, Levi, Miche and Nanaba flashed before our eyes as you inched towards the humble kitchenette. Finally at your destination, you picked up the bottle and stared at it, putting up a hard fight against the demons in your head.

You jumped when the door to your apartment suddenly slammed open, making the bottle almost slip out of your hands.

"Sweets!", A loud voice called out to you, the light from the window reflecting off the intruder’s glasses.

It was a moniker given to you by your dear friend based on "your profession and character" as they liked to call it. But the truth was, it was a part of the 'couple name' they had created for you and Levi called 'Short and Sweet', earning them a few punches from the holder of the other half of the title.

“Hange, you almost gave me a heart attack! What are you doing barging into my apartment like this?”, you grumbled.

“Well, your door was unlocked. So, how was your run in with Shorty? Tell me everyth... What the fuck is that?”, they began with excitement, but it dissipated as soon as they switched the lights on and spotted what you held in your hands.

You looked like a thief caught in the act. Guilty.

“It-It's nothing. I wasn’t drinking it.”, you stuttered, hastily putting it away.

“You mean you hadn't started drinking it yet?”

They were probably right. That’s how your evenings usually began these days. You tried your hardest to conquer the need for a drink, only to eventually give in and ending up passed out somewhere in your apartment.

Your train of thought was interrupted by a knock. Miche and Nanaba tiptoed inside through the still unlocked door with guilty smiles, as if ready to turn on their heels in case if you decided to chase after them.

“So? How did it go with Ackermann?”, they asked eagerly in unison.

“Wait. Was my day broadcasted in the news or something? How do you already know?”, your face had a giant question mark stamped on it.

“Who do you think brought it all together?”, Hange grinned, proudly wiggling their eyebrows.

You furrowed yours, and audibly gasped seconds later when it hit you. The sequence of events played before your eyes; how each person you had seen today and led to you meeting Levi. First Miche and Nanaba, then Suki. Your jaw slacked, and you gaped at each one of them in complete disbelief at what they had just pulled off.

Miche quietly slithered to position himself closely beside you and wrapped his arm around your shoulders – a little too tight. Well, you were contemplating introducing their jaws to your fist, so you guessed he was just being cautious.

“Who else knew of this?”, you hissed.

“Not Shorty, if that’s what you’re asking. I cooked up the idea. But it was Erwin who played commander and assigned roles! Everything from you and Levi having the same day off work, Suki and Furlan pestering you two into going with them, Nanaba and Miche forcing you out of here, Isabel staying home with Luna so that Levi could leave, and now us being here to witness the success of our little project, it was brought together by him. In fact, Erwin is checking in on Levi as we speak!”, Hange exclaimed triumphantly.

You felt stupid after finding out that you and Levi got played by practically everyone you knew. How were they this good at keeping it under wraps?

“Why did you do this?” You asked.

“Because you are both too stupid realize how crazy you are about each other and how this estrangement is paining you. So, we just decided to nudge you in the right direction. You’re welcome, by the way!”, Nanaba grinned.

“What are you even talking about? He’s the one who willingly ended what we had.”, you despaired.

The memories of the months preceding the divorce were fresh in your mind. Levi couldn’t stand being in the same room as you for more than a few minutes at a time, constantly falling out with you over something or the other. You remembered how much it hurt when he always seemed irritated by your sheer presence.

“Rubbish! You should know by now that Shorty is a complete moron with his feelings. Don’t you remember how long he stalled asking you out on a date all those years ago? And also, how I finally had to ask you for him? This is history repeating itself, silly!”, Hange chuckled, gently flicking your forehead

“Erwin and I see him every day, Sweets. We know how much he regrets letting you go. But he’s too much of a chicken to do anything about it. We’ve been badgering him to reconnect with you for a while now. But he was terrified of making a move. The dumbass is utterly in love with you. Precisely why Erwin and I decided to take matters in our own hands.”, they stated matter of factly.

The barrage of information caught you completely off guard. But you couldn’t help but dwell on one detail in particular -

“He’s still in love with me?”

.

Levi’s POV

Levi felt restless on the drive back home, aimlessly fidgeting with his seatbelt and rapidly tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. He was worried about you. Well, he always was, but more so because of what happened today. He suppressed the constant urges to turn his car around and return to you because he needed to get home to Luna and relieve Isabel of her baby-sitting duties.

He parked the car in the driveway and walked through the front door, momentarily freezing upon seeing a tall blonde man seated on the couch with Luna half asleep on his lap, immediately relaxing after recognizing who it was. He was reading her a story from one of the many books you had bought while Isabel was lounging on the loveseat beside them, her face glowing under the light from her phone screen. All three turned to Levi upon hearing the jingling of his keys.

“Papa!”, the little one was refreshed by the sight. She ran to greet her father by wiggling her way off the man’s lap and on to the floor and hugged is leg.

“Hi, moon beam! Erwin, what are you doing here?”, he asked as he gave Luna a kiss and then looked up at the man.

“I’m here to check in on you. How was your meeting with uh... ahem?”, Erwin cleared his throat instead of mentioning your name in the toddler’s presence.

“Check in on me? How do you know about that? What did you do?”, Levi’s temper audibly rose with each question.

“I’m going to tuck Luna into bed, and you are going to wait right here for my return. We need to have a little chat.” he glowered at the taller blonde before he could answer, ignoring the sheepish smile slapped across his little sister’s face.

Luna was out cold the moment her head rested on the pillow given how worn out she was after horsing around with Isabel all day. Additionally, story time with Erwin already had her feeling drowsy by the time Levi had returned home. Ten minutes and a few goodnight kisses later, he was sitting at the dining table with the two adults, sipping tea that Erwin had just brewed.

“When do you plan to start telling me what is going on? I could have had dinner during the wait.”, he jibed.

“I take it that Suki and Furlan were successful in bringing you two face-to-face?”, Erwin’s tone was casual, maintaining steady eye contact with his old friend.

He proceeded to explain in great detail, how he and Hange worked with both your close friends to hatch this plan.

“Can’t you two keep your eyebrows and shitty glasses out of my fucking business?”, Levi growled.

“Since you both can’t communicate like mature adults and figure things out for yourselves, we had to step in as catalysts. Hange is at her apartment right now, making sure she’s okay.”, Erwin kept his defense short.

Levi was at a loss of words. Sometimes he felt like he wasn’t worthy of his two friends. Hange and Erwin always went out of their way for him when he was hit with a challenging situation, and all he ever did was snivel about it.

“Fine. I’ll give you both credit where you deserve it. I had been wanting to see her myself. But I didn’t know what to say. She is coming over tomorrow to see Luna. So, thanks, I guess.”

Erwin knew that this was the closest thing to an apology and appreciation that he was going to get from Levi. So, he took it with a smile.

“Awesome!”, Isabel's scream cut through the calmness.

“And you.”, his fiery gaze landed on her at the far end of the table where she strategically seated herself away from the reach of her older brother in case if he was particularly irked. “I’m going to take care of Furlan later. But you too are hiding things from me now?”,

“Hey! I was just following Erwin's orders! And how could I say no to having my favorite person all to myself for an entire day?”, she reasoned, her face resembling a cartoon cat that Luna was fond of; Puss in Boots, was it?

“So, how did it go?”, Erwin intervened before Levi could scold her further.

Levi took a minute to gather his thoughts. Images of your face flashed before his eyes, making his tense posture relax significantly.

“I - I don’t even know how to describe it. I feel like for the first time in forever, I might sleep well tonight just because I met her. She looked so beautiful.”, his lips showed signs of the smallest smile as he ran his fingers along the rim of his teacup, gazing at the dark liquid contained within.

He quickly composed himself after realizing that he had in fact just said these words out loud and they were not just in his head, but it was too late. Isabel oohed with amusement and yelped after receiving a flying spoon to the head from him.

“It was also... a stark reminder of what an absolute piece of shit I have been to throw away everything we had. She’s in so much pain.”, his softened expression clearly revealed the despair behind his words.

“As are you, Levi. You made a grave mistake. Unfortunately, you're not the only one who is paying for it. But there is no use lamenting over the past, is there? What counts is what you plan to do now. Have you decided what you will say to her when she visits?”

Levi let out a long, suffering sigh. “I regretted what I did the moment I came back to an empty home from the court that day, Erwin. Seeing her today only reaffirmed how shitty my life is without her. I need to win her back. I’m afraid she’ll reject me after what I did to her. But - But she still needs to know that I -

I’m still in love with her.”

Chapters: Four | Five | Six

[allsassnoclass]

hi!!! for the i love you prompts i was thinking about 83 for cashton 💙

Hello Maya!  Thank you for the prompt.

Warning: this fic takes place after a car crash

Cashton: “Stay there.  I’m coming to get you.”

Calum isn't sleeping when the call comes in, but it's a near thing.  The clock reads 1:37 when he glances at it before looking at the caller ID on his phone.  It's an unfamiliar number, something in his area code but not in his contacts, and he lets it ring through.  After a few moments of silence his phone rings again, the same number, and Calum figures that anyone calling twice isn't going to be a spam bot.

"Hullo?" he asks, clearing his throat so he doesn't sound as tired the next time he speaks.

"Calum?"

The voice makes his blood run cold, familiar even though he hasn't heard it say his name for months, sounding much too small and tired.

"Ashton?"

"Yeah, it's me," Ashton says.  "Sorry for calling so late.  I hope I didn't wake you."

"What's wrong?" he asks, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes.  If Ashton is calling him after radio silence for months sounding like that, there's no way this is a casual social call.

"I, um.  I need someone to pick me up from the hospital.  I'm sorry, you can call Luke or Michael if you want, but I-- my phone is smashed and your number is the only one I have memorized."

"Holy shit, Ashton," Calum says, heart leaping into his throat.  "Are you okay?  What happened?"

Ashton laughs helplessly, the kind of laugh he uses when he's dangerously close to a breakdown.  Calum used to be fully fluent in every sound Ashton makes, able to read his mood from the cadence of his breathing.  It seems like he still can, to some extent.

"I crashed my car.  Phone is busted, but they're letting me go.  Concussion and a broken arm."

It could be worse.  It could be so much worse, but Calum doesn't feel comforted.

"Is everyone else okay?"

"Yeah.  I was the only one in the car and I crashed it into a tree, so no one is hurt."

"No one except you."

Ashton hums.

Holy shit, Ashton crashed his car.  Ashton, who is the safest driver Calum knows.  Ashton, who Calum hasn't seen outside of passing moments with mutual friends in months and who still has his phone number memorized.

"Which hospital?" he asks.

"OSF.  You don't have to, I--I should've called a cab.  Sorry, I didn't think--"

"Stay there.  I'm coming to get you."

Ashton sighs.  Calum recognizes relief in it, but also defeat.  He needs to see Ashton right now.

"Okay," Ashton says quietly.  "Thanks.  I'll be outside by the discharge parking."

"Okay.  See you soon."

He doesn't speed, the knowledge that Ashton is fresh out of a car crash making him keep a careful eye on the speedometer, but it's a close thing.  He doesn't like the idea of Ashton waiting alone in a hospital, no one else there to make sure he's okay or to keep him from getting too deep in his own head.

He probably should've called Michael or Luke.  Ashton would surely be more comfortable with either of them right now, but Calum's number is the one he dialed.  Calum's number is the only one he has memorized, even if they broke up months ago.

Ashton seems so small sitting on the bench with the entire hospital lit up and looming behind him.  The florescent lights spilling from windows the sliding front door do nothing to penetrate the night, a floodlight instead beaming down on the bench like a spotlight, drawing Calum's eyes straight to Ashton.  He's hunched, arm drawn to his middle, head bowed.  When Calum pulls up to the curb Ashton doesn't look up until he rolls down his window and calls to him.

"Hey," he says.  Ashton tries to give him a tired smile, but he doesn't quite manage it.  He looks like he's about to cry, and it makes Calum want to cry, too.

He's supposed to be immune to Ashton by now, but it seems that a few months isn't long enough to get over him.

Ashton gets into the car silently, carefully buckling himself in around his busted arm.  There's a piece of gauze taped to his forehead near his temple.  His face looks gaunt, hair in need of a wash and clothes rumpled and torn from the crash.  He's definitely looked better, but Calum drinks him in anyway.  They haven't been alone together since they broke up.  Calum doesn't remember the words that they screamed at each other, just that it had felt like something important inside him shattered when Ashton slammed the door on the way out.

Calum is the one who said they were finished.  Ashton is the one who said he didn't love him, even though Calum knows that was a lie.

He doesn't need to ask how to get to Ashton's apartment from here.  He starts driving and gives Ashton a minute to compose himself.

"Why are you doing this?" Ashton asks eventually.  Calum glances over at him, but he's facing away, watching the city pass by outside his window.

There's a lot of things he could say here.  I didn't like the though of you waiting here longer than necessary.  I wasn't asleep anyway.  You sounded like you need a friend and when I told you to get out of my life I never actually thought you would.

"Why do you still have my phone number memorized?"

Ashton stays silent.  It's not like him; Calum was always the quieter of the two.  Ashton likes filling dead air.

"Are you okay?"

Ashton snorts.  He takes a shaky breath and Calum knows that he's crying now.  He doesn't have any tissues in the car.  He wants to reach out and comfort him, but he knows it wouldn't be welcomed.  Ashton has pride, a lot of it.  If he wasn't able to swallow it to salvage their relationship, he won't be able to swallow it a few months after the end.

"Sorry," Ashton says.

"Stop apologizing," Calum snaps, then winces.  "You don't have to apologize."

"I thought you wanted me to work on that," Ashton says.

He had.  Ashton was allergic to the word "sorry."  It was one of the things that contributed to their last argument, but Calum doesn't like how easily the word has slipped off his tongue tonight.

"Well, it's weird.  You don't have anything to apologize for tonight.  Not to me, at least."

Ashton makes a wounded noise in the back of his throat.  Calum clenches the steering wheel tighter to keep from reaching for him.

"It's been a bad fucking day," Ashton says.  "Everything's gone to shit at once and I-- you're the only person I could call and I thought you were going to hang up once you knew it was me."

"I wouldn't do that to you," Calum says.

"I wouldn't blame you if you did."

Calum doesn't know what to say to that.  They drive in silence for a few minutes, lights flickering by as the car winds through streets that Calum has been down hundreds of times before.

"You know I don't hate you, right?" he says quietly.  "Not for how we ended.  That was as much my fault as yours.  For a few weeks, I kept going over it in my mind what I could've said differently to change that outcome."

"Calum--"

"We don't need to do this now, but I think we need to talk.  I don't know if I can stop loving you until we do."

Ashton makes another wounded noise, one that Calum hasn't heard before.  He winces.

"Sorry,' he says.  "I shouldn't've said that right now.  I know you have a lot on your mind."

"You think?" Ashton huffs.  He's putting on a brave face again, trying to shift the conversation tone lighter.  It's false, but Calum lets him.  He knows that he needs to tonight.

He reaches for the radio and lets Ashton make halfhearted complaints about the songs or commercials until they pull up to his apartment complex.  Calum turns down the radio and watches Ashton unbuckle himself.

"Do you need anyone to stay with you?  Are you supposed to stay awake due to your concussion?"

"It's okay.  Matt should be home."

Calum nods.  Ashton reaches for his door handle, but hesitates.  He drops his hand and turns back to Calum, facing him fully for the first time all night.

"I'll get a new phone within the week and text you.  We can meet up and talk about... things.  Us.  Whatever we both need to."

"I look forward to it," Calum says.  Ashton presses his lips together and Calum wonders if that was the right phrasing.  It probably won't be a pleasant conversation, but Calum was telling the truth regardless.  He's looking forward to it because now that he's seen Ashton, he can't wait to do it again.  He's been in a desert without realizing it, and every glimpse of Ashton is a sip of water.

"Thank you for coming to get me," Ashton says quietly.

"You can call me any time," Calum says.  Ashton closes his eyes briefly, then musters up a smile.  It's fake, it's so fake, but it's the most real one he's given Calum all night.

"Have a good night, Cal.  Get home safe."

Calum watches Ashton until he's through the door, then stays in the car for a few moments longer before he can bring himself to put the car in drive and pull away.  He'll see Ashton again later, and he has to keep reminding himself that the entire way home.

[interstellarflare]

Broken || Javier Pena

-PART TWO-

Warnings: Swearing, mature content, violence, gore.

Summary: Fairly new to Colombia, you are partnered with Steve Murphy and Javier Pena, some of the best DEA Agents in the country. You and Javier don’t get along, that is until you save his life.

Author’s Note: This is my first series from the NARCOS fandom. It might not be amazing, but this idea came to me when I was watching the series.

You had been stationed in Colombia for over a month, and so far it had not been the change you had hoped for. While the cases were more enjoyable and full of adrenaline, Javier was the most frustrating, self absorbed, undermining, incompetent, son of a bitch you had ever worked with in your career as a DEA Agent.

He was impulsive, downright rude, and was an absolute pain in the arse. And now, you sat in the passenger seat of Javier’s car, bored to death as the late night stakeout reached the three hour mark. Leaning against your arm as it rested against the window, you sighed loudly. “This is a dead end...” you mused tiredly, turning your gaze to the man beside you “no one has walked out that door for three hours”. “I’m not blind L/n, but thank you for stating the obvious” Javier snarled, his hands clenching around the steering wheel in annoyance. You groaned, slumping further into your seat, your eyes remaining glued to the pastel yellow door.

The paint was flaking at various spots, both shaded and illuminated by the light hanging overhead. Silence fell over the car, a slight tension filling the air. An uneasy feeling settled within your chest, a nervous feeling. “Something isn’t right” you spoke lowly, moving your gaze to survey the streetscape. It was quiet, too quiet. It was unnerving. “Pena-” “I know...” Javier quickly interrupted, his eyes moving to your form with a knowing expression. Without another word, Javier cautiously started the car’s engine and drove away. Whatever was meant to happen tonight, whoever you were meant to tail, they knew you were there.

“Fuck...” Javier mumbled, “fuck fuck fuck-” “Hey!” You interrupted, suddenly turning to glare at the man beside you “We’ll get them, some other time, we just-” “We just nothing...” he spat angrily, suddenly pulling over in an abandoned street “next time, it will be me and Steve doing this. There is no we in any situation. Not one”.

You swallowed thickly, your eyes narrowing on Javier as he glowered at your form. Out of everything this piece of shit had said to you, this was by far the most hurtful. You had had enough. Instead of getting mad, instead of crying in front of Javier, you bit your lip with a long winded sigh and stepped out of the car, making sure to slam the door extra hard. So hard in fact, the entire car wobbled.

Even at night, Colombia was still fucking hot. But you weren’t bothered, all you wanted to do at this moment in time was to get away from Javier. You had put up with his hurtful words long enough, tonight was the last straw. Another car door closed, followed by rushed footsteps. “Y/n, get back in the car!” Javier called out, jogging to catch up with your brisk pace. You kept walking, ignoring his annoyed tone as he suddenly stopped in front of you. He breathed heavily, giving you a bewildered expression “C’mon, just get back in the car, it’s too dangerous to be out here alone-”

“Fuck you, Pena...” you growled “I’d rather take my chances than spend another second with you in that car”. You moved to step around him, your aim was to keep walking until you reached your apartment which was an hour away by foot. But when Javier suddenly caught your arm with his hand, you snapped. You swung your arm, clenching your hand into a tight fist as you aimed for Javier’s face. Faster than you thought possible, Javier caught your fist mid-swing, letting go of your arm to spin you around in a dizzying motion. With your right arm strung across your chest, and your left effectively pinned by Javier’s strong and more muscular arms, the DEA Agent pulled you flush against his body, your back pressed against his chest as he held you in place.

You struggled against his grip, your cheeks flushed bright red with embarrassment. “Let me go you son of a-” “I’ll let you go when you calm the fuck down!” he shouted angrily, oblivious to the fact that you had somehow managed to free your left arm. With all the force you could muster, you elbowed Javier in the ribs. With a loud groan, his grip on your form loosened, allowing you to step out of his arms as he collapsed to the road beneath him. Panting heavily, you turned to face Javier, unable to stop the frustrated tears that fell freely down your cheeks.

“I’ve taken a lot of shit from you Pena, in the month that I’ve been here...” you croaked, hating the way your voice broke “but what you said in the car just now, that was taking it too far. You’ve hated me ever since I got here, why? What is your problem with me?” When no response came from Javier, and he instead maintained a pained expression, you shook your head sadly. There was no particular reason as to why he hated you, he just did. You turned on your heel and began to walk away, beginning the hour long trek back to your apartment.

After reaching your apartment, you spent a good long twenty minutes in the shower, enjoying the warmth, and the feeling of the water cascading over your skin. You couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for hurting Javier, but at the same time he deserved it.

After drying off, you changed into a pair of navy blue pyjama shorts and a black singlet top to combat the Colombian heat. It was 11pm, and you wanted nothing more than to curl up on the couch, watch a little TV, and fall asleep. You were half way there. You were starting to drift off into a dreamless slumber when there was a sudden pounding noise at your apartment door.

You jolted awake, your heart racing at the sudden loud noise. Who could possibly be at your apartment at this time of night? You cautiously approached the door, looking through the peephole as your hand hovered over the door knob. You muttered a string of curses under your breath, opening the door whilst glaring at the person on the other side. Javier looked even worse than he did through the peephole. His hair was disheveled, his clothes in disarray, his nose was covered in dry blood, there was a small cut underneath his left eye, and he smelt like alcohol.

“What the fuck happened to you?” You asked loudly, looking him up and down with a bewildered expression. Javier smiled lazily, you had never seen him smile before. He leaned against the doorframe, more like slumped, as his glazed eyes met yours “I...might have gotten into a bar fight, and very, very drunk-”

“I can see that...” you mused, completely confused as to what to do. Your first thought was to call Steve, and inform him of the situation. But a small part of you felt...what was the word? You sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of your nose with a small shake of your head. “Come on, get in here” you grumbled hesitantly, stepping aside to allow Javier to stumble through. He turned to face you with a small chuckle “I uh...I need to talk to you...” Javier slurred, giving your form a once over, taking in your pyjama shorts and tank top greedily.

With an awkward clear of your throat, you folded your arms over your chest, averting your eyes away from Javier’s stare. Javier continued, ‘tsking’ quietly to himself as he racked his brain for the right words to say. If he was going to be honest with himself, he had no idea what he was doing here. Seeing you cry did something to him. What that something was? He had drowned in in alcohol two hours ago. Yet his subconscious brought him here. Maybe this was all some really, bad drunken mistake. He shouldn’t be here, Javier knew that he was the last person you wanted to see.

But when his eyes locked with yours, a strange sense of guilt overcame him. He felt horrible, he felt sick to his stomach. Or maybe that was the alcohol. You stood in complete silence, waiting for his answer, and it was only then did Javier realise that he was staring. He shook his head, sighing heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He winced, but continued “I cam here to apologise, because if I was sober, then I would have most likely made it worse”. “And you thought that showing up to my apartment in the middle of the night, completely wasted, would make it better?” You asked, raising your eyebrow in emphasis.

Javier flinched, shrugging his shoulders awkwardly “Yes?”. You hissed, shaking your head slowly. You were beyond tired, you just wanted to go to sleep. Why was he still here? “Come on, Pena. I’ll get you set up on the couch, then we can-”

“No! I’m not done” Javier suddenly shouted, throwing his arms out wildly “I have been such a fucking arsehole to you, and you didn’t deserve it” he blurted, stumbling backward far enough to collapse onto the couch. He looked so defeated, so upset. You sighed, watching as your partner rambled on. “You are probably one of the most amazing Agents I’ve ever worked with, you know. You’re so smart, and caring, you always manage to make someone laugh...you’re more than amazing really. There’s a part of me that looks forward to seeing you every day, and then I just fuck it all up”.

Your eyes widened, you couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Javier was apologising in his own, weird Javier way. “I really am sorry, I’m a real arsehole” he groaned, slumping further into the couch. You laughed quietly to yourself. There was no way he would remember this tomorrow morning, but even in his drunken state, you found his apology sweet. You knew you shouldn’t have, but that small selfish part of you that found him attractive out-ruled your rational thinking.

And you hated yourself for it.

“Alright cowboy...” You spoke lowly, your mild annoyance changing to amusement as Javier stuck out his bottom lip in a pout “let’s get you cleaned up and ready for bed”. Awkwardly and certainly ungracefully, Javier stood to his feet and trudged after you as you made your way to the bathroom. There, you carefully washed the blood from his nose, and dressed the small cut underneath his eye. Afterward, you sed him up on the couch with one of your pillows and a spare blanket.

“Now, go to sleep...” you ordered sternly “you’re such an inconvenience”. Javier giggled, something you didn’t think he was capable of doing, and smiled up at you dreamily. “You love me...” he drawled teasingly, before completely passing out. You froze, your heart suddenly beating a million miles an hour as you moved to turn off all the lights in your apartment. He couldn’t know, right? He was drunk, that’s all it was.

You sighed heavily, collapsing into bed with a tired groan. You were so going to mess with Javier tomorrow.

[67impalaandwhisky]

Destiny Is Heaven Sent

Summary: Knowing Dean Winchester since you were fifteen, you’ve always been pulled in his direction. Always wanting to open up the rattled and broken cage your heart lives in. But when the child you’ve been raising together dies, you find yourself closing up the cage of your heart again. And if destiny has one thing for you, it’s to break you down before bringing you back up.

Characters: Dean x You, Sam, Castiel, Bobby, OFC’s, OMC’s, (Ongoing)

This Series Is Set Through Seasons 1-6 With Knowledge That The Bunker Exists

Rating: 18+

Warnings (Ongoing and Will Be Updated): Grieving, Mentions of Rape and Defilement (As Per A Case), Show Level Violence, Swearing, Smut, Impreg Kink, Blood, Fighting, Drinking, Dean Being Dean, Fluff, Angst, Dom!Dean, Sub!Reader

Warnings For This Chapter: Show Level Violence, Drinking, Swearing

Chapter 7.

It's an odd sensation to have your best friend's hands all over you. It's difficult to get anything done during your morning routine with Dean constantly behind you. 

"De." You murmur as his lips trail over your jawline. His hands squeeze tighter at your sides as he presses his chest to your back while you fix your hair in the mirror of the bathroom.

"Hmm?" He hums quizzically as he presses you closer to his body.

You can smell faint notes of cologne and whisky from his attire and it brings you a sense of calm as you turn to him.

"We have to go gank this ghost." You tell him.

You can hear Sam's feet shuffling impatiently outside of the bathroom as you look up at Dean's handsome face.

His eyes are lighter than usual today, the pretty moss colored flecks in his irises seem to pull you in as he smirks.

"I know we do. I just...I've never had my hands on you like this before. I've never been so close to you. It feels good." He whispers as his hand cups your cheek.

The rough skin of his hand makes your eyes flutter shut and you wish you could just take this day to be with him. Just to talk or to spend time with him but work comes first.

"It does feel good." You agree and his head bows down so his lips can meet yours.

Your lips move together, the kiss passionate and something close to longing as he runs his hands below your t-shirt. 

"Fuck." He whispers against your lips. 

Sam's hand slams on the bathroom door and you're both ripped out of your lustful gaze within seconds.

"Are you guys done fucking?" Sam asks loudly and you snort shoving his older brother away.

Rolling his eyes, Dean fixes his flannel shirt before opening the door.

"Relax Sammy. Not everything is about fucking." Dean says as he hoists the bag of guns onto his shoulder.

Sam stops moving, his head slowly lifts to look at his brother before it tilts.

"E-Excuse me? Not everything is about fucking?" Not a sentence you think would come out of Dean Winchester's mouth.

"You heard me. Candy girl, let's get a move on. I got ghosts to kill!" Dean calls to you and you emerge from the bathroom as you fix your shirt.

He stares at you for a second, the corner of his mouth flickers upwards before he gives a gentle chuckle.

"I want this bastard flamed and burned within the next hour." Dean says to Sammy as he heads for the door.

"Why such a rush?" Sam asks as he scrambles to grab his coffee and follow his brother.

"Because," Dean turns to him from the doorway before meeting your eyes, "He attacked my woman."

The ride in the car to the home of the nefarious ghost was silent. Which you were perfectly fine with. It gave you time to glance at your now boyfriend that you've been in love with since you were just a teenager.

It's so odd. He's pushed you away for so long and you know you have so much that needs to get said between the both of you but you wonder if Dean would be willing to talk about it.

He's so closed off from the world most times that you find yourself thinking that it would be hard for him to open up and tell you any semblance of the truth.

He's kept so much away from you for years. 

You can tell he's in a happy mood by the way his fingers drum against the steering wheel as he listens to his cassette tape. 

The autumn sun hangs high above the car, every so often peppering Dean's face in it's rays. The sun does a glorious job highlighting all of his handsome features. His nose is so perfectly straight, his lips so perfectly shaped and even from the right side of the back seat you begin to count the freckles you can see as always. 

The small smile lines around the corners of his eyes just add to his handsomeness. He looks at your through the rear view mirror and his eyes linger as he stops at a red light. You seemingly become mesmerized by the deep green of his irises likening them to the forest before he sends a wink your way that has your gut fluttering and twitching like a mad man.

"So are you guys dating now?" Sam asks as he rolls down his window.

Dean clears his throat as he focuses on the tar lined road before him. 

You don't want to reply, you want him to. 

Sam looks at you through his mirror and you roll your eyes as he begins to give a devilish smirk.

"Yeah. We are." Dean mumbles and if you weren't in the confines of the car, you probably wouldn't have been able to hear his gentle voice.

"Good. About time." Sam says before sticking his tongue out at you.

"Bitch." Dean says with a chuckle only to hear the natural reply.

"Jerk." Your younger best friend says with a laugh.

With a giggle, you arrive in front of the haunted office of Morley Rosmund.

"Are you okay to go in?" Dean asks as he shuts off the car.

You can't help the chill that runs through your spine as you stare at the decrepit building.

"Yeah. I'll be alright." You reply, mustering up all of your strength.

Last night was a little more frightening than you guess you noticed. He was one angry son of a bitch and you just weren't ready for the sheer amount of anger he was radiating.

He ripped your dress clean off and was stronger than you could have imagined. 

"Just stay with me. Okay?" Dean asks as he opens up his door.

Nodding to him, you open up your door as well before taking in a deep breath. 

Sam wraps his arm around you as you round the back of the car.

"We got your back. You know that." He says in your ear as Dean begins to pull out shotguns.

"I still haven't kicked your ass for leaving me on my own yesterday. Don't tempt me." You tease as you take the sawed off shotgun from your boyfriend's hand and begin to load salt rounds into it.

Sam chuckles as he grabs his own and your eyes drift over to the building once more before swallowing thickly.

Dean swings the door open first. He casually glances behind him to make sure you're okay before stepping over the strewn, decomposing bodies that lay on the floor much like last night. With a grimace, you pick your shirt up to cover your nose before scowling at the dead women on the floor.

"This son of a bitch is disgusting." You hear Dean grunt angrily before he kicks open the office door with his foot.

"I wish we could just burn the building down. Make sure he's outta here for good." Sam mutters as he puts his large hand to the small of your back goading you into the office before him.

You spot your ripped dress on the floor from last night as you step into the office and you shiver at the sight.

Dean notices within a fraction of a second and he's by your side as he kicks the fabric out of sight. 

"Come on, Candy girl." He whispers before pressing his soft lips to your temple and stepping out of the way to explore the shambled office.

Anything of any importance was being piled up in the middle of the room. Anything that was old and leathery. Anything that had a dull shine like a pocket watch Sam found in one of the top drawers of the desk you were forced to sit on last night. Even scraps of different cloth were all in the center of the office.

"What about pictures?" Sam asks as he leans in to look at an old painting.

"What, you think this dead pervert had a hard on for the arts?" Dean asks as he drops a leather briefcase onto the ground beside the pile.

"I don't know. Maybe. Just want to make sure we get everything." Sam mumbles as he continues to search.

"Yeah. I bet he really loved the ducks in a pond painting." Dean says before smashing the glass of the picture frame open.

Your eyes catch something sparkle beneath the woman that lays limp on the desk. It was a whirlwind last night but you managed to remember some things of Morley Rosmund's attire. Like the jewelled beetle that was on the lapel of his trench coat that is now situated beneath the woman's body.

"De. Help me grab this." You instruct him as you point to the pin below the dead woman.

"Oh God." He grumbles as he uses the barrel of his salt gun to lift her up just long enough for you to grab it.

You throw the pin into the pile on the floor before grabbing a hat off of the rack by the door that you remember the ghost was wearing.

Ghosts can be in multiple items and it's better to just get them all to be safe.

Suddenly as your boyfriend pulls open the safe in the corner of the office, your begin to see your breath in the small confines of the room.

"He's coming!" You say quickly as you pull back the hammer of your gun.

Dean holds up what looks to be a deed for the office before throwing it into the pile. 

"Y/N!" Sam yells and you whip around just long enough to see Morley Rosmund behind you.

He gives a gentle smile before you're being thrown over the desk.

You groan loudly as you fall onto your back, your body shivering with dull pain as you lay your head back to the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean curses as he throws gasoline over the contents on the floor.

"You little trollope." The ghost sneers as he wraps his hand around your throat.

You cough loudly, sputtering and whining as you claw at his hand. He picks up off of the floor slowly and you shakily lift your gun before shooting the rock salt into him, earning wisps of his body left behind.

Landing back down on the floor, you cough once more as Sam strikes the matchbook on fire and tosses it into the pile.

As the objects begin to catch fire, your body is thrown back to the wall as Morley reappears screaming furiously with red hot anger.

"Y/N!" Dean yells as he rushes towards you.

With a sharp yelp, you press your head back to the wall before the ghost's body begins to catch fire. 

Being swept up into Dean's arms, you're instantly checked on. His hands press to your face, checking to make sure the ghost didn't inflict too much damage before he disappeared into thin air.

"You okay?" He asks gruffly as you gingerly press your fingers to your throat.

Your eyes flicker over to the burning pile of personal possessions before you nod.

"Yeah. I'm good." You whisper before standing up straight and fixing your jacket.

"That's my girl." He mumbles as he presses his lips to your forehead.

"I need a drink and food. Pronto." You say as Sam grabs the duffel bag full of guns and paraphernalia. 

"A drink? It's like three o'clock?" Sam says as you step over bodies towards the front door.

"A woman after my own heart." Dean calls back to him and you giggle as he opens the door for you.

Knowing the job is done brings a huge weight off of your shoulders. It's not often you can appreciate everything around you when so many monsters and evil live in this world. But now, as you sit with your two favorite boys in this run down bar, the world feels lighter somehow. If only for a few hours, you're okay with that.

Dean has been so tried and true throughout the years and now finally you can call him yours. 

Sam has always been your home. He's always seen to reason and has been a comfort in your hard times. You can always count on him to listen.

So when the food comes and you all dig in, there's something so peaceful with listening to the both laugh as Dean plants his hand on your knee. 

You can take a few hours of comfort and calm before you're thrust back into the monster wielding world.

"Gotta hit the head." Dean says.

He plants a kiss to your hairline before he's up and walking towards the bathroom door.

"It's cute y'know. I'm really happy for you guys. Finally." Sam says before finishing off his beer.

You give him a gentle smile as he lifts his beer bottle.

"I'll go get us another round." He says, scraping his chair back loudly.

You pick at your food in the meantime while being alone. You're achy and albeit a bit sore from the attack but you'll heal in no time.

You can't wait to get back to the bunker and just relax for a few days. Wash your car, read up on things in the vast library.

"Hey there." The foreign voice draws you out of your calm daze. Looking up at the owner of the voice, you tilt your head at his handsome features.

"Noticed you with those two Backstreet Boy wannabes." The man says, taking Dean's seat.

You snort gently before shifting your chair away from him as he smirks. 

"Those wannabes are my best friend and boyfriend." You say as you pick up your beer.

It feels weird to call Dean your boyfriend. A good weird. Like it was always meant to be.

"Wanna see what a real man can do?" The absolute gall of this lanky man is impressive.

You give a gentle laugh as you roll your eyes. 

"Nah. I'm good. Thanks." Your voice is short with him and it seems to ruffle his feathers a bit too quickly.

"Come on, baby. I can show you what a real man's cock looks like." You blanch at his words and try to push your chair back uncomfortably as he catches you by your calf with his hand.

"I said no. Jesus. Fuck off." You bark at him.

His grip gets tighter and you sigh loudly before hearing a loud gruff voice that quakes your chest.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Dean yells from across the bar.

Flinching, you give a quick smile to the man as your boyfriend approaches. 

He is so dead meat.

Destiny Is Heaven Sent Taglist: @roonyxx​, @deans-baby-momma​, @supernatural-love14​, @winchest09​, @flamencodiva, @indecisive20something, @that-one-gay-girl​

Forever Dean Tags: @akshi8278​

Forever Tags: @mariaenchanted​

[the-sword-lesbian]

Broken Hands and Broken Hearts

Kate sat on Maddie’s bed with her arms tightly wrapped around her daughter as she continued to cry her eyes out like she had been doing for the last few hours. She rubbed circles into Maddie’s back trying to calm her down. “There there sweetie. It will be okay.”

Maddie inhaled a huge breath before letting out another massive series sobs. “I don’t understand! What did I do wrong?!” 

Kate pushed her daughter off her shoulder for a second, gently wiping tears away with a tissue. “Sweetie you did nothing wrong. None of this is your fault. Okay? He’s the one that messed up.”

“But whyyyy?!” she wailed, collapsing on her mother again. “I thought everything was going so well.” She stopped for a second, a realisation suddenly hitting her before she started sobbing heavily again. “We were supposed to have a date tonight!” 

Kate started rubbing her back again while gently rocking her. “Maddie it’s going to be okay. I know it hurts now but sometimes relationships don’t work out.” She started gently combing her fingers through her daughter's hair, holding her tight. “You’re only sixteen, okay? You’ve got plenty of time left to meet someone special.”

Slowly Maddie’s crying subsided as she let her mother gently rock her. After a few minutes she spoke again. “I don’t understand Mom.” she mumbled into Kate’s shoulder. “If he didn’t want to be with me why didn’t he just leave? Why did he have to…” she sniffled, trying to hold back her tears. She looked up into Kate’s eyes pleadingly. “Why did he cheat on me Mom?”

She pulled Maddie back into her arms and held her tightly. How do you tell your innocent child how cruel the world can be? How sometimes people are just terrible. Kate figured that was as probably as good a place to start as any. “I wish I had a better answer for you Pumpkin.” She sighed, continuing to rock her daughter. “But the reality is sometimes people are just terrible. Devin wanted something you didn’t feel comfortable giving him so he broke your trust to go get it…”

Maddie was quiet for a long time, Kate almost wondered if she had dozed off from exhaustion. But after a little while she spoke again, and her voice was so quiet and small it nearly broke Kate’s heart. “I could have… I could have given him that…”

Kate was enraged. How dare the world do this to her precious daughter. How dare she get so torn up that she’s willing to throw herself away for some boy that would toss her aside as soon as he got what he wanted. She hauled her daughter up to face her and put her hands on her shoulders turning Maddie to face her. “Madeline stop!” She was so angry at the world she was fighting back tears of her own as she brought her hands up to her daughter's cheeks, brushing away so many tears with her thumbs. “Don’t you dare just give yourself up for some stupid boy! Don’t just throw away that part of yourself because someone else makes you feel like you have to. Okay?!” Kate sniffled, blinking away her tears so she could look her daughter clearly in the eye. “Maddie... I know not everyone thinks sex is important as I do. But regardless of that, regardless of whether it's super important to you or it's just something casual. You should never, ever feel like you have to share that part of yourself with someone else if You. Don’t. Want. To. Okay? It is YOUR choice to share that with someone else when YOU want to. You chose not to have sex with your boyfriend and instead of respecting that he betrayed you. That’s not a failing on your part. It’s your body, you have the ultimate say in what you do with it.”

Maddie just stared at her mother in silence before gently wrapping her arms around Kate’s neck and hugging her. “Thank you Mom.” she said quietly after a few minutes.

Kate just sighed heavily hugging her daughter tighter. “It’s okay sweetie. I’m sorry for my angry mom rant.”

“No it’s okay.” she said leaning back and wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. “You’re right though. I wasn’t ready for that and that wasn’t okay with him...” Her voice wavered a little but she took a second to steady herself before continuing. “If he couldn’t respect that then… he doesn’t deserve me.” she stated. An air of finality to her voice.

Her mom smiled at her before reaching out to hug her again. “I’m so proud of you Maddie.” She then let go and stood up stretching briefly. “Now let’s go start getting dinner ready before Ellie and your mother get home.” 

----------

Victoria sat in her car drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, trying to stitch together every ounce of patience she could muster within herself. She was not going to freak out at her daughter. She was going to calmly drive them home and they would have a conversation like adults and not have a screaming match in the car in the middle of afternoon traffic.

“Why are you so pissed at me about this?”

Well so much for that plan. “I am not ‘pissed’ at you.” She stated in the calmest tone she could manage. “I am ‘upset’ because you started a fight with someone and now you’re suspended.”

“I didn’t start a fight!” Giselle snapped back. “I decked my sister’s boyfriend because I caught him cheating on her!”

“Don’t you yell at me young lady!”

“You’re yelling at me!”

“You started thi-” Victoria paused and took a deep breath. No one could ever argue that Giselle wasn’t her daughter. She always knew exactly how to push Victoria’s buttons to start a fight. But not today. Because she needed to have this conversation. And in order to do that she needed to be as level headed as she could. She exhaled the breath she was holding in a long sigh. “I’m not trying to have a fight with you Giselle.”

“But why are you upset at me?” She asked frustrated. “I get being suspended, but am I not supposed to defend Maddie’s honor in this situation??”

“That’s not the problem.” Victoria snapped, voice rising again

“Then what is the problem?!” Giselle shouted again.

“The problem is you can’t just fucking hit people like that!” Victoria mentally kicked herself for swearing, she was trying to be better about that but her daughter was being so combative and this was becoming a lot harder than it needed to be.

Giselle was somewhat caught off guard by hearing her mother swear like that in the middle of a fight but she recovered quickly. “Well why the hell not!?”

“Because!-” Victoria took another breath trying to calm down while she merged onto the exit ramp. “Because, look where that’s got you. You’ve been suspended, you almost got expelled, and your hand is broken so now you have to sit out of every game for the rest of the season.”

The dark haired girl looked down at the cast on her left hand sulking. She had to admit that missing the rest of the season sucked. But standing up for her sister? “Yeah well… It was worth it.”

Victoria swallowed. That was really the last thing she wanted to hear. She tried to steady herself “Please don’t say that.” Her voice sounded so hollow.

Her daughter looked up at her, still disgruntled. “Why not?”

“Because I don’t want you getting the idea that it's okay to hurt people just because you think the stakes are enough in your favor!” Victoria was falling apart.

“Why not!!”

“Because I don’t want you to turn into me!!!” 

That stunned her daughter long enough for Victoria to pull off the road and into the first space she could find. Throwing the car into park she covered her face with her hands and tried to steady her breathing as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

Giselle reached out to touch her mother, her anger completely gone and replaced with sudden concern. “Mama?”

“Ellie…” Victoria pulled her hands away from her face and turned to look at her daughter. Those hazel eyes. Just like Kate’s. Somehow that thought made all of this worse. She took a deep breath and tried to continue. “Ellie I don’t want you to think it's okay to hurt people just because they make you angry. Okay? I don’t want you to lash out at someone you think has wronged you. It doesn’t do any good.” Then her voice broke when she said, “I don’t want you turning into a bully because you think the tradeoff is worth it…”

“Mama… I’m not go-”

“Stop. Ellie let me finish okay?” Giselle closed her mouth and Victoria turned to face forward, hands tight on the steering wheel before continuing. “I was horrible when I was your age okay? I was angry at my parents my whole life and I took it out on everyone else around me. Including Ka-” she choked on her words, taking a moment to steady herself. “Especially… Kate… I just saw this beautiful innocent girl and I was so angry and still in the closet and I didn’t understand all this crap inside of me so I just destroyed her instead.” Victoria dropped her forehead to the steering wheel and cried for a moment while Giselle looked on in silence. After a minute she turned to look at her daughter again “Ellie I need you to understand, I wasn’t just A bully I was THE bully. Your mother’s kids book about bullies? That’s about ME! I was a monster! I am the reason tha-...” She paused for a second, trying to steady herself long enough to make it through this conversation. “I am the reason that your mother almost didn’t survive high school…”

Giselle sat there shocked. Trying to mentally match up the monster her mother was describing with the loving mom Victoria has been to her for her entire life.

After a moment Victoria continued “I carry the guilt of how I treated her and everyone else with me every single day. And my biggest nightmare is to wake up one day and see that you’ve become me all over again. Because then it will be clear that I’ve truly failed you as a mother.”

“Mama…” Giselle wasn’t exactly sure when she’d started crying as well but she looked at her loving mom sitting across from her, soul bared. And she clicked her seatbelt loose reaching up to wrap her arms around her. “It’s okay Mama. I’m sorry.”

Victoria held her daughter in her arms as tightly as she could. “I’m sorry I shouted at you Ellie.”

“I’m sorry I started a fight with you.” Her daughter said, pulling back and leaning against the car door. “And I’m sorry I got suspended.”

Her mother sighed as she leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed. “I’m honestly trying so hard to be the responsible parent right now and not just high five you for punching that fucking prick.”

Giselle chuckled at that. “Swear jar.” she said, smirking.

“Yeah yeah.” Victoria sighed. “Don’t tell your mom, I’ll put a ten in when she isn’t looking.”

“Sooo…” the teen started, running her hands in her short dark hair.

Victoria rolled her head to the side, opening her eyes to look at her daughter. “Hmm?”

Giselle looked up at her mom sheepishly, “Grounded?”

She closed her eyes and turned her head back. “Oh you are so grounded.”

“Yeah I figured.” She said sliding back into her seat. After a moment she spoke up again. “Thanks by the way. For telling me all of that. I know it was probably really hard. And you’re not a monster… You’re actually a really great mom. And I’ll try to be a better daughter.

Her mother turned and smiled at her, reaching out to ruffle her hair she said “You’re a pretty great daughter.”

“Love you Mama.”

“Love you too Ellie.”

----------

Maddie stood at the stove next to her mother, staring into the pot she was supposed to be stirring. Trying to find some sort of answer to her problems in the pasta water boiling in front of her.

Kate nudged her out of her thoughts. “Sweetie that’s going to boil over if you’re not careful.”

She shook her head before reaching up to stir the pot. “Sorry Mom,” she sighed.

Her mother nudged her again. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Maddie sighed again. “I’m just. Trying to figure out how to break up with Devin.” she looked up at her mother. “Any thoughts?”

Kate shrugged at that. “Sorry pumpkin. You’d have more luck asking your mother. She’s literally the only relationship I’ve ever had so I don’t have a lot of experience with breaking up with someone.” She turned her head at the sound of a car door closing. “Speaking of your mother…”

Giselle pushed the door from the garage open holding it for her mother before trudging through the mudroom into the kitchen. Upon entering she was nearly knocked to the floor as she was tackle-hugged by her sister. After regaining her balance she smiled returning the hug and reaching up to brush the smaller girl’s hair back. “Hey Mads. Are you doing okay?”

Maddie nodded, head buried in her sister’s chest. “Is your hand okay?”

She shrugged. “It’ll be alright. This cast is annoying though.”

“Sorry you got suspended for punching my stupid boyfriend.” Maddie mumbled into her sister’s shirt.

Ellie sighed, she thought back to her conversation with her mom a little while ago. “Yeah well… It’s my own fault. Probably should have just yelled at him honestly.”

Victoria pat her daughter on the back as she shuffled by her, heading towards Kate.

Kate stopped cooking for a second to reach up and hug her wife, resting Tori’s head on her shoulder and gently combing through her hair. “Hey there.”

Victoria hugged her wife tighter, sighing, “Being a parent is hard.”

Kate chuckled at her. “Oh Tori please don’t tell me you’re just figuring that out now.”

The tall blonde just stayed there with her arms wrapped around her wife, mumbling into her shoulder. “No… Just a rough talk with Ellie.” She leaned up to look into Kate’s eyes. “I told her about Blackwell.”

“Oh honey.” Kate gently cupped Tori’s face in her hands, standing on her toes to press their lips together. “Are you okay?” She asked after a minute.

“Yeah…” she sighed. “Is it alright with you if I have a glass of wine?”

Kate smiled warmly at her. “That’s fine. You chill here and I’ll go get it for you.” She turned to her daughter “Ellie can you come stir this sauce while I help your mother out?”

The dark-haired girl just held her left hand up gesturing to the cast. “Uhh…”

Her mother put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Giselle, you’re the captain of the JV rugby team I’m confident that you’re more than capable of stirring a pot right-handed.”

As Kate walked off to pour a glass Victoria went to set her purse down when she felt her other daughter wrap her arms around her middle. “Hi to you too Maddie.”

“Thank you for not being too mad at Ellie Mama.” she said from behind her mother.

“Yeah well…” Victoria turned around to reciprocate her daughter’s hug. “Sorry your boyfriend turned out to be an asshole.”

“Swear jar!” Kate called from the pantry.

“It’s okay.” Maddie sighed. “I’m only sixteen, I’ve got plenty of time to meet a nice guy.”

“Honey I wish I had your level of positivity at your age.” she said reaching for the glass Kate was handing her as Maddie released her hold.

“Hey Mads, your pasta’s about to boil over.” Ellie called out from the stove. 

“Oh shoot!” Maddie said running back over to salvage her spaghetti. “Sooo…” she started after getting her cooking under control. “Does this mean Ellie is grounded?”

“Oh yeah.” Victoria said, taking a sip from her glass. “She’s definitely grounded.”

Maddie heard her sister sigh beside her. “For how long?” she asked, chewing her lip.

“Until the cast comes off.”

Everyone, Victoria included, turned to look at Kate in shock, talking over each other.

“What?!”

“Mom! No way!”

“Katie isn’t that a bit harsh?”

Kate looked at her daughter with a calm but serious expression. “Giselle I understand that you may have had noble intentions but what you did was still very bad. You acted rashly and now you’re injured, and you very nearly got expelled. I know this seems like I’m being unreasonable, but this is a very serious lesson I want to make sure that you learn.”

Ellie just looked at her mother in silence before staring down at her feet, eyes watering. “I understand.” Her voice was shaky. 

“That being said…” Kate paused long enough to ensure both her daughters were paying attention. “You can still go to New York for your birthday.”

Both girls ran up to hug their mother, Ellie muttering quiet “thank yous”

Kate freed herself enough to look at both her daughters before continuing. “You guys have been planning this for months and even though I want you to learn your lesson I’m not going to take your birthday present away from you. I’m also not going to let your sister fly across the country by herself for two weeks just because you did something dumb for her sake.”

The girls wrapped their arms around their mother again. Victoria coming up behind them to join in the family hug.

“Love you Mom” Ellie said quietly.”

“Love you too.” Kate replied, smiling at her wife over her daughters. “All three of you.”

[smileyoongle]

Yours Insanely (Yandere! Jungkook)

Summary: Lovers can be the most dangerous people. You learned that a little too late.

Pairing: Yandere Killer! Jungkook×Reader

Mahogany. Smoke. Leather. 

That's exactly how the air smelled, even though it was suppressed by the stench of blood. You gazed at the scene before you with empty and defeated eyes, the lights from the siren illuminating your face in the dark forest. A yellow tape was secured around the crime scene, locking you within the perimeter, just metres away from the dead body. 

It was a woman around your age, her mouth wide open and eyes staring at the night sky. Her pale skin shone in the moonlight, her hands splayed out on either side of her cold body. You let out a shaky breath, your eyes moving down to her abdomen which wasn't quite...together. Her skin had been slashed open, her organs having been pulled out in heaps of bloody masses. Your stomach lurched, bile rising in your throat before you clamped your mouth shut and ran to the side, emptying the contents of your stomach beside a large tree that towered over you. You breathed heavily, wiping your mouth with the sleeve of your brown overcoat that shielded you against the cold wind. 

Four months and twenty three murders. 

Twenty three murders and not one piece of evidence.

For someone who had been a detective for seven years, you were doing a very shitty job. Every time you thought you were close to catching the killer, you found yourself back at the beginning. It was as if things were going round in circles, and this time you had fucked up. You were focusing on the wrong person, which ended in another woman being murdered ruthlessly. If only you had paid attention to the details….

You closed your eyes, leaning against the bark of the tree and rubbing your forehead with your fingers. The sound of camera shutters fell deaf to your ears as you groaned in frustration. 

All your fault.

"You okay?" You slowly looked up, Namjoon's concerned face being the sole focus of your vision. His eyes mirrored your emotions perfectly, the same amount of defeat and sorrow lacing his irises. For the first time in forever, you saw sympathy and softness in his eyes, all directed to you. You still remembered how Namjoon had stated his distaste when he had been paired with you for the case. Both of you were the best in whatever you did, that's why your seniors had decided that it would be best if you worked together. You didn't have any objections because the case seemed like that of a deranged killer, one whose psychological condition was beyond your understanding. Namjoon had a history of working as a forensic psychiatrist and that was definitely a good thing. Especially since you weren't in the right mind due to your breakup with Jungkook, your overbearing ex-lover.

"No. I'm- I'm not okay, Namjoon. If I had just listened to you, none of this would have happened." You tried to keep your voice steady but Namjoon could tell you were so close to breaking down. All hope had been lost, every all nighter that you pulled had been for nothing. No matter what anyone said, you were always gonna believe that it was your fault. 

"Agent Kim, I'm telling you, that psycho's a florist or something. All we found is a bouquet of withered lilacs." You pushed yourself to stand beside Namjoon as your department's forensic scientist nudged the bouquet towards you both. You glared at the dead flowers, a small red card peeking out from between the petals. You knew what was written on it because it was the same sentence every single time.

'You can stop this.

-Yours Insanely,

You'll find out someday.'

According to your research, the killer was some guy who had been rejected by his love and was now taking it all out on every woman he saw. The dead lilacs signified dead love and that was the only thing you and Namjoon knew confidently. Everything else was a mess, seeing as the killer had you running around in circles. You had truly given up, the lack of sleep finally catching up to you. 

"I'm gonna head back to the office. Detective Choi probably has a suspension order ready for me." You announced, rushing towards your car while Namjoon called after you. You didn't turn. You couldn't. His face was just gonna make you feel more guilty. He was right since the beginning. You weren't a good enough partner. The least you could do for him was convince Mr Choi that Namjoon didn't know anything about your theories. The leaves crunched under your feet as you unlocked your car. You could hear the faint noises of people from the crime scene, biting your lip harshly to hold yourself together. You entered your car and sat in silence, your head resting on the steering wheel as you stared at your lap in the darkness.

There was a sudden ding from your phone, your hand already fishing for it in the pocket of your coat. Your face lit up as you saw Jungkook's name on the screen.

Jungkook: Heard about what happened. Are you okay? 

This was a routine by now. You knew Jungkook was just looking for opportunities to text you since you told him off for begging you to come back. But you couldn't blame him. A relationship of three years would certainly take time to get over. You still thought of him everyday and you swore you'd probably be running back to him if it weren't for this case. Nobody had loved you like Jungkook. His love was consuming to the point of suffocation. Suffocation that felt sweet and desirable, until you figured out that he was becoming a little too possessive. Even though your relationship was over, you were still bind in his clutches. Because Jeon Jungkook knew you like the back of his hand. He understood.

He always understood.

____________________________________________

"You look like her."

He stated, dragging the edge of the axe across her arms, grinning in satisfaction upon seeing the scared look in her eyes. He didn't know who she was but all he knew was that this woman wanted him. The seductive smile on her red lips had told him that the second he had stepped into the club. 

Unfortunately for her, it made him angry. It made him angry that all the women he didn't care about, wanted him but the one he cared about, didn't even look at him.

She left him...like he meant nothing.

Jungkook yanked the woman's head up by pulling at her hair, the dirty rag around her mouth preventing her from screaming. For a second, Jungkook saw her face morphing into that of yours. But it was gone just as it came. 

"But you're not her." He seethed, gritting his teeth and pushing her back to the ground. Sure, this woman was dying before Jungkook's five day count but he was overwhelmed. He was growing restless with each passing day. 

Why weren't you coming back to him?

It was risky to put his name out there but he thought you'd understand. Did you forget about him already? No. That couldn't be. Not when Jungkook texted you almost everyday. Then why? 

Kim Namjoon….

Was that man holding you back?

Jungkook yelled in frustration, lifting the axe above his head and bringing it down. He watched the blade slash through the skin of her face, disfiguring it completely. His chest heaved as blood splattered onto his skin, his eyes wide and crazed. Jungkook's fingers loosened across the handle, his head tipping back to the ceiling as he closed his eyes.

___________________________________________

"Y/N, I think you need a break." You didn't react, your eyes fixed on the dark wooden table which stood inches away from you. It was late at night, the new addition to the victims list having taken away everyone's peace and calm. Not that there was any, considering the fact that there was a killer on the loose.

"I hope you know Namjoon had no idea what I was doing." You mumbled monotonously, receiving a sigh from Mr Choi. He lost count of how many times you had said that, but he couldn't bring himself to say much. His best officer had been destroyed completely. He never thought he'd see this day but maybe it was a sign of the times. You needed to be put off from this case.

"Yes, I do, Y/N. Another team of officers are on their way here. They have been appointed by the state and Namjoon will be working with them. You take good care of yourself." He replied, pushing the white envelope towards you. You didn't even have to open it to know that it was your suspension letter. All you wanted to do was go home and forget about this. Even though it wasn't possible. You pursed your lips and took the envelope in your hand, nodding at Mr Choi who was looking at you with sympathetic eyes. You mustered up a small smile, trying your best to show him that you were still strong. But who were you trying to fool? The man who pushed you up on your feet and stood by you during your struggles to become a detective? 

"I'll do that." You said, turning around and leaving his cabin, your eyes burning with the onslaught of tears. Your shoes clicked against the stairs as you stepped out of the building, the cold air fanning your face. The parking lot was empty but there were plenty of people running here and there. For once, you weren't involved in it. You didn't have to worry about it but your mind refused to relax. You were gonna spend sleepless nights even if you weren't working on the case anymore. 

You heard the crunching of gravel as a car pulled up in front of you, Namjoon's panicked face coming into your line of sight. His eyes frantically darted around the yard until they landed on you, a relieved expression settling down on his features. He slammed the car door shut, approaching you in a hurry.

"Y/N, what did you do?" He snapped, walking towards you with anger in his eyes. Your confusion grew deeper, your lips parting in question. Namjoon exhaled sharply, his nostrils flaring as he clenched his jaw. 

"You lied to him. This isn't how a partnership works. I am supposed to get that suspension with you!" He argued, your brows relaxing in understanding. Namjoon glanced at the building behind you, his hands resting on his hips as he looked back at you.

"You don't deserve this, Namjoon. You were against it and it was my idea to go ahead with the plan." You explained, glancing at your shoes. Namjoon was just being righteous, you thought. But it wasn't that. Namjoon's words had a deeper meaning to them. 

He was mad at you for doing this, of course. But he was even more mad at you for being so ...good. He didn't see this coming but you now held a soft spot in his heart. And once in a while, Namjoon found himself thinking, what it would be like if he wasn't just your colleague. Maybe if he hadn't been so harsh towards you since the start, he would have stood a chance. Especially since you didn't have an annoying boyfriend anymore.

"This..- I'm gonna talk to him about this." You immediately held his arm, Namjoon's heart rocketing to the sky upon feeling your warmth. He pursed his lips, looking into your eyes and seeing the pain. He wanted to hold you and tell you that you were gonna be okay but he couldn't. Too soon.

"Namjoon, please. Let me feel like I did something right in this entire ordeal." Your voice cracked, your fingers tightening their grasp on his arm. The night air was crisp, the smell of dead lilacs still alive in your senses. You swore it would be with you for the rest of your life. Or at least until this was over.

Namjoon nodded, his lips pressed against one another as he willed himself to look at you without having his eyes waver.

"I'll do everything I can to find him. For you." 

You saw it. You saw the flash of affection in Namjoon's eyes before he buried it deep inside. Your heart plummeted as you shamefully looked at the gravel, knowing that you would never be able to reciprocate what Namjoon felt. Because you were still in love. With a man you shouldn't even think of anymore.

You cleared your throat, covering up your saddened state with an encouraging smile. You pulled your hand away from Namjoon, taking a step towards your car and looking at him over your shoulder.

"I'll wait for that day."

___________________________________________

Jungkook had just put on his sweatpants when the bell rang, his eyes immediately falling on the wall clock. 1:50 AM. He frowned, tossing the towel on the bed before making his way towards the door. The cool air hit his bare chest, his damp hair falling over his forehead in soft curls. 

The day had been eventful. This was the first time he had committed two murders in a single day. The body of the second woman was still in his basement but he wanted to catch people off guard. He wanted to tell the world that he was getting angry and impatient. His insanity was reaching its peak and he needed you to break.

Jungkook ran a hand through his hair, pulling the door open, only to have his breath taken away. There you stood before him, eyes heavy and hands tucked into the pocket of your coat. Your lips were chapped as you licked them, glancing around nervously with red rimmed eyes. Jungkook could tell you had been crying, his heart aching on seeing what he had done to you. But you deserved it. 

You deserved it for breaking his heart. 

"Y/N…" he whispered, his lips begging to display the happiness that was coursing through him. You bit your lip, eyes glued to Jungkook who stood fresh out of the shower in front of you. You inhaled deeply, summoning back your confidence because this was Jungkook. You didn't have to worry about being a wreck before him. Without a word, you pushed your way inside his home, your shoulder brushing against his as the warmth of his house engulfed you. Jungkook stared at you in awe, praying for things to be okay again. Maybe you did break? Maybe you were back for him? 

He pulled himself out of his head and shut the door, watching you with his doe eyes as you hung your coat on the rack and rushed inside. He was quick to follow you into the living room, his gaze dancing around to look for anything he had left out. 

No. It's all in the basement.

With a nervous feeling in his chest, Jungkook leaned on a wall, his fingers fiddling with each other as you stood with your back facing him. Your hands rested on top of his mini bar counter, a heavy silence looming over you both. Jungkook opened his mouth to say something but he couldn't think of anything. Not unless you told him why you were there.

But you couldn't answer that question yourself. Not when you were wondering why you were there. His house was not even on the way to your house, so why were you there? Was it because your head was too free and now you wanted to see if Jungkook had changed? Was it because you wanted him to make you feel like you're worth all the trouble in the world? Hell, that was probably it. You felt so useless that there was nothing anyone could say to make you feel better.

"I got suspended." You blurted out, your voice piercing through the atmosphere. Jungkook's breath hitched, a little too loud for his liking. All this time, he had been thinking he was the puppeteer of this game. But he didn't see this coming. How could someone suspend you? Your voice had despair lacing it, Jungkook feeling guiltier with every passing second. He knew how important your job was to you. 

"I'm sorry to hear that. Are you...okay?" He asked cautiously, scared that he'd break you. He still didn't know why you were at his place in the middle of the night but it brought him a sense of relief that he was the one you confided in. You suddenly turned around, a tear falling down your cheek as you threw your hands up. 

"No. No, I'm not okay. In fact, I don't even know why I'm here. All I know is that I- I- fuck! I should go." You stammered, walking past him to leave. This was probably the most embarrassing thing that had happened between you and Jungkook. You were simply making a fool out of yourself. It was wrong to be wanting him when you were the one who left. But Jungkook, clearly didn't think that.

His hand shot out to hold your wrist, pulling you back towards him. Your hands rested on his chest as he cupped your cheek with one hand, holding your waist firmly with the other. Your heart was racing, your skin burning under his touch and you realized just how much you had missed him. It wasn't just about how he made you feel. It was also about the way your body ached for him to make you feel right. Jungkook's eyebrows were slightly furrowed, his eyes flickering between your lips and your widened orbs. 

"Don't walk out on me again. Not when we both still want each other." Jungkook begged, caressing your skin as he leaned down. Your nose brushed against his, lips only an inch away. No matter how much you wanted to pull away, you couldn't. It was a risk you were taking. You knew that Jungkook wouldn't change. He'd still come to pick you up from work. He'd still ask you to take days off again and again. He'd still ask you a million questions if you hid something from him. But you loved him. Underneath all of that, was the Jungkook you had first met and fallen for. 

You broke the ice by standing on your toes and pressing your lips firmly against Jungkook's. His reaction was immediate, hands tangling in your hair and pulling your body flush against him. His tongue glided across your lips, slipping in your mouth when you parted them. The muffled moan escaping your mouth was inevitable, especially with Jungkook's fingers coming up to wrap around your neck. He made you feel so... delicate at times. He made the world better, instilling the thought of needing to be protected in your mind. Your suspension may have something to do with your stupid decisions but you were simply acting upon your feelings. Those that you had suppressed for months. 

You gasped when Jungkook pushed you onto the couch, positioning himself between your thighs as he propped himself up on his hands. You were a sight for sore eyes, lips swollen and hair a mess. Chest heaving and eyes clouded with lust. There was nothing else Jungkook could ever ask for. His fingers grazed the skin of your thighs, your skirt riding up on its own. It felt so right, yet so wrong. Your body was on fire, aching for Jungkook to just have his way with you. 

"Jungkook, please. I want you…"

Your voice was needy and desperate, boosting Jungkook's pride. You did love him, then. You still loved him. He caught your lips with his own, rolling his hips against yours to let you feel what you were doing to him. You closed your eyes and arched your back, trying to create more friction before Jungkook harshly pushed your hips back on the couch. He nipped at your neck, enjoying the way you were squirming and whining beneath him. But you weren't gonna get it so easily, were you? Not after what you did to his poor heart.

"Oh, I know, baby. And I will fuck you hard. All night…" he trailed off, getting off of you and standing inches away from your laid out body. The sight of his body made your mouth water, your mind recalling all the times Jungkook and you spent in the bedroom. His hair was longer than you last saw and you were smitten with how he looked. You clenched your thighs shut, his eyes raking over your entire body. 

"..but only when you tell me you won't leave me again."

You stared at him with surprise written all over your face. It was a statement. A demand. If you didn't know any better, you'd think Jungkook was cruel for doing this. He was using your sexual needs to get you back in his arms, permanently. But there was also a chance of you regretting this night. That is if something ever did happen.

You didn't want that. You didn't want to wake up in the morning and hate yourself for this. 

Liar. This is the only thing you'd never regret.

At your lack of response, Jungkook leaned down to your eye level, his hand brushing your hair away from your face. "What's it gonna be, baby?" He purred, kissing your jaw. If you weren't so drenched in arousal, you would have pushed him away but for now, the smallest of touch was doing things to you. Jungkook's lips continued to pepper kisses on your skin, your neck craning to give him more access. Jungkook knew what he was doing, his smirk would have told you that if you had seen it.

"I'll never leave you." You breathed out, and for a second, it seemed as if you caught a whiff of that scent. The one from the forest. The one that had been holding you captive all these months. 

Dead lilacs.

Your thoughts were interrupted when Jungkook threw you over his shoulder, your heart pounding in excitement for what's to come. He took you up the stairs, the same old cherry wood greeting you until you were in his bedroom. You were laid on the bed gently, your hands gripping the sheets beneath you as Jungkook's mouth latched onto your shoulder, his hands busy with taking off your shirt. "I'll remind you how big of a mistake it was to leave me. I own all of you, baby. You'll always come back to me. Always." 

You whimpered when he softly dug his teeth in your skin, sucking and leaving marks that you won't be able to cover up. 

___________________________________________

You were awake. Call it the unsettling feeling in your gut that was continuously nagging you, but you were awake. There was a sliver of light on the horizon, telling you that soon it was gonna be bright and early. You fingers played with Jungkook's hand that was on your stomach, his rhythmic breathing sounding like some sort of calm music. Unfortunately, you couldn't go back to sleep. Your thoughts were haunting you. You wanted to ask Namjoon if there were any new developments but you stopped yourself. You really should try and utilize your days of suspension productively. You sighed softly, lifting Jungkook's hand and placing it away from you. You glanced at his face as you stood up, noticing the way there was a hint of a smile on his lips. 

Because of you.

That made your heart flutter, your own lips stretching slightly as you picked up his t-shirt that lay on the chair in the corner of the room. You put it over your undergarments, walking out of the room and down into the living room. You needed updates, really. You took your phone that you had left on the counter a few hours ago, unlocking it to see a message from Namjoon.

Namjoon: Hey, Y/N? Uh...I just wanted to let you know that we're keeping the new discovery away from the people. They are scared and we don't want them to think that we're doing nothing. So, I hope you didn't tell anyone. Cause no one knows about it. Feel free to call me anytime and...take care:-)

You cracked a smile at the addition of the little smiley at the end, shaking your head at how traditional Namjoon was. However, your smile didn't last long.

Jungkook….

Realization dawned on you like a ton of bricks before a beeping sound echoed through the house. You clutched your phone tightly, your head jerking towards the source of the sound that seemed to be coming from the basement. You narrowed your eyes, your feet taking you forward towards the door to the basement which was slightly open. There seemed to be no other noise from any other corner of the house, indicating that Jungkook hadn't heard this soft pitched beeping at all. You inhaled deeply, pulling open the door and slowly descending down into the darkness, your hand searching the wall for the light switch. Once you were sure that the steps had ended, you felt the switch on the wall, flicking it on to illuminate the room. 

The way your heart plummeted wasn't pleasing at all, your eyes wide as you gazed at the patch of soily land on the harsh gray floor in the corner, lights falling upon blooming buds of the flowers you recognized very well.

Lilacs.

Your blood ran cold, a faint smell of blood hitting your senses. With clammy hands, you gasped and leaned against a wall nearby, eyes fixed at the horror Jungkook was brewing in his basement. You breathed heavily, sweat beading on your forehead as you went over the possible reasons your ex ...no, boyfriend was growing lilacs.

The beeping sound was still alive, your gaze moving to the small clock that sat near a computer at the other side of the room. You closed your eyes, willing the negative thoughts to go away. No. There has to be another reason for this. Maybe he just happened to like lilacs a lot, lately.

Then why the basement?

Because he must have been scared! With the murders going on, he must have thought that he'd be blamed for it. That's a good enough reason, right?

Right?

Your detective instincts were kicking in, your eyes opening as you managed to calm yourself down. You glanced at the door of the basement, hoping Jungkook wasn't up yet. Your feet shakily dragged you to the alarm, shutting it off as your eyes darted around the room for anything else. Anything that could make him look like a murderer. Even the thought was bitter. Your Jungkook? A murderer? Unfortunately, you couldn't bring yourself to say that it was a crazy accusation. You knew very well what Jungkook was capable of. Right then, you saw the big white freezer at the side, the little trail of blood at it's edge sending you into a spiral of shock. But you were too scared to just stand and cry about the decisions you made. For instance, getting back with Jungkook.

Now it all made sense. 

'You can stop this.'

You somehow managed to open the door of the freezer, immediately regretting your choices upon seeing the bloody woman lying inside. Her face was absolutely unrecognisable, every inch of her skin covered in blood. The stench was stronger, your throat constricting with every breath you took. You inhaled sharply, your vision becoming blurry with the tears that found home in your eyes. You harshly wiped them away, narrowing your eyes to see the tally marks on the inside of the refrigerator door. Without a doubt, that was the number of women who had been found dead. You gritted your teeth, stumbling back and falling on the ground as you tried to stop your crying. You were sure you heard your heartbreak, a searing pain shooting through your head. Finally, you were facing the consequences of not getting enough sleep along with the new discoveries about your boyfriend.

Stupid Y/N.

"I knew I should have locked the door." 

Your emotions were heightened on hearing his voice, bouts of anger and fear pouring over you. You turned around, still finding it hard to stand as Jungkook loomed over you with an unreadable expression. You sniffled, crawling backwards and away from him.

From the murderer who stood before you.

You saw the look of pain in his eyes but all your love for him had been pushed away by the sympathetic feelings for those who lost their lives to him. All you saw was a cold blooded killer. No more a lover.

"Don't come closer. You know I can take you down." You threatened, your voice shaky but stern. You were trying your best to hold yourself together. The only thing you had to do was get to Namjoon. Jungkook cocked an eyebrow, his eyes moving over to the opened freezer door. He fixed a deadly glare on you and moved to close it with a bang, your body visibly flinching at his action. 

"I know you can. But tell me, Y/N, do you think this is my fault?" You frowned at his words, the tears on your cheeks now drying in the thick air of the basement. He sighed in distress, crouching down before you as you shifted further away from him. Jungkook pursed his lips, holding your gaze for a minute before speaking up again. "Remember how I had told you that this breakup will have consequences. This was it, baby. This was my message for you to come back."

Your head was spinning at this point, goosebumps rising on your skin as your brain processed all the information. All these months, you had been looking at the wrong place. Your killer was right in front of you but you let him get away. Knowing that you could have stopped everything was a heart wrenching thought. A sob escaped your mouth, your head buried in your hands as you let your frustration out. 

Jungkook didn't know how he felt, it was all a mess up there. He certainly wasn't enjoying the tears on your cheeks but he also loved seeing you so...ruined. Weirdly enough, it made him feel powerful. He cautiously reached out towards you, his fingers landing on your hair when you suddenly jolted away from him, a murderous look in your eyes.

"Don't touch me." 

Jungkook felt like his heart had been torn into pieces, his brows furrowing as he clenched his jaw. You breathed heavily, holding back your tears and glaring at him with sheer intensity. Your eyes fell onto your phone that lay behind Jungkook on the floor. When you had dropped it, you didn't remember. You really had to contact someone to tell them you had found the lilac killer, only if Jungkook wasn't in front of you. But Jungkook's patience was wearing thin. He waited for so long and killed so many people. He even had you back in his arms, only for this to happen?

No. Not this time.

Jungkook lunged at you, pushing you back on the floor and straddling you while pinning your hands above your head. You screamed for help, eyes clenched shut as you tried to get Jungkook off of you. 

"This is because of that detective, isn't it? You don't want me to touch you? But you let me do everything to you last night, baby. Don't fight me now." He growled, eyes narrowed to slits as he mocked you. His words only fuelled your anger, reminding you of last night and how you let him touch you. Every single thing about your life seemed to be a regret, at this moment. You really had to fix it. You took deep breaths before bringing your head up and hitting Jungkook in the nose. He let out a loud scream and clutched his nose, falling back on the floor as you scurried away from him. You caught a glimpse of blood on his face, a wave of satisfaction passing over you. With a hopeful exhale, you crawled towards the staircase, your knee scraping against the rocky floor. Just as you reached the last step, you felt a hand wrap around your ankle, yanking you back as your chin slammed against the broken wood. Your teeth dug into your tongue, drawing blood as your jaw went slack and you cried out loud. 

Jungkook gritted his teeth, pulling you back to him. There was nothing in this world that would convince him to let you go. You kept his sinister thoughts at bay. Or that's what he assumed. Jungkook grunted, your cries falling deaf to his ears as he dragged himself closer to your laid out form. 

You gasped for air, your lungs burning until you kicked Jungkook in the stomach with all the strength you could muster. When you saw him doubling over in pain, you pushed yourself into your feet and took off. You grabbed your coat from the rack and unlocked the door, crying and running outside into the dawn. Your hands reached out to unlock your car but you realized you didn't have the keys at all. Your eyes widened and you turned back to face the house, Jungkook's figure approaching the door with a gun in his hand. He raised it at you, showing you his pissed off expression as he held out his other hand. Your car keys dangled from his fingers, a broken sob escaping your mouth. 

Jungkook cocked his head back inside the house, clearly wanting you to come back. But you weren't gonna do that, were you? 

"Come back, Y/N. Or I promise I'll shoot you." He threatened, earning a shake of your head in response. You clenched your fists by your sides, your lips quivering as you struggled to form your words. "You won't. My Jungkook wouldn't shoot me." You stated firmly, watching his expression soften.

Jungkook's heart fluttered, your words clearly having left an impact on him. He fingers struggled to hold the gun, letting it fall as he stared at you longingly. Jungkook didn't wanna let you down. If you believed that your Jungkook wouldn't do this, then he was gonna live up to your fantasy. 

You were shocked when you saw him drop the gun to the floor, a hopeful feeling brewing in your heart. Maybe someday you'd get to see the Jungkook you always knew. But for now, you couldn't stay. You needed to tell someone. You needed to fix your lover. 

Jungkook stood still, his eyes watering as he watched you turn on your feet and leave. He watched you run away onto the asphalt, your body turning to enter the forest. He knew where you were going. You were afraid of him. You believed that he'd come for you. 

And you weren't wrong there.

So I'm actually alive. I was finally able to write something. Things haven't been great lately so be patient. I'm working on come back home, hopefully I'll update it tomorrow. Also, this is a Jungkook birthday special, if you can't tell already. Hope you liked it.

-XX

[picturetoburnnn]

Sweater Weather | C.H. x Reader

word count - 2.4k+

warnings - insecurity i guess?? idk

propmt - I was hoping you could do one where you’re cared to wear values clothes? Like you see Sierra and crystal wearing Michael and Luke’s clothes but you’re nervous that claim won’t want you to? (theres more but for the sake of length i’ll tag the request here !!

a.n. - long time coming!! life majorly got in the way, i did my best to get this done as fast as i could while still keeping the quality. accidentally got carried away. hope yall love it 

ps we are pretending calum still has his curls in this fic because that was my favorite

tags - @songforhema @asht0ns-world @lukesflaredpants @sunflowerxcal @star-gazing-calum @cxddlyash @emomack @merryblueberry02 @kinglyhood @caswinchester2000 @babe-babylon @irwinkitten @1delicate-fangirl dm me to be added!!! 

“You always look so cute in my clothes,” Luke whispers with a smile as he presses a kiss to Sierra’s temple. Sierra smiled giddily, bringing her sweater paw hands up to her face. The couple looked adorable cuddled up on the couch, sunlight stumbling over their figures with a throw blanket haphazardly thrown over their laps.

I frowned, looking down to my feet. 

Cal’s clothes probably wouldn’t even fit me.

“Hey,” Calum slung his arm over my shoulder. “You okay?” He asked, big brown eyes full of concern.

“Yeah.” I plastered on a fake smile, meeting his gaze. “I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“I’m fine, Cali,” I chuckled. 

He didn’t look convinced, but relented. His arm fell from my shoulder to my waist as he tangled his feet with mine on the loveseat.

The open windows blew autumn air into the living room in Ashton’s house, a gentle chill filling the air. Luke, Sierra, Michael, and Crystal were all lounging on the sofa, leaving Ashton with the recliner chair (“Fine by me, thank you very much,” he huffed).

The end credits rolled, leading just about everyone to a stretch break. As Crystal stood, I couldn’t help but notice how she wore Michael’s sweatpants.

He’s never even offered to let me try on one of his shirts. He probably doesn’t want me to. 

 Calum stood, stretching his arms behind his head, shirt riding up to show a tiny bit of his adorable tummy. He leaned down with a groan, placing his hands on the couch’s backrest on either side of my head, boxing me in. “I’m gonna step outside for a smoke break, okay baby?” 

“Okay,” I whispered, smiling at him.

He gave me a quick kiss before standing up, motioning for Ashton to come outside with him.

“Do you know if we have any more blankets?” I asked the two couples. “It’s kinda chilly in here.”

Luke answered, “I think the rest of Ash’s blankets are in the wash, but I’ve got one of Cal’s old hoodies in my car. I’ll go grab it for ya.” 

“Oh no, really, it’s not a big--”

“Nah, I’ll go grab it.”

Before I could say another word, he’s out the door. Idle chatter filled the room until the singer’s return. He dropped the green Empathy hoodie in my lap, mumbling a quiet “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” I grinned up at him, trying to hide my worry. How would Calum react to me wearing his clothes? Would he be mad? I put my arms through the sleeves and pulled it over my head. Guess I’m about to find out.

A few minutes pass before Calum and Ashton come back inside. I sat on the loveseat, scrolling through my phone when I heard the back sliding door open. I looked up, and my heart fell.

Calum was staring at me, shocked. I knew he didn’t want me wearing his stuff. I tore the green hoodie off my body faster than I’ve ever taken anything off before, muttering a small ‘sorry’ as I dropped the ball of fabric on the sofa. I stood up quickly, rushed past Calum into the hallway, made a sharp left to the bathroom, and locked the door behind me. The ground swayed beneath me as I slumped down, my back against the door as I balled my fist against my mouth, trying to silence the impending cries.

I wasn’t about to cry in front of my boyfriend and his friends. 

Of course I wasn’t supposed to wear his stupid shirts. They’re HIS, not mine. What made me think otherwise?

“Y/N, baby, what’s wrong?” His lovely voice drifted through the door. 

“Go away, Cal. I’m sorry,” I whimpered, tears choking me.

“Sweetheart, open the door.”

I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see. 

“Y/N.” Calum’s voice sounded more desperate than anything I’d ever heard.

Perhaps it was that exact desperation that led me to silently twist around and unclick the lock. Within an instant, Calum was standing in the doorway, looking down on my crumpled form. He knelt down, moving to put his arms around me. 

Silently, I pushed his arms away. The gesture was sweet, but suffocating. 

“Can you please take me home?”

“Tell me what’s wrong, baby,” he pleaded.

“I wanna go home,” I whispered, hands shaking as I wiped my tears.

A deep sigh. “Okay,” he relents. “We can go back home.”

He walked me silently to the car, waving off the concerned questions from our friends. The drive was a silent one, leaving me to break the quiet. The clock on the dash read 4:46.

“Can you please take me to my place?”

Calum all but slammed on the brakes. “W-what? Baby, all your stuff is at my house.”

“I just… I really think I need to be there tonight,” I sniffled.

Calum nodded, but I could see it hurt him to do so. 

Great. Not only did I wear his things, I also hurt his feelings. God, what a mess I am.

He pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex. “Are you sure, Y/N? Do you want me to stay with you?”

“No.” I shook my head, sniffling again as I opened the door. “I’ll be fine.” It didn’t feel as if I were moving as I climbed out of the car.

“Hey,” he called before I shut the door. “I love you.”

I nodded, then swung the door shut.

~~~

Calum called Ashton on the drive back home. 

“So what happened?” His best friend asked.

“She isn’t telling me!” Calum exclaimed, one hand on the steering wheel, the other rubbing his forehead.

“But she asked me to drive her back to her place. The only times she stays there is if I’m out of town and you’re taking care of Duke. She always stays with me.”

“And you didn’t do anything that you can think of?” Ashton’s voice held no malice, but Calum felt the underlying implication.

“She won’t tell me. I don’t want to press her, I’m sure she’ll tell me when she’s ready, but I’m worried about her. I was so happy to finally see her wearing my stuff, but she whipped it off and ran to the bathroom. She seemed on the verge of a panic attack when she finally opened the door for me. I love her, man, and it hurts she won’t tell me what’s wrong. ”

“I don’t know, Cal. I’ll see what I can get her to tell me.”

Calum’s heart ached. Why couldn’t she just talk to him? He loved her, just wanted her to be okay, but she shut him out? What was wrong? What had happened? What thought wormed its way into that pretty little head of hers and made her shut down completely?

~~~

It was almost eleven p.m. when my phone rang, lighting up my nightstand in the black. I picked it up, not even checking the caller ID, desperate for some distraction from this empty feeling inside. 

“Hello?”

“Y/N,” Ashton sighed in relief. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

I swallowed. “I’m fine.”

“No you’re not, girl, and it’s okay. Tell me what happened.”

And the floodgates opened. I poured my heart out, everything that went through my mind came rushing past my lips before I could think twice. 

“I was just cold,” I choked out. “I wanted a blanket, but Luke said all he had was one of Calum’s sweatshirts so I put that on. Crystal and Sierra are always wearing Mike and Luke’s clothes but Calum’s never once even mentioned it to me so I figured he didn’t want me to. I was afraid to put on the stupid hoodie in the first place, but I did anyways cause I fugured ‘what’s the harm,’ right? He comes back in with you and he’s looking at me as if his entire world just came crashing down around him. I knew I shouldn’t have worn that freaking green sweatshirt. It’s his, not mine. I didn’t need to be wearing it - I shouldn’t have been wearing it. But I did, and he looked so upset that I panicked and almost accidentally threw myself into an attack. He’s right to not want me wearing his stuff. I’d probably just stretch it out and make it unwearable for him.”

Ashton was silent for a moment. “You really think that?”

“Yeah,” I coughed out between cries. 

“Y/N…” Ashton breathed. He went on in the calmest voice he could muster. “He was… overjoyed to see you in his clothes.”

I could have sworn I stopped breathing. 

"Honestly, he’s never been more in love than he is with you. And I know for a fact that all he’s ever wanted is for his love to tell him they’re his in the subtlest ways. That includes wearing his shirts. It’s something he’s wanted since the beginning of your relationship, when he realized he loved you.”

A beat of quiet. No sounds could be heard but the ticking of the clock on the wall. 

“You still there?”

“I’m so stupid,” I breathed. 

“No, you’re not. Just a little oblivious. He’s worried sick about you, though. He told me you’re at your place instead of his?”

“Yeah.”

“If it’s because you think you cause him difficulties or struggles or are the source of his problems, I can guarantee you that is not the case. I‘ve never seen him happier than he is when he’s with you. You brought him joy when he was in his darkest spots. He loves you, Y/N. And I know you love him too.”

I stayed quiet, thinking about what he just said.

“Y/N?”

“I gotta go.” I hung up the phone right then.

~~~

Hours of contemplation later, I finally came to a conclusion. Grabbing my phone, I ordered an Uber, sliding on my shoes and scrambling for my keys. 

I waited for just a few minutes before I got the notification that the car had arrived. The driver was kind enough to understand that I wasn’t in the mood to talk, and offered the aux cord to me. I kindly refused, thanking them for the offer.

“Let me know if you need anything,” they said softly as they began the drive to Calum’s.

I bounced my leg up and down in anticipation. Was he mad at me? Would he understand? Is he upset that I didn’t understand? 

I spent the majority of the drive trapped in my thoughts. I didn’t process the vehicle pulling up to the curb until the driver gently said, “Miss?”

That snapped me out of my reverie, snapping my head to the window. “Oh, thank you so much. Sorry about that.”

I put a ten dollar bill on the center console. “For you,” I smiled quickly, and was out of the car before they could argue. 

I braced myself against the cold, crossing my arms and rubbing my biceps. In the rush to get here, I forgot a sweater (yet again). As I stepped onto the porch, I knocked before I could think about what I was doing. As seconds passed, I started second guessing myself. This was stupid. He probably isn’t even awake. 

Before I could turn around, the door flung open. “Y/N?”

His hair was a tousled mess, as if he had constantly been running his fingers through it - something I always knew he did when he felt stressed. His eyes were shadowed by dark circles that hadn’t been so prominent earlier in the day. 

I flung myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his shoulder. After just a moment’s hesitation, he reciprocated. 

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled into his sleeve. “I should have come home, I’m sorry.”

His hand ran over my hair as he gently shushed me.

I pulled away, snifiling. 

“You catching a cold, angel?” His hands held my face as he looked me over.  “Let’s get you inside, sweetheart.” I nodded, crossing the threshold with him hot on my heels. 

The door shut. “Wh-”

“I thought you were mad at me,” I blurted, spinning to face him. “For wearing your sweatshirt. “That’s why I acted like that. I thought you didn’t want me in your stuff, that you were upset at me for it. I threw it off and ran because you thought I’d stretch it out and make it unwearable again. I was cold and that’s all Luke said he had so I just took it, y’know? Ashton called me and told me I was wrong, though. I wanted to say sorry for jumping to conclusions.”

Calum stared at me for a minute before letting out a breathy chuckle that eventually turned into a full belly laugh. 

“Okay,” I say only half-jokingly. “I poured my emotions out there and you’re laughing.”

“Baby,” he wheezes. ���Why would you ever think I’d be mad for something as small as that?”

“I don’t know,” I say quietly in my stubborn voice, pouting. “That’s just how my brain works.”

Calum puts his hands on my arms, smiling at me. “Y/N. I love you. Very, very much. I would be eternally happy to let you wear my sweatshirts any time you want. I don’t think you can possibly stretch them out more than I already have. And if you do, then so what? It’s just a hoodie. You, my love, are much more important to me than that.”

I blushed, hands covering my face as he wrapped his arms around my waist. “I cannot believe you,” he giggles, resting his chin atop my head.

“Hey!” I cried, but was muffled by his chest. “You’re the one who laughed as soon as I told you!”

He sighed dramatically, pulling away but keeping his arms tight around my waist. He looked me in the eyes. “I guess that was a little rude. I’m sorry angel. Can I make it up to you with some snuggles?” He gave me his best puppy-dog look, big eyes and all.

“Yeah,” I smiled, leaning up on my tip-toes to bring my face closer to his. 

“Yeah? Pretty girl gonna forgive me for laughing?” He ghosts his lips over mine. 

“Only if you give her a kiss.”

“I can do that.”

He presses his lips against mine, and everything feels like it’ll be alright. 

~~

Twenty minutes later, there’s a John Mulaney show playing on the television, a bowl of popcorn between us as Calum’s feet tangle with mine. My head rests on his shoulder, his hand on my thigh. 

And I’m wearing his hoodie. 

[filmfanatic82]

AO3 Link (HERE)

Chapter 11: If I could do it all again…

“Trini!” Max's panic-stricken voice echoes throughout the sea of dense yellow fog, jolting Trini into consciousness. Her eyes dart wildly around looking for something -- anything -- remotely familiar. But there's nothing.

Nothing but yellow.

“Max?” Trini calls back. She spins around once… Twice… Three times. But still nothing. Not even a hint of a shadow.

How did she get here?

And where the hell is here, to begin with?

Trini fights against the ever-growing wave of anxiety ready to crash down upon her. She takes a deep, sobering breath and runs her hands over her ponytail.

Think, Gomez. Think…

“Trini? Where are you? I can't see you?”

“I’m here. Just stay put, kiddo. I’ll find you.”

“Trini?”

Max’s voice lingers. It teases Trini, egging her anxiety on. She feels her heart rate speed up as her heart pounds against her ribcage like an out of control jackhammer.

“MAX!” Trini screams into the yellow abyss.

But…

Only the deafening roar of silence calls back.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

“Trini…” a strange voice answers causing a defined set of chills to run down the length of Trini’s spine. Unlike Max’s, this voice is nothing but menacing in nature. As if belonging to someone-- or something-- that has one intention in mind. “Are you ready to play?”

Run.

She needs to freakin’ run. And now.

But there’s nowhere to go…

“Show yourself!” Trini replies with all the confidence she can muster.

“And reveal who I am? Where’s the fun in that?”

“I’m not looking to play games. Tell me who you are or-“

“Or what?” The voice cuts her off, calling out Trini’s bluff. “Such fire to that voice. You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?”

“You have no fuckin’ idea,” Trini growls. Her hands naturally ball themselves into fists as she mentally prepares herself to battle.

“There’s no need for the anger, Trini.”

“How’d you know my name?” Trini questions as her eyes once again scan the all-encompassing yellow fog, desperate to pinpoint the source of the voice. But still nothing.

“Oh, that’s not all I know.”

“Like what?”

“All in due time, Yellow. All in due time.”

A sickening laugh erupts from the depths of the fog, causing Trini’s skin to crawl. A familiar sense of terror blossoms within the depths of her stomach. She dryly swallows and tries not to let her mind head down the rabbit hole of horrifying possibilities.

They aren’t prepared for what’s to come…

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Trini… Trini, please… C’mon you need to wake up!”

Another voice infiltrates Trini’s consciousness, warmer in tone but laced with a similar frantic quality that immediately causes her heart rate to pike. She gives a hard blink as her world comes into soft focus. Multicolor blobs flicker in front of Trini, angry with rapid movement. She can’t make heads or tails of anything. Everything is just too fuzzy.

“Trini!” The voice yells out this time punctuated with a harsh jerk of Trini’s shoulders, igniting her nerves like the fourth of the July.

Pain.

Sweet Jesus.

Everything freakin’ hurts.

Trini slowly licks her lips and is instantly greeted by the familiar metallic taste of blood. She blinks again. The blobs morph into more identifiable shapes. Still fuzzy around the edges, but clear in appearance nonetheless. A sea of rain, smoke, and broken glass surrounds Trini on all sides, making it virtually impossible to determine up from down.

Trini blinks for a third time, bringing even further clarity to the last few fuzzy objects, including the frightened, ravened hair girl hovering in front of her. She instantly takes note of the peppering of gashes and cuts along the length of Kim’s body.

They’re bad but from what she can tell not life-threatening…  

At least there’s that.

“Kim?” Trini croaks, voice hoarse from the thick layer of smoke residing within her lungs.

Kim lets out a choked sob of relief and runs her hands through her messy, rain-soaked hair. “Thank god.”

“What happened?”

“Not sure. I think something smashes through the windshield and then--”

“Then I lost control,” Trini finishes Kim’s sentence as a tidal wave of memories come crashing down upon her. She attempts to straighten herself up, but can’t seem to move an inch. The mangled remains of the steering wheel, along with the seat belt, have managed to wrap themselves around Trini’s body like a starving boa constrictor, tightening its grasp with each and every breath she takes.

“Don’t move.” Kim contorts her body around the jungle of tangled metal and broken glass, positioning herself so that she’s all but straddling Trini.

“Kim…” Trini licks her lips again, getting a deeper taste of blood as she does.

She’s injured.

Again…

Cause that seems to be her ever fuckin’ curse.

Ever since…

“I said stop moving.”

“I’m not.”

“God, I forgot…” Kim says as she works to loosen the mangled pieces of seat belt from around Trini’s body.

“What?”

“Just how stubborn you can be,” Kim responds without missing a beat. Her hands gently ghost over Trini’s skin, taking the utmost care not to further aggravate her ever presence injuries. “Try moving your arm now.”

Trini carefully attempts to wiggle her left arm as Kim pulls against a stray piece of the steering wheel that’s pinning it against the center console, but it’s no use. Even with her heightened strength and flexibility, she's stuck. “Nope.”

“Okay.” Kim pauses for a moment, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear and lets out a frustrated huff of air. She scans the cab of the truck, as the wheels in her head turn. “What if we--”

WHOOSH.

The distinct sound of flames igniting cut through the air, followed by the all too familiar warmth of a nearby fire.

“Shit,” Kim says as she whips her head around, looking for the source of the flames. There’s a sudden expression of fear that sweeps across her face instantly causing Trini’s stomach to flip flop with a familiar sense of anxiety.

“Kim…”

“Shit… Shit… Shit…” Kim utters under her breath. She turns her attention back towards Trini and frantically starts tugging at the seat belt.

“Kim, you should--”

“Don’t.”

“What?”

Kim lets out a guttural scream of raw energy as she pulls the mangled seat belt with every ounce of strength she can muster. There’s a small but noticeable pop, and suddenly the seat belt gives away. “Tell me to save myself.”

“You should.”

“Shut up.” Kim works quickly, clearing the stray pieces of metal and glass debris from around Trini as a vibrant orange hue continues to seep into their surroundings.

“Kim. Seriously. Get yourself outta here.”

“No,” Kim says through gritted teeth. Beads of sweat roll down from her temples as the temperature rapidly rises, growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. Trini frantically twists and turns her body, ignoring the lashes of pain that accompany each move she makes. The orange hue transforms into fiery red embers, screaming a final warning of what’s to come.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

There’s no time.

Kimberly needs to get her ass out of there. Before…

In a sudden burst of fear-driven desperation, Trini plants her hands on Kim’s shoulders and gives a hard shove, sending the taller girl stumbling back onto the front dashboard.  “Go! You’ve got Max… And Richard… I’ve got no--”

“No!” Kim screams back, eyes brimming with tears. “I’m not losing you. Not again.”

Without another moment’s hesitation, Kim lunges forward, grabs hold of the front of Trini’s shirt, and kicks clear the remains of the broken windshield. She yanks Trini out of the driver’s seat with all of her might and then shoves them through the opening.

“FUCK!” Trini screams as every inch of her feels as if it's been doused in gasoline and lit on fire. Tears uncontrollably stream down her face as she tries to hold onto consciousness for dear life.

It’s too much.

All of it.

Just too much.

“Almost there… Just stay with me, T… I’ve got you… It’s gonna be--”

BAM!

And then the sudden and abrupt comfort of blackness. It wraps itself around Trini, like a warm quilt. Offering temporary relief from the crippling pain. Deep down she knows that she needs to fight against it. That it’s serenity is just a poor illusion, masking the truth of what its presence really means.

“Mi vida…”

A faint and slightly raspy voice calls out, barely audible over the steady orchestra of gale force winds and pounds rain.

Did Kimberly just say mi vida?

To her?

Fuck.

Of all the things that Kimberly could’ve said to Trini, she had to pick that. The singular term of endearment that she had taught Kimberly all those years ago.

The name that Kimberly reserve for those moments… tender moments that Trini would tuck away in the recess of her memory for when she needed to be reminded that someone did indeed love her.

Trini pushes herself out of the comforts of blackness and straight back into the harsh light of day. She takes a long gasp of air as waves of pain once again roll back over her body. This time, though, it’s accompanied by a new sensation. Raw and angry. Radiating down from the base of her neck and wrapping around towards Trini collar bone.

Trini rolls over onto her back with a hiss of pain and lets out a thick, smoke ladened cough. “Kim?”

A sudden and distinct sensation of undiluted fear shoots through Trini’s very being, like a strangely familiar bolt of lighting.

She has a hunch who that fear belongs to…

No. Scratch that. She knows exactly who it is.

Trini has felt that fear countless times before. It always seemed to blindside her during the heat of a battle. Like a subconscious beacon for help that only she was meant to hear.

It’s Kimberly.

Trini pushes herself up into a sitting position, momentarily ignoring the stinging pelts of rain slashing against her skin, and scans her surroundings. There, only a mere few feet away from the flaming wreckage that once was Jason’s beloved truck, lies Kim. Still and almost lifeless in appearance.

And suddenly…

Trini can’t seem to catch her breath. Her eyes fixate on the image of Kim as her subconscious starts to rattle off an incoherent emotion driven prayer to whatever God happens to be listening.

No…

No…

No…

“Kim!” Trini scrambles across the debris-littered asphalt toward Kim, willing her limbs to move despite the wave after wave of mind-numbing pain crashing down upon her. She quickly closes the space between them, reaching the raven-haired girl in record time and instantly goes into crisis autopilot mode.

Pulse?

Check.

Breathing?

Faint but steady.

Broken bones?

Nothing that’s visible.

“Princess…” Trini lets out a shaky breath of air and then gently pulls Kim’s body up into her lap. She ever so carefully traces her fingertips along the edge of Kim’s cheek along an invisible path that she's known by heart as she holds onto the fact that Kim’s alive. Then, using her free hand, Trini digs into her back pocket and pulls out her power coin. It’s a long shot, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She places her coin down on Kim’s chest, and instantly the yellow gem comes to life. It shimmers against the dull grays of the storm like a beacon, radiating a powerful aura as it does.

Trini simply watches it for a moment or two, rising and falling with each breath that Kim takes, then--

“You called me princess?” Kim’s eyes flutter open as a small smile crawls across her lips.

Trini lets out a harsh laugh of surprise. “It slipped.”

“Old habits--”

“Die hard,” Trini finishes Kim’s sentence with a matching smile. “I'm not the only one. You called me mi vida.”

“Touche.”

“Does anything hurt?” Trini carefully helps Kim sit up, removing her power coin in the process and shoving it back into her jeans.

“Yeah. No. I’m fine. Just your run-of-the-mill cuts and bruises.”

“You sure?” Trini can't hide her skepticism as her eyes hone in on the array of angry charred gashes that adorn Kim's body like battle scars.

“100% sure.”

“But--”

“Are you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.” Kim motions towards the raw patch of flesh on the side of Trini’s neck, causing Trini to instinctively reach up and touch it. But before Trini’s fingers can make contact with the skin, a hand darts out, stopping her. “Don’t.”

“What?”

“You’re kidding me, right? T, you’ve got like at least a second-degree burn, if not worse.”

“How’d you know? You a doctor or something?”

“No. I dropped that a long time ago. Just didn’t fit me, ya know? Actually, I’m a barber now,” Kim responds. She straightens up even further and wipes the rain away from her face. “Own my own shop and everything.”

“Wait. You own a barbershop?”

“Yeah.” Kim continues to check over her cuts as Trini stares at her in slight disbelief. “Don’t act all shocked. It makes sense if you think about it.”

“No. I just…” Trini trails off not sure exactly how to finish her thought. Instead, she lets the sounds of the storm dancing around them filling the silence.

Kimberly Ann Hart.

Truck drivin’... Portland livin’... Barbershop ownin’... Kimberly.

Her Kimberly.

But she isn’t. Not really. Not anymore.

She’s someone else.

Someone new.

Someone with a whole new life.

What else doesn’t she know about her?

What else--

“Hey,” Kim says, snapping Trini out of her rapid-fire thoughts. She reaches over and gently places her hand on Trini’s forearm, giving it the lightest of squeezes as she does. It’s an old trick. One that Trini all but forgot about. Buried away in the depth of her mental storage where all things Kimberly Hart tend to reside. It’s Kim’s subtle way of pulling Trini out of the rabbit hole of her own thoughts. “Ask me something.”

“Huh?”

“Go on. Ask me something.”

“Are you crazy? Kim, look around. We just barely survived crashing and almost being blown to bits. And we’re in the middle of a freakin’ hurricane level storm.” Trini moves her arms around, punctuating her point. “This isn’t the best of times to talk.”

“It’s a perfect time.”

“Alocada,” Trini mutters under her breath with a firm shake of her head.

“Don’t think I don’t know what that means.” Kim reaches into her jeans pocket, pulls out her power coin, and hands it to Trini. “Here… Give me yours back.”

Trini studies the coin for a moment or two, watching the flecks of pink dance beneath the surface, just itching to come life once again, then pulls out her own coin and hands it over to Kim.

“Thanks,” Kim says taking the yellow coin into her own hand. “Zordon said we needed to strengthen the Ranger bond, so that’s what we’re gonna do. Besides, we’ve always healed faster with each other’s coins, remember?”

“Yeah,” Trini quietly responds, flipping the smooth pink coin over and over again in her hands. “I do.”

“So… Ask me something. Anything.”

“Okay.” Trini licks her lips and exhales a breath of air she didn’t realize she’s been holding onto. “How’d you wind up owning your own barbershop?”

“Starting with the easy ones, huh?” Kim replies with a hint of a playful smirk.

“No, I--”

“Hey. I’m just kidding with you.” Kim gives Trini a slight nudge with her shoulders causing a small but noticeable smile to slide across Trini’s face as well. “It’s a good question.”

Kim pauses for a second, running her hands through her now soaked hair, tucking it behind her ears as she does and matches Trini with a long exhale. “Well, I guess it all started when I got to Portland. I was somewhat desperate for work and happened to stumble across this barbershop with a help wanted sign in the window. Pete’s. I took a chance and went in. It wasn’t like it was my first choice or anything. But, at the time, I was almost six months pregnant and needed the cash. I think the owner Pete took pity on me or something and offered me the job right there on the spot… It wasn’t much at first. Just some odd jobs around the shop. But then one day, after I’d been working there for a month or two, this girl walked in. Kaylee. She couldn’t have been more than 16 at most. And I swear to god, she was like your clone. Right down to the braids and beanie. You know, those ones you used to wear in the side your hair when we first met.”

Trini’s hand subconsciously reaches up and traces the side of her head as the memory washes over her. “Yeah.”

“Anyway. Kaylee looked scared shitless just to even be in the shop. In fact, she almost up bolted when Pete asked her what she was doing there. But then somehow she worked up the courage to ask for a haircut and of course, Pete, being super old school refused. He loved using the excuse ‘I don’t know how to cut women's hair’ any chance he could get. Don’t get me wrong. He was a good guy and all. Just one of those types… I dunno what made me do what I did next, but the look on her face… It just… Like I couldn’t bear to let her down. So, I asked Pete if it would be okay if I cut her hair instead. And, to my surprise, he agreed.”

“What happened after that?”

Kim gives a shrug of her shoulders. “One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was doing it full-time… Pete passed away two years ago and left me the shop. Never in a million years did I think I’d be a barber for a living, but honestly, I kinda love it. There’s just something really rewarding about it. Like I can help give people the extra confidence boost to be who they really want to be, ya know?”

“Make sense,” Trini responds. “You were always good at that.”

“I was?”

“Yeah.”

A comfortable silence falls between the two of them, as Trini can’t help but sneak a glance at the raven-haired girl sitting next to her.

So many questions.

God, where the hell is she supposed to start?

She wants to know it all.

No. Scratch that. She NEEDS to.

But--

“Ask me another,” Kim says, once again interrupting Trini’s stream of consciousness.

“Another? Shouldn’t you be asking me one?”

“I will… I figure, though, I owe you a few ones first.”

“Kim, I already told you. You don’t owe me--”

“Anything,” Kim replies with a hint of underlying sarcasm to her voice. “Nice try, T. But you and I both know that’s not the truth. So you can drop the act.”

“It’s not an--”

But before Trini can utter another word, Kim clamps her hand over Trini’s mouth. “Shhhh.”

Trini shoots Kim a look of confusion, but Kim’s too distracted to offer up any explanations. She removes her hand from Trini’s mouth and slowly rises to her feet, never once taking her eyes off of something in the distance.

“Kim?” Trini whispers, scrambling to her feet as well. Fear and anxiety start to gnaw again in the pit of her stomach. Something isn’t right.

They stand there side by side for a moment or two as the storm continues to rage around them, absolutely still, then--

“Someone’s watching us,” Kim quietly says.

“You sure?”

“100%.” Kim raises her eyebrows with the tiniest hint of a nod, motioning towards the spot she’s been fixated on for the last few seconds. “Over there. On the rooftop of that building… There’s someone there.”

Trini’s eyes scan the horizon, concentrating her full attention on the spot that Kim flagged. “I don’t--”

A hulking shadowy outline of someone-- or something-- suddenly pops into view. It’s only visible for a mere second, before disappearing back into the vast stormy nothingness, but nonetheless, it’s long enough. Kim’s right. There’s something there.

“You saw it?”

Trini nods with a harsh swallow. “Yeah. I did.”

“Looks like we’re gonna have to raincheck catching up after all.” Kim lets out a long sigh. She flips Trini her yellow power coin. “You good to go?”

Trini pockets her coin and then follows suit, tossing Kim back her own. “Always, Princess.”

[ragewerthers]

Driven To Distraction

Summary: Prompto is in need of some driving lessons and Noct knows just the guy!

A/N:  This is a fic for my friend @bgn846! It was for a prompt of Prompto needing to learn to drive and Noct finding a way for him to get lessons with Iggy. Pining and Fluff shall ensue!

You can also read it on AO3 at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18437540

Word Count: 3125

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

The front door of Nocts apartment opened and shut with a resounding thud, the sound of shoes being kicked off and a bag being unceremoniously dropped soon echoing down the hall.

Glancing over the back of the sofa, Noct could see Prompto’s weary figure making its way toward the sofa.  He was still dressed in his Crownsguard training gear and looked an absolute mess.  Even on the toughest days Prompto always still managed to have some sort of sunny disposition or outlook about the harsh training and the drills he was put through, so it was slightly disconcerting as he watched the blonde looking like all hope was lost.  Prompto moved closer and closer until finally he plopped himself on the sofa beside the Prince, looking like every storm had rained on his parade.

“Uh… you okay there, Prom?” Noct asked uncertainly.  This was definitely unmarked territory.  He would’ve never thought he’d see the day there was a somber Prompto in his presence.

The blonde didn’t respond at first, looking like he was caught up in his head for a moment before something finally seemed to settle in him and he let out a little sigh.

“So… we’re gonna be starting a new training regime soon and… I… I don’t think I’ll be able to do it,” he said quietly, his entire frame quietly speaking of his distress as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as he hid his face in his hands.

Noct was definitely worried now.  Setting aside his phone on the coffee table he moved a little closer to his best friend, resting a hand on his back.

“Hey, don’t speak like that.  Aren’t you the one who’s always telling me to lighten up?  I’m sure it can’t really be that bad?  I mean just the other day you were training with that… buzzsaw machinery.  And what about that gas weapon!?” he said, giving the blondes shoulder a little jostle and trying to get a smile out of him.  “If you can handle that thing I’m sure you can handle… whatever’s got you down like this.”

Prompto instantly shook his head, lowering his hands to turn slightly terrified eyes on Noctis.

“No, dude.  The circularsaw and the bioblaster are nothing compared to… to… this!” he said miserably.

Noct had to pause a moment at that.  What on earth could be more terrifying and daunting then learning to use a weapon that could unleash poisonous gas?!

Prompto could see Nocts dismay and he let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

“They want us to start learning vehicle maneuvers.  In like… an actual vehicle!  With wheels and steering and everything!”

The gunners eyes had grown wider as he spoke and the look he gave Noct was full of nothing but sheer terror.

Sadly, Nocts reaction was not of sympathy.

“That’s it?” he asked simply, cocking his head to the side as if trying to decide whether or not Prompto was trying to joke and failing really badly at it.

“What do you mean ‘That’s it’?!” Prompto couldn’t help squawking indignantly.  “We will have to learn how to take turns at like… 300 miles an hour!  We’re gonna have to learn how to avoid gunfire and how to break blockades and all sorts of stuff!  Dude, I don’t even know how to put a car into reverse!”

Oh.

Oh.

It was all coming together now and Noct’s expression changed to one of understanding.

“So… you can’t drive at all?  Like… at all, at all?” he asked, wanting to make sure he was getting the gist of all of this.

Apparently he’d hit the nail on the head if Prompto’s blush was anything to go by.

The sunshine child shook his head, looking back down at his lap and flopping back against the back of th sofa.

“Not even a little.  I mean… I could’ve taken drivers ed, but everything here is pretty much within walking distance and besides that it’s just easier taking a bus or a taxi somewheres.  Why learn to drive?” he said simply before giving a little growl of frustration.  “Except now there’s a reason to have learned how to drive and I don’t even know the first thing so I’m gonna look like a complete loser!  What if they won’t let me pass into the Crownsguard because of this?!  All because I thought public transport was a good idea?!”

Noct couldn’t help chuckling a little at that, getting a slight glare from his friend for it.

“Sorry, Prom, but I mean… I don’t think they’ll bar you from joining because you preferred public transport,” he said, the mirth still evident in his voice, even as he tried to reign it in for his friends sake.  “I mean… even I know how to drive so I’m sure they’d be willing to give you a few les-...”

“Waitwaitwait!  Why don’t you teach me?!” Prompto blurted, instantly looking more like his old self with that familiar spark in his eyes.

Noct actually jumped at the exclamation and instantly waved his hands in front of himself, shaking his head just as quickly.

“Sorry, Prom!  It’s not that I won’t, it’s that I can’t.  I know how to drive and I mean… I could get from point A to point B, but I wouldn’t be a good teacher for you at all!  I still mix up which button is the radio and which is the air conditioning!”

The spark that had flared up in Prompto’s eyes instantly died back down into small embers, his body sagging once more against the sofa.

“However… I think I know someone who might be a lot better at showing you the ropes than I would be,” Noct said after a moment.

Just like that the sparks were back, Prompto sitting upright and a look of excitement instantly playing over his features.

“Who?!  Is it someone I know?  Do you think they’d be able to get me ready for the courses next month?  Do I have to pay them?  Will they accept Kings Knight points as currency?!”

Noct smiled a bit at that and gave a hum of thought.

“I’m sure you might be able to talk him into it,” he said lightly.

“Wait, you said him!  Okay so…. Is it Gladio?”

“Pfft.  He drives worse than me.”

“Nyx?”

“Nyx is busy with some of the new Kingsglaive training.  And I’ll be honest… never seen him drive a car before.  Motorcycle yeah, but… no cars.”

Prompto furrowed his brow in deep thought.  Noct couldn’t help watching him with a bit of amusement, leaning his elbow against the armrest of the sofa and resting his cheek on his hand as he waited for his friend to suss this out.

“So… if it’s not Gladio…,”

“Uh huh…,”

“And it’s not Nyx…,”

“Go on…,”

Prompto’s eyes widened and he clapped a hand over his mouth.

“OMG… is Cor the Immortal going to teach me how to drive?!”

Noct had to bit his cheek to keep himself from breaking down into a bit of a laughing fit and shook his head, a little mischievous smile breaking out over his features.

“Close.  Though the guy I’m thinking of is a bit scarier, sterner and more rule abiding than the Marshal.”

“Dude,” Prompto said with the blandest expression he could muster.  “Who in Eos is scarier, sterner or more rule abiding than Cor the Immortal?!”

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

“Alright, Prompto.  Now… I hope you looked over the manual I gave you yesterday and have familiarized yourself with the general signs and markers that you will face in your everyday travels behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle?”

The clipped Tenebrean accent brought Prompto back to himself as he stood outside of an unassuming black car in the middle of a vacant parking lot.

He glanced down to the book in his hands, a beat up old paperback that seemed to have been in its prime about thirty years ago.  

“Prompto?”

“Y-Yeah!” Prompto squeaked, clutching the book tighter and glancing up into the green eyes of the Royal Advisor.

Of all the people Noct could’ve chosen… of all the people he could’ve called in a favour for him… he had to pick Ignis.

Ignis ‘I am the walking embodiment of everything perfect and gorgeous’ Scientia.

Not to mention the unknowing recipient of Prompto’s affections for years now.

When Noct had finally told him who he had in mind to train him, Prompto thought that perhaps his mind had short circuited for a moment.

Ignis.

Ignis Scientia teaching him.

Teaching him one on one?!

The next few minutes after this revelation were filled with spluttering, half formed reasons as to why this was a horrible, horrible idea and finally… with Noct sending Ignis a time a date to meet up with Prompto to start his training.

This was going to be an incredibly difficult day.

How was he supposed to pay attention to brakes, mirrors and chocobo crossing signs when Ignis was right there next to him and making his heart feel like it was going to beat right out of his chest?!

“Yes to reading or yes to me calling your name?” Ignis asked, a look of amusement and mild concern crossing his features.

Gods, that was cute too!

“Uhhh… both?” Prompto squeaked, feeling his ears and neck heat up at his own answer.

He watched as the Advisor shook his head slightly, but he took a bit of comfort in the little smile that appeared to be gracing his lips.

“I’ll accept that as a viable answer though I do hope you will be more certain when we actually get you behind the wheel,” Ignis said dryly, before moving away from his position by Prompto’s side to start to walk around the car.  “If you’re certain that you’re clear on what’s on the road, let’s get you familiar with the car next, shall we?”

Prompto nodded a bit dumbly at this and after being prompted to follow he began to make the rounds with Ignis.

They went over everything.

Tire pressure.

Checking for traps.

What side the gas tank was on.

And Prompto couldn’t remember any of it.

When they were talking about tire pressure, Ignis leaned over and his glasses had slid down his nose a bit.  Prompto had thought he’d never seen anything so adorable.

When Ignis was showing him how to check for traps and had bent over to point at the bumper, Prompto had clutched his chest, his heart unable to understand how the gods had blessed a man with so much.

When they talked about which side the gas tank was on, Ignis had made a really terrible pun involving fuel and it was so endearing how could Prompto dare be expected to remember this information?!

“Now.  Why don’t we move on to the inside of the vehicle?  Go to the drivers side and I’ll get in on the passengers,” Ignis said simply as he made his way to the door.

Prompto’s joy of simply enjoying being with Ignis turned to instant dread.  This was the part he had feared the most.  It was one thing to pretend to know where the gas went in your car.  It was another to actually drive it around and be responsible for the love of your lifes… well… life!

Swallowing down the panic rising in his throat, Prompto made his way to the drivers side and got in, closing the door a little too hard and wincing at the sound.

Glancing over he found Ignis offering him a light smile and his breath caught in his chest.

“It’s alright, Prompto.  Just breath,” he reassured gently.  “You aren’t the first person to begin their driver’s training and you certainly won’t be the last.  Poor Gladio almost cried the first time I brought him here.”

That definitely distracted Prompto from all the things buzzing around in his head as a little snort of laughter escaped him and he covered his mouth with his hand.

“Really?  The big guy was that afraid?” he asked, lowering his hand and looking at Ignis a bit skeptically.

The advisor chuckled and held a hand to his chest before raising the other.  “I swear on my newly acquired Kings Knight points that it’s true,” he joked lightly, making Prompto blush and chuckle in return.

He really was grateful Ignis had taken that as a form of payment.

“I’m afraid Gladio got a little too nervous when we were practicing parking.  He inadvertently hit the gas and we ended up hitting one of the lamp posts,” Ignis explained, his smile growing at the memory before another deep chuckle escaped him.

Prompto could’ve ascended at the sound.

“What did he do?  What did you do?” Prompto asked with disbelief, his hands resting on the steering wheel in front of him.

“Oh… well.  He got out and called Iris to tell her that he loved her.  I went about calling the local garage to come and take the car for repairs.  He still gets jittery when he’s behind the wheel, but he was able to overcome a little fright.  I have no doubt that you’ll do just fine.  Your inclination toward mechanics and engineering makes me think you’ll be a natural.”

Hearing the dramatics from the Shield had Prompto giggling a bit, but he wasn’t expecting the gentle praise and so the blush from earlier only grew till it encompassed his cheeks now as well.

“Geez, Iggy.  Did you give him this sort of pep talk as well?” he asked, giving a little awkward giggle and rubbing the back of his neck to try and dispel some of the heat that had built up there.

“No.  I give praise where I think it’s deserved and to those who deserve it,” Ignis said gently and the tone in which he spoke instantly drew Prompto’s eyes back to the Advisor.

Ignis’s cheeks looked a little pinker now as well and Prompto wondered if perhaps the car was getting too warm for him?

However, Ignis seemed to find himself a bit quicker than Prompto and cleared his throat after a moment, turning away and adjusting his glasses.

“Ready to go over some of the controls now?”

Ignis ran Prompto through the finer points of safety checks before starting the vehicle.  Everything from how to check his mirrors, check the lights and even adjust the seat for his own comfort.

The proximity by which he did this was enough to make Prompto feel lightheaded.

Gods how was he going to drive and keep them safe when Ignis touching his hands to show him the proper way to hold the steering wheel was enough to get him flustered?!

Soon, the real fun began as Ignis instructed Prompto on getting the car started and putting it into drive.

It turned out that Prompto really was a natural!

A natural disaster.

He was brake happy.  As soon as he started going over 5 mph he’d hit the brakes.  It got to the point that anyone walking by would’ve assumed that they were listening to headbanger music and thoroughly rocking out.

Sadly that wasn’t the case and after about ten minutes of this, Ignis called everything to a halt and had him put the car back into park.

“Well.  I can see that we won’t have to worry about you running this car wildly into a lamp post.  Though I do think we may need to schedule an appointment with a chiropractor,” Ignis joked lightly as he rubbed at his slightly sore neck.

Prompto groaned and rested his forehead against the steering wheel.

“Tell me I didn’t just injure you at the speed of a turtle,” he mumbled, making Ignis chuckle beside him.

“Apparently you simply enjoy ‘brake neck’ speeds?” Ignis teased and Prompto instantly lifted his head and gaped at the man.

“Tell me you are not punning me right now in one of my darkest moments?!” he asked, though he found a smile already fighting to make its way onto his face.

Ignis merely shrugged, his own smile growing.  “Would you rather I simply go for car jokes?”

“Try me,” Prompto chuckled, quirking an eyebrow at the man.

“Fine then.  What do you call snakes on a windshield?” he asked, glancing over at Prompto who furrowed his brow before shaking his head.  “Windshield vipers.”

Prompto instantly snorted before laughing.

“Oh my god, Ignis.  I think I broke you!  And it’s only been one lesson!” he said, his smile still on his face as he looked back to the Advisor.

“I can assure you that you didn’t break me.  And… I hope this doesn’t discourage you from future lessons with me?” he asked, his cheeks looking a little pinker to Prompto again.

The gunner bit his lip at that and shook his head.

“N-No!  I mean… if you’re willing to keep teaching me I’m definitely more than willing to keep trying!” he reassured quickly and the smile he received in return had his heart fluttering all over again.

“Then it’s settled.  Would you care to try driving again?” Ignis asked softly.

“I uh… I think I’m good for today, but… would you want to… hang out for a bit longer?  I mean… I know you’re super busy and you don’t have to on my account jus-...”

Prompto was silenced by a hand settling on his forearm and giving it a little squeeze.

“I’d be more than happy to hang out for awhile longer.  Though why don’t we switch seats.  If you want I can show you some of the maneuvers you’re going to be learning in your training next month?” he offered, a little gleam in his eye that had Prompto’s own smile growing.

“That would be awesome!” he said brightly and before long they had switched sides, Ignis now settled behind the wheel and Prompto clutching to the door and his armrest as they all but flew around the vacant lot, taking corners at speeds that should’ve been and most definitely were illegal.

As they rounded a corner on two wheels, Ignis still in complete control of the vehicle, Prompto had three thoughts.

One… he was metaphorically watching Ignis Scientia flip death off with both fingers and he thus no longer feared it.

Two… he was so much more smitten with this man than he would ever admit and wondered if perhaps he hadn’t sensed something in return.

And three… he was going to have to thank Noct a million times over for not listening to him and making him do this.

Of course he’d have to survive this demonstration first.

“Iggy!  Iggy there’s a lamp post there, there’s a lamp post, there’s a lamp POST!”

[spideybitey18]

Can you do 4,42,and 43 where Tom falls in love with another girl and the reader storms out of the house and gets into a car crash and Tom sees it on the news and goes to see her but she has her jaw wired shut and can barley talk? ❤️

HEY LOVELIES!!!

This oneshot is a bit different to the other ones i have written. I hope you enjoy it, and i’m so sorry for the wait! I have changed it from a wired jaw to dislocated cause i don’t know what you meant by a wired jaw rip. Please leave me any feedback as that would be greatly appreciated!! I love you, and happy reading

4. “I’m in love with him/her”

42. “Where is she!?”

43. “Is she okay?”

Warning: Angst, Heartbreak, Car crash

Tom Holland Angst Prompt:

“Where are you going?” Tom yelled, hurriedly running after your figure. You were in no condition to drive due to the tears running down your face blurring your vision.  

Running a hand through your hair, you quickly climbed into your car, wanting nothing but to be far away from your boyfriend. As you put the car in reverse, you watched as Tom desperately tapped on your window, the words incoherent as he tried to make an excuse for you to stay, and to talk this out properly, like adults.

Once the car was in drive, you sped down the street catching a glimpse of Tom’s figure who stood in the middle of the road, frustratedly running a hand through his curly locks. You couldn’t believe it, you felt hurt and betrayed, the conversation that just happened playing on a loop in your head.

You gripped the steering wheel, as a sad love song blasted through the stereo. You hiccuped, slowly wiping the tears away so you could focus more on the road. Unfortunately, you were distracted, your heart and emotions taking over your brain and common sense.

As you reached for a the box of tissues you knew you had in the glove box, you didn’t realise that the light had already turned red.

It happened within a second.

Just as you sat upright, a semi-truck crashed into the side of your small car, causing it to roll over the road a few times, before slamming into a traffic light pole.

You slowly opened your eyes after the impact, your eyes brimmed with tears as you noticed your surroundings through half-lidded eyes. Your body was limp against the car’s hood, the steering wheel digging into your stomach. The impact of the hit and the rolling of the car must of caused your body to shoot forward and through the car’s front window.

Everything was loud, car windows shattering, tires screeching, horns blaring and sirens squealing. You couldn’t speak, constantly slipping in and out of consciousness, the weight of your body too heavy to move. As your eyes slowly closed, a voice resonated in your head, the sound echoing loudly.  

“I’m in love with her, Y/N”

~~

Tom sat on the couch at your shared apartment, phone in hand as he continued to dial your number. His hair was a mess, after continuously running his hands through it nervously. He was scared, and heartbroken. He didn’t mean for you to run out on him, after telling you that he fell in love with someone whilst he was away filming. Tom wasn’t planning on leaving you, he did love you, he really did. He knew that, because the other girl had offered for him to runaway with her, but he didn’t want to, his heart still yearning powerfully for you. Tom just needed to tell you his secret, so that he could put it behind him and only focus on you, his loving girlfriend.

After being directed to voicemail once again, Tom frustratedly threw his phone across the room, not even flinching when it hit the tiles. He gripped his hair, as he breathed heavily, his eyes threatening to spill the tears. He was scared, what if he just lost the greatest thing to ever exist? He couldn’t bare the thought of you packing your bags and leaving him with nothing. His elbows were placed on his knees as his shoulders started to shake vigorously. The sobs wracked throughout his whole body, as he quietly mumbled your name between hiccups. He needed you, but where were you?

He closed his eyes, as he concentrated on his breathing making sure that each one was longer than the next. He focused on the sounds that were coming from the tv, as a way to distract himself from you. As he listened, a name peaked his interest, the name sounding oddly familiar. He looked up towards the tv, his eyes training on the screen that displayed the daily news. His eyes narrowed as he watched the screen turn from the news reporter to a car crash scene that wasn’t far from your shared apartment.

“I am sad to say, that this afternoon there has been a collision between a truck and a smaller car on the intersection in West London. Both drivers have been severely injured and have been taken to London Public Hospital for immediate surgery..”

Tom’s eyes widened, his heart dropping as the camera zoomed on a small car that he immediately recognised as yours.

This couldn’t be happening. That couldn’t be you, right?

“The owner of the small car, Y/N L/N, is in major critical condition so she will be in my thoughts and prayers throughout the day…”  

That’s all the confirmation he needed, as his worst nightmare came true.

He felt numb. That’s the only emotion Tom felt as he gripped the remote tightly.

Tears started to surface, the stinging feeling behind his eyes begging to no longer be ignored. Without even realising, he dropped the device in his hand, his feet already carrying himself out the door and towards his car.

He sped down the highway, towards the direction of the hospital. His heart was racing as he passed the intersection of where the incident must of been, having recognised your car crushed to pieces.

Tom gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white as he hurriedly parked the car before sprinting into the emergency department. He nervously paced to the front desk, pushing past people who were in his way.

“Where is she?!” Tom yelled oblivious to his surroundings, his mind racing with the thoughts of you.

“Sir, please you need to calm down”

“I-i need to see her!” He begged, his hands slamming against the counter.

“What’s the patients name?” The nurse spoke, her eyes focused on the computer.

“Y/N, L/N”

“She’s still in surgery, but you can wait outside the room. Its number 15, just down that corridor and to your left”

Tom nodded, quickly running down the hallway without thanking the nurse. He was nervous, memories of your relationship flashing by infront of his eyes as rushed towards your room.

He remembered the last thing he said to you, and he was asking you to stay, and in this moment in time, he wished you would stay for real this time. He couldn’t lose you, he loved you so much. He wanted to marry you, buy a house and have kids with you. Whenever he envisioned his future, you were all he saw. Just you.

And now, he wasn’t so sure he would ever see you again.

~~

Your eyes opened, your vision slowly adjusting to your surroundings. You noticed the white walls, the neat clean space and the constant beep that moved throughout the room. You figured you were in the hospital, small images of the incident flashing through your head like a movie causing you to wince.

You heard voices coming from the entrance of your room. You turned your head slightly in the direction, curious as to who it would be, after all you woke up alone. Two figures walked in, one you couldn’t recognise and the other person, someone who couldn’t be more glad to see.

You gasped, in attempt to speak, your eyes widening as you saw Tom. His eyes met yours as he looked in your direction, his feet stumbling over to you when he saw that you were awake.

“Darling? You’re awake” He whispered, his hand reaching out to caress your face lovingly.

You lifted your head, your eyes twinkling at the sight of him. In this moment, you didn’t care about what had happened between you two, or how you got here in the first place. You were so happy to see the love of your life, even if it was just for this one time.

Tom met you halfway, his lips lightly pecking yours softly, too afraid that one wrong move and he would crush you. His heart clenched at the sight of you all bruised, with cuts adorning your face and skin. To him though, you still looked beautiful.

“I love you so much darling, i-i was so scared that i lost you, i don’t know what i would do without you baby. Please don’t ever scare me like that again.” Tom sniffled, a tear falling from his face and onto your hand.

You moved your lips to speak, but your jaw couldn’t move. Your eyes widened in fright, the anxiety of not being able to move your jaw pierced your stomach.

Tom frowned, noticing the distressed look on your face. Your breathing heightened, as tears fell from the fear of the unknown. What was happening?

Tom gripped your hand in an effort to calm you down, “Baby whats wrong, please tell me?”

All you could muster up were sounds that fell from your lips.

“Mr Holland, Mrs Y/L/N, may i please have a word with you both?” The doctor spoke, who was standing at the front entrance of the room.

Tom nervously nodded, eager to find out why you couldn’t talk.

“I’m afraid that when Y/N’s unconscious body fell through the front window of her car, her jaw was the body part that broke the glass. Due to the impact, you dislocated your jaw which is why you are unable to move it. Do not worry, the jaw is tender and should not be moved so i advise you both to communicate through notes for a few days. You should be able to move your jaw in about three days, so do not panic. And on that note, i am happy that you are now awake and looking better, i will come in again this afternoon for another checkup. The nurses will feed you through tubes tonight and tomorrow. I will leave you both now, please let the nurses know if you need any help.” The doctor informed, his hands lightly patting the back of Tom before leaving.

Tom sighed, his head turning to look back at you.

He kissed your forehead before grabbing your hands.

“Go to sleep love, you must be so exhausted. I will be right here”

You frowned, before patting the space next to you, wanting him to cuddle you. Tom chuckled, his eyes crinkling as he moved to lay down next you. You watched as he moved a hand around your waist pulling you closer to his warm chest.

“I love you so much, Y/N” He whispered, his lips pecking your forehead, before softly placing it above yours so that your head was tucked in under his chin comfortably.

You softly squeezed his shirt, in attempt to tell him you loved him as well, a whimper leaving your lips.

“I know, darling. I know” Tom whispered.

[lokifiction]

Ice Packs

Loki takes care of his partner after wisdom teeth extraction surgery.

Category: Oneshot

Rating: Teen

Notes: For this oneshot to work out the way I wanted to, I knew I somehow had to take away Loki’s magic, because if he had his magic, nothing in this oneshot would have to occur and I wouldn’t have a plot. However, I didn’t want to take away from that plot for a big explanation as to why he doesn’t have his magic, so just fyi before you read: I imagined this as a scenario where Loki died and was resurrected after Infinity War, but the process to bring him back to life depleted his magic considerably, and it has to slowly return to his full range within a year or so. Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Language; descriptions of blood, anesthesia, and other things that go along with wisdom teeth surgery.

Masterlist

  “Promise me that you’ll film me when I come out of there.”

       Loki looked over at me from the driver’s seat and frowned. “Why on Earth would I do that?”

       “Because.” I giggled. “People usually act really hilariously when they’re coming off of anesthesia. I’m a bit excited to see how I’ll be.”

       Loki pinched the bridge of his nose. Currently, he was driving me into the oral surgeon’s office for my wisdom teeth extraction, and didn’t have the best attitude regarding the situation.

“I really don’t see the necessity of putting yourself through such a superfluous procedure,” he snapped.

       “It’s not superfluous,” I insisted. “Humans get it done to prevent pain when the molars grow in and so that our teeth don’t go crooked from the crowding.”

       “Yes, but there must be a simpler way.” He tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel. Throughout the whole process, he hadn’t been too keen on me being put under anesthesia and having a “stranger” go to town in my mouth with a scalpel. “Something that doesn’t involve a surgical procedure.”

       “Ah, but then it wouldn’t make the dental people as much money,” I teased.

       “If I had my full range of magic, I could remove them from your jaw with a snap of my fingers, and you’d never feel a thing.”

       “That would be nice, but the thing is that you don’t have full range of your magic right now. And you won’t for a little while yet.” I put my hand on his thigh, clad in a pair of black jeans that hugged him in all the right places. “It’ll be completely fine, I promise. Literally almost everyone has this done at some point or another. It’s really not that big of a deal.”

       Loki harrumphed and drew his brows together in stubborn defiance, but placed his hand on top of mine and rubbed my knuckles in silent trust.

       In a few short minutes, we pulled into the surgeon’s office. Loki hovered over my shoulder as I signed release forms, and poured over the aftercare instruction pamphlets with religious fervor. I chuckled at his zeal, but my attention was primarily focused on the aquarium in the waiting room.

       “Loki, look.” I pointed out a pair of clownfish. “They’re kissing.”

       “I can’t look, darling,” he replied. “I have to make sure I understand all of this material.”

       “Come on, you’ll have the whole time I’m back there to look at that.” I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, scanning the papers and wondering what I was getting myself into.

       “I really don’t see why I can’t be back there with you,” he continued. “My presence is allowed in all of your other Midgardian doctor’s appointments.”

       “This is different. It’s a surgical procedure; the environment has to be sterile.”

       He pouted. “I’m very clean.”

       “That’s not at all what I mean.”

       “Still. If this was Asgard, no matter the severity of a procedure, I would be by your side. The healers would work around me as they were trained to do.”

       “Yes, but this isn’t Asgard.” I reached out and twirled a strand of his hair round my finger. “It’ll be fine. They’re just teeth.”

       Behind us, the door leading back into the dental offices opened, and a nurse called my name.

       “I’ll see you in no time,” I assured as I stood, pecking Loki quickly on the lips. “Don’t forget to film me when you come back!”

       “Sweetie, are you awake?”

       I opened my eyes drowsily and discovered a nurse looking down at me, gauze in her hand. My brain was clouded, and everything was simultaneously hilarious and devastating. Unable to move my lips to procure any sort of response, I nodded dumbly. The nurse smiled lightly and tucked the gauze into my mouth.

       “Bite down on that for me, okay?” She reached under my shoulders and helped me to stand. “We’ll get you to recovery and then bring your boyfriend back, okay?”

       I gasped, my eyes going wide as we hobbled down the hall. “My boyfriend?” I exclaimed, voice muffled by the gauze.

       “Yes, sweetie. Your boyfriend was the one that brought you here.”

       “Oh. I’m glad I have one of those,” I babbled as we entered a small lounge and the nurse lowered me down onto a recliner and draped a blanket over me. “Is he handsome?”

       “Yes, honey,” the nurse giggled. “He’s very handsome.”

       “Well, I’m excited then.” I wiggled in my seat. “Bring him in.”

       The nurse clipped a monitor onto my finger and left me alone in the recovery lounge. I sat docile in my drugged state, not really thinking much of anything until Loki came through the doors, face only slightly contorted in concern.

       “Loki!” I cried out from my chair. “Holy shit, you’re so pretty!”

       He chuckled, visibly relieved, coming to sit on the chair beside mine and stroking my hair lightly. “Hi, love. Are you doing alright?”

       I felt tears prick the back of my eyes, and before I knew it, I was sobbing.

       “What’s wrong, love?” He cooed, wiping my face and mouth with a tissue as the nurse looked on.

       “I- I just- I just-,” I whined through a torrential bout of tears. “I love you so much!”

       My comment brought Loki’s gentle chuckles up to a scale of full-blown laughter.

       “Stop making fun of me!” I protested. “It’s true!”

       “I’m not making fun of you, sweetling.” He brought my hand to his lips. “I love you very much, too.”

       “She’s probably just fine to go now,sir,” the nurse interjected. “Do you need any aftercare instructions reviewed?”

       “No, thank you. I think I’ve got everything under control.” Loki pulled me to my feet and wrapped his arm around my waist, my head lolling onto his shoulder. “Come on, love. Let’s get you home.”

       I cracked my eyes open and found myself cocooned in the bed that Loki and I usually shared, ice packs secured onto my cheeks, my mouth full of bloody saliva, and my lips completely numb. I glanced around the room, slightly confused, only grasping vague memories of what happened over the past three hours. I gingerly pushed myself into a sitting position, and, once my vision cleared from a brief bout of lightheadedness, I opened my mouth to call for Loki, but found I could barely do so due to pain.

       Pressing a hand to my puffy cheek, I strained my ears to hear what he could be doing, but, as usual, he was characteristically quiet in a way only inhumans could achieve. I rooted around the bed, which would’ve been more appropriately dubbed as a monstrous mountain of pillows to keep my head elevated, and eventually found my phone under a hefty stack of wet tissues. Wondering what on Earth happened to create the pile. I dialed Loki’s number, trying to put the phone to my ear but finding it too painful and settling for speaker.

       “Are you awake, love?”

       “Yeah.” My voice was unintentionally very whiny. “I want you.”

       “Let me finish something and I’ll be right there.”

       After he hung up the call, I collapsed back onto my pillows, groaning at the pain that crept up the back of my jaw. I was still woozy from the anesthesia, and couldn’t manage to find a comfortable position. I was halfway dying of thirst, but couldn’t muster up the energy to reach over and get my cup off the nightstand. I willed Loki to finish whatever he was doing faster and hurry over to me.

       “Are you awake now, love?” Loki’s voice preceded him into the room. I turned my head towards him as much as I was able, as even my neck was sore from the procedure. I looked him up and down, still dressed in what he wore to the surgeon’s office, carrying ice packs and a bowl of applesauce.

       “How long was I asleep?” I asked, remaining still as he set what he carried aside and began to tidy my pillows and blankets. During the process, he seemed to read my mind and handed me my cup, wiping the water that ran down my chin as my numb lips tried to draw it in. I flushed in embarrassment over how pathetic the scene must have looked.

       “Not long. A couple of hours at best.” Loki held up the ice packs. “How’s your pain? Do you want these on?”

       I nodded again, holding still as he affixed them to my cheeks. The cold stung, but I knew that the throbbing pain in my gums would become much worse without the ice packs, so I endured it.

       “Anesthetic-wise, how are you feeling?” Loki continued to question, being a perfect nurse.

       “I don’t really feel drugged anymore.” My mouth was starting to swell and my voice came out as a lisp. “I still feel a bit goofy, though. Like I could laugh or cry at the drop of a hat.”

       “Well, I must admit, you were pretty entertaining when you were recovering.” Loki pulled his lips into his signature smug smile, lowering himself down on the edge of the bed.

       “What did I do?” The thought of my drugged actions excited me enough to sit forward. “Was it good?”

       “Indeed. You were very emotional, and kept going on passionate speeches about how much you loved me. My favorite moment was when you suddenly got very angry and went on a passionate spiel about just how you were going to vanquish everyone who’s ever hurt me.” Loki broke off to chuckle, pulling his phone out of his pocket and fiddling with it. “There was a lot of crying, too. It took me an hour to get you to stop. That’s where all the tissues came from.”

       “Oh my god, that’s better than I hoped for.” I nodded towards the device. “Please tell me that means you filmed it.”

       “It does indeed. Here’s a clip.”

       Loki turned the screen towards me, displaying a scene of me reclining in the car, my eyes closed and my mouth drooping open, wet tear tracks shining on my cheeks.

       “What did you say, love?” Loki’s voice said offscreen.

       “I said that since Thanos choked you to death, I’m gonna choke him to death with my dick!” Video-me exclaimed, voice muffled by gauze.

       “How are you going to do that when you don’t have a dick?” Video-Loki questioned.

       “I don’t know, but I have to do it somehow!” I watched myself burst into torrential tears. “They killed you, Loki, I can’t believe they killed you? How could they do that? I’m so mad at them! I’m- I’m gonna rip their guts out because they killed you! You didn’t deserve that! You deserve love and happiness and-”

       I started to laugh at myself, but the pain that resulted from the action caused me to break off and hold my cheeks gingerly. Loki paused the video, eyebrows drawing together.

       “You can watch the rest of that when you’re feeling better.” He retrieved the applesauce and held it out to me. “Do you want to eat something so you can take your pain medication?”

       I once again nodded pitifully, and Loki began to patiently spoon-feed me. I was a bit ashamed of my invalid state and that someone who was literally royalty was having to put applesauce in my mouth and wipe my chin when it slipped past my swollen lips, but deeper down, my heart was warm and fuzzy at how tender and affectionate he was being, taking care of my very unglamorous state without a single grimace of disgust or snide remark.

       When the applesauce was gone and I had swallowed my pill, Loki draped an extra blanket over me and helped me turn the TV on.

       “If you’re comfortable, I’ll be reading in the living room if you need me.” He kissed my forehead and made to leave the room, but I grabbed his wrist.

       “No.” I patted the bed next to me. “Cuddle with me.”

       “Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt you.”

       “You won’t,” I insisted. “You sit freakishly still. Come on or I’ll start crying again.”

       “We wouldn’t want that, would we?” Loki smirked but complied to my request all the same, reclining on top of the covers. As he hit play on the TV show I’d watched a thousand times before and planned to binge during my recovery, I snuggled up to him and intertwined my fingers in his. In the comfort of his presence, I was able to forget my pain and discomfort, and once again slip into a much-needed sleep.

       “Loki, I’m so sick of this!” I whined.

       It was my third day post-op. I couldn’t get my teeth together, so I hadn’t eaten anything that wasn’t pureed for two days, and when I did eat, I couldn’t get my mouth open, so I ended up with food all over my face. That was definitely an attractive sight to show the god that was supposed to be taking care of me. On top of that, I hadn’t been able to brush my teeth, either, and a horribly bad taste lingered in my mouth. And, to add further insult to injury, my face was swelled up to the point where it looked like I was hiding two softballs in my cheeks. At that point in the recovery process, the swelling was at its peak, as was my pain- a nagging, constant pain that was more annoying than severe, bringing me nearly to tears.

       “I know, love. It will get better.” Loki leaned in to kiss me, but I made a protesting sound in the back of my throat and put my hands out to keep him at bay. He pulled back and stared at me with wide eyes.

       “Sorry.” I averted my gaze and put my hand over my mouth. “I’m sure my breath is really bad, and I don’t want you to have to smell it.”

       “I assure you, love, I’ve gone through greater discomfort than that,” he consoled, but pulled back nonetheless.

       “I know. I just don’t like you seeing me like this.” I pointed to my cheeks. “Look at me! I’m so ugly right now.”

       “I don’t think your cheeks make you ugly.” He pulled up to his full height, sitting into one hip and observing me from above. “I think they’re cute.”

       “Liar.” I tossed a wadded-up napkin at him. “You fell in love with the pretty and perfect version of me. You’re royalty and a god, for fuck’s sake, you shouldn’t have to deal with me like this.”

       “My past and its repercussions that you have to deal with are far uglier than this could ever be.” With the gentlest of touches, seeing as I was still very sore, he caressed my puffy cheek. “Besides, I like taking care of you like this. It takes away the feeling of mine that I ruin everything and break whatever I touch.”

       “Well, you sure know how to sweet talk,” I pouted.

       “They don’t call me Silvertongue for nothing.” Loki retrieved the ice packs once more. “It’s time to get these back on, though.”

       I reverted back into my whining state. “I don’t want them! I’m so sick of feeling like my face is being suffocated.”

       “Alright.” To my surprise, Loki was compliant, setting the packs aside immediately. “Do you feel well enough to go sit outside? I feel like the fresh air could do you some good right now.”

       “Oh.” I sat up a bit straighter. “Yeah, that sounds really nice.”

       “Wait here, then. I’ll be back to get you.”

       I rubbed my throbbing cheeks as Loki left the room again, using all of my willpower to suppress whines of pain until he returned. He helped me climb out of the bed, which would be more appropriately dubbed as a nest over the past three days, intertwining his fingers in mine and leading me out into the warm early summer air.

       “Over here, sweetheart.” He indicated towards the porch swing, which he had layered with cushions and a light blanket. “Mind if I sit first?”

       I shrugged my approval and he lowered himself down on one side of the swing, helping me climb on and curl up, resting my head on his thighs. When we were situated, he began to rock the swing gently with his heels, the breeze and distant sound of birds nearly lulling me to sleep.

       “You really should put some sort of ice back on.” Loki tapped my nose. “Your face is starting to swell more, and you’re turning all red.”

       “Gee, thanks, Lo.” I reached up and thumped his chin playfully, giggling. “But I’m so sick of them. They scratch my face all up and make me feel like I’m suffocating.”

       “I got some different ones.” He glanced down at me with a bemused expression. “I think you’ll enjoy these a bit more.”

       “Alright. I’ll try anything if it will make me comfortable.”

       “Close your eyes, then.” He playfully put his hand over my brow, and I complied with as big of a smile I could muster without pain.

       “I love your chipmunk smile, but stop it.” He poked my cheeks. “I need you to relax for this.”

       I let one last giggle slip out before I obeyed, and after a brief pause and a curiously cold breeze drifting across my face, he cradled my cheeks in his hands and began to give me the gentlest of massages, though his skin was cold as ice. I cracked an eye open and discovered, as I expected, that he was indigo up to his forearms, raised ridges decorating his skin. He didn’t meet my gaze, instead focusing his slightly red-tinged eyes on his task, tongue poking between his teeth.

       “Loki,” I breathed. “You know I love this form and I don’t care who knows or sees it, but you’re usually so reserved about it. I’m proud of you for this, but you do realize that we’re sitting outside, where anyone could see us?”

       “I do.” Loki’s expression remained stoic, but the tiniest of flushes betrayed him. “But I don’t care if this is going to make you feel better. Is it making you feel better?”

       “Mm.” I closed my eyes again and leaned into his touch. “More than anything has.”

       “Well, then, I’ll do it as much as I can. I don’t care who sees me like this.”

       I cocked an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”

       Loki frowned. “Well, I mean, I can always wipe their memories later.”

       “It’s okay, sweetheart.” I turned my head and pressed a kiss to his palm. “I understand. Thank you for doing this.”

       “No need to thank me, love.” He grinned and tucked a bit of hair behind my ear, chilly fingers brushing across my forehead and giving me goosebumps. “I would do anything for my queen.”

[mitsubishifever]

2021 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Exceed Reviewed

The hulking seven-seater Mitsubishi Pajero Sport can be a little rough and ready in its execution, but there’s an undeniable charm there.

I see it immediately: the stricken look on the face of the tradie who’s just parked me in.

You see, he’s just realising now that the owner of the hulking, bullbar-wearing 2021 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport he’s parked dangerously close to isn’t, in fact, a fellow tradie, but a pregnant woman with a broken foot.

It’s too late, though – he can’t very well admit he profiled me based on my car, and can only compensate me with a sheepish smile and the good grace to avert his eyes as I desperately try to get my very big car out of a very small space.

At its core, the seven-seater Pajero Sport is an affordable family car, but it feels like it might be better suited to the kinds of families that regularly tow a boat, own a full wardrobe of Driza-Bones or holiday on a cattle farm.

That’s probably because this makes no secret of being the SUV version of the Triton ute, with utilitarian styling, a comfortable but basic cabin, and serious ride height and heavy handling. Plus, the car I’m testing here is fitted with an imposing black bullbar.

The Exceed variant on test starts at R 704,995 (including admin costs), and offers diesel power by way of its 2.4-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.

The four-wheel-drive system allows you to switch between drive modes for optimal traction – from rear-wheel drive to on-road high-range four-wheel drive, to four-wheel drive with a locked centre differential in high-range and low-range for heavy-going.

There’s also a drive-mode selector with the option of gravel, mud, snow, sand or rock.

South Africa is reasonably well served for big, booming, body-on-frame, diesel off-roaders, including the Mitsubishi Pajero.

As far as top-spec offerings in this class go, the Mitsubishi is relatively affordable, particularly when compared with the Ford and the Toyota.

However, the other brands are worth checking out in tandem with Mitsubishi, as you might find they provide a bit more standard equipment and a more premium feel in the cabin for your spending.

Getting into the car is an exercise in athleticism, with some vaulting required to get oneself up and into the driver’s seat, greatly aided by the grab handles littered around the car’s interior. Conversely, getting out is easier, and you’ll find yourself sliding or jumping out of the driver’s seat in a cavalier fashion in no time.

Once you’re up on the proverbial throne, it feels like you’ve entered another zone entirely. You’re able to make eye contact with dual-cab ute owners and small-truck drivers, and even offer them a knowing wave.

The rear windshield is nice and tall, so you get a greater depth of view at the back, while the side mirrors are huge, meaning side visibility is excellent, too.

However, I relied heavily on the 360-degree camera that’s exclusive to the Exceed grade – and can admit that at times I would have been lost without it, particularly when parking. The view provided to the driver is a composite of a CGI-generated image of the car, paired with real-time footage from cameras placed around the vehicle.

The height of the car – it has 218mm of ground clearance – also means you don’t have to worry about kerbs or raised sections of road.

In the driver’s seat, the car has a comfortable, utilitarian vibe, with the Exceed offering a solid amount of equipment and technology, and a few measured attempts at offering a 'premium' feel.

You’d never accuse it of being luxurious, but the heated leather seats are smooth and practical with understated stitching, and the dash is accented with black gloss plastic and silver trim that keeps things looking polished.

A sizeable centre console houses two cupholders and three USB ports – two compatible with smartphones.

Hit the push-button start and there’s no mistaking this is a diesel car – the grumbling, rumbling feel in the cabin and the dull roaring noise is immediate when you’re idling, but it does tend to level out as the car gets moving.

Straight out of the gate, you’re likely to notice the steering – for me personally, it was arguably the most noteworthy feeling during my time in the Pajero Sport, and something that takes some serious getting used to.

In short: it’s notably heavy and takes brawn to manage, especially in smaller streets. However, I’m more accustomed to medium SUVs and hatchbacks with a light steering feel, so the Pajero Sport definitely felt very ute-y to me (and dual-cab owners might feel right at home).

Swinging out of parallel parks, I found I had to muster as much of my meagre upper body strength as possible to haul the big Mitsi into line.

The eight-speed transmission does a nice job of effectively shifting through gears without any hesitation or fidgeting. Meanwhile, the engine offers up 133kW of power and 430Nm of torque, and while it handles low-speed traffic well, it can feel somewhat lethargic with moderate to high throttle input.

Still, there’s ample capacity there, it performs well under pressure and it never feels underpowered – it’s just lacking that punchy, peppy feeling in the middle to upper range of acceleration. That’s not necessarily a mark against the car, however, given you’re unlikely to feel much like putting your foot down or speeding around bends.

Much of this is to do with the ride height and suspension feel, which can equate to a top-heavy, wobbly sensation when taking corners or driving over larger bumps at speeds of over 50km/h.

Otherwise, it remains a composed and comfortable car, and I feel a little bit like the princess in The Princess and the Pea by complaining about any discomfort, given you’re so far removed from the road it’s tricky to ascertain any irregularities at lower speeds.

While I didn’t venture off-road for long, dirt roads and some hilly, unpaved areas in the bush were no issue for the Pajero Sport – especially in 4H mode, which allows the car to operate in full-time four-wheel drive.

I was particularly impressed with the fuel consumption of the Pajero Sport. Around town, it sat bang on the quoted 8.0L/100km on a combined cycle, and with more freeway driving in the mix that quickly dropped to a low 7.2L/100km, which I felt was very respectable for a car of its size.

That’s a win because good fuel consumption is likely a major reason to buy a diesel car. The other key reason you’re looking at this car is cabin space, and on that front, the Pajero Sport has positives and negatives.

The middle row is well equipped with a 150W socket, two USB ports, roof-mounted air vents and an armrest with cupholders.

It’s nice and roomy in there for two people, with plenty of knee room even for lofty folks – although taller people (six-foot and above) might find their head hits the roof because the bench sits quite high in the car. Unfortunately, the middle seat in the second row is a bit narrow, so sitting three across as adults might compromise elbow room.

There are only three spots for child seats in the Pajero Sport, with ISOFIX anchorage points on each of the outboard seats in the second row, and three top-tether restraints over the back of the middle row. That means the third row can only be used for children who don't require car seats.

Obviously, the Pajero Sport is a three-row car, but getting all three rows into place with enough room for all occupants can be a bit of a logistical struggle. I found that everything didn’t fit that neatly together. Having the third row flat with the second row in action requires you to shift the middle row forward in order for things to feel well spaced.

Once again, as a woman lacking in upper body strength, I would have appreciated some electronic levers to adjust the rear rows, given the manual tabs and pulls in both the middle row and the rear row can take a bit of gusto to use (not to mention a bit of back-and-forth action to get everything where you want it).

Getting into the third row is easiest when you fold the middle-row seats forward and in half to create a clear path of entry. Once you’re in there, third-row legroom and headroom aren’t all that bad, and the sizeable windows prevent it from feeling dark and cramped.

If you want maximum cargo capacity, it is possible to fold the back two rows to create a positively cavernous compartment, but the floor isn’t entirely flat, with a slight downhill slant.

The Pajero Sport offers a full-size spare wheel under the floor and a solid – if not overachieving – list of standard equipment.

There’s active cruise with distance control, lane-change assist (which sounds an alarm if you’re veering into another vehicle but errs on the subtle side), front-seat heaters, the aforementioned overhead camera with rear sensors, and an 8.0-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

A small complaint – the car never remembered my phone when pairing with Apple CarPlay, ignoring my ‘always enable’ prompts and asking for authentication every time I plugged it in (I had the same issue with my last Mitsubishi, too).

It’s missing any form of active lane-keeping or lane-tracing to keep you centred, and there’s no head-up display, but a large digital speedometer in the centre of the driver display is large enough to compensate.

There’s also autonomous emergency braking but, fair warning, I found it quite terrifying – sounding a loud alarm and slamming the brakes on in traffic when I came a little close to a car in front at a low speed.

Mitsubishi's 10-year, 200,000km warranty is a drawcard for anyone happy to service exclusively within the Mitsubishi dealer network, but those who want to use their own mechanic will receive five years or 100,000km.

Despite initially taking issue with some of the Pajero’s less refined qualities – the steering, the fiddly rear rows, that trademark diesel grumble – I came away surprisingly charmed by this car.

It’ll have you feeling like you can tackle a rocky mountain outcrop at a moment’s notice, squeeze in a mountain of rubbish, furniture or gardening goods without fretting about space or mess, take your family (and pets) away for a weekend in the country, or simply amble around town without blowing your budget on fuel or contending with kerbs and potholes.

And even if you don’t require that bullbar around town, it adds a certain aesthetic edge (and some strong tradie energy).

Article sourced from https://www.caradvice.com.au/

[frogsmulder]

Maybe There’s Hope: chpt 8 Only the Devil Performs Miracles

Starting from the final events of 09x20 The Truth,  Mulder and Scully tackle their new reality as fugitives. When they  finally settle into things, Scully finds out she is pregnant again. A canon divergent AU where I thought, what if Scully got pregnant whilst on the run instead of at the end of season 11?

2.5k words; rated t; tagging @today-in-fic; read on ao3

Mulder fiddled with the pregnancy test between his fingers. The quiet of her crying sent shockwaves punching through him as he watched a second tear glisten and fall.

"Scully?" he asked, voice rough like sandpaper had scored his throat as if he was the one crying. "This is good... isn't it?"

She licked her lips. "Is it?"

"Scully?" He put the test back down where she had left it for him, leaving a lingering glance along with it. "Please talk to me"

She looked at him with the most sorrowful eyes and he wanted to weep. She sniffed quietly and bowed her head, eyes peering up at the people walking about in the car park he followed her silent communication and turned the key in the engine, agitatedly gripped the wheel, and took a final look at the tears slipping down her cheeks before he put the car into gear and pulled away.

Scully picked up the stick again with shaky fingers. She wanted to deny everything but the truth was held in her hands. She could feel a lump of pressure inside her; a dense ball of emotion weighing heavily against all of her organs, shifting them until she felt she was going to burst. It was like their first night running away again; the silence in the car whilst the wheels turned, carrying them a distance away from their trouble. Nevertheless, they brought it all back with them. She looked to Mulder and saw all the tension she could feel within herself: his knuckles turning white around the steering wheel, his jaw clenched bitterly as he swallowed to hold his worry for her. She put her hand upon his knee to try and ease the pain she was causing him. It was what both drew her back out from behind her defences and broke her heart, knowing how much she had put him through. Not wanting history to repeat itself, she reminded herself that they were doing this together. And then This struck her down her again.

This, with child, this.

They were nearly out of the city before she spoke. With each revolution Scully envisioned her words slipping away under the wheels, carrying no weight or consequence. She freed herself from the prison of her thoughts, by imagining it as such. A lie to get to the truth. She took a deep breath, it sounding like a gasp between silent sobs, and held it trapped as she rolled her lips in on themselves to lock the air. She closed her eyes and stilled herself, keeping calm by closing herself off from thought. Instead, she let the words form like an IV line, slowly, steadily releasing them.

"I don't think I can do this, Mulder." Her voice strained barely above a whisper. "It's too soon-- I..."

Her line faulted, a hiccup in concentration as her thoughts broke through and returned to her. He glanced her way, seeing her hands clench to cure their tremours.

"It's okay, Scully, we can figure this out."

"No." She shook her head and she could feel her chin begin to wobble out of her control, her carefully built supports crumbling. She placed the test back down and tried to look away, to him to show him she was trying to be open, yet try as she might, her gaze was fixed. She didn't know if it was the shock, the proof, or simply that she couldn't face him but the outcome was the same: she couldn't move.

Her brow pinched together again in a way that physically pained Mulder.

"No, I don't think... Oh god--"

Scully buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

Mulder slowed and pulled over on the side of the road. He reached to pry her hands gently away, bringing her back to him, letting her know he was there for her. Only for her to hide her face by looking out of the window.

"Scully... Please... You're scaring me."

"I've been lying to myself," she mumbled.

"What do you mean?" he asked, failing to hide how scared he was from his tone. He didn't want to be dishonest but he didn't want her to worry about him when clearly he should be worrying about her. It was a toxic pull, he knew, yet there was something familiar about it he couldn't escape. It seemed to be an ingrained nature of their relationship. He looked at her smaller hand in his and gulped. Running his thumb in circles around her palm, he hoped to calm her and bring her back to him. Suddenly aware that she was falling into old habits, Scully apologised and he hoped he told her through his eyes that she had nothing to be sorry for.

"I've known-- suspected-- for a while now. That... this was the reason for my... Sickness."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to believe it was true. I still don't want to."

"Why? Isn't this a blessing? A second chance for us both?"

She scoffed. "Do you know what the implications of this are? I can't have children, Mulder."

"I know it's impossible, but--"

"It's more than impossible!" she shouted unexpectedly, even to herself. The sound erupted from her like a bullet from the barrel of a gun, shattering the solemn air in the small space of the car. She shied away from herself then, recoiling in shock, hearing the ringing still in her ears. A deadly quiet settled over them like dust over debris in the wake of her outburst, a perfect breeding ground for echoes and overthinking. She told herself it was unnatural; she didn't get angry like this; this wasn't her. But the anger felt good-- cathartic; like it was the most authentic she had been with herself this entire time; like she wanted to do it again. And that scared Scully.

His thumb had abruptly stopped halfway through its traverse of her palm. She looked down at where their hands touched and held her lower lip hostage.

"It-It's more than that. I feel used and torn up inside out. What if it's the same? What if it's the same as before?"

"What if it isn't?" He asked shyly, aware of the tear stains streaking down her cheeks. Two lines carved like two ravines in the granite she tried to make herself. He could see the strength she mustered, the hardened face she forced herself to wear.

"How else would this have happened? I've had my William and my Emily and they-- they took them away from me, Mulder! No, not even that... I lost them... Oh god, I lost them."

He let her weep, let her bury her face back in her hands, and he awkwardly pulled her into his side, quietly cursing the panel between their seats. Not for the first time he regretted that he'd ever made her make the decision to follow him. Wanting to give her the world, he thought he could at least give her a place to cry quietly. Instead, he offered her only what he could: his chest. Rubbing her shoulder, he tried to absorb all of it. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, selfishly hiding himself as he tried to comfort her. Gently shaking his head, he brushed his lips against her hair and murmured, "It was never your fault, Scully. Please don't think that."

A fleeting memory passed of earlier that morning. How she had slept pressed similarly against his side, her head tucked underneath his chin, buried into the crook of his neck. Her splayed hair had tickled him then too. It seemed like another lifetime. Another lifetime stacked on top of the many they had already lived.

"Last time it was so, so hard... You weren't there. You don't know what it was like: living with that kind of fear every day."

Scully's voice was soft and non-accusatory, muffled into his t-shirt, yet her words twisted his insides, seeing her pain, reminding him he wasn't there when she suffered before. That his absence was even a cause of her suffering. It had been different for him, he knew, but his time away had been wrought with fear and anguish as well. He wondered if she knew how much. How much he wanted to be there for her, for their son. How it ached like rocks in his lungs to imagine if things could have been different. How much he blamed himself for all of it. He wanted to say something similar but the words never formed; somehow it never felt like the right time to say them. Instead, he held his tongue, held back his tears, and pressed his nose to the crown of her head, only letting up when she pulled away.

"If I look forward, imagine myself with this possibility, I see myself back there. I don't want to go back there." She shook her head. "I don't want miracles. I can't trust them."

"Scully," his voice cracked. "What are you saying?"

She sighed tiredly. "I don't know what I'm saying. I don't know what to think."

"What do we do now then?"

"I don't know," she whispered, her breath rolling into a sob.

The only thing Mulder could think to do was to turn the key in the ignition and keep on driving. It felt like cowardice as the spark plugs fired and the motor groaned, sinning against the silence, the car wrenching them away from the quiet into motion. Just as last time, each passing second and turn of the wheels did nothing to ease them. Mulder tightened his grip on the steering wheel, forcing himself to concentrate on the road whilst someone chucked his mind and guts into a blender. He churned it over, chewing on their current situation, chewing on the muffled sobs coming from Scully when she thought he couldn't hear.

..........

It was an hour before they came across the nearest motel, fortunately, a better looking when than they had spent most of their careers leapfrogging between. Was it really so different all those years ago? Mulder thought of the wine and the cheese and all those times she tried to tell him to get out of the car. He spent the time Scully took to book a room wondering why he hadn't listened to her sooner. As he hauled their only bag into the room he wondered how different things could have been if he had.

Scully rubbed a hand up and down his back as she brushed past him into the room but didn't spare him a look to tell him she was alright. But there was a reason for that. His heart throbbed in his throat as he watched her curl up on the edge of the bed, facing away from him. He sighed, her words still ringing in his head from earlier: it's more than impossible. And she was right: everything about this was impossible.

Fishing for something he hoped would help, he gathered the paracetamol and the ginger ale and carried them all to the other side of the room, interrupting Scully's staring contest with the wall. She sat up as soon as she saw him, but he shushed her soothingly, crouching to meet her instead. She smiled weakly, and although it was small, it was an honest muster of her strength. Propped up on an elbow, she took the pills and ad swig of the ale, with a similar amount of waning courage. Gratefully she put the bottle down and ran her hand through his hair, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. He sheepishly smiled up at her, obviously trying to hide something out of her line of sight.

"I, uh, thought you could use a little friend," he said roughly as he tried to keep his voice low.

Curiosity piquing her interest, she looked down with raised eyebrows to where Mulder puppeteered Moby just below the edge of the mattress. Waving his fin, Moby swam up to Scully and nestled against her chest. Surprising even herself, she let out a light laugh and fell back onto the bed. Mulder grinned uncontrollably as she held Moby against her chest, the sound of her laugh in that moment the sweetest, purest thing he had ever heard. As isolated as it felt in an unforgiving sea of cold circumstances, it felt also like hope.

She shuffled back along the bed, practically dragging Mulder along with her as she pulled him up by his t-shirt at the shoulder and he climbed up beside her. Closing the distance between them, they wrapped their arms and legs around each other, a bundle of limbs like twining vines, impossible to tell that they had ever been two separate parts. Scully pressed her forehead to his, the final keystone to their system of support. Her fingers at his waist, crept up to dance andante over his ribs, carefully mapping the parts of him that made him whole in her nervous fiddling. It was like she needed physical proof that he was by her side, she felt so alone. And again it was like she already knew all of this. A dichotomous feeling of fullness and emptiness burned inside. She questioned why God would ever let this happen. She questioned his need to meticulously pop every bubble of happiness she had managed to construct for herself. In her emptiness, she wondered if he even existed at all.

Mulder shifted his leg over hers. Eyes closed, he could feel her tension through her forehead and in the worried taps of her fingertips over his side. She sighed when he brushed a thumb over her cheek. He knew that sigh.

"I can hear you thinking."

Scully looked at his eyes, out of focus they were so close to her. Behind his lids, she imagined the warmth of his soul in the hazel of his irises, the way there was something deeper in his pupils that was transcendent of meaning, that she could only understand in ineffable emotion. She thought of his eyes when he had given her the stuffed toy. She thought of his eyes when he had held William.

Closing her eyes, she held back another sigh. She licked her lips and composed her words.

"I know you would want children, but I'm not sure I can give that to you, even now. Mulder, I'm terrified it's going to come between us."

It was Mulder's turn to sigh and shake his head. "Scully, nothing will ever come between us, not even the end of the world–-"

"Please say you'll forgive me." She cut him off short, his declarations sounding inauthentic: what someone should say. She knew he wouldn't say it if he didn't mean it, but she couldn't hear it.

"Why?" He mumbled, and finally, his face pitted close enough against hers to be hidden, he started to cry. "You should never be sorry. If you don't want this... I would never make you..."

She wiped his cheeks and felt each little tear fall onto her bare skin like a raindrop in a drought. Wrapping her arm around his shoulder, she pulled him closer still, squishing Moby between them. She watched his face silently contort as he cried for them both. Gasping, she turned her head away, staring up at the ceiling, and felt raindrops slip down her cheeks too. She believed him but that was not the point.

[ahgasgay-baby]

Little Things Can Drive you Crazy - Sub! Wonpil Smut

, I’m sorry this is a little late, this is my next installment in the subbie day 6 series. Also Youngk next week and he is part of the requests I have currently, thank you guys for being so patient with me!!

-J

Word Count: 3,855 Words (I just really love Wonpil okay) Rating: M Pairing : Female Reader X Sub! Wonpil Mentions: Blood, Marking, Use of Pet names

He bit his lip. His teeth tugged helplessly at the flesh as he eyed the movie titles. His fingers curled as he thought, tightening and leaving his knuckles a milky white. “Jeesh I still have ice cream on my thumb from earlier sweetie” He breathed in a heavy sigh at his own stupidity. The sound resonated in your ears and ricocheted into the deepest of your thoughts. The air was humid and heavy, and sweat clung to strands of his hair, and slowly dripped across his face. Licking the ice cream with a tongue that seemed needy and obedient his thumb molded against his lip. His eyes were glazed over and deep in thought. It was always these unconscious movements that boiled within you. You wanted to be good but everything Wonpil did convinced you otherwise. It drew out the inner demons you locked away in deep labyrinths. Demons that screamed harshly in your ear about how good his neck would look covered in deep bruises. How nice his back would look if you adorned it with red. 24 hours wouldn’t be enough time with him to defile his hardened modesty the way you wanted. You didn’t want to hurt him. You were just compelled to see what hid behind diffident and humble eyes. Encouraged to feel him inside of you. Whether it be up against a wall, in a chair, on the washing machine. You needed him, and it drove you crazy. Crazy enough to wear your shortest dress on a cold fall night. A dress that clung to all the right places and accentuated your halter line. A dress that helplessly put your legs on display. That brought about carnivorous eyes from women and men alike, but never Wonpil. As you shivered lightly from the cold you felt a warm arm around your shoulder. “Are you okay? You’re shaking!” Wonpil exclaimed. He quickly grabbed his light jacket and draped it around your arms. You glanced with needy eyes at the way his dress shirt grasped his skin tightly, and felt yourself gulp. “Are you alright honey? We don’t have to see a movie..” He was slightly nervous and you could tell. You smiled gently and intertwined your fingers in his. His fingers were bony and strong, the pads of his fingertips rough and calloused. As you tried to avert the idea of them inside of you, your face took on a reddened hue. “You’re sick sweetie come on we’re going home” Before you could protest he was dragging you from the theater entrance. He gently opened the passenger door and placed you in before climbing into the drivers side. “Are you okay? Nauseous? Do we need to go get something to eat? Hungry?” He continued on as he caressed your face, checking with intense eyes for any ailment. His lips parted gently as he observed you meticulously, and you felt your demons claw their way to your thoughts. In the dimly lit parking lot the only thing shining were eyes that showcased nothing short of love and affection. Wonpil’s eyes were entracing, and addictive. As soon as they found their way to yours they released nothing but sinful intentions within you. “Angel?” You parted your mouth slightly and your tongue precariously played on the verge of your outer lips. “Yes?” You quietly spoke. Your lips were centimeters away, you could feel his warm breath on your face. It smelled of chocolate and sweets. It was rousing. He placed his lips delicately onto yours and you could feel the world melt. It was addicting. Every delicate touch enkindled passion within you. Time stopped when his lips met yours, and awakened every demon you had worked hard to suppress. As he went to pull away, you could feel the withdrawal of his narcotic lips . It kicked in worse than any stimulant and left you deranged and lustful. You needed quell the need that arose from his touch alone. Wrapping your arms roughly around his neck you pulled him back into the kiss once left. Your tongue grazed the outline of his lips and he moaned lightly. If his kisses were narcotics, then his moans were hallucinogens. They made you experience a euphoric high that promoted every libidinous intention that surfaced within you. Your tongue infiltrated his mouth as you  dominated the entirety of his lips. You outlined your tongue along his as you firmly grasped his hair. You felt him whimper lightly as he pulled away from the kiss. “What’s wrong?” You gently questioned. Wonpil blushed before nervously acknowledging his pants. Already he was rock hard. His cock was gasping for air as it clung securely to the front of his pants. “I don’t want to do this… not here” he forced himself to choke, glancing around and recognizing that you had been in the middle of a movie theater parking lot. As he quickly stuck the key in the ignition of the car and pulled away you watched his eyebrows furrow and lip quiver. You perked up when you had realized what he had said. Not here. So with as much forbearance you could muster, you waited till the moment you reached “here”. It was a long and tensed ride and you couldn’t help but watch as Wonpil drove, forehead glistening as he nervously sweat. With one hand on the steering wheel his knuckles tightened with the thought of what was to come. Your eyes traveled down his whole form, taking him in. You watched as the hand that wasn’t restrained against the wheel palmed his crotch covertly. Startled at his bold movements, you watched his face lightly contort as he tried to conceal his actions. Heavily breathing as he drove in silence. Once again the demons within you awakened. They manifested heavy desire within your fingers and caused you to grow daring and inquisitive. When the red hue of the stoplights flashed and Wonpil slowed to a stop, your hands did the exact opposite. Sliding down his thighs and gaining a gasp as you caressed his cock through strained jeans. “H-honey you don’t hav-” As the light turned green he pressed the pedal lightly, letting out a soft moan. You could feel him squirm and strain underneath your touch as he drove. Lips parting gently as he bucked his hips at every chance he could get. When the tires of the car finally hit the familiar gravel of Wonpil’s parking lot, your heart couldn’t help but race. He shut off the car and opened the door gently, before offering to help you out of the passengers side. Gripping your hands firmly he approached the steps of his home. It was a comfortable and suburban house that boasted a great aura of comfort. Short shrubbery adorned the front yard in a charming way, whilst the house itself was decorated with short story windows that augmented the ambience of tranquility. It was a house that promoted ease, and made you feel content and loved. Approaching the stairs of his house you felt his hands grow shaky in yours. Fumbling with the keys as he tried to locate the one that would open the front door, he stimulated nothing short of anxiety. You grabbed his hands and pulled him into a deep kiss. Your hips pressed against his groin and he let out a lengthened and husky moan. He pulled you close and kissed your forehead, halting his passion for as long as he could. “Angel” He hummed against your forehead, straining himself from molding to your touch. You glanced up at him and noticed a bright smile plastered on his face. “Today’s our six month anniversary!” he sung. You chuckled at how innocent and enchanting he was, wrapping your arms around him in a loving embrace. You were shocked when he tightened the embrace and brought your face to his. His cock gently rubbed against your thigh as he placed a deep but gentle kiss along your lips. “I love you” He whispered. His kisses grew explorative as he repeated himself. Traveling down the nape of your neck with soft butterfly kisses as he clung to you. “I love you” “You are so beautiful” “I love you so much” He had kissed nearly every part of you that was exposed and you couldn’t help but offer soft pants as he did. When he had finally pulled away, you were breathless. All it took was a single click of the doors front lock to animate the demons the night had worked so hard to subdue. Entering his house with heart heavy tension, you took it upon yourself to give in to the lustful intentions that rotted your thoughts. Forcibly grabbing his hips and tossing him onto a nearby wall, your kisses were far from the gentle ones Wonpil had offered. They compensated for sloppy kisses you had planted on him earlier and exercised control over the aggregate of his mouth. Your teeth grasped the edge of his lips tightly and you bit down hard, drawing blood. Wonpil groaned loudly and heaved his hips into yours. He sculpted his body to yours, addicted to the stimulation you provided. Wandering his hands to caress exposed thighs as you dominated each part of him. You pinned him roughly to the wall as your tongue explored his mouth carnviously. The taste of chocolate still lingered in his mouth and motivated you to taste every inch of him. Your lips traveled down his velvet skin as you licked and nipped at his neck. Not only did his mouth taste of sweets, but he himself was sweet. His sweat parlously lingered on your tongue with a sweet and salty savor. Your teeth sunk gently into his flesh and you felt him cling to you at the rough stimulation. You sucked mercilessly on the soft skin and watched as the nape of his neck became discolored with a purple hue. His eyelids were heavy and closed as he moaned from the pain, and his hands gripped yours tightly. You licked and prodded at his heavy set collarbones. Covering his upper body with dark marks as you took him in. He was intoxicating and you needed more. Releasing your hands from his tight grip your hands broke the tight bond between your bodies. You rested the palm of your hands suggestively on his jeans, and felt his hard cock through jeans. In the six months of being together you had never been intimate, and the tension chewed at you as you cautiously removed his belt and jeans. Left in nothing but boxers and a tightly fit dress shirt you couldn’t help but bring yourself to salivate at the sight before you. He was extremely inebriated with passion and lust. His breathing was heavy and labored. Each heavy breath nearly popped the buttons off of his tightly fit shirt. His boxers were bulged and begged for release. As you eyed him, he stayed glued to the wall with eyes that begged you to take him. His hands shook against his sides as he studied your form. His gaze meandering along the curvature of your body as he swallowed harshly. You watched his adams apple helplessly bob as he waited for you to move. When you finally had it was to take off the remaining clothing that he had. Kissing over already forming bruises on his neck as you slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Once the last button had came undone you threw it down to the ground and studied his broad shoulders in awe. You smirked at the idea that you almost had him completely undressed and against a wall so willingly. When it came time to remove his boxers as well, you were more than pleased with the final result. It was the first time you had ever seen his cock, and you swore to yourself that it was definitely not going to be the last. He was beyond reasonably sized and his hardened cock drew you in with every slight movement. It leaned at a slight angle and was thick and large. Dripping ever so slightly down his girth, precum fabricated along his slit. His tip was bloated and his veins prominent. He looked more than ready for you to take him, and you were more than ready to be taken. Grasping his member with soft and gentle hands you stroked his cock gently, gaining moans that amplified in volume as you added pressure. You danced your fingers along the veins of his cock and watched as he squirmed beneath your touch. As you traced around his girth you slowly lowered your mouth to the beginnings of his tip, kissing down his razor edged vline with harsh and bruising kisses. Completely taken aback in the feeling of your hands against his cock it took a moment for Wonpil to realize your true intentions. “Honey you don’t hav-” He tried protesting as you wrapped your mouth around the top of his tip and sucked gently. But it was pointlessly done. As soon as his cock entered your mouth, the only replies Wonpil offered were in desperate moans and pants. You roughly grabbed his hips and pinned his ass against the wall with one hand as you lowered your mouth around his cock. You gyrated your tongue along the same veins that had been so prominent previously, and sucked devilishly at his tip. He groaned loudly and stuck his hands in your hair. He was gentle as he clenched his fists into your hair, shutting his eyes tightly as you worked his cock. You rocked yourself up and down and took what you could, compensating with your free hand on the rest of his large length. But you knew what would drive him crazy, and braced yourself to make it happen. Forcing yourself down someone’s throat is something that isn’t always the easiest, but is definitely the most rewarding. As you shoved his whole length down your throat you couldn’t help but feel accomplished by the intense and lavish moans that Wonpil offered. He was near screaming as his thighs shook beneath you. You continued for as long as you could with your gag reflex as you worked his cock down his throat, and watched with craving eyes as he drew crazy from your touch. Feeling that his edge was quickly approaching, you had to force yourself to stop. His cock was delicious and you wanted the lingering salty savor to rest in your tongue for the rest of the night. But as soon as you stopped, Wonpil pulled you in a sweet embrace. He kissed you lightly on the lips and held you for a moment, his hands resting lightly on your hips. “C-can I…” He paused, searching for the right phrase. “C-can I return the favor before we go on?” You felt his hands grow daring as they lingered at the beginning of your heat and you couldn’t help but feed the demons that rested within you further. Stepping back and removing your underwear you tossed them aside and approached Wonpil. His hands returned to the tops of your thighs and he offered you a sweet and gentle kiss once again. Wrapping his hand within yours you guided him to your entrance, and he cautiously stuck his finger inside of your growing heat. He jolted at the feeling of how wet you were and blushed. You chuckled at his informalities as he experimented with your entrance. Just as you had thought previously, his bony and calloused finger provided stimulation that could drive you mad. The only thing was teaching Wonpil the right ways to use them. Guiding his hand once again you guided a second finger to your beginnings and offered Wonpil a gentle nod. The stretch of your heat caused you to hiss lightly as you realized how tight you had become from abstinence during your six months together. “Are you okay, I’m sorry!” Wonpil’s worried cries echoed through your head as you rode his fingers gently. The gentle movement of your hips against his rutting fingers calmed him as he became more comfortable with working your heat. You held his hand as it worked inside of you. You guided it as you worked your clit with your thumb. Holding eye contact as he worked his way inside of you, growing more daring each minute. Twisting his fingers inside of your heat and watching your face contort in response. Biting his lip gently as he increased the pace of his fingers. You were close to your edge and you knew it. Grabbing his hand tightly, you remained in full eye contact as he worked your pussy. He took his remaining hand and gently caressed your face, never leaving eye contact. His voice was soft as he observed your soft moans and pants, and grew deep with lust. “I’ve waited for this for so long” he whispered gently. Something about the way his voice could be so sinful yet reassuring snapped the will you had left. Grabbing his lips roughly with harsh bites you moaned into the taste of his savory chocolate lips. Your orgasm rode out around his fingers as he continued working you through your high. Once subsided he removed his fingers, yet his eyes remained glued to you. Even in complete exhaustion his actions were enough to make you mad. “Jeez sweetie.. I guess I still must have ice cream on my thumb from earlier” You watched in utter denial as your innocent boyfriend placed his fingers in his mouth, gently sucking up the taste of you while he remained in eye contact. A smirk formed across his face as he studied you and you couldn’t help but want him right there. As he gently guided you to his bedroom, your desire only increased tenfold. Before the door had even been opened you had thrown him onto the bed. He sat obediently and watched as you stripped your dress into the corner of his room and removed your bra. Eyes widened in awe of your body as you climbed in between his thigh. “Can you keep this knee up?” You asked gently. He nodded compliantly and you turned your body to face the end of the bed. Taking hold of his raised knee you used it as leverage as you straddled your thighs against his and offered yourself leverage as you lifted your body. Hovering atop of his aching cock you felt Wonpil secure your remaining hand into his, tightly gripping you into a hand hold. As you grinded down his thigh, you could feel his cock fill you more and more. It was the perfect angle as he filled your core and you couldn’t help but release a long moan at the feeling. In this position, everything was under your control. You were able to use leverage against his toned thighs as you rode out his cock. It was selfish of you to time and time again ram your sensitive clit against the base of his thigh as you rode him. His cock entered you mercilessly and all at your command. Slamming into your core again and again as you felt him stammer beneath you. The feeling of your tight walls clenching around his cock had him screaming your name as you rode his thigh and cock simultaneously. Each brush against your core sent you into a wild frenzy that made you want more. It composed entanglements within your stomach that beckoned you to an unrealistic high. The feeling of his cock hitting you at every angle did nothing to quell the demons within you. It enticed them. His hands tightened against yours and drew crescent moons along your skin as you roughly rode him. His head was near secured to the bed from overstimulation to his cock and you turned your head to see tightly clenched eyelids. Sweat beading along his forehead. His free hand helplessly gripped the mattress as you rammed his cock into you repeatedly. You felt insane as your orgasm began rearing its head. Tension grew in your stomach that drove you to feel ecstatic and gleeful. But you knew you needed to hold out just a bit longer. All you needed was a little more. So you repositioned yourself as quickly as you could. Instructing Wonpil quickly to move so close to his high wasn’t hard in the slighest. He needed his high as much as you needed yours, and was the precedence of obedience. Now facing him, you sat him upright as you slid his cock back into you. Already stimulated you both let out a long moan at the lost feeling. Grabbing the headboard for support you began right where you had left off. And damn did it feel good. The amount of control the headboard gave you allowed you to approach the high you needed so badly. Roughly grabbing Wonpil’s hair as you drilled his cock into you, he let out a heavy groan. “Are you gonna cum for me?” You roughly teased. You could feel his end drawing near as you fucked him senseless. He offered a weakened nod as he shut his eyes in ecstasy. You both needed release so bad it was sickening. “You want to fuck me like this all the time baby?” You watched as his lip quivered and felt his nails tighten. “Go ahead baby mark me up I don’t mind” As you slid down his cock you hissed as his nails dug into yours. You could tell that he had drew blood from the near feeling alone. He was a mess as he gripped you tightly, and you knew it was only a moment before you would set him off. “Baby boy” You cooed, and you watched as his head snapped up from the pet name. “You’re gonna cum for your Queen okay?” you paused, lips parting devilishly. “ And that’s an order” And all it took for him to fill you to the brim was just that, an order. His cum topped off your core as you felt your own orgasm teared from within you. What once seemed like an unreachable high now crashed around you heavily. You came so harshly you felt as though you wouldn’t be able to breathe. Your legs seemed like rubber as you became exhausted and overworked. Wonpil panted heavily into your ear as he pulled out, gently lifting you off of his cock as he placed you ever so gently in his lap. He held you for a while and pet your hair as you came down from what seemed like an almost inhuman high. Your breath was shaky nearly an hour after as Wonpil calmly stroked your hair. He hummed a familiar pop melody as he graciously and gently kissed your head. His arms seemed to protect you from all of the harm of the world as he cocooned you in his embrace and softly kissed you. “I love you” It was the only noise you had heard in the past hour apart from melodic humming. And it was the only noise you would ever need.