#around 7-8 minutes in the smell totally changed. like oh she’s onto something here i WILL trust her

[notjanine]

riffed on this recipe and ended up with the best jollof i’ve made yet, so i feel compelled to share ❤️

[sleepysnk]

have fun ;)

Team Player: Chapter Nine

Pairings: Eren Jaeger x Fem!Reader

Warnings: suggestive content

Word Count: 3.6k

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Eren sat next to (Y/N) in the class they shared together. It was an early morning and the two both felt exhausted. The two planned overnight on what they were going to practice at the field, Eren had access since he was an athlete, but the two had to be quick. Campus security was strict on any students out past curfew. 

"So what time again?" Eren asked, looking over at her. 

Her eyes averted towards his. "I have class until 7, so I can go right after." she replied.

He nodded. "Sounds good.. come by my dorm and I'll give you a ball and we can practice," he said, a small smile growing on his face as his mind flashed images of the two playing catch. 

"Ugh! What if I suck? I guarantee I can barely throw a football," she said, rolling her eyes. 

He put his hand on her shoulder. "You got this! I believe in you (Y/N),"

Her cheeks grew hot from his touch and his words. Eren had an odd way of making her feel flustered. 

"I'll try my best to believe that.." she mumbled before looking up at the front of the class where Professor Ackerman stood. 

"Good morning.. today is going to be a pretty short lesson. I'll be releasing you all early today, so I hope you cooperate for this to go smoothly." he said, eyes roaming among the students. 

(Y/N) sighed, taking out her laptop to take notes. Eren did the same, he watched as she chewed her lip. For some reason, he always liked when she bit her lip, it was something he found.. attractive? 

"Eren." 

His eyes looked towards the front of the class where Professor Ackerman was staring at him. 

"U-Uh.. yes?" he asked, nodding his head. 

The stoic man sighed. "I get you think (Y/N) is cute, but please pay attention." he replied, turning back towards the board. 

Eren's face grew pink as he felt many eyes staring at him, (Y/N)'s being one of them. 

"Yeah Eren.." she whispered, giggling a bit at his cuteness. 

He rolled his eyes before elbowing her side, causing a small yelp to escape her lips. She glared at him and returned back to her notes, a wide grin appearing on his features. He just loved messing with her. 

Eren ended up zoning out while taking notes. His mind wandered to other things like football, sleep, (Y/N), wait what?

"Eren!" 

He turned his head to meet her gaze, she was putting her stuff away. "Class is over, come on," she said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

He blinked for a moment before putting his stuff into his bag. 30 minutes really flashed like that? 

"I barely paid attention to what he was saying.." Eren said, rubbing his tired eyes. 

She exited the classroom with him by her side. "Trust me.. I don't understand Ackerman much either. Sasha had him and almost failed his class," she replied, nudging his arm a bit. 

A smile grew onto his lips. "Yeah I guess he is…" he said, turning his head to look at her. 

There was that stare again.

His eyes wandered to the small features of her face, (Y/N) was so pretty to him. 

"Do you wanna head to your dorm? You know.. to pick up the football?" she asked, breaking his thoughts. 

"Y-Yeah! Let's go," he replied, heading towards the exit of the campus building. 

She followed him to his residence hall. Eren was walking pretty quickly, curse him and his long legs. (Y/N) slowly caught up, grabbing his arm in the process. 

"Slow down! I almost lost you there," she said, trying to catch her breath. 

Pink dusted onto his cheeks. "My bad! I'll slow down.." he muttered before opening the door to his building.

She rolled her eyes before following him down the hall to his dorm, she had only been to his dorm about once. The one time she helped him clean it. She silently prayed she wasn't this gross guy who just dirtied his room after cleaning it, that would for sure disappoint her. 

He opened it and ushered her inside, her eyes scanned the room. He still kept it neat, surprisingly.

"I should have one around here somewhere," Eren said, opening his drawer. He dug around the dresser for a moment before pulling out the football. "Here ya go!"

He tossed it to her, she caught it and eyed the ball. She hadn't touched one in a pretty long time. 

"So 7:30 right?" she said, looking at him. 

He smiled, "Yeah for sure! I'll text you when I'm on my way," he replied. 

She nodded, "Sounds good! I'll see you then. I gotta head to my next class.. so uh, I'll text you!" she said before heading towards the door. 

He waved, "See you later!" 

She made her way out of his dorm. Eren smiled to himself, (Y/N) was such a cute idiot. He couldn't get over it, the way she eyed the football made him happy, she looked so cute. 

Maybe tonight would go well… maybe, just maybe, Eren could see her as more than a friend. 

-

Eren was awoken in his dorm by his phone going off. He wasn't sure what time it was, but it was dark out. He could faintly see the lights from the campus shining into his room, lighting up the walls.

A groan escaped his mouth as he grabbed his phone, Jean was calling him for some reason. 

"Hello?" Eren said, his voice deep and groggy from sleep. 

"Finally! Dude I've called you like four times! Were you sleeping?" Jean asked over the phone. 

He rubbed his tired eyes, "Yeah I was.. what do you want though? Where are you?" he asked. He could faintly hear some background noise.

"I'm at Connie's frat right now! You should come by! This party is getting pretty lit, plus you have been laying low on partying anyway," Jean replied. 

Eren looked at the time on his phone, it read 7:00. 

He contemplated for a moment, would going out partying even be worth it? He had been kind of low on the party scene lately, it may help him feel a bit better. 

"Fine… I'll be there in 10," he replied, sitting up on his bed. 

"Sick! I'll see you then!" Jean replied before hanging up the phone with a click. 

Eren sighed, he stood up and turned on the light to his room. He put on a black zip up hoodie and some grey sweatpants, he wasn't exactly looking to impress and do much. Maybe a few shots and that's all? Plus it was a Wednesday night. 

As Eren exited his dorm, he couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something. Did he have assignments? No. Practice? No. He wasn't exactly sure what was missing, he just shrugged it off and made his way to the frat house. 

Little did he know… he was forgetting something.

-

Eren downed his third shot that night, the burning of the alcohol went down his throat and to his stomach. He placed the glass onto the table, leaning back against the cushions of the couch. 

"You want another?" Connie asked, holding the bottle towards him. 

Eren shook his head, "Nah.. I'm good."

He felt a weight next to him, Jean was sitting next to him now. His face was lightly pink from the alcohol he consumed earlier, Jean was such a lightweight drunk. 

"So Jaeger when are you even coming back on the team? You've been benched for weeks," he asked, looking at him.

Eren sighed, "I dunno.. maybe if coach actually listened to me." he replied with a shrug. 

Jean slung his arm around his shoulder, "You got this! I think you'll be back soon," he slurred. 

Eren pushed Jean off of him, "You smell like beer dude, go somewhere else." 

He furrowed his brows, "Shut it! You seem grumpy.. did (Y/N) stop letting you hit or something?" Jean asked, crossing his arms. 

Eren's eyes grew wide at Jean's words.

Shit!

"Oh shit.. fuck! (Y/N)!" Eren yelled.

"Huh? Is everything okay Eren?" Connie asked, looking at him with furrowed brows.

He fumbled for his phone, the time read 8:20. It all hit him at once. Eren was supposed to be at the field practicing with her, it totally slipped his mind! He also noticed the missed texts and phone calls he had from her. 

(Y/N): 9 missed calls

7:02 <-(Y/N): hey i'm done with class!

7:10 <-(Y/N): uh hello? did you fall asleep?

7:19 <-(Y/N): Eren??? dude i'm at the field

7:21 <-(Y/N): dude seriously, where are you?

7:32 <-(Y/N): Eren, i'm not playing anymore. where are you??? you were supposed to be here.

7:41 <-(Y/N): wtf dude?? are you seriously ditching me?? this isn't funny Eren.

7:49 <-(Y/N): i'm giving you 15 more minutes if you're not gonna show up, i'm leaving.

8:01<-(Y/N): okay cool. ignore me, thanks for being an asshole. i thought you were cool but i guess people never change huh? don't even bother coming.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"I gotta go, see you guys later." Eren said before rushing up the stairs out of the basement. 

Eren rushed out of the frat house, he pushed past a few people and got outside. The wind picked up as he rushed towards the campus, he couldn't go to sleep tonight knowing that he forgot. He felt so guilty, that was fucked up for him to do. 

In the distance storm clouds brewed, lightning flared in the sky lighting up the darkening clouds. Thunder boomed in the horizon as the wind began to blow around the fall leaves. 

Just what I need, a fucking storm Eren thought as he rushed to the practice fields. 

The bright lights were still on, unfortunately Eren didn't see (Y/N). He looked around the field, maybe she was in her car? 

Eren fished for his phone to call her. "Come on pick up.." he groaned, looking around the empty field. The wind blowing in his hair. 

"So.. you finally decided to show up."

He turned to see (Y/N) leaning against the small bench, her arms crossed. 

"(Y/N)! I-I'm.. I didn't mean-"

"Just save it. I don't wanna hear your excuses," she cut him off. 

Eren tried coming towards her, "I'm sorry! I didn't get your texts and everything slipped my mind!" 

She rolled her eyes, "You left me here for an hour! I genuinely thought you were a nice guy.. but I guess some people never change. Just do this all yourself." she replied, tossing the football at him. 

He watched as she began to walk away, the storm in the distance beginning to get closer. He ran towards her, grabbing her forearm. 

"(Y/N).. please don't go, there is a storm right now and I don't want you walking by yourself." he said, looking at her with concern in his eyes. 

She tried pulling away from him, "Eren just go! You clearly don't give a shit, just go back to your stupid party. I could care less.." she mumbled. 

The crash of the thunder made him look up at the sky, "(Y/N)! I'm being serious! We need to go inside, just come with me okay!?" he yelled. 

She scoffed, "Just fuck off dude! Let me go back to my dorm!" she argued back. 

Eren was beginning to get frustrated with her, "I already explained! I get what I did wasn't cool! Just stop fucking around and let's go! The dorms are so far and you'll be walking in the rain, just come with me already!" he replied. 

Droplets of water began to fall from the sky, darkening the material of Eren's clothes. Lightning flashed along the sky and thunder followed soon after, booming and rumbling making the ground slightly shake. 

"No! Just let me go back by myself, I don't need your fucking help. You're such an ass! I wish I never helped you, God, I was so dumb to even think you changed!" she yelled as the rain pelted down on them. 

He stayed silent, the rain hitting his head and making his hair wet. It soon began to fall at a quicker pace. 

"I'm leaving.." she mumbled before starting to turn away. 

Suddenly, Eren grabbed her arm and put his hand behind her head, pulling her into a kiss. At first she didn't move, then her lips suddenly began to move against his. Her arms went to his neck. 

The rain fell onto them, soaking their clothes and making the ground below them wet. The kiss they shared was raw, passionate, and it broke the tension they've been having for the past two weeks. 

"Just shut up (Y/N).." he said before pressing his lips back onto hers. 

His arms snaked around her waist, bringing her closer to his skin. She shivered a bit as the wind blew against her wet flesh. 

"E-Eren.." she said, breaking the kiss between them. Her lips puffy. 

He looked up at the sky, "Let's go.. we're gonna get sick," he said. 

He took her hand into his, her cheeks growing hot as he guided her through the wet field and towards the locker rooms. Eren had snuck a key and he always kept it on him just in case he ever needed a way back into school, he silently hoped (Y/N) wouldn't tell anyone. 

He slid the key inside of the lock and turned it a few times, he felt the click of the lock and pulled the door open so she could step inside the locker room. Nobody would be around at this hour so nobody would catch them.

(Y/N) shivered entering the locker room, both of their clothes were soaking wet; the cooler air made goosebumps form onto Eren's skin. 

"Just sit right here," Eren said, pointing at a spot in front of his locker. 

(Y/N) plopped down, the sound of her wet leggings hitting the surface of the bench. Her hair was soaking, so was her outfit, she had no idea how she was going to explain this to Sasha. 

Eren walked into the showers, his eyes scanning for the towels they kept for the players. He opened the door to the closet and grabbed two of the white ones, he hoped nobody would notice they were missing since his coach kept count of all that shit. 

The squelching of Eren's shoes made (Y/N) look up, he tossed her the towel before sitting down next to her. 

"I'm sorry again.. if you don't want to help anymore, you don't have to." he said, looking at her. 

She rubbed the material along her face and through her hair. A sigh escaping her lips before she spoke, "I'm not gonna stop helping you.. that's not who I am, but I wish I got some kind of heads up." 

Eren nodded, wiping some water off his face. "That's my fault and I'm sorry for that," he replied. 

She looked at the ground. "You're forgiven.. but Eren," she said, looking at him. 

His eyes averted towards her, his head nodding to the side. "Hm?" he asked.

She chewed the inside of her cheek. "Why did you kiss me?"

Eren let out air through his nose, he leaned against the lockers behind him. His back pressing against a lock, why did he kiss her? Was it just the heat of the moment? Did he want to release the tension they had? 

He clicked his tongue, "Being honest.. I don't know. I guess in a way.. I like you, I hate to admit it but I do," he said. 

Her eyes widened a little, Eren Jaeger liked her? She wasn't exactly upset.. she felt the same way and it was blatantly obvious at that point since she did lean into the kiss and she could feel the tension between them the last few weeks. 

"E-Eren.." she whispered. 

He looked at her, "What? I know you don't like me back," he mumbled.

She stuck out her hand to touch his face which was now dry, her fingers ran along his skin. "I do like you.." 

He froze for a second, she was never one to tell a lie and by the way she spoke he could tell she was being truthful with him. 

He turned his body to face her, their knees were now touching and tingles came from the touch. Eren's hand found its way to her cheek, he used the pad of his thumb to wipe away a few stray rain drops that laid on her skin. 

Their faces leaned into one another, their lips connecting into a kiss. 

Her hands found their way into Eren's damp brunette locks, pulling him down closer to her. Eren's hand found its way to her waist where he squeezed the flesh, some of the material of her shirt was damp and it made his hands wet. 

"I want you.." Eren whispered, his breath uneven. 

She looked into his eyes. "I want you more.." 

His hands went towards her thighs, his fingers rubbing circles on the skin; it made her jolt a bit. 

"You like that huh..?" he asked with a smirk forming on his features. 

She playfully smacked his arm. "Oh shut up," she replied, her eyes rolling. 

He smirked before moving his head to her neck, he pressed his lips against her skin; his lips were hot, almost feverish. They attacked her neck making her skin feel warm. 

A soft moan escaped her mouth feeling his tongue glide against her sweet spot, he was about to bite down when a buzzing broke him out of his thoughts. 

(Y/N) slightly groaned when she reached in her pocket for her phone. Eren leaned away and furrowed his brows, pondering as to who could be calling right now. 

"Hello?" she said, chewing her bottom lip. 

"(Y/N)!? Hello!? Dude I've been texting you for an hour! Where are you? It's storming like crazy outside and I knew you were out with Eren, is everything okay?" 

She instantly knew it was Sasha. 

She sighed, "Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine Sasha. Eren took me to his dorm, we actually got rained on. I'll be back soon," she replied, her eyes wandering towards Eren who seemed unfazed. 

She could hear Sasha chewing on food. "Okay! Have fun! I'll see you soon," she said. 

(Y/N) hung up and placed her phone down next to her leg. "Sorry about that," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. 

Eren chuckled, "You're fine.. I think we should get back anyway, I don't want the janitor to come and find us here," he replied before standing up. 

He held out his hand for her and she took it with a smile on her face, she shivered a bit since her clothes were still somewhat wet from being outside in the rain. Eren took notice of this and went to his locker.

"Hold on a sec," he said, making (Y/N) stop in her tracks. 

She nodded as she watched him unlock his locker, he grabbed what seemed to be a hoodie. It had the University colors on it. He slammed his locker before locking it up and turning towards her. 

"You should take this.. it's really cold and I don't want you getting sick," he said, holding out the fabric for her. 

Her cheeks grew hot, but she just took the sweater from him. "Thank you.." she said, holding it close to her chest. 

He smiled, "Of course! Now let me take you back to the dorms, it's the least I can do." 

She smiled before following Eren out of the locker room. 

-

The long walk back to (Y/N)'s dorm was quite fun, the two had encountered a few professors along the way and they had to hide in bathrooms to make sure they wouldn't get caught. 

It was something (Y/N) wasn't used to, she was always staying out of trouble and she was seen as a good girl most of the time. Eren found that to be quite amusing, regarding the circumstances anyway. 

He leaned against the wall that was next to her dorm door. "So uh.. tonight was something," he said, chuckling a bit.

(Y/N) giggled, "It definitely was.. but I had a lot of fun. Even if I'm freezing right now," she replied. 

Eren looked at her, "I- uh.. I hope you know I meant what I said about liking you.. I really do and I want to be more than just a friend to you," he said, his cheeks slightly pink. 

She looked at the ground before looking back up at Eren. "I meant what I said too.. I do like you, Eren."

"I mean.. by the way you moaned earlier.." he smirked. 

She smacked his arm again. "Oh shut it! I'll kick your ass, but anyway.. I do want to have something more," she said, rocking on her heels. 

Eren smiled, "Sounds good.. can I kiss you again?" he asked. 

She nodded her head before leaning into his face again, Eren put his hands onto her shoulders giving them a small squeeze before pulling away. 

"Kissing you hits different," he whispered before kissing her cheek. 

Her cheeks were hot, "You're such a dork.. goodnight Eren!" she said, putting her hand on the knob of the door. 

He chuckled, "Goodnight (Y/N)."

Eren walked back to his dorm with a giant grin on his face, he felt like he just won a game just now; but this time.. he won something special. (Y/N).

tagging: @ererokii @eremiie @erensapologist @luvrboykento @callmepromise @katsuhera @moomii-hime @flam3bird @thicmitten @daughter-of-the-stars11 @just-a-little-sad @lunamoonawatcher @sofi-yeager @ryan249057 @chayauwu @bell0214 @jaegercult

[xoxobuckybarnes]

The Last Ride

January 14, 2013. Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago make a bet, hoping to prove once and for all who is the best detective of the 99th Precinct. Jake bets his car, because losing the “chick magnet’ (as Charles insists it is), would be the worst thing in the world for Jake. For Amy? The worst thing in the world would be being one of those chicks in Jake’s car.

But, when Amy wins the bet, one year later, she still finds herself as one of those chicks in Jake’s car. Is it really the worst thing in the world?

Written for @stolethekey for #b99summer2021ficexchange

You can also read it on AO3

Chapter One: The Win

Amy ran into the precinct, grabbing a perp by the back of his shirt, her breathing heavy. “Ladies and Gentlemen,” she announced. “I present Carl Laudson, who stole $3,000.” She looked down at her watch to confirm the time before triumphantly continuing. “Santiago takes the lead with one minute left. Suck it, Peralta.”

Exactly one year ago, Jake and Amy made a bet to see who could get the most felony arrests, thus proving once and for all who was the better detective. Jake bet his car, his most cherished possession in the world. Charles insisted that losing such a total “chick magnet” would be the worst thing in the world for Jake. Thus, since being “one of those chicks in Jake’s car” would be the worst thing in the world for Amy, if Jake won, she would have to go on the worst date in the world with him. There was no way she was going to lose. Unfortunately, Jake had the same intensity about winning.

All year long, they had been going back and forth. As of this morning, they were tied. Both got to work, doing everything possible to take the lead. Amy couldn’t believe that she was about to win.

“Oh no,” Jake responded, panicked.

“That’s right ‘oh no.’”

Jake started grabbing folders from his desk, urgently flipping through them, hoping to find something, anything. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“Not going to happen. Time to admit defeat in 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1! Your car is mine. Hand over the keys,” Amy victoriously demanded.

“This can’t be happening,” Jake moaned, reluctantly handing over his keys to Amy. Just as she was about to take the keys from him, he snatched his hand back. “Please, can I just have one last night with my car? I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye to her.”

Amy furrowed her brows. “I don’t know if I trust you…”

Jake placed both hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look right at him. “I promise, I’ll give you the car. You won the bet, fair and square, and I’m not one to be a sore loser.” (Amy raised her eyebrows in disbelief at that). “I just want one last night so I can really say goodbye.”

Amy looked at Jake intensely. He looked so sincere, a trait that was not common for Jake. Although she didn’t know what it was about that hunk of junk that Jake loved so much, she did know that he needed one last night of memories. She shrugged his hands off her shoulders. “Fine, but I’m coming with you.”

A wide grin spread across Jake’s face. “Deal!”

Chapter Two: The Stakeout

Several hours later, Jake picked up Amy in his car.

“So, what do you have planned for tonight?” Amy asked as she slid into the passenger’s seat.

“First, we’ll stop at Shaw’s for Charles’ party,” Jake explained. “Then, I thought we could take a drive upstate. Just see where the road takes us.”

“Awesome.”

The whole squad was at Shaw’s celebrating Charles. Earlier in the day, he had been honored by the NYPD for his bravery when he jumped in front of a bullet heading straight for Rosa just last month. Unfortunately, Charles had fallen off the stage while taking pictures. To relieve himself from the pain, he upped his pain medication, which had the amusing effect of making him very honest.

“Jake! Amy! So glad you stopped by,” Charles greeted them enthusiastically. Jake acknowledged Charles with a nod and then headed to the bar to get a drink for him and Amy, leaving her alone with Charles. Charles leaned in closer to Amy, raised his eyebrows and whispered, “You and Jake look so good together.”

Amy did not appreciate the weird look that Charles was giving her, insinuating that Jake and she made a cute couple. Jake was one of her best friends. She loved hanging out with him and competing with him at work. But he was irresponsible and messy and immature. While she did think he was attractive and had once had a small crush on him when they first met, now that she knew him better, there was no way she’d let their relationship be anything more than friendship.

She was relieved when Jake rejoined them, handing her a beer.

Charles wiggled his eyebrows as he said, “I’ll leave you two alone,” in an unpleasantly high-pitched tone.

Jake looked at Amy confused. “What was that about?”

“Nothing,” Amy insisted before quickly changing the subject. “So, shall we go find a seat?”

She followed Jake to a table where they sat with Gina and Rosa. They talked about memories in Jake’s car, sharing both fun and horror stories. Just as Jake and Amy were getting ready to leave, the Captain called Jake over.

“So, small change in plans,” Jake said, walking back over to Amy. “Duty calls before we take off on our road trip.”

Half an hour later, Amy found herself sitting in Jake’s car in a sketchy side street staking out a warehouse.

“Sorry our road trip has been delayed,” Amy said to Jake. “But it’s still your last night with the car. Come sunrise, I’m the proud owner.”

Jake nodded. “Well, at least I’m still getting a night in the car. A stakeout is still a pretty awesome way to say goodbye.”

“I’m glad you think that,” Amy replied.

Amy looked around the street they were on. It was pretty dark, and it was hard to see anything. She was a little nervous that they’d miss the suspects because they couldn’t see very well. Clearly Jake was thinking the same thing.

“Hey, those people left that door open.” Jake nodded towards the building across the street from the one they were staking out. “I bet there’s a better vantage point from the roof.”

“Hmm. And I bet it doesn’t smell like old cheese,” Amy said, taking a low blow at Jake’s car.

“Okay, that’s hurtful,” Jake said. “Shall we?”

“Yeah,” Amy responded, keen to get out of the car.

Up on the roof, Amy found two crates. She carried them close to the edge of the roof and placed them down for her and Jake to sit on.

Jake, who was standing higher up on the roof declared, “Man, I don’t know how Batman does it. It is super scary up here.”

Amy laughed at Jake’s confession as he called out, “Hey, will you grab the binoculars? They’re in my stakeout bag.”

Amy rummaged through his bag, searching for his binoculars. “You’re stake out bag is 98% nuts,” she informed him.

“I get snacky,” Jake argued. “Besides, nuts are super healthy. They’re like 0% fat.”

“Jake, that’s not true at all. It’s actually the opposite.”

“What! That nut vendor lied to me?” Jake retorted in mock outrage.

Amy laughed. Jake was a grown man. How could he be so uninformed about the world? If it wasn’t so sad, she might have found his cluelessness endearing.

Jake held up the binoculars to his eyes. Amy looked closely out onto the street below them, taking in every detail of the area that she could, looking for anything suspicious going on.

“I think a pigeon just flew out of your car,” she informed Jake.

“Yeah,” Jake responded, not sounding surprised. “The windows don’t exactly roll up.”

Amy took a deep breath, wondering if she should tell Jake what she was thinking, about how awful his, or rather her, car was. Deciding there was nothing to lose by stating her honest opinion, she declared, “The car’s a piece of crap. Why do you love it so much?”

Jake sighed. Amy knew he was about to tell a story.

“You really want to know?”

She nodded.

“I was two days out of the academy, super nervous. I saw this guy run out of a bodega clutching a bunch of cash. So, I pursued him, on foot. Eleven blocks. Finally catch him, cuff him, throw him up against that car. Turned out there was a ‘for sale’ sign in the window. And it being the best day of my life, I bought it. Thus, began the debt.”

“’Crushing debt,’” Amy corrected him, recalling his words a year ago when they had made the bet.

Jake nodded enthusiastically and smiled as he replied, “Yeah. You do know me.”

She found Jake’s story about his beloved car heartwarming. For a moment, he had been vulnerable with her, admitting to being nervous, an emotion she had never known him to experience. Sure, it was stupid to go into debt over a car, especially one that was such a piece of shit. But, in Jake’s situation, it was pretty sweet. For the first time since she’d know him, she saw a sincere side of Jake. She couldn’t help but find it the tiniest bit attractive.

“Nut?” she asked, trying to distract herself from the unpleasant thought she’d just had.

“Only if you throw it,” Jake insisted.

“Ready? Ready?” she asked, preparing to toss a nut towards Jake.

“Mmm-hmm,” he hummed.

She threw it and he caught it in his mouth with ease. “Nice.”

Amy held the bag out towards Jake, and he took a nut. “Ready?”

“Uh-uh.”

Jake tossed the nut into the air. Amy tried her best, turning her head to the side. Ultimately, she failed to catch it in her mouth. Jake started laughing. “What are you doing? Trying to catch it in your nose?”

Amy laughed too, catching onto Jake’s contagious laughter.

Confident that she could catch a nut in her mouth, she declared, “I got it. I got it. I got it.”

They were interrupted by Jake’s phone ringing. He stood up and walked away as he said, “All right. It’s Holt. Keep practicing.”

Amy took another nut out of the bag, and threw it up into the air, again, failing to catch it. She took one more nut, trying, and failing yet again. Suddenly, she had an idea, she grabbed a handful of nuts and tossed them all in the air. Surely, she was bound to catch one of them. She was quite pleased with herself when she managed to get a nut in her mouth.

“What did Holt want?” Amy asked as Jake rejoined her.

“Just checking in. How you doing? Any progress?”

Amy was excited to show off to Jake her new ability to catch a nut in her mouth. “Yep, watch.”

She tossed her handful of nuts into the air, catching several of them this time.

“The key is volume,” she said, her mouth full.

Jake smirked. “I see that.”

After several more turns of tossing nuts back and forth to each other, Jake said, “So, be honest. Are you really gonna destroy my car?”

Amy smiled, thinking back on the week. She had constantly implied that she would cause damage against the car, even pretending to find out how she could light it on fire, hoping that the threat of not just losing the ownership of the car, but that the car would physically be gone, would distract Jake from beating her at the bet. Clearly, her strategy had succeeded.

Amy looked closely at Jake. She noticed the slightest tremor in his jaw, his eyes wide with concern. She could tell that he was genuinely concerned about the future status of his car. Now that she knew how much it meant to him, she felt bad about the threats she had made earlier this week.

Again, Amy felt herself feeling a new emotion towards Jake, one that she wasn’t 100% comfortable with. But his vulnerability and sincerity made him more attractive to her.

Ignoring her current confusion of feelings, Amy shook her head. “No, I’m gonna drive it. So, I can learn stick.”

Jake jerked his head towards Amy so fast she was surprised he hadn’t snapped it.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would. I will,” she teased. “It’ll be like…” Amy started making screeching noises, indicating that she’d intentionally damage the car in her careless attempts to drive it.

“No, no…” Jake suddenly stopped protesting Amy’s mocking as he grabbed at her arm, calling her attention to the action on the street. “Hey, hey.”

Jake pulled Amy down so that they were both crouching on the ground. Amy peered out over the edge, where she saw a truck backing up to the docking station of the building across the street.

“There’s our guys,” Jake said, pointing at the truck that had pulled up down the block from where they were parked.

“What’s the play here?”

“Uhhh…” Jake hesitated.

Amy looked around them, looking for any bit of inspiration. She spotted Jake’s rundown car. Suddenly she had an idea. “Follow my lead.”

Amy took the keys out of Jake’s stakeout bag before she threw the bag to him. She led him down to the car and popped the hood. “Seriously,” she yelled at him. Jake looked confused, so Amy continued. “I told you the car was gonna die. It’s a piece of crap.”

Jake nodded, the slightest hint of a smile displayed on his face before he put his game face on. “Of course, my car is a piece of crap. All my stuff is crap. You have to criticize everything I own, or say, or do,” he barked back, throwing the bag into the back seat with a slam of the door.

Out of the corner of her eye, Amy saw the men at the truck sneaking glances at her and Jake. They would have to get louder, make it impossible for these guys to continue to ignore them.

“Well, when you don’t take care of your shit, we end up in these situations,” she shouted, raising her voice.

“Jeez, I guess I can’t do anything right,” Jake hollered back at her.

Finally, one of the men approached them. “Excuse me,” he said, tentatively. “Is everything alright here?”

“No,” Amy snapped at him. “My boyfriend here didn’t check the car like I told him to.”

Amy had not meant to say ‘boyfriend.’ Honestly. She was just going to pretend that Jake was her friend. That’s all. Where had the word ‘boyfriend’ come from?

“You need a jump?” the guy asked.

Amy looked to Jake and gave a nod. “Yes.”

Jake took over from there, pulling his gun out from the back of his pants. “But first, NYPD, on the ground, you’re under arrest.”

Amy looked over at Jake and smiled. “Nice job.”

“Thanks, you too.” Jake smiled back at Amy.

“Oh snap,” the guy reacted, putting his hands behind his head and kneeling down on the ground. “I’m sad you’re all arresting me, but I gotta say, I’m glad you’re not actually fighting. You all make a cute couple.”

There it was again – the insinuation that she and Jake were a couple. Not even just a couple, but a good one. This time was more alarming though than Charles’ suggestion. Charles knew and loved both Jake and Amy. His insistence that they would be a good couple could just be explained by a man wanting two of his best friends to be happy together. This guy though, well, he didn’t know Jake and Amy, and yet, he saw something between them.

By the time they got the guys to the precinct and completed all the paperwork, it was early in the morning. Jake and Amy were expected back at the precinct for their next shift in only a few hours. A road trip was out of the question.

Jake left the keys on Amy’s desk before he snuck out of the precinct without even saying goodbye. She hadn’t even noticed that he did it. She felt bad that he didn’t get his last night with his car, but she admired his commitment and that he stayed true to his word.

Early the next morning, Captain Holt called Amy into his office. “Good job on the stake out. I’m glad to see you two still work well together despite that ridiculous bet.”

Amy smiled at the Captain’s praise. “Thanks. Me, too.”

“And, I appreciate you turning down the relief team. I’m not sure they could’ve made that bust.”

Amy was confused, unsure about what the Captain was talking about. What relief team? All of a sudden, it dawned on her. That must have been the real reason the Captain had called last night. He wasn’t checking up on them, he was offering another team so that they could get back to Jake’s last night with his car. By why had Jake refused the relief team? He loved his car and she could tell that he really wanted one last night to fill with memories. Why would he trade in that night for one of paperwork?

“Yeah. Right. The relief team.”

Amy left the Captain’s office and paused, looking at Jake. She had the next two days off, and she was positive that Jake also had the same time off. She might have won the bet and now been the fair winner of Jake’s car, but she knew what she had to do. Walking past Jake’s desk, she dropped the keys in front of him.

“Huh?” Jake asked, picking up the keys and tossing them back on Amy’s desk. “You won. The car is yours. Fair and square.”

Amy tossed the keys back to Jake. “I promised you one last road trip with your car, and you didn’t get it. We’re both off tomorrow, I figured we could take your road trip this weekend.”

Jake beamed. “Okay, thanks.”

Amy couldn’t help but beam back. She couldn’t explain why Jake’s joy was making her so happy right now.

Chapter Three: The Road Trip

Thirty-six hours after he was initially meant to give Amy his car, Jake rolled up to her apartment building, ready for one last road trip. Amy heard him honking from her bedroom. She grabbed her backpack and went to meet him outside.

“Yo!” he shouted out the driver’s seat window.

“Yo!” she yelled back as she walked over to the car. After settling into the passenger seat, Jake took off. “So, where are we going?”

Jake fidgeted with the radio before responding to her. The music of Queen came blasting through the speakers. “We’re going East. I thought we could explore Long Island. Anywhere we want to stop, we stop. Just see where the road takes us.”

Amy nodded in agreement. “Awesome.”

Jake took off heading Northeast, up into Queens. When they started seeing signs for Citi Field, Jake talked about how his dad used to take him to Mets games when he was younger. Jake so rarely talked about his dad. She was touched that he was sharing something so personal with her.

“He’d always buy me a special program and ice cream in a helmet. I kept every single one. Every program. Every helmet. They’re all in a box under my bed in my mom’s house,” Jake described. “He took me to my first game when I was 5. The last game he took me to was when I was 9, so I only have like 4 or 5 programs and helmets. And obviously I’ve been to tons of games since then, but I’ve never been able to buy another program or ice cream in a helmet. It’s always been me and my dad’s thing. I haven’t been able to do it on my own.”

Amy stared at Jake through his monologue. Sure, Jake talked a lot. Seeing him say so much was nothing new. What was new however, was him talking so much about something serious and personal. He didn’t even notice her staring as he continued on.

“Actually, I cried at the first game that I went to at Citi Field. Not like hysterical, just shed a couple of tears. It was as if I was mourning the fact that I’d never get to go to a game at Shea Stadium with my dad ever again. I hadn’t even known that the last time would be the last.” Finally, Jake looked over at Amy. “Why are you looking at me weird? Am I talking too much?”

Amy shook her head. “No, not at all. Thanks for opening up to me Jake.”

Jake stared straight ahead, keeping his eyes focused on the road. He shrugged. “You’re easy to talk to.”

They drove in silence for a little while. Eventually, Amy saw a sign for Sagamore Hill.

“Ooh! Sagamore Hill. Teddy Roosevelt’s home. I’ve always wanted to go.”

Jake took the exit. “Then we should go.”

They pulled into the parking lot at around 9:15. Amy went into the visitor’s center as Jake walked around the grounds. She met him 10 minutes later.

“C’mon,” she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the house. “Our tour starts in 5 minutes.”

Amy knew that history was not Jake’s thing. She kept looking at him while they toured the house, wanting to make sure that he was enjoying himself. He seemed pretty interested in what the park ranger was telling them. He even asked a follow-up question about Roosevelt’s conservation efforts.

After the tour they visited the gift shop. Amy picked out a teddy bear to buy her youngest niece. Jake bought a teddy bear, too. He insisted it was for his mom, though Amy had a feeling it was really for himself.

“Thanks for doing that for me,” Amy said when they were back on the road.

Jake glanced over at Amy, a small smile on his face. “Well, you listened to me get emotional about my dad. So, we’re even.”

“Well, to show my gratitude, I have a treat for you.” Amy reached into the backseat to grab her backpack. She pulled out her surprise for Jake with a “Ta-da!”

Jake looked at what she was holding up and gasped. “Gummy bears!”

She put the backpack down by her feet and opened the bag of gummy bears. She grabbed Jake’s hand to hold it steady in her own. She couldn’t help but notice the way his hand twitched at her touch. She poured him a handful of bears and them picked out a few for herself.

“You’re the best, Ames!” Jake exclaimed with a mouthful of candy.

Having spent some time on the North Shore of Long Island, Jake decided that they needed to head south now. They kept driving, Amy sharing the gummy bears with him until they where all gone. Eventually they were at Heckscher State Park.

“When I was little, my Grandparents lived not too far from here,” Jake explained as he pulled into the parking lot. “After my dad left, my mom had to work more, so sometimes I’d spend weekends out here with them. If the weather was nice, my Grandfather would take me to the playground here while my Grandmother was at her Garden Club.”

“Do they still live here?” Amy asked as she climbed out of the car.

“Nah, they moved to Florida when they retired when I was 19. Then my grandmother passed away when I was 27 and my grandfather passed away a few months later.”

Amy was learning more about Jake today then she had learned about him in the last five years that they worked together. She was touched that he was feeling comfortable opening up to her.

They walked along the path, Jake pointing out places he remembered – where he rode his bike for the first time, where he played little league baseball, where he fell and scraped his chin, where Gina had kissed him when she visited his Grandparents with him when they were 16. Eventually, they reached the bay. “And this is where I learned how to swim. My grandfather was very patient. We spent hours here every Saturday when I was 8 and by the end of the summer, I was swimming!”

Amy didn’t say anything, she just looked at Jake. She’d known him for five years and had always considered them to be good friends. But she never realized until now how little she actually knew about him. She was liking everything that she was hearing. She enjoyed Jake’s vulnerability and openness. It felt like their friendship was evolving.

Jake turned away from the water, which he had been looking at so intensely, to look at Amy. “You’re looking at me weird again. Oh no! Am I talking too much again?” he worried. “You know you can tell me to shut up.”

Amy rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder. “I’m seeing a whole new side to you.” She walked away from him, closer to the water. “I don’t completely hate it.”

Jake strolled closer to the water too, though he kept some distance from her. Silently, they both stared out at the bay. After several minutes, Jake strode over to her and nudged her shoulder, gesturing towards the path. They walked back to the car in silence. It wasn’t a comfortable silence though. There was an awkwardness in the air. Something had shifted. Amy worried that she had said something wrong.

Back in the car Jake put the key into the ignition, pausing before he turned the key to start the car. He turned to look at Amy and she looked back. Jake shook his head and turned the key. He inched forward into the next parking spot, but then stopped the car and pulled the key out, turning back to Amy again.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” he stated.

“Oooookayyyy…” Amy replied when Jake failed to elaborate any further.

Jake took a deep breath. “I opened up to you the other night about my car and why its so important to me. And now I can’t stop. It’s like verbal diarrhea. All these personal stories just keep spilling out and I can’t stop myself.”

Amy nodded. “It’s not a bad thing Jake,” she assured him. “It’s good to have friends you can open up to and be vulnerable with.”

Jake scrunched up his nose. “I don’t know” He sounded hesitant. “You’re not going to tease me? You’re not going to use these things to mock me later?”

She placed her hand on his shoulder and he leaned closer into her. The way he looked at her was so innocent, so pure. It was a look he had never given her before. If she was being honest, she really liked the way he was currently looking at her. “I would never tease you or mock you for the things that make you who you are,” she promised.

Jake bit his bottom lip and then pulled her into a hug. “Thanks.”

Amy’s heart beat faster in Jake’s embrace. When he let go to start driving again, she missed the feel of his arms around her. She ached for the feel of his chest pressed against her.

As they drove along the south shore of Long Island, Amy looked at Jake. There was a crease in his forehead. She could tell that he was still a little uneasy about his sudden display of vulnerability. She knew that the only way to make him feel safer was to show him her own vulnerable side.

“Sometimes I worry that I’m going to die unmarried and alone,” she confessed.

Jake laughed, and she immediately regretted sharing one of her most private fears with Jake. She turned away from him, resting her head against the window, watching the stores passing by out the window.

“Ames,” Jake said. She ignored him. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, repeating her name again. She couldn’t stand to look at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s just… I didn’t realize…There’s just…How could you possibly be alone for the rest of your life? You’re smart and kind and beautiful and so much fun to be around…”

Amy turned to look at Jake. His hand was still on her shoulder, and he was glancing back at forth between her and the road. They came to a curve in the road, and he took his hand off her shoulder to control the wheel better. Once the road straightened out again, he put his hand on her knee, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “Any guy would be lucky to be with you.”

Jake removed his hand, and just as she had ached for his embrace, she ached for the pressure of his hand on her knee. She really couldn’t explain what was going on. Just like Jake couldn’t rationalize his sudden display of vulnerability, she couldn’t describe her sudden desire for Jake’s touch and intimacy.

She shook it off to elaborate on her fear.

“It’s just that it’s been so long since I’ve been on a decent date, let alone with someone that I could actually see myself with.” She told him about the magician who thought it was a clever trick to strip down to his boxers, the dentist who gave her an oral exam during the middle of dinner, the artist who kept taking food off her plate without asking, the gym teacher who showed up to a nice restaurant in sweats and complained about the number of calories in each dish, and several other embarrassing and bizarre dates.

“That’s not you. You’re just going out with the wrong guys,” Jake assured her.

“I don’t know,” Amy countered. “These are the guys who ask me out. Do I only attract weirdos?”

Jake shook his head aggressively. “I think you intimidate a lot of guys. I’m not saying that it’s ok. I just think the guys who are good enough for you fear that they’re not good enough for you. “

Amy didn’t respond.

“Does that make sense?” Jake asked.

“Eh,” Amy shrugged.

“You’ll find the right guy. I really believe that,” Jake reassured her.

They continued driving on in silence. Thankfully, not as awkwardly as it was back in the park. In the silence, Amy could hear Jake’s stomach rumbling. She laughed.

“It’s probably time to eat something,” Jake declared, laughing along with Amy.

Amy peered out the window, keeping her eyes open for an interesting place to grab something for lunch.

“How about that Brewery?” Amy asked, pointing to a larger building coming up with a sign that read Blue Point Brewery.

“Looks good to me.”

They each ordered a beer and a sandwich (Cajun Tuna for Amy, Steak for Jake). The conversation was lighter as they ventured into more familiar territory, discussing cases and Amy’s love for their new Captain (Jake was still on the fence about Captain Holt).

They were back on the road just a little before 2:00. Things seemed to be back to normal between them. It had been nice to see a more vulnerable side of Jake. And Amy hadn’t minded sharing something more personal with him. It was nice to explore a different side of their friendship. That being said though, she was happy that they were settling back into their comfort zone, laughing and being silly.

They continued driving east along the south shore of Long Island, eventually reaching the Hamptons. In Southampton, Amy suggested they stop and walk around the town. Being the offseason, not many shops were open, but that was okay. She had fun exploring one of America’s oldest department stores, Hildreth’s. As a gift of gratitude to Jake, for appeasing her as she awed over home furnishings they both knew she wasn’t going to buy, she bought him a quarter pound of fudge at the candy store.

“Hey, I saw a large empty parking lot on our way into the town,” Jake announced as they walked back to the car. “It’d be a good place to practice driving.”

Amy nervously bit her bottom lip. Yes, that was the terms of the bet. Once this road trip was over, Jake’s car would be hers. She had told Jake she would drive his car, despite not knowing how to drive stick, implying that the result could potentially be disastrous. Knowing now how much this car meant to him, she felt bad about telling Jake that she would destroy his car. Out of respect to Jake, she really should learn how to properly drive his car.

They switched spots in the parking lot. Jake gave her a quick overview before directing her step by step through driving stick. She made several mistakes, but Jake was patient with her, even through his wincing. She was finally getting the hang of it when Jake suggested she take the car out on the road.

“You’re sure?” She was starting to get the hang of it but wasn’t feeling confident yet.

“You’ll be fine,” Jake insisted. “Besides, the roads are pretty empty, we’re safe. Just listen to me and focus.”

Amy smiled at Jake’s confidence in her. It made her feel good knowing that he believed in her capabilities.

Slowly but surely, she drove out on the major roads out east. Jake had been right; being winter in summer towns meant that there were very few, if any, cars on the road. By the time the reached Montauk, “The End,” Amy’s confidence in her ability to drive stick was matching Jake’s confidence in her.

“Ames!” he exclaimed. “That was awesome! I’m so proud of you!”

Amy couldn’t help but beam. Yes, she was proud of herself, too. But hearing that Jake was proud of her made her even happier. She couldn’t explain why.

She parked and they got out and walked around the town. As they got closer to the lighthouse, they saw signs stating that the last group up would be let in at 4:45pm.

“We can make it,” Amy asserted, as she grabbed Jake’s hand and pulled him, running to make the last entry up into the lighthouse.

They made it with seconds to spare. Her heart skipped a beat and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered when Jake didn’t immediately release her hand once they reached the lighthouse.

As they walked up the stairs, Amy walked in front of Jake. The steps were steep, and Amy’s heart skipped a beat every time Jake placed his hand on the small of her back to help her steady herself up the stairs. When they reached the top, the small balcony was crowded with others, trying to get in a quick look before the lighthouse closed for the evening. Amy stood, leaning against the railing, enjoying the view of the Atlantic Ocean. She was squeezed between an overly affectionate couple on the left and an adorable family with three small children on the right. To conserve space, or, at least that’s why she thought he was doing it, Jake stood behind her, his arms stretched out on either side of her, resting on the rail. Amy stood with her front pressed up against the railing. When another couple tried to pass behind him, Jake moved up, pressing his front into Amy’s back. Her heart started beating faster as she felt him pressed up against him.

“Sorry,” Jake mumbled when Amy looked behind her. He made to step back, regardless of there being little room, with more people trying to pass behind him.

“Don’t worry about it,” she insisted, pulling him back into her to allow room for others to pass. A kaleidoscope of butterflies exploded in her stomach when Jake stayed pressed up against her.

It wasn’t long before they were ushered down the stairs so the lighthouse staff could shut down for the night. Jake and Amy walked a little bit through the town. They occasionally bumped into each other. Amy could feel Jake’s hand twitch whenever he accidentally grazed hers.

Jake suggested they get dinner before they headed back into the city. They found a little bar that looked cozy. Despite there being plenty of empty tables, they decided to eat at the bar. They each ordered a beer and a few appetizers to share – mozzarella sticks, potato skins, and fish tacos.

“Oh my God!” Amy exclaimed as she saw a lonely bride enter the bar. Her light blonde hair was braided into a bun at the nape of her neck and her long-sleeved, bohemian dress flowed down to the middle of her shin.

Amy leaned in closer to Jake to whisper to him. “Do you think it’s a runaway bride situation?”

They tried not to stare, even when the bride took the empty seat next to Jake.

“Hi!” the bride said to them, beaming from ear to ear.

“Hi!” Jake and Amy responded, unsure of how to react.

“I just got married,” the bride explained, unable to stop smiling.

“Congrats!” Amy responded.

“Here’s my husband!” the bride exclaimed. A tall man with a buzzcut, dressed in a slender-fitting gray suit walked in. Once he spotted his new wife, he ran to join her, grabbing her up into a hug and passionately kissing her. It was one of the sweetest things she’d ever seen.

“Hi, I’m Ken,” the groom said, holding his hand out to Jake and Amy. “This is my wife, Florence.”

Jake and Amy shook his hand and congratulated him.

Ken and Florence were an adorable couple. They couldn’t stop smiling, or keep their eyes, or hands, off each other.

“We wanted a moment just the two of us before we head to the reception,” Florence explained to Jake and Amy.

“Can we buy you a drink?” Amy offered.

Ken shook his head as he got the bartender’s attention. “No, that’s okay, thanks though. Drinks are on us.”

Florence and Ken bought a round of champagne for everyone in the bar. The bartender toasted the happy new couple. As they drank their champagne, then their beer, while they waited for their food to arrive, Jake and Amy talked to the newlyweds.

Ken and Florence had meet five years ago. They worked together at the same marketing firm in the city. They were friendly, hanging out and occasionally flirting. Then, after a year working together, they were assigned to head a campaign together. After many late nights working just the two of them, they realized that their feelings were more than just friendly. So, Ken asked Florence out and they fell in love.

“What about you two? How did you meet? How long have you been together?” Florence asked.

“Oh, no…we’re not…we’re just…” Jake stuttered, while Amy explained, “No, we’re just colleagues. We’re police detectives.”

“Yeah, but there’s something going on between you two, right?” Ken asked.

“Nope, just friends,” Amy said.

“Yeah, just friends,” Jake echoed Amy, though quieter and less sure.

Ken and Florence finished their champagne and Ken checked his phone. “Uh, oh. We’ve got a lot of missed calls. We should probably head off to our reception.”

Florence threw her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Please, one shot before we go.”

Ken ordered a round of tequila for his new wife, Jake and Amy. They clinked their glasses together and took their shots.

“It was so nice meeting you,” Florence said, pulling Amy into a hug. Quietly, she whispered into Amy’s ear. “Jake really likes you. He looks at you the way Ken looks at me.”

Amy was startled by Florence’s insinuation. Jake liking Amy. She doubted it. Jake was constantly teasing her. She thought back to their day. Jake had opened up to her in a way he never had before. He taken her to visit a historical, presidential home. He shared a part of his childhood. He explored a new department store with her, never once teasing her for her old lady taste in furniture.

And, then there was the way his body reacted at the slightest touch of their bodies. The way his fingers twitched. The way he squeezed her knee, the way his hand felt on her back. The way she could feel his heart beating against her back on the top of the lighthouse.

Maybe Florence was on to something.

Amy waved goodbye to the newlyweds, just as their food arrived. As they ate, they talked about TV shows they were watching and movies they’d recently seen. They were so engrossed in their discussion that they hadn’t noticed that the bartender brought them both another beer, which they both drank without realizing it.

Chapter Four: The Hotel Room

“I’m a little tipsy. I don’t think I can drive,” Jake confessed once they paid for their dinner and made their way out of the bar.

“Me either,” Amy admitted. “Should we just walk around until we sober up?”

“Um, it’s getting pretty cold, and dark. And there’s nothing open. And, it’s almost 7:30, anyway. By the time we sober up and make it all the way back home, it will be like, midnight,” Jake countered. “We could get a hotel room. Each. We can each get our own hotel room.”

Amy looked up at Jake. He was looking down at her with a worried look on his face. She nodded. “Sure.”

They walked a few blocks to the hotel.

“Can we get 2 rooms?” Jake asked the receptionist.

“I’ll check what’s available. There’s a big wedding here this weekend so we’re pretty booked.” The receptionist typed away on the computer. “Looks like there’s only one room available.”

Jake looked down at Amy. “Oh…we don’t… we can find another hotel. Or I can sleep in the car,” he stammered.

Amy shook her head. “It’s okay. We can take the room.”

“You sure?” Jake asked.

Amy shrugged. “Yeah, it’s fine. We’re friends, we can share a hotel room.”

Amy paid for the room.

She looked down at herself and then looked at Jake. “I don’t have a change of clothes or any toiletries or anything.”

Jake looked down at himself too. “Yeah, me neither.”

“There’s soap and shampoo and stuff in the hotel room,” the receptionist interjected. He bent down to pull something out from under the counter. “Here’s toothpaste and toothbrushes for you. And you can pick up some clothes at our hotel shop. It’s been closed up for the night, but I can let you in to pick out some stuff, as long as you promise to come back and pay for it all before you leave tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much!” Amy took the toothbrushes and toothpaste from the receptionist and followed him to the store. She picked out a gray pair of sweatpants and a red crewneck sweatshirt, while Jake picked out a black pair of shorts and a blue long sleeve shirt. They thanked the receptionist again and made their way towards their room.

“Jake! Amy!” Amy turned to look who was calling them. Who did they know in Montauk? Of course, it was Florence and Ken.

“What are you doing here?” Florence asked, approaching Jake and Amy.

“We might have had a little too much to drink,” Amy explained. “We’re just going to sleep here tonight.”

“Oh, okay,” Florence replied, wiggling her eyebrows. Her facial expression was a little too similar to Charles’ when he implied that Jake and Amy would be a cute couple. Amy didn’t know how she felt about the fact that for the third time in less than 48 hours someone had suggested that she and Jake made a cute couple. Thinking back on her interactions with Jake since then, she couldn’t help thinking that perhaps all these people were on to something.

“We’re just changing before we had back to our reception,” Ken clarified. “Hey, you two should join us.”

Amy looked up at Jake. He scrunched up his nose, a look that she knew meant he wasn’t sure; it was a look she had seen numerous times while working on cases with him.

“Thanks for the offer, but I think we’re just going to head back to our room. We’ve had a long day,” Amy responded.

“You sure?” Florence asked.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Jake replied.

Amy followed Jake to their room. Once they arrived, she opened up the room. She was shocked to find that there was only one bed in the room.

“Um, I can go sleep in the car,” Jake offered.

Amy shook her head. “Don’t be silly, there’s plenty of room.”

“Ok, yeah, I’ll just sleep on the floor,” Jake responded.

Again, Amy shook her head. “Jake, you can sleep in the bed. It’s plenty big enough.”

Jake raised his eyebrows. She could tell he was about to ask again if she was sure. She responded before he could ask again. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Okay. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.”

Amy went into the bathroom to change and wash up. When she emerged, Jake had changed too. As Jake went into the bathroom to wash up, there was a knock at the door. When Amy opened the door, she was greeted by a hotel staff member holding a bottle of champagne.

“I think you have the wrong room…” Amy started but was cut off by the staff member. “It’s a gift from Florence and Ken for Jake and Amy.”

Amy thanked the delivery girl and took the bottle. She noticed a card attached to the neck of the bottle. She opened it up as she closed the door.

Jake and Amy

It was wonderful meeting you. Enjoy this bottle on us! ;)

Love,

Florence and Ken

There was also a post script suggesting that they meet up in the city with both of their phone numbers.

“Who was that?” Jake asked, emerging from the bathroom.

Amy held up the bottle. “A gift from our favorite newlyweds.”

“No doubt, no doubt. That was cool of them,” Jake responded, taking the bottle from Amy. As he opened it up, she grabbed 2 coffee mugs from the desk. Jake poured them each a mug of champagne. They clinked their mugs, toasting their new friends.

Amy sat down on the bed while Jake took the seat at the desk. She turned on the TV, flipping through channels, looking for something they would both agree on watching. An old rerun of SNL was playing on NBC, and Amy left the TV on this channel. They sat in silence, watching, laughing along at the funnier sketches.

During a commercial break, Amy noticed Jake reading the note from Florence and Ken. “Why’d she add a winky face?” he asked.

Amy could feel her face getting red. “Oh, um, well, Florence thinks…you see…she said to me…”

“Ames, what’s going on?”

Amy took a deep breath. “Florence told me she thinks we’d be a cute couple.”

Amy could see Jake take a deep gulp, his face now also turning red. “Oh, okay.”

They both sat there in silence for a moment. Jake turned his attention back to the TV. Halfway through the first sketch after the commercial break, Jake stood up and turned off the TV, turning to look at Amy. “Ken said the same thing to me.”

“Oh, okay.” Amy couldn’t think of anything to say in response to that.

Jake took a step closer to the bed. “Charles has also been implying lately that he thinks I like you and that he wants us to be a couple.”

Amy nodded. “Yeah, he made a comment about that to me too the other night.”

Jake nodded and shrugged. “And those perps made the comment about us being a cute couple.”

“That’s true,” Amy whispered as Jake took a step even closer to her. She found herself unable to speak as Jake sat down next to her on the bed. He was pretty close, his knee grazing her own. Amy felt electricity streaming though her body at the slightest hint of Jake’s touch.

“Do you think all these people are seeing something we don’t see?” Jake whispered. He scooted a little closer to Amy on the bed, giving her goosebumps at how close they were now, their legs resting next to each other’s.

Amy gulped, taking a moment to gain courage. “I think I might understand what everyone else is seeing.”

She was so nervous, she spoke so low. She wasn’t even sure that Jake had heard what she said. But he leaned closer to her, taking her hand in his.

“I think I see it too.” With that he leaned forward and kissed Amy.

She paused at first, shocked by his actions. Her heart was racing and she felt like she was sweating. But as Jake continued to kiss her, she leaned into it, kissing him back. She let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck as he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer into him. Amy shifted back on the bed so that she was leaning against the headrest and Jake shifted with her.

Suddenly, Jake pulled away from Amy, his hands still on her waist. “We’ve had a lot to drink tonight. We should probably stop.”

Amy nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” But instead of letting go, she pulled him back in to kiss him again.

They continued to kiss for several more minutes before Amy eventually pulled away. She let go of Jake and jumped off the bed. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. We’ve had too much to drink tonight. We should stop before we do something we regret.”

“Yep,” Jake replied. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. No doubt, no doubt, no doubt.”

Amy looked at Jake. She couldn’t stop smiling. She was so happy about what had just happened. Jake was smiling too.

“I’m gonna go brush my teeth,” she announced.

“I’m gonna wait here,” Jake replied. “I need a minute.”

Amy looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her face was flushed, but she couldn’t shake the smile off her face. She felt like it was going to be a permanent fixture for quite a while.

When she finished up in the bathroom, Jake went in to brush his teeth. He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek as he passed her, making her smile grow even larger.

Amy settled into the bed. She turned the TV back on, which was now playing the local news. After several minutes, Jake joined her again. He settled into the bed beside her, turning off the lights in the room. Jake held his arm out and Amy shifted into his side, allowing Jake to cuddle in close to her, her head resting on his chest.

They continued watching TV. After the news, a new episode of SNL started. Soon, Amy began to drift off to sleep. The last thing she noticed before she finally drifted into a blissful sleep was Jake pressing a kiss on the top of her head.

Chapter Five: The New Bet

Amy woke up the next morning, still feeling elated about last night’s events. She was feeling warm in Jake’s embrace. Her head was on his chest, and he was holding her tightly.

“Good morning,” Jake said. Amy looked up at Jake. He kissed her softly on the lips.

“Good morning.”

Amy wriggled out from Jake’s embrace and got out of bed. She looked at her phone, seeing that it was almost 8:00 in the morning.

‘We should get back to the city,” she declared.

She and Jake changed back into their clothes from yesterday. They checked out of the hotel, stopping by the hotel gift shop to pay for the clothes they picked out yesterday. They walked to a bagel shop down the block to get a breakfast to go.

On the drive home, they sang along to the radio and talked about concerts they enjoyed. Every so often, Jake would reach over to Amy and squeeze her knee or hold her hand. At every touch, Amy’s heart skipped a beat. She was so happy. Who would have ever though that Jake Peralta would be able to make her so happy?

Eventually, they reached Jake’s building. He parked the car and turned it off, turning in his seat so that he was facing Amy. “So, I guess this is it. I’m going to miss you, girl.”

Amy was confused. “Um, I’ll see you again.”

Jake shook his head. “I was talking to the car.”

“Of course, you were.” Amy looked closely at Jake. He was really torn apart over losing his car. Charles had been right. Giving up this car would be the worst thing in the world for Jake. Amy hated seeing Jake like this. Especially after everything that had happened between them last night.

“I think you should keep your car,” Amy proclaimed.

Jake took her hand, squeezing it and shook his head. “No, no. You won fair and square. It’s yours.”

“No, it’s yours,” Amy argued. Jake opened his mouth to argue, but Amy held her finger to his mouth to quiet him. “It’s your car because the terms of our bet weren’t fair. You bet one of the most important things in the world to you. And for me, well, I guess I’ve realized that being ‘one of those chicks in your car’ really is not the worst thing in the world. Actually, ‘being one of those chicks in your car’ is kinda awesome.

Jake beamed. “Ames, you’re awesome.” He pulled her into a hug, kissing her cheek. He leaned back and they kissed for quite some time.

“Well, you still won the bet,” Jake stated. “What do you get?”

Amy smiled. “Let’s continue the bet. In one year, whoever loses has to pay to take the winner on a date.”

“It’s a deal.” Jake leaned away from Amy and held out her hand. She shook it, sealing in the new terms of their bet.

[a-la-la-llama]

The One Where Marinette Gets Fetched #10

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6   Part 7   Part 8   Part 9   Part 11

  Titus had been restless ever since his first escape. The poor thing had been itching to get out again. He even stopped wanting to take walks around the estate. It made Damian upset to see his beloved dog so unhappy. The problem was he didn’t trust anyone outside the grounds to treat Titus like he should be. To be honest, no one in his family could except Alfred. His father and adopted siblings were incompetent as they were in practically everything. Damian was reluctant but eventually caved in the end.

  So he pulled on his most inconspicuous clothes that an average person would wear, or at least what he thought average people wore and led Titus out the door with a leash. Alfred had suggested he didn’t go to the private secluded parks near the area and one more in the city. It was like a walled area for muggers to catch high paying victims once they left. The city parks had more people and made it easier to blend in. It was also where Titus seemed to prefer to go. As soon as they passed the gates, the dog practically dragged him. Damian could have reeled him back in but the smile he swore was Titus’ face stopped him.

  Titus had conveniently brought a blue tennis ball with him while Damian held his leash and carried a satchel across his chest. The pair made their way to a secluded open field that provided enough room for the Great Dane to run around. A game of fetch ensued between the two. A throw too far set Titus on a chase. Something must have caught his eye because as soon as he got the ball he took off through a small grove of trees.

‘Must have seen a squirrel.’, sufessed Damian.

He sat down and took out his sketchbook and a few pencils. He preferred a monochrome look than a full-fledged colored drawing. Damian began to sketch his surroundings as he waited for Titus to tire himself out.

///~///~///~///~///~///~///

“Guardian, may we visit that tree Tikki had mentioned before? It has been a long time since I’ve been able to climb a real tree. Who knows how bad my climbing skills have gotten!”, Xuppa pleaded.

“Well, as long as you are able to stay hidden from all passersby I guess I can let you all roam around.”, declared Marinette.

“That’s why we want to go to the tree on the hill, silly Guardian. It’s a clearing surrounded by trees! It’s perfect!”, Daizzi teased with a small oink at the end.

“I guess you have a point. Okay, through these trees we shall go! Are my loyal and trustworthy Miri’s ready?”, joked Marinette.

“Of course, our fair Lady.”, Pollen continued.

“I’m always loyal to you, Guardian.”, said Barkk.

  The journey was long and treacherous for the group. Well, not really but it was fun to pretend they were on an adventure. Instead of a park, they were in an unexplored jungle. Having to avoid deadly obstacles such as couples and people reading peacefully under the trees. Then Marinette had been attacked by a poisonous tree root sticking out above ground. The root caused blindness temporarily which resulted in her tripping over it and falling. That led to the kwami’s having to lead her around with her eyes closed. It was like she was a little girl again playing with her- her-. Yeah, it was nice having fun with her Miri’s! They marched up the small hill with everyone following her like ducklings while they sang a Guardian-folk song.

“Alright! We have arrived at our destination. All Kwami exit the station as the Marinette train studies her sign language notes!”, she announced.

They all floated off into the tree as she sat under it and pulled out her journal. Reconnecting with the English language just to learn a new one based off of it. Then Damian had challenged her on who would do best on the ASL quiz next Friday. She couldn’t back down and was now forcing herself to study. Nooroo timidly floated out of the bag towards her. He had opted out of joining their song now that she thought about it.

“Master, I am sorry to bother you but are you certain it is all right for us to roam around?”, the butterfly mumbled.

The poor thing was greatly affected by their time in Paris. Duusuu could feed off the happy emotions of the others but Nooroo put the fault on himself. Gabriel had done a number on the poor kwami.

“You can call me Marinette or Guardian, Nooroo. Of course you can come out! Don’t worry so much, that's my job.”, she reassured. It got a small smile out of the kwami before he zipped off.

 She was going over her greetings when she saw the kwami go in and out of her bag. Everytime they would come out with their personal snacks.

“Did everybody pack something to eat and forget to tell me?”, she pouted.

“Sssssorry Mari. We forgot to tell you. We could alwayssss sssshare our ssssnackss.”, Sass hissed out.

“You should try some of my honey-covered croissants! They’re amazing!”, buzzed Pollen.

“No, eat my seeds!”

“My dried bananas are the best!”

“Carrots!”

“Biscuits!”

“I’m so happy. I love food!”

They all hurriedly shouted above each other trying to offer her their snacks.

“Calm down, Miri’s! I appreciate your generosity. Though camembert sounds delicious right now.”, she commented with a side glance at the certain kwami. The cheese glutton couldn’t do anything but drop his jaw at her request. He had been the only one to not say anything and the Guardian knew it.

“Minibug, you can’t be serious! My cheese smells bad. You won’t even like it. Trust me! You’re better off eating one of Sass’ boiled eggs.”, Plagg tried to redirect her taste and the other kwami’s glares.

“I’m teasing Plagg. I just had breakfast not too long ago.”, she said.

“Geez, Mari! Everyone looked on the verge to kill me.”, he huffed before stuffing the entire wheel in his mouth.

  Marinette and the kwami’s settled back down as she put in her earbuds and continued to study. Everything was nice and dandy for another forty-five minutes until she heard a faint shout from Tikki.

“Marinette look out!”

It was too late for the guardian however. By the time she knew it, Marinette was being dragged by the collar of her hoodie away from the tree. All of her stuff was left behind as her kidnapper ran at an alarming rate. She was pulled down hill, past the trees, dragged through a clearing for a while until she was dropped face first onto the grass. A dog started barking as soon as she was released.

“Titus! What is the meaning of this. You can’t just grab random- Marinette?”, the person said.

Marinette rubbed her head as she lifted herself up. This person knew her? She was met with the somewhat familiar face of Damian.

“H-Hey Damian, does this happen to be your dog or is there a better reason it just dragged me fifty yards to drop me here?”, she stuttered.

“No, it is not. I just happened to be able to read it’s name tag without moving. Of course it’s my dog, idiot!”, he sneered.

“Hey! How would you like it if you were suddenly getting yanked to gods know where by the collar and felt like you were choking?”, she retorted, rubbing her neck.

“What are you even doing here, Marinette?”, he questioned with narrowed eyes.

“First, this is a public park. I was studying some notes before your crazy- oh my kwami it’s taller than me!”, she gasped looking at the dog. She knew it wasn’t taller than her but her position of sitting on the floor made it tower over her. Marinette had met it before.

“Titus is a perfectly sized Great Dane. You’re the one with a pathetic stature. I suggest you change your diet to one suited to help with growth. Maybe incorporate beans, quinoa, or chicken if you're an inhumane meat-eater.”, he said.

“Yes, because I can totally fund a lifestyle change like that. Also, I’m average height. You’re the one that’s too tall!”, complained Marinette.

Titus wagged his tail back and forth as Marinette scratched his head in her lap.

“We had been playing with his tennis ball and I assumed he went to chase after an animal of some sort. Then he came back with you.”, Damian explained.

“So your dog basically fetched me.”, she summarized.

“You could put it that way.”, he commented.

“As adorable as Titus is, I have to go get my stuff before someone decides to take it. See you at school on Monday, I guess.”, Marinette said as she got up, much to the displeasure of Titus. Said dog barked in complaint as his attention giver left.

“Tt. I’m not sure what you have done to him but Titus should not be acting this way. He is supposed to be a feared guard dog, you have made him soft!”, he huffed.

“Feared like you with the rest of the student body at Gotham Academy? You still haven’t told me what got you to be dubbed an ‘Ice Prince’.”, Marinette said.

Damian only packed up his stuff and walked away.

Now, Marinette had to walk all the way back to the tree. The Miri’s were definitely going to lecture her.

I am sooooo soooo sorry for not posting this last week! I went out of town and it completely slipped my mind... sorry.

Tag list

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[thatgoblin]

Small Town Affairs

Summary: Hazel is an Omega in the small town of Tin Springs, Midwest America. She's trying to live her life after breaking up with the local sheriff, John Walker, and his mate, Brock Rumlow. New people aren't something that happens often, but when a new pack comes to town her whole life goes from a small mess to a complete disaster in the best way.

Warnings: Domestic Violence, Assault, Sexual abuse, Himbo Bucky, Misogyny, will update as story goes.

Chapter 1

It wasn’t often that people moved to Tin Springs, population 803. We barely had enough people to need a high school and a junior high school let alone more than a general store and gas station. There wasn’t even a Walmart for nearly 20 miles. You had to make a special trip to the larger town of Conway that had fast food restaurants and strip malls while the closest we had was a Dollar General and a ‘home style’ restaurant that was closed after 9. We did have a few bars and a strip joint, but those were just outside of town. Far enough that most people didn’t count them as being a part of town. It was very much a dying breed of Mayberry towns that used to thrive till people moved for better jobs and schools or to just get out of that small town headspace.

So when what looked like a whole fleet of moving trucks drove down the main road, everyone was talking. Turns out there was some guy with the last name Rogers that owned land that belonged to his pack that he was moving his new pack onto. The family had basically moved away or died off by the time I was 18. Most of the townspeople thought the houses on the land would stay empty till someone bought the land up for farming or to build new houses on. No one ever did and the moving trucks were telling us why it wouldn’t happen. Everyone and their dog would be gossiping and talking about who the new people were, where they came from, why they came back now, but I just ignored the whispers and gossip as I checked out folks at the general store.

“Hazel, would you be a dear and stock the shelves before you leave tonight?” The store owner, Peggy Carter, asked from her office. It sat just to the side of the register, making it easy to keep an eye on things. Her prim English accent was very much out of place in the small midwest town, but it wasn’t as crisp as it used to be when she first moved to Tin Springs.

“Sure. I’ve got my keys so I’ll lock up for you too,” I said, glancing back at her before the bell above the door rang. “Howdy,” I greeted the customers before going back to tidying my area. They were just a couple of women that were grabbing last minute items for dinner, which was the usual crowd so close to our closing time. I knew their faces, but couldn’t recall their names. I’d seen them around town, but I didn’t exactly interact with people outside of my job.

“Did you see the paper today? John Walker’s up for re-election again,” one woman said as they meandered towards the dairy section. While they sort of tried to stay quiet, the store was empty at that time of day and with it being so small that the voices carried easily.

“I saw that. He’s got my vote for sure,” the other woman said. “You know, he’s been such a good sheriff and I don’t think anyone’s running against him. It should be an easy win for him.”

“Hopefully. Things are just fine as they are now, why change them?” The first woman said. “Though, it is a bit odd that he’s with another Alpha and not an Omega.”

“I know, but Brock’s a good man. Both of them are. It’s just too bad things didn’t work out with them and that Omega girl.”

I should be used to it by now, hearing people talking about me and my exs. When you date the county sheriff and the only garage owner in town, things aren’t exactly secret. Even if they didn’t know your name or face, they knew your business.

“You know, John always said she was a good gal, but just had some problems. His mother and I play bridge at the church on Wednesday evenings and she told me that he was heartbroken over their split up. Him and Brock adored her, said they wanted to have kids too. I do hope she’s getting herself straightened out,” the second woman said.

I could handle the whispers and looks I’d get from the older Omegas in town, but this was a new low. They weren’t even trying to keep it quiet anymore.

“Just so ya’ll know, we’re closing soon, so if you’ve got some trash talking to do, do it outside where I don’t have to listen to it,” I called, earning small gasps from the women. They hurried to the front to check out, keeping their eyes down as I glared at them. If they were dumb enough to talk about me in front of me, I was not going to go easy on them. They didn’t say another word as they left, leaving me behind to glare at their backs.

“You should learn to ignore them. People will always talk,” Peggy said from the office.

“The least they could do was be discreet about it,” I mumbled. “Besides, it’s already been over a year and you’d think people would let it go and move on.”

“Well, with the new people moving in, you might get your wish,” she said. I could only hope.

The rest of the evening went by pleasantly fast. Peggy left me in charge to stock the shelves after closing. We closed usually at about 8:00 PM, no one showed up after 7:45 PM on a regular day. So to hear the door jostle as someone tried to open at 8:10 PM was odd. Frowning, I put down the pasta to look over the aisle to see a man trying to peer in. He had dirty blond hair styled back into a faux hawk of sorts, and dressed in ripped skinny jeans and a tight black tee. There were a few cuts on his face, a bandaid over his nose, and what looked like hearing aids hooks around his ears, the man stood out like a sore thumb compared to the locals. Seeing me, he put on a big smile and waved.

My first instinct was to ignore him, but since he didn’t look familiar I figured he was one of the new people in town. They wouldn’t know the hours of any of the stores in town. I decided to at least let him know the store was closed. If anything happened I had a bat under my register and pepper spray on my keys in my pocket. Going to the front, I unlocked the door before opening it.

“Hey, sorry, we’re closed,” I said as the muggy summer air came rushing in. “We close at 8.”

“Damn it,” the man hissed as he pulled out a cell phone. “Is there any other place to get groceries around here? My pack and I just moved to town and we don’t have any groceries. We’ve been working all day to get stuff into the house and didn’t realize the time.”

“Oh, uh not really, sorry,” I said. “Dollar General closes at the same time and you’d have to go to the next town over for Walmart and that’s 20 miles away.”

“What time do you guys open in the morning?” He asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“We open at 6:00 AM.” The way he looked when I told him was like witnessing a puppy being kicked. I could smell him, he was just an Omega. What harm could it do to let him in this once? Peggy had let a few people in here and there after hours, so what was one more? “Okay, so you can’t tell anyone or you’ll get me in trouble, but I can go ahead and let you in to shop. I’m just restocking shelves, so go ahead and get what you need.” Stepping aside, I let him in before locking the door behind him to keep anyone else out.

“Thank you so, so much. You’re a lifesaver, really,” he said as he grabbed a cart and proceeded to grab things off the shelf. I didn’t mind staying late, rent was going up and it was getting harder to pay, so a bit of extra time wouldn’t hurt. “I’m Clint by the way.”

“Hazel,” I replied as I went back to the shelves. Letting him fill his cart, I finished up my work before meeting him at the register. It was a lot of food, but then again how many moving trucks had showed up? “I really hope this isn’t just for you.”

“Naw, there’s 8 people in my pack. I’m hoping this will be good enough for at least dinner and breakfast, but there’s a few of us who can eat out a whole house,” Clint said with a chuckle as I scanned the items.

“Wow, that’s a lot. We don’t really have any packs at all around here. Maybe a handful, but it’s just three people at most,” I said.

“Oh yeah? We just moved here from New York. One of our Beta’s, Steve, used to live here. You might know him,” Clint said.

“Last name Rogers?” I asked, getting a nod. “Not personally. I know of the family and the land, but that’s about it,” I said with a shrug. “Alright, and total for today is $234.89.”

“Yup, sounds about right,” Clint said with a chuckle as he swiped a credit card. What did they do in New York that allowed them to buy that many groceries? Not to mention that was just for one night, I couldn’t imagine a full week’s worth. Maybe they should go to Walmart for groceries next time. “So is there anything fun to do around here?” He asked as I handed him the longest receipt I’d printed before.

“Eh. Depends on what you want to do. We have a restaurant that closes at 9:00 PM, a few bars around here, and a strip joint, but other than that there’s not much to be done unless you’re a fan of high school sports,” I said with a shrug.

“I’m going to have to give Steve a slap upside the head for bringing us to the most boring place in the world,” he sighed before looking at me wide eyed. “I mean, it’s just that it’s kinda slow compared to New York.”

“Don’t worry. I think it’s boring too, but like most of the folks that live here, it’s cheaper to stay than to move if you don’t have another job or family else where,” I said. “Sometimes the rodeo comes to the next town over and a lot of people go there.”

“Yeah, when he said this was a completely different place, I didn’t think he understood how all of us would find it so different,” Clint said as he started to load up the grocery cart.

“Here, let me help you take those out to your car. I’ll get the cart from you and you can head out,” I said, grabbing the keys to unlock the front door to let us out then relocked it.

“Thanks. You know, I guess small towns do have a lot of nice people willing to help out,” Clint said as he led the way to a black sports car.

“Sheesh, fancy,” I snorted as he popped the trunk.

“Yeah, it was a pain to drive it down the dirt driveway I have with my mate. I don’t want to part with her, but I also don’t want to ruin the undercarriage,” he said with a wince.

“That’s a bummer. There’s a car lot in town here, but I don’t know if they’d have anything your style,” I said, handing him a paper bag full of cereal.

“Howard, my mate, would shit his pants if I tried to go there,” Clint said with a chuckle. “He’s too posh to even think of buying anything pre-used. I’m pretty sure he’d have a heart attack.”

“Sounds like he’ll get comfortable real quick,” I said with a snort.

As we were finishing up putting the groceries in the car, there was a short honk and siren bwep before a sheriff’s car pulled into the spot next to Clint’s.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Clint frowned, unsure of what was happening, but I knew.

“Howdy friend!” A familiar voice called as a blond man with bright blue eyes and an irritating smile stepped from the patrol car. Dressed in his brown and khaki uniform, Sheriff John Walker approached us. “You must be part of the pack that just moved to town.”

“Uh, yeah. Just got in today,” Clint said, shifting his body again. “I’m Clint.”

“Pleased to meet you, I’m Sheriff Walker. Figured that since I saw you in town, I’d catch you real quick for an introduction,” the man said, holding out his hand for Clint to shake. Raising a brow, Clint shook the officer’s hand.

“Nice to meet you. You’ll probably be seeing the rest of my pack throughout the week,” Clint said before closing the trunk of his car.

“You’re on the Rogers property, yeah?” John asked, resting his hands on his hips.

“That’s the one,” Clint said with a nod.

“I think I went to school with one of the Rogers’ pack. Steve, I believe his name was. He was a grade above me. His family stayed in town a while before leaving. Didn’t think we’d see anyone come back to live on the property,” John said. I wanted to get away from this conversation as fast as possible. John hadn’t even addressed me, let alone acknowledge my existence. The last thing I wanted was for him to start shit with me in front of someone.

“Probably, I mean, he’ll be in town tomorrow to get all the paperwork fixed up with his mate,” Clint said. “But I should be going. We’ve been driving all day and everyone’s tired and hungry.”

“Alright, I’ll let you go,” John said with a nod, backing up to let Clint move. I kept quiet, trying to not look John in the eye as I moved the cart back to the sidewalk. “Have a nice evening, now,” he said, typing his broad brimmed hat to Clint.

“Thanks. See you around, Hazel,” Clint said to me with a tight smile and wave. I gave a short wave back before booking it back to the store.

Don’t follow me, don’t follow me, don’t follow me.

“Hazel, wait up,” John called as he jogged to catch up with me. I wanted to scream as I stopped at the front door to unlock it. “So, you’re talking to the new people now, huh?” He said as Clint pulled out and drove away.

“John, go away. It’s none of your business and this is not part of the agreement,” I hissed, getting the door open. Shoving the cart in front of me, I tried to shut the door in his face, but he’d stuck his boot in the way.

“Look, I’m just trying to keep an eye out for you, okay? Don’t get cozy with the new people. They might be interesting, but you never know what people are really like,” he said, pushing his way into the store.

“Ironic coming from you,” I snapped, glaring at him as I moved to the register. “I’m trying to close, leave.”

“Remember what I said,” John sighed. “Don’t trust those new people.”

“I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you and we both know it’s not far,” I snarled. “Now go away or I’ll short Brock this week.”

“Fine,” he said. “But just remember, I was the one that always looked after you. Even after everyone started those rumors about you, I stuck by you.”

“A lot of good it did me. Now go.”

John looked like he might say something else, but stopped himself. Instead, he shook his head before leaving the store. Quickly, I locked the door after him. Standing there, my hands shook as tears pricked my eyes. The asshole could always get under my skin. Just a damn look and I’d be nearly in tears. As much as I wanted to believe I was stronger now and could handle myself, that small interaction showed me that he still had a grip on my life.

Finished for the night, I headed home. There were no more encounters with anyone else thankfully, allowing me to relax for the night with a beer on my porch. My house wasn’t much, a one story two bedroom house that had a less than stellar paint job, but it was home. It was old, from the 20’s, but it was sturdy. I wasn’t there much but to eat, sleep, and shower anyways.

Sitting on the porch, one beer turned into two which turned into three. It was the fourth one that I finally felt like I could stop shaking completely. The last time I had seen John and talked to him was nearly a month ago. We’d been separated for almost a year and he was being his usual passive aggressive self just to push my boundaries. He’d come into the store and made a show of talking to me like I was a kid, letting everyone see he was the calm, collected Alpha that was trying to reach out with an olive branch to fix things between the unstable Omega who just needed some gentle handling to become a decent person.

I had nearly come unglued on him, but managed to keep my voice low and my eyes down. Peggy found me right after, sobbing out behind the store. No one, not even Peggy, knew what really happened between all three of us, but I wasn’t about to tell them and neither were John and Brock. We’d come to an agreement that they would leave me alone and not talk to me unless absolutely necessary and I’d stay quiet. As well as paying them off. It was nearly half of both my paychecks, but it was worth it if it meant they didn’t come into the store when I was there or tried to talk to me at all.

But John was starting to toe the line and push back. Brock kept his part of the deal, I was pretty sure he never really cared for me, but John was always obsessive. The deal was going to have to be revisited if John didn’t back off.

Done for the night, I tossed the bottles before heading to bed.

The last few days of the work week were about the same. Go to work, come home, go to work, come home. I saw Clint now and then who came in to grab a few things here and there, but that was it. He was nice and despite John wanting to tell me who I could and couldn’t see, it felt better to know that there was someone in town who didn’t know things about me without my permission.

While we weren’t best friends, we did send memes to each other when I was on break and he wasn’t busy. At one point he messaged me a picture of his shed full of cobwebs and wasp nests and asked if it was appropriate to burn it to the ground. I told him to be careful because there could be copperheads underneath or groundhogs. That led into me explaining what those were and learning that the man had lived 37 years thinking a groundhog was something made up by a city for a holiday and it was really just a beaver they were using.

It seemed that I would be teaching him, and probably his pack vicariously, what to look out for in their new homes. I still hadn’t met the rest of the pack, though I had seen one or two here and there around town.

Soon Friday rolled around. I woke up at about 4:30 AM. Friday would be busier than usual as it was a payday. I showered then dressed, sliding on jeans and a long sleeved shirt, I then made a pot of coffee before doing my makeup. Just enough to hide the bags under my eyes and a few marks on my neck that were visible above my shirt collar.

It was my regular dress for my job at the store, Peggy didn’t care too much so long as it wasn’t offensive. Which meant anything but plain clothing and no writing. After coffee, I fixed my hair so it didn’t frizz then grabbed my thermos of coffee. I locked up then headed to work.

The sun was peeking above the trees and clouds as I pulled into work around 5:15 AM. Peggy was already there when I walked in the back.

“Did you have any problems closing the other night? I forgot to ask,” She said as I stepped into the office to get my cash drawer for the day.

“It was fine. Had one of the new people stop in, Clint. The blond that comes by for snacks. He’d made it in just after we closed, but I went ahead and let him shop since they didn’t have anything at their houses,” I said, taking the drawer from the open safe.

“Houses? You mean they’re not all in one?” She asked, looking up from her book keeping.

“There’s not a big enough house for more than four people on their property. There’s like ten of them,” I said with a snort.

“Well I’m sure we’ll meet all of them at some point. We’re the only grocery store in town,” she said.

“Unless they need to buy in bulk. Clint nearly bought everything in the store,” I said, counting my drawer at the register.

“We can only hope. Next time you see them, let them know if they need more than a few things to get us a list and we’ll get them large amounts. We used to do that a lot when there were bigger packs in my hometown,” Peggy said. The woman was nearly 60 and had lived in England up until about 30 years ago, getting the general store from her uncle who had passed away. I was used to hearing the facts of ‘We used to do this in my hometown’ a lot.

“Will do.”

Finished with setting up, I unlocked the front door and turned on the rest of the lights at 6:00 AM. The usual rush of moms right after school starts as well as early rising elderly came in, making for the usual busy rush that Peggy would step in and help with at the second register. By the time 10:00 AM rolled around, things were tapering off. We’d have a lunch rush for those grabbing a quick something, then back to a nice slowness.

“I’m gonna take my break after this last person checks out,” I said to Peggy who nodded. I was starting to get hungry and I saw a bearclaw in the donut rack that had my name on it. A few cups of coffee could only hold me over for so long before I needed actual food.

Before I could clock out for a break though, two people walked into the otherwise empty store. They were part of the new pack, just the scent alone said that, and they were Alphas. Great.

“I got this if you want,” Peggy said softly as she caught the scent too. Peggy was a sweet Beta and she acted as a stand-in grandma for me, but I couldn’t just run at every Alpha that came in.

“I’m good,” I said, giving her a small wave and smile. It wasn’t long before the Alphas came to the register. One was taller, probably over 6’, with steely blue eyes and dark, earthy brown hair with a scruff on his face. He smelt of fresh rain and peaches with that Alpha musk. Dressed in an almost too tight tee with an extra sleeve and glove covering his left arm and hand, he looked out of place in the button up work shirts and plaid that was usually worn by the adult men around town.

The other was shorter, more tailored. His light brown hair had a bit of copper to it as it was swept back from his face as that held a neatly trimmed beard. His dark eyes stayed on the phone in his hand. He too was in a tee and jeans that were fitted tighter, making them look. . . Well almost foreign. A whiff of cedar and maybe smoke or tobacco swirled into the first Alpha’s scent. Both of them mingling and making something settle deep inside my belly.

Fuck.

“Is that all for you two?” I asked, holding back with every fiber of my being any scent or sign of them making me feel like a simple, needy Omega.

“That’ll be it,” the first Alpha said. It was standard groceries of meat, cheese, dried goods, condiments, basically anything to stock up a house after moving.

“Is your pack settling in okay? Clint comes by now and then,” I said, trying to make small talk. Usually I didn’t, but something about those two had me anxious. Not a bad anxious, but. . . I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Oh, uh yeah. We’re getting there,” he said with a nod. “It’s different than what we’re used to.”

“What are ya’ll used to?” I asked, looking from one to the other.

“A lot more people and a lot less trees,” the second Alpha spoke up, his voice lilting into an accent I couldn’t place. “But it is lovely here. I quite like how peaceful it is without masses of people a hair’s breadth away.”

“Glad you like it,” I said, giving him a soft smile. “So are all of you from New York too?”

“A few of us, but not all,” the first Alpha said as he pulled out his wallet.

“Well, hopefully it doesn’t take you long to settle in. Today’s total is $87.56,” I said, tapping a few buttons on my keypad.

“Tell me, is there a nursery around? For plants that is,” the second Alpha asked, leaning onto the counter when I started to help pack up the groceries into the cart. “I am wanting to start a flower garden, but would like to see where the supplies are first.”

“A plant nursery? Um, there is one just west of the town. Just take the main road and it’s about ten minutes from town. It’s run by the Mennonites and they have a bunch of different plants to pick from. They’ve even got starter trees for fruits and some bushes for blackberries and the like,” I said.

“Thank you. I appreciate the information,” he said with a soft smile and a nod. I couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“You’re welcome, if any of your pack needs anything just ask around. We’re all pretty friendly here,” I said as I finished putting the bags in the cart.

“I will keep that in mind,” he said, moving over to the cart to hold out his hand to me. “I am Helmut. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Hazel. It’s nice to meet you both,” I said, taking his hand. It was warm and soft, different than the work roughened hands I was used to. Helmut rolled his eyes at the other, elbowing him.

“Hey,” he grumbled, shooting him a glare. “Oh, uh, I’m Bucky.” A quick wave and awkward smile was all I was given as he quickly moved to push the cart away.

“He’s house broken, I swear,” Helmut said with a wink. I couldn’t help the honest to God giggle that came out of me. “Have a good day, Hazel,” Helmut said, smiling as he shook his head at Bucky.

“You too,” I called after as they left. It didn’t even occur to me that I was staring after them till Peggy came up next to me.

“You could always ask for a photograph. It would last longer,” she said with hum.

“Oh shush,” I said, waving her off. “They were just, ya know, nice. Most Alphas around here are curt and so loud and demanding. It’s a nice change to see is all.”

“Uh huh. Even if you weren’t letting them get a scent of you, you were definitely giving them eyes. I’ve never seen you do that for anyone. Not even when you were with ‘Those-Who-Shan’t-Be-Named.’ I think it’s cute and wonderful that you had that reaction,” Peggy said as she went to the other register so I could take a break. “Besides, when’s the last time you actually touched someone on purpose?”

“It’s nothing, I’m just being nice to new people is all,” I said, locking my register computer after clocking out for a break. Quickly, I grabbed the bearclaw before leaving the dollar and change for Peggy. “It was just a handshake. Besides, you always tell me to work on my customer service skills,” I said as I walked to the back door.

“I didn’t mean it like that!” She called after me.

[bisexualalexclaremontdiaz]

The Magpie And Her Bandit: Chapter 7

How is that for fast writing? But, tbh, this chapter was kind of shitty. Eh, it’ll do. Only a few more chapters to go! Anyways, just under 1000 words, Maggie’s POV. Other Chapters

Max’s words rung in Maggie’s head. Nova Artino’s long lost sister? She stared at him.

Then threw her head back in laughter.

“Good one,” she chuckled, “I needed that, Maxie.”

“No, really,” Max insisted, “Her family was killed by the Roaches. She had a sister who was our age who got shot. She thought she was dead!”

Then he paused and scanned her face before adding, “Plus you guys look alike.”

“I do not look like Nova Artino!”

“Holy shit, I can’t believe this!” his grin took over his entire face, “Oh, I just realized my brother is going to marry your sister! How cool is that?”

Maggie didn’t answer. She thought back to the first time she met Nova. The first time she saw her bracelet. She didn’t know why she had wanted it so bad, it didn’t look valuable. She just felt like she needed it. She had to have it. She was drawn to it.

It was completely possible, Maggie realised in some amount of horror. Did that mean Ace Anarchy was her uncle too? That was even worse than Nova being her sister!

“Mags?”

She looked up to see Max looking at her with concern in his eyes. She forced a smile.

“It’s fine,” she assured him, “I only realized that I’ve known my sister for 8 years and never knew it. Totally fantastic.”

“Well,” Max attempted to make her feel better, “At least now, when they let us go, you guys can be reunited.”

Maggie imagined what it would be like. Nova Artino, who she considered a pain in the ass for the last decade, being told that her sister was alive. Would she be happy? Disappointed that her sister turned out to be Maggie? Would she want to have a relationship or was it too late? What if-

Then a thought hit her. Hard. 

“Max!” she exclaimed, “They’re going to wipe our memories!”

He nodded, not yet realising what Maggie just had.

“We won't remember that Nova is my sister,” she explained, “We’ll forget all of this!”

Realisation lit up upon his face as his expression changed into something grim. 

Perfect. She finally got a sister and now her memories were going to be wiped. Her bad luck came through again.

No. 

She wasn’t going to be separated from the only family she had left. She refused.

“No,” she said firmly, “We’re going to escape.”

Max glanced up at the camera then back to her, “We are?”

“Yes. We just need a plan.”

Her mind whirred as she looked around the room, her eyes finally landing on the lock on the door. 

She inspected it. If she had the right tools, she could have picked it easily. But they took her lock pick set, which she carried at all times, when they took her weapons. She would need a key.

“Okay, I have an idea,” she told Max, her voice low and her back to the camera, “We have to get one of the guards to come in here. You can fake getting sick. Then, I can use my metal telepathy to remove the keys. The lock is automatic. They won’t notice.”

“How can you be sure we won’t be caught on camera?”

“I can't,” she answered truthfully, “But we have to try.”

He looked at her for a long moment before asking, “Fine. When do you want me to get sick?”

“Wait twenty minutes,” she decided, “I’m going to pretend to fall asleep.”

She curled up against the cold pavement. She had no blanket, no pillow but she could fake being comfortable. She was terrified that the plan wouldn’t work but she knew she had no other option. Her thoughts swirled in her head, thoughts about their escape, about Max, about Nova.

This couldn’t fail.

Then Max started groaning loudly. Maggie pretended to be asleep, her eyes closed, listening to him as he ached and moaned. She heard him wretch and wondered how long it would take for the guards to come in. If they would come at all.

Then the thundering of boots came from the hall, vibrating against her skull. She pretended that the opening of the door woke her, rubbing her eyes and glaring up at them. She could smell the vomit before she saw it and wondered how Max had made himself vomit. 

Her eyes locked on the key as she hooked it back onto her belt. Max groaned and wretched some more. He flung his bound hands at the guards feet dramatically.

Magpie stood, angling herself to block the camera somewhat. She concentrated on the key and slowly but steadily raised it from the loop of his belt while Max distracted him. Max let out an anguished yell just as it fell on the ground in an attempt to cover the sound of metal on concrete.

“Oh, gross,” she feigned disgust, stepping on top of the key to cover it, “What’s wrong with him?”

The guard only grunted in reply. She looked at Max, who was now wiping the vomit from his mouth. He gave the guard a weak smile.

“You’re fine,” she said gruffly, “And you can deal with a bit of vomit.”

“Does this mean you guys aren’t going to clean this shit up?”

The guard didn’t reply. She left without another word, the automatic lock clicking in place. Max was smart enough not to ask about the keys. Instead he lay down, as though tired from the vomit.

“The vomit was a nice touch,” she said softly, as she sat down, careful to cross her legs on top of the key. 

“Turned away from the camera,” Max’s reply was just as soft, faced away from her, “stuck my finger down my throat. Not a pleasant experience.”

She said nothing in reply but was silently grateful. She discreetly picked up the key and placed it in her pocket, her back towards the camera. 

Now all they had to do was wait. 

[tessisawriter]

What Real Support Looks Like, Part 1 (Mat Barzal)

Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8

A/N: This originally started out as a happy story about Mat Barzal and Jordan Eberle’s bromance, but it turned into something far more important. I was heartened to see Jacob Trouba support his fiancé’s career to the point where he was willing to move to another country for her. For that, I deeply admire him, and I wish more hockey players would support their S/O’s like that. To everyone who reads this story: don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do. Pursue your dreams no matter what. And you deserve true love, so don’t settle for anything less.

I also created a playlist of songs that have influenced me throughout the series.

Warnings: Swearing, angst, alcohol, sexism

Word Count: 2.8k

Gemma Sullivan smiled as she put the last touches of makeup on her face.

She had been dating Mat Barzal for almost two years now, and she couldn’t be happier. They were each other’s best friend, and they supported each other in everything they did. Gemma lifted him up when he had a bad game or when the Isles were losing, and Mat had been her biggest cheerleader through college and supported her career aspirations. Gemma was going to graduate from college in three months, and then apply to master’s programs to earn an MA in history. Before she could even apply, though, she had to finish her senior thesis. She just took a major step forward this morning when she handed in her full draft for her advisor to edit. Today was also her 22nd birthday, so Mat was going to take her out to a fancy restaurant to celebrate.

Honestly, Gemma was happy that the draft was done because this past month, she had been writing so much that she’d barely been able to spend quality time with Mat. She couldn’t wait to get back a semblance of normalcy, and tonight would be the beginning of that.

Gemma walked out of the bathroom and into hers and Mat’s bedroom, where her red dress was on a hanger. Red was Mat’s favorite color on her, and she bought the dress for that reason. She wanted to surprise him. Gemma slipped it on and zipped it; thank God the zipper was on the side and not the back. 

She looked at the clock on the night table, and it read, to her surprise, 8:30PM. Their reservations were at 8:45, and Mat was supposed to be home at 8, so she didn’t bother setting an alarm to make sure she stayed on schedule. Was it possible that he forgot? Gemma immediately shut down that thought. There was no way he forgot; he was probably just running late from hanging out with Tito. She grabbed her heels and sat on the bed, putting each shoe on. As soon as she was done, she heard the front door open.

“Babe?” Mat called, but his voice wasn’t clear like it normally was.

“Where are you?” he called again, and when Gemma heard his staggered footsteps coming towards the bedroom, her heart dropped.

“Hey, babe, there you are!” Mat wasn’t just drunk: he was absolutely hammered. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were glazed over. He approached the bed and gave Gemma a sloppy kiss on the top of her head, and she smelled his breath, which reeked of vodka. This kind of behavior was completely out of character for him, and she could barely believe her eyes (or her nose).

“Babe, what happened? We have dinner reservations in 15 minutes,” Gemma said, concerned.

“I was out with Tito and some of the boys,” Mat replied, “And it was totally epic!” He dissolved into a fit of hysterical laughter and stumbled into Gemma’s lap. Not wanting to smell of alcohol, she shoved him off and onto the bed next to her.

“You look so sexy. Is this all for me?” Mat asked.

“We’re supposed to go out to dinner in 15 minutes,” she repeated.

“Why?”

Gemma’s heart sunk even further.

“It’s my birthday, Mat,” she said.

“Oh yeah, I forgot.” He looked at her, expecting an answer, but she was silent, trying to keep herself from crying. Presumably to fill the silence, Mat said, “Whoops, my bad,” and started laughing again.

His laugh set Gemma off.

“You forgot? You fucking FORGOT?” she exploded. “I’m generally easygoing, but today of all days? Really?”

“Jesus, Gem, relax. We celebrated it on another day last year, so we can do it again this year.”

“Are you saying that you’re bailing on dinner tonight?” she asked.

“I’m not bailing, I’m rescheduling. It’s no big deal.”

“No big deal?” she yelled, “No big deal? Are you kidding me right now? It’s not just my birthday; I handed in my thesis draft today. But you probably forgot about that too,” she added bitterly.

“That goddamn thesis is the reason I haven’t seen you for weeks on end!” Mat yelled back. “You’re always busy writing, or reading, or whatever you’re doing. Sometimes I wish you weren’t going for your master’s.”

Gemma’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe he just said that.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

His eyes widened. He must’ve known he crossed the line, but that didn’t stop him from opening his mouth again. “I don’t know, you just work so hard, and you don’t have to worry about money because I’ll take care of you.”

If Gemma wasn’t seeing red before, she was now.

“This is not just about money, Mathew. Yes, I want to be able to make some of my own money, but if I wanted to be rich, I would’ve gone into computer science or finance. I’m really passionate about history, and I need to be fulfilled intellectually. You said you understood that when we first met; you even said that you love how driven I am!”

“I do, but…”

“But what? There are no but’s. You either support my career or you don’t, and you clearly don’t, so we’re done!”

Gemma took her heels off and threw them on the floor before retrieving her backpack, overnight bag, and a pair of sneakers from the closet. She shoved the sneakers on her feet and started ransacking the drawers. As she took out essential clothing and stuffed it in her bag, Mat just sat there on the bed.

She started to zip up the bag when Mat said, “Where are you going?”

“Where am I going?” she parroted back, incredulous. “Oh, so now you care. How generous of you,” her voice dripped with sarcasm.

“This is our home,” he replied.

“No, it’s your home now,” she said with a calm and even tone that surprised her. “You promised that you would support me and my career no matter what, but you clearly didn’t mean it. Don’t bother trying to call or text because I don’t want to see you.”

And with that, she picked up her two bags, walked out of the bedroom, picked up her car keys on the table in the foyer, and opened the door, slamming it as she exited.

Gemma ran down the stairs as fast as she could. As soon as she stepped outside, she was greeted with pouring rain.

“Oh, this is just perfect!” she muttered to herself. She forgot her umbrella in the apartment, and there was no way she was going back there, so she raced to her car, hopped into the driver’s seat, and slammed the door. She threw her bags on the back seat before turning on the ignition and pulling out of the driveway.

She drove down the road to the next intersection, and after turning right, she pulled over. As soon as Gemma stopped the car, the floodgates opened. Her life was in tatters. The man who she thought would always be there for her stabbed her in the back. She felt so alone, and when she remembered that she was homeless now, she cried even harder. Where was she going to sleep tonight?

She restarted the car and began driving to the Eberle residence.

When Gemma first started dating Mat, she didn’t expect to get a best friend out of it, but that is exactly what Lauren Eberle became. Right from the start, she and Lauren hit it off due to their mutual low tolerance for bullshit, and an epic friendship was born. She had been her rock through everything, and Gemma knew that she could ask her for advice on anything, no matter how uncomfortable the subject. Lauren’s husband, Jordan, was Mat’s closest friend on the team besides Tito, and Gemma was fond of him as well. He taught her how to play the guitar.

She could only hope that now that she broke up with Mat, they would still be there for her.

Gemma came to a stop in front of Lauren and Jordan’s house less than five minutes later. It was still raining heavily outside, so she grabbed her bags and walked to the house. She already looked like a drenched rat, so why bother running?

She reached the door and rang the doorbell. When the door opened, it was, to her intense surprise, Jordan standing at the threshold. She assumed that he was with Mat and Tito when they went out.

“Gemma? Happy birthday! What are you doing here?” Jordan said.

“Thanks. I’m sorry to bother you, but is Lauren home?”

“Yeah, she’s inside. Come on in.” He held the door open wide, and she entered the house.

“Lauren, Gemma is here!” Jordan shouted, and then said to Gemma, “You’re soaking wet! You should take off your shoes and socks, they’ll make you feel even colder than you already are.”

“You’re right, thanks, Jordan,” she said, holding her tears back with great difficulty.

“No problem,” he replied, and he left as Lauren entered the foyer.

“Gemma, happy birth…” Lauren stopped talking as soon as she saw the dripping girl. “What happened?”

“Mat and I, we…we got into a fight,” Gemma started sobbing uncontrollably.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry! Let’s get you some dry clothes and we can talk about it, yeah?” Lauren said.

“I brought clothes with me,” Gemma managed to choke out and gesture to her bags in between sobs.

“Let’s go get you dry.” Lauren put her arm around Gemma and led her through the house to hers and Jordan’s bedroom. Gemma opened her soaked bag and pulled out a pair of sweatpants, an old Trinity College Dublin t-shirt from her semester abroad, and a thick pair of socks. Lauren sat on the bed patiently as she went into the bathroom to change. She emerged, and the two of them walked back to the living room and settled into the couch. Gemma could see Jordan in the kitchen due to the open layout, and he was rustling through the cabinet where they kept their glasses and cups.

“What happened?” Lauren asked. “I thought you two were going to dinner to celebrate your birthday and thesis draft.”

“We were supposed to, but Mat showed up 15 minutes before our reservation completely drunk. He said he went out with Tito and some of the boys.”

“That’s odd. Jordan has been home all evening, and he generally goes with them when they go out.”

“Well, they went out without him, and Mat forgot my birthday. He said we could go out another day, and when I protested, he went on a rant about how he hasn’t seen me in weeks due to my thesis and…and…” Gemma started crying again.

Lauren put her arms around her, and Gemma sobbed into her shoulder.

“What did he say?” Lauren asked when Gemma pulled away, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

“He said that he wishes I wasn’t going for my master’s degree, and that I don’t need to have a career because he can ‘take care of me,’” she formed air quotes with her hands for emphasis.

“What the fuck?” Lauren said.

“I’m going to kick his ass when I see him tomorrow,” Jordan chimed in, walking into the living room with two mugs. He handed one to Lauren and one to Gemma, and she saw that he made tea.

“I figured you were going to be talking for a while, and you were so wet when you got here, Gem, that hot tea seemed to be in order.” Jordan said, sitting in the armchair perpendicular to the couch, giving her and Lauren a little space.

For the first time since her fight with Mat, Gemma’s heart felt warm and fuzzy.

“Thank you, Jordan. Seriously, what would I do without you? Either of you,” she said, turning to Lauren. “I’m not going to lie, I thought after I told you we broke up, you might not want me here.”

“You’re my best friend, Gem,” Lauren said, “You are always, always welcome here, and it doesn’t matter who you’re dating.”

“I second that,” Jordan interjected. “You’re like a little sister to me.”

“Guys, you’re going to make me cry again,” Gemma said, putting down her tea on the coffee table before hugging Lauren.

“We’re always going to be there for you, Gemma. You can stay in the guest room as long as you need.” Lauren said.

“I already put your bags in there,” Jordan added.

“Thank you, both of you. God, I sound like a broken record.” She laughed, and they laughed with her.

“So what happened after he said that?” Lauren asked.

“I broke up with him, took as much as I could carry, and left,” Gemma replied, and she picked up her mug and took a sip of the tea.

“I just can’t believe it. He always talks about how proud he is of you, that you’re going somewhere in life, and that he loves how passionate you are,” Jordan said. “But if he’s so threatened by you, you did the right thing breaking up with him.”

“You think he’s threatened by me?” Gemma asked.

“I don’t know what exactly his problem is, but that’s the closest thing to what you described,” he answered. “I know you’ve been busy this month, but every relationship gets tested that way. You deserve to know what real support looks like and someone who isn’t going to get scared when the going gets tough. You are the smartest person I’ve ever met, and you truly are going places, Gemma Sullivan.”

“Aw, Jordan,” she said before she stood up, walked over to the armchair, and hugged him tight.

“Thank you, for everything,” she said into his shoulder.

“No thanks needed, it’s the truth.” Jordan replied, pulling away and hitting her arm playfully.

“He’s right, Gemma,” Lauren said. “Everyone admires how passionate and determined you are, not to mention your brains. Someone is going to treat you like the queen you are, even if it isn’t Mat. Speaking of him,” Lauren continued, “What did he do when you were packing to leave?”

“He just sat there on the bed, but when I was about to leave, it seemed to hit him that I was leaving. He tried to say it was our home.”

Lauren and Jordan listened intently, thinking she had more to say, but she didn’t.

“That’s an odd thing to say after one hurts their girlfriend’s feelings so badly,” Lauren said.

“Yeah. I guess he was too plastered,” she muttered, and then she yawned.

“You look exhausted,” Lauren commented.

“It just hit me all of a sudden,” Gemma said, looking at her watch, which read 10:01, “I guess you really can cry yourself out.”

“Why don’t you go to sleep?” Jordan suggested. “You’ll feel a lot better in the morning. Well, physically, at least.”

“It’s 10 o’clock, I don’t go to bed this early.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t fight it. Your body needs to recover from today,” Lauren advised.

“You’re right,” Gemma said, “Good night. I can’t thank you enough for letting me stay.”

“It’s our pleasure,” Jordan replied.

Gemma turned away and walked down the hall towards the spare bedroom, but she stopped and turned back around, only to watch the couple in the living room. Jordan was now on the couch with his arm around Lauren, and he kissed the top of her head. Gemma smiled; she really didn’t want to ruin the moment, but she had to address one more thing.

“Hey guys?” Gemma said, and they looked up at her.

“Yeah?” Lauren said, furrowing her brow.

“I don’t expect Mat to get his shit together tonight, but if he comes here or calls to ask where I am, could you please tell him that I’m not taking him back and will pick up the rest of my stuff when I figure out a new living arrangement?”

“Of course, Gem! We won’t let him get anywhere near you, I promise,” Lauren said.

“Thanks.” She smiled at them and walked into the spare bedroom.

After she got into bed and pulled the sheets up to her chin, Gemma realized that today wasn’t completely horrible. Lauren and Jordan had shown her what real support looks like—putting a roof over her head when she showed up on their doorstep and giving her great advice. Sure, she suffered a nasty breakup, but in the process, she realized just how amazing her friends were, and she couldn’t be more grateful to have them. She knew the days, weeks, and months ahead were going to be really difficult, but she was ready to face every challenge that came her way.

@averytiredlawstudent @star-adorned @theforevermorereject

[delectablyalicee]

Nick Jonas’s New Assistant (Part Three)

Part One  Part Two

You get a call one day, someone asking you to fill a personal assistant job. They give you little information as to who for, but when you found out, things get a little more interesting.

After I came home last night I sat down with myself and just breathes. Oh yeah, It's Nick Jonas. That is crazy. It's totally 100% crazy, but it is what's happening. They called me, offered me the job, I needed it, and now we're here. I was definitely star stuck the other day, but I am a professional, and I need to act that way no matter who I am working for. I know the initial shock will wear off eventually, besides. I basically just make sure Nick gets where he needs to be and gets everything he needs in the process. It's not like I have to be his best friend. I've worked with plenty of people I had no outside of work relationships with. I can do this.

It was 7 am sharp today. This time it was a text, letting me know the car for me is here. I grab my bag, sliding it over my shoulder and double checking everything is inside. The planner, check. The contact list, check. Both of my phones, check. I grab the one for work and hold it tight in my hand. Last night I went through and put all the contacts inside of it as well as everything that was in the planner into my calendar. This is my lifeline so I need it close. I step outside and smile at George as he opens the car door for me. I thank him and slide inside. We do the same ride as yesterday, same roads, same streets, same houses passing by. When we finally pull up to Nicks place I am ready.

I thank George again as he opens the door for me, I slide out, tugging my blouse back into place. It being tucked tightly into a pair of dark blue jeans, a blazer layered over top. I walk up to the door, knocking as I open it, calling out Nicks name. As I do I peek my head in, but I don't see him. I give George a thumbs up before I step inside, letting the door shut behind me.

"Nick, Its (y/n), you awake?" He probably isn't. It is 7:30 am. I start to walk up the stairs, figuring I would just go wake him up. I look down at my phone. We need to be somewhere in an hour. I walk up to his bedroom, the door is shut. I lift a hand to knock.

"Nick hello, its time to wa-" I am cut off by the door opening, Nick standin in front of me with nothing but blanket wrapped around his lower half.

"Shit (y/n) forgot about the early morning can you just give me a second?" He asks.

I nod "Yeah, but we have to leave in 30 minutes." Today I speak with way more confidence when speaking to him. He's my boss, treat him that way.

"Yup, got it." He nods.

"Don't be late." I say a bit jokingly as I turn around, heading back down the stairs. I start the coffee pot, this time setting it to make enough for the both of us. I grab to mugs from the cabinet and set them out before taking a seat at the bar stool, pulling my phone from my pocket. I open the calendar and look at today.

8:30 am Morning show interview

12:00pm Lunch meeting with tour manager

9:00 pm Listening party at the studio

He might have let me off easy yesterday, but today is a full day, but I am more than ready for it. I check the time, Its been about a few minutes. I hear the coffee machine go off and get up, grabbing the freshly brewed pot and pouring it into both cups. I hear footsteps hurrying down the stairs.

"we still hav—" I cut myself off as I look up and see that its in fact, not Nick, but some girl I've never seen before.

"smells good" she says, looking at the coffee as she quickly passes by me, hurrying out the front door. I can't help but laugh a bit. I thought that shit only happened in movies. But then again, I am the assistant of a famous musician and actor. I shake my head a bit and put some sugar and creamer into my coffee, giving it a stir before taking a sip. About a minute later I hear heavier footsteps coming down the stairs, I look up to see Nick. I grab the coffee I just poured him and hand it over before taking a sip of my own.

"Had fun last night I see" I say jokingly as I keep my eyes locked onto my phone screen

Nick laughs a bit and I look up at him, he shrugs. "I mean, yeah."

We both laugh, and I shake my head. "Alright, well we've got places to be." I dump whats left in my mug into the sink, setting it inside before heading over to the door, opening it and gesturing for nick to go ahead of me.

"Ladies first" he says as he holds onto the door, I nod a thank you and step past him. Making my way to the car.

During the car ride it stays pretty silent until Nick speaks up, "Big change I see."

I look down at myself, thinking maybe I dressed way too differently, before giving him a slightly confused look.

He chuckles and speaks again, "You just seem less... scared. No offence of course!"

I laugh a bit and then nod, "Yeah, what did I say, I like to be good at my job."

He nods but doesn't say anything else.

"anyway," I say "the hosts of the morning show are names Lisa and David. Its supposed to be about a 15-20 minute run through and then we're out. We need to leave pretty much immediately after because we have a lunch meeting with Lucas, your tour manager. Sound okay?" I ask as I look over at him. I smile spreads widely across his face as he nods his head.

"sounds perfect."

The morning show went well, thankfully. We stayed on schedule and had no major mishaps. It's about 9:45 and they are pulling the wires from the mic off of Nick. He is talking to the two hosts, smiles and jokes are being shared. I see him tug his shirt up just slightly to help the sound guy relieve him from the wires of the mic. I couldn't help but stare, but I quickly pull my eyes away. Nope, I cant do that. He is my boss. This is professional. I nod to myself and am startled by a hand on my shoulder. I turn my head to see George.

"we ready to head out?" He asks me

I smile and nod at him, "yup one second."

I move away and over to nick and the hosts, "Sorry to break this up guys, Nick and I just have somewhere important to be." The hosts nod in understanding and Nick gives me an approving smile. I thank the hosts and say a quick goodbye before having security come to help escort us out. As we get closer to the exit I hear something weird..

"Is that.. Is that.. screaming?" I turn to Nick and George with a confused look. They both laugh immediately.

"Oh yes, that's screaming. You'll get used to it. Just stay close to the security guards and you'll be fine" George says

My eyes widen a bit out of shock, I guess this never crossed my mind, that we would need to deal with well.. fans, crazy ones at that. The security opens the doors and the screaming irrupts, hitting me like a ton of bricks. George and I smoosh nick between us as the guards cover us. We slowly make our way to the car, hands reaching out in hopes for a touch, inaudible screams becoming even louder the closer Nicks to someone. It felt like we were talking for hours, but it was really only a short few steps to the car. George opens the door and I give Nick a gentle shove inside before quickly sliding in after, shutting the door tightly. I hear the car start up and we make a slow decent forward. I jump as I'm startled by a hand hitting the window, I look to see the face of a girl who looks to be 15. Her teeth are lined with braces and she's screaming something I cannot understand. I turn to Nick.

"I swear this is like a scene out of a scary movie" I say, laughing.

"it can feel like that sometimes. They mean the best. The Paparazzi are the ones that can sometimes get to me, but I love seeing fans be there for me."

"Wow, you really are as nice as they say."

"I try" he replies with a chuckle.

"well, on that note. We've got an hour drive to lunch, you hungry?"

"I will be."

"perfect."

The ride stayed pretty quiet, Nick and I both staying busy on our phone's. Phil texted me checking in, and I was glad I could confidently tell him things were going well. Once we get to the place we were meeting Lucas for lunch I see us drive around to the back. Once the car stops, two large men step out of the back door.

"that's our que" Nick says, scooting closer to me to make me step out of the car.

I don't see any screaming girls this time, so I open the door and slide out, grabbing my bag as Nick slides out after me. The guards lead us inside. I can hear other people talking and enjoying their lunches, but I don't see them. We are lead into a private room where Lucas is already sitting. He stands as we walk in. Nick and him share a hug before he extends a hand out to me.

"Lucas, and you are?" he asks

"(y/n), Nicks Assistant." I smile, giving him a firm handshake.

"Wow, I was hoping for Nicks sake you were a new girlfriend" He says jokingly. I laugh and shake my head a bit as I sit down, seeing Nick give Lucas a death glare.

"Excuse me can you not harass my assistant." Nick says to Lucas in a joking manner.

Lucas just laughs and then reaches for a notebook, setting it on the table. As he does so a waiter comes by, asking us what we would like to drink. Nick orders a beer on draft, I just ask for a water. The waiter steps out and we all pull the menus open. My eyes widen a bit at the prices. Wow.. I think Nick notices my shock and leans in, handing a gold credit card to me.

"Almost forgot this. "Company" card. Takes care of all expenses like this." He starts speaking louder now "except this one, cause Lucas has got this one, right Lucas?" I take the card from Nicks hand as Lucas laughs.

"ah, I got hers, but you're on your own, buddy" They both laugh, I do as well as I slip the card into my wallet. Company expenses. Funny since the "company" is Nick.

We order a food and then get right to business. Lucas starts naming off bands/artists they could line up to open for him on his next upcoming tour. Some I've heard of, some I haven't. Nick Maybe's and No's them as Lucas lists them off. They narrow It down to all the maybe's and go from there. They finally settle on 3 that they both think are good. They both ask me my opinion, but I haven't heard of any of the bands they chose so I just smiled and nodded and went along with what I think they wanted me to say. Our food comes shortly after and we immediately dig in, Lucas and Nick still talking business.

"Are we just naming it after the album?" Lucas asks Nick

Nick nods "yeah, I mean it's the reason I'm touring so might as well."

They both nod as they take bites. Soon business talk starts to end and friendly banter begins, something I can be way more apart of. We talk and laugh and joke a bit. Talking a little more even after our meals are finished. The waiter brings the check, Lucas taking it from him with a thankyou before slipping a credit card inside without even a glance at the price and handing it back. I look at the time, 2:24. We talk a little more before finally deciding to part ways. As I say goodbye Lucas takes my hand, jokingly bowing and kissing the top of it. I can't help but laugh

"Nice meeting you, my lady" I shake my head with a laugh and curtsey at him

"Nice meeting you my good sir." He laughs back and then turns to say goodbye to Nick. He whispers something to him, but I can't hear. All I see is Nick give him an eye roll and a friendly punch to the shoulder. Goodbyes are done and we start heading to the door we came in at.

"So last thing on the agenda today is a 9:00 listening party at the studio, sound familiar to you?"

"Oh yeah, it's my good buddies listening party, it should be fun. Not until 9 you said?"

I nod in response. Alright well, we'll drop you off at your place so you can get ready and then I'll pick you up around 8:45, how does that sound."

"Good to me." I give him a smile before the security guards pushes the door open and I make my way to the car, sliding inside. Nick follows close behind.  

I'm applying my lipstick as I hear my work phone go off. It's Nick. "Outside. Hope you're ready" I read it with a chuckle and finish up what I was doing, grabbing my purse before stepping outside. I smile a hello to George as a slide carefully into the car beside Nick.

"You look great" He says to me with a smile

"Why thank you, so do you"

"Oh you know, I try" he says with a chuckle.

The drive is pretty short, we show up about 10 minutes after 9 and I see cars lined up for blocks and gorgeous people getting out of them. Some of them faces I recognize from magazines and such, some people I've never seen. Nick gets out of the car first and hurries over to open the door for me. I chuckle a bit at the gesture and take his hand for assistance as I step our of the car. Smoothing out my dress. I look up and see Phil walking toward us.

"Big second day, huh?"

I laugh and nod "It really is, interesting though, and thankfully going well. At least I think."

Phil looks at Nick, he nods and the a smile spreads over Phils face.

"So glad it's working out. It may have only been two days but I am already 100 times less stressed having to deal with this ass all the time." He laughs, giving Nick a playful shove. Nick jokingly rolls his eyes then offers me an arm to take as we start to make our way into the building. I look my arm around his and follow him inside. There is way more people than I was expecting to be inside. It's a weird feeling being at something like this, being surrounded by so many big names. I am relieved when I notice Nick not ever leaving me behind. If he goes somewhere to talk to someone new he always brings me along for the conversation. It's a saving grace, I don't know I could have handled this just yet on my own. I spend a lot of my time explaining I'm his new assistant, but I don't mind. Everyone I meet is very nice and very talkative, which thankfully makes it easier to keep up a conversation.

The night goes on and things continue to go smoothly, I have a few glasses of champagne but nothing more, I am still technically on the clock. Nick however had quite a few beers, but the end of the night I could tell he was getting pretty drunk, and as things started to end he said his goodbye and linked his arm with mine to leave, although this time is was more of me keeping him up and walking straight. He kept cracking jokes left and right as we walked, laughing, I struggle to get him inside.

"I'm glad to see you had fun"

"I did, a lot of fun. First time I brought home a girl I didn't plan on having sex with" He laughs and so do I, I shake my head a bit and we take off. George pulls up to my apartment and I tell him to get Nick home safe and thank him again before stepping out. Once I find my way back into my house I take seat on my couch and take a deep breath. It was a lot, but it went well. I really think I can do this.

[oohfluffy]

DDND Ch.19 | KJI

Group: EXO

Member: Kim Jongin

Theme: Fluff | Dancer!AU | Dormmmate!AU

Word Count: 2,262

❀ Chapter 19: He Lied ❀

Two days after your dinner with your family, you always got morning, afternoon and night calls from them.

It is overwhelming.

"Goodmorning, noona!"

You cringed at the attempt of your little brother of making his voice in high pitch.

"G-Goodmorning, Tae. Why so early?" You rubbed your eyes as you slowly stretched your arms.

Obviously, you just woke up.

"Aunt Ji Hyo wants to have lunch together with you. She told me to call you and invite you today."

"T-Today? B-But I have a morning shift—"

"Hehe. She already talked to your manager, noona. Kim Jongdae, right?"

You groaned.

"I forgot how many times I've already asked him for an early dismiss or changing shifts. I'm in debt to him." You sighed, standing up as you combed your hair with your fingers.

"He seems nice though. Does that guy likes you, noona? You seem to get away with anything—"

"Yah! Jongdae-ssi already has a girlfriend and is really serious about her. He's just purely generous, Tae." You scratched the back of your neck as you went to the bathroom to wash your face.

"Yeah right. Anyway, I'll just text you where we'll meet later, noona!"

"Wait, what ti—"

"Annyeong!"

You cursed as the line went dead, irritating you with the sound.

"That kid." You muttered, putting your phone down on the counter when it made a sound, indicating a new message.

7:34 am

From: Tae Dongsaeng

Meet at Winter Heat Café, 1:00pm! <3

"Winter Heat..."

This was where Kai and I ate lunch before.

You quickly shook your head and was about to take a shower when someone knocked on your door.

"Argh." You groaned in frustration as you walked towards the door.

"What—"

"Goodmorning, baby." Kai leaned in for a kiss when you moved away from his face. He pouted.

"What's your business here, dancer?" You asked, grasping at the door knob.

"We're going on a date."

Your eyes hardened at his announcement.

"Who told you?" You snapped.

"Me. Please?" Kai took your other hand before kissing it with glimmering eyes.

Shit. Not those eyes.

He's totally acting normal as if nothing happened. Going back to last two days ago, you told somethings that are confusing and not really nice.

"Stop, Kai! You can't just do everything you want."

"What do you even think of me? A kissing booth?"

"I-I don't even know what this mean."

But here he is, still smirking like he wasn't affected by any of it.

"I have somewhere to go later, so I can't." You said, managing to find your voice. Kai frowned, letting go of your hand. You almost whined at the loss of warmth on your hand.

He put his hands on his waist as his eyes turned into crescents.

"Where are you going? Who are you going with? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He questioned as he glared at you. You cleared your throat.

"Will you stop asking continuously?" You replied, rolling your eyes. "I'm meeting my father's fiancé and my brother for lunch at 1. Taeyong informed me just a little while ago, so I didn't know about it. That's why I can't go—"

"It's still early, babe. We have..." Kai glanced at the clock near your table. "...almost 5 hours before 1. I'll wait downstairs, baby. Dress nicely, okay?"

Kai winked before walking out of your sight.

You just continued gapping at him when he suddenly went back in front of you.

"I forgot something." He said, making you tilt your head in confusion.

"Wha—"

Kai gently pecked your lips before grinning at your blushing self.

"My goodmorning kiss."

When he was totally out of your sight, your hands automatically went to your wet lips.

He kissed me.

Well, it's not like it's the first time but you were still flustered at his boldness.

"Oh my ghad." You mumbled, closing your door before going back to the bathroom to take a shower.

As you've closed the door, two heads from 4 rooms after yours, appeared.

"I told you!" Sanha squealed, hitting the older's arm. Eunwoo groaned in annoyance.

"So what now?"

"They're totally dating, hyung! Wahh! Dorm mates Romance!" Sanha said excitedly. "I bet they even kissed!"

"Shut up, you tower. Let's head out now. I've got to pass my projects later." Eunwoo said as he wore his back pack.

"You're no fun, hyung."

"At least I'm normal."

"Rude Eunwoo hyung."

♫ ❧ ♫ ❧ ♫ ❧ ♫ ❧ ♫

"Where are we going, Kai?" You asked as he held your hand, leading you to the bus stop.

"Ah." Kai sighed in contentment as he dragged you inside the bus, taking a seat, tugging you down next to him.

"Yah. I asked you—"

"I've always wanted to do this." Kai mumbled, leaning his head on your shoulders.

You blushed, shyly looking around the bus and finding a lot of stares from girls, even old ahjummas.

Kai is really a girl magnet.

You slowly gazed at his face.

His lower lip jutted out like a baby, his eyelashes are long, his nose pointed, his hair so soft and his cheeks so smooth.

But he's only magnet to me.

You inwardly chuckled evilly as you glared at the girls who are looking at Kai with those dreamy eyes.

He's mine, bitches.

Kai nuzzled his face closer to yours, tickling your neck with his hair.

"Stop moving, idiot." You whispered, looking away from him.

"Hmm. You smell sweet as usual, baby."

And your cheeks were on fire once again.

He's gonna be the death of me.

"Yah! Can we just walk? You're dragging me!" You squealed as you held onto Kai's hand. Kai just laughed.

"We're here."

You looked up at the sight before you.

"Woah." You gasped.

"Since it's just past 8 in the morning, there are just a few people here." Kai said with a grin as he excitedly tugged you towards a restaurant near the ocean.

The beach was breathtaking.

The ocean was calmly dancing with the wind as the sand near it gets wet from time to time. The sun was peaking through the clouds, making it not too hot in the morning. A few people are jogging around the place, others are eating breakfast at the restaurant, and some are swimming in the ocean already.

It was a peaceful scenery.

"Do you like it?"

Your head turned towards Kai, who's currently eating fried chicken in front of you. You chuckled, drinking from your pineapple juice.

"Yeah, I like it." You answered, smiling at him.

"I was on the way to work when I passed by this place. I thought, I would like to bring jagiya here someday." Kai said, looking at the ocean with a smile. Your heart melted at the sight.

You blinked your eyes rapidly, trying to focus. You thought of a question, shoving away the awkwardness.

"Uhm. Work? You mean at DanWiMu? Isn't that at the other way of this street? Why would you—"

"Of course. I-It was so long ago, I wasn't used to the ways around here. So, I tried to get familiar with the streets when I was on the way to DanWiMu." Kai explained, smiling at you.

Why does he look so nervous? Is it just me or what?

"Oh." You mumbled, looking away.

"Let's take a walk for a while. We have 2 hours left." Kai said, standing up.

You two walked around the beach, the sound of the waves and the birds chirping were the only background music for this romantic scene. Kai's hand was wrapped around yours, giving you warmth in this cold wind.

Your eyes were only focused on the ocean while Kai's were on you. You noticed that, instantly feeling cautious, you cleared your throat.

"So," You started, biting your lip. Kai's eyes were following your every move.

"Why'd you bring me here?" You asked.

You swear you almost turned deaf because of the silence he gave you. Kai was just staring at you and when you got the courage to face him, he looked in front of him.

"I asked you a question, Kai."

"I heard you."

You were surprised by how deep and serious his voice was.

Not the usual playful and lively one.

"D-Did I say something wrong?" You nervously asked, your fingers itching to grasp his hand tighter.

He might just get mad.

Kai sighed, stopping on his tracks, making you stop too. He slowly turned to you, not breaking your hands' contact.

"I don't want you to misunderstand. I don't want to see those bright eyes turn dim. I don't want to let you see me that way." Kai mumbled quietly as he stared into your eyes. Your eyebrows knit in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"Tell me I'm your devil dancer, Lin. Not anyone else. I'm only a dancer. Yours. Please see me that way whatever happens." Kai whispered, leaning his forehead against yours.

Your eyes closed as you felt his hot minty breath near your lips.

"You're my devil dancer, Kai. I'll see you that way whatever happens." You mumbled, bring your hands on his cheeks.

Somehow, Kai looked so lonely and sad. You just wanted to do everything that can make him happy at this moment.

"You're mine, Jongin." You whispered, staring back in his eyes. Kai's lips slightly curved upwards in delight.

"I'm yours, baby."

Kai completely closed the gap between you and him, bringing your body closer as his lips molded with yours. His hands gently squeezing your waist as you put your arms around his neck.

You slowly pulled away after realizing you're getting out of breath. Your arms still clinging on his neck as well as his hands around your waist.

Kai was wearing his lovely smile while you snuggled on his chest, blush spreading on your cheeks.

You can hear his fast heartbeats, totally in-sync with yours this time.

I think I'm in love with this devil.

♫ ❧ ♫ ❧ ♫ ❧ ♫ ❧ ♫

On top of the cashier area, a wooden plate says, "Enjoy your meals in Winter Heat".

"Dear!"

You turned around and found yourself in Aunt Ji Hyo's arms. Your younger brother, Taeyong, grinning at her side.

"Have you been waiting for a long time?" She asked, leading you to a table for three near the window.

"No, it's okay. I've just arrived as well." You replied, shaking your head.

After spending almost 5 hours with Kai earlier, he made sure you get here safe. He just left in defeat a few minutes ago when you insisted that you can wait for them alone.

"Were you sent by someone? Who? Your boyfriend?" Aunt Ji Hyo started looking around with an excited smile.

"Ah! An-Aniyo!" You embarrassedly said, waving your hands. "How'd you even know that, A-Aunt Ji Hyo?" Aunt Ji Hyo clapped her hands.

"I see! You're still not in a relationship then?" She replied, not bothering to answer your question.

"Uhmm." You looked away, thinking of something to avert the topic.

"Oh! Aunt Ji Hyo, isn't that guy familiar?" Taeyong suddenly said, shamelessly pointing outside the window. Aunt Ji Hyo followed what he pointed at and her eyes widened.

"Omo. That's Mr. Kim! Wahh. He still looks so handsome with those casual clothes on." Aunt Ji Hyo cooed like a teenager. Taeyong just nodded with a curious gaze.

"He lives here? Incheon's not that far but that's hard traveling when he needs to be in a meeting, right, Aunt Ji Hyo?" Taeyong asked.

"That's right. I thought he lives in Incheon too." Aunt Ji Hyo shrugged. "Oh! I'll order our food then. Taeyong, keep your sister company, okay?"

"Ne."

Aunt Ji Hyo stood up with a smile and went to the counter. You curiously looked at your brother.

"Who's Mr. Kim?" You looked back at the window, trying to look for the guy they were talking about.

"Mr. Kim is a young businessman that father favors a lot. That guy is super cool! He just has this aura that will make you drawn to him automatically." You raised your eyebrow at Taeyong in a questioning way. "Yah! I'm a man, noona! Don't doubt your brother!"

You laughed before glancing at the window again, watching as people pass by you.

"As I was saying, he's the son of father's friend in the business world. I don't know much but I've seen him just once in the house last... Hmm." Taeyong cocked his head sidewards in thought. "5 months ago? Yeah. I've seen him talking to father before. I feel like I've seen him here too. I just can't remember."

Your eyes suddenly turned to the other side of the street.

"Kai?" You mumbled, squinting your eyes at the familiar colors of the man's clothes. When you saw his brown hair, you've confirmed that it was really Kai.

"What did you say, noona?" Taeyong looked up at you, noticing you were staring outside. He followed your stare.

"Oh! That's him."

Your head turned to Taeyong, so quick he was even shocked.

"W-Who's him?" You stuttered.

"Mr. Kim." Taeyong answered. "That's him. The one you're staring at." He added as he pointed at Kai, who just got inside the blue Maserati GranTurismo.

He looks different.

He's wearing the same clothes from earlier but his expression...

"Woah, that car's awesome." Taeyong said, amazed.

"Kai..."

No, he's a dancer.

"Tell me I'm your devil dancer, Lin. Not anyone else. I'm only a dancer. Yours. Please see me that way whatever happens."

He lied.

—

❀ Ch.20

[thewritewolf]

Marinette March Day 1 - Kindness

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Well, I’m a bit late, but still doing better than I usually do with these things! For today’s prompt, I’ve decided to showcase just how helpful Marinette tends to be - even at the cost of her own plans. Since this one shot is around 2.5k words, I’ve put most of it under a read more.

@marinettemarch

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

Marinette’s phone alarm went off, officially starting her day with Adrien. Well, at least the morning she would be spending with Adrien. A couple hours, probably. She paused with a frown while brushing her hair in front of her mirror. Come to think of it, she didn’t really know how these photoshoots tended to go. From what she could tell from her well-researched Adrien schedule they could last anywhere from half an hour to half the day. Either way, she intended to make the most of this invitation.

An invitation which she had gotten by having her room, plastered with his gorgeous face, broadcasted on television. And yet still his first concern was for her safety and wellbeing. She sighed dreamily - such a gentleman. If today went well, then marriage and three kids and a hamster wouldn’t be such a distant dream for much longer!

Needless to say, she had taken every precaution against being late. The alarm that had woken her up was the first of five - at least her own excitement had helped her sleep lightly. Everything she might need was packed and ready to go, which included a sketchbook just in case he really believed that she was interested in his pictures for the fashion. She patted herself down to make sure she had everything - purse, sketchbook, backpack, drawing utensils, phone, cookies, and the most important thing of all…

“Tikki! Ready to go?”

“Whenever you are, Marinette.” The red kwami flew into place in her purse and Marinette made her way out the backdoor of the bakery. As early as it was, there wasn’t nearly as many people on the streets as there usually was, but that was sure to change soon. Clouds broke up the summer sunlight into mottled patches of bright and dark. “Where is the photoshoot, again?”

Marinette made sure to glance around before talking into her purse. There had been enough instances of people looking at her like crazy. “Not too far, but not that close either. Thanks to the clouds, they’ll be doing an indoor photoshoot, but the place they chose is just barely in walking distance.”

“That great! What about- wait. Is that Nino?”

Sure enough, Nino was standing in front of a flower shop looking about as out of place as he could be. He was biting at his nails at he looked around in uncertainty at the wide array of blossoms and bouquets. The poor boy was overwhelmed, occasionally reaching for a few flowers only to pull back at the last minute. Someone needed to help him. Tikki held her phone up. There was still plenty of time to meet up with Adrien - she had left early after all.

“Hey, Nino!” She tapped him on his shoulder, suppressing a giggle by biting down on her lips as he jolted at her sudden appearance. “You seem lost. Anything I can do to help?”

“Oh! Hey, dude. I’m just, uh,” He rubbed the back of his neck and his cheeks darkened. He glanced around before pulling Marinette into a huddle and whispering, “Listen, I was gonna surprise Alya with some flowers, right? Sounded cool and romantic and stuff, right? But who knew there were this many different types! I have no idea which ones she’d want!” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “You gotta help me, dude.”

She blinked, trying to make sense of the rapid fire information he just unleashed on her. Slowly, a grin dawned on her face. “Aw! That’s so cute! Of course I’ll help. C’mon.” She walked among the flowers slowly, searching very carefully while Nino stayed close behind and wringed his hands nervously. She helped his nervous tick by passing the flowers she found to him. “This one is her favorite, so we’ll have the most of them. Here are some that represent love and joy. And here are some to help balance out the colors and make it smell all the sweeter.”

His eyes lit up as he looked at the finished bouquet in his hand, around a dozen in all. “I can’t thank you enough, dude! You are a total life saver!” She followed him to the cashier. “Is there anything I can do to help you out?”

“Take a photo of Alya’s face when you give it to her, it’d be nice to see how much she appreciated it. Other than that, don’t worry about it, I was glad to help.”

After a brief hug, they parted ways and Marinette was back on track. She’d lost about fifteen minutes, but it was well worth the cost - Alya was going to love it. As she continued walking through Paris, doubt began nagging at the back of her mind. If she stayed on her planned route, she’d only get there just barely on time. Taking the shortcut through the park would save her a few minutes and she’d much rather be early and get that much more time with Adrien. With that precious extra moments, she was sure they would hit it off and then he’d propose and they’d live happily ever after and-

She was stirred from her pleasant daydream by someone crying. The tall trees and hedges did even better work than the clouds in blotting out the sunlight, creating an empty and shadowed section of the park that she had thought was free of people. For a brief moment, she considered turning away. Maybe it had just been the wind, or maybe she had misheard. But then the crying returned, stronger than before and there could be no doubt in her mind. With only a slight pang of regret, she looked for the tearful stranger.

Nestled away on a bench within the hedges, she found a familiar bob of red hair and Marinette once again hesitated. Sabrina may not have been as bad as Chloe, but there were plenty of times where she had caused someone else to run off in tears. This could have been justice, in a sense. Even so, Marinette couldn’t bring herself to leave, instead sitting next to the other girl.

Her head jerked toward Marinette, but the wild hope in her eyes vanished once she saw that it was her. “Oh… hey, Marinette.”

“Something wrong?” It wasn’t hard to tell what had happened - it was a common enough occurence for Sabrina and Chloe to fight, and it wasn’t like Sabrina was close with anyone else. Maybe because of her friendship with Chloe. Still, it wasn’t nice to presume without asking.

She wiped away her tears and tried to stifle her sniffles. “Nothing out of the ordinary.” She flashed a watery smile that went away quickly.

The silence stretched out. What could she say to help her? Past attempts to get her to not put up with Chloe anymore had ended in failure and trying now wouldn’t help much anyway. Which really just left her one choice…

“Did you see the latest episode of Fill My Shoes?”

...Distraction.

Sabrina latched onto the topic and they spent a good long while talking - drifting from the reality show with Jagged Stone to fashion to games, all the while dancing around the topic of why Sabrina had been hiding by herself in a shadowy patch of park. After half an hour, they got up to leave. The redheaded girl gave her a hug and a whispered thanks before quickly parting ways with Marinette.

She stood still and waved as Sabrina left, only hurriedly digging around for her phone after she had left her field of view. Now she was late - very definitely late. Her shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Don’t give up just yet, Marinette!” Tikki chirped from her purse. “Maybe they started late, or maybe it’s a long photoshoot! There is still hope!”

Smiling down at her kwami, she nodded. “You’re right. Even if it is a shorter photoshoot, there should still be an hour left, right? Plenty of time to get Adrien to fall for me!”

“That’s the spirit. Now let’s go.”

With a bit of forced cheerfulness in her step, she resumed her journey to her dream day with Adrien. Yes, this wasn’t ideal, but she could still make it and have at least a nice time with him. Hopefully. Besides, the first half hour was all prep work probably. Did she really want to watch them apply make-up to Adrien? Yes. Yes she did. Well, he wouldn't be able to chat with her while they did so, thus it probably wasn’t a big loss. Everything was fine!

Until she heard the commotion and wailing come from inside the church she was passing by. She crouched into a combat stance, completely prepared for the panicked screams to start up, but it seemed that Hawkmoth had better things to do today. The door to the church was open and Marinette was curious, so she stepped inside.

It was pandemonium. Great care and been taken with elegant decorations. The church was practically packed with men in suits and women in dresses, all murmuring worriedly among each other. Every now and again another round of sobs could be heard coming from the back. Right at the entrance stood an older man in a suit, glancing nervously towards a backdoor.

Marinette tugged at his suit sleeve. “Excuse me, sir? Is something wrong?”

“My daughter’s wedding gown got torn when someone stepped on the bridal train and ripped the hem. They are trying to figure something out, but the store we got it from is closed and it would be expensive to get another tailor in without the warranty paying for it.”

“Well… I do design work in my spare time. Maybe I could try to fix it?” The man looked down at her dubiously. It sparked a competitive fire in her and she puffed out her chest pridefully. “I won a design contest by Gabriel Agreste, the fashion moghul.”

He seemed to weigh the options before shrugging. “Well, it’s worth a shot. Come with me.” They navigated the field of haggard loiters, the fraying best men, and the panicked bridesmaids. The door swung open and Marinette’s eyes widened. The dress was beautiful, to be sure, but what the man had described as a tear was even worse than he let on.

The harried bride turned at the sound of the opened door and Marinette saw the familiar flash of dashed hope when she saw it was just her and the older man that had entered. “Any luck, dad?”

“No word from the store, but!” He added quickly as he put a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “This young lady thinks she might be able to help.”

She sighed and shook her head. “If you’d brought in a high schooler an hour ago, I would’ve declined. But now I’m desperate.” She walked over to Marinette. “What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Uh… Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng”

“And do you think you can do it?”

Squaring her jaws, she reached into her purse and retrieved her pocket sewing kit. This was a challenge, just like any other. “I know I can, miss…?”

“Emilie.”

“Sit tight then, Miss Emilie and I’ll get this fixed in no time at all.” At least, so she hoped. Fixing it wouldn’t be the problem so much as how long it would take it pull it off. On the bright side, she had lots of practice with working under pressure.

In truth, Marinette didn’t know how long it had taken her to pull it off. After she had taken the silky material in her hands, the outside world faded away and it was just her and the task in front of her. That was the part she had always enjoyed about creating - everything becomes much simpler when the world shrinks down to pouring herself into her work. Emilie seemed curious at first of her industriousness and impressed when it actually looked like she would be able to pull it off. Once she had reached the final stretch, Emilie gave her a round of excited applause, all stress melted away.

“And to finish off, I’ll close this last little seem with some baby blue thread.” Marinette smiled up at her. “Something blue, right?”

Emilie hugged her as close as the dress would allow, and kissed her cheeks. “It looks fresh from the tailor! I can’t thank you enough, Marinette. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“No, no I just need to get going. I’m running behind for a date.”

“Oh? I’m so sorry for holding you up! My father can drop you off, it’ll be a little while before we can get started again anyway.” She held up a hand to cut off Marinette’s protest. “Please, it is the least we can do, my little hero.”

Marinette, growing slightly desperate, accepted and found herself in front of the building where the photo shoot would be taking place. And she was only… two hours late, she realized with a wince. She didn’t even have the opportunity to build up any hope before it was broken, since she saw camera equipment being moved out from the space and into waiting vans. She shambled into the building, completely drained and slightly depressed. Maybe she could still at least see Adrien. Then she could pretend like this had all been worth it, pretend that she hadn’t shot herself in the foot with this. Or maybe she should just slink out the way she came and pretend she had been sick today. At least then she’d have a believable excuse.

“Marinette!” At the sound of her name, she turned around, only realizing mid-turn that it was Adrien’s voice. He was frowning, worried. “Hey, I was wondering where you were. I saw Nino’s post about you, so I was sure you were going to be here on time.”

“Post…?” She pulled out her phone, and noticed the notifications - she’d been tagged by Nino. It was a candid photo of Alya smiling, eyes misty as she held a familiar bouquet in her hands. Marinette found herself smiling as well. Nino had remembered to take the picture for her. “Y-yeah, I got side tracked…”

“So I heard from Chloe. Apparently she and Sabrina had a fight, but Sabrina came back and they talked it out. You came up at some point in the walls of text she sent, so I guess that was what held you up?”

“Well, uh, sort of. See there was this wedding-”

A car horn blared from outside and they both looked back to see Adrien’s bodyguard standing outside his car, staring at the both of them. Adrien glanced back at her, then at the car before saying, “Could you stick around for just a minute?”

“S-sure…” He walked away and Marinette collapsed onto a chair in the lobby. She’d only managed to get a couple minutes with him, and she’d basically implied she’d had more important things to do than hang out with him. There was no doubt in her mind that he wouldn’t be inviting her to any more photoshoots and she couldn’t blame him.

Her bitter reflections were cut off when she saw Adrien’s car drive away, and she felt the tears coming on. Before she could really work herself up into a good cry, Adrien appeared, smiling.

“Hey! I just convinced the Gorilla to give us a couple hours to ourselves. Do you want to hang out? After the day you’ve had, I’m sure you could use something to eat. You can tell me all about it over lunch.”

Feeling like her soul had left her body, Marinette could only nod as Adrien took her by the arm and started walking her to their lunch date.

[ramirei]

Assertion of the Heart - preparation 5 + 6

Takamizawa Arisa is eager to make friends and fit into class at her junior high school. However, she doesn’t fit into the girl groups and the only person she talks to is Enomoto Kotarou who sits in the seat behind her. Though she feels close to Miura Karen, a fellow classmate who doesn’t fit in class, she was scared of being singled out by her peers. Shibasaki Ken, Kotarou’s friend, takes notice of the conflicted Arisa but – “It’s too boring to hate all the time.” What awaits Arisa as she takes a step forward in her own way!?

Find the masterlist with all the chapters here!

Please support Honeyworks by purchasing the novel here! (CDJapan is also a good alternative).

Both of these chapters are pretty short, but they cover some major stuff that happened in the MV that I’m sure everyone is curious about after all these years.

preparation 5

It was after school when Ken took his phone from his pocket as he walked down the empty hallway. Today, there were none of the persistent messages that usually filled his inbox.

He heard a coy voice together with laughter from inside the 8th grade classrooms as he headed towards them. She was still here after all.

Ahh, what the heck. So, this is what it was… There were two students with their faces pressed together in the corner of the classroom when he opened the door without hesitation. They looked back at him, startled.

There were no other students. The classroom, which had been previously filled with laughter, lapsed into an uncomfortable, heavy silence.

The male student with her was the first to speak, “Isn’t that guy the 7th grader you said you were toying with recently?” He smirked and pulled her shoulders towards him for show.

An unsettling color settled on her face as she shoved him aside. She didn’t look at Ken at all. She probably couldn’t meet his eyes. That was fact. “…He’s my boyfriend…” Her words were a blatant lie.

“Didn’t you say he was boring?”

“I didn’t say anything like that at all! You’re the one that suddenly hit on me in the first place.”

“What? You’re the one that asked me out!”

“I didn’t do anything like that!!”

Ken watched as they began to quarrel, eyes cold while he stood stock still. The male student raised his voice as he was drawn in by her emotional state. Ah… seriously, stop it. Shut up. Ken ran his fingers through his bangs, letting out a heavy sight. He kicked the door besides him, causing the two to close their mouths as they startled at the sound. “Senpai, I’m sorry.” Ken said with a smile on his face, the same smile that he had when he was confessed to, “Just now, I tried thinking of reasons to keep you, but…”

“…Huh?”

“I couldn’t think of anything at all.”

“What the hell does that mean…”

“I mean, it’s over. We should break up.” He bluntly told her, causing her expression to stiffen, as he turned around.

“Wh, wait a minute… why… you’re heartless!”

Heartless? You’re the one that betrayed me first.

Both the curses thrown at his back and the cries that could be heard from the hallways, all of it, was annoying and inevitable. The smile disappeared from Ken’s face as he walked into the hallway.

He stopped once he returned to the front of the 7th grade classrooms. He noticed the setting sun gently shining into the room as he looked at the windows. He had no such things as feelings from the start.

I guess I betrayed her, too… Ken turned away from the windows and began to walk away.

The first time he confessed to a girl was when he was in elementary school.

“I’m sorry…”

He had truthfully already forgotten the name of the girl who had said those words, troubled, in a small voice before she left. He probably wasn’t that serious about her in the first place since he now thought things like, “Why did I confess to her?”

Even so, when he thought back about the past, the reason he would sometimes feel a sting in his chest was because the courage that he had mustered together despite being a coward had easily been cast aside. He was probably disappointed in both himself and that girl. He had picked up a sparkling stone and valued it, convinced that it was a treasure. Then, one day, it was as if he had realized that that stone was just an ordinary pebble. His interest in the stone and its sparkle suddenly vanished and he no longer looked at it.

That sense of disappointment –

He had thought that he was doing better than he did before. But history repeated itself. He had disappointed both himself and his partner and abandoned it all with, “It’s over.” After all, he had given up again just like that. The romance he longed for did not exist in reality. Even if he confessed, even if he went out with them, something like mutual feelings has never happened.

It’s seriously so laughable…

He had nothing but terrible experiences.

♦     ♦     ღ     ♦     ♦

The sun began to set as he left the school and headed towards the station. Ken took out his phone as he leaned against the handrail of the pedestrian bridge. The cars stopped at the traffic light began to move all at once when the light changed.

Ken looked up at the night sky, the shadow of the moon dim in the sky, while he made a call, “Oh, hey? It’s me… what’re you up to now?” He asked in his usual light tone. The person on the other line replied back. He felt somehow relieved at their bothered voice, “…Me? I’m in front of the station. I juuust got some free time now.”

The wind that was blowing held various smells of the neighborhood. He slightly dropped the tone of his voice and held down his flapping hair with his hand, “Hey, hang out with me.”

Ken stuffed his phone into his pocket when the call ended. He slowly walked across the pedestrian bridge, sliding his hand against the handrail.

♦     ♦     ღ     ♦     ♦

There were tons of students on their home from school at the arcade they were in. Noise and laughter that were enough to make their heads hurt echoed in the arcade.

“Ahh, shit, I lost again!!” Kotarou yelled in a frustrated voice as he leaned back where he sat in the seat of the racing game.

Ken laughed, leaning against the handle next to Kotarou, “Kotarou, you’re last again!”

“I would’ve gotten to the goal first if you hadn’t thrown that banana peel when I was close to the finish line!”

“You totally ran over it and spun. You’re so hilarious, Kotarou.” He said, his stomach twisting in laughter. Koudai also let out a suppressed laugh from his seat next to Kotarou.

Both Kotarou and Koudai had just left school after finishing their activities with their clubs when he had called them at the pedestrian bridge. Inviting them out and going to the arcade dispelled a bit of the depression he felt.

“You’re too good at this, Koudai. Aren’t we no match for you!?” Kotarou spoke in a louder voice in response to the loud sound around them.

It was their fifth game, but their positions of Koudai in first place, Ken in second, and Kotarou in third stayed the same.

“Well… I didn’t feel like losing to you guys.” Koudai pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with the words “YOU WIN!” displayed on his screen.

“How long have you been playing this game? You’d have a good game with Natsuki.” Kotarou said, amazed, while letting out a sight.

“Let’s do the coin games next!” Ken stood from his seat, picking up his bag that had been left at his side, and began to walk away.

“Shibaken, you give up way too fast!”

“No matter how many times we play, it won’t the change the fact that you’ll always be last, Kotarou.” He said, laughing, as he headed to the floor with the coin games. Both Koudai and Kotarou grabbed their bags and followed him. As Ken was walking, he yelled, “Oh!” and stopped in front of the crane machines. He was drawn by the extra-large Shirokuma plushies lined up inside the machine.

“What’re you doin’?” Kotarou peeked at the machine from besides him when Ken hadn’t moved away from them.

“Oh, sorry. Wait a sec.” Ken took his wallet from his back pocket and inserted a coin.

“It’s so freakin’ huge! This is too impossible, there’s no way you can get it.”

“They wouldn’t put something in that can’t be won from the machine.” Ken carefully moved the crane with the button. However, the crane only pinched the arm of the Shirokuma and didn’t give a sign of being lifted at all. The crane then returned back into position without ever grabbing anything and stopped moving. Ken and Kotarou, both having looked into the case the entire time, then exchanged looks.

Thirty minutes later…

“Shibaken, give up, just stop. Get a hold of yourself!” Kotarou desperately bound Ken’s arms behind his back as he tried to insert another coin.

“I’m definitely getting this Shirokuma! I’ll get it no matter what!”

“Don’t just watch, Koudai, help me do something!”

Koudai, who had been watching them indifferently, stepped forward at Kotarou’s cry for help. “Guess I have no choice.” He then inserted a coin from his own wallet.

“Wha, wait, Koudai?”

Koudai controlled the button with a tap next to Kotarou. The way he was moving his hands made it look like he was used to it. When the crane moved, it tightly grabbed onto Shirokuma’s neck and slowly rose. Shirokuma fell down the hatch to the opening right in front of Kotarou and Ken as they watched with bated breaths.

“O-O-OOOOOOOHHHH!!” Ken and Kotarou cheered loudly.

Koudai casually grabbed Shirokuma from where he had fallen and held it out to Ken with a, “Here.”

“Damn. I, just now… my heart might’ve just skipped a beat. I think I’m falling in love with you!” Ken hugged Shirokuma in his arms. It was as soft and felt as good to the touch as it looked.

“Yeah, no, it’s fine if you don’t. It’s just your imagination.”

“You’re amazing, Koudai. I definitely thought it was impossible.” Kotarou looked at Koudai with admiration.”

“Wouldn’t you be able to get it, normally?”

“No way!!” Kotarou and Ken both yelled at the same time before dissolving into laughter.

…Man, it’s fun. When I’m with these guys.

He didn’t have to think about unnecessary stuff if they just had funs like idiots. It was much easier that way.

♦     ♦     ღ     ♦     ♦

It had gotten completely dark by the time they left the arcade. The three of them walked side by side on the sidewalk as it was lit by the light of the store windows. The sound of the trains passing by could be heard from the station.

“Isn’t it embarrassing walking like that, Shibaken?” Kotarou asked with a lower voice than usual as he walked next to him.

“What do you mean? Ain’t it great since I can walk while showing it off like this?” Ken grinned with his large Shirokuma under his arms.

“That’s adorable!”

“Seriously. I’m jealous.”

He was trying to stand out as much as he could. They could hear girls commenting on the stuffed animal as they passed by.

“Kotarou, Koudai, let’s keep going and go to karaoke.”

“You still want to stay out!?”

“We have a two day holiday starting from tomorrow, right? It’s a waste to just go home now.” Ken called out to them with, “I’m going to leave you guys behind,” and quickly walked off.

“Koudai, what’re you gonna do?” Kotarou asked, looking back at Koudai as he slowly followed behind them.

“I’m going.”

“Are you sure?”

“There’s a lot going on. For Shibaken, too.” Koudai patted Kotarou’s shoulder with a tap, “If you have something going on, then you don’t have to push yourself to go.”

“Ugh, guess I have no choice…” Kotarou scratched his head as he and Koudai followed behind Ken side by side.

Koudai chuckled at seeing Kotarou like this, “What a great friendship.”

“Ain’t that you?”

♦     ♦     ღ     ♦     ♦

“Shibaken, I heard you broke up with your 8th grade girlfriend?”

“How about going out with me this time?”

The girls in Ken’s class came up to him while talking noisily just after the holidays.

Who the hell did they hear this from…

Ken headed to his classroom with the girls while fed up with them. There was still time left before morning homeroom started, so both the classrooms and hallways were noisy.

“Y’know what? Can you not be so amused by someone else’s problem? Despite being like this, I’m still pretty heartbroken.”

“Huh? Don’t tell me you were dumped?”

“You were cheated on, weren’t you? I feel so bad.”

His face twitched slightly as their relentless sputtering hit him. I wasn’t dumped. I’m the one that dumped her. He quickened his steps as he began to lose his temper at their squealing laughter.

On his way to his classroom, he passed by girls from Kotarou’s class. “Ugh, that girl is seriously so annoying.”

“Y’know, the other day during PE…”

“Oh my god, that is the worst!”

They must be getting riled up while gossiping behind someone’s back. The person that was walking in the very back of the group was the girl he passed by at the shrine.

“Hey, Arisa, don’t you think so, too?”

The girl, who had been quiet while looking down the entire time, jerked her head up in surprise at suddenly being brought into the conversation. A forced smile appeared on her face as she responded appropriately with, “I know, right…”

The other girls no longer tried to invite her into the conversation as if unamused by her response. There was too much of a cold atmosphere around them for them to be considered friends.

Her name’s Arisa…

The girl immediately looked down once more, the smile vanishing from her face, as she followed behind them with heavy steps.

She had seemed so happy when he had passed by her on the steps to the shrine. Now, her face was dull with no traces of any joy. She was keeping up appearances with a smile to match the opinions of others. She should stop going along with them rather than be on the verge of tears.

“…She can’t, can she?” A bitter smile broke through as he whispered this.

Everyone was desperate to protect the small place they could belong in. To do that, they pretended to be someone they didn’t enjoy being.

Even he was like that.

   preparation 6

 It happened the next day after PE.

The air was different from usual when Arisa returned slightly late to the classroom after changing in the locker room. It was noisy and somehow heavy. Arisa entered the classroom, wondering what had happened, and happened to look at Karen sitting at her desk. The moment she did, she almost let out a “Ah.”

Tasteless scribbles were drawn all over Karen’s desk as she faced her head downwards. Tears were also dripping down Karen’s cheeks. She desperately bit her lips to hold back the urge to yell and cry.

“How cruel. Who did this?” The girls gathered in the back of the classroom giggled in response to the person that asked this question out loud.

The boys commented, “This is cruel,” but all they did was gather around her in a circle and stare at her.

Karen…

Arisa stepped forward and tried to call out to her, “Hey…”

“Arisa, what are you doing? We’re moving classes next.” She jerked at the sound of a girl’s voice scolding her. The hand that was reaching out towards Karen froze. When she lifted her head, Yui and the others were staring hard at Arisa.

If I talk to her, I’ll also… Arisa forcefully swallowed back the words on the tip of her tongue and stepped back from Karen. Is it okay like this? She kept hearing the voice in her head criticize her. I mean, I can’t do anything. There’s nothing I can do. She desperately repeated convenient excuses to herself.

“She got too conceited just because she’s a little cute.”

“Right? Don’t you think so, too, Arisa?” They all simultaneously turned their gazes to the silent Arisa.

It was stifling, almost as if her throat was being squeezed. “Right…” Arisa forced a smile and made this comment in a small voice.

It was then that it happened.

“What are you trying to say that I’ve done!? Just stop it already… stop it!!” Karen loudly screamed in her seat. It was as if her patience had snapped.

Arisa froze at her voice.

The girls around Karen looked at her with cold eyes, saying, “What is she doing?” as Karen broke down crying while covering her face with both hands.

“It’s almost as if she’s saying we’re bullying her?”

“That’s horrible to say when you don’t have proof.” Yui and the others said as they exited out of the classroom in laughter.

The sounds of Karen’s sobs and an awkward atmosphere lingered in the air for some time in the classroom.

I have to talk to her… but, what do I say? She couldn’t do something like insincerely ask her if she was okay after having talked bad about her to fit in with what the other girls were saying. It would be the same as hurting her. Nothing would change. Even so, to put up a sympathetic act after what happened… She acted as if she didn’t know anything because she was scared of becoming a target.

Until when would she continue doing these kinds of things? Until when should she continue doing these kinds of things? Despite the fact that she had hurt Karen, she was still trying to protect herself.

I don’t like the kind of person I am now. I don’t like it, all of it, I don’t like it. I hate it. Enough already…

Why was she this weak?

Coward.

Wimp.

You’re deceitful… Thinking only about yourself.

You’re weak, you’re afraid… you’re running away.

Arisa ran like the wind and rushed out of the classroom. She wanted to scream out loud as if her heart was breaking.

♦     ♦     ღ     ♦     ♦

She rushed up the stairs to the rooftop, opened the door, and stepped outside. She rushed up to the fence and clutched it in her hands. Arisa yelled at the top of her lungs, “You’re the worse… I’m the worse!!”

Why couldn’t I say it?

Up until now, she had had tons of opportunities to talk to Karen. During lunch, she should’ve asked her, “Let’s eat together.”

She should’ve asked her, “Let’s be friends,” sooner.

Even earlier, she should’ve told everyone, “Stop doing these things to her.”

She hadn’t been brave and all of it, all of it, she had swallowed back. If only she had said something, even just one word, she might’ve been able to change the situation. She might’ve been able to resolve the situation without it becoming like it did. She looked down while grasping onto the fence, her tears spilling and making water stains on the concrete.

She had hated the thought of being alone. She had wanted friends.

That had been all she wanted.

How much pain must she overcome to become an adult? Her kindness was breaking down into fallen tears.

Hey… someone.

Tell me.

♦     ♦     ღ     ♦     ♦

The view on top of the rooftop’s water tower was great. It was the ideal place to spend the lunch break on a clear day like today. As a result, recently, Ken would often invite Koudai and Kotarou to come with him to the rooftop when it was lunch break.

“My afternoon classes make me sleepy…” Kotarou leaned back near the edge while Koudai was quietly looked through the manga magazine that had just gone on sale today. Next to them, Ken was meaninglessly fiddling with his phone.

“Actually, why did we get together again?”

“Isn’t it cause we had free time?” Koudai honestly answered in response to Kotarou’s grumbling.

“I feel kinda unproductive. Ahh, I want to run…”

“I don’t think you’ll be liked by Setoguchi even if you put on some muscle.” Ken teased while looking at his phone.

Kotarou immediately reddened, “Like I’ve mentioned so many times before, why does Hina come up!”

“Now, now, Kotarou. It’s because Shibaken is sulking with a broken heart. Let him off.” Koudai said while tapping Kotarou on the shoulder.

“What, seriously!? Wait a minute, there was a girl you were going out with, Shibaken!?”

“Koudai, you shit. It’s been decided, I’m seeing you in the bathroom later.”

Why does even Koudai know about it in the first place?

Ken suddenly lifted his head from his phone. At that very moment, the door to the rooftop was slammed open and someone ran out. “Hey… isn’t that girl in the same class as Kotarou?”

“Hm?” Koudai said.

Kotarou turned to look behind him, caught in their conversation, then looked down. When he did, the person that was standing there was Arisa, “Oh, what the heck… it’s Takamizawa.”

It seemed like she thought there was no one else on the rooftop. She rushed to the fence and sobbed. Her voice echoed even more in their surroundings in proportion to how quiet it was around them.

“Heeey, wha…”

“You’re being insensitive. Stuuuuupid.” Ken interrupted Kotarou just as he was about to call out to her. Even his chest felt like it was throbbing at her yells, almost as if she were piercing herself in the chest with a knife, as she called herself the worst.

Everyone had times when they wanted to vent all their almost bursting emotions until they emptied into the air.

The cries that they continued to hear for some time, too, gradually began to lessen. Arisa looked up to the sky, tired from crying, and then turned back towards the door after wiping her cheeks. A strange, uncomfortable silence lingered in the air on the rooftop for some time even after she was no longer there.

“Kotarou, that girl is in the same class as you, right? Properly look after her, will you?”

“Huh!? Why should I… What the heck are you looking at me for?”

“Anyway, I’m counting on you.”

“Shibaken, you’re nice to girls. I’d be nice if you were nicer to me, too…”

Ken’s eyes went wide at Koudai’s words, saying, “What the heck are you saying!?” and returned the atmosphere into a light mood. “Aren’t we all best friends!!” Ken brought their shoulders together.

The expressions of the other two turned weird, as if to express, “You’re saying those kinds of things without being serious again.”

If only things could be more easygoing. It was just school and getting along with your friends. It would be alright if they could spend that time while happily laughing.

Why is something that simple this hard…

[helpmewritemybook]

Chapters 1 and 2 of my book. Please let me know if this sounds interesting or if there could be improvements. Or just send me a message if you'd like to read more. Thank you :)

Chapter One

I’m running through the city. It’s so dark that I’m terrified to go down any street without lights. Running from lamp post to lamp post is sending chills down my spine for the few seconds it takes to, once again, be illuminated under certain safety. My lungs feel like they’re burning and my legs are tingly. I feel so nauseous; like my stomach is doing gymnastics approved flips. Coming to a clumsy stop under the next street light, I put my hands on my knees, and try not to vomit all over the street. What is happening? It feels like something is chasing me but I can’t hear anything. Sweat is beading from my forehead and running down my face. My back is completely soaked. I take a few steadying breaths and try to calm my nerves. What am I running from?

Then I hear a loud gasp. I look up to see my best friend, Ashur. She’s standing just a few feet away from me. Her green eyes barely visible and her black hair is almost impossible to see. I sigh in relief. Seeing her makes me feel almost normal for a split second until I realize… she’s not under the street lamps. I can feel my heart stop and my stomach drop all the way to the floor. My veins turn to pure ice, as well as my heart. I stand rod straight in an instant. My eyes must have a crazy look in them because she gives me a funny look. All of a sudden, it’s not nearly as dark. I can see Ashur perfectly, as if it’s daytime instead of what seems the middle of the night. She must be at least 15 feet away, but I can smell the sweat on her, as well as the shampoo she used this morning. I try yelling at her to come into the light, but no sound comes out. I start furiously waving my hands in a ‘come here’ motion. She stands there a few more seconds then takes a hesitant few steps. She’s not moving fast enough. I can feel it. Coming closer. Moving in. I start crying and silently screaming. She looks up like she sees something, then her face fills with fear as a silent scream takes over her face. I can’t stand here and let whatever is after us get her. I muster up all my bravery and dead sprint to her. Somehow, I’m on top of her in an instant. As I wrap my arms around her, I close my eyes. Breathe in more of her familiar scent. Feel the warmth from her body spread across mine.

We stand like that for a few seconds and wait for whatever is after us to strike, but nothing happens. A few more seconds tick by. Still nothing. I’m listening so hard that I swear I could hear my own heartbeat. Then I hear a…drip? Followed by more. They’re getting quicker. I’m focusing on the sound so much that I almost don’t notice the addition warm feeling spreading across my chest.

That’s it, I think to myself. I’m dead. It got me.

I lift my face and take a peek. My eyes meet directly with Ashur’s. Those emerald green eyes seem…off. I lift my head more and her expression is blank. I slip out of her embrace to take a better look at her. As I do, I gasp and hold my hands to my mouth. Her neck is bleeding profusely. She clutches the chunk of her neck that’s bleeding, but she can’t stop it form pouring out. As she falls to her knees, I can hear her voice say through the gurgling of blood, “Why Resa?”.

She lands with a hard thud. I reach out for her, and as I do, a red tint reflecting off my hands catches my eyes. I look down to see my hands streaked with her blood. I look down at my torso and see more splattered on my shirt. Then more drips off my chin onto the concrete. I wipe my mouth, only to find more blood. I look around to try to find whatever had been chasing me, but there is nothing in sight. Even the feeling of being chased had no subsided. But if we were totally alone and safe the only option is.... no. No. No, I couldn’t have done this. I wouldn’t have done this. Especially not to my best friend. I look down again expecting my hands to be clean, like I somehow saw my hands wrong, but they were still sticky and soaked with Ashur’s blood. It looks so…good. I look at them for another few seconds. An overwhelming feeling overcomes me. Why does it look good? Ashur is bleeding to death and all I can think about is how satisfying it would be to taste that amazing aroma off my fingers. I can't fight it. I can't hold back. I lick my fingers once. Then again. Oh my god. This tastes… amazing. I lean down and roll Ashur over to her back. Her expression is blank again and she's no longer struggling. I gently stroke my fingers down her cheek before I bury my face in her neck and taste the sweetness once again. I clamp my teeth down onto some of her torn flesh and begin to rip another chunk off.

Chapter two

I wake up in a cold sweat. My stomach is churning so much I barely make it down the hall and to the bathroom in time to vomit all over the toilet. “What in the actual fuck was that?”, I whisper to myself. Wiping my mouth with toilet paper, I shakily stand up, flush the toilet and try to make the scariest dream of my life evaporate. I brush my teeth, wash my face, then stare at my reflection momentarily. Place my hands on my cheeks and pull them down and sigh. Why do I feel so different? I still looked the same. Brown hair past my shoulders, round eyes with a heart shaped face. Same average sized frame. So why do I feel like I’ve aged about ten years? At least I still look seventeen.

I make my way back to my room. As I exit the bathroom, I look around. In front of me are the stairs leading to the first floor. To my right are a couple of spare bedrooms. The one at the end was turned into a study for my dad and me. Nothing fancy, just a computer with a desk and a few books cases with random books we’ve bought over the years; there are little things too, like a globe and a little sand timer. My dad also keeps this weird deer looking skull with antlers on our book shelf. A little creepy but still cool at the same time. I look at the other bedroom. Just an ordinary spare bedroom. Shuffling my feet, I turn left and head to my bedroom. I start rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

I flip the lights on inside the doorway and close my door. Making my way over to my night stand I catch a glimpse outside to see it’s still dark. I check the time on my phone. It says it’s six in the morning. I’m a little relieved that I have time to just lay in bed and relax a little while longer before getting ready for school. I don’t think I could go back to sleep if I tried, and I especially don’t want to pick up where that weird dream left off. That is probably the most messed up dream I’ve ever had.

Just then my phone chimes. I pick it up from my nightstand to see a message from Ashur asking me what I want for my birthday. You alive, and me not eating you. It’s still a week away and I’ve told her so many times I don’t want anything. I’m not exactly sure why she insists on getting me anything. Her being my friend is all I could ever ask for. Anything else just seems over the top. I smirk to my myself as I type my reply:

“A new car would be nice. But if nothing else, male strippers.” She replies back almost instantly: “Wow is that it? Consider it done. See you when you pick me up.” See we like to do this thing where we take turns picking each other up when the other doesn’t have a car or can’t use one. This time Ashur’s grounded for sneaking out…once again. You’d think she’d learn. Her parents are cracking down so hard they made her download an app on her phone that give them her location 24/7. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until she figures out how to work her way around that. Just for fun I downloaded it too so I can tease her for being out or speeding, even if it’s only slightly. On the bright side, at least she hasn’t totaled her car. Yet. She drives a white little Pontiac that has one of those ‘bras’ on the front. Way too much speed and power for how she drives. I, however, drive a 2007 Ford Focus. It gets me where I need to go and that’s good enough for me.

Sitting on my bed I lay back and close my eyes; I feel awful. Actually, what I really feel is freezing with a side of more nausea and to top it off, a nice headache. I groan and get back under the covers. Pulling my phone out, I see the date. October 15th. One more week until I’m eighteen at last. No more curfew, no more telling Dad where I am all the time. Best of all, I’ll graduate in May then off to college! Thinking about all the possibilities and new freedoms, I drift back off to sleep for what seemed like 5 minutes. My dad wakes me up bursting through the door. “Theresa! If you want to be on time for school, you better be leaving right now!”

I check my phone and see I did, indeed, fall back asleep somehow and I have a bunch of missed calls and texts from Ashur. “Oh FUCK”, I mutter. Leaping out of bed, I dive into my closet for clothes and get changed.

“Maybe if you wouldn’t stay up late playing that damn PlayStation, you wouldn’t have a problem getting up in the morning”, my dad says sternly. He walks away sighing. My dad is a little bit on the stricter side but he’s a good dad. Always makes sure I have stuff I need, money in my pocket, and gas in my car. Standing at about 6”2, he can look a little intimidating, but he’s a big push over. After pulling my tennis shoes on, I grab my bag and race down the stairs and dart to the left through the kitchen and out the backdoor. I hear him yell, “Have a good day! Love you!”.

8:15am. 15 minutes until school starts. I call Ashur and tell her I’m on my way. Good thing she only lives about 5 minutes away and a close to the school. These are the only days I’m glad I live in such a small town; never takes more than 10 minutes to get anywhere in town. I practically drift into Ashur’s driveway and she comes racing out with a mug of coffee for me.

“Sooo I totally fell asleep getting ready this morning” I wince a little with my best ‘please forgive me,sir’ face. She laughs and says,

“I know. I called you about 10 times but don’t worry about it. My parents are already gone so they didn’t notice me leave late.”

With a big grin, I back out and start quickly toward the school. First class of the day is band. I play clarinet but during football season I take on the role of drum major. I like conducting the band but mostly what I enjoy is getting out of wearing the ridiculous uniforms and marching. Ashur is a little badass who plays drums. It’s so cool to listen to her beat the hell out of her trap set. She wants to start her own band one day. She definitely looks the part too. I’ve known her since we were in 3rd grade. She’s undoubtedly the best friend I could ever ask for. She flips the radio on and plugs her phone in the aux. Cranking the volume up she starts singing (or some could say just screaming) the lyrics of one our favorite musicians. It’s more than perfect for her too. The words are vulgar, the base is loud, and it annoys most middle aged and elderly people we pass.

[taronfanfic]

Graduate’s Escape

Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8

Chapter 9

A week had passed since you last saw Taron. You texted every day but the conversation was always interrupted by the demands of your jobs.  It was always going to be difficult when you worked nights and he worked days. So as your regular Saturday evening off work approached you grabbed your chance and invited Taron round to your flat. The thought of him coming over filled you with nerves, your flat was tiny and filled with second hand furniture, but it was the best an Art Graduate could afford. You’d put your bed in the smallest room to free up the master bedroom as a make-shift art studio. The living space tagged onto the kitchen and was separated with a small breakfast bar which was tonight doubling up as your dining table. You’d offered to cook, something you usually got great enjoyment out of, but tonight’s nerves had taken hold and things just weren’t going your way. The small kitchen sink was overflowing with used pots and pans, growing higher by the minute as you tried to multitask without burning anything.

A small knock at the door signalled Taron’s arrival so you rushed round to open it. A bouquet of beautifully wrapped red roses filled the doorway and started to move forwards towards you as Taron made his way into your flat.

“Hey!” he greeted you cheerily as he lowered the roses and leant forwards to kiss you on the cheek. “I got you these.”

“Oh wow! They’re beautiful, thank you.” You were taken back by his gesture, the most your ex had managed was a single red rose on Valentine’s Day, bought at the table of a restaurant just to conform with everyone else there that evening.

“Something smells good.” Taron commented as he looked over your shoulder and into the kitchen behind you.

“Shit! I need to sort that out, just give me 5 minutes and then I’m all yours.” You ran back to the kitchen to rescue the sauce from the hob.

“No problem, shall I put your roses in a vase?” Taron called back from the entrance as he took his shoes off and hung up his jacket.

“That would be amazing, I think there’s one in…. First door on your right, top of the shelf on the back wall.” You called back, leaving Taron to explore for himself. “You’ll need to use the bathroom sink for water though, this one’s a bit full!”  

He returned a few minutes later and added the flowers to the end of your breakfast bar.

“You didn’t have to go to so much effort, I would have been fine with a take away. It’s so good to see you again though.” He admitted, a hint of shyness creeping in to his voice.

“It’s just lasagne, nothing special, and this looks worse than it actually is.” you replied, gesturing to the state of your kitchen. “My art room is normally a total state, but I actually tidied that this morning.”

“Creative mess is different though, it’s a sign of good things. I didn’t want to be too nosey but that large painting you’re working on is so good! How long has it taken?” You took Taron back through to your art room and talked him through the pieces you were working on, explaining how they linked together as a series and were a continuing idea from your final degree work. He was taking in every word you said, asking loads of questions and smiling warmly as you talked with passion. You told him about your plans to show your work in a gallery somewhere, hopefully sell a few paintings and save up to buy your own studio space so you could finally have a bigger bedroom back.

“Sorry, I’m talking too much. My family stopped asking about my work years ago so I must have bored them to death!”

“Don’t be silly, I’ve been answering questions all week so it’s nice to be able to ask some and just listen for once. You’re so talented and it’s a very attractive quality.” The cheeky tone returned to his voice as he flirted.

“Right back at you!” you pushed him playfully causing him to laugh. “You hungry?”

“Always.”

***

You’d continued to flirt playfully with each other whilst you ate. As your friendship grew you could tease each other with insults and push the boundaries with your sense of humour; both of you had been crying with laugher at one point. It made for a good change compared with your usual lust for sex when he was around. Taron checked his watch quickly as he lowered his cutlery to his empty plate.

“You don’t have to rush off, do you?” You asked him.

“No, I’m here for the night… hopefully.” He crossed his fingers. “I had to film the Jonathan Ross show a few days ago and it’s on tonight. I was hoping you’d like to watch it with me?” he couldn’t hide his smile.

“…Why? …What have you said?” you asked with strong suspicion.

“Well I don’t know what’s going to make the final edit, but I’m pretty certain one bit will and I know you’ll love it!”

You grabbed a tub of ice cream and two spoons for dessert and snuggled down together in front of the TV waiting for the show to start.

“Is it not weird watching yourself on TV? I’m pretty sure I’d hate it.”

“It was weird the first few times but I’m kinda used to it now. I don’t watch every single interview I’ve done, but I had to be here to see your reaction for this one.” Taron teased again, rubbing his hand up and down your thigh in anticipation.

The show started in its usual fashion, panning round the Green Room to announce all the guests. You let out a small cheer as they showed Taron on screen, causing him to chuckle gently beside you. The first guests were brought out and interviewed, nothing very exciting had happened so far, but both of you were still absorbed in the show. During the next advert break you could feel Taron’s body temperature rising, he was starting to fidget more and show his nerves.

“Please give a warm welcome to our final guest of the evening, Mr. Taron Egerton!” Jonathan Ross announced.

“Oh hello! Someone’s looking handsome in their sharp suit!” you commented as you watched Taron walk out to the audience, giving a big smile and wave.

“How are you doing young sir?” Jonathan asked.

“Very well, thank you.”

“Good, I’m pleased to hear it. Now you’re obviously here to talk about the new Kingsman movie, The Golden Circle…” he paused to let the audience cheer. “But before we get to that, there’s something I need to ask you about…”

“Go on…” Taron looked genuinely intrigued.

“Now last week we had the delightful Hugh Jackman on the show.” The camera cut back to show Taron pursing his lips as he tried not to laugh. “… and he showed us something very interesting.”

“I think I know where this is going…” Taron smirked. “I was actually out in a restaurant last weekend when my mum started facetiming me to tell me what was going on!”

“He showed us this photo.” Jonathan gestured towards the large screen which once again showed the same topless photo of Taron, causing the audience to erupt into screams. “… and he told us that you’d drunk text him with it and a winking face!”

“I think I should explain…” Taron spoke up, hiding his embarrassment behind a confident exterior. “It was actually a dare. I was playing a game of truth or dare, and my dare was to send a topless photo to Hugh.”

“Now that’s not what Hugh told us, so one of you isn’t telling the truth here are they… Taron.” Jonathan accused him. “We were under the impression that Hugh had been your wingman and left you chatting to a lovely young lady, and that this photo was meant for her, but you’d had one too many and got the wrong number!”

“Well half of that is true. Hugh is an excellent wingman, but after he left the game of truth or dare started…and the very, very, lovely woman dared me to send it.” Taron explained further.

“Sounds likely…” Jonathan didn’t buy his story.

“Well people are going to believe whichever version they want and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Taron folded his arms, defeated.

“Very, very lovely, am I?” You asked Taron before kissing him quickly.

“Wait wait, I don’t think they’ve cut it!” Taron looked back towards the TV.

“Actually, there is one more thing…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I bet Hugh didn’t show you his reply to my text…”

“No!” you shouted as you sat forwards. “Taron you didn’t!… Fuck!”

Taron reached over and showed Jonathan the photo on his phone.

“OH MY GOD that’s not real!” Jonathan did a double take at the photo. “Bloody hell!”

“I know right.” Taron put his phone back in his pocket.

“We can’t show that!” Jonathan was still in shock. “To give you some kind of indication it was a very… excited Hugh Jackman. Taron, why do you still have that photo on your phone? You’re not claiming it as your own are you? Using it to attract beautiful women?” Jonathan continued to probe.

“If I was they’d be very disappointed when they got to the real thing…” Taron was quick with his comeback, glancing down to his crotch as he raised his eyebrows.

“Is that what happened with the very lovely woman who you were playing truth or dare with then?”

“Oh so you do believe me now then?” Taron carefully swerved the question.

“If it makes you happy, then yes. So has she seen the photo?” Jonathan was persistent.

“She has.”

“and…”

“and, we didn’t.” Taron was being deliberately short with his answers now.

“We did before though!” you scoffed.

“Ah I’m sorry, Taron. Hugh had high hopes for you both, he wanted to be best man and everything.”

““It was only the first time we’d met, you’ve got to be treat a girl right first!.. It’s still early days…and she is very lovely.” Taron finally caved, giving an adorably cute smile.

The show cut to another advert break, giving you a chance to recover from all the excitement. You could hear Taron’s phone vibrating in his pocket as messages came in, presumably from his family and friends.

“You handled that so well.” You wrapped your arms around Taron’s shoulders and pulled him in for a hug.

“You think so? I was trying not to say too much. It’s hard though because I just want to tell everyone how amazing you are.” Taron pulled back from your hug so he could look into your eyes as he told you.

“I think you’re amazing too. I feel so lucky to have met you” you finally admitted out loud. Taron leaned in and kissed you tenderly.

“Did you notice how many roses I bought you?”

“No, why?”

“Apparently the number of roses has a meaning, so I chose 10.” He explained.

“10… Am I going to have to google it later?” You giggled nervously.

“It means you’re perfect.” He smiled widely. “Perfect 10.” As your lips met again you took things slowly, caressing his face and drawing out the affectionate kiss for as long as you could.

[superprincesspea]

Knock, Chapter 10

You find out the sex of your baby but that isn’t the only thing that surprises you on your trip to Hilltop. 

Simon/You, Fluff, Pregnancy

Words: 2241

Chapter 1    Chapter 2    Chapter 3    Chapter 4    Chapter 5  

Chapter 6    Chapter 7    Chapter 8    Chapter 9

It was stubborn pride that had given you the final push through Simon’s door and some days you wondered if you’d made the right decision. Even three months later you’d find yourself catching his eye and quietly wishing he’d pull you back into his arms like you hadn’t walked away.  

With a sigh you pushed the idea to the back of your mind, it was no good dwelling on past decisions and you didn’t want to spoil today. You’d been looking forward to this day for weeks and you’d spent a great deal of time convincing Dr Carson to convince Simon that it would be an excellent idea.

You were running early. The excitement to finally get a chance to not only leave the Sanctuary but also see your baby had made you spring out of bed this morning. Well, maybe not spring. You didn’t exactly spring anymore. At almost five months pregnant you rolled.

Your hand was rubbing absent minded circles on your rounded belly when you stepped into the mess hall, almost accidentally bouncing into Fat Joey as you spotted Simon already waiting for you.

He was sitting on the edge of a table, his laughter filling the room and making your heart leap at the sound of it. A girlish grin was right on the brink of filling you face when you spotted a waify redhead eating up his every word. She had her long hair curled around slender fingers, her jeans cut low enough to show more than an inch of washboard abs while you stood in the doorway feeling like a baby manatee and not in a cute way.

You might have thought that a man expecting a baby with another woman would have taken him off the market but it had only seemed to make him more desirable or maybe you were just noticing it more. This wasn’t the first time you’d spotted the shy flirty smiles of a women looking to find her way into his trousers and you found yourself wondering if he’d accepted any of the offers that had surely come his way. That idea lead you to curl your fists into balls, your spine straight and your jaw clenched as you stormed across the room.

It was probably fortunate that the redhead slinked away before you had the chance to say anything and potentially embarrass yourself. But that didn’t stop you from standing in front of Simon and demanding, “who was that?”

Simon slid off the table, towering over you, his smile unwavering. “That was Penny.”

“Well I don’t like her,” you spat, your hand on your hip in a way that reminded you of your mother.

Simon snorted, “you didn’t even know her name until ten seconds ago.”

Maybe it was the hormones, sure, you could blame the hormones for what came out of your mouth next. “I don’t need to know her name to know she’s a whore.”

He rested his hand on his belt, cocking one eyebrow as he carefully looked you up and down, “have you lost what was left of your damn mind?”

You glanced away, the sting of his words making you realise that this wasn’t you. You didn’t call women whores and you certainly didn’t get possessive but you were in no mood to back down. “We’re having a baby so that means you should be thinking about what kind of girls you're spending your time with.”

“Last time I checked I was a free agent. You said yourself, there’s nothing between us until the baby’s here so that gives me four more months of doing whatever the hell I want.”

“The baby is here,” you snap pointing to your swollen belly, “it’s here right now so you better think about that before you start fucking all these random women.”

“Wait a minute,” he says pointing his finger at you, his laugh rumbling slowly across his chest, “is it at all possible that you might be jealous?”

Your cheeks heat and he begins to laugh a little harder like you’ve proven his point.

“Maybe I am jealous! Jealous that you get to act like nothing’s happened while I’m lumbered with this,” you gestured to your belly once again and his laughter stops.

“Well I’m sorry to lumber you,” he says, grabbing his jacket and walking away so you can only catch a glimpse of the way his face has fallen.

You clench your teeth together, frustration curling your fists into even tighter balls. You’re overreacting and saying everything wrong and if you were completely honest you were also being a total bitch. You didn’t feel lumbered, lumbered wasn’t the right word at all. In fact, right now what you felt was… horny. Insatiable. The idea that Simon might fuck another woman annoys you in more ways than one.

Silently cursing your big mouth you follow him outside to where the Jeep is waiting and when you’ve both taken your seats you can see the way his eyes keep flicking to your belly, his hesitation to take you to Hilltop is palpable before he even begins to speak. “I know Carson said it would be better for you to see his brother for a sonogram but now I’m thinking it might be better for everyone if I bring the other Doc here instead.”

“No,” you say quickly, your hand gripping his forearm. “Please don't change your mind about this. I’ve been stuck in the Sanctuary for months and the drive to Hilltop is so pretty and... I wanna see the fields and breathe the fresh air and not feel like I’m trapped here.”

You were gripping his arm even tighter now and even you hadn’t quite realised how stir crazy you’d been the past few weeks. Now that your sickness had pretty much disappeared, you were finding life inside the walls like being in a prison. Everything was so dark and grey and your room felt smaller now that you were bigger. When you’d gone up to the roof to see over the walls all you’d seen was tarmac, concrete and the dead.

“Take me, please,” you pleaded, your voice dripping with desperation and somehow sounding as sweet as you ever had.

You notice the exact moment Simon caves. His puppy dog eyes melt like chocolate buttons and a small smile creases into his cheeks. “Okay. I’ll take you but if anything happens when we’re out there then you have to promise to do exactly what I say. I mean it. I don’t want you getting out of this Jeep until I say you can and I definitely don’t want you fighting.”

“Okay,” you chime, clipping your seat belt into place and grinning like a kid at Christmas.

The drive is everything you hoped. Sure, there were the occasional roamers but beyond that there were fields filled with lush green grass and wildflowers growing untamed. The smell when you roll down your window is rich and fresh, the scent of springtime orchestrated by birds chirping in the trees.

“Thank you,” you whispered, your hand landing on his knee and both of you sharing the same look of surprise before you quickly turn away, your heart thumping so hard you feel like he can hear it. If he can he doesn’t say anything and if he did you’re not sure you won’t say something awful and ruin things.

When you reached Hilltop you didn’t have to wait to be seen by Dr Carson. Having your own armed guard took care of that sort of thing and when he begins to gesture you inside his medical room you realise Simon is still waiting with the others.

“Aren’t you coming?” you call, the eyes of all the Savior’s focused on you and then Simon.

He hesitates, glancing at the others before walking close enough so only you can hear when he whisper, “I thought you wouldn’t want me to.”

Your stomach sinks and you it’s shame that’s make you feel this way. He’s the father to this baby and you’ve pushed him so far away that he’s willing to miss out on this special moment. “I do want you to,” you whisper, feeling sheepish.

“Yeah?” he smiles and you feel even more guilty than you did before.

“Of course I do,” you say, leading the way inside.

While Carson sets up the machine you lay on the medical bed and your gaze can’t help but keep wandering to Simon who’s sitting besides you. Today is the first time you’ve really spent together since you’d left his room. He’d topped up your points and you knew he spoke to Carson about your checkups but other than that he’d stayed away just like you’d asked.

When he catches you looking at him he smiles and before you can say or do anything Carson says, “are you ready?”

You roll your shirt over your belly, gasping when Carson squeezes a huge dollop of ice cold gel onto your skin.

“Sorry,” he chuckles, pressing the probe against your belly with a surprising amount of force and for a moment you think you might actually pee your pants but then a grainy imagine flicks onto the screen and you can’t think of anything else. It’s a baby, your baby and it’s really there.

“It’s perfect,” you blurt and you’re not sure who makes the first move but suddenly Simon’s hand is wrapped around yours.

You can see the profile of its button nose and the way its little legs are kicking around. And even though you knew what this imagine was going to look like you had no idea what seeing it was going to feel like.

Simon kisses the back of your hand, whispering, “I can’t believe we made that.” And you can’t believe it either.

“Everything looks good,” Carson says eventually. “I’d estimate you to be around 19 weeks pregnant so you’re already pretty much half way there. I don’t see any reason why you can’t have a normal, healthy delivery so we can start thinking about your birthing plans in another couple of months but for now would you like to know the gender? ”

It’s weird but you hadn’t even considered finding out the sex of the baby, you’d just been so excited at the prospect of actually seeing it moving around in there. You look at Simon and with an unspoken agreement you answer, “yes?”

“Hell yeah,” Simon adds with his boyish smile.

“Okay, well I’ve checked it a couple of times to make sure and it looks like you’re having a baby girl. Congratulations.”

A girl. A wave of emotions washes over you and you burst into tears. “Oh my god,” you say dumbly. Somehow knowing the baby is a girl adds another level of realness and when you look at Simon he’s grinning from ear to ear.

“I was wanting a girl,” he admits.

“You were?” you sniffle, dabbing your eyes with the tissue Carson has handed you before wiping away the gel that’s coating your bump.

“I figured a little girl will belong to her Daddy and I want at least one lady who lets me spoil her,” Simon gushes, his eyes glazing over with a far off expression that leaves you feeling a little jealous of your own baby.

When you start to pull your shirt over your belly he holds his hand out, “can I?”

You nod, pulling your shirt back up and barely breathing as his palm rests on your bump. His hand feels rough and warm, just the way you remembered it and your skin tingles for more while a barely noticeable wiggle of movement curls inside your belly and reminds you why he’s really here right now.

“I was jealous,” you admit, staring at your sneakers instead of Simon. “I was jealous that you were talking to somebody else and I think no matter what you do, or who you do it with then you’re be a great father. This baby is lucky to have you.”

His hand slips from your stomach and you pull your shirt down, sliding off the table with as much finesse as you can manage. You don’t know why you think this but you’re hoping that Simon will just let you say what you’ve said without the sort of reaction that might make you say more. Of course he doesn’t, he turns you to face him and he tilts your head so you’re looking him in the eye.

“You never have to be jealous,” he says like he knows just how to break your resolve. “There’s no one else,” he adds as if you might not have understood his meaning.

“Okay,” you squeak, sounding very unlike yourself and feeling on the brink of saying something ridiculous like you might be falling in love with him. Is that what’s happening? Or is it just the hormones speaking?

Dr Carson returns from wherever he had disappeared to and hands you a stack of baby photos, giving you the perfect opportunity to look away from Simon. “She’s gonna need a name,” you say, changing the subject.

Simon chuckles, “well I don’t mind what you wanna pick as long as it ain’t Negan.”

You laugh, loud, feeling less like you’re on the brink of blubbing some emotional nonsense and more like yourself as you bat your hand across his chest and say, “I think baby Negan is a great name.”

Thank you for reading!! The voting was super close between them having a girl or a boy but the girls just pipped it. Let me know if you want tagging in this series!

@doyouhaveavacancy //  @pathetically-inlove // @lucifers-trash-stash // @ladylorelitany // @vizhi0n // @kijilinn // @starshinesupergirl // @megan-monroe // @myheart4ever47 // @kellyn1604 // @genevievedarcygranger // @xokamisama // @mwesterfeld1985 // @jemstonewrites // @collette04 // @heal-the-broken-hearts // @cltex84 // @nanpereirab // @gothica123 // @thatgingefromtheinternet // @notice-me-senpai-sama // @daintyunicorn // @devilishcreature // @fullyoriginalruins // @b-asiacoquum // @probably-inside // @alyisdead // @hellogracebarnes // @maliadestiny // @certifiedtwdtrash // @papinegan // @vatal  

[imagine-master]

Lost in Marvel (Part 1/?)

Avengers x reader (not decided on a pairing yet)

Word count: 1,600

(Not my gif)

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7  Part 8 (Coming soon)

“I’m home!” you shout as you enter into your small apartment closing the door behind you “Oh wait I’m single” you snigger to yourself as you throw your bag onto the sofa and fall along with it.

After laying down for a few minutes you hear your stomach rumbling loudly, you knew you had to get up and make dinner but you where to exausted to do it ‘Maybe I should get takeaway…again’ after deciding you swiftly got off the sofa with your phone in hand and dialed the number to your usual take-out.

“Hey Barry can I get the usual delivered to my place?” You ask casually.

“Yeah sure give us about 20 minutes” he says in a soft voice.

“Thanks man. Bye” you end the call and make your way into your room and change out of your current clothes and get into something more comfy.

After changing into (whatever you want) you head back to your favourite spot on the sofa and turn on the TV but for some unexplainable reason all of the lights suddenly turned off ‘Great the powers out’ you thought to yourself as you made your way through the dark trying to locate your phone but instead came in contact with something completly unexpected.

A giant wormhole sucking in everything in your room “ How did I not notice this before ! ” you shout at yourself as you grab onto the door handle but you knew it wouldn’t last long. You could feel your body slowly being sucked inside.

“No, no, no, I don’t wanna die!!” you scream as the handle snaps off sending you straight into your doom or so you thought.

You slowly regain consciousness and quickly open your eyes to meet what looked like…a hospital room?

“Is this heaven?” you ask yourself as you sit up and look around the empty room “No, heaven doesn’t smell like sick people” you slowly get out of bed and change into the clothes left on the table.

You approach the only door in the room and try to open it ‘great it’s locked’ you softly punched it and rested your head against it, you could hear quiet mumbling and moved your ear against it for better hearing.

“Is she awake yet Doc?” The first voice asks.

“I was just about to go check” the other voice replies and both sets of footsteps make their way towards your room.

��Shit, shit, what do I do?!’ You look around the room and start to panic ‘oh great a window hopefully that’s open!“ You run towards the other side of the room and pull the window open without trouble and quickly climb out of it.

By the looks of it you where on the second floor and the only way down was to jump and possible break a bone but luckily for you there was a tree branch in close range. You carefully positioned yourself and jumped towards the branch and successfully grabbed it 'I’m so glad I paid attention in P.E’. Not too far behind you could hear the door being unlocked so you increased your speed and made your way down the tree and ran for it without looking back.

You successfully made it into the city without being followed by anyone, sweating from top to bottom you hide in a nearby alleyway trying to catch your breath. You sit there for a few minutes gazing and the crowds off people walking past.

As you slowly get off the cool ground you overhear the chatter of the passerby.

“Mommy! Mommy! Can we go see Iron man!” A young boy yells at his mother. 'Pfft I remeber that stage’ Superheroes have always been a huge part of your life and still are, you would kill to meet your childhood idols, well not really kill.

“Sorry honey, Iron man is busy saving the world see look” She points up into the sky 'wait what?!’ You question and look up to where she had pointed too and see a figure dash through the sky. You squint your eyes to look at it more clearly only to see….'IRON MAM?! What the flipping heck??!’ You gasp in disbelief.

“What the hell is going on?” You ask yourself as you prepared to run off.

“Excuse me miss” you freeze at the unknown voice and turn around to meet a bunch of men in suits come out from the dark but after getting a better look at them they weren’t wearing just any suits.

���HYDRA? That’s not possible” You say taking a few steps back. 'First Iron man now these goons’

“So know of us?” One of them asks slowly walking towards you. “Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way”

“I choose the hard way” and with that you run out of the alleyway towards the main street.

As you run past the crowd, occasionally bumping into someone you head directly to the only place you can assume safe 'If I’m really in the marvel world then they can help me…’ there in sight was the one and only Avengers tower.

Before you could even make it a HYDRA van pulls up right infront of you blocking off your path 'more thugs!’ You groan as around six or seven came out surrounding you.

“You should have picked the easy way Missy” one of them says with a giant grin plastered on his face.

“I prefer a challenge, but we all don’t get what we ask for” you smirk at them causing them to get a lot more angrier.

The main big one comes running towards you with full force but all you do is move to the right and trip his up resulting in him face planting a lamp post.

“Ouch poor lamp post” you cringe at the fallen man and turn towards the rest “Who’s next?” You ask the other hooligans.

Before any of them could even get close to you a SHIELD aircraft hovers over all of you and swarms of officers and agents surrounded the HYDRA agents arresting them.

“Phew” you let out a large sigh and wiped the sweat from your forehead.

“Ahem excuse me” you turn towards the familiar voice only to be face to face with Nick Fury.

“Holy sh*t balls” you accidentally let out “Oh shoot sorry I get spooked easily hehe” you nervously giggle.

“Who are you?” He asks in a serious tone.

“Who’s asking?”

“That’s classified” he answers whilst looking through what looks like a bunch of people profiles 'He’s trying to find out who I am!’ “Your not on our database”

“Well that is indeed strange isn’t it Nick” he suddenly became startled.

“How’d you know my name?”

“It’s classified” you say with a smirk. 'Awesome I’ve always wanted to say that’ You giggle to yourself.

Not aware of what Nick said whilst you were giggling two SHIELD agents came upto you and handcuffed you.

“W-what? Why did you do that!?” You shout trying to get Nick’s attention.

“Take her in for questioning” was all he said before walking away.

“Hey let go off me!” You try to break loose but that wasn’t happening anytime soon. The two agents take you into a small room with a table and two chairs on either side.

“Take a seat” the female agents commands and you give in and follow as instructed.

As minuets of silence go by you slowly fall asleep on the spot but we’re suddenly woken up by the sound of several footsteps entering the room.

“Morning sleepy head” one of them says making you glance at the clock on the wall.

“It’s 5pm dumbass” you turned to look at the new visitors and you couldn’t believe your eyes. It was Tony Stark in the flesh alongside Nick.

“Oh we’ve got ourselves a talker” he smirks taking the seat opposite you.

“God you look just like Robert Downey Jr. or he looks just like you, either way” you stare at him.

“Who?” Tony asks.

“Oh nobody” you smile.

“Listen kid stop the games and tell us everything you know and why l HYDRA are after you? And tell the truth ” He’s face became a bit serious.

“You want the truth, I’ll give you the truth! Last night I was in my apartment waiting for my take-out to arrive only to get sucked into a fricking wormhole and end up here and then getting chased by HYDRA maniacs” you sit back arms folded over your chest.

It was silent for the next few seconds, you could clearly see that they were totally baffled by your unbelievable story.

“So your saying you’ve come from a different world?” Nick breaks the awkward silence.

“Yeah a different Earth” you answer whilst fidgeting with your hair.

“What’s it like there?” Tony asks resting his elbows on the table eager for an answer.

“Well for one we don’t have superheroes flying around” they both seemed rather suprised by your answer.

“Then how do you know about SHIELD and HYDRA?” Nick asks.

“Well that’s because in my world you guys are just comics, cartoons and movies” you let out a sigh as you run your hands through your hair.

They where both taken aback by your answer.

“Nick she’s just a lost kid…a very lost kid” Tony says turning back to look at Nick who was still deep in thought.“Whats your name kid?” He turns to look back at you with a sympathetic smile.

“It’s (Name), (Full name)”

“Well (Full name), why don’t we get you sorted with some clean clothes and room for you to get some rest in, you look exausted” Tony says whilst getting up and removing your handcuffs.

“Sure” you answer immediately getting up and walking beside Tony.

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3 Part 4  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7  Part 8 (Coming soon)

Let me know what you think and if you guys want a part 2 and want to get tagged AND who reader should be with?!