#but like Anything Else? i wait a refresh timer of a few years and then i try it again. just to.make Sure that i still dont like it.

[orcelito]

Love seeing a "What will you refuse to eat" kind of thing bc there r plenty of foods I don't like, but I also have a Try Everything disease which means I want to try everything. Including things not meant to be eaten (like raw boba or plain espresso beans lol). & even foods I don't like, every so often I will try them again Just In Case, bc with like salsa and salad I used to hate them.but now I love them. So I've tried olives multiple times, I've tried salmon and other fish, & im just like "hmmm that's still a no for me" but I will probably try them again. Someday. Such is my nature.

[babymetaldoll]

Don’t you forget about me (Matthew Gray Gubler/ Reader)

Prompt: What if everybody forgets who you are? 

Word count: 1,4K

Warnings: Mention of sex

Pairing: Matthew Gray Gubler/ reader 

Category: Fluff 

Masterlist

.

- “This is weird, can we watch something else, please?”

Matthew moved his arm around the couch until he found the remote control. (Y/N) turned to him and raised an eyebrow, a little confused. There was a red carpet interview with Gubler on the screen, nothing they had never seen before. Why was Matthew being so shy?

They were in their pajamas, it had been a very long and exhausting week for both of them: Matthew had just arrived from Monte Carlo after being part of the TV Festival, and his girlfriend had just completed writing the manuscript for her new book. Neither of them had slept much in the latest days, so their only plan was to stay on the couch in front of the television, in their pajamas, eating ice cream.

It had been a lazy day, which they deserved. Lots of movies, making out and napping.

- “Where is all that shyness coming from, “Mr. Let’s take pictures with no pants on in the middle of the street and upload them to every social media available”?”

(Y/N) had to ask and Gubler chuckled, scratching his eyes and not saying a word for a moment. He was too tired to do anything, probably too tired to have that conversation too. 

- “I just don’t feel like seeing my face on the screen” 

- “I like seeing your face on the screen”- she teased and poke out her tongue to him. Matthew smiled and caressed her legs with his thumbs sweetly. 

She was sitting on his lap and his arms were wrapped around her protectively. They hadn’t been together in over a week, and all they wanted was to keep each other as close as possible. 

- “Really?”- he questioned with a smile.

- “Yes, and I also like seeing your face in some other places”- Gubler looked at her and ran his tongue through his lips slowly.

- “Like where?”

- “My screen lock”- the girl answered and smiled innocently- “On the pillow next to me every morning… on my phone when you call me”

- “That’s sweet”- he leaned and left a tiny little peck on her lips.

- “And most of all, I love seeing your face between my legs”

(Y/N) whispered in his ear and Matthew Gray Gubler blushed. Somehow, after all those years, they could still make each other nervous, and fill their stomach with butterflies.

- “I love being there too”- his voice was low and his lips rubbed hers slowly. She giggled nervously and looked into his eyes. 

- “If your face looks so good everywhere, then why do you get so shy to see it on tv?”

- "Really?”- he raised an eyebrow and cut (Y/N) a smirk- “You wanna go back to that instead of talking of my face buried between your legs?”

- “I’m just curious… and I’m still sore from last night, and earlier today, so I need a little break from that… give me another hour and I’ll be ready to go

Matthew laughed and nodded. Yes, he might have been a little rough on (Y/N), but only because she liked it… and he enjoyed it all too much.

- “Fine, but we’ll revisit that thought in a while, ok?”

- “Yes, daddy”- she answered and bit her lips, giving him the most playful smile possible. 

- “Don’t tease me…”- his hand tightened on her waist and leg, moving her closer (if possible) to him, nearly leaving bruises on her skin. Again.

- “Sorry, daddy…”- (Y/N)’s words left her lips quickly making him groan, and she had to make her best to hide her excitement at the reaction. She was sored, she was tired, but she was always ready for some more rough sex with Matthew. 

- “Are you sure you wanna wait?”- Gubler murmured and she nodded- “Damn!”

- “Just a little bit…”- he sighed defeated and kissed the tip of her nose

- “Fine”

- “I’m gonna make more tea, do you want some?”

- “Tea? maybe”- he made a pause- “Cookies? definitely”

- “I’m pretty sure there are no more cookies left”

The couple walked to the kitchen, and immediately Matthew went through all the cabinets and pantry, searching for cookies. 

- “I told you, we are out of cookies”- (Y/N) looked at her boyfriend, who seemed actually upset- “But, I can bake some” 

- “No, Bunny, it’s ok” 

- “Come on Gub, we can kill some time before you can hide your pretty face between my legs again”- she teased and smiled- “Besides, baking cookies take less than half an hour, give me a hand and pass me the flour and the sugar… chocolate chips? oatmeal and raisins? snickerdoodles? what do you want, honey?”

- “Chocolate chips, no questions asked”- Gubler grabbed the flour, sugar, and chocolate chips from the pantry and left them on the island.

- “Great, just give me a few minutes and you’ll be eating fresh homemade cookies”   

Matthew stared at (Y/N) baking. She was humming a song and mixing all the ingredients in a bowl. He couldn’t stop smiling at the scene. He felt everything in his life could fall apart, but if he could just stay with her in their kitchen, cooking, and talking, everything was going to be ok. Always. 

- “What if everybody forgets about me one day?”

Matthew thought out loud. He was eating chocolate chips as (Y/N) put the baking sheet with cookies into the oven. The question came out of his mind unconsciously. He actually didn’t even know where that thought was coming from. 

- “Forget like… we all suffer from amnesia somehow, or…”

- “What if people don’t like my work anymore, and everybody forgets my name… and I’m just Matthew”

- “I like Matthew”- (Y/N) smiled and turned to him- “I actually love that guy”- he looked down, playing with a few chocolate chips on the table before putting them into his mouth. 

- “Do you want people to forget who you are?”- he shrugged at the question, feeling (Y/N) standing in front of him, kissing his chin. 

- “Sometimes I see those interviews or pictures of me and think: that ain’t me”

- “Why?”

- “‘Cos… it’s still weird to do that, I guess”- Gubler was whispering, and rambling. Maybe he was too tired to have a coherent thought. Maybe he was finally trying to understand why he was always so uncomfortable watching interviews of him on tv or magazines. 

- “It’s part of your job, we all have something that’s not…”

- “I don’t hate to do it, I just don’t feel comfortable when I see it” 

- “We don’t have to see it… we can see Shemar instead, did you ask him where he gets his eyebrows done?”- Matthew burst out laughing immediately and turned to his girlfriend, who was grinning at him.

- “What? it’s a really important question! I need answers, Matthew Gray!” 

- “Fine, fine, I’ll text him” 

- “Thank you, now set the timer… and let’s find something to do for ten minutes”- she walked to him and rubbed her lips against his neck, licking and biting it slowly.

- “You know what I can do in ten minutes”

- “I would never forget what you can do to me in ten minutes…”- (Y/N)’s hand played on his hair and moaned against his lips as he kissed her sweetly at first, to then change to lust, wrapping his arms around her tighter, running his hands underneath her pajama in no time. 

- “I’m gonna make sure to refresh your memory anyway”

It only took Matthew a second to grab (Y/N)’s thighs and pull her up against the wall. His lips didn’t leave her skin, kissing every inch of it and leaving a trail of bruises from her lips to her breast in no time. The girl felt the urgency in his action and moaned at his touch. But before he could go any further, she pulled his hair gently and forced him to look at her. 

- “I don’t think people are gonna forget about you, honey”- she reassured him with a sweet smile- “You are too awesome at what you do, and you make so many people happy every day, you make the world a little better”

- “Thank you”- he murmured and sighed

- “And no matter what, I promise I am never going to forget who you are, Matthew Gray Gubler”- the sweetest smile appeared on his face and his cheeks blushed a little. He just stared at his girlfriend, carefully tugging some flicks of hair behind her ear. 

- “You are not, and even if fell, hit my head and I lose all my memories, I am certain I would remember you anyway”

- “I bet I’m not easy to forget”- he whispered jokingly and she agreed instantly.

- “Really?”

- “I better get used to having you close then.”   

- “Really, you are not gonna get rid of me”- Matthew leaned over and kissed her. 

[padfootprongslet]

title:  have the sweetest ( buns and candy ) fandom: 9-1-1 genre: general pairings:  evan buckley/eddie diaz rating: general links: ao3 warnings/triggers: n/a word count: 1,136 words summary: Buck and Eddie are in the car, driving home, when Eddie asks Buck about his parents.—-Day 3 of Buddiemas. Prompt is Cooking

notes: written for day three of @buddiemas

read here on ao3 or under the read more

“So, what is it you’re baking right now?” Eddie finds himself asking while Buck moves around his kitchen without a thought. If you had told Eddie a year ago that Buck would feel absolutely at home in Eddie’s kitchen, he would’ve tilted his head at you in thought, not quite wanting to believe it, but hopeful nonetheless that it was a true statement. And now that he and Buck had been dating for almost a year, something that surprised Eddie way more than he wanted to admit, watching Buck inside of his home - inside of their home, if Eddie was being honest, gave Eddie goosebumps that he would never ignore. Seeing Buck’s confidence, his real confidence, not what he put on for everyone else in their lives, it made warmth surge through him.

Seeing Buck in his kitchen though? That brought on a whole new ball game, Eddie thought with a small smile as Buck continued to move around in his kitchen, grabbing ingredients Eddie didn’t even know he had, and figured Buck had bought at one point when Eddie wasn’t completely paying attention.

“They’re called Caramel Chip Squares,” Buck says after a few minutes, voice soft, and Eddie looks up to his boyfriend with a soft hum as Buck begins combining ingredients into a large bowl before stirring them together a whisk, his sleeves rolled up in a way that has his muscles bulging and Eddie secretly drooling over them, something Buck can clearly see him doing by the smirk on his face after a few minutes.

“You know I’m not going to stop,” Eddie says after a few minutes, smiling when Buck lets out a chuckle as he continues to stir before the oven timer lets out a beeping noise to let them know it’s done.

“Can you get that for me?” Buck asks and Eddie stands up from the stool he’s been sitting on for the past little while, taking the oven mitts that are hanging from the side before opening the oven, completely salivating at the smell coming from inside. All day Buck has been cooking and baking, testing out the different recipes he had stocked from an old time ‘family’ cookbook, a cookbook that had actually come from one of his more favorite nannies growing up, giving samples to Eddie to test and try and make sure everything tasted alright.

Eddie didn’t mind, especially when everything came out absolutely delicious, but he was starting to get full, even as the food he was currently removing made its way through his nostrils, the scent too indescribable for Eddie to even think about.

“Remind me why you’re cooking and baking everything now,” Eddie finds himself asking Buck with a small smirk, placing the current dish on the counter before he sits back down on one of the stools, his eyebrow arching when Buck turns to look at him with a small scowl. Eddie does his best to not chuckle at his boyfriend’s look, and knows Buck has explained it to him more than once, but Eddie absolutely enjoys seeing how passionate Buck is when it comes to food.

“Because I haven’t cooked or baked these dishes since I was growing up, and I want to make sure everything is up to par,” Buck replies after a few minutes, arching his eyebrow when Eddie only hums in response. When Eddie had found out that Buck used to cook and bake when he was younger, he had been pleasantly surprised, though confused, because Bobby had been given him lessons on cooking for more than a few months now and Buck -- Buck had blushed when Eddie had brought it up, something that Eddie couldn’t help but find endearing and a little confusing.

With more prodding, Buck had admitted that he hadn’t cooked or baked in years, and while he knew a lot of the basics, he had forgotten even more, and had asked Bobby for help, acting like he sucked at cooking in general. Bobby had agreed and Buck had gotten a refresher course - though eventually, Buck had stopped asking Bobby for help, feeling a little guilty that he hadn’t been completely truthful with Bobby about why he needed lessons.

Eddie had found that adorable, had told Buck so with a fond roll of his eyes, and remembered how he had shown Buck just how adorable he found it. But it was still something Buck didn’t like talking about, if the look on his face was anything to go by.

“Babe, we both know everything is actually going to be good,” Eddie says after a few minutes, leaning forward on the counter so that Buck could get a good look at him, waiting until Buck looks into his eyes and bites his lip before nodding.

“Why are you really nervous about this?” Eddie asks, because he knows that Buck wouldn’t be cooking and baking like this ahead of time unless he was truly nervous, knows that Buck doesn’t like wasting food, doesn’t like - well, a lot of things. Buck sets everything down before taking a deep breath.

“I guess, I’m nervous because none of the team actually know what I’m capable of,” Buck whispers and Eddie can feel something inside of him drop at the low cadence to his boyfriend’s voice, moving off of the stool quickly before heading towards Buck, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s waist and just holding him for a few minutes, one of his hands ending up in Buck’s hair, running his fingers through it to try and comfort his boyfriend.

“Hey, no matter what, the team will always love you, you know that right?” Eddie whispers, waiting for Buck to nod against his chest, something in him relaxing when Buck eventually does before Eddie pulls away a little bit.

“It’s okay to be nervous. You’re going to be sharing a part of yourself that you’ve only really shared with Maddie, Chris and me. You have no idea how the team is going to respond to that, even though the dinner is still a couple of weeks away,” Eddie teases lightly, fingers running along Buck’s jawline before he smiles lightly.

“But no matter what, they’re going to love the food, and love you, and be proud of you,” Eddie adds, ignoring the hum Buck responds with, doing his best not to focus on the way Buck mouths at his neck, heat coursing through him as he pulls away completely.

“Let’s finish baking, and then we can continue that plan,” Eddie teases, heading towards the bowl with the caramel chip cake before turning towards Buck.

“What can I do to help?” He asks, smiling when Buck grins at him and then steps close to him, instructing him on what he needs done, Eddie allowing Buck to boss him around just this once.

[theawkwardterrier]

The Shops on Shield Street

Steggy Week 2k20, day 4 Prompt: AUs and crossover

Summary: Running a small business is already hard enough without someone trying to sabotage things.

AO3 link here. Thanks to @steggyfanevents​ for organizing!

The first time Peggy visits Steve’s shop is the day he opens.

Working just down the street, she’s spent the past few months watching the renovations at what had been most recently been a short-lived scented candle business. When the new signs and awnings had gone up naming it as Shield Street Books, she’d been further intrigued; she’s seen various stores come and go through the space, but a bookshop is new. Now, on her lunch break, she takes the opportunity to go visit.

She looks over the front windows first: the right-hand side is filled with buzzy new releases and bestsellers for adults, the left with books for younger readers. The windows themselves are painted with a colorful but subtle border of books on the right, while the left side features lovely illustrations of Wild Things marauding across the bottom, a mockingjay pin hidden along the side, a Little Prince floating among the stars at the top, and a web reading “Some Pig” in the corner. The chalk sign reads “Grand opening” on one side and “Ask us about our events!” on the other.

Peggy is cautiously optimistic as she steps in, a cheerful little bell jingling as she does. The space isn’t cavernous but it’s large enough, and the high ceilings, big front windows, light wood flooring and shelves, and friendly gray-green walls make it seem more open. The checkout is easily visible, a chalkboard wall above it featuring a listing of upcoming book club meetings, a coffee and cookies social series, and a reading by a local poet (Peggy supposes that you have to be a bit more established to start getting better-known names).

The front area has all the typical souvenirs everyone around here sells - magnets, mugs, pens, postcards - along with fancier or more specifically bookish things like scarves, tote bags, and book weights which seem to be attracting some good attention. A few people are looking at the cookbooks and coffee table books lining the walls and stacked on tables nearby, and she can see browsers in the labeled aisles spanning out into the main area of the store: mystery, biography and memoir, young adult, politics, each with an appropriate, particularly-styled illustration. A sign pointing downstairs advertises a used book area, as well as a gallery and event space. She breathes in the scent of fresh wood and words on paper, officially impressed.

She is examining a table just before the aisles which is covered with a display of staff favorites when a voice behind her says, “I love that one.”

Turning with the copy of My Favorite Thing Is Monsters still in hand, she encounters the man who until now she’s only seen at a distance, occasionally ducking in and out of the store while it was under construction. He’s tall and blond, with broad shoulders beneath his heather gray T-shirt, plain except for a small, oddly-rendered sketch of a pale turquoise bird in side profile and showing one large eye. She tries not to let on how distracted she is by the hint of a darkly-inked tattoo peeking out from the bottom of his sleeve; his blue eyes are watching her clearly from behind a pair of thick-framed glasses.

“I’m sorry?” she asks politely, trying not to let on that she’s slightly lost the thread of how things started.

“That’s a great book. I love it,” he offers, shrugging awkward shoulders although his smile is still lovely and genuine. “Although it’s not too surprising seeing as I’m most of the staff here, so the table’s pretty much stacked with books I love.”

“You must be the new owner then,” Peggy says, putting out a hand. “Congratulations. I’m Peggy Carter. I run Top Shelf Tea and Coffee up the street.”

“Steve Rogers, good to meet you." He shakes with her, then gestures to the book she’s still holding in her other hand. “Are you browsing for yourself, or just over here to check out the new neighbors?”

“I think I can do both quite handily,” she says, smiling back at him. “Though I don’t typically read graphic novels. Perhaps you can recommend something else?”

Nothing precisely shifts about his posture, but she suddenly has the sense that he’s more settled on his heels, focused even more intently on her. “What do you typically read?”

“Very little, of late,” she admits, making a bit of a face. “I used to read quite a bit of mystery - Gothic, classics, noir, Agatha Christie, Tana French, and my favorites were those where you get suspense and a good story but a good sentence too. But with everything on my plate, I’m lucky if I can get through a half chapter before I go to sleep.”

“Sure.” He crosses his arms, which does nice things for his muscles, as well as showing off an extra sneaking bit of his tattoo. Watching him think, she has the sudden feeling that she’s in very good hands. And, when he rings up a collection of P.D. James short stories and one originally published in Swedish called An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good (“With your schedule, it might be easier to enjoy a little section over a night or two rather than trying to force yourself to make it through a hefty novel”) along with a copy of Dorothy B. Hughes’s In a Lonely Place that he’d tracked down in the used book section (“It’s not long, and it’s dark, smart, psychological noir”) it seems she’s right.

Peggy is not behind the counter when Steve shows up at her shop the next day, but she comes out from the back when she recognizes his voice ordering the house blend coffee.

“I had expected you to have more of an opinion than that,” she teases as she walks through from the kitchen with a tray of fresh scones to load into the display case and finds him waiting to pick up his drink. He’s come in past the commuter crush and before the lunch rush, but even with Peggy’s staff working quickly and efficiently as usual there’s enough of a wait to guarantee a moment to chat. “I certainly anticipated your drink of choice would be something with minimal fuss, but I would have guessed at something with a bit more imagination at least.”

He laughs. “I’m just trying to get the lay of the land here, and the house blend is how I know what kind of joint you’re running here.” Rose places a cup labeled “Steve!” on the counter, smiling at him before she twirls away again. He picks it up, takes in the steam rising through the lid, smiling as he does. “It smells good. But when you name your place ‘Top Shelf,’ you have some pretty high expectations to meet,” he warns, smile still flickering around his mouth.

“Don’t worry.” She leans over the counter toward him. “The expectations are exactly where I want them.”

His eyes widen after the first sip and he takes a second before he’s even swallowed. “You were right. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“I know,” she says plainly. “And my true expertise is with the tea. Try the Irish blend next time you’re here, or a cinnamon rooibos latte if you’re feeling adventurous.”

His eyes smile over the top of the cup and he takes another sip. “I guess I’ll have to keep coming back with so much to try.”

“I suppose you will,” she says, trying to sound friendly but casual when she adds, “And I’ve finished two of the stories in the P.D. James, so I might have to come back for more recommendations soon.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” he tells her. This time, even with the clamor of people waiting behind him or skirting huffily around to pick up drinks, he isn’t smiling, he’s grinning.

By the time Steve drops in one afternoon eight months later, he is a very familiar sight. Daniel wraps one of the enormous seasonal apple-cinnamon muffins as soon as he walks through the door then waits for him to order a drink - the staff knows that while Steve certainly has favorites on the drinks menu, he changes between them often enough to keep things interesting. (He always orders a muffin, though: apple-cinnamon in autumn, blueberry the rest of the year.)

Usually they don’t have time for lengthy chats during the day considering the crowds at Top Shelf and the customers and part-timers waiting for Steve to return over at Shield Street, but today when Peggy comes out to say a brief hello, she finds Steve sitting at one of the tables. The small tilt of his head as their eyes meet is enough for her to slide the proposal she’s reading about switching dairy providers into her pocket and walk over to sit with him. The little two-seater he’s picked is away from the large front windows, and she seats herself in the comfortable leather armchair across from him with a feeling of relative privacy.

“Is something wrong?” she asks. Steve’s doing well enough as far as she knows: Shield Street seems often to buzz with foot traffic and they’ve been promoting their online store, there is a solid slate of events and programs including the coffee and cookies socials for which he sources the refreshments from Top Shelf, there was a lovely recent write-up in the local paper, and he’s even been able to hire a full time employee other than himself. Still, she knows entirely too well that the life of a small business owner can be somewhat exacting and stressful. Small mistakes in ordering stock or taking on a bit too much can be enormously costly, and even when you’ve done everything correctly, factors outside your control can conspire against you without much of anything to serve as protection. Steve’s tense expression mirrors the way she sometimes felt in the first few years after she’d opened - and still does today, if she’s being honest.

He sips his tea slowly, and she can tell it’s not because he’s finally remembering her advice about allowing the flavors to settle.

“There was a guy in at the store this afternoon,” he says finally. “Stuck around a long time, looked in every corner, and then didn’t buy anything. But I overheard him on the phone when I was coming over here.” He looks up at her, eyes somewhere between hard and stricken. “Peggy, I think he’s from Hydra.”

The common wisdom is that the largest threat to small businesses are superstores and online giants, the franchises of the world which can spring up on every corner or be available at a moment’s notice, backed by large pools of money that leave them free to take risks and undercut other vendors, offering brand recognition to customers across large areas without being tied by communal or ethical bonds to any of the places they land.

Hydra, a business conglomerate few had actually heard of, took the pushback against big chains and used that for its own ends. Rather than focusing on any single industry, or even establishing Hydra brand all-in-one stores, their model was to sweep in to buy various local businesses and keep their original names, or to establish seemingly innocuous storefronts without any stated connection to Hydra. But while people thought they were shopping locally and supporting their own neighbors, helping to maintain healthy competition and a diversity of business, mass-produced goods would slowly replace the higher quality ones, workplace regulations would be flouted while employees were scared into silence by the power of the corporate owners, and money would flow out of communities and into Hydra’s distant and ever-deepening pockets. Steve and Peggy kept their finger on the pulse of the small business world, and they had read stories online, often later hastily retracted or swiftly vanished, stories of small towns and cities across the country where, within a few years, whole streets full of businesses that seemed to be independently-run and community-owned were actually just cheery facades under one corporate umbrella.

And now Hydra was here. Peggy thought about the shops between her business and Steve’s: the florist, the hardware store, the brewpub, the rare family-owned pharmacy, the ice cream parlor which is part of a beloved local chain, the independent movie theater, the places on other streets in their town which sold toys and art supplies and comics and shoes.

Behind her, the door opens. A squat, balding man enters, grandfatherly dapper with a suit, a bow tie, round glasses, all undercut by the coldness in his gaze. He looks around at what Peggy has built - the scattered tables and cozily diverse seating options from armchairs to stools to window seats, the carefully hung plants, the racks of magazines and stacks of available books which Steve has selected for her, the displays of art by students from the nearby universities, her talented staff, and of course her carefully curated menu - and writes something brief in a small notebook. He steps up to the counter to order.

“That’s him,” she says to Steve, barely a question. “That’s who you saw.” He nods, looking down into his mug, fingers tight around the solid pottery. Peggy remembers picking out these cups, sorting through dozens of listings until she found the exact ones she wanted: an entire range of colors, big enough for a good serving size and for wrapping hands around, but not awkward to sip at.

“If it is them,” she says, knuckles clenching beneath the table, “we won’t let them win.”

Steve looks up at her; the smile on his face is wan, not up to the usual brightness she looks forward to, but it’s the first one she’s seen at all from him today. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

The man approaches Steve first, introducing himself as Arnim Zola. He’s done his homework, knows about the finances of the shop and about Steve’s personal finances as well, from the loans he’s taken out to the fact that his mother had barely anything to leave him when she died.

“You’re a smart businessman, Mr. Rogers, I have seen that quite well. Though you might have good growth now, who knows what tomorrow might bring? Selling now and taking the money which comes with the offer, that is the smart business decision.”

And Steve, for whom courtesy is not second nature but first, has trouble turning him down with a “no thank you,” rather than a “piss off.”

Zola seems to hear it anyway, but he overcomes the spasm of anger with a smile. “I will be happy to speak to you later, if anything happens to change your mind. As I said, there is quite a lot of unreliability in business ownership.”

A pipe bursts in the back of the store that night, even though they’d all been replaced as part of the renovation. A good chunk of inventory gets soaked. Peggy walks past the next morning to find Steve putting the less damaged material out on a rack to sell at a steep discount. He tells her what happened with barely concealed fury in his throat. They hadn’t heard about Hydra deliberately driving owners to sell, but neither of them is exactly surprised.

Peggy goes to work for the next few days with her head full of rage and incipient plans. When Zola comes to request a meeting and make his case later in the week, she turns him down so sweetly that it takes a minute for him to understand that it had even happened.

She’s never had Steve over to her little flat above Stewart’s Sandwich Spot, but after a few days of working across the empty tables of Top Shelf or cramming into Steve’s office after they’ve locked up for the night, she invites him to join her.

“I had concerns about pests and odors when I first came,” she says as they climb the narrow back stairs single-file, “but I’ll have lived here five years this January and haven’t had a problem with either. In fact, waking up to the scent of their fresh bread every day is quite the bonus.”

“Plus you can pick up dinner on your way in.” Steve’s voice behind her is teasing, though accurate, as he’s currently holding the bag with the food they’d bought three minutes ago: a Tipsy Texan for her and his Peter Paul Ruben along with several orders of the fries which Peggy promises are outstanding.

She’s right. The agreed-upon brief break for sandwiches spirals into experimentation as to which of the various dipping options is the best for the french fries, then into conversation about places they’ve traveled and the best foods they ate there. Peggy backpacked a bit after university, and still tries to take a bit of vacation when she can. Steve, she finds out for the first time, was in the army and was deployed several times.

“The guys I went over with, we all came home,” he says quietly. They’ve gotten into the wine at this point. “We all got these together.” He stretches down the collar of his shirt enough for her to see some very nice muscles as well as a tattoo: concentric red and white circles with a blue center marked by a star. The outermost circle reads “107th Regiment.”

“What is the one on your arm?” she asks before she can stop herself. He chuckles and lifts his sleeve where she can now see the words clearly inked in black around his bicep: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit,” ended by an ellipses trailing from black to gray to white.

“My mom used to read Tolkien out loud at bedtime,” he explains. “And I still think about the way that one sentence opened up a whole world, a whole life, for me.”

She pours a touch more into her glass, shifting her feet up onto the sofa beside herself. “You’ve always loved reading, then?”

“Yeah. Back when I was growing up, if I wasn’t really sick, I was just getting through being sick or getting started being sick again. All that time in bed, I needed a lot to read; I was always going through the big stack of books next to my bed, or listening to some audiobook on my old Discman. When I was doing okay, I used to go talk to the librarians, and I was around so much that eventually I started volunteering there.”

He chews through one of the last remaining fries, cold now. “When I got discharged, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with myself. All I could think of was how good books made me feel, how important they were for me, how I could help put them in the hands of others. And then one day I was walking by, saw the For Sale sign on the space, noticed that the street sign said Shield, and just knew.” He shrugs. “There are small business loans aimed at vets, and my friend Bucky went into construction after we came back, helped me put the place together the way I wanted it.”

“And all that starting with one little hobbit,” she says with a smile. She pushes her hair back, feeling flushed and a bit young.

He leans against the back of the couch. “How about you? What made you decide to open Top Shelf?”

“Spite,” she answers promptly, making him laugh. “It’s entirely true. I wish I could tell you some sweet story about my grandmother bringing me to a tea shop every Saturday back when I was a girl, but I wouldn’t lie to you. The fact of it is that my mother accepted my coming to university in the States, but as I was finishing my degree, she became quite adamant about my doing graduate work to enter into law or finance. I had little interest in either, and didn’t want simply to put in the investment because she was forcing me.

“At the same time, I had a part-time job at a coffee shop where the owner was the worst sort of boss: constantly critical without any actual suggestions for improvement or true understanding of daily operations, unwilling to make necessary changes or updates, over- and under-scheduling the staff at a whim. Finally I told him that in one day I could have the place running better than he ever could, at which point he started fuming that doing his job was harder than I could imagine, and fired me. By that evening, when my mother called once more to have a ‘little chat about my future,’ I told her that I had started a business plan and would be opening a tea and coffee shop as soon as possible.”

“How did she take it?” His voice is softer. Somehow they’ve moved closer together on the sofa. With his arm draped along the back, his fingertips graze the gauzy sleeve of her blouse.

“She shouted at me, hung up, and refused to speak to me for several days, but that just gave me time to become more confident and knowledgeable by the time she called next.”

“And you succeeded.”

“I did.” She stops herself from leaning into him the way that she wants to. She might get a bright rush hearing his voice at the counter during the day, might drop by his shop for a new book even while she already has several still waiting at home, might relish this extra time to discover the thoughtful, generous, opinionated details of him of which she’s seen captivating hints over the past months, but they have a purpose here. She clears her throat, steadies herself. “I succeeded, and I mean to keep what I’ve made.”

It’s after midnight when Steve finally goes home. She tries to tell herself that it’s a shame that they didn’t really have a chance to work on their strategy, but when it means that they come back to her house the next night, and go to his the night after, she can’t be truly upset.

As a business owner and a town resident of over half a decade, Peggy has been to a council meeting or two in her time. But she prepares for tonight with special attention, leaving the shop early enough to take a longer than usual shower. She chooses a recently purchased top - navy with silver and pale blue detailing, a flattering silhouette, and a modest V-neck - and adds makeup with more than her usual care. She finishes with her usual scarlet lip and, taking in the finished product, nods firmly, picks up her bag, and goes to meet Steve.

He arrives at nearly the same time, and they take seats together in the center of the town hall meeting room.

“A good turnout,” Peggy says quietly, glancing around. “And look who’s here as well.”

Zola sits in the back of the room, quietly taking things in. She suspects that keeping abreast of town news is a part of his job. Hopefully he will be earning his salary tonight.

Most of the agenda is spent on the typical dull dealings: a proposal to change the language on parking citations is taken up and passed, followed by a bit of a tussle over the budget, then it’s on to a rousing discussion about recent changes to state alcohol legislation and the impact on local restaurants. At least the recognition ceremony for two teenagers who rescued a man drowning in the nearby lake is touching and breaks the monotony.

“And finally,” Chester Phillips, the head of the council, grumbles. He’s clearly very much past ready to adjourn. “We have an item put forward by Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers. An item very recently put forward,” he adds, shooting a glance at Peggy. The official deadline for getting onto the agenda is 24 hours in advance, but Peggy knows that the secretary, Miriam Fry, usually prints and posts things a bit early. While their proposal came in just under the deadline, the agenda had already been publicized; Peggy wanted as much of an element of surprise as she could muster to avoid sabotage.

“Good evening.” Peggy starts them off. “As many of you know, I own Top Shelf Tea and Coffee on Shield Street. I’ve been so pleased by the welcome the town has given to myself and my shop over the past several years, and I wanted to come forward tonight to raise awareness of something which has been recently affecting our local business community.”

She knows her points well after running through them with Steve for the last few nights. Without referencing notes, she smoothly and carefully explains Hydra’s background and the way their business model has caused trouble for other communities. The articles she references, entered conscientiously into the record, might be smaller pieces, but they are from reputable and reliable news outlets; Bruce Banner, the reference librarian, had helped them put together the resources with that in mind.

“Mr. Rogers and myself have received offers to purchase our businesses. We would also request that that council hear from others who have also been under recent pressure to sell.” Peggy gestures over her shoulder, where a good-sized part of the assembled crowd is standing, ready to come forward.

“Before we get to that, is there an actual proposal attached to all of this?” Alexander Pierce asks. He’s a popular, long-serving council member, distinguished and seemingly considerate, but there’s a strange hint of ice in his voice, in the blue-gray of his eyes, that makes Peggy suspect who exactly put the town on Hydra’s radar and why they seemed so certain that they would be able to work with impunity.

“Our proposal is a council resolution simply acknowledging the remarks made here today,” Steve says, the words not loud but quite firm. “It isn’t the council’s responsibility or within their authority to prevent private sales between willing parties, but we want to make certain that everyone in this town knows the coercive measures Hydra has taken in the past and will almost certainly take in the future in order to gain and maintain control of local businesses.”

He takes a breath, pushing up his glasses reflexively before he speaks. “I opened my store more recently than Ms. Carter did hers, but I’ve also felt lucky to have been able to support and be supported by this community over the past months. Moving here and opening my business has given me something I never thought I would find.” His gaze moves, for just a moment, from the council in front of them, to Peggy, who is watching from beside him. Their eyes meet so quickly she nearly wonders whether it even happened before he turns back to conclude, “I have no intention of giving up my business. And we want everyone to know that we are willing to continue fighting for however long we have to.”

“Now I—” Pierce started, but Nick Fury, a council member who rarely speaks and who Peggy knows always gets his coffee first thing in the morning to avoid running into anyone trying to discuss council issues, leans forward so his microphone picks up his words clearly.

“I’d actually like to hear from our fellow citizens, Alex,” he says, and nods for the first speaker to go ahead.

The comments last for a long while. Some people speak only briefly about being approached by Zola or other Hydra representatives, bombarded with testimonials from business owners from other towns who sold to Hydra in the past. Others have lengthy (and well documented, Peggy made sure of that) stories of escalating problems and harassment: health or building code inspectors being called and finding minor or suddenly appearing violations, delayed shipments from previously reliable vendors, spontaneous problems with heating or cooling systems.

Someone from the local paper always covers council meetings, and she’s sitting in the front row scribbling away for what will undoubtedly be a far different article than usual. But news travels fast, and as the hours march onward, more and more of their fellow townspeople squeeze into the meeting room to hear things for themselves.

Steve and Peggy expected it, but as the last of the business owners moves aside, they trade a glance seeing Arnim Zola step up to the podium.

“In my capacity as a representative of Hydra, I would like to officially demand that minutes and records of this meeting be restricted pending a defamation lawsuit which the corporation will be bringing,” he says, eyes flashing behind his glasses. The words are so practiced that Peggy feels her suspicions about the fight against Hydra in other places nearly confirmed.

“Those are a matter of public record,” Mrs. Fry says sternly. Peggy smiles. They don’t always see eye to eye, but she knew that Miriam could be relied upon to protect the integrity of the process.

Fury adds laconically, “And it will be a little difficult to put the genie back in the bottle.” He looks over everyone’s heads to the back of the room, and raises his voice to ask, “Live stream still running smoothly, Stark?”

Tony Stark, the teenaged son of the municipal head of IT, barely looks up from his phone as he gives a thumbs up. “Directly on the town website, YouTube, and Twitter, plus a few backup sites I’ve set up just in case. And I’ve been live-tweeting the whole time. First council meeting that’s ever been even close to interesting enough for me to even want to do that.” He leans back in his chair, feet up on the table and fingers typing rapidly.

The calculation is clear across Zola’s face. Leaning into the aisle so he can hear her, Peggy says quietly, “If you still manage to convince someone to sell, there’s little we can do to stop you. But you can see the town turning against the idea of you, and any of the usual tricks you try to pull will only make it worse. I doubt you’d ever be able to make a success of things here. I would cut your losses now, Mr. Zola. Everyone knows who and what you are. You can’t hide in the shadows anymore.”

Zola leaves before the resolution passes. Although they keep an eye out for him over the next weeks, they don’t see a sign of him again.

They have the other business owners over for a drink down in the event space at Steve’s shop. It was already late when the meeting finally adjourned, and it is even later once the last person - Thor, who owns the Norseman brewpub and is still laughing heartily at a story told by Luis from the electronics repair store - closes the door behind him.

“I wanted to tell Sam to take the morning off,” Steve says as they tidy things up, “but I have the feeling we’ll be even busier than usual tomorrow.”

Peggy smiles, collecting the empty bottles in a paper bag for recycling. “I think he’ll forgive you when he sees it reflected in his paycheck.”

Steve glances over the used book shelves, making sure they’re all orderly, switching a few around to keep things alphabetized. “If this keeps up, maybe I can have Nat and Wanda full time soon.” With one last glance at the shelf, he goes over and drops tiredly into one of the chairs that they have yet to fold and put away. There are plenty of other places to sit, but Peggy comes and turns a chair so she’s facing him. Their knees are nearly touching.

“I hadn’t realized quite how tense I was until the weight was removed tonight,” she says softly, just for him. “And while I know that we should stay alert and that complacency works against us, it will be such a delight to go into the shop tomorrow without feeling as if ruin was coming up on the horizon.”

“You deserve that,” Steve says, and somewhere over their work together, they’ve become comfortable enough that he already has her hand in his and she didn’t even notice until just now. “And even if they regroup fast, we’ll have a day or two to catch our breath before we start putting out resources for other communities dealing with Hydra.”

That familiar determination is back in his voice, and she realizes that so much of him is familiar now. She knows that his glasses are the last hint of the poor health which plagued him growing up, has seen pictures of his mother and recognizes where he inherited his fair hair and strong features. She has seen his tattoos and knows what he wanted to memorialize on his skin.

Looking him over, she sees that sometime after the meeting he has changed into a T-shirt that she recognizes.

“That was what you were wearing the day we met,” she says. “What made you choose it for your opening?”

He glances down. “It’s the Pigeon, from the Mo Willems series. Popular picture books, ” he explains. “I know that I can be a little intimidating for the kids, and I wanted something that would be familiar and friendly, something we could talk about together so they could get to know me and wouldn’t be as nervous.”

It’s such a simple answer, so unsurprising and considerate and right, so Steve. She frees her fingers from his so she can hold his face in her hands.

“You’re a very dear man,” she informs him, and presses her mouth to his.

Quite a while later, as Steve finally turns the lights off in his shop, finally put to rights, he asks, “Are you free again tomorrow night? I’d like to take you out somewhere that doesn’t serve sandwiches.”

“I won’t mention it at Stewart’s.” She tucks herself under his arm as they step into the cool of the street and he turns to lock up.

He laughs. “They don’t have to worry much. I’m sure we’ll be back.”

“I’m certain we will, though perhaps Thai for tomorrow,” she says thoughtfully as they walk. “But come to the shop sometime earlier, will you?” A grin is growing on her face. “I have some ideas I want to discuss about unseating Mr. Pierce at the next election that I’m not sure are proper date conversation.”

“My definition of date conversation is whatever you want to talk about,” he says, his voice never anything but honest. “But sure, I’ll come by tomorrow. I can’t get through the day without your latest matcha concoction, and I want to hear what you have planned for Pierce.” His grin is growing to match hers. “Whatever it is, I wouldn’t bet against us.”

[kerikaaria]

If I Never Met You: Chapter 27

(??? X Reader) Idol!AU, Manager!Reader

Genre: (PG13) Tooth-rotting fluff

WC: 3.6k

Warnings: None

Series Masterlist

Chapter 26 | Chapter 27 | Chapter 28

I pulled the batch of cupcakes from the oven, contemplating what I should do next. I had to wait for them to completely cool before putting any icing on top, but didn’t really have anything else to do to pass the time. Maybe I could make something else? I looked over the various ingredients I still had and realized I could make some cookies as well.

In a few days’ time, Jungkook was going to have his entrance ceremony for high school and we were all excited, so I wanted to do something a little special for them.

I wasn’t going to miss going to it for anything, so I wanted to make sure to do my baking ahead of time. I hadn’t gotten the chance to bake since I moved here, and it was refreshing to be able to get some time to do it again. And I was of course excited to share my treats with the others.

While I was on the last stage of mixing ingredients for a chocolate chip cookie dough, there was a knock on my door. I set it aside to take a look at who it was, but the peep hole was covered. I knew that meant there was only one person it could be.

“Yes, Taehyung?” I asked as I opened the door.

He flashed me his big smile. “Hey, noona!” He stepped into my house, quickly ridding himself of his shoes and plopping himself down in the living room. “What are you up to?”

It had long since been a normal occurrence for one or more of the members to randomly stop by in their free time and treat my house as their own, so I wasn’t surprised at his actions. “Just doing some baking,” I replied as I walked back to the kitchen.

I heard his quick footsteps as he followed me. “Ooohhh, really?” I didn’t need to look at him to know he was smiling with excitement. “Can I help?”

I turned to him when I picked the bowl with the cookie dough, raising my eyebrows. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Just don’t let me get near the oven and I can’t burn the house down,” he said with light laughter. “I shouldn’t be able to hurt with anything else, right?”

I hummed in thought. “I guess it can’t hurt for you to help with me getting the cookies on trays.”

He hurried to my side while I finished mixing the ingredients together. Then he looked at the other counter and noticed the cupcakes and gasped.

I followed his gaze. “Don’t you dare, Kim Taehyung,” I playfully scolded. “Those are fresh out of the oven and need to cool down. And besides, they still need icing.”

He pouted, but nodded nonetheless. “Alright, I won’t touch them.”

“Could you grab the baking trays from the cabinet over there?” I asked him as I went to grab the parchment paper.

He did as I asked, and I got the trays ready before giving Tae a spoon and showing him how to place the dough so the cookies wouldn’t run into each other.

“Is there a reason why you’re baking?” he asked while we were placing the dollops of dough.

“I wanted to make some treats for Jungkook’s ceremony in a few days,” I replied. “I haven’t had a chance to bake in a long time so while I had a little bit of time and had an excuse to, I figured I’d take it. Plus, it helps to destress.”

He hummed, seeming to think about something for a moment. “The others will be really happy that you put the effort into this for us,” Tae said, beaming at me.

“They’ll be even more impressed if you manage to help me without destroying the whole batch.”

“Hey,” he drew out in a whine. “You’re supervising, there’s no way I can screw this up.”

“Well, I hope so,” I teased as I placed the last of the dough and inspected the trays to make sure they were ready. Deciding they were good, I put on a mitt to safely place them on the rack in the oven and set the timer.

When I turned back around, I caught Taehyung taking a bit of the leftover raw dough onto his finger to snack on. I quickly grabbed his hand before it reached his mouth. “I wouldn’t do that, Taehyung.”

“Why not?” he frowned.

“There’s raw egg in that,” I responded. “I don’t want to run the risk of getting you sick. I’ll let you have a cookie once they’re cooled down enough, okay?”

The smile returned to his face. “Okay, deal!” He grabbed a paper towel to wipe his finger clean while I gathered the dishes I used to wash them in the sink.

“Would you mind helping me clean up the kitchen a bit?” I asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Tae said, starting to help me with the task.

I shot him a look. “Don’t call me ma’am. I’m only 3 years older than you, you little brat.”

“Jin hyung is old, so you are too,” he teased.

I flicked some water at him. “We are not old!”

He laughed. “Are you picking a fight with me, noona?”

“Sounds like you’re the one picking a fight, calling your manager old. What happened to respecting your elders, huh?”

Tae didn’t respond, and instead came to stand next to me with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Tae, what are yo-” I was cut off by getting a fistful of flour in my face.

My eyes had closed on reflex so I couldn’t see him, but I could definitely hear him trying and failing to hold back laugher. I shook my head to get rid of some of the excess flour sitting there before slowly opening my eyes. I remained silent as I shut off the water and grabbed my hand towel to thoroughly dry my hands. Turning away from Tae, I located the container of flour on the counter and quickly grabbed my own fistful to throw at him and managed to get him straight on the chest.

He no longer contained his laughter as he ran away from me, managing to make his way back around to the counter and snatch the whole container for himself and smirked. “Looks like I have the upper hand.”

“Are you sure about that?” I slowly walked to the cabinet where I kept the bag of the remaining flour that didn’t fit in the container. I quickly opened the door and retrieved the bag, dangling it in the air for a moment to show him we were evenly matched.

Tae’s smirk turned into a grin, seeming to be more excited that this wasn’t going to be a one-sided battle. “Bring it on,” he challenged before throwing more flour.

We ran around the kitchen like children, making a huge mess while trying to dodge each other’s flour attacks and filling the room with laughter.

Several minutes later, we were worn out and I was out of flour, having wasted it all on the silly fight. While I caught my breath from both the running and endless laughing, I took a look around the room. “Well, so much for cleaning.”

Tae let out a hearty laugh. “Yeah, but that was fun.”

The timer signaling the cookies were done went off, so I removed them from the oven before they could burn.

“I can’t believe you got me to act like a five-year-old with you,” I shook my head.

He smiled at me, walking closer. “Sometimes it’s good to forget your age and just let yourself go and have a good time.” He ran his fingers through my hair, ruffling it a bit to shake the flour out of it.

“Since when did you become mature enough to say something like that?” I teased.

He shook his head and chuckled in response. We became silent while he finished getting the flour out of my hair. Once he was done, he twisted a lock of it around his finger before he spoke again. “How are you feeling now?”

I tilted my head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You mentioned you were baking to destress,” he said.

I didn’t even think he thought that much about it. The fact that he paid that much attention to what I said made my heart feel warm. “I feel perfectly fine,” I assured him. “It’s nothing crazy. Just with the recent comeback and being super busy and everything, you know how quickly things add up. But I’m fine, I promise.”

He nodded, seeming happy with my answer. “Good.” He released my hair and ruffled his own. “Maybe we should actually clean the kitchen now,” he said with a smile.

“Yeah, good idea,” I laughed.                      

It wasn’t really a surprise to me at all that after what happened a few months ago, the boys started being a little more attentive to how I was feeling. If I looked like I wasn’t having as good of a day, they’d make extra efforts to ensure I knew they cared and were there for me. And if they felt I was being a little more distant, they’d ask if I was okay.

They were being really good with not being pushy with it though, which I very much appreciated. While it was a little overwhelming at first, I did still really appreciate how much they seem to care about my wellbeing, just as I try to do with them.

We continued chatting while we combined our efforts to clean up all the flour. It surprisingly didn’t take all that long between the two of us. After the kitchen was all clean, he briefly went back to his own home to shower and I did the same at home. He returned afterwards, and by that time the cupcakes were cooled and ready to be iced. Luckily, I had already taken care of making the icing so I didn’t need to dirty any more dishes.

Taehyung wanted to help with that too, so I showed him how to do it. I didn’t want them to be super sweet, so I was just putting a thin layer on them rather than being fancy with piping the icing on. I figured he wouldn’t have too much trouble with it.

When I finished with my last cupcake, I turned to look at how Tae was doing and saw a surprising amount of icing had found its way onto his hands. I laughed at the sight.

He turned to me, confused. “What’s so funny?”

“How did you get that much icing on your hands?” I asked. “You’re so messy.”

“Hey, this stuff is really hard to handle. It just gets everywhere!” he defended.

I slowly nodded. “Hmm, I see.”

“How did you manage to keep your hands clean?” Tae asked.

“Because I’m not messy like you,” I teased. I dipped my finger in a little bit of the remaining icing and placed it on the tip of his nose.

“Hey!” He placed the last cupcake, now finished, back in the pan and went to do the same to me, but I ducked in time and ran into the living room.

He chased me, but before he could pay me back someone knocked on my door. I answered, being greeted by Jimin.

“Oh, so this is where you’ve been all day,” Jimin said to Tae as he took off his shoes. He took notice of the icing on his face and hands. “What are you guys doing?” he asked, eyebrows raised and looking back and forth between us.

“Noona was baking today,��� Tae responded. “I was helping with icing the cupcakes.”

“Cupcakes?!” Jimin asked, hurrying into the kitchen.

I hurried after him. “Don’t you touch them, Jimin. They’re for after Kookie’s high school entrance ceremony.”

“But there’s like 20 here,” he said, observing the pans on the counter. “I can’t even have one?” he pouted.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What have you eaten today?”

“I had a small breakfast, but had a good lunch and full dinner,” he responded easily.

“And if I ask the others, they can confirm that?” I asked.

Jimin nodded firmly. I knew that meant he wasn’t lying. Anytime he was fibbing about what he’d eaten, he gets nervous and isn’t confident in his answer. “Okay then, you can have one.”

“Yay!” he cheered, scanning the small treats to decide which one he wanted to eat.

Taehyung was finishing washing his hands and face of the icing, and even took it upon himself to clean the bowl the icing was in along with the offset spatulas we used.

“Thanks, Taetae,” I smiled at him while he washed and he responded with his own smile.

“Oh my gosh, noona!” Jimin said after taking a bite of the treat. “This is so good! You should open your own bakery!”

I laughed. “Yeah, if I ever find the time to do that, I’ll be sure to give it a shot.”

We stood in comfortable silence while Jimin ate his cupcake and Tae dried his hands after finishing the dishes.

“Am I allowed to have my cookie now?” Tae asked, looking at me hopefully.

“Yes, you can,” I chuckled.

“There’s cookies too?!” Jimin asked, looking around and finally noticing the trays sitting on top of the stove.

Tae hurried over to them and grabbed the one he’d eat before glaring at Jimin. “You already had a cupcake, you can’t have a cookie.”

Jimin walked toward him, but Taehyung seemed to be guarding them. “Aw, come on Tae,” Jimin whined. “How come you get one and I don’t?”

“Be glad you got a cupcake,” Taehyung responded. “Noona already told me earlier I could have a cookie. It’s my reward for helping her bake.”

“Wait,” Jimin said. “Taehyung was baking and didn’t manage to ruin anything?” He turned to me.

“Well, he helped a little bit. I did most of the legwork,” I said.

“Hey, that icing was really tricky to work with!” Taehyung defended.

While he seemed distracted, Jimin tried to sneak around him to grab a cookie. But Taehyung caught him last minute and swatted his hand away.

“That’s not fair,” Jimin whined. He turned to me. “Noona, can I please have a cookie?” He pouted and looked at me with probably the most pitiful pair of puppy eyes I’ve seen. “I already told you how good I’ve been today.”

I just shrugged, too entertained by the scene in front of me to intervene at the moment.

“Ha!” Taehyung cheered while he chewed on his cookie. “I told you she likes me better,” he teased.

“She does not!” Jimin retorted. “You don’t play favorites between us, do you noona?”

I tapped my forefinger on my chin, pretending to think. I decided to tease Taehyung a bit. “Well, if I did I don’t think it would be Tae.”

Said boy abruptly stopped chewing and looked at me with a shocked expression. “What do you mean? We had so much fun today!”

“Which resulted in my kitchen being an absolute mess,” I reminded him.

Jimin looked back and forth between us. “Wait, what? What the heck did you do?”

“Flour fight,” I responded.

“What are you, a five-year-old?” Jimin slapped his friend on the arm.

“Hey, she was fully cooperative!” Taehyung retorted. “And I helped clean up!”

I smiled, happy that I kept the cute little argument going for a bit longer.

“Well, now I think I deserve a cookie even more than you do,” Jimin said. “So let me have one.”

Taehyung was adamantly refusing still, as if he was guarding some kind of precious treasure.

I finally let go of the laugh I had been holding back through the whole scene. “You can have a cookie, Jimin. And Tae, you’re welcome to a cupcake too. Is that fair?”

Both boys’ eyes lit up and they nodded, making me laugh even more.

A few days later, all of us and a couple other staff were at the high school Jungkook was going to be attending for his entrance ceremony. We all looked down at him from the second-floor balcony, the members looking like proud brothers. I completely understood how they felt, feeling a little emotional over the event myself. It was crazy to think that I was the age of a college student and one of my friends was just barely starting high school, but I decided not to dwell on that because it made me feel old.

The boys were trying to tell Jungkook to go talk to his friends and be social but he shook his head and decided to stand by himself. The boy was so shy sometimes, it shocked me how different he could be once it came to performing on stage.

Once the event was over, we went to a restaurant to eat together. There was of course a video being filmed to go up on the YouTube channel so I stayed behind the staff with the camera to make sure I wasn’t really in the shots. Yes, a lot of fans knew who I was but it was generally best to make sure that I wasn’t shown being super friendly with them. Assumptions can be made very easily and quickly, and the last thing the boys needed was any extra drama.

I hadn’t told anyone else about my baking ventures the other day, and had asked Jimin and Taehyung to keep quiet about it because I wanted to surprise the others. After we returned home and there was enough time for everyone to get settled, I texted Jimin to ask if the two of them could come help me bring everything over so I didn’t drop anything on the way and didn’t need to take multiple trips.

I entered their house first when we returned with the baked goods. Jungkook was, to my pleasure, the first one to see what I had brought with me.

“Noona! What is that?” he asked, excited.

“What does it look like, Kookie?” I asked, ruffling his hair when he stood next to me to get a better look at the cupcakes I had.

He licked his lips, looking like he was ready to devour the whole tray. “Where did you get these?” he asked.

“She made them herself,” Taehyung answered for me, sounding proud.

“Really?!” Jungkook looked at me with his eyes wide.

“Yes, really,” I laughed.

“There’s cookies, too,” Jimin singsonged as he placed them on the table.

“This is awesome, noona!” Jungkook hugged me tightly.

By this time, others had entered the room and saw the treats I brought for them as well.

“I feel inclined to remind you guys that we are still technically supposed to watch what we eat,” Namjoon said, but his eyes betrayed his words, looking like he was as ready to dive into the sugary food as the maknae.

“And you guys already haven’t been eating according to your technical diet today,” I reminded him. “So I feel inclined to say that it doesn’t matter right now.”

Joonie smiled at me, not wanting to argue with that.

“Did you really make these yourself, (Y/n)?” Jin asked and I nodded my confirmation. “That’s really awesome.” He smiled at me, seeming impressed.

“I helped!” Taehyung said, raising his hand in the air. He received skeptical looks from the others, except from Jimin who of course already knew.

“No way,” Yoongi said. “If you did, I’m sure these cookies would be burned and the cupcakes would still be liquid. And they’d taste horrible.”

Taehyung frowned. “But I really did help…”

I decided to have mercy on him and not go into detail on how he helped me. “Actually, he did,” I defended him. “He was a very good helper.” I smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

He beamed back at me and the other members’ faces turned to looks of surprise.

“Well, I’m sure they’re still edible since they seem to have passed noona’s standards,” Hoseok offered.

“I had one the other day and they’re really delicious,” Jimin said, seeming to want to take mercy on his friend’s ego as well.

“Well, what are we waiting for then?” Jungkook said, quickly grabbing one of the cupcakes.

We chatted for what felt like hours while we slowly chipped away at the food. I didn’t expect all the cupcakes to be eaten, but there were only a couple left. As for the cookies, those went very quickly.

Because it was getting late, I wanted to get going. There weren’t any outside schedules the next day but of course there was practice and other things at the company they had to do and I had some things to work on as well so I didn’t want to keep them or myself up too late.

I realized there was one cookie left on the plate. “Anyone want to eat that last cookie before I take it home?” I asked.

“Me!” both Jimin and Tae went to grab for the cookie. They stared each other down, seeming to commence some kind of mental battle.

The rest of us watched as they stayed like that for a few moments too long. While they were distracted, Jungkook swooped in and snatched the cookie for himself and took a bite before they could realize what happened.

They both turned to the boy of the hour with appalled expressions, who had way too innocent of a look on his face for what he had just done.

“How could you?” Taehyung asked.

“I can’t believe you stole that from me!” Jimin said.

“You snooze, you lose,” Jungkook said, laughing.

Series Masterlist

Chapter 26 | Chapter 27 | Chapter 28

Tags: @calling-dips-on-j-hope​ @misohime​ @netflix-batman-sleep​ @smallbaby-cat​ @leitholdwithlove​ @ramyagovindraj​ @leesalts​ @rjsmochii​

Send me a message or ask if you want tagged! And also feel free to leave comments or send asks to just talk to me!

[themysteryofwriting]

for your bthb, how about logan as "the collector"?

@badthingshappenbingo

The Collector (Sanders sides fic)

Word Count: 3003

TW: Kidnapping, Taxidermy on a person, blunt force trauma, character death, implied use of a date rape drug, major character death

Everyone collected things.  Some people collect stuffed animals, other people collect pins, and even others collect stamps.  So why was Logan so different just because he collected people.

He had collected quite a few people throughout the years.  There was Patton, who had been there the longest.  He was a sweet guy.  Always cheerful, even now, trying to keep the others upbeat and happy.  Patton had been here since Logan’s senior year of college.  They had met at a small cafe.  Patton trusted way too easily.  It wasn’t hard to get that ball of sunshine to come with him.

The twins came about a year after Patton.  He saw them during a show he went to and knew he just had to have them.  The twins being Roman and Remus of course.  Named after the Roman legend and just exquisite in every way.  They took a bit more planning to get then Patton.  Which was no surprise considering Patton had literally walked with him until Logan had decided they were close enough for him to drug him. But nevertheless, the twins were added to the Collection.  It was such a shame he couldn’t talk to them anymore, but they had made their choice.  If they had listened, then Logan wouldn’t have to have gone to such extreme measures.

A little bit after that, and before the twins made their massive mistake came Dee.  He was a shy boy, who didn’t trust many people. He also had a burn on the right side of his face. He had actually met him before the twins, but it took nearly a year for Dee to trust him enough for him to get him.  He had only been with them a few weeks before the incident with the twins.  But it was clear after that that neither Dee nor Patton would be trying anything.

And his most recent edition, at least until today, going only a few months back. He had met him on the way to work and got the same feeling that he had gotten for the twins.  He just had to have Virgil.  Virgil took a little bit longer to get but he was with them now.

And today, Logan had found a new target.  He would have probably passed right by her if he hadn’t noticed the missing posters she was putting up.  They were missing posters for Virgil. He had seen them around here and there and had tried taking them down without arousing any suspicion.  He didn’t realize who had been putting them up though. Before doing anything, he had to find out more about her.  He picked up one of the flyers she had and walked over to her.  “I think you dropped this.”

“Oh thank you,” she said, smiling take the flyer.  “Sorry, I’m probably dropping them everywhere.”

“No, it’s fine,” Logan said with a smile.  “Do you mind if I ask who that is?”

The girl shook her head.  “He’s my older brother, Virgil.  He went missing a few months back.  Everyone else seems to think he’s run away, but I know my brother better than that.  We’re really close, he wouldn’t have left without telling me.”

Interesting. Virgil hadn’t said anything about a sister.  And she would be both a good addition to his Collection and a good way to keep Virgil in line.  “...You know what I think he looks familiar.”

“Really,” Virgil’s sister asked hopefully.  “Do you know where you could have seen him?  Was it recently?”

“....You’re really worried about him, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, he’s my older brother, we’ve always protected each other….,” Virgil’s sister winced as she realized something, “I’m sorry, I realized I forgot to ask for your time.”

Logan smiled softly at her.  “Logan Berry,” he said introducing himself, using a fake last name just in case she decided to do some research.

“It’s nice to meet you, Logan,” she said, smiling up at him, giving off the same energy as Patton, “My name’s Rachel.”

“Why don’t we go to the cafe so we can talk this out.”

“Well I need to finish putting up these posters first,” Rachel said, “Someone keeps tearing these down, I’m free tomorrow afternoon though.  Maybe around 2ish?”

Logan nodded.  “Then we can talk then.”

Rachel nodded.  “See you then,” she said before heading off.

“Rachel Bosque,” Logan muttered, knowing her last name because of his research on Virgil.  He grinned a bit.  She would be an excellent addition to his Collection.  He abandoned his original plan of what he was going to do and head home.

“I’m home~,” Logan called out as he walked inside the house.  If you could even call it a house with how gigantic it was.

Before going to work, he went to check on the rest of his Collection.  Dee and Patton both glanced up and clearly knew what the look on his face was.

Virgil, like he had been the past couple months, was sulking in the corner, glaring at Logan.

“You’re back early Lolo,” Patton said with a smile that wasn’t entirely real.

Dee just sat next to Patton, already scared for the newcomer.  He knew by now that Logan wouldn’t hurt him if he didn’t mess up, but he was still quiet.

Logan nodded, smiling a bit.  “I think I found a good addition to the Collection.”

Virgil’s eyes widened in disbelief, where Patton and Dee nodded, having recognized the look on Logan’s face.

“Who is it,” Patton asked.

“You never told me you had a sister Virgil.”

That made Virgil growl.  “Leave her the fuck alone. She has nothing to do with this!”

“Ah don’t be like that Virgil, you know I’m not going to hurt her.  Besides, don’t you want to see your sister again?”

“I don’t want you to have anything to do with her.”

Logan tsked.  “Now Virgil, I don’t want to have to punish you again.”

Virgil flinched slightly before going quiet, he was still glaring at Logan though.

Logan smiled and hummed before going to do research on Rachel.  He hummed a bit as he did so, wondering how he hadn’t come across her before.  If he hadn’t already known that they were related, he might assume they were dating with the number of her photos Virgil was in.  It seemed like she worked in a theatre, working on props and stuff like that if the theatre’s page was any accurate.  The more he read, the more he was certain she would be a perfect fit for his Collection.  If his interaction with her earlier was any indication, she would be easy to grab.  He could probably slip something into her drink when she went to the bathroom and simple as that he would have her.

Noticing the time, Logan got food for himself and his Collection before planning everything for tomorrow.  He would have her before dinner time tomorrow, he just knew it.  After he finished getting everything together he headed to bed so he would be refreshed for their meeting tomorrow.

Upon waking up, Logan did his normal routine for himself and his Collection before double and triple-checking that he had everything he would need.  After being sure, he headed out to the cafe that they had planned to meet. He didn’t have to wait long, as Rachel showed up soon after he did.  

“Hey Logan, you weren’t waiting long were you?”

“Not at all, should I order us drinks?”

“Sounds great,” Rachel beamed putting her stuff down.  “I’ll go to the bathroom while you’re doing that.  Get me a hot chocolate, I’m not really one for caffeine.”

Logan nodded, ordering the drinks as she headed to the bathroom, slipping something into Rachel’s while no one else was looking before heading back to their table and putting their drinks down.

Rachel soon came out.  “So do you know where you might have seen him?”

“Well I’m going to have to think about,” Logan said as he watched Rachel take a sip of her cocoa and started a mental timer.  “I think it was about a month ago.”

“You saw him a month ago,” Rachel asked, a little too excited, “That’s so much sooner than anyone else has seen him!”

Logan smiled a bit.  “Well let me see if I can remember where.”

Logan kept listing places, with Rachel scribbling them down until he noticed Rachel struggling to keep focus.  

“Hey you don’t look so good, maybe you should head home.

Rachel nodded, starting to stand up before she stumbled again.  “....I don’t think I’ll make it home,” she muttered, her words slurring.

“Well then I can take you home,” Logan hummed, “What’s your address?”

Rachel muttered something incoherent as Logan started ‘taking her home’.  Of course, that wasn’t necessarily her home.  Before too much longer she fell unconscious and Logan picked her up, a little surprised with how light she was, as he started walking home.

It didn’t take too long for them to get back and quickly injected her with the tracker he injected all of them with and quickly set that so he’d be alerted if she tried to leave or anything like that.  As soon as that was set up he brought her to the others.

“What did you do to her,” Virgil practically shouted upon seeing Rachel.

“Oh calm down Virgil, it was only something to keep her unconscious a bit.  She’ll wake up soon.”  Logan put her down on one of the beds and as soon as Logan stepped away, Virgil ran up to her to make sure she was okay.

“I’ll come back to check on you later,” Logan said with a smile as he left.  Virgil just growled at Logan, trying to protect his sister.  Logan just smiled, needing to get everything else ready for when she woke up. Well, technically most of it would be coming tomorrow but he still needed to get it ready.  He wanted his Collection to be happy after all.  He kept an eye on the time for when he knew Rachel would be waking up.  

Once the time approached, he got up and headed back over.  Sure enough, Rachel was starting to stir.  Virgil started glaring at Logan as he showed up, to which Logan only responded with a smile.

“...Virge,” Rachel asked quietly, starting to sit up.  It was almost like if she was afraid if she spoke louder he’d be gone.

And just like that, Virgil turned away from Logan to pay attention to his sister.  “I’m right here Ray, I’m so sorry.”

Rachel practically tackle hugged Virgil and sniffled a bit.  “You’re okay, you’re really okay.”

“Depends what you mean by okay,” Virgil muttered, glaring a bit at Logan again.

Rachel noticed and finally got a good look at their surroundings.  He watched as her eyes glanced around the room, which he made sure had things for all of them to do, before her eyes landed on him and she realized what happened.  “...Logan you….drugged me?”

“I’m sorry, but I needed to grab you quickly, and besides, now you’re reunited with Virgil,” Logan said.

Logan could practically see the moment she realized.  “You….you were the one who took him.”

“He was just a perfect addition to my collection, just like you.”

Virgil clung tighter to his sister as Logan said that.

“Now I’m sure the others can explain everything to you, but the most important thing.  As long as you listen to me, you won’t get hurt.”  Upon saying that, Logan walked away, hearing Patton starting to explain everything to Rachel.  

And with that Logan went back to his normal schedule….at least for the next 3 weeks.  Once Rachel had been there for three weeks, just when Logan was about to go to bed, he got an alert.  

He glanced over to see who it was.  It looked like it was Virgil and Rachel.  Logan sighed and got up to check on the situation.  Fortunately, they weren’t anywhere close to the door so Logan headed to a good place to meet up with them, hoping the situation was like he thought it was.

Soon enough, they showed up, Virgil all but pulling his sister along.  Rachel glanced around looking scared and actually freezing upon seeing Logan standing there.  

Virgil growled upon seeing Logan.  “I’m not going to let you keep us here.”

“Did Patton and Dee never tell you about the twins?”

“The twins,” Rachel asked quietly.

“They are part of Collection too, but they tried to escape, and...let’s just say they’re not with everyone else.”

Virgil realized the implication and pulled Rachel behind him, protecting her.

“Now you have two options.  You two can either go back to the others and have a small punishment in the morning, or you can fight me and lose, and find out firsthand what exactly happened to the twins.”

“Virge I-,” Rachel said, clearly terrified.

“Well I choose option 3, I knock you out and get my sister and me out of here,” Virgil’s voice softened before speaking to Rachel.  “Don’t worry Ray, I got this.”

Logan just smirked, prepared to fight.

Rachel nodded slightly and stepped back, not wanting to get caught up in the fight.

“Let’s do this,” Virgil growled, immediately lunging at Logan.

Logan sighed and literally just stepped to the side and avoided him.  “You know you’re going to have to try harder than that,” he said with a scoff.

Virgil just growled again and changed into a fighting stance before going into attack.

Logan easily fought back.  He was almost a little bored with how easy this was.  “I’ll give you one last chance to go back to the others, Virgil.”

“Fuck no,” Virgil hissed, still trying, and failing, to knock Logan out.  Not that knocking him out would have stopped him anyways with the chips in their arms.  

“So be it,” Logan sighed grabbing an encyclopedia from the desk and while Virgil was distracted, he swung with all his might, making sure to hit him in the temples.

Logan smiled a bit as Virgil crumpled to the ground and he checked for a pulse.  Had to make sure he was dead first after all. First, he held his hand up to Virgil’s nose and mouth.  No breathing.  Good.  Logan then checked for a pulse and smirked.  Just one last check.  He grabbed a penlight from his desk and shined it in Virgil’s eyes.  No reaction from either pupil.  Perfect he was dead in every way that mattered.  

Upon hearing a sob from the doorway to the room, Logan remembered Virgil wasn’t the only one there besides him.  He got up and Rachel flinched and stumbled back.  “P-please I-I'll go b-back.  I-i don’t w-want to d-die.”

Logan only smiled, leaning down to Rachel’s height and caressing her cheek. “Oh I know, you were just following your brother’s terrible decisions, weren’t you?”

Rachel nodded, possibly from fear, but to Logan that didn’t matter.

“Let’s take you back Rachel,” Logan said with a smile, trying to hide Virgil’s body from her.  It didn’t matter that she had tried to leave as well., she needed time to process before seeing that.

Rachel nodded softly, letting Logan lead her back.  Logan smiled a bit as she was brought back to the others.

“Rachel,” Patton asked, shooting up in worry, “Oh thank goodness you’re okay!  Wait...where’s Virgil?”

That one question and Rachel broke down in a sob.

“Patton, you can make the next couple of meals,” Logan said, “I’m going to up late tonight with a project.”

Both Patton and Dee paled slightly upon hearing that.  “Alright Lolo,” Patton said, moving to comfort Rachel.

And with that Logan set off to get to work.  He needed to at least get the basic stuff down today before the body started rotting. He picked up Virgil’s body and brought it over to the same place he had worked on the twins’ bodies and quickly got to work.  Once he had finished the basic work, gotten rid of everything he didn’t need, and preserved the skin so it wouldn’t dry out, Logan headed to the bed for the night.

It took about a month to finally finish, with breaks to get the stuff he needed to get done and to check on the rest of his collection.  Once done, he moved it to the same place as the twins.

He figured Rachel would want to see what happened so he came to get her.

“Lolo please,” Patton said, knowing what Logan had planned, after all, he had shown the two of them after he finished with the twins, “No one deserves to see that.”

“Just consider this….a punishment for trying to escape.”

Patton nodded and turned to Rachel, who was hiding a bit behind Patton.  It seemed like she was a little scared of him now.  Not that he could blame her.

“Logan’s not going to hurt you, he’s just going to show you something.  And we’ll be right here when you get back,” Patton told Rachel softly.

Rachel nodded, mutely getting up and following Logan.  

Logan smiled a bit as he led her to the room.  “I just thought you’d like to see what became of Virgil.”

Rachel glanced up at him in confusion as they arrived at the room and Logan gestured inside.  He let Rachel walk inside first and waited until he heard her drop to the ground before following her in.

Rachel had dropped to her knees and was just staring up at the taxidermy of Virgil Logan had worked so hard on.  

“You don’t have to worry about any of this as long as you don’t try to escape again,” Logan said, “And listen to what I say.”

Rachel nodded mutely.

Logan smiled and brought him back to the others.

Most people collected objects, but Logan collected people.  So what if that made him different.  It’s not like he was doing anything wrong as long as he kept them happy.

[lilliloves]

“you say you’ll stop, but then you keep doing it!” 😘

A little Brio Thanksgiving randomness because, why not? Thanks for the prompt

It’s Beth’s first Thanksgiving as an ex-wife so she’s not entirely sure what to make of it. On one hand it’s been a few months now and she’s gotten accustomed to the fact that she’s no longer in a marriage. On the other hand, she can see why the holiday season might feel a bit lonelier this time around.

That’s not to say she’d change anything.

She’s been awake since the sun came up preparing Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey would be done soon and she had herself in pretty good shape with all of the sides and accompaniments. She’s been baking for the last week so desserts are all set.

Annie and Sadie and the Hills are coming over which she decides is a good thing. It certainly helps to make things feel more normal and she hopes the company will distract the kids from remembering that their dad is missing, thereby reminding them of the divorce. They’re slowly adjusting but everyone, Beth included, is still getting used to the new normal.

She takes a deep breath and goes over her mental to-do list. There’s really not much else to do but re-heat before they sit down to eat and that won’t be for over an hour. She expects her guests any minute now and can hear the kids playing with toys and video games in the other room.

Beth pushes a piece of stray hair out of her face - she’d gotten ready earlier but could probably use a refresh.

Just as she convinces herself that she can take a break - the oven timer goes off indicating that the turkey is done. She smiles and grabs two oven mitts off of the counter before turning to remove the meat from the oven.

Beth hears the back door open but it doesn’t register right away. She’s too concerned with not dropping the twenty pound bird she’s pulling from the oven. It’s perfectly golden brown and moist (or, as moist as a turkey can be). She can tell she’s done well and she beams with joy.

“Looks good, ma.” She hears from behind her as she places the pan on the stove. She yelps in surprise and drops the mitts in her hand before spinning around.

“Jesus.” She says loudly, her hand over her heart beating in her chest. Her expression earns a grin from the man across from her. His hands are shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans and a smirk covers his face.

She rolls her eyes and smooths her hair back subconsciously - or maybe not.

“Can you please use the front door like a normal person.” She demands and her tone is impatient but she’s obviously not serious. It’s not the first time she’s said it and it won’t be the last but she doesn’t believe he’ll ever do it.

She’s pretty sure she doesn’t really want him to anyway. She likes how comfortable he feels around here - isn’t sure what exactly it means but she’s getting closer to being ready to find out.

He ignores her request the same way he always does and settles into the stool at the kitchen counter. He leans forward resting his weight on his forearms.

“Got a last minute shipment comin’ in tomorrow. Eight cars.”

“Rio.” She says, trying hard not to let her impatience show. “It’s the day after a holiday.”

“Ain’t a holiday in Canada.”

She bites her tongue and thinks it over before answering. Dean is picking the kids up for the weekend tonight so that’s not the problem - it’s just - she’s been looking forward to taking the day to herself.

“What time?”

“Between 8 and 9.” He replies, tilting his head as if he knows she won’t be satisfied with his answer.

She’s about to ask between which 8 and 9 when he adds:

“In the morning.”

She groans, taking a step towards the counter. Only the island stands between them and she can see the glint in his eyes, can tell he gets some kind of sick enjoyment out of riling her up.

“I’m working my ass off today.” She says, waving her arms around at the food on the counter. “And you want me to be at the dealership before eight in the morning on what was supposed to be my day off?”

“Don’t remember you requestin’ a personal day, sweetheart.”

She rolls her eyes and considers chucking something at his head but thinks better of it. Thinks he’d only find that more amusing. She turns back towards the stove, taking a closer look at the turkey to make sure it’s cooked to the correct internal temperature. When she’s confident it’s done, she turns back around and faces him.

“I’ll be there for the delivery but I’m not doing inventory until Monday.” She concedes, raising her eyebrows, daring him to argue.

“Deal.” He says with a nod, leaning his chin into his hand.

She’s relieved but not surprised. They’ve somehow sorted this partnership out so well that it actually works. She thinks he might even enjoy it sometimes, she knows she does.

Beth turns again, lighting the stovetop in front of her, ready to start her gravy. She can feel his gaze on her back - more likely on her ass - and waits for him to keep talking or stand up to leave or something but he doesn’t. Just continues to burn a hole into her backside until she can’t take the silence anymore.

“You could have called you know. Or texted.” She says, breaking the silence. She looks at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You didn’t have to come all the way over here on Thanksgiving.”

He shrugs and picks up a spoon on the counter next to him. “That ain’t as fun, though.”

He eyes the choices in front of him before settling on the stuffing to his left. He sticks his spoon into it and takes a large spoonful, ruining the perfect bowl she’d dished out earlier.

“Seriously?” She asks, annoyed (but not).

He ignores her and sticks his spoon back into the breading to take another bite.

“This shit is good.” He says with a mouthful before meeting her eyes. “Stove top?”

Beth glares and tosses the dish towel next to her at his face. It’s insulting for him to even think for a second that she’d make any sort of stuffing from a box - on Thanksgiving no less. He ducks, missing the towel flying at his head only barely. She only lets him off the hook because the glint in his eyes makes it clear he’s messing with her.

He’s always messing with her.

He reaches forward to take another bite but Beth slaps his hand away. He laughs loudly but tosses the utensil down, holding his arms up in surrender.

She chuckles, lowering her head down before looking back up at him.

“Seriously. Why are you here?”

“Wanted to tell you how thankful I am for you.”

He’s joking, obviously, but a flush appears on her cheeks regardless.

“Very funny.” And then she changes the subject quickly before he can say something crazy like he actually means it.

“What are you doing today?”

“Goin’ to my sister’s but not ‘til three.”

“Where’s Marcus?” She asks even though she’s pretty sure she knows the answer.

“With his ma.” He says confirming her suspicions.

Beth has come to know Rio well - sometimes she thinks he pulls back from her because he realizes just how well. It wasn’t intentional - that much she knows, but one way or another they’ve both wormed their way into the other’s life. Something had changed between them after they’d become partners. An understanding had been met, albeit silently.

She knows that if he did have Marcus today there’s no way he’d be here right now.

She thinks sometimes he uses her as a way to quell his loneliness and she’s okay with it - likes it, if she’s being honest, thinks she’s started to do the same with him since her divorce.

She turns when she hears the broth behind her boiling and spoons a bit of flour, mixing half heartedly. Before he’d appeared her mind had been focused on one thing only - now, she’s distracted.

She should be used to his affect on her by now.

Behind her, Rio quietly picks up the spoon to sneak another bite of stuffing but he’s not quick enough - she twirls around and catches him and he won’t lie - he feels like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“You say you’ll stop but then you keep doing it!” Beth says with a look not all too different than the one his mother has given him for years. While it may be the same look - it doesn’t result in the same reaction from him. The look from his mother clearly never left him wanting.

He shrugs but dips his spoon in anyway and bites back a smile when she huffs but let’s him get away with it. Same as his ma. It’s his charm - he knows - that gets him off the hook time after time.

He hears little footsteps rush into the kitchen behind him and turns his head to find Jane at his back.

“Mommy, I’m hungry.” She says before turning to Rio.

“Hi Mr. Rio.”

“Hey, kid.”

She smiles at him but turns back to her mother, expectantly.

“Aunt Annie and Aunt Ruby will be here soon with the appetizers.” Beth responds, glancing at the clock. It’s a few minutes after noon, the time she’d told them to arrive.

She’s pleased when Jane doesn’t fight her and turns to run back towards her brothers and sister.

“Annie and Sadie are coming over soon.” Beth says, looking pointedly at Rio. She expects he’ll take it as his cue to leave but he doesn’t budge.

So she adds: “Ruby and her family too.”

He hums in acknowledgement but isn’t phased.

“You know. With her husband. The cop.”

“I like cops.” He says with a smirk that’s akin to a Cheshire Cat. It’s a smirk she’s all too familiar with but not in the mood to indulge.

“Rio.”

He holds his hands up in surrender for the second time since he’s been there and pushes his stool back to stand.

She sighs because she doesn’t want him to go, not exactly, but it’s all so complicated.

Complicated in a way she wishes it wasn’t.

“Do you -“ she starts and then stops, tripping over her words. She pauses for a beat and then -

“Do you want to stay?”

“Told you I was going to my sister’s.” He replies but it’s not a no or a yes.

“We eat early.” She says with a shrug attempting to appear more casual then she feels.

“You can eat with us and then go. If you want.”

He narrows his eyes and she thinks he’s actually considering it when he speaks up again.

“Weren’t you just kickin’ me out?”

“I’m just trying to be nice.” She answers, annoyed. She turns around and stirs her gravy more for something to do than out of necessity.

Beth hears rustling behind her, can sense he’s moving closer, but she wills herself not to turn, not to tense as he approaches. She jumps when she feels his hands hit her waist.

“How ‘bout I come back later?”

His question takes her by surprise - they’d not gone there yet. Had been circling closer but there had only been innuendo and flirting since that time in the bathroom at the bar. What seemed like ages ago now.

She swallows and turns. His hands stay firmly planted on her hips, gripping her sweater between his fingers. She’s flush against him, can feel his body heat, and it’s enough to make her sweat.

“Later?” She questions even though she’s pretty sure she knows what he means.

“Yeah. Tonight.”

She nods and twists her hands together, unsure where to put them. She knows where she wants to put them. She wants to grip his shoulders and close the distance between them and kiss him, hard.

But she refrains like she’s been doing for months now.

“Dean’s picking the kids up at seven.” She answers quietly because she knows what it means - knows that everything changes if he comes over tonight.

He nods and moves one hand up so that it’s cupping the back of her neck. He squeezes and leans forward but before he can give her what she wants - what they both want - they hear the front door open and the commotion of holiday guests entering the house

He gives her one last squeeze and a wink before he pushes away from her and makes his way towards the back door. He pulls the door open but before he leaves he turns and nods at her.

“Save me some of that stuffin’, yeah?”

[otomebois-bb]

Soulmate AU, Part One

Pairing: Gavin & MC

(Tagging: @that-wasnt-so-bad @ceres-zephyr @mlqcdokidoki and anyone else who has been awaiting this continuation!)

Notes: This took me longer than I would've liked to get hyped up to actually write this, but it's finally done! (And yes, this is not the last of this Soulmate AU, there will be more.) For those who haven't read it, I wrote a Soulmate AU for Gavin Month that you can read here! (Please do tell me if the link doesn't work, I've never tried linking anything to a post and will do my best to fix it.) Also, last thing before jumping into this, I know I've written it's "Gavin & MC", and it is, but I'm not using "MC" in it as her name; instead, I've gone with Emci! It sounds like "MC" but feels like a real name :)

Enjoy!

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

The first day of high school was always so exciting for the freshmen entering it. New adventures, new people, new experiences, and... the hope of finding a soulmate.

[[MORE]]

Most people found their soulmates between the beginning of high school and graduation, so there was a lot to be excited for, especially if your timer was running low.

However... my timer read 8 years. I didn't even know how many months or days or hours or minutes I had left because it was so far into the future. In 8 years I'd be twenty two.

In other words, my timer told me I wouldn't be finding my soulmate in high school at all.

I didn't want to believe it, though. I figured my timer was just broken, and that one day I'd wake up and the amount of time left on it would've significantly decreased, meaning that any month, week, or even day, my soulmate would appear before me, waiting with open arms.

But as I went through high school, made a bunch of new friends and met many people I could've gotten along with had they been my soulmate, the timer stayed the same, decreasing only once a year: on my birthday.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

High school graduation was supposed to be a happy time, and yet, I spent mine covering my disappointment with a fake smile.

I was eighteen. My timer still read four years.

When the hell was it going to be my turn? Would my turn ever even come one day?

I sighed. My questions were endless, and my hopes were dwindling. At this rate, I was about ready to give up, so I decided I would just start dating; which was difficult since most people either already had their soulmates or were waiting for them and weren't willing to look elsewhere.

Even worse, two days after my graduation, my dad tragically passed away in a car accident, leaving me to take over his company while I went to college, which was harder than I thought it would be, but I still pushed through.

When I was twenty one, I finally met someone like me: someone who had given up on finding their soulmate and just wanted to settle down already. His name was Chase: a successful businessman working for LFG, obviously not CEO (that was Victor's position) but not too far off from there. Blond, bright green eyes, tall... he was gorgeously perfect.

We talked for about two months before he finally asked me to officially be his girlfriend.

It was while we were at a dance. We'd coordinated our outfits so that we matched enough that people knew we were there together, but not so much that we looked ridiculous. Our colour scheme matched, but nothing more than that. We'd both chosen one colour: him, dark red, and me, a pale gray. My dress was a backless, off-the-shoulder long sleeved thing, the main colour gray, with the lace surrounding the top elegantly and the little bit of it on the puffy skirt being a wine red. His suit was the same gray with the same red vest and tie.

We stepped into the ballroom, arm in arm, where many sophisticated looking people mingled, some on the dance floor, some on the sidelines sitting down, talking or eating (or both), and some standing by the food table near the alcohol. At the sight, I gulped, and my palms felt sweaty. So many important people in one room...

Chase, seeming to realise something was off, leaned down and whispered in my ear, "There's nothing to be nervous about. The only people who know you're not on our level of importance are myself and Victor; if he shows, that is."

I inhaled. "Yeah. You're right, of course you're right."

He put his hands on my shoulders. "Come on, with me: breathe in—" we both took deep breaths. "—and breathe out." We let out our breaths together. He moved to stand in front of me. "Better?" His face wore a smile, though I could see the concern in his eyes.

I nodded, smiling. "Yes. Better. Thank you."

His smile widened, and he winked. "That's what I'm here for. Now, let's dance!"

He led me to the dancefloor. I didn't particularly think I was a horrible dancer, but I wasn't really that good, either. Chase was considerate though; he helped me enough so that I looked good, and no one could see my stumbling feet under the floor length dress I wore. After a while, I complained my feet hurt, so we moved over to the refreshment table, grabbed a few things to eat, then two glasses of wine and headed out onto a balcony nearby.

"So, how are you liking it?" he asked, leaning his back against the railing while I leaned my chest gently on it, trying not to put too much pressure on it to avoid feeling uncomfortable.

"It's nice. Not what I expected, but nice," I replied, staring down at the glittering Loveland City lights. I always loved the city at night; it was really beautiful.

"Is that a bad thing...?" He sounded so genuinely worried, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Sorry," I apologised between my fits of laughter, then, once I'd gotten myself under control, I added, "No, it's not a bad thing. I like it."

He let out a sigh of relief, making me giggle again, which he smirked at. "Well, that's good, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." He stared at me, seeming to want to say more. When I raised a brow in curiosity, that prompted him to speak again. "Can I... can I ask you something?"

"Sure." I turned to face him. "What is it?"

Chase took a deep breath and swept some of his blond locks out of his eyes before starting, "We've been talking for, what, two months now? And you and I have made it very clear we've given up on our soulmates, accepted that we might not ever meet them." I nodded, so he continued, "Well, I should have you know, I'm crazy about you. I don't know how you feel, but I'm putting myself out there because you're an amazing woman and whoever your soulmate is, he's a coward for not coming for you sooner."

I blinked. "I... you... you mean that?"

"Yes, Emci, I mean that." His serious expression was like stone; unwilling to break. Holding both of my hands, he declared, "Emci, I really, really like you. Let's forget about our soulmates and be together. What do you say?"

I pretended to ponder it for a moment before I broke into a smile. "Yes."

He rolled his eyes. "Come here, you."

He pulled me into his arms and his lips fell over mine, soft and a little plump.

I smiled into his kiss, but somehow, something felt extremely off about it.

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

END.

[dingletragedy]

one last night on this earth, can you teach me how the heart works?

ao3 link (part one)

London is one of Aaron’s favourite cities in the world. He’s so used to the stillness of village life that the buzz of the city makes him feel alive. Alive and brand new. There’s possibilities hidden down every street, hope in every bright light, and anticipation thrumming up every unimaginable skyscraper. It’s just a shame he’s not the one who’s made a life for himself down here, no, Adam has.

Truth be told he couldn’t be happier for Adam, but he can’t help the envy that flows through his veins. Aaron is stuck in Emmerdale still, the same routine day in day out. Work, eat, sleep. It’s not as if anyone is stopping him from following in Adam’s footsteps, well, anyone but himself. It’s just that he’s finally settled in Emmerdale, finally, after so many long years of feeling lost in his own body, he’s found a home. A home in his body, his mind, the village.

So of course he takes any and every opportunity to escape down the bustling city for a week. And Adam is more than happy to put him up, even goes as far as paying for his train tickets on occasions, desperate to see his best mate. Neither anticipated quite how painful the distance would be. Aaron now understands why people say losing your best friends is like losing a limb.

The thing is though, even spending the week with Adam can’t stop the gnawing feeling of loneliness eating him up, especially not when Adam ditches him for a date on the first fucking night. He’d matched with her on Tinder apparently, which Aaron scoffs at, because do people really still use that app? Her names Amelia, and that’s about all Adam knows about her considering they’ve only been talking for twenty-four bloody hours.

That feeling of envy is back again. Aaron can only wish he was as carefree and confident as Adam.

The hours tick by and Aaron betrays himself, somehow in the midst of feeling sorry for himself, he redownloads the Tinder app. Aaron’s had tinder for a lifetime but his profile hasn’t been updated since he was 20, he’s not exactly arsed about online dating, he reckons it’s overhyped and underwhelming. He finds himself scrolling through Tinder once a year, at most, when he’s exceptionally bored or having a dry spell in the sex department. Nothing has ever come of the swiping though.

The app alerts Aaron the second it’s finished downloading and curiosity gets the better of him.

He reviews his own profile first, and he instantly regrets his decision of entertaining his loneliness. It’s awful. Maybe this is why his previous success in online dating has been slim to none. He’s got two pictures up: the first is a silly photo of him and Adam, tongues poking out and shit-eating grins on their faces. The second is a picture his Mum had demanded she took of him after his first shift at the garage, his overalls are covered in grease and his own sweat has matted his hair to his forehead. Attractive, Aaron thinks. His bio reads a simple ’Not after anything serious’, and he cringes against it.

He doesn’t know what he’s after really, but with a bio like that he’s practically asking for unwanted dick pics. So he changes it.

Aaron, 22, Yorkshire. Mechanic. Trying this thing out again.

He’s happy to keep the simplicity of it without sounding like a creep.

Adam is pottering around in the kitchen, making himself (and Aaron) a predate dinner, when he stops and leans over Aaron’s shoulder. And Aaron curses himself for not being more secretive about his swiping, because suddenly Adam is acting like a small child on Christmas Day.

“Yes mate!” Adam exasperates when he notices the not-so-subtle app illuminating Aaron’s phone screen. “It’s about time you got yourself back on the dating scene.”

Aaron blows an unimpressed breath of air between his lips. But okay, Adam is probably right, only Aaron isn’t going to tell him that.

“You can’t swipe left on everyone,” Adam laments. “He was cute.”

“Nope.” Aaron flicks his finger again.

It's almost automatic. See a picture, swipe left, see the next picture, left again.

“Oh come on!  He’s cute, too!”

“And what would you know about it?” Aaron questions with a raise of his brows.

“I might not be gay, Aaron, but I do have a pair of perfectly good eyes.”

Fair point, Aaron thinks.

Adam rolls his eyes at him yet again. “C’mon, there’s gotta be someone here that’ll fit your exacting standards. Oh - what about him!”

“If you fancy them so much then maybe you need to start accepting that Ads.”

And he gets a punch on the arm for that.

With one final swipe left Aaron closes the app and Adam’s straight in his ear. “Oh come on mate, just give it a chance. Ya never know, you might just meet the love of your life.”

And so Aaron opens the app back up, to shut Adam up more than anything. He watches on as it refreshes itself, finding a new bunch of not-quite-right-men for Aaron to judge.

And then, the next profile comes up.

“Wow” he hears Adam blow out, frowning down at Aaron’s phone, “He looks like a bloody model”.

The photo staring up at them isn’t one Aaron expected to see on a site like this. It’s too sophisticated, too perfect, too gorgeous. Admittedly, this guy did have a really nice face. Aaron would have to be blind not to see that. If that's all they were going by, then he was definitely a winner.

He enlarges the profile, curiosity getting the better of him. Luckily the oven timer steals Adam’s attention back to the job at hand and Aaron is free to browse without judgement.

Robert, 24. It reads.

He’s a business manager or something fancy like that and he’s not at all Aaron’s usual type, but when he comes to think of it, what even is Aaron’s usual type? He curiously reads on.

Travelling between home and the big city.

Proud owner of an Audi R8.

Looking for someone to keep up with the demands of my non-existent social life.

I’m on Tinder because I’m Solo, what’s your excuse?

And honestly, that last bit goes straight over Aaron’s head.

He’s got four photos, dressed impressively in all except one, where he’s in his sweats and has a younger girl laughing at his side. That’s Aaron’s favourite. It looks like somebody's home, if the furniture in the background of the shot is anything to go by. It's taken from Robert's front as he leans against a wall, though he's in the middle of talking or laughing, his mouth open in a smile as he focuses on someone off camera to the side. He's got a can of cider in one hand, the other tucked into the pocket of his jeans. Casual yet jaw-dropping.

And yeah, for once Adam was right, he does look like a bloody model. A too-good-to-be-true model.

“Just swipe right will ya.” He hears Adam pipe up, and of course Aaron acts as if he has no idea what Adam’s talking about.

“Mate I’ve seen ya staring at his face for the last ten minutes. Just go for it”

“What’s the point anyway? He’d probably just be another nobody. Another one to add to the ever-growing list of nobodies.” Aaron falters. “Or, he could be the one” “I won’t meet the love of my life through a screen, Adam.” “And you won’t meet them cooped up in here all day either.” And, again, he has a point, but Robert is bloody gorgeous and Aaron is, well he’s Aaron. With one final look, Aaron sighs loudly and locks his phone, leaving Robert’s profile just sitting there, waiting for someone else to take the chance Aaron just threw away.

---

Robert is 24. Which doesn’t mean he has his shit together, because he doesn’t. But what he does have is a degree, and a more than successful job. And although technically he’s been an adult for six years, his downfall comes in the shape of dating. He's had relationships before, plenty, boys and girls, but never one that’s lasted longer than a year. Some may say commitment and Robert Sugden just aren’t compatible.

Except he’s got an invitation through the door this morning, another university friend is getting married and Robert really wishes he was at that stage of his life. He doesn’t mind being on his own for the most part, and it’s not as if he’s short of one night stands, but there’s something about the loneliness that digs at him, sometimes. The thought that maybe it’s too late for him, maybe he missed his chance somewhere along the way. There’s a party he should have gone to, or a train he should have missed. There’s someone he should have met by now, right?

He shakes his head of the thoughts but still finds himself scrolling through Tinder later that day, determined not to put his phone down till he’s fired off at least one message.

After an excruciating half an hour his thumb is throbbing in pain, but then gets to the profile of a man named Aaron, who is currently a few kilometres away, and he purses his lips. Because the guy’s picture has two attractive men on it, but one of them sparks Robert’s interest a lot more than the other. He looks young, but his profile also looks very outdated and Robert laughs against it, because it’s obvious this guy sucks at online dating. It really shouldn’t be so endearing. Robert gets plenty of attention online, but he wouldn’t exactly say he’s a dab hand at Tinder. A couple of one night stands and a few terrible dates isn’t anything to show off about.

Luckily the boy, Aaron, has another photo. And fuck, he’s wearing overalls. Robert claims he doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but he’s definitely feeling something at first sight.

As if by some miracle, Aaron has his Instagram linked to his account and although it’s is about as bare as his Tinder, it gives Robert the chance to do a spot of obsessive stalking. And even after thoroughly looking through all of Aaron’s 7 photos, he still can’t pinpoint what it is about the younger boy that’s making butterflies dance in Robert’s stomach.

At first, Robert thinks about swiping left because Aaron is, objectively, very hot. Maybe too hot. And Robert’s not sure he can handle the rejection. But then he reminds himself who the fuck he is and swipes right.

It’s a match! the app announces, and Robert wants to immediately fire off a message to Aaron.

So he does.

---

Aaron should know better by now than to leave his phone unattended in Adam’s company. If he doesn’t return to a camera roll full of ridiculous selfies, then he returns to a new match and message on Tinder.

Considering Aaron hadn’t swiped right on any of the 5o or so suspects he got through, and Adam is looking rather sheepish, it’s pretty obvious what’s gone on here. He gives Adam an earful, makes sure he knows exactly how pissed off Aaron is but stop abruptly when he unlocks the notification.

It’s a match, Robert likes you too. Getting chatting!

Aaron clicks on the message with a thudding heart and sweaty palms - Hey, tie your shoes! I don’t want you falling for anyone else.  - it reads. And can barely stop the laugh from escaping his lips.

Adam spots the bashful smile that Aaron is sure must be covering his face, “So, what did he say?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business, do you? Anyway, haven’t you got a date waiting for you. You know you can only be fashionably late a number of times, Adam.”

And then he as much as pushes Adam out of the door, as if he’s shipping his moody teenager off to school. Once alone, Aaron has the time to think of a reply for Robert.

Aaron wasn’t one in favour of online relationships. He thought the whole process was awkward and unsafe. You never knew exactly who you were talking to online – they could be someone old and gross rather than what they proclaim to be. But he figured there was no harm in chatting to Robert, it’s not as if he was ever going to meet him.

Aaron: That sure is a shit pick up line for someone who claims to own an Audi R8.

Robert: Hey that’s one of my best! And not one I use lightly, thank you very much

Aaron: It was terrible mate Robert: Friend-zoned already? Ouch. Wounded :(

Aaron: What are we, 17?

Robert: God no. Well at least I hope not. Although I’ve got to admit you do look pretty babyfaced on those photos.

Aaron: Charming

Aaron: But yeah, I probably was about 17 then. I don’t use this thing much

Robert: Guess I should count my lucky stars then? ;)

Aaron: Are you always this dramatic?

Robert: What can I say, it’s all part of my charm

Aaron: Sure, mate ;)

Robert: Right go on then. you’ve got three questions. Pick wisely.

Aaron: Who said I want to ask you any questions? Bit sure if yourself aren’t you?

Robert: Are you always this mean?

Aaron: What can I say, it’s all part of my charm ;)

And Aaron has to take a minute out, because surely that can’t be right, surely he, Aaron Dingle, can’t be flirting? Aaron had never been a flirt, anyone would tell you that, in fact, the only way to describe Aaron’s flirting was hopeless. But after all of the few minutes he’d been chatting to Robert, he felt like he’d known him forever – which was strange because they hadn’t even talked about themselves yet - but Aaron felt comfortable enough to let his guard down for the first time in years.

Aaron bit his lip – wondering why he was analysing his own behaviour so much. Sure, Robert was fit, but that didn’t mean that anything was going to happen between them, so Robert’s opinion on him shouldn’t mean anything. But it kind of did.

There’s something about Robert that makes him never want to stop talking to him. Something so compelling, so different, so - exciting.

So he doesn’t stop talking to Robert, not until it’s nearing three in the morning and Aaron’s losing the battle he’s been having with his eyes to stay open.

Aaron says his goodnights to Robert and shyly suggests they pick up where they’re leaving off tomorrow. Thankfully he gets an eager response and falls asleep with this foreign, but warm, feeling in his chest.

---

They talk every day for the next few days, alternating between messages and silly photos of absolutely anything. It becomes a mainstay in Robert’s days, something he looks forward to when he wakes up and anticipates throughout the day.

It’s the fourth day of consecutive conversation when he dares to suggest something to Aaron. A skype call.

It’s Wednesday evening and Robert’s had the day from hell at work, but he’s made it past the halfway point, now there’s just a mere few days before he’ll be back in the comfort of his Leeds office, with people who actually know how to do their jobs.

He’s perched on his bed, the bedside lamp is creating a warm glow around the hotel room, the nights drawing in earlier every day now. And Aaron’s in the same position, Robert figures when his blurry figure takes over the screen. He’s wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and what appears to be a pair of tracksuit bottoms. Suddenly Robert feels like an idiot for purposely keeping shirt buttoned to the top and fixing his tie. Aaron looks gorgeous though, so much more so that Robert could’ve ever imagined. It’s obvious he’s the same boy from the few Tinder pictures, that cheeky grin is unmistakable, but he looks so different also. Older, as if he’s grown into himself, and there’s stubble now, stubble that Robert can’t wait to get his hands on. And his eyes, Robert doesn’t know what to say about his eyes, just that he hopes all his future children have those eyes.

Aaron’s voice is quiet and soft and delicate. Not at all the kind of voice you’d expect to come from someone with Aaron’s appearance. He sounds almost timid, nervous even, and a part of Robert hopes he is, because if Robert’s rapid heartbeat and sweaty palms are anything to go by, then so is he.

They chat for hours, Aaron lets Robert whine about work and Robert listens to Aaron as he moans about what a terrible host Adam is. Robert tentatively asks about Aaron’s plans for the rest of the week, he knows Aaron’s heading back to Yorkshire soon and, well, he wants nothing more than to see him - really see him - while they’re both down in London.

“Me and Adam are heading out tomorrow, he’s finally decided that we should do something other than play Fifa all day whilst I’m down! He said something about sight-seeing and then a few drinks, but what he probably means by that is pointing at the London and then sitting in a pub all night.” Aaron replies, and really, Robert is on awe of him. “Why?”

“Well I was just - um - wondering - if you - um,” He takes a depth breath and reminds himself who the fuck he is, “Can I take you out, Friday night?”

And Aaron’s back to biting his lip, a frown taking over his features. It does nothing to stop the nervous feeling tearing apart Robert’s stomach.

And suddenly Robert’s backtracking, “I mean if you want. It’s fine if you don’t I just thought-”

“Shut up idiot, of course I want to.”

“Yeah?” Robert questions with what must be a shy smile, one replicated by Aaron.

“Yeah.”

Three hours later he’s still there, on Robert’s computer screen, yawning and scrunching up his eyes and smiling without teeth. Robert smiles back at him and says, “You should probably go to bed.” And Aaron fake whines and says he doesn’t want to go to sleep when he could be talking to Robert instead - sleep deprived and inhibitions melted away. They spend another half an hour just ending the call, arguing about who will be the first to press the threatening red button at the bottom of the screen. And honestly, Robert feels like a teenager again with the way they're just looking at each other, unable to hold their laughter in.

And when Robert wakes a few hours later his laptop is still placed on his knees. Aaron’s face filling the dimly light screen. Aaron’s soft snores pouring out the tinny speakers. Aaron’s chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Robert falls back to sleep and for the first time ever, he dreams of a warm body and the deepest blue eyes.

[tarquinteague]

Y’know you can’t hold me forever... 

He hated the questions about his romantic life, like when he first fell in love. Quin had an answer, not that he was going to share it. He was a kid, eighteen or nineteen years young, and planning to move from Scarborough to Birmingham with the her. They’d been together since he moved out of his parent’s house and bounced from place to place while he sold weed and transitioned to selling dope. They’d been buying their pot from the same guy and and while it mellowed him out, Quin noticed her constant exuberance. Little did he know, there was more than pot in her pockets.

There was a lot of hate in him; for his father, for his twin who no longer wanted to be part of the hustle, for the system that made it impossible for him to find a legitimate job and kept his chosen family on the streets. Though she knew he was a cynic, a lush, and a realist, she tried to show him new things. She showed him the love in him, too; for his mother, for his baby brother, and for hard work... even if it wasn’t honest money. She accepted his darkness with the light, minimal as it was.

Quin brushed the short brown hair from her face, a few strands sticking to her clammy skin. It was that time of summer where the weather couldn’t decide if it was going to turn cool or not and their bed of sleeping bags in the factory they were squatting in was always too hot or cold. The back of his fingers brushed across his forehead, noting its warmth but not thinking to be alarmed. “C’mon, let’s get some food in you.” He jostled her awake before turning away to empty the pockets of his clothes lying around for whatever money he had left between jobs, only to find himself frustrated.

When he turned around she’d only managed to sit up, “I could go get something and bring it back If you’re not up for it.” She waved off the gesture and pointed to her clothes. He brought them over and she clumsily got dressed. Quin pressed his lips to the top of her head but she gently shoved him off. “What?”

“We both stink and you know why.” She groped him and he laughed as he helped her up. Her slight frame was painted with bruises from nights of play, each one a different story and before he could read her skin like a book she smacked his hand off her rear. “Food first. The little shop two down?”

It wasn’t the cheapest shop, but the owner was usually nice if she was the one paying and today it would have to all go to feeding her. Quin didn’t think much of it, knowing he could pick off what he needed while she was cat napping the late afternoon away if he encouraged her to do so, since she wasn’t looking well. The walked the street arm in arm, Quin stealing kisses  as he tugged her over and over to his lips and she hugged her empty stomach rather than swatting him off, well, not until they walked into the shop and she peeled herself away to go to the bathroom.

Swallowing, he moved up to the counter and nodded at the stone-faced owner. As he pressed the clump of bills from his pocket against his thigh to flatten them out, the owner groaned. “What’ll this get her?” His eyes darted toward the bathroom and back before awkwardly adding, “... and be able to leave a tip.” The man looked at the cash on the counter, took half of it and set off to work. Quin’s mouth bobbed open to say thank you and thought better of it, tucking half of what was left in the tip jar before heading to the bathroom to clean himself up.

Setting the timer on his phone for five minute, he took a quick leak and started to clean himself in the sink, rinsing the thick brown paper towels in water and wiping himself off, chucking them, and repeating, using soap where he could without soaking his clothes in the small space. The alarm beeped and he quickly got dressed and popped out refreshed. Squinting through the shop, he looked for his girl’s brown head peaking over the edge of a booth. The twinge of unease that she’d left set in and he moved to the counter. “Did she step out?” He asked a little too loud that the owner scowled at him when he turned around as he shook his head no. The bathrooms were gendered, but for single use, the women’s was large enough for wheelchair access. Quin knocked on the door worried. “Love, you all right in there?”

Running back to the counter he begged the manager to open the door, telling him that she’d not been feeling well and that he felt something wasn’t right. To Quin it felt like ages and he’d already rushed back to the door, knocking before the man could grab the keys. The scene inside was one that Quin had seen before, but he had never expected from her. The man blocked the doorway horrified and Quin shoved him out of the way. “Call for an ambulance.” His voice cracked as he yelled at the man, practically slipping on the bloody floor as he moved over the brunette. He undid the belt on her arm and pulled out the dirty needle from her arm. There were tracks in the crook of her arm that he hadn’t noticed before, bruises from ropes, painted over them. He dug through her purse for an answer as to who’d she’d gotten the dope from.

Finding the baggie and immediately recognizing the loggo he shoved it in his pocket and jostled her. “Wake up. Please, Lib, open your eyes.” Her lips turned blue and he reached for paper towels to put to her head, where blood was still pooling from where her head must have smacked the toilet when she collapsed. Just as he was about to check for a pulse she started to seize and he pulled her gently out away from the wall and bathroom, putting her on her side as she dry heaved onto the floor. When had he started crying, Quin couldn’t be sure, but his vision blurred and he could tased the snot on his lips as he prayed to a god he didn’t particularly believe in.

When she stopped moving he could hardly see any life left in her, she was so pale. His finger were sticky with blood, but Quin hovered over her and started chest compressions. Like a mad man he bounced on her chest, riddled with the fear of crushing her and losing her. He’d lost count of how long he’d been going by the time the EMTs pulled him off. It didn’t take much effort, as he’d been running on empty before he’d even walked into the shop. All the questions overwhelmed him and the anger rose in him. He answered nothing, instead yelling with every ounce of breath left in his lungs for them to help her. It wasn’t until the cops restrained him that he shook his head and managed to think clearly... or rather with his own logic.

It was as if Quin had grown up in the blink of an eye, as if a switch had been flipped. Through the tears he started answering their questions. It was a heroin overdose but he’d only ever seen her smoke pot, that he didn’t know how long she was using but that she seemed sick that morning. Her age, her birthday, her weight, her parents names... bit by bit he pieced together this image of his love that was so topical. Then they let him go after he ran out of information. He didn’t wait to see what she looked like in a plastic bag.

The owner ran after him, shoving money into his pockets, a doggie bag into his right hand, and coffee into his left. Nothing was said, he walked on in silence. In the factory, he shuffled aimlessly through their things and pulled out his two guns and spare clips, packed everything else up, and stashed the gear in one of the dingy unused offices. Quin wasn’t thinking about coming to get it, he was thinking about ending the business for good.

No one would ever believe it, one man cleaning house on the local dealers, ending the competition and putting a match to all the product, scaring the shit out of anyone still carrying dope to sell. The money wasn’t gone though, it was “repurposed”. Maybe a stronger man would have let it burn with the empire or put the gun to their own head to remove themselves from the deaths they caused. Not Quin.

As the young man looked at his blood covered body and the smoking guns in his hands through a reflection in a mirrored armoire, he decided to change the game. He scrubbed his skin raw in the shower, picked away the blood under his nails, and swallowed away the grief choking the air in his lungs. Quin left his clothes to burn with the house, taking the big boss’ and making a single call. In the end it wasn’t hard to pin some of the crime on him. The dead girl and his own priors were enough to make him a suspect. He’d get pinned with what they could, but the money and murders, the charges that could’ve been life, somehow eluded him and he grew more confident in this new plan and his new persona.

No one called him Quin without his permission, touched him without his permission, or offered up anything to be dealt but the purest drugs and clean weapons. His operation was about doing the job well, with knowledge of every client and item in inventory. Half of the new job was about knowing people’s vices, the other about managing people’s secrets and, after years of it, he became numb to the reality that he was working so hard and in a certain way because of that day and that relationship. It was as if he had exerted every ounce of love and hope into her chest and she’d spent it up in her final moments. His inability to save her or to clean himself of the physical and emotional filth of his past had left him cold and dead himself.

So, Quin detested questions of his past, but there was someone who intrigued him just enough and, with time, had made him comfortable enough, to beat around the bush to a little sliver of his past. With whiskey on her lips as he bound her into an intricate shibari chest piece that kept her hands submissively held in front of frame, the Scottish lilt hummed her usual question to share one thing about him that no one else knew. His blue-green eyes looked into the depth of her hazel eyes and he told her in quietly, the name of the ghost he hadn’t said in almost two decades. “On every date, you know how someone always feels the need to ask who broke your heart to make you the way you are? I always hated that question, refused to answer it because I’m my own reason for being the man I am. My own choices brought me here.” His eyes didn’t well up, his voice didn’t crack, but the name sat there at the tip of his tongue, waiting to be shared with the curious little one who had been perched on the spikes of his iron gate defenses for nearly a year. “Elizabeth, Lizzy to her friends, Libs to me.” With the utterance of her name, he finally laid the ghost to rest.

[idabbleincrazy]

A Fish May Love A Bird

Pairing: GabrielxReader

Characters: Gabriel, Sam, Dean, Cas, au!Charlie Bradbury, Rowena, Jack Kline, mentions of other bunker residents

Word Count: 8009 (aaaahhhhh!!!! how did that happen?!)

Warnings: angst, some fluff, major blood loss, jealousy, idk what else

Summary: Gabriel wants to throw a Halloween masquerade. Reader is starting to realize feelings that weren’t there before. (i still suck at summaries)

A/N: this was inspired by this month’s Trope prompt on @gabriel-monthly-challenge Prompt: Mistaken or hidden identity because someone is in a costume or mask. It started out as a small idea, and snowballed from there. took inspiration from the movie Ever After (switched up the quote a bit to fit the characters better).

One Week Till Halloween

You were in the kitchen when you heard the bunker door thud shut. Cas and Dean were sitting at one of the tables in the library looking for a new case. You went about fixing dinner for your various new housemates until you heard Sam call for you from the library. You set the timer on the oven and walked out to see what he wanted.

“Yeah, Sam?” You walked into the library and saw the three men standing around a huge package set on one of the tables.

“Did you order something, y/n? This was waiting for us at the post office, but there’s no name on it. It’s just addressed to our P.O. Box; there’s no return address either.” Sam looked over to you as Cas reached out to the box slowly, face scrunched up as though trying to sense if there was anything unnatural inside it.

“No, I haven’t ordered anything since before our last case. Maybe one of the new guys did?” You walked over to the table and inspected the box. The box itself was unremarkable, but the shipping label, oddly enough, was handwritten in a long flowing script, almost as though it had been made with a quill. It was strange, to say the least.

Dean looked up from the box and shook his head. “No. We haven’t told any of them the address to it yet. Sam, go grab an E.M.F. meter, would ya? See if there’s anything haunted or cursed in there before we just go tearing it open.”

Sam went to grab the one he kept in his room and hurried back. He turned it on and moved it over the box, but nothing triggered it. Setting the meter down on the table, Sam pulled the box closer, reaching to undo the tape on the side of the wrapping.

“Ah, ah, ah, Sammy. Isn’t it a federal crime to open other peoples’ mail?”

The four of you whipped around, weapons drawn automatically to face the unexpected voice.

“Brother”, Castiel sighed, slowly lowering his angel blade.

“Goddammit, Gabriel! We could have shot you, you know?” Dean holstered his gun, exasperated as always with the Archangel’s habit of turning his appearances into a jump-scare. “And what do you care if we open the box, anyways?”

“I care because it’s mine. I had wanted to make it a surprise for everyone, but Samsquatch beat me to it.” Gabriel sauntered from the entryway, stopping by your side, and taking the box from Sam.

You raise an eyebrow in curiosity and ask, “So, what’s the surprise then?”

“Well, sweet cheeks, I could tell ya, but I’d rather show ya.” He scoops the box into his arms and turns to walk back the way he came. The four of you stare at him in confusion as he stops in the doorway, calling over his shoulder, “Make sure everyone gathers here after dinner, okay?”

A frown tugs at the corners of your lips as he continues back to his room. What the hell? Now, you were even more curious about his big secret. You turn back to the guys and shake your head. You decide there’s nothing for it but to wait and see, so you head back to the kitchen to finish up the cooking. The sooner everyone eats, the sooner you get to find out what’s in the box.

As you wait for the casserole to finish so you can start baking the variety of pies you prepared for dessert, you let your mind wander back to Gabriel. You had been hunting with the boys for a few years now and had heard quite a few stories about the tricky Archangel. When you had met him a few months ago, after Ketch had rescued him, and after he completed his ‘Kill Bill’ mission, the two of you had quickly developed a friendship. You found his silly puns and flirty looks a refreshing change from all the overprotective-brother vibes you’d received from the Winchesters and Cas.

Of course, you always gave as good as you got. He’d give you one of his smoldering smirks and you would toss back a playful wink and a bubbly giggle. You knew it was all in good fun, and what could you say; you enjoyed the attention. The band of survivors you guys had brought back from apocalypse world were nice and all, but none of the guys seemed to care much for actual flirting. You couldn’t really blame them though, they were nearly a decade out of practice. Those guys, they preferred to jump straight to the finish line. You, on the other hand, preferred the thrill of the chase; even if you didn’t get caught in the end. That’s what made Gabriel such good company. At least, until recently. Lately, something in the dynamic had shifted. When he winked at you, sometimes you would feel a shiver start its way up your spine. Or you would feel your heart start to race when he made one of his flirty comments. Somewhere along the line, you had started to fall for that golden-eyed trickster.

The buzzing of the oven timer brought you out of your thoughts and you shook your head to clear it. You heaved a sigh as you took out the casserole, and nearly dropped it as you realized that in your distracted state, you had only put on one oven mitt. You let out a loud hiss at the pain, quickly setting the dish down on the counter. Running over to the sink, you turned the water as cold as it would get and shoved your hand under the faucet to stop the heat from causing further damage.

You let out a curse as you kept your hand there for a minute. After you pulled your hand from under the water, you gave it a close look. It had turned an ugly red color in a big patch on your palm. You tentatively tried closing your hand and immediately let out a yelp. You called out for angelic help. You had meant to send out a mental call to Cas but at the last second, your brain switched gears and reached out for Gabriel. Help.

He appeared before you with a soft flutter of hidden wings, on full alert at your less-than-specific plea. His shoulders relaxed when he saw there was no one else in the room. He steeped over to you, eyebrows knit in confusion. “Jeez, cupcake! A cry like that, I was ready for some serious trouble. What happened?”

His eyes softened when he saw the way that your jaw was clenched and how you cradled your burning hand close to your chest.

“Just me being a klutz again. Burned my hand taking dinner out of the oven”, you gritted through your teeth.

He slowly pulled your hand towards him and placed a finger on the center of your palm as gently as he could. Soft, while light glowed from it and you could feel the pain receding as your skin returned to its healthy, normal shade. You looked up at him and could see a spark of blue fading from his eyes as his Grace settled back within him. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, sugarplum. Besides, can’t have you going off fighting monsters with a burnt hand, can we”, he winked at you, still holding your hand in his. “Now, I’ll just let you get back to it. I’m sure everyone’s good and hungry by now.”

With that, he let your hand drop from his and leaned in to place a gentle kiss to your forehead, as he often did any time you had gotten injured. Your eyes had closed at the touch and you didn’t open them till after you heard his tell-tale flutter of wings. You sighed and leaned your head back against a cabinet. What have you gotten yourself into now, you thought as you got back to putting the pies in the oven. You have got to get a grip.

————————————————–

You managed to finish cooking everything without further incident and were just bringing out dessert when Gabriel and Castiel showed up to join everyone at the two long tables that now occupied the newly proclaimed dinning area. Being angels, they didn’t need to eat of course, but both of them usually came out for dessert or even just for the company. Angels weren’t meant to be solitary beings, after all. The pair of them took their seats as Dean went about passing out slices of pie to everyone.

Gabriel catches your eye from across the table and shoots you a quick wink, grabbing a slice of the double-chocolate mousse pie you knew he tended to favorite. You smiled back softly, feeling a sigh catch in your throat. You vaguely hear Charlie saying something to you on your left and manage to pull your attention away from the sugar fiend to focus on her. “Sorry, what?”

Charlie giggles quietly and quirks an eyebrow at you. “I was just saying how great this pumpkin pie is. There’s no way this came out of a can. Your baking game is definitely on tonight, I’m kinda jelly.”

“Thanks, Char. I’m glad you like it, it’s a family recipe, much better than store bought. If you want, I can teach you how to make it. I could use some help with the desserts, Sam and Dean are awful at it.” You continue a light conversation with Charlie as everyone enjoys their pie. Your attention now fully redirected, you fail to notice how often Gabriel flicks his gaze over to you.

Soon enough, plates are empty, silverware set down and conversations are winding down as the feeling of full and satisfied bellies start to lull everyone in to a relaxed state. Before anyone can leave the room, Sam stands up and asks you all to meet in the library in five minutes, and your interest is once again sparked as you remember about Gabriel’s secret delivery. Cas is on clean up duty tonight, which takes all of two seconds as he snaps the dishes from the table, cleaned and put back in their respective cabinets and drawers. You follow the others to the library where you and Dean immediately head over to get a drink from the Men of Letters stash of aged whiskey. You pour out two glasses and head over to where Charlie is standing and hand her one. Three minutes later, Gabriel enters, carrying the large box from earlier, still unopened.

“So, Gabriel, end the suspense already. What’s the big surprise”, Dean asks, throwing him an annoyed look.

“Well, I thought that since Halloween is right around the corner, and you guys haven’t had the chance to celebrate a holiday in, like, forever, why not throw a party? And not just any party; a masquerade!” With that, he snaps open the box and pulls out its contents to reveal a bunch of masks, no two alike.

“A party?” Sam starts objecting, “Look, I really don’t think…”

“No! He’s right.” You look up from the pile of masks on the table and face Sam. “We should celebrate. We deserve to. Lucifer is dead, Michael is stuck in that other world forever, things haven’t been this close to normal in a very long time. What more reason do we need?” You stare at Sam, hope in your eyes. You truly do believe a night of fun will do everyone a world of good.

Sam glances over at Dean, a silent conversation being played out between them as the rest of you just sit there. After a minute, Dean simply shrugs and walks back over to the whiskey, bringing the bottle back to the table to pass around. “Okay. Masquerade it is, then. Well, Gabriel, tells us all the rest of your idea.”

“Oh, thank Father! I thought I was gonna have to do a bit more convincing to get the Buzzkill Brigade on board.” Gabriel smirked up at Sam, who just groaned and rolled his eyes. “Anywho, back to business. This isn’t gonna be just your average costume party. I’m talking full-scale Ball, capital ‘B’! And, to keep things interesting, with everyone’s consent of course, I’d like to have Rowena cast a spell that will distort everyone’s vision, just enough to not be able to discern any identifying factors. You know, height, eye color, all that jazz.” Gabriel looked over at Rowena questioningly. She simply nodded in response.

“Is that really necessary, brother?” Castiel quirked his head, confused.

“Of course, it’s not necessary, little bro. It just makes it more fun! Jeez, have learned nothing in the past ten years?” Gabriel looked back at his brother in disbelief before turning back to the rest of the hunters who were actually starting to look quite interested in the idea. “As I was saying, no one is going to be able to identify each other until they choose to reveal themselves. This spell will also be placed on Cas and myself just to keep things fair. Now, so that no one will know who picked which mask, I’ve made it so that each of you can simply think of the mask you want, and it will get sent to your room. If someone has already chosen the mask, you’ll hear a little buzzer go off in your mind letting you know to pick another one, if not, you’ll hear a ding. So, if all of you would come over and look through the pile and make your decisions.

Gabriel stepped back to let everyone gather around the table and you got up to join them. You were surprised that even Ketch and Bobby seemed begrudgingly intrigued by the whole thing; they too were sifting through the masks, Ketch making a face every now and then at absurdity of some of them. You started looking through the pile, stopping here and there to admire a few of the more unique ones; a black old-fashioned Venetian mask with a silver pattern on it, a brass deer mask with antlers and even ears sticking out from it, a golden-colored wolf one and even a feathered mask with horns on either side that looked quite devilish.

Finally, you landed on particular mask and somehow knew immediately it was the one you wanted. It had two white Koi fish wrapped around the eyes with ornate sky-blue fins making up the rest of the face. The detail put into it was beautiful. You gently set it back down and kept the image of it firmly in your mind. Two seconds later, you heard a soft ding inside your head. You spent another minute looking around at the masks just to throw off the scent if anyone happened to be paying any attention. Although you weren’t sure why, you felt yourself getting swept up in the moment and wanted to be sure you did this right. If Gabriel wanted everyone to be strangers for the party, then a stranger you would be.

A few minutes later, everyone seemed to have made their decisions as, all at once, the masks evaporated into thin air. Resisting the urge to run straight to your room to check for your mask, you walked over to join Gabriel, Castiel, and the Winchesters as the rest of the group dispersed for the night, most of them still abuzz with plans to go shopping for costumes to wear. It made your heart light to see them so happy for once. The survivors had gone through so much over the past nine years, they deserved to have some fun, without having to worry about what might be lurking out in the night. It had taken a couple months for them to get adjusted to this world, but most of them seemed to be doing quite well. Freedom can a lot for a person.

You sat down between Sam and Gabriel and reached over to grab the bottle from Dean that was, surprisingly, still half full. “So, what on Earth made you decide we needed a party, Gabriel?”

“Well, you know me, I love a good party. This seemed like the perfect reason. Besides, what you said to Sam was exactly the case I was gonna make. You guys have been hunting non-stop for years, the people we brought back have been fighting for their lives for the longest time, and…well, I thought it was high time Jack got to let loose and have some fun.”

It didn’t escape your notice, the way he skirted past his own horrible experiences over the past nine years. You gave him a warm smile as you felt your heart squeeze in your chest at the thought of what he had been through. He had opened up to you a bit more than he had with the boys about what Asmodeus had done to him. He was far from fully recovered; you doubted he ever would be, but his Grace was back completely now and his mind seemed to wander less.

“I gotta admit, I’m already excited about it. I’m sure it’ll be a great way for Jack to spend his first Halloween. Just don’t forget, he’s got a soft spot for nougat.” With that, you got up, hugged everyone good night and headed back to your room.

Sure enough, your Koi mask was there, waiting for you on your pillow. You picked it up to look it over again, before placing it carefully in the warded lock-box you kept under bed. Mask hidden from any potential spoil-sports, you changed into your night clothes and quickly drifted off for the night.

Five Days Till Halloween

You came down the bunkers’ stairs with Charlie and Rowena, arms full of shopping bags. The three of you had decided to go the mall two towns over to pick out what you would each be wearing to the party. So far, you had all managed to keep each other from seeing what you had bought. You hoped to keep it that way. You had found the perfect dress to go with your mask and you wanted to see everyone’s reactions all at once on Halloween. It was an ankle-length, light blue mermaid-style gown, complete with sequins that looked like fish scales. The dress hugged your curves in all the right ways, though you doubted that would matter much, once Rowena’s spell went into effect. To go with it, you had also bought a pair of white strappy heels. The three of you went off to your rooms to put your things away and agreed to meet in the war room in ten minutes. Rowena needed some help preparing a few ingredients for the distortion spell she would be using on everyone at the party.

You entered the war room to find Rowena setting out some jars and bunches of dried herbs. You stepped over to the map table and looked around at the items spread out before you. “Exactly how complicated is this spell, Ro? There’s, like, fifty different things here.”

“Oh, the spell itself is quite simple. It’s the preparation that’s the bitch. Could’ve done with a bit more warning from the sweet-toothed angel. Thanks for the help, by the way.” Rowena gave you a small smile. For years, even in the midst of being enemies, the two of you had been rather amicable with each other. Now that she was firmly on team Winchester, she had softened towards you even more, in some moments, almost motherly. You didn’t question it, you knew she still wasn’t over the loss of Crowley, and if you could relieve a bit of that pain, you were glad to do it.

As you smiled back, Charlie entered and joined you at the table. “So, ladies, where do we start?”

Rowena looked between the two of you and pursed her lips. “It’s a bit boring, I’m afraid. Mostly just need to get these herbs ground up and ready to be steeped. I’ve worked out the math on how much we’ll need for the spell to work on 30 people for a full evening.” She pulled out a piece of paper from her spell-book and set it in front of you. “Each herb needs to be kept separate until the spell is about to be done. Let’s get to work, girls!”

Three hours later, you put the last of the ground chamomile into its jar, groaning as you twisted the lid tight, your hand aching from all the chopping. Right on cue, you heard a flutter of wings behind you. Gabriel came up beside you, resting his hand on your shoulder. You whipped your head up at him and were met with a beaming smile. “Heya, cupcake. You okay?”

“Yeah. Just my hand cramping up”, you replied with a wince as a flare of pain ran from your wrist to the tips of your fingers.

His hand ran down from your shoulder, along your arm, causing minute goosebumps, and he wrapped your hand in his, letting his Grace heal you. You let out a sigh of relief as the warmth traveled through you. His touch lingered a minute and you could feel the little aches pains gained from a day of shopping leave your body. You flashed him a shy smile. “Thanks, Gabe. What would I do without you?”

“Ah, sugar, without me, you’d be living the same life, just more boring and with more sore muscles.” He let go of your and shot you a wink before turning to check on Charlie.

You looked across the table to see Rowena staring back, an eyebrow raised and a small smirk on her lips. What, you mouthed at her. She simply shook her head and gave you a knowing look. You looked away first, a flush rising to your cheeks. After Gabriel helped Charlie with her aches, and Rowena denied needing healing, he stuck around to help you gather everything up to take back down to the room where Rowena kept all the things she needed for spells.

Just as the four of you came back up the stairs, Dean was setting out everything for dinner; it was build-your-own-burger night. Gabriel gave your shoulder a squeeze and left to go find Castiel. You headed over to the dinner table eagerly, you loved Dean’s burgers and had worked up quite an appetite. The only downside to when Dean did the cooking was that dessert would be store-bought. Luckily, there was an Archangel on hand who was more than happy to snap up something better, if need be. You ate your fill and went to bed soon after, the events of the day having as much of an effect on you as a grueling hunt.

Two Days Till Halloween

You paced back and forth in the library, coffee mug in hand, watching Sam clack away on his laptop. After being cooped up in the bunker the last two days with nothing to do except ponder over Wednesday’s party, you felt restless. Most of the other hunters were still out on cases they had left to investigate days ago. Dean, Cas, and Ketch were in Ohio chasing some rugaru. Mary and and Maggie were tracking down a wraith a few states over. The rest were spread out all over. Only a handful of you had stayed back.

“Anything. Just find something for me to fight. I don’t care what it is. Ghost, werewolf, hell, I don’t care if Gabriel has to zap us down to the border for a damn Chupacabra hunt!” You had stopped your pacing to stand beside Sam, hovering there as he looked through news sites for anything that might even hint at a case.

A minute or so later, he looked up from the screen. “Think I got something. It’s down in Iola, ‘bout an hour and a half away. A couple of bodies were found, drained.”

“Guess we didn’t totally wipe out the Fang Gang after all. Well, let’s take down a few more, shall we?” You left to go gear up, a gleeful spark flashing in your eyes at the prospect of a hunt. You decided to call Charlie, who had made a quick run into town with Jack to see if they wanted to join. Jack was well on his way to becoming a proficient hunter and something like this should be great practice for the kid. Charlie agreed and showed up at the bunker ten minutes later, just as you had finished gathering everything together.

The four of you piled into one of the cars in the garage; you decided to sit in the back with Jack to go over some last minute tips and to test how much he remembered about how to deal with vamps. About thirty minutes into the drive, he pulled out a few of the candy bars he had stocked up on earlier, passing them around. You thanked him and let out a chuckle as he tore into a 3 Musketeer’s bar, noting he still hadn’t given up his love of nougat. The kid had really grown on you in the past year and half, he was like the little brother you never got to have.

 full case fic here 

Eight Hours Later

Gabriel, h-help. Please, we need you…You hoped he would hear your broken plea as you struggled to hold on to consciousness.

The fight had gone horribly wrong. There had been more blood-suckers than you had been prepared for. You and Charlie had gotten separated from Sam and Jack; the three vamps you girls had been flirting with at the bar in town, in an attempt to get them alone, had quickly overpowered you once a few more of their clan had shown up, effectively distracting Sam as he tried to make his way over to the pool tables where you and Charlie were. You remember Jack trying to use his Nephilim powers against the vamps as you were being dragged out into the alley behind the bar. The last thing you heard before being knocked out was Sam yelling.

When you woke, you found yourself in what looked like an abandoned factory. Your head was pounding; you tried to reach up to check for blood, only to find your action stopped by the manacles around your wrists. They had chained you to the wall, Charlie similarly bound a few feet to your left. “Charlie? Charlie, can you hear me? Are you okay? Char, Charlie please answer me.”

The only response you got was a soft groan, but at least you knew she was still alive. There was still hope. Your head throbbed again and your vision blurred. You struggled to think of what to do next. You bit back a moan as you registered a pain in your shoulder. You turned your head to look, and could see now that your sleeve was completely soaked through with blood; you couldn’t remember how that had happened. Unable to think of anything else to get you out of this mess, not knowing how long you had till the vampires returned, you prayed to the one person you could think of in that moment. The one person you wanted to see most right now. Gabriel…please…hurry. I don’t know how long I can hold on…help us…Sam, Jack, I-I don’t know where they are. Your thoughts rambled on as you tried to stay awake. A few seconds later you heard the flutter of wings followed by a panicked voice.

“Y/n, y/n, oh Father, what happened?!” Gabriel crouched by your side, immediately snapping you free from your chains. “Sweetheart, stay with me now. I’m gonna get you outta here in a second, just hold on.”

You raised your head weakly to look at him as he went to check on Charlie. “You came. Oh, thank God, you came. Is she…?”

Gabriel pressed his fingers to Charlies’ forehead and her eyes fluttered open, widening as she took in her surroundings. “She’s fine, y/n. Charlie, can you stand? It looks like y/n’s lost a lot of blood, I’m gonna have to carry her.”

“Yeah, I think so”, Charlie groaned out as she attempted to do so. She was a bit wobbly at first but was able to lean against the wall as Gabriel rushed back over to you.

He knelt over you, brushing back sweat-matted hair from your face. You winced as he gingerly scooped you into his arms, careful not to touch your injured shoulder. “I gotcha sugar. I gotcha. Just hold on a little longer.” Once he had you, he grabbed Charlies’ hand and flew you both back to the bunker.

You had landed in the Dean Cave and Gabriel immediately laid you down on the couch, crouching at your side. Charlie hovered at the end of the couch, behind your head, not wanting to leave you till you were healed. “You can help her, right?”

“Of course, I can. I just needed to get you out of there first, this is gonna take more time to heal than your injuries. I got Sam and Jack back too, by the way; you might want to go let them know you’re safe.” He cupped your face and gently turned it away so he could get a better look at the wound.

The vamps had nearly drained you, it was a miracle you had held on as long as you did. One hand still caressing your cheek, he splayed the other one over your shoulder and you let out a soft gasp as the warm of his Grace spread through you. You closed your eyes as you felt your body healing, a flush rising to your face as you regained the blood levels to do so. Sure, Gabriel had had to heal you before, but it had never felt this intimate. He usually didn’t have to place his hand directly on the wounds, a touch on the head was always sufficient. This was different. His hand lingered on your shoulder a second longer than needed. You were afraid to look at him, afraid of what you might say. Instead, you focused on keeping your pulse steady.

“Sugar, look at me.” Gabriel nudged your face in his direction and you opened your eyes. You couldn’t quite read the look on his face. “Don’t ever do that again, you hear me? That was too close a call. Next time, you call for me as soon as shit starts to hit the fan, okay?”

You nodded meekly, attempting to sit up. “Sorry. Everything happened so fast. Is everyone else okay? Brain’s still a bit foggy, you got the others back, right? Is the nest dead?”

“Shh, slow down. Everyone’s fine, I got them back, safe and sound. I’ll take care of the nest in a minute. I needed to heal you first.” Gabriel’s hands dropped down from your face as you swung your legs off the couch and pulled yourself upright. He took your hands in his and held your gaze. “I meant what I said. Don’t. Ever. Do. That. Again. We can’t afford to lose you.” With that, he stood up and placed a small kiss to your forehead before walking towards the door. “I’ll let the others know you’re okay before I go take out the rest of those bastards. Get some rest. You’ve got a party to go to in about 48 hours, kiddo.”

After he left the room, you leaned back, shutting your eyes again as you tried to process everything that had just happened. You tried to make sense of Gabriel’s sudden seriousness and the look in his eyes as he had admonished you. You had never seen him so worried before. You groaned, rubbing your eyes as you fought back the wave of exhaustion washing over you. Gabriel was right, you needed rest.

You made your way through the bunker, finding the others in the war room. You hugged them all, glad they were safe, and made your way to your room. You changed into a pair of sweats and an oversized shirt and plopped onto the bed, falling asleep almost as soon as your head hit the pillow.

Halloween

You spent the past forty hours or so recovering from that disaster of a hunt. Gabriel had healed you up, but the effects of losing that much blood still took a small toll on you. You had slept through most of yesterday, waking for small periods of time to eat and shower. You lounged around in the Dean Cave for a few hours earlier today and then had decided to head back to your room to start getting ready for the party.

After taking a steaming hot shower you dried your hair and styled it before slipping into your dress. You applied a modicum of make-up, not bothering to do the full routine since the distortion spell would probably make it pointless. You still had thirty minutes till the party started so you sat on your bed and let your mind drift off.

Your mind called up the images from the other day, when Gabriel had rescued you. The look of horror on his face when he found you chained to the wall, half-dead. You had never seen him look so scared. He had been so gentle with you, as if one wrong move might finish you off. Then when he was healing you, the look in his eyes as his Grace patched you up inside. Something was different about the way he looked at you then. It was as if he had suddenly stumbled upon some revelation that had been hidden in plain sight.

You pulled your mind from that image not wanting to dissect it further. Instead, you thought back to the feeling of being held in his arms for that briefest of moments as he brought you back to the bunker. You had never felt so safe in your life. Even as you struggled to stay awake, you trusted those arms not to drop you, not to let anything else hurt you. You thought of the feeling of his hand on your shoulder, the other one cradling your cheek. So warm against your freezing skin.

There was no hiding from the truth now. The way you felt in those moments, surrounded by him, you knew you were in love and there was no going back. Sighing, you shook your head to clear it, checking the time. Five minutes. You got up, took a final look in the mirror, and pulled on your mask, taking care not to muss your hair. As you went to grab the doorknob, you felt an odd sensation wash over you. You placed your hand flat against the door to steady yourself as your head swam. Rowena had warned you all that the spell would make you dizzy for a moment, but she hadn’t told you when she was going to be casting it.

You went back to the mirror to check it had worked. You could see yourself clear enough, but you couldn’t make out the color of your eyes. It seemed to be continuously fluctuating from shades of a deep brown up to a light blue. The same thing was happening with your hair, and your lips kept changing in shape and lipstick shade. The only things about your appearance that remained the same was your costume. Well, you could see why Gabriel wanted to use this spell. It would be nearly impossible to tell anyone apart this way.

Once you’d adjusted as best you could, you finally walked out of your room and headed to the library, where Gabriel had said the main part of the party would be held. As you got to the entryway, you froze and gasped at the beauty before you. The room had been completely transformed. Gabriel had tapped into his Trickster magic to make the library at least three times bigger, with a great arching ceiling and giant columns stretching up from a marble floor. There were sparkling chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and candle sconces along the walls. You felt as though you were stepping into a forgotten century.

Against the walls were tables overflowing with candy, desserts and drinks. Gabriel had chosen a simple color pattern of black and white, which just lent more to the austere glamour of it all. You walked into the room slowly, soaking it all in. You were the first to arrive. You had all been told that you were only to head to the party once the spell had set in, and that each of you would feel it at different times. It seemed Gabriel was leaving little to chance. You smiled to yourself at how much effort he had put into tonight.

Within about half an hour, almost everybody had arrived. You looked around at all the beautiful costumes the other hunters had managed to come up with. Most of the men had decided on suits or tuxes that matched well with there masks, and the women wore dresses of varying lengths and styles. One woman, you couldn’t quite tell if it was Mary or Rowena, wore a floor-length black gown with sequins along the bodice to go with the silver and black mask she donned, which had long black feathers coming up from the top of it.

Once everyone had arrived, music started out of nowhere. Not just any regular music like you would hear at a party not being thrown by an over-dramatic Archangel, classical music. You chuckled as you heard Mozart’s Don Giovanni start up. Leave to him to choose music no one would know how to dance to. As soon as the thought entered your mind, a few of the hunters headed to the center of the room, paired up and started dancing a perfect minuet. You gaped at them as they danced lightly across the floor, absolutely confident in every step. No doubt this was also Gabriel’s doing. If only you could figure out which one was him. His tell-tale honey- colored hair was nowhere in sight among the ever-changing shades of brown, black, blonde and red. As it had been in your mirror, the only things that didn’t change were the masks and costumes. Maybe you could figure out which costume would suit him most.

You were already fairly certain that the man in the bronze colored deer mask was Sam and that the mask that was covered in brown and black feathers, with devilish looking horns on either side was being worn by Dean. The suits they were wearing looked quite similar to the ones they wore when pulling the FBI schtick. The man in the sharp black tux with the silver-trimmed, iron-hued mask definitely had to be Ketch, only he could pull that look off.

Finally, your eyes stopped on a man over on the other side of the room, sitting with some of the women, head thrown back in laughter. You recognized the mask from when you were looking through them, deciding on your own. It was a sturdy-looking golden wolf mask, absolutely exquisite in detail. That had to be him. The suit he was wearing was plain, but of great quality and looked perfectly tailored. You felt a shiver run through you as you watched him. He must have said something funny, the girls sitting around him giggled and one of them reached out to grasp his hand. He leaned in closer to her to whisper something, careful of the mask’s nose.

Your stomach sunk at the sight of him being so close to the woman. You turned away quickly and went over to one of the snack tables. You grabbed a flute of champagne and downed it in a gulp before grabbing another and filling a small plate with chocolate-covered strawberries and a few mini milky ways. You walked over to one of the tables by the entrance and sat down heavily. So much for a fun night. To think you had fooled yourself into thinking he might possibly feel the same way you did. Maybe you had just put too much stock into the look on his face the other night. It was nothing more than someone being worried for their friend.

Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t realize right away that someone had joined you at the table. Not till you heard him speak.

“I’m sorry. What?” You looked over to see a man in an all black suit, wearing a black Venetian mask covered in a silver pattern. The nose of the mask was almost like a beak. You chanced a look at his eyes and saw how they swirled from a rich brown to sea blue and back again.

“I said, are you okay? It’s hard to tell exactly, with this spell on us, but you look a bit down.”

You thought you recognized something in his speech pattern and the way his eyes kept going back to blue every few seconds was leading you to think that it was Castiel you were sitting with. As he talked, you took in his posture, slightly stiff, and his head was tilted in that bird-like gesture he often used when he was unsure of something.

You sighed and decided not to beat around the bush about how you were feeling. He didn’t know who you were, after all. “Just…I don’t know, jealous I guess.”

“Jealous? Of who?” Sensing the seriousness of the matter, he stood and offered his hand to you.

You thought for a second and took it. He led you over to a quieter spot where no one could overhear you. As you crossed the room, your eyes wandered back to the wolf mask. He had led the girl he was talking to out onto the dance floor. They looked so graceful, gliding across the floor in a perfect waltz. You blinked away the tears trying to fight their way out and tore your eyes from them. Cas called your attention back to him when you’d reached a spot slightly hidden from the rest of the room.

“Tell me what’s wrong. Please.”

You let out a sigh, trying to find the words. “It’s Gabriel. Lately, I don’t know, I thought something had changed between us. The way he’s been looking at me. There’s this new gentleness to the way he touches me, I thought…I don’t know what I thought.” You trailed off and looked up at Cas. He looked confused still, the look on his face asking you to go on. “I guess I was just reading too much into it. I was starting to hope he felt the same as I do. I, I love him. But look at him,” you gestured over to the dance floor, “there he is, dancing with someone else. Flirting to his Grace’s content. I was a fool to think he could ever look at me as more than a friend.” You looked back at Cas, “After all, a fish may love a bird , but where will they live?”

“Then I shall have to make you wings.” He reached out a hand to cup your face, his other hand slowly lifting the mask from his face.

“Gabriel!?” you gasped. “I, I thought you were Castiel! Oh, God, I’m gonna be sick.” You tried to turn away but he quickly grabbed your hand, pulling you closer to him.

“Please, take off your mask. Let me see you.”

You let out a shaky breath, looking into his eyes. They were once again golden, now that he had revealed himself to you. Your heart raced as you raised your free hand to take off your mask. “There. Now you know.”

“I hoped it was you.” That was all he said before he slid his hand up from yours, to the back of your neck, leaning in until he was just an inch from your lips. “I love you, too sugar. I have for some time now. I almost lost you the other night. I’ll never let that happen again.”

He closed that last inch of space and pressed his lips to yours. After a few seconds, you broke through the shock, and kissed him back. Your hands wound around his neck, your fingers winding in his hair as you deepened the kiss, parting your lips in invitation. His tongue slid over yours slowly, the taste of chocolate overpowering the champagne that lingered on yours. After a minute, he pulled back.

“Now, I believe I said something about wings?” He snapped his fingers and stepped back. You felt a new weight on your back and turned your head to see a pair of light blue butterfly wings strapped over your now shimmering blue silk dress. The dress flowed down to the floor, sparkling in the candlelight. You looked down at the forgotten mask in your hand to find that it, too, had changed. Gone were the fish; it was now covered in blue lace and a pair of wings flared out from one side. You smiled up at Gabriel, a tear sliding down your cheek. “It’s beautiful. Thank you, Gabriel.”

“I never want you to feel like you have to have to be better than you already are. Don’t ever think that you’re not enough.” He wiped the tear from your cheek and kissed you softly. “Now, put you’re mask back on. We’ve got a party to enjoy.”

Monthly Challenge tags: @gabriel-monthly-challenge​ @archangelsanonymous @revwinchester @ttttrickster 

Gabe’s Babes: @liloldlou @calamitychaos @samaxraph99 

Rich’s Bitches: @warlockwriter @archangelgabriellives @green-draws0 @waywardtricks @hankypranky @thewhiterabbit42 @spnimpalaimagines @pervyprincess84 

[the-knees-of-the-bees]

Sync [Ignis Scientia X FemReader] - Chapter 1/3

This was a little gift to myself for my birthday in an attempt to break me out of my discouragement on my other fic.  It was actually nice to just write freely and not spend so much time on research and editing (so please take this fic with a grain of salt, i only made two passes at it with editing lol).  This also isn’t an original idea, I’ve seen a couple different amazing versions of this similar concept so this is just my take on it.  Enjoy!

Could anything else possibly go wrong in your life?  Work, family, friends, your relationship; everything was pushing you to your limits.  You desperately needed a change of scenery but when a weekend of self-care suddenly goes awry, you wonder if your new found situation is not so bad after all...

Chapter themes/warnings:  Explicit language, depression, fluff, angst, suggestive themes, SFW Word Count:  6,221 AO3 Link - Sync Screenshot permission and credit to @dizzymoogle

You slammed your apartment door shut as you kicked off your shoes, turning to click the lock with a ferocity in your fingertips. You shrugged your bag off your shoulder, letting it flop neglectfully on the ground by the door as you stomped through the hallway towards the kitchen.  It had been such a terrible month at work and today proved to be no different.  Your coworkers were driving you insane in the past few days, constantly putting off essential tasks as if you wouldn’t notice their laziness.  You were beginning to feel completely overwhelmed and exhausted, finding yourself working overtime and barely being compensated or appreciated for it.  Today had really pushed you to your limits and you nearly snapped; regrettably being short with one of your colleagues that you normally enjoyed working with on a daily basis.  

 You released an exasperated breath, feeling equally angry and guilty for your behavior, but you wanted to make a point to them and to allow it to continue would only drive you to the brink of resignation.  You shook your head and slid your jacket off, hanging it over the back of the barstool at the kitchen island.  You unclipped your necklace as you marched towards your bedroom, tossing it on your jewelry stand.  A plain gray t-shirt and loose shorts waited for you on the edge of your bed, you reached for the pair as you shifted out of your work clothes, discarding them in the hamper.

 You were beginning to wonder how much more you could possibly take; work was testing your limits, you had been distant with some of your friends as of late, and you haven’t talked to your mom in a few days ever since your fight with her over the past weekend.  Not to mention your mind was still lingering on the fact that you felt lonely and unloved after breaking up with your boyfriend a couple of months back.  You didn’t want to admit that you were depressed even though your attitude showed it; you haven't been to a psychologist or even a primary care doctor in over two years so you could only imagine the damage your mind and body had sustained in that time.  

 A long drawn out sigh escaped your lips and you worked your way back to the kitchen to prepare dinner.  You searched languidly through the refrigerator, not feeling the energy to eat but you knew it was necessary, anything would suffice at this point, you could honestly care less.  Thank god it was Friday, as cliche as it sounded, but it was true, you needed the time to yourself this weekend.  You thought about all the things you could do in those two days: that art project that was half finished, putting up those shelves and decor along your bare wall, finally organizing the wreck inside of your closet…

 No.  As much as all of those projects needed to be completed you knew you wouldn’t have the drive to do any of them.  Maybe I’ll go out this weekend instead…  A change of scenery was what you really needed so you finalized the idea in your head. I just need to break up this boring routine in my life…. I just need something new.  A smile crept up your face and for once you felt a sense of vigor pulse through your veins.  

 You gave yourself one final look over in the body mirror.  Twirling around in a cream colored floral wrap dress you had bought months ago but felt too timid to wear.  You had been feeling particularly self-conscious ever since you had split with your ex-boyfriend, some days refusing to apply your make-up as it would mean nothing to anyone who crossed your path.  But today you were determined to shake the negative feelings that hovered over you for so long.  You went all out, accenting your eyes with that new expensive shadow palette and contouring your lips with that bold lipstick that sat in pristine condition. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, you felt beautiful and you were ready to show it.

 Grabbing your purse and keys, you slipped on your comfy shoes.  A stroll through one of the local parks to enjoy the gorgeous spring day was the first thing on your agenda.  You locked your apartment door behind you as you strode confidently down the hall towards the parking garage.

 You settled on a park you had recently seen boasted about on the news.  It was further outside of the city but you figured it was worth the drive to see something different.  As you pulled up to the park’s entrance, you noticed small groupings of parents and their children enjoying the gorgeous green fields.  Kites whirled around in the air as soccerballs flew across the grass, it was truly the sight of a typical family weekend.

 You stepped out of your car, grabbing your things as you surveyed where to go.  Wandering aimlessly seemed to be a great start as you were content to get lost in the fresh air of the outdoors.  A bridge overlooking a small lake came into view as flocks of ducks swarmed the small body of water.  It was an odd sensation to feel relaxed, you made the mental note to continue this pattern more often.  You took your time as you strode along the paved walkways that winded through the park before finally stopping at the apex of the wooden bridge.

 A couple strolled behind you, discussing a movie that they had just seen in elaborate detail and analysis.  You smiled to yourself, remembering those days with your ex.  But your smile quickly faded as you were grossly reminded that you were single now. You shook the thought off and began wandering again.  You came upon a park bench and sat down, looking over at the reflection of clouds that glided over the surface of the lake.  

 Determined to not habitually glance at your phone, you set your purse to your side and leaned back into the seat.  You wanted to enjoy today, you wanted to enjoy your life, and you wanted to feel renewed.  

 Another couple walked in front of you as they shared loving glances at one another.   A new couple no doubt, you could see that they were clearly in the awkward first stages of romance.  You pursed your lips and tore your gaze away from them, the same sinking feeling hitting you again.  You huffed a sigh and tried to desperately ignore the sudden awareness you had for every couple in the park.  How they walked around playfully shoving one another, stealing quick pecks on each other's lips, swinging their arms as they locked their hands together.  

 Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all… you dropped your head to stare at your lap, trying to devise a new game plan for the day.  You didn’t want to waste such a perfect opportunity to do something different but you were quickly realizing it was failing to pan out the way you had envisioned. You knew the park was just going to continue to remind you of your loneliness despite how beautiful and refreshing the scene was today.  You stood up and headed towards your car.  

 You closed the driver side door and placed your hands on the steering wheel, resting your forehead against it.  The outdoor mall was a possibility, but there was nothing in particular that you needed, not to mention you could easily drop way too much money in an attempt to fill your void.  You thought about going to the movies but there was nothing of interest that you wanted to see.  Ultimately, you decided to head home, maybe a glass of wine and catching up on one of your tv series would cheer you up.  You sat on the idea for a moment before throwing your car into reverse… fuck it, whatever.  

  You flopped on to your couch, placing your glass of wine on the coffee table, grabbing the remote to flick the television on. Every channel appeared unworthy of your attention as you flipped through them one by one.  The local news flashed on the screen.  You hoped that the weather report would be next so you could re-attempt your failed outting tomorrow.  

 “Teams are still investigating the cause of a deadly accident earlier this evening on the east side.  Reports are coming in that the driver suddenly lost control of the vehicle and collided with a utility pole, resulting in a downed transformer. Residents in the area have reported sudden temporary power outtages and are encouraged to contact their local service providers for up to date information.  In other news —”

 You changed the channel, not wanting to wait all night for the weather report.  After flipping through the guide for a second time, you realized there was nothing of interest so you grabbed your PS4 controller, powering up the device.  The soft material of your dress draped around your body as you reclined across the crouch, debating whether to change into your pajamas but it was surprisingly comfortable enough to lounge in.  You leaned into the arm rest while the main menu illuminated the screen.

 “A Final Fantasy for Fans and First Timers…”

 The night wore on as you found yourself, once again, dragged into an endless evening of side quests and bounty hunts. You cursed at the screen as you bailed out of another Naga fight, completely drained of your curatives. Hours flew by and you felt your eyes begin to flutter as you clicked to fast travel the boys back to Hammerhead. You watched the loading bar slowly creep along the edge of the screen, reading over the little paragraph of info while you waited.  Your eyes felt even heavier now as you propped your elbow on the armrest and laid your head on your hand.  Just one more side quest and I’ll call it a night. The controller teetered on your fingers as it rocked unbalanced within your limp palm.  A romantic tune filled your apartment as the delicate piano arrangement coerced you with its gentle lullaby as you drifted off to sleep…

  Your face twitched as you felt your shoulder rub against something rough and gritty.  A hard textured surface pressed against your forehead causing you to shift with irritation and annoyance; your skin felt hot and prickly as an unbearable heat surrounded every inch of your body. Since when did I leave the heater on?  You willed your tired eyes open, aggravated with yourself that you had left all the lights on in your apartment.  

 Wait, I only… had the lamp on last night…

 You were startled to find that you were lying along the side of a road.  The piercing rays of the sun reflected harshly off the surface forcing you to squint. You pushed yourself up slowly with your forearms until you were perched up on your knees.  What.. the hell.. ?

 Your eyes darted around the foreign scenery as you stumbled to your feet, your breathing steadily increasing as your heart began to pound in your chest.  It was a stretch of desert highway, barren and devoid of any signs of life.  You looked down and gripped your clothing, it was the dress you wore last night, dusty and wrinkled.  Oh my god… have I been kidnapped?!  You patted your arms and neck, checking for any signs of struggle or tenderness from injury.  Thankfully, your body felt fine and painless.  When you were finally convinced that you were physically unharmed, you began to search yourself and the ground for your cell phone.  Your eyes darted around the sandy terrain as you foraged your body for something; your wallet, cash, ID, a credit card, anything.  Your hands sunk to your side as you realized you were alone on a giant expanse of highway with absolutely nothing and no idea of where you could possibly be.

 The heat radiated off of the road causing a mirage of water to reflect off the surface.   You continued to search the horizon, looking for any buildings or passing cars that you could flag down but all you could hear was the grinding of the sand beneath your shoes as you pivoted on your heel.

 If you were truly kidnapped, or the product of a crazy human trafficking scheme, your captors were bound to be back so you thought it best to get moving.  You looked back and forth down the road, debating which way to go.  The sun sat high in the sky which meant it was roughly about noon. I guess it doesn’t matter, hopefully someone is bound to drive down this way..  You started walking, praying that a gas station was not far away.  

  Your feet were beginning to feel unbearably sore, having walked nearly an hour now in the blazing heat.  Beads of sweat began to fall down your temple as your mouth felt dry, your lips split and cracked.  Your purposeful stride had turned into an exhaustive shuffle as your skin became tender from the sun’s unwanted embrace.

 You stopped, searching the land again for anything that could help you in your desperate situation, but only cacti and brittle tumbleweeds filled the landscape for miles.  A flicker of light flashed in your periphery.  You stared fervently at it for a moment.   It shined again.  A sudden excitement overwhelmed you and you sprinted towards it, hoping it could be something of use.  You searched the ground desperately as you saw it shine again with a gleaming blue spark, but your brows crinkled in disappointment.  You picked up the item, a pure black exoskeleton that looked much like a scorpion stinger.  You turned the fractured tail in your palm, why would this be shining?  You let out a defeated sigh but luckily your dress had a hidden pocket so you placed it inside, hoping that if your captors returned for you, the least you could do was stab them with the tiny stinger.

 Praying for some kind of miracle, you looked down the road through the transparent layer of heat that wove off of the hot asphalt. A fuzzy dark object sat on the horizon; you squinted and gasped excitedly, it was a building.  You lightly jogged, not wanting to waste too much of your energy in case it was nothing more than another mirage, but as you came closer the details of the building became clearer.  It was a diner, an inhabited diner.  Two cars were parked outside of another building across the street as a handful of people ambled within the small town.  You began sprinting towards it, ignoring the pain in your legs and the dry hot air that your lungs inhaled.  As you entered the outskirts of the little outpost you noticed a motel sign situated atop of another establishment.  Thank god, you would be able to rest while you waited for the cops to pick you up.  

 But as you reached the edge of the diner, you paused.  Something about the scene looked… very familiar.  Maybe your alleged captors dumped you closer to home than you had previously thought but you struggled to place a finger on it.  You shook the feeling off, right now you needed to find a phone and call the authorities immediately.  Ignoring all the signs and advertisements plastered up along the windows of the restaurant, you stepped inside and made your way to the counter. The attendant was in the middle of a transaction with another customer so you waited patiently behind them. There was no need to make a giant scene in front of everyone, you were not injured so you didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention to yourself.  Once the police arrive, you could figure out the details of your abduction once you got home.  

 The waiter chit chatted with the patron, joking about something you didn’t care to listen to but as you stood there you couldn’t help but allow your eyes to finally wander the interior of the diner. Why does this all seem so familiar?  What is it, seriously…

 “Ahem,” the man repeated.

 You shook out of your distraction, embarrassed that you had not realized the customer before you had already left.

 “Oh I’m sorry,” you answered, stepping up to the counter, “This is going to sound completely insane, but long story short I think I’ve been kidnapped and I really to need to use your phone.”

 The attendant stared at you for a moment before his eyes widened a bit, “Are.. are you hurt?”

 “No, thankfully not but I don’t have anything on me. My cell, my wallet, everything.  I just need to use your phone so I can call the police.”

 “The… poh-lees?” he asked with a baffled voice.

 “Yeah,” you looked down the counter and spotted a rotary phone at the end, “Can I please use it?”

 “Uh… sure,” he gestured with his hand towards it, “let me know if you need anything else.”

 You smiled gratefully at him, “thank you so much, I will.”

 You jogged to the end of the counter, grabbing the phone frantically as you punched the emergency digits, waiting with bated breath.  Dial tone.

 What?  You hung up the phone, believing you had dialed in error as easy of a number as it was, you typed the numbers again, slowly this time.

 Dial tone.

 What the hell?  You hung it up again with your hand still gripping the handle of the phone. Let me call mom.  You punched her number.

 Dial tone.

 You hung the phone up once again, looking down at the attendant who was busy now with another customer.  You picked up the phone, punching your best friend’s number.

 Dial tone.

 You hung up the phone for the final time.  Just my fucking luck, their phones are down. You huffed a defeated sigh and walked back over to the waiter.  You patiently waited your turn when you overheard something odd.

 “Total is 500 gil today.”

 You snapped your head towards the register.  Did I just hear him right?  No, there’s no way.  I’m just dehydrated and exhausted, my mind is all over the place right now. The customer turned to walk away as the waiter acknowledged you with a nod.

 “Everything alright?”

 “Uhh… not really.  I can’t get a hold of anyone.  Are your phones down?”

 The side of his face pinched with confusion, “Not that I know of.  It’s been ringin’ fine all day.”

 “Oh… well can you at least tell me where I am? Everything here seems so familiar. I’m wondering if I’m closer to home than I thought.”

 “Well this is Longwythe, its on the western side of Leide.  You from Lestallum or the crown city by chance?”

 Lestallum??  Crown city?? You stared at the man blankly.

 He noticed the color had suddenly drained from your face.  “Ma’am, you alright?”

 “I… I…” you stammered.  This has to be a joke.  THIS HAS TO BE.

 You backed up slowly until you bumped into an anchored bar stool, nearly knocking down a napkin dispenser with your flailing arm. There’s no way… there’s just no way.  You turned towards the door, shoving it open as you stumbled out of the restaurant.

 “Ma’am! Ma’am!”

 You ignored the attendant’s pleas as you whipped yourself around to look at the diner’s name.  ‘Crow’s Nest Diner.’

 Fearing for what you would see, you slowly turned to survey the rest of the outpost.  ‘The Three Z’s Motel’, ‘Rent-a-Chocobo.’   What kind of fucked up joke is this!?

 You paced down the street but everything seemed to match perfectly to what you played… in the Final Fantasy video game.

 Panic struck you like a moving train.   Who on earth would devise such an elaborate prank to play, you exclaimed inwardly.  Whoever it was, they had way too much time on their hands and quite frankly it wasn’t entertaining.  You searched for hidden cameras of the deranged tv show your ‘captors’ had volunteered you for, anger quickly replacing your panicked state.  Enough is enough.

 “HA HA HA, very funny you guys!  But it’s a pretty fucked up thing to do to make someone think they’ve been kidnapped!!” You shouted aloud to the invisible camera men. Two women turned their attention towards you before whispering quietly to one another.  You shot them an angry look, pissed that they had agreed to play along with this tortuous prank.

 “These son of a bitches..” you mumbled to yourself. “Alright, I’m done with this.” The heat on your face was hotter than the sun that fried your skin.  You stomped down the street, escaping the fake town to find someone with a cell phone so you could call a Lyft.

 The level of irritation was enough to fuel you a few miles down the desert highway.  You continued to mumble obscenities to yourself as your weekend had taken a drastic and annoying turn.  

 As you walked furiously along the edge of the road, you heard a rustling of dried shrubs in the field.  You stopped to look at it, convinced it was the camera crew following your reaction to their expensive joke.  But the commotion ceased and you returned to your path.

 You walked a few more meters and the disturbance continued.  

 “I really don’t find this funny AT ALL,” you shouted at your stalkers.

 A strange clicking noise began resonating from its direction.  Your heart rate increased, “STOP.  You’re lucky if I don’t end up suing every one of you!”

 A sudden movement began darting through the thick bushes, heading directly at you causing you to instinctively sprint down the road.  The noise still managed to keep up as you quickly glanced over your shoulder.  A large black curl shaped object emerged from the brush.  What the hell is that?!?  Before you could even form another thought, the object leapt into the air, landing in front of you as a cloud of dust kicked up like a curtained unveiling.  

 It was an enormous scorpion.

 You halted in place, shock overcoming your entire being.  It snapped its giant claws as it curled its deadly stinger high above its head.  Your body froze as your mind failed to comprehend what was going on before you.  

 A high-pitched screech erupted from the massive scorpion as it lunged its stinger towards you.  You screamed, rolling into the sand to dodge its attack.  You stumbled to your feet as another piercing screech echoed through the valley.  A pincer suddenly swung at you.  You ducked just in time, feeling a few strands of your hair yanked from your scalp.  Tears began to spill from your face as you scurried along the ground, hiding behind a large cactus.  The thorns pricked your hands as you pressed them against the green base, your eyes never leaving the monstrous insect.  It spotted you again as it swiped its other claw at you, snipping the cactus in half as you screamed aloud.  You sprinted towards the road, falling to your knees in sobs.  You shakily climbed to your feet, backing up to watch the scorpion eye you with a look of hunger in its piercing black eyes. This was it, there was no way out of this nightmarish hell, this is how it ends for you.

 A loud honk suddenly stunned you from your right. You whipped your head to see a vehicle driving straight at you.  You gasped as you thrust your body towards the opposite side of the road, rolling on to the cracked shoulder.  

 You momentarily blacked out as you heard the car swerve and the tires screeched to a halt.  Several doors are opened and slammed as a frenzied commotion suddenly unleashed in the background.  Stern voices shout aloud as gunshots and clangs of metal ripped through the air. A thunderous noise filled your years as a small tremor shook the ground below, causing you to stir.  Then silence.

 “Hey! Miss! Are you okay!?” a chirpy young voice blurted out.

 You laid motionless for a moment, still in shock and pain from the horrifying ordeal.

 “Oh man, do you think we’re too late?  Is she—” another soft voice asked.

 You grumbled from the ache in your body, slowly lifting your head.  

 “Oh thank the Astrals!  She’s alive, I seriously thought I killed her,” the first male exclaimed.

 You rolled onto your side, looking up at four figures that leaned over you as your bleary eyes attempted to focus on them. You lifted your arm to block the harsh sun light that washed out the details of their faces.

 One of them stood up, turning to what you assumed was the young, yet familiar voice, “This is EXACTLY what happens when your attentions are elsewhere.  A moving vehicle is just as deadly as any lethal blade, if you continue to demonstrate this behavior than you will refrain from taking seat behind the wheel.”

 That voice… I know it.  But it can’t… it can’t seriously be…

 A gruff man added, “We should get her out of the sun, that Saphyrtail nearly had her for dinner.”

 Before you could even comment, a pair of hands found their way to your upper arms, carefully raising you to your feet.  You stared down at the ground, heavily debating if you should raise your head to meet your rescuers but the internal turmoil of seeing who you expected was beginning to terrify you.

 “Hey miss, are you okay?” A gentle hand touched your shoulder.

 You finally gathered the courage to look up and it was exactly as you had feared.

 It was THEM.  The four stars of the video game, in the flesh and blood, staring directly at you.  Your jaw went slack as your head began to spin again.  Your knees began to collapse beneath you, dragging your faint body down.

 “Whoa whoa whoa!!” Prompto shouted, grabbing your arms to pull you up.  “Okay yeah let’s get her to the car.”

 You felt a firm set of arms gather your frame, as you were hoisted effortlessly into the air.  You looked through fuzzy eyes to see freshly inked skin and toned pectoral muscles, coated with a glistening layer of sweat, cradle you tenderly. Cool leather unexpectedly grazed your skin, sending a brief chill up your spine as you faded from consciousness for the third time today.

  “Poor thang, she looks all kinds of beat up. You say she was just standin’ on the side of the road?” A sweet accented voice inquired.

 You groaned, rolling your head side to side, slowly peeling your eyes open to see a bright round light above, the sun? You gripped a soft material beneath your palms, realizing that you were lying on a bed.  

 “Wait, she’s awake!” Prompto cheered.

 You pressed your hand to your head, feeling the pressure that throbbed on your temple.  “Where.. where am I?”

 The curly blonde female spoke, “Well you’re in Hammerhead, girly.  And it looks like you took a fine lickin’ back there.  What on Eos happened to you?”

 “Wha..?”

 Prompto answered for you, “Iiiiiii might have accidentally almost ran her over.” Tapping his fingertips together nervously.

 You pushed yourself up, your hand still on your head as you blinked your eyes a few times to clear your vision.  You looked up, and once again, you stared in disbelief at the sight before you.

 The four men, now with Cindy, were scattered around the interior of an RV, discussing your situation.  You could feel your heartbeat in your ears; it was only logical that someone had drugged you and this surreal hallucination was the result.  You rose to your feet, trembling as you studied everyone’s features.  Not a single detail was missed, from their mannerisms to clothing, they were truly the living and breathing characters.  

 All eyes were suddenly on you but the only thing you could think of was getting to a phone and getting the hell out of there before you had a psychotic episode.  The door to the camper was propped open, you took a shaky step before sprinting towards it, tripping ungracefully through it.

 You looked up to see the sky had turned a brilliant pink and purple, night was upon you.  You remembered the layout of Hammerhead so you turned immediately to your left to see the diner in view.  But before you could take another step, a firm hand grabbed you by the wrist.

 “Madam, you are injured and disoriented.  I must insist that you rest,” Ignis stated as he held you in place.

 You blinked at him with both a fear and anger in your exhausted face.  In your world, you were completely enamored by the advisor but seeing him now in this twisted and warped reality, you wanted nothing more than to wake up from this cruel joke.

 You didn’t resist his grasp as you snapped at him, “this has really gotten out of control.  Whoever is doing this to me needs to stop.  It's not funny.  It will never be funny.  And it’s a pretty asshole move to play with my head like this.”

 Ignis loosened his hold, staring directly into your eyes, “… ma’am, please.  We truly had no role to play in the injustice that has befallen you.  I apologize if we made you feel this way.  We are merely trying to assist you.”  He released your wrist gently.

 Emotion had completely over come you, “None of this.. none of this makes any sense.  How can you.. how can you be real!?” you brought your hands up to cover your face, pinching your eyes shut.

 He placed both hands on your shoulders, “I promise we will do everything we can to help you.  But please, come inside first.”

 As an avid fan of the game, it was fortunate that you adored the advisor so much, hearing his voice was surprisingly soothing despite your failed attempts to convince yourself that he was merely a figment of your imagination.  You nodded, lowering your hands as you paced pathetically back towards the RV.  The group crowded the doorway, watching the events unfold.  You climbed up the stairs as they parted way to let you through.  You slumped on to the bed, staring down at your shoes as you wiped a tear away from your jaw.

 Noct crouched down to your level, “It… looks like you’ve been through a lot,” he fumbled with his hands, “So…. maybe we’ll just start with something easy.  What’s your name?”

 You lifted your head just slight enough to see him through your lidded eyes, “…[Y/N].”

 “Ah, well, [Y/N].  It was nice to meet you.  And sorry for almost… uhh, killing you.”

 You managed to huff a genuine laugh for the first time all day.  “That’s okay. I didn’t thank you for saving me from that giant scorpion.  So I guess we’re even.”

 Gladio added, “You’re pretty banged up, we have a first aid kit, you can stay here tonight with us if you want.”

 Noct agreed, “Yeah, if you’re hungry, Ignis is a pro in the kitchen, you can take the bed here if you like.”

 “Well fellas, this pretty little thing ain’t gonna feel at home with you all buzzin’ over her like a flock of Daggerquill!  Let the girl get some rest.  Nothing like a hot shower to renew some life in a gal!” she chimed happily at you.

 You returned a weak smile.  You felt guilty that Cindy had annoyed you so much in the game, she was proving to be a genuine sweetheart after all.  

 Gladio waved his hand towards the others, “Like the lady says, give [Y/N] some space,” as he gestured for the rest to leave.

 “Yeah, if you don’t mind, I’d like to clean up a little..” you uttered in a low voice.

 Gladio smirked as he shoved Prompto out of the RV, a blush forming on the blonde’s cheeks.  The rest followed suit as the door closed behind them.  

 You finally gave in to your situation; you were too tired and defeated to do anything else at this point, so you decided to take up their offer of hospitality.  You paced around the narrow mobile home, searching for the bathroom as you opened several doors before finally spotting the shower.  You sighed with relief, just like Cindy said, a shower is all a girl needs to feel like a new person.  You reached for the knot that sat on your waist of your gown before a realization struck you.  This dress was the only thing you had on you, literally.

 You let out a loud groan.  Various options began flitting through your mind.  I could stand in the shower with my dress on, that way my dress would get washed too? Or, I can shower and wear my dirty dress to sleep?  OR I can shower and wash my dress separate and sport a towel around all night. The last thought was instantly ruled out.  You sighed, shower in my dress it is.

 You scratched your head with frustration as you walked back to the main room to search for a bottle of shampoo and soap when a soft knock came from the door.  Cracking it open, a glint from a pair of glasses came into view.

 “Ah, my apologies, [Y/N].  It has just occurred to me that you most likely have none of your personal belongings on you.”

 You were impressed by his level of consideration and foresight, “Uhh, yeah, I actually just… figured I would shower with my dress on and kill two birds with one stone.”

 He chuckled, “That’s quite the metaphor. But if you wouldn’t mind…” he waited for your permission to let him in.  You opened up the door as he stepped inside.  He immediately turned down the hallway, disappearing behind one of the dividers.  A faint bout of shuffling could be heard and he returned a few minutes later with a pair of neatly folded clothes in his hands.

 “Forgive me, they will be excessively large on you, but if you can bear it for one evening, we can purchase a few necessities for you in the morning.”

 You desperately wished you could fight back the blush that burned on your cheeks.  You shakily reached your hands out and took the clothes from him.  Ignis Scientia’s clothes.  

 “We will not disturb you, so take all the time you need.  I have not prepared dinner yet, so if you are hungry you are welcome to join us.”

 You caught yourself staring at him before shaking off your hypnotic gaze, “Yeah, that’d be great, thanks again,” lifting the clothes up to gesture your gratitude.  

 He smiled, “Not a problem at all.  Well, I’ll leave you to it then.” He turned and exited the camper.

 Once the door clicked shut, you couldn’t help but bury your face indulgently into the pile.  It was exactly as you had hoped, the smell of clean linen and remnants of his cologne were still laced between the fibers.  You exhaled a dreamy sigh, praying he had not forgotten something and returning to find you creepishly fawning over his belongings.

 You headed back to the shower, shimmying out of your dress and draping it on the counter.  You stepped inside and cranked the hot water on, feeling your semi-terrible day wash off of your body.  The relaxing steam coiled around you as you slid your hands down your face.  Everything feels so real… but how can it be?  So many questions but so little answers.  

 After you had scrubbed yourself clean of the dirt and grime, you toweled your body and hair, pausing when your eyes met the neat pile of Ignis’ clothing.  You couldn’t help but a feel a bit excited to wear the advisor’s attire.  You carefully grabbed the first article, a navy long-sleeved shirt of the softest cotton material.   You pulled it easily over your head, he truly was much larger than you as the v-neck collar dared to slip over your exposed shoulder.  You reached for the next piece, a black pair of sleeping pants with a gathered tie along the waist.  You slipped it on, Jesus he’s tall, as nearly a foot of pant leg drooped off your feet.  It was amazingly comfortable, you gathered what pant material you could and lifted them up so that you wouldn’t trip as you sauntered through the camper.  The blush returned to your face as the material rubbed tantalizingly over your bare skin.  Alright brain keep it together!

 You approached the bed and flopped down on to it as you curled up into a cozy ball.  You were a bit hungry but your exhaustion was too great so you decided that sleep was more important.  Who knows, maybe this was the most vivid dream you had ever experienced in your entire life.  Maybe you needed a CAT scan as soon as you woke up.  Part of you had hoped that when the morning comes you would wake to find yourself exactly where you were, laying on your couch in front of the tv.

 But the other part of you had secretly hoped not. That maybe this was real… and maybe, somehow, you were here for a reason.

[theres-no-paradise]

Sorry not Sorry

Chapter 4

Summary: A random number wakes you up early on a Saturday morning. But it doesn't stop there. The stranger keeps on sending messages, and you have no idea what is happening, when you start to develop feelings for the unknown person.

Pairings: Tom Holland  x Reader [submit your name: How it works]

Y/N your Name

Y/F  your friends name

Word Count:  1490

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 5

Warnings: There will be swearing for sure, lots of sarcasm

A/N: A smol little chapter for you guys. I couldnt help but sit down and write because right here is one of my favourite texts ever lol I hope you enjoy, even though chapter's not as long as the others. (i'll try to make them much longer in the future, I promise)

Sunday. The only day you could stay in bed from morning until evening without giving a shit for anything. Most Sundays you just stayed in, enjoying some Me - Time and doing stuff you liked. Today, you hung out in bed until early afternoon, reading stuff and drinking tea. You were just going through a nice fanfiction about your favourite celebrity, as your mobile phone buzzed. You reached out for it from your nightstand and read the message that showed up on the screen.

Not Tom Hardy :(: I was wondering… When’s your birthday?

Tom’s questions were getting more personal day by day but you started to care less with each one you received. But you wouldn’t stop to be sassy towards him just yet. You enjoyed this little exchange of words and you felt as if he did too.

You: not happening

Not Tom Hardy :(: aw c’mon

You: no.

Not Tom Hardy :(: I’ll tell you mine

You: have fun

Not Tom Hardy :(: Mine is on June 1st!

You: Good for you. Happy Birthday.

Not Tom Hardy :(: Man, you’re a nut

You: never cracking

Checking the actual date, you choked. The first of June was just around the corner and you thought for a second, if he was actually joking. Was it really his birthday soon? Would you message him and send him some wishes? For a second you imagined bumping into him while strolling through Oxford street. Even though you had no idea who he was or how he looked like, you felt in your little daydream that you’d recognize him, if you’d ever meet him by accident. You just had it. That feeling.

It was already late when you got home from work. It was a busy and stressful new start of the week and you were so glad you could just get home, drop onto your sofa and relax a little before heading to bed. There was a pan on the cooker and you were waiting for your rice dish to finally start boiling as you were having a little hunger crisis. Problem was, that you didn’t get to have lots to eat at lunch because customers were storming in and there was no time to eat at all. You didn’t even manage to get a Snack after work, because suddenly the trains were on time as well so you thought to just get in and drive home instead of missing the train, spend money and then maybe having to wait longer to get home. Now you were waiting for the timer to go off, so you could get up and get your dinner ready.

Not Tom Hardy :(: We’ve been texting over a week now :)

Was it really a week? Has the time, since the stranger messaged you for the first time, gone by so fast? It felt like you’ve been texting with him for much longer than a week. But he was right, it’s been a little over seven days.

You: YOU’ve been texting. I only answered.

Not Tom Hardy :(: But you like it ;)

You: no.

Not Tom Hardy :(: Oh c’mon. You’d miss my texts

He was probably right. You liked the attention you got everyday since nobody else, except for your best friend, messaged you. Of course there were other people texting with you occasionally but nobody ever gave you a feeling that they were constantly thinking about you. Except for him. Tom. The stranger.

You: Tell me Why are you like this?

Not Tom Hardy :(: Because I’m amazing!

You: no. Spiderman’s amazing. You’re annoying

Not Tom Hardy :(: Maybe I am Spiderman

You laughed out loud. You could totally imagine this guy, wearing a Spiderman Cosplay and pretend he’s the real one. Maybe he did Cosplay and had a blue and red spandex? I should ask him that too sometime, you thought as you got up from your sofa. You heard a ringing sound, meaning your rice should be finally finished.

You: Keep dreaming, mate. Just because your name’s Tom doesn’t make you a Holland.

Not Tom Hardy :(: You like that guy?

You: He’s okay. Good actor but my spiderman heart beats for Tobey though.

You really meant it. When you first heard who the new Spiderman was going to be, you kind of lost your shit a little about the information. You’ve seen Tom Holland in The Impossible before and you loved that film a lot and have seen it probably a little too often (You just loved emotional cry films, you couldn't help it) but when you saw his face all over the internet as the announcement for the new Spiderman came in, the only thing that crossed your mind was: Not that baby!

You would've loved to see some other Actor as the new Peter Parker but that wasn't going to happen so you had to accept the choice. After you've seen Civil War, you kind of enjoyed the new Spiderman though. It was refreshing and definitely different from the earlier Versions but your original would always be Tobey. (Keep believing that, Love.)

Not Tom Hardy :(: Well, you really need to watch the new Spider Man though. I think it’s great and the actor nails it too.

You: How do you know. It’s not out yet Also, fanboy much?

Not Tom Hardy :(: No no no! I’ve seen Civil war and thought the new Spiderman was awesome. So I assume homecoming is going to rock. Trailer’s great.

You: lol fanboy #TeamIronMan though

Not Tom Hardy :(: That’s my girl haha

You: I knew if I were someones lol

Not Tom Hardy :(: ohhhhh so you’re not dating anyone?

You: none of your business

Not Tom Hardy :(: And I thought we were friends

You: You think too much, Tom.

The last messages threw you out. Like, you absolutely did not expect Tom to say such a thing as ‘my girl’. There was suddenly a weird feeling in your stomach and you scolded yourself for even letting that get to you. This guy is still a total stranger. Just because he was giving me so much attention during the past week, doesn’t mean that he likes me. And I shouldn’t like him.

You were glad, that he decided to not write anything more that night, as the one sentence confused you to no end. Once you were in bed later, you couldn’t stop thinking about it and it drove you mad. You really needed to talk to Y/F soon. Maybe she could talk some sanity into you and stop that silly crush, that was slowly developing inside of you.

Not Tom Hardy :(: What’s up Y/N? What are you up to?

You grabbed your phone immediately from its place on the desk right after it buzzed. You sighed heavily, as you saw Tom’s message appear on the bright screen. It was no sigh of frustration nor stress though, but more of relief. You haven’t heard from Tom for a couple of days since the day he said the thing and it was making you feel weird. You felt kind of attached to his messages and he was right, you’d miss his little notifications and questions and you were sure, it was already too late of going back. Even though you texted every day only once for a few minutes, it was enough to make you feel important to him.

You: Oh, you’re alive…

Not Tom Hardy :(: Yeah, sorry. I’ve been pretty busy the past few days. Lots of appointments not really time to check my phone

You: And I thought you choked on air

Not Tom Hardy :(: Aw thats not nice though

You: Am I supposed to be sorry?

Not Tom Hardy :(: IF you were an actual human, I guess you’d be

You: Makes sense, but I guess I’m not

Not Tom Hardy :(: lol thats what Ive been thinking

You: You should stop with that. I told you, you think too much.

Not Tom Hardy :(: Now I’m offended haha

You: Does that mean you step texting?

Not Tom Hardy :(: Nope. Still having too much fun

Something was different today, and you realized that after exchanging a couple of messages with Tom. You suddenly felt bad for your comments and wished that you could take them away but to be honest, you were a little mad that it took him so long to message you again, too. You got used to his attention so much, that you became emotional about it and that was your personal no - go. Or at least that’s what it has been for the last couple of years. You were no fan of being attached to people, and it annoyed you when you saw your friends in relationships. Not that you didn’t want them to be happy, but this whole ‘being addicted to a person’ - thing stressed you out and now you were on your way to become one of those. And that because of a fucking stranger, which wasn’t even Tom Hardy.

Taglist:

@hollandorks  @beardedsteveslut @ilivefortomholland @casualprincess77 @agirlwithpointlessideas @isabellamozarella03 @MENDES-HOLLAND @thiswildfire @wastedheartnat ( I hope I didn’t forget to add anyone o:)

[aarunomura]

MARGINAL#4「IDOL OF STARLIGHT KISS 2」CD Vol.2 Full Drama - Shy & Kira (Translation)

★ Please DO NOT re-translate or post this translation anywhere.

TRACK 1: Anniversary With Shy

*sigh* No messages, huh. It looks like I finished earlier than her. 

She and I started dating a year ago. That day was a cold day like today. Even now, I clearly remember when she accepted my confession with a smile. I wonder if I’ll be able to see her lovely smile today just like that day. I am hurrying home while thinking of her smile. *phone vibrates* Hmm? Ah. *checks phone and chuckles* The words on my smartphone’s screen say, “I am on my way there now.” For me to be feeling happy over such a minor message, it’s surely because my love for the world’s most beautiful princess knows no bounds. A prince waiting for his princess isn’t so bad, either. With that thought in mind, I made my way to my castle.

☆★☆

[1:30] *You reach Shy’s doorstep and ring the doorbell.*

Yes. Ah, wait a moment. *opens the door* Welcome, come in.

Good work today. It was cold, right? Eh? Ah, no, I wasn’t about to go anywhere. I also just got home myself. I was about to go get changed when the intercom rang so I just went to open the door for you instead. *laughs* The tip of your nose is bright red. Shall I make something warm for you to drink?

For warming up your body, I wonder if ginger tea is fine. There’s cinnamon tea as well, but which would you prefer? As you wish, Princess.

☆★☆

[2:43]

Here you go. It’s hot so be careful, okay. How were things for you today? Kira didn’t cause any problems for you, did he? I see. That’s good then. If that is true, I would’ve liked to be there today. You’re right. Well, let’s use this time when we can be together well.

[3:15]

Are you going to start cooking already? You just got here though. Isn’t it fine to do it after spending a little more time with your lover? Ah, I see. No, don’t worry. You’re the type who prioritises the things needed to be done, huh. But, I’m happy about your feelings. Because I also want to celebrate this day with you as soon as possible. Then, I guess I’ll take you up on that and leave the cooking to you then.

[3:53]

Oh right, you’re free to use anything in the kitchen as you like. Even so, you are to call me for things located in high places instead of trying to get them yourself. Well then, I’m going to get changed.

☆★☆

*After getting out the necessary utensils, you open the fridge.*

[4:23]

Ah. Haha, so you’ve found it, huh. Hmm? I actually prepared it as a surprise for you. This cake, you mentioned before that you’d like to try it, right? You ended up finding it earlier than planned, but I guess the surprise was successful. Well then, shall we eat it later? I have some champagne as well so I’m looking forward to dessert time.

Ah. *laughs* Of course it’s non-alcoholic. It’s strong in carbonation, but it’s practically like juice. Anyway, so that I’m not in the way, I’ll be waiting over there, but I shall leave the rest up to you. I look forward to your delicious cooking.

TRACK 2: As You Wish

*Shy sits on the couch and flips through a book. You then come in from the kitchen.*

Hmm? What’s the matter? Did something happen? Hmm? How did the cooking go? It’s unusual for you, who spends lots of time and effort into cooking, to resort to oven cooking. What brought this on? Ah. I-Is that so? Thanks. I want to be with you longer as well. Besides, it’s because of this very day that I also wish to express more of my love for you. That is why… *pulls you towards him*

[1:06]

I’ll grant any wish you ask of me today, my beloved Princess. …!! Woah there. *laughs* You’re a naughty Princess, aren’t you. I won’t drop you so settle down. Now then, what do you wish for during this limited time? Whether it be words of love or a kiss, I’ll grant anything for you.

[1:34]

My wish? *laughs* If I say it, will you grant it for me? That’s a shame. Well then, isn’t it about time you stop dodging the question and tell me your wish? I was joking about my wish earlier, but it’s true that I always want to kiss those glossy lips of yours. *amused* That’s mean, calling me a bully. All I did was say my wish. And plus, if I have to be honest… I can’t help but be impatient. My wish as well as yours can be granted with just one word from you, but what will it be? As you wish. *kiss*

[2:42]

Anything else you would like for me to do? Alright. Come here. *You go into his arms.* Anything else? You’re the one I love the most in this world, my beloved Princess. *kiss* Hey. Can I kiss you one mo—

*The oven timer goes off.*

Ah. …Unfortunately, it appears we have reached the stroke of twelve.1 Don’t make that face. We still have plenty of time. I’ll grant more of your wishes after we have finished eating. *kiss* Anyway, let’s have dinner.

TRACK 3: An Everlasting Tale

All of them look delicious. You wouldn’t think that they were oven-cooked. Certainly, it’s remarkable how advanced electronic appliances have become, but isn’t this amazing food plating all because of your skills? I wouldn’t have been able to do this. There’s no need to be that embarrassed. Anyway, shall we open the champagne? Here’s to our one year anniversary together. Cheers.

[0:56]

It’s fruity, but isn’t too sweet and has a refreshing taste, right? Despite the combination of several types of grapes, it’s well-harmonised, making it the best kind of champagne. I have an interest in champagne and wine, you see. I wonder if I should try to get a sommelier qualification some day. *smiles* Thank you. Then, if I actually do get it, then how about I ask to get a few days off work. *laughs* I’m kidding.

Mhm, it’s delicious. This herb-flavoured grilled dish smells good as well. Is it rosemary? You practised making this at home for me? You truly are a hard worker. Thank you. Your feelings reached me.

[1:57] *sigh*

“Hard worker,” huh. Who would’ve thought that the day would come when I would be able to spend time with you as lovers. No, it’s just my first impression of you was completely different to my impression of you now. To think that our relationship in the past where we would just often come across each other could turn into such a deep relationship now.

[2:35]

Well, you showed me all kinds of worlds and taught me many important things. I’m very grateful. Well, just as you have showed me all kinds of worlds, I have to thank Kira for that as well. But since he’ll get cocky if I tell him that, do keep this a secret from him.

In the past, I was scared of seeing worlds I knew nothing about, but right now, I look forward to it a little. It’s surely because you and Kira are there. Keep on teaching me all kinds of things and all kinds of worlds. *smiles* Thanks.

☆★☆

[3:25]

Since we’ve finished our meals, shall we have dessert now? I’ll bring it out so wait for me for just a bit.

*He goes to the fridge to get the cake and comes back.*

Thanks for waiting. Hmm? Candle? Sure. Put it wherever you like. …? Something fell. A message card. “Happily Ever After,” huh.

[4:17]

They really made this accompanying card fancy-looking. They are words wishing two married people eternal happiness. They must’ve thought that I was sending this cake to my fiancée. Although I don’t mind spinning a tale that goes according to the card’s expectations. *laughs* True. I too want to make the appropriate preparations before conveying it so let’s keep this tale going for a little longer, shall we? Well then, I’m going to light the candle. Ah, shall we turn off the lights? Come here.

[5:11]

Beautiful, isn’t it. To the point that I can’t seem to take my eyes off it. *laughs* For some reason, rather than our first year anniversary of dating, this almost feels… like our wedding, doesn’t it? I vow to continue loving you for the rest of my life. I love you. I truly love you. *kiss* *kisses again* From here, onto forever, let us be together. *kiss*

TRACK 4: Happily Ever After

Here is your lemon tea, Princess. *laughs* You’ve stopped blushing even when I call you ‘Princess’. Have you gotten used to hearing it? Then… how about I see how you’ll react when I call you Milady this time?

Ah. *laughs* I’m kidding! Don’t be that angry, alright. Well… Ah, is it already this time? Truth is, the final episode of a drama is starting after this, but is it alright if we watch it? Thanks. Sorry about this. Even though today is our anniversary. I wanted to watch it today no matter what.

☆★☆

*You both watch as a serious scene is unfolding. He heaves deep sighs while watching intently.*

Yeah. That’s right.

☆★☆

[1:41]

Eh? Y-You were calling out to me? Sorry about that. I was completely inside my own world. I’m shooting a drama tomorrow, right? That was why I wanted to watch this to study and take something away from the acting. Being studious might be a good thing, but to end up ignoring my own girlfriend because of that, I have failed as a boyfriend. Thanks. By the way, what is it going to be today? Of course, I’m asking whether or not you’ll be staying over. Even though it’s our anniversary, are you not going to?

[2:31]

Well, if I were to have it my way… then I don’t want to let you go home. Won’t you stay in my arms all night tonight? The blushing you is attractive, but right now, it’s backfiring on you. I feel like having you make that kind of expression even more. *kiss* Of course, If you want to go home, then you are free to do so. That is, if you can push me aside. *kiss*

More… Let me feel you… *kiss followed by another kiss and then another*

[3:52] *laughs*

You noticed? It’s magic that won’t wear off even when the clock strikes twelve. A present from me. A moon anklet. Beautiful, isn’t it? It’s an anklet with a moonstone embedded. The moonstone is a symbol of hope and love. It watches over your happy future with the one you love. It’s a wonderful gem. I’m sure that this gem will protect you even during the times when I can’t be by your side. So take good care of it. *kiss* But of course, I’ll be the one to protect you during the times when we are together. Well then, shall we get this fun night between us started?

Allow me to escort you to the bedroom, my beloved Princess. Let me enjoy your cute expressions tonight. I love you. *kiss*

TRACK 5: Anniversary With Kira

I’ve been going out with her for a year now. It sounds long, but a year is actually short. It really did go by in the blink of an eye, I think. But when I look back at everything in detail, all of it is profoundly memorable. When I confessed to her. Going out on dates with her. Holding hands with her. The memories are endless. On top of that, I also have memories with her as both idol and Manager. Creating more fun and happy moments is a good thing. It’d be nice if I can have more fun memories with her today too. For that to happen, I need to properly take the lead. Just you wait, my beloved Princess. I’m gonna make today the best day.

☆★☆

[1:12] *The door opens and then closes. You both walk in and put the bags of groceries down.*

Haah, and we’re here. Thanks for doing this. Sorry I made you come shopping with me. This should be enough, right. I’m gonna make you the best-tasting dish so look forward to it. Ahh, it’s ‘cause I want to treat you today. Why don’t you chill in the living room?

[1:55]

Your feelings alone are enough. Thanks though. 

Hahaha, you really are stubborn. Then how about I ask you to just help me put away the ingredients? This one and this one go in the fridge. And put this one in the freezer. Ah, the drinks are heavy so be careful. After that is… I guess I’ll bring out whatever stuff I might need. *starts bringing out utensils*

Hmm? This one? This is called a “spice box” and is like a container to store spices. I mean, spice containers come in pouch-types or jar-looking ones so they all get mixed up, right? Storing the spices would be difficult that way, which is why I manage them this way by using a spice box instead.

[2:56]

Ahh, this is a parsley cutter. I use it when I want to finely cut parsley or vegetables. It’s an excellent tool for making spices as well. Ah, I might as well use this today. Tah-dah! It’s a curry pot. I got it a while back, but I haven’t exactly had the chance to use it. Doesn’t it kind of give off the feeling of an expensive restaurant? You’re right, it probably is unusual to own this much variety of utensils. Before I knew it, I ended up with this much stuff. But well, it’s not like my ruling passion for cooking just started recently so it’s more like those things just slowly piled up over time.

[3:48]

Hmm, I started living alone since high school so about four, five years, I think? I lost my parents when I was a kid and lived with my grandfather afterwards, but he passed away when I entered junior high so I was living with a relative I didn’t get along with. If I remember correctly, that was also around the time I met Shy. I remember complaining to that guy every day about how I was definitely gonna move out of that house once I become a senior high school student. And from there, when I entered high school, I started living alone, just like I said I would. It was pretty difficult at first, but once I got used to it, it became fun, and now I’m here. Something like that.

[4:37] *amused*

What’s with that face? It’s not like it was a depressing story. It’s not painful. Well, it was tough and agonising at times, but not once did I wish for a life different to the one I have now. It’s because I took that road that I was able to meet Shy and everyone in the agency. And plus, I was able to go out with you. That’s why I don’t regret a single thing.

[5:13]

I’m alright now; I’m not alone anymore. I’m glad that I met you. Pfft. Haha! Your face is all red. Geez, you’re seriously cute, aren’t ya. But that’s why I like yo—*stomach grumbles*

……Pfft! *bursts out laughing* That right! You’re starving, huh. Sorry about that. Haha! Then it’s time I get cooking. Himuro Kira-sama’s special made dinner—look forward to it.

TRACK 6: Sweet Help

Anyway, let’s get started. Ahh, thanks for the help. I’ll take over from here so it’s fine for you to take a nice break. Cooking is the equivalent of a stress reliever for me so I’m fine. Besides, I didn’t have any big jobs today so I still have lots of energy to spare. So don’t worry about it. You’re always saying that it’s also an idol’s job to take a rest. Doesn’t that apply to managers as well? If you understand, then off you go! *amused* If you want to help out that badly, then watch a DVD of LAGPO’s and tell me your thoughts. That’ll ‘help’ boost my energy. Just kidding.

*amused* Don’t be that upset. I’m joking. Then how about this. I’ll call you when there’s something I want you to help me with so until then, take a break. I ain’t lying. I’ll definitely call you. That should be fine, right. Then watch some TV, take it easy and wait. Ah, I really don’t mind if you watch LAGPO’s DVDs, you know.

☆★☆

{1:36]

OI! Come here for a sec! Ah, sorry for calling you when you were in the middle of watching TV. Your long-awaited time to help has finally come. The curry’s just about ready, but I thought I’d get you to take on the most important role. Here.

*amused* Why are you giving me that blank look? I want you to give it a taste. To see whether or not the taste is to your liking. Ah, be careful. It’s hot. Seriously?! Thank God! Ah, it’s not spicy, is it? Really? Looks like it’ll be fine then. I’ll have a taste too. Mmm. Not bad! I think I’ll add in a bit of garam masala.

[2:38]

Thanks for the help! Hmm? What’s wrong? Your face is all red. Haaah. Indirect kiss, huh. Haha! You’re a cute one, aren’t you. Getting all red from an indirect kiss. Even though we always kiss. *kiss* Curry taste. Food’s just about ready; can you get out the plates for me? Ah, you can go ahead and serve yourself as much rice as you want first. And a larger portion for me, please.

Man, no matter how many years go by, she never changes. Well, that’s a good thing about her though. Now then, it’s time for me to wrap this up.

TRACK 7: What I love About You

My apologies to have kept you waiting. This here is Indian-style chicken curry, Milady. Over here, you have the caesar salad and corn potage. And for dessert, I have prepared for you a sweets plate. Please enjoy your meal.

[0:28]

I had some time while I was stewing the curry. I was thinking that one dish probably wouldn’t be enough. Ahh, this sweets plate looks like the one you had for dessert when we went out to eat before, right? You were overjoyed about it so I was thinking that maybe I could make something similar, and tried copying it. Haha! I’m happy you’re pleased! I’ll make sure to cook something even better next yr so look forward to it. Then let’s eat before our food gets cold. Thanks for the meal!

☆★☆

[1:17]

Hmm? I’m putting the plates together so hand those over. Mmmm! This cake is super delicious! Cakes from famous stores sure are on a whole ‘nother level.

*notification sound from phone*

Hmm? …Heeh, they say a typhoon’s approaching Okinawa. We were hit with quite some typhoons in Summer, but we still get them during this time of year, huh.

[1:49] *You hurriedly flip through your schedule planner.*

What’s wrong? Work next week? Oh yeah! You did say that we would be going to Okinawa for shooting, huh. Well, it’s true that the plane won’t be able to fly if the typhoon directly hits there, but if the shoot is cancelled, the client would be calling yo一

Now now, calm down. Just because they say that it’s heading for Okinawa doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll directly hit the prefecture, and even if it does hit, it might just end up quickly passing through, right? There’s no use in panicking right now. If something comes up, they’ll call you so until then, let’s just patiently wait. And with that, I’ll be confiscating your schedule planner for a moment.

[2:53]

Being able to quickly switch between work and private is a great quality about you, but isn’t it fine to forget about work at least for today? Since it’s our first anniversary together. Okay? Well, if you say that you can’t switch back… *leans in closer* I don’t mind getting you into that mood though.

HAHA! I’m kidding! Come on! Eat your dessert and cheer up. If you want seconds, I’ll prepare some, okay. Don’t hold back and help yourself! Oh right, I’m going to go ahead and do the dishes so just take your time.

☆★☆

[3:48] *sigh*

Geez. She’s always so innocent no matter how much time passes by that I’m at a loss of what to do. Well, It’d be a problem for me if she was experienced though. Guess I’ll keep pace with her for a little bit longer. Ah, oh crap! I completely forgot to give her that! I need to hand it over to her after this.

[4:11] *footsteps*

WOAH! You startled me! I-It’s nothing! Just talking to myself, that’s all. Ahh, you brought the plates for me? Thanks! And it was my pleasure. I’ll be with you right after I finish washing the dishes so wait for me in the living room. *You leave the kitchen.*

Phew, that really scared me! It’d be way too lame if she found out here… But anyway, I need to think about how I’m going to give it to her. Well, when there’s a will, there’s a way. …Eh? Did I get it wrong? Uhh… Well, whatever. It’ll work out in the end!

TRACK 8: A Reward For the Victor

Now that we’ve eaten and our stomachs are full… *leans in closer* Shall we go get some exercise? 

HAHA! Just kidding, just kidding! Well, I say “exercise”, but the ones doing the exercising will be our in-game characters. In saying that, let’s play a game together. It’s a fighting game. This is apparently a popular one these days so I started playing with Aru, but It’s aimed for beginners, and since the skills are also easy to use and the game has extensive modes, it’s actually pretty fun.

[0:38]

Here you go, this is the instruction manual. There’s a list of moves at the back. Well, since it’d be hard for you to memorise everything right away, I think it’s fine if you just remember the basics. Anyway! How about we give it a go in practice mode? There, try fighting with the character you’re going to use by testing out the buttons and the moves.

☆★☆

[1:08]

Alright then, let’s battle it out once. Now you’ve said it. I won’t go easy on you then so prepare yourself. Oh? Those are some nice moves for your first time. At this rate, I really don’t think I can go easy on you. Woah there! That was a great attack just now. But… I’m going to have you let me win this round!

That was so close, wasn’t it. You took quite the hit. If you pay attention to the timing and set traps, I think you’ll become even better! Want to give it another try? Now you’re talking! Let’s do it!

☆★☆

[2:05]

Woah?! Serious? That was close. But… You’re wide open at the back!

Phew, that a close match just now, huh! I honestly thought I was gonna lose! Want me to give you a handicap? Haha, thought you might say that! Then let’s do this. If you win against me in the next round, I’ll give you a reward. Of course, you’ll have to win to find out what it is. Then let’s start.

☆★☆

[2:50]

No way. Is it just me or are you getting real good at this? That kind of attack—as if I can bloc—! Arghhh!! Seriously…? I let my guard down. Wow, you’re amazing. You were able to beat me in just a few hours. Well, I knew you were a fast learner from the start, but this?

I have no choice then. A loss is a loss. As promised, I’ll have to give you a reward. Then face this way and close your eyes. Don’t open them until I say so. I’ll be borrowing your hand for a bit.

You can open your eyes now.

[3:43]

Why don’t you open that box? It’s a reward from me. Okay, it’s actually an anniversary present. I went with a ring, but what do you think? *smiles* I’m glad you like it! Come, give me your right hand. *puts it on* I actually want to put it on your left hand, but that’s going to have to wait for a little longer. *kisses your hand*

Oh yeah, the stone on this ring is apparently called ‘heliodor’. A part of it means “Sun”. “To guide one towards a life filled with hope.” Well, I want to be the one to fulfil that role though. By the way… Tah-dah! It comes in a pair so I’m also wearing one. Does it suit me? Well, if you’re gonna wear it at the agency, you can wear it as a necklace so take good care of it for me, okay?

[4:56]

Don’t cry. If you’re happy, then smile. You being by my side like this and happily smiling brings me more joy than anything. A lot of things happened up until now, but since I was able to have met such a good woman like you, I’m a lucky guy. Come on, lift your chin up. Otherwise, I won’t be able to wipe away your tears. I love you. *kiss*

[5:46]

*kisses again* Crap, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop. *amused* That’s one happy expression you’re making. *kiss* Next year, the year after that, and for many years to come, let’s be together. Even if you say no, I won’t let you go, okay. So prepare yourself. *amused* Now you’ve said it. I don’t plan on ever letting you go then. Thanks for allowing me to shine bright. I’ll keep on shining for your sake. So watch over me forever. I love you. *kiss*

NOTES:

1 Shy isn’t saying the time is literally midnight. Rather, he’s saying that his moment with Yue has been interrupted, just like the moment between the prince & Cinderella in the fairy tale when the clock chimes and the spell breaks.

[jelanisaeed]

Round 5: VS Turtwig- Legends Part 5

Hello everyone! Sooo, I had a whole plan for Jasper's chapters and then I scraped them lol Cause I'm chaotic like that lol. So, I made some edits to the ending of Chapter 4 which changed how this chapter begins. Basically, I removed the argument and ended it with a more diplomatic ending. The reason is that in light of everything going on in the world, I didn't want to have my male leads experiencing conflict with male leads right off the bat when I know my female lead won't experience the same. So, I decided to make all three have unique experiences core to their development and character.

There's a lot of pain in the world so I want to alleviate that. However, I feel it necessary to make this known moving forward. This author is a black queer man who supports Black Lives Matter. So a lot of my stories will have emotions and plot-lines geared towards the black experience (modified of course since this doesn't take place in our world). I feel like it's necessary to make that clear moving forward.

And before we move onto lighter things, I also wanna say Rest in Power Chadwick Boseman. You were loved and still are for your amazing contributions to the lives of black peoples and for being an icon that young black actors can strive for.

Nowww, on a lighter note. The song of choice for this chapter was all over the place lol. But I eventually settled on My Sanity by Thrii. They're amazing and that song is so beautiful.

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the story!

…

Pokémon Adventures: Turquoise, Jasper, & Ammolite

Round 5: VS Turtwig – Legends Part 5

Location: Veilstone City Date: August 4th , 3000 Time: 3:00pm

"Ight," Jasper finally said with a smooth grin. "I'll take your word for it."

Today hadn't gone as Jasper expected. Not surprised there. His days never followed a set plan. Something always came up and disrupted the course. Rocking the boat until he tumbled into the waters and swam for safety. Other times, however, he was surprised with a gift.

Much like today, he chuckled.

Jasper accepted the package from the cute guy. Had to be from Oreburgh with his purple miner hat over his short coils. Dressed the part, though the orange belt was a nice touch. Way better those gaudy belts the miners wore around Veilstone.

The package matched Jasper's aesthetic. Star-themed with his name written almost like constellations. Whoever this was from had great taste. Maybe Jasper could borrow some stationary from them? Regardless, he tore open the package and found three gifts—a timer ball, a letter, and some gadget.

"A pokémon?" Jasper snatched the ball and examined the transparent top. A turtle of some kind slept inside.

Mommy nudged him and flashed another encouraging smile. "Go on," she urged with cacturne mimicking her every move. "Let's see 'em?"

Everyone watched him, awaiting his next move. Even Kito stopped eating for this! Though the little looked fed up with all the waiting. Tapping his feet with arms folded across his tiny chest. Jasper chuckled. If Kito was ready for it then there was no reason why he shouldn't be.

"Ight—c'mon out, buddy!"

In a burst of light and smoke, the pokémon appeared. Much greener than he thought with a twig on its head. Still cute though. Even though it yawned nice and wide without care.

"A turtwig?" Mommy frowned.

Turtwig? Now that was name Jasper remembered. He learned about them in history class. Super rare pokémon that Pokémon Professors researched in Sinnoh. One of the Pokédex Holders had them too if he remembered right. Diamond, was it? Yeah, Diamond of that comedy duo.

But why me? Something soft nudged against his legs. Jasper looked down and smiled. Looks like Turtwig finally noticed him. Little guy smiled at him with those droopy yellow eyes of his.

"Professor Kapok gave you a turtwig, huh?" Baryte mused with furrowed brows. "Weird. What else is in there."

Guess this Professor Kapok didn't give out pokémon often. Much less to strangers. Jasper didn't have any teachers who matched the name. Although, there was this cool guest speaker who always asked him questions. Said something about having the eyes of a pyroar—whatever that meant. Jasper never paid it much mind.

"He gave me this weird-looking gadget," a handheld painted light yellow with purple stars, "and this letter."

A letter addressed to him in perfect script. Jasper snorted. Academics sure loved their cursive writing. Nonetheless, he opened the envelope and took the letter inside. Written in cursive as well, but on more star-themed stationary.

"Greetings, Jasper." Arceus, even the writing sounded intellectual. "I hope you remember me. Spoke at your school while you were just a litleo. Yet your eyes burned with the passion of pyroar. Such ferocity in your moments—I knew you'd be a force in the future."

So, it was them. Jasper assumed they were just another scientist. One of Daddy's colleagues perhaps? He met some of them in the past. Whenever he brought Daddy dinner during overtime hours. His coworkers always gushed about Jasper. Even teased Daddy about having the coolest son ever.

Their words…well, maybe he paraphrased a bit.

But this Professor Kapok came to his school. Taught the best lecture on dark type pokémon he ever sat through. Left without a trace, only to give him a gift years later. Jasper didn't believe much in faith, but this lined up too well not to be!

The letter soaked Jasper's mind with flowery metaphors. A few questionable ones, sure—The hell does "a blazing star in the void" mean? But he pushed through. Poetry was never his strong suit. Though Baryte took to it with ease and explained that stuff for him.

Smart guy, Jasper decided. Though, no surprise there. Baryte gave off the vibes.

He finished the letter shortly after. Only noticed then his trembling hands. The teardrops pelting the paper. And the soft arms hugging him from behind. The sensations struck at once. His heart led the sensation, pounding in beat to his sobs.

Little turtwig even hopped into his arms. Little turtwig—a pokémon he just met—came to comfort him with soft nuzzles to his chest. Jasper accepted each brush and hugged the little guy closer to his chest.

Professor Kapok gave him a gift to treasure. Not just in this new pokémon. But the opportunity of the lifetime inscribed in his words.

"I never enjoyed seeing the lights of stars dimming away," the letter had said. "So, for you, I'll send a private nurse for your mother. So, you may take your journey uninhibited and breathe life into the star burning within you."

…

Jasper emerged from the bathroom refreshed. A grin slapped across his face as he hung a dry towel around his neck. Perfect for catching the water dripping from his shrunken afro. Had to love washdays. Never failed to leave him as stress-free as the towel slung around his waist. Almost made the cold shower worth it.

Almost. Jasper stilled loathed them with a burning passion.

I guess they good for something, Jasper shrugged and walked back to his room. They eased away the sores from his morning workouts. Plus, he felt less tension in his soul.

Still hate 'em though. The disdain, however, didn't last long. Once he slipped into his room, he found the cutest surprise. His new turtwig stood at the door with a fish-eating grin.

Now this made the shower worth it. "You waited for me, Kobe?" The little guy nodded. Even licked his wet legs. Jasper laughed. Such a sweet little guy—unlike Kito who lazed around on his bed.

I gotta thank Professor Kapok when I see him. Maybe buy them a gift. Though, Jasper didn't know where to start! Science wasn't his forte; maybe Baryte had some suggestions? He seemed the type.

Regardless, Jasper had more important business to attend to. Like getting dressed. And he wasted no time throwing on his clothes. Truth be told, he had this outfit picked out for years! Well, sort of —a few changes as his style evolved.

Ge unzipped his stunky track top, showing off his favorite starry night tank top. Paired well with his royal blue track shorts and silver compression tights. Finished off by slipping into a pair of purple and black sneakers.

"How do I look?" Jasper struck a pose. If he had the mass, he would look like all those famous bodybuilders! Especially the ones down in Orre. Now they were massive!

Kito only nodded, bored with it all. Figures—never gave Jasper any credit! So what if he saw it a million times? Kito needed to learn from Kobe. Now he had the perfect amount of enthusiasm as he jumped around and cheered. Jasper grinned. Finally, someone appreciated his swag.

Half of being a trainer was looking the part, right? The half came from being prepared. Jasper already packed up his murkrow travel duffle with the necessities. Now, where did he put his belt?

Ah ha! There it was, hanging off his desk. He strapped it on and clipped his dusk balls in place. Now, he was ready for anything Sinnoh threw at him!

"Jasper?" Mommy stood in the doorframe with cacturne beside her. Her eyes glossy as tears streaked down her face. "You look so handsome."

Jasper blushed and rubbed the back of his head. Maybe it was too early for handsome. He still had to pick out his hair. Couldn't go out with a shrunken 'fro! Especially if Mommy wanted pictures like always. No way he'd embarrass himself again!

"I want you to know this before you leave," Mommy started. "Something I'm sure you know, but reassurance never hurt."

Mommy walked to him. Slowly as if every step burned away at her energy. In some ways, it did. Jasper knew it did. Not just from the illness, but her pride. Back in her day, Mommy rose to the ranks of the Elite Four and mastered Dark-type pokémon. Even conducted extensive research on them. It was, honestly, how she met Daddy. And the two fell in love instantly. Or so they say. Grownups loved telling love stories.

She reached him drenched in sweat. Her breathing labored as cacturne scolded her. Thank Arceus for that guy. Mommy's partner and caretaker. He knew her better than most and never took his eyes off her. It set his heart at ease to know she had him while Jasper left.

"Your father and I are proud of you. Regardless of what path you take. And we'll support and cheer you on through hardships. So, please, don't forget to call home."

Smirking, Jasper hugged her tight. "You don't hafta worry, Mommy." After all these years, his dreams felt closer than ever. "I'll call home and I'll come back. Just you wait."

Time to follow the stars like Professor Kapok said…or whatever that letter meant.

…

"So, you're ready now?" Baryte asked with a smirk.

Jasper rolled his eyes. Wasn't his fought! Mommy refused to stop taking photos. Only Arceus knew what she planned to do with them. Especially the ones with his shrunken afro! She loved showing those off to company. Parents loved embarrassing their kids, Jasper figured. Must be some form of payback from their parents or whatever. Not that he cared.

Okay, maybe he did. If only to stop her from showing those photos to his coach again.

Mommy played a cruel game, but Jasper rose above it. Besides, he had bigger issues to solve. "Yeah, just gotta swing by Lake Valor." He stated, slinging his duffle over his shoulder. "I left Kula there in the morning."

Baryte accepted that and followed him there.

Truth be told, Kula enjoyed Lake Valor more than his room. Not that he blamed her. Jasper always got up early to relax by the lake. Sometimes he spent the morning bathing in the solar rays as his pokémon played. It was easy for him. Under the soft embrace of the lake, he felt at ease. Energized with peaceful energy as the tension eased from every fiber of his being.

On the way there, Jasper boasted about the lake. Encouraged Baryte to take a swim there sometimes but backed off when the miner admitted he couldn't swim. Fit his aesthetic— swimming rock-lover? Jasper laughed.

They arrived at the lakefront easily enough. Jasper knew the route well and took all the best shortcuts. Encountered a few pokémon along the way, of course. And a few trainers who loved losing to him. What could he say? When it came to battling, Jasper held his own.

And so did Baryte. His cranidos rammed through the competition with an impish grin. Had to love it.

When they arrived, however, Jasper felt a shift in the atmosphere. Spirited pokémon lived in Lake Valor and infected the air with bursts of energy. On a good day, he heard the roars of a gyarados breaching free of the crystal blue water and blew a powerful spray to rain over the land. Much like this morning.

Yet the lake was silent. And icky energy crawled through the air and stung at his bare skin.

"This is Lake Valor?" Baryte frowned beside him with a strange look behind those glasses. "It's…somber—not like you described."

Somber…an aura that didn't blame in this lake. Over the years, Jasper only experiences roaring energy blazing through the souls of pokémon and trainers alike. Not this cold hand that strangled his inner flame.

"This is wrong." Jasper walked inside and scowled. That icky energy bit at him, whispering strange warnings in his ears. Warnings that didn't match the usual voices he heard. "Something happened here?"

A thin fog fluttered around them. Chilling as the voices grew louder and that hand tightened its grip. Beside him, Baryte shivered. Couldn't blame the guy. The lake shouldn't feel like this. Unless someone trespassed and disrupted the natural habitat. Jasper frowned. Anyone who disturbed the lake had to deal with him as a Child—

"Gah!" Baryte stumbled into him and pointed a shaky finger and at a downed body up ahead. A dark, bird-shaped…wait a minute!

"Kula!" Jasper scrambled to his murkrow and scooped her into his arms. Something attacked her! An electric-type no doubt; she had electricity dancing through her feathers.

"Jasper?" Baryte whispered, tense and with a hand at his belt. "Look ahead."

Deep in the fog, a ball of light floated. Dancing almost like a bizarre apparition as it came closer. The air thickened and Jasper swore he smelled ozone. Regardless, that icky energy gnawed at him the closer the light came. The voices now a chorus of screaming children submerged underwater. That light had a strange aura to it…much like the lake.

"The trespasser…" Eyes wide, Jasper screamed for Baryte to move. The two went separate ways as a lance of golden electricity shot through the fog and struck down a towering tree! Their attacker emerged from the fog with a ditzy look to it. But the aura it radiated sent the voices in a frenzy, Finally, Jasper understood why.

"A Shadow Pokémon."

For the first time in years, shadow pokémon returned to the lake.

…

Anddd that's the Chapter! Jasper is really fun to play with. Especially cause he has an endless pit of energy that really just writes itself. I adore him lol And Baryte kind of acts like a good balance for him. But that'll come up more later. They're good for each other. In a friendship way lol I haven't given thought to who Jasper is paired with now, but we'll see! Who knows, Jasper and Baryte might be the end result lol.

But anyways, feel free to review or pm with what you think of the chapter!

[breeeliss]

[Femslash February]: Sunlight

...so yeah this is screaming beach au so we’re just gonna do a beach au, alrighty?

Day 10: Sunlight (Alyanette + class bonding :P)

Words: 1730

Link to Archive of Our Own: [AO3]

[Previous: Flowers] [Next: Style Swap]

So...the original plan was to take a day trip to Normandy. 

Alya had been getting restless staying in the city during the summer, so she brought up the idea of going to some of the beaches along the coast. Marinette had been talking her head off about the beach since the Spring, so she figured it would be a cute date idea and something that they could handle in a day trip. Juleka and Rose had offered to tag along and bring blankets and snacks, and they were in Marinette’s bakery figuring out the details. 

But Sabrina and Chloe happened to be there picking up a pastry order, and just the word Normandy had Chloe stalking over to their table in complete disgust. Alya was bracing herself for some silly, spoiled little tirade, but instead Chloe took actual offense to the fact that they were thinking of going to the Northern beaches. 

“Normandy is so damn cold even in the middle of the summer, and the beaches down by St. Tropez are way nicer.”

“You realize that St. Tropez is like eight hours away driving, right? This was supposed to be a day trip,” Marinette muttered. 

Chloe snorted. “So? Listen, I’ll not stand around and listen to you all plan a girls’ day out at a beach that’s not even worth it. At least St. Tropez is warm and the resort beaches will treat you like royalty. Honestly, that I even have to explain this...“

“Well, uh,” Rose spoke up. “We really don’t have the money for anything like that, as nice as that sounds.”

“Yeah, you’re apparently dripping in euros, do you have any suggestions?” Alya sneered. 

Sabrina chuckled and leaned towards the table, lowering her voice just a tad. “Sorry, Chloe’s really bad at extending invitations.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “Extending an invitation?”

Turns out that Chloe’s father let her invite as many girlfriends as she wanted to St. Tropez every summer for a weekend at one of the beach resorts, and usually the Bourgeois’s had enough clout to reserve most of the beach for themselves. In the past, it had always been just Sabrina and Chloe along with a few of her father’s friends, but Sabrina promised that, as long as the rest of them were alright with spending a weekend away from home, they were more than welcome. Chloe was off to the side -- arms crossed and looking sour faced -- but muttered something about texting her father regarding extra plane tickets. 

So Marinette called up Alix and Mylene to ask if they wanted to join them for a girls’ beach day. And not even a few days later, they were all flying down to St. Tropez, plane tickets, hotel rooms, and Chloe’s platinum credit card all on behalf of Andres Bourgeois himself. 

They were all set up and tanning in a long line along the beach in the early afternoon on the Friday that they arrived. Chloe even set a timer on her phone so that they could all toast for half an hour on each side before going into the water. Alya had to hand it to her -- she didn’t like Chloe, but this was really really nice. She had to remember to convince Marinette to sneak into the hotel’s hot tub with her later that night. 

“So here’s a thought,” Alya said. “Marinette, when you become a rich and successful designer with your own label one day, can we make this our honeymoon spot?”

“Of course,” Marinette replied immediately. “So long as you also take me to New York City when you finally become a world renowned reporter and can take me anywhere in the world.”

“Hell yes. And we’ll get your hamsters so long as I can get my dog.”

Marinette held up her hand and waited for a high five from Alya. “Fabulous.”

Juleka giggled and peeked over the edge of her sunglasses. “You two are adorable.”

“Listen, I already called dibs on designing our wedding dresses. I have been dreaming about this since I was seven. Of course I have my life planned out.”

“Listen,” Alya laughed. “This girl has wedding invitation designs set up already. Planned out doesn’t even begin to cover it.” She grappled around for the sunscreen in her bag and threw it over to Marinette. “Re-do your face, babe, so you don’t burn your cheeks again.”

Marinette pouted. “I put a bunch on already.”

“Remember that time I rubbed aloe literally everywhere when we went to the beach last summer? You’re pale, you burn at the drop of a hat. Re-apply.”

“Fine, mom.”

Chloe’s cellphone went off and she snapped her fingers. “Flip ladies!”

They all rolled over onto their stomachs, and Chloe propped herself up on her elbows. “You know, as disgustingly domestic as the two of you are, you two took for-fucking-ever to start dating. I mean, Jesus, Adrien and I both tanked our bets because you took way longer than either of us thought.”

Marinette frowned. “Wait, what? You were betting?”

“Just Adrien and I,” Chloe sniffed. “I may not like you, but as a fellow sapphic girl, I can’t help but root for two ladies in love. But, you know, thanks for dragging it out for over a year.”

“It was not over a year,” Alya rolled her eyes. 

“Um,” Alix snorted. “Dudes, I kept a fucking calendar counting down the days until this happened. Kim damn near cried when you two started dating, oversized romantic baby that he is.”

“Hold on,” Marinette interrupted. “Who else was rooting for us?”

"Well Adrien and Nino threw that literal celebration party, don’t you remember?” Alya mentioned. “Which was so extra and not necessary, but whatever.”

“The one at Adrien’s place that was supposed to be a ‘lycée graduation party’?” Marinette air quoted. 

“That’s the one.”

“Well, ever since Chloe told me that she was sure the two of you were in love with each other, I’ve been dying for it to happen too,” Sabrina smiled. “It was super obvious to me.”

Rose raised her hand. “Juleka and I were rooting for you two since day 1.”

Juleka shrugged. “Rose was really invested in it. I was just glad the two of you were becoming so close.”

“Ivan noticed it sooner than I did actually,” Mylene piped in. “But once he told me to pay attention to the two of you more, I was also getting some vibes from you two. This seemed like a natural enough thing to happen.”

Marinette looked up to the sky. “Why didn’t we know this?”

“Because you two are the most ridiculously oblivious people on the whole goddamn planet,” Chloe said with an eye roll. “I mean, honestly, not hard to tell that more than half the girls in our class weren’t straight. The rest of us were all coupled off practically waiting for the two of you to make it official. The most goddamn frustrating thing to ever watch. And I’ve seen every season of ‘The Bachelor.’”

“Okay,” Alya groaned. “We were not being oblivious. We got together at a perfect time.”

Chloe snorted. “Show of hands: how many people were annoyed as hell that they took this long to get together?”

Everyone’s hands shot up into the air. 

“You guys were literally flirting at every available opportunity, but the funny thing is that I don’t think you guys even realized you were doing it,” Alix said. 

“They were so close, I’m sure it was hard for them to tell,” Sabrina offered. 

Juleka snorted. “There are none so blind as those who do not wish to see.”

Marinette pouted. “I feel attacked...”

“I think it’s more a matter of the two of you needing to make up for lost time at this point,” Mylene giggled. “We’re all just poking fun, you know that.”

“Not me,” Chloe said, “I’m straight up judging and attacking.”

“It wasn’t that easy,” Alya defended. “I was new, I kinda just wanted to get my friend group solidified without adding in any dating drama.”

“Despite the fact that Marinette is like the most aggressively bisexual person I know?” Alix joked. 

Alya covered her face with her hands. “I didn’t want to be creepy.”

Marinette shrugged. “I thought you were straight, if I’m being honest. But I’m bad at picking up vibes from people.”

“In what solar system,” Chloe exclaimed, “did you think Alya was straight?”

“I don’t know!” Marinette exclaimed defensively. “Since when are you the freakin’ gaydar expert?” 

“Since birth!” Chloe scoffed. “It’s a survival mechanism, you amateur.”

“Okay,” Rose laughed. “We’re losing track of the conversation. The whole point being, we’re just glad you two are a couple. It’s refreshing! Really, we’re all just happy for you.”

Alya smiled. “I mean, good to know we had the class support. Now I have to interrogate all the guys about this.”

“Rest assured,” Mylene said. “Adrien and Nino did the work of ranting to all the boys in class about this. Ivan can attest. That ‘graduation party’ really was a collective celebration in every sense of the phrase.”

“So tell me,” Marinette mused, staring at Chloe. “Was this an excuse to get us a girlfriend getaway because you were secretly fangirling for us on the side?”

Chloe refused to look up from her phone. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. Sounds nothing like me...”

Sabrina took advantage of the distraction and mouthed a ‘yes’ to the rest of the group with Chloe wasn’t looking. 

“Well,” Alya sighed. “We’re here for an entire weekend. Might as well start ticking things off your beach bucket list if you’ve got one. Getting some sun is done.”

Marinette clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh! We can make sandcastles later! And run along the shore! And come here at night for a walk when the sand is all nice and cool. And play beach games!”

“Domestic!” Chloe shouted. 

“Oh hush, let them have their fun,” Sabrina chided. “Making up for lost time, remember?”

“Wanna have a beach volleyball match tomorrow?” Alix suggested. “Bet you Mylene and I can kick your asses.”

“Oh, and we can all watch the sunset from the lobby of the hotel. It has all those gorgeous windows with that amazing view,” Rose gushed. “It’ll be perfect.”

“Those restaurants looked pretty fancy too,” Juleka offered. “Romantic dinner on Chloe’s tab? You should take advantage.”

Alya knocked her head with Marinette’s. “Writing all this down, babe?”

Marinette winked. “Making an itinerary as we speak...”