#except the Kasie one

[misslillianelliott]

You've got a secret admirer. Oh come on. Its no secret. You know who sent it.

[orangerainforest]

new ship to distract me from the possible ruin of roxchie (x)

[bornonthesavage]

It was an undeniable fact that Steve was lucky. He had been told it more times than he could count, from all sorts of people, so it must be true. His friends at school told him he was lucky that he had no one at home to give him a bedtime or make him eat vegetables. The housekeeper that came to bring him groceries and to clean once a week told him he was so lucky to live in such a nice house. Ever since he could remember, his parents had told him that he was lucky to be born to an upper-class family. And when others were around, Steve kept up the façade. He could pretend that he agreed, with bright smiles and boastful words. But in the late hours of the night, when he was all alone in that big house, lucky wasn’t the word he thought about. No, what Steve really was, was lonely.

Even at twelve years old, Steve was pretty sure it wasn’t normal for his parents to leave him alone for up to a month at a time. When he was young, they had hired nannies to care for him while they were away. That hadn’t been great either, but at least there had been someone else in the house with him. Someone to talk to and watch TV with and to make dinner. Then, on Steve’s twelfth birthday, his parents had told him he was old enough to look after himself while they were away. They trusted him to not burn down the house, at least. That had been six months ago.

Now, six months later, Steve sat alone in his living room. His parents had left earlier in the week, promising to be home before the end of the month and told him to call if he needed anything. He never called. What would be the point? It wasn’t like they would come home. No, if he needed something, he would figure it out on his own.

Steve pulled his knees up to tuck against his chest as he sat on the couch, watching a rerun of Gilligan’s Island. A half-eaten bowl of popcorn sat on the coffee table along with an empty coke can. He had heated up a bowl of chicken noodle soup for dinner, which he’d eaten with crushed up saltine crackers, but he always found himself craving a snack before bed. It was almost ten o’clock, but he wasn’t yet tired.  

When the episode ended, Steve stood and began to make his way toward the kitchen. He could go for one more coke before bed. But before he even made it out of the living room, a loud clatter from the back yard made him freeze. He turned, creeping slowly toward the glass door that overlooked the pool. It had sounded like it came from the shed, which sat beyond the pool deck, nestled almost among the trees. His hand shook as he reached up to flip on the back light. A part of him was convinced he would see a horrible monster racing up his yard toward the house, ready to devour him. But that was ridiculous. There was no such thing as monsters.

The yard was completely empty, the pool glowing an eerie green in the night. Steve scanned the perimeter until his eyes landed on the shed. Though it was dark, it looked as if the door was slightly ajar. Now, Steve knew the sensible thing to do was to ignore it until morning. But then he remembered that Kasie Jones, the girl who sat in front of him in math class, had found an injured mother cat behind her house just one month earlier. It was Springtime, she had said, which meant lots of animals would be having babies. If she hadn’t found them, the mother cat and her babies could have died. Steve couldn’t live with being responsible for that.

So, with only a mild amount of fear, he grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen drawer and slid open the glass door. It was early April, so while the days had grown warm, the nights still held a bit of a chill. Steve slid on his outdoor sandals and began to make his way across the yard. Everything was quiet now, except for the crickets. He approached the shed, tilting his head to see if he could hear any meowing. There was nothing.

It wasn’t until he was directly outside the shed that real fear began to prickle at the back of his neck once more. He was far enough from the house that if anything burst out and took chase, he likely wouldn’t make it back without getting caught. Steve took a deep breath and remembered what his dad was always telling him.

“Be a man. Real men don’t shake like little babies.”

Right. Be a man. He stepped forward and grabbed the edge of the door, which had been swaying slightly in the wind, and yanked it open. There wasn’t much inside the shed, just pool equipment and a few yard tools. Steve leaned inside, casting his light around for any sign of an injured cat. He took a step inside, letting the door swing partially shut behind him. The light caught on random items as he scanned. An old broken truck from when he was little, the pool noodles he liked to use when the weather was warm enough, a leaf blower, a pair of human eyes.

Steve screamed, his heart slamming up into his throat as he stumbled backward and dropped the flashlight. His back hit the wall and he fell, his legs giving out with the sheer force of terror he felt in that moment. There was someone else in the shed with him, someone curled up beneath the work bench on the far wall. The flashlight had rolled away from him, its beam pointed in the wrong direction for him to see. Steve glanced at the door, wondering how quickly he’d be grabbed if he made any sudden movements. A quiet voice spoke from the shadows.

“H-hey. It’s alright. You don’t have to be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.”

That made Steve pause. Whoever it was sounded young, probably close to his age, and they also sound afraid. But what was another kid doing in his shed at night? Steve took a moment to let his heart rate slow before speaking again.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

For a few seconds it was silent, but then he spoke again. “Eddie. My name is Eddie. I was… I was just looking for a safe place to sleep.”

“To sleep?” Steve asked, furrowing his brow. “Why would you want to sleep in this dingy old shed? There are like, a hundred spiders in here, I’m pretty sure.”

He heard the other boy shift around a bit. “It’s better than outside.”

Well, maybe that was true, but it still didn’t explain much. Slowly, Steve moved onto his knees and crawled forward to grab his flashlight. This put him closer to the other boy, with Steve knelt in the middle of the small room. He raised the light until it fell on the other’s face.

Steve had been right that he seemed to be around his age. With dark curls that fell around his ears and big, pretty brown eyes, Eddie didn’t look like much of a threat at all. In fact, he seemed to be in bad shape. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and his cheeks looked a bit sunken in, as if he hadn’t eaten in a while. His knees were tucked up against his chest, but Steve could tell the jeans he wore were dirty and tattered.  

“Are you homeless?” Which, okay, maybe that was a rude thing to ask, but Steve thought it was a fair question.

Eddie looked away, his brows lowering slightly. “I’m- I mean… Yeah, I guess so.”

Steve tilted his head. “Where are your parents?”

Something in Eddie’s expression became tight, before crumbling. “They’re dead. My mother died a year ago, my father just last month.”

“Shit,” Steve mumbled. That really sucked. He had never met someone who had lost both their parents. “Do you not have any other family?”

Eddie shook his head. “It’s just me.”

“Oh.” Steve shifted off his knees so he could cross his legs. “But, there are places you can go, aren’t there? Like, an orphanage or something? I could probably call the police and they could—”

“No!” Eddie snapped, his eyes darting up to Steve’s. “No, please, nobody can know about me.”

Steve frowned. That was definitely an odd reaction. “Why? Are you some sort of criminal?”

Eddie snorted, the corner of his lips twitching, as if he found that amusing. “No, not really.”

“Not really? Either you are or you aren’t.”

“I’m not,” Eddie insisted. “I’ve never hurt anybody that wasn’t trying to hurt me. But… There are people. Bad people, who would hurt me if they ever found me. So, I’ll leave if you want me to, but you can’t tell anyone about me.”

Steve stared at the other boy. His eyes were wide and serious, his mouth set into a hard line that told Steve he wasn’t joking. Whatever this kid was mixed up in was dangerous, he could tell that much. It would be smart for Steve to tell him to get lost, to find somewhere else to hide out. But, still. He didn’t want him to just leave.

“Where would you go? If I told you to leave, I mean.”

Eddie let out a breath, his shoulders dropping. “I don’t know. Maybe someone else’s shed. Maybe try and make my way to Indianapolis.”

Steve fiddled with his hands. “That sounds dangerous. You can’t go off to the city all by yourself. You’re just a kid, like me.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of Eddie’s lips. “Not just like you. I can take care of myself.”

That struck Steve somewhere in his chest, the sentiment all too familiar. “Yeah, so can I, but that doesn’t mean you should have to. You should have someone to look after you.”

Eddie tilted his head, his eyes searching Steve’s face. “Are you always alone?”

“What? How- how do you know that?”

“Oh, um,” Eddie averted his eyes, suddenly looking a little bit guilty. “I’ve been here for a few days. I wasn’t trying to spy on you, but I saw that it’s just you in the house. Nobody else ever came or went, but you must have parents, right?”

Steve huffed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I have parents. They just… they go out of town a lot for business. And I can’t go with them, because they don’t need a kid running around while they do work. But, it’s like, fine. I have the house all to myself, and I don’t have a bedtime, and I can eat whatever I want.”

Unlike all the other times Steve had told another kid this, Eddie didn’t look all that impressed. If anything, he looked sad. Which… was stupid. So stupid. Steve was lucky. He had everything he could ever want. He didn’t need some orphan, who clearly didn’t have anything this nice, feeling sorry for him.

Eddie rested his chin on his knees. “That sounds really lonely.”

A heavy pit settled in Steve stomach. Nobody else had ever acknowledged that before, and he didn’t really know what to do with it. His first instinct was to defend his parents, to tell Eddie that it was fine, and he didn’t know what he was talking about. But another part of Steve, a stronger part, felt an overwhelming sense of relief. It settled something inside Steve, hearing someone else say the words he’d been keeping locked inside for so long. It was validating.

Slowly, he nodded. “Yeah, it can be. But, that’s just the way it is.”

Eddie didn’t look convinced. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but before he could, a violent shudder shook his whole body. Steve’s eyes wide at the look of pain that crossed Eddie’s face and he hesitantly reached out a hand. Only, that seemed to make it worse, as Eddie flinched away from his touch.

“No, don’t come closer!” Eddie warned. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Steve furrowed his brow. “Hurt me? Why would you hurt me?”

“No, I don’t want to, but… I haven’t eaten in a week. I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself.”

A week? What the hell? That was way too long for a person to go without food! No wonder Eddie looked so sickly. He was starving to death.

“Hey, if you’re hungry, come inside with me. I can get you something to eat, no problem!”

But Eddie only shook his head, his face still pained. “No, Steve, it’s not… It’s not that simple. There’s nothing in your house I can eat. Well, nothing that I’ll allow myself to have.”

“What are you talking about?”

A look of resignation came over Eddie’s face. “Steve… I’m not- I’m not normal. You should leave. You don’t want me to come into your house with you.”

He really wasn’t making any sense now. Did Eddie think that just because he was homeless and without parents, he was undeserving of kindness? That was ridiculous. If anything, it made Steve want to help him even more. “Uh, yeah, I do. That’s why I invited you.”

His arms tightened around his legs, as if he were protecting himself. “You shouldn’t do that.”

“Do what?”

Eddie’s eyes flashed up to meet Steve’s. “Invite random strangers into your home. It’s dangerous.”

Steve snorted. “I don’t think you’re dangerous, Eddie. You look one minute from keeling over.”

“Yeah,” he said, letting out a humorless laugh. “And that makes it even worse.”

Alright, Steve was starting to grow tired of arguing about this. “Dude, come on. You have to eat something.”

Eddie made a little sound, like a whimper in the back of his throat, and closed his eyes. “If you knew the truth about me, you wouldn’t say that. If you knew the truth, you would run away. Or maybe even try to hurt me.”

“Whoa, hey, no. Eddie, I promise I won’t hurt you. I’m just trying to help.”

Outside the shed, it sounded like the wind began to pick up as the structure creaked ominously. Steve pulled his jacket more firmly around himself and couldn’t help but think that Eddie’s thin hoodie didn’t seem warm enough. Maybe Steve could give him some of his clothes. It’s not like his parents would ever notice. The look Eddie gave him when he opened his eyes was filled with sorrow.

“Yeah, I know. You seem really nice, Steve. And I’m afraid that if I come with you, I’ll hurt you without meaning to, and then I’ll be a monster, which I don’t want to be.”

Steve was trying to understand, he really was. People called him stupid sometimes, which he didn’t really agree with, but now he was struggling to follow what Eddie was saying. How could Eddie hurt him without meaning to?

“Eddie, I don’t understand. Please, you can tell me the truth. I won’t run away, I promise.”

Eddie shook his head, casting his big eyes down. “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“Hey, look at me.” He waited until Eddie did, then scooted forward on his knees. Slowly, without making any sudden movement, he held up his pinky. “I pinky promise I won’t leave you. And I always keep my pinky promises.”

A hesitant smile grew on Eddie’s face, though he still seemed extremely uncertain. Finally, after what felt like forever, Eddie brought his pinky up and wrapped it around Steve’s. It was slightly shocking, just how cold Eddie was. Like his skin was just a thin layer of ice, molded around bones. That couldn’t be good. Steve really needed to get him inside. Before he could pull away, Eddie spoke.

“And I promise to do my very best not to hurt you.”

Steve grinned. “Well, there you go. So, go on then. Tell me what the problem is.”

Eddie sighed, tucking his bottom lip between his teeth. “Okay, I guess I might as well. I don’t have anything else to lose. Um, have you… have you heard of vampires?”

“Vampires?” Steve asked, scrunching up his nose. “What, like Dracula? Or The Count on Sesame Street?”

Eddie snorted and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I mean sort of. But also, no. What if… what if vampires were real?”

Steve narrowed his eyes. “I don’t understand. Vampires aren’t real, so what does that have to do with anything?”

A look of frustration crossed Eddie’s face. “Steve. I’m trying to tell you. Vampires are real. I know, because I am one.”

For several seconds, Steve didn’t speak. The only sound to be heard was the shifting of trees outside and the quiet breathing of the two boys. Finally, Steve let out a laugh.

“Yeah, right, okay. Look, I don’t know why you don’t want to tell me—”

“Steve—”

“But it’s fine, I guess. You don’t have to trust me, I guess.”

“Steve, I am telling you the truth! See, this is another reason I didn’t want to tell you. Humans never believe in anything beyond what they see in the daylight.”

“Oh, come on,” Steve said, dropping back off his knees to sit on his butt. “I get it, you’re trying to prank me, for whatever reason. But I can’t help you unless I know the truth. Or at least until you tell me what the real problem is. You’re not a vampire.”

“I am!” Eddie insisted, the corners of his lips turning down in a frown. “Do you want me to prove it to you?”

At this point, Steve was getting a little bit annoyed. The joke wasn’t that funny. He was cold, and the dirt on the cement floor was digging into his backside, and he really just wanted to get back inside. So, with a jeering smirk, he leaned forward.

“Yeah, sure, go ahead. Prove that you’re a vampire.”

Eddie didn’t move at first, just continued to stare at Steve with his too big eyes. It was a little unnerving, to be honest, the way he didn’t seem to blink or even move. And then, in a flash of movement too fast to be humanly possible, Eddie shot forward. Steve flinched at the unexpected movement, falling back onto his elbows with a small shout of surprise. He half expected to be attacked, to maybe feel Eddie’s hand around his throat or a fist against his cheek. But it never came.

Slowly, Steve opened his eyes. Only, Eddie was nowhere to be seen. The spot beneath the bench was empty, and when Steve looked around, he didn’t see Eddie anywhere. Had he slipped out the door and run away? Why? Steve didn’t understand. But then, Eddie spoke.

“Steve. I’m up here.”

A chill ran down Steve’s back, some primal part of him that had been dormant waking up at hearing the voice from above. Slowly, Steve tilted his head back. What he saw defied all explanation. Eddie was on the ceiling. He was crouched upside down, his hands gripping the wood beam and his feet planted flat on the roof. Eddie blinked down at him, his hair dangling away from his face.

Steve opened his mouth to scream, a natural response he thought. But before he could utter a sound, Eddie was off the ceiling. He landed on top of Steve, his hand pressed firm to his mouth to stop any sound from escaping and his other hand holding Steve to the ground. For a wiry looking kid, he was sure strong.

“Please, Steve, don’t scream,” Eddie begged, his wide eyes earnest. “I promised not to hurt you, and I won’t. You’re safe with me, okay?”

For a few seconds, all Steve could do was stare up at him. He shouldn’t believe him, logically he knew that. Vampires drank blood, human blood, which Steve had. But if Eddie had wanted to hurt him, surely, he would have already. He could even do it right now. Steve was trapped beneath him, his movement completely restricted. So, slowly, Steve nodded. Eddie chewed his lip, before removing his hand. Steve took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart.

“Holy crap. You’re like, a real vampire?”

Eddie nodded, still looking concerned. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Wow. How long have you been a vampire for?”

“Uh, my whole life?” Eddie said with a chuckle.

Steve frowned. “Wait, what? But I thought vampires were made by being bitten.”

Eddie finally climbed off Steve, sitting cross legged in front of him while Steve sat up and matched his position. “Yeah, some. Some vampires are humans who were turned. But others, like me, were born as vampires. Both of my parents were vampires, and they had me.”

Huh. Steve had never heard of anything like that before. “But what about, like, mirrors and blood drinking and stuff?”

“Eh, I mean, most of the stuff humans know about vampires was made up by them. Except for the blood drinking, that’s true.”

“What about sunlight?”

Eddie scrunched up his nose. “Well, I won’t burst into flames if I’m exposed to it. But it does sting my skin and hurt my eyes, so I avoid it if possible.”

Steve nodded, taking that it. “So, that’s why you’re hiding out here in my shed?”

Eddie nodded.

“Hmm, ok. Well, you know, you might be more comfortable inside the house.”

“You… would invite me into your house? Even knowing what I am?”

Steve shrugged. “Yeah, why not? I believe that you won’t hurt me, and it doesn’t sound like you have anywhere else to go. Plus, I’m getting pretty cold.”

He pushed himself to his feet and held his hand out for Eddie, who hesitated. He looked unsure, and maybe a little bit afraid, though Steve couldn’t imagine of what. It wasn’t like he was going to hurt Eddie. When Eddie didn’t immediately take his hand, Steve gave it a shake.

“Come on. It’s okay.”

Finally, Eddie reached up and took it. Steve hoisted him up, then still holding his hand, led him out of the shed. Eddie looked around as they crossed the yard, as if afraid someone was going to pop out and do a sneak attack. They got to the sliding glass door and Steve pushed it open, stepping into the wonderfully warm living room. He tried to pull Eddie in after him, but the other boy hesitated on the threshold.

“What’s wrong?”

“Are you sure? Are you sure you want to invite me in? Once you do, you can’t take it back.”

Steve sighed. “Eddie, I don’t understand. You promised you won’t hurt me, and I’m not going to hurt you, so what’s the problem?”

Eddie chewed on his bottom lip. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to help myself. It’s just… I’m so hungry. I haven’t eaten anything in almost a week, and you… you smell really good. And I don’t want to hurt you, I promise. But what if I lose control?”

Steve blinked a few times. Oh. He hadn’t really considered that. “And… you need to drink blood? That’s all you eat?”

Timidly, Eddie nodded.

“Right. Okay. Well, maybe I could give you a little bit of my blood, just to hold you over, and then—”

“No!” Eddie shouted, ripping his hand out of Steve’s. “No, Steve, please don’t offer me that. I’m too hungry, I know I won’t be able to stop once I’ve started. I’ll kill you, and then… then I really will be a monster.”

Steve chewed his lip, wavering in the doorway. “What do you normally do when you’re hungry?”

“I hunt animals, usually. But… I waited too long. I’m too weak to catch anything on my own now.”

Right. That made sense. Steve was a little relieved to hear that Eddie usually hunted animals. If he could only drink human blood, they would definitely be in a bit of a pickle.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” he said, “Tonight, you’ll come in and sleep somewhere cozy. You won’t kill me or try to drink my blood. Tomorrow I’ll skip school and go to the butcher in town. I know they stock cow blood, because my nana bought some a few years ago to make this really gross pudding.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide, his mouth falling open slightly. “You’d do that? You’d really go out of your way to help me?”

Steve grinned wide, taking his hand once more. “Of course! We’re both on our own right now, so we should look after each other, shouldn’t we? And my parents left me plenty of money for snacks and stuff, so they won’t even notice if I use it for something else.”

There was something warring in Eddie’s big brown eyes, a well of emotion that Steve couldn’t guess at. All he knew was that he wanted to help Eddie, and so he was going to. When Eddie still didn’t make any move to come inside, Steve tugged gently on his hand.

“Come on. I’m inviting you inside. You’ll be okay.”

Eddie took a deep breath, then nodded, as though coming to a decision. Hesitantly, he stepped forward, bringing one foot over the threshold. He stared down at his foot, as if half expecting it to burst into flames. Could that happen? Steve really hoped not. Finally, Eddie brought his other foot inside. Steve smiled, nodding encouragingly.

“See, that wasn’t so hard.”

He slid the glass door shut behind them and locked it before closing the curtains. Eddie had wandered a few more paces in, standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room. His baggy sweatshirt hung loosely from his limbs, and in the light, Steve could see smudges of dirt on the other boys face. It must have been a long time since he’d had a bath.

“Do you want to use my shower before bed?”

Eddie glanced at him over his shoulder, his brow furrowing. “Are you saying I stink?”

“What? No! No, I wouldn’t say that, I promise! It’s just—”

He stopped when he saw Eddie chuckling. “I’m only joking. I do smell. That’s what happens when you live in the woods for a couple weeks.”

Steve huffed and rolled his eyes. “Ha ha, very funny. Come on, follow me.”

He shut off the tv as they passed it by before switching off the lights and leading Eddie to the stairs. The other boy followed close behind, and when Steve turned to look at him, saw he was taking everything in.

“This place is like a castle,” Eddie murmured.

“Eh, not really. Castle’s have a lot more people in them. It’s just me here.”

“Why don’t your parents want to live here?”

“They do!” Steve said, defensive. “They do live here. They just… go on a lot of business trips. They’re super busy.”

Eddie hummed, not commenting on it any further, which Steve was grateful for. He didn’t want to talk about his parents. All that ever did was make him sad, and he wasn’t in the mood to feel sad. He had a vampire in his house. A vampire who might want to be his friend. He couldn’t entirely wrap his head around it.

They reached the second landing and Steve led Eddie down the hall to his room. He flicked on the light and moved to sit on the bed, watching Eddie as he looked around the room. For some reason, the corners of Eddie’s mouth turned down in a frown.

“What, you don’t like my room?”

Eddie shrugged, walking to stand beside his dresser with the ribbons he’d won at his school’s field day. “It’s not very… you, is it?”

“What do you mean.”

“I don’t know. Where are the pictures? The posters of your favorite bands and movies? Where’s the mess?”

Steve looked around, forcing himself to see his room from someone else’s perspective. “My mom doesn’t like messes. And I just, I don’t know, haven’t really thought about adding anything to the walls.

Eddie hummed again. “Well, you should. Give this checkered monstrosity a little life.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad.”

“It sort of is. Let me guess, your mom picked it out?”

Steve rolled his eyes. Eddie sure was a lot sassier now that he’d come inside. Hopefully that meant he felt comfortable. “Yeah, so? I don’t mind it, so why does it matter?”

Eddie held up his hands. “Hey, as long as you like it.”

“Right. Well, if you want to take a shower, it’s right through that door,” he said, motioning to his on-suite. “I’ll put a towel and some pajamas you can borrow on the counter for when you get out.”

“Yeah, ok, cool.”

Eddie stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him, leaving Steve alone to sit on his bed. Right, this was totally normal and okay. He had a vampire in his house, one that was apparently his age and who had nowhere else to go. If his parents found out, they’d flip. Luckily, they weren’t home, so there was no need to worry about that. Unless… well, unless Eddie decided he wanted to stay. Surely being here would be better than going to the city alone, to ask a bunch of creepy older vampires if he could live with them. That sounded pretty terrifying, if you asked Steve.

Because really, what could they have that Steve didn’t? Did they have a twenty-seven-inch screen tv? No, he doubted it. Would they have a pool, or a whole forest behind their house for privacy? In the city? Yeah, he didn’t think so. Which, okay, maybe he was getting ahead of himself. He had just met Eddie, he couldn’t ask him to stay with him. Even if he wanted to.

It would be pretty cool to have someone else his age who lived in his house, though. Someone who wouldn’t leave on trips for most of the month. Someone he could watch tv with and play games with and stay up talking to. It would be like having a live in friend. That sounded… that sounded really nice.

Steve was jolted from his thoughts at the sound of something clattering in the shower.

“Sorry!” Eddie shouted. “Dropped the shampoo.”

Ah, right, he needed to get Eddie a towel and some clothes. He grabbed one of his fluffiest towels from the cupboard and then took out his second favorite set of pajamas. He’d gotten them from his grandma last Christmas, and they had Snoopy on them. Trying to be as quiet as he could, he placed the items on the bathroom counter before scurrying out again.

The water turned off a few minutes later. Steve climbed into bed to wait, pulling the blankets up and leaving his bedside lamp on. The door opened and Eddie stepped out. Despite being a year older than Steve, the pajamas still hung a little loose on him. His dark curls dripped on his shoulders as he looked around.

When he spoke, he sounded unsure. “So, um, is there another bed I can take? Or I can lay on the floor if you want, I don’t mind.”

Steve scrunched up his nose. “What? I’m not going to make you sleep on the floor. My bed is plenty big, just sleep with me.”

Eddie hesitated, but after it became clear that Steve was serious, made his way to the other side of the bed. “You really don’t mind sleeping next to me? Even knowing what I am?”

“I already told you I don’t. But, I mean, if it’ll be a problem for you, you don’t have to.”

“No, it’s just, I probably won’t sleep. I usually sleep during the day, so I’ll probably sit here until I feel tired. Which, yeah, will probably be when you’re waking up.”

“Oh.” Steve hadn’t considered that. “Right. Well, you can go downstairs and watch tv if you want. I’ve got lots of movies.”

Eddie bit his lip, the unnatural sharpness to his fangs all the more obvious in the lowlight of the bedroom. “Actually, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll just lay here with you. I think I’ll feel too weird, sitting downstairs by myself.”

Steve wouldn’t admit it out loud, but that was secretly what he’d been hoping Eddie would do. He’d been to his fair share of sleepovers, and while he loved a lot of different aspects of them, his favorite was falling asleep next to another person. The feeling of closeness, of safety, that being close to another person brought… there wasn’t really anything else like it. So, Steve wasted no time in pulling back the blanket on Eddie’s side of the bed and urging him to climb in. Only once they were both laying down, with only a few inches between them, did Steve finally shut off the light.

It was late, way later that Steve normally went to bed on a school night. At least he’d already decided he wouldn’t be going into school tomorrow. He would still wake up early, so that he had enough time to bike down to the butcher and get back before Eddie woke up. Despite all the excitement of having a new vampire friend, Steve felt the unavoidable pull of sleep as he snuggled further into his blankets. Before he could drift off, however, Eddie’s voice came from right beside his ear.

“Steve?”

He blinked an eye open, unable to make out the shape of the other boy, having closed the curtains to protect Eddie from the early morning sun. “Hmm?”

For a few seconds, it was quiet. Steve almost wondered if he’d imagined Eddie’s voice, until the other boy spoke again. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he murmured.

“For helping me. For letting me into your house. For… for just being a good person. I don’t know very many off those.”

Steve hummed, smiling sleepily. “Me either. I guess we’ll just have to be good to each other.”

A puff of breath ghosted across Steve’s cheek, leading him to believe Eddie was even closer than he’d thought. He could probably see Steve perfectly, with his superior vampire vision. The thought should scare him. It didn’t.

“Yeah,” Eddie said quietly. “I guess we will.”

Steve wasn’t sure if he said anything else after that, as he drifted off. But when he dreamed of a creature hiding beneath his bed that night, it wasn’t a nightmare. Because he knew, despite what the movies told him, that this monster wouldn’t hurt him.

[cherrywrecked]

college dorm — kim chaewon.

as requested by anon! this is only one of the few on my request list, so if you ever requested through ask, please wait for me. 🥹 i'm trying my best! 🫡.

warnings: college au. taglish. gxg. caught masturbating. fingering. face sitting. scissoring. horny!chaewon, giver!reader.

being in college means being away with your family, but also meeting new people. simula nung umapak ako ng kolehiyo, nahiwalay na 'ko sa mga magulang ko, pero it wasn't a big of a deal kasi they were barely physically present naman. being in dorms during college wasn't a big jump for me. it has been three years already since then and i've always opted for a solo dorm room, ayoko ng may kasama—maselan ako, eh. except for this semester. i had no choice but to share my dorm with kim chaewon. akala ko okay lang, eh. maaga ako'ng umaalis para sa morning classes ko, tapos siya, bandang hapon na. pag uwi ko, wala pa siya. i bare even see each her, pero maayos siyang dormmate. malinis, hindi maingay. kaso putangina, ano 'tong naririnig ko ngayon?

pag pasok na pag pasok ko ng dorm, ang... ingay. puro ungol. parang may umiiyak? ewan. pero si chaewon... boses yun ni chae. dahan dahan ako'ng naglakad papalapit sa kwarto ng dormmate ko. nakabukas ito, kaya sa bawat pag lapit ko, lalong lumalakas yung mga ungol. akala ko umiiyak si chaewon, pero pag lapit na pag lapit ko sa pintuan niya, nahuli ko ang dalaga na naka hubo't hubad habang nakadantay sa unan niya, humping her pillow. putangina? bakit ganito? bakit hindi ko maalis yung mga mata ko sa katawan ng dormmate ko? tila ba naging estatwa ako sa may pintuan ng kwarto niya.

ang ganda ng katawan ni chaewon. alam naman na ng lahat yon. maganda rin si chaewon mismo, kaya nga't ang daming nagkakagusto sa dalaga. and honestly, isa na 'ko sakanila. gandang ganda ako kay chaewon, lalo na ngayon. hindi ko na napansin na nakahawak na pala ako sa boobs ko, dahan dahang nilalamas ito. kusang gumagalaw yung mga kamay ko, tangina. ano ba 'to? it was as if i was bewitched by the girl in front of me. “f-fuck, ang sarap. ang sarap mo, y/n.” ano daw?

para ako'ng tanga na habangga sa pintuan ni chaewon and our eyes met. akala ko titigil siya, pero ngumisi lang ang dalaga at lalong binilisan ang pag galaw ng mga hita niya. “a-ang sarap, puta.” ungol ulit ni chaewon, this time, her gaze was locked on mine. tanginang yan, how can i stop myself if she was basically fucking herself with the thought of me? i'm no saint—i've had my fair share of experiences and i'm about to share one with her tonight.

pumasok ako sa kwarto ni chaewon, not even bothering to close her door. i didn't waste any more time and was practically stripping myself off my white uniform while approaching the girl. i kept the pants and my bra on, however. “hawakan mo 'ko, baby. i want to feel your hands on my body, please.” she says, looking up at me as i stood in front of her. ginawa ko yung gusto niya at nilagay ang mga kamay ko sa suso ni chaewon. ang tigas ng mga utong niya, lalo pa itong tumayo nung pinisil at sinimulan ko itong pag laruan. onti onti kong binaba ang sarili ko hanggang sa nakaharap na sa muka ko ang dibdib ni chaewon. “s-shit, ang init ng dila mo, baby. ang sarap.” ungol ng dalaga nung binalot ko na ang mga labi ko sa kaliwang utong niya habang pinaglalaruan ang kanan gamit ang aking daliri. i carefully settled myself on her bed, not removing myself from her.

tumigil na si chaewon sa pag kantot sa pesteng unan niya, instead, she took my hand and sat on it. “tangina, chae, basang basa ka.” sabi ko habang inaakyat ang mga halik ko papunta sa labi niya. “o-oo... kung alam mo lang kung g-gaano... kung gaano ako kalibog para sa'yo. fuck, markahan mo 'ko, baby, please.” her words were sloppy, na natawa nalang ako kasi parang yung utak ni chaewon hindi na gumagana sa sobrang libog para sakin. hinalik halikan ko ang leeg ni chaewon bago nag iwan ng chikinini sa gilid ng leeg niya habang ang daliri ko naman ay dahan dahang pumapasok sa butas niya. “putangina, ang sarap—!” napadikit ang katawan ni chaewon sa katawan ko sa pagpasok ng daliri ko sakanya, ramdam kong nanginig yung katawan ng dalaga.

not wasting time, i started to curl my fingers inside of her, moving slowly. i want to take my time on her. gusto kong marinig si chaewon na nagmamakaawa para sa'kin. didn't even notice her pull me atop of her. we were now in her bed with my hand in between her legs, while my lips are attacking her neck. ang bango ni chae, hindi ko alam kung nakailang chikinini na 'ko, but i loved the thought of her wearing her usual fit and people can see her hickeys, even in class. i wanted to make her mine.

“isang daliri pa, please?” chaewon asks with her puppy eyes. ang cute, pero putangina, nakakalibog. i smiled at her and without warning, i added another finger inside of her na dahilan ng marahang pag sikip ng puke niya sa daliri ko. “kantutin mo 'ko, baby. please... please! galawin mo yung daliri mo—'y-yan! ganiyan... gago, ang s-sarap!” hindi magkanda ugaga si chaewon nung sinumulan kong galawin yung mga daliri ko at marahan siyang kinantot gamit ito. ramdam na ramdam ko kung gaano siya kabasa, she was practically making a mess on my hand already. binilisan ko ang pag galaw ng mga daliri ko hanggang sa naramdaman kong lalong sumisikip yung puke ni chaewon, yung balakang niya, hindi na mapigilan sa pag galaw. “lalabasan na 'ko, fuck! ang sarap... baby— babe! fuck! sige pa!” chaewon screamed as she clenched her walls around my fingers. i used my thumb to rub her clit which then drove her to her orgasm.

nilabasan na si chaewon, pero hindi padin ako tumitigil sa pag kantot sakanya. dahan dahan ko pading nilalabas masok yung daliri ko sa puke niyang tumutulo na sa sobrang libog. “tangina mo, ang libog mo, chae.” i said as i kissed her lips while pulling my digits out which then earned a whine from the girl. i only chuckled as i reposition myself and laid on her bed. she took it as an invitation and got on top of me. “isa pa.” she says as the tug on my bra—she wants me naked and i helped her get rid of it. dahan dahang bumababa si chaewon at sunod niyang tinanggal eh yung pantalon at panty ko. i moaned when i felt the cold breeze hit my wet cunt. natawa si chaewon. “nakakalibog bang kantutin ako, mhm?” she says, rubbing my clit. i looked at her and hummed, a smirk plastered on my face. “hump me, chae.” yun lang ang sinabi ko at 'tong putang 'to, ang bilis kumilos.

chaewon hooked her legs on mine and pushed herself against me. malakas na ungol ang lumabas sa bibig naming parehas nung nagtama yung mga basang puke namin ni chaewon. tangina, ang sarap niya. dahan dahang gumalaw si chaewon habang ako, nakahiga lang, hawak ang mga hita niya. “b-baby, basang basa ako para sa'yo, puta. h-hng... s-sarap.”.

i think it's already normal at this point—how chaewon's brain shuts down when she's getting what she wants in bed. chaewon started moving her hips faster which i then reciprocated by moving my hips in sync with her movements. “tangina, chaewon. ang sarap mo, gago.” ungol ko habang yung isang kamay ko ay nasa suso na ng dalaga, iniikot ikot sa daliri ang utong niya. “gago, ang s-sarap! sige pa, chae... putangina, para kang pokpok gumalaw.” that made chaewon whine a bit louder. gusto niya bang tinatawag siyang pokpok?

“h-hindi! hindi ako p-pokpok... ikaw lang gusto ko, baby—fuck! sige pa, baby. faster!” she couldn't even continue what she was saying when i've already taken over and pulled her in. hawak ko yung maliit na balakang ni chaewon when i started to move faster and harder against her. it didn't even take long for her to start shaking against me. “lalabasan na 'ko... baby, sabay tayo. shit, basang basa ako para sa'yo.” ungol ko habang inaakap si chaewon at bago siya halikan, i felt my movements grow sloppy and soon enough, sabay nga kaming nilabasan ni chaewon. her body was shaking from the orgasm, buti nalang akap akap ko ang maliit niyang katawan.

“ang sarap, gago.” i breathed against her neck, kissing on the red patches i left a while ago. chaewon was breathing heavily but managed to hum as a response. “but i'm not done with you, kim. sit on my face.” i saw the corner of chaewon's lips curl into a smirk bago niya ko tinulak pahiga sa kama niya. onti onti niyang pinuwesto yung sarili niya sa muka ko. tangina, sobrang ganda ng puke ni chaewon. namumula at basang basa para sa'kin. “bilis, i want to taste you.” and chaewon finally lowered herself on my face. sinalubong ko yung puke niya ng dila ko na nakalabas, malambot, at dahan dahan kong pinaikot ikot ito sa clit ng dalaga. “fuck, baby... ang init ng dila mo, ang sarap.” ungol ni chaewon habang nakahawak sa suso niya.

i wrapped my lips around her clit and started sucking on it. chaewon loves it when i play with her clit. she started moving her hips on my face. “labas mo dila mo, baby.” she softly asked for me which i then complied to. i stuck my tongue out for her, aiming it on her dripping hole. “p-puta... putangina... shit.” chaewon threw her head back as she slowly lifted herself from my tongue and back. kinakantot ni chaewon ang sarili niya gamit ang dila ko. it was so fucking hot na kahit ako, i started to touch myself with my free hand, while the other rubbed her clit.

“tangina, ang sarap! sobrang sarap! fuck, baby. puta mo 'ko... sa'yo lang, tangina. ikaw lang makaka kantot sa'kin ng ganito.” ang ingay ni chaewon and i loved it. it drove me to my edge and i was cumming around my fingers, my moans sending vibrations on chaewon's cunt. “lalabasan na 'ko—babe... baby!” and soon enough, she was clenching her walls around my tongue. ang init at ang kalat, pero putangina, nakakaulol si chaewon.

if i knew this could happen between the both of us, maybe matagal ko nang iniwang nakabukas yung pintuan ko habang kinakantot ko yung sarili ko habang iniisip siya.

[catastrxblues]

articles and news on what’s happening in west papua are so appallingly scarce that i could rarely find any except a few before this. as an indonesian, i didn’t even know any of this is happening in the first place until a few months ago because rarely any of the big news outlets have ever brought it up, much less in a scale that is necessary to gain the world’s attention. SO PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT, one article at a time if it seems too much (which is what i'm currently doing too).

i think it’s important to note that while indonesia has been loudly advocating for palestine’s freedom, it has also been committing silent acts of violence against the people of west papua and exploiting them for years and silence those AND others who have tried to bring it to light.

things included in the thread ->

ARTICLES :

freewestpapua.org *the link isn't working at the moment but op has included screenshots in the tweet!

west papua : a history of exploitation (al jazeera)

courtesy of amnesty international

OTHERS :

amnesty international - "sudah, kasi tinggal dia mati" pembunuhan dan impunitas di papua (in bahasa)

BOOKS TO READ :

'the road : uprising in west papua' by john martinkus

'an act of free choice : decolonisation and the right to self-determination in west papua' by pieter drooglever

'merdeka and the morning star : civil resistance in west papua' by jason macleod

’see no evil : new zealand’s betrayal of the people of west papua’ by maire leadbeater

‘freedom in entangled worlds’ by eben kirksey

‘poisoned arrows’ by george monbiot

‘papua blood’ by peter bang

’west papua and indonesia since suharto’ by peter king

pdf available :

’the united nations and the indonesian takeover of west papua’ by john saltford

’west papua : the obliteration of a people’ by carmel budiardjo and liem soei liong

FILMS TO WATCH :

rebels of the forgotten world (1991)

blood on the cross (1999)

freedom for west papua (1999)

papua merdeka (2002)

west papua — the secret war in asia (2007)

forgotten bird of paradise (2009)

strange birds in paradise — a west papuan story (2010)

west papua — a journey to freedom (2011)

mama malind su hilang (our land has gone)

benny wenda — oslo freedom forum (2012)

isolated (2013)

courage is contagious — TEDx sydney (2013)

the road to home (2015)

punks for west papua (2016)

run it straight (2016)

act of no choice (2019)

paradise bombed (2023)

investigative tv reports :

inside indonesia’s secret war for west papua — ABC news (2020)

selling out west papua — al jazeera (2020)

INFOGRAPHICS :

amnesty international

brief history

2017

2018

[the-forest-library]

January 2024 Reads

The Gentlemen's Gambit - Evie Dunmore

A Lady Guide's to Mischief and Mayhem - Manda Collins

The Ladies Rewrite the Rules - Suzanne Allain

One Night in Hartswood - Emma Denny

The Breakup Tour - Emily Wibberley

Places We've Never Been - Kasie West

Most Ardently - Gabe Cole Novoa

Okay, Cupid - Mason Deaver

Love, Me - Jessica Saunders

Dungeons and Drama - Kristy Boyce

Seven Percent of Ro Devereux - Ellen O'Clover

Eight Dates and Nights - Betsy Aldredge

Rules for Being a Girl - Candace Bushnell, Katie Cotungo

The Christmas Wish - Lindsey Kelk

After the Forest - Kell Woods

All the Hidden Paths - For Meadows

Shady Hollow - Juneau Black

Strong Poison - Dorothy L. Sayers

The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis

The Chalice of the Gods - Rick Riordan

The Marvelous Magic of Miss Mabel - Natasha Lowe

Elf Dog and Owl Head - M.T. Anderson

Winter - Kelsey E. Gross

The Bookstore Cat - Cylin Busby

The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls

Brain on Fire - Susannah Cahalan

A Book of Days - Patti Smith

Karma - Boy George

I Hate Everyone, Except You - Clinton Kelly

The Life Brief - Bonnie Wan

The Stress Prescription - Elissa Epel

Infectious Generosity - Chris J. Anderson

Break the Cycle - Mariel Buque

Eve - Cat Bohannon

House Love - Patric Richardson

Pests - Bethany Brookshire

Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek - Thea Glassman

But Have You Read the Book? - Kristen Lopez

The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie - Tanya Lee Stone

Normal is Just a Setting on the Dryer - Adair Lara

Men to Avoid in Art and Life - Nicole Tersigni

Friends to Keep in Art and Life - Nicole Tersigni

Parenting Advice to Ignore in Art and Life - Nicole Tersigni

Bold = Highly Recommend Italics = Worth It Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts: 

Messy memoirs, healing from generational trauma, and recovery from burnout - these are a few of my favorite things.

Goodreads Goal: 43/200

2017 Reads | 2018 Reads | 2019 Reads | 2020 Reads | 2021 Reads | 

2022 Reads | 2023 Reads | 2024 Reads

[kairiscorner]

HI PO ULITTT 🫶🫶🫶

di ko po alam kung why pero di parin nawawala sa isip ko ung hobie x spiderperson!reader na walang label eudjeudheujs

UM Imagine nyo po, like ilang buwan na silang magkasama since ung kiss, doing couple things ganern, tapos nila na di na nila kailangan sabihin na "i love you" kasi through actions pinapakita na nila, pero naisipan ni reader na itry one day kasi naisip nya na sa previous na situationships nya, iba ung nararamdaman nya para kay Hobie kasi sya mahal nya talaga hduehdjr, tapos nacatch off guard si Hobie kasi di nya alam kung ano sasabihin or why sinabi ni reader or kung label ba tlaga ng feelings nila ay "love" (kung ano po trip nyo sa 3 or all hahaha)

UN LANG PO KINIKILIG PO AKO SA MGA BAGONG NILABAS NYO DUDHEJEHDH

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!! 🫶🫶

-🫶 anon

HI PO 🫶 ANONNNN ay wait ang kyut niyan AAAAAAAAA OK I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS <333

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

those three words you say — hobie brown x spider person!reader

summary: he's never let labels define him, but when you say those three words that send his heart thumping... maybe he'll let you call him that as an exception, it'll be the sole label he wears with honor. word count: 605

life could not have been any better than how it was right now, you were dating the most rebellious and stubborn, yet kind and compassionate boy you had ever known your whole life. he opened your eyes to so many truths about the world, so many experiences in life you never found yourself wanting until he came along and helped you realize you wanted to live your life even crazier, even wilder than you had before. he changed you to become your own person, and you really liked him.

and though you knew there was this one word you yearned to tell him, you couldn't deny that it felt redundant to say it since, well–you already felt that he loved you through everything he did for you. saving your ass in close calls, finishing off villains for you, taking the fall for you when miguel or anyone else gets mad at you over a sloppy mission, making you all kinds of gizmos because he wants to give you an easier time with everything, constantly asking you if you're good or need a break, and carrying you in his arms when he notices you're getting weaker–he does love you, even when neither of you explicitly say it.

though you already felt so happy and content with how he says he loves you without actually saying it, you did dream of telling him how you loved him, how you loved and adored your boy. however, it concerned you, would hobie feel pressured if you told him? would he come to think you wanted a label for you two when you both agreed not to label it as anything...? it caused you to overthink and a little bit of panic as the thoughts consumed you; but hobie was astute enough to recognize you weren't feeling the best at the moment.

"y'good, love?" he asked you as he placed his hand on your shoulder. his eyes and smile were filled with curiosity and concern, and his tone was sincerely worried, even if his voice sounded like he tried to keep himself composed. you were always honest around hobie, he never judged you for anything, so you told him the truth–you weren't good right now. "what's wrong? maybe i can help." he said, but as he finished, you finally blurted out what you've been meaning to tell him all this time.

"i love you, hobie." and with that... hobie froze in his place, his eyes widened a little, and his lips had pursed together. you feared hobie had reacted horribly to your confession, but the complete opposite happened–hobie smiled and ruffled your hair. he kissed the top of your head and said it back, "i love you, too, dear." you felt so flustered and warm inside when you heard him say it back–you felt so... happy.

you finally let it out to him that you were so worried about what he'd say or think if you told him you loved him, but he merely chuckled and planted a kiss on your cheek as a response. "nah, love, i'd never hate you. i hate labels, but you remember, right–you're my sole exception to everything? if you want me to say you're my lover... oh, don't worry about what i'd think, be worried about how much love you're gonna experience because of how crazy i am about you." he said with a smirk as he kissed your lips gently.

even if hobie hates labels... he's beyond happy you want to call him your lover and tell him you love him. it brings him more comfort and joy than you, and him, realize.

tags !! @k4tsu3 @fiannee @luvstarrstruck @toneystank-3000 @ii01vq @maxoloqy @arachnoia @solecitoszn

[novamariestark]

Kiss Cam

First can I just say ^^^ Damn 😍

Summary: When you and Parker go to the Cubs game, you end up on the Kiss Cam.

Warnings: mention of death.

Word count: 1639

Fandom: NCIS

Pairing: Alden Parker x f!reader

Kiss Cam

Once you got used to Alden being around instead of Gibbs, you began to get to know him. Soon you found out you had things in common, like, you both like the Cubs. You were born in Chicago and your dad always took you to a game when he was on leave. It was your thing. But after he died, you stopped going. It was just too painful to go without your best friend.

Parker had asked you if you wanted to go to a couple of games now but you always declined. Partly because it was your father-daughter bonding activity. But also because you now harboured a large and not very subtle crush on you new boss and being alone with him both excited you and scared the crap out of you. You knew you’d do something stupid and then you’d have to quit.

Everyone on the team knew. In fact, everyone in the building knew. All except Parker. Or at least he didn’t show any indication that he knew.

Jess was the first to notice your longing looks. Then Kasie, then McGee. Torres was the last to notice and he ended up handing Jess, 20 bucks. Over the next few months, they start to notice that the boss may feel the same way. You didn’t believe them. I mean the guy was quite possibly the sexiest guy you’ve ever seen.

Soon they get sick of the two of you just looking at each other all the time when the other isn’t watching. So, Torres and Jess buy you two some tickets to the next Cubs game and they weren’t going to let you say no. McGee told them not to push you but they didn’t listen but then again, they didn’t know the reason you said no.

McGee did. He was there. He was there with you through it all. Your dad came back from a tour and he was hit by a car which put him in a coma. McGee sat with you, in the waiting room, in your father’s room. When you found out your father was brain dead, he was right there with you. He was right there when you had to make the decision to turn off the life support. McGee used all his comp time to stay with you. For so long it was just you and your dad and when you lost him, you lost yourself.

You didn’t leave your house in months, not until McGee decided to drag you out and take you to the one person, he knew always made you smile. Ducky. The guy was like a grandfather to you. You reckon your dad would have like him too, because he was a sucker for a good story and Ducky had plenty of them.

Slowly you began to realise that you still had family and you still had people who cared about you. McGee, Ducky, Abby, Tony, Ziva and Gibbs, who became your secondary parental figure. You almost broke down again when he didn’t return, but when McGee told you about what he said, about Shannon and Kelly and how he was finally at peace, you were happy. Maybe you’d find that one day too.

When Jess and Nick presented the tickets to you both, they claimed that some friends gave them to them and since they weren’t fans, they wanted you to have them so they didn’t go to waste.

“You wanna go?” Parker asked you. You looked over to McGee, your eyes pleading for him to help you, “I take that as a no,” he sighed, moving towards Jess to take the tickets but Jess pulled them out of his reach. His eyebrow furrowed in confusion.

“You both should go. You both like the Cubs, so why not?”

“Jess, she doesn’t wan…”

“I haven’t been to a game since my dad died,” you admitted aloud, your eyes looking at your feet. You sniffled, wiping your eyes trying to compose yourself before raising your head to look at Parker, “It was never because I just didn’t wanna go with you. It was just,” you paused, shrugging as you glanced quickly at McGee then back to his gorgeous hazel eyes, “I-it was something we did together, father-daughter bonding, you know?”

Parker smiled softly, nodding his head. He was glad that you weren’t trying to actively avoid him but seeing you cry made his heart ache, it took all his power not to pull you to him and hold you until the pain numbed, “We can leave if it gets too much,”

You thought about it for a second, looking over at McGee who nodded and mouthed ‘go on’

“okay”

***

It’s the day of the game and you were nervous. Why? Because you had no idea what you were going to wear. Should you wear your jersey and cap or should you wear something to impress the man that you spend most of your time thinking about?

After much internal debate, you decided to go in your jersey. Simply because you argued with yourself so much that you didn’t leave enough time to figure something else out.

A knock sounded at the door and your inner teenager squealed as if this was your first date. Don’t be stupid. You thought to yourself. It’s not a date. No way someone as sexy, beautiful, handsome, hot, gorgeous… okay stop before you get too carried away.

You picked up your purse and headed for the door, you quickly opened it and you were greeted by Parker. In a cubs sweatshirt. Something you never thought you’d find so sexy and yet this man proves you wrong.

He looked up at you, looking at your cap, “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” you said, grabbing your keys from the bowl you kept beside the door. Something you had to do because at least you knew where they were.

 The car ride was mostly silent, until Parker noticed your leg bouncing up and down. He reminded you that you could leave at any time if it got too much. You reassured him that you were okay, just nervous.

When you got to the Ballpark, as if on autopilot, you went to get a hot dog. You apologize to Parker when you realise what you’d done. He just smiled and told you not to worry about it.

You got to your seats and the game began. At first you felt guilty for having fun but soon when you see Parker enjoying himself and being very enthusiastic, you start to relax and just enjoy the moment. You laughed when the kiss cam came up, remembering when you and your dad appeared one year, on your 12th birthday and he kissed your nose. But then something happened. You and Parker were on the screen.

You try to cover your face as everyone around you cheers. Both you and Alden shake your heads and the cheers turn to boos. The cam finally moves on to others and the game resumes. Then it happens again. Several times.

You rolled your eyes, fed up, “Oh, for fuck sake!” you yell before grabbing Alden’s face, bringing his lips to yours. What were you doing? Although, he’s not pulling away. Cheers erupted but you barely register them. All you can think about is the feeling of his silky smooth lips on yours. His moustache tickling your nose. But your about to get too carried away. You wanted nothing more than to deepen the kiss, to straddle him, to be as close to him as possible. But you were in public, so you reluctantly pull away, blushing. Quickly you turn your attention back to the field as the game resumes, to hide the heat that was coating your usual pale complexion.

“I wonder why they kept coming back to us,” Alden spoke up after about half an hour of silence. He was in shock that you made a move. That you kissed him, on tv, for the world to see. Him. An old man.

You looked at him and shrugged, “Don’t know,” before turning your gaze back to the game.

Yeah, you didn’t know, but there were two people who did.

“Thank you, my good sir,” Nick said as he slipped a hundred bucks to the camera man.

“Think it’ll work?” Jess asked as they both make their way out.

“It was my idea, of course it’s going to work,” Torres cockily replied.

Jess rolled her eyes at him, “I’m amazed you can still fit that big head in the elevator,”

After the game was over, Parker dropped you off back home. He began to apologize about the kiss cam and for being the one they made you kiss. Did he seriously think that you thought kissing him was a bad thing?

You wanted to eliminate those thoughts from his mind, so without the thousands of screaming fans, telling you to kiss. You told yourself. You brought your hand to his face, his beard slightly tickling the palm of your hand and brought his lips down to yours.

This time, it was slow, sweet and private. But now being alone, your self control was slipping away. You brought your other hand to his hair as you deepened the kiss but all too soon he pulled away.

“What are we doing?”

“Kissing,” you shrugged. “You apologized for me having to kiss you on the kiss cam. But it’s something I’ve wanted to do for months,”

“Why me?”

“Don’t you own a mirror?” you asked him, he laughed and pulled you back into a kiss, this one more needy, more desperate. Tongues colliding, teeth clashing. When you pulled away for air, you let your head fall to rest in the crook of his neck and the next words you said would change your relationship forever.

“Stay”

[A/N] hope you liked it. Sort of inspired by the movie "Set it Up" love Zoey Deutch, she's just so adorable and funny in that.

[xxfromthestartxx]

New Recruit? (Miguel O'Hara)

pairings: Miguel O'Hara x Filipino F!reader

summary: You're the Spider-woman in your universe and you recall the day when you met Miguel.

edit: I've added an accurate translation so you guys wouldn't google it anymore!!

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 (COMING SOON)

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You could remember how you met him, how you met Miguel O'Hara. It was the usual day for you except it wasn't because it was your little cousin's birthday.

.

.

.

You were helping your tita's with cooking because they were throwing a big party that could pass into a charity program. The house is full of people who was switching between cooking and setting up the house for the party.

With a sigh, you chopped your 10th carrot of the day, shouting at your male older cousin to tone down the karaoke. It's nothing new to you, except last night you were fighting a villain who drained all your energy for today's celebration.

"Hoy! Ang aga aga pa ah! Marami pang tulog!!" You exclaimed, glaring at the young man before continuing your chopping. (Hey! It's early in the morning! There are a lot of people who are still sleeping!)

"Ay nako, ineng. Ang aga aga high blood ka." One of your tita's chirped, the one who was peeling the carrots beside you. (Oh my, child. It's early in the morning and your blood pressure is high already.)

"Ay nako, tita. Tottoo naman kasi. Ba't nga pala ang gara ng handaan netong pinsan ko eh 2 years old pa lang naman yan." You scoffed, chopping the carrots faster. (Oh my, Auntie. It's true, no lies. Anyways, why is my little cousin's birthday party so much when they're literally 2 years old.)

One of your older Tita's looked at your state, you look like you haven't had any sleep yet, dark circles around your eyes. "Ineng, halika ka nga dito." She ushered you, making a come here motion with her arms. (Child, come here.)

"Bili ka nga muna ng juice dun sa baba, kay na aling Bebang." She ordered, getting her coin purse in her pocket and giving you 50 pesos. (Buy some juice down the street, in the store of Bebang.)

"Tita naman, ako pa talaga uutusan, bakit ako?" You scratched your head before heading out, making sure you have your necklace with you. (Auntie, why am I always the one running errands?)

You passed by the karaoke and glared at your cousin before warning him. "Pag-alis ko dapat hindi ko maririnig yang boses mo na nakakabwiset ha." (When I leave I shouldn't hear that annoying voice of yours.)

You put on your slippers and exited the gate, walking towards where the sari-sari store is. You were halfway there when a string of loud shouting filled your ears. Your spider senses went crazy and you searched for a place to settle.

You went to the alleyway filled with garbage and tons of cartons before checking if there were any CCTV cameras. You smiled when you saw nothing and pressed your necklace, creating a holographic suit over you.

It was the one you used when an emergency happens like this. You shot a web from your wrist and swung away, finding the source of the screams. Your spider sense tingled when you saw a weird-colored guy who seemed to be glitching, he resembles one of your enemies but you can't get your mind to remember.

You swung your way there and began examining the area. You squinted your eyes at the sight and began evacuating people. "Hoy!" You shouted, shooting a web at the guy, your eyes widened when he turned around.

He looks like your tito, and it looks like he was the one causing the commotion. You gulped before you fixed your stance, readying yourself for a fight.

Your mind raced with questions, your tito was dead- why is there a carbon copy of him in front of you? You watched him die in front of you- you watched him get shot.

You pushed away your thoughts and remembered your job, swinging by the buildings and shooting webs at him. The man looked at you before he aimed at you with his fingers, lightning coming out of it.

You easily dodged it at first, swinging by trying to get him stuck. He continued shooting lightning toward you, dodging your webs.

You clicked your tongue in annoyance before you noticed that the electric post was hit by the lightning he shot. You quickly shot webs at the post and steadied it, saving the people near the post.

"Ano bayan?! Alam mo ba kung gaano katagal ayusin ni Meralco 'tong mga to?!" You huffed, looking at the damaged wirings. (What is that?! Don't you know how long it takes for Meralco to fix these things?!)

"Ilang araw na naman kami walang kuryente neto." You shook your head, shooting at the near building and lifting yourself up. (We won't have electricity for the incoming days.)

You thought twice about the situation, he seems to have the same ability as your enemy Electra but for some reason, has the same face as your uncle.

You watched as he started flying, you knew what to do when it comes to flying enemies. You smirked before swinging towards him, pouncing at him mid-air as he lost his balance.

"Hey! Get off me!" Your eyes widened when you heard him speak English. He shot lightning bolts everywhere, wrecking most of the building insight. You huffed and webbed his hands, only for him to zap you with the other.

You flinched at the lightning, making your whole body fall to the ground from the damage. Your fingertips were quite burned and most of the part holographic suit where he shot you was missing.

You grit your teeth together and tried to stand up, "Tangina naman." You swore, getting up from the ground, the missing suit was now materializing once again. (You son of a bitch.)

Just as you were about to stand up, a weird portal opened up, you furrowed your brows together as a person came out of it, he rushed towards your enemy and began fighting him.

The portal closed leaving you stunned, you watched as they wreck more of the buildings. Sighing you started evacuating the people whose houses were getting disintegrated. "Tangina! Ayusin n'yo naman!!" You shouted, swinging and dodging the falling cement. You saved all the people and decided to help the masked man. (Son of a bitch! At least be careful!!)

"Hell-O!!" Your voice screeched when a bolt of lightning was almost shot at your head, luckily you ducked just in time. "Focus on the fight." He groaned, hitting his back at the building.

Your ears perked up at his voice, "What?" You asked, your voice full of Tagalog accent. "What do you mean what? Don't you speak English?" He retorted, getting up and dusting his back.

'Aba, tangina neto ah.' you thought, "I can speakining in dollars just fine." You scoffed, rolling your eyes at him. "Doesn't look like it." (Tsk, this son of a bitch.)

You shot him an irritated glare but decided to play along. "You are right. No habla engles." You said with a broken English and Spanish accent. (I don't speak English.)

"Tu hable español?" He asked, sounding amused at your broken Spanish accent. "Ah, eh, ih, oh, uh... Sí?" You replied, understanding his words. (You speak Spanish?) (Yes?)

"Maiintindihan mo talaga syempre, ikaw ba naman, sakupin yung bansa mo ng espania ng 333 na taon." You scoffed, joking to yourself. "What was that?" (Of course you will, imagine getting your country colonized by Spain for 333 years.)

"Mga Español nga naman. Nothing, I said nothing." You replied, shooting a web at your uncle look-alike's face. (Spanish people, am I right?)

Now that he was distracted by your web, you used the opportunity to start webbing him up, putting him in a cocoon-like web. You shot webs from the buildings and stuck him in the air.

Now that the both of you are side by side, you noticed how much taller he is than you, given that most Filipino has short genetics. "Tangkad mo naman..." You whispered to yourself, rolling your eyes. (You're so tall...)

"Okay, now that the fight is finished. Care to tell me who are you?" You asked, knowing that he isn't from here. "Isn't it obvious?" He asked back.

"Luh." You replied to his sassiness. "You're not from here, are you? I mean come on..." You squinted your eyes as he threw something at the enemy.

"Miguel, Miguel O'Hara." His voice scratched that part of your brain, making your guts flip. "Uhh- I'm Y/n, Y/n L/n." You introduced yourself with a smile.

"Hey! I was talking to you!" You glared at him, "I'm from another universe." He replied as a red screen like started forming around the enemy. "No shit." You scoffed, crossing your arms at him.

"You know, I was planning on recruiting you," He started "Recruit me?" You asked. "It's better if I just show you." He then clicked on his watch and a portal appeared.

You stayed silent, "I got trust issues." You simply stated, looking at the portal in front of you. "But... I don't want to prepare for my little cousin's birthday so I'm gonna go."

He hummed at your words, "Let's go then." He walked towards the portal, you following him behind. As soon as you entered the portal, it felt like you were sliding, your heart almost fell.

"PUTANGINA!" You shouted, traveling between the multiverse, shutting your eyes close as you tried to calm yourself. Repeating cursing and praying. "Lord, alam ko na masama akong tao pero wag n'yo pa po ako patayin." (SON OF A BITCH!) (Lord, I know that I'm a bad person but please don't kill me yet.)

"Lord, magsisimba na po ako araw-araw hindi na po ako mangbabackstab ng mga kapitbahay, hindi na ren po ako makikipag chismisan sa mga tita ko, Lord wag muna." You repeatedly prayed, doing the sign of the cross a lot. (Lord, I will attend mass everyday, I won't talk shit behind people's backs anymore, I won't gossip with my aunties anymore, Lord please just don't kill me yet.)

You fell with a thud, breaking you from the trance you are in. You slowly opened your eyes and immediately clasped your hand together. "Lord, salamat po Lord, kahit ilang beses na kita sinabihan na patayin n'yo nalang ako dati." (Lord, thank you so much Lord, even after many times of asking you to just kill me in the past.)

You nodded your head and raised your clasped hands. "Are you done now?" Miguel asked, amused by your antics. Your eyes trailed up at his, his mask long gone.

"Gago, gwapo ka pala." You covered your mouth instantly, getting up and patting your backside. "Did you just call me handsome?" (Oh, you're handsome, asshole.)

"Whaat??" You turned to him, "I didn't, you wish." You replied, making your mask disappear too. "So, where are-"

You stopped mid-sentence and were surprised at the number of spider people hanging around everywhere. "Wow." You muttered.

Miguel started at you, he knew how you looked way before he met you but this time you looked different, you looked way more tired than originally and your hair looks like you haven't taken a bath for weeks. He cleared his throat as spoke.

"I know you know about the multiverse, given that you have an experience with it, I decided to recruit you." He explained, his accent giving you chills. "How'd you know?" You raised an eyebrow at him. "I just do." He shrugged, "Oh, and welcome to Spider Society."

He started walking and you immediately followed, catching up to him. "I was creating a portal to the multiverse by the way, if I didn't meet you I'm sure I'll be finishing it in 4 months or more." You stated.

"Your suit. What is it made of?" He asked, seeing how you just made your mask disappear. "It's holographic, I use it for emergencies." You answered with a beam.

"I see." He kept his answers short, "What about yours?" You asked before you glitched, falling into the ground with a thud. "Aray ko." You muttered, putting a hand on your head. (Ouch, that hurt.)

Miguel looked back and realized he hadn't given you a day pass yet. He threw one at you before saying something. "That would keep you from glitching." You picked it up and wore it. "Thanks." You thanked him, standing up.

"My suit is also holographic." He answered your question before you glitched.

"There's a lot of spider people in here, huh?" You asked, in awe at the view. "Sure is. I'm sure you know a lot when it comes to the multiverse, I'm looking forward to working with you."

The way his voice sounds makes you feel weird, "Oh, uh- I don't know what you're talking about?" You felt unsure, "You graduated with flying colors, someone who has experience on and off the field, you'll be a perfect recruit for this." He said, walking towards the elevator.

"Thank you, really. I'll think about it." You said, walking upside down now because of the elevator. "So uhm... " You tried to talk but nothing came into your mind. "Who was he? You know, the man who came to my universe? He looks just like my uncle."

He looked at you, pressing the top floor. "As I said earlier, you have a fair share of knowledge about the multiverse. I know you know the answer." He answered, looking at your eyes that seemed to be darting everywhere.

"What universe is he from?" You asked, fiddling your fingers. "Earth - 36910," he answered as the elevator stopped. The both of you walked away from the elevator, a ton of spider people greeting Miguel and he just grunts or nods in reply.

As Miguel toured you in his universe, he explained and educated you more about what's happening in the multiverse, hours passed and you remembered the celebration.

"Shit, it's been 4 hours already?" You clicked your tongue as you made a part of your wrist into a holographic watch. Miguel looked at you before you spoke once again.

"It's been great and all, Miguel, and I really do appreciate the offer, but right now, I need to go back to my universe before my tita unleashes hell on everyone." Miguel nodded, getting something from his table and giving it to you.

"Come back to us when you're ready, we'll be waiting for you." He simply said, the warm tone of his voice makes your heart speed up.

"I will," you smiled, putting on the watch and typing your universe, opening up a portal. Walking towards the portal, you turned back at him last time. A smirk spreads on your face.

"Don't miss me too much, Gwapo!" You laughed, winking at him before the hologram covered your face. Running into the portal with a wide smile. (Handsome.)

Miguel was left in his office, a small smile forming on his lips as he recalled everything that happened. "Lyla." He called his AI.

"What now?" Lyla materialized in front of him, crossed arms and a small teasing smile on her face.

"When will her canon event happen?"

.

.

.

a/n: I'm accepting requests and so far I got one request and it's ongoing!!

[alltimefail-sims]

I present to you all... Wren's family!

Are you reading The Familiar by @mangosimoothie? You should be reading The Familiar by mangosimoothie and rooting for my baby Wren. (I'm mostly kidding - rooting for Wren is optional, but reading the Familiar is not 😉.)

This was probably self indulgent, and I definitely spent way too much time making them, but even if no one else cares... I'm pleased! I've been wanting to do this for way too long! First we have Wren's father, Dr. Abdou Opara and Wren's mother, Dr. Latita Opara (née Wiley). Then we have Wren's siblings Kingston and Angelique.

Want more info on them or to see their full-body outfits? Fear not...

Many details below the cut! ↓

If you read Wren's original post you already know that Abdou, Wren's father, is a retired engineer and tech investor while his wife, Latita, is the current and very popular mayor of San Myshuno. But I didn't really get to go into detail about Wren's siblings so I'm gonna do that real quick!!

Wren's oldest sibling, Kinston (30 y.o.), has a doctorate from Foxbury in biology, but he was also the captain of the robotics team and has a passion for engineering just like his father. After graduation he combined his two passions and created a bio-tech company that focuses on creating innovations and improvements in the medical field, particularly for surgical procedures and daily disability maneuverability and pain management. Wren thinks he's an absolutely insufferable ego-maniac, but they're not a completely reliable narrator because Kingston's just kind of a nerd with a little bit of a superiority complex (oldest child syndrome), but Wren's parents have always lifted up Kingston as the example and that's annoying as fuck! Oh and if Latita has a favorite child, it's Kingston (she's never proclaimed a favorite out loud but like... it's pretty clear).

Then there's the Opara's middle child, Angelique (27 y.o.), who I promise does not just walk around in pageant crowns and evening gowns (although that would be iconic imo). Although a middle child, Angelique has never had to fight for attention and is Abdou's clear favorite (again he's never said it out loud but like... he's even more obvious). She has a distinguished psychology degree with honors from Foxbury Institute and graduated at the top of her class. The reason she's dressed in pageant-wear is because she recently won the title of Miss America (whatever the sims equivalent is called). She'll be competing for Miss Universe next because she's a bad bitch ig? Lmao. She just is very competitive. Wren thinks Angelique is generally less insufferable than Kingston, but the two of them in a room together is like nails on a chalkboard to Wren. Wren and Angelique are a little closer, but "close" as in like... they get along okay, they'll pick up *if* the other calls, and she nags Wren the least of any of their family members (but that's just because she "has better things to do"). That being said, she does call Wren "baby Wren" which drives them nuts (but she's being affectionate in her own way).

*Fun fact: all of the Oparas are Foxbury alum except for our dear Wren and they never hear the end of it!

*Also a fun fact but, needless to say, Wren's mom doesn't want to end her political career as a mayor: she's working her way up the political ladder to the presidential candidacy, babyyyyy!!! On the flip-side, Abdou has always been a strict parent who cares about "legacy" and that's why they're so anal about protecting the family's public image and why they're especially hard on Wren who thinks all of those things are kind of bullshit.

FINALLY, I do want to note that I didn't include one *technical* family member, Kingston's college sweetheart and fiancé Kasi who Wren actually enjoys being around and thinks is way out of their brother's league.

Anyway okay I'm done now here they are side-by-side as promised:

Irl I imagine their heights to vary (with Wren being taller than their mom but shorter than everyone else) but I was too lazy to use a height slider.

Okay NOW I'm done for real lmao byeeeeeeee

[writeandsurvive]

Maybe we can get some Parker x pregnant!reader? Maybe with some angst? I love your writing so much

You asked for some angst, I shall deliver. 🫣 hope it's what you wanted!! Thank you for your kind words ❤️

(yes, I'm a bit obsessed with the band Måneskin)

Warnings: pregnant!reader, false alarm, hospital, bed rest, cheating, Alden screwing up big time, lots of crying

I wanna hate you ~ Alden Parker

You didn't know how you were going to go through this. It was supposed to be the most amazing time of your life, an incredible experience, but everything was ruined. Stroking at your belly, you kept replaying the past week in your mind and cried.

It was your second anniversary with Alden. You had plans to have an early dinner at the restaurant he took you two years ago and then go to a concert. Your boyfriend wasn't fond of the idea, as you're entering your third trimester, but you definitely wanted to. It was a band you've been dying to see for ages, got Alden to love their music, and luckily there was a specific area for disabled people and pregnant ladies like you. Everything would be perfect.

Except that you couldn't figure out what to wear. You spent hours trying on different outfits, some were maternity clothes that you hated, some were your usual clothes you didn't fit anymore. "Baby, I love you so much, but you make me so big." You told your unborn child. "I want to look pretty for your daddy, but nothing fits." You sighed, taking one more look at yourself in the mirror. Nope, not this outfit.

You changed one more time, to put the dress you had in the maybe pile. "I guess that could work with my doc martens." You tried to convince yourself. "It's gonna be your first concert, baby! I hope they'll play Coraline. Let's put it on." You grabbed your phone and played 'Coraline' by Måneskin, the band you were seeing tonight. You and Alden agreed to keep the gender a surprise till birth, but if it's a baby girl, she'd be named Coraline because of that particular song.

Listening to your Måneskin playlist, you finished getting ready. It was after putting on lipstick that you realized you still haven't heard about Alden. Checking the time and realizing how late it already was, you called him. No answer. You waited a few minutes and tried again. Same. "Alden, don't do this to me." Obviously, his work asks a lot, and you're very much aware of that, but Alden always makes a point to be there for the special occasion. He wouldn't miss it, unless there was an emergency. So, that's where your mind went.

You decided to text Kasie.

You: Hey boo! 😘 I was wondering if my man was near you or if there was an explanation as to why he's not answering?

Kasie typed, stopped, typed again and stopped. It took a few minutes to get an answer.

Kas: Hey babe ❤️ Sorry but I left the office a while ago, no idea where he's at! Wants me to ring him on Bandium?

You: Did everyone else leave too?

Kas: Idk, Parker was still there when I left.

You: Okay, thanks for answering love!

Kas: Of course, keep me updated. ❤️

An hour later, still nothing. No answer, no text, nothing. You should already be at the restaurant but instead, you didn't know where Alden was, what he was doing or even if he was okay. Your anxiety level was extremely high, which wasn't good for the baby. Kasie stayed on the phone with you and offered to pin his phone.

You gave in and told her to.

"Huh, that's weird." She said.

"What?! Where is he? Please don't tell me he's at a hospital or something." You were on the verge of crying.

"No no, not at all. He's like an hour away from DC. Got the address but it doesn't seem to be anything particular."

"What does it mean?"

"Well, do you know someone who lives on (address)?"

You thought for a moment. "No, no one! Can't you find out who lives there?"

"Pinning Parker's phone is already very unethical--"

"You're right, sorry. Thank you for doing this, I owe you one."

"You're growing my godchild inside of you, we're even." She managed to get a small laugh out of you despite the situation.

Everything went through your mind, you imagined every possibility as to what was going on, what happened to the father of your child. It was driving you crazy, you were pacing around the entire apartment, texting back and forth to his team, who had all left work a while ago after they closed their case. But somehow, you had this nagging feeling that they were hiding something from you. From the beginning of the relationship, you knew Alden couldn't tell you much about his job and you were okay with that. But that night, you were not. You needed to know.

You needed him.

By the time he finally came back home, you were a complete mess. You rushed to the door as soon as the noises of keys reached your ears. You jumped into his arms, the baby bump getting in the way. "Thank god you're okay!" You cried in his neck.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm so so sorry." He hugged you back, as tight as he could. Your anxiety dropped down, as you were finally able to breathe again. No idea what happened yet, but at least he was there, alive and well.

You let go reluctantly and scanned him entirely, making sure he wasn't hurt anywhere. But what caught your attention was the tears in his eyes. His hands were resting on your belly, and the baby was clearly awake, probably aware that daddy was home. Alden dropped to his knees in front of you, kissing your bump, and apologizing over and over again.

"What happened, baby? Are you okay? Where were you?"

He looked up to you, tears rolling down his cheeks. You grabbed them softly, catching them with your thumbs. "Talk to me." You whispered, still crying too.

"I shouldn't -- I should've never --" he broke eye contact to press his forehead against your baby bump. "I'm sorry, to both of you."

After a moment there, you managed to get Alden to follow inside the apartment. Sitting on the couch, with a huge sigh of relief - it was getting harder and harder to carry this tiny human - Den dropped his head on your lap. You stroked his hair and waited for him to talk.

"I made a huge mistake." He finally said. "The biggest mistake of my life."

"What would that be?" Anxiety was coming back in a rush.

"Please don't leave me. Please, I will do anything for you--"

"Alden, you have to tell me what you did, right now."

"I slept with my ex."

And just like that, your entire world fell apart. Your heart broke into thousands of pieces. Silently, and quiet slowly, you pushed his head off your lap. Alden tried to hold onto you but knew he had to let go. His touch was the last thing you wanted at this very moment. You tried to stand up but your legs immediately gave up, finding yourself back on the couch but further from him. His reflex kicked him as he tried to catch you but you snapped his arms off. "Don't touch me." You couldn't look at him.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I know you hate me right now, but--"

"Shut the fuck up."

He did.

You stayed silent for a very long moment, tears of anger and heartbreak covering your cheeks. But the worst was what you were feeling in your lower abdomen. That pain was not normal. In your mind, you talked to your baby. "Honey, it's okay. It's gonna be okay. Stay inside." But you let out a muffled scream and curse when a sharper pain hit.

Alden was quick on his knees next to you, asking if there was something wrong with the baby. Between the long hours of waiting and now this, something wrong was definitely happening. "Drive me to the hospital."

Alden was asking a bunch of questions as he helped you to the car. You didn't understand any of them, as the pain was increasing and you were silently begging your baby to be okay, telling him and her that it was going to be fine. You hoped you could believe it.

"If anything happens to my baby, Alden, I want you out of my life, for-fucking-ever."

He stayed silent because nothing he'd say would be good enough.

~

It was the longest hours of Alden's life. He wasn't allowed in as the doctors were checking up on you and his child. Alone in the hallway, he cried. He wished he could be outside of his body to give himself a beating down. He deserved it. If you left him, he'd deserve it too. He screwed up, he ruined the best thing he ever had and for what? His first love he hadn't seen in over 30 years?

If anything happened to you and/or the baby, Alden would never recover. He'd never forgive himself.

He kept going over to the front desk, asking for news. He grabbed every nurse and doctor he saw. Finally, the nurse he remembered taking you in earlier came up to him.

"How are they? Where are they?" He probably looked like a lunatic, but didn't care. She invited him to sit down but he refused. "Tell me where are my wife and kid!" He yelled.

"They are fine, sir. I'll be taking you to them in a minute. We'll be keeping your wife here at least for the night and as of right now, she's on strict bed rest."

It was fine. He'd take the next three months off if he had to.

The nurse took Alden to you.

Laying down on the bed, with a monitor on your baby bump, you turned your head away when you saw him coming in. "God, I was so scared." He dried his tears off as he approached the bed. "Can I?" He asked, his hand a few inches from your belly. You nodded and he gently touched and stroked where the product of your love was. "How are you feeling?"

You let out a humorless laugh. "You fucking kidding right? I almost lost her, Alden!"

He locked eyes with you. "H--her?"

You sighed. "The doc didn't know I didn't know the gender." You explained.

"We're having a babygirl," his emotions were all over the place, he cried again.

You allowed him to stay after he begged, as long as he stayed silent. You wanted to sleep, feeling both physically and mentally exhausted, but it never came. You stayed awake, feeling Alden's presence on the chair next to your bed. He was looking at you, looking at your belly, looking at the machines. It was only when you saw him typing on his phone that you broke the silence. "Texting her while I'm next to you, Parker?" You asked, in the coldest ton you've ever used.

"God, no! Absolutely not! Baby, I --" he sighed and stopped what he wanted to say. "I'm just writing some stuff down so I don't forget." He showed you his phone but you turned your face away.

After another silence, as you were stroking your belly, you broke into tears. You cried like a baby, having no more self control. Alden didn't hesitate long before moving to the bed, and bringing you to his chest. The only reason you didn't push him off was that you didn't have the strength. "How could you?" You struggled to say.

"I don't know. I wish I could give you a reasonable explanation but there's none. I'm a fucking jerk who ruined the best thing that ever happened to him." He held you tight, breathing in your shampoo. "There's nothing I wouldn't do to get your forgiveness. If you just let me--"

"I hate you." You simply said.

A week later

Back home, you've been on bed rest per doctor's orders. Alden had taken some time off work, even though you didn't want him to. You wished you could just tell him off, leave the apartment, leave town even but you couldn't go anywhere with your baby girl inside you. Plus, as much as you hated his guts, he's your daughter's father, no matter what. You'd never let your girl grow up with her daddy.

Alden tried to talk to you numerous times but you always shut him off. He made sure you had proper meals everyday, and you forced yourself to eat for your daughter. He'd bring your favorite snacks and refill your water, leave flowers on your nightstand, and buy books. He offered you massages (turned them down), offered to brush your hair (turned him down), offered to play games to keep you busy (turned him down). And every afternoon, he'd play piano in the living room, making you cry every single time.

The only time you allowed him to stay near you was when he asked if he could read something to his daughter. He would grab a baby book and read it to your belly. Sometimes, your girl would be completely still, and other times, she'd move and kick around a lot. The only way for her to calm down? Feeling daddy's hand.

You wanted to hate him so bad, and a part of you really did. But when he was there, talking to his daughter, you couldn't. And it hurt.

Your sleep schedule was a mess and babygirl wasn't helping at all. It was 3am, you were utterly exhausted - yes, despite the bed rest -, and your daughter was taking your uterus for a gym. Or a dancefloor.

On the verge of a meltdown, you texted Alden who had been sleeping on the couch since the hospital. The guest room had already been turned into the nursery.

You: You sleeping?

Hearing his phone ping from the living room, it didn't take long until he was knocking at the bedroom door. "Are you okay? Do you need something?" He asked, after you told him to come in.

"I need you to calm her, please." He heard the exhaustion in your voice.

Alden walked over to the bed. "Is it okay if I lay down?"

"I guess."

He laid down next to you, above the covers. Despite the dark, you could sense he was in his useless night shorts and shirtless. You did hate him a little.

He put a hand in your belly, "Shh, babygirl. It's time to sleep now, mama is tired." He stroked your skin exactly where he felt a kick. "Hush, little baby don't say a word. Papa's gonna buy you a mocking bird. And if that mocking bird don't sing. Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring..." He sang softly.

"Why did you do this, Alden?" You cried.

He took a deep breath. "I think I needed closure. I-- it was like 16 years old me took over and forgot everything else." You felt his free hand grabbing yours. "I know it's no excuse."

"It didn't have to involve sex."

"You're absolutely right." He squeezed your hand, his mind having a victory dance that you weren't pulling away. "It shouldn't have. I'm willing to do anything, my love. Jeremy gave me the contact of the therapist him and Josie went to, after the accident. Will you agree to give it a try?"

Your daughter was calming down. Daddy's power.

"Maybe." You answered.

"I'll take it." You heard him sniff. It'd be too easy and too soon to reach out for a hug, no matter how much you needed it. "I love the two of you more than anything in this world. I hate myself for what I did."

You didn't answer, couldn't.

You didn't realize how cold it was outside the blankets until you felt Alden shivering by your side. The man had been above the covers the entire time. "Get under the blanket, Alden."

"Are you sure? I may-- fall asleep here if I do,"

"It's fine. Just -- don't cuddle me."

He respected your barrier. You thought you heard him snore not too long after.

"I want to hate your guts so bad, but what they said is true. Sometimes, the person who hurts you is the only one who can make the pain go away. Don't ever hurt me again, please."

He wasn't asleep. He squeezed your hand as an acknowledgment.

[bornonthesavage]

In the Dark, That's Where I Find You

Read on AO3

It was an undeniable fact that Steve was lucky. He had been told it more times than he could count, from all sorts of people, so it must be true. His friends at school told him he was lucky that he had no one at home to give him a bedtime or make him eat vegetables. The housekeeper that came to bring him groceries and to clean once a week told him he was so lucky to live in such a nice house. Ever since he could remember, his parents had told him that he was lucky to be born to an upper-class family. And when others were around, Steve kept up the façade. He could pretend that he agreed, with bright smiles and boastful words. But in the late hours of the night, when he was all alone in that big house, lucky wasn’t the word he thought about. No, what Steve really was, was lonely.

Even at twelve years old, Steve was pretty sure it wasn’t normal for his parents to leave him alone for up to a month at a time. When he was young, they had hired nannies to care for him while they were away. That hadn’t been great either, but at least there had been someone else in the house with him. Someone to talk to and watch TV with and to make dinner. Then, on Steve’s twelfth birthday, his parents had told him he was old enough to look after himself while they were away. They trusted him to not burn down the house, at least. That had been six months ago.

Now, six months later, Steve sat alone in his living room. His parents had left earlier in the week, promising to be home before the end of the month and told him to call if he needed anything. He never called. What would be the point? It wasn’t like they would come home. No, if he needed something, he would figure it out on his own.

Steve pulled his knees up to tuck against his chest as he sat on the couch, watching a rerun of Gilligan’s Island. A half-eaten bowl of popcorn sat on the coffee table along with an empty coke can. He had heated up a bowl of chicken noodle soup for dinner, which he’d eaten with crushed up saltine crackers, but he always found himself craving a snack before bed. It was almost ten o’clock, but he wasn’t yet tired.  

When the episode ended, Steve stood and began to make his way toward the kitchen. He could go for one more coke before bed. But before he even made it out of the living room, a loud clatter from the back yard made him freeze. He turned, creeping slowly toward the glass door that overlooked the pool. It had sounded like it came from the shed, which sat beyond the pool deck, nestled almost among the trees. His hand shook as he reached up to flip on the back light. A part of him was convinced he would see a horrible monster racing up his yard toward the house, ready to devour him. But that was ridiculous. There was no such thing as monsters.

The yard was completely empty, the pool glowing an eerie green in the night. Steve scanned the perimeter until his eyes landed on the shed. Though it was dark, it looked as if the door was slightly ajar. Now, Steve knew the sensible thing to do was to ignore it until morning. But then he remembered that Kasie Jones, the girl who sat in front of him in math class, had found an injured mother cat behind her house just one month earlier. It was Springtime, she had said, which meant lots of animals would be having babies. If she hadn’t found them, the mother cat and her babies could have died. Steve couldn’t live with being responsible for that.

So, with only a mild amount of fear, he grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen drawer and slid open the glass door. It was early April, so while the days had grown warm, the nights still held a bit of a chill. Steve slid on his outdoor sandals and began to make his way across the yard. Everything was quiet now, except for the crickets. He approached the shed, tilting his head to see if he could hear any meowing. There was nothing.

It wasn’t until he was directly outside the shed that real fear began to prickle at the back of his neck once more. He was far enough from the house that if anything burst out and took chase, he likely wouldn’t make it back without getting caught. Steve took a deep breath and remembered what his dad was always telling him.

“Be a man. Real men don’t shake like little babies.”

Right. Be a man. He stepped forward and grabbed the edge of the door, which had been swaying slightly in the wind, and yanked it open. There wasn’t much inside the shed, just pool equipment and a few yard tools. Steve leaned inside, casting his light around for any sign of an injured cat. He took a step inside, letting the door swing partially shut behind him. The light caught on random items as he scanned. An old broken truck from when he was little, the pool noodles he liked to use when the weather was warm enough, a leaf blower, a pair of human eyes.

Steve screamed, his heart slamming up into his throat as he stumbled backward and dropped the flashlight. His back hit the wall and he fell, his legs giving out with the sheer force of terror he felt in that moment. There was someone else in the shed with him, someone curled up beneath the work bench on the far wall. The flashlight had rolled away from him, its beam pointed in the wrong direction for him to see. Steve glanced at the door, wondering how quickly he’d be grabbed if he made any sudden movements. A quiet voice spoke from the shadows.

“H-hey. It’s alright. You don’t have to be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.”

That made Steve pause. Whoever it was sounded young, probably close to his age, and they also sound afraid. But what was another kid doing in his shed at night? Steve took a moment to let his heart rate slow before speaking again.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

For a few seconds it was silent, but then he spoke again. “Eddie. My name is Eddie. I was… I was just looking for a safe place to sleep.”

"Oh, well, my name's Steve. But what do you mean to sleep?” Steve asked, furrowing his brow. “Why would you want to sleep in this dingy old shed? There are like, a hundred spiders in here, I’m pretty sure.”

He heard the other boy shift around a bit. “It’s better than outside.”

Well, maybe that was true, but it still didn’t explain much. Slowly, Steve moved onto his knees and crawled forward to grab his flashlight. This put him closer to the other boy, with Steve knelt in the middle of the small room. He raised the light until it fell on the other’s face.

Steve had been right that he seemed to be around his age. With dark curls that fell around his ears and big, pretty brown eyes, Eddie didn’t look like much of a threat at all. In fact, he seemed to be in bad shape. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and his cheeks looked a bit sunken in, as if he hadn’t eaten in a while. His knees were tucked up against his chest, but Steve could tell the jeans he wore were dirty and tattered.  

“Are you homeless?” Which, okay, maybe that was a rude thing to ask, but Steve thought it was a fair question.

Eddie looked away, his brows lowering slightly. “I’m- I mean… Yeah, I guess so.”

Steve tilted his head. “Where are your parents?”

Something in Eddie’s expression became tight, before crumbling. “They’re dead. My mother died a year ago, my father just last month.”

“Shit,” Steve mumbled. That really sucked. He had never met someone who had lost both their parents. “Do you not have any other family?”

Eddie shook his head. “It’s just me.”

“Oh.” Steve shifted off his knees so he could cross his legs. “But, there are places you can go, aren’t there? Like, an orphanage or something? I could probably call the police and they could—”

“No!” Eddie snapped, his eyes darting up to Steve’s. “No, please, nobody can know about me.”

Steve frowned. That was definitely an odd reaction. “Why? Are you some sort of criminal?”

Eddie snorted, the corner of his lips twitching, as if he found that amusing. “No, not really.”

“Not really? Either you are or you aren’t.”

“I’m not,” Eddie insisted. “I’ve never hurt anybody that wasn’t trying to hurt me. But… There are people. Bad people, who would hurt me if they ever found me. So, I’ll leave if you want me to, but you can’t tell anyone about me.”

Steve stared at the other boy. His eyes were wide and serious, his mouth set into a hard line that told Steve he wasn’t joking. Whatever this kid was mixed up in was dangerous, he could tell that much. It would be smart for Steve to tell him to get lost, to find somewhere else to hide out. But, still. He didn’t want him to just leave.

“Where would you go? If I told you to leave, I mean.”

Eddie let out a breath, his shoulders dropping. “I don’t know. Maybe someone else’s shed. Maybe try and make my way to Indianapolis.”

Steve fiddled with his hands. “That sounds dangerous. You can’t go off to the city all by yourself. You’re just a kid, like me.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of Eddie’s lips. “Not just like you. I can take care of myself.”

That struck Steve somewhere in his chest, the sentiment all too familiar. “Yeah, so can I, but that doesn’t mean you should have to. You should have someone to look after you.”

Eddie tilted his head, his eyes searching Steve’s face. “Are you always alone?”

“What? How- how do you know that?”

“Oh, um,” Eddie averted his eyes, suddenly looking a little bit guilty. “I’ve been here for a few days. I wasn’t trying to spy on you, but I saw that it’s just you in the house. Nobody else ever came or went, but you must have parents, right?”

Steve huffed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I have parents. They just… they go out of town a lot for business. And I can’t go with them, because they don’t need a kid running around while they do work. But, it’s like, fine. I have the house all to myself, and I don’t have a bedtime, and I can eat whatever I want.”

Unlike all the other times Steve had told another kid this, Eddie didn’t look all that impressed. If anything, he looked sad. Which… was stupid. So stupid. Steve was lucky. He had everything he could ever want. He didn’t need some orphan, who clearly didn’t have anything this nice, feeling sorry for him.

Eddie rested his chin on his knees. “That sounds really lonely.”

A heavy pit settled in Steve stomach. Nobody else had ever acknowledged that before, and he didn’t really know what to do with it. His first instinct was to defend his parents, to tell Eddie that it was fine, and he didn’t know what he was talking about. But another part of Steve, a stronger part, felt an overwhelming sense of relief. It settled something inside Steve, hearing someone else say the words he’d been keeping locked inside for so long. It was validating.

Slowly, he nodded. “Yeah, it can be. But, that’s just the way it is.”

Eddie didn’t look convinced. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but before he could, a violent shudder shook his whole body. Steve’s eyes wide at the look of pain that crossed Eddie’s face and he hesitantly reached out a hand. Only, that seemed to make it worse, as Eddie flinched away from his touch.

“No, don’t come closer!” Eddie warned. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Steve furrowed his brow. “Hurt me? Why would you hurt me?”

“No, I don’t want to, but… I haven’t eaten in a week. I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself.”

A week? What the hell? That was way too long for a person to go without food! No wonder Eddie looked so sickly. He was starving to death.

“Hey, if you’re hungry, come inside with me. I can get you something to eat, no problem!”

But Eddie only shook his head, his face still pained. “No, Steve, it’s not… It’s not that simple. There’s nothing in your house I can eat. Well, nothing that I’ll allow myself to have.”

“What are you talking about?”

A look of resignation came over Eddie’s face. “Steve… I’m not- I’m not normal. You should leave. You don’t want me to come into your house with you.”

He really wasn’t making any sense now. Did Eddie think that just because he was homeless and without parents, he was undeserving of kindness? That was ridiculous. If anything, it made Steve want to help him even more. “Uh, yeah, I do. That’s why I invited you.”

His arms tightened around his legs, as if he were protecting himself. “You shouldn’t do that.”

“Do what?”

Eddie’s eyes flashed up to meet Steve’s. “Invite random strangers into your home. It’s dangerous.”

Steve snorted. “I don’t think you’re dangerous, Eddie. You look one minute from keeling over.”

“Yeah,” he said, letting out a humorless laugh. “And that makes it even worse.”

Alright, Steve was starting to grow tired of arguing about this. “Dude, come on. You have to eat something.”

Eddie made a little sound, like a whimper in the back of his throat, and closed his eyes. “If you knew the truth about me, you wouldn’t say that. If you knew the truth, you would run away. Or maybe even try to hurt me.”

“Whoa, hey, no. Eddie, I promise I won’t hurt you. I’m just trying to help.”

Outside the shed, it sounded like the wind began to pick up as the structure creaked ominously. Steve pulled his jacket more firmly around himself and couldn’t help but think that Eddie’s thin hoodie didn’t seem warm enough. Maybe Steve could give him some of his clothes. It’s not like his parents would ever notice. The look Eddie gave him when he opened his eyes was filled with sorrow.

“Yeah, I know. You seem really nice, Steve. And I’m afraid that if I come with you, I’ll hurt you without meaning to, and then I’ll be a monster, which I don’t want to be.”

Steve was trying to understand, he really was. People called him stupid sometimes, which he didn’t really agree with, but now he was struggling to follow what Eddie was saying. How could Eddie hurt him without meaning to?

“Eddie, I don’t understand. Please, you can tell me the truth. I won’t run away, I promise.”

Eddie shook his head, casting his big eyes down. “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“Hey, look at me.” He waited until Eddie did, then scooted forward on his knees. Slowly, without making any sudden movement, he held up his pinky. “I pinky promise I won’t leave you. And I always keep my pinky promises.”

A hesitant smile grew on Eddie’s face, though he still seemed extremely uncertain. Finally, after what felt like forever, Eddie brought his pinky up and wrapped it around Steve’s. It was slightly shocking, just how cold Eddie was. Like his skin was just a thin layer of ice, molded around bones. That couldn’t be good. Steve really needed to get him inside. Before he could pull away, Eddie spoke.

“And I promise to do my very best not to hurt you.”

Steve grinned. “Well, there you go. So, go on then. Tell me what the problem is.”

Eddie sighed, tucking his bottom lip between his teeth. “Okay, I guess I might as well. I don’t have anything else to lose. Um, have you… have you heard of vampires?”

“Vampires?” Steve asked, scrunching up his nose. “What, like Dracula? Or The Count on Sesame Street?”

Eddie snorted and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I mean sort of. But also, no. What if… what if vampires were real?”

Steve narrowed his eyes. “I don’t understand. Vampires aren’t real, so what does that have to do with anything?”

A look of frustration crossed Eddie’s face. “Steve. I’m trying to tell you. Vampires are real. I know, because I am one.”

For several seconds, Steve didn’t speak. The only sound to be heard was the shifting of trees outside and the quiet breathing of the two boys. Finally, Steve let out a laugh.

“Yeah, right, okay. Look, I don’t know why you don’t want to tell me—”

“Steve—”

“But it’s fine, I guess. You don’t have to trust me, I guess.”

“Steve, I am telling you the truth! See, this is another reason I didn’t want to tell you. Humans never believe in anything beyond what they see in the daylight.”

“Oh, come on,” Steve said, dropping back off his knees to sit on his butt. “I get it, you’re trying to prank me, for whatever reason. But I can’t help you unless I know the truth. Or at least until you tell me what the real problem is. You’re not a vampire.”

“I am!” Eddie insisted, the corners of his lips turning down in a frown. “Do you want me to prove it to you?”

At this point, Steve was getting a little bit annoyed. The joke wasn’t that funny. He was cold, and the dirt on the cement floor was digging into his backside, and he really just wanted to get back inside. So, with a jeering smirk, he leaned forward.

“Yeah, sure, go ahead. Prove that you’re a vampire.”

Eddie didn’t move at first, just continued to stare at Steve with his too big eyes. It was a little unnerving, to be honest, the way he didn’t seem to blink or even move. And then, in a flash of movement too fast to be humanly possible, Eddie shot forward. Steve flinched at the unexpected movement, falling back onto his elbows with a small shout of surprise. He half expected to be attacked, to maybe feel Eddie’s hand around his throat or a fist against his cheek. But it never came.

Slowly, Steve opened his eyes. Only, Eddie was nowhere to be seen. The spot beneath the bench was empty, and when Steve looked around, he didn’t see Eddie anywhere. Had he slipped out the door and run away? Why? Steve didn’t understand. But then, Eddie spoke.

“Steve. I’m up here.”

A chill ran down Steve’s back, some primal part of him that had been dormant waking up at hearing the voice from above. Slowly, Steve tilted his head back. What he saw defied all explanation. Eddie was on the ceiling. He was crouched upside down, his hands gripping the wood beam and his feet planted flat on the roof. Eddie blinked down at him, his hair dangling away from his face.

Steve opened his mouth to scream, a natural response he thought. But before he could utter a sound, Eddie was off the ceiling. He landed on top of Steve, his hand pressed firm to his mouth to stop any sound from escaping and his other hand holding Steve to the ground. For a wiry looking kid, he was sure strong.

“Please, Steve, don’t scream,” Eddie begged, his wide eyes earnest. “I promised not to hurt you, and I won’t. You’re safe with me, okay?”

For a few seconds, all Steve could do was stare up at him. He shouldn’t believe him, logically he knew that. Vampires drank blood, human blood, which Steve had. But if Eddie had wanted to hurt him, surely, he would have already. He could even do it right now. Steve was trapped beneath him, his movement completely restricted. So, slowly, Steve nodded. Eddie chewed his lip, before removing his hand. Steve took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart.

“Holy crap. You’re like, a real vampire?”

Eddie nodded, still looking concerned. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Wow. How long have you been a vampire for?”

“Uh, my whole life?” Eddie said with a chuckle.

Steve frowned. “Wait, what? But I thought vampires were made by being bitten.”

Eddie finally climbed off Steve, sitting cross legged in front of him while Steve sat up and matched his position. “Yeah, some. Some vampires are humans who were turned. But others, like me, were born as vampires. Both of my parents were vampires, and they had me.”

Huh. Steve had never heard of anything like that before. “But what about, like, mirrors and blood drinking and stuff?”

“Eh, I mean, most of the stuff humans know about vampires was made up by them. Except for the blood drinking, that’s true.”

“What about sunlight?”

Eddie scrunched up his nose. “Well, I won’t burst into flames if I’m exposed to it. But it does sting my skin and hurt my eyes, so I avoid it if possible.”

Steve nodded, taking that it. “So, that’s why you’re hiding out here in my shed?”

Eddie nodded.

“Hmm, ok. Well, you know, you might be more comfortable inside the house.”

“You… would invite me into your house? Even knowing what I am?”

Steve shrugged. “Yeah, why not? I believe that you won’t hurt me, and it doesn’t sound like you have anywhere else to go. Plus, I’m getting pretty cold.”

He pushed himself to his feet and held his hand out for Eddie, who hesitated. He looked unsure, and maybe a little bit afraid, though Steve couldn’t imagine of what. It wasn’t like he was going to hurt Eddie. When Eddie didn’t immediately take his hand, Steve gave it a shake.

“Come on. It’s okay.”

Finally, Eddie reached up and took it. Steve hoisted him up, then still holding his hand, led him out of the shed. Eddie looked around as they crossed the yard, as if afraid someone was going to pop out and do a sneak attack. They got to the sliding glass door and Steve pushed it open, stepping into the wonderfully warm living room. He tried to pull Eddie in after him, but the other boy hesitated on the threshold.

“What’s wrong?”

“Are you sure? Are you sure you want to invite me in? Once you do, you can’t take it back.”

Steve sighed. “Eddie, I don’t understand. You promised you won’t hurt me, and I’m not going to hurt you, so what’s the problem?”

Eddie chewed on his bottom lip. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to help myself. It’s just… I’m so hungry. I haven’t eaten anything in almost a week, and you… you smell really good. And I don’t want to hurt you, I promise. But what if I lose control?”

Steve blinked a few times. Oh. He hadn’t really considered that. “And… you need to drink blood? That’s all you eat?”

Timidly, Eddie nodded.

“Right. Okay. Well, maybe I could give you a little bit of my blood, just to hold you over, and then—”

“No!” Eddie shouted, ripping his hand out of Steve’s. “No, Steve, please don’t offer me that. I’m too hungry, I know I won’t be able to stop once I’ve started. I’ll kill you, and then… then I really will be a monster.”

Steve chewed his lip, wavering in the doorway. “What do you normally do when you’re hungry?”

“I hunt animals, usually. But… I waited too long. I’m too weak to catch anything on my own now.”

Right. That made sense. Steve was a little relieved to hear that Eddie usually hunted animals. If he could only drink human blood, they would definitely be in a bit of a pickle.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” he said, “Tonight, you’ll come in and sleep somewhere cozy. You won’t kill me or try to drink my blood. Tomorrow I’ll skip school and go to the butcher in town. I know they stock cow blood, because my nana bought some a few years ago to make this really gross pudding.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide, his mouth falling open slightly. “You’d do that? You’d really go out of your way to help me?”

Steve grinned wide, taking his hand once more. “Of course! We’re both on our own right now, so we should look after each other, shouldn’t we? And my parents left me plenty of money for snacks and stuff, so they won’t even notice if I use it for something else.”

There was something warring in Eddie’s big brown eyes, a well of emotion that Steve couldn’t guess at. All he knew was that he wanted to help Eddie, and so he was going to. When Eddie still didn’t make any move to come inside, Steve tugged gently on his hand.

“Come on. I’m inviting you inside. You’ll be okay.”

Eddie took a deep breath, then nodded, as though coming to a decision. Hesitantly, he stepped forward, bringing one foot over the threshold. He stared down at his foot, as if half expecting it to burst into flames. Could that happen? Steve really hoped not. Finally, Eddie brought his other foot inside. Steve smiled, nodding encouragingly.

“See, that wasn’t so hard.”

He slid the glass door shut behind them and locked it before closing the curtains. Eddie had wandered a few more paces in, standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room. His baggy sweatshirt hung loosely from his limbs, and in the light, Steve could see smudges of dirt on the other boys face. It must have been a long time since he’d had a bath.

“Do you want to use my shower before bed?”

Eddie glanced at him over his shoulder, his brow furrowing. “Are you saying I stink?”

“What? No! No, I wouldn’t say that, I promise! It’s just—”

He stopped when he saw Eddie chuckling. “I’m only joking. I do smell. That’s what happens when you live in the woods for a couple weeks.”

Steve huffed and rolled his eyes. “Ha ha, very funny. Come on, follow me.”

He shut off the tv as they passed it by before switching off the lights and leading Eddie to the stairs. The other boy followed close behind, and when Steve turned to look at him, saw he was taking everything in.

“This place is like a castle,” Eddie murmured.

“Eh, not really. Castle’s have a lot more people in them. It’s just me here.”

“Why don’t your parents want to live here?”

“They do!” Steve said, defensive. “They do live here. They just… go on a lot of business trips. They’re super busy.”

Eddie hummed, not commenting on it any further, which Steve was grateful for. He didn’t want to talk about his parents. All that ever did was make him sad, and he wasn’t in the mood to feel sad. He had a vampire in his house. A vampire who might want to be his friend. He couldn’t entirely wrap his head around it.

They reached the second landing and Steve led Eddie down the hall to his room. He flicked on the light and moved to sit on the bed, watching Eddie as he looked around the room. For some reason, the corners of Eddie’s mouth turned down in a frown.

“What, you don’t like my room?”

Eddie shrugged, walking to stand beside his dresser with the ribbons he’d won at his school’s field day. “It’s not very… you, is it?”

“What do you mean.”

“I don’t know. Where are the pictures? The posters of your favorite bands and movies? Where’s the mess?”

Steve looked around, forcing himself to see his room from someone else’s perspective. “My mom doesn’t like messes. And I just, I don’t know, haven’t really thought about adding anything to the walls.

Eddie hummed again. “Well, you should. Give this checkered monstrosity a little life.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad.”

“It sort of is. Let me guess, your mom picked it out?”

Steve rolled his eyes. Eddie sure was a lot sassier now that he’d come inside. Hopefully that meant he felt comfortable. “Yeah, so? I don’t mind it, so why does it matter?”

Eddie held up his hands. “Hey, as long as you like it.”

“Right. Well, if you want to take a shower, it’s right through that door,” he said, motioning to his on-suite. “I’ll put a towel and some pajamas you can borrow on the counter for when you get out.”

“Yeah, ok, cool.”

Eddie stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him, leaving Steve alone to sit on his bed. Right, this was totally normal and okay. He had a vampire in his house, one that was apparently his age and who had nowhere else to go. If his parents found out, they’d flip. Luckily, they weren’t home, so there was no need to worry about that. Unless… well, unless Eddie decided he wanted to stay. Surely being here would be better than going to the city alone, to ask a bunch of creepy older vampires if he could live with them. That sounded pretty terrifying, if you asked Steve.

Because really, what could they have that Steve didn’t? Did they have a twenty-seven-inch screen tv? No, he doubted it. Would they have a pool, or a whole forest behind their house for privacy? In the city? Yeah, he didn’t think so. Which, okay, maybe he was getting ahead of himself. He had just met Eddie, he couldn’t ask him to stay with him. Even if he wanted to.

It would be pretty cool to have someone else his age who lived in his house, though. Someone who wouldn’t leave on trips for most of the month. Someone he could watch tv with and play games with and stay up talking to. It would be like having a live in friend. That sounded… that sounded really nice.

Steve was jolted from his thoughts at the sound of something clattering in the shower.

“Sorry!” Eddie shouted. “Dropped the shampoo.”

Ah, right, he needed to get Eddie a towel and some clothes. He grabbed one of his fluffiest towels from the cupboard and then took out his second favorite set of pajamas. He’d gotten them from his grandma last Christmas, and they had Snoopy on them. Trying to be as quiet as he could, he placed the items on the bathroom counter before scurrying out again.

The water turned off a few minutes later. Steve climbed into bed to wait, pulling the blankets up and leaving his bedside lamp on. The door opened and Eddie stepped out. Despite being a year older than Steve, the pajamas still hung a little loose on him. His dark curls dripped on his shoulders as he looked around.

When he spoke, he sounded unsure. “So, um, is there another bed I can take? Or I can lay on the floor if you want, I don’t mind.”

Steve scrunched up his nose. “What? I’m not going to make you sleep on the floor. My bed is plenty big, just sleep with me.”

Eddie hesitated, but after it became clear that Steve was serious, made his way to the other side of the bed. “You really don’t mind sleeping next to me? Even knowing what I am?”

“I already told you I don’t. But, I mean, if it’ll be a problem for you, you don’t have to.”

“No, it’s just, I probably won’t sleep. I usually sleep during the day, so I’ll probably sit here until I feel tired. Which, yeah, will probably be when you’re waking up.”

“Oh.” Steve hadn’t considered that. “Right. Well, you can go downstairs and watch tv if you want. I’ve got lots of movies.”

Eddie bit his lip, the unnatural sharpness to his fangs all the more obvious in the lowlight of the bedroom. “Actually, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll just lay here with you. I think I’ll feel too weird, sitting downstairs by myself.”

Steve wouldn’t admit it out loud, but that was secretly what he’d been hoping Eddie would do. He’d been to his fair share of sleepovers, and while he loved a lot of different aspects of them, his favorite was falling asleep next to another person. The feeling of closeness, of safety, that being close to another person brought… there wasn’t really anything else like it. So, Steve wasted no time in pulling back the blanket on Eddie’s side of the bed and urging him to climb in. Only once they were both laying down, with only a few inches between them, did Steve finally shut off the light.

It was late, way later that Steve normally went to bed on a school night. At least he’d already decided he wouldn’t be going into school tomorrow. He would still wake up early, so that he had enough time to bike down to the butcher and get back before Eddie woke up. Despite all the excitement of having a new vampire friend, Steve felt the unavoidable pull of sleep as he snuggled further into his blankets. Before he could drift off, however, Eddie’s voice came from right beside his ear.

“Steve?”

He blinked an eye open, unable to make out the shape of the other boy, having closed the curtains to protect Eddie from the early morning sun. “Hmm?”

For a few seconds, it was quiet. Steve almost wondered if he’d imagined Eddie’s voice, until the other boy spoke again. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he murmured.

“For helping me. For letting me into your house. For… for just being a good person. I don’t know very many off those.”

Steve hummed, smiling sleepily. “Me either. I guess we’ll just have to be good to each other.”

A puff of breath ghosted across Steve’s cheek, leading him to believe Eddie was even closer than he’d thought. He could probably see Steve perfectly, with his superior vampire vision. The thought should scare him. It didn’t.

“Yeah,” Eddie said quietly. “I guess we will.”

Steve wasn’t sure if he said anything else after that, as he drifted off. But when he dreamed of a creature hiding beneath his bed that night, it wasn’t a nightmare. Because he knew, despite what the movies told him, that this monster wouldn’t hurt him.

[jopetkasi]

i did my longest bike ride today. never mind the heat. i need to get this training plan which alternates to walking 10k steps (8km) biking which is about 42km and running 6kms.

but today, I went beyond my limits. 200km approx. of course, there were rest stops in between so as not to strain both back and knees.

mindset talaga.

hindi ako maka gym, kasi for one, hindi ako body confident, plus i easily get distracted esp when guys flex their thing, either I get horny or I feel jealous since I can't do the same.

i also met the "ex" the previous night and he admitted that what transpired between us was more of "convenience" and that there was no intimacy involved except two adults having sex under the guise of a relationship. in the end, he asked forgiveness.

you know, truth really hurts no? But it also liberates. i mean I got hurt really. but then I appreciate the fact that things were revealed kaagad. had this relationship dragged on and find myself too invested on him, I might have gone crazy.

i have forgiven and i am at peace. that to me is more important than exacting revenge (which the evil side of me is asking)

so yun, form now on i will be more careful associating with people.

will i still date? i guess so?

will i still fall in love? for sure.

will the right person come? i will all leave this up to my fate.

[neptuniadoesstuff]

I have done the goof... On my skool work paper... Just to draw a ship that ain't mine...

Yeh some ship art ig. Except it's actually more of a family photo or smtn bcs in the middle of the pic is the CHILD I made named Rei for this ship.

Anyways uh... From the left we have Phen 228 (or my ver of Phen... whom is named Kasi!Phen) & the left we have Room from Boisvert (or what seems to be Room, idk I just gave him the attributes of one of my OCs or smtn (That being Rudy Williams))

So basically... This is a Phen 228 x Room post thing I made... (Btw Phen 228 x Room is a ship created by I think @jaybaeblue . Idk lol)

(Btw I had to edit this on my phone bcs the details on the drawing got kinda scuffed in the photo taking process)

Characters: Phen 228 (Belongs to Doctor Nowhere), Room (Belongs to the Creator of the Boisvert Channel), Rei/Rook (The gremlin in the middle whom belongs to me)

Art: MiNe >:(

I drew this on paper... Do I have to say it when its LITERALLY IN THE TITLE?

Bubs' TOS: Plz don't repost/steal, trace, or recolor my art WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! If you do, I'll take yur femur and pelvis.. SO, DON'T THINK ABOUT IT! (The PNS on my Blog's pinned project clearly means "Please No Steal" plz follow that rule.) If you do post my art on anything like yur blog or somewhere else (With my permission) PEASE CREDIT ME!

[kairiscorner]

I want to see a fic that is basically the Sleeping Beauty once upon a dream scene except with Reader x Noir pls.

hello anon !! sure thing >:D man this song's an earworm ngl, I HOPE YOU LIKE THISSSS <333

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

we met once upon a dream — spider noir x reader (sleeping beauty inspired fic)

summary: you swore you knew him from somewhere, sometime; you felt a little weird seeing him again though, like he's a stranger, but... a familiar stranger. word count: 1,192 a/n: this was such a cute concept like owemji I WANNA MAKE ONE FOR MIGUEL NEXT of course you do hayop na kairi ka at siyempre magiging angst siya kasi oo

the clacking of heels and murmuring of hushed conversations and giggles in the ballroom was silent, yet deafening to you. you couldn't remember anymore why you agreed to attending this ball or gala or whatever fancy word your friend called it, you were honestly just here for the free liquor, everything else, you could do without. you felt so out of place there, with your most expensive apparel looking like mere rags to the attendees of this shindig; you opted to just stand at the corner and nick a few glasses of wine, champagne, or some other foreign liquors that tasted too tangy, sour, or bourgeois to you.

"i know you, i walked with you once upon a dream."

"what a slow night, huh? they promised it'd be the party of the century, but... i think they forgot to add the 'slumber' before the 'party'." a deep, husky voice joked while you were preoccupied with the bubbles in your champagne. you finally looked up as you heard that voice, your ears perking up the minute you heard him speak. you were greeted to the sight of a tall, fair complexioned young man with black, slicked back hair and round rimmed glasses. he had a noticeable smile, one that only seemed to brighten up the place more than the glass chandeliers and lamps in the ballroom. "oh, sorry, i didn't notice you there." you apologized as the man chuckled. "don't worry about it." he reassured you as he leaned next to you against the wall.

"i know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam."

there was something about this man... he felt familiar somehow, but no name came to mind, nor any place or street when you looked at him. he felt familiar, but you had no idea just who he was. you looked into his eyes, and... you saw something in those beautiful, grayish brownish eyes of his that shone under the chandelier's light; it was shining and almost speaking to you, asking you if you remember him.

"and i know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem,"

"um... care to, uh–" "dance?" you asked him in a slightly sarcastic tone with a sly smile on your face, waiting for him to chuckle it off and ask you if you wanted to get some more liquor like you hoped, but... he instead blushed. he blushed and, from the tips of his ears, down to the bit of his neck that wasn't shunned by his collar, he was covered in a bright pink and red. a charismatic, yet evidently flustered, smile was on his face when you asked that; his eyes grew larger as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "you're too good at reading people..." he muttered with a chuckle as you giggled back at him.

you set your wine glass down and gently took his hand in yours. you raised an eyebrow and smiled at him. "what're you waiting for? the night's young, seize the opportunity to dance with me, mister." you encouraged as he smiled to match your energy and set his own glass down as he followed you on the dance floor. "i'm no mister, i'm... i'm fairly young." he tried to convince you as you ignored his babbling and placed his other hand on your waist, with him shivering in your stead. you laughed a little at his skittishness. "relax, i'm only here to dance, i won't bite, just make sure not to step on my toes, or i will start biting." you teased as he chuckled again. "feisty, i love it." he complimented you as a new song started up, and you recognized it as a slow love song from a movie you loved as a child.

"is that..." "the score for sleeping beauty? i recognized it, too." he said with a slight smile. you looked at him with an impressed grin. "a hundred points, you know your stuff, mister...?" "parker, peter benjamin parker." he finally introduced himself. and you couldn't help yourself, you gasped a little louder and abrupt than you intended. "peter...? peter parker?" you repeated as peter's eyes grew bigger at your visible astonishment. "why, yes... um, is something the matter?" he asked you as your mouth was hung open slightly.

no wonder that smile seemed so familiar to you, it was the smile of the boy who stood up for you when you were being bullied in elementary school. he was the boy who kept you company at lunchtime, who helped you with your homework, who tied a bow in your hair when you felt ugly about your haircut... the boy who asked you out to prom but was too late, and you went with some other boy who was interested in you. he was the sweetest boy you ever knew, and all this time... he came back into your life, just at the most unexpected time.

"but if i know you, i know what you'll do,"

you danced along with him, accidentally stepping on his toes as opposed to him stepping on yours. he chuckled as you apologized hastily, your hands shaking as he held you, your body tensing up as he swayed you. "are you... okay?" he asked you as you seemed despondent at first. "i... i'm sorry i didn't wait for you to ask me out at prom." you muttered.

peter heard your apology and leaned closer to your face as he smiled. "so you're the one i was looking for all this time... i had my suspicions, you were the most beautiful person in this whole gala, how could i have thought you would be another person? and don't worry... life brought many more surprises our way, no?" he said with a brilliant smile as you felt more flustered and embarrassed. he was looking for you, even after all this time?

"do i classify as a stranger to you still?" he asked you in a soft voice with a sweet smile on his face. you tried to match his smile, but ended up wincing. "well... not after you pretty much re-entered my life and welcomed yourself back in, of course not, petey. i... i really missed you." you rambled to peter as an impromptu welcome back into your life, with him blushing and chuckling even more as he dipped you as the music climaxed.

he leaned closer to your face and blushed a deeper shade of crimson. "i really... missed you, too." he said as you got all sheepish and smiled back at him more genuinely and held him tighter. this felt like a dream, this whole night did–it felt like you were asleep your whole life and were living out the loveliest dream you've ever had... and to see him finally after all these years, you felt like tonight could be the start of making up for the lost time that you had wished to spend with him.

"you'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream."

he had been that stranger that wasn't really a stranger; just someone you met once upon a dream.

tags !! @thecoolerdor @miguelswifey04 @sabcandoit @binibinileonara @k4tsu3 @fiannee @luvstarrstruck @maxoloqy @thee-fantastic-mrfox @maxoloqy @arachnoia @ophanimgold

[novamariestark]

Deathbed Confession

Summary: Your imminent death leads you to tell Parker how you feel about him

Main Character(s): Alden Parker, Timothy McGee, Jessica Knight, Jimmy Palmer, Kasie Hines

Words: 1630 (approx)

Notes: This is my first time writing for Parker, well it's been a while since I've written anything so I'm a little rusty. Hope you like it.

The only reason you were in here was to avoid him. Him who replaced your father, Gibbs, a few months ago. And despite your objections and obvious distaste for his presence at the beginning, somehow you managed to fall for him. Him being Special Agent Alden Parker. Your boss.

Falling for your boss is never a good idea. Obviously. But it was just something that happened, and it completely took you by surprise. One late night case and being stuck in a car with him, in close quarters. He sat there, talking, trying to get to know you, probably to get you to accept him. Everyone else on the team had pretty much accepted him now but you, you were still acting like you hated him being there. At least that’s what he thought. But because you were never close to him in the first place, no one noticed the slight change of you trying to avoid him every chance you got. Except for Jimmy, he noticed when you spent more time down in autopsy. Eventually you got tired of his questions, and you told him about your “crush”.

You thought about telling him your feelings but come on, look at him. He was perfect in your eyes, and you weren’t good enough for him. That’s what you told yourself.

Don’t tell him. You’ll only get rejected. Then it will be so awkward, you’ll have to leave.

Well, that train of thought led to you being here. Sitting on the floor of Kasie’s lab, dying.

You, Jimmy and Kasie all inhaled a biotoxin and a lethal one at that. So stupid.

Kasie hummed as she took a whiff of the flask, “Skotch? Bourbon?”

Jimmy leaned in and sniffed the open container, “Vodka” he shrugged, “I don’t know,”

You laughed and shook your head, “I do, I know my vodka,” You leaned in to take a sniff and then leaned away after you did, “Definitely not vodka. Not bourbon either,”

Jimmy suggested giving a shot to Mass Spec, Kasie nodded and did exactly that. It wasn’t long after that, that you got a call from Parker.

“Don’t open the flask,” he said through the phone, his voice full of urgency.

Before you could ask why, the alarm for the lab started going off, causing the lab to shut down, “Too late,” you replied to him.

You weren’t one to panic. Usually. But being trapped in a death box was starting to get to you.

“(Y/N)? You, okay?” Jimmy asked, to which you shook your head.

“I can’t be trapped,”

Jimmy scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, “You’re claustrophobic? Since when?”

“Pretty much always,” you laughed, pacing around the lab, “Only difference, I had dad or Ducky to help me with it. And they aren’t here,”

It wasn’t long after that, that Kasie and Jimmy were butting heads. You had tried to stop them but neither of them would listen. Then Carol told them to knock it off.

“I want you to stop anything and everything that's gonna elevate your blood pressures, especially arguing.”

“We weren’t arguing,” Jimmy spoke up almost in a childish manner.

“We were,”

You were getting tired of their bickering, and that’s when you snapped. You threw your hands up in the air and said, “Oh MY GOD, I’m gonna kill you before the toxin does,” If you had you’re gun on you, you were sure you would’ve just used it there and then.

 Carol then told you some good news, “Atropine will have no effect.”

“So why? What? You're-you're telling us that we're supposed to just, like, sit in this box and wait to die in a couple of hours?” Jimmy asked, getting agitated. He tried to exit the lab, to spend the last hours of his life with his daughter, but Carol told him that he’d only be killing her and that the toxin they had inhaled was designed to have no visible effects, so that the victim exposed wouldn’t know they were infecting everyone around them. More good news.

All you could do is wait. Wait to die.

At some point, the team came down to talk to you guys, see how you were doing. Parker told you to hold on and that they would get you the antidote.

You chuckled, "You don't need to give us hope, boss," you uttered. Then you looked up at Parker and queried, "Seeing as how I'm on my way out, can I tell you something?"

“You can tell me anything,” he replied, kneeling beside the glass. He definitely was not expecting you to say what you did. No one did.

“I love you,”

Parker hesitated for a moment. His mouth opened but he didn’t reply. You guessed he didn’t want to break the heart of a dying woman. There was an awkward silence before you spoke again. “It’s alright. You don’t have to say anything.” you told him, you looked away from him to the two others in the room, “Promise me something?”

“Yeah?”

“If you do get it. If there isn’t time?” you started, he nodded for you to continue, “You save them.” sniffing you added, “Not me.”

You closed your eyes and McGee, who has been a big brother to you for most of your life, began banging on the door, worry covering his features, “No, (Y/N) you stay awake,”

“It’s okay, Timmy. I’m okay with it,” you spoke through coughs, “I wanna see my mom again,” You nodded, contented, before closing your eyes to drift off into a peaceful sleep. You weren't scared anymore. You knew that you were going to be reunited with your mom soon. You had seen her before when you passed out in the lab. It felt incredibly real, as if she was truly by your side, and you wanted to experience it again.

As you gradually regained consciousness, a series of beeps pierced through the hazy fog of your mind. Blinking a few times, you cautiously opened your eyes, allowing them to adjust to the sudden brightness that flooded the room. You scanned your surroundings, only to discover that you were lying in a hospital room. However, what truly struck you was the sight of Parker, peacefully sleeping in the chair right by your side, a sight that was completely unexpected.

"Hey, you're awake," you hear, looking up to see your friend Jess hugging a giant stuffed bear.

You laughed as she and the bear squeezed through the door, “Oh my God. Is that for me?"

“Nope, for Jimmy,”

“Oh, of course,”

“I bought you him,” she said, nodding to your sleeping boss.

You groan, “My god, now I have to transfer. I never would have admitted my feelings if I knew I was going to live,”

Jess tilted her head and looked at you, you asked her what was wrong, “You didn’t hear him did you?” Confused, you asked Jess what she meant. She just nodded to the sleeping boss and said, "He said it back."

You laughed and shook your head, “No he didn’t,”

“Yeah, he did,” you heard, but the voice was lower and definitely didn’t belong to Jess. You looked over to the man beside you who was now awake, “He did say it back,”

He was referring to himself in the 3rd person so you decided to use that to question it, stuttering slightly as nerves built up in your body, “A-And why did he s-say it back,”

The man calmly replied, “He probably shouldn’t have, he’s way older and has no business with such a beautiful, smart woman who is 30 years younger than him,”

“I’m just gonna,” Jess spoke up, excusing herself from the room.

“And why does he think that?” you questioned.

“Come on, (Y/N) look at me,” Parker said, leaning forward to grab your hand.

“I do,” you said, laughing a little nervously “Probably more than I should,” you added, feeling somewhat embarrassed at your own boldness.

“All this time, I thought you hated me,” he said quietly, staring at their conjoined hands.

You sighed, “At first, I did. I mean, I did just leave my dad, the only family I had left and someone I didn’t know took his spot,” you explained.

“What changed?” he asked quietly.

You shrugged and said, “I don’t know how it happened, but one day I suddenly found you attractive,” feeling embarrassed, you turned your gaze away from him.

“Well that I believe,” he smirked.

“How did you get your head through the door?” He laughed, god you loved that laugh and you wanted to hear it for the rest of your life, “So, you were suddenly attracted to me? Whilst I was dying on the floor?”

“No, uhm long before that,” he replied shaking his head.

“What like a month? 2?”

“7” he replied. 7 months? That was before he joined NCIS, he was still FBI. As if he knew what you were thinking he replied, “Yeah, remember when you punched me in the face?”

“Yeah,” you nodded slowly unsure of what this had to do with anything.

“Then,”

Your eyes widened in surprise, followed by a burst of laughter as you tried to process his words. “You were attracted to me punching you in the face?” you asked in disbelief.

“It was a hell of a punch, and you looked great doing it,” he replied, you laughed, shaking your head at his compliment. He smiled and kissed the back of your hand.

Vance came in at some point, asking to speak to Parker, he let go of your hand and headed out the door, not before throwing you a wink that made your whole body tingle with excitement. Oh crap. you thought.

How the hell were you going to keep your hands off him at work?!