#hm. the first thing i will do w the prize money is move out and then build another palace but ten times bigger! like oh...kaveh.....

[tinartss]

on moving out

[dreamkidddream]

hey congratulations!!🎉

if possible, can you write quote #19 w/ atsushi?

Whew so this was a popular request and I’m honestly excited for it! This was so fun to write too. Atsushi ain’t slick either 👀 Atsushi when he’s doubting himself 📉📉 Atsushi when he’s confident, believes in himself AND goes feral📈📈 📈 also sorry for the wait, school has me 1000000x stressed, but my birthday is coming up so expect me to post more as a birthday gift to myself 🥰 reader is gender neutral!

TW: a little spicy but nothing extremely graphic is mentioned, minor language

Prompt: “I saw that. You just checked me out.” with Atsushi!

Atsushi couldn’t help it. No matter what, his eyes were always drawn to you. You’re just...really pretty! Beyond pretty! You’re just so alluring, that no matter how much he tried to snap out of the daze that you unknowingly put him in, he would just be focused on you all over again. Didn’t matter where either: in the office filling out reports, hanging out in the cafe, on missions (Akutagawa would be fuming and a little confused, but Atsushi didn’t care).

While he is naive at times, that didn’t mean that he’s stupid. He knows that he’s in too deep and it’s too late to try and deny what he’s feeling for you, but he’s scared. He fears that he isn’t good enough for you, that he never will be good enough for you. You deserve more than what he can ever give you, so why waste your time on someone like him? You deserve better than that, better than him...

But those thoughts were pushed away whenever you’re around him. Everytime you flashed him that sweet smile of yours, his heart would beat even faster than before (and you made his heart pretty fast already), and he couldn’t bare the notion of you not being in his life. He couldn’t imagine it, and he didn’t even try to.

Which lead to now: you both walking on the Yokohama boardwalk, him holding onto your prized tiger plushie (that took so long for him to win and SO MUCH MONEY) and varying treats from different street vendors, and you chattering excited about...something. What was it that you were talking about again? Damn it, it happened again!

It was so easy for Atsushi to get lost when it came to you. Just seeing the ways your eyes sparkled underneath the lights and the night sky was enough for him to lose his breath, not to mention how stunning you’re already are. He was more than flabbergasted when you accepted his invite to the boardwalk, stumbling out a thank you with a heavy blush across as you rambled on about how you can’t wait until then.

And you look so good. Not that you already didn’t! You actually got a little dressed up tonight, nothing too over the top but nothing like a regular hangout either. The outfit that you chose really displayed your figure, and he couldn’t help but let his gaze fall to-

“Hey! Are you listening?”

SHIT.

“HUH?! Oh! Of-of course!”, he stuttered out, nodding his head. Please believe me, please believe me, please-

“So you agree that I should go on a date with Dazai or Ranpo? Or even Akutagawa?”

“Ye-WAIT NO!”

“I’m just kidding, Sushi,” you playfully bumped his shoulder. “You zoned out on me. If I’m boring you-”

“No! It’s not that!”, he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, shameful. “It’s just...I’m really having a lot of fun with you tonight. I’m still a little shocked that you actually agreed to come out with me.”

“Why would I tell you no? I love spending time with you! Plus, this gives us a chance to hang out without any interference. Just us two.”

“Y-yeah! Just us! I’m really happy that you’re having fun.”

“Just make sure I’m not boring you to death okay? Plus, I have to tell you something important...”

His ears perked up and his heart started to race. Was this the moment? Could it be? He wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. You looked so bashful, twiddling your fingers together nervously.

Were you about to confess to him?

A smile broke out on your face as you gazed at him.

“You’ve been checking me out this whole time, haven’t you?”

He choked.

Atsushi could faint right now. Not out of pure bliss, but of embarrassment. You knew what he was doing?! He wishes that the ground would open up and swallow him while, he even wishes that Akutagawa just comes out of nowhere to fight just so he wouldn’t have to face you.

“W-wait?”, and his voice cracked. Even more embarrassment.

“You’ve been checking me out, tiger boy! My my Atsushi, who knew that you could be so devious?”

He almost dropped your plush tiger trying to wave his arms to defend himself. He wasn’t checking you out! He was admiring you! Very big difference in his opinion.

Oh who was he kidding? Either way, you didn’t need to know that!

“No I wasn’t! It’s- you see- I wasn’t checking you out! You h-had something on your face! Yeah!”

“Oh please Atsushi. I saw that. You just checked me out. As a matter of fact, I know you’ve been checking me out for quite some time.”

Oh he could just shrivel up and disappear into nothing at this point. He felt so ashamed, disgusting. Oh God, what if you thought that he’s a pervert now? He began to open his mouth, the start of a first apology of many to follow on the tip of his tongue, when you cut him off.

“Honestly, I was wondering when you were gonna make a move. Thought I was gonna have to, but I wanted to give you enough time and maybe see you sweat a little.”

“...huh?”

You broke poor Atsushi.

So you didn’t think that he’s a disgusting pervert? You didn’t hate him? And you knew that he’s been doing this? And you knew of his feelings for you? And you reciprocated said feelings?!

Atsushi was overjoyed at this revelation. Then, he came to the realization that you knew this whole time of his feelings for you, didn’t say anything because you were amused with how stressed he got, and then proceeded to still mess with him after.

He’s irritated to say the least.

You let out a string of laughter, “Atsushi, you should see your face right now!” You started to clutch your stomach, tears pricking at your eyes with how hard you’re laughing. “Seriously! You didn’t think I wouldn’t notice you always staring at me? I’m not that oblivious you know.”

As much as you loved teasing him, you really did mean what you said. He’s been gazing at you with his longing look in his eyes for so long, that you believed it was only a matter of time before he approached you. However, you were starting to get just a tad bit impatient. You knew how much of a crush he has on you just as you have a crush on him, and you were trying to have him make the first move, but if he continued to just give you puppy eyes when he thought you wouldn’t notice, you were going to drag him by his tie and force him to confess.

“But don’t feel too bad. If I was super nervous to confess to my crush, I’ll probably just stare and hope they understand my feelings that way. So, now that that’s out of the way, do you want to confess first or should I-”

“You don’t even know what you do to me, do you?”

Atsushi’s had his head lowered, and when he snapped his head up, he was glaring at you.

Oh no, he’s mad at you. You didn’t mean to make upset! It was- wait a second. What you do to him? He continued on, gripping your shoulders so that you couldn’t look away, your focus would be on him and only him, just like his is always on you and only you.

“It’s not my fault what you do to me! It’s yours!”

“Wait, AtsuSHI-”

“It’s not my fault that you’re really pretty and nice and-”

Now he was shaking you while he rants and whines about all the things that “weren’t his fault”. You began to giggle again, “Okay okay Atsushi! I get it.” Clasping his hands, you slowly ceased his shaking, with him giving you that same puppy eyed look that you’re used to.

Damn it, he didn’t understand what he does to you.

“I’m sorry, Atsushi. It’s just so fun to see you get riled up sometimes”, you already moved his hands to in front of you, gently rubbing circles on them. “I...I really do like you, Atsushi. More than like, really. This wasn’t how I was planning this to go, but whatever. And you don’t have to worry about me not returning your feelings dummy! It’s pretty obvious, wouldn’t you say?”

You could see his expression soften the more you spoke, processing your words and letting them sink in. He saw no playful glints in your eyes this time. You genuinely meant what you said, you like him, more than a friend.

He felt tears gathering in his eyes, but you wiped at them before they could fall. Caressing his face, prizes and treats long forgotten, you leaned in to kiss him softly. He went still, then melted into it, bringing you close to him as much as he can by your waist. When you pulled back, he had such a dopey grin on his face, eyes full of warmth.

Nothing could compare to this feeling, the feeling of being loved, being truly cared for.

He truly did feel blessed.

“The night’s still young, Atsushi,” you leaned in to give him another peck, which he happily accepted. “And I don’t want to waste anymore time than we already have.”

“Y-y-yeah, me either”, he touched your forehead against yours. You look so angelic underneath the stars, he couldn’t look away if he tried. “Let’s make up for lost time.”

“Of course. And I know the perfect way to start.”

Bonus:

“Good morning, Atsushi!”

Dazai rolled his chair to his desk, already putting off his work for the day. “So tell me: how was your date last night?”

“Oh-it was great! We just went to the boardwalk. (Y/N) was happy, and we both confessed, so everything went okay.”

“That’s it?”, he sighed. “How boring. You guys didn’t do anything else?”

“Hm? No? Was I suppose to do something else?”, he blinked at Dazai. Did you miss a step or something? Everything went better than expected last night, so he did everything right...right?

“Tell me, Atsushi. Did you two run into any trouble last night?”

“No. Why?”

“Well how did you get that bruise on your neck?”

Bruise? What was he-

Oh no.

Dazai leaned back in his chair, arms folded behind his head. “And judging by the way (Y/N) is being way more cheerful than they usually are, something tells me that that isn’t a bruise-”

“DAZAI! Get back to work!”

Kunikida couldn’t have come at a perfect time. Dazai groaned out a “fine” and rolled back to his desk, letting Atsushi breath out a sigh of relief. You guys had a lot more fun than he let on, and he would be beyond mortified if the whole office found out-

“Goodness Kunikida, I was just letting Atsushi know that his hickey was showing! (Y/N) really knows how to leave a mark, don’t they Atsushi?”

Please someone, end him now-

“And the way that (Y/N) is covering their neck tells me that you do too. My mentee is growing up so fast, I’m so proud!”

“DAZAI!”

“ATSUSHI!”

[deafeninggardenerpanda]

Six people met at Daroach’s Café; Daroach, Meta Knight, Magolor, Kirby, President Dedede, and Waddle Dee. Kirby was brought here by Meta Knight's sudden call, and both Kirby and President Dedede, as told by Meta Knight, brought their now unsealed gears. A tag hung on the door of the café reading, "Closed Today," so there was no need to worry about customers coming in. President Dedede glanced at Meta Knight and complained.

"What does this mean? You said your name is Meta Knight? You look like an aristocrat, what’s in it for you?"

"I'll explain everything, but first, the gears you have ... " Meta Knight was saying before Magolor interrupted him.

"The gears, put them in the box!" Magolor presented a box with a lid.

"Why did you prepare a box? For what ...? " Meta Knight asked. 

"The gears are dangerous now that the seals have melted off. The magical power in them will burst out and destroy stuff around us!" Magolor shivered in fright. "I don't know if something will happen if the three gears are gathered in one place, so I brought a box to contain them."

"I see, then let's put the gears we found in the box," Daroach said. He tossed his gear into the box.

"Put your gear in the box, too," Meta Knight told President Dedede.

"What? Don’t be ridiculous." He hugged the gear protectively. "I had a hard time getting this gear, I'm not giving it to anyone!"

"The gear might go haywire if you don’t put it in the box!" Magolor’s expression was serious. President Dedede replied nervously.

"B-but, it’s mine. Magolor, you know how hard it was to get this ... " 

"Ah! Danger!" Magolor shouted. President Dedede jumped up in surprise.  

"W-what!?"

"Just now, the gear shone brightly! That must be the signal!" 

"Eh!? Eh!? What—!? " President Dedede threw the gear in a panic. Magolor quickly caught the gear with the box.

"Now, put your gear in Magolor’s box as well ... " Meta Knight told Kirby, however, he closed his mouth when he saw Kirby’s face. His eyes were shining, and his mouth was about to drool. 

"All three gears! With these, the deluxe lunches for 100,000 people are ours!"

" ... Put the gear in the box, quickly."

Kirby didn't hear. His head was full of deluxe lunches for 100,000 people. "Chef Kawasaki's deluxe lunch! Has everyone had it!? It's amazing, on a big plate, hamburger steak, fried shrimp, and omelet rice are set, with a huge heap of potato salad ...! "

" ... Kirby, please listen to me ... "

"Let's eat it together! If everyone can't finish it, I'll finish it! It’s okay, I don’t mind!"

" ..... I'm telling you to put the gear in the box ..... "

"Yeah! 100,000 servings, 100,000 servings~! " Kirby cheerfully tossed the gear into the box. Magolor closed the lid.

"With that, crisis has been averted! The magic has been contained, no need to worry anymore."

"Then, let's move on." Meta Knight put the photo on the table. President Dedede inspected it.  

"What is this? Are these supposed to be characters ...? " 

"They’re ancient characters. It seems to be an explanation of the machine found in the diamond mine." 

"I can’t read it." 

"It's difficult to decipher, but I can understand some of it by looking in this book." Meta Knight placed the thick research book next to the photo.

"What’s it say?" Kirby asked. 

"It’s a warning."

"Warning ...? " 

"The discovered ancient machine is a fearsome thing that brings both wealth and misery simultaneously. It’s terrifying."

" ... Eh?" Kirby, President Dedede, and Waddle Dee were shocked. 

"That’s what it means!?" President Dedede said. "Doesn't the ancient machine make everyone happy? That’s what it said in the newspaper." 

"Only the aristocrats will be happy. The ancient machine has the power to turn stone into expensive treasure, which will make the aristocrats rich, however, on the other hand, a stench will fill the town and eventually cause it to fall to ruin. It holds two opposite powers."

"What did you say ...!? " President Dedede was as pale as a ghost. "That's completely different from what was written! Wasn’t the wizard who stopped the machine evil!?"

"The opposite. It was probably a wise man with the right heart who pulled out the gears. Moreover, I assume he was unable to destroy them due to some sort of special power they have, so he sealed the magical gears and hid them instead. That way, the machine would never move again."

"This is serious ...! " Kirby jumped up and shouted. "We have to tell Mr. Fugo as soon as possible! He can't start the machine!" 

"No, Fugo knows exactly what he’s doing," Meta Knight said. "He should have had an expert in ancient characters on his side and succeeded in deciphering the full text long ago." 

"Huh ...? " Kirby was wide-eyed. 

"In other words, Fugo has been planning to do this from the beginning," President Dedede said, furious. "To make money, he didn’t care about what would happen to anyone other than himself!?"

"He is that kind of person." 

"Unforgivable!" President Dedede yelled and swung his fists.

President Dedede is selfish and self-indulgent, but he has a stronger sense of justice than anyone else. Fugo’s belief that it didn’t matter if other people suffered for his own benefit—he couldn't forgive him at all.

"We have to stop this," Kirby said. "We can't give Mr. Fugo the gears!" 

Meta Knight nodded. "All of you, if you’ll lend me your strength, our hearts will be stronger as one. Let's work to stop Fugo's evil, together."

" ... Together ... huh," President Dedede offhandedly mumbled. Suddenly, his mouth warped into a snarl. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Meta Knight. "That’s funny. Why do you, an aristocrat, want to join hands with us?"

Meta Knight turned to President Dedede. "What do you mean?" 

"If the ancient machine moves again, won’t the aristocrats profit? Doesn’t sound like a bad day for you." Meta Knight’s sharp eyes flickered toward him. "Even so, you’re trying to join hands with us ... Maybe you’re planning something, too? Planning to drive Fugo out of this town instead of yourself, so you can rise up ... "

Crack ...! 

There was a loud noise. President Dedede jumped when Meta Knight hit the floor with his cane. Meta Knight snapped back.

"Don’t look down on me! I am an inhabitant of Diamond Town before I am an aristocrat! Are you going to sit back and watch this town perish in silence!?"

President Dedede recoiled under his intensity. " ... H-huh!  You’re a solid guy, for an aristocrat. You believe in what you say." It was then ...

"A-ah ... um ... Lord Meta Knight ... sir ... " Waddle Dee said quietly.

"Hm? What?" 

While everyone was talking, Waddle Dee has been staring at the photo that's been sitting on top of the table the whole time.

"This photo ... there’s something written on the bottom of it." 

" ... Hm?" Meta Knight brought his face closer to the photo.

"Here, down here." Waddle Dee stretched and pointed.

Meta Knight looked carefully. "I see. You’re right, that looks to be the case," he said. "There are small characters underneath the sentences I have deciphered."

"What!? Is it a big discovery!?" President Dedede came over and said.

"No, I doubt it." Meta Knight pointed. "Look. There are very few characters and what’s there is distorted, like a scribble. It’s probably just some sort of rough draft." 

"I-I’m sorry, I messed up ... "

Looking at the dejected Waddle Dee, Meta Knight added, "But, it's great you noticed the little characters I overlooked. Let's decipher it, just in case." 

"Decipher? How do you do that?" When Kirby asked, Meta Knight showed the thick research book he brought.

"I'll look it up in this book. I can look at the shapes and arrangements of the characters and look for similar strings." 

President Dedede leaned over the table. "What, that’s so annoying! So much work!" 

"Yeah! It might be a little too difficult for President Dedede," Kirby said cheerfully. "You can rest, I'll decipher it!" 

" ... What!?" President Dedede frowned. "There’s no way the ancient characters are gonna be deciphered by a lil’ brat like you!"

"I'm good at this kind of thing. Are you going to take a nap over there, President Dedede?" 

"Don't be stupid! You won’t be able to do it without me!" President Dedede rolled his arms, motivated.  

"Let’s do our best, everyone!" Magolor was enthusiastic. Daroach looked displeased, but there was no choice but to look into the book. 

Deciphering the ancient characters was difficult. The meaning changed greatly with even the smallest difference. Murmur, murmur, hum, hum. Everyone faced each other and exchanged opinions. 

"Hey, look. This string is ... " 

"It's similar to this. That means this says ... "

"No, wait. The length of the line is different. This one, instead ... " It was an arduous task, but little by little, they began to uncover the meaning. 

... Of course, Kirby and President Dedede were unable to keep up. They grew so tired they fell asleep on the floor. Waddle Dee suddenly raised his voice. 

" ... Ah! Lord Meta Knight, this string is possibly ...! " However, Waddle Dee's discovery was loudly interrupted by Daroach. 

"What are you doing, Magolor!" 

Meta Knight and Waddle Dee both looked up in surprise. Before they knew it, Magolor had slinked away from the table and was approaching the door. He firmly grasped the box containing the gears. Magolor laughed as soon as Daroach noticed him. 

"Bravo, bravo! Thank you all for your hard work, you guys! Thanks for collecting the gears for meeee~! " He quickly opened the door and ran outside. Everyone was frozen in place, too stunned to move by the sudden event.

"W— ... wait a minute!" The first to react was Daroach. 

"Wait! Magolor!" 

Daroach and Meta Knight quickly ran after him. Kirby and President Dedede, who were sleeping comfortably at the time, were trampled. 

"Ow ow ow ow—! " 

"What are you doing, you little—!? " The two jumped up in surprise.  

"There’s an emergency, President Dedede! Kirby!" Waddle Dee shouted. "Magolor ran away with the gears!" 

" ... Eh!?" Kirby and President Dedede looked at each other. 

"What do you mean!?" 

"That guy, he was planning to take the prize money for himself this whole time!?" 

Magolor laughed loudly as he ran. Kirby and the others desperately chased after him, but Magolor was surprisingly quick. Their view of him got smaller and smaller.

"He couldn’t be trusted after all!" Daroach shouted in frustration. "We were fooled, Meta Knight!" 

"Ah, that's right." Meta Knight jumped into the car parked in front of Daroach’s Café. Daroach jumped in as well and took the passenger seat. "Let’s go!" 

"Right! Step on it, Meta Knight!" Daroach shouted and shut his eyes tightly. The steam car accelerated sharply and immediately reached its maximum speed. They thought they could catch up with Magolor in no time, but—— 

"I won't let you! Ha!" Magolor turned around and threw a capsule that broke and spewed out clouds of black smoke. Meta Knight slammed on the brakes. The two coughed as they inhaled the fumes.

"Cough ...! I can’t believe it ...! "

"Magolor ...! " 

When the smoke finally cleared, Magolor was gone. 

Kirby and President Dedede weren't standing still, of course. 

"The chase is on! My Great King DDD XX, come to me!" President Dedede started running toward the factory where the plane was stored, but Kirby would not be defeated.  

"It’ll be my Warp Star that catches Magolor!" 

"Wait Kirby!" Waddle Dee stopped Kirby before he started to run.

"Ah, Waddle Dee! Come on, let's go together!" 

"Yeah ...! " Waddle Dee was carrying the photo of the ancient characters and the heavy research book with him. Kirby was surprised.

"You’re going to bring that!?"

"Yeah! I'll leave the flying to you, Kirby. I need to decipher this!"

"Waddle Dee ...! " They had to hurry and chase after Magolor. It would take them much longer if they had to carry the heavy book all the way to the plane, but Kirby nodded when he saw Waddle Dee's serious expression. 

" ... All right. Let’s take it!" 

Waddle Dee didn't miss any small details. He could find something important from even the smallest clue. Thanks to that, he had been able to find and repair many machine failures up to now. He would surely notice something important that everyone else overlooked. 

The two carried the heavy book, ran to the apartment, and boarded the Warp Star, together. 

"Let’s go!" With Kirby in the cockpit and Waddle Dee in the seat behind, the Warp Star took off.

< Previous | Table of Contents | Next >

[dlwritings]

Firecracker Soul | Dean Winchester

Chapter 8 - Bets and Bowling

pairing - mob!Dean x teacher!ofc

word count - 3,446

warnings - language

additional notes at the end

(previous)

Alice and Dean went about a week without seeing each other. They texted off and on, but both found themselves with an exceptionally busy few days. Dean was meeting with his factions to discuss ongoing deals, and Alice was working on her various lesson planning for the rest of the week. She did end up seeing a lot of Brent though, which was unusual.

He first showed up at her door on Monday with some leftover pizza, which was normal. On Tuesday, they ran into each other when she was coming home from school. They chatted outside for a moment before she headed into her apartment. On Wednesday he invited her over for another movie, and she agreed, this time watching The Big Lebowski, which was a bit more up her alley than Fight Club. Plus, it gave her an incredible idea.

On Thursday, she shot a text to Dean: What are you doing tomorrow?

Dean: I've got no plans in the evening. You miss me?

Alice: You wish ;) You ready for my date night pick?

Dean: Lay it on me

Alice: You didn't tell me where we were going, so I'm gonna keep this from you too. Just remember my budget's lower than yours, so keep that in mind. Don't dress fancy

Dean: Can I at least pick you up?

Alice: If it makes your fragile masculinity feel better

Dean: It most definitely does

Alice: You're so lame. Be here at 7:00?

Dean: You got it

She got home from school around 5:00, her after school to-do list taking her a bit longer than normal. Her plans for her date with Dean weren't anything fancy, just like she had told him, so she didn't need a lot of time to get dressed up. She threw on some jean shorts and a black and white striped t-shirt and decided to loosely curl her hair and throw it in a ponytail. She kept her makeup simple. Makeup. That reminded her. She didn't know what her evening held, but the last thing she wanted was to end up at Dean's with an inefficient way to take off her makeup. She grabbed her shoulder bag and put in her makeup wipes, face wash, toothbrush, deodorant, and hairbrush. She figured she could just wear one of Dean's shirts to bed again, which reminded her that she probably needed to return the one she had last stolen from him. She added that to her bag too just as there was a knock at her door.

She looked at her phone and saw that it was only 6:30. How did Dean get in the building without her buzzing him in? And, why was he thirty minutes early? She jogged over to the door and opened it. "Brent," she breathed out, her voice showing some surprise. She noticed he was holding a bouquet of flowers. "What's up?"

"Well, I was just at the store," he said, "and I saw these. Thought of you."

"Oh," she said, laughing awkwardly. "That's really sweet of you. Thank you." She took the flowers from him, but Brent didn't leave. "Is there something else?" she asked.

"Uh, you headed out?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I have a date with Dean. You met him the other day. He'll be here in a bit."

"Got it," Brent said. "Well, then-" He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I'll see you around." She smiled, waved him goodbye, and closed the door. She looked at the flowers before setting them down on the counter. Brent was a nice guy and everything, but this seemed a little odd. She hoped she hadn't been leading him on with all the time she spent with him in the past few days. She was just trying to be a friend, but she didn't feel like friends often gave each other flowers without ulterior motives.

She shook the thoughts from her brain and sat in front of the TV while she waited for Dean. It didn't take long for the buzzer to go off, and her face lit up. She jogged over to the intercom and let Dean in. He was at her door in a few minutes, and she opened it and greeted him with a kiss. He smiled against her lips before he pulled away. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he looked over her shoulder. He noticed the flowers, and his eyebrows furrowed. "Where'd you get those?" he asked. She followed his eyeline and bit her lip, grabbing his arm and pulling him inside so she could shut the door behind him.

"My neighbor, Brent gave them to me," she said. "It's weird, right? Like, that's a little weird."

"It's a little weird," he agreed with a slow nod. "You didn't put them in water?"

"I feel like I shouldn't keep them," she admitted. "But I also feel rude for getting rid of them."

"Do you want them?" Dean asked.

She shrugged. "Not really." Dean nodded, took the flowers, and threw them in the trash for her. She giggled, and he turned to her and took her hand.

"Ready?" he asked. She nodded, so they walked out of the apartment and headed to Dean's car. She paused outside the passenger door. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I just realized if I let you drive, I have to tell you where we're going," she said. "Let's take the Jeep."

"Come on," Dean said with a playful groan. "It's fine. Just tell me."

"No!" she said, folding her arms across her chest. She stuck her hand out. "Let me drive."

"Ah, no can do," Dean said. "No one drives Baby but me and Sam."

"You're being ridiculous," she said.

"I'm being ridiculous?" Dean repeated, matching her body language.

She gasped playfully. "Are we having our first fight?" Dean grinned and shook his head, opening the driver's door.

"Just give me the address," he said. She obliged and got into the passenger side. After ten or so minutes, they pulled up to their date night spot. Dean laughed as he put the car in park. "I haven't been bowling in ages."

"Me either," she said, smiling widely. "It'll be fun! I'm so good."

"Are you?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hm," she hummed, "I guess you'll find out."

They went inside and got themselves a lane, shoes, and bowling balls. When they typed their names into the machine, she asked Dean what he wanted to be called. "Dean is fine," he said.

"Really?" she said. "That's pretty lame."

"Okay," he said with a laugh, hugging her from behind. "What do you call yourself when you bowl?"

"The champion," she said sarcastically.

"Oh, so you're modest too," he teased back, kissing her neck with a smile.

"Stop," she laughed, playfully pushing his face away. "Focus. Give me a name." He thought for a moment.

"Put down The Boss," he said.

"God," she said with a roll of her eyes, "you like Springsteen that much?" He raised his eyebrows at her. "I told you! My dads played nothing but the 80s."

Dean grinned. "Just write it." She did, and started to think about what she wanted her name to be.

"What should I put for me?" she asked. Dean thought for a moment.

"Put Sweetheart," he said.

"The Boss and Sweetheart?" she repeated with a laugh. "If anyone walks by and reads that they're gonna think we're some weird sugar-daddy-baby couple."

"Aren't we?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows playfully. "Are you not just using me for my money?"

"Well, a teacher's salary is crap," she said. Dean laughed and bumped his hip with hers to move her so he could type Sweetheart into the machine. He pressed play game and looked at Alice.

"Let's bowl," he said.

Alice bowled a strike in her first frame. Dean looked at her with wide eyes. "I told you," she said. "I'm amazing."

"You said good," he said.

She cocked her head to the side. "Did I?"

Dean also bowled a strike and looked at her smugly.

"Hm," she huffed. "I guess it's on then. Should I get some beer?"

"A lady after my own heart."

The pair bowled two games and downed two beers each. She couldn't remember the last time she was that happy with someone who wasn't Christine. Granted, this was an entirely different kind of happiness. The only thing throwing her off was the looks she could feel people giving her and Dean. Was it really because of their nicknames on the screen? Was it because of their age difference? For some reason, she didn't think either of as the case, because she didn't think the people were ever looking at her. They were always looking at Dean. She knew he was handsome, but Christ, didn't people have self control?

Dean only scored a few points higher than Alice by the end of the game because, as she said, she was good. Unfortunately for her, so was he. Unfortunately for him, she was very competitive. "Come on," she whined, stomping her foot as Dean ended with two strikes in the last frame.

"Don't be a sore loser," Dean teased, putting his arms around her waist and kissing her nose.

"Let's play again," she said. "I'll kick your butt, I'm sure of it." Dean shook his head in amusement and kissed her cheek. "We can make it more interesting," she said just as he started to pull away from her. Obviously, he was intrigued.

"Can we?" he asked.

She nodded. "Um, if I win, you have to do another face mask with me." He chuckled and nodded. "If you win-" She hesitated, trying to come up with something.

"If I win," Dean said, pulling her closer to him and placing his lips right next to her ear, "I get to make you cum again." She swallowed nervously as he pulled away with a grin.

"Those are two very different prizes," she said. His grin faltered a bit, and he put his hands on his cheeks.

"If it makes you uncom-"

"You need to stop treating me like I'm so fragile," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "I know how to say no." Dean smirked, and she gave him a firm nod, then stuck her hand out. "Deal." When they broke the handshake, she picked up her ball and looked at Dean. "Ever thought I might purposefully lose?" she asked. "Like maybe I realized your prize is pretty good for me too?"

"Sweetheart," Dean said, sitting down on a chair and resting his elbows on his knees, "I'm counting on it."

Alice was only joking. She took games too seriously to throw one just for a chance to do something with Dean again. Plus, deep down, she knew if she begged sweetly enough, he would touch her anyway she wanted him to. So she played her hardest, mentally picking out which facemask she was going to have Dean use.

And then she rolled a gutterball in the last frame. And it was over.

Her face dropped as she looked at the score. "A one point difference," she whispered. "How is that even possible?" She jumped when Dean put his arms around her and kissed below her ear.

"So," he whispered, "my place or yours?"

She smiled. "Yours, no question."

"Mm," Dean hummed, "I love a girl who knows what she wants."

In the car, Dean switched out the cassette that was in the slot for another one. She didn't recognize the song that played, and Dean must've been able to see it in her face. "Your dads played the rock station but you don't know Led Zeppelin?" he said, seeming offended.

"Uh, I know 'Immigrant Song'," she said.

"God," Dean said, shaking his head as he turned up the radio. "'Ramble On', 1969. One of my favorite songs of all time." She smiled as he started tapping his hands against the steering wheel and sang along to the song. "Leaves are falling all around. It's time I was on my way. Thanks to you I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay. But now it's time for me to go. The autumn moon lights my way. For now I smell the rain and with it pain, and it's headed my way." Dean noticed her stare and turned to look at her. "What?" he asked.

She giggled. "Anyone ever tell you you're cute?"

"Cute?" Dean repeated. "I've been called a lot of things, but cute is not really one of them."

"Well," she said, reaching over to scratch his beard lightly, "I think you're pretty cute."

When they got to the apartment, they held hands as they walked inside. Derek was the man at the reception desk again, and this time Alice waved at him along with Dean. As soon as the elevator doors closed Dean grabbed her by her waist and shoved her against the wall. He kissed her gently, but quickly pried her mouth open. She moaned and moved her hands to his head, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the wall.

Dean felt her tense and stop kissing him back, which immediately made him pull away. "What's wrong?" he asked. She was suddenly breathing heavily and not meeting his eyes. "Hey, hey, sweetheart look at me," Dean said, putting his fingers on her chin to look at him. She winced away from his touch, so he took a step back from her. "Talk to me, Alice," he said gently, trying to lean down so she would meet his eyes. She finally looked at him, and it was like he could see her relax. She looked confused, like she had blacked out for a second and was just now coming back.

"Sorry," she whispered, shaking her head abruptly. "I just-" She let out a heavy breath just as the doors to the elevator opened. She looked up and gave Dean an awkward smile, then walked past him to leave the elevator. Dean followed her with a still confused look on his face. As much as he wanted to grab her arm and make her look at him, he didn't. She stopped on her own accord and turned to face him. "That was just weird for a second," she said. "I, I started thinking about that, that guy in the alley."

Dean's face and shoulders dropped. "Shit, sweetheart," he said. "I'm so sorry. I should've thought of that."

"No, no, I'm sorry," she said. "That was really weird, and I just, like, totally killed the mood. I'm sorry."

"Alice," he said, tentatively reaching out to touch her cheek. She didn't move away, so he lifted her chin. "You don't need to be sorry for that. You went through something scary, and I triggered that. That's something I should be sorry for."

She let out a heavy breath and put her hands on her head. All she wanted to do was let out another apology, but she knew that wasn't what she was supposed to do. She had stepped away from him and over towards the windows, looking out at the terrace. Dean hesitantly followed her and stood next to her, keeping a bit of distance between them. "How long have we known each other now?" she asked. "Two weeks?"

"I guess," Dean said.

"That's crazy," she whispered. At his silence, she looked at him. She laughed sadly. "I bet you didn't expect all this when you picked Lexi up that day, did you?" Dean turned and moved closer to her, putting his hand on her cheek.

"No, I didn't," he said, "but that is not a bad thing." She scoffed and looked away from his gaze. "Alice," he said firmly, making her meet his eyes again. "I like you, okay? You've been through some stuff, and that's not something you have to be embarrassed about. I'm not gonna kick you out because you're being honest with me about how you're feeling."

Alice smiled and put her hand on top of his. "I like you too," she said. Dean smiled as she stood on her tip toes and kissed him. When they parted, she hung her head again and licked her lips. "I know you won the bet and everything, but-"

"Don't even worry about it," Dean said. She looked at him, and he shot her a playful wink. "I said I'd make you cum again. I didn't say it had to be tonight. How about we watch a movie before bed?"

"That sounds perfect," she said.

She and Dean went into his bedroom, and she excused herself to the bathroom to get ready for bed. While she was gone, Dean sat on the edge of his bed and put his forehead in his hands. How could he be so stupid? He prided himself in his ability to read people, and yet he couldn't predict that she probably wouldn't react very well to being pinned to the wall? Even before the situation in the alley, he had told himself heavy dominance would be something he'd have to lead up to. The more he got to know her, the more he realized there was clearly something in her past -a bad relationship was his guess- that made her flinch whenever he raised his voice or moved too suddenly. He still knew he couldn't press her for more information. That was something she'd have to tell him on her own. Just like he had things to tell her too.

When Alice came out of the bathroom, he noticed she was wearing the t-shirt he had given her the last time she slept over. He smiled at her and pulled his shorts off so he was in his boxers, ready for bed. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes," he said with a smile. She smiled back and plopped onto the bed, immediately snuggling up to his side and pulling the covers over her bare legs. He grabbed the remote for his TV. "What do you want to watch?" he asked.

"Something fun," she said.

"Like a comedy or a cartoon?" he asked. She looked up at him, and he couldn't quite read her eyes, which frustrated him again. "What?"

"You wouldn't mind watching a cartoon?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Whatever you want." He jumped when she reached up and kissed his cheek. He looked down at her in amusement, but she was already looking back at the TV.

"Do you have Disney+?" she asked.

"I do not," he said, "but I can get it right now."

"You don't have to," she said.

"Well if you want to watch something-"

"You can log onto mine," she offered. Her face lit up. "Oo, you can pick a character for your profile." Dean raised his eyebrows, and she took the remote from him and maneuvered around to install the Disney+ app. She logged on and went to make Dean a profile. "Look at all the characters," she said, scrolling through his options for avatars. "Who do you want to be?" Dean stared at the TV, and she could see that he was thinking. He stopped her on one of the Pixar characters.

"I like that one," he said. "That red guy."

"Anger?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"His name is Anger?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," she said. "He's from Inside Out."

He nodded. "Sure. I'll be Anger."

"Have you never seen Inside Out?"

"I don't exactly watch a lot of Disney movies."

"Not even with Lexi?"

He shrugged. "She'll put them on, but I don't usually pay attention."

"You've at least seen, like Toy Story right?" she said. He shook his head no, and her jaw dropped. "Seriously?"

"When did it come out?" he asked.

"Like, '95 or something like that."

"Well that would've made me 16," he said. "I wasn't exactly watching animated movies when I was a sophomore in high school."

"You were 16 in 1995?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes. "Go ahead and make an old man joke. I can take it." She laughed and gave his arm a shove.

"You know I would never," she said. He smiled, and she looked back at the TV. "At least not to your face," she mumbled. She felt Dean's chest shake as he laughed, and she continued scrolling through titles until she got to Toy Story.

"So you decided?" he said.

"I decided," she said with a nod.

"Alright," Dean said, getting more comfortable against the pillows resting on the headboard. "Roll film."

She chuckled. "You're such a dork."

"A cute dork though, right?"

"Shut up, Dean."

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

(next)

series masterlist found here

general masterlist found here

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

add yourself to my TAGLIST

@bangtan-serendipity | @planetdemon | @the-singing-clown406 | @tomshufflepuff | @bluelalal | @grandloser | @jackiehollanderr | @mindset-jupiter | @bisexual-sk8r | @feel-like-gold | @runaway-apple | @miraclesoflove | @marvelismylifffe| @wonderbyers | @coraz0ndcristal| @lizmarvel | @delicately-important-trash | @superhoorny4daddy | @eunomiasloane | @dvnmbabe | @superavengerpotterstar | @akshi8278​

If you want to be taken off the list (or be put on for only certain people) just message me and let me know!