#i need to learn how to render chests properly

[haliteatiger]

A hugely overdue commission for some very patient clients. Three years in the making. Four, young, DnD adventurers defend against the forces of darkness.

From top left to right; the wolf/cat/hybrid druid is Reci, the werewolf is Fouqune, the foxo staff user is Freiiyo, and the blue boy is Boorah!

[wileys-russo]

mary being an ass girl <3

based on this request here and many many more warnings for suggestive language! minors dmi.

you'd known from the very first moment you met mary exactly where her focus was, though maybe not quite in the way she'd wanted things to begin.

you were out grocery shopping on a friday night, exhausted after a grueling week of work and practically dragging yourself from aisle to aisle. thank god you had your list you'd already written this morning, your brain all but mush and body screaming out for your sofa and some trashy mind numbing reality tv.

your hood was drawn over your head and you were hardly dressed to impress, donned in an old pair of tights and your favorite baby blue nike hoodie, a pair of beat up converse covering your aching feet. not that a tesco on a friday night was where the manchester crowds all flocked to.

you were completely in your own world, zoned out and staring a little too long at a box of frozen dumplings in the freezer section when it happened.

"maya man you're killin me here. tooneys waiting in the car and i'm fucking starving hurry up!"

you tensed up at the feeling of someones hand connecting sharply with your ass, dropping the basket in your hands you spun around within seconds and suddenly a loud clap echoed as your own hand smacked across their face, your instincts kicking in before you could give it another thought.

"jesus christ i am so sorry!" you apologized with wide eyes, covering your mouth with your hand at your unexpected aggression. you weren't sure who you expected to greet you as the culprit but it was not the tall gorgeous brunette stood in front of you clutching her bright red cheek.

"fuck no i'm so sorry. you've got the same hoodie on as my mate and i thought-oh god you must think i'm some sort of predator. i'm so so sorry!" the woman rambled out an apology, her eyes just as wide as yours as you stared at one another.

"mary whats going-" another girl appeared with a confused frown, but seeing your guilt stricken face and the bright red mark on marys cheek her eyes narrowed. "did you just hit her?" she advanced on you with a thunderous glare as you immediately backed up, running into the freezer section behind you as the taller girl you'd hit leapt into action.

"hey no no i smacked her on the ass thinking she was you and well, i earned the slap back." the girl stood in front of you protectively as her friends face instantly flashed with regret.

"mary! you fucking idiot what have i said about smacking everyone on the ass? see now look karma's come and gone and smacked you back!" the friends shoved at the taller girls chest with a glare who stayed quiet but didn't move her body from shielding yours.

"i am so sorry about her i assure you she will hear about this for a long time and i will make it my personal mission to make sure it doesn't happen again." the shorter of the two warned sternly as the other girl nodded furiously, spinning back around to face you.

"can i pay for your stuff? please! it's the least i can do as an apology." she almost begged, clasping her hands together and giving you potentially the most irresistible puppy dog eyes you'd ever seen.

"no no you really don't need to christ i just slapped you into next week i should be the one apologizing!" you breathed out with a shake of your head, yanking your hood off properly feeling quite hot and flushed in the face.

mary was rendered speechless as she took you in properly, now feeling if possible even worse about her actions and how they might have made you feel, your beauty leaving her feeling winded as if she'd just been kicked in the stomach.

"no it's definitely her who needs to apologise and learn a lesson. come on mearps time to pay for the poor girls groceries!" with that the shorter of the two had grabbed your basket and sauntered off.

"maya! she might not be done shopping yet!" the taller girl groaned, flashing you a dazzlingly apologetic smile and holding up a finger before dashing off, returning a few short moments later with your basket in hand.

"i was done, really." you lied with a smile, the girl raising an eyebrow curiously, pointing to the list in your hand which was very clearly not fully ticked off. "look i promise you really don't need to-" you again tried to dismiss her, reaching for your basket as she held it away from you.

"i do. please i'm so embarrassed like i said it is the least i can do as an apology!" she blushed bright red once again and you couldn't help but find her quite cute despite the way in which you'd come to be acquainted.

"you should probably..." you started, opening the freezer section and grabbing out a bag of peas, placing them gently against her cheek where you'd slapped her. "oh thank you." she smiled softly and you found your breath catching in your throat.

and from then on, it was history.

the way in which you two met was something you'd often rile up your now girlfriend for, shaking your head and making teasing comments along the line of it all just being some elaborate way of picking you up.

enjoying the way she'd always go bright red and whine and promise it wasn't, burying her face in your neck with a groan, making you laugh as seconds later she'd be blowing raspberries against the skin as you'd try to push her off and she'd just cling on tighter

but intentional or not you should have almost taken that first chance encounter as a warning, a warning about exactly what sort of girl mary really was.

because mary alexandra earps was an ass girl, through and through.

it took her a few weeks of the honeymoon phase before you really learned just how much she appreciated yours in particular. but nowadays more than comfortable and hopelessly head over heels for you, there wasn't an ounce of hesitation in her actions.

whenever she'd return home after a particularly painful training session and you'd wrap her in a tight hug hello, her hands would start on the small of your back. then gradually they'd slip lower and lower until they rested right on your ass.

sometimes if she was feeling up to it there might be an affectionate squeeze or a gentle pat, but most of the time when she was tired and sore she was perfectly content to just rest her hands there, making you smile and shake your head as her own buried into your shoulder.

most other times, especially of a morning if you were up before her which on her days off you always were, you'd be greeted with a sharp slap to one of your cheeks.

a cheeky grin and plump rosy pair of lips shutting you up with a searing kiss before you could tell her off, a good morning mumbled into your mouth as of course she'd grab your ass as she did so.

her obvious fondness of your behind didn't just extend to the four walls of your home, cradled in privacy without wandering eyes.

no no, one of marys favourite pre game routines was to wrap you in a bear hug, hands gliding down and firmly squeezing your ass in them, smacking it much like you might high five a team mate. she'd then run off like a naughty kid before you could scold her, your face bright red as you were well aware you had an audience.

if her team mates were around after a game it only seemed to spur her on further, their teasing remarks only fueling her ego as she'd grope and grab you shamelessly, patting your bum like someone might pat your back with a wolfish grin.

mary loved nothing more than how much it clearly riled you up as much as it might brush it off as embarrassment, kissing your bright red cheeks and mumbling all the dirty things she planned to do to you once the two of you were alone, causing them to blush an even deeper shade of crimson.

all bets were off the moment you stepped over the threshold of your shared home, her hands hooking under your thighs and hoisting your body up, legs wrapping around her waist as she sat you down on the kitchen counter or slammed you into the nearest wall.

her hands would grab and grope at your ass, fingers digging in tight enough at the flesh that you knew there would be new bruises covering the almost faded ones that already existed there.

alongside the occasional bright red hand shaped welt which would cover one cheek if you'd felt particularly bold in the days before, your girlfriend rarely needing much convincing to dish out a spanking or two if she felt it was needed.

for her thirtieth birthday as part of her gift you'd bought her a polaroid camera, knowing how much memories meant to her you'd intended it to help her capture them.

but no, in true mary fashion her very favourite muse to take photos of was of course, your ass.

"oh my god baby!" you'd jumped in surprise as she shot up suddenly from the lounge one rainy afternoon, staring at her in surprise with a raised eyebrow.

"what?" you frowned when she didn't say anything. "hold on just a second my girl." she pecked your lips sweetly, of course cheekily squeezing your ass in one large hand before darting off upstairs.

"she's so weird." you mumbled to yourself with a small smile and a sigh, resuming folding the clean washing dumped out all over the coffee table, half paying attention to the football game playing on the television.

"right!" you again jumped as she re-appeared, her polaroid slung around her neck and a pair of sunglasses resting on her nose. "stop doing that! god im gonna get you a bell to wear around your neck like a cat." you huffed with a glare.

"what are you doing?" you sighed now properly taking her in. "i've had a sudden burst of inspiration my love." mary clapped happily, walzting on over toward you with a grin. "babe why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?" you questioned clueless, almost afraid of what you might get as an answer.

"enough talking! the artist needs quiet to work." mary again clapped, strolling on past you and muting the tv, yelling at google to play her cleaning playlist as your confusion only worsened.

"oh yeah! thats the mood." mary bopped her head along to the familiar song which played from the speaker, moving her hips side to side and biting her bottom lip as you couldn't help but grin.

"baby. you're so weird!" you laughed, hands on your hips and staring her down as she danced her way over to you. "as i was saying beautiful i have had a burst of inspiration!" she grabbed your face suddenly in her hands, kissing your lips and pulling away with a loud mwah, dipping your body down and kissing all over your face before pulling you back to stand up.

"and pray tell what has inspired you love?" you grinned as she laid down on the floor, wiggling for a moment to get comfortable as she smirked up at you and grabbed her camera in her hands.

"why your bum in those jeans my lovely girl, obviously."

with that she started to order you to pose, moving around on the floor and snapping polaroid after polaroid of you as you threw your head back with a laugh. "mary!" you whined, unable to keep the smile off your face at her ridiculous behaviour.

"thats mazza e to you thanks, up and coming fashion photographer." she clicked her tongue at you and pulled her sunglasses down, sending you a wink and pushing them back up her nose.

"now just feel the music baby, gimme a bit of a shake and a wiggle. i wanna see that thing move!" she whooped loudly as again you were unable to hold back your laughter.

"you are fucking ridiculous. you know that right?" you accused as she brushed you off, again ordering you around as you rolled your eyes playfully.

dropping the washing in your hands you gave in and started to dance, cheered on by mary who moved around on the floor, taking photo after photo as the pile of polaroids on the table grew.

"yes! this is brilliant, gorgeous, sexy, sultry. you're beautiful baby you're beautiful!" the goalkeeper yelled in a goofy accent, tossing her polaroid onto the sofa once she'd run out of film and sitting up, grabbing your hands suddenly and yanking you down onto the floor on top of her.

"mary!" you squealed, both of you groaning suddenly as she tried to sit up and kiss you, knocking her forehead into yours as your body melted into hers, vibrating with laughter as you buried your face in her neck.

"god i love your bum baby." mary sighed out once the two of you had settled from your laughter, hands coming to rest on it and massaging it expertly in her large hands.

"i know, you said hello to it before you even said hello to me." "for the one millionth time i did not mean to smack it as a pick up tactic!"

[bitedownme]

MC knows nothing, probably, about the tradition of warmaids and the like

Too new to the palace and too new to being the Favorite to know anything about Warbrides. Which is a fair and genuine possibility with the current lore we have going on for them; their King leaves and doesn't come back when it was predicted he would. Fine. Whatever. Something took longer than expected. The guards and servants left behind assure them that yes, this does sometimes happen, no it's not a sign of anything bad happening. It just means someone is harder to kill than previously expected.

The other members of the harem are quietly relieved. MC waits impatient but eventually Jeser and Moloch do return, barking orders and getting everything ready for SK to come back; he's carrying a war prize, and she'll need medical attention and a containment binding once she gets here: a fight and a flight risk.

What they learn from here is pretty dependent on how injured Jeser and Moloch may or may not be, and what they need to do to prepare whatever bullshit banquet/celebratory feast and meeting for the won battle and newly claimed territory.

Jeser, no matter the state, is more likely to humor them. He keeps them in loop with things that he probably shouldn't, both to get on their good side for future manipulation, but also to keep one of the few mortals he finds amusing alive for as long as possible within the halls of the Scarlet King.

"Well, Our King is dragging back a new toy," would be the beginning. "Which means...?" "Hierarchy change within the harem, as spouses always get priotry and the like," the shifter hummed, smoothing out and over a laceration as if it was nothing, and to him, it was, "Not that it'll matter much for you of all of them." It'd end with, "A word to the wise, beloved: get close to this dragon. She's aggravatingly immortal and could shelter you from a great deal of things."

MC would, undoubtedly, see a very unconscious, very much wounded Ire being hauled back, cradled against SK's chest before being delicately passed off to the inner circle of medics. They'd recognize the threatening tone their king uses when addressing the medics; they'd recognize the bow and scurry even if they couldn't see it directly.

The other consorts would drag them back to properly prepare for whatever awaits.

Post feat-meeting-whatever, it'd be generally decently calm again. Everything they set out to get, they got in tenfold. Life falls back to the cycle that MC had gotten used to.

Ire, however, is convinced she is in hell. She doesn't know where she is. Something is weighing heavy on her body and soul, rendering her feeling stupidly weak and sluggish. She doesn't recognize any of the faces bowing and scraping to her, as if wary of her potential reaction or any backlash if they overstep a metaphorical line.

She'd gradually be introduced to the Court. Probably made Jeser's problem whenever SK isn't there to oversee her himself. Not that the Prince minds: I'd argue they're both borderline self-destructive freaks in terms of their taste in women, but I digress.

She's not made to feel unsafe, or unwanted. If anything, SK is gently affectionate with her. More so than with MC. He doesn't want to scare her into submission outright, but he does want to make it clear that she's his from now on. To forget whatever relations she might've had before. To give herself as willingly as she can to this new life, to this new flock. To give herself to her anger and to act as a boon to his in proxy.

The first interaction would be... interesting. SK might want to introduce them while Ire is still healing, just to be certain there's no immediate fighting. What he doesn't expect is for Ire to latch to MC immediately (he's not complaining; he's fucking ecstatic, this is best case scenario for him).

MC reminds Ire of... a lot of people. People who she might now be realizing are probably very, very dead and she's never going to see them again, so dragonic instincts latch to the closest available approximate and hold it closecloseclose as to not lose it too.

Ire reminds MC of, well SK, but a mildly more erratic, gentle natured SK. Not as volatile outright, and definitely much more curious on a physical level.

Uh. Tl;DR: they'd get along, but MC is mildly confused and Ire is being forced to exerpince the seven stages of grief as well as the secret eighth stage: self loathing, because if she'd just be a little bit more, everyone would have lived.

(There is a route where they're all alive. Either scattered throughout the ruins of their homeland, or dragged into the servitude of the King. But regardless, it's not likely she'd see them again-- not for a good long while. And with those bindings holding her down until her injuries have healed and SK is certain she won't book it or try to off herself, she has no choice but to stay.)

-🍁

fuck this got dark at the end lmao

MY FUCKING GOD THIS IS AWFUL, HOLY SHIT, We just turned the idea into a complete fucking angst barely any comfort, is this the way to break Ire???? This is so bad

[eldritch-alicedoll]

Your clothes design are all so impresive! Im so enchanted by both the color and shape you give each one even if theyre only sketches, they’re filled with so much character!!

Have you ever uploaded your thought process after making these ? Sorry if you’ve been asked this before but its a skill i would love to learn too!

😭 @coffepandas thank you! That’s so sweet massage 🥹 this is the support that make me go back to study set&costume design atm (I was there for costume but kinda gaslighting into set too lol but it’s fun 😂)

I had answer some comments but I didn’t explain thing properly about how I come up with the concept of each dress. If that’s something you love to hear then I’m gladly do it! I use to write how I done my design in Thai but most of my friends say it’s very confusing so to come up with the proper explain next time I need picture as well. I’ll make it somewhere this year I promise.

But to summarise what I was talking about for general when I do the concept dress

Thinking

Extract the main idea > Colour pallet ( make a bar and do the colour in and you’ll see how much purple,Black,gold is use in the original character dress)

>texture / pattern ( include accessories gemstone , pearl >> like if it’s Azul i will default his first choice for accessories as something from the sea , if it’s Mal I’ll give something relate to briar valley + main colour is black + texture reference from baroque)

>idea ( just a few word or early concept mostly silly one for me like Vil : some thing he force Yuu to train to wear it. Lilia : classic + twisted of modern + fun. Mal : how can we fit in the carriage……..stop going over board Mal…..)

>group theme ( dorm theme , the dorm leader is the biggest/grand concept/ Grimm is part of the 1st year small flowers )

>your own reflection (it’s your design so it’s about your digest on the character and story tbh . Consider your taste your liking as big part as well as the other factor when design)

Sketch

1 Silhouette > basic shape if you stop my video process you’ll see I always start with basic triangle / box to see across the set how long / short / shape of the skirt I want to see and balance it

2 be aware that good set of dress need connection + focus > what I mean is they need 1-2 feature that’s you introduce as the gem of the outfit then the rest is the repetitive share between the clothes in your set let me get some examples from Diasomnia set

The 4 dress are different in skirt length and volume but there are minor element that I plan on matching them. Mal-Lilia share baroque gold embellishments. Lilia-Sil dress both short skirt + have a tail (There also share same detail on the chest part but it’s not very clear in the picture. I kinda think from pattern making perspective that both top sew the same way) Mal - Seb have long disney princess gloves and use rose on their head piece. Lilia- Seb top got the same flare across from one shoulder to other.

This is what I mean when I say connection. Cuz you give each dress a focus. For Diasomnia example let look at Silver dress. His soft cages skirt is the unique feature I did not give other dress .

That’s the focus on this outfit then I repeat the material on his top. Then I bring in a connection from Lilia dress , share the palette with Sebek dress (cuz Glorious masquerade outfit they both similar) then the volume of the dress is with Mal.

So you give 1-2 max focus/unique to the dress then repetitive other stuff. Don’t let one detail stand alone. ( in the dress and between the collection)

Rendering

1 check Monochrome (ALWAYS CHECK MONOCHROME) if the dress look weird 80% is because the monochrome is not right.

2 do not introduce something new after the concept is done always refer to the concept. It do not need a scream. It’s like when you cook you don’t need new flavours to garnish your dish.

3 you can styling your character to the outfit but refer back to the concept. If you add something on you need a repetitive in that dress example : if you bring in an heirloom earring in the dress. It need to be repetitive through color or use the pattern of the earrings on something but smaller size + change color and it will work.

4 same as taking something out be aware that every piece have a repetitive part unless it’s a focus part.

5 in Thai culture there is something called ‘hours of the flight’ it’s like collecting exp. You’ll be expert only if you fuck up your dress enough trust me. I’m the genius in destroy my actual work irl. From accidentally rip it apart last min to pick the wrong fabric cuz it’s cheaper and boom a big mess. The classic tale I told everyone is that my Highschool art teacher bully me that I shouldn’t work as designer cuz I’m terrible of it. Please safe everyone from your shit. But I think I’m have a 20 fun years doing what I like.

The short version of it I’ll try to write about each dress later on!

[peachymilkandcream]

Kingdom of Ash and Greed|Part 2|King Levi x Evelyn

(A/N: Glad to see we're back at it again with new content. At the time of writing this I just got back from vacation so it's nice getting into the habit of writing again, I've missed writing for these characters and their stories. Hope you enjoy and comment to be added to the taglist!)

WARNINGS: implied noncon/dubcon, big age difference, kidnapping, slavery, violence, power imbalance, implied somnophilia, forced pregnancies, mind breaking, yandere behaviour, yandere themes, etc.

================================================

The kingdom reminded her of the man who ruled it. Dark, ashen, and grey. It was as if the land fed off the blood and violence its fearless leader stained it with, growing sickly and blackened trees.

Even here Evelyn couldn't escape the burning smell in the air, and the smoke that threatened to fill her lungs. Levi's nation was one who pioneered metal working and weapons of destruction, and to keep up with the king's thirst for blood the blacksmiths worked at all hours to fill the demand.

The whole ride he kept her firmly against his chest, glaring at any who looked him in surprise that he had brought a bride this time, and not another head of some cowardly king who surrendered thinking they would be safe.

At least she thought that's what he wanted with her.

As she entered the courtyard, servants rushed to attend their king for fear of ending up just like another one of his conquests.

"You there, get her bathed and half-way decent for my chambers. Those filth that spawned her probably never knew how to clean her properly."

Evelyn opened her mouth to protest the insult, but quickly shut it when she saw his face.

"Yes your Majesty-"

Without so much as a second glance she was pulled away from Levi, brought to a freezing tub and scrubbed until her skin broke in places. Back home, she was accustomed to quartz baths in the comfort of her chambers, warm and with rose water to make her smell nice.

This treatment was that of a slave.

When they were done she was given a horribly immodest dressing gown before being thrust into Levi's chambers, shutting the door behind them.

She was utterly alone.

===============================================

When Evelyn was sure she was about to freeze to death the door opened, Levi cleaned and refreshed after his ride of victory and bloodstained boots.

"So you can clean up, can't you?"

"Please just let me go your Majesty, I promise my father will pay tribute to you as long as he lives, and when I take his place I will do the same, and my children-"

He slaps her hard across the face. "Did I give you permission to speak brat? No. I didn't think so." He paces around her, taking in every inch of her appearance.

"There are several things you're mistaken about. First, you're coward of a father can't afford to pay me shit. This long siege has rendered your pathetic monarchy penniless."

Evelyn pales, she knew things were bad, but never to this degree.

"Second, you're a woman. And it's plain to me that your head has been filled with the idea that you can do it on your own, rule, take charge. When in reality the lessons you needed to learn is how to spread your legs and swallow."

"How dare you- I am a princess-"

"A glorified cunt and womb your Highness."

"My father-"

"Spoiled you, made you think you were Miss High and Mighty. Looking down on all the rest. When in reality, I think what you need is a lesson in discipline, respect, and where your place is in this world."

She stares him down with a look of contempt. "Don't you think your people will rebel against the idea of their king marrying a enemy princess who will now be above them."

"You're right, they will. So it's a good thing that wasn't my plan."

This quiets her for a long moment, if not for a wife and queen then what did he want? "Then I believe it's my right to know why I am here."

Levi sighs, shrugging off his outer robe. "In my life I have clawed my way to where I am by not letting myself be distracted by earthly pleasures. Drinking, gambling....women." He looks at her with desire in his eyes. "But with my age increasing and my number of heirs staying the same my people and I have become....restless. All this work for their benefit, my kingdom, my world of power and authority- if a sniper's arrow were to take me....all would be lost. And I can't allow that can I?"

Evelyn retreats slightly as he advances, keeping eye contact with him as if that alone could stop him. "An bastard s-son- no one would allow him to take the throne-"

"In most countries, yes. But my people trust me, and they know with my seed and the stubbornness and rebellious flair of my enemies- well, that would make a mighty ruler indeed." He bends and grabs the hem of her dressing gown. "And besides, who wouldn't want to see the prize gem of the rebellious country that caused them such struggle round and pregnant with the son of her worst enemy?"

At the last word he pulls her towards him, pulling the robe off and leaving her exposed.

"Don't fight it my dear, it'll only make it harder for you."

[dragonmasterhiccup]

“Yep,” Eret agreed, “That’s all, just checking a few things out. I’ll be gone before you know it.”

Hesitantly, she nodded, backing away towards the kitchen, eyes staying on Eret’s the entire time…

———

Danny, now fighting back tears, shook her head, going up to Valka and wrapping her arms around the older woman in a hug. “No… I don’t want Eret here, he, he’s gonna try to take me back…”

———

Spitelout was now more than a little irritated, knowing that Hiccup had been able to get to Eret first.

He was mostly planning what to do next when he was pulled from his thoughts by both Hiccup and Eret approaching him.

Eret shook his head. “It’s not a problem at all, Chief, I completely understand. And there’s no need to apologize, you’re not responsible for the way he acts.”

Sighing, he added, “I guess I’m just… surprised, I mean, how on earth is this possible?”

Spitelout turned around, glaring down at the two men.

“I did… Eret, tell me; do you think that that child is no other than Danielle Bloodvist?” His voice was firm, demanding.

“Yes, yes I do, she is Danny, and who else knows but the Gods, but she is seven as of now, just like the Chief said.”

Spitelout’s frown deepened, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I see, so both you— two of the most respected council members— are having delusions. Well, at least one of you, the other, might just be easily manipulated. Those are both traits that should render someone unfit to lead, don’t you think?”

Without giving either of them time to speak, he continued, “Here’s what’s going to happen; I’m rallying up the people, call a meeting, and that girl better be there. Now, don’t fret, I’m not going to execute her, that would be cruel, especially for a child who is not a Bloodvist, but you two are going to state your case in front of the tribe, and when they see how unfit the two of you are, they will dethrone you.” And with that, he stormed away from them, towards the rest of the village.

Valka knelt down, wrapping her arms around Danny, stroking her hair. "He won't do that. Besides, Hiccup, Astrid, and I wouldn't let that happen."

-----------

"Delusions?! Manipulation?! Spitelout, you've known me my whole life, you know full well I'm neither of those things!" The only thing holding Hiccup back from acting on his anger was the fact that he held Zephyr.

That, and he knew attacking Spitelout outright would only give the older Berkian more fuel to use against him.

As his uncle walked off, Hiccup staggered back a step, his breaths becoming quicker, deeper, his eyes darting all over as he tried to calm down. He felt...weak, he felt like he was being suffocated, and he might have even paled a bit, too.

"I...I think I need to sit down for a second..."

There. A rock, big enough to sit on, right next to the forge's structure.

Lowering himself down, he leaned his back against the building, face up, eyes closed, brows furrowed as he tried to steady his breaths.

"Eret...it was hard enough to have fourteen year old Danny go up in front of the tribe...I can't do that to her seven year old self. I can't. You saw how scared, how skittish she is. There...there has to be another way..."

Looking up at his friend, he continued. "When I learned she'd only be here for a month, I decided that I would do whatever I could to give her a good month, full of good things. She's eating properly, she's learning how to read and write, she loves Toothless, she's healed up almost completely since her arrival...I don't want to send her back at the end of the month, but I have to. It's either that, or send her back early, but I promised her I wouldn't."

"As soon as she showed up on the island, I should've sent him away, to take inventory of the storehouse or something..."

What was he going to do? How was he going to dissolve this situation?

Could it even be dissolved?

"I've nearly worked myself to exhaustion, trying to fill the void my dad left. Trying to be the chief that Berk needs. But Spitelout... he doesn't care about that. He just wants to lead, yet he has no idea what it takes to actually lead."

Taking a breath, he got back to his feet.

"We need to gather the council, we need to make a plan...and if I have to step down from being Chief, so be it, but Spitelout is not taking my place."

[jaded-cc]

i wanna be yours : pt.3

summary : reader realises it's time to confront her biggest problem.

warnings : i think like one curse word

words : 1.9k

a/n : i'm struggling to write the second part of celestial so i'm writing everything else until i get some idea's. i know how i want it to end but don't know how to fill the gaps. anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter

You felt as though Makkari was the mind reader, most of what you wanted to get off your chest she seemed to understand even though you were too drunk to piece your words together properly.

I know he hurt you but I hope you can learn to forgive him someday. That was all she said before she’d left promising to visit you again the following week.

You went to bed that night the most content you’d felt in decades.

-

A knock at your door awoke you at 4am, you could scream at the person who dared to wake you at such an hour. Only you were rendered somewhat speechless by the visitors at your door, Sersi, Ikaris and Sprite.

Whilst there was part of you that was overjoyed to see them again, there was a much larger part of you that felt sick at the sight of three of your fellow eternals at your door because the only reason they would come to you was that they were desperate.

“Y/n, how are you?” Ikaris began, you knew he didn’t care and deep down it kind of hurt, he was just being polite so you’d help them, a trick that he used on you in particular, far too often,

“Let’s skip the pleasantries Ikaris, what do you want?” A surprised look washed over all over their faces, not quite accustomed to the person you’d become, the once sweet and innocent girl they’d once knew had grown cold and callous,

Ikaris sighed at your words, asking if they could step inside for a minute and you’d not even thought about the mess that had accumulated in your kitchen before reluctantly letting them all into your home.

They made themselves comfortable on your sofa, once you’d put away your bed of course, you decided to get straight down to business, not wanting to waste more time than was necessary.

“Okay, enough of all this bullshit, what’s really going on?” You questioned, Sersi shifting uncomfortably in her seat but you were growing impatient and didn’t give a second thought to spare any of their feelings as you spoke,

Sersi was the first to speak after a brief silence, each of them turning to each other and trying to determine how best to approach the situation, “We need your help y/n.”

You were speechless for a moment, you knew they were there because you were their last resort but they made it sound like so much more, it felt as if you were their only hope. You took a deep breath and let out a gentle sigh as you considered your options. You were by no means the strongest of your fellow eternals but you also weren’t the weakest so it would make sense why they would ask you but you couldn’t help but wonder in your mind who they’d visited before you.

Had they gone to Kingo or Ajak claiming the same thing? If the situation was so dire then where was Ajak?

“Where’s Ajak, if it was so important wouldn’t Ajak be here or did she assume it was nonsense too?” You questioned them, they seemed to become silent once you’d spoke and not one of them dared to look at you, sympathy and pity was written across each of their faces, “Where’s Ajak?”

“I’m so sorry y/n-”

“No, don't lie to me Ikaris, where is Ajak?!” You began to panic as you realised what their silence implied, she couldn’t be and you refused to believe them,

“Y/n, Ajak’s dead.” Time seemed to slow to a stop at his words, your heart beat pounding in your ears being the only thing you could hear, deafened by your own grief,

“Y/n, y/n!” Someone's hand on your shoulder steadying you as you sank to your knees, quiet sobs leaving your lips as you struggled to come to terms with the news you were presented with,

“It was deviants.” Sersi spoke softly, not trying to push you too far, “They're back and we really need your help.”

You nodded, now not caring about any resentment you felt towards them, only wanted to fix what you’d failed to achieve all those years ago.

“Do the others know?” She shook her head, keeping a hand on your shoulder which you were grateful for in a way, it helped you feel more grounded in that moment,

“That’s part of the reason we need your help.” She started, “They may not see eye to eye with us but they’ll believe you, they’ll trust you.”

Twenty minutes later you had most of your clothes packed in the boot of their jeep as you made your way out of the city with a new found motivation to help.

-

You’d begun with Kingo who wasn’t all too hard to convince, you assumed he’d thought it would be a great idea that would help further boost his career, he’d pretty much began to film a documentary as soon as you’d left his filming studio to the second you’d gotten off the plane.

Next was Thena and Gilgamesh, they also were fairly easy to recruit on board but at the same time they were extremely cautious to the idea considering you didn’t exactly have a plan yet but you’d managed to convince them otherwise and so the seven of you began your journey for, what you would consider, the most difficult eternal yet and you were left in charge of convincing someone, who you’d been ignoring for centuries, to join you on a mission that may cost each one of you your lives.

You’d had the whole car ride and the walk to metally prepare yourself but somewhere along the way you’d realised that no matter how much time you spent trying to prepare, it would be futile. He’d have you a stuttering mess the second that you saw him, you’d start grovelling at his feet if he asked for it and you hated that you knew that. Although the calming walk through the Amazonian forests helped clear your head and calm yourself enough to where you felt ready or as ready as you could be.

You made your way through a break in the trees as you found yourself in the village, the people seemed content as they pursued their activities and you felt at peace there. It was pleasantly quiet for a village of that size and population, the people muttered quietly between themselves as they got on with their tasks. A few were farming the crops as a few more seemed to be preparing lunch or washing clothes.

You knew he was there before you’d even reached the village, the rapid beating of your heart being a dead give away that your body knew he was close before your mind did. He was already in your head and you’d yet to see him.

Panic rose in your body as Sprite approached one of the villagers, “Hey, were looking for Druig?” She began as the man turned around, “Is he here?”

“Yes, how do you know Druig?”

You tuned out the rest of the conversation, your attention being drawn to a yellow hut just behind you, your head tilted curiously. You weren’t entirely sure why but as the doors began to open you realised.

He walked out slowly, not bothering to shut the doors behind him as he made his way towards the steps, never even bothering to acknowledge your existence. Everyone began to crowd behind you and you knew they were expecting you to say something but thankfully he spoke first.

“I missed all of you.” Lie. “Please, make yourselves at home.”

-

You’d all been led into the yellow hut and although you were the designated negotiator, you found yourself sort of words which led to Sersi explaining the predicament you’d all fallen into. You hid at the back, bringing your knees to your chest as you played music loudly through your earphones not wanting to make conversation and you began wishing you’d never joined them in the first place.

He looked exactly as he did all those years ago, he hadn’t changed a bit which made the whole scenario even more unbearable, he looked as he did that night. It was deep in thought that you’d noticed your fellow eternals, Druig included, staring at you. You removed your earphones hesitantly, smiling at everyone softly as you’d made them all aware you’d most definitely not been listening.

“What does ‘little miss princess' think about all this?” Druig teased cruelly, you felt patronised and so you narrowed your eyes at him as you shifted in your seat so that you were no longer slouched,

“She thinks you should get fucked.”

Kingo stifled a laugh across from you, giving you an encouraging thumbs up and he attempted to conceal his laughter. Druig merely pursed his lips at you, diverting his attention to Kingo, destroying his camera by possessing his ‘valet’.

“You are not a god. You know that, right?” Kingo narrowed his eyes at Druig, who was unfazed by the ordeal, he moved his face closer as he lowered his voice so that it was barely audible,

“How ironic. Kingo the moviestar.”

“I’ve directed some things too.”

“Oh, yeah? Like what?”

“Some internet content.” Druigs brows raised at this and you found yourself smiling slightly at them bickering,

“How many views?” You broke, a laugh escaping your lips as you struggled to keep it in any longer,

Druig smiled softly to himself, he knew he could get you to smile but he didn’t realise how much he'd missed it. He knew you were trying to be mean to him so that he thought you didn’t care but Druig knew you better than most, you were basically incapable of disliking someone let alone hate them. Except Sprite who you’d never gotten along with and he didn’t quite understand how you’d made it all this way without ripping each other's heads off.

“For your information, I don’t do it for the views.”

“Then what do you do it for?”

Ikaris made his way to the door, ”Let’s go, he’s wasting our time.”

You rose from your seat, filling the space between him and the door as you hovered your hands over his chest and sent him a small warning look and you began to back him away from the door without even having to touch him, “We need him Ikaris. I’m not happy about this either, you know that, but he’s our only hope.”

He nodded slowly at your words, taking a seat on the bench behind Sersi as you directed your attention to Druig who stood smug in the middle of the room with a triumphant smirk still plastered on his face.

“You.” You pointed to him, taking a few steps towards him until you could almost reach out and grab him, “You’re irritating and basically unbearable to be around like ninety percent of the time so know that none of us would be here unless you were our last resort and not a moment before that.”

The smirk was long gone from his face and all he did was send you a nod to tell you he’d listened.

“Please just take your head out of your arse for a minute and listen to us Dru, we need you, you're our only hope.” The words came out more desperately than you’d hoped but had seemed to work as he took his seat back at the front, allowing Sersi to continue.

You made your way towards the back again and pulled out your earphones as you became painfully aware of how flushed your face had become, was it because of anger or because just moments ago you could feel Druigs rushed breaths fanning across your face.

You hated to admit it but you knew it was the latter.

* * *

taglist :

@myownworldsstuff @girl-with-an-orange-cat @bubblyyz @bella-vasquez216 @tanyaherondale @tired-night-owl @valntyne94

[bxjii]

𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐦𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐲, 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧, 𝐛𝐚𝐣𝐢, + 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐲𝐮

fluff, sfw, mentions of stress + fighting + food

BAJI IS THE TYPE OF BOYFRIEND TO FIGHT WORLD FOR YOU

i feel that at his core, he is one of those "dress how you want, I can fight" guys

would burn the world for you tbh

a ride or die type

throughout most of his life he solved his problems through fighting, so I don't think this would be any different

lets you cry into his chest for a couple minutes before he gets so pissed at the idea of someone making you cry and goes to burn a car

he made a gasoline heart and lit it, sent a pic to you, before he did it so it's okay ig

MIKEY IS THE TYPE OF BOYFRIEND TO STEAL YOU AWAY FROM THE WORLD

mikey is more of an escapist I feel

he doesn't run from his problems, don't get me wrong: he will handle some shit, he takes you from your problems

mikey is often too busy, or frankly, too inexperienced to properly help you cope or solve the problem

however if it's something like you being bullied, expect him there in 5... 5 seconds that is

if you're stressed for a test, he'll just show up at your window with bags of junk food and you'll stargaze on your roof together

he doesn't know how to properly help, in most cases, but he can certainly take your mind off it

attention whore.

DRAKEN IS THE TYPE OF BOYFRIEND TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE WORLD

he's a father/big brother type of person, we all know it

draken will either solve your problems for you, help do it for you, or just remove you from the situation

he wants to help you, but doesn't understand how to do it without taking control of the situation

since he grew up with mikey being, well, mikey, he's used to taking care of people

draken needs that caretaker role, he needs to feel like he's needed

so even if it's something as simple as opening a jar and he sees you even slightly struggling, it's already in his hands and opened

lowkey infantilizes you, but it's so so slight it's not toxic?

CHIFUYU IS THE TYPE OF BOYFRIEND TO TAKE ON THE WORLD WITH YOU

best boy chifuyu

like baji, a ride or die type

chifuyu doesn't solve your problems for you, unless the situation warrants it, rather he helps you learn how to do it on your own

sometimes it gets annoying cause it always feels like he's nagging you, but then you'll be out in the wild some day and doing some random ass thing

you get confused but then are like 'wait chufuyu said [idk]" and BAM you're self sufficient

knows that not letting you completely rely on him might render him unneeded but is okay with it cause you'd be happy

does baby you a lot though and sometimes clowns you if you don't understand something he finds really obvious

[melting-tofu]

Um hello there! this is my first time asking for a request so im sorry in advance if I did anything wrong :') may I as for a head cannon whereby kaeya /xiao /diluc /zhongli / childe (just one of them is fine too) 's s/o has a difficult pregnancy and baby arrival? ** is up to you whether it ends fluffy or angst - I'm sorry if it sounds abit weird and isok's if you don't do it :'/ Hope you have a nice day though and can't wait to read more =w=

Oh I- I panicked a lot while writing this- Sorry for making you wait for so long! And for not including Zhongli :(, I don't really get how I should properly put this together tbh I have never written something like this before, so this is not very close to the request, and I can't go into details the baby arrival part ;_;

Note: Female reader.... that's it, unless pregnancy topic could be triggering.

-> Navigation

-------

Childe:

。He's so excited he can't even decide the one who will be more childish is him or his child.

。Claims that he knows so so so well about taking care of children because he has lots of siblings.

。Will not dispute further if you say a child is different from a sibling.

。Oh he's a harbinger, he has so much work to do :( He puts high hope on his family that they can be there for you and often send letters home.

。If the letters return to him saying you're not well he goes total panicked he doesn't know how to put it to words into the new one he's writing, even when he can, he wonders how long will it take to reach you...

。When he's home, he can spend hours for you and the unborn baby.

。Words can't describe how affectionate he is ;_;

"Oh, oh! Did you feel that? Like something just brushed up my hand? Or someone... is it the little one?"

。Really cries when he arrives just in time to see his child, he's just so happy and sometimes wishes he is not a part of the fatui to have as much time with his new family as he can.

Diluc:

。This man, his usual annoyed face that you sometimes dislike suddenly doesn't exist anymore.

。Like, he always puts on a soft look now.

。It's clear to tell when he's worried, when he panics, all for you <3

。Very protective, all you need to do is rest, he will do the other things and keep his eyes on you, and when he's not present then his maids will.

。Why does he seem so professional when he handles things smh as if he had a wife before, actually it's just because he reads lots of books-

。Seriously just when he gently holds, caresses and kisses are enough to soothe your pain away..

。One of your daily activities will be him humming a soft tune while hugging you from the back, his hands wander around your belly.

"Don't give me that look. Oh? You have never heard me singing before? Then all you need to do is ask... Hmmm now I'm doing this because I think.. the baby will love it."

。When he gets to see his child for the first time, he tries not to break into tears you can tell how happy he is.

Kaeya:

。The chad husbando and father.

。You have no idea how long he had been preparing for this- he already came up with some names for your child... what.

。He isn't strictly protective tho, he allows you to have some 'freedom' but don't let him spot you doing something that involves moving too much.

。He may be more busy than Diluc and he doesn't have maids :( so he possibly asks for countless days off to take care of you, and oh the Acting Grand Master takes pity on him-

。Don't worry of being lonely during your difficult time, he will even give too much affections than needed.

。At night he likes to hold you in bed while musing or childishly ranting about Diluc to the baby who isn't even born yet.

"When you grow up, if you want to become a knight then it's best that you don't become a Cavalry Captain like me... because there aren't any horses in Mondstadt, and you won't be able to spend much time with your mother due to how much work you will have... even without horses."

。For the first time in your entire life you see his soft as ever gaze when his eyes first land on his child, he abandons all the names he ever thought of before (unless you like them) and quickly thinks of a new one.

Xiao:

。Are you being serious to the Vigilant Yaksha that you're pregnant with him??

。So you know Xiao's true form? Yea, your child is really going to be half illuminated beast half human.

。Please- he is so scared of his karma and what it can do to you and the baby :'(

。He doesn't want to keep a distance either... he doesn't want to be unaffectionate and if he's not there to protect you all then who is?

。Overprotective is the right word to describe how he can be, he has to/he must make sure you're safe, tho he isn't sure what to do at first, but he is determined to learn: make sure you have well eaten, you have enough rest, ect. omg why are mortals so complicated.

。As long as you're in his eye sight then all you have to do is nothing, just tell him and he literally does everything, and no he is not letting you do it.

。His favorite things to do include him holding you in bed, it's either you nuzzle up his chest or he does it with your body, he just wants to be this close.

"Once you wake up tomorrow you can look at me as much as you want, now stop staring and close your eyes, sleep, if you don't then the baby is not going to rest either..."

。Xiao is rendered a sobbing mess when the child arrives, he just really loves this family and promises to protect and to keep you all happy.

[creepychan08]

Oikawa x reader - A married life

"Now I'm asking you, what is this?" You shoved the screen of your phone,  towards your husband as he squinted his eyes at the sudden action.

"I told you,  I was at the company party and I-" Oikawa stopped. The picture showed him kissing a woman clad in revealing dress. His hands covered her cheeks as it looked like he was gladly returning the affection.

"Yn,  I know what it looks like but I promise you its not what it seems like to you."

"Then why are you kissing her!?" You threw your hands in the air,  frustrated at your husband. It didn't help that your hormones were skyrocketing and out of place. You were 3 months pregnant, after all.

"Look, she grabbed me out of nowhere and just forced herself on me. I was trying to push her that's why my hands were around her head. Baby, I wouldn't do that to you. You know I only love you."

You were rendered speechless at his explanation. The ache in your chest dispersing as you calm down. He wrapped his arms around you, running his hands through your soft hair.

"I'm sorry." You mumbled, hiding your face in his chest. He smell so good beneath the smooth texture of his suit. Unknowingly to you, Oikawa's eyes were tightly shut as he bit his lips guiltily.

"It's just whenever I go to your workplace, I always see her sauntering around you. She's obviously trying to seduce you. That's why I asked you again and again to avoid her as much as possible. I don't want to lose you" Voicing out your insecurities made you feel vulnerable. But you know that being in a relationship require two parties involved to be honest with each other. Communication and trust remains the strong foundation of your marriage.

"I know,  sweetheart. But tell me, who sent that picture to you?" He pulled back and just when you were about to answer,  another chime from your phone took both of your attention.

You clicked it open. Oikawa right by your side as he curiously look at your text. You didn't mind it. There was nothing to hide from him anyway.

The message opened to reveal a video. Tapping the play button, it shows your husband furiously making out with the same girl in the earlier photo. They were situated in a corner,  away from everyone as some of his coworkers were busily drinking.

You hands started shaking as tears unconsciously poured from your eyes. Feeling your husband tense from beside you only confirms your theory. The video soon ended and there was tense silence.

You looked up to see Oikawa with his head bowed, hair covering his eyes. Even from your position, you couldn't see his expression. But it didn't matter. The video says it all. You didn't bother asking for explanation this time.

Slowly, you begun untangling his arms around you. Letting out a hollow laugh, you shook your head in dismay.

Funny how you always laugh at those cliche movies whenever a girl experiences heartbreak. They always portray it as a physical pain, symtoms similar to a heart attack. But you deem it as bullshit. Sure, it hurts. But its impossible to feel that much pain just from losing the one you love, right?

So why does it feel like you're dying now? Your heart still beats. But it feels as if it was literally torn and stamp repeatedly. You tried to breath normally but something lodge in your throat and why can't you breath properly?  Why does your lungs seem to stop working right when you need it most?

"Yn!"

"YN!!!"

Choking back a gasp, you return to reality as you see Oikawa panicking as he held you.

"Are you okay? Breath slowly, baby" He instructed, rubbing his hand soothingly on your back as you tried to regain your senses.

"Why, Tooru?" You finally gathered the courage to ask. The feeling of betrayal rang loud and clear on your hoarse voice and he winced from it.

"I'm sorry Yn. I'm sorry for lying. I got pretty drunk at the party. I lose control. We haven't done it for a while after you got pregnant and she was there and just flaunting around and kept rubbing me, saying things how she's going to make me feel good and I just- I!" He rambled, truth finally spilling from those lips you loved so much. His eyes were everywhere but you.

You didn't know what to feel. You asked for the truth, right? But you feel so much worse now.

"Are you blaming me for being pregnant, Tooru?"

"Shit,  no Yn-"

"We planned this together! You said you wanted to build a family with me. And we both decided to refrain from any sexual activities while I'm in my early pregnancy to avoid any possible complications while the baby is being developed. We talked about it and we both agreed! So why are you turning it against me now?"

"I know it wasn't an excuse, Yn! And I know I'm wrong. God,  I'm so wrong.Please, forgive me." Oikawa sobbed, tears cascading down the smooth expanse of his cheeks as he begged for your forgiveness.

"If you can't help yourself then maybe I shouldn't have agreed to have a baby with you!" You cried, anger radiating off you in waves.

"All those nights you came home late. Was it because you were taking your sweet time with her? Hm?" You smiled at him mockingly and his eyes widened in protest.

"No, Yn!" He tightly clutched your arms, desperately forcing you to hear him out, "Listen to me. I took all those overtime to gain extra money. That was in preparation for when our baby comes! Please believe me when I say it was for us!"

You looked at him with dull eyes. The aftermath of the fight just leaves you exhausted. You didn't know what to believe anymore. This was the man you had vowed to be with for the rest of your life. This was the man you wholeheartedly love and respect. Trust had always been your foundation,  hasn't it? 

Where has all the trust gone to?

You placed your hand on your belly. Wondering if he or she can feel the pain their father just bestowed to you. Hopefully not. You never want any harm nor pain come to your baby.

"I'm going to sleep. I'm tired." Coming up with a lame excuse, you turn to walk away when a hand firmly grasp your arms, not in a painful way.

"Lets talk about this, Yn. I don't want us to go to sleep tonight without resolving this issue." Oikawa pleaded with you, eyes begging for a chance. Any time, you will easily give in but after what happened, you don't know how to face him.

"I don't know what to say anymore, Tooru. I just want to rest." You smiled at him resignedly. Oikawa gritted his teeth. His heart throb painfully. How can you say that with such look on your face? Knowing that he caused your pain only increased the frustration and guilt running through his veins.

With a sigh,  he unwillingly yielded to your request. Letting go of your hand,  he watched your back face him as you slowly walked further away from him.

He will later learn that that was the biggest mistake of his life.

That night, both of you slept in the same bed as usual. Although a few inches only separates you, both your hearts were distanced with an invisible barrier. One trying to forget the pain it experienced,  while the other trying to find ways to have you back to him.

It was dead silent. You were tilting in between reality and dreams when a sudden, sharp pain tore through your abdomen and you screamed in pain. Startling your husband who immediately checked on you.

"Yn-chan,  are you okay?  What happened!?" Oikawa asked,  panic covering his features as he took in your pain filled expression. He felt the sheets wet and he clicked the bedside lamp open to see your side in bed covered in blood.

Your pupils dilated as you took in the sight. Another stabbing pain washed over you and you keeled in agony, stifling your screams. You barely felt Oikawa whisper comforting words to you before quickly lifting you up to bring you to the hospital.

My baby. No,  I can't lose him/her. Was the only thought going through your mind.

"It hurts" you groaned in pain as Oikawa comfortingly grip your hand with one of his own as he drive with one hand. (AN: Not safe. Don't do this guys. Always drive safely)

"Take deep breaths, love"

"My baby" Sobbing in distress, you held on your stomach and Oikawa felt like vomiting. A lot has happened in the past couple of hours and the thought of something happening to your unborn child didn't help the queasy feeling in his gut.

"I'm here, Yn. Nothing will happen to you nor our baby." Pretending to be strong for the both of you, he forcefully blinked the tears forming on his eyes.

Everything happened fast after that. It was like everything was a blur for him. You were quickly taken in the emergency room before you were transferred to the operating room. The doctor and nurses explained what was happening to you and what they were about to do. He numbly agreed to what they say. Only repeated over and over again that they must save you.

Before long he found himself waiting outside the operating theatre. His ears were ringing as he looked at his surroundings. It was surreal. Like his body was there but his consciousness somewhere else. He was only brought back to reality when he felt harsh tugging on his shoulder.

"Oi,  Oikawa get a grip on yourself!"

"Iwa-...chan..? How did you get here? "

"You texted me,  did you forget?"

"Ah.. Right" Oikawa mumbled, blankly staring at nowhere in particular. He felt drained but the anxiety running on his body did not allow him to even get an ounce of rest as he waited for the news on his wife and baby.

Iwaizumi frowned. It was unusual to see his bestfriend so distraught. He still didn't know what happened after all, Oikawa only texted him that he was in the hospital after something happened to his wife. But he felt asking would be too insensitive on his part so he stay silent and tried to just be there for his bestfriend.

"It was my fault,  y'know" Oikawa finally spoke after some time.

Iwaizumi patiently waited for him to continue, silently confused on Oikawa blaming himself.

"We had a fight. She saw me making out with the girl she hated from our company. Somebody sent her a video of it."

Iwaizumi was shocked. He knew Oikawa was a huge flirt back in their high school days but that he also outgrew it when he fall in love with Yn Ln. They were happy together and rarely had a fight as much as he knew. Or was it all a facade?

Suddenly,  he felt anger rush through him at the foolishness of his bestfriend. Messing around when he knew his wife was pregnant! Iwaizumi opened his mouth to curse at his close friend when he was frozen at the sight.

Oikawa was staring at him with regret painted all over his face. Tears continuously fall on his cheeks. The usual light in his warm, soft eyes was gone and all that was left was an endless pit of misery and hopelessness.

"I screwed up, Iwa-chan" He whispered, defeated.

Flinching in response, Iwaizumi's anger quickly switch into sympathy for his friend as he assessed his poor condition.

"She's strong. Stop thinking on the worst scenario. Just focus on what you will do after this." While giving him a reassurring pat on the back. Oikawa released a shaky breath as he nodded at his friends' advice.

Suddenly,  the doors to the operating room opened and a doctor wearing scrubs came out. Two nurses were by his side.

"We're looking for the husband of Yn, Ln"

"That is me"

Oikawa quickly stand up from his seat and approach the doctor. He was then escorted to an empty room where the two nurses silently left him and the doctor to discuss the aftermath of the procedure.

With his heart beating loudly, Oikawa eagerly fired questions to the doctor.

"How is she?  How's my wife?  My baby?  Were you able to save them?  When can I see them?"

The doctor resignedly took of his mask.

"I'm sorry to inform you,  Oikawa-san but the baby didn't make it. Your wife had a spontaneous miscarriage. It has no specific cause. Women in their first trimester or early pregnancy are more prone to experience it that's why stress must be avoided at all times especially during this sensitive period in a womans' body."

Oikawa felt like being doused in cold water. He stayed frozen while staring at the doctor who looked grim. After seeing all that blood came out on his wife,  he already knew deep inside that they lost the baby but he simply refused to believe it. He hang on to that tiny hope that maybe their unborn baby can be saved.

He shakily gulped, feeling his heart break. The pain was intense. They were looking forward to the arrival of their first child and for this to happen-

"What about my wife? Can I see her now?" He was hurting. Greatly. But he couldn't imagine how his wife was faring. She was the one carrying their child, after all. He wanted to comfort her and be there for her.

"I-" the doctor stopped and cleared his throat. Oikawa felt something amiss. Like an impending doom but he quickly tried to shoo the thought away.

"Doctor, how is she? I want to talk to her as soon as possible."

"That is another matter I must discuss with you, Oikawa-san."

The nerves were killing him and it took all his self restraint to not jump across the table and force the surgeon to speak at once.

"There was.. a complication while we were taking the fetus out of her. The amount of blood was greater than what it should been. We quickly transfused blood into her but it wasn't enough. We tried to resuscitate her but in the end she.. died due to heamorrhagic shock."

For a moment, Oikawa forgot how to breath. The world around him turn to black and white and the only words resounding in his mind was that she's dead, she's dead repeatedly.

It didn't fully sink in yet. Until he saw his wife, his beloved Yn, lying still in the operating room. Her face was pale under the glare of OR lights. And if he didn't know any better, it looks as if she is only sleeping peacefully after a long day. But as he caress her cold cheeks, no more warmth emanating from those cheeks he love to kiss so much, he was slapped with the bitter reality that she's not coming back.

No more warm smiles and sweet kisses from his wife as he return home after a long day at work. No more delicious meals waiting for him at the table as they talked about what happened during their day. No more cuddles and whisper of i love you's in the darkness of the night as they lay entangled from the after event of making love.

The perfect picture of a happy family with their son/daughter shattered in his mind as he loudly grieved for the loss of his family.

Kami-sama if you are real,  please let me return back time. Let me be with my family again. Please give me a chance to make things right...

Oikawa loudly gasped as if coming back to land after drowning. He find himself gazing at the ceiling in their room. It was dark. Where was he?

A slight shuffle and then,

"Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare, Tooru?"

That sweet, melodious voice.

Oikawa slowly turn towards the source of sound to see, much to his relief, his beloved wife gazing at him with concern while rubbing the sleep out her eyes.

"Yn-chan" He choked, lunging at her to give her the tightest embrace.

"Woah there,  big guy" You chuckled,  patting his back. You stilled when you felt something wet trickled down your neck.

"I'm so glad! So glad to be with you, Yn!" The pure, raw emotion coming from your husband surprised you as he continued to sob on your neck, clinging to you like a lost baby.

"Please don't ever leave me again!  Kami-sama,  thank you for bringing her back to me!" Oikawa yelled, voice muffled as he continued to shove his face around your neck.

"What has happened to you, dear?" You worriedly asked and pull his face away to wipe some of his tears.

"Do you want to talk about it?" You suggested,  talking about his nightmare.

"No need, love. I just want to say that I *kiss* love *kiss* you *kiss* so damn much!"

You giggled at his affection, loving his kisses.

"Oh and how many months are you again?"

"Silly, did you forget? I'm just two months along. 7 months to go"

Oikawa heaved a sigh of relief. Turning to your stomach,  he leaned down and pulled up your shirt.

"Hey,  little one. I'm so excited to meet you. But for now,  be good for mommy, okay?" Placing a sweet kiss to your stomach,  you smiled at your husbands' attention as you run your fingers through his hair. Oikawa gladly reciprocate your smile with his own.

This time, I'll love you with all of my heart. I won't make the same mistakes again. We will be a happy family, Yn.

Extended ending:

"Yes you heard it right. You're fired." Oikawa coldly said to his assistant. The one who destroyed his past life and made him and his wife suffer.

"But! I-" she whined pathetically, trying to win his sympathy by acting like a pitiful slut. But Oikawa was having none of it.

"I said. Get. Out." The fiery glare in his eyes send shivers down her spine and she immediately booked her way out of his office,  whining like a bitch along the way.

Another extended ending:

7 months later, you tiredly smile at the little bundle of joy in your arms. After 18 hours of grueling labor, you finally had your healthy, baby boy.

"I'm so proud of you." Oikawa wiped the sweat along your forehead as he softly kissed you.

"Thank you for bringing our baby to this world. You make me the happiest person alive, Yn. I love you two so much and I swear to protect you both for the rest of my life." He whispered, tears springing in his eyes at the emotional moment.

"As do I,  Tooru. As do I." You swore,  sealing that promise with sweet kiss.

Fin

[forever-rogue]

In Name Only - Part 16

A/N: Hi, hi, hi! I’m finally back with some more of Oberyn and his Sunshine! I’ve missed them so much, and I hope you’re all excited for more as I am! As always, feedback and comments are welcome, and if you’d like to be tagged, let me know. xx

Pairing: Oberyn Martell x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 7.2k

Warnings: discussions of pregnancy, violence, slight language 

IN NAME ONLY SERIES MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST

»»————-　♡　————-««

"Those are so pretty," Saria chirped excitedly as she reached up and touched one of the newly bloomed flowers. It was brilliant shades of yellow and orange, creating the illusion of a sunset. You nodded in agreement before delicately plucking the blossom and tucking it behind her ear.

"And now the prettiest girl has the prettiest flower," you told her as she beamed at you. She giggled wildly before touching the flower and running to join the Dorea and Loreza who were busy playing in a different part of the garden. They'd come to stay for a while at Sunspear and you were more than happy to keep them as long as they wanted.

"And what about you?" you turned to Altair who was intently observing a different flower, “which is your favorite?"

"I like this one best I think,” he commented thoughtfully as he touched over a dark red flower, one that was native to Dorne - hardy and resilient, just like its people. It almost reminded you of a rose, but what with a bit.

“That’s one of my favorites too,” you agreed as you pulled one of the hardiest blossoms off and held it out for him, “do you want to know why?”

“Why?” he asked, his dark eyes wide and glittering with excitement. You couldn’t help but ruffle his dark hair, an affectionate smile on your face. 

“My husband planted them for me,” you explained, thinking back to the day you had found Oberyn in the gardens, hard at work by himself planting the flowers as a surprise for you. He was many things, but a green thumb he did not possess, unlike you. But he had been so proud and excited to show them to you, his hands covered with little cuts from the harsh thrones and thick stalks, “and they remind me of Dorne - home. Strong, beautiful, and welcoming to those who treat it right.”

“Can I keep it?” he asked quietly as you nodded. He threw his little arms around your waist and you bent down to press a kiss to the crown of his head, “I’m going to go and show the others!”

Before you could even get a word in edgewise, he was gone, off to join his sister and the younger girls. You crossed your arms over your chest, a content sigh escaped your lips as you picked up your watering can to continue tending to your flourishing garden. But you were once again estopped by a warm of arms wrapping around your waist, causing you to make a small sound of surprise.

“Hello, my sweetest sunshine,” Oberyn’s voice was like golden honey in your ears as he pressed a kiss to your neck, “how I have missed you.”

“And a hello to you my moon and stars,” you couldn’t help but laugh as you put your hands on top of his, deftly spinning around in his arms before facing him and pressing a soft kiss to his lips, “it has been what...about five hours since we parted ways for the afternoon? I hardly think you’d had adequate time to miss me.”

“I always miss you when we’re not together,” he insisted, playfully pouting at you, “the insinuation that I should feel anything but wounds me so, dear wife.”

“Oh stop,” you swatted at his chest before he pulled you towards him, “you are a fool of a Prince. Besides, I for one have not missed you!”

“Oh?” he teased, his eyebrow arching as you broke into a fit of giggles, “I spy a little liar.”

“You’ve caught me,” you acquiesced, “but alas, I have been busy with the garden and these little ones constantly under foot. Loreza is a little trouble maker, just like her father. But Dorea is as steadfast as her mother. A lethal little duo.”

“Ahh, they have learned well,” he snorted as you nodded. He wrapped his arms around you as he watched the four young children running around and playing, the wistful look on your face not lost on you, “the twins seem to enjoy spending time with them.”

“They do,” you agree, biting on your lower lip, “I k-know we’re not supposed to play favorites, but they just...they’re special to me.”

“And they adore you just as well.”

“They adore you,” you insisted with a laugh, “the prince of legend! The lethal, ever deadly Red Viper.”

“I do have a reputation to uphold.”

“I know your bark is worse than your bite,” you insisted as you kissed him, cutting him off before he could argue, “it is not wise to argue with your wife.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he promised, “will you take a turn about the gardens with me? There are some things we should discuss..”

You knew it wouldn’t be anything bad, there was no reason for it to be, but a lump still welled up in your throat. Such things always made you nervous, especially since the majority of the times you’d been asked to speak in such a manner only bad news followed. But judging by the light smile on his face, you knew it would be okay. 

The past month, almost two, had been a whirlwind, especially when it came to helping Oberyn get closer and closer to be back to perfect health again. It had hardly allotted you many moments to talk properly. He grew stronger and stronger each day, and it some ways it was almost like nothing had happened at all. But you knew - you remembered. It was always in the back of your mind, reminding you that your family was the cause of this. You still needed to talk about it, but you’d never found the right time. But as you looked into those soft brown eyes, you decided it could wait. For now, all that mattered was this. 

He offered you his arm and you looped yours through his, allowing him to dictate the course. It was silent for a few moments, not but the sounds of the fountains, chirps of birds, and the sounds of laughter reaching your ears. 

“I’ve been thinking…” he started slowly, “and before you say anything, I do realize it is a rare occasion!”

“I would say no such thing,” you promised with a wink as he just shook his head in amusement, “please my prince, do tell me what has been weighing on your mind.”

“It’s…” he paused before exhaling slowly, “the twins.”

“The t-twins? What about them?” you tried to rack your brain for something that you could have possibly done wrong with them, “I haven’t…”

“It is nothing in the negative,” he must have sensed your worry without you even having to do anything. You visibly relaxed as you nodded and waited for him to go on, “I note that you’ve grown ever closer to them, you spend much time with them at your side.”

“I know we are not..to play favorites,” you answered nervously, “I fear I must have been doing a horrible job of that.” 

“And your actions are not at fault,” he insisted, as you offered him a confused look, “I know we talked before...about children...”

“I can’t have children,” you interrupted him, answering his silent question. You kept your gaze pointed straight ahead, attempting your best to conceal your emotions. Oberyn’s gaze was trained intently on you, his expression soft. It wasn’t often that he was rendered speechless, but this turned out to be one of those rare moments, “I speak with the maester when we returned from Starfall and you were gone in King’s Landing.” 

“Oh,” was his simple answer as you nodded, “and she…”

“There’s no way to be completely certain,” you said softly, “but there are ways to be almost certain, as certain as one can get. And it seems that the odds are not in my favor.”

“You said there is no way to completely certain,” he insisted, “there’s still a chance, and if you should want, we can always try...”

“No, Oberyn,” you stopped in your tracks as you pulled him towards you, a hand going to his jaw before you ran a hand through his dark curls, “it does not matter, my love. I am happy, so happy. Nothing makes me happier than you, I swear it. You, the girls, Ellaria, the rest of the family, we have so much already. There’s nothing for me left to want.”

You had hoped that saying the words out loud would somehow make them more true, more real. But they still hurt, cutting deep. 

“You deserve the world, my sunshine,” he promised, kissing the top of your head, “whatever you desire you shall have it.”

“I’m afraid that nothing will give this to me...us, not even all the gold in the Seven Kingdoms,” you offered him a small smile, “now, tell me, what you were going to say before I so rudely interrupted you.”

“The twins,” he said, cradling your face in his hands, “I realize this might be a bit unconventional, but what do you say about bringing them in our family? Adopting them?”

“A-adopting them?” you weren’t quite sure what you were hearing as the word tumbled from your mouth. Looking at Oberyn, you opened and closed your mouth a few times, tilting your head to the side as you tried to figure out what was happening. He was watching you with a small smile, waiting for you to realize what he had said, “Oberyn? D-do you mean it?”

“Of course I mean it,” he said softly, “I would not joke about such a matter. I know...it is unconventional and not very common, but I would like to bring them into our family. By convention, they would not be recognized as Martells in other parts of the Kingdoms, but in Dorne it would not matter. It-”

“Does not matter at all,” you finished for him as he nodded in agreement, “it is not the name that makes the person, the quality of their heart - their actions.”

“If only the rest of the world thought as we did,” he gave you a fond smile before pulling you into his arms, “but what do you think?”

“Oberyn…” you looked back up at him, your eyes already misty with tears as you nodded at him. You knew you wanted this - not because your dreams of baring your own children were gone, but because you loved them, truly. And you wanted nothing more than to bring them into your family, your family that had nothing but love and kindness to give. 

Oberyn seemed to know what you were thinking, because he quickly wiped away the tears that slipped down your cheeks before pressing a soft kiss to your lips. He paused for a moment and rested his forehead against yours as he held you tightly in his grip, “everything is going to be alright, my love. Please don’t think ill of the situation...no one is to blame, absolutely no one. And you know my love for you will never change or waver, never. Things will work out as they are meant to, I know it doesn’t feel like it right now.”

“I’m sorry,” you said softly, hearing his words but failing to process them in the moment, overwhelmed by emotion, “I’m sorry, my love. I-I...I can’t even give you a child of our own. I’m such a -”

“Stop,” he whispered softly, his heart breaking a little at your anguish. He wrapped his arms tightly around you as you buried your face in his chest, tears soaking into the fabric of his tunic. You knew it was silly to get so upset, especially since you thought you’d come to terms with this, and you knew Oberyn wouldn’t be upset, “I know this means nothing coming from me, but i will be okay. I swear it. I will do whatever it takes to get you to understand that.”

“You’ll still love me?” you asked softly as he chuckled warmly and pressed a kiss to the side of your head.

“I will always love you. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever change that,” he promised, and you relaxed slightly, “my love for you knows no bounds. And you have my heart and soul. Completely and fully.”

“I love you,” you whispered, “so much.”

“And I you,” he responded, “and I’ve got one more bit of good news for you. I know it’s not much, but I’m hoping that perhaps it will at least bring a smile to that pretty face.”

“You’ve given me nothing good news and love,” you laughed at your foolishness as you pulled back from him, “and I give you nothing but theatrics. What else could you possibly have for me?”

“Have you ever considered traveling across the Narrow Seas?” your eyebrows immediately shot up at his question as he seemed to be holding back a gleeful grin.

“I can’t say it’s really crossed my mind…” you admitted, “what lies there that has you asking?”

“Essos,” he answered, “the King needs an envoy to go to make the journey and ensure that plans and laws that were instilled by Daenerys still stand.” 

“And he asked you to go?” your heart immediately grew worried and nervous as your eyes darted to his side, the spot concealed by his tunic where he still bore the scars of the stabbing that your brother had inflicted on him. You were reluctant to let him leave again, especially anywhere out of Dorne, “a-are you sure, Oberyn? I don’t know if that’s the best idea…”

“You worry?”

“Of course I worry,” you insisted, “there are enemies everywhere, as you have said many times. I couldn’t even trust my own flesh and blood. The last time you left, you almost….and Essos? That’s half a world away…”

“I would not go with your blessing,” he promised as he put his hand on your cheek, “nor would I go without you. It’s a large and wondrous world, and I think it would suit you. Essos and the Summer Isles are some of the most beautiful places in the world.”

“You want me to go with you?” you asked hopefully as he nodded.

“What is this old fool without his wife next to him?” he teased, “besides, I was told that I could not venture into the world without you...I think it would be quite dull without my sunshine. I would not let anything happen to you.”

“Nor I you,” you promised, knowing you would cut down any man or woman that even breathed wrong in his direction, “you’re serious about this? You’re sure it will be safe?”

“Yes,” he insisted, “and yes. We won’t be going alone. The retinue will come, as well some other Lords from around the Kingdoms. Honestly, I doubt it will take much work from our end...it will be more of a vacation than anything else.”

“You’re sure about this?” your words were gentle and soft as put your hand on his chest, “positive?”

“I am,” he took your hand and pressed a kiss to your knuckles, “what do you say?”

“For you?” resting your hand on his cheek, you brushed a finger over his cheekbone, “I would do anything and go anywhere. Yes. Let’s do this.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

Diplomatic ventures had always seemed so....droll. Plagued by aged and old fashioned men who claimed to know what was best for their people, who claimed to know what people wanted but did everything but. Naturally there were exceptions, such as your father, and it wouldn’t be fair to lump all men into the same category. But from your childhood trips along with Lord Beesbury, your hopes were not high that this would be any different. 

But you should have known better because like with most things, Oberyn was able to turn into a pleasant adventure. Along with the shift of having a Stark King on the Iron Throne accompanied by the Queen in the North, things were...different. Gone were the stilted and old ways, slowly morphing into workable and tangible - change. 

What you were sure was destined to be nothing but boring roundtables without anything productive being done, turned out to be the opposite. Men, and women, of different backgrounds and creed came together to work for the people, not just their people but all people. It was something to marvel at and instilled a sense of hope in you. 

Hope that Oberyn’s children, your children, would grow up in a world where things would be different from your youth, where they would not have opportunities denied to them because of their birth, their origin, or the truths and beliefs they held. Things would never be perfect, but they would be better and that was enough to carry you forward. 

Watching Oberyn, not just your husband or the Prince, but a man of his people - the people - in action was a treat unto of itself. Eloquent and well spoken as ever, he carried himself with an ease and comfort that you could only wish to obtain a fraction of. He was never loud or over the top, but his tranquility and calm aura did not let you forget that he was still as deadly as the rumors suggested. 

This was a man that spoke in prose as lovely as roses but sharp as hawthorne. A man that would charm and persuade to see his ways, but would not hesitate to cut you down if necessary. The duality of Oberyn Martell was a gift to behold, and somehow it still stunned you that you were in the very center of his universe. But somehow you were, his sunshine that brightened every facet of his life while he was your moon and stars, grounding you and keeping you safe and sound. 

“What?” Oberyn’s voice was warm and gravely, still heavy and thick with sleep as he opened his eyes to find you watching him closely. A warmth flooded into your face  as you attempted to burrow your face into the pillow; you hadn’t expected him to wake up and just wanted to study his features while he slept. You’d done it a million times before, or so it seemed, and you wanted to do it a million times more. There was something about how calm and at ease he looked while his broad chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. His chocolate curls were mussed and wild, practically calling for you to comb throw as his plush lips were drawn in the lightest of smiles. He was just so...golden; drawing you in like nothing else mattered.

The soft, warm air of the Summer Isles  was coming in through the windows which you had left open the evening before, perfuming the air with the faint smell of the salty ocean. You’d had a late evening before and were in no rush to get up, despite the fact that you knew he had duties to attend to. There was something about the comfort and safety of waking up in his bed, your, bed that always kept you wanting to stay tangled up with him.

“Nothing,” you insisted as you opened one eye and peeked at him, watching the corners of his mouth tug up. He laughed lightly before his strong arm found you under the covers and pulled you closer to him. A contented sigh escaped your lips as his fingers traced aimless, gentle shapes into your back. You closed the small gap and pressed your lips against his, feeling him smile against your as he chased after you with a few kisses of your own, “Oberyn.”

“Yes?” he teased as he kissed long your jaw and neck, nipping and sucking at the delicate skin in a way that he knew would leave marks, “tell me what’s on your mind or I’ll stop.”

“Such a tease,” you huffed tightly as you tugged on his soft curls, “I was just thinking about you.”

“About me? Whatever for?” he seemed genuinely surprised and pulled back for a moment, which allowed you to take advantage of the situation. You pushed him flat on his back as you rolled on top of him, your bare body flush against his. He almost laughed when he realized what you had done, one of his large hands going to your bum and giving it a firm squeeze, which elicited a soft sigh from you, “cheeky girl.”

“Hmm,” you hummed as you kissed him, “I was just thinking about all the ways in which I love you, which, in case I haven’t reminded you lately, are infinite. But now, I’m thinking about something far different.”

“Oh?” he pressed your forehead against his as he held you with a vice grip, “and what would that be?”

“How much I want you,” it was a gentle, breathy whisper in his arms as you kissed the shell of his ear before working your way back to your lips, “my moon and stars.”

“Then take what you need, sweet girl. I am all yours,” he promised, “body and soul. Besides, I quite like you on top. A sight to be marveled at it, that even the finest art could never capture in essence.”

“Always a poet,” you flourished under his praise as your hands roamed his body, “almost as lovely as watching you come undone, Oberyn Martell. Now, don’t hold back, my love, let them all hear you…”

»»————-　♡　————-««

“Be safe,” Oberyn whispered against your lips before slowly pulling away. It was endearing to know he was so concerned about your safety, despite the fact that the Summer Isles were one of the safest places to be. You nodded slowly before sneaking in another kiss and smoothing down the soft fabric of his bronze tunic. He was handsome as ever, and despite the fact that you were dressed in a soft, breezy gown of your own, you knew you would never match his beauty. 

“I will,” you promised, “I’m just going to explore the markets, maybe go to the ocean, nothing dangerous at all. Besides, I think I found something that the girls will like and I want to get it for them if it’s still there.”

“Do you want-”

“Oberyn,” you insisted firmly, but with a soft tone nonetheless, “I will be fine. I can handle myself, and besides, Jeron’s taught me a few tricks for the times I should be parted from you, in the off chance I need them. It should be me worrying about you. Politicians and Lords are the real snakes here after all, remind them who the Red Viper is, remind them that you are the Prince.”

“I should know better than to worry about you,” he said with a small laugh, “I will see you this evening for dinner then. I love you.”

“I love you too,” you grinned at him before gently pushing on his chest and back towards the building in which all of these so called important meetings had been happening, “now go and get your work done. I don’t want to keep you away!”

“Wait,” he ducked after you and reached for your hand, despite the fact that you had just turned away from.

“What?” a look of surprise coloring your features as he brought your hand to his lips and delicately kissed your knuckles, “Oberyn!”

“I missed you the moment you turned away,” he said softly, as you just shook your head at him, “until your paths cross again, sweet girl.”

“You are a fool of a man,” you teased as you let him be the one to walk away. He turned and gave you one last look before crossing the threshold and giving you a soft smile, the one that made you weak in the knees and a fire pool in your belly. 

Staring at the spot he had previously occupied, you let a small sigh before walking away, ready to take on your own leisurely day. The island of Jhala was a beautiful place, filled with kind souls and beautiful scenery. You’d never seen any place like it before, but you already knew a piece of your heart would remain here even long after you were back in Dorne. Hopefully Oberyn would not be opposed to coming back soon. 

You’d even made a few friends during your extended stay, finding the people welcoming and open, much more than most people in Westeros and they’d even taught some of their language, simply dubbed the Summer Tongue. 

As you walked through the bustling marketplace, your eyes came across glittering jewels of rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, fabric of the brightest tones and colors, arts and sculptures, and anything else you could possibly imagine. You made it a point to find something special for everyone back home, including all of the girls, and the twins you’d soon be calling your own. The hunt for something special for Oberyn was proving to be the most challenging of all as you tried to pick your brain for what to get him. Anything that had crossed your mind, he had in turn picked out and gotten himself, he already had, or was something that just wasn’t quite it. But you’d kept your eyes peeled anyway. 

So peeled, in fact, that you didn’t watch where you were going and walked right into someone. A small oof escaped your lips as you looked and found a little girl with bright, eager eyes watching you eagerly. She was gorgeous, skin almost as dark as the richest chocolate, with hair that was intricately styled in braids you learned were traditional to the people of Jhala. Her dress was feathered, a brilliant symphony of greens and reds as she grinned at you, completely untroubled or phased by the fact that you almost bowled her over.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” you offered an apologetic smile and looked her over to make sure she was okay, “I should have been watching where I was going. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she chirped back in your tongue, “we’ve been expecting you!”

“Expecting...me?” you asked as she reached for your hand, and started to pull you away from the crowd. Nothing but a cloud of confusion hung over you as you followed the young girl; you were nervous or scared, but you were intrigued, “who’s been expecting me?”

But she didn’t say anything else, instead pulling you near a small back alley where there were almost no people, just a few here and there milling about. When she seemingly reached her destination, she dropped your hand as you studied your surroundings. Strange, you thought to yourself, I’ve never seen this before.

“Hey-” you turned back to your mysterious little friend but found...nothing. There wasn’t even so much a single disturbance in the air to suggest that anyone had been there or moved away rapidly...there was nothing. A huff of air escaped your lips as you turned and did a spin to just to make sure no one was there; surely you didn’t mind all of that? No, you couldn’t have....you were positive you could still feel the touch of her small hand in yours. It was like a direct call back to your encounter with the mysterious woman in the woods, but this you were sure was real. 

“Hello?” your voice sounded small and diminutive in the large open alleyway, reverbing off the stone walls. No response met your ears but you were positive that you heard your name being whispered softly, calling to you and drawing you in. You were like a moth to a flame as you walked along the cobblestones to the place you were being drawn to, “hello?”

You stopped in front of what appeared to be a small little shop that smelled deliciously of warm spices. Flowers decorated the small window and doors, immediately giving you a sense of warmth and ease. Pushing aside the curtain made of hanging beads and jewels, you slowly stepped inside and looked around. The small space was lit up from the golden sunlight streaming in from the window and softly flickering candles. A small table and two chairs, both looking soft and cozy were in the center of the room, the rest of the space occupied by trinkets from what you assumed were around the world.

“Lady Martell,” the voice was warm and richly accented as you turned and found yourself looking at yet another new person. She offered you a warm smile before coming over and holding her hand out to you; there wasn’t even a moment of hesitation as you reached over and took it, giving it a firm shake, “a pleasure to meet you.”

“How do you...know my name?” you asked as she led you to the table and pulled a car for you to sit in. You sat down and watched her intently as she busied herself with making tea. You tensed for a moment as you flashed back to the tea that had once been presented to you with a most devious intention. But you didn’t think this would be anything like that. She took a few moments, humming under her breath before coming back to you and placing it in front of you before and taking a seat.

“There is no need to worry,” she insisted, “everyone knows who you are. The Prince’s wife, of course. He’s always a welcome sight here as is anyone with him.”

“Oh,” you laughed at yourself, “of course. Sometimes I forget that my husband is such...a prolific figure.”

“As you should,” she said with a warm smile, “he is no stranger to you, but your partner, your lover, your friend - just another person in your life. But to us, he is a man of myth and legend.”

“Yes,” you agreed, “that is he is. Do you...umm...do you happen to have a young girl? I bumped into her and then was gone…”

“Acacia,” she sighed with a smile on her face as a sense of relief washed over you and you realized that you most definitely were not crazy or imagining things, but she had been a real, tangible little girl, “she’s a wily, sneaky little thing sometimes. Here one moment and then gone the next, and almost impossible to keep track of. I wish I could have even a fraction of her energy.”

“She was there one moment and then gone the next,” you told her, “I thought I might have imagined the whole thing.”

“No worries,” she promised, “she’s something else...but I find that people often land where they’re supposed to be at the right time.”

“I…” you mulled over her words as you drank some of the tea; it was sweet with a hint of a spice, but delicious, “I suppose they do.”

“What troubles you?” 

“I’m sorry?” you almost choked on the tea as you set it back down. You looked around and tried to put together who the mysterious woman was when it hit you, she was likely some of...something. You were unsure if there was even a proper label for it, “I-I don’t know what you mean.”

“You appear happy,” she said as you nodded, “but I can tell there is something underlying...there is something in your eyes that suggests a deep sense of unhappiness.”

“What?” you asked as you almost laughed in her face. Of course you were happy, you had no reason not to be...your life was practical bliss… “I am happy, so happy. I-I have everything and then some…”

“That may be so, but one can still experience unhappiness,” you swallowed thickly as you shifted in your seat, “but you have to be honest with yourself...what plagues you? What keeps you up at night?”

You wanted to argue with her and tell her she was wrong, but in that moment you just couldn’t. Instead, your eyes welled up and stung as you stared at the table, playing with the delicate lace of the fabric that covered it. You closed and opened your mouth a few times as a few warm, salty tears filled down your cheeks. You had thought, you were sure, that you had been able to conceal your emotions so well, that everything was in check, but apparently you had been very, very wrong. All the feelings you thought were resolved were apparently very much unresolved. 

“Umm,” she handed you a handkerchief which you used to dab at your eyes, “it��s...gods, I feel silly being so worried and still ruminating on this, but my husband...he was injured at the hands of my family, my brother specifically. Oberyn told me to let it go, that things would be resolved, but I can’t just let it go...I can’t forgive them for what they did to him. He almost died, I stayed by his side as he clung to life, and he wants to let it go.”

“And you don’t want to do that?”

“No,” you insisted sharply, “I don’t. My entire life I have been the black sheep, the scorn of the family. I have had so many things taken from me, and I refuse to let them take more. I don’t...I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to Oberyn...I would....I cannot fathom it. But I can’t let it go and let them think they can do this. Oberyn thinks it’s better to let it go and not stir up trouble, but this isn’t like nicking some chocolate. They wanted to kill him and they almost did. I want them to know what they did, to experience the pain I did.”

“And what would you do to them?”

“I would make them suffer, the same cruel harshness that Oberyn had to go through,” you said through gritted teeth, almost surprising yourself with such harshness. You’d had these thoughts swirling in your mind since you had first discovered the truth from Jeron, but to hear out loud like this was another story, “I want them to know what I went through. And I want to know why. Why can’t they just let us alone and experience our own happiness? Oberyn went to them with peaceful intentions, asking almost nothing of them, but they couldn’t let it go.”

“Every action has a consequence, you understand this, yes?” she asked as you downed the rest of your teeth, studying the grit at the bottom of the cup “

“Action-Reaction,” you concluded with a nod, “I won’t do anything that will cause trouble. There is no reason to incite a war, which my husband has reminded me of many times. He worries too much about me sometimes, I think. He wants to protect me, I know he does, but sometimes I want to protect him too. And I know that I would have all of Dorne support me in this, he is their Prince! The Stark King would make them see reason and realize their actions will not go unpunished.”

“Does their violence necessarily mean you should respond in kind?”

“I....” you paused as you mulled over her words as you realized she had a point, “I don’t know. There’s a million different ways to look at this, but I don’t know what’s right or wrong anymore. I just know...I can’t let them do this without saying something.” 

“And have you told Oberyn about all of this?”

“Yes - in passing,” you sighed lightly, “and he’s fervent in his request to keep things civil and let them go.”

“But you don’t want to.”

“No.”

“You should express this to him,” she took your cup and swirled the two drops of liquid around as she looked at the grit, making a small sound in the back of her throat, “the two of you will be able to work things out and see eye to eye.”

“He’s insistent.”

“And you shall be just as insistent back,” she suggest as you nodded, “make sure he knows that you do not want to let this go and that you want words at least. That you at least want to express your grief to your family.”

“And if he shall not agree?”

“Remember who you are,” she said softly, “before you became a wife, before you became a Martell. Remember your roots and that you are not to be trifled with. You were strong then too, and now you need to remember that. What were your words?”

“Before Our String.”

“What are your words now?”

“Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken.”

“Remember those,” she took your hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, “remember that you are strong, with or without your husband. Don’t do things in haste either, but do not allow yourself or your feelings to get pushed around either.”

“I won’t,” you promised softly, “I am not just Oberyn’s wife, I am so much more than that. I will...I will have what I want.”

“Everything,” she whispered as she pushed the cup back at you and motioned for you to look inside, “everything you want will be yours.”

“Everything?” you whispered as you looked into the cup and tried to see what she was seeing. Your voice cracked slightly as you knew she meant so much more than just your issue with your family. I…”

“I don’t think that’s true,” you gave her a small smile as you pushed the cup back at her and cleared your throat to keep from crying, “I can’t...I have everything I want.”

“This world, here and back in your home, is strange and mysterious. Sometimes it is best not to question things and let them work out as they were intended,” she shrugged lightly as you felt as confused as ever, “have faith in yourself and the universe.”

“I have faith in things I know, things I can touch and see,” you shrugged lightly, “I don’t know about the rest.”

“Exactly,” she stood up as she gathered your cup and hers, “we don’t know and perhaps we’re not supposed to. 

“I don’t understand…”

“Mama!” Acacia poked her into the shop and offered you both a gap toothed grin. You stood up and brushed off your dress before walking towards the door. You gave the young girl a small hug before turning back to her mother.

“Thank you,” you told her softly, “I realize I still don’t know most things, but I do know some. I do know I love my husband and I will go to the ends of the world for him, but I also know I refuse to let things go without a fight.”

“You are well on your way, young one,” she insists as you give her a smile, “things happen as they are supposed to.”

“Yes,” you agreed, “thank you for your help.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

“Oberyn!” by the time you reached the small villa you were staying in, Oberyn had already been back for some time and he was sitting out in the garden, a book perched on his lap as there often was. He didn’t even hesitate to close it and toss it onto the table as you rushed over to him, throwing yourself in his arms as he stood up to meet you, “my love.”

“You are very energetic this afternoon,” he beamed as he picked you up in his arms and spun you around gently setting you and offering you another kiss, “did you have a good day?”

“I missed you,” you told him, reaching up and threading a hand through his curls, “I always miss you when you’re not with me. But yes, I did. I have a very eventful afternoon. How was...business?”

“Business as always was...business. Nothing terribly exciting, and as always my day would have been better at your side,” he touched your cheek gently, “was the market nice?”

“Very,” you promised, “Oberyn, you know I love you more than anything, right?”

“Of course,” he gave you a curious look as one of his eyebrows perked up, “you have never given me a single reason to doubt that. And I feel the same, of course. Tell me, what brings about this sudden declaration?”

“I want you to know. That no matter what ever happens, silly disagreements and bickering, should they happen, you will always be my moon and stars,” you told him and a mildly concerned expression crossed his features, “there’s nothing to worry about my love. But I also...we need to talk.”

“And whatever is so serious that it requires this level of commitment to speaking?”

“I think you know, Oberyn,” you put your hands on his shoulders, “we’ve ignored the issue since it came up and passed, and I...I don’t think I’ve had my fair say.” 

“The issue is over and done,” he immediately picked up on what you were talking about, “there’s no reason to dwell on things that are over and done with.”

“That’s just it, it’s not done,” you insisted softly, “not to me. Oberyn, please just listen to me and hear me out…”

“No,” it was a firm statement, laced with a sharp bite as he stared firmly into your eyes. It was the first time he had ever said it to you in such a manner, “this is over and you....we are letting it go.” 

“Oberyn,” you pulled back and gave him a hurt expression, one that immediately caused him to regret his decision to speak in even a likely harsh tone, “I...we should be able to talk about this…”

“I respect that you have feelings about this, and that they differ from mine,” he promised, “but I don’t think you understand the gravitas of acting upon what happened.”

“I do too! They hurt you, Oberyn. They were going to kill you!”

“And they didn’t,” he held up his hand as if trying to end the conversation then and there, “I know it’s hard to accept, but sometimes inaction is the best response.”

“It’s not...no. I understand exactly what you’re saying, but I don’t think doing nothing is the right response.”

“No,” it was harsh and final, “you are but a child when it comes to affairs of the kind! You know nothing about them. We are not going to do anything and that is final. You will listen to what I say and we are not discussing this further.”

“Oberyn…” you blinked at him a few times, trying to keep your tears from spilling over. He’d never yelled at you before. He let out a long, heavy sigh as he looked at the ground, already angry that he had spoken to you in such a manner The last thing he ever wanted was for you to cry because of him. A few tears rolled down your cheeks as you turned away from him with a small nod, “okay. I understand…”

“Sunshine,” it was soft, reverent whisper as he reached for your hand. But this time, for the first time, you didn’t let him take it, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you in such a manner.”

“It is no matter,” you lied as your lips trembled with cries that you tried to keep quiet, “like you said, I don’t understand these matters. I am but a child and don’t understand these types of things. “

“Please, my sweet girl, listen to me-”

“I’ll see you at dinner, Oberyn.”

With that you walked away from him, hastily wiping at your eyes as he stared after you, unsure of what to do. His shoulders slumped as he regretted every word. He only wanted to protect you, to shield you from the harshness of the world, and yet he was the one that had hurt you. 

That was going to be the first and last time, he quickly decided, he’d make sure there was never a single tear from you ever again.

»»————-　♡　————-««

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[shelby-love]

MATT CASEY

Ex-military

Requested: yes (by anonymous)

Prompts: none

Warning(s): none

Word count: 1.1K

Author’s note: Wrote this in one go and I feel like its absolute RUBBISH! Sorry for the long wait hopefully it’s okay. I’d give it a 6 out of 10 just for the lack of adjectives!

p.s Don't make fun of me my friends I tried really hard to make this disarming thing seem legit! You can obviously tell I’m not cop material lmaoo.

Requests for One Chicago are closed! Click here to see for which shows/movies the requests are open!

~

"How on earth did he even manage to get there?" you mumble, drilling into the suspect with your eyes. The only thing that was currently keeping him from dropping 100 feet to his death were the ropes and the firefighter next to him that was making sure he got down as graciously as possible. Even though he did not deserve it whatsoever.

Wallace Boden glanced back at you, pulling his hands into the air. "Don't ask me officer."

You shook your head with a sigh, clutching the ends of your vest tighter with your hands if that was even possible. Your eyes came together as you squinted them to look past the sun, wanting now more than ever to have a pair of sunglasses on your face. Your partner, Jay Halstead, was leaning against a black SUV, arms crossed over his chest and a pair of sunglasses on his handsome face. He watched the scene unfold before him and unlike you, the sun didn’t seem to faze him.

The street has been closed off, as expected in a case like this one. The unit had come heavily prepared 10 minutes ago, only to find the suspect hanging from a broken window being held up by nothing but his own pants. But he did look surprisingly peaceful as the Captain of truck 81 carried him down to the ground.

Creating order was your job and so you stepped outside the human shield of officers to help the Captain. "I'm here to take him off your shoulders, Cap."

Matt visibly smiled, chucking the man in front of him to take off his ropes. "By all means detective."

The next few seconds passed in a blur, barely even giving you time to assess the situation properly. Somehow somewhere, a gun was pulled out in the man's quick haste to escape. Pointing it to the unarmed Captain was his shot out of there.

Or so he thought.

It wasn't that you were thinking, more so that the amount of experience you had was what kicked in and brought you to action. The speed with which you had jumped in with to disarm the man only came from familiarity, and not from the rank. You grabbed the slide of the gun, clutching it tightly and obstructing the slide from cycling into a shot. The peacefulness he had carried with him was now long gone as he started to trash around, attempting to remove your grip and have full control of the gun again.

You didn't have it and instead pulled your elbow into his face until you heard, rather than felt, a sickening snap of bones. Your leg flew in right after, sending him hurling to the ground.

With the gun now in your possession, you allowed yourself to breathe. Tossing the gun from one hand to another like it was a toy, you turned to the stunned Captain. With a swift move of your hand, the magazine flew out and the gun was officially rendered useless.

"You aright, Cap?" You asked with a smirk, glancing at his chest that was raising and falling rapidly as puffs of air escaped his lugs.

Matt gave you a thumbs up, letting out the last panicked breath. "I don't know how you guys deal with this every day. You-"

"I have experience. But it was still a risky thing for me to do, I apologize."

Matt's eyes widened, "No, no it's alright. You definitely looked like you knew what you were doing."

You smiled, flattered in a way. "The military does that to you."

By now, the man was swarmed with detectives, and you didn't feel the need to interject, instead choosing the moment to walk the Captain to his truck. "You were in the military?"

"Mhmm," you mused, “That's where I learned how to do that."

You didn't even really know what name to call your little stunt. "Although I'm not anymore…in the military. Obviously. I mean, I -"

A heavy silence settled over you when you finally decided to stop rambling, thicker than the one surrounding the mass of police.

You felt incredibly awkward at that moment. Never knowing how to start a conversation with men, especially ones as handsome as Matt wasn't fairly uncommon for you. You scratched the back of your neck awkwardly, showing him just how real you were without even knowing it.

People whistled when they saw what you did, expected you to be bold and confident because of it.

You weren't.

It intrigued him, and so he smiled, showing you his gleaming teeth. "Well, I think what you did back there was mind-blowing."

"Really? You really think so?"

Somehow getting a compliment from him was more than enough. Not even Voight's words will fill you up with pride like Matt's did just now. For whatever reason unfamiliar to you.

"I guess I owe you now," said Matt suddenly. Just as you were about to shake your head dismissively did, he stopped in his tracks, making you do the same too. "How about I return the favor with a drink?"

You pretended to think about it for a second, your toes curling in your combat boots as you did so, "Yeah sure. I'd like that."

The two of you exchanged details, scheduling your meet to be the following Saturday at Molly's.

You joined your unit with a skip in your steps and heart that was threatening to jump out. "What's with the smile?"

It was Jay who sneakily joined you by the car, looking at you with a knowing gaze in his blue eyes. The sunglasses hung on his dark red shirt, now forgotten due to the shade from the building. "I have a date!"

"With whom?" He asked, eyes just a bit wider than usual.

"Captain Casey."

Jay wiggled his eyebrows at, whistling proudly and bringing out his fist for you. You placed your own fist against his victoriously. "Atta girl."

"I know right?" You agreed dreamily, "All because I risked my life to get that gun away from him."

"I don't wanna be that person," Kevin Atwater came up to you with a frown, "But I think being ex-military has something to with all this."

"What do you mean?" You asked him.

"Oh, you know what I mean."

Kevin turned on his heels and stalked away after that, leaving you dazed and confused. "I seriously don't. What's he on about?"

Jay chuckled, slapping your shoulder teasingly. "Atwater thinks being ex-military helps you get noticed."

"Does it?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

Realization shook you a little to late. Jay had already walked away by the time it happened, although his broad shoulders were still very much visibly to you. You glared at them and exclaimed after him, "There was chemistry before I did anything! I felt it!"

You did feel it, and so did the captain.

MASTERLIST

~

Here is the link to my tag list masterpost! If you want to be added to one of my existing tag lists (or perhaps new ones) let me know! :)

Tags (general): @fofisstilinski @short-potato @miranda0102  @httphiddlestan @caromichaela @xx-missunicorn-xx @jemmakates @theravenclawmarauder @httphiddlestan @tclaerh @chefdoeuvre @abimoon @sofiasamps @princxss-fia @thirstykpophoe ; (One Chicago): @lorenakaspersen ; (Chicago P.D.): @scarletsoldierrr​

[juniorgman187]

Sleight of Hand (Reid Fic)

Summary: Practical Joker Reader makes the unsuspecting naive Dr. Reid the object of her most recent prank - stealing his ID badge.  Category: Pure Fluff, Drabble, One Shot Pairing: Platonic Fem!Reader x Spencer Reid Content Warning: Super brief mentioning of dark nature of job, prank Word Count: 2k

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 

Despite what anyone else may believe, or what my resting face may convey, I’m not a mean person. I don’t take pleasure in people’s pain, and I certainly don’t intend to hurt anyone.  

With that being said - I do thoroughly enjoy messing with people from time to time. Which, in my opinion, is a completely different thing than being mean. 

At work, I’m known for pulling harmless pranks. Keyword: harmless. The dark nature that surrounds our job can consume us whole if we let it, and if anyone needs a good laugh here and there, it’s the BAU. Sometimes we all just need reminders that life shouldn’t be taken so seriously, and my silly antics are just the remedy. 

A window of opportunity for my most recent practical joke presented itself when I was packing up to leave for the day. 

Right across my desk was Reid’s and to my right was Derek’s, but at the moment, Reid was parked at the kitchenette, diligently stirring his coffee and copious amounts of sugar packets together while Derek’s head was buried six feet deep in paperwork. I could tell they would both be in for a long night and I didn’t envy them for that. 

“Alright, I’m out!” I announced to them both, but before I could actually get far, Derek stopped me. 

“Wait, (y/n)! Hold up,” He sat up from his chair to reach me with an outstretched arm. “Can you put this back on Reid’s desk?” 

I blinked hard when he tossed an object at me, so only after I caught it did I open my eyes and realize it was just a pen. 

“Wow. Lazy much?” I scoffed, gesturing to Reid’s desk that was less than seven feet away. Derek was probably exerting more effort into stretching out his arm like that to give me the pen as opposed to if he just got off his butt and walked to the desk himself.

“Pleaseee,” He partially begged, causing me to roll my eyes and replace the pen dutifully. As I slipped the pen into its rightful spot in his little cup of writing utensils, something caught my eye.

Lightbulb!

Just sitting there on Spencer’s desk was his badge. It was so carelessly placed in comparison to everything else on the table that had been situated in such a carefully, almost calculated, manner.

I knew Spencer had a habit of taking it off at the end of the day, but it baffled me just how flippantly he treated it. I figured he coveted his badge, but his haphazard placement of it suggested otherwise, while simultaneously showing his humanity to me. He wasn’t so cookie-cutter perfect after all, he could be messy, too.

It was that epiphany that almost made me not want to tamper with it, but it was my own humor that pushed me to do it anyway. 

Maybe it’s time Spencer learned a lesson, rather than being the one to teach it. 

If he was going to just let this thing lie around like it was nothing, then how would he react if it wasn’t there at all? 

I slyly looked up from the badge and to Spencer, whose back was still turned to me in the kitchen and then to Derek, who was too focused on his work to even notice that I was still here. Fully taking advantage of Spencer’s oblivion and the lack of a witness in Derek, I slipped the ID swiftly into my purse. Even if Derek wasn’t the type to be a snitch, it was better that absolutely no one knew.

Less than a millisecond after successfully concealing the badge within my bag, Spencer finally turned around and saw me lingering by his desk.

“What are you still doing here?” He asked with the slightest bit of suspicion in his voice. There was no way he could’ve known what’d I’d just done unless he had eyes at the back of his head, so I stayed calm and collected, relishing in my guaranteed safety.

“Derek wanted me to return your pen,” I explained casually from across the bullpen. I watched as Spencer strolled unhurriedly towards me, and it might’ve been my paranoia that led me to this belief, but I swore I saw his eyes dart to his desk momentarily. However, if he had noticed the absence of his badge, he didn’t say anything. 

“Oh, thanks! Have a good night.” He smiled and waved back to me, showing no indication of mistrust. 

Sucker. 

“You, too!” I said with more zeal than the situation warranted. I was worried that might’ve given me away, but I had timed my escape so perfectly that I was already in the elevator by the time he returned to his desk, giving him no chance to inquire about my uncharacteristic behavior. 

That was a close one. 

When I came in the next morning, Spencer wasn’t there yet. Which was slightly strange given the fact that I was barely on time, so if he came in at any point after my own arrival, Spencer would be considered late for work. Occurrences like that only happen once in a blue moon, and usually, the reason for them are mysterious haircuts or something’s wrong. I hoped for his sake it was the former. 

Now you might consider me an impeccable troublemaker, but I’d first and foremost be rendered outstandingly forgetful. I say this only because I had completely forgotten that I stole Spencer’s badge the night before. But can you blame me? It was stashed away in my purse, hidden to my immediate sight, and the object was so small that it didn’t stick out to me or add an excess of weight in my bag that would serve as an unintentional reminder. It never once crossed my mind, not even when I looked to Derek to ask, “Where’s Reid?”

With a coffee mug in one hand, Derek put his arms out to either side of him and shrugged. Suddenly, the mug precariously shook from the draft created by someone blowing right by him. 

It was Reid.

“Whoa, slow your roll there, Pretty Boy. Almost knocked my coffee over.” Derek reprimanded playfully, clutching on tighter to his precious coffee that almost succumbed to Spencer’s speed when he breezed by.

But rather than apologizing or laughing, Spencer kept on his pursuit. Since the time he got here, his eyes were glued to his desk with determination. Even as he approached his desk, he hadn’t yet acknowledged me or Derek. Instead, he was mumbling to himself while haphazardly sorting through his desk. He was frantic and in disarray, a manner that worried both me and Derek.

“What’s wrong, Reid?” I leaned forward to observe his desk, which by now, was what I had to think was a direct reflection of his brain - completely chaotic. Papers were scattered, books were open to random pages, he even emptied out his well-maintained writing utensil cup. 

“I lost my badge.” He answered with his attention still trained on finding it. Luckily for me, that meant he couldn’t see the sudden smirk that grew on my face as a result of his response. There was no way to hide my entertainment without biting down on my lip to keep it from contorting into a smile or perching my head on my hand and using my knuckles to hide my devilish grin. 

“When’s the last time you had it?” Derek was surprisingly just as concerned as Reid and just as eager to help him find it, even setting down his coffee on his own desk to help Reid sort through his. 

“I always take it off at the end of the day, and I remember setting it on my desk, but I didn’t take it home with me. I don’t recall even leaving here with it, so I must’ve left it somewhere here.” 

At this point, my unbridled enjoyment of this was too much to physically contain, that I actually had to spin my chair a complete 180 degrees just to shield them from the sight of my imminent laughter. 

“(Y/n), do you remember seeing it -” Derek’s voice overpowered my muffled giggles, and when he looked up to ask me that, he would’ve seen my shuddering shoulders from where I was laughing hard, yet noiselessly. I spun my chair back around and looked at him with cool indifference. 

He quickly noted the shade of red I had turned and profiled the situation. But rather than outing me, he followed the instruction of my index finger to my lips and stayed quiet. 

I took his alliance as an opportunity to nonchalantly retrieve the badge from my purse. At a tantalizingly slow pace, I raised it in the air, until it was so high, Reid would be able to see it dangling from my thumb and forefinger. 

“Looking for this?” 

Spencer’s gaze immediately shot upward to look right at the badge, before flashing to me. 

What part of him reacted first, I wasn’t sure. Was it the sigh of relief or the flared nostrils and clenched jaw that came soon after? 

He wasn’t even going to say anything to me before grabbing it from me, that’s how pissed he was. But my quick reflexes lunged me backward at the same moment he reached out to get his badge from me, preventing him from successfully taking it back. I couldn’t believe he actually tried that and thought it would work. 

“Ah, ah, ah,” I wagged my finger left to right to communicate my disapproval. “Not so fast, Pretty Boy. I want something in return.”

He shot me the most deadpan glare. “What do you want?” 

I put my finger to my chin and looked up to coyly think about it, but more so to extend his torture for just a few seconds longer. I could feel him staring a hole into me as he grew more and more impatient. “Well, it’s gotta be something good. I mean, imagine what would’ve happened if this landed in the wrong hands.” 

“Evidently, it did.” He coldly replied. 

“Ouch,” I feigned offense and brought my hand to my chest to clutch my heart with a short gasp. “I’m so hurt,” I said with the biggest pout.

He was not nearly as entertained as I was, and his lack of amusement came in the form of a stoic, “I’ll teach you sleight of hand.” 

My body actually had to reboot at the sound of his proposal. “Wait, are you serious?” I clarified. 

“Yes. It physically pains me every time I watch you try to do it, so I figure it’s better for me if I teach you how to do it properly instead of having to sit through another one of your lousy, pathetic magic tricks.”

I would’ve been offended, but I’d been begging him to teach me sleight of hand for months, so the insults were quickly disregarded by me in case he changed his mind during the time I’d take up being hurt by his cruelty.  

“Deal,” I smirked while handing him his badge back. 

Needless to say, I did teach the good doctor a lesson, but it seems he still hasn’t learned … for why would you teach the biggest practical joker in the office sleight of hand? That only adds to my arsenal of tricks I have up my sleeve to use against my coworkers.

Maybe I should teach Spencer another lesson and see if he learns this time around.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 

reid taglist: @s1utformgg @no-alarms-no-surprises-silence @jemimah-b99 @justanothetfangirl @kylab @rainsong01 @calm-and-doctor @inkstainedwritergirl @rexorangecouny @ashwarren32 @carooliina @fortheloveofcriminalminds @watermelongubler  @obsessedmaggiemay @k-k0129 @aperrywilliams @eevee0722​ @spencersmagic​ @spencerreid-mgg​ @half-blood-dork​ @goldeng1rl8​ @just-a-bunch-of-fandoms​ 

[monicashipsnickyjoe]

(part 5 of my advertising agency office au - see masterpost)

“I see you currently work at Merrick’s agency,” the interviewer says through the speakers of Nicky’s phone. He skipped lunch to sit out in his car in the parking lot and take this call.

At the start of the call, the interviewer introduced herself as Andy, CEO of the company, The Old Guard. The agency was much smaller than Merrick’s, employing only a handful of people. But their client list was lengthy and loyal. Their website said they’ve been around for many years.

“Yes,” Nicky says, unsure how much to give away.

“You poor bastard,” she said. “What are you making there?”

Nicky blinks at her language and her forward question, but still tells her.

“I’ll give you double,” she says. “When can you start?”

Nicky sits back in the driver’s seat, temporarily rendered speechless. He’d never had an interview go so well, so quickly. “I would need two weeks, to break cleanly here.”

“You got it.”

“And...” Nicky hesitates. If he asks what he wants to ask, he risks looking unprofessional and potentially losing this absolutely amazing job offer. Joe can handle himself. He surely has job offers lined around the block. But. Still. “I have a friend.” Nicky pauses, unsure how to proceed. Andy waits, and Nicky knows he likes her. Unlike Merrick, she offers him patience. “He is a graphic designer.”

“Oh,” Andy says. “Look, Nicky, we already have a good crew here, except for a numbers guy. We’re like a family.”

“Oh.” Nicky fights to hide his disappointment. “I see.”

“I know Merrick has snagged a lot of good people, but...” She laughs. “Unless it’s Yusuf al-Kaysani, I couldn’t possibly convince the rest of the team to take on another designer.”

Nicky goes very quiet.

Andy notices. “Wait. Is it Yusuf al-Kaysani? Nicky? Are you still there?”

“I haven’t talked to him about it yet,” Nicky says, suddenly nervous. He hadn’t expected to put Joe’s name out there without asking. He’d only meant to see if the option is available.

“Listen, Nicky, the offer’s open for you either way. Think about it. Call me next week. Swing by the office and meet the team. In the meantime, talk to al-Kaysani. If he wants in, we’ll fit another desk in here somewhere.”

Someone in the background says, “We’ll what?”

“Don’t make that face, Booker,” she says. “Bye, Nicky.” She hangs up.

Nicky stares at the call-ended screen on his phone. What a strange interview. But a good offer. And if Joe...

No, he won’t get ahead of himself.

He gets out of his car, puts his phone into his pocket, and tries not to think about any of this for the rest of the day.

*

Joe gives his presentation behind closed doors somewhere on the executive floor, but Nicky knows it goes well when a sizeable check from the Pharmaceutical company crosses his desk.

"Good job, Joe,” Nicky says, pride swelling, and readies the check for the bank.

*

“There you are, Nicky,” Joe says, appearing at the entrance of Nicky’s cubicle at the end of the day. His voice is a shot of warmth through Nicky’s chest, and Nicky immediately abandons what’s left of the day’s work to swivel in his chair and face him.

“Hello, Joe.”

Joe’s eyes flutter closed. He places a hand over his heart. “Say it again.”

“Hello?”

Joe smiles. “My name.”

“Oh.” Nicky’s face burns, but he’s smiling, too. He can’t seem to help himself around Joe. “Hello. Joe.”

Joe takes a strong step forward, into the cubicle. His hands reach out, searching - but then he catches himself and stops. He glances around, but no one is looking. He coughs in his fist.

“I was hoping,” he says, “that if you are free this evening, you would perhaps like to accompany me to dinner. And... if you would like... I would be pleased if you would...” He takes another step closer, smaller than the last. Voice low, he says, “Please come home with me,” sounding as desperate as Nicky feels.

"Yes.”

“Oh.” Joe’s smile expands, blinding. “Molto bene.”

Nicky turns and shuts down his computer properly. He sets his unfinished work in a pile to complete first thing the next time he’s in the office. Then he grabs his jacket and still-full lunch bag and follows Joe out of the cubicle and the building.

Joe leads him to his sports car in a nearby spot. It’s beautiful, silver, and sleek, fast-looking. Nicky frowns at it.

Andy’s offer to Nicky is generous, but would a small company like The Old Guard be willing, or able, to match Joe’s exorbitant salary?

“Nicky?”

“Forgive me.” Nicky shakes his head. This is not the place for that conversation.

Joe gives him a worried look, like he wants to press, but Nicky stops him by promising, “I will tell you later.”

Joe opens the car and Nicky slides into soft leather. Joe sits down in the passenger side and immediately yawns. In the natural light, the bags under his eyes are dark and prominent. All of him, beneath his smile, seems to droop. He’s all but melting into a puddle in the leather.

“Joe. Perhaps I should drive.”

Joe rubs his eyes. “Maybe.” Another yawn. “I don’t know why I’m so tired all of the sudden.”

“I do,” Nicky says. “Two sleepless nights in a row. Perhaps more.” Nicky has suspicions.

Joe huffs a sleepy laugh. “Maybe.”

“Come on.” Nicky holds his hand out for the keys, and Joe gives them over. They switch seats and click their seat-belts.

Nicky turns the ignition, bringing the car to life with a loud purr. He sets it in reverse, but then considers something, and puts it into park again. “I don’t know where you live.” He waits. “Joe?”

Joe is slumped in the passenger seat, eyes closed. His chest rises and falls in long steady breaths.

Nicky’s heart leaps into his throat. How much Joe must trust Nicky to hand him the keys and fall immediately asleep. How tired he must be.

Nodding to himself, Nicky sets the car in reverse again and pulls out of the parking spot. He drives the fancy car the few blocks to his apartment building and pulls into the visitor spot.

With the car parked and the engine turned off, Nicky rounds to the passenger side and opens the door.

“Joe.” He places his hand on Joe’s shoulder. “Joe, help me. We’re at my apartment. It’s just a few stairs.”

Joe grumbles, reactive at least, thank goodness. Nicky has already learned how deeply Joe sleeps.

“I’m not sure I can carry you.” Nicky reaches across and unbuckles Joe’s seat belt.

Joe drops his head forward, forehead pressing into Nicky’s shoulder. “You’re so warm,” he mumbles.

“I’ll be even warmer upstairs.”

Joe hums, and moves just enough to help Nicky drag him to his feet. Nicky pulls his arm around his shoulder and leads him to the stairwell, locking the car behind them. The stairs are a struggle, but they manage. Nicky leans Joe against the wall as he opens his apartment door.

“I think I need a nap,” Joe says, blinking slowly. “Just a quick one... I don’t want to miss...”

“Hey.” Nicky catches him before he can fall asleep against the brick wall.

They stumble into Nicky’s small apartment and Nicky leads Joe into the bedroom and to the double-size bed. He eases Joe down and then bends to take off his shoes.

“I’m sorry.” Joe rubs his eyes, but can’t seem to keep them open. “I’m ruining our first date.”

“It’s not ruined,” Nicky says. “Would you like some pajamas?”

Grumbling incoherently, Joe reaches for his shirt and pulls it off over his head.

All of the air suddenly disappears from the room. Nicky suspected Joe is all muscle, but to have it suddenly on display, so very near before him - in his bedroom.

He looks away. Glances back. Looks away again.

“How about a t-shirt?” he says and standing, rushes to his dresser. He digs through the second drawer down, searching for his most comfortable sleeping shirt. When he has it, he faces the bed again, just in time to see Joe kick off his pants.

Joe is, at least, blessedly, wearing underwear.

Still, fire pulses through Nicky’s veins. Joe is beautiful, inside and out. Nicky swallows the rising lump in his throat and approaches the bed.

Bunching the t-shirt, Nicky begs Joe to lift his arms so he can put it on. Joe complies, sitting up enough for Nicky to pull it down and cover those pecs and those abs. He immediately flops back down and starts to snore.

More than anything, Nicky wants to join him. He looks so peaceful and content, and bends his body around a perfectly Nicky-shaped emptiness. With those arms around him, Nicky just knows he would feel warm and safe all night through.

But then his stomach rumbles, reminding him that he skipped lunch. He can’t skip dinner, too. Besides, when Joe wakes up, he’ll be hungry. Nicky will be a lousy host if he doesn’t have food ready for his guest.

On the way to the kitchen, he glances back once, from the door, to Joe sleeping soundly in his bed. And for the first time in a very long time, everything feels right.

[aubreyprc]

happier

for @ssa-sparks , who asked for happier+hotchniss💕💘 feel free to send requests, ask/message💖💗💞💘💓

part four of my sour series

ao3

“Say you love her, baby,

Just not like you loved me

And think of me fondly,

When your hands are on her

I hope you're happy,

But don't be happier”

-

It hits her sometimes, how close she was to having everything before her life unravelled, leaving nothing but chaos in its wake. Leaving her too broken to even attempt at rekindling something with him, too messed up to think he could ever truly feel the same for her as he did before. Before Ian, before Boston. Before he learnt of Lauren, and how she’d shared her body and a bed with a known terrorist for two years as part of a job.

She’d been cruel when she ended it, forcing words out of her mouth that she didn’t mean in order to keep him safe. She remembers the look on his face when she’d called them casual, can remember the words he spat right back at her as she left.

She remembers how forgiving he was when he sat at her hospital bed. Grabbing her hand gently while he whispered gentle words, placing a soft kiss on her lips as he promised her that he would do whatever it took to get her back the team. Back to him.

She can also remember just how different everything was when she returned, how absolutely nothing was the same between her and anyone on the team, but especially him.

She remembers the moment it ended, the moment he told her he wanted her, but they needed time. She should recover from everything that she’s been through and they’ll talk when it’s time. They’ll know when it’s time.

Yet that time never comes, the two of them moving further and further apart as months go by and soon they’re not even talking. She accepts with a heavy heart that it’s truly over when it’s obvious he’s started to see someone new.

It hits her again with force, like a harsh slap to the face (which, she thinks she would have preferred. It probably would have hurt less) how close she was to having everything when she hears the name Beth fall from his lips, talking in his office with Dave with a glass of whiskey. (something the three of them used to do, but she won’t dwell on it. She can’t. It hurts too much) Her plan was to just hand him her report and leave. Ignore the way his eyes would linger on her for a moment too long to be friendly, words he refuses to say on the tip of his tongue as he watches her walk away without a word. Absolutely nothing let to say between the two of them. They had something, something remarkable, something that a person only gets once and it was taken from underneath them because of her, and as she stands outside of his almost but not quite shut door, she freezes, the soft tone the other woman’s name being said in rendering her frozen, the wind completely knocked out of her.

It could have seen seconds, it could have been hours before she clears her throat, tapping three times softly on the door before opening it.

“The report,” she smiles, walking to his desk, setting it down gently with a fake smile while her broken heart hammers in her chest. “Night.” She smiles to the two men, nodding her head in farewell and she turns to leave.

“Can we talk, tomorrow?” He asks her and she closes her eyes, holding down the door handle as she takes a deep breath before turning, her fake smile back on her face.

“Sure,” she agrees, “is that all?”

He nods, sending her back a smile that doesn’t seem like his and she wonders then, if he can see right through hers. Nodding again, she leaves his office, taking deep breaths, holding back her tears as she grabs her coat and bag before swiftly existing the building.

She’s in the comfort of her own car when she lets them fall, can feel them rolling down her cheek as she speeds out of the parking garage, as though she can out run the heartache.

To Emily’s surprise he comes to her the next night, knocking on her apartment door at too much of a late hour for it to be anything professional and as she lets him in, watches as he looks around her new apartment she inhales a deep breath and prepares herself for whatever words he was about to speak. Maybe he’ll finally say the ones that have been on the tip of his tongue for the last three months, she thinks.

“I take it you heard?” He questions, looking at her for the first time since he walked in.

“About Beth? Yeah…” She tells him, sending him a sad smile.

“I was going to tell you first, before-” He stops, shaking his head. “You should have found out from me first hand and for that I’m sorry.” He tells her.

“It’s fine,” she smiles, “I’m glad you’re moving on. You’ve seemed happier these last few weeks.”

“Emily-” He starts to say, only to be stopped by her a moment later.

“Really, Aaron.” She smiles, “It’s okay, we ended and you moved on, it’s normal.”

“Yeah,” He says, “I just wanted to apologise, for not telling you first hand.” He smiles.

“No hard feelings,” she jokes, a small laugh escaping her throat. “Did you want to talk about anything else?”

He stays silent for a few moments, mulling over the words in his head as he ponders about saying them, ponders about opening up old wounds.

“No,” He says, deciding to draw a line on what could have been, choosing instead to try and work on gaining her back as his friend. His close friend. Maybe his best. “No that’s it.” He tells her with a smile.

She nods, leading the way to her front door, almost closing it as he steps out only to stop when he turns back to face her.

“You know you’ll always have me, right?” He questions shyly, as if he’s unsure, “No matter what…”

She stares at him, clearing her throat before speaking.

“I know.” She tells him softly, smiling as her eyes meet his properly since he walked out three months ago. “I know.”

“Good.” He nods, “Good night.”

“Goodnight.” She smiles, watching him walk off before closing her door, his words ringing in her ears like a siren.

Knowing about Beth and meeting, Beth, turn out to be two completely different feelings.

You can ignore the existence of someone you’ve never met, trick yourself into thinking that they’re no one, that’s it’s nothing.

You can’t ignore them however, once you’ve met them. Seen first hand the happiness written over their faces.

That’s something Emily learns while hungover, stood at the finish like of a triathlon, staring at Aaron’s smile as he hugs the other woman, the way his eyes almost shimmer as he looks at her…Beth. The happiness that radiates of him causes her stomach to turn and she has to look away while she does her best to ignore their laughs, turning to watch him, Beth and Jack walk away, her heart cracking in her chest as she watches him smile into their kiss, forcing herself to look away and follow JJ and Penelope to Reid’s car, throwing on a smile while spilling a lie about her head when they ask why she looks like she’s just seen a ghost.

The conversation with Regina sends her right back to where she started, hitting home more than she would have liked and she knows its obvious when Hotch lets her go back to the hotel, telling her she was done for the day and to take sometime to herself.

She’s no idea how much time had past, how long she’d been staring at the ceiling replaying how well her life was going before Ian had found her, how happy she was, maybe the happiest she’d ever been. She thinks about how he’d run a hand down her spine as they spoke in hushed whispers in his bed, confessions and laughs shared between the two in the late hours of the night, as though they were the only two people in the word. She thinks about how he’d cup her jaw gently before kissing her if she babbled on too much, leaving them both smiling into their kiss, pure happiness written on both their faces as they each tore further into the others heart, the feeling of forever lingering in the air as they wrapped themselves in each other.

She turns her head to the door at the gentle three taps and sits up, running a hand through her hair as she walks over, already knowing who it is before she even opens the door.

“Hey,” He says softly, passing her as she moves aside to allow him in. “Are you okay?”

“I will be,” She tells him, “Just a tough case.”

“I know how hard it must have been, to listen to Regina.”

“It’s fine,” She tells him, “She was right. Mine is dead.”

“Doesn’t make it any easier.” He tells her from experience and she looks down, wiping her tears just as quick as they fall but not quick enough, already feeling him talking steps towards her before stopping mere inches away, cupping her face gently as he had done so many times before, and wiping her tears.

“It’s going to be okay.” He tells her gently, her eyes meeting his and in that moment it’s easy to let themselves believe for a second it’s him and her again, that there’s no Beth, no Ian and no Boston, just them, a mere year ago, happy and on their way to love. 

His lips are almost on hers when she places to flat hands into his chest, pushing him away slowly as she drops her head.

“We can’t,” she whispers, “You’re with Beth.”

He steps back, “sorry, I should…I should go.” He mumbles, looking around the room as he clears his throat.

The words I want you die on his tongue as he forces himself to walk out of the room, flashes of their nights together playing on a loop in his brain as he screws his eyes shut.

They don’t talk about what almost happened.

She continues to watch his happiness increase as months go by, and carries on pretending that she’s fine, that she isn’t dying inside with every passing moment she spends watching him smile at another woman, watching him be happy with someone else.

He finds her for the second time at JJ’s wedding, a few hours after their previous conversation. He comes up to the side of her, smiling as she laughs at one of his lame jokes and as she turns to face him, he stills, a look on her face one he hasn’t seen before.

“Do you love her?” She asks softly, and he nods.

“I do.” He tells her and she rolls her lips, nodding her head as she forces herself not to cry. “But not like I loved you.” He continues and her eyes snap up to his, examining his features for a tell he’s lying and failing, her heart beating rapidly against her rib cage. She stares a few more moments, before gently placing a hand on the side of his face, catching his lips with her own in a delicate kiss, looping her hands to rest on the back of his neck when his arms softly wrap around her waist and pull her into him.

Their foreheads rests together as they separate and she smiles sadly.

“I miss you already.” He whispers, pulling her into a hug.

“Be happy.” She whispers back, before pulling from his arms and smiling at him, the words but please don’t be happier with her than you were with me renaming unsaid, taken instead by, “You should go, I’m sure Jack will be looking for you.”

He nods, turning to face the garden, before looking back at her.

“Go,” She laughs sadly, “I’ll be right out.”

He squeezes her hand before walking off and once he’s out of view, she takes a deep breath and turns, catching a glimpse of him, Jack and Beth as they laugh together in a corner, and even though it kills her, she has to be happy for him, she loves him, and with a heavy exhale she knows that’s all she wants, for him to be happy, even if it is without her.

She flies to London and he lets her go. He lets her go without ever telling her that it’s her he was ever truly happy with. Starting to find far too many similarities within Emily and Beth. He sees Emily’s face sometimes when he kisses Beth, imagines it’s her spine he’s tracing his fingers across and thinks of her when he envisions forever.

He ends it with Beth six months later, a tumble of apologies falling from his mouth as she walks out with a sad smile and a nod.

“You should call her.” Beth says as she stands in the doorway, “Emily.” She tells him as he frowns, his eyes widen and then she’s gone.

He calls her two weeks later and three weeks after that, is standing in front of her door, drenched head to toe as he waits for her to answer.

The smile she gives him when she opens the door makes the terrible weather and the awful traffic worth it and when her lips crash into his, he realises he’s never needed anyone but her to be happy.

fin

[goodwriterwithbadhabits]

Love Letters

I have no idea how this turned out, I opened a word doc, blacked out and ended up with this. 

Master List

~~ “I would write you poems until my hands worked no more. Would play you music until my fingers bled. Shakespeare himself would have to rise from his tomb to stop me writing you sonnets. No words will ever convey the love which spills from my heart, but I will try to do so every day.” Johnny reads the letter loud, a smile on his face as he looks over at you. You’re certain your face conveys the sheer horror you’re feeling, and judging from the laughter that bubbles from him, it does. You’re frozen in the doorway of your own dorm room, staring at the man lounging in your desk chair, the man who’d just found your second best kept secret. “So, how much does it cost to get one of these letters?” 

“What are you doing?” His eyebrow hikes up at your question, and he gestures to the stacks of envelopes and the typewriter sitting on your desk. 

“You’re the one writing all the love notes around campus right? What if I want to send one to someone?” You blink at him a few times, still in shock, but step into the room properly and shut the door. 

“How’d you find out about this? Who told you?” You question, dropping your backpack on the floor and crossing your arms over your chest. He mimics your pose, though still in your chair. 

“Who said anyone told me?” He challenges, “I figured it out.” 

“Bullshit. I’ve been doing this for almost two years and no one’s been the wiser. The only people that know are my customers, so who told you?” He’s silent for a moment, not pretending not to size you up. You can feel your heartbeat in your chest, and part of you wants to celebrate having your crush alone in your dorm room, but the other part of you remembers he’s here for a love letter, not you. 

“Are you going to stop writing for them if I tell you?”

“Maybe, or maybe I’ll just revoke their long term customer pricing. Who was it?”

“Yuta.” Your eyes roll automatically at the name, you should have known it was him. 

“Of course it was. Did he refer you, or did he just tell you?” Johnny shrugs, clearly loving how annoyed you’re getting. 

“Maybe both. You haven’t answered my question.” 

“One time letters to someone are 25, self letters are 35. If you’re wanting a long term contract it depends on the frequency of the letters, contents and subject.” You finally relent, trying not to let the disappointment cloud your voice. 

“What’s the most expensive contract you have?” You motion for him to get out of your chair, which he shockingly does, so you can grab your clientele binder and find your contract sheets. He flops down on your bed while you work, watching you flick through the almost shockingly thick binder. 

“Someone pays me 75 dollars every other month to write three page long letters to send to his girlfriend overseas.” You tell him, pulling out a contract, “This contract is legal, by the way, I had a friend of mine in law school draft it. I only write the letters, I don’t deliver them and I am not responsible for the reaction of the recipient. You can’t get me in legal trouble if things backfire, nor can you demand a refund. You cannot ask for personal information about other clients, and no I won’t tell you if you’re giving a letter to someone who is already receiving letters. Any questions?” You finally look up from your contract, locking eyes with the boy sitting on your bed. 

“Would you handwrite a letter for me, or is it typewriter only?”

“I try not to handwrite letters, just in case someone might recognize my handwriting.” He smiles again, and you have to look away, trying not to blush. God, how did you get so unlucky? When you had started writing these letters, it was because of your crush on Johnny. Your roommate freshman year had found a letter you’d never planned to send and asked if you would write one for her to give to the girl she liked. From there, your little business blossomed, and now you had upwards of 30 clients, all paying you to write about Johnny without knowing. 

“Do I have to tell you who my letter is for?” 

“Nope, all you have to tell me is whether you know them personally or not, and if there’s something about them you want me to talk about.” You drop your binder on the desk, turning to face him once more. “I’ll also need your contact info, phone number or email preferably. I take cash, venmo, and cashapp, you have to pay before your first letter, and if you make it a long term thing, then you pay upon receiving the letter.” He nods, his lower lip sticking out slightly. 

“OKay, lets do one letter for now, and depending on their reaction, we’ll see about sending more.” 

“No problem, just fill this out for me, and we’ll get started.” You pass him the contract and a clipboard to write on. “For the first letter, I always have my clients tell me about the person they’re wanting me to write about, that way if you meet face to face, the letters still sound like you.” 

“What’s your major again?” 

“Psychology, with an English Lit minor.” 

“Makes sense.” The two of you are quiet for a moment while he fills out the form, and you take the chance to package some letters, ironically, one was for Yuta, who was definitely getting a scolding when he came to pick it up. “Alright here.” You don’t look at him, only extend your hand for him to place it in. You can feel him watching you as you finish up your work, marking who still has to pay for your work. “So, have you ever written a letter for someone, like from you?”

“Yes and no.” You weren’t sure why you even answered. 

“What do you mean?” You sigh, putting your papers away so you can move the typewriter front and center. 

“Every letter I write is about the person I like, that’s how it started.” You explain, “Yeah, it sounds like I’m writing about someone else, but it’s always about him.” 

“Ever had to write one for him?” You can tell he’s actually interested in this, but you shake your head, not wanting to talk about it more. 

“Don’t worry about my love life, Johnny, lets work on yours.” You grab a notebook, spinning to face him, ready to take notes. “Tell me about your person.” 

If you told me you were Eros, I would believe you. From the moment I saw you, the arrow of love had pierced my heart and rendered it useless to all others. Were you a god, I would be your most devoted priest. My lips would sing your prayers and praises until there was no oxygen left at your altars. Your mind rivals that of Shakespeare and Einstein, and I wish on every star that one day I may be privy to your innermost thoughts. Your eyes hold the universe, and your hands: my heart. You fill my dreams, and soothe my nightmares. Had I an ounce more courage, I would say these words to your face, but in truth, no words could accurately depict the love I have for you. It bubbles from my heart, courses through my veins and clouds my mind. I would give you the world, the moon and all the stars in the sky if you only asked, but now I can only give you this letter and hope you will not think ill of me. Yours ever, Johnny

“Here, all done.” Johnny barely has the chance to knock on your door the following day before you’re shoving the lilac envelope in his hands. “It’s not super long, but it’s pretty expressive, if you want more just let me know, I hope they like it.” You don’t give him the chance to reply, instead just shut the door and try not to start crying instantly. Every word you had said was true, and he was about to give it to some rando. You wanted to cancel every other letter people had asked for, so tired of writing about a love you couldn’t have. A knock on your door makes you huff, just wanting to lay down for a while. “What?” You demand, swinging the door open to find Johnny still standing there. He holds the envelope out to you, his other hand deep in his pocket. 

“Here.” 

“Do you not like it? I can rewrite it.” You offer, hesitating to take it. No one had ever hated what you’d written, to say it was a bit of an ego crusher was an understatement. 

“No. No it’s amazing, its everything I wanted to say. You did an amazing job.” He extends his hand again, not looking you in the eye. “But its for you.” 

“What?” 

“When I learned it was you-” He huffs, “Look, I’ve had a thing for you since English 101. You’ve always been super smart and gorgeous, but I’ve been too scared to say anything cause you were always writing these sweet things, and I figured they’re for someone else, so I didn’t want to pressure you into something. But I might not get accepted into my Masters and I didn’t want to leave without saying-” 

“Johnny.” He stops speaking the second you say his name, his eyes snapping up to yours. Your face is warm, and you can feel your eyes watering. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“You.” The bewilderment on his face is almost funny. 

“Me?”

“Yes you. Every single letter I’ve ever written has been about you. Even this one. I wrote you a love letter only to have it be for me.” You can’t help but laugh at the irony of it all. 

“Wait, really?” He’s laughing a little as well. 

“Yes you idiot. I’ve been so scared Yuta had told you, I was even gonna go cry once you left.” You admit, wiping at the tears that were falling. 

“Oh no, don’t cry.” He pulls you close to his chest, his head resting on yours. “Let me take you for lunch. Then maybe you can tell me some of those sweet things you’re always writing about me.” You both laugh at this, pulling away from him. 

“Don’t think I’m going to let this ruin my business, Johnny Suh, I’ve still got to pay for my coffee habits.” 

“Only if I get to read the letters first.” 

“Deal.” 

“And I get to see your client list.” 

“Not a chance.”