#i saw this work of his and immediately went hmmm this reminds me of someone

[nettleshuttle]

the funkiest little autism creature in existence

based on one of the works by yoshimito nara (featured in the references above) whose current vienna exhibition you can check out here!

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝑨𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒛: 𝑨𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝑻𝒐 𝑭𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑹𝒂𝒘 (𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅)

Warnings: NSFW content. Read at your own discretion.

I blame @yunhoiseyecandy for this.

❥𝓚𝓲𝓶 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓳𝓸𝓸𝓷𝓰

Hongjoong had been teasing you since you arrived. When he asked you to sit on his lap, you thought he'd just hold you and work like he always did. Instead, he'd been kissing your neck and squeezing your ass every now and then.

"Hongjoong...." You whined at him.

"Y/N..." He mimicked you.

He chuckled as his teeth tugged on your earlobe.

"Tell me a dirty secret..... what do you often fantasize about when I'm not with you?"

You let out a particularly loud moan when he rolled his hips up against yours, immediately making you think back on the one thing you really wanted and craved for so long.

"Hongjoong...I want..." You bit your lip, wondering if it was ok to ask.

"Hmmm? Yes baby?" He pecked your lips, eyes encouraging you to tell him all about it.

"I want you to fuck me raw."

He stayed silent for a while and you honestly wanted to crawl into a hole and die. But then he let out a tiny giggle before licking his lips. You let out a high pitched squeal when he hoisted you up onto his desk, pushing away all the stuff scattered around. Hongjoong wasted no time as he began pulling your pants and underwear off.

"I can't wait to make a mess inside your little pussy."

❥𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓴 𝓢𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝔀𝓪

You threw your head back and closed your eyes, biting your lip to try and muffle the sinful noises coming from your mouth. Seonghwa wasn't having it though. His hand went to the back of your head, pulling your hair.

"Eyes wide open babygirl." He reminded you.

Your eyes looked up at him, admiring his sharp and handsome features, lust filled eyes peering intently at you. Unconsciously, your sight traveled down his body, licking your lips as your eyes raked over his toned and defined abs before settling where your two bodies connected.

Seonghwa cocked an eyebrow at you.

"Oh? You're enjoying this a lot aren't you? You like feeling my entire cock inside you completely bare?"

You whined and clenched around his length, feeling every single inch of Seonghwa with no barriers between you both, it was such a blissful feeling. Seonghwa stilled momentarily.

"F-fuck baby. Clench like that again and I might not be able to pull out in time." He warned you.

You chuckled mischievously. Since you were already breaking some rules, why not break more?

"Then come inside me. Paint my walls with your cum." You purposefully clenched around him again, rolling your hips against his.

Before you could roll them again, Seonghwa gripped your hips as he began pounding into your merciless. You didn't need to tell him twice.

"Gonna fill this pussy up with my cum and I don't want you spilling any out. Got it?"

❥𝓙𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓾𝓷𝓱𝓸

It was only supposed to be a nice and cuddly movie night, but it soon turned into heavy petting and a steamy makeout session that couldn't be left at that.

You pulled back to catch your breath, your lips red and swollen from how much Yunho sucked on them, your hair already a tangled mess. Not able to hold it in anymore, you began ridding yourself of your pants and fumbling with Yunho's belt.

"Baby! I didn't bring any condoms." He warned you, his large hand clasping your wrist.

That wasn't going to stop you though.

"Just pull out Yunho. I really need you inside me right now."

Yunho hesitated for a moment, yet made no move to stop you as you pulled his huge cock out from his briefs and aligned him to your entrance.

"Baby are you sure? Really think about it, we run the risk of- oh my god! You're so fucking warm!"

Yunho's large hands held onto your waist, trying to resist the urge to pound into you right then and there. You felt so warm, so tight and you were practically sucking all of his length in, making him feel overwhelmed by taking him in all raw.

After getting adjusted, his hands went to your shirt, pulling it off you so he could look at your bare chest. Then he leaned back and layed down on the couch.

"Whenever you're ready beautiful."

Yunho decided to just let you take control and watch as you fucked yourself on his cock, enjoying the visual of seeing his bare cock disappear and reappear inside your tiny little hole.

He might just 'accidentally' forget his condoms more often now.

❥𝓚𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓮𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓰

Yeosang knew it was probably a bad idea, but you got him really riled up and assured him he'd be able to pull out and you two would be fine.

But it was so hard when you felt so warm and when he could feel all of you with no restrictions.

"Sangie..I'm gonna.."

You couldn't finish your sentence as your legs wrapped around his waist, holding him there as your body trembled under his. Feeling your walks getting tighter around him and your legs trapping him, Yeosang couldn't help it as he released his load inside of you.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" He cursed out as you milked him out of every last bit of cum he had.

He collapsed on top of you, both of you panting from the intensity of your love session.

"I'm sorry....." Yeosang groaned when he realized what happened.

You chuckled at his distressed look.

"It's ok. I'm kinda to blame as well. Don't worry. I'm on the pill anyways."

Yeosang let out a sigh of relief before pulling out of you. When he saw some of his cum drip out of your swollen pussy, he began to get hard again. You looked down and noticed what had gotten him excited so fast.

"Looks like someone enjoyed that more than he should. "

Yeosang growled before slipping back inside you, silencing your teasing laughter.

"I did and guess what? I'm gonna fuck some more of my cum inside your dirty little hole."

❥𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓢𝓪𝓷

San had wanted to go inside you raw for the longest time, so when you asked him about it, he was already ripping your clothes off.

You hid your face on the mattress as San expertly rolled his hips against yours, feeling every ridge of his cock inside your walls. You gasped when you felt him pull you up by your hair, his sweaty chest pressed against your back.

"You wanted me to fuck you raw so desperately? Then fucking watch."

He wrapped his hand around your throat, forcing you to stare ahead of you. You whimpered when you saw your reflection in the long mirror, watching as San fucked you from behind, a shit eating grin on his face.

"You like that? Like watching my cock slip inside you unprotected? Hmmm? Dirty little slut."

You whined when he slapped your ass harshly before giving it a squeeze. Not finished teasing you, San hissed at your ear.

"I bet you're dying to have me cum inside you, probably want to get knocked up."

You let out a particularly loud moan when he said those dirty words. San felt accomplished that he got a reaction out of you and he decided to continue.

"Oh you want that? Want me to fuck my babies into you?"

His other hand pressed against your stomach, playing into your newfound kink even more.

"Such a dirty little whore..."

❥𝓢𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓲

You were currently in the dressing room with Mingi, helping him get rest for their next person. Watching him change in front of you, seeing that toned body of his after so lomg quickly got you hot and bothered. Although you tried to push such dirty thoughts away, you couldn't help but bite your lip at all the things you wanted to do.

"Y/N? Hey."

Mingi waved a hand over your face, snapping you out of your fantasy.

"I was asking if you think this outfit looks good on me." He repeated himself.

"I think you'd look better without it." You bluntly told him.

Mingi widened his eyes when he realized what was going on and he moaned when you pushed him onto the couch and straddled his lap.

"Baby we can't do this here." He said, yet his hands didn't hesitate to grab your ass and squeeze them into his large hands.

"Yes we can. Just a little quickie." You suggested as you sucked on his neck.

"I- I didn't bring protection." He let out a low grunt when you bit down on his neck.

"Then I guess you'll just have to fuck me raw."

Mingi pulled you back to scan your face to see if you were serious. You were beginning to think he wouldn't agree until he leaned in again and pressed you down on the couch.

"Just be sure to stay quiet princess."

❥𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓰 𝓦𝓸𝓸𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰

Wooyoung was refusing to budge.

"I don't care if you're on the pill Y/N, I'm not fucking you with no protection no matter how horny I am."

You honestly couldn't believe he was actually staying resolved not to. You crossed your arms.

"You could just pull out you know." You suggested.

"I'm not taking any risks." He turned around to leave.

"Why don't you just admit you won't be able to handle yourself and your pull out game is weak?"

The second you finished that sentence, Wooyoung turned around and slammed you against the wall.

"Are you challenging me?"

That's how you ended up pinned under him, your hands tied to the bed as his fingers dug into your skin from how hard he was gripping you. He had already made you cum 2 times and when you came for the third time, he pulled out of you, jerking his as his cum spurted all over your chest, dripping down onto your stomach. Wooyoung couldn't help but smirk at you, letting out an accomplished laugh at not only being able to not cum inside you, but to have lasted so long.

"What was that about my pull out game being weak?"

❥𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓙𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓸

Waking up hot and bothered was a really uncomfortable feeling but it was even worse when you couldn't even do much about it. Both you and Jongho woke up with a desperate need to be inside each other but whined when you realized there were no condoms in his drawer.

So there you two were, Jongho sliding his cock between your folds, but not actually penetrating you, the head of his cock teasing your clit more and more. It only served to frustrate you even more.

"Jongho please! Just slip inside me and fuck me dumb!" You cried out, tired of your pitiful attempt to get each other off.

Jongho halted his actions, hesitating to do as you asked.

"Are you sure? I could just go down on you if you want."

Although his offer was tempting, you knew it wasn't enough. You wanted his thick cock inside you, wanted to feel every vein and ridge that the stupid plastic never let you fully enjoy.

"Jongho please! Just this once?" You pouted at him.

He sighed but ultimately agreed, feeling frustrated himself. He slowly and carefully began entering you, both of you letting out lewd moans at this new feeling. You felt Jongho grow bigger inside you, he was just as aroused as you were at the thought of fucking you raw.

You gasped when he suddenly threw your legs over his shoulders, knowing you were in for a rough fuck.

"I'm telling you right now, there's no 'just this once' after this."

Gifs not mine. Credit goes to their respective owners.

[write-orflight]

Settle Down: Prologue

**Gif Not Mine**

Prev -  Next

Pairings: SpencerXReader (kinda enemies to lovers) 

Rating: M

Words: 2.5K

Warnings: None, will be smut in eventual chapters

Request: OPEN/CLOSED

Summary: Y/N and Spencer don’t get along but turn to each other for the one thing you need someone else for... A baby. You can plantonically start a family, right?

A.N: this is a bad bio but idk how else to put it. it’s a baby fic! I wouldn’t say this is enemies to lovers but they certainly don’t like each other at first so it kinda is. comment on this chap or message to be on the taglist. much love, Cia

                Prologue:  A Powerpoint, Really? 

If you had told 16 year old Y/N that she’d be working at the FBI, she would’ve called you batshit. 

Not only, did you not have any respect for authority or any inclination for rules in that matter, working for the FBI was never in the forefront of your mind. But when given the option of Jail or a full time job with benefits, it was fairly easy to make a choice. You remember the first day when you met your work partner and now best friend Penelope Garcia or specifically the day she caught you. 

You were waiting tables like you did every weekend to stay afloat. Today was unreasonably slow so you were just finding small things to do. That’s when she came in, an extremely brightly dressed woman, sat at the bar of the diner. 

“Hi, how can I help you?” You smile at the woman who looks up at you and smiles. 

“Yes, I’m looking for the Emerald City.” She says, smirking at you. Your face drops, you knew what she was talking about. 

When you started hacking it was only supposed to be a one time thing. You grew up poor, spent most of your life poor so when you saw your childhood home was set to be demolished to build a fancy new headquarters for Scotty Realins, an upcoming asshole tech CEO, without a cent going to your parents.  Something in you snapped. You had already been pretty decent at code and you flirted with a couple of guys in your STEM classes to learn how to hack so you would say you were pretty good at this point. So you hacked into the website and made sure all the Revenue for that day actually was wired to lower-income housing. At the end of the day, it was only a couple hundred thousand dollars but what was pennies to Scotty Realins changed some people's lives. 

So you started doing it more, to different companies under the pseudonym OZ. The money always went to different places that needed it whether it was paying the rent for a bunch of families or anonymous large donations to food banks or soup kitchens. You gained a bit of fame in the hacker community as a modern day Robin Hood. 

All good things come to an end though. And the end was standing in front of you in clunky, rainbow colored jewelry. 

“You don’t look like a cop.” you say, crossing your arms. 

“I’ll do you one better.” She says, pulling her FBI badge out, showing it to you briefly. You curse under your breath. “I’ve been following you for a while, OZ. Though I wasn’t expecting the man behind the curtain to be a woman. I will say, having my computers route back to a loop of “We’re not in Kansas anymore.” everytime I tried to track your IP was impressive. I couldn’t even be mad about it.” 

“Clearly not that impressive because you found me.” 

“Still took me longer than usual, which is saying a lot.” 

“This is a really long winded conversation if you’re just here to arrest me.” You say, taking off your apron. No use in keeping it on if you were going to be in handcuffs soon. 

“That’s because I’m not here to arrest you. I’m here to offer you a job, to work under me as a Tech Analyst in the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI.” Penelope says. 

“And if I don’t want to?” 

“Then you’re going to want a lawyer and my very good handsome friend outside is going to arrest you. You’re smart and you have a chance to help people which is why you started hacking in the first place, right? Please don’t make me do that.” She looked at you pleadingly like she really cared and didn’t want you to go to prison. You didn’t say anything but something told you she’d been in the same boat as you before. 

“Hmmm…. I’m tired of waiting tables anyway.” 

So you uprooted your life and moved from Philadelphia to Quantico. Garcia took you under her wing and pretty soon the two of you functioned in her batcave like a well oiled machine. You could do without the constant gore that filled your screens but at the end of the day, you loved what you were doing and you wouldn’t change that for the world. 

The team was an added bonus, it was nice to have your own little found family. Garcia, of course, taking on the role as best friend mere days after your first meeting. You met Derek Morgan right after you agreed to take the job, he’d been there to arrest you and was very glad he wouldn’t have to do that. He told you often about how you reminded him of his sister and he regarded you in the role of younger sister from that day on. The next person you met had been Aaron Hotchner, your new boss. It took him a couple of weeks to warm up to you, you guessed he had a difficulty trusting new people and when he would call you guys for information he would always ask for Garcia instantly instead of you, not very trusting in your skills yet. Though that changed when you had been the one to track down the Unsub once. 

Rossi was easily won over when you told him about your Italian side of the family, specifically your grandmother who loved to cook and left you a lot of recipes. You and him often went back and forth in sharing dishes. Emily and JJ had also been easily won over with one bottle of tequila and a regrettable girls night. 

Then there was Dr. Spencer Reid.     

You had a lot of opinions on Dr. Reid, most of them weren’t good. It wasn’t like you hated him in fact, you’d consider him a friend but the two of you seemed to butt heads on well, everything. Both of you needing to be the smartest in the room and neither of you wanting to admit when you’re wrong will do that though. You still respected Spencer though, he was an extreme asset to the team and he was your best friend’s other best friend so you couldn’t really hate the guy. 

You also didn’t have to like him. 

So you had a good job, good friends, a nice house to live in. You were finally happy, content even. So why did it feel like something was missing? 

The something missing came in a stroller pushed by JJ the next week. 

The last case had been rough. Really rough. So while the team was on their way back you and Garcia hatched a plan for JJ to come visit from maternity leave and surprise everyone with the baby. While you guys were waiting for them to land, Garcia wanted to show JJ something she had gotten her godson so JJ asked if you could watch him and feed him until she got back, which you obviously agreed to. As you were feeding the child his bottle, and his ravioli sized fist wrapped around your finger you realized what had been missing. 

Fuck, you wanted a kid. 

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

You told Garcia first, it slipped when she noticed how off you were being. You wanted to have a kid bad now and you knew you didn’t want to wait. Penny tried to convince you that you’d “find the right person” but let’s face it, with this job, long term relationships were few and far inbetween. Plus you didn’t need a man, you had a good job and insurance, you knew you could provide a child with a life full of love it deserved. So you made an appointment at a fertility clinic. As the doctor was talking to you about your options, you felt yourself feeling more and more down about your decision and that only increased as you looked in the book of sperm donors in front of you. You looked at too many serial killers daily that it made you uneasy, carrying a stranger's baby. Maybe Garcia was right and your best bet was to wait for ‘the right guy.’ Even though you really didn’t want to. 

You walked into work later, a little sullen. Heading immediately towards the coffee machine. Penelope, who had been at Derek’s desk, makes a beeline towards you.  

“So how’d it go?” She says, smiling. “Did you make an appointment to be baby-fied?” 

You sigh. “I couldn’t do it, Pen.” You say, frowning. “I just-- We see so much here that I don’t want to accidentally end up with a sociopath’s baby because I couldn’t wait.” 

“But you don’t want to wait, do you?” She says softly, empathizing with you. 

“No, I don’t.” You sigh again, finishing making your cup before walking back out into the bullpen. JJ had brought Henry again for the others to see on the slow paperwork day. You tried not to look bitter but it was like she was flaunting the one thing you couldn’t have, even if it was unintentional. You watched as she handed the baby to Spencer, who instantly smiled and made faces at the laughing baby. 

“Spencer is actually a surprisingly good godfather.” Garcia says, smiling at the exchange in front of you. “Kinda makes you wonder what he’d be like with his own baby geniuses.” She says before walking over to the group and scooping her godson out of Spencer’s arms, Spencer still held on to his fist with his pinky, smiling down at the child. 

“Yea…” You say, to no one in particular. 

You had an idea. A probably bad one. 

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

You were sitting in the coffee shop, nervously fiddling on your laptop while waiting for Spencer. You were surprised he even agreed to meet with you for coffee though you were sure he was just doing it out of curiosity because you told him you had something important to talk about. You weren’t even sure if you were going about this the right way. Hey Spencer, I know we’re not even friends but how would you feel about fathering my child? God, this was going to be terrible. 

You looked up when you heard the tell-tale bell on the door indicating someone walking in. Spencer gave you a small wave before going to the counter to get a coffee. You took that time to nervously sip yours. Your heart was beating a mile a minute, it was now or never. 

“Hey.” Spencer says, when he finally gets to the table, coffee in hand. “Why are you all the way in the corner?” 

“This isn’t really a conversation I want overheard.” 

Spencer tilts his head confused at that. “So what is the conversation we’re supposed to be having. I asked Garcia but she seemed to also have no idea.” 

“Yea, I didn’t tell her on account of this maybe going extremely bad.” You say, before sighing and turning your laptop around so Spencer could see the Powerpoint screen you have on it. When he reads it,  he chokes on his coffee.

“A Powerpoint, really?” He chokes, still coughing around the coffee. “Y/N, what is this?” 

“This is Reasons Why You Should Make a Baby With me.” 

“Yea, I got that from the title, Y/N.” He says, still shocked. “Is this a joke?!” 

“I wish it was, Reid.”

“Can I at least ask why you thought a Powerpoint was the best way to ask?”   

“Because I felt you’d be more inclined to consider it if you knew I spent time on a presentation.” 

“That’s true.” He leans back, taking a sip of his coffee, gesturing for you to continue. You hit the next slide. 

“Ok, reason number one is we both want kids.” You say, looking at him. “Garcia told me the other day that you were talking about how much you wanted a kid and I also want a kid.”  

“I did tell Garcia that.” He muses. 

“Reason two, an offspring between us would probably result in another genius. As you know, you are smart.” 

“Yes.” 

“And I am smarter.” You say, Spencer opens his mouth to protest but you keep talking. “A child between us could probably be the next Einstein.” 

Spencer nods and you continue. “Reason three, I’d be a great mom.” 

“That’s a debatable fact.” 

“No, it’s not. You’ve seen me around kids, have I ever given an inclination that I wouldn’t be?” You ask, he shakes his head. “Plus, I happen to think you’d be a great father. Which brings me to Reason 4.” You say clicking through the next slide. “If you don’t want to be involved in raising that’s fine. I’m perfectly fine raising the child myself an--” 

“What?! No!” Spencer says, sitting up. “If I do agree to have this baby, which I’m not completely doing yet. I want to be involved, I want them to know I’m their father and that I didn’t abandon them because I know what that’s like.” He says, seriously. You nod, already knowing this about Spencer. 

“Reason 5: I’d be the perfect platonic co-parent, I won’t ask you for anything unless it’s pertaining to the child and if you decide that later down the road you want your own family, I’d be supportive and help you along the way.”

Spencer nods. “We’re never home enough for a baby.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong because I’ll be here. I mainly stay here anyway and if there’s ever a case where you need a tech analyst to fly out, Garcia’s already agreed to have it already be her when I floated the baby idea around last month.”  

Spencer hummed, silent for a second. “You really want a kid, huh?” 

“Yes.” You say. 

“So much so you’re asking me?” Spencer says, matter-of-factly. “A Coworker you barely speak to?”

Well, when he says it like that. 

“Yes. I’m asking because while we don’t get along the best you are still one of the most compassionate, understanding men I know. And I know that if I have to raise this kid with somebody, you would love them just as much as I would.” You say, Spencer nods at that. “So, please?” 

Spencer sighs. “When’s your next appointment? At the fertility clinic?” 

You didn’t even want to ask how he knew about that. “Next tuesday.” 

He nods. “I’m going with you.” He says, standing, pulling the strap of his messenger bag over his shoulder. “This isn’t a yes.” 

“It’s not a no, either.” You point out. 

“No, it’s not.” He says, leaving you behind in the coffee shop with a huge grin on your face.

Taglist: @moonshinerbynight​ @crimeshowtrash​

Message/reply to be tagged!!

[ttuesday]

Time

Summary: After spending the night on guard duty, you make a bet with Micah to find out who can stay awake the longest.

Word Count: 2,772 

~unfortunately there’s no smut in this, it’s mainly fluff and maybe a bit of angst ? idk lmao~

8am You spent the entire night on guard duty. Bill was supposed to take over a couple of hours ago but he never did. It didn’t take long for you to realize he was after sleeping in, preferring to stay wrapped up in his warm bedroll instead of coming out to relieve you from duty. 

Finally about two goddamn hours after sunrise, John came out and offered to go on guard, mentioning to you that Bill had woken up about twenty minutes ago but decided that avoiding you was better than owning up to his mistake. 

You walked into camp and scanned the area, trying to find Bill so you could confront him. Dutch sat outside his tent, reading a book. A frustrated Arthur was playing dominoes with Tilly. And Micah sat at one of the tables, cleaning his revolvers. It seemed as though everyone was around except for Bill.

“Mic, have you seen Bill this morning?” you asked as you walked up to Micah. The man scoffed “How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?”. “But it’s your name” you replied. “That ain’t my name” he snapped back, glaring at you. “But your name’s Mic-ah” you sounded it out as if you were teaching Jack a new word.

Micah rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath but he stopped when he noticed you yawn. “Awh, you all tired out from being out on watch?” he mocked. “I’m not tired” you answered bluntly.

“Sure you ain’t” Micah replied sarcastically.

The truth was you did feel a bit drained. You had just spent the whole night on guard duty, of course you were kinda tired but you weren’t going to admit that to him.

You and Micah always had a strange friendship. Half the time you were both arguing with one another, hurling insults at each other and bickering over anything and everything. But then a few hours later you would both be sitting at one of the tables, laughing together as if you were the best of friends. It was strange but it worked.

“Seriously, I’m not tired” you reinforced, knowing he didn't believe you the first time you said it “you’d be surprised how long I can stay awake”. “Is that so?” he questioned, focusing his attention on cleaning his revolvers again. A small smirk tugged at your lips “Yeah, I mean I could definitely stay awake longer than you. That wouldn’t even be a challenge”.

Why were you saying this? Well, you had only one reason. You wanted to annoy him.

Micah chuckled “Now you’re just lying to yourself”. “Or you’re underestimating me” you corrected him. You knew there was no way Micah could go longer without sleep than you. Sure, you spent the night awake but from the dark circles under Micah’s eyes, it was obvious he had a couple of restless nights recently. 

“I’d even make a bet that I could stay awake longer than you” you smirked. Micah let out a loud, arrogant laugh as he looked at you again “That’s real funny”. 

“What? You scared I’ll win?” you continued to annoy him. 

“There ain’t no way in hell you’d win” he furrowed his brow.

“You wanna bet on that?” you asked. Micah considered it for a couple of seconds, his gaze momentarily flicking down to his guns before looking at you “Fine, but don’t expect me to let you win”.

Out the corner of your eye, you saw Bill cautiously step into camp. “There he is” you muttered to yourself. Bill hesitantly glanced around, presumably trying to see where you were so he could avoid you. “Williamson!” you called, getting his attention. Bill looked at you with wide eyes before turning on his heels and walking in the opposite direction.

You started to walk after him, not about to let him get away that easily. “Hey, get back here!” you yelled. Micah chuckled as you jogged after Bill. He was confident that you would fall asleep first, especially since you just got off guard duty. There was no way you’d win this bet, Micah was sure of it.

12:30pm You sat under a tree, listening to the gentle midday breeze make its way through the branches overhead. You had been reading a book Mary-Beth recommended to you but put it down on your lap, the warm summer’s day starting to make you feel drowsy. 

“You asleep yet?” Micah suddenly appeared. You quickly opened your eyes and blinked a few times to try and quickly wake yourself up. “You know I’m not sleeping until you do” you reminded him. “You weren’t being serious about that, were you?” he questioned.

“Of course I was”.

“Huh, well you’re gonna be waiting a while,” he replied, only now starting to realize you were being deadly serious about this bet “I don’t plan on losing an easy bet”.

He leaned against the tree, taking out a pack of cigarettes and putting one between his lips. “How was your talk with Williamson?” he asked, putting the packet back into his pocket and taking out a match. “It was fine, he said he’ll do my next shift on guard duty to make it up to me. Actually, when was the last time you went on duty?” you gazed up at him.

You couldn’t remember the last time you saw Micah out there on guard. In fact, you couldn’t remember a time he was ever on guard duty.

“Why would I waste my time doing that?” Micah sneered, lifting his boot and striking the match off of it. You sighed, picking up your book again and flicking through to the page you stopped at “You can be so grumpy when you’re tired”.

“I ain’t tired” he grunted. You laughed softly, making Micah huff. “Sleep’s overrated” he said with a new found determination “and I will win this bet, make no mistake about that”. Micah stormed off, mumbling what you presumed where insults under his breath.

You admired how seriously he was starting to take the bet but you knew he wouldn’t last. Sure, you had been awake for many, many hours at this point and you were tired but Micah could’ve been awake for days by now. He never was keen on sleep and that’s what made you think this was going to be an easy bet to win. Even if you didn’t win, maybe this would encourage Micah to sleep and as much as you didn’t want to admit it, that would be a good thing too.

4pm You were helping Pearson with dinner. Normally you didn’t but he had a fight with Sadie earlier in the day so you decided to step in and give her a break. You chopped the vegetables, humming a tune to yourself.

“Well, well, well, what’re you doing?” a voice asked from behind you. You didn’t bother turning around. Micah always had a distinct voice you could recognize immediately. 

“What does it look like I’m doing?” you replied with a hint of sarcasm in your voice.

You expected him to move around the table and into your line of sight but instead Micah peered over your shoulder, slyly placing his hand on your hip as he did. “Hmmm” was all he said as he looked down at the vegetables. You expected him to move but he stayed where he was, his chest pressing against your back and his hand subconsciously kneading your hip.

A strong scent suddenly hit your nostrils and you couldn’t help but scrunch up your nose. “Have you been drinking?” you turned your head towards him. Micah also turned his head to look at you properly, his lips curving upwards and into a smirk. “Maybe” he grinned.

You could smell the whiskey every time his hot breath hit your face. You hadn’t realized how close his face was to yours until his eyes momentarily flicked down to your lips.

It caught you by surprise, your nose nearly bumping against his. Micah didn't expect your faces to be so close either, his mouth staying slightly open though he stayed quiet. You’ve heard the phrase ‘getting lost in someone’s eyes’ but you didn’t think it was actually real. Yet there you were, unable to stop gazing into his blue eyes, as if there was a magnetic pull to him.

You had to remind yourself that you were in the middle of camp with other people nearby. You cleared your throat, tearing your eyes away from his. Micah snapped back to reality too, taking his hand off your hip and stepping away from you. 

He moved over to the other side of the table, resting his weight against it. “You, uh... you wanna have a drink with me?” he asked, glancing around to see if anyone else was nearby. You focused your attention on chopping the vegetables “I can’t, Pearson has about ten other things he needs me to do”.

Micah rolled his eyes “You know, if you keep helping ‘em all the damn time then they’ll start treating you like a workhorse”.

You laughed “As if you know anything about working and pulling your weight around camp”.

“Just tryna look out for ya,” he mumbled “you’ll thank me one day”.

“I’m sure I will,” you replied, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in your voice ”now shoo, you’re distracting me”. You scooped up the vegetables in your hands and turned your back to Micah, walking over to dump them into the pot of stew.

Micah let out a forced chuckle before he picked up a bottle of beer and made his way over to the campfire. A smirk spread across your face as you watched Micah gulp down his beer. Maybe this would be a good thing. If Micah was drinking alcohol then surely it'd make him tired fast. In a way, he was unknowingly sabotaging his chances of winning. You nodded to yourself as you got back to work, confident that you’d win.

10:35pm Your mind was in a cycle. Within an hour you’d go from feeling completely fine to absolutely exhausted. You had spent the last ten minutes in a daze, staring at the campfire with drooped eyelids. Out of all the days to make a bet with Micah to see who could stay awake longer, why did it have to be the day after your night shift? Micah sat at one of the tables, sipping on yet another beer. He looked normal… well, whatever normal is for Micah. Basically, he didn’t look tired.

“And that’s why you should never trust people that swim in the same water they fish in” announced Sean. You snapped out of your daze, raising your eyebrows as you looked at him. “What?” you asked, completely baffled by his statement. 

Sean tilted his head “Wha- have you been listening to me? I’m trying to teach you some very valuable life lessons here”.

“Yes, yes, thank you” you nodded your head, still confused but deciding to act as though you knew what the hell he was on about “that was, uh… quite something”. 

A proud smile spread across Sean’s face as he stood “See, I knew you’d find that helpful”. He lifted his arms up as he stretched. “That’s me done for the night,” he let out a big yawn “I’m robbing a stage tomorrow so I need my wits about me”. You tried not to yawn too, clenching your jaw. “Good luck with that” you replied, a small yawn managing to escape. 

With Sean heading off to bed, you realized that there weren’t a lot of people still awake. Micah got up and walked over to the beer crate, picking up another full bottle. You got up and followed him over.

“I told you, this is bet is going to go on for a while” he said, knowing it was you who was approaching. “I know,” you replied “but I don’t plan on giving up anytime soon”.

“You want a beer now?” he offered, lifting up another bottle. You thought about it for a few seconds “Nah, it’ll only make me sleepy”. “You sure?” he waved the bottle slightly “just one drink?”.

You knew Micah was already after having a plentiful amount of drink so no matter how sleepy the alcohol made you feel, it would have the same effects on him but sooner. “Ok,” you took the beer “but just one”.

2:23am You told yourself you were only going to have one beer and you meant that, you really did. But you were having a good time, so one beer turned to two beers, and then three, and then four. 

You weren’t sure what number you were on now but the good news is that you weren’t feeling tired. You were definitely drunk but not tired.

At some point, you both decided to go for a walk along the outskirts of camp. You knew Micah must’ve felt sleepy since he was the one who suggested it, presumably to try and keep himself awake. The two of you strolled through the woods, chatting and laughing until eventually you decided to sit down by a tree. Micah sat down next to you, putting his arm around your shoulders without a second thought to the action.

He was warm and surprisingly comfortable as you shuffled closer to him. You could stay there forever. You’re breathing started to slow as each blink seemed to last longer. 

“So what do you want if you win this bet?” Micah asked, a relaxed smile on his face. You blinked again, this time keeping your eyes closed “Haven’t decided yet. Why, how much do you want if you win?”. You presumed Micah wanted cash if he won.

“I, um… I wasn’t going to ask for money” he revealed, his breathing getting heavier.

“What were you going to ask for?" you asked.

He hesitated, debating whether to say it or not. “I dunno…” he stalled “maybe, uh…”.

You waited patiently, too relaxed to care about how long it would take him to say it. “Maybe something like a… a kiss” he said shyly before he immediately began to backtrack “but money sound’s good".

“You… you wanted a kiss?” you opened your eyes and sat up straight to look at him. For once, Micah actually looked nervous. The flirtatious, confident front he usually portrays had completely vanished. He wasn’t sure what to say. Slowly, a smile spread across your face. “Yeah, that could be arranged” you giggled.

Micah nodded, a goofy smile on his face. You settled against Micah again, resting your head by his chest. You could hear his heart rapidly beating. “but you gotta win to get your reward” you reminded him. He chuckled, holding you close to him “And I intend to”.

“I have to admit, I thought I would’ve won this by now” you sighed, closing your eyes again. “That's not gonna happen” Micah muttered, resting his head on top of yours.

You hated how your mind wandered into thinking that this is what life would be like if you were dating Micah. You liked being this close to him, feeling his warmth and finding his breathing relaxing. Micah was an awful man yet for some reason, you found comfort in him.

You could feel yourself drifting off to sleep, finding it harder and harder to open your eyes. Just as you were about to give in to the exhaustion, you heard a noise.

It sounded like a snort and it came from the man next to you.

You opened your eyes and blinked a few times, trying to get your brain to work. Trying your best not to disturb Micah, you moved your head up to look at him. A massive smile spread across your face as you realized Micah had drifted off to sleep.

You couldn’t believe it, he was actually sleeping. He let out another snort as he nuzzled his head closer to yours. You wanted to get up and celebrate but you also didn’t want to wake him up.

You knew in the morning he was going to argue that he didn’t fall asleep. There was no way he was going to admit that you won the bet. You wondered what you’d get for winning. A part of you wanted to ask him to buy you a drink at the saloon in town, or pay for dinner for the both of you. Either way, you had won and there was no way you were going to let him forget about this for a long, long time.

[mymelodyheart]

Miles Between Us Chapter 11 ~Suspicious Minds~

Picture Edit by melodyheart

Previously in The Art of Non-Communication ...

A familiar bright red Fiat slowed down next to them just as Jamie was about to get into the car, and Ian, their brother-in-law, poked his head out of the window. "Hey, lads, guess who I just saw back in town?"

The brothers looked at each other and shrugged. 

When Ian stalled, Willie blew out an impatient breath. 

"Out with it!" Willie grumbled. "I've been away from work for far too long already."

Ian grinned. "Yer pal Christie."

Jamie waved a hand in the air in dismissal and turned to open the car door, not particularly interested in hearing the latest coming and going in Broch Mordha. "I'm pretty sure the lassies will be thrilled he's back."

"Aye, ye're probably right, but I dinnae think ye'd be too pleased to hear if one particular lass is enjoying his company."

Jamie whipped around. "What do ye mean?" He sounded like someone just launched a flying rugby pass onto his stomach.

"Saw Claire and Tom through the window of Slater's Arms. Probably sitting down for late lunch."

  If you wish to read this on AO3, here is the link.

If you wish to read this from the beginning:

AO3 link

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 Claire hurriedly made her way to Slater's Arms to meet Tom Christie. They'd arranged earlier to meet at the pub after he'd dropped her off at the village centre to do her errands, so she was surprised to see him waiting outside. After exchanging a hurried cursory hello, he allowed him to guide her through the half-filled bar, his hand ever so lightly touching her elbow. They were greeted by a string of boisterous sallies from the locals, to which Tom good-humouredly responded with a couple of wisecracks of his own . It was becoming pretty clear they were in his local haunt and was well-liked by its patrons. But she also suspected there could be whispers going around, wondering what she was doing with him. Despite those thoughts, she kept her head up, and a smile plastered to her face.

After navigating through the narrow maze of tables and chairs, they opted for an empty space by the window, away from the bar where a heated football discussion was just about to begin. They simultaneously slid into their seats, sitting opposite each other, his lopsided grin and lax manner putting her immediately at ease. He was seemingly oblivious to the curious stares around them, but Claire paid no heed to the attention they were garnering and pushed her earlier encounter with Jenny away from her mind. This was a professional meeting, a welcome distraction even though it was proving an impossibility not to picture Jamie across from her. Suddenly missing Jamie, she allowed her thoughts to momentarily drift and wondered what he was up to.

"Hey."

Claire snapped out of her reverie. "Huh?"

"I asked if ye're hungry."

"Oh! Well, I'm not sure," she murmured, squinting at the specials scrawled on the blackboard hanging behind the bar. "Sort of, I guess."

"Sort of?" he laughed. "What kind of answer is that?" He passed her a menu. "Here. Ye ought to try their haggis tweeds. They have the best in this area."

She snorted, taking the menu card and skimming through it. "Really? I've never met a Scot who liked haggis, and yet every one of you lot I've met recommends it to non-locals."

"Aaahh," he leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table. "To be honest, I dinnae like haggis myself when cooked the traditional way. But the haggis tweeds are different ...more palatable. They're rolled into balls, breaded and deep-fried. I'm quite sure ye'll like them."

"Hmmm ..." When she glanced up from the menu, she met his thoughtful gaze. Though smiling, he had an odd expression on his face. "Wot?" She smoothed her hair, thinking it must be all over the place. She dreaded what her hair looked like after being caught in the rain earlier on. She wished now she'd tied it back before leaving the cottage. "Anything wrong?"

Tom shrugged his shoulders. "Just noticing ye dinnae look as upbeat as ye sounded on the phone the first time we talked. I was expecting ye to be more excited about selling me the idea of publishing my travel book. Ye kinda look as if something is bothering ye. Is anything the matter?"

She let out an exhale and placed the menu down. "I'm sorry. I've just had a rough day."

"Boyfriend problem?" he asked slowly.

She arched an eyebrow at him. Friendly as Tom was, Claire wasn't prepared to share any details of her personal life. "I just have a lot of things going on, and then you threw me out of the loop," she explained, not wanting to lie but not wanting to over-share either. "I was caught off-guard when you phoned earlier, and I wasn't expecting your call until, at least, sometime next week."

"Ye could've told me to meet at a later date. I wouldnae have minded."

"No! Today is fine," she assured him quickly. "I'm probably slowly weaning from the fast pace of hectic schedules in London, that at the first sign of change, I stumble a bit."

He grinned. "Weel, whatever is bothering ye, I dinnae like you looking so downcast. Maybe we can do something about it right now and tell ye a bit of good news. To cheer ye up."

"I like good news ..." she remarked, perking up, guessing he probably had a new picture or post on his blog he wanted to show.

"That's much better," he said when he caught a hint of a smile forming on her face. "As I was saying, I have a bit of good news. I've been giving your proposition a lot of thought ..." he shifted on his seat and took a deep breath. "I've decided I want to go ahead and publish my travel blog in print."

She blinked and swallowed before finding her voice. "But you haven't seen the projected sale and all the ..."

He waved a hand. "I'm quite sure after that impressive pitch over the phone, yer projected whatever and other wotnots ye wish to go over with me will be just as equally convincing. The idea is sold, and I'm on board."

"Just like that?"

He nodded his head, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Aye. Now that I've met ye in person, I'm pretty confident ye'll make sure I'll get a fair deal for my book. I'm a good judge of character, and I trust ye'll do what's right."

"Of course."

"So it's settled."

"Well, that's ...that's fabulous," she breathed, her mind rushing in all sorts of direction.

"This calls for a celebration, don't ye think?" he smiled, waving at the waitress.

Before Claire could reply, her purse vibrated. She pointed an index finger at Tom. "Hold that thought." She opened her bag and grabbed her phone. It was her boss, John Grey.

"Oh, hi, John! I'm in the middle of ..."

"Claire, I'm sorry to dump this on you," John said rapidly in a panicky tone. "Mary Hawkins just phoned and said she expects you to pick her up at Inverness Airport."

"Wot?!? But how? Why?" She glanced at Tom and noticed a light frown lining his brows. "She hasn't been answering any of my emails. What the hell is she doing in Inverness?" She knew it wasn't professional to be discussing another author over the phone with a potential client in front of her. But it couldn't be helped. At the moment, she was far too agitated to care. Mary Hawkins, the publishing's star author, had been elusive ever since she disappeared to France, and she'd been the reason Claire had decided to take a break in Scotland only to be given another job in the form of Tom Christie. "Please don't tell me you sent her here. I have enough on my plate as it is." She gave Tom an apologetic look, to which he just shrugged and smiled in understanding.

A frustrated sigh came from John. "I swear to God, this isn't my doing. She arrived yesterday here in London, and when she demanded to start work right away on her book, I assigned another editor. But she wouldn't have it. She insisted on working with you. So I told her you're in Inverness doing another project. And then she called a few minutes ago, demanding you pick her up at the airport. I swear I didn't know she was planning on flying to Inverness."

Oh, God! "John!" she whined. "I can't just drop everything and pick her up. I'm an editor, not a chauffeur! I'm in the middle of talks with Mr Christie."

"I'm terribly sorry for this mess, Claire but, isn't there anything you can do? Your boyfriend, perhaps? You know how Hawkins is a big deal for the company."

She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. Claire felt she was being put in a position she didn't want to be in. On top of it all, her uncle would be arriving in two days, and there was the added worry she had with Jamie and potentially Jenny. The day was definitely getting worse by the second, but Claire reminded herself she was John's only hope, and he was a friend and had always been good to her. When she finally had the strength to open her eyes again, Tom mouthed something she couldn't quite catch.

Wot do you mean? She mouthed back, shaking her head.

"Claire, are you still there?" 

"Yes!" she snapped, tamping down the urge to curse. "I'm here!"

"Well?"

She let out a frustrated breath. There was no way out of it. "Fine, John! But you owe me big time! I'll see what I can do." Damn it!

"You're a star!" John said, relief lacing his voice. "I knew I could rely on you. I'll text Hawkins to let her know you're on your way, and then I'll text you her private number. I don't think you'll have that. It's one of the reasons you couldn't get in touch with her. Anyway, let me know later how you get on."

Before she could answer, the line went dead. What the bloody hell just happened?

Claire dropped her head into her hands and groaned. She wanted to bawl, throw stuff and pull her hair out in frustration.

"Problems?"

She raised her head and looked at Tom. "I'm sorry you had to witness that. I have to cancel our meeting. I need to somehow get to Inverness and pick up this author I'm working with." Without going into too many details, Claire quickly explained her predicament, almost forgetting to breathe. By the time she finished, she was gasping for air and wondering if Tom understood what the hell she was on about. "As you can see, I probably have to organise her accommodation as well. So I really must get going." She stood up and grabbed her bag. "Raincheck?"

He got on his feet as well. "Look, I'm not doing anything for the rest of the day. How about I drive you to Inverness. I can even help you set her up."

"Tom, you don't have to."

"Hey, I'm about to get a book deal from your boss. Let me at least prove to ye what a perfect travel guide I am as I've portrayed on my blog."

Claire stopped to collect herself. On second thoughts, she did need Tom's help, and she couldn't well impose on Willie to drive her to Inverness when he'd been taking time off to check up on her ever since Jamie left. Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone and talk him through his own book's publishing process on their way to the airport. It was a brilliant idea, and hopefully, by the end of today, John would be able to draw up a contract for Tom. With a resigned smile, Claire appreciatively accepted the offer. "Alright then, but we do need to get going now."

"Absolutely. We'll go through the back door." When Claire looked at him curiously, he grinned. "I've parked the car in the staffs' parking lot. I'm good friends with the owner, so I get the privilege to walk through the kitchen and use the backdoor," he explained. Then he leaned closer to her ear and spoke in a low voice. "And if the chef is in a good mood, he might allow us to taste today's menu."

Claire laughed out loud, attracting attention from the pub's clientele. She ignored the curious stares. It was good to laugh again after the last couple of days of feeling down, and she owed it to herself to steer negativity and worries from her thoughts. "We'll stop by the cottage to get some clothes. Knowing my client, she'll probably want to stay in a posh hotel in Inverness and want to start working right away. She doesn't do bed and breakfast or small places. So I doubt she'll want to come to Broch Mordha."

Tom nodded with a smile as he took her hand and lead the way.

Heading to the back of the pub, Claire made a few mental notes on what she needed to take with her. She also reminded herself to message Willie about taking care of Rollo and Adso while she's away, hoping he would think nothing of it when he hears from the village gossip of her meeting with Tom.

...........

Jamie caught Willie's livid expression before the car started, and they were driving down the small country lane. He knew his brother was miffed with Ian, who'd sped ahead of them after revealing Claire's whereabouts with Christie. Though common sense told him he had nothing to be worried about, it had been still a punch in the gut to hear Claire was out with another man.

"Can ye speed up a bit?" Jamie muttered, shifting restlessly on his seat.

"We're not in a bloody motorway, and there are speed limits for a reason," Willie growled, his fingers flexing on the steering wheel. "And it will do ye a lot of good to use this time to calm down before we reach Claire. It's obvious ye're not thinking clearly."

Jamie almost wished he'd taken a ride with Ian instead. They couldn't see their brother-in-law's red Fiat anymore as it disappeared at a bend further ahead. But he knew Willie was right. He wasn't thinking clearly. It's just that, why it had to be Thomas Christie of all people Claire had chosen to go out with. He had nothing against the bloke, but he was a renowned player. What if Claire had grown tired of his condition and fell for Christie's charms? It wouldn't be a difficult feat as the bloke oozed charms by the bucketload. Hadn't he lost a girlfriend in the past because of Christie? Or was it because of his condition? He couldn't be sure anymore. Either way, knowing Claire was with Christie at this very moment was burning a hole in his stomach. "So ye're an expert on my thoughts now, are ye?" Jamie grunted, unable to think of a better excuse for his behaviour.

"I dinnae need to be an expert to know what ye're thinking ... it's written all o'er yer face," Willie retorted. "If ye'd called her up in the first place, then ye would've had a fair idea why she's meeting Christie, and ye wouldnae be in this stinking shite thinking the worse. The lass has been worried sick about ye, and she's put up with yer silence more than what could be expected of her. So do both yerselves a favour and calm the fuck down, aye?"

Jamie knocked back the claustrophobic sensation and forced himself to breathe. This had always been his trouble with his PTSD. He always had these intense emotions that always grew out of proportion to a point it would suffocate him, especially negatives ones like a feeling of lacking or guilt. Wasn't that what Geneva had said? There was a lot of misplaced guilt involved? And no matter what he did to get better, it was a bloody never-ending cycle that always brought him back to square one. But despite the shortcomings, he knew it would kill him if he didn't give himself a fighting chance with Claire. He might as well die trying. She was, after all, either going to be his reason for living or the reason he died. It was all right there, shining in front of him like a floodlight. 

With a sigh, he tried to relax. Jamie knew justifying his earlier behaviour was a bad idea in both their current edgy states, but nothing would stop him from seeing Claire right now. It was like a need that required satisfying, and he couldn't wait to finally see her. He focused on the road ahead of them and listened to the radio to take his mind of negative thoughts.

It's a dreich Thursday afternoon, and here's another trip down memory lane with Mac's Classics here at MFR, with the biggest hits and the biggest throwbacks. Next up is a song sure to make ye forget the dreary days ahead – Let's get rickrolling with Never Gonna Give You Up. 

"Turn it up," Jamie said suddenly, surprising his brother.

"What?" Willie glanced at him like he'd grown a pair of horns.

"I said, turn the bloody volume up!"

"Ye're joking, right? Rick fucking Astley? Nae chance pal!"

"Just do it," Jamie huffed, not caring what his brother thought of his song choice. When Claire had told him it had made her smile listening to it in the cafe the other day, he'd listened to it as well on his mother's antique record player. It was a bloody awful song, but for some strange reason, it had made him smile too.

Scowling and cursing under his breath, Willie eventually complied, and they listened to Rick Astley's song for the rest of the way. When they reached the village centre, Willie illegally parked outside Slater's Arms, carefully avoiding bumping into the menacing bollards. They were just about to get out of the car when Ian appeared from the pub, shaking his head.

Willie stuck his head out of the window. "What's the matter?"

"They're gone," Ian replied, shrugging, perplexity evident in his expression. "Spoke to Angus, and he said they didn't even order anything. They just got up and left."

Jamie got out of the car. "Did he say where they went?"

Ian narrowed his gaze at him. "I didnae ask."

Jamie ran a hand in front of his face and got back in the car. His brother had to work. There was only one thing left he could do, and it was to go back to the cottage, and if Claire wasn't there, he'd give her a call. He turned to Willie, letting out a sigh of resignation. "Just drop me off at the cottage. I've taken too much of yer time already."

"Ye sure?" Willie asked quietly. "I can drop ye off at Lallybroch. Yer car is there. Ye'll most probably need it soon, especially with more bad weather to come."

Jamie shook his head. He was certain Claire would be at home, and if not, surely later. He wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon but had every intention of making up for lost time with her. "It's time to go home," Jamie sighed, waving goodbye to Ian. "No more running away," 

Willie smiled, starting the car. "Good choice!" 

It was a short drive to his cottage, and by the time they pulled up outside his house, the sun started to peek out for a splinter of a moment, his driveway though occupied by an unfamiliar vehicle. As soon as he saw a man's profile sat on the driver's seat, he immediately knew it was Christie. As if anticipating his next move and before he could yank off his seatbelt, Willie slapped a hand across his chest.

"What?" Jamie wheezed.

"Claire's in the cottage. Talk to her first and find out what's going on before ye jump to any conclusions."

Jamie breathed through a laugh, but he could hear it was edged with doubt. "What if I've fucked this up?"

"Ye havenae. And it's up to ye to keep that way. Now go to her. Ye'll find out soon enough there's a perfect explanation for Christie hanging about."

Words were fighting to leave his tongue, but he clamped his lips together and held them back. Vocalising the feelings raging inside his chest would only allow his emotions to run away with him. He reigned them in and took a deep breath. Whether it's a consequence of PTSD or not, he couldn't expect Claire to understand every time. So instead, Jamie gave Willie a reassuring nod and hoped his brother was right. 

He got out of the car and walked straight to the cottage, refusing to acknowledge Christie. He knew he was being rude and could feel his brother's eyes boring into his back as well as Christie's. He didn't care because right at this moment, his primary focus was Claire. 

As soon as he opened the door and saw Claire hooking a bag onto her shoulder, he bounded across the room, dropping his face into her neck and breathing for the first time in days. "Sassenach," he whispered. "I'm so sorry for leaving ye. I wasnae thinking. Please forgive me."

Claire dropped her bag on the floor, wrapping both arms around his neck. "Jamie, you're here," she breathed into his ear. "Are you alright? God, I've been so worried about you."

"I'm alright now that I'm here and ye're here," he rasped, lifting his head for a moment and eyeing the bags on the floor. "Why are yer bags packed?"

She followed his gaze. "I ...ah ... it's work, and I have to ..."

"Ye're going back to London?"

"No!"

That's all he needed to hear. Unable to wait any longer for an explanation, he pulled her into his arms as urgency pumped in his veins. He badly needed to absorb as much as he could of her, breathing her in, in huge gulps of air. His mouth travelled over her neck, into her hair, across her lips, whispering for forgiveness, his hands restless as he touched her everywhere.

"Hey, look at me ... there's nothing to forgive," she murmured, drawing away. She placed her hands on both sides of his face and searched his eyes. "I understand what you've been going through, and I know you're fighting your hardest. It's going to be alright."

"I've missed ye." He turned his face to kiss her palm before placing her hand on his chest. "I-I thought ye're better off without me. I thought I could walk away from ye, and it would be enough knowing ye're safe from me. But nothing was right. I was sick to the soul, knowing I've left ye. I wanted ye to be with a better man than me, but now ... I'm gonnae be selfish and beg ye to let me be that man by yer side."

"Jamie, where's this coming from?" she queried. "I was worried and afraid for you, but I haven't changed my mind about us." She sighed. "Your brother told me yesterday, you were seeing a therapist this morning. Did you go today?"

Jamie swallowed and nodded, unable to still his hands, touching her everywhere, needing to assure himself he was really holding her.

"Is this why you're talking like this? Has the therapy dug up a lot of unwanted issues? Because if it has, it's perfectly normal."

"No!" He let out a frustrated breath. He'd been so unpredictable with the symptoms of his PTSD coming and going, she wasn't taking him seriously when he needed her to hear him out. "No, please listen and look me in the eye. I panicked when I saw the bruises on yer arms, and without thinking, I left. I did what I did because I didnae think I could ever be the man for ye ...a bloody disappointment, constantly causing ye grief. But I understand now why my condition is out of control at the moment ... it's because I have suppressed emotions that need to come out. It's been coming out more because all this while, ye've been the key to my healing. So I'm handing everything inside me over to ye because I trust ye, and ye're the only one who can make sense of me. I cannae promise smooth sailing, Sassenach, but there is one thing I know ye can depend on and will always be constant despite my condition. And that's my love for ye. I can guarantee ye with certainty ye can rely on that. This isnae a result of my therapy talking, alright? I willnae let ye go for anything. I can work around my condition with ye by my side, and I'll work twice as hard to get better."

"Jamie, I love you too, and I have no doubt that ..."

"Then why are your bags packed?" he questioned accusingly. "And why is Christie outside waiting for ye?" 

With a sharp intake of breath, Claire quickly explained everything from the call she received from her boss to Christie's involvement and an impatient Mary Hawkins waiting for her at the airport. 

He could tell she was itching to go by the way she tried to subtly glance at her watch, but he was feeling too selfish. "How about I drive ye to Inverness?" he cajoled, his hand stroking her hair. "Willie is still outside. We'll get my car in Lallybroch, and I'll drive ye." He suddenly felt like a bastard keeping her from doing her work.

"Jamie, no!" she said gently but firmly. He knew she was restraining herself from rushing off, wanting to make sure he was alright first. "I can't be fretting about you being in a city when I have work to do. There's a possibility I'll be back tonight, but if Mary wants to work straight away on her book, then I have to stay in Inverness for a couple of nights, tops. Besides, I need to explain to Tom about his book's publication and make sure he hasn't changed his mind. Until we've drawn up a contract, nothing is certain." Her hands smoothed the hard muscles on his chest. "Besides, I need you to be here when my uncle comes. He'll be hiring a car, so he won't require picking up."

"What? Ye're uncle is coming here?" he almost shouted.

"No. I mean, uncle Lamb won't be staying here in the cottage even though you told him he could. I've already booked him a place in the village centre ...close to the amenities."

He let out a sigh of relief. He didn't think he was ready to bond with Harry's look-alike ...yet. If anything, he dreaded it, afraid of other suppressed memories dying to come out and choke him with guilt.

"Jamie, I really ought to go. I promise I'll call later and explain everything."

With a groan, he pulled Claire in once more in his arms and kissed her thoroughly, and she responded with a whimper that told him she was enjoying the kiss. He hadn't even had a second to savour getting her back before the prospect of letting her go again struck him like a baseball bat between the shoulder blades. But he wanted to give her something to remember while she's away and what she'll be missing if she didn't hurry up with her work. He slipped his hand under her cardigan, caressing her nipple with the calloused pad of his thumb and pressing his burgeoning erection against her belly.

"I love ye ...always remember that." His mouth coasted along the lines of her jaw, his hands squeezing her waist. "I ken ye've been patient and understanding with me, but just try to be extra tolerant with me for now. Can ye do that?"

She nodded, her face red from beard burn. "Alright, but I do need to go, Jamie." Her eyes flashed. "And you have nothing to worry about. So please rest up tonight because you'll need a hell of a lot of energy when my uncle comes."

It's the way she looked at him, pleading for understanding that became his undoing as if she's reading his thoughts, and despite everything he'd done, she couldn't find fault with a single one. He needed to be a better man and control his emotions and needs. Her work was important to her, and she was important to him. "Fine, I'll walk ye to the car." He stooped down to get her bags and followed her outside.

They stopped beside Christie's car, and Jamie watched the other man climbed out, both men grunting a greeting at each other. 

"Am I still driving ye to Inverness, Claire?" Christie asked, avoiding Jamie's eyes.

Claire nodded. "Yes, please, if that's still alright with you. I'm so sorry I took so long."

"It's nae bother, and of course, I'll drive ye to Inverness," Christie smiled warmly. 

A long silence stretched as the three of them just stood there. Christie rocked on his heels, and Jamie held on to Claire's bags like it was his lifeline. 

Caught up in the awkwardness of the moment, Claire bit her bottom lip. "Well, I guess that's settled then. We best get going before Mary does something like bite some poor soul's head at the airport." Claire's attempt to sound cheerful lessened the tension in the air but not the one on Jamie's shoulders. She turned to him and tried to take her bags off his hands, but he couldn't seem to let go. "Jamie ...my bags," she whispered, her hand running up and down his forearm as if to tell him everything was going to be alright.

But instead of giving Claire's bags back to her, he begrudgingly handed them to Christie while launching if looks could kill look over her head. They had a few seconds of stare off until Claire's hands on his face forced him to look at her.

"Jamie, kiss me, goodbye?"

He didn't hesitate at her request and sucked on her bottom lip as she made a sobbing noise. That wee noise she made jolted something free inside of him, and he, too, wanted to cry. He couldn't remember wanting to openly cry before. Not like this. He couldn't control it, and it dragged him down, stealing oxygen from his lungs, but Claire's touches soothed him. 

"I don't want to go," she murmured against his mouth. "Not one bit. But I'm doing this for us, remember that. The sooner I'm done with work, the more time we can spend time together." 

He allowed himself to wade into the shallow waters of comfort Claire was starting to represent. He'd lived with this reality for too long that he wasn't enough. Or probably worse, he was too much. For years, these memories of loss and guilt and shame had been subdued. Now they're coming out with guns blazing, and he felt totally defenceless. But with her arms around him, he felt cocooned in her bubble of protection. So he clung to her like a drunk with his last shot of whisky, the desperation inside him going into overdrive, and he was practically mauling her lips with no care whose watching, drawing her onto tiptoes so he could get all of her from every angle.

"Jamie," she whispered shakily, gently pulling away. "My phone is going off every second. Mary is probably wondering why I haven't called her." 

Breathe, lad, it's going to be alright. Don't lose yer cool, or ye'll drive her away. He let go and opened the car door for her, not taking any notice of the man waiting patiently at the driver's seat. "I'm sorry," Jamie mumbled.

"It's alright." She smiled in understanding, squeezing his hand. "I'll be back before you know it."

He held on to Claire's eyes, the only tangible thing he could grasp, giving him a renewed determination to manage the condition that had ruled him all his life. At that moment, the world suddenly made sense, and he was veering into a place he didn't recognise ...a place of calm, where the voices in his head had lost their dominion over his thoughts.

He watched as Christie's Land Rover drove away and was surprised when a hand landed on his shoulder. Jamie turned around to discover Willie stood there, a smile etched on his face. Jamie had forgotten about his brother, too caught up with Claire's departure and the intense emotions he'd nearly let out of control. 

"Ye did well, bràthair. I'm so proud of ye."

Jamie dropped his head forward and let out an exhale, feeling a lot lighter in days. He knew he'd only scratched the surface of their relationship, but Claire was giving him all the time in the world to get back on his feet, and he was determined not to disappoint her. Though it had been a struggle not to let his emotions take control, it was at least a start. He glanced up at his brother and smiled.

"Ye alright there, Jamie lad?" Willie playfully slapped him on the back for good measure.

"Aye, I think so." This time Jamie meant it and believed his own words. He threw an arm around Willie's shoulder, squeezed it briefly before stepping back. "And thank ye for sticking around. I owe ye one."

"Aye ye do," Willie grinned. "How about repaying me like right now and coming to work. It should keep yer mind busy and help me catch up with a long list of jobs."

Jamie didn't need prodding. His mouth curved into a smile, and he nodded his head. "After seeing Christie, I think I'm in the mood for uprooting trees."

They shared a wicked glance and then laughed out loud.

 Dear Readers,

Thank you all for your patience with this story and the feedback from the previous chapter. 

Mental health stories are, I personally think, the hardest to put across because it involves a lot of emotions and psychological battle that are difficult to put into words. But I was determined to write this account even though it has its challenges, so I hope I've done it justice.

Part of the reason for pushing to write such a story that delves into the mind of a tortured soul is to raise mental health awareness because there are many things that people still don't understand about this illness. In saying that, some of you were disappointed by Jamie's behaviour, and I wanted that to happen to make a point.

In real life, it's so much easier to categorise and point out someone's shortcoming instead of trying to understand the psyche of a person's behaviour. From my perspective, each of us has undoubtedly suffered a form of mental illness at least once, but not everyone has the emotional and psychological strength and maturity to cope or overcome it. Nor do they have access to help. In Jamie' case, he's got a strong network of family, and he got Claire to help him get through it. 

So the moral of the story is, spread kindness because you never know what really is going on in someone's mind. 

For now, take care of yourselves. Until the next update ... X

[razorblade180]

Twin Snowflakes 27:Hill climbing preparations

Part 26 here!<-

Rehearsals were going well. With Darren out of mind and no further incidents, students had gotten back into a steady blow of progress. The band was a little shaky at first but Summer had learned that Nick had a point about her being a bit strict in the beginning. With that hurdle jumped, Summer felt comfortable enough to take a short break. Her feet swung from over the stage's edge like a kid on a swing while she took a moment to call Oscar. It had been a few days since their last check in date. The fact that he didn’t blow her fun up meant his own hands were full. Fortunately, two rings was all it took before his face popped up on her screen, covered in what was hopefully seawater.

“Hi Oscar! Ummm sea life treating you will? You look a little…”

“Wet? Sigh, I can’t believe I’m saying this but I miss the cold of the tundra. All the storms and aquatic grimm yanking me off the boat is getting annoying. Anyways, Penny told me you had a little scare recently? Everything okay?”

“Yes, I think.” Summer rubbed her face. “Well…as okay as things usually get. I do feel better than usual. I’ve gotten to perform quite a bit the last couple days.”

“Really? Did you take my advice by any chance?”

A guilty smile found its way on Summer’s face. She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Nah. I’ve just been singing a couple of covers and a few originals that anyone with a radio has heard. The lyrics in the journal are just that, in the journal. I actually wanted to talk to you about a trick Nick got me to try. You’ve actually mentioned it once before early on.”

“Is that so- woah!” Oscar yelped, nearly falling from the rock of the ship crashing through a wave. “Hehe. Sorry about that!”

“Everything okay over there? I can call later?”

“No it’s fine; just rough seas. That’s good though. Challenging waves and other harsh weather factors have been swelling for quite some time. You’re too young to remember this but Atlas was actually a bit warmer. Hot places were cooler and sailing wasn’t as wild.”

“I’ve heard about that in class. Don’t scientists think it might have something to do with magic being back?”

“Or the gods roaming through Remnant.” He smirked, confident about the latter theory. “Harsh conditions mean it’s difficult to press forward. As if the world itself is trying to keep things away. With a little luck, passing these hurdles are all the answers we need.”

Answers. Summer couldn’t begin to imagine having those. It was more terrifying than reliving if she had to be honest. She wouldn’t know what to do if the gods themselves didn’t know what to do. The only thing worse is them saying she couldn’t do anything.

“Let’s cross our fingers you aren’t on a boat for nothing. Speaking of Shiva, Nick talked me into entering my headspace willingly. I was even able to manifest a shovel in it!”

“A shovel?” Oscar quirked his head.

“Yeah it wasn’t the usual blue empty space. It waslake; the lake as a matter of fact. I chucked a shovel at Shiva and told her to start digging her grave.”

“Nick told you to do that!?”

“Weeeeeeell… he only told me to confront her with unwavering resolve in a way Veronica would. I’m pretty sure that meant being cut throat but I may have defaulted to cock intimidation. Pretty sure I stoked the flames of war. But it felt good!”

The cheerfulness in her tone was genuine. While manifesting and confrontation was something Oscar had tried to get her to do early on, there are ways to go about it. Headspace or not, poking at a beast was always risky. “I’m glad you’re feeling good, but exercise caution. I wouldn’t try that alone. There’s a lot we don’t know about that space. I doubt you can actually die there but if that really is your mind you're traversing then serious backlash might happen if things go wrong. Remember, Shiva has an edge. Don’t let her play you in your own head.”

“Believe me, that’s the last thing I want. I’ll be careful Oscar. Thanks for worrying about me. Couldn’t ask for a better therapist”

“I wouldn’t go that far. Ruby and your dad give some pretty solid motivational speeches.”

Hehe, don’t sell yourself short. I should probably get going. Good luck! Watch the gods tell you to perform an exorcism or drown me in sacred water.”

Oh if only it was that easy. “If she had any signs of a soul I would’ve tried that already. Take care Summer. Call me when you need me”

“You know I will.” She hung up and looked over at Nick. A few of the girls had taken the opportunity to strike up a conversation with him. In typical fashion, Nick just let them fawn in vain. “Geez, take a hint ladies.” She mumbled.

“Oh my gods! I wasn’t aware you could sing!”

“So talented!”

“Can you sing for my birthday!?”

All the back chatter and compliments made it hard to focus on one person. Nick did his best to calm them all, giving a faux laugh and smile. “Hehe, thanks. I can hold a note, I’m not as good as my sister, and I’m way too sheepish to sing at a birthday. Now we should probably get back to working maybe? Practice is almost-” his eyes caught the door entrance before he finished. Valerie had walked in.

As if by will, her head automatically turned to meet his eyes. Valerie couldn’t help but give some kind of disarming smile, giving a small wave that was quickly rejected when Nick went back talking to the people around him. Not even Valerie could deny that burn. She put her hand down before she felt anymore like an edit, walking over to Eliza to get what she had to do over with.

“Hey soldier.”

“Huh? Well look who finally decided to show! I expect more from a representative of this school.”

“Oh brother…” Val couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “I’m not even gonna pretend that I’m sorry like I usually do. Look, at least I did what was asked of me. Boiler is fixed for now and there should be no problem getting hot water when the big day arrives.”

“Keep a keen eye on it just in case. I don’t have any time to deal with tiny problems during the tournament.”

“Yeah you and everyone else in this room. Now if you excuse me.” Valerie pointed both thumbs back and tried backing up slowly.

“Hold on…”

“Uuugh. Yes? I got plenty of practice to work on. Make this quick.”

Eliza narrowed her eyes. “Wow, someone is more aggressive than usual. If that’s how you’re going to be then I’ll spare you the lecture. Just know you better be careful or I might pull the rug out from under you this year.”

“Hmph, bold words. You gotta make it to the top of the hill before challenging the ruler. Though you’re more than welcome to kick Nick around and take his spot for all I care. See ya. Just text me the meeting information. Got things to do.” Valerie turned around and headed off. On the way out she saw Summer staring at her with a raised eyebrow from afar. To make matters worse, the cheerleaders moved by the exit. Veronica being among them. Valerie was ready for some kind of sly comment but to her surprise Veronica briefly acknowledged her, nodded, and then went back to what she was doing.

Eliza looked at the time and figured everyone made enough progress for one day. “Alright everyone! You can all start wrapping things up. I’m sure all of you have things to-” the sound of everyone packing their belongings overpowered her voice. “Do.” She finished. At least she could trust everyone to clean up on time. “Nicholas, get your butt in gear.”

“Oh thank goodness!” Nick wasted no time squeezing his way through the girls that lingered around him. “Sorry! The VP calls! Let’s go Summer!”

“Right behind you.” She turned towards the band. “It would be a good idea for you all to practice a little longer. Not because you may or may not need it but because I’ll finally give you room to experiment. Just no funny ideas about adding drum solos.” Summer hopped off stage and headed off, quickly catching up to Nick, Eliza, and Veronica. “Well aren’t we an interesting looking bunch?”

“An idol, witch, heir, and fashion designer. This is the beginning of a bad joke I’d say.”

“Bold of you to call someone a witch when they’ve agreed to help you train.”

“Would you prefer magical girl, or maybe sorceress?” Nick nudged her.

“I prefer my name. However…sorceress is endearing, I suppose.”

“I could call you that while you teach me?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” She said in a shrill voice. “I’m already regretting this.”

“Well while you two train to death, I’m finally going to get some real shut eye. I can hear my bed calling my name already.”

“Not so fast.” Veronica interjected. “Since we ended up being free at the same time and I have to work a little more diligently…”

Summer didn’t like where this was headed. “Veronica, my hot headed designer, I’m well aware of what it’s like to be a perfectionist. However, please don’t rope me into this.”

All three of them looked at her at once. “It’s your dress!”

“I know that! No need to remind me! I am tired though. It’s Monday, the weekend was crazy, and I just put in a full day of school with extra curricular activities. Allow me two hours at least!?”

“Ugh, ever the whiner. Fine but I don’t want to hear any complaints about design. Most would be thrilled to be heavily involved with their clothing.”

“Well consider this a show of good faith towards your skills.”

The four of them continued to talk all the way to the manor. Eliza tried to stay on important topics while Nick did his best to keep things casual. It never really worked out considering Summer's insistence to not help her dear brother and Veronica’s curiosity about events to come. It was only when the girl’s feline ears twitched by the gate did she begin to quiet down.

“Hmmm?” She stopped immediately.

“Huh? What’s wrong Vee-”

“ACHOO!!!” The girl yelled. The sneeze was so strong Veronica lifted off the ground slightly. “Phew…sorry about that.” She sniffled her loss and continued walking like nothing happened, leaving everyone confused. Veronica was the first to enter with everyone lagging a bit behind. Her eyes looked around until they spotted her mother, Blake, coming down the stairs in casual clothes and wet hair.

“Hey everyone! Finally home I see? And with a friend?”

“Uh classmate. I wouldn’t exac…ummm that’s not important. Hehe, I’m Eliza Marigold.” She stammered. It didn’t really dawn on her that she’d be meeting Mrs. Belladonna herself today. “You look lovely. Though…you look a little red? Are you sick?”

“Oh it’s nothing! Just umm got out of the shower is all.”

Veronica’s eyes narrowed. “Where’s ma?”

“Out back with Jaune.”

“Really?”

“One hundred perfect!” Blake said, unusually preppy. “Well I don’t keep you kids held up. I’ll be in the living room. Nick, Summer, I think your mother is in the garden.”

“Cool. She must be setting up the candle test already. Follow me Eliza.” Nick took her hand and guided her.

“Think I’ll get lost or something?”

“No, I just don’t need you judging every inch of this place until you find something to criticize.��

“……It’s too bright in here.” She heard Nick snicker at her attempt. “You suck.”

With those two out of the way it was time for Summer to mosey to her room. “Finally, nap time!”

“Don’t you wanna practice too?”

“What they’re doing is something I already know. Besides, Nick and I do most of our practices separate. He’ll get me when he needs me. Wake me up if you need anything.”

Veronica waited for the girl to get out of sight before giving her mom a look meant to inspire shame and embarrassment. “Really? We’ve been out all day ya know? You had plenty of time.”

Blake put her hand over Veronica’s face. “Shush your face. It happens sometimes. Thank you for the heads up.”

“Y’all are gross but that’s nothing new. I won’t mention it again if you could bring dinner up to my room. I’m gonna be spending quite some time in there.”

“Even across the world I guess some habits don’t change. Deal.”

xxxxx

In the garden, Weiss stood on the balcony with a cup of coffee. The sound of footsteps behind her caught her ear. She was more than a little surprised to learn that they belonged to not just Nick. “Eliza?”

“Mrs. Schnee. Thank you for allowing me in your home.” Eliza gave a curtsy.

“How’s your father?”

“Oh you know him, always up to something.”

Weiss wasn’t sure if that was good or bad considering his track record. “I see. Well make yourself comfortable. Nick, everything is already set up. Never would’ve thought this is how you’d try to get this done. Don’t push yourself.”

“Heh, push myself? Me?”

Weiss playfully rolled her eyes and left the balcony, ruffling Nick’s hair on the way out. Nick looked at Eliza confused. “You know you don’t have to be so formal around her, right?”

“Let’s not focus on my speech and pay attention to why we’re here. Anyways, how does this training work exactly?”

Nick walked to the railing to point at the fifteen candles spread throughout the garden. “The goal is to light all the candles at once without burning anything. It’s harder than it looks. It requires timing, speed, accuracy, and control above all.”

“Never took you for one who cares much for traditional methods of fighting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you use your glyphs to manipulate the elements.”

“Yeah, because I suck. Summer on the other hand…” He hunched over in defeat. “Not so much.”

Eliza couldn’t help but scan the area multiple times. This couldn’t be all there was to it. Could it? The five candles in the actual hedge maze looked a little challenging, but Nick was…Nick! Despite her reservations about his attitude, he was smart and knew how to work.

“Do you increase the candle amount as you go?”

He nodded. “That’s the natural progression. Summer can do thirty without thinking much about it.”

“Meanwhile you can’t even do half that amount. You sure you’re the older twin?”

“I don’t see how that’s relevant.” He pouted. Nick grabbed his sword and got into his low stance.

“So I’m just supposed to observe you?”

“No. I’m going to need help with the fires too.”

That’s not something she wanted to hear. “Tsk, alright. But first, let me see if I’m able to do it. Wouldn’t be that good of a teacher if I couldn’t.”

She climbed on top of the railing to get a better look. She raised her right hand to the sky and took a breath. Five flames ignited her fingertips as she thought of the best approach. Moments later, Eliza launched all five with a downward swing, another five swing left, then the final five to the right. Each flame danced on the winds below them before finding their targets.

Amazed, Nick’s jaw dropped for a second before saying anything. “First try!?”

“Not exactly. You did say all at once so that may have been cheating. Let me try again.” She wrapped both arms around herself then swung them out, causing a gust of wind that blew out the candles.

Nick watched closely. Breathing, posture, line of sight; anything he could to gain knowledge. Eliza cuffed her hands together. A small flame flickered into existence and grew slowly until it was the size of a baseball. Eliza threw it over the garden underhanded. The moment it reached max height she pushed her hands downwards like if she closed a lid. This made the flame split apart into embers that fell quick enough to reach each candle. Nick couldn’t believe she was two for two.

“Seems I got the hang of it.” Eliza blew the candles out and hopped off the railing. “I’d do it while off the railing but I’m positive we know the results.”

“Yeah no kidding. While I’m lucky I picked the right person to help me, doing that so easily kinda stings. Not gonna lie. You really are a sorceress.”

“Tsk, flattery gets you nowhere. Assume your stance.” She ordered. Eliza kept a close eye on Nick. He opted to square his feet with his shoulders, a sturdy stance for sure. “So far so good.” His blade pointed up and outwards. A red glyph began to form at its tip, conjuring a ball of intense flame that was as big as a softball. Eliza’s eyes narrowed. She could not believe what she was watching. “You’ll miss.”

“Huh?” Nick said, trying to focus.

“If you shoot the fireball then you are going to miss.” Eliza channeled a silver orb in her palm that bursted into shimmering light. Nick’s glyph suddenly vanished and took the fireball along with it.

“Hey! Don’t just negate my semblance out of the blue! I didn’t even shoot it yet!”

Eliza wasn’t sure what she had expected from this training. It was clear now why a talented person like Nick was fumbling. Frankly, it was annoying. Down right inexcusable. Eliza folded both her arms. “You’re so idiotic in the strangest ways possible, you know that right? To think you’re stronger than me?”

Nick huffed. This wasn’t constructive at all. “You gonna actually help, or continue to insult me? If I knew how to do this on my own then I wouldn’t ask for help.”

Nick ran his hand through his tangled hair and let out a sigh. Eliza could tell he genuinely had no idea what was wrong. It kinda got to her. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be picking on you like that. You weren’t wrong to ask for help.”

“Normally I have an inkling of how to progress but I’m hitting a wall. All of this is just…”

“Too much?” Eliza leaned over and thumped his head. “Because it is. That’s exactly your problem. You are doing far too much at once. Why are you trying to do so many steps at the exact same time?”

“What do you mean at the exact same time? All I did was make a fireball.”

Eliza could feel her eye try to twitch. “Okay. I should’ve expected that from you. Guess I’ll teach by showing.” She stood beside Nick and made a flame. “See? Now this is as basic as it gets, just straight up fire. A fireball requires controlling the shape of the flame;maintaining its heat as well.” The flame swirled around itself to make just that.

“Okay? I’m following you so far.”

“If a fireball was all you were making then no big deal. However, I just saw you attempt to make a fireball that has to keep its shape, burn hot enough, long enough, and must be aimed at multiple targets at once. No mind can do all that on a dime. It’s simply too much.”

Nick watched Eliza move behind him, putting her arms right on top of his, guiding his movements as if she was holding his blade. Her chin rested on his shoulder to get a clear line of sight. Nick was no stranger to being led through an attack, but man was it weird to have Eliza this close!

“Ummm…”

“Bear with it and focus.” She uttered, trying not to yell in his ear. “Make a flame. Just a flame. Let it heat swell and dissipate in sync with my breathing.”

“Shouldn’t it be with my own?”

“Not when your heart is beating like a drum. To think Nicholas Schnee would lose composure from a girl touching him?”

“Can’t hear you, focusing.” He was trying anyway. Eventually he managed to slow his heartbeat. He could tell Eliza was taking deep breaths on purpose to help. In sync, he made another fire glyph as she ordered.

“Good, now make it as hot as you want, then make it into a ball.” The flame shaped into the size of a baseball this time. Eliza smiled. “See how easy it is to control the size after you’ve completed the previous steps? You’ll save dust this way.”

“What’s next?”

“Aiming. You already know where your targets are but you also aren’t in a rush. If you need time to make a shot then all you have to do is make the time.” Eliza raised Nick’s sword higher in the air. “Launch it into the air, confirm where you need the fire to hit, then guide the flames to it.”

Nick took a deep breath and launched the fireball ball in an arch over the garden. He waited for it to reach the middle and fall briefly before making it burst into smaller flames that hit the candles. Eliza finally let go so he could pump his fist into the air.

“Woohoo!”

“Don’t celebrate yet, but good job. A moving target would be harder but not impossible. Repetition will allow you to eventually group certain steps together without having to think about it. You’ll get used to making fireballs that are a certain size and speed as long as you allow yourself to process each step as you are now. I noticed you let the fireball fall. Why?”

“I always end up not lighting them all because the fire dies too quickly. I realized the flame wasn’t hot enough the moment I shot it, so I let it get closer to the candles before having to split it up. Good thing you told me to aim higher or I may not have noticed.

“He can process things like that but not realize breaking the steps up will make things easier? How does his brain work!?”

Another gust of wind blew the candles out. “I’m willing to help you further but I think it’s time you held up your end of this bargain.”

“Antsy, aren’t we? Fair enough.” Nick put his sword down and sat on the railing. “What I’m about to tell you is going to make your tournament life a hundred times simpler. This is your second King of The Hill. Remember the rules?”

“Of course I do.” She followed his lead and sat down as well. “All previous tournament and combat skills leading up to the tournament are calculated so they can rank you compared to the other contestants. In order to progress higher you must defeat the person directly above you in the rank to switch places. Those who win are rewarded a reprieve from being challenged immediately to decrease rematches, but the loser can be challenged by whoever is directly below them. Conversely, if you challenge a person and lose, then you have to wait a set period before trying again while defending your current spot. The entire tournament is on a time limit that tests endurance, strategy, and the skills you’ve used all year. The winner is whoever is ranked number one by the end; the king of the hill.”

“Correct! It’s pure chaos. However, you forgot an important thing. You’ve participated once and managed to get third, so that’s automatically where you start.”

Eliza’s eyes lit up. “That’s a rule!?”

“Yep. As long as you still participated in prior tournaments this year, which you have. Congratulations on skipping the taxing part. Now you’re in the grueling section. The only way you go up is through me and Valerie. A slip up could cause you to waste too much energy and that could drag you out of third if you lose or even win against me immediately, because if I get challenged and win, then I can challenge you again before you challenge Valerie or after you hypothetically lose to her. Let that sink in for a moment.”

Eliza could feel her heart drop to her stomach. If she were to beat Nick and lose to Valerie then at best she’s at a third of her strength for a rematch she doesn’t want. Beating Nick was a goal but she didn’t need to do it twice in a day! The worst part is she is at his mercy in this scenario; getting a reprieve only if he needs one. He could very well best her and then she’s even more tired defending third place.

“Is it sinking in? Third place is its own special hell. Let’s knock Valerie into it.” He smiled.

“And how do we manage that exactly?”

“By knocking me into it! I want to take a dive in our match. A good one. The two of us will put on a spectacle to show our might that ends with me losing. This will throw everyone off into thinking you are exceptionally strong and-”

“Are you saying I’m not!” She folded her arms.

Nick chuckled nervously. “Let me finish before you get upset. Yes, you're strong, but will think you’re stronger than me by a decent margin. This is where the mind games kick in because the two of us haven’t actually used that much energy, but the other contestants don’t know that.”

Eliza rubbed her chin. “You…want them to fight you?”

“Exactly. No one's gonna pass up the opportunity to get a leg up on me. You know that better than anyone. Unfortunately for them, I’ll actually be trying against them and I fully intend to go end them quickly. This does multiple things. It makes the gap between the top three look bigger, allows me to stir the lower ranks rotation, keeps you rested, and makes Valerie anxious because you will not immediately challenge her. We are going to burn time until it gets to a point that once she’s knocked out of first, getting back up will be nearly impossible.”

“I fail to see how that’s possible. If she’s rested-”

“That’s just it, she won’t be. You can challenge her freely and not worry about me for most of the tournament. Use the time to learn how to fight her then I’ll challenge you again and win, then immediately go fight her. You’ll briefly be back in third place but fourth place holders will be exhausted and think twice about challenging you, Eliza Marigold; the person who beat Nicholas Schnee.”

“You made a safety net for third”

“I made a safety net for you! I will beat Valerie so she’ll fall to second place and that’s where you jump in to knock her to third. By that point she’ll have to wait and losing twice in a row is gonna give people ideas. Even if she beats them it’ll be a race against the clock and you can challenge me to avoid fighting her if it comes down to that. Boom, guaranteed second place for you with a potential at first place.”

The plan was insane, daring, and yet clearly thought of. “This is…a lot. Not to mention not full proof. What if I actually don’t need you to weaken Valerie and can take first place for myself?”

“Then by all means take it. I’ll knock Valerie to third myself and then fight you. Careful though. If I win you’re stuck with her and plenty of time you have to stall.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. “What if I refuse this off altogether?”

“That’s fine. We’ll just all have to do our best.”

“Your entire plan hinges on you beating Valerie. What if-”

“I’ll win.” He deadpanned. “I can take her this year. No questions about it.”

He started giving that same exact look he did a few days ago. “Not that I’m not interested but this feels a little unlike you.”

“Is that bad? People are always saying I’m too soft around Valerie. This is a tournament and there’s no rules against teamwork. You in?”

He hopped down and extended his hand. Nick did his best to seem casual about all of this but it was clear to Eliza he was pretty frustrated at Valerie. It wasn’t her place to pry. If he was willing to go this far then she might as well keep an eye on the entire thing. A chance to progress, and a good event. As long as those two things happened without incident then she had no reason to object. Then there was the other problem. She already helped him train…Eliza shook his hand.

“Glad to do business with you. I guess it’s only fair now that I give you the choice to stop training me. Wouldn’t want this to feel like I’ve gained so much tangible progress while yours relies on-”

Eliza tossed him his sword. “Quit with the chivalrous act. If I don’t train you to my standards then I’m positive your plan is bound to fall apart. Helping you here can only benefit me, or did you already forget I could teach you a thousand ways to improve your glyphs and still even the playing field?” She made another silver orb.

Nick gulped. He actually did forget how big of a pain in the ass it was gonna be fighting her. Semblance training doesn’t mean much if you can’t use it. “Have I ever told you that you can be terrifying and comforting at the same time?”

“Nobility should be just that. It’s why people like your face so much whenever you look like you beat the crap out of somebody.”

“People like my face because I’m handsome!!!”

“Less chitchat. More candle lighting.”

Nick hunched over in defeat. Marigolds, what can you do with them?

[sheerfreesia007]

Between Two Agents (1/2)

Title: Between Two Agents (1/2)

Pairing: Javier Peña x Reader x Marcus Pike

Author: @sheerfreesia007​

Words: 3,226

Warnings: Racy thoughts, suggestive flirting, no smut yet

Tags: @funandfangirlingcollide

Author Notes: This was all based on a sinful prompt I sent to @agent-whiskeys-sweetheart​ for her follower milestone sin night. I feel like I had to build this lead up to the smut because of course I can’t just go straight for the smut (I wish I had that super power.) Anyway! here is the first part of this idea that I put out into the world. The second part will be pretty much filthy smut (I mean it’s Javi, c’mon) so be warned. Please let me know what you think so far, feedback is always appreciated.

Gif Credit: Pinterest

Part 2

Your feet were pounding on the pavement as you made a mad dash down the street to the J. Edgar Hoover Building. You had woken up late due to a power outage in your apartment complex that had managed to reset your alarm on your phone and your digital alarm clock. Fortunately you had managed to catch the very next subway to Federal Triangle Station which wasn’t that far from the Hoover building. Unfortunately you had gotten dressed hurriedly and you were pretty sure your buttons were mismatched on your blouse under your blazer and you had grabbed the nearest skirt in your closet which happened to be the one that didn’t quite fit right ever since a month ago. You had obviously gained some weight due to your boyfriend’s new cooking skills he was testing on you.

         Just as you made it to the main doors to the building you slowed to a halt to catch your breath before you went into work, with a quick glance at your wrist watch you saw you were only fifteen minutes late thankfully. Hopefully your boss was in a good mood this morning, you weren’t able to get a read on her when you had called her to tell you’d be running late and why you were. Just as you moved towards the front doors you crashed into someone, the person you crashed into wrapped their arms around your waist and held you close to them so that you wouldn’t fall on your ass.

         Relief flashed through you and you looked up to offer your savior a grateful thank you. But when you looked up at the man holding you close to him you felt your throat dry out like a desert in a drought and your brain started playing loud static in between your ears. He was gorgeous. He had dark chestnut hair that looked like it hadn’t been trimmed in lord knew how long as it curled around his ears and fell almost in his eyes. His dark chocolate eyes were piercing and had a harsh undertone to them. His nose stood out on his face in a way that made you want to nuzzle your own against it. There was a scraggly looking mustache on his face and the starting of a five o’clock shadow on the underside of his chin. The man had a deep tan to his weathered skin that looked like he’d been out in the sun for far too long but it looked good on him. He was wearing a black short sleeved button up shirt and the top button was undone giving you a peak at the skin under the hollow of his throat. His neck looked sturdy and strong and oddly that turned you on? When your eyes darted up to his face once again you saw him leering at you with a knowing smirk directed down at you, busted.

         Gulping slightly you let the man hold you as you began to take a step back from him. Your hands must’ve come up to brace against his chest because they were pressed there against what felt like his pecks and you felt a blush bloom on your cheeks. You had been caught checking this man out and almost feeling him up.

         “I should start charging you for looking huh, mi amor?” he asked conspiratorially and you felt your blush engulf your entire body instantly.

         “I’m so sorry.” You said sheepishly as you stepped farther away from him instantly missing the feeling of his hands on you. “I’m running late and wasn’t watching where I was going. I’m so sorry.” You said easily in explanation.

         “It’s nothing to be sorry about I do love feeling the body of a beautiful woman pressed up against me this early in the morning.” The man said with a smirk as his eyes danced around your face. Your mind raced with images of laying naked in bed with this man pressed against you breathing heavily into your ear. You shivered slightly and watched as the man’s pupils dilated as he watched your reaction to his words.

         What the hell was wrong with you?! You had a boyfriend, a very loving one at that. But maybe it was that talk the two of you had a few nights ago. The one about your fantasies. The one where you told your boyfriend that you’d always been curious about threesomes. And now you were thinking about this man and your boyfriend pressed to each side of you letting their hands travel up and you’re your body. Their lips pressing different kisses into your skin. Shaking your head you smiled brightly at him letting the professional persona fall over you easily.

         “Again I’m sorry for running into you, but I need to get to work. Thanks for catching me though.” You said good-naturedly and watched as the man smiled at you.

         “Anytime mi amor.” He responded easily and you moved around him to walk into the building and go through security.

         As the elevator dinged you walked into your department of the FBI and immediately saw your boyfriend Marcus leaning against the front desk of your department. When he heard the ding of the elevator he turned and you watched as his eyes raked over you in relief. Moving away from the front desk he walked over to you with a bright smile that slowly creeped across his lips and lit up his face. His hands came up to cup the outside of your elbows and he leaned in giving you a quick to your temple.

         “Morning sweetheart. Mary told me what happened, you okay?” he greeted you and looked into your eyes a little worriedly. You smiled at him and reached up to lightly trace a finger down the side of his face. He was always worrying about you, and it made you feel so loved to know and see his concern for your well being.

         “Better now that I got to see you.” You said affectionately and watched as another bright happy smile grew across his face at your words. You grinned as you watched his eyes crinkle at the edges and he stepped closer to you. “But yes I’m okay, just had a run in with someone at the entrance to the building.”

         “A run in?” Marcus asked softly and you chuckled amused at yourself and what had happened this morning.

         “Oh yeah, literally ran into some guy downstairs. He actually caught me before I fell on my ass.” You said sheepishly as you chuckled at yourself. Marcus smirked down at you as he swung an arm over your shoulders and began walking you over to your office.

         “You’re such an adorable clutz.” He said warmly to you as he pressed another kiss your temple before walking into your office with you. You moved over to your desk and dropped your messenger bag next to your chair and looked over at Marcus as he stood across the desk from you. “What is it sweetheart?” he asked softly slightly concerned, you wondered if you should share with him the thoughts that you had this morning about the man you ran into.

         “You remember that talk we had a few nights ago?” you asked as you moved over to your office door and shutting it. Marcus turned to watch you and raised an eyebrow at your movements before his eyes darkened as he realized what talk you were asking about.

         “You mean the talk where we shared our fantasies?” he asked, probably wanting to make sure he was on the same page as you. You nodded your head at him and walked back over to your desk and picked up your messenger bag and began to pulling out your case files and laptop setting them on your desk. “What about it sweetheart?” Marcus asked as he stepped closer to your desk making you look up at him.

         “Well, when I ran into that guy this morning all I could think about was the three of us together.” You admitted wondering if Marcus would be upset with you. You cringed slightly as the silence stretched between the two of you, you began to panic suddenly wondering if you had just overstepped and ruined everything.

         “Hey, look at me.” Marcus said softly and your eyes darted up to him and saw that he was smirking softly at you. “There’s my pretty girl.” He said in an almost whisper. His words made your gut clench with arousal remembering what fantasies he had shared with you that night and you felt your body begin to heat up. Marcus had confessed to you that he was always curious about threesomes as well but he had said that he would rather it be with someone that the two of you wouldn’t ever see again. That it would be a one-time thing just to curb his curiosity. “We’ll find the right person to fulfill that fantasy of ours sweetheart, I promise. Do you know who the guy was?” he said reassuringly to you.

         “No, I didn’t see a badge or I.D. on him. And I didn’t catch his name. He was probably just someone walking past the building.” You said shrugging. “He actually reminded me of you a little bit. He was almost like a darker version of you.” You explain smiling widely at him.

         “A darker version huh? What’s the matter am I too soft for you?” he asked teasingly as he smirked at you. You adamantly shook your head as you watched him slowly walk around your desk towards you with a challenging look in his eye that made arousal flush through your body again.

         “Not at all. He gave off a hardened vibe. Where you’re sweet and warm he’d be cold and bitter. Two side of the same coin.” You explained as you felt your breaths coming out in pants as Marcus moved even closer to you trapping you against your desk.

         “Is that what you want? Two opposites in bed with you giving you the best of both worlds?” Marcus crooned to you seductively and you felt yourself melting softly into his embrace as his arms came to cage you in.

         “Hmmm, could you imagine?” you asked softly as your eyelids dropped to half-mast. “Me in between you and him begging for you take me anyway you wanted.” You hummed up at him as your hands played with the bright red tie he had chosen this morning. Tugging on his tie you dragged him closer to you and pressed a soft kiss to his lips and he grunted against your mouth. “Your hands and his all over my body as I begged and pleaded with you to do something.” You whispered against his lips not moving away when you broke the kiss.

         “Damnit sweetheart.” Marcus hissed as one of his hands came up to grip your hip. He pressed closer to you and you felt his hard on pressing into your hip and you gasped softly. “I’m gonna be stuck in a briefing almost all day working with DEA on a case we’re assigned to with that image in my head and this sexy little look you got going on.” He groaned softly as he flicked one of your buttons on your shirt. Looking down you saw that you had in fact buttoned your shirt wrong and grimaced softly. You instantly felt bad for working him up and you slid your hand down his chest towards his belt.

         “I could always help you real quick.” You said softly in repentance. Marcus gripped your wrist tightly and shook his head.

         “No time pretty girl, the briefing starts in ten minutes. I’m pretty sure the DEA agents are waiting on me.” Marcus said reluctantly as he stepped back. You watched as he tried to control himself. You were surprised when he looked up and then cupped the back of your head before he descended on your mouth with a heated kiss that made you whimper softly against him and melt in his arms. “Think about what I’m going to do you later tonight sweetheart when I finally get you alone. And fix your shirt.” He whispered seductively to you and you gasped. With a smirk Marcus kissed your cheek and then walked out of your office quickly. You panted softly and quickly turned from your office door as you unbuttoned and buttoned your shirt correctly.

           “Alright so I think now would be a good time to break for a bit and get a breather.” Said the lead FBI agent on the case. Marcus nodded his head eagerly wanting to get away from the conference room that they had all holed up in for the last few hours. He pushed back from the table and pulled his phone from his pocket. He smiled when he saw that he had a few text messages from you. As he read the text messages he stood from his chair and walked out of the conference room over to the small break room on this floor. He turned to lean his back against the counter next to the fridge not paying attention to any of the other agents that walked in.

         “Hey Pike” came the voice of one of the FBI agents he was working with and he looked up easily with a small smile on his face.

         “Yeah?” he asked curiously.

         “Stop sexting your woman, we’re all gonna order from the chinese place do you wanna order lunch?” he asked and Marcus smirked softly at him before telling him what he wanted for lunch.

         “So sexting huh?” came an amused voice next to him and Marcus looked over to his left to see DEA Agent Peña leaning against the countertop much like him but sipping from a mug of coffee he had made. Marcus scoffed softly and shook his head.

         “They’re just jealous.” Marcus said shrugging his shoulders before he looked back down at his phone. He grinned softly as he saw you had sent him a selfie of yourself with a text that read Thinking about you.

         “Well they have good reason to be jealous if that’s your woman.” Agent Peña said easily as he nodded his head to Marcus’ phone. Marcus smirked softly and nodded his head as he showed the other agent your picture. “Wait, that’s your woman?” Agent Peña asked suddenly and Marcus instantly noticed the stiff stature the other agent held as he stared at your picture.

         “You know her?” Marcus asked curiously as he began to figure out how the DEA agent could possibly know you. Was he your mystery man? Marcus surveyed the other man and could see the similarities that you had spoken about before. And suddenly Marcus was hit by how fortuitous this would be if he played his cards right.

         “I ran into her this morning.” Agent Peña explained as he nodded at your picture. “You’re a lucky man.”

         “Oh you have no idea.” Marcus said nodding his head. “What would you say if I offered you an opportunity to be lucky as well?” Marcus asked lowly and the DEA agent looked over at him sharply with a heated look.

           You’re sitting in your office finishing up your case file packet with all of your research before quitting time when your phone buzzes next to you on the desk. Looking over to it you see Marcus’ contact image lighting up your screen making you smile. Quickly picking up your phone you swipe over the screen and press it to your ear.

         “Hey babe!” you said cheerily as you answered the call.

         “Hey sweetheart, you getting ready to head out?” Marcus asks warmly and you laugh softly amazed that this man knows you well after only a few months of dating.

         “Yeah just finishing up my last case file.” You said easily as you start organizing all the papers you needed to include in the file.

         “Good, hey listen I’m going to meet you at your apartment after work alright.” He said warmly and you grinned widely.

         “Ok, is everything alright? The DEA are keeping you a little later?” you asked teasingly. Marcus’ chuckle came over the line and you felt your insides melting at the sound.

         “Something like that.” He said easily before you heard him pause. You furrowed your eyebrows and were about to speak up when Marcus beat you to it. “I want you to do something for me once you get home okay?” he said in low gravelly tone and suddenly heat flushed your whole body. You knew that whatever he asked of you you’d do it when he used that tone but now your curiosity was peaked. “Wanna try something new tonight if you’re up for it.” He said lowly and you panted out a breath.

         “Yeah. Yes. What did you have in mind?” you panted out softly. Marcus chuckled softly into your ear and you felt your insides melting even further. At this point it’d take you forever just to get home because you’d be a melted puddle on the floor all thanks to this man of yours.

         “Remember that black set I bought you a few weekends ago?” he asked lowly and you could only imagine him sitting in a conference room hunched over the table trying to talk to you just softly enough that the others wouldn’t hear him.

         “Mmhmm.” You hummed softly knowing exactly which set he was talking about. It was a pretty black lace bra and panty set that had pretty floral designs in the lace that looked great on your skin. Marcus had bought it for you on a whim as he saw it in a small local lingerie boutique. And you had yet to show it off for him.

         “I want you to put that on when you get home and blindfold yourself and wait for me in the bed.” He said so lowly that it almost sounded like he was growling out the words over the phone. You shivered as you imagined what you were in for tonight. “Alright pretty girl?” he asked lowly and goosebumps erupted across your skin.

         “Yes sir.” You whispered into the phone with baited breath. You knew those two words were what the FBI agent was looking for and you were rewarded with a low groan in your ear.

         “That’s my good girl.” He crooned to you and you shivered again. “I gotta go but I’ll be home within the hour okay?”

         “Yes sir.” You answered and then hung up the phone. Suddenly you needed to get home. You quickly packed your things away and rushed out of the office. You had things to do before Marcus came over.

[cal-puddies]

a million little times // ashton irwin

big shout out to @kindahoping4forever for letting me work this out and coming in with the last minute help for re-ordering. i hope she was surprised because i started this so she would be. (old convo a while ago, i didn’t forget!)

word count: 2169

warnings: angsty, mentions of cheating/infidelity, mentions of sex

Masterlist // Ko-Fi

Let me know what you think!

Ash falls onto his bed. Your smell surrounds him, from the last time you were there; a tawdry 2 weeks of nakedness and sex, kissing and talking and showing you everything he could be for you. 

But you still left when Logan came back. 

Him and the band were in rehearsal for tour and he knew it’d be months before he could see you again. He wouldn’t get to see you until he was home or if Logan left and you could get away.

He catches the green toothbrush, next to his pink one out of the corner of his eye; you’d immediately gone for the green when presented with the choices and Ash happily took the pink because he was with you. He kept all of your travel stuff since he was single and if it wasn’t around at home it couldn’t raise any questions. Again, Ash was happy to, because it meant he was with you. 

He remembers the way the sheets wrapped around your body and it gave and gave and gave, and he couldn’t imagine any man not giving you absolutely everything. 

He thinks about you just in his shirt, so undone and pretty, the hours and hours of talking. Spilling all your secrets to each other, you told him about what you’d wanted in life and he told you how he wanted a family. 

Even though he subconsciously knew you were someone else’s, you always made him feel like you were his, like Logan didn’t exist, unless he brought him up first. 

*****

Logan places his cufflinks while he watches you finish your makeup, “we could have paid someone.” He mentions, checking his tie. 

“Why? it’s just a party.” You shrug. 

“You never let me spoil you.” He groans. 

“You only want it because I’m the girl on your arm.” You roll your eyes, the air was tense, like it always is anymore. “And I don’t need to be spoiled.” 

“Fine.” He huffs. 

He watches you reach for perfume, he grabs the one he got you most recently, but you reach for the one you bought for Ashton, without even thinking. 

“When did you even get that?” Logan asks, seeming to really notice it for the first time. 

“I’m not sure, a couple years ago?” You reach for Ashton’s earrings and walk out to get yourself dressed. 

When you get to the party, Ashton is the first person you look for, he’s in the middle of the room, surrounded by his friends, he smiles softly when you make eye contact.

“Should we get drinks?” Logan asks. 

You nod, leading him toward the middle of the room before heading to the bar. When you pass Ash you tuck your hair behind your ear, so he sees the earrings and gets a whiff of you. He knows that means to find you later. 

You excuse yourself to fix your makeup, Ash locks the door behind him a few minutes later, pressing himself against your back. “What do you want?” He whispers. 

“You, just you.” You murmur, turning into him, kissing him. 

It’s instantly needy, he can’t keep you in here long and you both know that. You immediately start undoing his belt, and he lifts you onto the counter, pulling your skirt up over your waist and pushing your panties to the side. 

Logan spots you when you walk back in from outside. You glance at Ashton, back with his friends like 10 minutes ago you weren’t wrapped around him. His cheeks were a little pink, but you were downright still flushed. 

Logan’s arm scoops around your back, “there you are.” Is tightly whispered in your ear. 

“It’s just a little warm, stepped out for some air.” 

“Well are you ok? You still look flushed.”

*****

Ash can’t wait, you can sense it the second you open the door to his car, leaving yours in the office lot again. 

You were heading to the Beverly Wilshire, where you spent most of your multi day sessions with him. Especially back when it was New, 5 years ago. 

His hand slides up your thigh and you glance at him. He smiles and his eyes soften, the look he gave you when you first met; Before he knew you were married, or what you did, before putting all the moves on you. It inevitably worked. You could say for certain. 

Which is why you were here now. 

You wrap your hand around the back of his neck and he puts the car in drive. 

“I hate the rules.” He murmurs, while you’re laying in bed together. 

“I know. They aren’t my favorite either.” You admit, looking up at him. “But, they keep us from overstepping.” 

“You mean they keep me from asking you to leave him again.” 

“Ashton.” You move away, pushing yourself off the bed. You grab his button down and pull it on. “We can’t do this again. You know all the reasons why…” 

Ash gets on his knees and crawls across the bed, grabbing you by the waist, “Yes, I know all the reasons why we shouldn’t have this conversation, but I have one why we should.” He presses his lips to yours. You make a “hmmm” noise, “because I love you, and you love me. And we’re great together. And you told me 3 years ago that you weren’t in love with him anymore.” 

“Yes and we almost went through with that plan and someone got cold feet.” You remind him, tapping his chest before pulling away, heading for the bathroom. 

“Does he make you cum like I do?” He calls after you. 

“You know he doesn’t.” You say, closing the door. 

Ash collapses face first on the bed, sighing. 

*****

There was barely enough space for Ash in the backseat of the SUV, and it was only now that you were twisting his curls between your fingers, head on your chest, draped over your body like a blanket that you really took notice.

“That dress looked incredible.” He murmurs. 

“Oh, did you even see it?” You breathe out a laugh, “before we got cum all over it?” You tease.

“I’m sorry, it’s been too long.” He smiles at you. 

“I know, that’s why I agreed to a parking lot meetup… didn’t know I needed a change of clothes though.” You smirk. 

“You can come back to mine?” Ash offers, knowing you’d likely say no and you should say no.

“Bubba.” You murmur. “I think I’d love that. But that doesn’t solve the ‘what will I wear home?’ Situation.” You point out. 

“Couldn’t you stay? Say you went out with the girls or stayed downtown because you worked late?”  

“I’d be pushing it.” You sigh. 

“Let me have you for the night, please?” He's so close to begging, sitting up to unleash the full power of his pout and green eyes. 

“Ash…” you reach up, resting your palm on his cheek, “you know I want that too.” 

“You’ll have to shower anyway, I’m all over you. You have stuff at my place.” He reminds you. 

“We agreed not at your place anymore… too personal, too many emotions in that bed, too easy for your friends to just pop by.” 

“I know. I’m sorry. It’s just hard you know? I want you around.” 

“I know.” You nod. 

“What do you say? Just come shower.” He tries again.

“Ok,” You agree, sitting up and reaching for your panties. You know going to his place means you’ll give in and stay the night. It’s why it became off limits in the first place. 

Ash pulls on his undershirt and pants, handing over his button down for you to put on instead of the cum covered dress. 

He gets you to stay, coaxing you to the bed so he can hold you before you shower. 

“Can I see you again this week?” He asks. 

You look over his face, he looks so unsure, lacking the confidence he normally has. “Maybe, I think Logan might be out of town this weekend. I’ll let you know.” You promise. You peck him on the lips, breathing in deep and trying to remember every bit of this night.

You text Logan that you’d be staying downtown due to working late. 

*****

Ashton knew it was wrong, the second you gave him a second glance though, he was gone. You flicked your hair off your shoulder and he saw the wedding ring, but it didn’t stop him from approaching you at the bar. 

He brushes his fingertips over your bare shoulder. “Doesn’t a pretty little thing like you have someone to fetch her drinks?” 

He can feel your eyes roll. “Yeah, sure. But did it cross your mind that I needed to get away?” You smirk. 

“Ashton.” He holds out his hand and you turn to shake it, he’s immediately breathless, staring in your eyes. You introduce yourself and occupy your time talking to him, maybe another 20 minutes. 

You lose yourself, not noticing the other people around trying to get drinks, but you notice when he puts himself in between you and a glass of wine you’d knocked with your elbow, catching the spill himself. Your eyes go wide, “I’m so so sorry!” You say, grabbing for napkins being handed to you by the bartender. 

“It’s ok… for you? I’d ruin myself a million little times.” He hushes you, giving you a sweet smile. 

He asks for your number as you get ready to move on, “Bold, since I saw you looking at my wedding ring.” You tease. 

“Just wanna talk to you again.” He shrugs, handing over his phone so you can punch in the number. 

*****

I can’t meet at the hotel. I have to meet L for dinner. 

We need to talk. 

He didn’t respond, but Ashton was waiting in your parking lot, from the early days. It sat near the beach, and you were very familiar with the traffic patterns of it. 

You see he’s not in his car so you head out to the beach and see him there, alone. 

“Hey baby.” You say quietly, standing just behind him.

“This is it, isn’t it?” He asks.

“I’m not sure. Logan’s job wants him to move… to the UK.” 

“You know we go there sometimes.” He points out. “What about your job?”

“We haven’t talked about what it means for us yet. That’s why I had to cancel our night.” You admit. 

“So, what… you wanted to come here and break my heart, kid?” He snarks back, looking back over his shoulder at you.

“Don’t be an asshole, Ash. You’ve known this thing had a time limit.” 

He sighs and stands in front of you, “I’ll always wish we’d met before you met him. Because I do think you’d be with me.” 

“Ash…” you say softly. “We can’t…” 

“Yeah… I know. Call me or don’t at this point.” He shrugs, squeezing your shoulder as he walks off. 

*****

Ash looks at himself in the mirror, it was a typically rainy day in London and he had the night off, so he was heading out to meet you at a hotel you’d picked. 

He hadn’t seen you six months, since your move to London. He knew you were miserable and hated it, you’d emailed him a bunch and he’d send the bare minimum in replies. Having the distance and the beach moment gave him clarity. 

He sighs, slipping on a jacket and then taking the elevator to slide into a car. 

He spots you immediately, and he can almost smell your perfume at the door. 

“Hi.” He mentions, standing next to you at the bar. 

“Hey,” you smile softly, moving to hug him and he looks around and shakes his head so you stop and course correct. “I’ve missed you.” You offer. 

“Yeah? My life’s been different without you.” He agrees. And then he’s quiet. He lets you talk at him a bit, but doesn’t offer anything up. 

“What’s going on?” You ask. 

He’s silent for a while longer and then swirls the glass in his hand, “You know how sometimes the world stops? And it’s like… big life changing moments? I’ve had a few of them. But 3 have been with you, and only one has been truly positive, and I don’t know if it’s meeting you, or leaving you.” He tips the glass of whiskey back against his lips. 

He slips off the stool and throws a few bills on the bar to pay for all the drinks. 

“Wait… Ashton?” You ask, confused. He can see the tears in your eyes and any other time, that’d stop him. 

“Go home to Logan…” he murmurs, “you’ll never be mine and I’m not ok with second best any more.” 

“You were never second best.” You whisper, biting your lip, holding back tears. 

“I was never gonna be the one you chose.” He shrugs. “And I’ve accepted that.” He turns on his heel to walk away. 

“I came here to choose you.” You whisper to his back.

If you would like to be tagged when I post, make sure you get added to the new tag list!

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[chibi-beaver]

I'm in a bad batch kinda mood today and decided to write some Hunter & Omega fluff/angst!

Rating: General

Warnings: none (this is pretty wholesome)

Summary: After Hunter loses his cool with Omega, he remembers what Cut and Suu told him and tries to make things right

Tags: hurt/comfort, fluff, angst, domestic fluff, parenting, father daughter relationship

There will be Bad Batch spoilers in this so don't read if you haven't watched the latest episode (episode 4)

Honestly, I'm pretty proud of this rn 😁

Story is also attached under the cut if you wanna read it here, if you like it I'd appreciate the notes here and/or kudos on ao3 😁

Edit: I forgot to add some fic tags 😳

Omega had gotten herself into yet another jam. All they had to do was get supplies on Tatooine. It certainly wasn't the nicest planet but it was in the outer rim and for the most part, off the radar of the Empire.

All Omega had to do was stay close to Hunter as they went into Mos Espa. It was supposed to be an in and out supply run but when was any supply run in and out? He should've known that something had to happen but why did it have to happen to Omega?

She had gotten herself into the hands of yet another bounty hunter. Hadn't she learned her lesson after the encounter on Pantora? Hunter thought to himself as he ran through the sandy "streets" of Mos Espa in search of Omega.

"Wrecker, Tech, Echo! I need help finding Omega!" Hunter yelled into his comm.

"I'm on it!" Wrecker replied.

"I'm finishing the ship's repairs but I've sent Echo," Tech said.

"I thought Echo was repairing the ship with you," Hunter said.

"He was, but we're almost done," Tech replied.

Hunter was relieved that he got two of his men helping him find Omega.

Hunter tripped over his feet. The grains of sand were making his feet slide everywhere. Just when things couldn't get any worse, Hunter noticed a Tusken Raider running off with something. Upon closer look, it was his blaster.

Hunter was conflicted on what to do but he eventually ran after the Tusken Raider and tackled it to the ground before ripping the gun out of his tiny hands. Some more Tusken Raiders surrounded Hunter, weapons pointed at him. Probably stolen weapons, he thought. He looked around, looking for an out. He knew if he shot one, he'd subsequently get shot by another, which could incapacitate him, but he couldn't waste any time. If their encounter with the bounty hunter on Pantora taught him anything, he knew that they were cunning and fearless. They would do anything to keep their hands on Omega and would harm anyone who got in their way. Almost like what he would do for Omega. He just wished that she would stop getting into trouble.

Suddenly, they all ran off at the sound of something. Hunter was unsure of the source of the sound until his comm went off.

"You can thank me later, Tuskens hate Krayt Dragons," Tech said.

"How did you know I was-"

"I got my repairs done and I started watching the camera feeds around Mos Espa and noticed some Tuskens bothering you in the background of one," Tech replied.

"Now I'm glad you record the sound of every animal you've heard of," Hunter said, relief permeating his voice.

"I can see the bounty hunter!" Wrecker said into the comm.

"Transmit me your coordinates!" Hunter said.

"How do I do that!?" Wrecker asked.

"I got this, you focus on finding Omega," Tech said as he transmitted Wrecker's coordinates to Hunter and Echo.

Hunter immediately ran to them, meeting up with Echo on the way. Just as they got there, Wrecker got knocked out by Bounty Hunter who seemed to use the weapon he knocked Wrecker out with as a hat.

"I got Wrecker, go find Omega!" Echo said as he tried to help Wrecker.

Hunter obliged to what Echo said as he continued running after the bounty hunter. He was led to a dead-end street where he saw an anooba cornering Omega. Hunter took out his blaster and shot the anooba in the leg, causing him to yelp. Omega was distressed by the sound, as was the bounty hunter who retaliated by throwing his hat like a frisbee at Hunter. Hunter ducked just in time and avoided being hit by the hat. The bounty hunter then took out a weapon of his own and began shooting at Hunter with it. Hunter continued running towards the bounty hunter, to tackle him. It was successful until the anooba came back to tackle Hunter, causing him to drop his blaster.

Omega slowly made her way towards the blaster, but the anooba must have smelt her because he got off of Hunter and jumped on Omega. Hunter took the opportunity to pick up his blaster and pointed it at the bounty hunter's head, just as Echo and Wrecker arrived at the scene. Cornering the bounty hunter. He called his anooba off of Omega as he searched for a way out.

"What do you want with Omega?" Hunter asked, keeping the blaster pointed at the bounty hunter's head. He started speaking in an unknown language.

"Where's Tech when you need him?" Echo muttered as he turned on his comm but didn't say anything.

Hunter repeated the question as Omega approached Wrecker and stood behind his leg, she was trembling.

"He's trying to say that he was put off to it by an unknown client, it's just a job to him, a good-paying job at that," Tech whispered as he listened in.

The bounty hunter didn't answer the question as the anooba brought back his hat. The bounty hunter took the hat and hit Hunter with it before running to make his escape, pushing Echo and Wrecker out of the way.

"What were you thinking?!" Hunter said frustratedly to Omega.

"I-I'm sorry," Omega said.

"I thought you would've learned not to talk to strangers or touch strange animals after Pantora!" Hunter continued.

Omega said nothing in return as she stayed at Wrecker's side.

"You could've gotten yourself killed again! These situations are why I wanted to send you with Cut and Suu! So that you could be safe!" Hunter said. He saw the sad expression on Omega's face immediately after he said that. She looked like she was going to cry.

"Lay off her!" Wrecker said as he took Omega's hand and started back to the ship with Echo.

Hunter quickly began to regret what he had said. The regret kept itself on his mind as he walked back to the ship.

When he got back to the ship, Omega was in her room with the curtain closed.

"Let's get off this desert world," Tech said as he plotted a course for Idaflor. Maybe this time they would actually make it there without needing to repair the ship or to get supplies.

Hunter began to grow concerned as hours passed and Omega had still not left her room. Usually, she wouldn't stay in her room long. Her curious mind always kept her on the go, even though she had seen the inside of the ship countless times. Even if she wasn't feeling curious, she would usually leave to use the fresher. Tech looked back from the pilot's seat at Hunter

"What's wrong?" Tech asked.

"Nothing that you can fix," Hunter said, glancing at Omega's room.

"Well, that's a lie because I know a way to fix most things," Tech said.

"Yea, you can fix ships but you know about as much as I do about parenting," Hunter replied.

"Ah, it's about Omega. Hmmm, well maybe you should talk to her, perhaps discussing whatever happened might help things," Tech said.

Hunter didn't reply. Rather he sat back into his chair while Tech turned back to whatever device he was building. He remembered Tech telling him what it was but he had forgotten. As Hunter thought about what he could do, his mind went back to Cut and Suu.

"Easy, she's not a soldier."

Cut said that to him the first time he lashed out at Omega.

"You're safe, that's all that matters."

Hunter reminded himself that Omega was on the ship with them and not in the hands of that bounty hunter but at the same time, she shouldn't have touched that anooba. They didn't know the animal, it could've been diseased, or as it was in this case, connected to someone dangerous.

"Children will always find ways of getting into trouble, Hunter. It's what they do. Protecting them is what we do".

Hunter thought more about what he had said on Tatooine. Even if some of it was warranted, he shouldn't have brought up Cut and Suu. It was a bit of a sore spot for Omega, knowing that Hunter was going to pawn her off on Cut and Suu, even if he thought it was for her own good.

Hunter decided to approach Omega's room. He climbed up a couple steps of the ladder.

"Omega?" Hunter said.

"Go away!" Omega said.

"I just want to talk," Hunter said. "No yelling this time. I'm not mad." Hunter continued in a gentler tone.

"Fine," Omega said.

Hunter pulled the curtain to side slightly. She was sitting in her room with Lula held in one of her arms as she looked out the window at the whizzing of hyperspace.

Hunter sat in the small face, doing his best to fit. Wrecker clearly designed this space for someone of Omega's size. He eventually sat horizontally in the room, with one leg hanging outside of the space for his own comfort.

"You're gonna get rid of me again, aren't you?" Omega said.

"What? No. You said you wanted to be with us, I promised you that if you wanted to be with us then you will be with us."

"But I screwed up again," Omega said.

"You said it yourself once, you have a lot to learn. But so do I and I realize I was a bit too harsh today. I'm sorry."

"I can't help that I'm curious sometimes," Omega said, thinking back on how it was her who wanted to pet the anooba.

"I know, but sometimes it's better to watch from afar," Hunter said.

Omega didn't say anything in response. Rather she clutched the Lula.

"I'm not going to get rid of you. We want you here just as much as you want to be here. I'm sorry for bringing up Cut and Suu and I'm just glad you're okay," Hunter said.

To Hunter's surprise, Omega moved closer to him and put her arms around his shoulders, hugging him. Hunter was initially taken aback but he soon returned the hug. When they eventually pulled away from one another, Omega smiled.

"Now let's agree to put what happened today behind us," Hunter said.

"Ok," Omega replied.

Hunter made his way back down the ladder and extended a hand out to Omega,

"wanna come down and hang out with us or explore the ship or do whatever you want?" Hunter asked.

"Sure!" Omega said as she came out of her room and started asked Tech various questions about the ship and the controls. Hunter watched and smiled at seeing Omega feeling a bit better.

[cullens-babe]

I'm back in my Solavellan feelings and want to talk about my lavellan and Solas. I saw these prompts and decided to post that now. I'm going to answer each one (other than the nsfw ones) and here we go. Putting it under a keep reading just in case no one cares lol.

For the Fluff:

1. What are things they both find funny?

Solas and Bloom both love when Cassandra and Varric banter. They just find it hilarious because Cassandra is nice at some points but she can be angry while being funny. They just find both of them too funny.

2. If they could each describe each other in one sentence, what would it be?

Solas describe Bloom as, "A complicated woman," and Bloom describes Solas as, "A complicated man." They're both complicated on the surface and they just stick to that description. But if people ask for what do they like about each other, then OH BOY!!! They could go on a rant.

3. If they complimented each other, what would they say?

Solas would compliment Bloom by saying how she always notices the good in people. She always tries to make people feel better, help them heal, and just help people in general. She cares for people and the way she sees the good in people, and it makes him love her.

Bloom would compliment Solas by saying she loves hearing him ramble and how adorable it is. Solas rambles and we ALL know it. He'll talk about the fade or magic for hours and Bloom loves to hear all of it and she finds his passion adorable.

4. What would be their ship name?

Blas because it's close to blast and Bloom will blast you away if you ever hurt her family. It has Bl from Bloom and as from Solas lol.

5. What activities do they enjoy together?

Hmmm...they enjoy a lot of things together. I guess the one thing they could mainly enjoy together is reading. They both like to read and find it fun. But the part they both enjoy the best is reading to each other. Like Lavellan is resting her head in Solas's lap and he's reading whatever to her or Solas is resting his head in her lap and she's reading to him. It's comfortable and that's an activity they like.

Another one is taking naps together.

6. What is/are their love language(s)?

Physical attention. I believe Solas does like it when he gets physical attention. He's like...however old and he's definitely touch starved, but only for the person he loves: Bloom. They both like getting physical attention and like holding hands, kissing, hugging, nsfw things, and they do like words. They love being told "I love you" from the other and it brings them so much comfort. They love it when they comfort each other.

7. Write a ~300 word love scene for them.

Solas was looking at Bloom again. She was resting on the couch in the Rotunda, few pieces of hair falling in front of her face, and was slightly snoring. He worked in the Rotunda all the time and she would visit him all the time. Even before they confessed to each other. They love being together, so if she was ever stressed, she would come here and check on him. He would accept the attention and he would give her as much comfort as she needed. This time, she came because she had a bad dream. She was being chased by demons and was witnessing Solas's death in the future that Alexius tried to make. He knew she suffered from the mere memory, so he would never shun her away. He would do whatever she wanted and this time she just wanted to be in the same room with him.

She groaned in her sleep and it made him worry. He marked the page he was on in his book and went over to her. He knelt in front of her and pulled the pieces of hair back behind her ear. She moved slightly and it made him freeze, but she didn't move again and he was relieved. He looked at her closer now and he got to see the sight he loved. He loved to see her at peace, something he rarely got to see, and when she slept he got to see it. It made him feel happy and he just staring at her made him feel blessed. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. He hoped she wouldn't wake, but she did.

She opened her eyes and smiled when she saw him. "Hi, vhenan."

Solas blushed at that word and decided to kiss her again to hide it.

8. What were their first impressions of each other?

Bloom found Solas as interesting and she really wanted to know more about him.

Solas found her as rude and distant. Only to realize she's just anxious and actually loves almost everyone.

For the Angst:

9. Have they made each other cry?

Have you seen the ending of Trespasser??? YES!! They have. They never used their words to hurt each other and make them cry, but their actions have. Solas leaving made Bloom cry, Bloom having a dream of Solas being dead made her cry, and seeing him again in Trespasser made her cry.

Now, Solas cried a lot. He hides it, but he does cry a lot. He cares for Bloom a lot, more than he thought he would, so seeing her hurt? It makes him upset. One time, she was knocked out for quite awhile because she used a lot of her energy, and Solas was so concerned and he cried. So yes they cry about each other a lot.

10. Write a ~300 word argument scene for them.

I can't exactly do this one because they rarely argue :(.

11. What causes them to fight?

Umm...the only thing that could make them fight would be Solas telling Bloom to do something she doesn't believe in. Solas telling her that she's too kind hearted and almost implying she's weak. That would really hurt her and she would argue. It would be a short argument because she would leave since she doesn't want to argue. They would both come together soon and they'll explain their side and almost always feel better.

12. Do they have differing political opinions?

Yeah. I'm not good with the politics in like DA, but it's obvious they do bc he's Solas and she doesn't know the things he does, so they do have different opinions. It's why they avoid that topic lol.

13. Name something they would never do for the other person.

Bloom could never let him destroy the world. Like she would never help him. Does she love him with her entire soul? Yes. But she can't destroy the world.

Solas would never just forget his past for her. You can take this as in he has to destroy the world or just that he can't stop the mission of at least sharing the word of his people. He just can't forget his past.

14. What would be a dealbreaker?

Destroying the world is a deal breaker for Bloom lol. Or just anything regarding to hurting people for the fun of it.

Deal breaker for Solas would have to be her hating on his old life. Like?? Excuse me?? Bloom would never but still. If he had someone do that then he'd have to leave them.

15. What are traits they dislike in one another?

Bloom doesn't like the way Solas is constantly not looking at other peoples POV. He just thinks about his past and sometimes needs to be reminded not everyone is like him and he needs to think about it like them.

Solas doesn't like the way Bloom is always sacrificing herself.

16. If they broke up, what would be their opinions of each other?

They would still love each other. They have broken up like twice already now. First in DAI and then again in Trespasser (not rlly but ya get it?? He left her once and then he did it again lol). They would still love each other and wouldn't move on. They would still believe that they are a good person (Even if Bloom's opinion of that good person is in doubt) and almost have the same opinions.

For the Depth:

17. What senses (sights, smells, feelings, etc). remind them of each other?

Bloom is reminded of him when she sees green clothes. She's reminded of his clothes he would wear, how she would take them off in the heat of the moment, and how she would sometimes sleep in them. And!! Seeing wolves or animals would sometimes remind her of him. He liked animals and talked about them and since he has a jawbone, if she saw a wolf she'd immediately think about him. The smell of the woods would remind her of him.

Solas is reminded of her when he sees anything blue or ginger. Blue was her favorite color and she almost always wore blue clothes, and her hair was ginger. Seeing anything ginger would remind him of her, her hair, and how he would run his fingers through it when she was stressed or sad.

18. What would be their love motto?

"To love is to understand each other, trust each other, and want to protect each other."

19. If they could each write a single line in their marriage vows, what would they be?

Bloom: "You make my fire brighter and make me feel like I can do the impossible."

Solas: "You understand me and see things in me I can't see myself."

20. What is a promise they have made to each other?

To love forever. Solas knew he wouldn't love anyone like he loves her and she knew she wouldn't love anyone the way she loves him, so they made a promise.

Away from their love, it's a promise to always be true to each other...even though that promise is very sad...because you know-

21. How have they changed each other for the better/for the worse?

I think they've both changed for the better. Bloom slowly learns she can't sacrifice herself and that it's okay to love someone no matter what. Solas learns that everyone is suffering in their own way, how precious people are, and how to love again.

22. If their lives were what was originally intended at birth, would they have still fallen in love?

Umm...Bloom was meant to be a hunter and stay in a clan, so I doubt they would have met. BUT if they ever did, they most likely still would have fallen in love. Bloom was still the same no matter what. He probably would adore her more because she can fight physically and also use her magic.

23. Write a ~300 scene between them with no dialogue, only body language.

They were in her bedroom, getting undressed for bed, and he finally wrapped his arms around her. Bloom felt relief when Solas wrapped his arms around her. She had been through a stressful day, so to feel his arms around her, it made her feel safe. The warmth he radiated brought her peace, and then the coolness he gave her made her feel even better. Anything involving him made her feel loved, so to just feel him made her happy.

Uhhh....I can't write just body language. I need to write dialogue so my bad. Take 79 or 80 words lol.

24. What is something they have each had to forgive the other for?

Bloom has to forgive him for trying to destroy the world lol.

Solas doesn't really have anything to forgive her for. She's always been careful around him, not overstepping boundaries, and they rarely fought. He just feels the need to forgive himself and understand why she forgives him.

Anyways yeah take this!! I might do more prompts like this. I just love them so much. I might do Cullen and Elle and Julian and Cassandra!! And there's not much proofreading so :))).

[ga-yuu]

'Lust of lovers in the summer' Story Event~Morinaga Route

(It's hot again today....)

I walk in the sunshine, wiping the sweat off my face.

But despite the heat, joyful voices could be heard from all over the town.

Merchant 1: "It's almost the summer festival, isn't it? Morinaga-san and his friends are going to do something, aren't they? Have you heard the details?"

Merchant 2: "No, not at all. But it’ll be fun with that man leading the way."

Merchant 3: "Yes. I wonder, what's in store for us?"

(As expected of Morinaga-san..... Everyone is hyped.)

In order to liven up the town of Kamakura, which is suffering from the extreme heat, the samurai of Kamakura decided to hold a summer festival.

Morinaga-san was appointed by Yoritomo-sama to take charge of this.

He is now working with his men in one part of the town to prepare for the festival.

(I can only help by bringing some refreshments, but I hope the festival is a success.)

....................

(Oh, I think this is the workshop.)

It looks like they have just stepped out onto the back of the stage, which is being assembled.

Yoshino: "Um, hello. I've brought you some----"

Morinaga: "Oh hey, Yoshino. Come here."

(Ha!!!..... Half-naked Morinaga-san!)

His exposed, water-soaked upper body is a sight to behold.

Morinaga: "Oh, sorry about this. I was just taking a dip in the water because I was sweating at work."

Morinaga-san approached me looking like that.

Yoshino: "Erm....where are the others?"

Morinaga: "We decided to take a break a while ago."

Yoshino: "Um, Morinaga-san...if you could...wear your kimono back on...?"

Morinaga: "Why? You have already seen me like this last night. Are still embarrassed? No wait,.....You're embarrassed because you saw me like this last night, isn't it?"

Morinaga-san bent down lightly and looked into my eyes, and my cheeks heated up.

Yoshino: "Nn..Don't tease me....."

Morinaga: "Sorry, I must have hit the nail on the head."

Morinaga-san's smile deepens as I look away, unable to bear my embarrassment.

Morinaga: "You're so cute."

He looked at me with his sweet, lechery eyes and my heart clenched.

(But....I'm at the mercy of Morinaga-san all the time.)

I have only recently fallen in love with him, and I am swept away by the little antics of the more mature Morinaga-san.

Morinaga: "There's nothing wrong in having a shy face, but it's lonely when you look away so much."

Taking both my hands, Morinaga-san let me hook them around his neck, wondering what I was thinking.

(Wh-Whaa...this position?)

Morinaga: "You looked me right in the eye last night, didn't you? It was lovely to see you begging for it, .....but I don't think I'll see it again today."

Yoshino: "Mm...."

A thick-skinned finger flicked my lips, causing a slight sensation of pleasure.

Morinaga-san's face comes to me as if he was enjoying seeing me blushing....

We kissed,....a soft tongue crept through the opening to gently pamper my mouth.

Yoshino: "Hmm....ah..."

Morinaga: "At last a voice that sounds familiar..."

(Mm....I don't know, but it's like he's trying to revive the last night's memories...)

Morinaga-san embraces my waist with his big hands and melts me with his mouth.

In between, his hands start to trace my legs from my waist, reminding me of how he touched me last night.

From my toes to my head, I felt a sweet sensation that sent shivers down my spine.

Yoshino: "Haa.....No, Morinaga-san. Someone...might see us...."

Morinaga: "How can I stop, when you make that lovely face? You're such a sly, first, you make that face, and then you won't even let me play."

Yoshino: "What do....you mean by 'play'?"

Morinaga: "Play with you, of course."

Yoshino: "No. Not now....!"

I shouted and pressed the package against his chest and Morinaga-san chuckled.

Yoshino: "Are you teasing me....?"

Morinaga: "No,..... it's just that you're so comfortable with me that I got carried away."

(.....Mm)

A gentle but dangerous flame of greed burned in his eyes, which were drawn back by a pleasant smile.

As soon as I realized this, we kissed again.

Samurai 1: "Morinaga-sama! We're back!"

(.....!?)

Samurai 1: "Huh, I don't see Morinaga-sama."

Samurai 2: "Maybe he had gone somewhere?"

(Everyone is back....!)

A voice from the other side of the stage made me instantly impatient.

They are nice people who are happy to see us together, but there is no way I can show them this.

Yoshino: "Morinaga-san, they are all here. Let go now...."

I try to pull away, but the hand on my hip doesn't budge.

Morinaga: "Heh, are you sure you wanna go in front of other men with that face?"

Yoshino: "Mm....."

The back of his fingers brushed my cheek, kindling another sweet tingle.

Morinaga: "Teary eyes, blushing face.... I'm the only one allowed to see you like this. Isn't that right?"

Yoshino: ".....Y-Yes..."

Morinaga: "Yeah, good girl."

Satisfied with my reply, Morinaga-san comes closer and rubs the tip of our noses together....

When I had my fill of hidden kisses, the package I had to deliver was gently taken away.

Morinaga: "I'll deliver this. If they see you right now, I'll be jealous. Thank you, and be careful on your way back."

Yoshino: "Ah....."

(---Let's run.)

Even my breath is hot and I feel a little embarrassed again.

(Alas! What a sly person.......... who only makes me throb.)

.................

One day after that-----

Merchant 1: "Did you hear? There's going to be a big raffle at the festival, and everyone gets to draw once."

(Heh, I see.)

I came to the town to sell medicine and listened to the voices I heard.

But then----

Merchant 1: "And the raffle! The first prize is the right to have one wish granted by Morinaga-sama."

(Ehh?)

Merchant 2: "Is that so? Well, then we'll have our roof repaired."

Kids: "We want Morinaga-san to play with us!"

Merchant 3: "Hmmm, maybe I'll have a lesson in the art of gambling then."

(Hehe. There are many kinds of wishes.)

I smile as people talk happily about the festival.

Woman: "Really!, then, that I should invite Morinaga-sama on a date."

(....!?)

Merchant 1: "Well, maybe you will surely get your way with him! Now we'll all be participating in the raffle anyway!"

(No no no no.....whaa?)

I could no longer listen to their excited laughter with any sense of calm.

(Is it possible that Morinaga-san will go on a date with other women....?)

....................

Morinaga: "Ohhh, so I'm the prize. I've been a winner but never been a prize before."

Yoshino: "What do you mean, you didn't know?"

When I asked him about it after returning to the Imperial Palace, he gave me a very relaxed response.

Kagetoki: "You're very popular with people. It's going to be a lot of fun, isn't it?"

Morinaga: "I'm not sure if that was your idea, Kagetoki, I don't mind, though. But at the very least, you should have informed me about this. Yoritomo-sama, entrust this to me, you know?"

Kagetoki: "It's not going to change anything. It's up to you to make it happen."

Morinaga: "That's true."

As Morinaga-san pondered this, my concern deepened.

(.....I'm sure it's a good event, as the aim is to provide fun for the people of the town.)

(But what if Morinaga-san goes on to date with the person who drew the first prize...!)

...................

After Morinaga-san and Kagetoki-san had gone, I gave a small shrug of my shoulders.

(I don't want Morinaga-san to go on a date with....any other woman.)

Shigehira: "Yoshino-san, what are you doing here?"

Yoshino: "! Shigehira-kun."

When I expressed my concerns to Shigehira-kun, who said he would listen to me, he looked at me in dismay.

Shigehira: "Oh, dear! That's what you're worried about?"

Yoshino: "Yeah!"

Shigehira: "It's certainly possible that a woman with such hopes could win first prize."

(Mmmmm....)

Shigehira: "But I don't think he's going to take it very well with you around. I think you should talk to him directly, not me."

Shigehira: "----You guys are in love, right?"

Yoshino: "....! Thank you, Shigehira-kun."

(It's nice to have straightforward encouragement at a time like this.)

(Okay. Let's talk to Morinaga-san about this later.)

.................

But Morinaga-san was always busy, and time went by without him having a chance.

(Hmmm, what to do....)

The day before the festival, I was returning from the city to the palace with a troubled mind.

(Oh, I can hear some voices....)

(Morinaga-san must be rehearsing for his festival.)

I stopped to look around and a shrine happened to catch my eye.

(I'm not sure if I'll be able to see him today... can I ask God for help?)

I put my hands together, closed my eyes, and breathe.

(I have one wish....-----)

(May I win the first prize in tomorrow’s raffle!)

Morinaga: "You look very serious. Is something bothering you?"

Yoshino: "Ah, Morinaga-san.....!?"

Morinaga: "Hey. It's been a while since I've seen our face properly."

I looked up at the familiar voice and saw Morinaga-san standing right next to me.

Yoshino: "What are you doing here? I thought you were practicing?"

Morinaga: "Right. We were just about to wrap up. I was just about to join you. But what's wrong with you? It seems like you're asking God for help."

(Okay....there's no better opportunity than now.)

Yoshino: "Morinaga-san, I have something to talk about. Can I have some of your time?"

Morinaga: "Talk? About what?"

Yoshino: "If it's a bother then----"

Morinaga: "Not at all. You're always welcome to talk to me. Then come to my house tonight. It's been a while since we've spent any time together."

Yoshino: "Yes....!"

(I only got my promise. Thank you god.)

.........

Thus, I was invited to visit Morinaga-san in his room....

I went to the house at a time when the practice would be over and was immediately shown into Morinaga-san's room.

(Hmm. I don't think he's home yet....)

I relaxed my shoulders and looked around.

As I was wondering how I was going to start the conversation----

I heard someone's footsteps walking towards me.

Morinaga: "Here you are. Have I kept you waiting long?"

(Ah.....!)

Yoshino: "No, I just arrived...."

No sooner had I said this than Morinaga-san sat down in front of me.

Morinaga: "Come here."

(Ehh!)

He lifts me up by my waist and placed me on his lap.

Morinaga: "What do you wanna talk about? Let me hear it."

(Like this....!?)

This position, straddling on Morinaga-san's lap and resting my weight on them is too embarrassing.

But the hands that pulled me down to my waist wouldn’t allow me to move away.

Morinaga: "I'm getting a bit tired after all the work we've been doing for the festival. It wouldn't hurt to get a little energy from my own little girl for a night, would it?"

(That's a little.....)

My heart fluttered as I realized that the eyes staring at me had long since reached a fever pitch.

Morinaga: "Hey, can I kiss you?"

Yoshino: "....... Yes."

His slightly rough, masculine lips press softly against mine.

(Mm.....)

I haven't had the sensation of a moist, repeated kiss for days.

The feeling makes us breathless, and we lose ourselves in each other.

(Oh, my hands....)

I felt a gentle nudge of the leg that had been straddling my thigh, and the pit of my stomach slowly....melted.

The finger that entered through the hem of the kimono traced up my inner thigh as if it had seen through it.

(Ah-----no!)

I wondered at his hand, which had stopped just before touching my fragile part, and met his eyes, which narrowed happily.

Morinaga: "...I think I'd better go on from here after I've heard all your troubles. What's the matter?"

(Ngh....)

Yoshino: "Not fair....Morinaga-san..."

(You stopped it on purpose....!)

I looked at Morinaga-san, in tears and he smiles back at me.

Morinaga: "Don't get me wrong. You see, if I don't ask you now, I won't have the chance to ask later."

(Hm...Mm....)

The hand that had been touching my waist, started stroking lovingly, and I couldn't help but rock my hips unintentionally.

Yoshino: "This is....embarrassing..."

Morinaga: "Well then...

(Oh, I'm still at his mercy....)

Embarrassed, I finally gave up.

I started talking about how I was worried after hearing that anyone could be the winner in the raffle, and the winner could ask on a date with Morinaga-san.

I also revealed that I asked God to let me win the first prize.

Morinaga: "You're really cute."

Yoshino:"...Don't laugh."

Morinaga: "I'm not teasing you. I'm just really happy."

Morinaga-san stroked my cheek and my eyes softened....

Morinaga: "But Yoshino, in such case, you should turn to me, not to God. Because it's my job, not anyone's, to grant your request."

(Morinaga-san....)

Morinaga: "And don't worry. If someone asks me to do something like that, I'll let him off with a no. I know it's a bit unfair, but I'm not saying I'll not do anything. I've already got the most important woman in the world, it's only natural, right?"

(Nn....)

The sweetness of his voice as he says it gently makes my heart tighten.

Yoshino: "So I'm the only one who can go out with Morinaga-an, right....?"

Morinaga: "Of course. And going on a date... You're the only person I'd want to do these kinds of things with."

I repeated his words in a low voice and hugged Morinaga-san, tightly.

(That's great.... I told Morinaga-san and in no time I had nothing but happy feelings.)

Morinaga: "...Did I reassure you a little?"

Yoshino: "Yes, thank you! This way, even if I don't win the first prize I won't be jealous of anyone else. Maybe I won't even have to draw lots at all."

Morinaga: "You're of those people who lives in Kamakura, so you have the right to draw. The pride of the Kamakura Shogunate, it's the best thing that's happened all summer. Come and try it for yourself."

Yoshino: "Sure. I'll try it to test out my luck."

I replied with a smile-- and Morinaga-san suddenly looked into my eyes.

Morinaga: "....Yoshino. What do you want me to do if you win the first prize? What's your wish?"

Yoshino: "Well....I'd like to enjoy our time together. Morinaga-san, you're always surrounded by so many people. So I will ask you to let me have you all to myself."

Morinaga-san laughed aloud.

Morinaga: "I hope you’ll really wish that when you win."

...............

On the day of the festival---

(Wow, what a busy street.)

The town, decorated with festive decorations, was crowded with spectators.

On a special stage, Morinaga-san and his friends were just finishing their performance.

Samurai 1: "Ah! Morinaga-sama, Yoshino-san is here."

Yoshino: "Morinaga-san, Thank you for your hard work."

Morinaga: "Yeah.....!"

Looking back at him, Morinaga-san's eyes widened and then he immediately smiled.

Morinaga: "My god, you tied your hair up today. It's nice and cool. It suits you. Oh, by the way, did you draw the raffle? It's about to close."

Yoshino: "About that...."

Samurai 2: "You're just in time. Go on, take one."

When I picked up one from the raffle boxes offered to me, I was a little nervous.

(But I'm fine.)

I looked up at Morinaga-san and his kind, narrowed eyes reassured me.

Samurai 1: “Um.... Actually, we’re sorry.”

Yoshino: “Huh? What for?”

Surprised by the sudden apology, a few of the people swept their eyes apologetically.

Samurai 1: “We were there when Morinaga-sama was planned to be the first prize for the raffle.”

Samurai 2: “Later we realized that if a woman who liked Morinaga-sama drew the first prize, what would she wish for.... You guys have just recently started dating, and we should have stopped them.”

Samurai 3: “But this one time we couldn’t. But we support Morinaga-sama and Yoshino-san from the bottom of our hearts!”

(Eh)

Standing next to me, Morinaga-san laughs out loud,

Morinaga: “Thank you for worrying about me. But that’s okay. I’ve already talked to Yoshino about it, right?”

Yoshino: “Yes!”

Samurai: “! What.....”

Morinaga-san and I chuckled, though we apologized for the puzzled looks on everyone’s faces.

Morinaga: “Well, I’d better get ready for the result announcement. Will you come to see the results?”

Yoshino: “Yes! I want to see if I win the first prize!”

Morinaga: “I’m looking forward to it too. Win the first prize and keep me to yourself.”

As the sun went down, the excitement of the festival covered the town of Kamakura.

Morinaga: “Well, here we go! It’s time for the Kamakura summer lottery, which our main attraction.”

(Finally....!)

The festival site was the most exciting place of the day.

Thanks to the support of the Shogunate, the prizes are all very generous.

(We all want to be challenged, don’t we?)

Many people who have won the raffle were happy with their prizes, while some were disappointed.

The tension and excitement grew with each successive announcement of the third and second prizes.

Morinaga: “And now, for the most awaited one! The first prize! I’ll grant the person who wins first prize, one wish. You can ask me any favor you want...-----”

Premium END // Epilogue

I loved it! I loved every bit of this story. So who do you think will win? Will it be Yoshino? or some random woman? or a kid? or Yoritomo-sama?.....you’re all free to guess.

[i-did-not-mean-to]

School AU - Chapter 2

So, just to be thoroughly done with this experiment, here's Bilbo's POV of the same scene.

There it is :D It was worth a celebratory little story...:)

Love you all <3

“Go to school”, they said, “It will be fun”, they said.

Bilbo rolled his eyes at his own naïveté. Of course, it would not be fun to change schools in the middle of the year.

The headmaster, a fearsome old man with a face like a death mask, waved him out of the office before he could even protest; they had decided to put him into a class with all the other “maladjusted” kids.

He was not maladjusted; he was merely new in this school.

“You will be fine.” The gentle old man, his headteacher as far as he had understood, promised him and the mere fact that this was the kind of thing he needed to be told, did nothing to ease his nervousness.

“They got a new teacher already today and now you, really, what an exciting day for the class.” The man went prattling on and on. Bilbo had no interest in being a novelty and he felt increasingly like he was a sacrifice or chum about to be thrown into the cold water, figuratively, physical education was not on the program for a few days at least.

Small mercies.

The headteacher rapped his knuckles against a closed door and then just shoved his head in without waiting for the teacher to accept his brusque announcement. He informed her, quite casually Bilbo found, of the fact that there was a new student and shoved him into the classroom before just leaving.

Bilbo looked at the woman in front of him; her eyes were dreamy as if she had been torn from a particularly pleasant reverie and her mouth curved into a warm smile almost immediately.

She made an off-hand comment about how all the students were new to her and Bilbo felt less alone instantaneously; he had been afraid to find himself confronted with a hermetic group of people who had all grown up together and who had no interest in getting to know a pudgy youngster who talked too much.

The headteacher had called her “Kira” and Bilbo had already noticed that they went by their first names here, so he greeted her as politely as he could and enquired if he had not missed too much of her class.

It would be hard enough to stitch together what he had seen in his last school and what was expected here, he didn’t want to start by lagging behind right away.

“I’ll fill you in.” A voice called out and he flinched. Again, Miss Kira’s presence was a comfort and a rock, for she twitched as well, but probably not for the same reasons. Except if she was a pervert; she didn’t look like one.

Turning his head ever so slowly, Bilbo searched for the face that went with the most beautiful voice he had ever heard: deep and slightly gruff, it had rippled down Bilbo’s spine like a current of silk and pure electricity.

Please, let him be ugly as sin, please, he begged his guiding stars. He did not want another debacle, not on the first day of school, not in a new environment.

Of course, that had been too much to ask and the face belonging to the voice turned out to be just as charming. Figures!

Bilbo had thought of himself as a rather lucky kid for the longest time, until he realised that it was voices and faces like the one just a mere stone’s throw away from him that set his insides on fire.

Another boy was sitting next to “the voice” and he was now ousted with a hearty shove while Bilbo tried to shuffle those feet he hadn’t quite grown into yet along the narrow empty space between the benches. It would just serve him right if he landed straight on his face in front of that…being.

He looked much more like a man already than a boy, a fact the parts of Bilbo he had definitely grown into already noticed with vivid interest. Feeling the treacherous heat crawl up his neck and into his face, Bilbo approached the bench, getting his feet tangled in his rucksack as he sat down on the now empty chair.

The chair was disgustingly warm, but he didn’t mind; he couldn’t even tell with certainty that his own body was not on fire in this very second and he was the one making the scratched plastic melt.

Oh Lord, his own ass was the last thing he wanted to think about now when that face was so close to him that he could smell the fresh, slightly zesty smell of the dark hair surrounding it. Good, he had been mocked mercilessly in his old school for the way he wore his own hair, but it was really nothing compared to those luscious, dark waves…

BILBO! He called himself to order. His polite instincts kicked in and he rearranged his slack jaw into what he hoped would be a pleasant smile.

The boy frowned at him, a mask of guarded suspicion, and Bilbo’s heart immediately mellowed. Here was someone who had known hardship, he knew instinctively, and it made him redouble the brightness of his smile. Had he ever seen eyes that blue? They were hard and glistening like shards of ice, but Bilbo felt that they might warm up to summer lakes in time.

Not on your first day of school, he tried to remind himself, but it was already too late; his mouth had run dry, and his stomach twitched with that all too familiar twinge of admiration. He was a boy who knew simple pleasures: a sunny meadow, a good meal…and a face like that.

Clearing his throat, the other boy shoved over a piece of paper, filled with chicken scratch writing. As soon as he pried his watering eyes off the boy’s face though to glance at it, he retracted it again, slamming a solid forearm down on the page. “Might have some spelling mistakes.” The boy mumbled. Ah, the idiot class, Bilbo remembered, more interested than ever.

“My name is Bilbo.” He spoke gently, putting one finger on the edge of the page and trying to pull it loose from under the massive bulk of the other one’s arm. “Thorin.” He rumbled, sighing a little. “Really.”

“Yes, why wouldn’t it be your name?” Bilbo chuckled. “Mistress Kira didn’t believe me.” He explained in a low voice, finally letting go of the sheet and allowing Bilbo to read through the notes.

There were indeed one or two hasty mistakes, but Bilbo was astonished to find that Thorin seemed to have chronicled the class faithfully. “If you don’t…if…” He stammered and Bilbo looked up, thankful for the quality of the notes because he knew that he was not processing any of the explanations Thorin was providing in that low voice.

He sounded like rough skin on silk sheets, Bilbo thought, another painfully inappropriate thought.

“Hmmm, thank you, Thorin. These are some good notes.” Bilbo mumbled hazily, his heart giving a sudden jerk when a tiny, thin-lipped, careful smile started tugging at the corners of Thorin’s mouth. Pride and awkwardness mingled on his face and Bilbo was quick to reactivate his sunniest smile in return.

Mistress Kira seemed to have given up on her teaching meanwhile; she was engaged in a low conversation with an awkward blonde boy who seemed to have been drained of all colour. The burly boy who had made room for Bilbo said in a challenging tone that nobody liked them, and Bilbo felt Thorin stiffen beside him.

As he looked over, he could see those beautiful eyes grow ever harder and colder in genuine fright and, when they snapped for a second into his direction, Bilbo felt a shiver of apprehension rustle through him like the North wind blew the leaves off the barren branches.

Looking up, Bilbo once again felt like Miss Kira was a godsend, for he could read the same horrified incomprehension in her eyes that he felt surging within his chest. She looked positively indignant when the class challenged her on not screaming at them, and Bilbo could see her hands clench and unclench rhythmically.

“How do you feel about dwarves?” Bilbo whispered to Thorin to distract the boy from the pain setting his gaze aflame.

“Dwarves? Yeah, they’re cool.” Thorin tried to hide his confusion, but failed miserably, which made Bilbo chuckle.

“Thorin and I will do a presentation about dwarves!” Bilbo announced to the teacher who nodded, slowly, her gaze heavy and warm on their faces. Bilbo knew that she had understood his meaning: I am here, and I am ready to roll up my sleeves and be a part of this.

Thorin’s head whipped around, his eyes huge now and, for a second, Bilbo could see behind the carefully closed-off façade of a slightly constipated and very ill-tempered young man; he saw the kind of desperate hopefulness that never failed to break hearts. Had Miss Kira seen that as well?

“Will we?” Thorin asked. “We shall, your notes tell me that you’re a smart fellow. You can come over to my house if you want to and we can work on it…or…we can go to the library.” Bilbo could have swallowed his own tongue in embarrassment; he had been overzealous once again.

“I’d invite you to mine, but…there’s a lot of people.” Thorin replied with a small chuckle that betrayed discomfiture but also a good deal of genuine humour. How interesting it would be to see more of that, Bilbo thought.

“Sure, as you wish.” Bilbo shrugged. He caught Miss Kira’s eyes and realised that he had stared at Thorin with maybe a tad too much intensity…somehow, he felt like Miss Kira saw everything. As it should be. She was a teacher after all.

She was not teaching though, she was observing the class with calm, interested eyes, trying to get a feeling for the children within it. Only, they were barely children, Bilbo was almost certain that he was one of the younger ones.

It was a small-town school, maybe they mixed different ages, he did not know, but it felt strange, nonetheless.

He was curious who that Mister Smaug had been and why he could sense a hint of pain in his classmates’ voices when they spoke about him. Miss Kira had picked up on that as well, he saw, as her own eyes darkened, and her lips quivered.

Healthy anger flashed in her eyes when she repeated that this man was gone. I am here, Bilbo heard between the lines. She was. And so was he.

Bilbo wracked his brains to find something witty and funny to say to that wondrous boy next to him who had relapsed into brooding silence, as if the mere mention of their former teacher was enough to ruin his mood.

“Did he really hate you?” Bilbo found himself asking and immediately, he was met with a withering stare.

“Yes…Things have happened and my family and I…we’re not the best regarded in this town.” Again, that flash of mortification that made his face look like it was carved from stone.

“Well, I am a newcomer and I’ll make up my own mind.” Bilbo said reassuringly. “And I don’t feel like Miss Kira hates you.” He added with a soft smile.

“Yet.” A resignation too old and deep in one so young hit Bilbo square in the chest and his heart gave another painful twitch; had he been less mindful of common rules of decency, he would have put his small, pudgy hand on top of the broad, callused one resting just a few inches away.

A knock interrupted their conversation and another teacher rushed in. He was impossibly tall and intimated that he had been worried that Miss Kira had been slaughtered by the class. Weird, Bilbo thought, as far as he had understood, it had been the class who had been subjected to the abuse of their former teacher and not the other way around.

He had been so focused on Thorin’s shy smiles and overwhelming beauty that he had only half-listened to accounts of a damaged car. What was a damaged car compared to a damaged soul?

Even though she was considerably shorter than her colleague, Miss Kira interposed herself between him and the class, shielding them with her own body and this instinct of a woman reminded Bilbo so much of his own brave mother that it made him miss her even more.

“Asshole.” Thorin muttered under his breath with barely held-back indignation.

“Miss Kira didn’t believe him. Listen, she volunteered to stay here.” Bilbo tried to assuage the flaming, helpless anger in the other boy’s face. “They’ll not keep her for long if she’s to be exposed to us all the time.” Thorin prophesied darkly.

Bilbo had no idea what had happened here, but, hitherto, Miss Kira seemed perfectly fine. She was presently reading a book and chuckling to herself.

“Mistress Kira…” The shy blonde boy handed her a drawing he had made, and she gushed over it for a few minutes, slowly drawing out confessions from him: he was a good athlete, swift and enduring, but he was nowhere near Thorin’s or Dwalin’s level when it came to brute force.

Dwalin must be that other tall boy, Bilbo thought, eyeballing the dark-haired grump with interest.

“Do you not intend to give us something to do?” That very same person then asked the teacher gruffly.

“Can you not find something for yourself to do?” She gave back pleasantly and turned back to her book, but her fingers gripped the cover a little tighter than before.

“He didn’t mean no offense, Mistress. It’s just…Mister Smaug didn’t like to see us idle.” The smaller boy in the last row provided an explanation. Bilbo thought that he looked incredibly gentle and maybe just a little shy.

“I shall teach you during my teaching hours and I can teach you now if that is your desire. Nonetheless, I think we should go out into the courtyard and get some fresh air. As we’re all bound to be here, we might as well have some fun.” Miss Kira closed her book and shoved it back into her satchel before getting up.

“You want to take us out?” The blonde boy, Legolas, seemed thunderstruck.

“You’re almost grown-ups, are you a flight risk?” Miss Kira cocked one eyebrow and pointed at the door.

“Bilbo and me, we’ll see how we fare with you lot, won’t we?” She turned to him, and Bilbo blushed again, hadn’t that been his exact thought?

He nodded enthusiastically and sniggered when she gave him a discreet wink before tilting her head into Thorin’s direction. “Why don’t you all tell me something about you?” She asked.

Silence.

Bilbo was not about to tell her that he was an orphan and that he had changed schools after a deplorable incident with another boy at his last placement. Only a few months more and he’d be officially emancipated and grown-up.

Maybe, he’d leave school and everything behind and start a new life somewhere else…

“Why don’t you tell us how you ended up in this miserable place to try to teach those everyone has given up on?” Dwalin hissed with unveiled cockiness.

So, that was why he had been put in this class, Bilbo thought, the headmaster thought him damaged beyond repair.

The teacher seemed to hesitate, then she said quietly: “Things have happened…and it is true that I have not chosen you, but I’ll keep you.” She smiled. “If they offer you a normal class, you’ll say: Nay, I’ll stick with the dumbasses?”

Clearly, Dwalin was not about to believe her and again, Bilbo could feel Thorin tense up beside him as they stepped into the courtyard and moved towards a big tree in the middle.

“No, I will not say anything of that sort. I’ll say thank you very much, but no thank you.” Miss Kira’s voice was sharp-edged now. “And why is that?” The blustering air seemed to falter and Dwalin looked a little deflated now.

“Because I don’t hate you and no matter how much you try to get me to, Master Dwalin, I shan’t.” She shrugged and sat down against the tree, taking out her book again and continuing to read as if nothing had happened.

“She’s something.” Bilbo whipped around, had Thorin actually laughed? Yes, yes, he could clearly see a row of white teeth between the stretched lips that looked so sinfully inviting to him.

He also could see the rest of the boy now, even though looking at it was the single worst idea he had ever had in his whole life it seemed to him.

Thorin was tall, a good deal taller than himself and he looked as solid as the tree their teacher was leaning against now.

“All brawn, no brains.” Thorin muttered when he caught the appraising gaze of the new student.

“Yeah, that’s what you want people to believe so they’d feel less intimidated, huh?” Bilbo replied automatically before he could reign in his loose tongue. Thorin stiffened, rubbing the back of his neck absent-mindedly before admitting: “No, that’s what…”

“If you bring up that Smaug again.” Bilbo warned him and Thorin fell silent. Sitting down on the patch of lawn surrounding the tree, Bilbo patted the grass next to him and was pleasantly surprised when the other boy plopped down immediately, a little too close for comfort maybe.

“Miss Kira and me, we are thoroughly fed up with your former teacher already, aren’t we, Miss Kira?” Bilbo felt the need to make this clear and to stand up for his potential friend and definite crush.

“He sounds like a brute.” Miss Kira replied without looking up from her book, but Bilbo could see her mouth curl into a smile behind the pages.

“You know nothing about us.” Thorin mumbled under his breath, honest regret tinging his voice.

“Then tell me, what makes you all so terrible?” Bilbo gathered his courage and placed his open palm on the clenched fist of the boy sitting next to him. “I am just not nice. Blondie is shite at reading. Dwalin has brawls, quite a few of them. Bombur is just fat. Redhead is from the wrong side of the tracks.”

“You’re very nice.” Bilbo demurred, which got him a wide-eyed stare from Thorin. “You think so?”

Bilbo nodded. “Ah, we’re just the kind of people other self-respecting people don’t like to look at.” Dwalin interjected as he passed by with a wooden plank that had detached from one of the nearby benches.

“Look at?” Bilbo thought that maybe, they had switched codes and language somewhere in the middle of the conversation because he could not understand what was going on.

“We make people uncomfortable.” Thorin supplied softly, brushing his long hair out of his face and pressing his lips into a thin line. “Miss Kira, do you know what’s going on?” Bilbo asked helplessly, because yes, Thorin’s looks made him uncomfortable but certainly not in the way suggested here.

“No idea, never seen more handsome teenagers in my life.” Miss Kira replied disinterestedly, her eyes still glued to her book. “Ah, I am not alone then. Are we in an alternate universe?” Bilbo replied, happy to have at least one other person here who was not part of this grotesque play of innuendo and stubborn misbelief.

“Have you seen my father?” Legolas spluttered and then pointed miserably at his scrawny frame hanging from a tree branch. “I have, what does that matter?” Now, Miss Kira looked up, questioning.

“We’re just…” Ori sighed. “You’re “just” nothing at all; you are what you are and, as far as I am concerned, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Miss Kira said with an air of finality and returned her attention to her book.

When the bell rang, Thorin gathered up his things and made to leave.

Bilbo wondered if he should say something; sucking on his lip, he searched for the right combination of words that would sound casual but also express how grateful he was for the care the other boy had taken today.

“Do you want to walk with me?” Thorin asked a particularly nice pebble sitting right next to Bilbo’s right foot.

Bilbo waited for a few seconds to see if the pebble would reply, after all, in a world where people would NOT want to look at Thorin it was about as probable that pebbles were alive and capable of speech.

“Or not…see you tomorrow.” Thorin mumbled hastily and turned away.

“Wait, wait…” Bilbo called out, not taking the time to put on his rucksack which now slapped painfully against his legs as he hastened after the tall, retreating figure. “I do, I do.” He exclaimed breathlessly.

“There are not that many roads around here…so…” Thorin explained sheepishly as they walked along the main road.

“Hey, idiot!” A stunning girl caught up to them, slinging her arms around Thorin’s neck and planting a wet kiss on his cheek. “How was the new teacher?” She asked as he slung his arm under her behind and lifted her apparently effortlessly up.

Mortification and a fierce jealousy rose in Bilbo. Of course, what had he expected? A boy that gorgeous would obviously have a girlfriend just as beautiful and boy oh boy, she was a marvel if ever Bilbo had seen one. Her hair was luscious and intricately braided and the way she laughed expectantly up at Thorin put the very sun to shame.

“We have a new student.” Thorin grumbled, still carrying the girl in one arm as if she weighed nothing at all.

Her radiant face turned to him, then edged sideways in a slow, deliberate motion. “Oh, he’s cute.” She half-whispered.

“Dís…” Thorin hissed warningly, and she lifted both her hands. “I’m just saying…Such a cute little nose and those warm, greenish eyes…” She purred into his ear.

Bilbo was scandalised to see Thorin pinch the girl in the thigh rather unceremoniously.

“Hi, I’m Dís.” She extended her hand to Bilbo over Thorin’s shoulder. Annoyance washed through Bilbo’s befuddled mind, not only was she stunning, no, she had to be nice and charming as well. So much for being a lucky boy.

“Bilbo…” He said, mustering up his polite smile that was just a tiny bit wobbly around the edges.

When he saw his street coming up, he muttered: “This is me. I’ll leave you with your girlfriend then, see you tomorrow.”

“Funny, I was about to say the same thing.” The girl grinned and plopped heavily onto the pavement when Thorin just let go of her. “Ouch, you idiotic moron of a…” She hissed and brought her fist down on his upper arm, which had next to no effect at all on the sturdy limb.

“That piece of wood remotely resembling a human is my brother.” She explained to Bilbo, and he could not suppress the sudden relief that, no doubt, showed on his face if her broad smile was anything to go by.

“He certainly looks sculpted.” Bilbo sighed and then, realising that he had said that out loud, he hurried towards his street. To his utter dismay, other footfalls seemed to follow his hasty retreat.

Damn!

“Hey, new boy, Bilbo, wait…” The girl, Bilbo realised, her voice a song and her steps a flurry of featherlight touches on the stony ground. “Wait, wait…So, you think my grumpy brother is cute, yeah?”

Her arm snaked into the crook of his as she sauntered alongside him, grinning up at him as if they had been friends forever. “He’s not really very dumb, he just likes to pretend he is, so people leave him alone.” She chattered on.

“I had figured as much, yeah.” Bilbo murmured, overwhelmed by the intrusive curiosity of the young girl.

“Leave him alone, Dís.” Thorin barked from behind, that note of utter mortification and humiliation making his voice sound even rougher and deeper than before. “You think he’s cute?” The girl whispered confidingly now.

“He’s…yeah, he’s cute.” Bilbo stammered under his breath, unable to withstand the onslaught of her good-humoured questioning. Did it even matter? It was obvious, everyone could see how fucking gorgeous that boy was.

“Want to go have an ice-cream with me and that cute brother of mine?” She invited him.

Bilbo looked at the house where his elderly cousin was certainly already waiting for him and then back at that glorious new classmate who just stood a few paces away, shuffling his feet awkwardly and skewering his bouncing sister with glares. It was good to make new friends, Bilbo told himself, it was what his cousin had encouraged him to do and if those friends turned out to be the most contrarily grumpy, awkwardly shy and blindingly handsome boy and his sister, who would fault poor Bilbo for it?

“Yeah sure, let me just…” Bilbo just threw his rucksack into the front yard and let Dís lead him back up the road.

@lordoftherazzles So, there's the second chapter with a bit more hurt than anticipated and a tiny bit of pining...If you're looking for me, I'm buried alive somewhere in the forest :S

[starlightsearches]

Could you write a modern au, Armitage Hux x Reader oneshot in which Hux is a well respected CEO in the center of Manhattan and the reader is just a barista at a local coffee shop that’s right across from Hux’s building. On an off day Hux is forced to take the bus. He recognizes the reader because he’s gotten coffee from her shop before and decides to start a conversation. He ends up taking the bus more often just to see the reader and she ends up questioning him why. Sorry if that’s so specific.

Sunshine

This is definitely not too specific, and I’m OBSESSED with this concept! Thank you for this request. I have this for you, hope you like it!

This was partially inspired by @amadwomanrambles wonderful CEO! Hux headcanons that you can find here.  I also posted my own hcs earlier today about him (here), and I’m such a slut for this au I’ll probably post more!

Requests are closed  ✨

CEO! Hux x Barista! Reader Modern AU

Warnings: Pretty much just language! Enjoy 😊

When the interviewer from Forbes Magazine asked Armitage Hux—CEO of First Order Enterprises and one of the youngest millionaires currently residing in New York City—what the secret to his success was, he had a ready response: strict adherence to an optimized routine. Unlike most of the nonsense he was required to prattle on about in those interviews, this was something that he actually believed.

He started each day the same way: wake to an alarm at 5 AM, exercise, shower, breakfast and the news. After that he’d dress for work, check his email, and then wait for his driver to pick him up from his apartment and take him to the office building in Midtown. He’d arrive at work at 6:15 sharp, and he’d stay there until the sun set each evening. It was a good routine. A safe routine. And he wasn’t about to break it for just anything.

Today he didn’t have a choice. His driver called him at 5:30. She was sick. She could call someone else, but they’d be late. Hux told her not to bother; he’d find another way to work. He didn’t mention the queasiness that piqued in his stomach at the mention of another driver. They’d probably try to talk to him, and he’d have to think of something to say. Hux could handle a boardroom, he could handle a press-conference, he could even handle a fundraiser with sufficient preparation. But one-on-one interaction? With a stranger? He avoided it as often as he could.

But then how to get to work? He wouldn’t take a cab, for the same reasons he didn’t want another driver, in addition to the fact that most were terribly dirty. He never took the subway if he could help it. Hux stares down at the streets below, watches as New York City begins to wake. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see a bus stop, only a short distance from the front door of his building. It’s better than walking.

Hux finishes the rest of his morning routine, but there’s little pleasure in it now that he’s been forced to alter it, and his displeasure only deepens after he checks the bus schedule; he’s missed the first one, which means he’ll be late. At least he knows that his coffee won’t be waiting for him, since it’s a Wednesday.

Heat rises in his cheeks whenever Hux thinks about his favorite part of his morning routine. Every day but Wednesday, he gets to spend the last minutes before he walks into work at Pleasant Distraction Coffee, a little shop across the street from the FOE building, and every day but Wednesday, he starts his mornings with you—your smile, the brush of your fingers as you hand him his drink. You always have it ready for him when he walks in the door, and he thinks that you, too, have an appreciation for routine, for order. Not that he can say, for sure. He’s never really talked to you, after all, but he believes that the gesture speaks volumes. 

The air is cool and brisk outside his apartment, and he arrives at the bus stop with five minutes to spare. The sun is just starting to rise, the rays of light reflecting off of the windows of his building, and he thinks that New York City looks better when it’s bathed in the golden glow of the morning. It’s almost pleasant enough to make him forget his earlier frustrations, and he’s starting to feel invigorated instead of annoyed, like the day is full of unexplored possibilities. Like maybe he should take the bus more often. He immediately regrets that thought when the bus actually pulls up, coughing a thick cloud of exhaust fumes in his face before it stops. He boards and pays, and then freezes in the middle of the aisle. It’s you.

“Find a seat,” the bus driver calls back loudly, and a few people glare at him as he sits down, but you don’t notice the commotion, mouthing along to the music playing in your headphones, oblivious to the world. You look different out of your uniform, but Hux thinks he’d know you anywhere and he falls into a seat, watching to make sure he’s right. 

No, it’s definitely you. Your expression betrays an intense level of focus as you lean in closer to the book you’re reading before you scribble in the margins and then flip to the next page. He never gets to see you like this: looking so awake, so alive. It’s always been hard for him to take his eyes off of you, but now . . .

He should talk to you. He should talk to you because if he doesn’t, and you see him, you would think that he had chosen to ignore you, and he didn’t want that. That is, if you recognized him at all. Would you recognize him? You saw him every morning, but it was always while you were working, and it wasn’t like your interactions with him were particularly unique. You probably handed hundreds of people their coffee everyday. But you did remember his order; that had to count for something. And he’d really like a chance to say more to you than just “good morning.”

The bus stops again, and Hux gathers the courage to move to the closest empty seat. Your eyes stay on your book, your pen resting on your bottom lip. Hux takes in a deep breath before tapping you on the shoulder, and to his horror, you jump, ripping your headphones from your ears and turning to face him.

“Holy shit, you scared me—wait a second, I know you!” Your expression transforms from anger and surprise to one of recognition, and your face lights up when you give him a smile. It’s a genuine smile—not a customer-service smile, like he normally gets. A sunshine smile. Hux has to remind himself to breathe.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he says when he finally regains the ability to speak, “but I thought I recognized you and I wanted to say hello.” He trails off awkwardly; this was a terrible idea. He had nothing to say to you, but he had to admit that he liked being this close, liked being able to see the way your lashes brush against your cheeks when you look down, pausing the tinny music he can hear coming from your headphones.

“Well, hello,” you say, smiling again. Hux turns his gaze to the ceiling, begging his brain to come up with something to say. Luckily, you carry on the conversation for him, “I’ve never seen you on the bus before. Car trouble?”

“Something like that,” it’s not technically a lie, and he isn’t exactly eager to get into the details of his morning. What would you think of him if you knew he had a personal chauffeur while you were forced to take the bus?

“Hmmm, that sucks. If you need a mechanic, I know a guy.” You pull a slip of paper out of the back cover of your book and nestle it between the pages, closing it and resting it in your lap. Hux takes this as a good sign—you want to keep talking to him.

“It’s being taken care of,” he says, and then, hoping to change the subject, “what’s your stop?” 

“Oh, I’m headed to NYU,” you say, nudging your backpack on the floor with the toe of your shoe.

“You’re a student?” He should have guessed, but the information surprises him. You seemed older than most of the students he sometimes saw running around campus when he went to give guest lectures in the business school every semester. 

“No, I just like going to the library on my days off,” you say in explanation, like you already knew what he was thinking, “It’s quiet there and my roommates are loud, so . . . ” The bus jolts to a stop again, and you’re almost thrown into him, until you brace yourself against his shoulder. Your hand lingers just for a moment before you move it back your lap once again, mumbling a quick apology. Hux changes his mind again, he should definitely take the bus more often.

“This is an early start for a day off,” he says, and you laugh.

“Yeah, it is. I guess all the time I spend serving coffee has kind of ruined my ability to sleep in,” you say, and then with some hesitation, “you work for First Order Enterprises, right?” 

“How did you know that?” God, he hopes you don’t read the tabloids. He’s only minor fodder for the parasites who write them—there are many bigger names in New York than his—but the articles aren’t exactly flattering, and he’d hate for you to have a negative opinion of him before he even had a chance to get to know you.

“Well, I do see you walk into the building every day,” you say in explanation, and he relaxes, safe for now. Maybe it’s a trick of the light as it floods through the greying bus window, but he thinks you might be blushing, and it’s thrilling. Talking to you is surprisingly easy, even when he’s so often distracted by the quirk of your lips, the way your tongue sometimes peaks out of the corner of your mouth when you’re trying to think of something to say. Hux takes a chance to look out the window and, to his dismay, he can see the FOE building in the distance. His time with you is almost up.

“I think my stop is next,” he says, and your mouth folds into a small frown. He moves to stand, getting ready to disembark, but you stop him with a hand on his arm.

“Wait,” you say, and he hesitates, although he can tell by the streets passing by that the bus will be stopping any moment now, “I don’t know your name.” Hux winces. Of course he should tell you his name, he knows yours after all; you wear a name tag when you’re working and he had made a point to read it. You don’t release him, expectant.

“I go by Hux,” he says, finally giving in, and you squint your eyes at him in confusion.

“There’s no way that’s your name,” you say, your fingers dancing over the sleeve of his suit jacket sending sparks up through his arm. It wakes him up better than caffeine ever has; he feels like he could run a marathon if you just kept touching him. 

“I go by my last name, actually,” he explains, and you raise your eyebrows, waiting for more, “my first name is . . . unique.”

“Well, now I have to know.” Your eyes light up and you smirk, tightening your grip as he feels the bus roll to a stop. He looks to the doors, waiting for them to open, but you tug on the hem of his sleeve to bring his attention back to you, “It’ll drive me crazy if you don’t tell me.” God, you’re pretty when you want something. Hux has a feeling that you don’t hear the word no often, and you certainly won’t hear it from him. 

“It’s Armitage,” he finally concedes, and you throw your hands to your mouth, but they can’t keep the squeal from escaping. He gives you a pained look and you lower them, adopting an air of mock solemnity.

“That is unique,” you say, clearing your throat to cover up your giggle, “what does it mean?”

“Mean?” The bus finally stops, and he stands, waiting for the bus driver to open the doors.

“Come on, a name like that has to mean something.” Your finger runs over the skin of his wrist, and he has to lean close to hear you over the sound of the passengers getting on, a few of them shuffling irately past him to find seats. He should leave now, before the bus driver starts up again again, but not without giving you what you asked.

“It means,” he says quietly, “that my father was an asshole.”

You pause only for a moment, and then the sound of your laughter fills the whole bus, a hearty, full laugh that’s like gold in his veins. A few people glare at the two of you, but Hux doesn’t mind the attention. God, that’s a lovely sound. He’d like to wake up to a sound like that. Your hand falls from his arm, and he straightens, heading to the door, but he looks back before disembarking.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Armitage.” You leave him with one last smile as he steps down onto the street. He stays on the curb for a moment, watching as the bus turns the corner, disappearing from view. For the first time in a long time, Hux thinks he has a reason to break his routine.

It doesn’t take long for you to figure him out; certainly not as long as he’d like. It’s the third morning that he sees you waiting for him, a morning that’s overcast and cloudy, but you smile at him when he walks through the doors and it makes everything seem brighter. You move your bag from the seat next to you and put away your book as he joins you—a new routine in its own right. It’s nice to see you in the mornings when he gets his coffee, but he’s been looking forward to Wednesday mornings the most, likes that he can just be with you for a little while.

“So I met a friend of yours yesterday,” you say in greeting as he sits, and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Hux doesn’t have many friends, and he had plenty of enemies who might try something devious. “Your driver—I think she said her name was Phasma? She came in for coffee after parking your car.” You’ve got a great poker face, but Hux thinks he can see the hint of a smile at the corners of your lips as you wait for an explanation. His face falls; he had hoped for a little more time to get to know you, and now he has to tell you the truth, even if it might drive you away.

“I’m sorry,” he says, and he turns away from you, trying to hide his disappointment. Getting coffee in the morning would be much too awkward if this conversation did not go well.

“When were you going to tell me?” You speak seriously, but everything about you is tinged with an infectious sort of humor, and it gives him a fragile sort of hope.

“I was actually hoping that I wouldn’t have to,” he responds, and you sit, waiting, staring him down with impenetrable eyes, “I just . . . wanted to get to know you.” You do smile then, a small, incredulous smile that makes his heart skip a beat. 

“Well, since we’re being honest, I have something that I should tell you,” you don’t look at him as you speak, instead you rummage around in your backpack, pulling out your book again and flipping through the pages. He braces himself, waiting for the worst. Were you about to tell him that you had a boyfriend? Or that you weren’t interested? He looks out the window; his stop is close, but not close enough if he has to deal with the mortification of your rejection.

 “I wasn’t planning on going to the library today,” you begin, pulling a slip of paper out of the back cover of your book, “I just came because I knew you’d be here.” You finally meet his eyes, your expression shy, embarrassed. Hux can scarcely believe it.

“Are you saying . . .” he doesn’t dare finish his sentence, but waits as you reach over, tucking the slip of paper into his waiting hands. 

“Here,” you say, folding his fingers around it, and the slip crinkles against his fingers before he looks at it, raising it to eye level so he can better read the numbers you’ve written.

“What’s this?” He knows what it is, obviously, but he has to make sure that you’re on the same page. He’d like to make sure he’s not dreaming.

“It’s my phone number. Call me sometime.” He can’t think of a single thing to say, not when it feels like rays of pure light are bursting out of his chest, but he tucks the little paper into his jacket pocket, staring at you like an idiot. You smile back, openly. Even as you’re smiling, he can’t wait for the next one; he’s never seen happiness so at home on someone’s face before.

The bus rolls to a stop, and he’s pulled out of his reverie, standing so that he can disembark. He pats his pocket to make sure that the little paper is tucked securely away before turning to face you, “I’ll call you, tonight if that’s alright?” and you nod in response, looking almost as eager as he feels. He’ll call you tonight, and he’ll see you tomorrow morning, and hopefully every day after that, because he never wants to go another day without seeing you smile.

[eirist]

Points of No Return

SCRIBBLE #11 : FAILED ATTEMPT   

Disclaimer: One Piece (and its characters) belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei.

Reminder: I have no beta-reader. Any grammatical and spelling errors are solely mine.

Warning: OOC possible. One shot.

Rating: T

Note: Inspired by the line: "I love her so much but I think I'm gonna draw a moustache on her face." from Parks and Recreation. Just tweaked it to suit my OTP better.

Summary: “I think you just scarred me for life.”

"He's sleeping again," Usopp plopped down the bench surrounding the Sunny’s library with an exasperated and exaggerated whine. “I need someone to wake him up.”

Nami barely spared him a glance as she hunched over her mapping desk, double checking the chart she had just finished. “It's his pre-dinner nap time. Good luck with that."

Usopp scratched his head. “I need his help to move some of the crates we got from the town earlier.”

Nami frowned a little, eyes still fixed on her map and still not looking at him. “Why don’t you ask Luffy? Or Franky? Or Sanji-kun?”

The sniper slumped further down the bench dejectedly. “Luffy is busy playing. Franky is busy tinkering.” He ticked off, staring at the ceiling blankly. “And Sanji… Sanji’s in a mood after Luffy accidentally slammed onto some of the crates earlier, breaking it and spilling the contents.”

“Hmmm… I take it that what spilled out is edible?”

“Yeah… and fell down the water…”

“WHAT?!” Nami immediately straightened up at that and slammed her hands on her table. “Are you saying our stocks’ allowance got wasted just like that?”

Usopp blinked at her disbelievingly. “Well… our food stock got wasted… but yeah, we did buy it so… money as well, just like you said.”

Nami scowled. “Alright. Where is Zoro?”

The sharpshooter immediately jumped up at that. “Crow’s nest!” He answered almost excitedly. If there was someone who can get Zoro’s ass moving… it’s none other than their orange-haired, sharp-tongued, devil of a navigator.

That was why he went to her immediately after Zoro ignored his pleas for assistance earlier.

Nami was instantly marching out of the library, with Usopp hot on her heels.

She stomped her way to the crow’s nest. Her high-heeled shoes making angry tapping sounds against the wooden floor that Usopp felt a teeny, weeny pinch of guilt that he had to sic Nami on his green-haired friend. But he wanted this task done before another crate fall victim on Luffy’s antics.

The navigator passed by the galley. The look on her face made the activity inside halt for a few seconds. Sanji and Robin’s gazes—who were cooking and drinking coffee, respectively—followed them and they both stared at Usopp curiously. He responded with a sheepish smile and a shrug of his shoulders.

Nami banged the door opened and made her way down the stairs and across the deck, her knuckles bopping Luffy’s head hard as she walked past him.

“Ouch Nami! What did I do?!”

“Well talk later you idiot captain.”

Luffy rubbed his head, pouting as he looked at Usopp questioningly.

“That is for the crate you broke.” The sniper whispered and he could swear Luffy turned pale.

Nami was now halfway up the rope ladder leading to the nest and Usopp scrambled to follow her.

Someone needs to be in there in case she goes ballistic and stab Zoro with whatever it is that she was holding in her other hand.

Usopp cringed when she finally disappeared up the nest’s hatch with a shrill cry of Zoro’s name. He can see Luffy doing the same from way down below the deck.

He debated whether he should continue climbing or to stay put, perched along the ropes and leave Zoro to his fate.

Kami bless his soul.

But that irritating, gnawing feeling of guilt was kinda getting to him.

Damn it!

He continued climbing—as fast as he can. Why wasn’t there any shouting?! Zoro should be yelling back at the map maker for disturbing his sleep!

Did something happen? Is one of them dead? Kami knows how vicious those two can be at each other. Damn it!

And it was all his fault!

Usopp hurried up, panting when he reached the room. His eyes turned wide when he saw Nami standing beside a still sleeping Zoro, her arms akimbo, her glare on the swordsman sharp enough to maim the katana wielder on the spot.

“Nami?” Usopp called her.

Nami averted her eyes and fixed her deadly glower on him.

He shrank back at the intensity of it. “Uh, I don’t like that look on your face.” He whispered, cowering.

The orange-haired girl cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Please don’t stab him Nami.”

“Idiot! I’m not going to!” She hissed at him.

“Oh… ok…”

Nami made a tch-ing sound and Usopp peered at the prone figure on the metal floor. Zoro was snoring like there was no tomorrow. There was even a snot bubble on the verge of popping on his nose.

“And since he’s being an ass and doesn’t want to wake up…” a wicked grin was forming on Nami’s lips. She held her hand up and showed Usopp what she was holding. “Then we better make this worthwhile!”

Usopp’s eyes widened and he suppressed a snicker behind his hand. “Nami I have to admit, I love how evil your mind works!”

She grinned and Usopp returned it.

She uncapped the marker she had conveniently brought for this purpose. Stealthily she took a step towards the slumbering, snoring man.

“This is for being a pain the ass,” Nami announced as she bent down to start drawing on the snoozing Zoro’s face.

The tip of her marker barely touched his face when Zoro suddenly moved. With lightning speed, he had knocked Nami’s legs from under her with his own.

“Eeep!”

“You witch!” Zoro’s grin was feral as he gazed at the woman who fell on top of him. His hand was grasping her wrist to prevent the marker she was holding from touching his face.

“You think you can get away with this?”

“Of course!” Nami huffed as she tried to wiggle away from his grip. “That’s what you get for sleeping like a damn log!”

“Dream on,” Zoro smirked. He let his free hand tangled along her orange locks. “And this is what you get for even thinking about it!”

“Zoro wai—mmph.”

He slammed his lips against hers.

In the blink of an eye Zoro had reversed their positions without breaking the kiss and the navigator was now under him… pinned down the metal floor…

“Zorooo…” Nami murmured against his lips. When she felt his hand slid inside her skirt to try and pull her underwear down, she smacked him on the shoulder to get him to stop and focus. “Just… wait…”

Zoro drew back from her, his face scrunched into a frown. “What?!”

“Uhm…” Nami shifted her gaze towards the hatch where Usopp was standing, frozen on the spot.

Zoro followed her gaze.

Usopp continued staring at them looking stunned at what he witnessed.

“Guys…” he managed to utter out after a few seconds. “I think you just scarred me for life.”

[jaeyunluvs]

forever together - arón piper

Requested by @fashphotolife: Hiii I wanted to request an Aron Piper imagine where him & the reader have been broken up for a while because he thought it was the right thing to do but somehow they see each other again & she tells him how at the end it’s always gonna be him & one way or another they’re back together

A/N: Thank you for requesting! love the idea I hope you’ll like it! have a nice day <3 Also i changed one thing!!!

warnings: angst, fluff at the end

disclaimer: english is not my first language there might be some errors please let me know if i do! poor spanish also lol :))

It was 5 months since you’ve last seen him. The most painful time you’ve ever gone through in your life. 

The weird thing was everyone was extremely shocked about your guys’ break up because everyone knew you loved each other. 

You met him through your best friend Jane’s fiancée, Leo. What a coincidence that Aron is Leo’s best friend too. Since they love you both and don’t want you guys to stay single they set you guys up on a blind date. You were so hesitant about it.

But that blind date was the best date you could ever go to. 

It was all amazing. You guys dated for 8 months it was going all perfect. You guys even met each other’s parents. 

Until he started acting and spending so much time on set, you working and not being able to spend a lot of time together. Both of you were hurt. After many fights, you guys decided to brake up because you both thought it was the right thing to do. 

Was it really?

You tried dating some guys over the months, Jane set you up on various blind dates but you never felt right with the poor guys. You always politely declined their second date proposal.

He was the only one who felt good and right.

Here you are now, getting ready for Jane and Leo’s wedding. You were so happy for your best friend. Leo proposed to Jane when Aron and you were together. You, Leo and Aron set up the proposal and it was so heartwarming. 

It was the wedding morning, you, Jane, her bridesmaids and mom were getting ready for the wedding. You were so excited and happy for it because Jane and you always imagined getting married since you were kids. 

The place was magnificent. It was simple but colorful, the smell of fresh flowers and the astonishing decors were perfect.

“Y/N, I’m getting married today.” Jane told you while she was getting her hair ready. You can feel by her voice that she was getting emotional by tears filling in her eyes. This also made your emotional personality surface.

“I know Jane, it’s crazy, you’re not gonna be my hot single wingman anymore and we won’t be stalking hot guys.” you said while laughing with your tears. She sobbed more emotion pouring for her eyes and told you to shut up.

“Remember when we used to plan our weddings, you always picked Leonardo Di Caprio and I always picked Brad Pitt, we were going to get married in Hollywood and it would be the perfect wedding?” Jane claimed with nostalgia.  Leonardo Di Caprio was your biggest celebrity crush in the entire world. You laughed and sobbed together as you remembered your old memories.

After hugging and comforting each other Jane spoke ,“You know he’s gonna be here.” You knew exactly who she meant. The one and only Aron. You weren’t sure you’re ready to see him but you didn’t want to ruin your best friend’s most special day.

“We’re not gonna be thinking about my problems today, it’s your day carina!” You said trying to change the subject and hoping she would forget.

“Y/N, baby, I think you guys should talk again it’s clear that you-” Jane couldn’t even finished her sentence someone interrupted her.

“Jane, come on it’s the time, we’re going.” her mom said. Wow it was the time.

Meanwhile in the grooms room Leo was getting ready.

"Wow, my man is getting married!" Aron said excitedly walking into Leo's room

"Isn't it weird? Like me getting married?" Leo claimed joy filling in his voice.

"Cabron today is gonna be awesome and you're gonna marry your dream girl, also the honeymoon is a perfect time!" Aron reminded smirking, cheering up his best friend. He was very happy for his best friend and tried not to remember his dream girl.

"She's also gonna be there Aron." Leo told him.

Aron was feeling the same grief, over you. It wasn’t over for him. Leo and Jane knew that and they always talked about how those two precious human beings are suffering for no reason.

Aron had the most painful time of the year when you guys broke up. He felt weird because he never felt that way with a person in his life. He always teared up when he heard your name. He always bottled up his emotions but Leo knew he was sad. 

Aron looked at his phone while trying to ignore what he said about his ex, and then he realizes it's the time.

"Cabron it's the time we gotta go!" Aron said rapidly.

"Ah shit we should go! But you gotta talk that girl Aron please" said Leo before going. Aron ignored his comment but couldn’t help but think what would happen if he did

After Leo and Jane said their yes' and speech, you were legit sobbing out of happiness. Their wedding was perfect. You couldn't help but think of him cause you thought he was the one, he is still the one.

"Y/NNN IM MARRIEEEEEDDDD YAYYY!!!" Jane screamed hugging you from the behind while you were talking something with a friend.

"I KNOWW IM SO PROUD OF YOU I CRIED SO MUCH DUMBASS" You claimed expressing your happiness.

"Thank you Y/N, now it will be weird being introduced as married" Leo said while laughing.

They looked at the dancing stage, the people were waiting for them so you let them go. They danced with Louis Armstrong, Stevie Wonder and many romantic artists’ songs.

You looked around to see if Aron's there. He was there.

He was watching Leo and Jane dancing but there was another girl trying to flirt with him. You were furious for no reason. He wasn't even yours.

Aron also looked around to see you. He did see you but a girl was trying to flirt with him but he ignored her and continue to look for you.

After many songs there was it. That song was playing.

"Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now"

After that lyric, you looked at Aron and he looked at you.

"Our song on the radio but it don't sound the same"

"When our friends talk about you, all it does is just tear me down"

"Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name"

You looked at Jane and Leo. They set this up of course it's their job.

"It all sounds like ooh, ooh hoo hoo"

"Mm, to young to dumb to realize"

"That I should have bought you flowers"

"And held your hand"

"Should have gave you all my hours"

"When I had the chance"

"Take you to every party cause all you wanted to do was dance"

The accuracy of this song made you sob through the song and you ran to the bathroom.

That song always made you cry. It was fricking Bruno Mars.

"Get yourself together Y/N, it's over, are you dumb? Stop doing that! Stop making yourself sad!" you mumbled taking mental notes to yourself.

You were alone in the bathroom but then, you heard someone's footsteps. It was clear that it was a man you understand through the sound of the shoes. But who is it?

It can't be him, right?

"Y/N hey, can we talk please?" Aron said knocking on your door.

"Aron? Is that really you?” You asked feeling your heart feeling pain through your chest.

"Yes, please open your door and come here" Aron's husky voice and you can understand that he was also crying.

You opened the door, walking in front of him, taking a tissue, cleaned your nose while looking at him. He looked back for a second. But then he stopped.

"How are you Aron?" You asked feeling the tense.

"Fuck Y/N! Ever since you've gone my life had been hell!" he started to cry.

There was an awkward silence but you decided to talk.

“Aron I always went to many dates but no one is like you. I can't stop thinking of you." He stand there, trying to process what you were saying. He didn't say anything.  You felt an immediate panic. "I don't know I probably shouldn't have to say these. I'm sorry!" You said while feeling the guilt so bad.

But then when you're leaving, he held your wrist.

"Y/N it's always gonna be you. No matter how many girl i see, hook up or be girlfriend with will never be like you. You're the one. It's always gonna be you."

You felt sudden urge to kiss him. And you cupped his cheeks, wet from crying and kissed his lips.

The kiss was so long but it was so passionate. You could taste Aron's lips. It was full of grief and it was itchy because he always bite his lips harshly.

"Soo, does this mean we're back together?" he smiled between the make out session.

"Hmmm.. You could say so" You smirked stopping the kisses and hugging him tightly.

"I missed you so much cabron you have no idea" Aron told you so seriously.

"I missed you more but you’re here now" You defended yourself with wide grin on your face

That moment last 5 minutes more and then you and Aron decided to go dance on stage and announce you’re together again.

Jane and Leo were worried for you while they were dancing, cause they saw you crying. They knew, that song was your sweet spot because Aron and you always listened Bruno Mars. They opened it open purpose but it wasn’t to hurt you. It was for you and Aron.

Then a while longer, you weren't still nowhere to be found, Jane was almost going to leave the dance stage. But then she saw two familiar faces walking to the stage.

"ARON? Y/N? HOLDING HANDS?" Jane yelled at Leo.

"Oh my god baby! We're match makers!!" Leo yelled back.

"Hi guys!" you shyly smiled at the newly married couple. They were still in shock.

"We're back together. Thank you for helping us." Aron said holding your hands tightly.

Leo and Jane couldn't help but hug you guys tightly.

It was a perfect night.

After sending Jane and Leo to their honeymoon, you cried again. Aron cried with you. Everyone was so happy. Weddings as usual.

"You know it's the best day of my life today." Aron said, hugging you before leaving.

"I know, our best friends got married, and we got back together. Isn't that the best thing?" You smiled with full of happiness. You continued to hug.

"I'm hungry, we should get food" Aron broke the silence. You couldn’t help but laugh so hard. He was a whole mood

"Let's go get McDonalds?" You asked with amusement.

He looked at you smiling and said "McDonalds date it is!"

Best things in the whole world. Food and your boyfriend.

He was the one,

He was your man,

It's always gonna be him.

Song Credits: When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars

[hopscotchandlemon]

A Knight in Sneakers (Collide)

The silence of the car ride back to the Navy Yard was interrupted by the ringing of Jethro’s phone. He answered without checking the caller ID, expecting it to be McGee telling him he they had another lead.

‘Gibbs,’ he spoke as he held the phone to his ear.

‘Hi, are you able to talk?’

‘Mary? Yeah sure just give me a minute,’

He pulled into a parking lot. Not wanting to intrude, Jack leapt out the car and went for a walk. Jethro held the phone to his ear again.

‘Hey, I’m here.’

‘I need you. I’m at the school. Jenson has been suspended for punching another kid. He’s currently crying hysterically in the principal’s office. Eilidh has locked herself in a cupboard and is refusing to come out. I’m not getting anything out of either of them and the school are not being very helpful and threatening all sorts unless something is sorted out soon.’

‘Jenson*punched* someone?’ Jethro said in disbelief, signalling to Jack to get back in the car.

‘Apparently so. I can’t get any sense out of him. Honestly, you’d think he was the one who was punched. Something isn’t adding up.’

Jack leapt back in the car, trying to read Gibbs’ furrowed brow.

‘Me and Jack are about twenty minutes away. We’ll be with you soon.’

With the call ended, Jethro pulled out the parking lot and towards the school. As he did, he regaled Jack with the situation.

‘Well both kids going off on the same day is a bit suspicious don’t you think? And Jenson punching someone? Really?’

‘Yeah I know. It’s all a bit…’

‘Hinky!’ Jack retorted.

Gibbs smiled. Abby’s favourite word had made it into everyone’s lexicons. He drove quickly towards the school, not liking the idea of not being there. Usually if one of the kids was upset, the other would help calm them down. Mary was more than capable of coping with them both so for her to call and directly ask for help meant the situation was serious.

‘Do you want me to come with you?’ Jack asked as the car stopped.

‘Yeah, might need you,’

Both agents got out the car and headed into reception. Even from the desk, they could hear Jenson wailing. After confirming who they were there for, Jethro found Mary who was trying to coax Eilidh out of the cupboard. The school were threatening to take the door off with an electric drill. Jack took the principal to one side and warned her of the repercussions of using something loud near a child who had watch her parents die by gunfire.

The situation was chaotic, it was hard to know which child to try and tackle first. Amongst the three of them, they decided that Jethro was probably going to have more success with Jenson and Jack and Mary were going to stay with Eilidh and hopefully convince her to leave the cupboard. Jethro went to the office where an exhausted Jenson was sobbing in the corner of the room. It was hard not to feel a bit broken at the sight of the boy sat  trembling on the floor with his face wet from the constant stream of tears. Crouching down next to him, Gibbs smiled at his adopted Grandson and the child threw himself into his arms. Standing up, Jethro carried the boy outside, cradling him close to him. Gradually the cries subsided which Jethro felt was more likely exhaustion. Walking round the playground, Jethro sat on a bench, placing Jenson on his lap and gently stroking his hair. He noted the red marks on the child’s left knuckles. He’d certainly hit something. Eventually, light snores could be heard indicating that Jenson had fallen asleep.

‘Is Jenson ok?’ a little voice asked.

Gibbs looked around so see a little girl who looked about the same age as his Grandson, stood beside him.

‘He will be, he just got himself a little upset.’

The girl nodded.

‘I wish I had a brother like Jenson. He was so brave looking after his sister,’

‘Yeah? What did he do?’

‘Cassandra, get here right now young lady!’ An annoyed teacher yelled from the otherside of the yard.

‘I gotta go,’ the girl whispered solemnly as she walked towards the teacher.

Something had definitely gone off here. Fumbling in his pocket, while trying to keep Jenson still, Gibbs pulled out his phone and called Abby.

‘Abby? I want you to check CCTV from Elmvale Elementary for Jenson and Eilidh in the last two hours.’

‘Sure thing Gibbs, are they ok?’

‘Well, Jenson’s cried himself to sleep on my shoulder and Eilidh has locked herself in a cupboard.’

‘Hmmm hinky. I’ll let you know what I find.’

Putting the phone back in his pocket, Gibbs rose from the bench and went back inside to see if Mary and Jack were having better luck extracting Eilidh from the cupboard. He found them both sat on the floor outside the door.

‘Eilidh, Grandpa is here and Jenson is fast asleep on his shoulder, like when we went to the zoo for your birthday, do you remember?’ Mary spoke quietly to the door.

‘Yeah,’ came a timid reply.

Both women’s eyes widened, it was the first response they’d had from the girl.

‘Aww I’ve not been to the zoo in ages!,’ Jack mused. ‘I love the meercats.’

‘They’re definitely Jenson’s favourite,’ Mary added.

‘What about you, Eilidh, what’s your favourite animal.

‘Giraffe,’ came the small reply.

Gibbs’ phone started to trill. He got it out of his pocket and held it to his ear.

‘Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!’

‘Hey Abs. What ya got.’

‘Well I was right. Definite hinky stuff going on. Are you still holding Jenson?’

‘Yeah,’

‘Well, you need to hug him a bit tighter because he’s a little legend. I’m sending the video to Jack. And Gibbs?’

‘Yes Abby,’

‘He has a mean left hook.’

Jack’s phone pinged, both women stood up and they crowded around Jethro so they could see the clip from the CCTV. It showed Eilidh being picked on by a group of older boys. They grabbed her bag and threw it amongst themselves before emptying in on the ground. The ringleader walks up to the clearly terrified child and starts undoing her hair clips. Out of the corner of the screen, they saw Jenson come in to view. He tries to lead Eilidh away from the bullies, but these older boys have other ideas and try to goad Jenson into a fight. He continues to hold on to Eilidh, putting himself between her and them, an action that elicited a cooing sound from Jack. The ringleader stabbed his finger into the boy’s chest, getting in his face and attempting to get a reaction. Jenson did not budge so the older boy reframed his attention on to Eilidh and pulled at her hair. Jenson once again puts himself in between them. The bully leans in and tries to pull Eilidh away and in that moment, Jenson snaps, landing a punch squarely on the jaw of the older kid who falls backwards. Once he is on the floor, Jenson grabs Eilidh and the pair take off.

Without thinking about it, Jethro helds his young charge a little tighter. He looked to Mary, her face reflecting the pure anger she was feeling.

‘Can I borrow that please Jack?’ Mary held her hand out.

‘Sure,’ Jack handed the phone to Mary who immediately marched off towards the principal’s office.

Jack walked back up to the cupboard door, putting her mouth near to the wood

‘Eilidh, we know what happened. Jenson is not in any trouble and neither are you. Grandma has gone to sort it all out.’

Behind her, Jack was aware of movement. Looking around she see’s that Jenson was starting to stir. Gibbs gently stroked his hair, easing him back into consciousness.

Eilidh remained silent and Jack decided to leave her for a moment. She looked to Gibbs who is still holding on to the young boy.

‘I thought you were scary when you were angry. Remind me never to mess with Mary,’

With a wry smile on his lips, Gibbs looked at Jack.

‘Never cross her in Grandma-bear mode. She takes no prisoners.

‘Hey Grandpa,’ Jenson uttered, his voice full of sleep.

‘Hey Buddy, you ok?’

‘Yeah, I fell asleep. Where’s Eilidh?’

‘She’s in the cupboard. Do you want to talk to her?’

He nodded his head and his Grandpa let him down. He put his hands and the side of his face up against the door.

‘Are you Ok Eilidh? We’re ok now, Grandma and Grandad are here. We can go home.’

After a short pause, the door was unlocked, and out came a dishevelled looking Eilidh. Jenson took her hand and lead her out.

‘You two are just too cute you know?’ Jack sighed smiling at the sight of Jenson fussing over his friend.

They walked back towards reception where Mary was emerging from the principal’s office. The anger from before had dissipated (all over the Principal, Jethro reckoned) and she beamed a smile at seeing both children walking hand in hand.

‘Thanks for that,’ Mary handed the phone back to Jack.

‘Can we go home now Grandma?’ Jenson asked, his eyes still sleepy from the events of the day.

‘We can.’

‘Why don’t you go home too, Gibbs? Everything is ticking over at work. Think those kids deserve a treat after today.’ Jack suggested. To her surprise, he handed her the keys to the work car so she could get back home.

Both kids were relieved to get back home. Mary took one look at Eilidh’s knotted and dishevelled hair and suggested they get it washed and spend a bit of time making it look nice again. Jethro took Jenson to the basement, where they did some work on the jewellry boxes they were making for his Grandma and Eilidh.

‘So, I’m not in trouble for punching that boy?’ Jenson asked.

‘No. Not at all,’

‘He was being horrible to Eilidh and I didn’t like it.’

Jethro glanced at the boy who was sporting a serious look on his face. He clearly needed to talk about today’s events.

‘Has he been horrible to Eilidh before?’

Jenson nodded his head while slowly sanding the top of the box he was working on.

‘I didn’t know what to do. He’s horrible to me too but I just ignore him.’

Gibbs gently put his tools down and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

‘You did everything right Jenson. We saw the video from the CCTV. I think when I was your age, I’d have hit that boy long before you did. He kept trying to make you fight and you kept ignoring him. When you did hit him, you only did it to get Eilidh out of the way.’

‘He was making Eilidh sad. I don’t like it when Eilidh is sad,’ he replied quietly.

They spend an hour in the basement before returning to the ground floor. Mary was sat on the couch, plaiting Eilidh’s hair. As soon as she finished, Eilidh leapt up and ran off to play with Jenson. Jethro sat down next to Mary, putting his arm around her shoulder.

‘We need to find another school for the kids,’ she sighed, resting her head against his shoulder.

‘I guessed so. What did the Principal say?’

‘She tried to say I had the footage illegally which I told her was beside the point when it clearly showed she had wilfully punished the wrong child despite evidence that two children were being harassed. I asked if she thought the school board would agree with the decision she’d made after viewing the footage. She refused to answer.’

‘We’ll start looking next week. They deserve somewhere better. That Prinicpal should have been commending Jenson, not punishing him. I told him I’d have hit that boy long before he did when I was his age.’

‘All he wanted to do was protect Eilidh. His Mom would have been so proud of him. I’m proud of him too. Proud of them both.’

‘I guess they deserve to choose where we have dinner then?’ Jethro asked.

‘Sure, go ask them. But we both know it will be pizza.

Jethro got up and chuckled as we went to ask the kids. He knew it would be pizza again but after today, he didn’t give a damn.