#i was considering skipping the first day of classes tomorrow to watch the proof live but I HATE that i feel guilty about it and

[userjungkook97]

:(

[horansqueen]

It Feels Like Christmas - Part 7

It feels like Christmas Just like Christmas It feels like Christmas with you...

MASTERLIST 🎄

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hey guys, this story was nominated for Best Christmas Story so if you want to vote for me, please CLICK HERE! thank you! (last day!)

MIMI

When I reached the rink, I felt my lips curl despite myself. I hadn't skated in so long. but I was pretty sure it was like riding a bike. It brought back a bunch of memories to my brain and I was lost in them when Niall arrived. I felt his hand on my shoulder and although it should have made me jump, it actually simply made me blink a few times.

"Hey, Mimi, sorry I'm late."

He moved closer and I held my breath when he bent down to kiss my cheeks gently. After all, I shouldn't be surprised by this behavior. Not only was Niall giving me that kind of vibe, the fact that I kissed his cheek at the store was probably some sort of invitation for that kind of greeting now. I was not complaining, I actually enjoyed it, but I couldn't remember the last time someone had really touched me, except that time we cuddled all night at the hotel room.

That memory felt like it had happened in an other life, or in an other dimension, but Niall standing right next to me was the proof that it was real and I appreciated the reminder.

"It's okay, no worries." I replied with a smile. "So, ice skating uh? Why?"

"Well, I thought you'd find it a bit too weird if we'd go sledding." he explained, making me chuckle.

"I don't know, I haven't done that in years. Or skating. Or building a snowman." I admitted with a small shrug. "These are all considered 'Christmas activities', right?"

This time, Niall laughed and once again, my lips curled more at the sight of his head falling slightly back on his shoulders. "Winter activities, yea. Christmas activities, not so sure! But it's a great start!"

"Okay, you're clearly a Christmas prophet or something like that, tell me what kind of Christmas activities we could do?"

He raised his nose up and his chin up for a few seconds as he considered his options and finally moved his head back down and turned to look at me. "We could bake Christmas cookies, watch Christmas movies next to the tree, or maybe, oh, I know, we could go caroling!"

"That will not happen, I sing like a cat being choked to death!" I admitted with a laugh.

"That's a weird comparison but okay, no caroling!"

I laughed too and glanced at him, letting my eyes roam on him a bit. He looked classy with his usual long dark coat and his scarf, and I started wondering if he always dressed like that. The truth was, I hadn't seen him without his coat much and it hit me that I didn't know many futile things about him... and I wanted that to change.

"Okay Mimi, ready?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as he sent me an amused smile. "Can you even skate?"

I laughed and rolled my eyes without answering and we put our skates in silence before to get on the ice. I was surprised her could actually skate quite well and turned around, to face him as I kept on skating backwards.

"I took classes." I explained, licking my lips. "When I started living with my parents, they allowed me to try many things, and one of them was ice skating. I also took karate classes, painting classes, piano classes, and even did a year of ballet."

This time, Niall chuckled and raised his eyebrows. I could swear his eyes were sparkling. "Ballet? Why do I have a hard time imagining young rebellious Mimi dancing ballet?"

"Don't laugh! We danced on the Nutcracker!" I pointed out with a grin.

"See? You were always meant to love Christmas!" he let out as I slowed down a bit, allowing him to move a bit closer. "You just have to open up to it!"

I sent him a shy smile and shook my head slightly. I didn't think he really realized how much I had opened up to things since I met him, and it had only been a few days. It was not Christmas that had an impact on me, it was Niall.

I blinked a few times when I noticed his hands. He was holding them in front of me, palms up, the same way he had a few days before, when he warmed mine, and I glanced at them before looking up in his eyes. I wanted to put my hands in his, I really really wanted it. And I was exhausted to fight the things I wanted, I was exhausted to fight my attraction to him. I probably would end up regretting it, in a few weeks, when he'd break my heart, but I would deal with it, right?

I placed my hands in his and as soon as it happened, he smiled wider and pulled on them. It was ridiculous to feel your heart beat hard against your rib cage just from someone's touch but it was happening and instead to take my hands back, I squeezed his fingers tighter and let him lead. It was weird not having control, and scary at the same time, but anyway, that's pretty much how I had been feeling in the past few days. Every since I had met Niall, I felt like it was him who controlled me. He seemed to be everywhere I'd go and he was invading my thoughts. I was still trying to let go but I was holding on to the control I took years to build for myself.

I laughed when he made me turn and almost tripped, making him chuckle too. I don't know how long we skated but when we stopped, I couldn't take the smile off my face. I tried to catch my breath as we put our boots back on and walked away. His cheeks were red and I guessed that so were mine.

We walked to his car and he offered that I left my skates on his back seat. I didn't ask why even if I really wanted to, so much that I felt my tongue and throat burn slightly from keeping the question in. I followed him to a street and my eyes roamed on all the Christmas decorations around. He kept quiet for a few minutes and after a while, he slipped his hand in his pocket and took a small box out.

He grabbed it with both hands, looking down at it as we kept walking very slowly, and finally sighed. "I know you hate gifts but.. here."

I stopped dead in my track and my eyebrows raised when he handed me the box. I glanced up at him, then looked back at the box before pressing my lips together. Should I really accept a gift from a man I barely knew?

"Please." he asked in a gentle tone. "It's nothing expensive, but I bought them at the toyshop, I think they could be useful for you."

I frowned, suddenly curious on what could be in the box and without thinking, I quickly opened it. My lips parted and I chuckled very low as I stood there, staring at a pair of heart shaped sunglasses. I frowned and look up before raising my eyebrows at him. He was smiling and he shrugged.

"Try them." he proposed, making me frown again. "Please."

I took the glasses and he grabbed the box to help me as I felt my heart beat faster in my chest. I desperately wanted an explanation but I didn't want to ask. It took while before i put the on and when I did, It brought a big smile on my face and I chuckled again. Every single light around was now surrounded by a heart-shaped halo of the same color, except the white and yellow ones who were rainbow colored. I laughed a bit more and turned on my heels to glimpse at every single light in the street, whether they were Christmas lights or street lamps.

"This is... okay this is so cool." I admitted with an other chuckle.

It took a few minutes for me to finally take them off and the first thing I saw was Niall's fond smile, looking at me. I took a step closer and tilted my head, noticing his eyes following me. I don't know how he did that, but whenever he looked at me, I felt special, like I was the only person worth looking at.

"Maybe if you start seeing hearts around you, it'll help you believe in Christmas magic." he explained in a murmur. "Maybe you'll even allow yourself to fall in love."

"Fall in love?" I repeated just as low, raising my eyebrows. I wanted to say it would never happen but I was not so sure about it anymore and at the same time, I didn't know if I was really ready. "I doubt that."

He shrugged both shoulders and licked his lips. "You never know, Mimi."

"Thank you, Niall. I'm so sorry I don't have any gift for you." I confessed, feeling bad but making him smile.

"I thought I told you that you were my magic, Mimi." he repeated, bending down slightly closer, so close i could feel his warm breath on my cheeks. "You're my gift. And I'm determine to give you a very merry Christmas."

"Really?"

"Mmhm, how am I doing?"

I laughed and shook my head slightly at how endearing he was. I liked him. I really liked Niall Horan, and when I saw his smile again, I knew I was fucked.

"Great, actually, you're doing great."

I don't know my heart started beating so hard that I was starting to be dizzy. I could feel him thump in my chest, echoing in my ears and my head. If I wanted, I could move a few centimeters and press my lips on his, but if I did that, it would change everything. I couldn't remember the last time I kissed someone I liked that much and I didn't want to ruin this. I didn't want to allow him to hurt me. I didn't want to allow him to reject me. I breathed in and smiled more but took a step back.

"Well, it's time to go home." I just pointed out with a shrug.

"It's a bit late, maybe." I could swear I heard sadness in his voice but didn't mention it.

We were almost at my car when he started talking again, making my heart skip a beat. "Do you have something planned tomorrow?"

I turned to him and raised my eyebrows, trying to remember if I was busy on the next day. It was the 23rd and I was definitely not busy. Something suddenly invaded me, like some ecstatic feeling at the thought of spending more time with him, and I just shook my head.

"No, i'm free."

"So, there's this party, you know, the one I told you about? A few friends, few family members, including my mom... I thought maybe, you could be my plus one?"

My jaw dropped at his proposition and I blinked a few times as he scratched the back of his head with a shy smile. I hadn't seen Niall shy much but he clearly was embarrassed to ask and I was not sure why.

"And what are you gonna tell them when they ask who I am?" I wondered with a grimace, feeling suddenly bad at that thought. "Oh hey, this is Mimi, the girl I got drunk with in a hotel room during a snowstorm!"

Niall laughed and shrugged again before pushing both his hands in his pockets, his lips curling slightly on the left in an amused smile. "How about, this is Mimi, I got her for Christmas."

My eyes opened more and i slapped him friendly on the arm as he burst into laughter, moving slightly trying to escape my hand.

"That literally makes me sound like a prostitute!"

"Relax!" His laughter was contagious and I let out a chuckle too, not able to stop a smile to draw itself on my lips. "I'll just tell them we're friends, no big deal."

"I don't know, Niall." I argued with a small grimace. "I told you, I'm not a people person."

"How about you take the night to think about it?" he suggested again, his eyes roaming quickly on my face. "Perhaps you'd want to come to my apartment tomorrow afternoon. We could bake Christmas cookies."

The thought made my heart stir in my chest and I pressed my lips together, trying not to smile too much, without much success. What the hell was this guy doing to me? Would I really accept to a cheesy Christmas activity with him just because he was the prettiest and the sweetest man I had ever met?

"Maybe, I guess I'll text you tomorrow?"

My answer seemed to satisfy him and he smiled more before nodding. "I'll wait for your text message, then."

"Thanks again, Niall, for the gift." I whispered loud enough for him to hear.

"You're welcome."

I placed my hand on his chest and gripped his coat gently for a few seconds before getting back to my senses and clearing my throat. I took a step back and shrugged, still staring at him.

"I guess we will have to see each other anyway since my skates are in your car."

"See? We're meant to spend tomorrow together!"

As an only answer, I giggled like an idiot and turned around, reaching my car and unlocking the door.

"Goodnight Mimi."

I looked up at him, noticing that because of the angle of the street, his head was right under a street lamp from my point of view and quickly, I put the sunglasses back on my nose. A rainbow-colored heart appeared over his head like some sort of halo and my lips curled. I brought my hands in front of me, using them to make a heart around his face, looking at the portrait in front of me. He was gorgeous and I felt my heart skip a beat when I realized that the sunglasses seemed to work : maybe I was allowing feelings to take over. Feelings for him.

"Goodnight, Niall."

[romancenerd]

Kisses Not Intened

*Dont know what to use for a gif so blank for now*

A/N - *I wanted to make at least one more fanfic before the year was over. Very very very extremely long time ago I was asked to write this when i posted a prompt list 9 decades ago and I’ve been lacking in the fanfic department. This was supposed to be a Christmas present but consider this a new year present. So this fanfic is for @nitia95​ thank you so much for requesting this i serioisuly enjoyed writing this the fluff and just everything. Like i love Azusa so very much when i got stuck i didn’t want to force it out of me so this is all for you girl happy new year and thank you for being an amazing tumblr friend and big supporter of my blog!*

Also I don’t feel like proof reading or editing in the moment so please ignore grammar and punctuation until i fix it tomorrow also I’m going to change the title I just don’t know what to call it comment below some good titles please and thank you. So I’m going to shut up and let you all read now.

Liz was rapidly running through the streets of new york. Pausing to catch her breath at a crosswalk she checked her watch to see she only had 5 minutes to get to school before she was marked tardy.

She mentally cursed. The power in her building had went off last night and thank God she woke up when she did or she would have missed first period.

Even if it did only leave her 25 minutes to brush her teeth, hair, get dressed, and shove a granola bar and apple in her bag.

She continued running and glanced down to check her watch and collided head on something.

“Why don’t you watch where you're going.” A deep voice called to her.

She shook her head and glanced up at the dark haired stranger meeting his piercing sapphire gaze.

Rolling her eyes she pursed her lips and try to keep her anger in check, and sarcastically replied.

“Oh I'm so sorry! I'll try to watch where I'm going!” Using air quotes. She began to walk away. And at the same time they both made quite comments which they thought would fall upon deaf ears but would not be the case.

“Morron.”

“Asshole.”

Both of them faced each other with nasty looks.

“Do you have a problem with me or something?” Liz said

“No but I'm not the one crashing into people am I?”

“Yeah let's keep acting like it was my fault, I'm not the one walking in the middle of the street with my face glued to a map, so who wasn't really paying attention here.”

“ Well your -.”

“Listen I don't have time to argue with you, some of us have places to be.” Liz interrupted

And with that last statement Liz stormed off in the opposite direction  slinging her bag over her shoulder with the stranger staring at the back of her head.

•••••••••••

Liz let out a long sign all while rubbing her eyes. She pushed the hair out of her face and grabbed the stack of textbooks near her and proceeded to her next class.

Professor Goldstein had given her extra work due to her tardiness to class this morning.

It was all that jerks fault this morning. What's his problem, she thought. I mean he was really cute but still he didn’t need to be a jerk about it.

As she walked through the halls of the university she was greeted with smiles and friendly waves. Second period was always her favorite class. Zoology. She loved animals more than anything.

That's why she decided to go to college and pursue a career in veterinary medicine. To help care and heal animals.

•••••••••••

Finally third period had arrived and she made her way to her usual spot in the classroom and waited for class to start she was a little earlier than usual than normal and people had yet to arrive.

Once the class started filling up and the bell rang, Professor Schular made an announcement. Not paying any mind, Liz leaned down and began collection and pulling her books out of her bag. When she popped back up she couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing.

“We have a new transfer student joining us today, I would all like you to welcome Azusa Kuze.” Proffesor Schuler spoke

Whispers and gasps suddenly filled the classroom.

“He’s so hot!”

“I think I'm going faint.”

“That jawline!”

Liz however was stunned and went his gaze meet hers her heart skipped a beat.

“Now.” The professor spoke. “ Where to put you ….”

Please not by me please not by me. Liz spoke over and over again in here head.

“ You can have a seat next to Ms. Hart .”

Liz felt her eyes go wide and her blood boil. She clenched her fist under the desk so hard she was positive they were turning white.

How ever he walked all the way to her table in the back of the room with a smile on his face and sat down.

“Well, well, well we meet again.

There staring at her with a sarcastic smile was none other than the blockhead she ran into earlier.

“It would appear so.” Liz said unamused.

She faced forward and began taking notes trying to completely forgetting his existence.

••••••••••••

Once class was over she got up and immediately collected her belongings.

“Hold on a minute.”

“What?”

“I was wondering if you knew where room B213 would be.”

Liz paused momentarily and swallowed the lump in her throat to speak. He handed her the paper and she saw that she had ever single class with him but her first 2.

Great. She thought

“Well according to this schedule apparently starting now we have every single class together.”

Liz tried as hard as she could to keep from sounding irritated.

He smiled sarcastically. She knew that he was getting a kick out of this.

“So I could just follow you for the day correct?”

She stared at him for the longest time and finally spoke.

“Fine, lets go before were late.”

••••••••••••

Today was a day off from school. Liz found herself in cute and cozy coffee shop 2 blocks from her apartment.

She sat with her legs crossed on a bean bag re-reading her favorite novel for the hundredth time.

Yesterday had been Friday and showing that jerk around while he smirked and teased her at every little thing she did.

She was glad it was the weekend now. Setting her book down and taking a quick sip of tea. She slowly inhaled in and out to calm her nerves.

Getting comfortable again, she grabbed her book and picked up where she left off.

The door to the coffee shop opened letting the crisp slightly chilly air into the room. Trying to ignore any and all distractions as best as she could until.

“Loving you was breathing but that breath disappearing before it filled my lungs.”

Liz suddenly looked up to find Azusa towering above her with a calm expression on his face.

“You know the sun and her flowers.”

Azusa suddenly smirked down at her.

“If were being honest here its it's a favorite of mine.” Azusa said chucking.

“Mine too.”

“Really?”

“Really really.” Liz smiled slightly than smirked.

“So even jerks have good literature taste.”

“Life is full of surprises.” Azusa said sitting down in the bean bag next to her putting his arms behind his head

“Tell me about it.” Liz said with her lips pursed. “So do you have anything better to do than stalk me all day and night.”

“You honestly think I give a damn about what your doing every single moment.”

“Clearly you seem to.” Azusa rolled his eyes at her comment and chuckled.

“Maybe I don't maybe I do, who's to say.” He teased

“You are a serious pain in my ass I swear.” Liz then stood up slamming her book shut and grabbed her coffee and purse.

“Where are you going.”

“To enjoy the rest of my day in peace thank you.”

Liz then left the shop leaving Azusa by himself. He simply stared at the door she walked out of with mixed thoughts. He let out a soft sigh and feel back into the bean bag wondering what in the world he was going to do.

“No no no.” Liz rested her head on the steering wheel as the engine started smoking. She was on her way home from the coffee shop when her car starting acting up and died on her.

Getting out and popping the hood she began to cough from all the smoke.

“This is just perfect what else can go wrong?! “ She screamed when the sky rumbled and a heavy downpour was upon her.

“Great what luck. Closing the hood she sat down and brought he knees to her chest. She was still a good 40 minutes away from home.

After several moments the rain upon her finally stopped even though the sound could still be heard. Lifting her head she was met by black jean’s and a white t shirt. Furthering her gaze upwards she was met with sapphire eyes.

“Get in my car and I'll drive you home.”

“You don -”

“Shut up get in the car and don't argue with me.” Azusa sternly said.

Liz knew he was trying to be nice. Maybe trying to make up for being such an asshole these past couple of weeks. Sliding off the hood she stood underneath the umbrella with him. He pulled her close wrapping his arm around her shoulder and guided her to the passenger side.

She never really looked at him before but up close she could see what the other girls were talking about. Liz wasn't going to like he was handsome. Like some guy from a fairytale or a dream.

After Azusa helped her into the passenger side and closed the door all Liz could think was if this was a fairytale. Azusa coming to her aid like a knight in shining armor. Or perhaps she was at home in bed sleeping through the rain. This is probably a dream she reassured herself.

But if it was then why was Azusa in it? She thought to herself as Azusa got in and began to drive.

“Where do you live?”

“In the Reitz apartments.”

“Really?” He laughed

“Yeah what's so funny.”

“I live 2 buildings over.”

“Seriously?” She grumbled

“Seriously, it's a small world you and I live in.”

“A little too small if you ask me.” Suddenly Azusa bursted into laughter. The way he smiled made her heart flutter.

What's the matter with me she thought. Liz sat in silence for the rest of the ride trying to figure out the strange dream out.

Liz wondered how far her dream would go. How long it would last.

“Were here.”He suddenly announced pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Oh.” She said a little disappointed. “Well thank you for the ride I'll be sure to give you money for gas next time I run into you. It's a small world so you shouldn't have to wait long.”

Azusa snorted and suddenly locked the doors when Liz tried to get out. She curiously looked at him, he dream kept getting stranger by the second.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure I guess.” Liz said settling back into her seat.

They sat in silence for a moment before Azusa blurted out. “Do you hate me?”

Taken by surprise Liz looked up at him to find him staring out the window. It took her a moment to answer but when she did.

“No I don't hate you.” Azusa suddenly turned his head towards hers.

“You don't.”

“No not at all. I think your a sarcastic asshole but who isn’t.” She said smiling.

Liz wondered why her subconscious would create such a dream unless. . .

Liz was pulled out her thoughts when Azusa's face got closer to hers. She suddenly forgot how to think. His face got closer until she could feel his breath on her lips.

Azusa then leaned forward a little as their lips brushed together in a soft and delicate kiss. Her heart seizes up and fluttered from the contact. He slightly pulled away and whispered.

“I'm sorry I didn't intend on kissing you.”

She slowly looked up into his eyes. Realizing this was reality. This was the real Azusa in front of her and that was a real, and that what her heart was telling her was real too.

Looking down and gently brushing her fingers across his cheek and returning to his gaze she whispered.

“I’m sorry I didn't intend on falling in love with you.”

Azusa suddenly smiled. “ Well I did intend on falling in love with you.”

Liz smiled back at him and he leaned forward and kissed her again. Its was slightly more passionate than the first.

The only sounds that could be heard were the drops of rain against the car and the sound of their lips meeting in heated breathless kisses.

[1-800-sassy-mendes]

A Little Too Much

Summary: The stress of college has caught up to you and you have a breakdown. 

a/n: is this a request? HECK YEAH IT IS. it’s actually two requests in one. It was one of those things that I had idea for the other and the other would just kind of fit in. Thanks for all the love for Haunted by Your Ghost! It’s not everyone’s favorite but it is indeed mine. :D I loved having Jasmine giving me inspiration and encouraging me to write that one. You will see a lot more of Jasmine giving me inspo in my future writings. 

masterlist

Your name: submit What is this?

In high school, you did amazing. You were great, you did great in school and everyone knew it. You heard from everyone college would be very different, and harder than high school. And they are right. Unluckily, you’re not a world-wide known musician like your boyfriend. So you have to go to college in order to make a good living.

It’s 3am and you’re trying to finish a 10 page paper that was due tomorrow. High school did not get you ready for this. Why on earth would a professor assign something like this and grade every single one? 

You have had your third cup of coffee, you’re not a big coffee drinker and this is weird. You ran out of red bull around midnight, and was definitely not running anywhere to buy some, you had to settle for coffee. Which your room mate is addicted to. Thankfully, she was very nice to even make you a whole pot of coffee at 12:16am, or you would’ve broke her coffee maker. 

As you type the word ‘test’, you also remember the test, in that class you were struggling with, that you have not studied for at all. You ran your hand through your hair, it’s only your first year of College and you’re already not doing that well.

If you fail college, you won’t be able to make a living and do everything you wanted to do. You might get stuck working for a fast food chain your whole life. Nothing wrong with it, it’s just something you don’t want to be doing. You also did not want to be depending on your boyfriend, Shawn. What if things happen and you break up? Shawn will probably break up with you too if you fail your first year of college. 

The fact that maybe failing college will lead to you losing the boy you love the most, it made you want to curl up and cry your eyes out. You couldn’t think of anything else other than that, you decided to text Shawn. ‘If I fail college, will you still love me??’

You stared at the screen, watching the three dots move, indicating that Shawn was typing. He replied, ‘I’m calling.’

Your phone starts ringing, You see your face on the scree, Shawn is calling you. Your eyes immediately went to your hair that is in a very very messy bun. Sighing and not caring, you answered the phone.

“Hey, baby.” You try to put on a fake smile, you didn’t have to worry Shawn while he’s all the way in Europe.

“Of course I will still love you. I told you, I’ll love you no matter what.” Shawn’s eyebrows furrowed. There were muffled music blasting and people talking in the background. There was a tapestry behind him. “What’s wrong, hun?” 

“Nothing.” You tried to push the stray hair that fell out of your messy bun away from your face. Sniffling as you did so, you were trying to hold your tears back. You weren’t one to cry, you were stronger than this.

All the way in Europe, miles and miles away from you, Shawn knew better. He knew something was wrong. He wasn’t deceived by your fake smile. He saw how tired you are with your red brimmed eyes, your hair hasn’t been groomed. He also has a view of your long to do list behind you. And it is also very unusual for you to be up at this time, considering how much you loved sleep. “Baby, tell me.” 

“It’s nothing, I don’t want to worry you.” You see Shawn’s eyebrow raise through the camera, you can definitely tell he wasn’t buying it. “I miss you a lot.”

His face softened upon hearing that you miss him. “I miss you a lot too, and I wish I was there. I know something is up and If you don’t tell me, you’re worrying me anyways.”

“It’s just,” You sigh. Taking a glimpse at the blinking cursor on your screen, you were not close to finishing. You wanted to cry right there on the spot, with Shawn on the phone. “I have a 10 page paper due tomorrow, a test the next, I also have to work. I haven’t had any sleep. What if I fail college, Shawn? It’s only my first year and I’m already doing so bad. I have never done this bad, ever in my life.” Shawn knew that you have never done this bad in school, the fact you’re so smart made Shawn notice you in the first place. “If I fail school, you probably would b-”

You stopped talking when you notice Shawn had his guitar visible on the screen. He started strumming the guitar, “Sometimes it all gets a little too much, but you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up. And you don't have to be afraid, because we're all the same. And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much.” He smiled through the camera and made your heart skip a beat. You wanted nothing more but be in his arms right now. “Babe. Repeat after me.” 

You raise one of eyebrows, humoring him, you did just what he said. “I am not gonna fail college.” 

“Yes babe, you’re not gonna fail college.” Shawn sent a death glare to Geoff who has standing off camera. Geoff was trying not to laugh his ass off, but Shawn didn’t care. As long as you were happy, Shawn didn’t care if it made him look stupid. “Now, listen to me. All those things? Forget about it, j-”

“Shawn! Forgetting about those things will make me fail.” You stared at him, through the screen. You heard Geoff’s chuckle in the background, you didn’t even know he was there. “Hey, Geoff.”

“You’re not gonna fail, y/n. You’re the smartest person we know.” You hear Geoff off the camera. Shawn smiled widely at what Geoff said, agreeing with him. 

“Just listen to me, babe.” Shawn looked at the camera. “Forget about your paper. Call a sick day from work, same thing with your classes. Sleep in tomorrow morning. Go to my parent’s house when you wake up, I’m sure Aaliyah would love to study with you.” You and Shawn smiled at the same time. You’d probably go insane if it wasn’t for Shawn. “How much do you have done in your 10 pages?” 

You glance over the Add me in your Google documents pulled up on your screen, the blinking cursor taunting you. “Like three and a half more pages.”

Shawn grinned, and run his hands through his hair. “Add my e-mail to the document to where I can edit it.” 

“Are you gonna finish it for me?” You laugh, Shawn hated writing papers. The only writing he loved was writing music. 

Seeing you laugh, Shawn’s heart skipped a beat. He always loved hearing you laugh, specially after what you were just through. “Hell no. I’ll have Andrew or Geoff finish it or something.” With the mention of Geoff’s name, he chucked a piece of a chip, that he was eating, at Shawn. It hit him on his cheek. 

“Oh, Shawn. What would I do without you?” He gives you a really cute smile, you want him right in front of you right now. 

“I’ll even have somebody proof-read it for grammar and everything.” He joked, Geoff was mumbling something about how much he hates writing papers too. “Go to bed, I love you.”

“I love you too.” You blow him a kiss through the phone’s camera and he pretends to catch it to put it on his lips. You hear Geoff saying something about how cheesy that was. “Good luck on the show, bye.” You ended the call, before that, you heard Geoff teasing Shawn about his cheesiness. You don’t only miss Shawn, you miss Geoff and the whole crazy boys too. 

You fell asleep, right after putting Shawn as an editor in your paper. When you woke up, the paper really was written. Proof-read, and all grammar fixed. You also received A ‘you’re welcome’ text from Geoff too.

[hellomissmabel]

Little Monster part 2

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Professor!Steve Rogers x reader

Warnings: A couple bad words?

Word count: 1.773

Summary: First class, first time meeting with professor Rogers. An old friend returns and raises some questions.

A/N: Some of you asked for more insight on how Steve looks at things... Well lucky you!

Part 1

Steve’s POV

She sauntered into class in a mini skirt and high heels, the most inappropriate as well as sexy outfit I could think of. As if she’d been meaning to taunt me from the start till the very end, she took a seat on the first row right in front of my desk. Of all the mistakes I’ve made in my life, Sharon Carter is my number one. I like a good chase but when a pretty and intelligent girl offers to buy me a drink, I’m not one to decline her affections.

We had an arrangement, we were our own version of friends with benefits and I had liked to keep it that way. So when the year came to a close and Sharon graduated, I expected to never see her again. That is, until that unfaithful day they assigned me a new assistant.

Look, I admit a huge deal of this mess is my own fault. None of it would’ve ever happened if I had just resisted her charms. She would’ve never have filmed or recorded the only sexual encounter we ever had during her time as my assistant. She would’ve never have used it against me to force my hand and put a ring around her finger All she wanted from me was my last name in order to climb up the social ladder.

And I let her because I didn’t want that girl to run her mouth. An affair with my assistant would’ve gotten me suspended, but an affair with my student would’ve cost me my career and I had unknowingly done both. So I married her but never touched her again. She didn’t seem to mind, until the day I found her room empty except for one simple note.

The first day of class

Whilst going through the list of names of the pupils that registered for my class this semester, I notice the odd one out almost instantly. Y/N Y/L/N. I don’t need to look at her student number to know that she’s one of the charity cases the faculty has asked me to take on and tutor on the regular. In fact, I have my first appointment with her tomorrow first thing in the morning. The dean, Tony Stark, was rather pressing about the whole Y/n matter, adamant that she’d stay in line. I wonder what she’s done that’s gotten him so on edge.

My eyes fall on her quaint appearance. She’s beautiful but an ordinary kind of beautiful, with her eyes as her most striking feature. I’ve seen her out and about a couple of times before, mostly surrounded by two guys of which I assume one must be her boyfriend. An intelligent girl like that, it just doesn’t seem like any guy would want to miss out on that. Other than these brief encounters from afar, I actually know nothing more about her.

Nevertheless, I clearly remember my dear friend Sam Wilson talking about her, when she was his student and still taking history courses. Boy, was he smitten with that girl. But word is she turned him down and never enrolled for another history class again, not even in the two years he’s been away. It seems a bit out of character to say the least, especially for a student like her. Something always seemed off about Sam’s sudden departure yet I never had the guts to approach him about it. He’s my pal, my partner in crime and you don’t question your best friend’s sincerity. There’s no doubt in my right mind that he hasn’t been completely honest with me. Yes, the circumstances might be a bit dubious, but I’m sure there’s an explanation for everything.

An impatient finger taps my desk a couple of times before I look up to meet those familiar brown eyes. “Speaking of the devil,” I mutter under my breath, smirking. “I was just thinking about you, man.”

Sam grins a little, his dark eyes twinkling with mischief. “Ain’t no getting’ rid of me yet, bro!”

We laugh heartily and shake hands. “Wilson, my friend, I see you’ve returned to the land of the living? How was the sabbatical? Managed to clear your head a bit?”

“Ah you know, it was alright,” he shrugs nonchalantly, brushing off my questions. “What are you up to these days, Stevie boy? Heard you’ve been taking in a couple strays?”

“Oh, yeah. They dumped a couple students in my class who won’t be able to graduate this year unless they pass. Some of them even need extra guidance, but not many. In fact, Y/N is one of them.”

His shoulders stiffen instantly at the mention of her name. Clearly he’s not over her just yet. “You had it bad, didn’t you?”

“Look, Steve,” Sam says softly, “I fell hard for her while I shouldn’t have. She was my student. You and I, we both know I’m not the kind of guy to go messing around with students. But she,” he cards his fingers through his hair and exhaling deeply, “she was different. But I came on to her too strong and she vowed to never speak to me again. Probably for the best.”

“Ah well, there will be other girls, Sam.” I give him a reassuring smile, trying the best I can to keep his mind occupied with other things other than Y/N.

The deal with Sam is that he falls in love way too quickly, losing his heart over and over again to girls who are either way out of his league or way beneath him. Agreed, Sam seemed pretty serious about her but Y/N is not the first student he’s “come on to too strong” and she certainly won’t be the last. The guy’s got one hell of a fucked up love life but then again, who am I to tell him to quit falling for the wrong girls? He’d just rub Sharon Carter right into my face.

“Right,” he chuckles, throwing a glance over his shoulder to the practically full aula. “I better get going. Professor Rogers, nice seeing you again.”

“Likewise, professor Wilson,” I reply, saluting him as he walks to the door and giving me the stink eye for acting so silly.

Shaking my head, I watch him disappear in a crowd of students before returning my attention to the task at hand. It’s then that my eyes land on Y/N again, sitting on the third row next to Sharon’s replacement, Wanda. I didn’t know they were friends but Wanda and I don’t know each other that well, so I’m not surprised. She prefers to keep to herself and I can’t blame her for that.

“Alright!” I gain the attention of most students rather quickly, my voice carrying across the vast space with ease. Effortlessly I fall back into my role as a professor, the summer break long forgotten about. “Welcome to History of Contemporary Art. Some of you might already know me from Early Modern History, History and Philosophy of Ancient Literature and Fundamentals of History.”

Y/N’s POV

“Fuck,” I exhale sharply as my eyes drink him in for the very first time. “I didn’t know professor Rogers was smokin’ hot!”

“Where have you been living all this time? Under a rock?,” she scoffs haughtily. I love her spunk but as soon as this class is over and done with and I don’t need her anymore, I’m never speaking to her again. “Most of the girls in this class only take it because of him. Before he got married, he was quite the eyecatcher but now that he’s divorced, he’s even more popular. Something about that is a serious turn-on.”

“No shit,” I reply with a couple more curse words.

Wanda gives me a pointed look and again I have to remind myself why I am friends with her in the first place. “When was the last time you set foot in a history class?”

You think it over, disappointed when you finally realise the answer. “Before professor Wilson went on his sabbatical.”

“So you’re not up to date on the latest changes,” she concludes, sighing exasperatedly. With a nod of her head in the professor’s direction, she continues. “Professor Rogers has always been a bit of a wild child but he’s a decent professor. His… indiscretions with Sharon Carter were unfortunate but all in all, he has never let anyone down in the past, so the faculty cleared his name. We all know Sharon isn’t as innocent as she appears to be but nobody can touch her without solid proof.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard about that.”

“Don’t trust everything you hear, not even if it’s from a friend,” she warns quickly, almost too quickly. “You never had to take much history classes, did you?” I shake my head, proud I managed to avoid such a burden even though it would’ve looked good on my record. “Grades high enough for you to skip a couple courses?” I mumble a yes, smirking at the fact she never got to do that and I obviously am the better student out of the two of us.

“Thought so. Which brings me to the question, why on earth are you taking this class then?”

“I told you already, Wanda. I spent a little too much time with my man, Bucky, neglecting my course work. My grades dropped. I need to pass or redo the entire year. No perks.”

She hums as she considers my answer, a contemplative frown knitting her brows together. “Seems like an okay deal to me. He’s tutoring you as well, I assume?”

“Yup,” I say, popping the ‘p’. I used to resent the idea of being tutored but now I’ve seen the gorgeous specimen that I’ll be tutored by, I don’t mind anymore. Still, no matter how good-looking he might be, I would never betray my Bucky like that. Cheating is not in my nature and especially not with a professor. There are so many other girls who want a piece of him, so let them have some.

“Well, if you need anything, just ask me. I like you, Y/N,” Wanda confesses sincerely, smiling softly at me with those pearly whites. “You’re obviously not swayed by his handsome face and you’ve got a pretty impressive record. I believe we’ll have lots of fun together.”

“Lots of fun indeed,” you mumble but Wanda’s unable to catch the sarcasm lacing your tone as professor Rogers suddenly addresses the crowd. His voice is masculine, very masculine and sends shivers running up and down your spine. Trying to stay immune to his charms will be much harder than anticipated.

Part 3

@beccaanne814-blog @mellifluous-melodramas @mrshopkirk @winterboobaer @kiwi71281 @a-little-hell-to-raise @unpredictable-firecracker @marvelingatthewonder  @hardcorehippos @iiharu-kunii @knittingknerdy @winterwolf57 @theoneandonlysaucymo @bovaria @marvel-lucy @marvel-ash @thedragonblood @the-silver-iris @themcuhasruinedme @fvckingsteverogers @nenyakj @justareader @writing-soldiers @angryschnauzer @sfdce @feelmyroarrrr @erinvanlyssel @wildestdreamsrps @jonsnowisnotdeadthough @4theluvofall  @finhabastos @shadowpriestess6 @abovethesmokestacks @katalina-from-hellbound @emilyinwonderland3 @sallyp-53 @toofuckinfabulous @ailynalonso15 @soymikael @independentgirl @katbird787 @queen-merc @mizzzpink @movingonto-betterthings

[ofsinnersandsaints]

Ghost Watch: Behind the Scenes

AO3 / Completed

Modern AU / Bellarke / The Delinquents / Jake Griffin / Alt POV

Jake Griffin’s been haunting his daughter's house and it's not until her roommates call a paranormal investigation show to investigate their supposedly haunted house that Jake gets the chance to see the one thing he thought he'd ever get a chance to witness: his daughter finding a way to be happy again

Jake smirked as he watched his daughter walk out of the living room after insisting to her roommates there was absolutely no such thing as ghosts.

He couldn’t find it in him to be insulted. As much as Clarke was his daughter, with her gentle heart and creative hands, she was just as much as her mother’s with her cynical and scientific mind.

She’d need absolute proof he was there and he wasn’t sure he was capable of giving that to her. Wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do.

As he followed her out of the living room he suddenly found himself in his daughter’s room two days later, a symptom of being dead and haunting was he had no control over time and often found himself skipping over days or weeks, pulled by some unknown force from one moment to the next.

A glance at the computer on her lap told him it was well past midnight and she should be asleep.

She had class tomorrow.

But instead of sleeping she was watching something on Netflix, her headphones covering her ears and a blue glow illuminating her face. He swiped his hand across the mousepad, something he was sometimes able to manipulate. At the top of the screen he saw “GHOST WATCHERS: SEASON 1 EPISODE 5: THE WIDOW’S WALK.”

His daughter muttered something under her breath and moved the mouse again to remove the title. As she shifted on her pillows to get more comfortable a man with warm skin, freckles, and a dark mass of curly hair grinned from the laptop’s screen.

He sat in the front passenger seat of a van, turned around, facing the camera which bounced and moved as if it was held in someone’s hand. “And that’s why they call it a widow’s walk.”

“That was a terrible story, you shouldn’t talk anymore,” a blonde haired man moaned from the driver’s seat while Clarke smiled in her bed.

“He’s such a nerd,” she murmured to herself. Jake remembered when she’d been thirteen a new girl had come to her school and Clarke had come home with the exact same smile.

Even though she didn’t know he was there, this was something he could share with her so he laid down next to her on the bed and watched as a group people, all barely adults, went around the world trying to talk to ghosts.

After realizing he was dead, Jake quickly learned there were things he knew now he wouldn’t have known when he was alive.

Alive, Jake Griffin would have been suspicious of the man who had shown up on his-or rather his daughter's-doorstep a few days later with a perpetual smirk, torn up jeans and his metal cases full of experimental equipment he used to search for the paranormal. Dead Jake instinctively understood the gangly, freckled TV host was a good man. The kind of man who would die for his sister and held onto his beliefs with every particle of his soul.

Jake also quickly realized this was the kind of guy who didn’t trust his heart. When a loud sound jarred his daughter and the ghost investigator out of a quiet moment in Clarke's studio, Jake decided to take matters into his own hands and essentially locked the door.

It might be considered petty or childish, but Jake had a feeling he couldn’t quite explain, one which told him he needed to keep these two together for as long possible.

“What’s wrong?” Clarke asked when she saw Bellamy try to open the door.

“Nothing, the door is locked.”

“This door doesn’t even have a lock on it,” she informed him with mild exasperation before attempting to open the door herself to no avail. “Not again.”

Bellamy stood a little straighter and Jake couldn’t miss the spark of interest in his eyes. “Again? This has happened before?”

Clarke barely gave him a glance as she tried the door again. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to taint your perspective with anecdotal evidence?”

Bellamy shrugged, “I’m kind of the boss so if I say it’s okay to tell me it’s okay to tell me.”

She shook her head, “I’m not encouraging you.”

His grin was all mischief and amusement as he leaned close as if to impart a great secret. “You should know your not telling me something just encourages me more.”

“You’re a pain in my ass.”

He shrugged, clearly unoffended. “Surprisingly, you’re not the first person who has said that to me.”

“Not really that surprising,” she quipped back but she was fighting back a smile.

“Tell me when this happened before. No judgement.”

Jake listened as she told Bellamy about an incident a few months before when a guy had come to pick up Clarke and for a few minutes had been unable, with her roommate’s help, to let the guy in.

It had been the ghost instinct, or whatever it was, which told Jake not to let him in. There had been something about him which had rubbed Jake the wrong way. What was ironic because if he'd been alive, Jake was pretty sure he would have loved the guy. Clean cut, even if his hair was a little on the long side, going to school to be a lawyer. A polite guy, with a good car and a firm a handshake.

What he also had was a careless heart. He hadn’t intended to hurt anyone, but his negligence had left Clarke feeling like the other woman when he’d failed to properly break up with his former girlfriend and there was a part of Jake which wanted to protect her from the heartache.

Clarke explained she believed the door had just been warped but Bellamy had seemed unimpressed by her conclusion and more than a little irritated some guy had hurt her.

“He was cheating on you?”

“I think he was cheating on her,” Clarke corrected. “He thought he’d broken up with her, she did not agree.”

“Someone’s looking out for you,” Bellamy concluded, leaning against the door to match Clarke’s stance. Jake had to hand it to him for guessing right on the first try.

“You think some spirit is hovering in my house protecting me from douchebags?” And if the dry tone reminded Jake of his wife with an little ache of longing he was used to it.

“Haunting.”

Clarke rolled her eyes at the correction, “You’re insane.”

Jake smiled at their interactions, parry and thrust as if they were fencing and apparently having a fine time.

Then he blinked, and to his annoyance, he was no longer standing in the sun lit room on the first floor but in the hallway of the second floor in the pitch dark.

“Damn it,” Jake muttered as he walked across the floor, his boots pounding on the wood with frustration and below him he heard a female voice.

“Did you hear that? Someone is upstairs.”

Pausing, Jake wondered if it was possible they could hear him. It happened sometimes when he was feeling particularly agitated or angry. Emotions made him stronger.

A radio crackled. “Bellamy, what’s your location?”

“I’m in the basement, why?”

“Nathan and I heard someone upstairs on the second floor.”

“Check it out.”

A moment later a brunette girl came up the stairs, a dark man with a camera following close behind her.  

“Hello?" she called. "Is anyone up here?”

There was a pause as if they were waiting for him to answer but Jake figured it was kind of pointless to respond when they couldn’t hear him.

“We’re sure this place is empty?” she asked the camera man.

“Yep.”

Things he knew about these people came in quick, bold flashes. The young man was still a boy inside, one trying to earn his father’s respect. He had no idea he'd earned the implicit trust of anyone he met. In another time he’d have sat at the right hand of a king and have been equally respected.

The girl, on the other hand, was someone who was born to live. Bright and wild, she was the sort of person made to jump out of planes and fall recklessly in love, who drank too much and fought too hard and wanted too much because there was so much to experience and a hundred years wouldn’t be enough time to live it all.

But an appetite for life hadn't made her foolhardy. She walked cautiously down the hallway, wary of what might be hiding in bedrooms or around corners.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small black rectangle. Almost immediately, Jake felt an uncomfortable tug in his gut. When the small light from the camera shone on the object, he recognized it as a recorder.

“If someone’s here, please tell us your name.”

Jake stepped towards the knight and the warrior, noticed the friendly and comfortable lack of distance, the quick catch of a gaze and silent communication. He could tell, instinctively, these were people who knew each other, these were people who trusted and cared for one another.

The insight death provided never ceased to amaze him.

“Holy shit!” the young man yelled, shifting to move away from where Jake had been standing.

Startled, Jake realized his hand would have brushed against the younger man's hip.

“What? Are you okay?” the young woman asked.

“It felt like someone just touched my side,” he bit out. “Shit, man, that was weird.”

The woman reached out to the space Jake had been standing moments ago, “It’s cold here. Do you have temp?”

“Uh, here. Take the camera.”

They switched the handheld and Jake watched as the man took a thermometer, the kind you pointed at an object to take its temperature, and Octavia gasped.

“It’s ten degrees cooler there.”

She convinced her friend to take the recorder as she filmed him. Jake smiled as the boy awkwardly asked questions to the empty space Jake had occupied. He thought seriously about answering but for some reason he held back.

Or at least, he did until the other man asked, “Can you show yourself?”

Jake scoffed, “If I could, do you really think I’d show myself to you and not my daughter?”

He blinked and there was another shift. Suddenly, Bellamy was standing there, camera at his side as they listened to the recorder. Jake was shocked to hear his own voice on the tape.

This shit actually worked?

“What is that? It’s not a word.”

“It sounds like a scoff,” Nathan suggested from behind the camera.

Brother and sister repeated the word as if they’d never heard it before.

“Yeah you know, like when you ask someone a question and they just scoff because the question is stupid?”

Bellamy looked at his friends and suggested they do EVPs. Even though Jake didn’t understand exactly what an EVP was, he was willing to try now that he knew there was a chance of something actually getting across to the living.

To Clarke.

To Jake's amusement, Bellamy went to Clarke’s room. He wondered if it was on purpose or if something had drawn the ghost watcher to Clarke’s personal space. Either way, Jake followed him and stepped through the closed door to see long fingers brushing over the knick-knacks his daughter had collected on her dresser.

Jake recognized most of the photos around the room; they ranged from elementary school pictures to ones taken just before he died.

He knew it was still hard for her, making new memories and relishing life now that he was dead. He knew part of it was she felt guilty, but he also knew his daughter hated making memories she couldn’t share with him.

Jake wished he could tell her it was okay to be happy. Tell her she'd always have him with her and he'd be a part of every new memory she made. He couldn’t move on until he knew she was okay. She'd always been his sunlight. He wanted to make sure she learned how to shine again before he walked away to whatever came next.

Bellamy smiled at a Halloween picture from when Clarke was 19.  Her friends had insisted on a “Ten Year Old’s Halloween Party” theme so everyone had shown as firemen and Power Rangers, Disney characters and pirates. At the time Jake had been surprised at how much his daughter had gotten into it. Maybe they’d both known somehow they didn’t have much time left. Either way, his reserved and careful daughter had insisted he help her find the most ten year old costume on the planet.

They’d gone through dozens of costume stores and websites, rejecting police uniforms and doctor’s scrubs, ninjas and angels until Jake had stumbled across a store advertising winter formal dresses. There in the window had been the perfect costume.

The day of the party, while the plantation house was getting its final touches, Clarke had done her hair and makeup. At precisely ten o’clock, when the house was full with friends and family laughing and having fun, Jake had turned off the lights so the only ones lit were on the staircase and his beautiful daughter came down the stairs.

With a tiara tucked into her gold hair and her blue dress with so much tulle it was almost as wide as the staircase, she came down looking every inch the beautiful Cinderella.

They’d never given out costume awards but everywhere he went that night everyone had declared Clarke was the winner by a landslide.

She’d hung the dress on her wall until he died and then she’d taken it down and tucked it away in her closet. There was a part of him which hoped she’d take it out and wear it again someday.

Bellamy brushed a finger down the frame of the picture, surrounded on either side by pirate Jasper and Mad-Scientist Monty, her grin wide and her tiara slightly askew. “Looking good there, princess.”

But then he seemed to remember he was there for a reason. Stepping away from the pictures, he set his camera on the nightstand, sitting far enough away on the bed to be in frame, then pulled a circular device from a bag on his shoulder.

“This is called a Voice Box,” Bellamy explained to the room. Jake wondered how long it took for them to get comfortable talking to what might possibly be an empty room but he was glad for the tutorial.

“It’s not a clever name, I know.” Bellamy continued, "What it does is it allows us to hear in real time, unlike a magnetic recorder, and it scans frequencies to prevent it from picking up things like walkies or radios. This way, when you talk to me, the sound comes over multiple frequencies and skeptics can’t say it was just the neighborhood boy playing GI Joe.”

Jake smiled, Bellamy said ‘skeptic’ with more than a little affection and knew he was talking about Clarke.

When he stepped closer to the device Bellamy had set on the table, Jake wished he was capable of picking up a set of tools and taking it apart to see how it worked. “Whoever you’ve got making these things aren't idiots.”

“Okay, let’s get started.” He switched on the device, which all but filled the room with white noise. “Is there anyone here with me?”

Jake sighed. If his daughter could make a grand entrance in front of all her friends and her parents’ friends as Cinderella, he could talk to some kid ghost watcher.

Even if he did feel like an idiot.

“Yes.”

But nothing happened, no voice came through the box and Bellamy didn’t give any indication he’d heard anything.

“Why are you still here?”

“For Clarke,” Jake bit out, irritated he’d let himself think the box might actually work.

Bellamy’s eyes slid to the device, and while Jake hadn’t heard anything different in the white noise the other man apparently had.

“My name is Bellamy. Can you tell me your name?”

He thought about not answering, he thought about walking away and leaving these kids to their gadgets and adventures but he knew this was his one and only chance to get a message through. If it wasn’t these kids, it wouldn’t be anyone.

“Jake.”

They both jumped when half a second later Jake’s voice came through the box, static filled and crackling but his voice.

“Holy shit.”

Jake had to agree.

Bellamy’s wide eyes scanned the room but apparently saw nothing because he looked back to the device as if not quite believing his ears. “Jake? Jake, what are you doing here? Why are you here in this house?”

Jake tried to reply but something was different, he could feel the connection to the room, to Clarke, waver. He remembered this happening one other time.

He’d found himself in Clarke’s room while she’d been sleeping and forgetting he was dead (it happened sometimes) he reached out to brush the hair away from her face like he had when she was a kid. Suddenly, he was talking to her. Laughing with her. An old memory, one from when she was a child. In the dream, though, they were older, but as they'd done in the past, they ate waffles and talked about little league.

Clarke had woken up and told her friends about the weird dream she’d had of her father and how real it had felt.

Jake hadn’t been strong enough to hold on to any single moment. He floated in and out her life for months before he was steady enough to control it. Right now he could feel that weakening which would pull him out of this moment and he couldn’t be sure how far in the future he might reappear.

But it seemed Bellamy was as unwilling to give up as Jake, because he kept asking questions, one after the other with a kind of intensity Jake could almost tie himself to.

“Is there something I can do for you?” Bellamy asked and there was such sincerity in his voice Jake couldn’t help but be a little awed. “Is there something you’d like for me to do?”

He’d been holding on for too long, Jake suddenly realized. Three years of hanging around his daughter and it never occurred to him one of these days he might not be there to watch out for her. To love her.

He didn’t want her to be alone.

“Take care of her.”

Not all of the words came through and before Jake slipped away from the moment he saw Bellamy get up and yell to his friends in the other rooms. Jake could only hope he got the message right.

##############################

When he came through again it was the next afternoon, which was better than Jake could have hoped for.

He was standing in her studio surrounded by her beautiful works of art. He rolled  his eyes when he saw the oil painting she’d done of them (inspired by a photo her mother had taken) back on the floor.

For years he tried to get her to understand he was there by moving the one painting he seemed to be able to touch and putting it on her easel, but she always wrote it off as something she’d done and forgotten about it.

Sometimes he wanted to shake his daughter until all the logic fell out.

It wasn’t until he looked over his shoulder he saw Clarke sitting on the loveseat with Bellamy pressed against her side, their fingers tangled together as they stared at the screen of a laptop.

“Care of her,” Clarke was saying and it was then Jake realized Bellamy was showing her the tape from the night before. Their conversation explained why he’d pulled back to this particular moment instead of another one.

“I can take care of myself,” she bit out when Bellamy explained what he and his crew believed the voice, Jake’s voice, had meant.

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should have to. Asking for help, accepting help, doesn’t make you any less strong,” Bellamy pointed out. Nothing could have eased Jake’s heart more than hearing those words come out of someone who seemed to honestly care for his daughter.

“Can I have this?” she asked Bellamy after he told her there wasn’t any more evidence to show her.

“Of course.”

She leaned into him, bumping her shoulder with his. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

“I’ll forgive you if you say on camera I was right and you were wrong.”

When Clarke laughed, her face lit up even though she was still on the verge of tears, Jake could feel a part of himself find peace. “I’m not sure I’m willing to go that far. But I will say thank you.”

There was a pause as she met his eyes. “Thank you, Bellamy.”

“You’re welcome.”

When Bellamy reached up Jake saw him brush away a stray tear and he suddenly felt as if he was intruding on a personal and private moment. But how many men got to see the moment his daughter started falling in love?

But instead of kissing her Bellamy pulled back and the moment shifted from warm and personal to something more professional. Jake kind of wanted to hit him.

“If you were looking for the opportune moment that was it,” Jake muttered to himself.

Bellamy stood up and started babbling about the show as he picked up his laptop and prepared to leave while Clarke studied him from her place on the couch, looking confused and a little lost.

“I’ll see you in about an hour,” he said, reaching for the door. Since Jake knew after the exit interviews the crew would walk away and that would be that, he decided he’d give both his daughter and the watcher a nudge in the right direction so when Bellamy turned the knob Jake put all his focus and concentration on the door and held it shut.

“The door’s locked,” he announced and sounded so thoroughly baffled Jake couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jake heard Clarke mutter as she got off the couch and tried to open the door herself. This was one thing Jake had learned to do well, so she couldn’t do it either.

Bellamy and Jake both heard her gasp at the same time and while Bellamy turned to face her Jake couldn’t help but smile because of course Clarke would figure it out first.

“What did you say after my dad gave his name?” she asked him, her eyes looking up into his. “You asked him if there was anything he’d like you to do and he responded-”

“Take care of her,” Bellamy finished and there was the look of the pieces finally fitting together.

Jake knew from phone calls and conversations Clarke had in the house Abby had grieved and moved on. While the fact she'd moved on with their longtime friend felt odd, Jake couldn’t begrudge Abby had found a second chance at happiness, either.

He wasn’t sure how it happened, but as he looked at his daughter and this man he knew would be important to her, he saw a hundred memories which hadn’t yet happened flash in front of him.

Bellamy kissing Clarke goodbye and promising to call her as soon he checked into his hotel. Clarke dancing in her living room with her new friends. A vicious fight in her bedroom, which now included a man’s leather jacket and his things in her closet.

He saw an engagement ring in nervous hands and then he saw his daughter pregnant, surrounded by her artwork and elegantly dressed people with champagne in their hands.

Unlocking the door, Jake threw open the window, letting the breeze, cool and clean, sweep into the room and let go the last of his fears and worries. He knew now those were what had tied him to this place. But now he knew with a certainty he didn’t question not only was his daughter going to be okay, she was going to be happy.

“Do you feel that?” Bellamy whispered as he tucked a dancing strand of blonde hair behind Clarke’s ear.

She smiled as she grabbed his jacket-the same leather one which would be draped over the end of her bed in the future Jake realized-and pulled him towards her. “Yeah, yeah I do.”

When they kissed Jake watched for a moment before closing his eyes. In the way he used to pass from one moment to the next, he moved from one plane to another. Even as he felt the warmth and peace of what he knew must be heaven he heard a whisper in his ear.

Like a ghost.

“Did you feel that?” Jake heard Bellamy ask, a smile in his voice.

“Yeah,” Clarke answered on a soft laugh. “Yeah, I did.”