#if i followed the prompt to a tee because I just went loosely on what i felt and suddenly lost sight of everything

[thebakunawa]

Stars must not fall

Hewwo!! So this is my first work for this fandom and I haven’t written anything non academic for years so please bare with me but I wrote this in honor of the wonderful game @ataleofcrowns for the prompt ‘like a star falling you drop without warning’. 

also special thanks to @strawbebyjam who deals with me asking if I wrote well and edited this

The Crown must be perfect.

Every action is measured and evaluated. Nothing is above scrutiny. The people around the Crown may treat the Crown as a friend, but they will never be scrutinised the way everyone will the Crown. Eyes will always look up at the Crown, so the Crown must not falter, must not be weak.

But she’s only human.

Maharlika feels it, the way eyes are drawn to her presence as soon as she enters. It doesn’t matter if she simply passes by or she has wandered in unintentionally. The moment she enters all eyes are on her, the weight of their expectations doubling down on her mercilessly. 

Expectation shackles her from wrist to wrist, with weighted bracelets made of gold, while the hopes of the people tighten her robes and she wonders how she has not choked.

When she was younger she had dreamed of becoming the Crown. Living a life where she could do what she wanted and lived somewhere without constantly running. Now, now she feels the strains under the shackles of their beliefs and needs. How their hope seems to bind her to the throne, carrying the weight of a promise she doesn’t know if she can uphold.

Day in and out, the idea of being the Crown torments her ceaselessly. Dreams once of ash and blood now add faces of people staring up at her with desperation and adoration she feels she does not deserve.

In the rare moments she’s alone when her thoughts don’t crash into each other, she hears the whisper of a few faint melodies from her memories. The quietest of whispers that slip from her fingers when she tries to reach out and grasp them.

What little she does remember, are the towns full of vibrant life, noises she could only hear and never be a part of. The symphony of life in a place where people could always come back to and call it home.

Rising above the noise of the towns were the sweetest voices she’d ever hear. It doesn’t matter where she’s gone but she remembers hearing voices that float above the din. Their voices full of strength and love, or perhaps sorrow if they sing ballads. 

In her memories street performers shine with enough magic and power they rivaled the sun. Her mouth agape whenever they’d sing a song.

“More!” The crowd would roar. “More!”

So the performers gave more. Their voices somehow rising above the voices of the people. She can’t remember most songs, not even the slightest sliver in her memories. Except for one, a small melody she hums without meaning to. The origin of the song long gone but it leaves the melody as a small ember in her mind. 

Crowns are like stars, they should not fall.

She remembers reading a page from a book “gods do not fall gracefully,” it said. Maharlika wonders if Crowns when they fall, fall gracefully. If she fell, would she?

Her dreams are marred by nightmares. Of fire and ash, of the blood on her hands, of the corpses of her parents and of the people she had passed to get here. It chokes her, filling her throat with the same acrid smell of burnt bodies and flesh—she’s left gasping for cold air.

Even when she wakes she tastes it at the back of her mouth. The fear and the smell lingering beyond, knowing that if she closes them for a moment they’ll all come flooding back in. Not wanting to alert anyone, she slips out of her room, barefoot, into halls illuminated by the moonlight that fills from the windows, and walks desperate to put as much space as she can away from the confines of her room.

She makes sure her footsteps are quiet, and her breathing slows as not to get caught, though her steps are more rapid at every breath. The layout of the palace is still confusing but she’s determined to learn. Her gait is quick and she doesn’t dare turn around, afraid to see her nightmares manifest, almost hearing them snap at her heels as she almost runs down the hall.

“Who are you?” The voices from her nightmares whispers. “Who do you think you are?”

Her heart thunders in her ears and she doesn’t realize her breath has picked up or her legs started aching.

“Who are you to think that you can hold your head up higher than your fellow men?”

Fire burns under her feet, the heat scorching her soles and the walls suddenly seem alight with red flames. Licking at the edges of her vision and she makes a beeline to a set of doors, desperate to escape.

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

Rozerîn wakes up with a start.

Unease rolls in her stomach and what little hope of sleep she has disappears. The air feels different, buzzing with energy she couldn’t place. It moves anxious and terrified, lingering just at the edges of her senses so she can’t tell what it is.

Or who it is.

Pressing against the space, agitated, Rozerîn realizes that the spirits are restless. Pushing and pulling like the tide, their ebb and flow a reflection of the current state of the person they’re attached to.

In this case, the Crown.

The realization makes Rozerîn grab a night robe to wrap around her before she leaves her room. Once secured she steps out, peering into the hall, Maharlika’s name resting at the tip of her tongue. 

Moonlight pours in through the windows of the hall, bathing everything in a silver glow. By all appearances, the hall was unchanged. Yet Rozerîn feels the tingle of magic in the air and just out of earshot hears the lingering voices too faint to properly make out. 

She strains to hear them, to glean anything from the spirits. But they were too far from her reach, pulling away when she almost brushes against them. Cold sweat builds up at her back and she wonders if she should wake Ashti and look for the guard. 

Yet something tells her not to. 

It’s a small niggling voice at the back of her head, barely above the whispers, so she decides to simply follow the source of the disturbance. Following the blasts of heat and cold that seem to randomly emanate from the halls. 

The closer she gets the thicker the magic feels. Like a storm about to come, the hair on her arms rise and as she pushes open a set of double doors, she finds Maharlika sitting by the fountain, her back facing the the doors as she looks into the water.

“Maharlika?” Rozerîn calls out hesitantly, watching as the water in the fountain shudders. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Maharlika replies, her voice rough and she doesn’t turn to address Rozerîn. “What are you doing here?”

Rozerîn shuffles in her spot, wrapping the robe a little tighter. “I was out for a walk,” she explains. “I woke up and couldn’t sleep,”

“Ah.” 

Silence descends between the 2 of them and Rozerîn after a while walks a little closer, taking a few steps at a time. Gauging from the spirits, they seem a little calmer now, and the fountain (thankfully) no longer violently shaking.

“Why are you up?” Rozerîn decides to press. “Are you well?”

Maharlika stiffens, and Rozerîn is ready to apologize but the words die in her throat when Maharlika finally turns to look at her. 

“No,” the admission is pained, a whisper of the word that Rozerîn would have missed if she hadn’t seen Maharlika’s mouth move. “I am not.”

“Talk to me?” She asks, stepping as close as she dares, hands reaching out to hold Maharlika’s balled up fists. For a moment Rozerîn wonders if she had overstepped her bounds but Maharlika reaches out to hold her hands in return.

Rough, calloused, Rozerîn remembers the feeling of bark when she holds Maharlika’s shaking hands on her own. It was comforting, holding hands that make her own small. Despite the trembling and the cold, Rozerîn feels safe, hoping she would feel safe as well. 

“Maybe.” Maharlika speaks up and Rozerîn looks up to see Maharlika chew her lower lip--a quirk she will remember to look for when she’s in distress--before sighing. “Walk with me?”

“Of course,” Rozerîn smiles warmly. Her hands still holding onto Maharlika’s, feeling the rough palms above her own slightly calloused finger tips. “I can show you the gardens,”

The corners of Maharlika’s lips curl upward slightly at her suggestion. “I’d love that,”

“Then, my Crown, follow me,” Rozerîn says and as soon as the title leaves her lips she sees Maharlika wince.

Ah.

Her expression must have been obvious because Maharlika turns away, looking to her right, unwilling to meet Rozerîn’s.

“My apologies, I didn’t realize…” Rozerîn says and holds onto the hands a little tighter. “Perhaps we could stay here instead?”

“Yes...I’d like that more,” Rozerîn feels a small sense of loss when Maharlika pulls her hands away from hers and instead focuses on following the Crown to one of the stone benches on the side. 

A heartbeat passes between them, that stretches out to a minute, to a few more. Rozerîn feels the tension ebb away but it’s replaced by something else. Something that moves in the undercurrents, a deep ache that has long lingered.

She considers speaking when Maharlika breaks the silence instead. Shifting a little to face her when she does. “Do you think I’d fall gracefully?”

A joke weasels its way to the forefront of Rozerîn’s mind but the situation at hand doesn’t call for it. Perhaps if she had Xelera’s audacity she might have made it. 

“Fall gracefully? What do you mean by it?” 

Maharlika hums, contemplating her eyes distant for a while before she meets Rozerîn’s gaze. “If I failed to be good enough, what would happen?”

The ache in her voice and the worry tugs at Rozerîn’s heart. She remembers looking at Lady Zerya with the same pleading eyes, the desperation to cling onto someone for reassurance. 

“As long as I am here, I will do my best to make sure you do not fall or stumble.” Rozerîn promises. “Not while I’m here.”

“It feels like I’ve failed already,” Maharlika admits. “It feels as if I’ve failed to be the Crown,”

“There is no Crown born perfect, no one can ever be ready to be the Crown. That’s why we have your tutors, your mentors, the perfect Crown does not fall from the sky,” Rozerîn replies, her hands letting go of Maharlika’s as she does. “Well--except for you. You came to us quite unexpected and when we needed you the most.” She smiles trying to reassure her.

For a moment she wonders if she had overstepped. But the smile Maharlika manages, chases those worries away. “Thank you, Rozerîn,” she says and this time it is she, who reaches out to take Rozerîn’s hand in her own.

Suddenly everything feels so warm, and Rozerîn looks away with a shy smile, before looking down to see Maharlika squeeze and play with her fingers.

“You’ve got really pretty hands,” Maharlika murmurs absentmindedly. “They’re nice to hold,”

Rozerîn laughs, covering her mouth with her hand. “Maharlika, please!”

“It’s true!” Maharlika says and whatever seemed to plague her had disappeared completely from her mind, “I like holding them...I’d hold it forever if I could,”

Forever.

The idea of forever with Rozerîn makes her heart squeeze and Maharlika could see it. Stretching hours of fleeting eternity between them when they have the time. Stolen moments when work does not call to them.

The Crown must be perfect.

But it never said that the Crown can not fall in love. If Crowns are like stars, then she willingly falls, unexpectedly into the unknown if it means going back to Rozerîn, to home. 

“Well—in that case...Maharlika—I...well maybe! If you desire that!” Rozerîn stops in her tracks when the implication of what Maharlika said sinks in. 

Maharlika laughs, a deep joyful sound and Rozerîn is torn between hugging her and simply wishing for the spirits to take her away from here. 

“I mean, I do desire that~” Maharlika purrs pulling Rozerîn’s hand to her mouth and gives her a kiss, without breaking eye contact. 

Words seem to fail her in that moment and Rozerîn doesn’t know what exactly to do. Her heart feels like it’s about to hammer out of her chest with the way it thunders.

“But...genuinely, thank you.” Maharlika gives her hand one last squeeze before letting go. “You...you mean a lot to me, Rozerîn. I hope you know that,”

Rozerîn smiles, the most genuine smile she can muster in this moment and with no hesitation replies.

“I know.”

 I care for you too

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being Owen Grady’s child

Owen Grady x child!reader

warnings: knives, guns

a/n: i cannot remember the plot bare w me

prompt: being owen’s child

okay, let’s start with the fact that he’s a single dad

that did not stop him from raising you right

navy brat

after a little bit of instability during his years of service, he got a job as a raptor trainer

so you see, it wasn’t a typical childhood

you two moved to isla nublar so he could begin his work

“woah, that’s a dinosaur?”

“yeah, kiddo, she’s a velociraptor”

you were a bit older when you met the dinosaurs, so owen trusted you to be around them

“if you respect them, they’ll respect you”

blue took a liking to you pretty quick!!!

owen thought it was adorable the way you got along with the raptors

you were sort of like a co-trainer

living in that lil trailer

“this place is too small”

“quit your complaining and eat your mac and cheese”

your dad taught you how to fix cars and motorcycles

you did a bang-up job

“you really are my child. oh, my god, im so proud”

watching tv with owen all the damn time

it was usually cartoons though bc that was all he cared to watch

sometimes he forgets that you are not a raptor and you have to jog his memory

“can you get your hand out of my face before i tear it off?”

half of your holiday gifts are weapons

“look at this knife, y/n! it’s two inches longer than your old one. you’ll grow into it”

“dad, a knife is not a pair of pants...but thank you, i love it”

you’re pretty good at throwing knives, though. your dad put a target on a nearby tree for you to practice

every once in a while it’s gun practice, though

“okay, remember the proper foot stance...now arms. make sure not to lock up, make sure your fingers are clear from anything that could move...okay, go!”

there was a high level of trust between you and your dad

he ruffles your hair a lot, you used to care

you no longer care

you had free admission to the park, so sometimes you’d take the day off and wander around for a while

you always came home with a stuffed animal (or several)

“is that a stuffed pterodactyl?”

“his name is pterry”

“nice”

back to raptor training: you loved it!!!!!!!

training a dinosaur was nothing like training a dog, lemme tell you

these lovely dinos made you so happy!!!

they’re pretty at-ease when you’re nearby

arguing when anyone talks about using them for some sort of selfish profit

“they’re animals, dipshit! stop treating them like weapons!”

“mr. grady, are you going to tell your child to behave?”

“no, no i will not”

claire popping over to see your dad while you were working on his bike

because she suddenly needed your dad’s help

and wanted to exclude you until your dad said he wouldn’t do anything unless you had the opportunity to come along

“you know, y/n, i have a nephew who’s about the same age as you visiting here right now”

“how old am i, claire?”

she did not have a response

your dad was stifling chuckles

“nice one, kid” *high five*

tHe InDoMiNuS rEx

you: 👀

owen: 👀

yeah this was not gonna be good

tbh you almost died when you were surveying the cage

why? oh, i don’t know...because there was a BIG FUCKING DINOSAUR IN THAT BITCH

“y/n! under there!”

you ran ahead of owen and ducked under a truck where he soon followed (and dumped gasoline all over yall)

terrifying, truly

your dad did not want to let you out of his sight

not todayyyy

“are you okay, yeah?”

“perfect...”

busting into the control center :) tee hee

while owen was barking orders at people and telling them to not do what they were doing, you were sitting next to the guy with a bunch of dinosaurs on his desk

“you like them?”

“not really, i’m not five”

“oh...”

turning to the screen to see flatlining soldiers

“oh, shit. uh, that’s not good. you need to close the park maybe?”

they dont like listening to the child with the bright ideas ig

they did end up shutting off rides though. best they can do, huh?

claire couldnt get in contact with her nephews

you went after them together

it was a long ass journey

you almost died a few times

although your father did trust you to take care of yourself, even in a situation like this, he still was extremely worried for your safety

you got a gun :)

this was actually positively the worst day of your life

okay, it took a long while to catch up to claire’s nephews

“jesus, claire, you’re nephews sure know how to move. this is getting exhausting”

you didn’t find them until the......pterodactyls got loose

“pterry would never do something like this”

“not the time or place, y/n”

“sorry, dad”

finally finding those damn kids

“hey, i’m y/n, your crazy ass aunt just dragged me and my dad all the way around the island to find you!”

oh yeah a pterodactyl tackled your dad

whoop de do your gun was jammed

claire saved the day and all three of you witnessed their little display of pda amidst chaos

“wow, uh, maybe we’ll be cousins...”

your dad finally caved and agreed to use the raptors to find the indominus rex

and you got to prove your badassery out there

“you sure you’re up for this mission, y/n? you know you can stay with claire and the boys if you want”

“i’ll be okay, dad, i promise”

he gave you a hug

YOU GOT A MF MOTORCYCLE

okay i cant lie, you and your dad riding motorcycles side-by-side among velociraptors was probably the coolest thing you’ll ever get to do

but they, uh, kind of turned on you and next thing you know, you were speeding after the ambulance claire was driving

zach and gray were relieved to see you

you gave ‘em a little wave

“do you think we’ll ever be that cool?”

“gray, not now”

“i’m gonna take that as a ‘no’”

CLAIRE LET OUT THE MOTHERFUCKING T-REX

it was an Experience(tm)

you were split up from your dad and the boys while she was doing that

so you were deathly worried

running over there when it was safe

“is everyone alright?”

“define ‘alright’” -gray

“we’re fine, y/n” -zach

“are you okay?” -dad

“yeah, i think so”

this final battle between the dinosaurs was a bit shocking to watch, but it was hard to keep your eyes off

it all wrapped up and the dinos were let loose

and......the park got closed down

you and your dad were unemployed effective immediately

but your dad and claire finally got together

“you guys are sweet but are we all going to fit in that little camper?”

“we’ll make it work”

they did for a while

but there was a lot if arguing

your dad wanted to reside in the camper forever, claire didn’t, they broke up, you stayed with your dad to help him out during hard times, he decided to build a cabin

he claims he was not affected by the breakup but you knew better

you and your dad had an unbreakable bond, you’d been through so much together

it was only a matter of time before the world had something new in store for you and dad

taglist:

[theladyofdeath]

Get a Clue {ACOTAR}

31 Days of Halloween: Day 30.

All installments co-written with @snelbz​

Warning: language.

Autumn/Halloween 2020 {Collection}

I know, I’m a little past the date....but, we wanted to post anyway. :)

Prompt sent in by @photofeesh​

Elain was dressed in her finest 1950s attire. It was her first character-themed murder mystery party, and she had decided there was no better time to throw it than on Halloween. The theme? Clue. And since none of them knew their character until everyone arrived, they decided to dress in 1950s wear, due to the fact that the board game had been invented around that time.

The girls used to love playing Clue as children.

Nesta would always get pissed if she didn’t win, Feyre was usually doodling while they were playing, and Elain just loved to have fun; but, no matter how the game went, they all got excited to play together. It was one of Elain’s fondest memories of her childhood: playing board games on rainy days with her sisters. 

“I look ridiculous!”

Elain rolled her eyes as she adjusted the gloves that she wore. “You look handsome!”

He stepped out of his closet. The blue ascot tied around his throat was loose, but he tugged on it as if it were a noose.

The dark blue naval uniform looked like it was made for him, but it hadn’t been. It had belonged to the girls’ papa and seeing Azriel wear it brought a huge smile to Elain’s face

He couldn’t complain when she looked at him like that. “I’m not putting the hat on,” he grumbled.

His hair was slicked back, and Elain found herself wishing that she was born in the 50’s so she could look at Azriel like this every day.

Heading downstairs to make sure everything was ready, she paused to press a kiss to his cheek. “Yes, you are,” she said, with a smile.

She could hear Azriel groan as she took to the stairs, knowing full well that he’d do anything to please her.

Mor was in Elain’s kitchen, sealing the final envelope.

“No!” she yelled, clutching all the envelopes to her chest. “I haven’t hid them yet!”

Elain chuckled. “I have to take out my chicken!”

Mor narrowed her eyes but hurried away, nonetheless, taking her envelopes along with her. When Elain mentioned that she wanted to throw a murder mystery party, Mor was the first to volunteer to be the mediator of the whole thing. Mor definitely had a flare for the dramatics, but she also loved to know things others didn’t. Therefore, she offered to be the one to hide the envelopes and watch everyone else go crazy trying to figure out her riddle. 

It wasn’t long before everyone arrived. Feyre and Rhysand first, having sent their three-month-old infant away with a sitter for the first time, even though the sitter was just Rhysand’s sister. Cassian and Nesta showed up next, and ten minutes late, in true Nesta fashion. Lucien was the last to arrive, bringing a plate of brownies. Unlike Nesta, Lucien’s late arrival was excused, considering he had to work until 6:45 on the opposite end of town. 

“Do we get to eat first?” Cassian asked, his stomach grumbling so loud that everyone could hear. Elain had to admit that the 1950s were kind to the men in their lives.

Cassian looked like an old-time greaser in his rolled up jeans, his black Converse, his plain white tee, and his leather jacket. A cigarette rested behind his ear and his newly cropped, chin-length hair was greased back. He was the complete opposite of Nesta, who wore the cutest, knee-length circle dress. Her hair was in tight curls, and she finished her outfit with a pearl necklace and white gloves.

They were the living image of Danny and Sandy.

Elain felt the sudden urge to sing, but controlled herself.

Feyre and Rhys, however, looked like the President and CEO of a very well established 50’s business. They weren’t, obviously, but the vest, wool overcoat and thin tie Rhys wore and the very smart, but powerful sheath skirt and top Feyre wore would have fooled anyone. The red bowler hat she wore complimented the look flawlessly.

Then there was Lucien in his khakis, suspenders, plaid button down tee, and slicked back, fiery red hair. 

Elain’s friends had done her proud. “Dinner is a part of the game. So, if you all would follow me to the dining room table.” 

No one complained at that request. Cassian was the first to sit down, and Nesta was rolling her eyes as she joined him to his right.  

“As we start our meal, I’m going to pass the basket around. There’s an envelope for boys, and an envelope for the girls. Pick your character.” As Elain sat down, she held her basket to her right, where Lucien was sitting, already filling half his plate with corn. 

She adjusted the floppy, but adorable hat on her head and said, “You can tell us all who you are, but the rest of the information needs to be learned throughout the night, as you’re being asked questions.”

Nesta took the basket from Lucien and she and Cassian both removed a small piece of paper. She glanced in the envelopes. “Why do the guys have an extra character that the girls don’t have?”

“Someone has to be the dead guy,” Mor shrugged.

“Sweet,” Cassian said, grinning. “I hope I get to be the dead guy.” He looked at the slip in his hand and groaned. “Man. I’m Colonel Mustard. I don’t get to be the dead guy.”

Without a word, Azriel dropped to the floor, making Feyre jump.

“What are you doing?” She asked.

He looked up at her with a smirk. “My name is Mr. Boddy. And I’m the dead guy.”

Azriel was laying on his stomach and when Elain rolled her eyes and held the basket out to Feyre and Rhys, he knocked the stupid hat off of his head.

If he had been murdered, the hat never would have stayed on anyways.

“I’m Miss Scarlet,” Feyre announced. “You?”

“Professor Plum,” Rhysand snorted. “Of course.” 

The basket got back to Elain, and she picked the last slip of paper from the girl’s envelope. She beamed, “I’m Mrs. White, which means Nesta must be Mrs. Peacock?”

Nesta held up the slip in her hand that proved Elain was correct.

“And Luce is Mr. Green,” Elain said, giving her best friend the side eye. 

Lucien grinned, stuffing his mouth full of chicken. 

Azriel reached up from the floor and stole a roll from the basket.

“So, how does this go, Mor?” Cassian asked, his mouth full.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Nesta muttered.

Cassian didn’t bother swallowing. “Okay, mom.”

“Well,” Mor said, clapping her hands together as Azriel dragged his entire plate down to the rug beneath the table. “On the back of your slips is a character description. You all need to follow the character description, along with the other details noted on your paper. We’ll start ruling people out until someone realizes who the killer is. In each room, there’s an envelope, hidden. Throughout the party, when you find an envelope, there are clues that will help you rule out specific characters, weapons, and rooms. I have an envelope inside my jacket pocket. Inside that envelope is the killer, the room in which Mr. Boddy was killed, and the weapon that was used to kill him.”

“Does the killer know who the killer is?” Cassian asked.

“We just picked our characters two seconds ago, Cass,” Feyre snorted.

“No,” Elain said, politely. “The murderer was chosen at random.”

“How do we know you didn’t rig the game?” Azriel asked, voice muffled by the table.

“Because,” Mor said, eyeing Azriel under the table. He smirked as he took another huge bite of green beans. “I am nothing but an honest woman.”

“This is actually your house though,” Cassian said, pointing at Azriel. “And Mr. Boddy is the owner of the house in Clue. What if I would have been the dead guy, would we have had to be at our place? A two bedroom apartment with three cats wouldn’t have been near as fun.”

Elain was pinching the bridge of her nose and sighing quietly.

Cassian took a drink of his wine and muttered, “It would definitely have been one of the cats.”

Mor rolled her eyes. “Everyone understand the rules of the game?” 

A series of nods rounded the table. 

Elain smiled brightly. “Then let the game begin!”

“Can we finish eating first?” Cassian asked, his mouth still full.

Nesta just sighed, and shook her head.

“I hope so,” Azriel muttered. “No telling how long it will take you lot to figure out who killed me, and I’m starving.”

“You can eat while you play,” Elain said, pointedly toward her fiancé.

“You mean while I’m dead?” He asked. “Because I’m dead, I can’t answer any questions, so…”

He trailed off and shoved a forkful of chicken into his mouth.

Nesta cleared her throat. “Professor Plum?”

“Yes, Ms. Peacock?” He said, falling into character.

She stood, picking up her wine glass. “I’ve run out of wine, will you accompany me to the kitchen? I’ve got some questions I need to ask you.”

Cassian raised an eyebrow. “You aren’t out of wine.”

With a heavy sigh, Nesta said, “I’m trying to be in character.”

He took a drink of his own wine, but said, “Sounds like your character needs to get her story straight.”

Looking him dead in the eye, she tipped her glass back and drained it. “Okay, now I need a refill. Plum, you’re with me.”

Her heels clicked on the hardwood as she headed for the kitchen and Rhys glared at Cassian. “Now I’m not going to get any information out of her.”

Cass smirked. “I know.”

Rhysand just shook his head as he followed Nesta into the kitchen. Cassian was instantly eyeing Lucien, who was sipping from his wine glass.

“Mr. Green,” Cassian began, cordially. 

Lucien blinked. “Yes, Colonel?” 

“Shall we leave these ladies alone and go for a walk of our own?” Cassian asked.

Lcien lifted an auburn brow. “Sounds like you’re flirting with me, Colonel.”

Azriel snorted from his place on the rug.

Cassian grinned. “Don’t let Peacock hear you. She gets jealous.” 

Lucien laughed as he pushed himself up from the table. The men, with their plates in hand, went into the living room.

Elain faced Feyre, who was already watching her with narrowed eyes. 

Feyre glanced down at her card. “Where were you at five this afternoon, Mrs. White?”

Elain didn’t skip a beat. “Changing the sheets in the master bedroom, of course.”

Feyre sipped from her glass. “And why was there need to change the sheets?” 

Elain’s cheeks heated. “Shut up, Miss Scarlet, goodness.” 

“Can I go be dead in the living room?” Azriel asked from the floor. 

“Shh, you’re dead,” Feyre said, not looking away from the face of innocence in front of her. “What I meant was…” A dramatic pause. “There wasn’t blood on the sheets from where you stabbed him with a knife was there?”

Azriel murmured from the floor, “Jesus, Feyre, bury the lead.”

“Of course not,” Elain said, a hand pressed to her heart. “I always change the sheets on Tuesday.”

From the floor, “It’s Friday, babe.”

“…on Friday,” she corrected herself.

Feyre narrowed her eyes at her sister again, standing from her chair and walking around the table to grab a roll. “Your story checks out. You’re off the hook…for now.”

“I think a better question is where were you at the time of the murder, Miss Scarlett,” Elain asked, eyeing Feyre.

“Easy,” she said, pausing with a hand on her hip. “Professor Plum was teaching me a lesson.”

“Boooo!” Clearly, the rug hadn’t liked Feyre’s innuendo.

“You know, you’re loud for a corpse,” Elain said, looking down at Azriel, and back to Feyre, who was smirking. “And could he corroborate that story?”

“Professor Plum!” Feyre called.

He poked his head in from the kitchen a moment later. “Yeah?”

Feyre gestured to Rhys. “Go ahead.”

Clearing her throat, Elain asked, “Where were you at the time of the murder, Professor?”

“Banging Miss Scarlet,” he replied, without missing a beat, smirk growing.

Feyre’s grin widened.

Elain cleared her throat. “Thank you…Professor.”

“Anytime,” he winked, before disappearing back into the kitchen. 

“Is that all?” Feyre crooned.

Elain cleared her throat. “How is it that you know Mr. Boddy?”

Feyre’s brows scrunched together, unsure of how to answer, but then Elain cleared her throat and gestured down at the notecard in Feyre’s hand.

“Oh,” Feyre began. “We are….having an affair, it seems.”

“My, Mr. Boddy, Professor Plum. You sure do have a long list of lovers, Miss Scarlet. Perhaps a jilted lover had found out about your affair with Mr. Boddy. Or maybe Mr. Boddy found out about Professor Plum?”

“I was open about my promiscuous lifestyle,” Feyre said, yawning dramatically. “Now if you'll excuse me, Mrs. White, I’ve grown bored of this conversation.”

Elain’s mouth fell open but she did nothing more as Feyre dramatically made her exit.

Azriel snorted. “Ouch.”

“Hush, dead man,” she whispered, harshly.

The dead man's grin only widened.

As Elain made her way into the living room and snatched Lucien from Cassian’s attentions, someone new soon filled them. Mrs. Peacock perched herself on his lap.

“Well, hello,” he said, dragging a hand up her thigh.

“Colonel,” she said, with an over exaggerated southern drawl.

Cassian snorted. “I don’t remember Mrs. Peacock being a southern bell.”

“Instead of what you don’t remember, how about we talk about what you do remember?” Nesta reached into the pocket of his jacket. “How exactly did this wrench come to be on your person?”

Cassian took a long drink out of his glass of wine — which he used as an excuse to look at his character slip — before saying, “My cat broke down today and I had to fix it. Must have accidentally brought it with me.”

Nesta blinked, then whispered, “Your…cat, Cass?”

Cassian’s brows drew together as he looked back down at his notecard. “Car. My car. I meant….car. My car broke down, hence the wrench.”

“And when did your car break down?” Nesta continued, after she rolled her eyes. 

“This afternoon,” Cassian shot back.

“At what time?” Nesta asked.

Cassian looked back down at his notecard. “At four-thirty this afternoon. I then spent the rest of my afternoon working on my car, until I came here, of course.”

“For someone who’s been working on his car all afternoon you sure are clean,” she noted.

“I, uh-.” Cassian froze and glanced down at his card, for some fact of information that may help out. “I always carry a change of clothes with me. It never hurts to be prepared.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Prepared for what?”

He squeezed one of her thighs. “Prepared for anything.” He smacked her ass and asked, “What about you, Mrs. Peacock?” He enunciated the last word.

“What about me?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I can’t help but notice I missed you in the parlor for drinks,” he mused, raising a glass of whiskey to his lips. Nesta blinked. She wasn’t even sure where he’d gotten it from, the glass of wine was still sitting on the table beside him. “Mr. Boddy was also suspiciously absent.”

Nesta’s brows rose. “What are you implying?”

Cassian shrugged. “That Miss Scarlet wasn’t Boddy’s only lover.”

Nesta’s eyes narrowed with such distaste that it was hard for Cassian to stay in character. “Is that what you think, Colonel?”

Cassian cleared his throat and muttered under his breath, “Just a side note, I love it when you call me that in that damned accent.”

Nesta gave him a small, mischievous grin. “Noted.”

“I think,” he began, slipping back into character, “Mr. Boddy told you your secret tryst was over and you retaliated.”

Nesta chuckled and squeezed Cassian’s leather covered shoulder. “A good theory, but you should have done your research, Colonel.” Cassian’s eyebrows furrowed but Nesta continued. “Mr. Boddy was my brother. Estranged. I was here tonight to make amends.”

He asked, “Peacock is your married name?” She nodded. “What happened to Mr. Peacock?”

“Nothing you can prove,” she said, with a smirk. “But I wasn’t present for drinks because I was doing drugs in my room.”

Cassian blinked. “Oh.”

“Yes, I have a drug problem.”

Cassian’s eyes narrowed. “Do you really? Or are you making that up to throw me off?”

“Heroin.” Nesta’s face was deadpan and he was about to suggest they have a talk with Elain after the game when she smirked. “No, I fell asleep in my room. I had a long drive in and needed a nap before I was pleasant for company.”

“I see,” Cassian muttered. “Now, back to Mr. Peacock… Are you completely over him? Or…”

Nesta rolled her eyes but pressed a kiss to Cassian’s lips before pushing herself off of him and walking toward Lucien on the other side of the room.

“Finally, time alone with the colonel.” Cassian looked up to find Feyre, sipping from a glass of wine, plopping down on the couch beside his chair.

“That sounds terrifying coming from you,” Cassian mumbled.

“Don’t tell the professor,” she said with a wink. 

“It’s fortuitous that you were wanting to speak with me,” Cassian said, matching Nesta’s overly dramatic southern drawl. “Cause I was wanting to speak with you, Miss Scarlet.”

“Oh?” She crossed a leg and raised an eyebrow.

“Rumor has it you were quite familiar with our late host,” he said.

“Rumors can sometimes be true, and sometimes be false,” she said, adjusting her hair. At some she’s ditched the bowler hat. Cassian was willing to bet that it had something to do with the fact that her cheeks were as red as her hat was. And her glass was nearly empty again. A year of not drinking had turned Feyre into a lightweight.

“So, which was it?” Cassian pressed. “True or false?”

Feyre’s eyes narrowed as she finished off her glass. “Butler!”

With a snort, Mor came to Feyre’s side with a bottle of white wine and refilled Feyre’s glass. Before she left, she coughed, “Under the coffee table.”

Both Feyre and Cassian blinked as she walked away.

As Feyre started sipping her new glass of wine, Cassian was reaching under the coffee table, where he pulled out a manila envelope that read Living Room.

Feyre’s brow arched as she snatched it away from him and opened it up. She pulled out a single, white feather. “What the hell is this?”

“A clue,” Cassian whispered, taking it away from her. “A white feather.” He was looking around at all the characters, trying to scope out what their notecards said about their personalities. “What does it mean?”

Feyre stared at the feather for a second before saying, “I dunno, I’m too drunk to form a thought.” 

“Is it from a hat? One of those ridiculous things women wear around their necks like a scarf? From a pillow? Feather-duster?” Cassian guessed, then gasped. “What if it has to do with the color and not the feather itself?” His eyes shot to Elain. “Mrs. White is the murderer?”

Feyre shook her head. “I may be drunk, but even I know you can’t have a case based on one clue, Colonel.”

“No, but one clue can get you closer to solving it,” he replied, tucking it behind his ear.

Feyre looked at Cassian for a moment with the most serious of expressions before bursting into laughter. Cassian shot Rhysand a look from across the room, but Feyre’s husband was watching her with the utmost adoration. 

And so the night went on.

There were arguments and accusations and all the while, the wine continued to flow. At some point, Azriel excused himself to open a bottle of whiskey, which he generously offered a glass of to his brothers and Nesta, before he retook his spot on the floor, bottle still in his hand.

Nearly two hours later, the entire group was back in the living room. Azriel was in a chair now, thank the Cauldron, but now there was a prop knife jammed between his arm and side, “stabbing” him. He silently continued to sip on his wine, watching in amusement as Nesta and Rhys yelled at each other, arguing over whether he was stabbed or beaten over the head with a pipe.

“There’s not nearly enough blood for him to have been stabbed!” Rhys said, extending his arm towards Azriel.

“It’s not real,” Nesta cried, enunciating the words. “Did you expect Elain to let Mor spray her house in fake blood?”

“If she were committed, she would have,” Azriel said, but Elain glanced over at him and he became as quiet as the dead man he was pretending to be and put his glass back to his lips.

“I’m right,” Nesta hissed.

“Uh, no, I’m right,” Rhysand argued, his arms crossed. “I know who the murderer is, I’ve figured it out.”

Nesta scoffed. “That’s shit, but okay, go ahead.”

Rhyasnd lifted one brow. “Fine. Murderer? You. Weapon? Rope. Room? Kitchen.”

Nesta rolled her eyes but looked at Mor alongside everyone else.

Mor looked back and forth between Nesta and Rhysand before slowly shaking her head.

“Ha!” Nesta yelled, pointing her finger at Rhysand. “You failed!”

“My gods, I’ve never loved you more,” Cassian muttered, sipping from his glass.

“I win,” Nesta announced, simply. 

Rhysand was not going down easily. “No, you do not win.” 

“No?” Nesta asked, crossing her arms, as the rest of them watched her and Rhysand’s little display. “The killer is Miss Scarlett. Weapon? Rope. Room? Bedroom.”

The room was quiet for a moment before Mor said, “She’s right.”

“She killed him because he was going to end their affair, essentially cutting her off from the lifestyle she had grown accustomed to living,” Nesta said, not a hint of doubt on her face.

Rhys looked to Mor who shrugged. “She’s right again.”

Rhys breathed, “Damn it,” and dropped down next Miss Scarlett.

Who had been drooling on the arm of the couch since nine o’clock.

Rhysand shook his head as he looked down at his sleeping, drunk, passed out wife.

“I’m right?” Nesta repeated, and looked to Cassian with wide eyes. “What do I win?”

Mor hesitated. “What do you win?”

Nesta nodded, looking at Elain. “Yeah, I won, there’s a prize, right?”

Elain sucked in her bottom lip. “There’s….cake.”

Nesta followed Elain’s gaze to where the half-eaten cake sat on the dining room table.

“You win half a bottle of whiskey,” Az said, leaning forward and setting the bottle

and the fake knife on the table in the center of the room.

Nesta raised an eyebrow as she looked at Azriel. “That’s almost completely empty.”

He shrugged. “You got to enjoy your prize early.”

She rolled her eyes, but smiled and grabbed the bottle regardless. They all couldn’t help the smiles on their faces, all except for Feyre, who Rhys had gathered in his arms, ready to take her home. More laughs and love had been shared tonight than some people got to experience in a lifetime.

None of them had a clue how they got so lucky.

[4haechie]

stuck with you

➵ request: can i request fluff + au #2 + trope #1 "enemies to lovers" + prompt #4 & #19?? thank you 🥰

➵ lee donghyuck x reader | fluff, enemies to lovers au, high school au | 2,760 words | “take off your shirt.” + “can you shut up for just two seconds?”

➵ warnings: cursing and one second of suggestive stuff

➵ a/n: thank u for requesting! i really hope u like it :D i added timestamps to avoid confusion, so this turned out longer than expected oops. if u want a part 2, please let me know!

want to request? check this post out!

present time – thursday, 6:30 p.m. 

you’re starting to wish time machines existed right about now. you’ll do just about anything to go back to two hours ago and avoid this mess.

you glance up at donghyuck, who’s put on his thinking cap apparently, and is trying to come up with a way to get you two the hell out of here. “do you have a hairpin? or a bobby pin?” he asks.

you shake your head, “donghyuck, that only works in movies.”

“y/n, i’m trying to come up with solutions here! or do you wanna live in this tiny janitor’s closet for the rest of your life?” he glares at you.

“if i did, i would’ve chosen someone else to share oxygen with. why would i choose you?” you glare back.

he rolls his eyes, indicating that that conversation is over. “whatever. try calling your friends again. someone must still be at school, right?”

you frown, “donghyuck, we had the student council meeting earlier, remember? that ended at six, and it’s almost six-thirty now. all the sports teams’ practice sessions must’ve ended, too. i’m telling you, it’s just us in school.” you shake a little as if trying to wake up from a crazy dream. no avail.

you’re stuck here–no, wait. someone locked you two in here. you’re going to have to trace back your steps to figure out who.

thursday, 4:00 p.m.

“the weekly student council meeting is in session. today, we’re going to discuss prom! i’ve put up a list on the bulletin board that says who’s going to do what. please take a look at it immediately.” you explained, gazing around the group of students in front of you.

you’re the president and donghyuck is the vice president. you two work together almost every day, you’re in the same classes, you have the same friends. but there’s one minor detail in your guys’ relationship: you two hate each other.

hate might be a bit too strong of a word, but it’s true. you and donghyuck, despite working together and being in the same class since third grade, have never gotten along. maybe it’s your guys’ competitiveness. maybe it’s your strong desire to one-up the other. but as long as you can recall, there hasn’t been a single time when he hasn’t made your blood boil.

anyway, you and donghyuck were in charge of planning your senior prom, and ensuring everything and everyone follows said plan.

while discussing the event, you realised you forgot to check with your school’s janitor if he’s free on the day of prom, or if he’s taking a holiday. either way was fine with you, as you were thinking of making everyone clean up after themselves. but just to be sure, you and donghyuck, unfortunately, decided to stop by the closet after the meeting had ended.

thursday, 6:05 p.m.

“i don’t think he’s here. it is after school hours, so i think he went home,” you said, peeping into the dark closet. it was pretty obvious he wasn’t there–the room couldn’t have been more than five feet by five feet. it’s a storage space, but the janitor keeps his bag here before starting work and picks it up right before leaving school.

“yeah, no shit, sherlock.” donghyuck reached around you to flip the light switch on. the lone bulb suspended from the ceiling blazed to life, setting the room alight.

then, suddenly, a figure pushed donghyuck into the confined space, which caused you to jerk inwards. it happened so fast, you barely had time to react, or identify the culprit. you heard keys jingling and fear danced around in your eyes.

donghyuck was still facing the door, while you were standing with your back against the wall. he tried his best to look out the little glass rectangle fitted in the door, but he turned around and shook his head in frustration.

“what the fuck just happened,” you said; it came out more as a statement, but anger resonated through your words.

“we, er, just got locked in here.” he deadpanned as if you couldn’t have figured.

you groaned and clenched your fists. “i’m gonna kill them. you didn’t happen to see their face, did you?”

he shook his head, “nope.”

“well, we know one thing. that person had the key–and only two people have the key to the closet. the janitor, who’s not even here, and the general office staff. but i’m sure they wouldn’t lock us in here.” you said.

donghyuck tilted his head, “okay, then, who...” he trailed off, allowing you to vocalise your theories.

 “somebody must have stolen one of the two keys.” your brain’s gears started turning, trying to think of someone who would pull something like this.

“it could be the janitor’s keys. the closet was unlocked when we got here.” donghyuck reminded you.

“yeah...but he never leaves the closet unlocked. he’s very responsible, so it can’t be his set of keys. it’s probably the staff’s set,” you countered. “they barely pay any attention to non-admin matters. that person must’ve stolen their keys, unlocked the door after the janitor left, and waited for us to come here, before locking us in. jesus, i’m so angry. this is so fucking childish,” you groaned again.

donghyuck nodded in slight agreement, surprising you. he never agrees on anything you have to say, but he didn’t have much of a choice in that situation. plus, your theory made sense. “do you think this whole thing was renjun’s idea? he was the one who suggested we check with the janitor about prom night.”

your eyes widened in shock. “oh my god...wait, but it wasn’t renjun’s idea. it was mine, actually–he just reminded me to do so.” you slowly dropped down to the floor and held your head in your hands. you couldn’t believe what was going on. the entire situation seemed to just hit you.

you’re stuck in a small closet with lee donghyuck, your number one enemy.

present time – thursday, 6:40 p.m.

“none of them are picking up. donghyuck, what if they’re all in on this together? kind of like a senior prank–except we’re the ones getting pranked.” you say, panic rising in your voice. you’re standing now, leaning against the wall with your phone clutched tightly in your hand.

knowing your and donghyuck’s friends, you’re sure you’re going to be here all night. they’re quite a bunch. you and donghyuck have a common friend group, but your friends find your ongoing rivalry extremely annoying. it makes perfect sense if they locked you two in here.

donghyuck digests your words quickly. “no way. that’s insane! why the fuck would they do that?”

“well, do you have a better explanation? i’m sure you don’t, considering i’m the only one who’s been thinking of possible theories, while you’re here giving me the only suggestion you have–your stupid bobby pin idea,” you say, breathing heavily.

“can you shut up for just two seconds? always telling me what to do, disagreeing with me, arguing and fighting with me. we’re locked in here, and you think arguing like little kids is gonna get us out?” he shakes his head in disbelief. “god, and to think i had a crush on you last year.” he must not have meant to reveal that little secret, because his ears turn red instantly.

you gape at him, “what–what did you say?”

“look at you, getting a big head again–!”

“donghyuck.”

“i liked you! there, you happy?”

“i like–liked you too, idiot,” you say in a low voice.

then, he laughs–a melodious sound, emitting pure joy and rainbows and sunshine. “some type of rivals we are.”

you laugh with him now, finding the situation so pathetically sad that it was almost funny. laughable. something to reminisce from time to time.

“you...you still like me?” donghyuck asks in a small voice you’ve never heard before.

“take a guess.”

“no?”

you bite the inside of your cheek, “take another guess.”

he grins at you, leaning against one of the shelves–which was a bad move on his part. he accidentally knocks over a bottle of...detergent? who knows, but it ends up uncapped and half-empty once it lands on the floor. luckily it was plastic, so the bottle doesn’t break. unluckily, the other of the liquid splashes on you, soaking your entire shirt. your plain, white, shirt.

donghyuck freezes, “um...y/n, i’m sorry–”

you hold up a hand. the god of testing people’s patience must’ve signed you up for some competitive exam today. “save it.”

donghyuck looks around hastily, trying to find a clean rag. he produces a small yellow cloth from the back of one of the shelves and hands it to you, “here.”

you don’t even say thanks. you quickly take it from him, free your shirt from your jeans, and start wiping and drying it to the best of your ability. you manage to make the shirt as dry as possible, but it was detergent that spilt on you. it was soapy–it was not water. 

you groan for the third time today and look at donghyuck, gritting your teeth. “i can’t possibly go out like this.”

he winces, feeling extremely apologetic. “take off your shirt and wear my hoodie instead. i have two layers on,” he suggests.

you give him a double-take, “what the fuck? no! why would i do that?” you exclaim.

“do you have any better ideas?”

you watch as he swiftly takes his hoodie off, revealing a loose tee clad on his body. you hate to admit how good he looks. he hands the item of clothing to you, and you tell him to turn around as you begrudgingly peel your shirt away. you take the rag once again, wiping off as much soapy liquid as you can, and pull the hoodie over your head.

it smells like him, you think. it smells like that expensive cologne he always seems to wear. you show no indication that you find his hoodie soft and comforting, and tell him you’re done. you roll the shirt, squeezing any remnants of detergent out, and stuff it in your bag.

he bites back the smile daring to form on his lips upon seeing you in his hoodie. “okay. now that that’s over, let’s try to get out of here, shall we?”

you nod. “i have our science teacher’s number. maybe i could ask her to help us? she’s always here late, marking papers and assignments.”

donghyuck snaps his fingers, “you’re right! yeah, give her a call.”

you scroll through your contacts till you find the name you’re looking for. you press the call button and set it to speaker mode so donghyuck can hear as well. she picks up after three rings, “hello?”

“hi, miss angela! it’s me, y/n. you see, um, donghyuck and i got locked in the janitor’s closet by someone, and we have no way to get out. are you still in school? if you are, is it possible for you to unlock the door from the outside?”

miss angela hums a little, as if in thought, “i just left, my dear. i could turn the car around if you’d like. i’m sure the office keeps an extra set.”

“yes! that would be great. thank you, miss angela. and we’re sorry for the inconvenience,” you nudge donghyuck with your elbow, who catches on immediately.

“yeah, we’re incredibly sorry. i’ll be sure to submit an extra report–!”

“save it, lee donghyuck. i’ll be there in five to ten minutes,” she hangs up with that.

you pocket your phone and look at donghyuck. “so.”

“so,” he repeats.

“are we going to act like we didn’t just confess to one another earlier?” you ask, biting your lip nervously.

“no, i don’t want to, um, act like we didn’t. i lied, y/n. i had a crush on you last year, yeah, but i never stopped liking you. i still like you. i don’t want to be your enemy anymore.” he nudges you. 

you smile shyly, “i like you too, donghyuck.”

just then, you hear keys jingling–an all too familiar sound. you get excited, thinking you’re going to be met with the face of miss angela, but when the door bursts open, you see the smirking faces of renjun and jeno.

“about fucking time!” renjun pulls you and donghyuck outside.

“what?” donghyuck demands. “it was your idea to lock us in there? are you fucking kidding me?”

jeno grimaces, “i’m sorry, it was the only way you two would confess your feelings for each other and stop fighting for good.”

“i can think of plenty of ways–!”

“wait, y/n, are you wearing donghyuck’s hoodie? holy fuck...don’t tell me you guys did it.” renjun looks back and forth between you and donghyuck.

“what? no, of course not!” you retort.

“then why do you have his hoodie on, dear y/n?” jeno asks.

“that’s none of your damn business, lee jeno!” donghyuck looks ready to pounce on him, but you place a hand on his chest, stopping him. his gaze drops down to your hand and it softens.

“there was a little accident...but the good thing is that we’re out. hooray. now, everybody, go home. i have to call miss an–”

“y/n, thank goodness! what happened?” miss angela emerges into the scene, looking a little worried.

you briefly explain the evening’s events to her, without mentioning the confession part. she doesn’t need to know that. you tell her it was a silly prank. nothing more, nothing less.

she visibly sighs a breath of relief. “well, at least it wasn’t some stranger. jeno, renjun, i didn’t expect this from you two. but i’m glad you’re all okay.” she takes her leave, after ensuring you four are on your way home.

jeno and renjun go home via jeno’s car, and you and donghyuck, living only a couple of blocks away from school, decide to walk the journey.

“all this... just so we could stop fighting,” donghyuck laughs. you’re walking side by side, hands occasionally brushing against one another. it’s like something out of a cheesy rom-com. you wouldn’t have it any other way.

“it worked, didn’t it?” you say.

donghyuck stops on the pavement, turning his body to face you. he stretches out a hand to push a strand of hair behind your ear, making you bump his shoulder shyly. he smiles; he wouldn’t have it any other way either.

“i guess it did. but what do we do now?”

“what do you mean?” you raise an eyebrow.

“like, do i walk you home first? do i ask you on a date? god, with you, it’s just so much more...different. if it was someone else, i would’ve gone with my gut, but with you, i don’t wanna mess it up. you know?” donghyuck finally takes your hand in his, intertwining your fingers. you feel his warmth radiate, you feel his touch bringing you safety and comfort. something way more powerful than a hoodie.

“donghyuck, i’m new at this too. i’m just as scared as you are. and that’s okay, trust me. i’m glad it’s me and not anyone else.” you assure him.

you gather up whatever courage you have remaining, tip-toe, and brush your lips against his cheek. you stay there for a moment, just breathing him in. when you pull away, his cheeks are a dusty pink shade.

“do that again,” he tells you.

“no, i think i’m good.” you start walking again.

“y/n!” he whines.

“okay, on one condition.” he raises a brow, “ask me on a date.”

for a moment, he’s bewildered. then, he gets down on one fucking knee, not caring about anyone who might be watching, and clears his throat. “y/n, i like you so much. will you make me the happiest man alive, and go on a date with me this saturday?” he looks up at you expectantly.

you chuckle at his antics and give him a nod. “i would love to, lee donghyuck.”

he grins, all big and bright, and leaps up to envelop you in a hug. his arms go around your waist and yours circle his neck. he whispers in your hair, “i guess we owe renjun and jeno a thank you?”

“i am not going to thank them for locking us up in a closet. in fact, i’m gonna double their prom duties.” you feel his chest vibrate as he laughs at your comment.

however, you are thankful that it was lee donghyuck you got stuck with. so, forget the time machine. you wouldn’t have had it any other way.

[jj-scottsbee]

I Know You

Prompt: You're the daughter of Tony Stark, so basically the daughter of the Avengers. Unbeknownst to your family, you and Spider-man have been dating for a year right under their noses. They finally caught on, but who was their little girl seeing?

Warnings: swearing, little violence.

You laid on the bed of multiple blanks, cuddled up to Peter's bare body. The softest blanket pulled over the two of you, as you rested by the fire. The entire team had been called off to another mission, that would keep them away for about three or more days. You took this chance to get the much needed alone time that you had been craving, with your boyfriend, Peter Parker. The two of you had been dating for about a year, your entire relationship a complete secret from everyone, but Happy, May, and Pepper.

 The two of you had openly told May and Pepper about the relationship, trusting both of them not to have loose lips. Happy ended up finding out, because of May, but you made sure to keep him quiet. Peter and Happy had agreed that if Happy kept the two of you a secret from everyone, especially your father Tony, he would put in good words for him to his Aunt. The only reason Happy had found out was because of May, she had, had a little too much to drink one night and let it slip.

 So far your relationship had been happening, right under the team's noses, none of them even noticing. You and Peter were very distant when the team was around, but when you two had the chance you couldn't keep your hands off each other. You didn't like keeping secrets, but you and Peter thought it best to keep just this one. You didn't think the team would hurt Peter if they found out or at least you knew they wouldn't hurt him too much. However, you still didn't want people butting into your relationship, especially your dad, Tony.

 You had taken advantage of just one night and one day so far, that you had the whole tower to yourselves. You had been able to convince Pepper to give you and Peter the chance of not needing to sneak around and she agreed as long as you promised to be safe.

 The two of you cuddled in front of the fireplace, a scene right out a movie or television show playing out. You had taken advantage of the brief freedom you had with Peter, every time one of you wanting or needing the other physically, you had them. In the past day and a half, you had shown Peter just how much he meant to you and how much you appreciated him. No public room in the tower was safe from your and Peter's adventures. So far you two had made your way through the kitchen, the gym, the balcony, the indoor pool, your bedroom (of course), and the shower. You had just brought your adventures to the living room, having fun on the couch, up against the large window, and now the floor. Of course, you had made sure that Jarvis turned all the camera off in each room, not wanting that much thrill in your relationship.

 "Where did you learn to do that?" Peter questioned with a cheeky smirk, as he held you close to him. You had just finished another round with him and showed him a couple of tricks that you had been dying to treat him to.

 "Don't worry about it," You giggled, closing the space between your two faces. Your lips connected with Peter's once again, the butterflies that he always gave you, soaring throughout your entire body. You didn't spend a long time just kissing him, you were quick to adjust your position. You now straddled him as he lay on the floor, beneath you, you deepened the kiss the blanket that had once covered the both of you, slowly slid down your back.

 Both of your bodies already bare, you began another round. You felt Peter harden as you slowly ground against him, his hands moving to grip your hips. The kiss was deep, just as Peter had dived deep into you.

The two of you quickly became a moaning mess, Peter gripped your hips as he thrust upward into you. Your back was straight, as you slightly leaned forwards, both palms placed on Peter's chest as you used him for balance. The room was filled with the sounds of both your moans' and skin hitting skin.

 Peter and you were each at the tip of your orgasm, so close to finishing each other, just before an all too familiar voice entered the room.

 "Y/N we're- SINS. SINS ARE HAPPENING." came the hysterical voice of Clint Barton. You were quick to snap your head up, just in time to see Clint with his eyes already covered and his back to turned toward you and Peter. You quickly slid off Peter, grasping for the blanket trying to cover yourself. Peter scrambled to find his clothing. You watched in horror as Natasha came into view staring at Clint in confusion.

 "Clint, what the hell is the matter with you?" Natasha asked, staring at him as she passed him. "Oh shit."

 Peter managed to find his boxers and quickly slip them on, his back turned toward the doorway as more of the team filed into the room. You searched for any of your clothes, frantically moving blankets away from you. You cursed yourself for not hearing them, but you also cursed fate for letting them come home so early.

 Peter noticed you struggling and he began to help you look and quickly found his t-shirt. You caught the over-sized tee as he tossed it, sliding it over your head as quickly as possible.As you turned around you now faced everyone, but Tony and Bruce. Steve stared at you in horror, Nat pushed her way back down the hall planning on slowing Tony down, Wanda hid a small smile her suspicions of you two confirmed, Clint still faced away from you two, his eyes still covered, Thor was trying to find words to comfort Clint, and Sam and Bucky stood awkwardly not knowing what to do.

 "Don't turn around." You whispered over your shoulder to Peter who still stood staring at the fireplace. Both of you were frozen with terror, not knowing what to do or how you would make it out of this situation alive. In a matter of seconds, you heard yelling, and then Tony burst into the room.

 His eyes fell on you, his little girl, your hair a mess, only wearing a t-shirt, the smell of sex in the air, and the stranger that defiled you standing too close to you. Emotions of confusion, realization, sadness, and anger all flashed through his eyes. The feeling that ended up sticking was anger.

 "You better be fucking kidding me!" He yelled as he stomped towards you. You were quick to try and cut Tony off not wanting him to bruise Peter. "Who the fuck do you think you are, doing...having...touching my daughter the way you have."

 He growled, trying to find the word that would disgust him the least. He continued to walk forward, your verbal and physical protests for him to stop, doing nothing to deter him away from Peter. Steve was quick to come and grab you away from Tony, holding you from getting between the two. Peter was quick to try and speed walk away, but Tony was quick to grab him by the arm. Your Dad spun him around, pausing in utter surprise as he was met by Peter's brown, puppy-like eyes.

 "Hey, Mr. Stark," Peter laughed nervously as Tony stared at him, his hand still gripping Peter's arm. Bucky and Sam hollered with laughter in the background, they were almost crying as they laughed.

 "Spidey's fuckin' his boss's daughter!" Sam laughed bending over trying to catch his breath, Bucky threw his head back laughing just as hard. The rest of the team just watching everything happen.

 "Peter. Please, please tell me this isn't what it looks like." Tony said dangerously calm, his eyes glued to Peter's fearful ones. Peter tried to cower away from your Father's grip, but Tony held onto the boy as tightly as possible. You had never been more thankful, than that moment, that your father had stripped off his suit before he entered the tower.

 Peter unable to speak out of fear, made the mistake of taking a quick glance down at himself. He had just meant to check if he still had a hard-on, praying that he had gone soft. To Peter's dismay, he was still as hard as a rock, and it was obvious. To worsen the situation, Tony had followed Peter's quick downward glance seeing the tent in the young boy's boxers he went ballistic.

Tony took that as an answer, he glanced at the tent again, closing his eyes as he forced an anger filled smile. Your Dad sprang to life and was quick to throw a fist at your boyfriend, who luckily ducked and managed to slip from your Father's grasp. Peter sprinted away, scrambling to get to the bathroom. Tony was on Peter's heel in less than a second, but Peter was able to reach the bathroom in time. He struggled with the door, doing his best to close it, as Tony tried to force it open. You screamed at Tony to stop and fought against Steve as he held you tightly.

 "Are you fucking kidding me, Parker! That's my fucking daughter and in my own fucking house!" Tony screamed banging on the door.

 You had begun to cry as your Father banged on the bathroom door, threatening Peter. Nat and Wanda had pulled you away from Steve trying to comfort you, as Steve tried to get Pepper on the phone. Your relationship was no longer a secret and was discovered in the worse possible way.

[kay-diggle]

uhm the jk drabble im-🥵 can i request rainy day smut with jiminie🥺

Rainy Day

Summary: The rain keeps you inside but you and Jimin find a way to entertain yourselves

Pairing: Jimin x Female Reader, Established Relationship 

Genre & Rating: Smut, 18+

Warnings: Smut, somewhat of a plot, dom!jimin, sub!reader, fingering, oral (m. recieving), vaginal intercourse, mention of squirting, unprotected sex, bit of a fluffy ending

Length: 4.2k

Notes: HELLOOOO!! So, I’m not sure if this is what you were looking for with this request. I kind of added a bit of a story line/backstory in this one which I never usually do which caused it to be more fluffy,so I hope the smut makes up for that LOL! It did take me like 3 days to write and it’s way longer than what I’m used to writing, so I hope you enjoy it.  Again, feedback is always welcomed (but this doesn’t give an excuse to be rude) and MY REQUESTS ARE OPEN!

Kay-Diggle’s Masterlist

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You and Jimin had only started dating six months ago. The first three months were filled with hand holding while walking through the park, cuddles and movie nights, and extremely intricate dates that Jimin loved to plan for you. He was the more romantic one between you two after all. 

Everything was going well until he had to leave for tour. The communication between the two of you began to falter on both ends. You were busy working while Jimin’s time was occupied with singing for thousands of adoring fans every night. Although both of you were sad and missing each other, neither of you complained; you just enjoyed the small moments you were able to share when you could spare a minute to talk on the phone. 

The last time you had talked to Jimin, he explained that you wouldn’t hear from him for a day or two because the tour had become crazy busy. So, to say you were confused when you opened the door to your apartment and he was standing there would be an understatement.

“SURPRISE!!” he yelled, smile bright as ever. 

He walked past you into your apartment and then turned back towards you. He saw your shocked face and couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit, watching you close the door and turn back towards him. You gave him a once over and felt the excitement rush through your body as you jumped on him, forcing him to catch you. You hadn’t even noticed the bouquet of red roses, your favorite flower, in his hand that you were currently crushing.

“AHH!! What are you doing here?” You asked, finding your way out of his arms and your feet back on the ground. 

“Well, I had three free days in between shows and talked my managers into letting me fly back here for the weekend,” he smiled shyly. 

“Awww! I’m happy that you wanted to see me Jimin, but shouldn’t you have stayed and rested?” you asked, suddenly concerned. You knew touring took a great amount of effort and a toll on his body and only wanted to make sure he was healthy.

“Yes, but it’s our sixth month anniversary today, so i thought why not…”

“Oh Jimin… oh my gosh honey, I’m so sorry I forgot,” you frowned, feeling genuinely terrible. He found a way to fly out all the way here for today and you had completely forgot, and now you felt like the worst girlfriend in the world. 

Jimin noted your change in mood and immediately moved to comfort you, wrapping his arms around your waist and looking down into your eyes. 

“Hey… it’s okay. Look, I already know you said you’ve been crazy with that project at work and stuff so it makes sense that you forgot. These things happen. It’s fine, I promise,” he kissed your cheek and you looked up at him lovingly, trying to figure out what you could’ve done to ever become this lucky. 

“Besides….” he continued. “You can always make it up to me later,” he smirked, giving you a suggestive look while rubbing his hands up and down your sides. 

You only laughed lightly in response. You and Jimin hadn’t had sex, or even remotely talked about it yet, so his forwardness made you way too flustered, and he noticed. 

“So,” he started to change the subject. “I have the whole day planned out for us.” 

“Oh.” 

“Oh, yes. So why don’t you go get dressed for me, and we’ll be off to have the BEST. DATE. EVER!!” 

Only, it wasn’t the best date ever. Honestly, it was the furthest thing from it.

When you went to have breakfast together, the waitress blatantly flirted with Jimin the entire time, annoying the crap out of you. Then as you were waiting for your taxi to take you to the next secret location he had planned, a dog had peed on your favorite boots and you knew the smell would only follow you for the rest of the day, which it did. And finally, when you got to the botanical gardens that Jimin planned for you guys to walk through, it started pouring down raining. You had only been out for two hours and it was barely 1 o'clock yet. 

Needless to say, both you and Jimin returned to your apartment soaked and annoyed. You decided to change into some dry clothes while Jimin dressed in some basketball shorts and a tee that he had previously left at your place before the tour. 

When you both sat on the couch, with only the sound of raindrops pelting your window, you turned on the TV and began channel surfing while Jimin watched you silently with his arms crossed around his chest and a permanent scowl on his face. 

“Baby, what’s wrong?” you sighed. 

“Hmmph” he looked away from you. 

“Jimin…” 

He sighed loudly and dramatically before turning his entire body towards you and taking your hands in his. 

“It’s just… it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other and we haven’t had the chance to talk a lot. I missed you and it’s our anniversary and I wanted to do something special for you and then it rained,” he pouted and looked into his lap.

“Hey,” you lifted his head and looked into his beautiful brown eyes. “It’s okay. Honestly! I mean we always hang out inside. Why’s this time different?”

“Because we’ve been together for half a year now and I already feel like a shitty boyfriend as is.” 

“Listen to me, you are far from a shitty boyfriend, okay. Jimin, I-” you hesitated. Neither of you have said the “Big L” yet and you weren’t sure if the timing was right, so you grabbed his face and kissed him instead. 

You used your mouth to tell him everything you were too scared to say out loud. As expected, Jimin got the message loud and clear. 

While your tongues collided in a fight for dominance that he was  clearly winning, Jimin’s hands found their way to your hips. He rubbed lightly for a little bit, and slightly moved them down further as if he was testing the waters. When his hands finally reached your ass and he gave your right cheek a slight squeeze, you moaned into his mouth. 

“Mmh.. you like that y/n?” he asked, concentrating his mouth on your neck now. He left little pecks and licks in that sensitive area of your neck, making you struggle to respond with your mouth gaped open. 

He squeezed both cheeks this time and harder, prompting your response. 

“Yes baby, I love the way that feels,” you whispered quietly into his ear. 

“Mmm.. good girl,” he said as his hands now traveled from your ass and up to your breasts. He cupped both in his hands and began to massage them. “And how about that?” 

Again, the feeling of his hands on your body left you unable to speak even though he wasn’t doing much. And when he moved from your neck to look in your eyes, expecting you to answer him, he was met with you silently looking back at, obviously flustered with red cheeks. Seeing this, he grasped your hips, pulling you to straddle his lap and he moved his hands underneath your shirt, feeling your bare breasts for a moment before pinching both of your nipples. 

You let out a surprised gasp and immediately found yourself getting more wet because of his actions.  

He looked up in your eyes and when you saw how lust filled his own were, you couldn’t help the amount of liquid that gushed out of you and into your panties. 

“Babygirl,” he tsked. “When I ask you a question, I want an answer,” and he pinched your nipples even harder, making you wince. 

“Fuck yes, that feels amazing,” you wrapped your arms around his shoulders now. “And I think I know where your hands will feel even better…” you trailed off. 

He raised an eyebrow at you questioningly. You moved to take off your shirt while his hands were still underneath it, now giving him full access. Usually you’d be more shy, but seeing how much he wanted you, you felt a boost of confidence shoot throughout your entire body, and the longing look on his face only made you want to do more. Originally, you intended to move his hands into your pants, but now you wanted to focus on his pleasure.

With that, you shimmied off his lap and found your way to your knees between his legs, looking up at him with the most seductive face you could muster. He didn’t say anything, only looked down at you with a questioning stare. But when your hands reached for the waistband of his shorts, he stopped you. 

“Y/n, we don’t… you don’t have to. I didn’t mean to make you feel like we had to do anything. We don’t. I’m sorry if I pushed you into-” 

“Jimin, stop. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. Just relax love,” you smiled and went back to taking his shorts off. 

He raised his ass off of the couch lightly to assist you in undressing him, taking off both his shorts and boxers in one go, and then took off his shirt and tossed it somewhere on the floor of the living room along with your own. 

When you saw his penis for the first time, you were mesmerized. It was by far the prettiest you had ever seen. With his precum leaking out of his tip adding onto its beauty, you grasped it in your hand with a loose grip. You looked up at him before you licked a stripe from the base of his dick up until the head, tasting the salty precum. You did this a few more times while stroking just to get a feel for it before Jimin finally spoke up. 

“Baby, what you’re doing is great and all but please,” he groaned and bit his lip as he felt you tighten your grip around his dick the second he started speaking. 

You decided then to get serious. Licking him just one more time, you moved to put just the tip in your mouth and began sucking. At this, you felt his dick harden even more, prompting you to deep throat him. You felt the veins around his cock in your throat as you swallowed and the sound of Jimin’s whimpering at your actions made you swallow even harder. He was thick as it is and with him lodged in your throat, you were having a hard time and he could tell. 

“Breathe through your nose baby, it’s okay,” he said trying to guide you through it. 

Following his instructions did make it easier, but you were still struggling so you ended up coming off him anyways, deciding to stroke his dick instead. He looked down with a disappointing look and quickly shook his head. Standing up, he bent over and gathered your hair into a makeshift ponytail. 

“You said you’ve been wanting to do this for a LONG time y/n, so you have to do it right baby.” 

He removed your hand from his dick and replaced it with his own, stroking it lightly while still maintaining eye contact with you. When you moved your hands to sit on your things, he moved his dick towards your lips, smearing the precum and saliva mixed together on your lips. 

“Open,” he commanded. 

You let your mouth fall open and felt his dick go down your throat once again. With his hand at the back of your head holding your hair together, he guided your mouth up and down his length. Your jaw went slack, letting him take over and fuck your mouth at his own will. Things got nasty really fast, with your spit reaching from his dick, down your breasts and to the floor. He bent down slightly to take your breast in his hand and play with your hard nipples some more, pinching and pulling them to his will. With his hands working on you and the way he was grunting, you were turned on beyond belief. His sounds only got better as you moved your hand up to him, rubbing his balls with your palms. 

Your other hand absentmindedly traveled down to your covered heat, rubbing yourself through your shorts and panties. It felt good and you couldn’t help but moan onto his dick, the vibrations hitting him hard and nearly causing him to cum  straight down your throat. 

Jimin looked down to see what had you moaning, and saw how fast your hand was moving beneath you. He pulled your mouth off of his dick and bent down to pull your hand away from him and yourself as well. 

“Did I say you could touch yourself? Or weren’t you supposed to be focused on sucking my cock like you asked me to do? Hmm,” he asked sarcastically, pulling you up to stand by your hair and bending you over onto the couch. 

“I’m sorry Jimin, it’s just letting you fuck my face turns me on so much baby,” you said as you laid your cheek against the couch cushion. 

“Hmm… I’m sure it did you little nasty slut,” he spanked your ass cheek, making you moan out. 

You felt his hand release your hair, and then travel down the arch in your back to the waistband of your shorts, pulling them off along with your damp panties. He then pressed a finger right against your clit which had you gasping in surprise but pushing yourself back towards him at the same time.

“Just look at how fucking wet you are for me, my baby. And all this just from sucking my dick? Hmm, you loved sucking my dick so much that you ruined your panties?” he pressed his finger harder into your clit. 

“Yes, I love it so fucking much. Hmm please fuck me Jimin!” 

He turned you over and leaned down to kiss you. It seemed like in this moment, he slipped out of his dominant persona and was back to your loving boyfriend that was sweeter than candy. 

“Are you sure you really want to, y/n? We really don’t have to, I promise.” 

“Yes Jimin, please. Please fuck me. I just want your dick inside me so bad right now,” you said as you reached down and began stroking him again. 

Jimin growled before he picked you up and threw you over his shoulder. He carried you into your room and placed you on the bed gentler than you were expecting. However, he wasn’t so gentle when he grasped your ankles and pulled your body towards the edge of the bed where he was standing so that your legs were hanging off the bed. 

He collected both of your wrists in his hand and leaned over your body to plant them over your head. He kissed your lips once again while his other hand stroked your thigh. When you saw him open his mouth again, you stopped him immediately. 

“Jimin, if you ask me if i’m sure again, i’m going to kick you out,” you bucked your hips against his own. 

He chuckled at this, and then looked at you darkly. 

“Fine. How about this, I’m going to let your hands go and if you move them, I’m leaving you like this. Alone,” he challenged you. 

You raised your eyebrow at him as he let your wrists go, licking his pointer and middle finger and swiping them down your slit. You couldn’t help the loud moan that you let out. It felt good to finally get the friction that you were yearning for down there. He made sure to touch everywhere but your clit and meanwhile, you were struggling to keep your hands where he placed them. And it became even more of a struggle when he pressed his fingers directly against your clit again and rubbed slowly, what seemed like the figure 8. Your breathing haltered, and you decided that you couldn’t wait anymore. 

“Jimin baby, it’s time now. Please.” 

“Hm.. I don’t know love, that didn’t sound too convincing to me. Beg me. And hurry up before I change my mind about fucking you.” 

“Baby, I need your cock in me so badly. Please give it to me. I’ll do whatever you say. I promise I’ll be a good little slut and keep my hands where you want them. My body is yours. Just please-” 

You couldn’t continue your sentence and left your mouth hanging wide open, letting out a soft “oh” at the feeling of his dick unexpectedly pushing into you and bottoming out. 

Jimin’s length was thick, so you thought the stretch to accommodate his entry would hurt more, but seeing as though he had gotten you so wet, you barely felt any pain. No, the only thing you felt was the pleasure that came from him sliding against your walls. You hadn’t had sex since a few months before you and Jimin became official, so this was definitely something you had been missing. 

On the other hand, for Jimin, it felt euphoric to be inside of you. The feeling of your heat being completely wrapped around him had him on cloud 9. He gave you a moment to adjust, but once he saw that you didn’t need much time, he began to slowly pull out of you, letting out low moans, and push back inside. Continuing his movements, he eventually set a rhythm at a mild pace and added more movement of his hips. He wanted to drag this out for as long as he could to cling to the feeling, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to do that if he went all out. 

For you it also felt amazing, but you weren’t entirely satisfied. At the moment, you didn’t know if you could form a coherent sentence and felt the urge to move forward and grab his hips to guide him and show that you needed more. However, you didn’t want to move your hands from their position and risk the chance of Jimin actually pulling out of you and leaving, so you opted for wrapping your legs around his waist, pulling him closer to you and ultimately deeper inside you. 

At that, Jimin halted his movements with a whispered “fuck.” He looked at you and you couldn’t help but smirk at him. You loved seeing that your actions could affect him as much as his did you. 

“You think that was cute huh? Let me show you something cute then, slut.” 

He moved your hands himself, pinning them to your sides and giving you an authoritarian look that said ‘you better not even think about moving these.’ Then he unwrapped your legs from his hips and pushed your ankles forward, planting your feet on the edge of the bed, outside of his thighs. Afterwards, his hand wrapped around the back of your neck, moving your head forward and giving you a great view of his dick that was currently buried deep inside of you. 

The moment his eyes caught yours is also the moment you felt his movements start back up, but unlike before, he was going faster and harder. His pelvis was smacking against yours hard, and you felt his balls hitting your butt as well. The sound of skin slapping on skin turned you on even more, but what was doing it for you the most was being able to visually see what was happening. You couldn’t look away and Jimin realized this rather quickly. 

“Look at the way your pussy is just swallowing my dick. You like it don’t you? You like how it looks, love how it feels?” 

“Yes, FUCK I love it,” you sobbed out. 

At this point, you had tears rushing down your cheeks because of his handiwork. It felt too good and the fact that you couldn’t move your hands was driving you even more crazy. You decided to grasp the bed sheets in a tight grip instead just so you didn’t completely lose your mind, and Jimin couldn’t be bothered with reprimanding you, too lost in his own pleasure. 

You were both crying out at this point, and you swore that you’d never heard anything that sounded better. You knew you would cum soon and with the way his dick was pulsing like crazy inside of you, so would he. 

“Jimin please, please just let me touch you. Please, please, please, please, please,” you chanted out like it was a mantra with each of his thrusts.

Once he gave you a groaned out “go ahead,” the first thing you did was rub your hands all over his body, starting with his arms, then shoulders, then chest, just wanting to feel him. All of him. And you really did once he let go of your neck and grabbed the back of your knees to push them towards your chest. The new angle allowed him to go even deeper and hit new spots, including that special one. With this, you literally screamed out. 

“There it is,” Jimin gloated and sent you a devious smile to which you couldn’t respond. Your mouth was literally left in that “oh” position, and you felt like it would never move from there again. 

With every thrust into your spongy button, Jimin was sending you closer and closer to your end. It had never felt this intense before and you were literally at a loss for words. Closing your eyes, you gripped Jimin’s wrist just to feel his skin which made him actually pay attention to you and realize just how close you were. 

“Y/n… hmm… y/n open your eyes baby. Look at me while you cum.” 

At his instruction, you open your eyes to see his own peering straight into yours and that was all it took. You felt the knot in your stomach tighten and then disappear as you began to convulse around his dick. You literally saw stars and it was as if you had blacked out for a moment. 

“Holy shit! You just fucking squirted. I can feel it running down my balls.” Jimin said, halting his movements while still inside of you. “Fuck that’s so hot,” he added in a whisper while staring directly where your bodies connected.

You were still out of it so his words really hadn’t registered with you until you dropped one of your hands from his wrist to feel the sheets under you completely soaked. You looked down for a moment until you felt Jimin twitch inside you again, realizing he hadn’t finished himself. 

“Baby, please cum. I need it. Please,” you egged him on. 

With this, he bent down closer to you and continued his fast thrusts, solely focusing on his own pleasure now. It was almost hard to move inside of you, as you had gotten unbelievably tight after your orgasm, but the juices from your squirting helped a lot. In a few seconds, he was close, way too close. 

“I’m close… fuck I’m going to cum. Where do I cum y/n?” he looked down into your eyes while biting his lip. 

“My chest. My body. Anywhere, just please cum. I want to feel it.” 

He pulled out of you, letting your legs down and stroking himself until his hot seed spilled all over your stomach and chest.

“You are fucking amazing,” he hunched over your body, leaning down to kiss you. 

This one was passionate and filled with so much emotion, exactly like what you’d expect a kiss from your boyfriend to be like after you’d just had sex together for the first time. Pulling away from your lips, he gave you a gentle smile that you returned before he walked into the bathroom. While he was away, other than the throbbing between your legs, the only thing you could think about was how you were to get the stain from out of your carpet. Jimin returned with a wet wash rag to clean the mess he had made on your body. 

Later that night, you found yourself letting out a content sigh while leaning your back against his body in the bath you were currently sharing. His fingertips lightly traced shapes against your leg, his thoughts straying back to what had just happened between the two of you.

“You know, I’ve never made a girl squirt before,” he whispered in your ear.

“Hmm.. well I’m happy I could be the first,” you turned towards him, the water sloshing as you planted a peck on his cheek. 

Just when you were about to turn back, his wet hands caught your cheeks, making you look back up at him. 

“I love you, Y/n. So much.” 

In that moment, you swore you had never smiled bigger in your life. 

“Jimin, I love you too. So much,” you added. “And I’m excited to for the next six months of our lives together.” 

“Six months? No. I’m excited for the rest of our lives together,” he smiled pulling your closer and leaning in.

You two shared another passionate kiss as you could still hear the rain outside of your window. 

[et-lesailes]

a day with dodger

pairing: chris evans x reader

word count: 2190

prompt: “Please do a Chris/Dodger fic. I just watched the YouTube video of “bedtime” and dodge and his lion and 😭😭😭”

themes: super wholesome fluffy goodness w chris n dodger :)

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** if you have asked to be on my taglist and don’t see your name here, please let me know! i lost the note i had with all the urls and so everything’s been a bit messed up lately, my apologies!

notes: tbh this is one of my newer requests and while i want to finish older ones first, i had so much muse for it i couldn’t resist. thanks to @thewritingdoll​ for the graphic!

Despite it being a Wednesday, it was the first day in a while both you and your boyfriend had the day off and were in the same place. There had been much discussion on what the two of you should do to spend the day, but no matter what you settled upon, there was one condition you both agreed on.

Dodger would be coming too. He was a part of the family, how could he not?

Chris had woken up at 6 AM to take him for his morning walk before returning to bed with you, the two of you liking to sleep in whenever you didn't have work. As his strong arms wrapped around you, pulling you back to the warmth of his body once more, Dodger settled himself at the foot of the bed and snuggled close to his beloved lion, quite willing to drift off to sleep again. He liked to be close to the two of you, and he was rather compliant with whatever schedules you had planned. Such was the life of a dog with a celebrity for a dad; he had gotten adjusted to the fast paced, sporadic lifestyle quite well. 

Your eyes slowly flickered open at around 9:30, a sleepy smile crossing your lips as you gazed up at Chris' sleeping face. His arm was still around you, large hand placed on the small of your back. You barely lifted your head up to check on Dodger, who was sprawled on his side with one paw around his lion. Like father, like son. You were grateful Chris was getting the chance to sleep; you knew how tired he had been from his hectic schedule lately. You carefully slid out from under his arm, though it wouldn't have mattered if you had ruthlessly tossed it aside-- the man was practically unconscious to the world when he was tired. 

As you lightly got to your feet from the bed, Dodger was quick to get up too, hopping off as he looked up at you with what resembled a beam on his furry face. You giggled softly and leaned down to pet him all over, giving his head a kiss. "Mm come on bubba, do you need to go out?" You guided him to the backyard door, opening it for him and watching fondly as he shot out like a bullet. You left it open a crack so he could come inside whenever he wanted, heading for the kitchen to start making breakfast for you and Chris. You didn't even care much for cooking in general, but it always made you happy to be able to cook for him, simply because you barely got to. Even when the two of you could find time to eat together, more than half the time you just settled on getting takeout or eating at a restaurant because you didn't have the time to cook. 

You were finishing up the pancakes when Chris sleepily wandered out of the bedroom, approaching you from behind and wrapping his arms around your waist. "G'morning," he mumbled in his low, husky voice still shaded from slumber, and you smiled as you let yourself melt into his hold. "Hey there, babe. You sleep well?" you asked softly, turning your head to give his cheek a kiss. He lazily rested his head on your shoulder, squeezing you tight. "Mm sure did. And waking up to this wonderful smell was just as nice. You're too good to me, sweetheart." You smiled as you turned back to the stove, moving the last pancake to the plate filled with them already. You knew what Chris’ appetite was like, and the more he ate, the better. Now that he was done with Marvel, he finally did not need to be so rigid and strict with his diet, and you and his mother and “plotted” to give him all the delicious food you could. “You deserve it, babe. You’ve been working so hard. Now how do you want your eggs?”

Before he could answer, a happy Dodger came trotting in, immediately running up to Chris to greet him. The man laughed loudly as the canine began to jump on him, almost immediately leaning down to scoop him up into his arms like a baby. “Good morning, bubba! Were you running around in the yard? I hope you didn’t use up too much energy, because me, you, and mama are gonna go for a hike today.” You smiled in satisfaction, giggling softly as you turned to ruffle his fur. “When does he ever run out of energy? It’s been so long since he’s gotten that long of a walk, he’s going to be thrilled.” Chris smiled, kissing the dog’s furry head. “You’re right. But I think he’s more focused on something else now.” You blinked and looked to where Dodger was currently staring before laughing, rolling your eyes fondly as you picked up the plate of bacon. “Okay, okay bubba, let’s put some on Daddy’s plate first and then I’ll give you a piece.” 

__________________

After the three of you ate breakfast, it was time to get ready. Dodger was already ready to go, waiting by the door and whining impatiently, making the two of you chuckle. “We can’t go in our pajamas, ya goofy boy! Wait a second!” Chris playfully chided, rubbing between his ears before ushering you to the bedroom. You watched as he peeled out of his t-shirt, subconsciously letting out a sigh. He heard this and turned to you with an amused grin, wagging his finger playfully. “Nuh uh, don’t look at me like that, baby girl. We can come home and have our fun, but our son needs us and if you keep giving me that look I can’t promise I’ll behave.” You blinked and laughed, coming over to smack his bicep. “I’m not feral, for God’s sake, I’m just appreciating my boyfriend’s body! There’s nothing wrong with that.” You smirked at him before standing on your tiptoes to give him a peck on the lips, then went to the dresser to take out the clothes you planned on changing into. “You gonna wear that sexy little sports bra I love so much?” he asked with a hopeful smile, and you giggled softly, taking it out. “Hm? Is that what you call behaving?”

“Yes. Misbehaving would be insisting you go without a bra on at all.” He pointed out with a cheeky smirk, and you wrinkled your nose at the thought, though couldn’t help but giggle again. “Okay, okay, get dressed. I can hear Dodger practically going into depression out there.” You changed into aforementioned sports bra, a loose workout tank top, and your favorite pair of Nike shorts. Looking over at him, you almost wanted to let out another pleased sigh. All he was wearing was a tight tee, workout pants, and a Red Sox baseball cap, but damn he looked good, especially with his bulging muscles. “You forgot this, sweetheart,” he commented, taking the matching cap he had bought for you and placing it on your head. While his was black with a red B, yours was black with a pink one. You smiled and adjusted it before humming thoughtfully. “We should probably pack a backpack, yeah? Water for all three of us, snacks, and some treats for him.” He followed you with his arms wrapped around you, taking his steps outside your own with a goofy smile. “You’re such a good mama. I can’t wait to have a baby with you.” He mumbled into your neck and you chuckled softly, murmuring playfully in response, “Now how about you propose to me first and then we’ll talk about it?”

He laughed as he pulled back to get Dodger’s leash and harness. “Oh, it’s happening, baby doll, but you can’t rush me. I need it to be absolutely perfect. And as of right now, that’s all you’re going to hear about it. Can’t ruin the surprise.” You smiled, shaking your head to yourself as you gathered water bottles, a portable water bowl for Dodger, his bag of treats, and a few granola bars into a backpack. “Well, you better hurry before I change my mind,” you teased, and he scoffed in response as he managed to put the harness on the dog’s squirming, wiggling body. “You’re stuck with me for life, babe, you know that by now.”

_____________________________

You sighed in pure bliss as you sat upon the grassy peak of land, staring out at the small waterfall pouring out into a river underneath. The two of you had found an isolated spot along the way to sit and relax, and Dodger seemed to love it too as he rolled around in the grass and basked in the sunlight beaming down. Chris leaned back as he adjusted his cap, smiling in satisfaction. “I wish we could do this more often, baby,” he murmured, looking towards you, and you nodded your head with a wistful sigh. “Me too. It’s so beautiful here, I feel like we never get to go outside anymore.” He nodded as he moved to wrap his arms around you, pulling you closer to him and resting his head on top of yours. “I know. Maybe it’s time I take a step back.” You blinked, glancing up at him. “What? From acting? Babe, you don’t need to do that. You love acting.” He sighed and kissed your head mumbling, “But I also love you. And our little bubba over here.” He playfully reached over to grab the dog and roll him over to his side, rubbing his belly roughly. “I want to be able to see you guys more often.”

You smiled, appreciating his sentiment, but hummed softly as you took his hands in yours and squeezed them lightly. “Chris, as great as that would be, I know you. You’d go crazy if you didn’t have a script in your hand, a role lined up-- a camera to be in front of.” You chuckled softly, lazily bringing his fingers up to your mouth to kiss them gently. “It’s your passion. And that’s not a bad thing. We still make our relationship work anyways, and me and Dodger appreciate the time you already do put in for us. If you want to take a break, that’s okay, but nothing permanent. I won’t let you, got it?”

He smiled as he listened to you, suddenly hugging you tighter to him. “I love you so much, Y/N. You know that?” You smiled as you nuzzled into him, tilting your head up to kiss at his bearded chin. “I love you too Chris.”

____________________________

Bedtime was one of your favorite times of the day when Chris was home. Or, to be exact, getting ready for bed. After catching a nice, hot shower together and brushing your teeth while making funny faces in the mirror with the black charcoal toothpaste you had recently brought smeared all over your lips and teeth, it was now time to let Dodger know it was time for bed. “Hey bubba! C’mon, bubba, time to sleep. Go get your lion.” Chris leaned down to playfully pat the canine’s bum and you giggled as you watched the dog scamper towards the living room, picking up his cherished lion in his mouth. He trotted back to the bedroom happily, jumping up onto the bed and making himself comfortable. 

The two of you were now snuggled in bed in pajamas with Netflix on TV, Dodger curled up in between both of you practically passed out. Of course, though, if one of you were to get up to even simply use the bathroom or get water, he’d immediately be up on his feet again, wagging his tail making sure that nobody was playing or doing anything fun without him. You smiled fondly as you stroked his fur lovingly; Chris had made an excellent choice when he had picked him at the shelter, and you were sure you would both be adopting even more dogs down the road once both of you had more time. 

You were in a state of comfortable silence; one thing you loved about Chris was that while the two of you loved to talk and actually do things, you could also simply relax. There was never any pressure to keep conversation going or to keep each other entertained. You found pleasure in each other’s mere presence, and this was why you were convinced you could spend the rest of your life with this man.

You glanced over to him after about fifteen minutes, sensing he had been quite still. As you suspected, his head was slightly tilted, his eyes closed as he breathed evenly in his slumber. You giggled softly, carefully leaning over to turn off the lamp before settling down in bed, gently guiding his body down as well. He barely grunted and shifted, but soon naturally turned to wrap his strong arms around you, Dodger included. You smiled and pressed a soft kiss to each of their heads before resting your head on the pillow, soon to slip off into dreamland yourself.

[christa-tomlinson-romance-author]

“Babe, I’m going to Wal-Mart.” Danny started answering before he looked up from his tablet. “Okay, get me some...” he trailed off once he raised his gaze from the screen and got a look at what his tall, ridiculously fit and muscular husband was wearing. Jordan was dressed in a white, short-sleeve T-shirt, light gray Jersey shorts, and low-top athletic shoes. The outfit should have been nothing more than super casual run-around clothes. But the tee was soft and tight on his torso. His firm, rounded pecs pressed against the white cotton, and his nipples - stiff from the air conditioner - were plainly visible. The shirt was slightly loose and rumpled over Jordan’s tight waist and hard abs. But the shorts... The shorts were obscene. Not only did they cling to his muscular thighs, but Jordan’s dick print was on full display behind the thin material. Danny didn’t even have to squint to see the outline of the head of his cock. His man was a show-er and a grower and right now he was putting on quite the show. “Get you some what?” Jordan prompted. Danny shook his head - snapping himself back to their conversation. “Actually, I’ll come with you,” he answered as he put his tablet aside and stood. No way he was letting his husband out of the house dressed like that on his own. Jordan’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion once before he shrugged. “All right. Let’s go.” Together they left the apartment, taking the elevator down from their private floor to the street level where Jordan’s auto body shop was located. They went around to the side parking lot and got in his Camaro. The ride to Wal-Mart was quick, and in about fifteen minutes they were turning into the parking lot for the giant shopping center. After they parked and got out, Danny walked hand in hand with his husband. As they went through the crosswalk, a woman leaving the store walked toward them. Her eyes widened when they landed on Jordan. She ran them appreciatively over his entire body in a glance so fast Danny would have missed it if he hadn’t been looking directly at her at that exact moment. After the stealthy perusal, she looked at Danny and gave him a nod. That nod said multitudes without the woman ever opening her mouth. I’m checking him out but respectfully. Damn your man is hot. Congrats to you. You deserve it. Danny nodded back. I know it. Thank you. 

Inside the store, Danny grabbed a cart as he usually did. They strolled up and down the aisles, getting what Jordan needed and tossing it in the cart. As they shopped, Danny noticed several people doing double-takes at Jordan. He wanted to laugh at how obvious some of them were, but he managed to keep a straight face. In the office supplies section, they passed a trio of teenagers. They lingered at the end of the aisle, giggling and shushing each other as they threw glances at Jordan, while pretending to look at paper clips and Post-Its. Jordan moved on without paying any attention to them. To Danny’s amusement, the trio popped up in the next aisle over for another look. When he noticed they were about to follow them a second time, he loudly cleared his throat. Once he had their attention, he raised his eyebrows at them and tilted his head to the side. His message was clear: That’s enough. Run along before I have to say something and embarrass you. The teens were smart - they took off - disappearing around the corner at the end of the aisle for good this time. In the Health and Beauty section, they had to step to the side to let an older woman pick out her face wash. She was clearly years past things like tact or giving a fuck because she loudly exclaimed, “Whew, Lord!” and fanned herself as she walked past. Danny wasn’t normally one to be jealous but he was torn between wanting to cling to Jordan’s buff bicep to stake his claim, and strutting next to him, full of pride that the warrior-god statue come to life was his husband. Everyone was salivating over him without even realizing that he was Blaze, the superhero that so many of them admired and probably fantasized about. But he was the only one who got to touch and taste and love the gorgeous and kind man walking next to him. “Hardware section is next. I need more zip ties.” “Okay.” They cut through Home Goods to get to Hardware, turning down the wide aisle that ran between the two sections before crossing over. A young man in a Helios graphic tee approached from the other end. Danny immediately recognized the artwork, which he should, since he was the one who’d drawn it. When the man caught sight of Jordan, his mouth dropped open. He stared hard, not looking away as they got closer. He was so busy staring - he drifted off course and slammed his cart into the center aisle display of Tupperware with a loud crash. Stacks of plastic containers clattered to the floor. “Oh my God!” the man cried out in embarrassment. He dropped to his knees, scrambling to gather the knocked over Tupperware and haphazardly restack them. Danny took pity on the poor guy. He signaled to Jordan to wait, then went over and kneeled to help him rebuild the display. “I’m so sorry for staring,” he whispered without meeting Danny’s eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I see it every day and I still walk into walls when he catches me off guard.” Now the guy looked up at Danny. His face was still lobster red from embarrassment but he snorted a laugh. “It’s a public safety hazard letting him out of the house like that.” Danny huffed a quiet laugh of his own. “I realize that now.” Once the containers were returned to their display, they went their separate ways, the Helios fan continuing on down the aisle, and Danny rejoining Jordan at their cart. Jordan waited, arms crossed over his chest, feet spread wide in a firm stance. It was the stance he usually took when he was out as Blaze. He probably didn’t even realize he was doing it it came so natural to him after all these years. The pose stretched the T-shirt tight over the bulge of his biceps, while his other bulge... Danny shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from fanning himself as that older woman had. “What was that guy’s deal?” Jordan asked, a frown creasing his forehead. “Somebody shouldn’t have come out of the house dressed like a thot,” Danny mumbled under his breath. “What?” “Nothing. It’s your turn to push the cart.” It helped, some, having Jordan behind the cart. It mostly covered his groin area. But his round pecs hugged by soft cotton were still plainly visible. And of course... Danny fell a little behind to check out the rear view. The thin gray shorts clung to Jordan’s ass, clearly defining each muscled, flexing butt cheek as he walked. Danny shook his head. “Shameless.” Jordan looked back over his shoulder. “What was that?” Danny gave him an innocent, wide-eyed smile. “Nothing. Do we need anything else?” “I’m finished. But what did you want to get?” “Oh, yeah. My Corn Pops.” He’d nearly forgotten what he wanted while trying to prevent his husband from causing a riot in the shampoo aisle. He hoped there wasn’t anybody around taking pictures for People of Wal-Mart. His poor husband’s pics would probably end up on a Shoppers I’d Like to Fuck site - if there was such a thing. They strolled to the other side of the store to get to the cereal aisle. The cereal Danny wanted was on the bottom row. Instead of grabbing it himself, a little devil on Danny’s shoulder prodded him to do something naughty. “Could you grab a family sized box of Corn Pops for me, please?” he asked politely. “Of course, baby.” Jordan squatted down in front of him, the shorts stretching tight over his ass. Danny clasped his hands together in front of him, bowing his head and smiling in prayerful thanks. He quickly dropped his hands, returning his expression to neutral when Jordan straightened and tossed the box into the cart. “Okay, that’s all I wanted. I think we’re ready to check out.” At the register, the cashier looked from Jordan to Danny. He grinned and cracked his gum. “Congratulations.” Danny couldn’t hold it in any longer. He burst out laughing at the cashier’s cheeky expression and comment. “Thank you,” he said once he managed to rein in his laughter. They worked together to load the bags into the trunk. After they finished, Jordan closed the trunk then turned to Danny. “Okay, what was the deal in there?” Danny tilted his head to the side as he looked up at his husband, a smile still tugging at his lips. “You really don’t know?” “Not a clue.” “You’ve got everything on display in this outfit,” Danny said as he waved his hand to indicate Jordan’s six-foot-plus frame. “Bara tiddies and dick print and thank you squats butt cheeks. It’s nice.” He paused to run his gaze up and down his husband’s magnificent build. “And everybody was checking you out.” Jordan looked down at himself in surprise. “You’re kidding.” “Nope. How is it that you’re always checking out my ass in athletic bottoms but never realized yours looks just as yummy?” “I never thought about it,” Jordan said with a shrug. Danny laughed again at his uncommonly attractive husband being so clueless over his effect on people. He put his hands on either side of Jordan’s tight waist and leaned into him. “It’s okay. But maybe you can save this outfit for home wear only from now on, to save poor hapless shoppers from crashing into displays of household goods.” “Maybe I should throw it away.” Danny reared back, his eyebrows drawn together in a stern frown as he scolded his lover. “You’d better not! I adore this look on you.” A slow grin curled Jordan’s full lips, while a sensual expression Danny recognized all too well started to gleam in his honey brown eyes. He slid his arms around Danny’s waist, pulling him into a relaxed hug. “You like it that much, huh?” “Definitely,” Danny assured him with a firm nod. “Let’s go home, my thotty husband. I’ll draw you in this outfit for posterity. It’ll probably take hours because I’ve got multiple poses in mind.” “Sounds good to me. You know I’ve got the stamina for whatever you want.” Now it was Danny’s turn to blush. Then he squeaked when Jordan copped a feel, squeezing his butt cheek in a firm grip. He leaned down to whisper in his ear. “I don’t care what anyone was looking at. You’re the one with the gorgeous ass.” Danny thumped his forehead against Jordan’s firm chest, hiding his face in embarrassment. “I can’t believe you just felt me up in a Wal-Mart parking lot.” Jordan laughed. “Let’s go before I show you what else I’ll do in a Wal-Mart parking lot.” He started to lean down, clearly aiming for a kiss. But Danny dodged him and squirmed free, rushing around to get in the passenger seat. Jordan followed. He was still laughing when he sat behind the wheel and closed the door. “You’re so cute when you’re flustered.” Danny pretended to pout and didn’t answer. But once they were home, he showed his husband exactly how much he loved him in those gray Jersey shorts. 

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this short story featuring Danny and Jordan from BLAZE - Arch City Guardians #1. If you haven't read BLAZE yet, you can check it on Amazon in Kindle Unlimited. Love, Christa 

Read more about BLAZE on my website! https://www.christatomlinson.com/blaze.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YS3VWS5

[seriouslyhooked]

Wonderwall (A CS AU)

AU oneshot based off of a reader request for the song ‘Wonderwall.’ Story takes place in the modern world where Emma and Killian re engaged. Emma is celebrating her bachelorette party and Killian shows up with his friends and plays a song in a bar. Cuteness ensues as does corniness and a lot of fluff. Rated T. Available on FF Here and AO3 Here.

A/N: Sorry to my reader for the crazy time delay on this – it took so long for my muse to really speak to me, but now that she has, I hope it’s what you wanted. Thanks everyone for reading and hope you enjoy!

He is totally going to lose it when he sees me.

The happy thought ran through Emma’s head as she took one last look at herself in the bedroom mirror. She couldn’t contain her smile as she pictured her fiancé’s reaction to this outfit. Every single day Killian made her feel like the most gorgeous woman in the world. He only had eyes for her, even when her wardrobe of choice was a ratty tee and sweatpants. There had never come a time he didn’t want her, and every time he told her she was beautiful she knew he spoke the truth. But tonight… well tonight she was dressed in something way sexier than some dusty sweatpants.

This dress was made for sin, at least that’s what Ruby said when she and her friend stumbled upon it at the mall. It fit every line of her body to perfection, and hugged her shape in a way no other dress in her closet ever dared to. When Emma tried it on in the store she knew it would be perfect, and with the heels she was wearing the effect was even better than she’d hoped. She purposefully hid the dress away for weeks, keeping it out of sight of Killian, knowing that tonight was the perfect night to don this grand surprise. The dress was short, red, bold, and sexy. It was over the top, but Emma figured that made it appropriate for the bachelorette party that awaited her. This was supposed to be her one last night of freedom, right? But that silly thought had no bearing on her dress of choice. No, for Emma, this was all about her husband to be, and the way that he’d get when he saw her. This was a push for more, a challenge laid down without debate, and her cheeks flushed at the thought of how he’d respond to that.

She’d pictured his reaction a number of times. Imagining in her mind the way Killian would switch from the gentle man who loved her dearly to a man without control made her heart leap in her chest. To the world, Killian was perfectly put together, with a good job and a kind heart, but since the beginning of their relationship, Emma brought another side out of him, one that was passionate and dominant and exquisitely irresistible. She was practically on fire, her whole body humming with anticipation thinking back to the last time she’d provoked him like this, but the best part (or maybe the worst, depending on how one looked at it) was that they didn’t have time to truly act on all the feelings this dress was about to prompt. She was getting picked up any minute, and though Ruby was hardly known for being on time, she was never late when there was a party to be had. At most, Emma and Killian would have time for a stolen kiss or two, but despite the torture of having to wait, the anticipation all night long would make the payoff all the sweeter. Emma wet her lips at the thought of what was coming tonight when she got home, but ultimately she had to move. Torturous as it might turn out, she needed to see him, and when she emerged from their bedroom and found him waiting for her in the living room, she knew all of this was totally worth it.

“Bloody hell.”

The curse from her man made Emma laugh despite the flutter of her own want at seeing him splayed out on the couch. He was always so hot – thus the whole locking him down and marrying him plan she had going – but as he stood up, shocked at her appearance and clearly starving for her touch, Emma felt a jolt of something. They said lightening never struck the same place twice, but it always felt that way when she was with Killian. Ten years together and that burst of energy never wavered. If anything it was getting worse. They’d been inseparable in college when they first met, but now they were so wrapped up in each other they’d grown in tandem on every level. She craved him all the time, and by the time he was on top of her, hands wrapped around her in a possessive hold she was edging towards desperate.

“You like?” she asked, but it was a rhetorical question. Of course he liked if his roaming hands and hungry eyes were anything to go off of.

“Like is not the word I would use,” Killian growled out.

“Which word would you use?” she asked, her voice breaking slightly as his fingertip ran along her pulse point.

“Love,” he replied, growling out the word. “You cut quite the figure in this dress, Swan, as you well know.”

She didn’t bother responding because she did know. Instead she turned in his hold, giving him a better view and the groan he let loose sent her body buzzing. Damn, why did tormenting him have to backfire like this? Her teasing plan only tempted her to call off the whole damn party.  She could do that, right? It was supposed to be for her after all, surely she should call the shots.

“Hate too, though.” She looked back over her shoulder with a raised brow, seeing his eyes focused on her ass before he looked back up. “I certainly don’t like the idea of anyone else seeing you this way.”

“Are you jealous?”

“Insanely so. But you know and I know exactly who you’ve worn this for,” Killian said, sounding far more level headed than she expected.

“You,” Emma agreed before adding “and me. I mean it’s kind of awesome. Or it would be if you’d give in and kiss me already.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth then he grabbed her, pushing her back against the side table behind them and kissing her senseless. The kiss was all passion and heat and frenzy. Emma couldn’t tell which way was up, lost as she was in Killian, and as his hand moved up her thigh, headed straight for where she wanted his touch most she sighed. Now this was exactly what she wanted. Passion, pleasure, love. It was all so heady. She arched closer, pulling him in by his shirt and –

A loud knock sounded at the door followed by. “You lunatics better be fully clothed. The party has arrived, and she brought her spare key.”

Now the string of curses that Killian let loose were so much worse than the initial ones at seeing her and again Emma laughed. God she was so caught up in this she forgot the essential part of her plan – all of this was about the long game. They were going to wait, even if it damn near killed them.

“I promise I am going to make this up to you tonight,” she said, pressing a final kiss against his lips as she slid off the table and tried to get her dress back into place. She ran her fingers through her hair which was already everywhere, and she thanked god for this ultra hold red lip stain she had on as she checked in the nearby mirror before looking back at Killian.

“There will be a lot happening tonight, love. You can trust in that.”

Emma shivered with delight at his words, and she loved the way he stepped back to her, holding her close. He may still be vibrating with need for her, but he was gentle and reserved, a gentleman again, with a beast playing just underneath the surface. As the door swung open he pressed one last soft kiss to her lips before they both turned to see not just Ruby, but Anna, Elsa, Belle and Tiana as well.

“Gang’s all here,” Killian joked as Emma’s college friends descended, but Anna replied with a shake of her head.

“Not quite. The guys are right behind us but let’s just say some space was necessary.” Emma’s friends all looked to Elsa pointedly and as if on queue her dear friend turned scarlet red.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. It was an accident.”

“What happened?” Emma asked aloud and everyone just shook their heads again.

“Let’s just say that the warning we just gave was not given at her and Liam’s house.”

“Bloody hell,” Killian muttered as he laughed lightly. “My brother willl have plenty to say about that.”

“I’m sure he will,” Ruby said moving forward and grabbing Emma’s hand. “But, alas, it’s irrelevant because we are going out for a night on the town. It’s going to put your party to shame.”

“Seeing as my party starts the moment Emma gets home, I highly doubt that.”

The reactions to that were mixed between Ruby feigning a haughty disgust and Belle and Anna thinking that was adorable. Emma just rolled her eyes and pressed a kiss to his cheek before whispering that she loved him and she’d see him soon. From there things moved very quickly to a crazy party bus and a few bars. It was honestly non-stop and only at the third place they went to did Ruby even let them sit down instead of only dancing and drinking.

“Jesus, I am getting too old for this,” Belle said as she heaved herself into the booth, letting out a sigh of relief when her legs weren’t holding her up anymore. “How did we do this like 3 nights a week at school?”

“Ruby,” the others all responded at once as Ruby let out an almost maniacal laugh as she flipped her flawless black hair over her shoulder. Then she pulled out her compact to check out her make up and smiled.

“God, I know it’s a little egotistical to admit this, but I look damn good tonight. Penises and all.”

The words tumbled out of Ruby’s mouth with a fierceness of conviction and the level of sass that always came five drinks into any night out. Ruby was a firecracker in any state, but five drink Ruby was a totally different breed. There was no telling where this night would lead or who it would lead to. Because with Ruby it always led to someone.

“Nobody looks good with penises,” Belle said as she scrunched up her nose in distaste. Emma giggled in the face of the brunette’s displeasure, mostly because Belle had a real point. These necklaces were tacky and graphic and ridiculous, but hey, that’s what bachelorette parties seemed to be about.

“Is that a challenge?” Ruby asked, her finger waving in the air with added flair for effect. The others in their party all groaned.

“Oh now you’ve done. You challenged her. God, you just had to challenge her,” Tiana lamented.

“I didn’t mean it!” Belle said with a hiccup as she drank more of her gin and tonic. “We obviously look great. No need to do something crazy to prove it.”

“But this party could use a little crazy, don’t you think?” Ruby looked to Emma who knew better than to argue. She only shrugged and Ruby grinned, pivoting to look out at the sea of people. “New game – all the single ladies have to find someone to kiss in the next ten minutes. Losers are buying diner food, and bitch I am hungry so it’ll cost ya.”

“Oh God, Ruby, please no!” Belle, Anna and Tiana shouted. Emma and Elsa only exchanged a glance that silently said how grateful they were to not be grouped in this mayhem.

“Tiana gets a free pass because I don’t want Naveen to kill me when he finally gets his shit together,” Ruby announced, hinting at a man Emma had only met a few times, but who was definitely interested in Tiana. He and Tiana worked together at the hospital, and he was supposedly cocky and brash and unbearable, but Tiana was starting to falter on her previous assumptions as he turned out to be a damn good doctor and a seemingly good man underneath all the bluster and facade. “You gotta be careful with doctors. They know how to kill you and make it look like an accident.”

“Ruby,” Tiana said, her hands coming over her face from both the embarrassment of being called out for her and Naveen’s ‘will-they/won’t-they’ tension, and from Ruby somewhat besmirching their line of work. “You know we’re not like that.”

“Sure, sure, that’s what they all say,” Ruby said with a wink before dismissing this. “Also Elsa can sit out too. You know I usually say everyone’s single til there’s a ring, but Liam is scrappy and he could take me in a fight.”

“Liam is not going to fight you,” Elsa said before reconsidering. “But yeah, definitely better if you don’t mention that you tried to get me to make out with a stranger.”

“Who would need to make out with anyone after what we saw earlier,” Belle quipped drunkenly and Anna groaned aloud.

“Stop, please I was just getting over that. It never happened, you hear me? We are never talking about this again.”

“Fat chance of that. I’m totally telling Emma, but after the game,” Ruby proclaimed. “On your marks, get set, go!”

As if they were actually in a race, Ruby hurried away into the crowd but Anna and Belle were not nearly as eager to follow. Emma felt for them, and she offered the only mildly helpful advice she could think of. “You know the best way to not have to play this game is by distracting Ruby with someone really good for her to kiss.”

“Ooh, that could work,” Belle said eagerly before scanning out into the crowd and frowning. “She just doesn’t make it easy though. I mean she literally has no type.”

“Well she does, but it’s not about looks, it’s all ‘energy,’” Anna said fake emulating a zen pose and drawing a laugh from all of them. “Oh wait, she looks good! Like that girl she dated junior year, remember?”

“Maybe…” Belle said, though not convinced enough to stop scanning the crowd. “How about him?” she nodded to a male bartender, who was admittedly good looking, but perhaps a bit too put together for Ruby’s taste.

“No. God this is hard. Shit, I’m going to have to kiss a stranger,” Anna said, lowering her face into her hands in defeat.

“Maybe not,” Emma said as her gaze landed on their friend across the bar, who was in no way even playing the game, instead she was standing on the stage meant for live music, chatting with the band and pointing at the microphone. “What is she doing?”

“She wouldn’t,” Elsa murmured, suddenly in awe at what may be happening. The others looked just as dumb struck, but Emma didn’t get it.

“Wouldn’t what?”

“Good evening everybody!” Ruby said into the mic, looking as happy and carefree as could be. Emma had to admit, her old friend had a lot of charisma, but she also had a penchant for creating trouble, and right now could be one of those moments. “My name is Ruby, and as you might have guessed from the dicks I’m currently rocking, I’m here supporting my friend Emma as she decides to tie the knot.”

The response from the crowd was mostly the congratulatory cheering of people already rocking a strong buzz, though there were some more bitter responses thrown into the mix. Emma was too dazed to really process though, because she had truly no idea where Ruby was headed with this.

“I swear to God if she tries to call us up on stage I am out of here,” Belle said her face white as a sheet in the face of Ruby’s playacting.

“Full out sprint, flash of lightening, Olympic style running,” Anna agreed. At that moment Ruby looked back to them, and she no doubt saw their hesitation. In the face of it she grinned, and Emma had to admit it was a little wicked. She was totally toying with them all, but finally she revealed her plan.

“But we’re not just here for drinks, ladies. We’re here for a show.”

“What the hell is she talking about?” Elsa whispered and then they all saw them – Killian, Liam, and Graham (who everyone in their group already knew) as well as Killian’s two other friends from childhood who flew in for the bachelor party, Will and Robin. They all took over for the band and Emma’s jaw dropped.

“Ladies and gentleman I give you… wait did you come up with a name?” she stage whispered.

“Don’t bloody need one. Can barely play music, so fuck it,” Will said with a grin waving over at their table but Emma was caught in the site of Killian. He was here, and he was coming to the mic as Ruby passed it off. Immediately he looked at Emma, smiling at her and speaking only to her.

“This one’s for you, Swan.”

When the music played it took a moment for Emma to decipher what it was meant to be. Will was right, they were clearly rusty, and it was clear none of them had ever played together before, but then Killian started singing and Emma knew right away what this was. She covered her mouth to somewhat shield the giggle, but it couldn’t be helped. This was a classic song that she and Killian had listened to over and over again when they were younger, and seeing him up there singing, and truly holding his own despite having no real musical training, Emma was fascinated and amazed. This couldn’t be real, but it was, and seeing him up there, putting himself out there just to make her smile in front of all of these strangers stole another piece of her heart she didn’t even know she had to give.

“Do you like your surprise?” Ruby asked and Emma just nodded, not knowing how to put her feelings into words.

“Why are they doing this?” Elsa asked, blushing as Liam’s voice joined Killian at the chorus.

“Are you complaining?”

“No,” Elsa admitted.

“If you must know, Killian and Emma had their first dance at the spring semi to this song. He mentioned it a few weeks ago, and then he told me he wanted to crash the party. I told him fine, but the price was a performance.”

“You didn’t,” Emma said, flashing her eyes to Ruby for a moment before she was compelled to look back at her fiancé. Damn he looked hot, and his voice… well she’d forgotten how good of a singer he was. He sang at home of course, but right now, looking like sin and singing just for her… she clenched her legs together trying to conceal just how much this affected her.

“Of course I did. I didn’t think he could pull it off. Liam’s hot for Elsa, so I guess maybe that makes sense, but how much money do you think he’s paying the others? Ten grand a piece? I mean Graham of all people? He can’t stand us.”

“Graham wants to marry you and make a dozen little Ruby’s with you,” Emma said easily, having no filter between the alcohol she’d consumed and the amazing display she was witnessing on stage. “He just avoids you so he doesn’t have to watch you in huntress mode.”

“Wait… are you serious? You’re kidding, right?” Ruby asked, and for the first time ever Emma saw her friend look crestfallen. Was that interest in her eyes? Oh my god did Ruby feel the same way?!

“Holy shit you like him!” Anna screeched, pointing a finger at Ruby.

“No it’s worse – she loves him,” Tiana said with shock emanating from her every pore. “You really didn’t know about him?”

“No,” Ruby said shaking her head as if trying to make sense of it. “You’re sure that he wants me?”

“That man has wanted you forever, Ruby,” Elsa announced and they all agreed.

“Well okay then.”

Everyone went back to watching the performance, though Emma had been watching the whole time, not daring to look away. It was impossible not to stay focused on Killian through all of this, and in truth it was all so cheesy and ridiculous that she felt fit to burst. She couldn’t help but love this. This sappy, over the top thing was just right for her. She loved being in love with this man, and she lived for the feeling of his claiming her. This might be a somewhat silly way to do so, but tell that to her heart which was clenching in her chest as her whole body flooded with warmth. Her thoughts wandered from amusement and awe to naughtier places very quickly, and by the end of the song she was jonesing for a get away with her man. The place was filled with kind cheers and rowdy applause, but Killian just jumped down from the stage and headed towards her, pulling her in for a wordless kiss that lit her up inside and made her forget that they were out in a very public space.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Emma whispered as they came apart, looking into his eyes as she ran her fingertips across his jaw.

“I’d do anything for a moment with you, love. You know that.”

She did know that, and despite the break from tradition, Emma found that she loved this change in plans. It was so much fun to hang out with her friends tonight, but when Killian and his friends blended in, they didn’t miss a beat. Everyone was happy and enjoying themselves. There was some requisite teasing about their apparel (because despite Ruby’s insistence, penis paraphernalia was not the best accessory), and a few heated exchanges (most notable from Ruby and Graham who mysteriously disappeared for a while only to return hand in hand), but mostly there was just fun and good humor. Emma loved that, and found herself thinking how blessed she was to have this life and to share it with this man who she loved dearly.

“Nearly ready to head out, Swan?” he asked reading her mind a good while later when the lateness of the hour was starting to wear on her. But all it took was one look at her fiancé and the heated promise in his eyes for her to rally.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

And so, with a few merry goodbyes to all their friends, and a renewed sense of urgency to get back to their apartment, the two of them headed out towards a glorious night and a beautiful life together that was happy and healthy and whole.

……………………

Today is gonna be the day That they're gonna throw it back to you By now you should've somehow Realized what you gotta do I don't believe that anybody Feels the way I do, about you now Backbeat, the word was on the street That the fire in your heart is out I'm sure you've heard it all before But you never really had a doubt I don't believe that anybody Feels the way I do about you now And all the roads we have to walk are winding And all the lights that lead us there are blinding There are many things that I Would like to say to you but I don't know how Because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me And after all, you're my wonderwall Today was gonna be the day But they'll never throw it back to you By now you should've somehow Realized what you're not to do I don't believe that anybody Feels the way I do, about you now And all the roads that lead you there are winding And all the lights that light the way are blinding There are many things that I Would like to say to you but I don't know how I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me And after all, you're my wonderwall I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me And after all, you're my wonderwall I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me you're gonna be the one that saves me you're gonna be the one that saves me

Post-Note: So there we have it – just a little teasing, flirty, fluffy fic for today. We have literally endless amounts of stories like this in this mixtape collection, but every time I find myself thoroughly excited to write a love story for these characters. Crazy to think how long it has been since the show ended, but somehow I know that my muse still has many more stories to share. Thanks again for reading, and I hope you’ll let me know what you think! I love to hear from you all, and if you have songs you want included (or if you feel I need a gentle reminder because I have taken an age and a day to write your prompt) let me know!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9,Part 10,Part 11, Part 12,Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24,Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31,Part 32, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37, Part 38,Part 39,Part 40, Part 41, Part 42, Part 43, Part 44, Part 45,Part 46,Part 47, Part 48, Part 49, Part 50, Part 51, Part 52, Part 53,Part 54,Part 55, Part 56, Part 57, Part 58, Part 59, Part 60,Part 61,Part 62, Part 63, Part 64, Part 65, Part 66, Part 67, Part 68,Part 69,Part 70, Part 71, Part 72, Part 73, Part 74, Part 75,Part 76,Part 77, Part 78, Part 79, Part 80, Part 81, Part 82, Part 83,Part 84,Part 85, Part 86, Part 87, Part 88, Part 89, Part 90,Part 91,Part 92, Part 93, Part 94, Part 95, Part 96, Part 97, Part 98,Part 99,Part 100, Part 101, Part 102, Part 103,Part 104, Part 105,Part 106, Part 107,Part 108, Part 109, Part 110,Part 111, Part 112,Part 113, Part 114, Part 115,Part 116, Part 117, Part 118,Part 119,Part 120, Part 121, Part 122, Part 123,Part 124, Part 125,Part 126, Part 127, Part 128,Part 129,Part 130, Part 131,Part 132,Part 133, Part 134, Part 135, Part 136, Part 137, Part 138,Part 139,Part 140, Part 141, Part 142, Part 143, Part 144, Part 145,Part 146, Part 147, Part 148,Part 149, Part 150, Part 151,Part 152, Part 153, Part 154, Part 155, Part 156, Part 157, Part 158,Part 159, Part 160, Part 161, Part 162, Part 163, Part 164,Part 165, Part 166, Part 167, Part 168, Part 169, Part 170,Part 171,Part 172, Part 173, Part 174, Part 175, Part 176,Part 177, Part 178, Part 179 , Part 180, Part 181, Part 182, Part 183, Part 184, Part 185, Part 186, Part 187, Part 188, Part 189, Part 190

[h-styles-babes]

TWELVE

The next day was a long recording day. No one seemed to be able to agree on anything, and it wasn’t because everyone had opposing views; it was because nothing sounded right, and only three weeks in, it seemed like everyone was experiencing some sort of creative fatigue. Everyone seemed to be dragging their feet, and Harry complained once or twice about not being able to write songs. They were pretty much stumped on the songs they were already mid-production on, so they’d suggested Harry take some time to try to complete some songs he had in the works. That wasn’t working out so well either, evidently.

Everyone straggled around the studio until nearly ten that night, everyone finally just giving up and calling it a night, citing that a good night’s rest would help them replenish their creative flow. While everyone that was set up in nearby hotels got cabs to take them back into the city, Sia wandered to the kitchen, hoping to find a snack that would help her settle down for the night. But after a few minutes of searching and pondering, Sia realised that she was too frustrated with how the session had gone to let her mind settle. She shut the refrigerator door once more with a heavy sigh and glanced over her shoulder.

The moon was full that night, shining in all its splendour on the rippling waves of the water and sparkled on the fine sands of the beach. It looked so inviting that Sia was already opening the back sliding door before she had even made the conscious decision to go outside and down to the beach.

All the doors and windows in the house were set with security sensors, and it beeped when any of them were opened. When the three little chirps sounded out, Harry looked over the back of the couch from where he’d been playing a game on his phone. He saw Sia standing in the open doorway, moonlight washing over her face, illuminating her profile. It’d been a long time since he’d taken just a few moments to really admire how beautiful she was. Sure, he knew she was beautiful. They’d been in a relationship for years and friends for even longer, so he was always aware of her good looks. However, in that moment with the natural lighting grazing the high points of her face, she looked like a goddess. It felt like a punch in the chest when he felt those familiar butterflies take flight in his stomach.

“Goin’ for a walk?” Harry asked her, making her quickly turn to look at him. She hadn’t realised he was sitting there.

“Yeah. Need to let myself calm down from all this stress today. Beach looked good.”

“Mind if I join yeh? Need a few minutes myself, I reckon,” Harry told her, already standing. He’d changed since they’d been in the studio. He’d been wearing loose-fit jeans and an Eagles t-shirt, but now he was in a very old, very hole-y, Rolling Stones tee that Sia was pretty sure he’d owned since he was seventeen, and a pair of athletic shorts that were a bit too short by American standards, but no one looked twice at in the UK. He looked comfortable and snuggly, and Sia had a sudden urge to plop herself on the couch and pull him beside her and just cuddle. While the thoughts were no longer unpleasant, they were still a bit jarring, and she blinked a few times to dispel the feeling.

“Sure. Could use the company, I guess. Plus Mitch would probably pitch a fit if he knew I went out alone this late,” Sia said with an affectionate roll of her eyes.

Harry motioned for Sia to exit the house before him, closing the slider behind himself once he stepped out.

“You and Mitch have gotten close, I take it,” Harry commented as they made their way across the bridge that connected the property to the beach. Sia kicked off her sandals as soon as her feet touched the sand.

“Yeah. He’s like my American Ellen,” Sia joked. “Let’s me vent to him and just offers advice. No judgement, no harsh words. I mean, Ellen can be a bitch, but it’s out of love. Mitch is like Ellen, but without the harsh reality side. Give him a few months, though. He might start puttin’ me in my place.” Sia chuckled, just imagining Mitch actually saying something unkind. It wasn’t easy to picture. “Is always lookin’ after me, checkin’ in whenever I’ve wandered off. He’s been a good friend.”

Harry cleared his throat. They had taken up a slow but steady place along the shore, right at the edge of where the water washed up, letting the waves wash over their toes. There were a couple of bonfires off in the distance, creating dots of bright orange along the coast. The sound of the lapping water was loud in the quietness of the night. The surf was calm, the waves no bigger than half a meter. Everything was just as Sia had imagined it would be. It made her wonder why she didn’t take advantage of the beautiful beaches back in LA more often. Maybe now she wouldn’t take them for granted.

“I uh…I was the one that sent him out lookin’ for you that first time,” Harry admitted, sounding a little bashful in his delivery.

Sia looked over at him, having to tilt her head up slightly to accommodate for their height difference. The moonlight was so bright that she could see the slight pink tinge of his cheeks and the high points of his ears.

She waited a beat before responding, “I know. Mitch told me.”

Harry hummed, dipping his chin to his chest. “Wanted to go myself, but thought better of it. Mitch said he’d go for me. Just didn’t want yeh gettin’ lost out here by yourself in the dark.”

Sia bit at the inside of her cheeks, contemplating how exactly she was going to respond. Her and Harry were still in this delicate place between tipping to hating each other again or tipping to becoming friends like they once were. She didn’t want to go back to yelling at each other and avoiding each other at all costs. Everything she’d conditioned in herself over the last year told her to tell him he needed to mind his own business, because she was none of his concern anymore, but she kept reminding herself that they were working toward being friends again.

“I know I’ve bit your head off about it a couple times before,” Sia began hesitantly, dipping her head down to look at her feet as they shuffled through the packed sand, “but I do actually appreciate your concern. Kinda miss havin’ someone look after me. Not that I’m not capable of lookin’ after myself. But…” Sia shrugged, “yeh know.”

Harry stopped walking, and Sia only walked past him for a pace or two before realising he was behind her. She turned on her heel and looked at him. He had his head tilted down to his feet, both hands shoved in his pockets. His toes were wiggling in the damp sand.

“What?” Sia asked, very aware that he was toying with something he wanted to tell her in his mind.

Harry sighed before looking back up at her, giving her the courtesy of looking her in the eyes. “I know we agreed to not dive into all our shit, but, I feel like it’s doing ourselves a disservice if we don’t at least talk about something. It just eats at me sometimes.”

Sia felt her jaw clenching in an automatic reaction to Harry’s confrontation. And it wasn’t even really a confrontation, it was more of a pleading suggestion, and it was one that was a long time coming. She had really got to get over her split-second reactions to all the things that Harry did, otherwise she’d be sprouting grey hairs before the end of this all.

“Can we…” Sia began, trying to unclench her teeth. She looked around and spotted a fairly big boulder that looked like it would do for a bit of seating while they were hashing things out. “Can we at least go sit for this?” she asked, gesturing to where she’d seen the rock, just a little ways down the shore.

Harry nodded and silently followed her, helping her take a seat before he arranged a comfortable position for himself. For thinking he was ready to have this conversation with her, he was feeling a lot of nerves about opening up the communication about what it was that had went wrong between them. He didn’t want it to be the beginning of the end yet again.

When Harry had been silent for longer than Sia was comfortable with, she sighed and looked over at him. He had a nearly violent grip on his lower lip with his index finger and thumb, turning the skin a pale colour.

“Know I’ve said it before, but it really wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Harry started before Sia could say anything to prompt him. She started ringing her hands together in anticipation and nervousness.

She wasn’t sure she was ready for this, but everyone in her life had assured her that she was more than ready, and she was more than strong enough to deal with it. She just had to stop convincing herself that it would push her over the edge and past her limits. She had made it through the trauma itself and was functioning as a normal, productive, sound person. She had to believe that dealing with it alongside the other person that was involved would only help her heal. It was the only way she was going to stop herself from freaking out further.

“What was it supposed to be like, then?” Sia asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She couldn’t look Harry in the eye, or even in the general direction of his face. She kept her eyes trained towards the ocean, watching the waves swell and crash against the sand. That was sort of how her life felt over the last year. A big swell of goodness and happiness and progress right before it all came crashing down, breaking against the shore and scattering in different directions. It kept happening to her over and over again, and she so badly wanted off the ride.

“I just…needed time,” Harry stumbled out. He ran his hand through his hair, lightly tugging at the strands. “Everythin’ was changing. Zayn left. The band was endin’. No one really knew what the fuck we were doing past early December. August was kinda the beginnin’ of the end.”

Sia clenched her jaw against his reasoning. Was he serious?

“So that meant the end of us, too? I was just another thing who’s ties needed to be cut? That’s fuckin’ fantastic, Harry. Really glad the three years in a relationship and over a decade of friendship meant so much to you.”

She moved to press herself up and off the rock, already regretting allowing herself to even begin this conversation. All this time she had spent convincing herself that speaking with Harry and forming some sort of new relationship with him was the best for her mental health and her own piece of mind had all been a waste. Her therapist would be getting a phone call in the morning.

“Wait!” Harry shouted, his voice sounding much too loud in the quietness of the evening. His hand darted out and grabbed ahold of her wrist gently, urging her to stay put and not walk away from him like she’d done countless times before. Doubtlessly, she’d been entitled to the storm-off before, but he thought they were past that now. They needed to talk, and he wasn’t going to just let her walk away this time.

“That’s not…” Harry rushed to get out, making sure she was still sitting on the rock beside him. “That’s not what I meant, love. I didn’t wanna drag you into all that shit with me. You were on the verge of startin’ your dream career. What woman wants to have a boyfriend that wanders aimlessly because he has no idea where his life is going? I just needed time to get my shit together after the end of the band, and I didn’t wanna pull you down in my slump.”

“So you broke up with me ‘for my own good’?” Sia asked, genuinely confounded. She didn’t think she’d ever furrowed her brow so hard before. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me?”

“It wasn’t just about you!” Harry insisted, trailing his hand from where it had still had a grip on her wrist to hold hers. He didn’t dare intertwine their fingers, so he kept them palm to palm, his fingers curled around the back of her hand. Just as a way to keep her anchored to him, at least for the duration of their conversation. “I didn’t want it fucking us up. Our friendship didn’t deserve a disastrous falling out because I was lazing around, unable to pull my life together. I swore I’d never be able to forgive myself if that happened.”

Harry swallowed harshly as he watched Sia watch him. Her eyes flitted around his face, most likely searching for any signs of insincerity, but he knew she wasn’t going to find any.

“I know that was selfish and stupid of me, but it was comin’ from a good place. I was tryin’ to preserve our friendship. Then, maybe if I got my shit together, we could go back to how we were.”

“That obviously didn’t happen,” Sia reminded him, not so kindly. “And somehow, finding you on a yacht with a model you’d claimed over and over again was just a friend just weeks after your last appearance with the boys doesn’t scream ‘man trying to get his shit together to get back with his ex-girlfriend.’”

Harry flinched at the venom in her voice, but she couldn’t find it in her to care. He deserved the ridicule and the harsh words. Nothing about his behaviour in those months after One Direction broke up spoke to the words he was trying to convince her of now. What man is spotted and photographed with his hands on the ass of another woman and then claims he’d broken up with his ex in order to try to preserve their relationship? Sia was calling absolute bullshit on that one.

“We were on holiday and drunk most of the time.”

“With your mum in tow? I’m sure Anne loved that.”

“She was just a…”

“Rebound? Booty call? Easy fuck? Pick one, Harry.”

“We’d been separated for months. Like you haven’t been with others since then.”

Sia was clenching her jaw so hard that it was beginning to hurt. She’d be paying for it the following day.

“No, actually, I haven’t. Unlike the other half of this relationship, I went into mourning after the end of my three year partnership that I’d thought was the be all end all for me.”

Harry would never realise the double meaning of her statement.

Sia couldn’t handle this conversation anymore. So much for taking a calming walk to shake off all the stress from the day. Now she was just more stressed, her shoulders up by her ears and her teeth audibly grinding against each other. And she was angry. She needed to go.

She pushed herself up from the rock they were sat on, and this time she didn’t let Harry’s protest stop her. She was already five meters away before Harry caught up to her, gently grabbing at her wrist once again. She shook him off and he let her, making sure she knew that his contact was only to get her to slow down and recognise his presence.

For all her initial anger at his comment and the reaction it had drawn out of her, the brisk walk she’d taken away from him and his appearance made her come to her senses.

She really had no right to be holding this grudge nearly a year on, and he was right, even if his argument sounded a little childish. They hadn’t been together anymore, so he really had no obligation to stay away from any women or abstain from sex. Sure she was hurt that he’d moved on so quickly after he’d broken up with her and had claimed that it was for the best for the both of them, but that didn’t justify her continued anger over the matter. She had bigger emotional things to worry about, and her fictionalised version of Harry that had been unfaithful was unfair to both him and herself. She needed to move past it.

Sia stopped suddenly, causing Harry to nearly trip over his own feet as he hurried to meet her movements. She stared down at her feet, and Harry watched as she chewed at her bottom lip. He wasn’t sure what it was that had her thinking so hard, but he hoped this wasn’t her shutting down even more.

After what seemed like hours, but was really only a few moments, Sia finally looked up at him, looking much less tense than she had just a few minutes before. Harry didn’t want to get his hopes up, though.

“I’m sorry,” Sia said, shaking her head, though she looked more exasperated with herself than anything else. “I overreacted. I’ve been overreacting for months now. It wasn’t fair to you, and I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Harry asked, genuinely confused by her apology. He had never questioned her anger at him over the breakup and the subsequent events that led to their falling out. It had hurt him to see her so angry and knowing it was his fault, but he’d never been upset with her over it. So her apology was out of left field for him.

“For holding this grudge against you for no reason. I don’t apologise for my initial anger over the breakup, but I do apologies for all these months of animosity. Cutting you out of my life completely and making our families our go-betweens was childish. I don’t wanna do all this anymore, Harry.”

“So…?”

“So I’m calling a cease-fire,” she stated succinctly. “No more harsh words, no more heightened guards, no more tension. I want my childhood friend back.”

Harry was sure he had never smiled harder in his life.

[jojoreadwhat]

You are the best, please don't ever change on me. | p. k. x fem!reader

a/n; just a little something I thought up. nothing special, enjoy. x

prompt; messy breakfast fun with paul jason klein of LANY.

warnings; shower sex, strong language, lots of fluff, pancake batter.

inspiration;

+

It was little ways before two in the afternoon when you woke to the smell of coffee being brewed. Clinging the soft duvet closer to your bare skin. Smiling to the sweet bean as it continued to rejuvenate your senses. You sat up slowly, yawning off whatever slumber you had left. Before looking out the window glazed in a warm glow from the sun.

You met the rug with you feet when you adjusted yourself off to the side. Walking over to the bathroom, making yourself up. Nothing major, just a quick brushing and messy bun that was already coming undone. Pulling on fresh panties and finding a loose tee of Paul's on the floor. Slipping it over your frame as it rested over your thighs before heading through the hall.

You walked through your Malibu condo, greeting your dog Max. Before following the whistling melody coming from the kitchen. You smiled when you grew closer, noticing the back of a shirtless Paul, in joggers resting low along his waist. Going through the cabinets for something to make.

Paul and you had been together for a while now. You had met after a show a friend had dragged you to and instantly clicked. Recently you had moved in when he came back from tour. It's been one of the best decisions, nothing but fun and catching up from the time apart. Moments like this one, were just more of a reason to enjoy it more.

You crept closer towards an unaware Paul humming now before your arms made it around his waist. Slightly jumping from being startled by you till he relaxed. Grabbing your hands and you kissed the middle of his back. "You little creep" He joked, before turning around and facing you. Leaning down with his hands on your face, to give you a proper morning kiss.

"Morning, babe." He said again, his voice still raspy indicating he hasn't been up long. Moving some of his dark chocolate curls as you looked up at him. Leaning into him more from the touch of his hands on your waist.

You smiled, kissing swiftly again, "Whatcha doing?" You asked, noticing a box of pancakes mix and strawberries on the counter behind him. He looked in the direction you were staring in, "I was going to make you breakfast." He mentioned then, "Would you like to help?"

Your smile became brighter than what it was, "Absolutely!" Before going to grab the cutting board to work on the strawberries.

Paul put on some classic rock tunes, mixing up the batter and cooking them up. Giving you advantages of tasting all of what he was cooking first. As he snuck strawberries out of the bowl. From time to time mouthing to words. Pulling you into the middle of the kitchen whenever something slow played and kissing you too.

Not too long after, he fished out some plates for you both. Setting up a stack for each of you as you dropped the berries all over it. Topping the pancakes off with whipped cream.

You were watching the cream swirl out of the can when it hit an air pocket and sprayed erratically.

Landing on Paul.

Your hand immediately went up to your mouth as you gasped. Watching a closed eyed Paul wiping the cream from under one before his green eyes opened back at you.

"I'm so sorry!" You exclaimed, but kinda not meaning it because in all, it made you giggle. He smirked, deviously at you. "Was it funny?" He mocked, you bit your lip lightly. Shrugging, "Kinda?" You replied weary, hearing a soft, playful huff vibrate from his lips.

He wrapped his hand to the small of your back, pulling you closer. "That's cute." He spoke once more, your eyes to locked on his. Not noticing that he had other plans and his free hand was reaching for something next to you.

Whipped cream.

"Paul!" You cried when his hand met your cheek, now covered in it. Starting World War III between you in kitchen. Paul kept spraying the cream and you got away enough to grab the full can left in the fridge. Running around the island and ducking whenever you saw him press the nozzle.

Soon you had emptied the cans and were left with a complete mess, all over your kitchen and it's floor. All over Paul and you. You guys couldn't stop laughing as you sat on the counter. Watching Paul finish up wiping one of the cabinets.

"You look a mess." You had mentioned like he forgot, Paul flashed a smile. "Well you had to whip me first." Winking at you, you rolled your eyes. "But I said I was sorry!" You exclaimed, feeling your stomach flutter when he chuckled, moving between your legs and bringing your face to his.

He kissed you softly, his lips feeling divine against yours. Before pulling away to look at you sweetly, taking his index along your cheek, still covered and watching him taste the cream.

"Lets go get cleaned up." He finished then, you nodded. About to hop off the counter before Paul threw you over his shoulder. You complained but it became no use when he had you halfway near the staircase.

--

Feeling the steam of the shower nearby after Paul set up the temperature. Paul helped you undress in the middle of the bathroom. Giggling at his lips attacking your exposed skin and your hands untying his waistband.

Taking his hand into yours as you led him into the stand up, allowing the water to hit your body. You began with Paul first, taking his washcloth and squeezing body wash onto it. Moving your hand over his broad chest and shoulders. Down his torso and so on.

You got a little risky, moving the cloth around his shaft. Hearing a light hum and his eyes close shut when you grew closer and cleaned him up. It turned you on completely on what your touch could do, and he knew. Opening his eyes back down at you before his hand met your cheek and leaning down to kiss you. Slow, but hard, eager. His lips trailing to your jaw and let a breath from it.

"Your turn, baby." He said softly, turning you around with your back against his chest.

Paul stood behind you, reaching in front of you. Taking the loofah into his hands and putting soap onto it. Sweet vanilla soothing your senses along with Paul's gentle touch. As he ran the loofah across your shoulders, to your neck and over the beginnings of your chest. His other hand resting on your waist, as you sunk into him more and your head leaned onto his shoulder.

It exposed your neck to him, Paul taking advantage of this as his lips clung themselves to it. Kissing sweetly along the tender skin, pulling it between his lips, nipping too and you moaned into the sudden feeling. Giving him the go as Paul's exploration continued, no longer holding the loofah and running the foam further on.

His hands meeting your harden nipples, taking one between his fingers before the other and his hand then going over your stomach.

You were lost within his touch, your arm over your head and around his neck. Giving him all of you as he worked. Your breath picking up. His hand reaching over your area, before it lowered, finding your lips. You gasped lightly at his long fingers meeting between your folds, finding your pearl. Running slow circles as his free arm wrapped further around your waist. Holding you.

You moaned. Whimpering a little and your head falling back to his shoulder. "Does that feel good?" He purred against your ear, barely being able to reply but you nodded as your lips fell open again.

"Do you want more?" He asked again, as he rubbed harder against your clit. Not being able to reply at first, "Baby." His lips still at your ear, "Tell me what you need."

You moaned again, beginning to find the strength to answer. "Y-you." You shuttered, "You." Your heart raced even more at the sound of Paul's chuckle. "Good." Before his hand left you and he turned you around swiftly. Immediately meeting his lips with yours, his hands cupping your face and backing you up to the tile aligned the wall.

He toyed with for a little longer, his lips never leaving you. His hands all over you, pulling your hair slightly as he attacked your neck again. You enjoyed his moans as you stroked him your hand.

You couldn't wait to feel him as he built up your anticipation. It was growing close as his hands finding your waist, to your leg when he rested around him. You watched as you continued to run your hand over his shaft. Bringing him closer to you and feeling his tip nearing your entrance. Giving him the go to thrust into you slowly.

You gasped at the sudden shock to your core but it lessened quickly. His hand still resting on your leg wrapped around him. The other leaning above your head, beginning to gently hold onto your neck and jaw. Locking eyes with you.

Your moans and whimpers, cascaded against the sound of the shower. You were in love with the way he watched you. You were in love with the way the water covered his skin. The way he sounded along with you, how hot his breath felt when he got close to your neck.

You were in love with everything about him and how he was making you feel. How he picked up from time to time, but he was so sensual, so slow. Wanting nothing but for you to feel what he felt for you.

You were growing close to your peak, beginning to feel weak, dizzy. He noticed, picking you up now, your legs wrapped completely him and his head resting against yours. Pinning your hands above your head.

"Come for me, baby." Paul repeated into your ear.

Beginning to pick up erratically now, you moaned loudly, overwhelmed. The sensation building like electric waves, crying and calling out his name as you came. Riding out intensely as Paul hit his, releasing inside of you and his teeth gripping at the skin of your shoulder.

He never let you go once your feet hit the ground. Holding you, kissing you over and over as your fingers were wrapped in his damp locks. Trying to regain your breath back.

He smiled at your satisfied sigh, still in a haze by the euphoric comedown as he kissed the top of your hair.

“Pancakes all the time from now on.”

[theladyofdeath]

Alone in the Ashes {16}

 A Court of Thorns and Roses fanfction, characters belong to Sarah J Maas. Modern au. Revolves around Nesta x Cassian, Feyre x Rhysand, and Elain x Azriel. Other characters appear throughout. Based on multiple prompts sent in by anons tbr below.

Warning: Mature content. Alcohol abuse, verbal abuse, drugs, sex, language, eating disorders.

For summary & chapter index, click >  Alone in the Ashes {Acotar}

Word Count: 2.7k

A/N: It may be short but it’s still a hot mess. I should start naming my chapters like Friends episodes. This one is a tie between “The one before the weekend away” and “The one where Mor ships Elriel.”

Comment to tell me what you think, or to be tagged! x

“The marks humans leave are too often scars.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Cassian had called to tell his coworkers that he couldn’t come in, but neglected to tell them it was because of a massive hangover. It didn’t help, either, when he decided to take Bryaxis for a walk around noon and found Tomas leaving Nesta’s apartment.

“Later,” he grinned, leaving Cassian staring at Nesta’s door.

He should have just walked away, should have let it go.

But he couldn’t.

He slammed his fist against her door, over and over again, until she opened it up. She wore an oversized hoodie and a pair of jogging shorts. Her golden-brown hair was in a high pony-tail, her feet bare.

When she saw Cassian, she hesitated, but the look of surprise quickly faded and was replaced with something hard and dismissed. “I was just leaving.”

“I’m coming in,” Cassian grunted, and as she was protesting, he stormed past her. “Have fun last night?”

“You don’t want to know the answer to that any more than I want to answer it,” Nesta said. She left her door open and didn’t stray from the threshold. 

Cassian turned to look at her and shrugged. “Well?”

“Well, what?” she asked, exhausted. 

“I deserve an explanation,” he said, as if it were obvious. 

Nesta sighed, rubbing her temples. “Look, Cassian, we hung out, we had fun, and now my boyfriend is back. Okay?”

Cassian chuckled, shaking his head. “I know you, Nesta, and you can’t hide from the fact that you just cringed when you said the word boyfriend. The guy’s a jackass, Nes.”

Nesta’s eyes narrowed. “Says you of all people.”

Cassian stilled. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You just wanted me for sex!” she said, throwing her hands in the air. “You’re just like every other guy I’ve ever been with. Try to impress me, fuck me, call it a night. It was only a matter of time before you got bored. Trust me, I’m doing you a favor. The sex was great while it lasted, but you’re free now.”

She stepped aside.

The way out was clear. 

Cassian didn’t move. “Do you seriously think that’s what I think of you? That you’re a fucking sex toy?” 

Nesta wouldn’t look at him as she said, “Don’t make a scene, Cassian. You look ridiculous.”

Cassian’s jaw went rigid. Bryaxis looked up at Cassian, noticing his change in posture. “Nesta…”

She stared at the floor. “Please leave.” 

Cassian stayed where he was. He had to say it, had to confess. What she did after was up to her. “Nesta, I love y-”

“Stop!” she cried, and when she looked up, her eyes held such pain and misery that Cassian thought he’d been punched in the gut. “Don’t. Shut the fuck up. Okay? Stop. Just...Just. Fucking. Go. Please.”

Cassian’s lips snapped shut as he nodded, slowly. Bryaxis whined at his feet. “Fine. Alright. Whatever.”

He walked toward the door and when he had met Nesta where she stood, he took a step closer to her, took her face into his hands, and brought her mouth to his. He kissed her slowly, savoring every second that passed, every second he got to taste her lips.

Nesta didn’t fight him.

But she didn’t touch him, either. Her hands stayed by her sides.

When he pulled back, Nesta’s eyes were shut.

Cassian dropped his hands, whistled for Bryaxis to follow, then he was out the door, walking away.

He didn’t look back.

~~~~~

Nesta closed her front door, quietly, and leaned back against it, slumping down until she was sitting on the cold, hardwood floor.

She knew she was crying, knew there were tears streaming down her face, but she was grateful she held it in until he left.

He was going to tell her that he loved her.

And oh, what a mistake that would have been.

Nesta knew who she was.

She was a bitch. A no-good, personality-less, empty bitch. She had done horrible things throughout her life. She knew where her place was, knew what to expect out of this life. 

As she wept in the entryway of her apartment, Nesta knew she had done the right thing.

Her heart was broken, shattered, but she had done the right thing.

She would have given anything to be loved by Cassian, but he deserved better than her. Women like Nesta were meant for men like Tomas.

Not men like Cassian.

Cassian was caring, thoughtful, kind. His heart was pure. A true gentleman...until that dark, seductive glare formed in his beautiful hazel eyes. And when he did make love, he made it well. 

Cassian was a good man.

The best.

And Nesta Archeron didn’t deserve a good man.

Because even though she loved him, too, she would never be able to admit it. She loved him too much to make him spend his days with her. If she let it continue, the days would pass, then the weeks, the months, the years. Eventually, he’d propose. And, being in love with him, she would say yes. And as time went on, she would find a way to mess it up. He would grow to resent her.

He would become unhappy, because who the fuck could be happy with a woman like her?

No. 

Nesta wouldn’t do that, not to him.

He deserved better. He deserved it all.

Better to break his heart now, before his love could be declared, then to let it go on and disappoint him, later. 

Even though breaking his heart meant breaking her own.

But, she had done the right thing.

Even if she regretted making him stop. She should have let him finish, should have let him say it, just once.

Nesta, I love you.

Nesta wiped her face with the back of her sleeves before picking herself up off the floor, her run long forgotten as she slumped down the hall, to the bathroom.

She opened the top drawer.

Pulled out Tomas’ pain pills.

Using the glass toothbrush holder, Nesta ground the pills into a fine powder, once again.

Yes.

Cassian deserved better.

~~~~~

The bell rang as Azriel stepped into the fancy children’s boutique. His jeans were splattered with paint, although his black tee was clean. He hadn’t been wearing it while he painted, hopeful that Elain would get off early and catch him.

She didn’t.

True to his word, he went to her work, ready to pick her up for lunch. When he walked through the door, she caught his eye and smiled while she was talking to an elderly woman. He let her do her job and started to wander around. He had never seen so much pink, frilly shit in his life. He picked up a dress, one that he thought Mila might like, and looked at the price tag.

He quickly put it back. 

Suddenly, he was terrified to touch anything. 

Just as he thought to wait outside, Elain called his name.

He spun around, smiling when he caught her smiling up at him. She must have run home after he left, because her makeup was flawless and her hair hung in loose waves. She wore a little black dress with tights and ankle boots.

That morning, when he left, her face was bare, her hair a mess, and she was still half-nude from their almost-love making session in the middle of the night.

Her cheeks turned pink, as if she knew the thoughts that were running through his mind, making his heart beat wildly.

He kissed her on the cheek. “You look nice.”

“Thank you,” she said, quietly. “Lunch?”

“Anywhere you want,” he said. “That...can fit into the one hour slot that is your lunch break.” 

She laughed and nodded. “Perfect.”

After grabbing her bag, clocking out, and telling her boss she’d be back, she was walking down the sidewalk, hand in hand, with Azriel. 

“What are you hungry for?” he asked.

She thought about it for a moment before suggesting, “Tacos? There’s a food truck just up here my boss goes to all the time. She says it’s amazing.”

“Everybody loves tacos,” Azriel said, fingers tightening around her hand. “I should bring some home to Mor. She took Mila to school this morning which means she had to put a bra on before noon. She always gets cranky when she has to put a bra on before noon.”

Elain laughed, voice bright. “Ah, every woman gets cranky when they have to put on a bra. It’s truly tragic. The worst part of womanhood. Well...definitely in the top ten.”

Azriel chuckled. “I’m not sad to say I wouldn’t know.”

Elain rolled her eyes and nudged him in the side. “Men.”

Azriel grinned as they came up on a row of food trucks near the heart of the city. Azriel asked Elain to find a seat while he ordered. And once he did, and was carrying boxes full of tacos, he found Elain sitting beautifully by a fountain of the goddesses. Water was pouring from their mouths, in true fountain-fashion. 

He set a box in front of her. “Chicken and rice.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” he murmured, opening his own box. He got one for Mor, too. He’d bring it to her once he walked Elain back to work. 

Elain told him about her day as she ate, and he told her what he’d done that morning to finish up at her dad’s.

“Oh! Speaking of that, I have exciting news, I completely forgot,” she said, setting down her fork and clapping her hands.

Azriel raised a brow.

“That townhouse I applied for? I got it,” she beamed. “I can move in this weekend. I was...hoping you could help?”

“Of course,” he said, smiling. “That’s great, I’m so happy for you. I’ll get Cassian to help, too.”

“Thank you,” she said, eyes soft. She reached across the table and squeezed his hand.

They ate the rest of their lunch in easy, light conversation before Azriel walked her back to work and kissed her goodbye before hopping into his truck and driving home. 

Mor was doing yoga when he walked in.

“Good, I just started,” she said. “Put on your yoga pants, Az. Join me.”

Azriel snorted. “No, thanks. I did bring you lunch though. Tacos. Really fucking good, too.”

“Aw,” she smiled, moving into her next pose. “Aren’t you the sweetest?”

“Yes,” he sighed. “I am. How did Mila do this morning?”

“Awesome,” she said. “She really seems to like it there. She introduced me to her teacher, her friends, the class hamster, and every one of the dolls and stuffed animals in the play area.”

Azriel laughed. “Sounds right. You’re lucky, though. I only got to meet Deano the dinosaur. All the other stuffed animals were too important for me.”

Mor grinned, falling onto her mat. “So. Elain-”

Azriel groaned. “Stop asking me about my sex life, please.”

“We all know this is much more than just sex,” Mor crooned.

Azriel plopped down on the couch and popped open a can of Coke. “Fine. Stay out of my….”

“Love life?” Mor implied, eyebrows wiggling. When Azriel didn’t reply, she rolled her eyes. “Az, you’ve never even said that word to a woman, have you?”

“Haven’t found a woman I’ve loved. No need to say it if it’s not true.”

“Before Elain?” Mor asked.

Azriel shot her a glare. 

Mor’s eyes softened as she said, “You two are really good together.” 

“You’ve mentioned,” Azriel muttered.

“Look, on Saturday night, I’m taking Mila to the movies. And you, Azriel, are finally going to make love to that sweet, amazing woman.”

Azriel choked on his drink. 

Mor just patted his knee until he was done. “Great. It’s a date night, then.”

She left him on the couch, still halfway choking, to eat her tacos.

~~~~~

“He didn’t go to work today?”

“No,” Amren said, voice hard. “And he’s gone jogging three times today. I’ve tried to go talk to Nesta twice today, but she keeps telling me to fuck off.”

“Hmm,” Rhysand said, into his phone. “I would ask Feyre what happened, but she doesn’t talk to her sister.”

“Something went down,” Amren said. “Something bad, Rhys. I haven’t seen Cassian this pissed in a while. He doesn’t handle this shit well. When I got back this morning from going out with my old work friends, at around two, he was passed out drunk in his bed, sleeping upside down with his socks on. He was sleeping with his fucking socks on, Rhys. He hates socks on when he sleeps.”

Rhysand sighed. “I’ll try calling him again but I doubt he’ll answer.”

“Well, try,” Amren muttered. “He’s a mess.”

“I will,” he promised.

“Thanks,” Amren said. “Tell Feyre I say hi.”

“Will do.”

He hung up just as the front door opened and Feyre came in. She smiled when she saw him sitting at the table, covered in food and candles.

“I wasn’t expecting dinner,” she said, slipping off her shoes. 

“Don’t get too excited,” Rhysand laughed. “It’s from the diner across the street.”

Feyre grinned, sitting in the chair across from him. “Either way, it looks delicious. I’m starving.” 

“Dig in,” Rhysand urged, gesturing to her plate of pasta.

He watched her while she took a big, obnoxious bite and laughed. 

“Why are you watching me eat?” she asked, covering her mouth.

“I love you,” he said, softly. “So much.”

Feyre raised a brow. “I love you, too.”

Rhysand cleared his throat as he picked up his fork. “I thought we could go away this weekend. What do you think?”

Feyre started chewing slower. “Really? Where?”

“My mom’s old cabin, up in the mountains,” he said. “We could leave Friday after you get off and come back Sunday night. It’s only an hour drive.”

Feyre’s smile widened. “Yeah, okay. That sounds nice.”

“Good,” he said, a breath leaving his body. His whole plan revolved around her saying yes to the cabin. 

Feyre took another bite. “You’re acting weird.”

“What?” he asked. “No, I’m not.” 

“Yes, you are,” she said, eyes narrowing. “What are you hiding from me?”

I’m gonna ask you to marry me. No big deal.

“Nothing,” he said, stuffing his mouth with pasta. 

“Damn it, Rhys,” she began, setting down her fork. “Rhys, you’re hiding something from me.”

“I’m not,” he said, swallowing his noodles. 

“I know you,” she said, crossing her arms. “Tell me now.”

“It’s nothing,” he promised. 

“Tell me or I’m not going this weekend.”

Rhysand stilled, sighed, and set down his fork. “Fine. I…...I went to see Tamlin today.”

He wasn’t sure why he thought that was better than telling her he wanted to marry her, but it’s what came out. 

“You did what?” she asked, softly. “Why the hell did you do that?”

Rhysand rubbed his temples. “Look. We can’t live like this, Feyre. I love you. I want to be with you. And I want Tamlin to back the fuck off...so, that’s what I told him.”

Feyre said nothing.

“Hey..” Rhysand breathed, reaching across the table to take her hand. “I handled myself. I was….nice.” Feyre rolled her eyes. “I told him that you deserved better. Okay? That’s all.” 

Feyre sighed, wrapping her fingers around his. “I guess I can’t be mad at that. Thank you.”

He nodded. “Of course. Now, eat. This pasta’s delicious.”

Feyre smiled, softly. A minute passed before she asked, “Do you think that’s it, then? That Tamlin is done throwing his hissy fit?” 

“Yeah,” Rhysand said, smiling. “I do.”

Hopefully she didn’t see it for the lie he thought it was. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

tag List (to be tagged, comment or send me an ask!)

@throne-of-ashes-and-beauty  @starkovsnesta​   @redisriding​  @photofeesh

@mariamuses​   @tswaney17    @amaranthas-whore​   @awesomelena555

@danika-defendyr​  @rachaels14 @faequeenaelin​  @theshadowsinger-and-thefawn​

@hashtolanashoba  @poisonous00​  @chemicha @samotita​

@mynewdreamwasyou​ @humming-asong​  

@candid-confetti @awkward-avocado-s​

@my-fan-side @queen-of-glass​  @stars-falling​

@ifangirlninja  @sleeping-and-books  @burritowithfeels

@morebooks-pls @kindofawalkingpoem​

@sannelovesreading @empressnesrynfaliq​

@halstudies @sleeping-and-books​ @alwayss-reading​

@amren-courtofdreams  @b00kworm​

@wifeofchrishemsworth​  @booksstorm​

@goldr0ses @blackjacks-donuts​

@humanexile  @over300books​

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@girl-who-reads-the-books

@mis-lil-red

@shhhimreading03​

@emilyrose111294​

@negativenesta​

@argentumstella​

@itsme-malin

@flora-and-fae​

@feyrethedarklady​

@starryandbooks​

@gingerglides​

@gloriouspaintercreatorbandit​

@6255igntm​

@littlehoneyybee

@the-regal-warrior​

@awkward-avocado-s​

@aelin-rowan-whitehorn​

@julemmaes​

@regular-nessian-trash​  @made-of-stardust-and-wanderlust

@ugh-avila​  @awkward-avocado-s​

@superspiritfestival  @the-dark-swan​  @girlgotattitude448​  @eversincebeirut​

@midnightrose-reader​  @lord-douglas-the-third​  @thestarguidingyouhome​

@empress-ofbloodshed​  @starkovsnesta​ @nickjgoodsell​

Prompts:

{ “I’m gonna fuck you so hard that you forget you ever met that asshole” - Feysand } -anonymous

{ “How about Nessian needing to fake date when they go home for the holidays?!” } - anonymous

{ “could u pls do like an elriel fic where azriel is like this mysterious bad boy and elain is a goody two shoes lik aaaaa i cant get that image out of my head” } - anonymous

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Witness : 7

Just a Tuesday

moodboard created by @chuuulip

Character (s): dark!Bucky, later dark!Steve, too

Warnings: this is a dark!fic, it contains non/dubious-consent elements. Some violence as well at the beginning. It goes without (and with) that this is 18+.

Summary: Bucky arrives for his second visit and the reader faces punishment for trying to lie.

Notes: I am reposting this fic here. It was originally on ao3 but now it’s on tumblr too! If you read, I love feedback and would love any comments you have. And if you can, please share! Anyhow, enjoy :)

You were granted the sleep you had been denied in your own apartment. The wine and the night spent with someone you trusted let your body relax. You woke with a slight ache in your head. As if a pebble was bouncing around inside your skull with every move. Allie cooked you eggs and poured you a large glass of orange juice. It helped the roiling in your stomach.  You stayed until three o’clock. Reluctant to return to your apartment. But you had to say goodbye and head out before everything was closed. You stopped by the grocery store and grabbed the few staples you needed for the week, stopping by another shop to grab a new set of sheets and a new comforter. You would have to learn to sleep in your shame.

When you returned home, you washed your new sheets, this time playing some arcade game on your phone as you waited. Reality wasn’t easier now but you had come to accept that you had only those moments by yourself to enjoy. You should cherish what time you had free of Bucky’s grasp; or at least, those which felt free. He was still tracking you, watching you, taking account of your every move.

You made the bed but slept on the couch. Tried to at least. The same restlessness had returned. One day left. Time seemed so trivial when you had so little of it. Your alarm rang and you sat up, taking a moment in the dark to ready yourself for the day. A new week, a new office, a new routine. You would have to condition yourself to this new life. Let go of the old one.

The office was small but busy. The employees friendly and talkative. You were thankful as it helped distract you, but it also made the time pass quicker. The day was over before you knew it and you were once more sat behind your steering wheel in a trance. Twenty-four hours. He would return within the day. He would be waiting for you the very next night. Waiting, waiting, always waiting. For you. Always watching.

The six flights were harder to climb. The silent static of your apartment greeted you coldly. You laid in the tub for an hour, contemplating at how easy it would be to sink under the water and never rise. You were too much of a coward. You had proven that when you had foregone the barrel of Bucky’s gun. You had agreed to this, albeit under coercion, but you had. You needed to accept it. Get over it.

It was only a few hours. Hours of him touching you, inside of you. Playing with that part of you that was most vulnerable. And he had done it so well. You were filled with revulsion at the thought of how the ecstasy had filled you. Even as that voice inside told you it was wrong, it had nearly become drowned out by the rush of pleasure which had taken you. This wasn’t something you should relish in; merely something you must do.

You climbed out of the tub and dried off, loose shorts and a tee for pajamas. You flipped on the television and lay on the couch, half-dozing as the television babbled across from you. Your night was spent in the haze of the LED screen, falling in and out of sleep. Your alarm whistled its usual tune and you woke slowly, for once, wanting to stay and try to sleep some more.  You were groggy as you dressed, an extra cup of coffee before you left. You drove through your yawns, finding the same desk you had been shown the day before in already bustling office. You sat, waking as you settled into work. You functioned as a machine would, as if pre-programmed to follow the daily pattern. It was only when you looked at your watch and found only one hour left to you that it came flooding back.It was Tuesday.

The foreboding did not relent. The last hour was spent trying to think of anything else. Trying to write only to find scribbles instead of letters. Trying to escape somehow. Six o’clock came around and you reluctantly packed up your bag. The smiling goodbyes only added to your inner despair. These people, they didn’t know, couldn't know. How lucky that they would never be caught in any trap so horrible.

This time, you resisted the urge to drive in the other direction. Granted, it took you five minutes to turn the corner to your building and twice as long to force yourself from your car. You slung the strap of your bag and closed the car door, turning so quickly that yo collided with the figure waiting behind you. Bucky’s hands gripped your arms, helping you gain your balance as he looked down at you. You squeezed the strap of your bag nervously.

“I was starting to think you were never going to find the nerve,” He grinned.

“It’s not seven yet,” You declared as you double-checked your watch. “I have time.”

He tilted his head at the remark which you immediately regretted. He was amused. “Oh, have we found our spine?”

You snarled despite the fear bubbling in your stomach. He chuckled and let one hand fall from your arm, pulling you by the other. You followed. He was too strong to resist. His metal hand was latched onto you like a snake, drawing you into his coil. “Go on,” He shoved you ahead of him, “Lead the way.”

You punched in the entry code and passed through the painted door to the stairwell. You climbed, one hand on the banister and the other on your bag. Bucky was right behind you. His gaze was hot on your back. When you reached your loft, you pulled out your key and shoved it in the slot. Bucky pressed himself against you as you turned it, his erection already obvious through his jeans. You pushed inside and quickly scurried away from him. You removed your shoes and jacket, leaving your bag on the mat. Bucky removed his own boots, his coat beside yours. He caught you before you could flee further down the hallway.

“I didn’t forget,” He said, pulling you against him.

“What?” You breathed, trying not to choke on the air.

“That you lied to me.” You had forgotten, but only because you had been so distracted by the shadow of his visit. It had all become blurred. “Are you sorry?”

“Huh?” You must have looked like a fish on dry land.

“Apologize for lying.” He ordered, looming closer, as good as pinning you against the wall. “Make it believable and I may consider that punishment enough.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Your tongue fumbled over the words. You didn’t want to find out what he had planned for your original punishment.

“For?” He pressed closer, his cock twitching through the denim of his jeans.

“For l-l-lying,” You stuttered.

“I’m sorry for lying…” He prompted and you stared at him in confusion. He raised a brow and smirked, “Sir?”

“I’m sorry for lying, sir,” You repeated through gritted teeth.

Your mouth was acidic. You stared up into his eyes, pleading for him to accept the apology. Anything to make the night a little bit easier. He searched your face and released you, stepping away as he rubbed the crotch of his pants. “I don’t buy it,” He dropped his arms in exasperation, “Not good enough. You’ve been a bad girl, Y/N, which means I’ve taken it to easy on you. Let’s go.” He turned and marched down the hallway, pausing at the end to look back at you, “To the bedroom. Now.”

You shoved yourself away from the wall and followed him, a couple feet back. He entered the bedroom, pulling up the chair as you entered behind him. He sat down, the bulge in his jeans even more obvious as he spread his bent legs. He ran his fingers along his jaw and smirked.   “Undress,” He ordered. You flinched and breathed deep, bringing up your shaking hands to the top button of your blouse. “Ah,” He raised a finger, “I gave you an order, I expect a response. I will not keep repeating the rules.”

“Yes, sir,” You swallowed and looked away as you continued to fiddle with the buttons, unclasping each was like a stab in the heart.

You slid your blouse down your arms and let it fall to the floor. You dared to look at him and the smokiness in his eyes would have made you gasp if you could find your breath. You undid your fly, pulling off your pants and letting it rest at your feet with your shirt. You stood in your bra and panties, reaching back to unhook it. The cups went slack and you removed your bra, wishing he would tell you to stop, but he didn’t. His eyes urged you onward and you ripped down your underwear before you could lose the last of your nerve.

“Mm-mm-mm,” He smiled, shifting in his seat as he sat up straight, “Right, come here.” He pointed beside the chair. You neared his right side, his hand resting on your ass as he turned you. His hand trailed up your back and he pressed you so that that you were forced to bend. “On my lap,” He instructed and you realized what he was going to do.

“Yes, sir,” You mumbled as you positioned yourself across his legs, your head hanging just above your arms as you braced yourself over his thighs. His hand, thankfully not the one of metal, rubbed your ass, pinching at your flesh as his erection poked your side. He withdrew his hand, bringing it back down before you could react. You bit down, trying not to cry out as his palm landed flat across your bare ass.

“You can shout,” He said as he spanked you again, “In fact, I’d prefer it.” You kept quiet, your nostrils flaring as you hid your anger. “Count for me. That was two.” He brought his hand down once more.

“Three,” You forced out as the smack jolted your whole body. “Four.” Another, “Five,” Another, “Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. T-ten.” The last had your voice at a tantamount, not realizing how loud you had grown.

“Look at that,” He spread his hand across your burning ass, “I doubt that’s a lesson you’ll forget. Right?”

“Right,” You bristled as you remained across his lap, his hand scalding your ass where it lingered.

“You going to be a good girl now?” He asked as he removed his hand, pulling up your head by your ponytail.

“Yes, sir.” You answered with all the venom you could muster.

He shifted and moved you off of his lap. You were glad to be away from him. He stood and you backed away warily. He pulled his shirt over his head and let it crumple in the chair behind him. “On the bed,” He pointed. “Lay on your back.”

You let out a silent sigh and did as he said, climbing up on your mattress and laying on your back, crossing your legs and arms as if to shield yourself. He continued to undress, revealing his cock with a sigh of his own. He stroked it as he neared the bed, climbing up beside you. He sat on the edge of the bed, facing you. He reached up and took your hand from under your arm, placing it on his member.  You didn’t need him to tell you what to do, nor did you want to hear him say the words. You wrapped your fingers around his cock and closed your eyes, stroking him as he toyed with your breasts. He groaned as you kept your speed even, wishing for it just end. He stilled your hand and pulled away, parting your legs as he got on his knees between them. He ran his hands along your thighs, pelvis, stomach, and back down again.

He dragged a finger along your sex, finding your clit and drew circles around it. He added another finger and increased the pressure, the sensation making you squirm. So revolted by your physical reaction, you subconsciously reached down and tried to push him away. He batted your hands back with a warning look and continued to play with you.   He spread his fingers across your pelvis, his thumb caressing your clit, faster and faster. You closed your eyes, your hands in fists as you tried to ignore the rising tide. The wave broke and the orgasm washed over you like a splash in the face. You were panting but refused to exclaim. He continued despite the spasms twisting your body, as if he would not relent until you cried out. You came again and sat up, wriggling away from him in an attempt to make him back off.

“All you have to do is let it go,” He said in a low rasp, “It will be better if you let yourself relax,” His fingers returned to your clit, “And enjoy.”

“Please stop,” You whined, “I can’t.”

“I know you can,” His fingers moved faster and you brought your hand up to stifle the moan. He held back your wrist and you held back the cry in your throat as you orgasmed again, the burning in your eyes threatening to spill over. Why couldn’t you stop? Why couldn’t you lay there and not feel anything?

“No, no, no,” You repeated, weakly trying to get away from him.

He merely sat back on his heels and grabbed your hips, pulling you closer. He lifted your pelvis, bring your legs up to rest along his torso, your feet against his shoulders. He reached down and lined up the head of his cock with your entrance, pushing in slowly, impaling you as his fingers dug into your hips. He breathed out, lingering in you as he moved his pelvis, testing your limits. You squirmed as he hit your cervix painfully. “Well,” His voice was that of wolf baring down its quart, “I’ll just enjoy it for the both of us.” He pulled back and slammed into you. Each thrust that followed was sharp and deliberate, your body jerking against the mattress.

You grasped at the comforter below you, trying to dissociate as he plunged into you, harder and faster. His groans mingled with your pained hisses, barely withheld as you bit down. “I needed this,” He spoke between laboured breaths, “It was a tough--” He rammed into you roughly, “Mission. Ah, shit,” He was panting as he slammed you against him, flesh clapping on flesh, and he quickly withdrew. He stroked his cock over your pelvis, leaning over you so that your legs were bent towards your chest. His cum shot out along your stomach and chest, a series of expletives falling from his lips.  He backed away, letting your legs fall to the bed as he collapsed beside you. “Why don’t you go get us a towel?” It wasn’t a question. You looked over at him, his eyes closed as his chest rose and fell rapidly. You sat up and turned to hang your legs over the edge of the bed.

“Yes, sir,” You said as you rose, the cum dripping down your front.

You went to the bathroom and grabbed a towel from the closet, wiping the mess from your stomach before handing over the linen to Bucky as you neared the bed. He reached over, making no move to sit up, and snatched the towel, wiping tenderly around his crotch. His cock had begun to soften but as you stood beside the bed, it twitched. You looked away, hesitant to get back on the bed. Perhaps he was done.

“Come here, sit with me a moment.” He patted the bed beside him, the towel disposed over the side of the bed.

You recited another ‘yes, sir’ and did as he said. “Catch your breath.” You just sat and waited, your heart refusing to calm. You brought your knees up and hugged them to your chest, the thoughts flurrying despite your efforts to delay them. When he was gone, you could think all you wanted.  But the words tumbled out before you could truly form them in your head. “Why me? Why didn’t you kill me?” You whispered, not sure if you really had asked such a stupid question.

“Because I like the way your ass looks those little wool pants of yours,” He chuckled, “That secretary look really gets me going.” You glared at him in disgust and he laughed even more. “I saw an opportunity and I took it. I guess…” He reached over, drawing a line your calf, “You were in the right place at the right time.” His hand closed around your ankle, “Now, on your stomach.”

[the-blind-assassin-12]

Monday Mornings

A/N: Hey there and HAPPY MONDAY! This is the last of the Nick smooches, and I decided to tie it in with Made Man. Think of it as an interlude of sorts, falling between the time that Nick arrives at the Dockside, and that lovely moment in the intro where the L-word drops for the first time...about two months before that, actually. Anywho, these Nick smooches have been F U N. I do plan on at least one more follow up section to the 10,800/ Make Somethin’ Nick, but that’s gonna have to wait it’s turn, because after this one... IT’S BILLY SEASON! 

Word Count: 2,282

Warnings: some lemons. and like ten seconds of HIGH STRESS. 

Prompt from: @its-my-little-dumpster-fire

AGAIN, i was feeling generous with this one, so have a whole day full of no reason. ;) 

Monday had quickly become Nick’s favorite day of the week. The Dockside was closed then meaning that you had the day off from slinging drinks and concealing drop offs. Steve rarely ran any illicit operations when the restaurant wasn’t open, not wanting to draw attention to the establishment with cars and people coming and going, so for all intents and purposes it was Nick’s day off too. The way that the two of you had been spending your Mondays lately made him realize that he never really stood a chance when it came to falling for you, regardless of how hard he’d tried not to after stepping off that ferry. 

He rolled over in the unmade bed. In the two months since your lazy routine had evolved to involve the bedroom, he’d only seen the comforter made up once. You preferred the feeling of getting into a bed that had already been slept in, even if the two of you hadn’t done much sleeping. Nick’s preference was simply a bed that you were in with him. Since all he had was the air mattress on the floor in the room he rented, your place was where you spent most of your time together. Face pressed against the mint green pillowcase, he inhaled the scent of your shampoo. A shiver went down his bare back and even though the windows in the old house were drafty and the radiator hadn’t worked since you moved in, he was sure that it had nothing to do with the temperature. It was you, the way you overpowered all of his senses. Especially common sense. 

From the white gray light coming in through the curtains he could tell that it was somewhere around midday. He lifted himself up to his elbows, your pillow still between his arms and bunched up against his chest, to look out the window properly. Sliding the curtain aside with two long fingers, he blinked against the blinding clarity of the colorless March sky. A thin layer of transparent slush covered the ground and coated the waxy leaves of the holly bush beneath your bedroom window. Another blink and his dark brown eyes adjusted to the light enough so that he could see that the precipitation had started to turn to rain, fat, frigid drops falling to water down the snow that started earlier. It would all be washed away soon, dripping into the sewage drains and leaving the day damp and cold. Letting the curtain go, he slumped back down into the sheets, releasing a long breath through his nose. Five more minutes. She gets five more minutes before I drag her back here…

He vaguely remembered you saying something about breakfast, vaguely remembered telling you all he needed was you...and maybe some coffee… but you’d slapped his hands playfully away from your waist as you laughed, shaking your head. “You can stay here, lazy bones, I’ll be right back.” You grabbed the closest scrap of clothing- the tee he’d worn the night before- and tugged it over your head. Nick tucked an elbow behind his neck and watched as the soft dark fabric unfurled over the curves of your body, just barely concealing the rounded cheeks that only moments ago he held firmly in both hands. 

“Looks better on you,” he mumbled as you scooped up a pair of jeans from the foot of the bed and stepped into them. With a smirk and a hop you pulled the tight denim up your legs and fastened them shut, tucking his shirt loosely into the waistband. 

You turned to him, your smirk still showing through the fringe of hair that had escaped your messy bun. “Maybe I should keep it then, huh?” You leaned over him in the bed and he stared up at you, a smile growing on his own lips to match yours. 

He reached for your waist again and this time, since there were clothes involved and the distraction wouldn’t be too impossible to walk away from, you let him make a grip on your hips. He slipped a finger through your belt loop and pulled you down until you fell giggling on top of him, one leg on either side. He dropped one hand to your thigh, the other still hooked through the loops at your hip. “Yeah. Yeah maybe you should.” 

You looked down at the shirt, pulling the loose fit away from your body to emphasize how large it was on you. “Yeah, I mean, fits so good’n all.” With a playful roll of your eyes you released the shirt and instead made a grip in his hair, letting yourself fall forward onto his chest. “I dunno though,” you said in a low voice, inching closer to his face. “Still think it looks best on the floor.” You gave a light pull on the thick locks in your hand and the sound he made was somewhere between a groan and a laugh before your lips made contact with his and his hands slid all along your body, over your jeans and untucking the shirt in question to seek the satisfaction of your skin against his palms. He felt you sigh into the kiss as he pressed you closer, and rolled his hips slowly but intentionally up into yours so that your sigh melted into a moan that he hungrily devoured. He knew that if you’d gone through the trouble of actually getting dressed that you meant business about getting breakfast, even though he’d be happy to go the whole day without food if it meant getting to continue this; getting to feel you like this, to taste you, to hold you and draw those sounds from you, with no rush, nowhere to be and no reason for any of it aside from absolute pleasure. 

He’d stalled you earlier when you’d gotten out of the shower, your wet hair smelling like rosemary and citrus, the steam still coming off of your body as he talked you back into the sheets and his arms. He flipped you under him, stealing your breath and absorbing your warmth as his fingers undid the towel you had wrapped around yourself so he could use them to undo you as well. His kisses matched each pass of his fingers, tongue slipping in, lips pressing and teeth nipping to mirror the pressure and pace he set as you writhed beneath him until you collapsed, spent for the third time that morning. Taking advantage of your dizzy euphoria, Nick’s limbs enveloped you once more and he held you close until you fell asleep against his chest, indecisive snow and rain falling outside the window. 

When you’d finally pulled yourself away from him, tucking his shirt back into your pants and pulling a sweater from a hook over the bedroom door, you blew him one more kiss and told him not to move, that you’d be back, and that after breakfast you could get back to the nothing that you both wanted to be engaged in. 

It was a war of wills every Monday morning, dragging each other in and out of bed, and Nick sensed that your will was waning with each passing week. It started out as nothing more than killing time on your shared day off, both of you clearly attracted to the other, but still naive enough to think that nothing would come of it; that you could get away with watching movies together, lounging in your living room while the day went to waste and you flicked popcorn kernels at one another. It progressed into sharing meals and one or two times, before the bedroom came into play, he’d crashed on the couch and walked you to work the following morning. Eventually, it had turned into what it was now, his lips and hands on you as soon as you were out of sight of your place of employment on Sunday night, not leaving until you were back in view Tuesday to open the bar. Somewhere in the last few weeks, Nick felt his own will fade, too, and as much as he’d told himself that he wouldn’t fall for you, you’d given him reasons to: the shape you made curled against his body while you slept, the way your scent soaked into his clothes so he went home missing you, the sound of your laughter as you teased him about his accent or his baseball team. I’m toast. 

The five minutes from the time he peeked out the window passed, and you still hadn’t come back to bed. With a sprawling stretch and a contented yawn, Nick sat up and looked for something to pull on. But with you wearing his shirt, all he could find were his pants. He yanked them on one leg at a time, then ran a hand through his hair before leaving your room for the first time in over twelve hours. Descending the narrow staircase, he heard the creak of the third step and felt the give in the railing. His eyes roved over the few pictures lining the wall, and the triangular bit of torn wallpaper that was peeling away from the sheetrock. All of these things were becoming as familiar to him as your bed and your body. It was what he didn’t hear or see or smell that heightened his senses; no coffee brewing, no sizzling eggs, clattering pans, or soft footsteps dancing through the kitchen. By the time he was halfway down the steps, Nick was on high alert. This ain’t right...she’s not here… 

The click of the door handle turning made him spin towards the living room as he quickly came down the last few stairs. He reached behind himself instinctively before silently cursing. Shit! Fuckin’ gun’s upstairs. He swallowed and squared up, waiting for the door to swing open, hands clenched in tight, white knuckled fists at his sides. The door opened and a few wet drops blew in before two boots- two bright green, polka dotted boots came into view, attached to a pair of legs wearing the jeans he’d watched you wiggle into earlier. Nick blew out a breath in a huff as he shook his head and you hurried inside, shutting the door behind you. You were balancing two cups of coffee and a paper bag and your hood was pulled up over your head until you shook it off. Nick leaned against the doorway from the hall to the living room, arms crossed over his bare chest. You still hadn’t noticed him, despite his racing heart that he swore could be heard back in Boston. He cleared his throat loudly and raised an eyebrow at you. 

You turned then, stripping your soaked outer layer and leaving it in a pile on the tiled floor of your entryway. “Oh,” you smiled, cheeks and nose cherry red from the chilly air. “Hey, Nick, I thought I told you to stay put?”

“Yeah, you did. And I thought you were just down here. You went out?” 

You held the bag up to show him the logo. “Yeah well I told you Atlantic Bagel is only open ‘til 2,” you checked an imaginary watch as you slid your boots off. “And I wanted my fix. Bacon egg and cheese on Everything?” You looked at him like he was supposed to know what that meant. “C’mon, Tortano, I told you about it when we woke up.” He shook his head questioningly. She thinks I’m gonna remember somethin bout’a bagel after all...that? You shrugged. “I got you one too, grumpy.” You set the bag and coffees down on the side table next to the couch and crossed the few remaining steps to wrap your arms around his midsection. 

You had brought the cold in with you and he hissed as you made contact. “You’re freezin’,” he uncrossed his arms to wrap them around you. “Jesus, is it really that cold out?” 

“Yeah, it is. You gotta warm me up.” You looked up at him and winked with a smile, a frozen flake still stuck on one of your eyelashes. 

He chuckled softly, scrunching his nose at you. “Yeah, I can do that.” Nick dropped a quick kiss to your lips. “Ya know, when I didn’t hear you down here I got...I uh,...I was worried. So… you gonna go out make sure I know, yeah?” You started to protest and he knew what you were about to say. “Yeah, yeah, I know you said you told me but how was I supposed to keep my head on straight when you were up there doin’ what you were doin’, huh?” You giggled and he loved the way it felt against his chest. “Just...doesn’t hurt to tell me twice. I just…” I just wanna know you’re safe. 

You rose on your toes to kiss him back. “Yeah, Nick, I’ll tell you twice.” You grabbed his hand then and tugged him back towards the stairs. 

“Thought you had to get your fix?” He tilted his head to the bagel bag and coffees. 

You shrugged and climbed one more step. “I can heat ‘em up in the oven.” You reached down and untucked his shirt from your jeans, pulling it up and over your head. “Or they’re good cold.” You tossed his shirt down to him and it landed on his outstretched hand. “But I think we were doing some quality nothing up there before I left, am I wrong?” 

Nick dropped the shirt so that it dangled on the rickety railing, taking the steps two at a time. “Yeah, yeah I  think we were.” I’m done for. 

@something-tofightfor @its-my-little-dumpster-fire @suchatinyinfinity @thebbtongue  @lexxierave @songtoyou @poindexted @thesumofmychoices@gollyderek @zaffrenotes @traeumerinwitzhelden @breanime @roses-in-your-country-house

[snarky-badger]

Hiya! Love your works!! I'm not sure about asking but if you're still taking requests *slips paper across table* I work in retail and some of our christmas stock has arrived and the fluffies caught me on Venom experiencing snow or christmas in general for the first time.. Can be x reader fluff you want (yeah.. it's too early to be thinking of christmas and I'm not ready) sorry it's long winded.. thankyou!! xx

Christmas/The Holidays are three weeks (ish) away and I’m starting to get nervous. Anywho! I tried to fit Christmas into this, and I had fun with the snow. Don’t think it snows in San Francisco, but it does in this prompt, so there =P hehehe. Enjoy the fluff!

“EDDIE!”

The loud, booming, yell started both you and the one intended, and you watched with wide eyes as Venom’s head materialized on Eddie’s shoulders, the symbiote’s attention locked onto the apartment’s nearest window.

Eddie, who was apparently more used to the sudden appearance and yelling of said symbiote, didn’t even look up from his laptop. “What?”

“LOOK!”

You got to witness an unusual sight. Venom’s manifested head on a noodle-stalk lurched towards the window, dragging Eddie along. The poor man yelped, was pulled into a backflip over the back of the couch, and landed perfectly. He had enough sense to take a pose before the symbiote bodily yanked him over to the window.

The black and white face smooshed itself up against the glass, deep voice laced with panic. “ASHES ARE FALLING FROM THE SKY! THERE’S A FIRE! WE HAVE TO GO! FIRE WILL KILL US! WE HAVE TO RUN!”

“Ashes?” Eddie pressed his face against the glass next to Venom and peered up at the sky. “Huh. Lookit that.”

“HOW CAN YOU BE CALM?!” Venom obviously thought his host was a few tater tots shy of a full bag.

Shaking your head at the weirdness of it all, you set your book aside and rose to walk over to them, joining your boys. You reached past Eddie and shoved the window up, letting cold air and flakes of snow whoosh into the apartment.

Venom made an ungodly noise of terror as the symbiote reared back, away from the flakes, nearly toppling Eddie as he did so. “DON’T LET IT INTO THE NEST!”

“Venom.” You did your best not to laugh. You really did. You’d never seen Venom afraid before, or known that his usually deep voice could gain such a high pitch. “Venom, look. It’s snow.”

Eddie was snickering to himself. “Snow. Frozen water. Doesn’t usually snow in San Fran, but the weather’s been bonkers lately.”

You stretched a hand out and scooped a bit of accumulated snow off the windowsill. “Look.”

Venom eyed your extended hand as if you were offering him his most hated white chocolate. Slowly, as the bit of snow in your palm melted, he snaked his head closer, pale eyes narrowing a little as he stared, then tentatively licked at the bundled flakes in your hand.

Pale eyes widened seconds later. “IT’S WATER.”

“Yup. Frozen water. Perfectly safe, unless it snows ten feet, which we won’t get here,” you chuckled, smiling as you flicked your now wet fingers at Eddie, who yelped and wiped at his face.

“Guess we’ll have a white Christmas,” the man muttered as he shook droplets of water from his tee shirt.

“CHRISTMAS?” You and Eddie had tried to explain the holiday to Venom. He’d been less than enthused about the story of Santa ‘breaking in’ and leaving gifts. You were certain the alien was low-key planning on staking out the apartment in an attempt to catch Ol’ Saint Nick.

There had been endless questions. If you hadn’t been an adult and known that Santa wasn’t real before, having the symbiote poke holes in all the Christmas Stories would have done it. Most of the questions about the religious aspects went unanswered since neither you or Eddie were particularly religious to begin with.

Venom had finally been mollified with a final exasperated answer that it was a holiday meant to celebrate friends and family. The promise of a huge meal had also helped.

So Venom hadn’t made any overly snarky comments about the Christmas Tree that you and Eddie had put up. The artificial thing was now laden with ornaments and lights, and while it wasn’t anything like the perfectly manicured ‘classic’ trees, like in the magazines, it was perfect for the three of you.

But snow. Actual snow. A white Christmas. You hadn’t had one of those in… years. Not since you’d moved to San Francisco for work, anyway.

“Let’s go for a walk,” you grinned, turning away from watching the snow fall to look at Eddie.

He arched a doubtful eyebrow at you. “In the snow?”

“Yeah, ‘in the snow’! It’ll melt soon enough, and I haven’t seen snow in years!” You gave him your best kicked-puppy look. “Please?”

“WE WANT TO SEE MORE TOO,” Venom rumbled, his gaze still glued to the falling snow.

“We could go to the Park! They put up a bunch of lights and decorations! It’ll be fun!” When Eddie still looked doubtful, you performed a finishing move. “And we can stop by that coffee shop you love. Get one of their specialty hot chocolates.”

His lips quirked, even as Venom perked up at the word ‘chocolate’. “We’re not sure we’re comfortable with the way you’ve learned to manipulate us,” he drawled, eyes sparkling with mirth.

“SAYS YOU,” Venom smirked, taking control of Eddie’s body again and lurching him towards the apartment door. “LET’S GO.”

Twenty minutes later found the two (three?) of you at the Golden Gate Park, walking along a pathway with Christmas lights draped over every tree and light post. It was an event done every year, and with the snow falling, the lights glowing in the early dusk, it seemed almost magical.

“You can’t tell me this wasn’t worth coming out here,” you smiled as you cozy’d up to Eddie, who had his left arm around you, his right hand stuffed into his jacket pocket. Venom was coiled around his neck in the guise of a black scarf, pale ‘eyes’ visible as the symbiote took in everything around.

“It is pretty,” Eddie admitted, tucking you closer when you wound your right arm around his back. “Haven’t seen it snow like this in.... ever, actually. Not since I moved here from New York.”

“I miss snow,” you murmured, tilting your head back to stare up at the sky, smiling when a few flakes landed on your face. “I mean, not the shoveling of it, because that sucks. But seeing it, having snowball fights and building forts and stupid little things like that.”

“It’s not stupid,” he chided you gently, leaning in to press a kiss to your cheek before returning his attention to the pathway, his boots crunching on the new fallen snow. “I kinda miss the Rockefeller Center and the massive tree they put up every year. I think one year they got a tree that was ninety five feet tall.”

You leaned into him a little, the warmth of him chasing the unusual chill from you. “I’ve only seen pictures, to be honest.”

“You’d love it. There’s a skating rink just below it - not that I could skate to save my life.” Eddie paused for a moment, then grinned at you. “Maybe, one year, we’ll take you there. As a Christmas present.”

“I* thought Venom hated planes.”

“The engine noise yeah.” There came a grumble from his ‘scarf’ and Eddie nudged at the blackness with his chin. “But that time was from the outside. It’s quieter when you’re actually in the place.”

“True.” A group of children, followed by their exasperated parents, ran past, heading for a small playground that had been set up - huge piles of snow had been made into small toboggan hills and slides.

“C’mon.” Eddie tugged you away from the noisy mass of people and children, taking a pathway away from the lights. Quietness, broken only by the sounds of your footsteps in the snow and the light breeze, settled over the two of you. “Thought you and I could introduce Vee to something fun.”

You blinked as Eddie pulled away, the loss of his warmth making you tuck your jacket closer. “Oh?”

“Yup.” A grin, best described as a ‘shit-eating grin’, spread across his face as he bent to retrieve a handful of snow.

Too late, you realized his intention.

You gave a little yelp as the ball of snow hit you square in the chest, some of it falling into your open collar and instantly melting against your skin. “Oh, you did not just do that. You are in for it now buster!”

He threw a second ball, and you dodged, scooping up a fistful and lobbing it at him blindly. Managed a hit on his neck and heard Venom’s low hiss of surprise and shock before you made a run for a tree, intending to use it as a shield. “Running away already?”

“I’m not running away I’m regrouping!” You grabbed another handful of snow and patted it into a sphere before peeking out, yelping when you jerked back into cover in time for a snowball to impact against the tree’s trunk.

Eyes narrowing in indignation, you threw yourself out of cover, running for another tree. Saw an opening and took it, laughing when you manage to hit Eddie right in the face.

He sputtered, spitting out snow, and wiped the melting slush from his face. “Oh, you’re in for it now,” he laughed, grinning a little. “Mask!”

“Well shit,” left you in a mutter as Venom took the cue and materialized around Eddie, taking over. You gave a shriek as a symbiotic tendril lobbed some snow at you and ran for it, hearing Venom’s delighted chortle as he gave chase.

He chased you through the secluded part of the Park you were in, the two of you darting in between trees and using them and whatever else was available for cover as you traded ammunition. It really wasn’t a fair fight, not when he could use tendrils and hands to lob snow balls at you, but you actually took time to aim, cackling when you nailed him in the butt.

You laughed like a loon at the indignant sound he loosed, then ran for it when Venom smirked and launched himself at you. Made it, maybe, five feet before he tackled you from behind, twisting to take the brunt of the landing before he grabbed a handful of snow and tried to shove it down the front of your jacket.

Where upon you raised your last sphere of snow and smashed it, point black, into his face.

“ACK! PHFT!” Shaking his head, Venom spat out a mouthful of snow, then narrowed his eyes at you. “YOU PLAY DIRTY MORSEL.”

“You put snow in my bra,” you shot back as you dug slush out from under your jacket. “There are bits of me that aren’t meant to be that cold!”

He snickered and pushed your onto your back, looming over you. “WE LIKE THIS. THIS ‘SNOW’ STUFF. IT’S FUN.” Venom leaned down, nuzzling chilled fangs against your neck, tongue laving at the spot to sooth the feeling of sharp teeth. One taloned hand rose to tug at your jacket a little before he started to unzip it. “MM. YOU KNOW, WE DON’T SENSE ANYONE ELSE NEARBY...”

“Ohhh, no,” you laughed, gently pushing him back. “We are not having sex in the snow. Ask Eddie about ‘frostbite’, and then think about how mad I’ll be if I get that anywhere near anything sensitive.”

“WOULDN’T LET THAT HAPPEN,” he grumbled after a brief moment where you knew he’d rifled through Eddie’s memories, curling his arms around you and tugging you close, tendrils lashing around to wrap you up in warmth. “BETTER?”

Smiling, you hugged him back, the chill of lying in the snow fading as he cocooned you in his mass. “Mm. Yes. Thank you. Still, I think it’s time we go home, hm?”

Venom made the rumbling noise he only made for you and nuzzled into you again, licking at the shell of your right ear. “PROMISED US HOT CHOCOLATE.”

A laugh left you. “That I did. Almost forgot about that. Okay, hot chocolate, then home.”

“AND THE NEST IS NICE AND WARM, SO NO FROSTBITE,” he purred, sliding a hand down to grab your hip and pull you close to meet the slow roll of his hips.

Your lips curved into a smile as you pressed a kiss to his cheek. “My thoughts exactly.”

[bechloeislegit]

A to Z BeChloe

T is for TRANSFORMATION OF BECA MITCHELL

Author's Prompt: One of the definitions of transformation is: a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance. This is the story of how Beca Mitchell transforms from alt-girl to sophisticated business-woman all in the name of love.

A/N: Sorry to all you Aubrey lovers out there. She's kind of the bad guy in this one, but it all works out in the end. So, don't be hatin' on me.

The petite brunette smirked as the man who had just walked past her stumbled while checking her out. She was wearing a short navy blue pencil skirt that showed off her ass and legs, and she knows she looks good. Her blue silk blouse was loose but hugged her bosom, and she intentionally left an extra button or two undone. Her chocolate brown tresses hung in loose curls on her shoulders.

She continued down the hall to her apartment and stopped at her door. She dug through her Hermes Burkin bag for her key and entered her apartment. As per her usual routine, she took off her navy blue pumps and carried them up to her room. She changed into a pair of sweats and an old band tee and sighed. Now she felt like the old Beca Mitchell.

Beca walked back downstairs and picked up her mail from the side table. She ran through it as she walked over to the bar. She laid the mail down and poured herself two fingers of scotch and took a sip. She sighed again and walked to her desk, drink and mail in hand. She sat down and noticed she had a voicemail notification on her desk phone. She pushed to button to listen as she started opening her mail.

Message received at 5:37 pm: Hey, Beca, it's Sheila. I'm calling to invite you to your dad's fiftieth birthday party. It's a surprise, and I know he'd love to see you. Give me a call, and I can fill you in on all the details. We love you. Bye. End of Message.

Beca hadn't seen her dad in three years. She took a sip of her drink and thought back to the reason she hadn't seen her dad in three years — the reason that caused her to leave Barden before the end of her Freshman Year.

Flashback

Beca stood with her hand still on the doorknob outside the apartment shared by Chloe Beale and Aubrey Posen. Two best friends who were also the Co-Captains of the Barden Bellas. Tears stung Beca's eyes as the words Aubrey just said to her reverberated in her brain.

"Chloe can't be with someone like you."

"The Beale family's reputation wouldn't allow for Chloe to be associated with an alt-girl who wears those ear monstrosities and too much eyeliner. And don't get me started on those tattoos. She'd be disowned."

The most painful though was when Aubrey laughed and said "You think you're in love with Chloe? Oh, my God, I can't wait to tell her that. We'll have something to laugh at for days."

Beca's shoulders slumped, and she kept her head down as she walked away from the apartment. She slowly made her way to her dad's, and he pulled her into a hug as soon as he saw the tears rolling down her face.

"What happened, Beca?" Professor Warren Mitchell asked his daughter.

Beca didn't answer as she sobbed into his chest. He just held her, and when his wife, Sheila, came in he shook his head at her questioning gaze. Sheila quietly left the father and daughter alone and opted to go to the kitchen to make some hot tea.

"Dad," Beca said, her voice muffled from where she was leaning into his chest.

"Yeah, Becs," Warren said.

"I need to get away from here," Beca said. "I don't care where, just anywhere but here."

"Tell me what happened," Warren said.

Beca proceeded to tell her father about Chloe and how she had feelings for her and thought Chloe had feelings for her, too. She also told him how she went to Chloe's best friend to see if she could give her some ideas on how to ask Chloe out. Then she told him what Aubrey had said to her.

"They'll be laughing at me, dad," Beca said. "I don't know what I'll do if I have to see Chloe every day knowing that she's just pretending to like me while she and Aubrey are laughing at me behind my back."

"Hush," Warren told her. "We're going to take care of this. I'll call your mother, and we'll talk about it. You should stay here tonight. I think Sheila made us some tea."

"Thanks, dad," Beca said. "But, I think I'm just going to go to my room."

Two days later Beca found herself on a plane to L.A. She was surprised that her father took care of everything so quickly. She was also surprised that she wasn't sent back to her mother's in Portland, Maine. She was sent to L.A. with the understanding that she had one year to start making a name for herself. Her mother and father promised to support her for one year. After that, if she wasn't able to pay her own way, she would move back to Portland and go to the University of Southern Maine.

Beca texted her dad and mom when she landed in L.A. She had several notifications from some of the Bellas, including Chloe. She skimmed through a couple of them to find that most were asking why she wasn't at Bellas practice. She didn't respond to any of them. She read the last one Chloe had sent.

Chloe: 'For serious Becs. Your dorm has been cleaned out, and your roommate has no idea where you are. What happened? Please call me I need to know you're okay.'

"Like she cares," Beca thought to herself.

Beca grabbed her luggage and took a taxi to the apartment her dad had secured for her. She walked around her new neighborhood and found a decent coffee shop as well as a diner. She used her computer to find the nearest Verizon store and got a new number and never looked back.

Beca downed the last of her drink, and her thoughts stayed on Chloe. The girl with the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. The girl who captured her heart with her overly excited enthusiasm for everything life had to offer. The girl who was always hugging her and kissing her on the cheek. The girl who spent as much time at Beca's dorm as she did in her own apartment. They did just about everything together. They studied together; went for coffee together practically every day, and she told Chloe everything. She truly felt they were more than friends and she wanted to pursue a different kind of relationship with the beautiful redhead. Until Aubrey set her straight.

Beca shook her head to try and get Chloe off her mind. Try being the operative word because even now, three years later, she still thinks about her all the time. Wondering if the woman she has transformed herself into is the woman Aubrey said Chloe needed in a partner. Someone who had a keen business sense and looked the part of the sophisticated businesswoman.

Beca was only twenty-one, but was well-respected and looked up to by many in her business. She worked hard that first year to make a name for herself, and she had. It was a hard year, and it not only matured her, but it also set her up to become DJ Titanium Red. She used the pseudonym to spin at some of the most famous clubs in and around the L.A. area. People would line up around the block to get into the club when they knew she was spinning.

As Beca Mitchell, she was well known for producing three albums that each won a couple of music awards. She was also a shrewd businesswoman. She had taken some of her earnings and invested them in several very profitable business ventures. Between her investments, producing award-winning songs/albums, and her DJ gigs, Beca was making a lot of money. She had become the woman that Aubrey had said Chloe needed by her side. But, now, she wasn't sure she would ever see Chloe again to prove she was worthy.

Maybe it was time to go back to Barden. See her dad and help him celebrate his birthday and check in on the Bellas. Chloe was supposed to graduate the same year she left, so she knew there was no reason for them to accidentally run into each other. It might be nice to catch up with some of the Bellas who joined when she did. Plus, one of them might know where Chloe was in case she wanted to find her.

Beca pulled her laptop to her and started looking for flights to Atlanta the following month. She decided to spend a week and booked her flights. She made a note to call Sheila in the morning to let her know she'd be there. She sat back and picked up her mail again.

~tTt~ ~tTt~ ~tTt~

Beca could not believe how quickly the past month had flown by. It was an early Friday morning that found her sitting in the VIP section at LAX waiting for her flight to Atlanta. She was dressed casually in light gray slacks with a black silk blouse and black pumps. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. She gathered her carry-on bag and headed for the plane when her flight was called. She settled into her First Class seat and was glad that the seat next to her was vacant.

Once the plane was in the air, Beca put her earbuds in to listen to her music. Beca may have changed her outward appearance in the way she dresses and acts, but her music taste was still the same. Which is why she was able to win the awards she had sitting in her trophy case at home.

Beca drove her rental car from the Atlanta airport to Barden. She slowly drove around the campus and decided to stop at the diner near her old dorm to grab some coffee. She parked her car and made her way into the diner. She smiled as it looked the same as she remembered. She grabbed a booth and ordered a coffee.

Beca sat looking out the window at the students hurrying about. The waitress brought her coffee and hesitated at the table. Beca looked up at her.

"I'm sorry," the waitress said, blushing. "But, are you Beca Mitchell?"

"Yes, I am," Beca said with a smile. "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm Sandy," the waitress said. "I'm a fan. And to think you're a Barden alum, too."

"Well, I didn't even make it to the end of Freshman Year," Beca said with a chuckle. "I don't know if that constitutes actually being an alumna."

"Trust me," Sandy said. "Everyone here knows Beca Mitchell's name and that she once graced the hallowed halls of Barden University. I think they named a music room after you."

"Seriously?" Beca asked. "Wow, that's, um. Just wow."

"Can I get your autograph?" Sandy asked. "And maybe a photo, too?"

"Sure," Beca said. She signed the paper Sandy handed her and stood so Sandy could take a selfie with her. She noticed that a few other customers were looking over at them. "I think I should take my coffee to go or I may never get out of here."

"I'll get you a fresh cup," Sandy said and rushed off with a big smile on her face.

Beca sat and waited for her coffee. Once Sandy brought it to her she paid her check and left. She got back in her car and drove around a bit more before heading to her dad's house. Her father looked shocked when he opened the door and saw her standing there.

"Beca!" Warren pulled his daughter into a tight hug.

"Can't breathe, dad," Beca said.

Warren laughed and let her go. He grabbed her bag and ushered her inside.

"I can't believe you're here," Warren said with a big smile still on his face.

"It's your fiftieth birthday," Beca said. "I couldn't miss that."

"Welcome home, Beca," Sheila said.

"Thank you, Sheila," Beca said and hugged the woman. "I know I didn't call ahead, but I'm hoping I can crash here this week."

"Of course, you can stay here, Beca," Warren said. "It's still you're home."

"Thanks, dad," Beca said. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too, Becs," Warren said. "I'm glad you're here."

"I'm sorry I haven't been back," Beca said. "I just didn't want to run into my past and thought by staying away it would make things better."

"Did it?" Warren asked looking at his daughter.

"No," Beca said honestly. "So, I have the whole week to confront it and hopefully put everything to rest. And, spend time with my old man."

"Good," Warren said.

The father and daughter stood staring at each other without saying anything. Sheila looked between the two and shook her head.

"Okay, you two," Sheila said. "Dinner will be ready shortly. Warren, why don't you carry Beca's bags up to her room so she can freshen up for dinner?"

"Thanks, Sheila," Beca said as her father grabbed her bags.

~tTt~ ~tTt~ ~tTt~

Saturday morning found Beca up early. She was sitting at the kitchen counter drinking a cup of coffee and going through some work emails.

"You're up early," Sheila said as she walked into the kitchen.

"I'm a creature of habit these days," Beca said. "I wanted to take my dad to breakfast on campus. I thought I could look around and spend time with him."

"I'm sure he'll love it," Sheila said. "Do you think you can keep him busy until around 2:00?"

"I could probably find something for us to do until then," Beca said with a smile.

"Good," Sheila said. "I was trying to figure out a way to keep him out of the house to set up for the party."

"Don't worry," Beca said. "I'm on it."

They both turned their heads when they heard Warren coming into the kitchen. "Good morning, ladies," Warren said and kissed them both on the cheek.

"Happy Birthday, dad," Beca said.

"Happy Birthday, dear," Sheila said.

"I got my two best girls here," Warren said. "It's definitely starting on a happy note."

"Don't be getting sappy on me, old man," Beca said with a laugh. "Do you want to go to brunch at Ray's with me? I'm sure Sheila has a nice dinner planned so I thought we could do the brunch thing like old times. And then maybe you'd walk around campus with me."

"That sounds like a great idea," Sheila said. "I have some shopping I need to do. We can all meet up later today to celebrate your birthday."

"I'm in," Warren said. "I'm going to go get ready."

Warren hurried out of the kitchen and Beca, and Sheila were both smiling.

"I'm glad you came," Sheila said. "I haven't seen your dad as happy and relaxed since you left."

Beca looked down feeling guilty. Sheila walked over to her and gave her a quick hug.

"I didn't mean to make you feel guilty," Sheila said. "He, we've both missed you."

"Well," Beca said. "I'll be around a lot more often so be prepared to be sick of me."

"Never," Sheila said with a smile. "You might want to go change if you and your dad are going to be walking around campus."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Beca asked looking down at her dress slacks and blouse.

"Nothing," Sheila said. "You look very nice. But, I think you might want to dress a little more low key unless you want to stand out on campus."

"I hadn't thought of that," Beca said. "I really didn't bring anything more casual than this."

"There's still some of your old clothes in your room," Sheila said.

"Thanks," Beca said. "Tell my dad I'll be down as soon as I've changed."

Beca went to her room and looked in her closet. She found several pairs of skinny jeans and an abundance of tanks and flannel shirts.

"God, I miss these," Beca mumbled as she looked through her old clothes.

Beca finally decided on an outfit and changed. She freshened up her makeup and grabbed her phone and wallet. She tucked those inside the leather jacket she was wearing over her red tank top and black skinny jeans. Her red vans completed her casual look.

"Now you look like our old Beca," Warren said as Beca came down the stairs.

"I feel weird wearing this stuff," Beca said. "It's not really part of my wardrobe anymore."

"Really?" Warren asked. "It looks more like you to me than what you were wearing. I guess you outgrew the alt-girl phase."

"I think she's still in here somewhere," Beca said patting her chest with a grin. "Are you ready? Shall we go?"

"Let's do it," Warren said. "Sheila, we're leaving."

Sheila came into the living room. "You two have fun," she told them and kissed Warren.

Father and daughter left and decided to walk. They started off and wandered around a bit. Beca stopped to look at the old radio station where she stacked records and CDs. She smiled as they continued to walk. She and her dad chatted about Beca's life in L.A.

"I'm really proud of you Beca," Warren said.

"Thanks, dad," Beca said.

They continued to walk and made it to Ray's. They walked in, and before they could get to the hostess Beca heard someone yell her name, and she jerked her head around to see who had called out to her.

"Oh, my God!" a leggy brunette yelled. "It is you!"

Before she could react, Beca found herself smothered in a hug. The girl pulled back, and Beca recognized her as Stacie. She was one of the Bellas.

"Stacie?" Beca asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," Stacie said. "Oh, my God, Beca. What happened? Why did you just up and leave all of a sudden?"

"Um, I'm having brunch with my dad for his birthday," Beca said. "I want to explain everything to you but do you think we can do it later? I'm here for a week."

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Stacie asked.

"I don't have anything planned," Beca replied.

"Good," Stacie said. "Come to the Auditorium at 10:00 tomorrow morning. We have a Bellas meeting, and I know all the girls will want to see you. You can explain it to all of us."

"All of you?" Beca asked.

"Yeah," Stacie said. "There's me, of course — Fat Amy, CR, Jessica, Ashley, and Lily. And when Chloe and Aubrey graduated we got Flo. Oh, and Emily. She's our newest Bella."

"Um, okay," Beca said. "I'll be there."

Stacie grabbed her in another hug and let her go. "I'll see you tomorrow," Stacie said. "The girls are going to flip when they see you. We talk about you all the time. I mean we actually know a Grammy-winning music producer. This is so exciting."

Stacie left, and Beca smiled and shook her head. Beca turned to see her dad standing at the hostess desk, smiling. The hostess was looking at her with wide eyes, and Beca looked at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the hostess said. "I'm just such a fan. Um, please follow me to your table."

Beca and her father sat, and the hostess asked if she could get a picture with Beca before she left. Beca agreed and the hostess left, to be replaced by their waiter. They both ordered the buffet brunch, and the waiter told them to help themselves.

"Does that happen a lot?" Warren asked.

"This is tame compared to how it is in L.A.," Beca said. "People there think because they see your face everywhere they know you. They have no concept of privacy or personal space."

"Must be hard," Warren said. "Not knowing if people like you for who you are or for your fame."

"That's true," Beca said. "Probably why I just have a few acquaintances and no real friends."

"Let's hit the buffet," Warren said.

~tTt~ ~tTt~ ~tTt~

Beca was walking around campus with her dad when she felt someone grab her from behind. She let out a squeal, and her father laughed at her.

"Shortstack," she heard a voice with an Australian accent say from behind her. The girl let Beca down, and she turned.

"Amy?" Beca said with a smile.

"Fat Amy, remember?" Amy corrected her. "I couldn't believe it when Stacie texted us and said you were on campus. It's been a while. How's everything? Wait, never mind. I know how it is Miss Grammy Winner."

"It's good to see you, Fat Amy," Beca said sincerely. She remembered how much fun she had with the blonde Aussie. "This is my, dad, Warren Mitchell."

"Nice to see you again, Professor," Amy said. "I had him for Comp Lit sophomore year."

"Nice to see you, Amy," Warren said.

"Stacie texted everyone to tell us you were coming to the Bellas meeting tomorrow," Amy said looking back at Beca.

"That's the plan," Beca replied.

"Good," Amy said. "Fancy grabbing lunch after?"

"I'd like that," Beca said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"G'day," Amy said and walked off.

"She's something," Warren said. "I remember her from my class. She's quite the character."

"Yes, she is," Beca said, and they continued walking.

Beca was stopped by a few students asking for autographs and pictures. Her father stood off to the side watching everything with a proud smile. Beca saw that it was getting close to 2:00 and headed for her father's house.

"I want you to know that I meant it when I said I was proud of you," Warren said as they walked. "I mean, your mom and I gave you a year to start making it on your own, and you've far exceeded our expectations."

"Thanks, dad," Beca said. "It really does mean a lot to hear you say that."

Warren just smiled as they reached the house. Her father was genuinely surprised when he opened the door to find all his friends and a few family members yelling 'surprise.'

"Oh, my goodness," Warren said and smiled. "This is absolutely the best birthday ever."

Beca mingled and signed autographs and let people take selfies with her. She caught her father's eye to find him smiling at her. She was truly hoping that she would still be feeling this happy after seeing the Bellas the next day.

~tTt~ ~tTt~ ~tTt~

The party was a huge success and Beca stayed up late helping Sheila clean up after. She slept in a bit the next morning and barely had time to shower and change before she had to leave to meet the Bellas. She walked downstairs to find Sheila drinking a cup of coffee.

"Would you like some breakfast?" Sheila asked when Beca came into view.

"No, thank you," Beca said. "I'm too nervous to eat. Besides, I promised I'd go to lunch with Fat Amy after talking with the Bellas. Speaking of which, I'd better get going."

"Have fun," Sheila called after her.

Beca arrived a little after ten and stood outside the Auditorium. She took a deep breath and opened the door and walked in. Eight heads whipped around to look at her.

"Oh, my stars!" A dark-haired girl squealed. "It really is Beca Mitchell!"

Beca gave a little wave and walked down to where the girls were all sitting. "Hey, everyone."

"Shorty!" CR was the first to jump up and grab her in a hug. Beca hugged her back.

"Haven't heard that one in a while," Beca said with a smile.

"What's with the getup?" Fat Amy asked.

Beca looked down at her outfit. "What do you mean?"

"Where's the flannel?" Fat Amy asked. "The skinny jeans? The ear monstrosities?"

"This is what I always wear," Beca said. "I guess I outgrew that other stuff."

"But, you don't look like our Beca," Fat Amy said sadly.

"You look great, Beca," the dark-haired girl said.

"Who are you?" Beca asked. "You don't look familiar to me."

"I'm Emily," the girl said. "I'm new to the Bellas this year."

"Oh," Beca said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Emily."

"Oh, my stars," Emily said as she shook Beca's hand. "I'm actually shaking Beca Mitchell's hand."

'Um, yeah, okay," Beca said pulling her hand away and looking at the next two girls. "Jessica and Ashley? Right?"

"That's us," they both said and giggled. "It's great to see you, Beca."

"It's good to see you both," Beca said.

"I'm Flo," a small Latina woman introduced herself to Beca.

"It's nice to meet you, Flo," Beca said.

A small Asian girl stood next to Beca and lightly touched her arm causing Beca to jump.

"Lily," Beca said with a smile. "It's nice to see you."

"Good to see you, Beca," Lily said just loud enough for Beca to hear.

"Wasn't there someone else?" Beca said looking around. "Denise?"

"She transferred after Freshman Year," CR said.

Beca nodded and stood there, unsure of what to do next.

"Let's all sit down," Stacie told the girls. "Beca said she wanted to tell us why she left us so suddenly three years ago."

"We've talked about it a lot," CR said. "And then when we started hearing your name and how you were a producer, we knew where you ended up. What we didn't know is why you left."

"I'm sorry," Beca said. "I had to leave. It would have just been too hard to stay."

"This isn't Beca," Fat Amy said. "Not the Beca who left here."

"Let her talk, Amy," Stacie said.

"Amy's right," Beca said. "I'm not the same Beca Mitchell who left here three years ago. I've changed. I changed because, well, because I fell in love."

"In love?" CR asked. "With who? We all follow you on social media and we haven't heard of any relationships you've been in."

"That's because there haven't been any to hear about," Beca said. "Let me say what I have to say, and then I'll answer all your questions. Is that alright?"

The girls all nod and sit back to listen.

"Three years ago I never expected to find friends," Beca said. "I was attending Barden against my will and wanted to hate every aspect of it. Then, I became a Barden Bella and really felt at home. You girls became my friends. But, one Bella, in particular, became my best friend."

"Chloe," Stacie said looking behind Beca.

"That's right," Beca said, not seeing Stacie looking behind her at something. "Chloe Beale. I-"

"Beca?"

Beca stopped when she heard that voice. She stood and turned to see a smiling, teary-eyed redhead that she didn't think she'd ever see again. Beca stared for a minute until movement next to Chloe caused her to look over. Aubrey Posen. Of course, Aubrey would be with her. Beca's face became rigid as she remembered those words Aubrey spoke to her long ago. Aubrey looked even more surprised than Chloe.

"Beca Mitchell?" was all Aubrey said.

Beca didn't say a word. She just turned her back on both her former Co-Captains and looked at the Bellas. "I'm sorry but I think this will have to wait for another day. I didn't know they were going to be here."

"Beca, no," Stacie said grabbing her hand as Beca turned away. "We didn't know they were going to be here either. Sometimes they just show up to check on us."

"I'd prefer not to see either one of them," Beca said.

She started walking up the aisle toward the door. Chloe smiled at her and Aubrey was glaring. Beca didn't slow down. She walked past them and out the door.

"What the hell?" Chloe's voice rang out behind her. "Beca! Stop, please!"

Beca doesn't know why but she did stop. She slowly turned to see Chloe rushing up to her looking confused.

"What the hell, Beca?" Chloe said. "You leave without a word and come back three years later and then walk out without any explanation. What happened? I thought we were friends."

"Don't pretend like you don't know," Beca said, face impassive. "I'm sure you and Aubrey are still having a good laugh about the alt-girl and her ear monstrosities."

Chloe stood there looking confused. She had absolutely no idea what Beca was talking about.

"Come on, Chloe," Aubrey said taking Chloe's arm. "Let's let her run away again. It's what she does."

Beca looked from Chloe to Aubrey. Now she was confused. Why is Chloe acting like this was all news to her?

"Oh, my, God," Beca said, sudden realization slamming into her like a Mack truck. "You never told her! What the fuck, Posen? You never fucking told her?"

Chloe looked at Aubrey. "What is she talking about it?"

"I don't know," Aubrey stammered out. "Just let her go." Aubrey grabbed Chloe's arm to hold her back. "Go ahead, Beca. Leave. It's what you're good at."

"No," Chloe said pulling her arm from Aubrey's grasp. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Aubrey said taking a defensive stance.

"Maybe we should take this inside," CR said looking at the small crowd that had gathered.

Beca looked around as well. Several students had cell phones and were taping what was happening. Beca went into full 'new Beca' mode.

"Hello, everyone," Beca called out to the crowd. "I guess some of you know who I am. I just want to say, it's great being back here at Barden. I would love to spend time with you all, but as you can see, we're having a mini-Bellas reunion. I hope you understand and will give us a little privacy. I'll be around all week and would love nothing better than to sign autographs and take pictures. How does that sound?"

There were excited murmurs from the crowd, and many were nodding their heads. Some started to walk away.

"Thank you all," Beca said with a smile as the crowd dispersed.

As soon as the crowd was gone, Beca turned back to the girls. Aubrey and Chloe were in some kind of whispered argument. Beca walked over to them; Aubrey stopped talking as soon as she saw Beca getting close.

Beca shook her head and laughed. "Anyone who wants me to finish telling you why I left, please come inside and I'll tell you."

The Bellas all turned and headed into the auditorium; Beca followed behind them. She looked over her shoulder and saw Chloe take Aubrey's arm and drag her toward the door.

Once inside everyone sat down except Beca and Aubrey who remained standing and were facing each other. Aubrey remained silent. Beca just shook her head.

"You are such a bitch," Beca said getting in Aubrey's face.

Aubrey raised her hand as if to slap Beca, but Beca caught her by the wrist. She pulled Aubrey to her, so her face was just inches away. "Be prepared to have your ass kicked if you even so much as try to touch me again." She then shoved Aubrey away from her causing her to stumble slightly.

"Now that's our Beca," Fat Amy said with a big smile.

"Brey?" Chloe asked. "Beca? Someone, please tell me what the hell is going on."

"Do you want to tell her or shall I?" Beca asked glaring at Aubrey.

Aubrey crossed her arms and looked down at the ground.

"Fine," Beca said. "I'll tell her."

"I'm not sticking around to listen to whatever bullshit reasons you have for leaving," Aubrey said.

"That's fine with me," Beca said. "I can tell them exactly what you said to me without you here."

"What she said to you?" Chloe asked even more confused and frustrated by what was happening. She looked at Aubrey. "What did you say to her? Is what you said the reason why she left?"

"I was telling the Bellas what happened when you two showed up," Beca said softly to Chloe. "Do you want to stay and hear what I have to say?"

"Brey?" Chloe said looking at Aubrey. "Do you have anything to say for yourself before I hear what Beca has to say?"

Aubrey shook her head and looked at Beca. "It's not my fault you're so sensitive," she spits out sarcastically.

"Okay," Beca said. "Where did I leave off? Oh, yeah. I was telling you about falling in love with my best friend."

Chloe gasped and put a hand to her mouth; a tear slipped down her face.

"Are you talking about me?" Beca nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to," Beca said. "I came to your apartment to ask Aubrey what kind of things you would like to do on a date so I could ask you out. To work up to being able to tell you I was in love with you."

"Brey?" Chloe looked at Aubrey who would not look at her. Chloe looked back to Beca. "What happened?"

"She laughed at me," Beca said. "And told me that, and I quote, Chloe can't be with someone like you. The Beale family's reputation wouldn't allow for Chloe to be associated with an alt-girl who wears those ear monstrosities and too much eyeliner. And don't get me started on those tattoos. She'd be disowned.”

Chloe's mouth was agape as she glared at Aubrey.

"That was bad enough, but when I told her that I thought I was in love with you, she laughed and said, You think you're in love with Chloe? Oh, my God, I can't wait to tell her that. We'll have something to laugh at for days. I walked away with her laughter ringing in my ears. I ran to my father's house and told him what happened. I told him I needed to be gone from here. I was on a plane to L.A. two days later."

Chloe sat with tears streaming down her face. "Brey, you had no right to say something like that. You knew how I felt about Beca. What the hell were you thinking?"

Aubrey doesn't say anything. The Bellas all looked at her shook their heads.

Emily looked at Beca. "So, you were in love with Chloe. Did you think she was in love with you?"

"Yes, I did," Beca said. "Or I at least thought she liked me as something more than just a friend. But after what Aubrey said, I thought she was just toying with me."

"Beca, I wasn't toying with you," Chloe said softly causing Beca to look at her. "I did love you. And Aubrey knew that."

"Did, huh?" Beca asked sadly.

"Beca," Chloe said standing in front of Beca. "I fell in love with you because of your alt-girl look, with the ear monstrosities and the tattoos. I loved all that about you." Aubrey scoffed, and Chloe glared at her before turning back to Beca. "My parents could care less what you looked like as long as I was happy. But,-"

"There's always a but," Beca said with a rueful laugh.

"But," Chloe continued with a smile. "You're not the same girl. You seem more restrained. And, no offense, you dress a bit too much like Aubrey for my taste. Even-"

"Wow, I spent over a year transforming into the woman I thought I needed to be for you," Beca said interrupting Chloe. "I spent the past two years transforming into who you see before you. The businesswoman your family would be proud to have you date. If I had any hopes of being with you, I thought this was who I was supposed to be."

"All because of what Aubrey said?" Chloe asked.

"Yes," Beca responded. "But I swear to you, the old Beca is still in here." Beca tapped at her heart. "What you see before you is what the world at large sees. When I get home at night, I throw on sweats and put on my overly large headphones and listen to music. I scream 'fuck' about twenty times to my empty apartment because I had to refrain from doing so during the day. I can't tell you the number of alarm clocks I've had to buy over the years because I've broken them throwing them against the wall. I still love my sleep and hate that I have to get up so fucking early. I drool in my sleep. I still hate movies."

"Now this sounds like our Beca," Fat Amy interjects causing the others to chuckle.

"I still love pizza," Beca continued as she never took her eyes off Chloe. "I hate that I have so many bright colors in my wardrobe. I miss my skinny jeans and flannel shirts. I love my job and my really cool penthouse apartment. And believe it or not," Beca pauses and lets out a small sigh. "I'm still in love with you."

"Awww," Emily cried. "That's so beautiful. I want a love like this one day."

"Hush," Amy whispered.

"I wasn't finished," Chloe said. "Even with the obvious changes, I still love you, too. I can't count the number of times I tried to call your studio, but they would never put me through. I wanted to ask your father about you, but I was afraid of what he'd say so I'd always chicken out. I was ready to fly to LA to search for you but-"

"Let me guess, Aubrey talked you out of it?" Beca said, and Chloe nodded. "That's okay; my dad wouldn't have told you anything because I asked him not to let anyone know. And you're welcome to come to LA anytime."

"Can I eat pizza in your really cool penthouse apartment while wearing one of your flannel shirts?"

"You don't like the skinny jeans?" Beca asked.

"Oh, just the flannel shirt is way hotter," Chloe said with a wink.

Beca smiled and asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me while I"m here."

"I'd love to," Chloe responded.

"Oh, God," Aubrey finally spoke. "You two make me sick." She looked at Chloe. "I can't believe you're buying into this, whatever this is supposed to be."

"And I can't believe you told Beca all that stuff," Chloe said angrily. "I think maybe you should explain to me why you did it. And, while you're at it, why you didn't think it was necessary to tell me what happened when we were all worried about her."

"She was finally out of my life," Aubrey yelled. "I didn't care what happened to her. I just wanted my best friend to be my best friend. I wanted the Bellas to be my Bellas. All she did was argue with me about everything, and the girls were listening to her. I couldn't take it anymore so when she came to ask me about you, I told her all that stuff so she'd quit the Bellas."

"Selfish much?" Flo asked. "I wasn't a Bella then, but I can tell that this wasn't about you, Aubrey. It was about Beca and Chloe. Words are hurtful, and you used them to cause Beca pain. You are not a good person."

Aubrey looked like she was going to say more but snapped her mouth shut when she saw how everyone was looking at her. Her shoulders slumped, and she sat down in the chair with her head in her hands.

"Flo's right," Beca said. "Your words did cause me pain. A lot of pain. But, in a way, I should be thanking you."

Aubrey scoffed and lifted her head to look at Beca.

"Surprising, I know," Beca said. "Honestly, if you hadn't said what you did, I would have stayed at Barden trying to work up the nerve to ask Chloe out. I mean, even if you had told me what Chloe liked to do on a date, I still had to ask her out. I was terrified to do that. Moving to L.A. terrified the hell out of me, too. But every time I thought about throwing in the towel, I thought about what you said, and I persevered and tried harder, so I could prove to you, and myself, that I was good enough for Chloe."

"That doesn't excuse what she did," Chloe said.

"No, it doesn't," Beca said. "But I get it now. She was insecure. I was even more insecure back then, so it was easy for me to believe what she told me. I didn't think I was good enough for you, but I was willing to give us a try. If I hadn't been so insecure, I wouldn't have cared about what Aubrey said and would have just asked you out." Beca stood in front of Aubrey. "I know you didn't apologize, and probably won't, but I forgive you. You had some issues with me, and you used the only weapon you had to knock me down. I've learned and grown from it."

"This is all nice and everything," Fat Amy said. "But, could you put on a flannel shirt and your skinny jeans and beat the shit out of Aubrey? That's what you should have done three years ago instead of running clear across the country."

"I'm with Amy on this," Stacie said. "Aubrey, you're lucky Beca has matured and grown over the past three years."

"Brey," Chloe stepped in to talk. "You've been my best friend since Kindergarten. I can't believe that after all those years you thought I could so easily replace you with anyone, including Beca. Yes, we were best friends, too, but you knew that I wanted something more with her. I'm upset because if not for you, Beca and I could have been together all this time. I'm angry because the person who said all that stuff to Beca was not being my best friend. And I kind of like my best friend."

"I really didn't mean for it to get that far," Aubrey said, shoulders slumped in defeat. "I just figured Beca would quit the Bellas and that would be it. I didn't know she'd leave and never look back."

"So, why didn't you say anything when we were all worried about her?" Chloe asked.

"I thought it was too late," Aubrey said. "She was gone, and if I had told you it was because of me, you'd hate me."

"Brey," Chloe said. "I would have been mad, but I wouldn't have hated you."

Aubrey looked up with tears in her eyes. "Beca," she called getting the girl's attention. "I really am sorry for what I did. It was petty and immature."

Everyone looked at Beca to see what she was going to do. Beca looked around at all the girls and then at Aubrey.

"Three years ago I would have probably tried to kick your ass," Beca said and smiled. "I'm not the same girl I was back then. And, I accept your apology."

"Thank you," Aubrey said.

"What do you say we all go out to dinner tonight," Beca said. "My treat."

The girls all agree, and Chloe pulls Beca to the side. "Can we maybe go get coffee and talk?"

"I'd like that," Beca said. "Amy, would you mind if we reschedule lunch to another day?"

"I don't mind," Amy said. "We'll talk about it later."

"Thanks," Beca said and turned to Chloe. "Shall we go?"

Chloe smiled and pulled a surprised Beca into a kiss. Beca kissed her back and didn't pull out of the kiss until she heard the Bellas whistling and cheering.

"Now we can go," Chloe said.