#in that story... inigo is the one to really help me pull a head out of the tomes and look at the stars

[pixs-pinings]

Inigo.........

[macawbre]

He knows that if he asked outright, Father would reply with some silly quip and end by saying all he needs is his family's happiness. (Which, okay, is really sweet and totally doesn't make Laslow tear up. Not at all.)

Probably. Or Father would give the question serious thought, and ask for a charm or piece of magic that frankly sounded impossible to procure.

So Laslow didn't ask. Merely plotted and scratched his head and was only marginally stressed out when an order almost wasn't completed on time.

"Father! Happy birthday," he grins, sitting across from Henry at the dinner table. They get to celebrate as a family again, and Laslow doesn't dare waste a minute.

From the chair next to him, Laslow produces a medium sized box. "Ta da! Please be careful with the package on top."

(There are a few carefully wrapped items inside the box. The first is an onyx crow with two small rubies for eyes, made by the same artisan who created Mother's dancer figurine. Next is a book of famous ghost stories from across Fodlan. And last of all, a hand woven, tan sweater made of only the softest yarn.)

"Okay, okay, let's get some grub on. You need to get some food in you, so you grow up even stronger than you are now, yeah?"

It's a sentiment mimicked, much like a parrot, but with feeling and purpose and all the little nuances with being something to someone. Henry wasn't daft—he was hardly a parental figure at all, let alone this boy's real father. Inigo's real father was immortalized, beloved, and all the things he just wasn't. Yet. But in a way, just sitting across from him, eye-to-eye, reminded Henry that there was never going to be a moment Inigo would regret, so long as he was around. Him. Henry. No one else would fill those shoes. And that was the most important thing to him in moments like this.

He'd take these shoes and walk this earth a father. And better yet, Inigo's!

"Hey, kiddo, whatcha got behind your back?" Henry wondered if the fatherly thing to do was to pretend it wasn't there. But like a crow took to a shiny coin, he couldn't help himself.

"It's not a risen arm, is it?" A joke. Probably. His terribly joyous grin spread from ear-to-ghastly-ear.

"Nah, I'm kidding. But, hmmmmm~"

His grin shrunk a little, even more genuine than the last. It's touched with a gentleness that almost felt unsettling—like a man laying to rest for the last time. "You didn't have to." He really didn't have to. "For my birthday, huh?"

It's such a dear little box, too. He swallowed a bit, met with a dryness that curled on the back of his tongue like a dusty, forgotten stage. Henry had never been good at these touchy-feely things. But every year older reminded him that however much he would play the stranger, his family would pull him in for the same song-and-dance again. And again. Until he wasn't just ghosting the motions, but feeling them in their entirety.

He just hoped that when the curtains fell, and the shoes were put away, his boy would carry on as beautifully as he always had been.

"Thanks, my boy."

Before he even opened the dear box, he rested his hand on its lid and sighed. Honestly, he knew he'd just adore it. Whatever it was.

"...I think you know me a little too well." The phrase, however catty, arrived with great, sincere affection. "You just knew I'd try to worm my way out of this if I had my way."

"Nyahaha!"

Pulling away at the box, his expression lowered, eyebrows canting to the one thing he could not deny. A beautiful, fanning book. An onyx crow, held up to the light. "Oh."

And a sweater—the coziest thing on this side of Ferox.

"Yeah."

"I'm getting soft, alright."

[quicksilverdrabbles]

Taliesin: I must say, you've a very good nose for finding injured people, Inigo.

Inigo: Thank you. They are just up this hill.

Kaidan: Peak's Shade?

Lucien: Oh dear, I hope S'vashni hasn't killed anybody again..

Xelzaz: No, this one is still alive.

Inigo: There they are!

Gore: *sitting on the ground with his leg caught in a bear trap*

Lucien: Oh gosh. I suppose asking if you're okay wouldn't be very helpful here.

Gore: N-Not really- *sees Morana standing near the front of the group* Uh.

Morana: *sighs, shaking her head. She pulls out her notebook and begins writing in it, showing the finished phrase to Gore* Hello, my name is Morana. No I am not here to kill you or lead you to your death. *she tilts her head, considering, before turning the notebook back towards her and adding more* Or enslave you.

Gore: You- What? I mean, the killing or leading me to my death I would have believed, but where did enslavement come from?

Morana: *points at Yaksha* That one.

Yaksha: Haha. She saved me from a slaver.

Gore: That.. makes more sense. But, if you're not here to kill me, then... *he stares at the group, confused. His gaze finds Taliesin, and his expression falls into a glare* You're here to imprison me. You're with the Thalmor.

Taliesin: What.

Morana: *waving her hands frantically* No, we're not. *turns to Taliesin* I told you to stop wearing those robes!

Taliesin: Well I don't have anything else to wear!

Morana: I just bought you new Vagrant robes!

Taliesin: When???

Morana: Like a week ago! I told you about them!

Gore: What is happening.

Lucien: Ah, Morana can't speak very well, so she uses sign language. Me, Taliesin and Yaksha can understand her, and the others are learning.

Kaidan: *speaking over Taliesin's arguing* Anyways, Taliesin won't imprison you or anything. If he were still a Thalmor Justiciar he wouldn't be alive right now. I'd have made sure of it.

Inigo: Yes, do not worry.

Gore: ... Right. I suppose I'll believe it for now.. Um. *he winces* Can you guys- just get me out of this thing?

Kaidan: Oh shit I forgot about that- Yeah, we'll get you out. Yaksha!

Yaksha: Right here. Please bite down on this while we get your leg free. *hands him a leather strip*

Gore: Thanks..

Morana: *looks over at Gore's muffled yelling* Oh, you got him free.

Xelzaz: *sigh* No thanks to you!

Taliesin: Don't you look away from me, I am still talking to you!

Morana: *shakes her head*

Taliesin: Don't roll your eyes at me!

Morana: I wasn't even looking at you!

Yaksha: *checking for broken bones and applying healing salve to Gore's wound* How does that feel? Better?

Gore: Very much so. Thank you, er..

Yaksha: Yaksha. And that's Kaidan, Lucien, Inigo, Xelzaz, Taliesin, Styx, and Morana.

Gore: Quite a crowd you all have. Cute nightmare dog.

Lucien: Isn't she?

Styx: *barks*

Taliesin: *still rambling* It's not as if it is my fault the Thalmor hunt anyone suspicious! Of course people like Kaidan are going to be targeted if they stand out enough!

Morana: You're really not helping your case here.

Gore: Er, my name's Gore.

Inigo: Gore? That is quite a strange name.

Gore: It's a long story. Any chance we could talk about it back in town?

Lucien: Oh yes- Yes of course! Is he well enough to stand yet, Yaksha?

Yaksha: I am unsure. If need be, I can carry him.

Gore: I don't think that'll be necessary, big guy.

Morana: *still arguing* For claiming to know so much about fashion, you're certainly attached to those ugly robes.

Taliesin: UGLY?! Why you-!

Morana: *perks up, hearing twigs snapping at the bottom of the hill* Wait shut up.

Taliesin: You dare tell me to-?!

Morana: I said shut up!

Inigo: You heard it too?

Morana: *nods* ...

Kaidan: Yaksha, watch the lad.

Gore: Who the hell are you calling a lad-?

Thalmor Soldier: Well the mutt couldn't have gone off far! Spread out and search for him! And be careful, there are hunting traps everywhere.

Inigo: *whispers, sword drawn* We go on your signal, my friend.

Morana: *nods, drawing her dagger and dousing it in poison* Go.

~

Morana: *taps Gore's shoulder*

Gore: *sitting by the fire, leg bandaged* Hm? What is it?

Morana: *showing him her notebook* How's your leg?

Gore: Fine. Your healer works wonders.

Morana: Yeah, he's the best we could ask for.

Yaksha: *competing with Inigo to see who can fit the most honey nut treats in their mouths*

Morana: ... Assuming he doesn't choke to death himself.

Gore: Haha! I can see there's no end of excitement with these ones.

Morana: Are you sure you're okay travelling with someone who used to be a Thalmor? I'll understand if you don't want to.

Gore: Hm, well.. It'll take some getting used to. I think I'll survive, though. As long as he doesn't try anything funny.

Morana: You sound like Kaidan.

Gore: Ha!

Taliesin: *walks out of the tent wearing his new Vagrant robes* ...

Morana: Well, how are they?

Taliesin: ... They are. Acceptable. I thought most Vagrant robes had conjuration enchantments though. Are these destruction?

Morana: I enchanted them myself.

Taliesin: ... I suppose I must thank you, then.

Morana: I suppose so.

Gore: I'm really gonna have to learn your sign language so I know what you're saying without that book.

Taliesin: It seems Lucien has taken up the mantle of resident sign language teacher, if you'd like to ask him.

Gore: I'll be sure to do that.

[ihatetheinternetandeveryoneonit]

Skyrim Shortfic: PUA Hits on Autistic Mage, You Won't Believe What Happens Next

CW: mention of underage drinking, intense incel-tier misogyny, near-non-existent proofreading

At this point in the story since I'm not at all chronological: Enid (Breton, 30, non-db) is trying to patch things up with her estranged son, Rufus. She's less of a bitch in general than she used to be, though she still can't "people." The gang is intrusively trying to rehabilitate her still, except for Kaidan who still thinks she hates him specifically for some reason. She's still in complete denial of her crush on him. Cary is part of the team but is not in Riverwood as Delphine does not take kindly to Thalmor--reformed or not.

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

"So, you're not someone who likes to lip-wrestle, got i--!" Another fellow leaned against the Sleeping Giant Inn, and like the men just before him, as well as most people, animals, and stones on the road, he went unheeded by Enid. She opened the door and it swung right against his head. For once, the team found her lack of spacial awareness gratifying rather than aggravating. Lucien, Inigo, and especially Rufus and Sofia chuckled at the man's expense as they all stepped inside. Even Kaidan wore a smirk he couldn't quite swallow.

Enid took no time making her beeline to the peace and quiet of the empty bar. "Any whiskey today?"

"Still none." Delphine sighed. "You're the only one who asks."

"Ale, t'en." Enid returned the sigh. "Stout and dry as you got."

Delphine nodded and ducked into the cellar.

"Excuse me," the man from outside slid onto the stool beside Enid. "You got a problem?"

"And a half-pint of larger for the boy." She called after Delphine.

"Excuse. Me." He poked her shoulder none-too-gently.

Enid's head snapped up at him.

"Oh hey, princess." He scoffed. "Nice to be graced with your attention."

"…What?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

He smirked. "Or maybe you're not used to men noticing you."

Enid blinked. "Sorry, do I know you?"

"You might, if you give me a chance."

"A chance?" she asked flatly.

"Not a smile, not a friendly hello. You just strut around like royalty. Well sorry to disappoint, ladyship, but I expect better."

Enid pursed her lips. "You're free to go."

"I don't think I will." He leaned an elbow against the bar as Delphine emerged with the beer. "Put it on my tab, sweetheart. And a mead for me too."

"Sure thing, babygirl." Delphine responded dryly. Enid snorted.

"No, t'at's fine, Delphine." She said, pulling out her purse and counting ten septims. "I'm no princess, I don't take tribute from the peasants!"

"Good girl." Delphine collected the coin and retreated back to her work.

"Do you usually mock men who are trying to do you a favor?"

Enid took a long sip.

"I could be the man of your dreams, you don't know."

Enid choked.

"You really want to die alone?" He frowned.

"Hmm, t'at actually sounds--wait, is t'at a threat?"

"No!" he gasped. "Just--let's start over. Hi, I'm Bishop." He held out his hand.

"Goodbye, Bishop." Enid turned back to her drink.

"Listen--!" Bishop grabbed Enid's arm. She jumped, spilling her drink, wide eyes staring incredulously at him.

"You think you're better than everyone, huh?" He tightened his grip. "Let me tell you that attitude is going to get you in trouble one day!"

With the sound of heavy footfalls, Kaidan cast his shadow over the bar.

"I think it's time for you to go."

"I'm sure the lady can speak for herself," Bishop drawled, not even owing him a glance.

"She already did." said Kaidan. "Perhaps I can help you listen."

"Kaidan…!" Enid went pink, wiggling her arm free of Bishop's grip.

"You're wanting to step outside, then?" Bishop stood and looked up at Kaidan. "Not all of us are savages up here…"

"At least 'savages' know how to treat people." Kaidan snarled. "It's always 'civilized' men who think they won't get their skulls split open for acting vile."

"Is that so?" Bishop scoffed, stepping back. "Splitting skulls is polite to you?"

Kaidan scowled down at him in silence.

Bishop smirked. "You think this posturing'll open her legs for you?"

"Hey!" Rufus poked his head from behind Kaidan's monolithic frame. "That's my mom, asswipe!"

Through the humiliation, Enid felt her heart burst at her son's sudden sort-of gallantry.

Bishop wrinkled his nose at Rufus and glanced up at Kaidan. "You know what? She's all yours. I'm not interested in used-up wenches."

Kaidan's hand flew to his hilt. The others by the fire jumped from their seats.

"FUS!!!" Rufus's high voice rattled the beams. Kaidan stumbled backward and Enid's stool rammed against the bar.

Bishop, meanwhile, was in the rafters, along with half the menu.

Delphine rushed out of the cellar with the lager in hand, mouth agape at the wine staining the wall. Kaidan placed a hand on Rufus's heaving shoulders.

Delphine glared daggers at Enid, who sighed.

"Put it on my tab. Sorry."

[ciaossu-imagines]

Admin prompt 12

“Describe yourself how you would describe a character you’re introducing”

I am extremely curious 👀👀

Also I hope no one is bullying you in the asks box! Haven't asked for a bit because I was worried you got overwhelmed.

Att. Saiyuki boys person

Thank you so much for checking on me! You’re so incredibly sweet, my Saiyuki boys anon! (Also, like, bless you and the one other Saiyuki follower I have for helping keep this fandom alive!) I actually only had one more rude message after those first couple I complained about, so I lucked out there. I think, because I addressed them publicly in a separate post, without naming them or publishing their words, they didn’t quite get the attention I’m sure they were after and moved on, which I’m very happy for and I had so many supportive readers, so thank you all once again. And thank you for this really interesting, surprising request, though Goddamn, I admit it’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever written because when asked to describe myself, I tend to just give basic stats – height, eye and hair colour, visible markings…basically, whatever you’d note down when conducting an autopsy, haha! I have rewritten this countless times and am just saying fuck it, and I’m just going to bore everyone by narrating the last ten to fifteen minutes of my life as if I was writing a scene in a book.

A sudden gust of wind whipped by, blowing her hair all over the place. Oh well, it was messy anyway, hastily whipped up into a bun held in place by a pen when an elastic couldn’t be found quickly enough for her liking. Taking one last draw off her cigarette, eyes taking in the gorgeous blue of the sky as her thoughts wandered, she half-turned and tossed the cigarette into the butt can, dousing it with the bottle of water she kept outside for just that reason. She sighed and allowed herself to bask just a bit longer in the warmth and atmosphere of the day outside as she pulled out her phone and scrolled through the to-do list she’d made for the day yet again. Ticking off the latest completed task, she shook her head and, half-smiling that crooked smile of hers, stood and stretched before heading back inside.

Her feet padded audibly across the floors of her apartment and though she tried to avoid the creaky spot in the floor, she hit it once again, not quite used to her new place enough to have guessed the correct spot. Damn…she hoped she didn’t have neighbours trying to sleep underneath her. Though she was surprisingly light on her feet and quick for both her size and height, she always worried she was making just a bit too much noise when it came to disturbing her neighbours.

Making her way quickly into her  kitchen, with the click of a button she set the coffee going into her favourite mug (chipping now, but she hated to throw it out – who knew when she’d find another Inigo Montoya mug, after all?). Her thoughts seemed to be going a million miles a minute, so many ideas and plots and stories whooshing around without rhyme or reason, and she groaned, lifting a hand to rub at her tired eyes, pushing her glasses up into her mess of dark hair. She should probably clean those while she waited, honestly, and she reached up to pull the thick-rimmed tortoiseshell frames from their perch before giving them an almost thoughtless, habitual wipe with the bottom edge of the baggy, stained, ripped but incredibly comfortable Nirvana hoodie that was always her go-to on writing days.

The coffee shut off and she prepared to add in the usual, swinging herself up on the little pink stool in the kitchen to reach the cupboard where she kept the creamer and sugar. It seemed that no matter where she lived, kitchens just really weren’t built for short people. Even standing on tiptoes, she was just barely able to reach the second shelf of the upper cupboards…God, someday, she swore she’d have enough money to buy a place and have the kitchen custom built for people five feet and under. See how all those tall people struggled then!

Her feet knew just where to go though, after she tossed the spoon in the sink, and with coffee in hand, she headed back to her desk and the computer. A click of the mouse brought the word document back up onto the screen and her brown eyes scanned the sentences already typed onto the page. Small, broad hands, stubby fingered, with nails kept almost brutally short but brightly polished (chipping – she’d have to redo that before work tomorrow) settled onto the keyboard. Please let me find all the words this time, all the sentences to get my thoughts properly to all of them, she prayed before the air was filled with the sound of keystrokes, fast and forceful.

[alwaysachorusgirl]

We’ve Got Tonight

Pairing: Rafael Barba x Reader

Word Count: 3,540

Square: Free Space, using “We’ve Got Tonight” by Bob Seger from the song list (song lyrics in bold type)

TW: Includes a brief re-cap of “Sightless in a Savage Land”, so a brief mention of rape murder; angst, hurt/comfort, implied smut

Tags: @thatesqcrush, @madamsnape921

A/N: This is a follow up to “An Exile of Our Own Making”. Sorry for the delay in getting this out. Everything was going fine until I hit a patch of writer’s block and bad mental health days. This starts prior to “Sightless in a Savage Land” and then jumps to immediately afterward. This also ended up being on the longer side. I feel like I threw everything at it, except the kitchen sink.

           After your fateful meeting with Rafael you had gone home and cried yourself to sleep. The next day you went into work and everyone seemed to automatically know that something was wrong. Amanda and Kat eventually got it out of you. As expected, Amanda wasn’t thrilled that you’d gone to see your ex without her to back you up. Kat, ever the good partner, said she’d there to listen if you wanted to talk about it. You didn’t but thanked her anyway. Lucia Barba called three times, begging you to come to Christmas dinner and talk to her son. As much as you wanted one of Lucia’s home-cooked meals, you politely declined. You were working the Christmas shift. You did reassure her that you would speak to Rafael again, but only when you were ready to, and on your own terms.

           You also scheduled an emergency session with your therapist. She also wasn’t thrilled that you had gone to see Rafael, but she listened while you cried and dumped out the contents of your heart. It eventually led to a discussion about forgiveness, more specifically, whether or not you could forgive Rafael. You had told her that you thought you could, but you still needed more time to process your current emotions. You needed to sit down and have an actual conversation with him, you had barely given him an opportunity to speak when you’d last met. You figured that you should at least give him a chance to explain himself, even if it hurt to hear it.

******************

           Thankfully Christmas Day was uneventful. You caught up on all your paperwork, reviewed open casefiles, updated some profiles and case notes, and cleaned and reorganized your desk. Liv called a couple hours before your shift was over to check in and tell you to go home early and enjoy the rest of the day. You thanked her, and then called in your usual order to your favorite Thai takeout place as you were walking out the door.

********************

           When you arrived back at your apartment, takeout dinner in hand, you were met at the door by a talkative orange ball of fluff.

           “Mrow! Mrow! Mrow!”

           “Yes, baby, I know! Your dinner is late,” You said to your cat. You made sure your door was locked, then put down your food and work bag and shrugged off your coat and boots. “Just give me a sec- hey! Inigo! That food is not for you!”

           Inigo stopped sniffing the takeout bag and looked at you like he was insulted. You sighed and picked up the food, taking into your kitchen and placing it on the counter. You then grabbed Inigo’s food and water bowls. You refilled the water bowl and put it back down, hoping it would distract him while you opened the cat food can and used a fork to deposit the wet, squishy substance into his food dish. Because it was Christmas, you garnished it with few cat treats. You put the dish down next to his water bowl and he hungrily dug in.

           “Merry Christmas, Inigo,” you said with a smile.

           After changing into your pajamas, you settled on the couch with your dinner and a glass of wine and began your annual Christmas movie marathon. You weren’t sure how long you’d be able to stay awake, so you started off with Gremlins. You had just gotten to the part where Billy is starting to bond with Gizmo when you phone rang. You grabbed it off the coffee table and saw it was Lucia Barba wanting to facetime. You swiped to answer and were shocked to see Rafael’s face looking back at you.

           “Hi, I know that I’m probably the last person that you want to talk to, but I just wanted to say, Merry Christmas, Y/N.”

           “It’s okay, I’m glad you called, but next time, use your own phone, okay? Merry Christmas Rafael. How are you?”

           “I’m about as well as I can be. You?”

           “Yeah, I’m good,” you replied. A loud sound from your TV got both your attention.

           “Is that the sound of a Mogwai in distress?” Rafael inquired. “You’re watching Gremlins, aren’t you?”

           “Of course, I am, it’s my favorite Christmas movie.”

           At that moment, Inigo decided to jump into your lap and demand his nightly cuddles.

           “Wait, you have a cat now?”

           At the sound of Rafael’s voice, Inigo turned and looked at your phone, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

           “Mrow?”

           “Yes, I do. Rafael, meet Inigo. Inigo, can you say ‘Hi’ to Rafael?”

           Inigo gave a disinterested “Mrow”, and then curled up in your lap and started to purr. You massaged his head with your free hand.

           “Wow,” said Rafael, “I was not expecting that. Is he named after who I think he’s named after?”

           “Yes, he is,” you chuckled. “I adopted him about six months after you left. My therapist thought it might be good if I had an animal to take care of, and I’ve always been a cat person. He was an injured kitten when I found him at the shelter. I took one look at him, and I just knew. He’s been my fluffy baby ever since.”

           You were surprised how easily the conversation flowed between the two of you. Neither of you brought up the elephant in the room, but that was okay. You weren’t ready to have that conversation yet, and when you did, you wanted it to be face to face. Right now, it just felt good to talk to him again. He told you about the legal work he’d been doing, you told him stories about your cat, and how Sonny was doing working in the DA’s office. And by the time you signed off the call, you felt a spark of hope growing in your heart.

********************

The time between Christmas and New Year’s came and went. You spoke to Rafael a few more times via facetime. You had time to think, and the more you thought about it, the more you wondered if a second chance was staring you right in the face. Life wasn’t a movie and most people didn’t get second chances, but every day that went by made you a little more sure that reconciliation was possible.

Rafael was on your mind so much that you were almost grateful when you were awoken in the wee hours of New Year’s morning by the Amber Alert on your phone. SVU was being called in to find a missing teenage girl, and it was just the distraction you needed. If only you had known the twists and turns that case would take, evolving into a rape, and then murder case, when’s the girl’s father, Mickey Davis, shot and killed her rapist.

Rafael stepped in and defended Davis. It was both heart-wrenching and exhilarating to watch him go up against Sonny in the courtroom. Sonny was your friend and former partner, and you knew he wasn’t happy about the situation. But watching Rafael strut around the courtroom, making his arguments, cross-examining witnesses, making objections, you couldn’t help but be completely in awe of him. He was wholly in his element, like he’d never been gone.

**********************

When all was said and done, Sonny walked away victorious with a guilty verdict. He should have been thrilled, but instead he was sitting in Forlini’s with you, Rafael, and the rest of the team, sulking into his beer. You stood off to the side, nursing your Jack and Coke, unsure of what to say or do to make him feel better. You and Rafael had behaved like complete professionals when you had to interact during the case, but that hadn’t stopped a stressed-out Sonny from snapping at you and calling your friendship and loyalty into question.

So, you kept your mouth shut and stared longingly at Rafael, hanging onto his every word. At some point he received a text from his mother and headed out, saying something about Lucia insisting on going to Miami to visit the rest of the family. You saw Amanda stand up and you thought she was headed back to the bar, but you then felt her elbow you in the side. You gave her a look of confusion.

“What are you waiting for? Go after him,” she told you.

You nodded in response, put the rest of your drink down, and grabbed your coat and purse.

“Thanks Coach, good pep talk.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” she replied. “Now go get your man.”

You exited Forlini’s and looked up and down the sidewalk for Rafael, but he wasn’t there. You decided to check around the corner, and if you still didn’t catch sight of him, you would go back to bar and call him. You dashed down the street and around the corner. You stopped in your tracks when you saw him, his back to you, deep in conversation with Liv. Liv saw you, gave you a nod and smiled.

“Happy New Year, Rafael, “she told him, “Oh, and I think someone else wants a word with you.”

Rafael turned and smiled when he saw you, and you smiled back. Liv patted you on the shoulder she walked by, leaving you and Rafael alone together. You took a deep breath and walked toward him.

“Hi,” you said, when you got close enough.

“Hi,” he replied.

“You did really well today, Rafael, I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, Y/N, that means a lot.”

“Look, “you started, “I know your plans don’t include me right now, but I was thinking that maybe, if you have time later, I’m ready to sit down and actually talk. I never gave you a chance to explain yourself, and I’m sorry. I didn’t handle that well.”

“Y/N, you have nothing to be sorry about. I didn’t handle it well, either. Everything you said, I needed to hear.”

“All the same, please, Rafael?” You gazed up into his green eyes. You felt your resolve cracking again as a tear rolled down your face. Rafael gently touched your cheek, brushing it away with his thumb, and this time, you didn’t pull away from his touch.

“It’s okay, Cariño, if you want to talk, then we’ll talk.”

You let out a breath that you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. And then you did want you wanted to do the first moment you saw him sitting there in Forlini’s: You wrapped your arms around his sturdy torso and buried your face in the crook of his neck, holding on for dear life. You felt his arms circle around you, pulling you as close as he could. You breathed in his scent, a mixture of his cologne, coffee, whiskey, and something that was uniquely him. You felt him run his fingers through your hair and kiss your forehead.

“It’s okay, Cariño,” he murmured softly. “I’ve got you, you’re okay, you’re okay. I’m right here.”

“Then why am I scared that you’ll disappear if I let go?”

“I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

You weren’t sure how long the two of you stood there holding onto each other. It was obvious that neither one of you wanted to let go. Rafael massaged small circles into your back, whispering words of comfort and reassurance into your ear. You melted into him, just like you had so many times before. Any remaining doubts you had flew out of your mind. You loved him. You belonged with him. You forgave him. You wanted him back.

“Cariño? I’ll tell you what, why don’t you come have dinner with me and my mother tonight?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose,” your replied, shaking yourself out of your thoughts.

“You’re not imposing. My mother would love to see you, and you know how she cooks; there will be more than enough food.”

“I’d be late, I have run back home first. I have a hungry cat waiting for me, remember?”

“Then we will take a detour to Brooklyn on the way to the Bronx,” Rafael said with a chuckle.

“You do know that’s an out-of-the-way detour, right?”

“Cariño, as far as I’m concerned, it’s worth it. I’ll just text my mother and let her know that I’m running late.”

********************

Thankfully traffic wasn’t as heavy as it usually was, and you got back to your apartment relatively quickly. Rafael waited in the car while you ran in, fed Inigo, changed out of your work clothes, and ran back out. Then it was off to Lucia’s apartment in the Bronx. As promised, Lucia welcomed you with open arms.

“Hermosa!” She cried, enveloping you in a hug. “I’m so happy to see you! I missed you at Christmas! Come in! Come in! Dinner is almost ready. Rafi! Why didn’t you tell me you were bringing Y/N?”

“I wanted to surprise you, Mamí,” he said, embracing his mother.

“Well, consider me surprised then. I’ll go set an extra place at the table.”

She headed for the kitchen and Rafael took your coat, hanging it up on the hook by the door. He placed a tentative hand on your lower back, but once again, you didn’t pull away. You gazed into his emerald eyes, allowing yourself to get lost for a moment. Before you could stop yourself, your hand was caressing his cheek. You shuddered when he placed his hand over yours and kissed your palm. Your heart pounded like a jackhammer in your chest, and you started wonder what would happen if you just-

“Dinner’s ready!” Lucia called.

You took a step back and tried to pull your hand away, but Rafael held on and placed a soft kiss on your knuckles.

“Shall we?”

You nodded and let him lead you to the kitchen, where you were met with a variety of delicious smells and a veritable feast.

“Oh, Lucia, you have outdone yourself again!”

“Just a little something to celebrate my son being back in court and doing what he does best,” she said with a grin.

“Mamí, I didn’t win today.”

“Rafael, that doesn’t matter,” you said, giving him a look. “You walked into that courtroom with your head held high and fought like hell for your client. Watching you, it was awe inspiring, it was brilliant, it was astounding. You have nothing to be ashamed of.” You stopped, realizing that both Rafael and Lucia were staring at you. “Maybe we should sit down and eat?”

“Yes, I think we should,” said Lucia, giving you a smirk and a knowing look.

Grace was said, dishes were passed, and between the conversation and shoveling forkfuls of food into your mouth, the time flew by. It had been so long since the last time the three of you had been together like this, but it felt like the years hadn’t passed at all. You had missed this, wanted it to be your normal again. Every time your eyes caught Rafael’s he would reach for your hand and give it a gentle squeeze, and you wondered if he felt the same way.

Before you and Rafael left, Rafael double-checked his mother’s flight information. She was flying out the next morning, and Rafael promised he’d be there bright and early to take her to the airport.

“Rafi, I am more than capable of getting myself to the airport.”      

“I know, Mamí, but I insist. I just want to make sure that you get there and don’t have any issues with checking in.”

“Fine, but don’t forget to bring in my mail every day and check the fridge occasionally. If something looks or smells like it’s going bad, throw it out.”

‘I will, Mamí, I promise.”

Lucia gave him a hug and kissed his cheek, then did the same to you. She made sure to hand you both large Tupperware containers with the all the leftovers.

“This is to make sure you don’t starve. And Hermosa, take care of my son? Make sure he eats something other than take-out?”

“I will, Lucia, I promise.”

**********************

You unlocked your apartment door, but before opening it, you turned to Rafael.

“You’re sure that you’re ready for this?”

“Yes, Cariño, I’m ready to meet your cat,” he reassured you for the umpteenth time.

“Okay…”

You opened the door and you and Rafael entered the apartment. You were promptly headbutted in the leg before you could even get your coat off.

“Mrow! Mrow! Mrow! Mrow!”

“Yes, baby, I’m sorry I went out and left you here all alone.” You picked up Inigo and cuddled him in your arms. “It’s okay, baby, Mommy’s home now.” You turned towards Rafael. “Rafael, this is Inigo. Inigo, this is Rafael.”

“Hi there, Inigo, it’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

Inigo looked at Rafael, then looked up at you incredulously.

“Mrow?”

“Inigo be nice…I have an idea! Rafael, his treats are in the corner cabinet, 1st shelf.” You pointed towards the kitchen. Rafael ran to your kitchen and came back with the cat treats. He shook a few into his hand and held them out to Inigo. The cat took a tentative sniff, and then gobbled down the treats, even licking the crumbs off Rafael’s fingers. “There, you happy now?” Inigo gave an affirmative “Mrow”, and you put him down.

“Sorry about that,” you said, standing back up and finally taking your coat off. “He can be a little grumpy around new people. Drink?”

“It’s okay, I get it,” said Rafael, removing his coat and suit jacket and draping them over a kitchen chair. “Yes, please, a drink would be great.”

You put your leftovers in the fridge and opened a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Scotch and two glasses.  You expertly poured and handed a glass to Rafael. He thanked you, and you took the other glass and motioned towards the living room. “Shall we?” Rafael nodded and followed you to the couch. You both glanced at each other awkwardly, not sure how to begin.

“I guess I should start by apologizing again,” Rafael finally spoke, “and I am truly sorry, Cariño, for everything. I never should have left the way that I did. After the trial, I really believed it was all over. I saw my future and all of my hopes fading away. I couldn’t go back to the DA’s office, couldn’t face the scrutiny, couldn’t face you, couldn’t even face myself. So, I took the coward’s way out, and I ran. At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. I convinced myself that I needed time and distance to figure things out, but I wasn’t thinking straight, I know that now. I felt like I was suffocating. Everything was falling apart, and I didn’t know how to fix it…”

“You could have come to me. We could have figured it out together…” You reached for his hand and held it between both of yours. “I never would have turned my back on you.”

“I know that, dear god, do I know that,” Rafael hung his head, tears starting to leak out of his eyes. “I thought I’d be sparing you so much unnecessary pain and humiliation. Knowing that I only caused you more…I’ll never forgive myself. I never should have pushed you away. I’ve spent every moment regretting it.” He turned his head and looked you right in the eye.” I never meant to hurt you; I swear I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know,” you said, feeling your own fresh round of tears coming on. “Come here.”

You wrapped your arms around him and held him close. He embraced you in return, placing his head on your shoulder. It was so rare for you to see him like this, opening up, letting his guard down, being vulnerable. He was hurting just as much as you were, longing for shelter, longing for an end to all the years of heartache. You gently cupped his face in your hands to that he was looking you in the eye again.

“I forgive you, Rafael, I forgive everything. Deep in my soul, I’ve been so lonely, and I don’t want to live like that anymore, and I don’t think you do either. Still here we are, both of us lonely. Let’s make it last, let’s find a way.”

“Are you saying- “

“Yes, I love you, Rafael, come back to me.”

Your lips found his. The kiss started out soft and gentle, but soon became deeper and more intense. You let go of his face and draped your arms around his neck. Rafael pulled you into his lap, one arm around your back, his other hand in your hair. You both desperately tried to communicate three years of pent up longing and desire without words. Nothing else mattered, just the two of you, in your apartment, and nothing was going to tear you apart again.

“I love you, Y/N,” said Rafael when you finally broke apart to catch your breaths.

“I love you, too, Rafael.”

“Look, I know it’s late, I know you’re weary, but I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to spend another night away from you.”

You kissed him again.

“Then don’t. We’ve got tonight, babe, why don’t you stay?”

[synmorite]

Behind These Eyes- Chapter 2

Summary: The boys make you feel welcome in the bunker.

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 2955

Warnings: Mentions of suicide, mentions of depression, language, fluff

A/N: This is still a work in process, but if you have any constructive suggestions, please let me know! If there’s things that should be included in the warnings or the tags, feel free to send me a message.

*****************

After you finished cleaning yourself off, you tugged on the Led Zeppelin shirt and sweatpants that Dean left for you. Even though the pants were a bit too big, there was a drawstring that you used to tighten them so they wouldn’t fall down. You walked over to the mirror and wiped the steam off of it. You finger combed your hair and realized it was longer than when you last saw yourself in a mirror. You studied your appearance in the mirror. You looked the same, but ...not. Your skin had a healthy glow when before it was pallid with dark circles under your eyes. You looked down at your arms and while you still had scars up and down them, they didn’t bother you like they used to. You’d been surprised when you noticed them in the shower since you had gotten used to your arms being smooth again. You recognized yourself in the mirror, but realized that you looked happy and healthy. You hadn’t seen this girl in a long time before you had said yes to Arti. Smiling at your reflection, you exited the bathroom. You wandered down the hall a little bit before smelling something delicious that had your mouth watering. You followed your nose down the hall and back through the library and map room into a kitchen. Dean was humming and putting the finishing touches on a couple of burgers. He looked up and grinned brightly at you when you stepped down into the kitchen. 

“Thought you might be hungry too so I made some burgers.”

“They smell amazing, Dean. I literally just followed my nose into here. This place is a crazy maze!”

He laughed deeply and you couldn’t help but smile at him. “You have a beautiful laugh too, Dean.”

He blushed deeply again. Your grin widened.

“It is just so easy to make you blush!” 

“What? No it isn’t!” He said, defensively while continuing to blush. 

“Oh yeah? You wanna look in a mirror, handsome?” 

He looked startled at the compliment and you laughed. “Shut up and eat your burger!” He said, setting it down on the table along with a beer. You settled down at the table across from him and picked up the burger. You took a big bite and couldn’t stop the moan that escaped at the flavors that assaulted your mouth. 

“This tastes awesome! This is the best burger I’ve had in the last five years!” Dean snorted at your lame joke. “You made this?”

He nodded. “Just call me the Meat Man!” 

You choked and had to take a gulp of beer to clear your throat. Luckily, choking hid the blush that had erupted over your face at Dean’s comment.

“To quote a great man: ‘That word. I do not think it means what you think it means.’” You said once you could speak.

Dean looked slightly offended. “Don’t quote my man Inigo to me. I love meat!”

You couldn’t help the smirk and cocked eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

He caught your meaning and blushed again. “Shut up.”

You laughed and continued eating your burger in silence. 

You liked this hunter. You’d developed a crush from the stories that Arti had shared, but with meeting him you got to see this whole other side that wasn’t public knowledge. He was cute and a little nerdy. He was much more good looking that you had anticipated, and much sweeter. You could tell that he loved taking care of people by how he was taking care of you despite not really knowing you. He deserved so much better than everything that’s happened to him.

After Dean finished his burger, he watched you quietly for a few minutes. 

“What?” You asked, before taking another large bite of the burger.

“Why’d you say yes? To Arti? Cass told us that he’s a good guy, a good angel. I just don’t get why someone like you would agree to be an angel’s vessel.”

You looked up and met his green eyes before setting the last couple of bites of your burger down. Slowly, you moved your arms out in front of you so he could see the scars. His eyes widened a little at the amount and size of some of them.

“Five years ago, I was in a really bad place. Had been for a while. I’d tried everything, but nothing was helping my depression. After years of hospital visits and attempts to help, my friends and family left one by one. I’d barely been holding on and probably wasn’t far off from another suicide attempt when Arti found me. It took a month for him to convince me. I thought he was just a delusion at first. But he promised me peace. He promised that I would never be alone. He promised to help me. And he did. He gave me peace. I didn’t have any stress or expectations weighing on me. I just got to see the beauty in the world and appreciate it for what it is. Do you know what it is that Arti does?”

Dean shook his head. 

“He heals grief. He helps people move forward and on from their pain. He is a good angel.” You looked down at your empty plate. “I know that most angels are assholes. But not Arti. He only wants to help.”

Dean reached across and took your hand in his. His thumb rubbed softly over your skin, soothing you. Although, you didn’t feel that gnawing emptiness that you used to when thinking or talking about your depression, but his touch still comforted you. 

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” He said softly. 

You smiled. “Don’t be. Really, I’m alright now.”

Just then, you heard light footsteps enter the kitchen behind you. Dean let go of your hand and you turned around to see Castiel.

“Hey Cass, what’s up?” Dean asked. Castiel’s eyes were on the spot where Dean had been holding your hand.

“May I speak to Y/N for a moment?”

“Uh, sure.” You said, puzzled. You followed Castiel from the kitchen over to the library.

“I’d like to check on Artiya’il if you don’t mind.”

“No, not at all.”

Castiel reached two fingers up and touched your forehead. You felt a gentle warmth in your center before it receded and Castiel removed his fingers.

“How is he?” You anxiously asked.

“He’s weak. They drained him almost completely of his grace. He will need time to replenish.”

“How long?”

“It is hard to say. A month or two perhaps before he can reclaim control.”

“Oh.”

“Y/N, you will need to be careful. Artiya’il does not have the power to protect you. You should stay here and under the protection of the Winchesters.” He hesitated a moment before glancing towards the kitchen. “But also, please remember that it is temporary.” He walked away with those cryptic words. Before you had a chance to try and figure out what Castiel meant, you heard Dean behind you.

“What’d he say?”

You sighed. “That Arti’s grace was depleted and it could be a couple of months before he re-emerges and takes control.”

You saw something flash across his face before he settled on an indifferent look. You swore it looked like relief or excitement.

“I’m gonna need more clothes. And underwear…” You said, cocking your head at Dean.

His eyes sparkled at you and he smirked. “You could just go naked, sweetheart.”

You burst out laughing. “You first, smartass.”

He grinned. “Not sure you could handle it. I can take you out tomorrow if you want. Need to do a supply run anyway.”

“Awesome, thanks.” You yawned then and were startled to realize that you were exhausted.

“You should head to bed. Been a long day.” Dean said. He reached forward and laid his hand lightly on your lower back as he guided you back to your room. You curled up under the blankets and sighed softly at the softness. Dean shut your light off for you and as he shut the door, you heard him whisper, “Good night, princess.” Then you let sleep overtake you.

*

You slept peacefully and woke feeling well-rested. According to the clock, it was six in the morning. Still early. Stretching, you laid in the bed trying to think of what to do next. You had a couple months before Arti could come back. Castiel suggested you stay here, but you didn’t want to be a burden. You hated being a burden. That’s what you’d been to your family. You shot up in bed. Your family. You’d vanished without a trace five years ago. What did they think happened to you?

Throwing off the covers, you climbed out of bed and cracked open the door. You leaned out and glanced at Dean’s door. It was shut. You didn’t want to wake him up to ask to borrow a computer. You looked between your room and his door, debating on just waiting for him to wake up, but then you smelled coffee. The other brother, Sam, must be up. You hadn’t spoken to him much on the car ride to the bunker, but he seemed nice enough. You quietly shut your door and padded down the hall towards the library and kitchen. 

You could hear some movement coming from the kitchen so you hesitantly entered it and spotted Sam sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. He looked up when you came down the steps and smiled brightly.

“Hey Y/N! How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty good.” 

“Want some coffee?”

You nodded eagerly. He smiled at you again and got up to pour you a cup. 

You sat down at the table, and Sam set a cup down in front of you.

“Sugar? Milk?”

“Nah, I like it black.” 

Sam chuckled. “Dean does too.”

You smiled, thinking of Dean. “When does he get up?”

“It varies. Sometimes he’s up around now, but after a hunt he catches up on missed sleep a little. I’m not sure when he crashed.”

You sipped your coffee and Sam slid the paper over to you. 

“I like going out for a run in the morning so I’ll be out for an hour. You need anything?”

“Uh, yeah. Do you have a computer I could use? I’d like to check in on my family…” You trailed off.

“Yea, no problem. I’ll go grab my laptop from my room.” Sam got up and placed his empty cup in the sink before leaving the kitchen. 

You pulled the paper in front of you and glanced at the headlines. It didn’t look like much changed in the world. Still misery, death, and corruption. You sighed, knowing that while you had been at peace, the world would never find it.

Sam returned and set his laptop in front of you.

“The password to get in is getoffmycomputerdean. All lowercase.”

You burst out laughing. Sam grinned.

“Surprisingly, he hasn’t guessed it yet. Don’t tell him.”

“Oh, don’t worry. My lips are sealed.”

“Good. Alright, I’ll be back in about an hour.”

“Kay. Thanks Sam.”

Sam turned around and you heard his heavy footsteps before the bunker door thudded shut. You finished your coffee and carried Sam’s laptop into the library. You settled into a chair and opened his laptop. Giggling, you typed the password in and pulled up a google search page. Debating with yourself, you couldn’t decide between googling yourself or googling your family. Finally, you settled on yourself. You typed your name and your home city in and then eyed the results. Top results were an obituary and a link to a newspaper from 2010.

You clicked on the obituary first. It was definitely for you. 

Y/N Y/L/N- Y/N passed away presumably around April 23rd, 2009. Y/N suffered from mental illness much of her life before disappearing last year without any warnings to her family and friends. She is survived by her parents and a younger sister. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the family’s Go Fund Me page to support them in their time of grief.

You scoffed. The date was off by two weeks. You said ‘yes’ to Arti on April 7th. You had figured that you would have been declared dead by now, but you thought they would have gotten your disappearance date more correct.

Moving on to the newspaper, you realized it was just the requirement to declare you dead legally. Just a couple of sentences about what you looked like, when you disappeared, and to contact the police with any information about your disappearance before you were legally declared dead. 

Next, you went onto Facebook. Luckily, you still remembered your password. You scrolled through your own page and saw the only recent comments on your page were random people from high school and some former jobs wishing you happy birthday. Even after your supposed death. You searched through your short friends list until you found your sister. You scrolled through her page and saw that she’d been in a relationship with a guy for the last four years. All of her pictures were of her and this guy. You kept scrolling through all of the inane content she posted until you finally reached a post that mentioned you. 

It’s finally done! The judge approved the declaration of Y/N’s death this morning.

That was two days before when the obituary was posted. You scrolled through the comments on the post and saw some people ask what happened. Your sister answered very simply. We’re pretty sure she killed herself. She had a long history of mental illness.

You kept scrolling and found another post that mentioned you a few months before that.

For those of you who know my sister, Y/N, can you let me know if you’ve seen her? Parents got a collection notice in the mail for her and we can’t get a hold of her to pass it along.

That was it. Those were the only posts about you. And from what you could tell, your family didn’t realize you were missing for nine months. 

You leaned back in the chair and frowned at the computer. You knew you’d been a burden to them, but wasn’t quite expecting so much indifference to your supposed death.

You were so stuck in your thoughts, that you didn’t hear Dean approach you from behind.

“Hey, you okay?” Dean said, touching your shoulder gently. You jumped at the contact.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He pulled the chair out next to you and glanced at the computer screen. “Looking yourself up? What’d you find?”

“My family didn’t realize I was missing for months.” You murmured.

He studied your face carefully before reaching up and wiping away a tear that managed to escape your eye. 

“Hey,” he said softly. “A wise man once told me that family don’t end in blood. Arti is your family now. I can be your family. Sam and Cass can be your family. We can be the family that you choose you have.” He grasped your hand in his and rubbed his thumb across the back of it.

Your eyes raised and met his gorgeous green ones. You could see in them the sincerity. He was offering you a place with his family. To be a part of it. And you knew in your heart that all of them would make you feel welcome. Hell, they already had. From Dean cooking you dinner last night to Sam loaning you his computer. They really wouldn’t hesitate to bring you in and make you part of their little family. This could be home. 

You nodded. A wide grin spread across Dean’s face and you leaned forward and hugged him hard. After just a second’s hesitation, Dean wrapped his arms around you too. You gave another squeeze before pulling away. Dean’s hands reluctantly pulled away from your back, but he left one on your waist. The warmth of his palm through the shirt caused goosebumps to raise across your skin.

Dean glanced at the computer again and his eyes widened. 

“Wait, that’s Sam’s computer! You know his password?!?!” He reached a hand towards it and you quickly smacked his hand away.

“Dean, no!” 

He reached for the computer again. “Dean, yes!” You tried to smack his hand away again, but he squeezed your side with the hand that was still resting there. You squeaked. He stopped and looked at you in surprise before a grin spread across his perfect pink lips.

“Oh, no. No, don’t you dare, you fucker!” He quickly reached for you instead of the computer and then started to tickle your sides. 

Tears ran down face as you giggled and snorted and tried to twist away from his hands. You heard the bunker door slam shut.

“Sam! Save me, Sam! He’s tickling me!’ Dean stopped and you gasped for breath. You looked over at Sam and saw he was grinning.

“Yea, I don’t think I want to get involved.” 

“Hey, I gave myself up in defense of your computer!” Dean looked at the computer again which was now closed. 

“Hey now! When did you shut it?” He said indignantly.

“You were too busy torturing me to notice, handsome.” You grinned. 

“Well if it was to protect my computer and password… Dean’s also very ticklish.” Sam said.

Dean gasped next to you. “Traitor!” 

You turned back around to smirk at Dean, but were met with an empty chair. You could hear his footsteps retreating down the hall.

“Hey! Get back here and take your tickling like a man!” You shouted after him.

“Nope!” He laughed and you ran after him. 

Go to Chapter 3 >>>

[notyetneedcoffee]

Number Cannot Be Reached

Part Five of the Calling Series

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Naughty, Naughty Smut!

You stood in front of the door, biting your lower lip and staring at the message on your phone. You'd been up for hours debating whether or not this could wait until morning. Waking up Steve Rogers in the middle of the was not something you wanted to do. Still, every instinct in your being screamed to do something.

Taking a deep breath, you rapped on the door a couple times and stood back to wait. It only took a moment for Cap to open the door wearing old sweatpants and a tank. He looked half asleep until he got a look at you. His eyes perked up and he stood a little straighter.  

"Y/N," his voice sounded rough with sleep. "Are you okay?"

"I'm really sorry to bother you, but I just need to..." you stalled, not sure how to explain the problem without opening a can of worms.  

“Wait,” he stepped aside. “Please, come in. Sit down.”

Moving over to the sofa, you lowered yourself onto the edge of the seat. “I’m really sorry to wake you, Steve.”

“It’s alright.” He joined you on the sofa. “What’s wrong?”

“Okay,” You rubbed your forehead. “I know that I don’t have clearance to know what Bucky is doing on some of his missions.”

“I don’t really care what he tells you. I trust his judgement.” He shrugged.

“Thanks for that.” You smiled, but it didn’t reach your eyes. The frown returned quickly. “Thing is, I don’t know what he’s doing this time or where he is. I need to know if you do.”

“Why?”  

“We’ve worked out keeping in touch. Codes for texts. Call times.” You turned in your seat to face him. “This morning he didn’t answer. I send a message, but he never answered. Then he never called when he was supposed to call tonight.”

“Y/N, I’m sure that...”

You cut him off. “Steve, when I tried to call after he didn’t call me, I got this message.”  

Showing him the phone, he read ‘This number cannot be reached. The number may have been disconnected or is no longer in service.’

“I know enough about Tony’s infrastructure. That message would only show up if someone deleted his phone from Stark’s database, if the satellite is totally down, or if someone is ghosting his communications.”

Steve handed you back your phone, his face growing hard.

“I’m right, aren’t I? Something is wrong.” You found yourself holding the phone close to your chest. “Bucky would have told me if he was burning his number. He would have sent a message. Hell, we have a plan for that.”

“What?” Steve stood up to get his own phone from the kitchen counter. “What plan?”

“If I need him and he’s not supposed to communicate, I have a burner phone that I’m supposed to use to text him a bogus confirmation. If it’s medical, I send a prescription refill confirmation. If it’s something here in the tower, I send a spa confirmation. If it’s something else and I need him to call, I send a package delivery confirmation. He uses the same ones, but if he’s going off the grid, he sends me a cancellation of services confirmation. If we use C to confirm in the message, then we can call the burner phone. If we use a number to confirm, then there’s no contact.”

“Wow. You guys have it covered.” Steve dialed the two numbers he had for Bucky. Both kicked back the same message. “Okay, yeah. Something’s not right.”

“Steve. I’m not supposed to know. Bucky wasn’t supposed to set up our communication like he did.” You slumped back into the seat. “I know you’re going to go do everything you can, and I don’t want to put you in a bad situation-”

His hand rubbed your shoulder. “I’m going to make sure you’re kept in the loop. In fact, I’ll go have a talk with Tony about your clearance.”

“Thank you.” You got up and he held out his arms for a tight hug.  

“Try to get some rest. Keep those phones close.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I’ll let you know as soon as I have anything.”

As soon as you left, Steve threw on some clothes before leaving for the command room. The halls were empty and dark, only the building’s AI lighting his way. Upon entering the command room, default start up protocols began booting computers and turning on monitors.  

“Good morning, Captain.” F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice filled the room. “How may I be of assistance?”

“I need an update on Bucky and Clint’s mission.”

“According to their last communique, they tracked Mihov to Tasucu, Turkey anticipating he would lead them to the target within 24 hours.”

“Can you reach Barton?” Steve leaned on the smart table.  

“Agent Barton’s telephone has been deactivated.”

“Other means?”

“No, Captain. His computer’s satellite connection is offline. There are no other mobility devices assigned for this mission.”

“Dammit.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., begin bio-locator protocol for Agency Barton and Seargent Barnes, authorization Rogers two-one-papa-six-juliet.”

“Yes, Captain. Search in progress.”

He moved to the window, looking out at the night sky. Twenty-four hours. They’d dealt with longer periods off line. At least they had a solid time frame of their disappearance, thanks to the communications arrangement Bucky set up. Still, a lot of ground could be covered in that amount of time.  

“What the hell has you up at this seriously un-godly hour?” Tony walked in.  

“Clint and Buck are missing.” Steve frowned. “Somehow their phones, everything are totally unresponsive to the network.”

“What?” Tony called up a virtual screen, flying through data and system architecture at a pace that made Steve dizzy. “Son of a bitch.”

Cap just gave him a ‘what’ look.

“They weren’t destroyed. I have a damage report protocol on all our toys. They’re not just powered off. I can power them up from here. They’ve just been, wiped. Whoever did this knew what would trigger an alert and how to make them unreachable.” Tony turned fully to Steve. “How did you know?”

Steve lowered himself in a chair. “Y/N.”

He explained the system you and Bucky worked out. Tony chuckled. “Well, the Doc has it down.”

“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “We need to talk about her security clearance.”

“Hey,” Tony held up his hands. “I’m the last one to bitch. Do you have any idea how much Pepper knows? That woman could run the world if she wanted to. I’ll back you. Whatever you want to let her in on.”

“We’re going to need to send in an extraction team as soon as we have a location.” Steve chewed his lip.

Tony sighed. “You take care of it. Take whomever you need. I’ll give Rhody a call and we can take care of the Senators.” He tossed a sarcastic grin. “I’ll take them to lunch and watch them have a coronary when I act like I’m going to slide them the bill.”

“Thanks, Tony.”  

“No problem, Cap.” He typed in a few more commands on the interface. “This will kick of the detailed analysis of their mission so far. Locations, contacts, all of it. If you run into anything F.R.I.D.A.Y. can’t provide, have her call me.”

“I will.”

“You going to tell the Doc what’s going on, or wait until you have something?”

“I think she’d rather deal with the facts than be left wondering.” Steve sighed. “I’ll call her.”

o o o o o  

You curled around Bucky’s pillow, but sleep would not come. There could be no doubt that Bucky was counted among the most dangerous people in the world, one of the greatest survivors ever. If something bad happened, every logical argument could be made that if anyone would, survive, Bucky would. You should not be so worried.

Flopping over on your back you stared at the ceiling. Waiting sucked. Doing nothing sucked worse. You weren’t a soldier, or a strategist, or even a technician. Being a doctor proved to be no help in this situation. Waiting sucked balls.

Giving up on sleep altogether, you got up. Pulling on your yoga pants and one of Bucky’s sweatshirts, you moved to the sofa and flipped on the television. It turned on to one of the movie channels. You smiled at the scene.

Inigo Montoya fought Wesley, as the Dread Pirate Roberts, on top of the Cliffs of Insanity.  

You’d shown Bucky this movie a few weeks ago. He laughed at the Pit of Despair and thought Wesley should have just killed Humperdinck. Even explaining it was essentially a children's story, didn’t make a difference. The Prince should have died.

It’d been a great night, relaxed, and curled up on the sofa. He’d always been fine with casual touches in public, a hand on your back, touches on your shoulders, even a chaste kiss. But when you were alone Bucky had two speeds, full on fuck me mode or endless cuddles, No in between. You really wanted to be wrapped in his embrace.  

Lost deep in thought you physically jumped when the phone rang. You answered immediately. “Steve.”

“Hey, Y/N. You were right. The mission went sideways. I’m pulling the team together. If you want to hear what’s going on get up to the command briefing room. Do you know where?”

“Eighty-sixth floor. That’s all I know, I don’t have clearance to be up there.”

“You do now.” Steve assured you. “How long will you be? I can meet you at the elevators.”

“I’m leaving the apartment now.”

As you stepped off the elevator on the high security floor, Steve wrapped his arms around you again, whispering in your ear. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring him home, no matter what.”

“Thanks.” You squeezed him back.  

“Come on.”

You walked into the room where Sam, Natasha, Wanda and Vision waited. They all looked at you with a bit of shock, all except Sam. He got up and met you half way across the room, giving you a brief hug. “Hey Doc, how you holding up?”

“I’m... okay.” You sat down in the seat Steve held out for you.  

“Captain Rogers,” Vision spoke up. “I was not aware that Dr. Y/L/N held a sufficient security clearance for this briefing.”

“Vision.” Wanda shook her head with a roll of her eyes. “Sorry, Y/N.”

“She does now.” Steve answered Vision. “In fact, her clearance has been increased beyond this briefing.”

“Very well.” Vision nodded a greeting your way.  

Over the next hour you learned everything about the mission, who Bucky and Clint were chancing down and why. It turned your stomach to think they were searching for someone who was selling reverse engineered space weapons to the highest bidder. Apparently, things went wrong somewhere on the coast of Turkey approximately nineteen hours ago.  

“Captain Rogers.” F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice interrupted. “I have narrowed down the location of Agent Barton and Sergeant Barnes.”

“Report.”

The AI projected satellite footage of a small town, on the outskirts of which were a complex of modern warehouse and ancient stone buildings. It was approximately one hundred miles inland from where they were last reported.  

The team listened to a detailed breakdown of the area and all potential threats. They asked questions, formulated a search and extraction plan. You barely heard any of it. Your eyes were focused on the image. Bucky was there somewhere.

“Suit up.” Steve stood. “We leave in fifteen.”

He stopped at your seat, “Y/N, do you want to come with us? You can stay at the safe house.”

“Okay.” You stood up, taking a deep breath. “I may not be a trauma doctor, but I could be of use in a pinch.”

“It’s not going to come to that.” Steve squeezed your shoulder.  

o o o o o  

You paced around the room. The clean minimalist design gave you nothing to focus on. Out in the middle of nowhere, Stark’s safe house looked like any other rich industrial mansion, but the interior held secret garages, a quinjet bay, and subterranean levels full of labs, storage and medical bays.  

A tone alerted you to the landing of the quinjet. You ran down to the bay entrance, waiting for the jet to land and the outer doors to close. As the rear ramp to the quinjet lowered, you ran out.  

Natasha and Wanda pushed Clint out on a stretcher. He was unconscious, filthy and had several fresh trauma dressings applied. Steve and Bucky came down next. Your eyes looked on him. A trauma dressing was wrapped around his right arm.  

His blue eyes went from confusion to an unreadable intensity. He strode forward taking your face in his hands and kissing you hard.  

“Doc!” Natasha yelled. “Barton needs help!”

You pulled away from Bucky, eyes locked on his. “Med Room! I’m coming!” You turned and followed them at a run.  

Natasha helped you cut away the clothes from his wounds. He had a gunshot wound to the left shoulder and wound to the back of his head. Evidence of restraint and abuse littered his body.  

“The shoulder is a through and through.” Natasha reported.  

“Okay, let’s focus on the head wound.” You checked his pupils, they were even. Good. Beginning to pull out the mobile scanners, you directed Nat to help you get set up. Soon you confirmed he was lucky. No sub cranial swelling. No skull fractures.  

You had Nat start him on an IV while you began suturing up his head wound. All you could do was stabilize his shoulder and temporarily close up the wound.  

“Y/N?” Steve came in.  

“He’s going to be fine. Lost a lot of blood. He should come around now that we’re getting fluids in him. No lasting head trauma that I can assess with what I have. I’ve immobilized the shoulder, he’s going to need an orthopedic in there sooner than later. He will be okay to fly as soon as we get his pressure back up.” You reported.

“Good.” Steve stepped a little closer. “As soon as you’re done your other patient won’t let anyone else touch him.”

You looked up into Steve’s eyes. Something between worry and amusement looked back at you. “He okay?”

“He thanked me for bringing you, and told me he was going to beat my ass for doing it.” Steve half smiled. “He’s going to need his arm cleaned and taped up until it heals. He wouldn’t let me do it.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there.” You pulled off your latex gloves.  

You found Bucky in a room down the hall. It was just like any other basic examine room with an exam table, a wall cabinets, a counter with a sink and more storage. There were no windows, being underground. You locked the door when you came in.

As soon as the lock clicked over, he was on you.  

Bucky’s hands buried in your hair. His mouth crashed into yours, desperately drinking down your kiss. Tongues and teeth, you met his need with your own. He smelled of dirt, sweat and gunpowder. Still, you wanted to drink him down.

His powerful body pinned you to the door, thigh pressing between your legs and practically lifting you off your feet. You pulled at his shirt, desperate for even more contact. Bucky leaned back enough to pull the shirt over his head.  

“Your arm.”  

“Later.” Bucky growled as he tugged your clothes off. “Need you.”

His mouth latched onto your neck. Your breasts pressed into his chest, skin hot. The sound of his breath, the feel of skin, the press of his body, it anchored that he was safe. He was here, in your arms, setting you on fire.  

Bucky dropped to his knees, laying wet open mouth kisses across your belly as he undid and pushed down you pants. You toed off your shoes and he tossed your clothes away. The intense look in his eyes, as he ran his hands up your thighs, over your hips, your breath hitched.

He guided your right leg over his shoulder and growled as his mouth descended on your wet cunt. Bucky’s tongue delved between your folds, lapping up your honey. He sucked roughly at your clit, causing your back to arch and mewls of pleasure to pour from your mouth.

“Oh shit, Bucky.” You panted. “Need you. Yes.”

He suddenly stood, lifting you off your feet and planting your ass on the table. Bucky didn’t even loose the rest of his clothes, he just released his cock. You reached down, stroking him hard. He moaned, pulling you by the hair to possess your mouth again. Hitching your leg over his hip, you rubbed the head of his cock against your wet cunt. He growled.

Grabbing your ass, Bucky pushed into you. Inch by inch, you savored every sensation. The stretch, the weight. Your hands gripped his hair, teeth nipped his lip. “Fuck me, Buck. Hard.”

A raw feral sound erupted from his chest. His fingers dug into your ass, cock slamming into you with raw power. Yes. You just held on. Bucky’s groans and growled breaths filled your ears. “Fuck. Yes. Mine.”  

“Yes!” Fear, worry, anger exploded into overwhelm need. Pleasure tinged with pain swirled through your core, flooding your body in heat. Legs shaking. Fingers pulling at his hair. Skin slapped on skin. Your orgasm hit you hard, fast, sending a flood over Bucky’s cock. He pound into deep as you clenched around him.  

“Oh, shit, yes, Doll.” He panted. Buck press into you hard, hold you against him as he came. “Oh, fuck, yes!”

You clung to each other, not wanting to let go. Your breath slowed. Bucky’s lips trailed gentle kisses along your neck and shoulder. Tears you’d been holding back began to fall, only now they ran down your cheeks with relief.  

Still holding you tight to his chest, Bucky whispered. “How are you here?”

“Steve.” You sighed, rubbing your nose along his neck. “I went to him.”

“I need to thank him,” he breathed. “Then I’m kicking his ass for bringing you into the field.”

The laugh bubbled up from your toes.  

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[lifeisdabubbles-undersalmondean]

La Pomme ~ Chapter 15

Pairing: Sam x OC (eventual Dean x OC and Dean x Castiel. And I mean eventual.)

Series summary: George is a casual French-Mistake-universe Supernatural fan living in no-COVID 2020, who's life is upended when she's suddenly launched between realities, two years into the boys' past (S13E22). What begins as an insane, immersive fan experience turns into more when Jack goes missing and George offers up her AU information to help track him down. Soon it's discovered that she and Sam may actually have history. But that's impossible, right?

Word Count: 4,900

Warnings: {smut, fluff, angst, show level violence, swearing, mentions of suicide} ***Detailed warnings will be tagged for specific chapters.

A/N: Following the events of my prequel Paradise and second story From My Eyes Off. Reading those first gives context but isn’t necessary to start this one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

George was jolted out of her unconsciousness by dropping face first down on the pine needle covered ground. Letting out a startled, painful groan she lay still for a moment, trying to pull herself out of her stupor and gather her bearings. The atmosphere was chilly and caused goosebumps on her skin, so she knew she was outside still. From listening, she could tell that there were multiple people in the same area as her; presumably more of her captures. While she could hear the faint sounds of people talking, she couldn't discern what they were saying.

She thought she heard a strained, quiet voice nearby speak to her, "George? Is that you?"

Quickly scanning for injuries, she began at her toes and mentally swept her body for pain. From being tossed on the ground like a ragdoll, her left arm and hip were painfully sore and bruised, her left cheek was sliced open under her eye, and her bottom lip was split from hitting her teeth on impact. She began to slowly pick herself up off the ground, spitting blood out as it pooled unpleasantly in her mouth. Without opening her eyes, she leaned herself up against the tree she'd landed near. Her head was throbbing and her body was sore. She opened her eyes slowly and tried to find something to focus on to prevent passing out.

She heard the faint voice again, "George, are you OK? Can you hear me?"

"I'm getting there," She replied slowly. She'd chosen a picnic table about 15 yards away, across a circular clearing in the woods, to focus on and it was starting to work. When she finally only saw one, stationary table, she began allowing herself to consider her peripheral.

She saw that she was against a tree at the edge of a small circular clearing attached to a trail that led off into the woods in either direction. There were a few picnic tables in the area, an unused fire pit, and nothing else but trees around. At one of the picnic tables she saw a small group of decidedly boring looking people, all dressed head to toe in white, gathered around, talking in hushed tones. She noticed the woman from earlier--Duma--walking quickly away from her, toward the grouping. George still hadn't remembered if she was angel, demon, or other but from watching the show she knew it truly didn't matter; she was most likely in serious danger either way.

It was a few minutes before she remembered the voice coming from next to her and turned her head to find a familiar, smooth, 90s-male-model face staring back at her. Jack was about five feet away, also leaning up against a tree trunk. When she made eye contact, he smiled weakly, a peculiar look on his face.

"Jack!" She grinned, elated that she'd found him, as the pounding in her head eased.

"George. How did you get here?" He asked, curiously. He tried to sit up more, excited to see her, and that's when she noticed he was badly injured. From what she could see, he had a large gash on the right side of his head, his ear was covered in blood from it. His ankle looked swollen and purple, possibly broken, and the whole bottom half of his shirt was soaked from blood pouring out of a stab wound in his gut.

"Jesus Christ, Jack! What happened?!" She forced herself onto her hands and knees with a soft groan of pain and crawled the short distance to him.

"Just the usual angel hospitality," he replied weakly.

"Angels; figures. OK, Jack, you've lost a lot of blood but I need you to stay awake and focus on helping me stop the bleeding. Sam and Dean are on their way--"

"Sam and Dean are with you?" At the mention of their name, he grabbed her arm and held on tight, giving her a desperate look.

"Of course," she assured, suddenly having to swallow back tears as a rush of emotions hit her. Gently removing his hand from her arm and looking him in the eyes, she promised, "They're coming to get you, okay? We just have to try and stop the bleeding 'till they get here, that's all." She quickly yanked her Friends hoodie off, ignoring the chill that consumed her as soon as she did, and pressed it gently but firmly against his stomach wound. He let out a strangled yell and she shushed him softly.

"It's okay, you'll be okay. Dean and Sam are coming." Quickly, I hope, she added in her head.

He did not look good and she wasn't sure what to do other than apply pressure. She looked around the area futilely, knowing there was really nothing out in the middle of the redwoods she could use to help him in this situation. She froze when she noticed the group of angels staring at her intently.

"Oh, great," she muttered when one of them began walking toward her and Jack. "Don't move!" She held him down when he started trying to get up as the man approached.

"Run!" He begged with hushed urgency.

"I'm not leaving you, you nut." She grabbed his limp, cold hand and placed it on the sweater-turned-bandage pressed against his wound. "Focus, Jack. Try to put pressure on this, okay? Hey, focus!" She could tell he was in trouble. Once she got him to hold the sweater, she stood up slowly, facing the man who'd walked over. She prayed she didn't seem as nervous as she definitely was.

"What the fuck did you do to him?" She spat out uncontrollably at the smug look on the angel's face.

"Sorry about that. He struggled a bit and… well, as you humans like to say, accidents happen." The arrogant, coiffed angel stopped six feet from her and smiled. It was a fake, customer service smile that nowhere near reached his eyes, which were wide and frighteningly blank of emotion. He was about 5'11, had heavily gelled, short, black hair and a thin, perfectly shaped mustache, with tanned skin and piercing blue eyes. His stark white business suit was crisp and fashionable. "Would you like me to heal him for you?" He offered with a hint of sarcasm.

"Do not touch him." She took a shaky step toward him and tried to puff herself up a little, taking up space and making sure she was standing as much between him and Jack as she could.

"It seems my colleague was right, you certainly are an interesting… what exactly are you?" He inquired, looking her up and down.

"If you say so. But he may not have much time." He was far too happy about that and she sneered at him. She just needed to stall long enough for Sam and Dean to find them. The place had a familiar feel and with all the picnic tables and the clearly defined path, she had to assume they were still at the Trees of Enigma attraction; it couldn't be long before the brother's were able to track Jack down as they'd started to do before she got kidnapped.

"Oh you angels are real subtle with the judgement. Sorry, I'm not dressed as fancily as you, pretty boy," She crossed her arms.

"It hasn't nothing to do with the way you look, you ignorant ape," his fake initial kindness was fading fast. "I can't sense you. Why not?"

"Uh, maybe because sensing people is really fucking creepy? If any of these other angels were really your friend, they'd tell you that."

"Now you listen to me," the angel seemed a bit irritated now, and began walking briskly toward her. She stumbled several steps back before his large hand wrapped tightly around her throat. As he lifted her barely off the ground. "I'm not here for your entertainment, child. Tell me what you are and why you're here with the Winchesters before I kill you."

Ok, make that a lot irritated. George gasped for air and clawed at his arm, trying to choke out an answer. When he couldn't understand her, he set her down and momentarily loosened his grip.

"Yes?" He asked patiently.

"My… my name-" She coughed and gulped in air. He allowed her to wrench out of his grip and she bent at the waist. Waiting until she could get a slow and steady flow of air, before looking up at him slowly, she said, "My name… is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, now prepare to die."

The angel huffed like an angry bull before back handing her so hard she fell to the ground, landing across Jack's outstretched legs. When he had no reaction to her body crashing on top of him, her neck snapped up and she saw he'd passed out.

"Jack!" She whispered nervously, trying to pull herself up. "Ah!" The angel grabbed a fistful of her long blonde hair and yanked up hard, preventing her from moving.

"Just so you know!" Everyone turned and looked at the voice that had just shouted at them from the west, 50 yards away. George visibly relaxed when she saw it was coming from Dean Winchester. "Whoever the fuck you are?"

Sam, who was close by near a tree trunk, slowly pointed a bloody finger directly at the angel who'd hit George and promised "You're gonna pay for that." He then slammed his hand down on the angel banishing sigil that was drawn in his blood on the trunk next to him. With a bright blinding blast of energy, the small cluster of angels was gone. George dropped back down, using her hands to catch herself. She, Jack, Sam, and Dean were the only ones left in the clearing.

"You GUYS!" George shouted. "He's hurt bad." Ignoring the white hot throbbing on the right side of her face, she'd crawled up to Jack's torso and pressed the fallen away sweatshirt back against his wound. It began drizzling as Sam and Dean sprinted toward them and came to a skid on their knees on either side of Jack. They both frantically began checking him over.

Sam happened to glance at George's wounds as he was maneuvering around Jack and instinctively reached out towards her in concern. She locked eyes with him and stopped him in his tracks, "Don't even think about it; he could die." She was absolutely right and he yanked his phone out of his pocket, dialing Castiel.

"He's lost a lot of blood, damnit!" Dean was seeing red; those angels were going to die if Jack did.

"He needs medical attention now. The nearest hospital is 20 minutes away and it's going to take us about that long to get to the car if we're lucky." Sam sounded scared but tried to keep it together. "And Castiel's not answering his phone!"

"He's so cold," George whimpered uncontrollably, her tears beginning to fall.

"It's just freezing out here!" Dean shouted in anger, and she could see his breath in the air for emphasis. George winced when she could hear the undeniable fear in his voice as well. If Dean was worried enough not to hide it, things were dire.

"What do we do?!" Sam nearly screamed, redialing Cas pointlessly once again.

George sat back on her heels and tried to think, but she could barely even breathe. Her stomach was twisting into nauseating knots and she felt her heart pounding. A panic attack was coming on, the intensity of which genuinely made her feel like her heart was going to explode. Her vision began to tunnel and she felt ringing in her ears. She closed her eyes so that she didn't fall over from dizziness and forced herself to take the deepest breath she possibly could. She held the breath for just a moment too long before a sharp pain in her chest caused her to release with a hiss.

Suddenly she knew where they should go.

"If you guys can get him to the car, I might know somewhere nearby we can try for help." The second George had said the words, she'd regretted it. They had almost no other choice, though, so she just prayed to whomever that they'd get lucky, just this once. Dean and Sam didn't need to be told twice. Bracing themselves in the now muddy ground, they picked Jack up gently, one brother at either end of him.

They had prepared themselves to begin the long and arduous trek back toward the car, yet when they rounded their first corner they found themselves standing in front of the emergency exit, which just so happened to lead them to the end of the parking lot closest to where they'd parked. It nearly stopped them all in their tracks but they knew Jack had very little time to survive, so they launched themselves out of the gate and across the asphalt about 50 feet to their parked car. Luckily the park closed an hour ago, so there was no one around to see the two men carrying a half dead person and a beat up George following fast behind.

When they reached the car, Sam got in the backseat with Jack carefully. George tore into the passenger's side knees first, in order to face them and help hold pressure on his stomach wound. Dean jumped in the driver's seat and roared the engine on.

"Nice job with the tire," Dean practically shouted in appreciation at her as he peeled out of the parking lot, headed in the direction she ordered.

"Be careful, Dean, it's still a donut!" Sam warned angrily.

They'd just pulled out onto the highway and Dean was gunning it, "How far?"

"Not far at all, slow down! Take the exit up ahead, to the left." She gestured in the general direction.

"Rosewood?"

"Yeah. Then take the second right. Third house, at the end of the court." In two minutes Dean had screeched the Impala to a halt in front of a large home on half an acre in Klamath. George almost cried with relief when she saw the small, stout woman with reddish blonde hair standing out front in her garden watering the plants.

"Aunt Lorna!" She leapt from the car and ran over to her, throwing her arms around the stunned woman before she could stop herself. "My God, it's a miracle!"

"I'm sorry, who are you?" The woman ripped herself away from George and took a few steps back, clutching the hose she'd had in her hand like a weapon. George kicked herself for scaring her and stepped back with her hands up.

"I'm sorry. You don't know me, obviously, but I know you. You're Lorna Iris, right? You're a nurse in Gibbousville? My friends and I need your help, one of them is hurt pretty bad."

"Worse than you?" The woman asked, looking over her bruised and bloodied face suspiciously.

"Much worse. He needs help and I don't think he'll make it to a hospital." By this time, Dean had pulled their medical supplies out of the car and was now helping Sam pull Jack out gently.

"Holy God," Lorna said, seeing the state he was in and taking a step toward him before pausing. She looked again at George. "Who are you?"

"Someone who needs your help. Please?" George begged.

Stacey, the cute library clerk, was standing in front of her, eyes cast downward. When she held her slender hands up in inquiry, George bit her lip, considering it for a moment before eventually nodding slowly. The beautiful bookworm stepped closer and gently placed her cool, silky smooth hands up under George's breasts. After attempting to cup them and failing because of their size, Stacey decided instead to rub her hands in slow circles over the soft, pale globes.

Lorna stared at her for a moment before looking back at Jack's unconscious body and then to Sam and Dean who were both looking at her with pleading eyes. She let out an exasperated breath and then nodded, motioning for them to come inside. They went with her into the house while George grabbed their medical bag and followed close behind.

______

George was inside the small library office, sitting up on the desk, back straight, chest out. Her thumbs were hooked into the fabric of her white cotton bra and black henley shirt, raising them up to her throat.

George groaned a bit; her nipples hardened under Stacey's touch. She hadn't anticipated things going this far when she agreed to flashing, but Stacey was beautiful and charming, putting her at ease quickly. There was something incredibly erotic about the whole thing, so George closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the thrill.

Her eyes flew open again in surprise when she felt a sudden, dramatic drop in temperature as Stacey's hands disappeared. George could see her breath, like a lame dragon, as she gasped in air and goosebumps covered her body. Looking around frantically, she realized she was now kneeling on the ground in some brush at the bottom of a tall, bloody redwood tree. When she lowered her shirt, she noticed on the ground in front of her was Jack. He was deathly pale, his lips were blue, and there was a large pool of blood underneath him.

"Jack?!" She gasped, reaching down to him. His skin was freezing to the touch, causing her to shiver. There was so much blood, but she touched his neck to feel for a pulse anyway. Her eyes filled with tears when she couldn't find one and she sniffled, "Jack!"

George jumped and gasped loudly as Jack's hands suddenly darted up and wrapped tightly around her throat. His eyes flew open and emitted a bright white light. A loud shushing noise filled her ears and the sound of someone shouting behind plate glass was booming in the distance. George opened her mouth to scream but stopped when Jack's face began distorting, melting and swirling grotesquely.

"WherrrRE ARe youuu?" Came a garbled call from the general location of Jack's mouth. Suddenly the fingers on her throat tightened on her windpipe when she heard a beckoning, "Georgia! GEORGIA!"

"Georgia. Georgia!" Her eyes snapped open to see Sam gently shaking her awake.

Thankful to be out of her terrifying dream, George realized she must have accidentally passed out on the couch while the boys were helping Lorna work on Jack. They'd been lucky--once again--that Lorna happened to have a small store of helpful medical supplies in house to put Jack back together and stabilize him. She didn't have any blood bags on hand but she'd been able to provide fluids and meds to help his body relax and heal.

"Your turn," He ordered, then moved over so that Lorna could sit down in front of her.

"That's not necessary. I'm fine," George lied, shaking the fog of her nightmare away quickly. She actually hurt like hell all over, but it was mostly bumps and bruises; nothing some painkillers and time wouldn't heal eventually. The dream was bothering her more than her aches at the moment.

"You need stitches on your cheek and potentially some in your lip," Lorna wasn't one for bullshit and had a strong, authoritative presence. People listened to her because she always spoke like she knew exactly what she was talking about (and 99% of the time, she truly did). Lorna held out a glass and two pills, ordering, "Take two of these, turn your head to the left, and don't argue."

"Good luck with that." Sam teased, quietly. George shot him a dirty look and took the medicine and water glass from her alt-reality aunt's outstretched hand, downing them. She then turned her head to look out her aunt's large bay window into the murky darkness of the night.

"How's Jack?" She asked, straining her eyeballs to look between them as Lorna began examining and cleaning the cut on her cheek.

"He's stable but critical. I honestly didn't know if I could do much without some blood, which is what he really needs, but I got him leveled out at least. It'll probably be rough going for a few hours; the longer he makes it without coding, the better his chances of pulling through." She spoke with a kind, but matter of fact tone that one develops the longer they're a nurse.

"Thank God," George closed her eyes and allowed a few tears of relief to roll down her cheeks. Her alt-aunt kindly, yet nonchalantly wiped them away with a cotton ball and then gently turned her head back to facing forward. George could feel her cleaning the cut on her lip now and she took a deep breath to gather herself.

When she opened her eyes again, she was looking right into Sam's beautiful hazel green ones, which had been watching her with concern. Her cheeks burned red and more tears welled up. She felt she didn't deserve his concern. She'd risked Jack's life by telling that asshole angel not to heal him and having them come here: her aunt Lorna's home. In an alternate reality. There were a thousand different reasons why Lorna shouldn't have still been in the exact same house in this Supernatural reality. They'd gotten so, so lucky and it made George feel incredibly guilty.

Lorna finished cleaning and checking George's bloody lip, and explained, "good news is your lip won't need stitches. Bad news is it's gonna be irritated for a few days while it heals. Be careful when you eat that you don't bite the cut accidently because that would really hurt. Still need to stitch up that cheek." As she set to work giving George three small stitches, she also warned her and Sam that she really couldn't identify internal injuries this way and that they should go to a hospital ASAP to be safe. It was the exact same spiel she'd given Sam and Dean regarding Jack when she finished tending to him, so she knew it was falling on deaf ears but she had to try. She got up and left the room, leaving Sam and George alone for now.

"Sam, I'm so sorry." George put her head in her hands and a few more fat tears escaped.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" He was incredibly confused at her reaction. She'd handled herself insanely well considering the situation and they might not have been able to save Jack without her.

"Jack was dying and I brought you to my aunt's house. My aunt, who is a person in real life and does not exist on Supernatural the television show!" She'd dropped her hands and looked up at him with an ashamed look on her face. Her words stung him, as though she didn't consider him a real person, but he began to understand why she was feeling so guilty.

"Except she does exist here, whether 'here' is a television show or somewhere else; you saw the article about the fire. Your grandparents died after she was born. So, she exists, just not as your aunt." From Sam's perspective, she'd saved Jack's life and without her, who knows what would have happened to him; death or worse if the angels had gotten a hold of him permanently.

George got up and started pacing. "But still as a nurse? With the same married last name? Living in the same house she's had since I was 8?" George shook her head, getting angrier with herself. "What is going on? No fucking way should this have worked and you know it, Sam. What was I thinking? He could have DIED!"

"You weren't thinking," Sam grabbed her hands, squeezing them gently and stopping her anxious motion. "It was a terrifying situation--for us all--and you acted on your instincts. And they turned out to be right." He tugged on her arms just enough to force her to look up at him and he said sincerely, "just like they have been since you got here."

"Damn right." Dean had entered the room, wiping the blood from his hands with a rag. When she turned toward him, he looked her right in the eye. "I just got off the phone with Cas. The whole thing in Montana had been a trap for me and Sam. The demons found the team before Cas got there. Suzie and Garth are in the hospital, but expected to recover. Carol's dead," Dean paused in a moment of respect for a fellow fallen hunter and then stuffed the dirty rag in his pocket and walked closer to her. "You were right about it being a trap. You were right about where to find Jack. And you were right about being able to change a tire." The tears she'd been shakily holding back fell all at once as she let out an emotional laugh and closed her eyes.

They popped open again in surprise as she felt thick, strong arms wrap tightly around her. She, herself, wasn't used to a lot of hugging and she never expected Dean would be very comfortable with it, but the whole thing felt weirdly natural to her. Hugging him back timidly, she drew a familial sense of comfort from him.

"Thank you," He breathed, allowing himself a rare moment of genuine gratitude. He pulled back out of the hug and gave her a playful slug on the shoulder. "So, stop beating yourself up; you saved him, George. And you got your ass kicked doing it. I promise you now, whoever that angel fuck is, he will pay for that." Sam nodded in agreement and George squirmed uncomfortably, not used to people looking out for her like this.

Before she could argue, Lorna came back into the room with a laundry basket full of bloody sheets and rags. "Listen folks, the main house is too small for you all to sleep here. So the three of you might as well set up shop in my converted garage apartment for the time being."

Sam moved over to her and took the basket from her hands, silently offering his assistance. "Thank you. What a gentleman." She gave him a look of careful consideration. She then turned back to address them all, "I usually AirBNB it but it's empty at the moment. There's only one bedroom upstairs but it has two beds and there's a pull out couch downstairs, so it should do nicely. Enough beds not to share but if you do, I just ask that you change and wash the sheets afterwards." The three of them shared a confused, yet amused look at her nonchalant instruction. "If one of you boys wants to move the recliners here into your friend's room, you can have something comfy to sit in while you hover." She pointed to the leather rocking chairs she had in her living room as an offering and then looked at Sam again, "laundry's this way, Hon. Let's go."

Sam followed her from the room with a nod and George and Dean grabbed one of the recliners together, moving it to Jack's room. When George finally turned to look at Jack for the first time, she winced and placed a hand over her mouth. He looked like a fake cadaver you'd see on some true crime show and it startled her. She held her breath until she was sure she could see his chest moving. She gently touched his hand and was thankful to feel warmth there, calming her paranoid mind. Her heart thumped in her chest and she started crying silently again. She was just so relieved he was alive.

"Why don't you go get some sleep and I'll take first watch?" Dean placed a gentle, supportive hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

"No," She said determinedly. She just needed to be around Jack right now to feel assured that everything was OK. And sleep was not anything she was interested in after her earlier dream. "I just had a catnap, I'm good. I'm gonna stay and watch over him for a while." She gave Dean a look that told him it was pointless to argue, so he went off in search of Sam and Lorna to be shown their temporary digs.

[gra-sonas]

There Was Only One Bed

Pairing: Malex, Alex Manes/Michael Guerin

Words: 3.3K | Rating: PG | On AO3

This fic’s been written for my dearest @insidious-intent as a gift for the Cosmic Love Exchange 2019 over at @goodvibesinroswell.

Dear Inigo, the day you reblogged this screenshot of a recent CNN headline, was the day you were assigned to me as my Cosmic Love Buddy. I squealed, ngl. Not only because you basically delivered the perfect prompt to my doorstep, but because you are one of my closest friends I was lucky enough to meet through RNM, and now I got to make a gift for you. Lucky me!

You are a delight, darling, an invaluable beta reader not only for myself, but also many other writers, you’re the queen of sass, a thirstyfirst order Malex and Vlamburn enthusiast, and a wonderful friend. ILU! This is for you, bb. ♥

••••••••••••••••••••

“Professor Guerin, Sir, I’m very sorry, but the last flight back to Albuquerque has departed half an hour ago, there won’t be another flight until tomorrow around noon.”

Michael nearly drops his head on the desk and sighs. He’s tired and hungry and wants nothing more than a warm meal and a bed.

“Okay, is there a hotel where I can stay for the night?”

“There’s a hotel close to the airport. I’ll see what I can do, but due to delays and some cancelled flights, we had to organize overnight stays for several passengers. Please take a seat, Professor, I’ll let you know when I have more details.”

Michael runs a hand through his hair, messing up his mop of curls further.

“Thanks, Susan. I’ll sit down over there and wait.”

Michael gestures at the seating area near the check-in desk, grabs the handle of his trolley and walks over. Only one other passenger is sitting there, a black backpack placed between his feet. The man looks equally tired and disheveled as Michael feels, the strands of his dark hair sticking up every which way, like he’s run his fingers through his hair repeatedly. There's a dried coffee stain prominent on his vanilla-colored hoodie, as if he's spilled the contents of an entire cup all over himself. He’s wearing dark blue jeans and brown boots, and a crutch is leaning against the empty seat to his right.  

Michael slowly approaches the man.

“Uhm, hi. Are you also here to wait for hotel information?”

The stranger looks up and Michael feels a pang of something deep down. The man could easily be a model and grace the cover of GQ magazine, he’s that level of gorgeous. When the stranger smiles at him, Michael’s stomach drops even further. He knows he’s in trouble the second he locks eyes with the man.

“Yeah, apparently there are no flights back to Albuquerque until tomorrow. I’m just so lucky.”

The stranger looks down at himself to inspect the coffee stain. Then he looks back up at Michael, rubs at his eyes and dishevels his hair even further by running his hands through them. He's clearly tired and his clothes are rumpled, but he still looks absolutely stunning.

“Long day?” Michael asks.

The stranger scoffs.

“The longest day of my life. And I’ve served three tours.”

“Thank you for your service, Private.”

Michael bites his lip when he realizes that what he said might offend the veteran. He’s also sure that his remark came out a lot more flirty than intended, curse his tired brain. When the stranger laughs, he’s relieved.

“I’m Air Force actually, that would make me an Airman. And it’s Captain, if you don’t mind.”

“Captain, of course. Please forgive my ignorance, I’m not overly familiar with military ranks and stuff. So, you’re Top Gun, that sounds cool.”

The man laughs again, and Michael can’t take his eyes off of him.

“That’s usually the assumption. And while I know my way around military airplanes, I’m more of a desk criminal these days. I’m no longer fit for combat duty.”

He bends down and knocks against his right lower leg. It makes a sound as if the man’s knocked on metal and the crutch makes a lot more sense all of a sudden. Michael tries his best not to blush, even though he’s mortified and worried that he may not only have offended a veteran, but a disabled veteran. He likes the man, why won't his brain let him hold a normal conversation without blurting out inappropriate remarks? When the man smiles at him, Michael feels a little less like an ass.

“Captain...?”

“Manes, Alex Manes. Please, call me Alex.”

Michael grabs the outstretched hand of Captain Alex Manes and shakes it.

“Guerin, Michael. Well, Professor Guerin actually. But please, call me Michael.”

They smile at each other and there’s a spark. A spark of recognition, of longing, of belonging even, Michael almost gasps. Then he sees that Alex’s pupils are blown wide, like he can feel it too. Michael swallows around an invisible lump in his throat, his and Alex’s hands still clasping at each other.

He lets go of Alex’s hand reluctantly, instantly missing the warmth and comforting firmness of it.

Michael takes a seat beside Alex.

“So, Professor Guerin. What are you teaching?”

Michael smiles.

“Quantum mechanics and astrophysics.”

“Nice! So, if my career makes me Maverick, what does that make you? Bruce Banner?”

Michael laughs.

“I don’t have the bulk to pull off Bruce, at least not when he’s hulked out. I’m probably more like Mork.”

“Meaning you're a little awkward, a little inappropriate, yet very funny, and telekinetic?”

Alex raises a questioning brow at Michael.

Michael’s stomach twists. If only the gorgeous man across from him knew that he is indeed telekinetic. And an alien. Just like Mork. Oddly enough Michael doesn’t want to lie. He winks at Alex.

“Well, I can’t spill all my secrets on our first date, Captain.”

Alex’s brow climbs impossibly higher on his forehead.

“I wasn’t aware that this is a date, Professor.”

Michael blushes and drops his head into his open hands.

“I’m sorry, my brain-to-mouth filter seems to be defective when I’m tired.”

“Oh, don’t apologize, we can make it a date if you want. Let's see, I have half a bottle of water and a dry cheese sandwich. And I’ve downloaded season three of Stranger Things to my phone. You up for Netflix and Chill?”

Michael snorts.

“You do know what the chill actually means, right?”

Alex smirks.

“Well, I can’t spill all my secrets on our first date either.”

Michael laughs out loud at this. Then he opens the front compartment of his trolley and rummages around in it.

“Oh, I like you, Captain. I like you a lot. Let’s see. I have a bottle of lukewarm ice tea, an apple and a bag of nuts. I haven’t had a chance to watch season three of Stranger Things yet, so I’m up for it. After dinner?”

They look at each other and grin so hard, it almost hurts.

They eat half a sandwich and a handful of nuts each, then they take turns taking bites from the apple while handing the water bottle back and forth. Neither of them's in the mood for lukewarm ice tea and Michael puts it back into his trolley.

They skip the chill part of their ‘date’ and keep a conversation going instead, sharing random facts about themselves, talking about their jobs, and for all that Michael understands, they are flirting as if they were on a real date. He’s never felt so at ease with another person, so relaxed and calm. At the same time, he’s on edge, feeling a pull towards Alex, an indescribable urge to plaster himself all over the man.  

Unconsciously, he’s been edging closer throughout their conversation, reducing the distance between himself and Alex inch by inch.  

When he’s close enough to catch a whiff of Alex’s cologne, he almost moans, it smells so good. He must be so tired that he feels like he can barely control himself anymore, wanting nothing more than to drop his head on Alex’s shoulder and snuggle up to him. He wants to bury his nose in the crook of Alex's neck and stay there forever, surrounded and soothed by Alex's steady pulse and irresistible scent.  

Alex seems oblivious to Michael’s inner turmoil, animatedly telling an anecdote from a time at base camp when he was just 18 years old. Michael tries his best to follow the story, but all he can focus on is the way Alex’s eyes crinkle when he laughs, the way his elegant hands gesticulate (Alex is wearing a silver ring on his right middle finger, whenever he gestures, it catches the light from the ceiling lights and it’s mesmerizing).

Alex is also wearing an earring - a simple silver hoop – in his left ear. Michael wants to lean over and catch it between his lips. His cock twitches at the idea.  

When a young man heads over from the service desk, Michael tries to focus on what he has to say.

“Captain Manes, Professor Guerin?”

“That would be us,” Alex replies and gestures between them.

“My name is Thomas and I’d like to apologize that it took so long. Susan’s told me that you were hoping we could book accommodation at the airport hotel for you, and I’m happy to inform you, that we were able to secure a room for you. There’s a taxi waiting outside in front of the terminal, it will bring you right over.”

Alex and Michael look at each other in relief. As entertaining as their conversation’s been, they are both tired. Michael gets up first and nods at Thomas.

“Thanks for your help, Thomas, we really appreciate it.”

He turns around to Alex and gestures at his backpack.

“Do you have any more luggage?”

Alex shakes his head.

“Only this one.”

“Good, let’s head over to our carriage then, my Lord.”

He bows down in a mock curtsy, offering Alex his hand in the process. Alex blinks for a second, then laughs and grabs the offered hand and slowly pulls himself into a standing position.

“Thanks, Professor, you are too kind.”

Thomas clears his throat.

“Goodnight, gentlemen. Please be back at the airport around ten tomorrow morning.”

Alex and Michael bid their goodbyes to the man, grab their luggage and Alex also his crutch, then they walk over to the exit. Alex leans on his crutch heavily, like he's tired and in pain. Michael closes his eyes for a moment and wishes he had Max’s healing abilities. His telekinesis is fun and often helpful, but right now he’d rather be able to take away Alex's pain.

When they exit the terminal, their taxi driver is waiting for them. They put their luggage in the trunk and without being prompted, Michael takes Alex’s crutch once Alex sits in the passenger seat. Alex smiles at him warmly.

“Thank you, Professor.”

“My pleasure, Captain.”

He places the crutch in the trunk and takes a seat behind Alex. The drive over to the hotel is short, yet they tip the taxi driver generously. Michael gets their belongings out of the trunk and they enter the hotel.

A young woman behind the reception desk smiles at them.

“Good evening, gentlemen, my name’s Natalie, and you must be Professor Manes and Captain Guerin?”

“It’s the other way around, but yes, this is Captain Manes, and I’m Professor Guerin.”

The woman blushes.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I got things mixed up.”

Michael smiles at her.

“No problem. If you could please just lead us to our rooms, we’re both tired and would like to get some sleep.”

Natalie nods and walks around the desk.

“My pleasure, gentlemen, please follow me.”

By unspoken agreement, Michael takes Alex’s backpack and hoists it over one shoulder, then grabs the handle of his trolley.

“After you, Captain.”

Alex smiles at him thankfully and follows the woman to an elevator with slow, measured steps, leaning on his crutch. When the doors open, they all step inside and Natalie pushes the button for the third floor. When they arrive, the doors open and they step into a hallway. Natalie turns left and they follow her down a corridor until she stops in front of a door with the number 345.

She turns to them.

“You are lucky, we are fully booked and this is our last free room.”

Alex and Michael look at each other, then they look at her.

“Uhm, there must be a mistake. We are not together. I mean, we don’t travel together. I mean, we didn’t even know each other until an hour ago. We need a second room.”

Michael looks at her with wide eyes. She shakes her head.

“I’m so sorry, gentlemen, but there are no other free rooms. This is the last one.”

She opens the door with a keycard and turns the lights on.

They step into the room behind her. It’s a small room. A wardrobe and small desk with a flatscreen TV mounted on the wall above to the left, a bathroom and a bed to the right. One bed. It’s a king size but, but still, just one bed. Michael sighs.

Natalie looks flustered.

“I’m terribly sorry, I wish I could offer you something else, but this is all we have.”

Alex and Michael look at each other for a moment, searching for something in each other’s eyes. When they both seem to find what they were looking for in the other man's eyes, they nod at each other with a tilt of their heads and turn back to Natalie. It’s Alex who speaks for them.

“It’s okay, Natalie. We’ll take the room. It’s only one night, a couple of hours in fact. I’m sure we’ll manage.”  

Michael chimes in.

“Natalie, would you have another blanket, though? More towels would also be great. And is there a vending machine somewhere. And ice?”

Natalie nods.

“Yes, of course, Sir. I can bring the extra blanket and towels to you. The vending and ice machines are at the other end of the corridor.”

“You know what? Why don’t I come with you and spare you the way back up here? It'd give Captain Manes some space and time to get ready for bed.”

Alex smiles at Michael, a huge THANKS written across his face.

The young woman nods.

“Of course, Sir, please follow me. Good night, Captain Manes.”

“Good night, Natalie. And thank you, Michael.”

Michael grabs Alex’s shoulder and squeezes it for a moment.

“It’s okay. I’ll be back in about 15 minutes. Hope you won’t be asleep by then, Captain.”

Alex winks at Michael, then his voice drops an octave.

“I’ll eagerly await your return, Professor.”

Liquid hot desire runs down Michael’s spine. He licks his lips and when Alex smirks, he knows that Alex has noticed his reaction. He shakes his head and turns to leave the room.  

“I’ll be back in a few.”

Michael follows Natalie out into the corridor where she hands him the keycard to the room. He closes the door behind him.  

When he returns to the room about 20 minutes later, he’s carrying an extra blanket, towels and a cushion under his left arm, he's also holding two water bottles in his left hand. In his other hand he carries an insulated bucket with a lid. It's filled with ice. He’s holding the keycard between his fingers and hopes that he won’t drop everything in his attempt to open the door.  

He holds the card close to the magnetic field and enters the room with all items still in his hands.

Alex is already in bed, occupying the right side. His head is propped up on a cushion and he’s holding a tablet in his left hand. He looks up at Michael and Michael nearly drops everything there and then, because Alex is wearing glasses and no shirt.  

Michael can't help himself.

“Holy shit, did GQ call? I’m sure they want their cover model back.”

Alex laughs and a questioning eyebrow becomes visible above the thick rim of his black framed glasses.

“Didn't take you for someone who's reading GQ, Professor.”

Michael doesn’t know how to react to that. To any of it. Alex looks insanely attractive, and he keeps calling Michael Professor, which does things to Michael. He’s definitely too tired to handle the situation with dignity, so he quickly places the water bottles and the ice bucket on the desk, takes the towels in his now empty right hand and drops the blanket and cushion in a pile on the left side of the bed.  

“I... I’ll better go and take a shower. A cold one. Jesus Fucking Christ.”

He all but flees into the bathroom and only dares to breathe, when the door is closed behind him. Then he remembers the ice bucket and why he brought it. Shit! He looks at himself in the mirror and moans. He looks like a mad man, his curls a messy halo around his head, his pupils blown impossibly wide. He turns on the cold water, washes his hands and splashes some water on his face. Then he grabs a towel and rubs at his face. He takes a deep steadying breath, then takes a clean towel, opens the door behind him and returns to the bed room.

Alex looks up at him, questioningly. Michael grabs the ice bucket and pulls a ziploc bag out of the pocket of his dress pants. He holds both items up.

“Uhm, I’m not sure if this is ok, but I noticed that you were in pain earlier, and I thought that maybe you’d like to put ice on your leg?”

He feels terribly shy all of a sudden, his face probably tomato red from blushing so hard. He closes his eyes, the ice bucket and ziploc still clutched in his outstretched hands. What if Alex finally takes offense at something he says? What if he gets angry? Michael tries not to panic but breathing seems impossibly hard all of a sudden.

“Michael, please look at me.”

Alex’s voice is quiet and soft. Michael blinks his eyes open.

Alex looks at him with kind eyes, puts his tablet away and shuffles over further into the middle of the bed. Then he pats the empty space beside him. When Michael steps closer, he notices the prosthetic leg leaning against the nightstand. He quickly averts his gaze and looks at Alex instead, then he sits down on the bed.

“You are right, I’m in pain, have been all afternoon. You noticed and now you’re bringing me ice. It's remarkable, really. I’ve... I’ve never met someone quite like you. You're one of a kind, Michael Guerin.”

Alex’s voice sounds amused, a smile plays on his lips. Michael blinks at Alex’s words, and once again, he can’t help himself, he doesn’t want to lie.

“Well, technically there are at least two others of my kind.”

Alex tilts his head in surprise.

“Are you telling me you’re a triplet, Professor?”

Michael smiles and winks at Alex.

“I guess you could say that, yes.”

“Do the other two look as gorgeous as you?”

Michael snorts.

“Oh, they wish. But no, we’re not identical triplets, maybe not even biological triplets. I.. It’s a longer story. Too long and complicated to tell tonight.”

Alex smiles at Michael seductively, his voice smooth and inviting when he speaks.

“Good thing that I’m not in the mood for a bedtime story then. I have something more chill in mind, if you’re up for it?”

Alex slowly takes the ice bucket and the ziploc bag from Michael's hands and places them on the nightstand. Then he takes Michael’s head between his hands and pulls him closer in slow increments, giving Michael plenty of time and opportunity to indicate that he's not up for chill. But Michael doesn't want an out, he wants the opposite. He twists around further to face Alex properly. Alex slides his hands into Michael's curls and pulls him in until their lips meet in a kiss.

It’s tender at first, just a press of lips. Then Michael opens his mouth, then Alex does too, and then they’re not coming up for air for a long, long time, their tongues and lips too eager to explore and conquer. Michael never makes it back into the bathroom for a cold shower...

They're up for hours and when they finally fall asleep in the wee hours of the next morning, utterly sated and wrapped around each other, they sleep so deep, they miss the flight to Albuquerque at noon.

When they wake up, they extend their stay in room 345 for another night.

[orderofthedyingstar]

RECAP: Session 7

SESSION SEVEN

(Hi Danny!)

Rhododendron and Jun continue to eat their breakfast, while Jun hedges around the fact that he’s curious about the angel’s strange request. The two go outside, where Rhododendron (annoyed) yells at the angel to tell them who they’re looking for.

Rhododendron: “Who did you want us to kill?” 

Angel: “There’s an aasimar I’d really, really like dead.” 

Rhododendron: “Why? Are they ugly?” 

Angel: “Rather not say. Look, just kill any aasimar you see around these parts, there aren’t many of them.”

The angel, in lieu of a description, offers 100 platinum to the crowd to hunt any aasimar they see. They make a few platinum coins and disperse them into the crowd for incentive. After the angel leaves, Jun immediately catches onto the fact that Rhododendron wants to help this random aasimar, despite not knowing who they are or anything about them. Rhododendron asks Velanna and Leo if they’re going to participate in the aasimar hunt, but they respond that they’re not going to get involved because it seems dangerous. Rhododendron thinks there’s something off about the whole circumstance.

Rhododendron pulls Jun aside and tells him that she knows an aasimar, a friend she met a while ago and hasn’t seen in a few months. She decides to look around the area on the off chance the angel is looking for him. (She uses her hands several times to count to numbers less than ten.)

OF NOTE: “rhododendron doesn’t know anything about  magic, because all of her magic comes from the earth. That’s why it’s bullshit”

Verrix has just arrived at the Snaketail Crevice Trading Post, concerned about the strange aggressiveness the people here seem to be exhibiting - they’re searching around the whole area, and several people are fighting over a platinum coin. He heads to the local tavern and hides in a dark corner, watching as Rhododendron walks through the tavern door and immediately spots him staring at her. She asks Verrix what he’s doing here but he fudges around an answer. 

Rhododendron: “Are you lying to me? You’ve already done that like eight million times.” 

Verrix: “You definitely can’t count that high.”

Rhododendron tells Verrix that he needs to leave the outpost, catching Verrix up to the situation at hand with the angel and the enormous bounty. 

Rhododendron (to Verrix): “You could really use a shower.” 

Jun: “Rhododendron, when was the last time you showered?”

Rhododendron (as Verrix is audibly snickering): “Listen, some people look beautiful with leaves in their hair. Verrix is not one of them.”

The trio tries to sneak out of the outpost but fail miserably (another nat1 from Rhododendron), but Verrix manages to salvage their mess by convincing the crowd that some random citizen is the aasimar they’re looking for - Rhododendron is also convinced that Verrix really did point out another aasimar. They decide to try to meet Donny (and possibly Raz) on the road between Dynafell and the outpost rather than chance staying in the frenzied crowd of people. They decide to cut through the grasslands to save time. 

Rhododendron: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you read a book.” 

Verrix: “A what?”

While they’re traveling, Rhdodoendron tries to make Verrix tell Jun the story of how they met (Verrix: “do I even remember?”) but then gives up and tells the story herself: while she was walking home after dance rehearsal, some stranger grabbed her hand (while trying to pickpocket the guy next to her). When he started running away, Rhododendron chased him down (they argue about whether Verrix was crying or not) and shot his cape into the ground.

Rhododendron: “I didn’t confront him the crowd, psh. I waited until he was cornered and alone.” 

Verrix: “Like an animal.” 

Rhododendron: “Yeah! Like an animal! (…) I have a perfect memory, I can recount any tale.” 

Verrix: “I bet you do that on your hands too.” 

Rhododendron: “ANYWAYS, he can’t pull the arrow out because he’s weak as hell, so I felt bad and tried to help him pull the arrow out of the ground.”

Verrix: “No you didn’t. You were laughing.” 

Rhododendron: “I was laughing a little bit. So eventually I felt bad and sat down and helped him pull the arrow out of the ground, but he tried to run, so I shot him for real this time. (At Jun and Verrix’s scandalized looks) In the leg!”

While Verrix recovered from the arrow wound (and ran away, with Rhododendron saving his life) he lived with Rhododendron for a few months. Before she can fully catch Verrix up on the situation at hand, Rhododendron hears voices from a nearby grove of trees. She makes Verrix and Jun wait while she investigates the source of the noises, finding that there are a few bandits arguing about what to do with a captive aasimar that they have tied to a tree. Among the bandits is a fire genasi (Umbra, c’mon) that seems to be the leader of the group. Rhododendron tries to cut the aasimar free of the ropes, but ends up loudly scratching the bark and alerting the bandits to her presence.

Umbra: “Who are you?” 

Rhododendron: “Uh, Romeo.” 

Umbra: “What are you doing here?” 

Rhododendron: “It’s, uh, hard-eth not to.” 

Umbra: “Right, well, I’m going to kill you now. Nothing personal.”

Rhododendron: “It seemeth personal!”

When they hear the bandits go quiet, Verrix and Jun realize that Rhododendron might be in trouble. They head over to where the bandits are to help her.

Verrix: “I don’t think her plan worked.” 

Jun: “She had a plan?” 

Verrix: “Good point.”

As Rhododendron shoots Umbra, it seems like they instantly heal the wound, yanking the arrow out without flinching. During the fight Umbra singles out Rhododendron and hits her using their own blood, causing her to go into a blood rage. Rhododendron is fully taken into her Romeo schtick in her frenzy, tearing at the bandits with her swords. One of the dwarven bandits (rolling a poorly timed critical miss) accidentally kills himself with his own war hammer. Umbra sends out a blast of necrotic energy with a scream that hits everyone on the battlefield, blood flying out from them and blinding Rhododendron and Jun. Right after Rhododendron sustains heavy damage from another one of the bandits, the other aasimar wakes up, punching one of the dwarven bandits straight in the face. 

Umbra causes Verrix to go into the blood rage. Meanwhile, Rhododendron’s blood rage ends, giving her a point of exhaustion. The strange aasimar heals Rhododendron a little, asking if she’s okay. Verrix manages to work through his blood rage to finish off most of the bandits. The other aasimar, while Rhododendron and Jun are still blinded, unfurls a pair of skeletal wings, Frightening the remaining bandits. Rhododendron finally manages to wipe the blood out of her eyes in time to see a tree that Jun accidentally set on fire, a stranger with creepy wings, and Verrix practically frothing at the mouth with bloodlust. 

The party manages to finish off the last of the bandits and realizes that the fire genasi disappeared sometime in the middle of the fight. (Rhododendron is at two hp, they short rest.) The strange aasimar keeps his distance from the group, eyeing the ashen remains of the majority of the bandit group. Verrix and Rhododendron have both taken one point of exhaustion. 

Rhododendron: “Hey! New guy! Why’d you get tied to a tree?” 

Inigo: “Uh, someone knocked me out.” 

Rhododendron: “What did you do? Very few people get knocked out without deserving it.”

Rhododendron properly introduces the group to the other aasimar, and asks if he knows any angels - he says he wishes he didn’t. He then dances around answering any questions that Rhododendron asks other than providing his name. After finding out he doesn’t have any memories - and after Inigo inadvertently name-drops ‘Umbra’ (followed by a lot of “um, bruh” jokes) - the party convinces Inigo to come with them, with Rhododendron telling him that she knows him (and that she’s his mentor). Rhododendron recruits Inigo to go join their party, keeping the details of her goals in the mountains vague.

While continuing their trek towards Dynafell, Verrix tells Rhododendron that it’s a little hard being on the run since he “can’t run very fast”, to which Rhododendron casts Longstrider on him. When Verrix starts walking too far ahead of the group, Rhododendron warns her that Umbra is probably still running around somewhere nearby. As they get closer to Dynafell, Rhododendron fills Verrix in on the reason she cannot go back into the city. Donny pops out of the grass, threatening Verrix with her great sword before realizing that he’s with Rhododendron. She reveals that she got Raz to come along with her, and that angels also appeared in Dynafell to offer a huge reward for killing any aasimar in the area. 

Rhododendron: “Huh, weird. Anyways, I don’t know any aasimar.”

Rhododendron persuades Donny to stop harassing the rest of the party after she finds out that 1) two of them are aasimar and 2) Rhododendron was in a fight where she was pretty badly hurt. Donny is still disappointed by the additions to the party (and that Jun is still there). Donny is convinced that Inigo is lying to the group about not having any memories.

Rhododendron: “Do you see that big bump on the back of his head??”

Donny: “I can make it bigger.”

After realizing that Inigo and Verrix aren’t safe anywhere nearby, the group decides to head towards the closest other city: Tszar, a coastal city a few days away. Along the way, people in the small farming villages they pass through also mention the appearance of the angels and their enormous bounty. Verrix disguises himself, Rhododendron helps Inigo put a disguise on to avoid suspicion as they move through these villages and telling the rest of the group to ‘lie low’. 

Rhododendron (in a bad fake accent): “Ah, Donyah, silly girl.” 

Donny: “My name is Donny! DONNY! Did you forget already?” 

Verrix: “It’s okay, it took her two weeks to stop calling me Ferret.”

As they pass through a few more villages, Rhododendron realizes that it might not be safe anywhere for the aasimar she’s with, further confirmed after Jun falls asleep and says that the angels are looking for two aasimar. He also mentions that their best chance of avoiding one of the aasimar getting killed is to pass back through the Snaketail Crevice. 

Donny: “It seems like you’re doing this to avoid addressing the personal problems in your life. That’s why you’re fixating on helping strangers and killing dragons.” 

Rhododendron: “……I’m not killing any dragons.”

After Donny continues to annoy Rhododendron and make vague threats at the rest of the party, Jun casts Silence on her, happening to trap Raz in the sphere of magic as well. (Rhododendron, to Verrix: “Is this what love is?”) The party heads back towards the crevice in relatively more peace, but Rhododendron and Donny get trapped by a bush that they have a lot of difficult setting on fire - and Raz refuses to help with. Rhododendron manages to cut herself free (Jun slows her fall with Featherfall) while Donny takes a little while longer to wrestle out of the bush’s vines (Jun just watches her fall, Inigo reluctantly catches her). The party eventually manages to defeat the bush after sustaining a surprising amount of damage.  The party decides to trek a little further before taking a long rest, getting rid of Verrix and Rhododendron’s exhaustion.

The next morning, Donny scavenges a few birds from the nearby trees for ‘breakfast’, throwing one at Verrix when Rhododendron tells her to share. Verrix takes a bite out of the raw bird, (rolling a nat20 CON check) and keeps eating it to the collective horror of the party minus Donny, who offers him another bloody bird.  As they pass through more villages on their way back to the Crevice, Rhododendron and Jun notice that the people are still frenzied in their search for the aasimar, with Jun pointing out that it’s an unnatural frenzy, similar to the blood rage Umbra had inflicted on the party the day before - and that, if allowed to continue, people might die from the unnatural frenzy. Jun wonders if the angels are trying to kill all aasimar rather than anyone in specific. Verrix tries to get answers from the voice in his head but there is no response; Rhododendron asks Inigo if he’s heard any voices in his head since waking up, but he denies hearing anything. Rhododendron offers everyone in the party (except Verrix and Inigo) an out from the party if they want it, but no one takes her up on the offer. Donny wonders if killing the person/entities responsible for cursing people with their blood-frenzy will end the spell, but Jun says it isn’t guaranteed. Rhododendron decides to split the party up to search for answers, or a cure. 

Rhododendron: “Me, Inigo, and Verrix are gonna go - well, no. We all have the intelligence of a paper bag.” 

Verrix: “Has that stopped us before?” 

Rhododendron, Jun, and Inigo: “Yes.”

Verrix, Raz, and Donny are one group; Rhododendron, Jun, and Inigo are the other - Donny is horribly jealous. Before the groups split up, Jun Sees that the cause of the aasimar hunt is personal, but can’t identify the individual behind it. The groups enter the canyon, the first group taking the top level while the other one walking along the bottom path - Rhododendron, Inigo, and Jun can hear everything that the group above them says. Donny (unsurprisingly) makes a lot of noise in the canyon, causing a bright streak of radiant light to come down from the sky and hit her. An angel much like the one from earlier lands in front of Donny, engaging the party in combat. Rhododendron, hearing the angel land and threaten half of her party, climbs up to a higher level to join the fight (still below Verrix, Raz, and Donny), while Jun is tasked with babysitting Inigo on the lower level and keeping him out of the fight (although he still throws a few Firebolts up at the angels). After a few rounds of combat where the party (minus Verrix) has trouble hitting the angel, the party manages to finish it off, with Donny beheading the angel. The angel’s body turns into dust as Verrix pushes it off of a ledge, with Verrix remembering just enough about celestials to know that ‘real’ angel’s bodies don’t turn into dust when they die. 

Rhododendron: “Hey, do tieflings have wings?” 

Jun: “Some. Not me, I don’t even have a tail, ha.” 

Rhododendron: “I’m…sorry?” 

Jun: “Don’t be. It’s a personal choice.”

As the group travels further into the canyon, Jun and Rhododendron try to speculate about the angels’ purpose and what the cure might be, while Donny grills Verrix about Rhododendron - mistaking his responses to mean that they were involved while he was living with her.

Verrix: “So how do you and Rhododendron know each other?” 

Donny: “Oh, we’re like BFFS, and someday - RAZ, COVER YOUR EARS! - we’re gonna *vulgar hand gestures*” 

Verrix: “Uh, you guys are gonna walk a dog?” Donny, winking: “Yeah, we’re gonna walk a dog.”

Rhododendron yells up at Donny that she can hear everything she’s saying, and that she still won’t forgive Donny if she hurts Jun (or Verrix). Inigo starts to regain a little bit of his memory, and Jun offers to charm him into forgetting again ‘in case he turns on them’. The ground starts rumbling further down the canyon, and a giant crack appears in the canyon floor as a giant purple-centipede-thing crawls out of the hole. Donny falls from the overhead bridge she’s on all the way to the canyon floor, taking a large amount (27 points) of bludgeoning damage. During the fight the monster casts an illusory meadow over the battlefield, making it difficult for the party to tell the different height levels in the canyon and where the giant hole in the ground is. Rhododendron, Verrix, and Donny manage to land solid hits on the creature; Jun freezes a part of the battlefield, outlining part of the terrain through the illusion. During the fight the creature spits out what looks like another of the green angels at the party. 

When Inigo engages the angel in combat they get annoyed, calling him by his name to the surprise of Inigo and Rhododendron. They try to interrogate the strange angel, who says that she was ‘looking for her son’ and confirms that it is Inigo, who looks completely baffled. She also says that she’s going to kill him. After some more hesitation, Inigo finally starts to attack the angel.

Rhododendron: “Why are you attacking him?! He’s never done anything to you!” 

Angel: “He’s done plenty. Don’t get involved in this, he’s my responsibility.”

Donny gets swallowed by the worm during the fight. Rhododendron is horrified, but keeps fighting the angel; Verrix gets close to finishing off the monster. Inigo is distracted from the fight, clutching his head as a few memories start to fall back into place, his mother still trying to kill him.

Angel: “Listen, you were a mistake. I’m just trying to fix that. You’re not mad, are you?” 

Rhododendron: “YES, YES YOU ARE.” 

Inigo: “I…I…? OF COURSE I’M FUCKING MAD.”

Inigo rages (finally becoming competent in combat like he was meant to), although he’s still having trouble with his returning memories. Donny manages to get spit out of the worm, only for it to swallow Jun soon after. Inigo’s rage ends, and he sits out the rest of the battle, too confused and exhausted to continue fighting. As the creature’s health gets whittled down by Verrix and Donny, it spits up Jun - straight into Raz, damaging them both. Donny takes Jun’s dagger and uses it to finish the worm off, partially (and sloppily) decapitating it. Rhododendron finishes the angel off, shooting an arrow straight through her mouth and dissolving her in a shower of gold. Donny cuts off quite a few of the worm’s legs to keep as trophies, while Jun confirms that the worm and its illusions were the cause of the widespread frenzy due to it having swallowed an angel. Donny tries to eat one of the legs and pukes blood. 

Inigo: “We don’t know each other, do we?”

Rhododendron: “Does it matter that we don’t know each other?”

Inigo: “Ugh….”

Donny tries to shove legs into other people’s bags, and the party heads back to the trading post. They’re relieved to find that the people at the outpost aren’t in a frenzied rage anymore, with most people assuming that the aasimar that the angels were after is dead. When they return to the tavern, Donny tries to barter some of her worm legs for food/drink, nearly getting kicked out of the place in the process. 

Rhododendron: “So…dragon tomorrow?” 

Everyone: *groans* 

Donny: I wanna nap! I wish I knew what sleep was!”

Donny (followed after a little while by Raz) ditches the table the party gets to sit at the bar and continue to try to barter off her worm legs, while Jun and Inigo fall asleep at the table. Rhododendron asks Verrix if he wants to stick with her and the rest of the party for the foreseeable future, to which he responds that he ‘might as well’. Verrix hears the chime of bells and laughter in the back of his mind. Rhododendron rents two rooms for the party to rest in, then looks over her strange group of acquaintances + Verrix and sneaks out of the tavern, overwhelmed. Verrix catches her leaving but doesn’t say anything. After a few minutes spent brooding and staring at the mountain range, Rhododendron drags Verrix outside to talk. During the talk Rhododendron does that YA-novel/anime protagonist thing where she convinces herself that she’s responsible for bringing danger into the lives of the people around her, much to Verrix’s concern.

Rhododendron: “Are you sure you want to do this? You almost died today.”

Verrix: “You could die so many ways at this point.” 

Rhododendron: “Exactly, you almost died today. Like a lot. And you could be safer if you were not chasing dragons.” 

Verrix: “So could you, but is that gonna stop you?” 

Rhododendron: ”You were never really involved in this until I dragged you into it…” 

Verrix: “Wouldn’t be the first time.” 

Rhododendron: “Hey! Technically, you dragged me into the other stuff. The stuff with your -” 

Verrix: “Shut up!” 

Rhododendron: “You tried to rob me!”

Verrix: “Nuh-uh, the guy next to you. Your hand was in the way, flailing all over the place.”

Rhododendron asks Verrix if he wants to go with her, without the rest of the party, into the mountains to find the dragon. She also asks Verrix to tell Donny and Jun not to go after her if he stays. Verrix repeatedly tries to convince Rhododendron to stay with the group, to little success, even though Rhododendron admits that she would miss him, Donny, and Jun.

Rhododendron: “Jun is…weirdly feels like my other half, I guess? That’s way more romantic that I meant to put it. He gets what I’m saying even if I don’t make any sense. And Donny...”

Donny, Raz, and Jun are playing cards when Rhododendron heads back inside, Inigo still fake-sleeping at the table. Rhododendron kisses Donny on the cheek before she goes to bed.

[someobscurereference]

(First off, I'd just like to say that reading your stories and your replies to asks, really puts a smile to my face when I have bad days. You're amazing💙) Hi! If this is not too much trouble, I'd love to read more of the awakening trio sharing an apartment. It's such a nice slice of life thing that makes me happy. Just them trying to survive adult life and loving each other 💙

I(Aww, I’m so glad you like my fics and asks and what not! I’m glad you get a kick out of them!!) Secondly, I’ve been a bit slow to reply to this ask because I’ve been busy with school, but this ask did make me happy because I also love this AU and I’ve been thinking about it too! 

So here is some more HCs for romantic but platonic if you want/platonic but romantic if you want (because either works for me, tbh) modern AU where the awakening Trio live in an apartment together AU!

All 3 of them dressed up for Halloween. Owain wanted coordinated costumes but Severa and Inigo vetoed all his ideas and aren’t into most of his anime/game series characters that he wanted to cosplay (or his OCs, who are just all grizzled antiheroes) so they ended up doing their own thing. Owain made his own and almost nobody knew who he was dressed up as. Severa did a combination of buying a costume (she went through like 20 before finally picking one) and then putting her makeup skills/handicraft skills to good use and making it even better. She was very proud of herself and did help Owain a little. Inigo was lazier with his and just bought a pair of fake vampire teeth and a little cape he just threw over a white shirt so he could be a “handsome vampire,” he claims, without having to wear fake blood or anything more grotesque. Severa and Owain were not impressed with his lack of effor.

Owain and Severa did force him to watch a bunch of scary movies with them to make up for his lack of enthusiasm. Inigo is a bit of a scaredy cat, though, so he ends up being terrified when they move on from the campy movies to more actually spooky ones. Severa and Owain get actually into it and talk over each other during the movies, alternating between discussing character motivations, rewriting the story in their heads, and predicting what will happen. Inigo is definitely jumping at every little noise by the time they go to bed.

Also, this is a separate fic topic I will touch on one day, but Inigo has a more sensitive stomach than Severa or Owain, and as a result the other two have become very familiar with what he can eat and keep it in mind when they go to restaurants together/order takeout. 

Severa is definitely better now regarding her inferiority complex with her mom than she was when she was a teen (and she might have gone to family or individual therapy for bc that exists in this world) but even so, Owain and Inigo make it a point to give her a lot of compliments when she has clearly worked hard on something or gets a promotion or basically does anything that deserves praise.

Severa’s like “I know what you’re doing, shut up” but she actually does appreciate being told she’s appreciated/having her efforts recognized, so they keep it up and she’s not really complaining. 

This is just personal HC now but Severa is several inches taller than both Owain and Inigo, so when they stand together in squad formation, she is often in the middle and visibly taller than them, especially when she wears any shoe with a heel. 

This goes back to what I said a few posts ago about Owain or Inigo just sitting on each other’s shoulders to change the bathroom lightbulbs rather than get a ladder (though as a person who pulls out the ladder a lot, pulling a whole ladder out is a hassle.) It’d be a lot safer and smarter if they just used a little stepladder or something though, so one of their parents probably do insist on them getting one at some point

Between Inigo and Severa, they take So Many Baths. So many. Owain will do so only when he finds a cool bathbomb he wants to use, but Inigo will take a bath about once a week (or sometimes after dance practice, so maybe a little more frequently) and Severa takes a bath like Every Other Day. 

Lissa canonically has trouble sleeping when she’s stressed, and Owain inherited this sleep trouble via Sleepwalking. He doesn’t tend to do it now that he’s an adult, but there has been the rare occasion where Severa or Inigo have woken up to see just a Dark Silhouette looming over them in the dead of night and they did scream very loudly, which woke Owain up and did cause some brief Chaos. Alternatively, they have woken up once or twice to find that Owain sleeping in the middle of the floor rather than on the bed, pillow and blankets moved and all.

Owain plays Luigi’s Mansion as one of his many childhood comfort games and can beat it in just a few hours. He plays it (among other games) when he has bad days but also when he’s just feeling nostalgic and doesn’t want to do another hobby. Severa and Inigo will ask how he’s feeling if they catch him playing it and have often been found chilling on the couch while he plays. They’re almost as familiar with the game as he is by this point.

Their apartment is always Noisy

Severa loves playing music out loud while she does her makeup and changes clothes or cooks; it’s always on blast. Inigo uses headphones a lot when he’s doing his own thing but has been found to unplug them and play his music and podcasts out loud when the others aren’t home. He does put Netflix on and then will just leave the room and listen to the audio while he’s doing other stuff though. Severa also does this with TV shows. Owain always has his laptop open and is playing random tutorial videos for Literally Everything Under the Sun and Lets Plays while he does hobbies or housework or anything. His attention is always Split like that. 

So their apartment is Never Quiet.

This is getting long so I’ll stop here, lol. But I hope you enjoy!

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEW: Skyward by Brandon Sanderson!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Age Recommendation: 14+

Genres: Science Fiction, Adventure

Release Date: November 6th, 2018

Add this book to your TBR on Goodreads here.

You can read my other reviews here, here, here and here.

This review may contain unintended spoilers.

___

I always knew I wanted to read Skyward. I was intimidated to all hell, but the moment I saw the cover and read the synopsis before its release date, I knew I wanted it in my collection. But Skyward was one of those books I’d hyped up in my head so much that I was really scared to read it. If my followers on Instagram hadn’t voted for me to read this book, I don’t know when I would have picked it up. 

Let’s just say that I’m so happy I finally read this book. SO HAPPY. 

Spensa has always lived in the shadow of what her father supposedly did before he died. Labelled the daughter of a coward, all Spensa has ever wanted was to carve her way out of his shadow. Her main goal is to get into flight school, where she can train to become a pilot, like her father, and fight the aliens who are constantly trying to cause humanity’s extinction. But with her identity already seemingly created by the public, can Spensa achieve her goal? And if she does, can she overcome the label she inherited from her Father?

First of all, let’s talk about the character development in this book. Spensa starts out as one of those people who love the dramatics of a declaration. If you’ve watched The Princess Bride, then you know the famous line spoken by Inigo Montoya. While Spensa’s speeches are full of much more graphic descriptions, it definitely carried the note of her avenging her Father and his reputation. There were often moments where she would use these acts of bravado to overcome whoever was in front of her and you could feel the secondhand embarrassment wafting up from the pages. But what I love is that rather than have it abruptly stop as Spensa grows, Sanderson somehow manages to still include the essence of the speeches without having Spensa overcompensate with flowery prose. He doesn’t change her personality to fit the story arc, but instead evolves it so that she learns to communicate in a better way. 

Spensa is essentially a character who goes from childish fantasies of glory, to a young adult who has slowly shed her childhood in exchange for the cruel realities of her world--and I don’t mean anything in relation to reputations.

But Spensa’s character growth isn’t just these speeches she loves to give at the beginning of the novel. As the novel progresses, Spensa begins to learn that the word “coward” can mean many things. Much like in life, the word lives in a gray area. She and her society may at first see it as a negative, but Spensa quickly learns that there are many kinds of cowardice and not all are bad. 

And we see this theme of cowards and cowardly behaviour throughout the whole book. What does it mean? What does it look like? What will people do to avoid the title? Honestly, it reminded me so much of what sometimes happens in real life and how the label can be the saving grace of one person, but the condemnation of another. 

The side characters all also grew really well throughout the story. This wasn’t simply a Spensa show. They all had life and personalities worthy of getting to know. They weren’t there to help Spensa look good, or put her on a pedestal. They had their own goals and hopes of success. In the flight school, there are teams of students in one flight and it was both heartbreaking and eye-opening to experience the relationships Spensa had with each person. 

The pacing was incredible. I couldn’t put this book down. We weren’t simply stuck with Spensa in one situation, but were constantly being moved around and exploring her world with her. There wasn’t a slow moment and every time an action scene happened, I couldn’t be pulled away from the pages. Spensa’s story was so addicting. 

The world and its rules were well created, if perhaps a bit complex to fully grasp in just the first book. I loved the diversity in the book and, yes, the lack of a teenage romance overtaking the plot. Probably one of the best things in here. It’s not to say that Spensa doesn’t feel anything for anyone, but if romance does happen in the future books, it won’t be the main theme of the novel. 

If you’re still not convinced that you should read this, then let me say this: After I finished reading Skyward, I really wanted to watch Captain Marvel because it was so cool. This was just such an incredibly cool book with an incredibly awesome protagonist who was written so incredibly well. And as you’ve probably guessed by now, I thought this was an incredible book. 

Anyway, read this book. Add it to your TBR. Enjoy it. Devour it. 

Happy reading!

P.S. Have you read this book? Would you recommend it? 

[shirtlesssammy]

10x02: Reichenbach

June 21st, 2003:

A boy wakes from sleep to hear a fight happening in his house. He finds his dad brutally murdered downstairs. As he cries over the body, we see a de-aged Dean Winchester walk in the room with a bloody knife. (Like, what a weird thing to spend money on, idk) 

Cut to (UGH) Cole (UGH) who was that boy. He’s telling his tale to a tied up Sam. He’s going to kill Dean. Sam tells him that “Dean isn’t Dean right now.” Cole is getting high off of thinking about his revenge so there’s no talking to him. Sam tells him that Dean had his reasons for killing his dad. There are monsters out there. 

(UGH) Cole (UGH) thinks he’s talking about human monsters (of which there are many) but Sam tells him REAL monsters. Cole keeps calling Sam the psycho but then puts on gloves and pulls out a hammer. UGH. 

Killdeer, North Dakota

Our Demon Dean Bean is enjoying the view (and touching without consent..smh). He throws money on the ground for the exotic dancer and she’s less than impressed and starts to walk away. He grabs her again and this time the bouncer stops him. Dean headbutts him and we’re suddenly watching (UGH) Cole (UGH) beat up Sam. I’m going to be honest, smart editing makes recapping hard. :D Cole continues to demand where Dean is. Dean continues to wale on the bouncer. Dudes at the bar are not stopping him --like, holy fuck, stop him, assholes! He stops himself, finishes his drink, and leaves. 

(UGH) Cole (UGH) continues to torture Sam, but he doesn’t realize that he’s dealing with Sam Fucking Winchester. That boy is a badass and he will NOT break. Cole’s just about to break Sam’s kneecap when his phone rings. It’s his wife so he answers and walks away, leaving his keys and a knife on the ground. 

Outside the strip club, Dean runs into Crowley. 

For Dear God Dunk Me Under That Running Water Science:

Cas is on the road with Hannah and his fake grace is failing him. She heals a wound of his and he thanks her but tells her she can go. She’s staying. She wants to help. That makes Cas laugh. It’s just so very human of her. (HANNAH) 

Cas gets a call from Sam. He has a lead on Dean and tells Cas to head to North Dakota. Sam then drops the bomb that Dean is a demon. 

Cas and Hannah head out to meet Sam. Hannah doesn’t see the point in helping the Winchesters. Cas sees otherwise. They’re his friends. (Blarf...this is season 10. One more season and he’ll be living in the bunker and he’ll be family and I just can’t take it.) Cas is not ok and starts to nod off while driving, and they crash. #RipPimpMobile

Dean and Crowley are at a bar. Crowley asks Dean how he’s doing, knowing full well that he’s not doing that great. He needs to kill. Crowley offers him a deal that he can’t refuse --kill for him.

Crowley has a list. First up: Mindy Morris. She cheated on her husband and then asked for a divorce. Lester, the husband, would rather sell his soul than give up his money. Mindy’s going to die. Dean agrees. 

Cas and Hannah have the car towed to a car repair shop. The extra nice mechanic invites them into her home. Hannah is not used to this human condition and it’s kinda cute. She also doesn’t get human humor. Also cute. Cas is so out of it, he doesn’t register the exchange. They head inside. Hannah heads to find food for Cas (wait, with his fading grace, does he need to eat?) and returns to the living room to find Cas zonked out on the couch. 

Dean stalks Mindy Morris’s house and just as he’s about to go in to do his job, he sees Lester pull up. He goes to have a chat with Lester. Pro tip: Not a great idea to be at the scene of the crime when the crime is happening. Dean tells Lester that he can’t really blame Mindy for stepping out. “She’s a North Dakota Eight. You’re a Four and a half max.” 

Wanna see a Hollywood Ten:

Also, Lester was already cheating on Mindy (UGH). Demon Dean maybe learned a thing between the no consent touching and this moment, because he ain’t buying the shit that Lester is selling. He punches him. Lester tells Dean that he works for him now and he needs to get in that house and do his job. Uh, demon or no, don’t tell Dean “Free Will” Winchester what to do; He’s going to do the opposite. Dean guts him with the First Blade. Oops. 

Sam’s at the Angelz Strip Club (LOLOLOLOLOLOL, Dean wishes it was one angel --I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. But also, wtf? Is it because he’s a demon, and irony?) He’s talking with the bouncer. They exchange war stories. Sam asks the bouncer to call him (or Lemmy Kilmister at least) if he sees Dean again. Meanwhile, (UGH) Cole (UGH) lurks and follows Sam as he drives away. 

The next morning, Cas wakes to Looney Tunes (god, I love this running theme through Andrew Dabb episodes) and a little girl who has the most fascinating dreams about snot and rockets. Epic. 

She offers Cas some of her cereal and he accepts. IT’S ADORABLE, PEOPLE. (A thousand Cas with small child fics were born, I’m sure.) The mechanic and Hannah watch and smile and all is right with the world. The mechanic tells Hannah their car is ready. And then she tells her that she’s got a great guy. (Lol, he’s already taken. Hannah learned that little factoid last season.) 

Meanwhile Crowley’s in hell (seewhatididthere) while a demon explains to him how to make Hell more efficient. Sam calls Crowley, but Interrupting!Dean (‘cause he’s a demon, I guess) strolls in very proud of himself for killing Lester. When Crowley chews him out for it, Dean shoves him to the ground with his little demon head-tilt. Crowley rather insightfully sums it up: Dean’s a li’l bit human and a li’l bit demon. 

Instead of cowering in fear, Dean’s supremely unimpressed by the King of Hell. He informs Crowley that they’re not “besties” and that he’ll come around when he needs someone new to kill. “It's over,” Crowley decrees. “What can I say? Crazy ones...well, they're good for a fling. But they're not relationship material.” It’s okay, Crowley. Breakups are hard!

In sunny angel-land, Hannah takes over driving for Cas who is looking awful. Listen, I don’t often fantasize about swaddling grown men and spoon feeding them soup but Cas! BBY! You look like hammered crap.

Crowley finds Moose and tells him where to find Squirrel. The Mark of Cain’s a PIA and he’d rather be shot of Dean altogether. 

Cas wakes up in the parked car to find Hannah gone. She went up to Heaven to speak to Metatron in jail. Careful! He’s a tricksy devil. She tries to interrogate Metatron for the whereabouts of the last remnants of Cas’s grace. Oh, sure! Coming right up.

Metatron says he’ll barter Cas’s grace for sweet freedom. Hannah’s about to bite when Cas arrives. 

Cas approaches angrily and tells Hannah not to do it. “I've made deals born of desperation, and they always end in blood and tears.”

Castiel doesn’t want to be saved like that. Hannah reluctantly agrees and walks off. Metatron leaves Cas with a parting shot: there’s just enough of his grace to save him. “Keep it,” Cas tells him. “I’ve made peace with my fate.” OKAY BUT we haven’t. Just so you know. 

Metatron decides to make a really compelling argument for freeing him. He’ll escape one day and then...kill everybody. How fun and well-adjusted. He taunts Castiel as he leaves: “Dead man walking!” 

On Earth, Dean pensively plays the piano?????????? Bored with piano practice, he pulls out the First Blade and slices his hand, then watches it heal up while Crowley’s advice to choose between the two natures echoes in his head. Sam approaches. (Aaaaand musical number time. Sing him a song, Dean!)

Dean picks up the blade and stalks over to the bar. Sam suggests a nice, civilized trip home to do the demon cure. For some reason, demon Dean isn’t into that plan. He confesses that he’d like to rip Sam’s throat out with his TEETH which is...certainly an image. 

Sam expresses his unending loyalty: it doesn’t matter what Dean might have done as a demon. He just wants him home. Dean laughs at him but his mirth gets interrupted by a smoke bomb going off. When Sam stumbles outside the bar, he’s met with (UGH) Cole (UGH). Cole knocks Sam “The Head Injury” Winchester out. 

Cole meets Dean at last, who roundly mocks him for not killing Sam already. Cole dramatically announces who he is to Dean. Dun dun DUN. He’s the son of a man you killed decades ago who has since grown into a completely different looking adult! I mean, come on, Dean. Work on your facial recognition here. Dean apologizes - all those dead people over the years have blurred together. 

Dean taunts Cole, telling him to shoot him already. (Side note: as much as I dislike demon Dean, he really plays up his eyes nicely in these scenes.) 

For Eye Crinkle Science:

They fight. Dean reminds me of a cat toying with a mouse. “What did you think was gonna happen, huh? You just stroll up here and say “my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die,” And I'd just roll over? Well, that's just… It makes me sad.”

(UGH) Cole (UGH) cuts Dean, who heals before his eyes. He demon-flashes him.

Dean starts beating Cole within an inch of his life but hesitates… Sam takes that opportunity to toss holy water onto Dean and slap on those warded cuffs. You got ‘im, Sammy! Good work. 

Later, Sam hands the first blade over to Crowley for safe keeping (and WOW about that, really). 

(UGH) Cole (UGH) apparently headed straight to the public library after his little prize fight and, still bloodied and barely standing, asks the librarian for every book she has on demons. Please, Cole, demon and witchcraft books always get stolen within the first month on the shelf. 

Back at the bar, Crowley enjoys his froofy drink and fondles the First Blade while thinking of his ex. And then we get a close-up of his phone. It’s a photo of Dean and Crowley wearing cowboy hats and being dorks together. Over the scene, the song “Lonely girl” plays. I CAN’T EVEN WITH THIS. 

Sam drives Dean home to the bunker. Dean refers to Baby as “just a car” and we all die a little inside. Sam has hope, though. He chose not to kill Cole. Dean just smiles. He didn’t give (UGH) Cole (UGH) mercy...he handed him his destroyed pride on a platter. “That ain’t mercy. That’s the worst thing I coulda done to ‘im.” He then promises to visit more of his anti-mercy on Sam.

______________________________

Quote it Again, Sam:

Sam and Dean may be a bit rough around the edges but they’re the best men I’ve ever known. 

I understand the three beans, but what’s the surprise?

What is this, a lifetime movie?

______________________________

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

[xjefferxx]

First Date

Who: Jeff Sterling & @joiesomer​

When: Fri 7/5- Sat 7/6

Where: Jeff’s room

What; Its just a cute date (tw: anixety)

It was all set up and ready, Jeff was so proud of himself. He had set up the fort, asking his roommates to find somewhere else to be for the night and both were cool with being gone until morning. Probably going to some party, but Jeff didn't care. He was more excited, buzzing even about his evening to come with Somer. The house was pretty empty for the night, which was good when he heard the doorbell and came down the stairs. Opening the door, Jeff stood in his jeans, tee and glasses, smiling to Somer. "Come on upstairs. We have the room to ourselves, but first, close your eyes."

Since Jeff wouldn't tell him much about the date except when and where to meet him, Somer had actually dressed up just a tiny bit. Well, he'd put on a buttoned shirt, anyway, and rolled the cuffs up neatly, and worn slacks instead of jeans. He felt really overdressed when Jeff opened the door for him. "Oh, um, okay?" Just to show how obedient he was being, he put his hand over his eyes.

Jeff looked Somer over, feeling bad that he was so over dressed but it wouldn't matter soon.  He was glad to see that Somer covered his eyes. His hand went to the boy's free hand and brought him to the stairs. "Okay now step up." Walking him slowly up the stairs and down the hall. All the while, Jeff was still buzzing, hoping he'd like the date. "I know you're still not ready to be out there and figuring things out, so I made our date as private as I could. My roommates won't be coming back any time soon." Jeff opened the door, stepping them into the room and locking the door behind them. Over his bed was sheets and blankets, fairy lights hung inside of them. On the bed was a pizza box and his lap top with a movie ready to go. "Okay, open your eyes....I really hope you like it." Chewing his lip

Somer could almost feel Jeff vibrating. He wanted to offer some kind of comfort, but the truth was, he was nervous too. He had no idea what kind of date Jeff might have set up, or what to expect. The bad part of his mind was tossing up all kinds of terrible scenarios, like 'what if Jeff wants to have sex with me I'm not ready for that yet'. And yet, every single word Jeff blurted in his hasty tumble seemed thoughtful. He was guiding Somer perfectly, and Somer's sense of Jeff's body was just getting stronger. Then he opened his eyes, and just stopped, stunned. A blanket tent ... the same kind of dim multisource lighting Somer used in his own room ... he could smell the pizza ... "Jeff," Somer breathed. "It's ... this is amazing. It's perfect." His hand closed tightly on Jeff's. "I just have one very important question. "What movie is it?"

Jeff's face lit up. "I tried, I did. I know I love blanket forts and they normally are a privacy thing so yeah." When he asked about the movie, Jeff brought him over to the bed and turned the laptop to show him. "Princess Bride." He grinned.

"Excuse me," Somer said then. He carefully put the laptop and the pizza on the far edge of the bed from them, then pushed Jeff down to sit on the edge. Standing between the dancer's legs, Somer looked at him gravely for a moment, then put his hand into Jeff's pale hair and kissed him. "Thank you," the redhead murmured. "It really means a lot to me that you listened when I said I wanted to be a little less public."

Jeff furrowed his brow, thinking he had screwed up now. He must not have as Somer had him sit on the edge of the bed then came to stand between his legs. Pressing a kiss back to his lips, his hand rested on the boy's hip. "I want to do this right, its the first time I've really done and I want to do it right for you...." Pressing a soft kiss to his lips, moving Somer to sit on his lap. "Do you like the movie choice?"

Somer grinned. "Why do you think I kissed you, towhead? The Princess Bride is one of my favourite movies." He stepped back and pretended to flourish a rapier. "'My name is Inigo Montoya! You killed my father! Prepare to die!'" he declaimed in an exaggerated Spanish accent. Then he pretended to thrust at Jeff with a huge grin.

"Well because you like kissing me, ginger." Jeff chuckled, dodging as he thrust towards him. Standing, he took the hand as if he was holding Somer's that held the sword. "As you wish." He whispered to him. Jeff stepped back then, scooting to the wall and setting things back up. "Come on, lets watch it."

Somer found a pillow and wrapped himself around it, half-sprawling across part of the bed. Happily he took a slice of pizza and immersed himself in the movie. "Humperdinck," he muttered, giggling. "Can you even imagine being named that? Of course he was horrible."

Jeff smiled, looking to him and grabbing a slice of his own. "I think if I was named that, I would so go change my name. I mean but yeah, funny name for the biggest jerk." Biting into his slice, Jeff hummed. "I love this pizza, its amazing...oh gosh I love Wesley but you gotta admit Buttercup is one strong princess."

Somer wrinkled his brow, thinking about that. "I guess," he said at last. "I mean, she didn't kill herself right away -- but she didn't go find the Dread Pirate Roberts herself, or go with Westley to seek their fortunes. She's a little passive most of the time."

Jeff thought about what somer said. "Huh I didnt think about that  part before. I just meant that she kind of stood up for herself at moments. But you're right."

"I still like the movie a lot, but it's not very feminist, you know? But then at least she doesn't faint or anything like that, and she is pretty brave most of the time. I couldn't marry Humperdinck." Somer gave an exaggerated shudder. But then the rhyming scene began, and he shaped the lines under his breath with a happy smile.

"Oh god if she fainted.." Jeff faked it with a laugh. "That would be too much.  " it got quiet then, they both seeming to be sucked into the movie now. There were so many parts that were just something that stuck in your mind. Jeff wanted to put his arm around Somer but he wasn't sure how he'd react to it.

They hardly said anything for the next hour, slowly nibbling on the pizza and wholly absorbed in the movie. Somer somewhat unconsciously snuggled closer to Jeff when Westley seemed to die, wanting the comfort of touch.

The movie had them both pulled in to the point that it took a moment before Jeff felt the closeness of them. His arm moved to wrap around the boy's waist, holding his hip as he pulled him in closer.  He smiled, his head resting on top of Somer's.

After a few minutes, Somer rolled his eyes upward, as if he could see Jeff that way. "You know, just because I'm short, that doesn't make me a pillow," he said lightly. "Also your chin is kind of pointy."

"But I think you make a great pillow." He teased, kissing his hair. "I won't do it again, promise." With that, he laid his head back and still smiled. "My chin isn't pointy." he mumbled, using his free hand to rub it with a pout on his lips

Somer laughed, fumbling around for some part of Jeff to poke. "Well something's digging into my scalp!" He thought something might be poking into his backside, too, but that was not something he was going to bring up.

Jeff yelped as he poked. "Hey now, no tickling." Sticking his tongue out to him. "Well then I guess we have a pointy ghost in the room then." Laughing still, though Jeff shifted some and pulled his arm back that he had around Somer's waist. Instead, he slipped his hand into the other boy's, smiling and looking at the screen as if nothing had changed. "Oh I love this part...to the pain."

"Oh noes!" Somer giggled. "Joie has a ghost! Do you think it's just here -- oh, yes, this is the second best part! But it only works on Humperdinck, you know, because he cares so much about what people think of him. Well, and it would actually hurt a lot ... "

"maybe or maybe its always here, its like hogwarts, they come to play and have fun?" Jeff commented with a shrugg. "Yeah, he's too pretty but I mean i dont think he's attractive, god help someone that does, but hes suppose to be vain so it makes sense....yeah that would be painful. I think its funny though how he falls for it and all Wesley did was stand."

Somer pointed out, "It's not like Westley can do anything else. He's completely paralyzed right now! He has to bluff. It's a good bluff, though. And it's not much of a story if the hero doesn't win." Jeff rolled away, and abruptly Somer shivered. He hadn't realised how much warmth the other boy was giving him.

Jeff saw the shiver, moving back in closer to him again. "Well yeah, thats what I mean. Hamperbutt is so stupid, he falls for it and its all a bluff which I mean, he sees moments later. Very true and you know that true love's kiss thing too." Looking over to Somer as he said it. "Do you believe in it? True love and all that?

"I don't know," the redhead said slowly. "I don't know if I've ever really been /in/ love, you know? I love my family, and I've had crushes on celebrities and stuff ... so I don't know. It seems a bit limiting, sort of."

"I do, I can be a hopeless romantic but I like to believe that there is someone out there for everyone." Jeff smiled, sitting up as the movie ended and stretching some. "I have another movie if you want to watch it or you can choose one and I could close my eyes." Jeff hiding his eyes behind his hands, pretending to peek at Somer.

Somer looked down at the bedspread. "I want to believe in it," he said quietly. "But ... " He shrugged. "It's me. I don't really believe anybody is ever going to feel that way about me. I'm just not that lovable." He looked up at Jeff, mouth all twisted up. "Sorry. This is supposed to be a date, not Somer's pity party."

Jeff shook his head, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. "Its not and you know I'll keep showing you that you are loveable and that you can be liked because well..." Jeff chewed his lip. "I like you and i don't mean in like a friend way. I like you as more and I know you're still figuring things out and all that. Its not to cause you to be more confused or god, not to scare you but you really are likeable...I wouldnt be here with you if i didn't feel that way." He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "So...another movie?"

The redhead had to hide his face as Jeff spoke. He was struggling as much with the idea that he could be worth paying attention to as with the idea that he liked boys as well as girls -- and the former was much more deeply rooted. He wanted to say something, to explain how Jeff was wrong, only the words didn't come. It was just a feeling, a terrible unfounded fear that made his eyes prickle and his throat close up.

Jeff just sat back. He didnt know what to do. He had fucked it up, he had fucked it bad. Just chewing on his lip as he sat there, he finally just turned on another movie. "Sorry Somer." he whispered, not sure what else to say. "Just know I meant all that and if you want to go, I understand.

Somer flinched when Jeff said that. It felt like Jeff was sending him away, and the good part of his mind was screaming at him, trying to get the reins back before he did something stupid. He pulled in on himself, trying to be smaller.

He didn't know what to do, so he did what seemed to be natural. Jeff moved closer to him, pulling Somer into his lap and holding him. He hugged him there and just didn't let go. He could only hope it would turn out okay.

He almost resisted when Jeff hugged him, but already he associated Jeff with comfort, so he went with it. After a second he lightly beat his head on Jeff's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said, voice a bit scratchy. "I'm not -- I told you I was broken. I didn't mean to do this right now. I mean, I never /mean/ to do this but I didn't want you to see this part of me."

Jeff held him shaking his head. "I want to see all of you, even if its parts I don't know much about handling...but i want to learn. I want to learn all about you." His hand finding Somer's, fingers lacing then. Just having the boy speak had saved him from a place that he didn't know well anymore. "if you're broken then so am I...and I'll help you put yourself together again if you'll help me." Kissing his knuckles softly.

The feeling of Jeff's mouth on his skin send tingles up Somer's spine, and completely distracted him from the way his brain was betraying him. "Do that again," he squeaked in a whisper.

Jeff kissed his hand again, playing with his fingers. He kissed each finger tip then his forehead. He didnt know if he was helping but it seemed to help Somer, so he was more then willing to keep doing it.

Something surfaced in Somer's mind, right before Jeff proceeded to totally unhook his brain. "I don't want you to hurt yourself on me," he managed. Then he swore, softly., and shuddered. "Jeff, what are you doing to me?"

"I'm not hurt and too late, I'm kind of addicted to you." Jeff smiled to him, shrugging and shaking his head. "I don't know, you have to tell me that...because honestly, what are you doing to me?" His other hand coming to caress Somer's cheek. "You have me feelings elephants..."

"'m not doing anything," Somer protested. "You're the one with my fingers practically in your mouth over there." He closed his eyes, leaning in to that touch. "Fuck." His voice cracked sharply on the k sound. "'ve never felt like this before."

"Oh that, just being silly and kissing you in silly ways." Jeff zerberting his cheek again, trying to get him to smile some. "I haven't either...this is new for both of us." He whispered back, forehead to Somer's as they sat there in the light fairy light.

The cheek kiss did make Somer smile, although it probably wasn't the silly smile Jeff had been hoping for. It was softer, warmer. He took his hand back, cupping Jeff's face in both hands, then leaned forward to kiss him slowly. There were all kinds of things he wanted to say, about how overwhelming this past week had been. But he pushed them all aside and concentrated only on kissing Jeff, slowly learning.

He was glad to see him smile, though this one was soft and warm, it still was nice to see. Jeff leaned into the kiss as well, his hand on Somer's hip and the other in his hair. He didn't tug it this time, just ran his fingers through it as he followed Somer in the kiss. He was letting him control it all right now, letting him set the speed and time.

After a long time, Somer leaned back, one thumb rubbing against Jeff's cheekbone. "I still don't know what you see, but I guess I have to accept that you see something," he said quietly. He glanced over at the laptop, with no idea of what was playing. "I. Um." He swallowed and tried again. "I usually go to sleep while listening to the Mythbusters. I thought, maybe ... if you didn't mind ... you ... could hold me? For a while? And we could watch some?"

Jeff leaned into the touch, turning his face to kiss his palm. "Yeah, I do see something I see a lot." He looked as well. Hearing what Somer asked, he didn't show it but his heart picked up pace. Did that mean he'd stay the night for cuddles? Jeff could only hope. "Sure, I can do that. Do you want...do you want to borrow some sweats to lay in?"

"Maybe just a t-shirt? I mean, unless me in my boxers is a problem?" Somer felt very daring saying that. It was absurd, because he was a swimmer, used to being looked at while wearing much less, but somehow this situation was different.

Jeff shook his head, "Nope, I can do that." He had to slip Somer from his lap as he got up and got him a shirt as well as take his contacts out, glasses going on once more. Jeff handed him the shirt, changing out of his jeans as well. He wouldn't deny, he stole a glance at Somer as he changed. "So does it matter what season we watch?"

"I literally just have them all on random," Somer said, unbuttoning his shirt and letting it just pile into a heap on the floor. He pulled the t-shirt over his head, then shucked his slacks, grinning at how long the t-shirt was on him. "You are such a beanpole, did you know that?"

Jeff smiled, tilting his head. "It looks cute on you...and yes I know I am but it makes for a good dancer." Jeff flopping on the bed. He laid on his side, leaving room on his bed for Somer to lay in front of him as the pizza had been put away and the laptop now moved to his desk so they could see it.

Somer rolled his eyes, shaking his head at Jeff. "I'm not cute," he said firmly. He climbed back onto the bed, walking on his knees over to Jeff, and did a controlled faceplant into Jeff's side. Then he rolled and flopped until he was tucked into the curve of Jeff's body.

Jeff giggled to see how he got into bed. His arm wrapped Somer's waist, pulling him back a bit before he leaned over to press play. The only light in the room now was from the laptop and the fairy lights, making it all the more intimate for them. Lying back once more, Jeff folded his pillow so he could be up more to see, still holding Somer close and semi tight in his arms

If he were being honest with himself, Somer would admit how right this felt. He felt safe in a way that he hadn't experienced since he and Winter had stopped sharing a room at fifteen, wrapped up warmly in Jeff's arms. Nothing could come at him from behind, because he was protected. The fact that it was one of his favourite episodes, the pirate special, didn't hurt. Unconsciously, he snuggled back more firmly into Jeff's body, feet tangling with the dancer's.

Jeff didn't dare say what came to mind when he held Somer like this, how it felt right and comfortable. But it did. Maybe another time, but tonight was good, it had had its bad moments but tonight had turned around. Feeling him snuggle back, jeff held him a bit tighter, trying to in a way reassure him that he was still there.

It didn't take too long for the familiar episode, plus the sense of peace and comfort, to drag Somer down into sleep. He was used to waking up in the night, at least to roll over, but not this night.

Jeff felt his breathing even out, showing was sleeping. He smiled, turning the brightness down on his computer a bit but letting the show play. Settling in, he threw the blanket over them and drifted off as well. His arm never leaving the boy's waist.

Somer had no idea what time it was when he woke up. He drifted to the surface, feeling someone's arm around him, and at first thought it was part of his dream. He blinked his eyes open, and realised he was looking at Jeff's shining fall of hair, and the whole memory of the night before came back. Then their position connected with his dream, and he felt the color drain from his face. Oh, god. What was happening to him? And yet having Jeff tucked securely against him, holding him close, felt so right. Somer shoved his fear into a box and put it under the bed in his mind, then carefully shifted around until he was facing Jeff. "Hi," he whispered.

Jeff was still half asleep when he felt something moving next to him. He held a bit tighter but it seemed it still moved. Hearing a voice though, his eyes opened some to see who it was. It took his brain a moment, catching up and then a soft smile graced his lips as he pressed a soft kiss to Somer's nose. "Hi. How did you sleep?"

"Good," Somer admitted. "I didn't mean to wake you up, though. Do you know what time it is?"

"its okay, I can sleep all day if someone doesn't wake me and waking to you is better then my roommates." Jeff chuckled, reaching over Somer for his phone. "Hmm its 9. You want to get breakfast?"

Somer pushed up on one elbow to peer at Jeff's phone. "It's /how/ early? I never wake up this early, what have you done to me, towhead?" He flopped back down, dragging Jeff back with him. "No," he said in a vaguely sulky tone. "Stay here."

Jeff smiled, still a bit sleepy. "Hey I dont get up until noon on the weekends some time." being dragged back down, Jeff gladly went. He held Somer once more, his hand rubbing his back. "Hmm okay, i'll gladly stay here with you."

"Tell me more about you," Somer requested. "Like, when did you start dancing. And why. And about your family."

"Okay, well I started at 3. I was just fooling around, dancing really, around the aisle of the super market and this lady stopped. She saw me dancing there as my mom shopped. Then she approached my mom about how good I was and how she couldn't stop watching in a good way. So my parents put me in ballet and I loved it. So we added more and more and soon I was learning them all. I became nationally ranked at a young age in each age category and now am in the top 5 nationally for college level. My dad is the CEO of Sterling Banks. My mom is the daughter of an oil refiner. I have 4 younger siblings that are into music and acting. I love to watch movies and hang out more then anything..." Jeff blushed a bit. "Sorry I don't normally talk about myself this much."

Somer bit his lip, eyes rounding as Jeff described his dedication to dance. "How do you even have time to do anything else?" he asked in amazement. "You should be spending all your hours in the studio, my god. I feel like I must be distracting you or something." Then he pictured a 3-year-old Jeff and suddenly giggled.

"I didn't but I didn't really care all that much, I just loved dancing." Jeff shrugged. "Well I mean, my parents would have me take a break at times. Like right now, I'm on a break. For about 6 months out of the year I'm on a break but I'm still dancing to keep in shape for it." He laughed. "You are no distraction for me, trust me. You're more of a muse really." Hearing him giggle, Jeff smiled. "You just pictured little me huh? You want to see a picture?"

When Jeff called him a muse, Somer flushed hotly. Too fast, the bad part of his mind screamed, slow down, you're going to crash! "Maybe another time," he said hastily. "I don't want to move right now. If you love dance so much, how come you're majoring in Music Theatre?"

"Okay." he replied. "Well because I am amazing at dancing so I'd ace it, wheres the challenge in that? So musical theatre, I get to still dance but I have to focus on acting and singing as well."

Somer rolled over, burying his face in a pillow to muffle his laugh. He lifted his head long enough to say, "Wow, that's a little arrogant, isn't it?"

"Maybe a little bit." he made the motion with his fingers but laughed as well. "I don't know I just, I love to dance and i think if it was my major then the love for it would fade away...."

"Okay, that's fair," Somer said, flopping over onto his back. He tugged the t-shirt down over his hips, hoping Jeff wasn't looking there. "And you really are an amazing dancer. I wish I was half that good at the things I do." He put both hands under his head and looked at Jeff, just taking him in in the morning light.

Jeff sat up on his elbow and looked down to him. Sure he had glanced down to see his boxers but he didn't stare either, just smiled to him. "Well I think you're writing is amazing, you're really good at it, so there is that." His tongue sliding over his lips as he just wet them some. Feeling eyes on him, Jeff smiled softly to Somer.

Somer reached up a hand, letting his fingertips drift softly over Jeff's face. Everything about this situation he'd stumbled into was just making him more confused. Was it normal to feel this strongly, this fast? Or was it just because Jeff had been his first kiss, and second, and third ... ? The idea of this just being some kind of puppy love he'd grow out of suddenly made his heart ache.

Jeff leaned into his touch, his eyes closing as he just laid there with him. "A penny for your thoughts?" he whispered, his eyes open once more and looking back at Somer. He didn't know what he was thinking but he could only hope it was all good things.

The writer's stomach gave a lurch, but he managed to say calmly, "They aren't worth that much." He brushed his thumb over Jeff's mouth, pretending to shush him.

Jeff kissed his finger when it touched his lips like that. "No they are. They're well written, a great story line and age appropriate for all that could read it. Its just a fun, twisty turning story. One that could hold anyone's interest that you choose to let read it"

"My thoughts?" Somer tilted his head, puzzled. He'd missed something somewhere. Jeff kissing his finger made the shiver go down his spine again, and made it hard to think.

"What? oh crap, sorry i was thinking about your writing...but either way, you're thoughts are worth a lot." Jeff leaned down, his forehead to Somer's. "Everything about you is worth a lot. " Sitting back up then, just looking to the redhead.

"Jeff ... " Somer sighed. He reached up again, and put his hand over Jeff's mouth. "Stop that for a minute. And while you're at it stop being so ... I don't know, but stop it for a minute, I can't think when you do that." He pushed himself up on his elbows, and levelled a direct, non-flirtatious gaze on the blond dancer. "I know you're trying to persuade me to have a better self-esteem, and I really appreciate that. But," Somer sighed again, "I don't know what you want. Hell, I don't know what /I/ want. And this is all kind of fast." The redhead sat all the way up, bringing his knees up to wrap his arms around them. "Last night was really nice, and this morning is nice, and I just don't know what I'm doing. I don't want to hurt you by accident."

Jeff sat back, letting Somer sit up and letting him talk. He nodded some but didn't say anything. He wanted to make sure his own words were all put together. "I want to spend time with you, get to know you, take you on dates, cuddle with you." He was honest in his answer. "I don't know what I'm doing either, I'm just being honest about how I feel, even if it scares me. "

Somer raked his fingers through his hair. "I don't know what to do with that," he confessed at last. "And I ... I think I just ... need to think about it, for a bit? I still want to hang around with you, and I don't mind kissing -- I think -- I just ... Jeff." The blond's name came out kind of despairing. "I've never felt like this about someone before! I've never even been on a date before!"

"Then think about it, I won't make you or pressure you to do more then you're ready for." Jeff was glad to hear that he still wanted the things, or at least most of the things that Jeff had said he waited. Hearing him sort of whine, Jeff peered to him through his eyelashes. "Neither have I but knowing you has made me want to try."

The redhead climbed out of the bed, stretching as tall as he could. He pulled on his slacks from the night before, then shoved his hands in his pockets in an attempt to feel less awkward. "So. Um. I guess I'm gonna go?" He looked down at his feet, then realised he still had Jeff's t-shirt on. Hurriedly he jerked it off and toed around on the floor for his own shirt.

Jeff sighed some, his fingers running through his hair. "Yeah, but let me walked you out okay?" He didn't want it to be awkward for Somer at all. With his shirt back in his hands, Jeff helped him look and handed Somer his own shirt back. He wanted him to stay, but he wasn't going to force it either. Jeff opened his door and walked with Somer down the stairs and to the front door. Thank god everyone else was still sleeping. Jeff chewed his lip for a moment then pressed a kiss to Somer's cheek. "I'll see you again soon."

[postcardsfromylisse]

omg wow i just found ur blog and ur writing is super lovely????? wow???; would u be willig to write morgan (he pronouns mo) x inigo??? like a confession of feelings or first kiss or something idk if not thats super cool hae a nice day!!! rock on u cool cat!!

thanks anon! you’re the bee’s knees c:

Morganand Inigo were grateful for all the support they got from their fellowShepherds after they announced that they were dating, and the proud faces oftheir parents was the cherry on top of an already great day. Morgan was prettysure his parents knew before they announced it however, as Robin kept pairinghim and Inigo together during battles and Chrom made sure that Inigo’s tent wasbeside his every night. It was a little embarrassing, but he couldn’t deny howhappy it made him to see Inigo every day. They spent so much time together thatMorgan felt like they were two halves of the same whole: if Morgan stepped withhis right foot then Inigo would step with his left, if Inigo slept on his rightside then Morgan would sleep on his left. These were quite minor details, butMorgan cherished them with all of his being.

Thatbeing said, Morgan was still a little shy when it came to some things. For instance,he and Inigo still never kissed. He wasn’t upset or frustrated, but rather theywere both a bit too nervous to actually do it.

But onenight, Morgan was ready to finally change things. It took him weeks ofpreparing and talking himself into it, but he was pumped up and determined.  

Morganwas lying on their bedroll, idly flipping through one of his mother’s strategybooks. His mind was racing and he couldn’t focus on any of the words, butfeeling the pages slip between his fingers helped him relax. He was waiting forInigo to return from his dance lessons with Olivia, and just sitting aroundwaiting for him would’ve only made Morgan more nervous.

He wasclose to dozing off before he heard the tent flap move and a cool breeze flushhis face, he put his book down to see Inigo’s back face towards him, his hands gingerlyclosing the tent flap. Inigo probably thought that he was asleep, and Morganfigured that he might as well play along. Besides, surprising Inigo with aquick peck on the lips would cause the most delightful smile to blossom on hisface.

When Inigoturned around, he saw Morgan passed out with a book close to his open hand. Healmost wanted to chide him for falling asleep while reading again, but he couldn’tbring himself to wake him up. Instead, Inigo drifted towards the desk, silentlymaking himself some tea.

Morganhad a hard time trying to keep his eyes closed, but he couldn’t help but peek alittle when he didn’t hear much coming from Inigo. He was so far away andMorgan would blow his cover if he leapt at him, despite every part of his body tellinghim too. A few hums and the soft noises of water hitting a tea cup alerted Morganto squeeze his eyes shut, so he let out a small fake snore to alert Inigo.

Littledid he know, Inigo took the bait and quietly knelt beside him. Inigo swept thebook aside gently and laid down on the bedroll, turning around to face him.Morgan could feel how close Inigo’s face was to his, and he was just a fewseconds away from leaning in before Inigo started talking.

“Youwouldn't believe what happened today, Morgan!” Inigo whispered, it was obviousthat he tried to keep his voice down but his pure excitement couldn’t be reinedin so easily. “Me and mother were dancing, like normal, but the cutest squirrelcame crawling out of the bushes! Mother was scared at first, but she couldn’t helpbut try to befriend him. We spent the rest of the night feeding him bread andtrying to teach him how to dance. I don’t think it worked out that well, but Iwish you were there to see it.”

Morgan couldn’thelp but crack a small smile, and he peeked just a little more to see whatInigo was doing. He wasn’t facing him anymore, but Inigo was laying down withboth arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling of the tent. Morgan wasready to pounce before Inigo continued talking again.

“I can’twait to tell you when you’re awake, maybe we can- mmmph!” Before Morgan couldregister what he was doing, he suddenly sprung himself onto Inigo. Poor Inigo couldn’teven finish his sentence before he was taken by surprise.

Morganhonestly didn’t know what he was doing, but he must’ve been doing somethingright as Inigo wasn’t pulling away.

Afterwhat felt like an eternity, both of them pulled away at once. Morgan and Inigostared at each other for a moment, but huge smiles and joyous laughter soonerupted.

“So uh,I guess you really liked that squirrel story!” Inigo wheezed between laughs. Morgangiggled even more and smacked Inigo lightly on the arm, too overcome with joyto respond. Inigo took this as his opportunity to wrap around Morgan,entangling their legs together and getting so close he could feel Morgan’s warmbreaths every time a laugh escaped his throat. Inigo swiftly started pepperinghis beloved’s face with tiny kisses, moving around to get every inch. But he madesure to just gently brush his lips against Morgan’s, teasing him ever soslightly.

“H-hey!That’s not fair.” Morgan pouted.

“Wellthen! My plan is working.”

“Hm?What plan?”

“Myplan to get you positively addicted to me.” Inigo beamed, an adorable toothygrin adorning his face.

Morganpounced once more, and with the tea long forgotten, the two lovers spent the rest of the night kissing andgiggling until the sun came up. Once morning came, Robin and Olivia searchedevery corner of the camp to figure out where their son’s ran off too. Insteadthey found them sound asleep in their tent, snoring softly with tiny smiles ontheir faces.