#let's play the game of did i simply catch a cold or the flu while traveling and the exhaustion is jetlag???

[oh-katsuki]

kinda worried i have mono....

[hopefulfunchild]

[CN]Gavin Valentine Youth Date 🍒🍒

[This date was translated by YouTube Bai7_journey.]

_____❤️_____

There was still a hint of coolness in the early morning air, maybe it was too early, or maybe people were lazy during the holiday, so gavin and i were the only ones on the small basketball court.

The sunlight danced on the slightly faded edge of the metal ball frame, making it slightly dazzling.

I squinted my eyes, aimed at the corner of the white line on the backboard, and excerted force on my wrist to make the basketball draw a parabola in the air__

The ball hit the backboard and fell steadily into the basket.

MC: It's in again!

Gavin: Nice.

Gavin who was under the basket, grabbed the ball and passed it to me.

The rough in the palm becomes more and more familiar, like a new friend with whom the relationship is gradually warming.

Affected by the previous flu wave, I plan to increase the frequency of exercise and improve my resistence in all aspects.

Gavin,who had returned from the case years ago, no longer had anything important to do, so i simply proposed to play basketball with him to keep fit.

His previous guidence made me no longer afraid of playing basketball.Recently,it has made basketball more interesting and has become our unshakable morning training program.

[Tidbits]: MC is referring to “Basketball Court Date ”~

MC: Has my goal scoring rate improved steadily?

Gavin: It's progresing really Queckly.

Gavin: Next time i will ask if the community basketball team supports adding a famale player.

MC: Is coach Gavin's praise a bit too exaggerated ?

Gavin: Really your skills have surpased sereval people in the team, and your enthusiasm for training is much higher than them.

MC: Pfft..It's hard to say anything else, but i'm really confident about my enthusiasm for training.

MC: After all, to others, the coach is the best basketball player in the neighborhood...

I dribbled the ball a few times and took off to shoot again.The ball fell into the basket obediently as if it was following my will.

MC: But to me, this is personal teaching from my basketball genius boyfriend!

MC: Of course, the enthusiasm is not on the same level as others.

Although running and jumping is indeed a bit tiring,no matter what you do with him,it will become fun.

Note to mention, playing with him on the court like this always make me feel like I have stepped into the territory.

The ball jumped up and down docilely with his hand, and the brisk sound also Quietly revealed his mood.

Gavin: Then I need to find a way to pull you into the team.

Gavin: This Is a game with my girlfriend,let alone losing.

Gavin said, lazily holding the ball with one hand, holding my wrist with the other, and led me to the sidelines.

Gavin: It's almost time to rest for a while.

MC: why do I fell that when you train the community team, you don't rest so frequently?

Gavin: They are them and you are you. This is called teaching student in accordance with their aptitude.

He spoke openly and blusedly, put the water glass into my hand, and was afraid that I would catch a cold while siting, so the put on a coat for me.

I happly enjoyed this spesial treatment and did not forget to wipe the sweat from this forechead with a towel.

MC: In fact. in addition to practicing with you recently, I also found a lot of teaching videos to follow.

MC: Then I will show you the result of independen training?

I blinked at gavin, and the corners of my lips raised in a proud arc.

I through he would be surprise by my "research spirit", but unexpecedly, he seemed to be thinking about something and frowned slightly.

Gavin: Are you thinking those videos you watched these days?

MC: Is here something wrong with video?

Gavin: The shooting effect to those steps is indeed good, but it is just a showpiece and has little practical value.

Gavin: With how extraordinery he is, he can be eastly guarded against.

MC: Huh?obvioustly looks like a great fake move?

Gavin: Want to try it out later?

MC: Why not now!

Seeing me picking up the ball, Gavin also stood loosely in front of me, not even slightly bending down or bending his knees to prepare for defense as usual.

I limitated the video to dribble forward without believing anything wrong, and made that beautiful fake move when passing by--

Before the ball even hit the ground, he Stretched out his hand and pulled it to his side, leaving me with empty hands and turned around, as if I was sending the ball over with my own hands.

Gavin: There are too many gaps.

He shrugged held the basketball flat and put it in my arms.

The movement I had practiced hard for several days was stopped by him so easily, I couldn't help but puff up my cheeks.

I thought I was getting closer to him, but I didn't expect that I was still a layman.

MC: Alright than...

I look the ball and sighed a little.

Gavin was obvioustly stunned for a momen, and when he spoke again, he spoke faster than usual.

Gavin: That...that's the problem with the video. Anyone who does this will be stopped.

Gavin: Your movements are very beautiful, even neater than in the video, The route was also well chosen.

Gavin: if you remove the annecessary movements, you Will definitely not be stopped by me.

MC: Really?

Gavin: Really, you try again no need to turn around, Just follow the same move as before, and the ball will change hands faster.

I did it again according to his instructions, and this Time I passed the ball smoothly.

The moment the got closer, he raised his hand stiffly, as if he letting me go on purpose.

MC: Gavin, are you...

Before I could ask, several familiar voices came from the distance.

Brother : Who has been passed~~Oh, It's Brother Gavin!

Brother : Little Gavin, you train as strictly, But you just go with the flow then it comes to your girlfriend?

Brother: I just you should'n go out Valentine day.. This mountful of dog food...

Several members of the community basketball team came toward us from a distance, making noises faster than the people.

The person beside him chuckled, raised his eyebrown and raised his voice in response.

Gavin: She is already very powerful, and is normal for her to be able to pass me.

Gavin: You may not be able to prevent the move just now. If you don't believe it, come to a 2-on-2 game.

Although I couldn't really compete with Gavin, My shooting accuracry really surprised everyone.

A little reluctance and more sweetnes interwined to create a sweet and sour taste, Which made the corners my lips curve with joy until I returned home.

Gavin: I told you that your skills were very good, but they, still didn't believe me.

He raised the end of his words, and his words were full of pride.

MC: Exaggerated, now i can see how much you usually give into me.

MC: But one day, I will let you not let go and focus on "faimess and justice"

Gavin smiled and bumped his head with me in response, then picked up the towels we used and put them into the dirty clothes basket.

Gavin: Can we be fair in others ways?

Gavin: I started in the field of basketball earlier than you, so I may not be able to be fair in a short time.

I knew full well what he said was true, so I could only groan and remove my ponytail in front of the bathroom mirror, and sent him to get the bath towel that had been dried on the balcony.

As I was turning on the shower and waiting for the water to get hotter, I suddenly thought of an opportunity that whould allow me to compete fairly with him--

There is an acarde near the restaurant we booked for the festival today.

Ball games that require long hours of exercise can't keep up with him, so why not play games?

Thinking of this, I poked my head outside the bathroom.

MC: Gavin---Can we add an extra item to our date today?

MC: I always thought that the playhouse I installed on the island in the summer was luxurious enough, but It seems there is still a lot of room for improvement...But..

Although it was a temporary addition of my own, the furnisings in the house still Made my eyes widen.

Various types of hosts are displayed in turn, and colorful lights shine in the computer cases that have been opened.

Not to mention games, there is an entire cabinet filled with keyboard, mouse and controllers for guests to choose from.

It was probably our first time here, and the store clerk thoughtfully recommended serveral games suitable for couples before leaving.

Gavin: Which one to play?

Gavin dragged over two comfortable cushoin chairs and sat down in front of the TV with me.

I chose a party game that looked warm and cute, and waved in front of this eyes.

MC: Have you ever played this?

Gavin: No.

Gavin: If you choose it, you should be able to achieve the "fair competition" you want.

MC: Then it was decided happily ? The loser will be punished by posting a small note!

The game start, and brisk music surround me.

We need to control the selected small animal and "defeat" another player while the completing mission challenges of each level.

The game look simple, but the little rogdoll-like animal is all limp, so It's not easy to make it move.

Considering there was a slight "fighting element, I thought Gavin would be familiar with the controls faster than I was.

Unexpecedly, after a while, a big "WIN" appeared on the little rabbit's head.

Gavin: You win. If seems that after changing the "competition", you are indeed more powerful.

He put down the controller, with a bright smail in his eyes, not feeling frustrated at all about losing the game.

I vaguely felt something was wrong.

MC: Gavin... Where you giving in to me again just now?

Gavin: I would rather. I have never played this type of game, and I am not even very familiar with the operation.

As soon as the words hit my eyes, There seemed to be a buzzing sound in a corner of my mind, urging me to reply the game just now.

MC: .... The goal of the mission just now is to grab " Candy cubes " right? You seem to have been picking up small pieces of candy and moving them.

Gavin: Although the big candy bar has more points, It is heavy and slow to move,so it is better to move the smaller one first.

MC: But when I moved the big candy bar, you didn't come to stop me.

Gavin: Haven't been following you?

MC: You just followed me all the way, and watched me move the big Candy bar back to the base camp, and never disturbed me.

Gavin looked away unnaturally and changed his posture on the cushoin.

Gavin: Cough... Because you are more skilled in operation and are always looking for opportunities to speed up, and I can't keep up.

MC: Apparently you caught up with me and hit my little rabbit while, I was wandering around in circles.

MC: When I wanted to fight back, I ran back to the center of the field where the candy bars were placed without any confucion?

Gavin: This is... You have a strong ability to improvise.

The more I explained, the more I was sure that this person had screwed me over in the game.

Talking about fairnees and justice, but this even takes away the run of competition.

MC: Don't give into me! You have to compete with me!

I look the note from the shelf nearby and pressed it onto Gavin's body.

MC: If you continue like this, I Will lmpose additional punishmens!

He held my waist steadly with both hands and even turned his face cooperatively to let me stick the note.

Gavin: How to punish?

Gavin: If I kiss you more, can I "reduce my sentence"appropriately?

Seeing that his eyebrown and eyes were all arched, he was obvioustly prepared to impose "physical punishment"on me, so I narrowed my eyes and my mind raced very fast.

MC: I want... I want learn fighting from Eli, shooting from sister Hang,Lu Yi to teach me how to repair home appliances.

MC: In these places where I am exploring new areas, I have to find someone to help me get started!

The unexpected answer made him stunned, his smile sunddenly condensed, and his loose brows were bunched in the middle and twisted together.

Gavin: This my work. I know about the thing s you said just now, so why should ask them?

Gavin: And you are my girlfriend, you should come to me directly for these matters.

He bit the word "my" hard, held my hand tighter, and pulled me directly into his arms.

I was happy to see him become serious, I raised my hand and touched the tip of his nose, showing a big smile.

MC: So that's the punishment?

I Stretched out my tail tone proudly, but Gavin's didn't let go of me, He used his hand to force me to change my direction and sit facing the TV.

There was an extra weight on my shoulders, and the most familiar warmth touched my cheeks, The fine brown hair, like their owner, was a bit prickly and caused a few itches on the neck.

He just put his hand around my waist, hugged me tightly, picked up the handle again, and become familiar with the operation.

MC: So does this mean agree?

The slight sound was hummed out of this nose along with the airflow, passing through my earlobes casually, causing another tingling sensation.

Gavin: Since the price is this, than I really can't lose.

I just steered the little rabbit to stagger through the corner, and the gray blue came close to the screen.

MC: Ah! How did you come out of here?

Gavin: The passage and corridor at the back are connected, Which is the fastest.

MC: Damn it, look at me spinting---

Gavin: It's too late.

I watched helpleesly as my little rabbit was still picked up and taken away by the wolf after a struggle, so I Pressed the buttons even harder in an attempt to escape from the "devil's claws".

MC: How come can be caught like this---

After Gavin stopped giving in to me, the difficulty and fun of the game were significantly impoved.

He Queckly relied on his familiarity with the map to "ambush" me at various locations.

I benefited from many years of experience in producing programs and participating in on-site layout, and keenly searched for available props on the map to enhance my "combat power".

Gavin: ...Stuck?

MC:Pfft! Let me go first, let's have a truce for a minute, and than we can save you.

Gavin: Becarful not to take the path I just took, otherwise you will get stuck easily.

MC: You reminded me to late... I'm already stuck next to you...

Of course, those of us who are not familiar with the operation will go astray from time to time and let our soft doll characters get stuck in strange places, wasting time and opportunities.

The countdown in the game continues to desrease, and the little animals running around on the screen become more and more panicked until the timer reaches zero. _____

The word "WIN" appears on the bunny's head again.

MC: Huh? I won?

I looked at the Colourful ribbons sprayed on the screen and couldn't help but raise my hands high and cheer.

MC: I win!!

A genttel kiss like a dragonfly touched the tip of my ear, I turned around and met those shining eyes.

Gavin: This time I fought hard.

MC: Hehe, I know! So this is a great victory.

I raised my hand towards him deliberately and put a piece of paper on his head.

MC: I would like a to ask my opponent, how does it feel to lose after fighting with all your strength?

A faint light flickered in his eyes,Gavin thought for a moment, and his beautifully shaped lips curved higher than before.

Gavin: One more round. I won't lose again next time.

The afternoon sun shines through the glass windows, casting jumping colors around me.

In the eyes of my favorit boy, I saw myself with the same flying look.

MC: Anytime!

The whole city fell into a romantic festival, and the he and I were immersed in the ding-ding-dong-dong of the game music, obbsessed with the childish rules set by each other.

The game went on for several rounds, and I won most of the games.

But the points we gained brown each other's bactkes were enough to participate in store activities and exchange for small gelines such as pillows and nail polish.

When the word victory once again jumped on my that after's head, I prcagly neatled in Gavin's arms and rubbed has chin with the top of my head.

MC : Hehe, am I really a bit of a genius in the gaming field?

Gavin consciously picked up the note, put it on his hand, and followed my words.

Gavin: I didn't expect that I actually have a girlfriend, who is a gaming genius. I saw it today.

MC: If you say this, I will swell to the point of floating.

Gavin: Float as you like.

Gavin: If you drift so hard that you can't find your way, I can still fly to you and take you home.

He half - sersously responded to my wild jokes and casually started a new game.

I didn't rust to the destination, I just controlled the little rabbit, whose movements were much smoother, to the circle around the little wolf. From time to time she sprinted past the wolf cub, then turned around and fell onto it.

MC: However, I didn't expect that your desire to win would be aroused in this way.

MC: Do you really not want me to find another teacher?

He person behind me nodded very candidly and hugged me tighter.

Gavin: Whether It's basketball, shooting or anything else, only I can bring you close to all my areas.

Gavin: Of course I wouldnt give this opportunity to anyone.

Gavin: Likewise. I want to be close to you like this.

I turned around and started talking. Put the handle aside casually, and put it against his forehead with a smile.

MC: Is my officer Gavin. going to learni how to make up? Or do we want to do video shooting?

He touched my cheek with a loving kiss.

Gavin: Everything about you.

Gavin: I want to be close to your everything.

The characters in the game are no longer controlled by anyone, and they start to play standby actions on their own. The rabbit and the wolf are stuck together.

The feeling of satisfaction that surged from the battom of my heart filled my entire chest.

MC: In this case...

Gavin raised his brows slightly, but for a moment he didn't realize want I was going to do.

I smiled and took his hand, removed the small rubber band from the end of his hair, pushed it onto his ring finger, and tied it into a ring.

The always sharp eyebrowns were slightly lowered, but a thin hint of red spread from the tips of the ears to the ends of the making the amber pupils even bringther.

The note I had attached was hanging at the end of his hair.

I was originally a funny scene.but now it inexplicably reminds me of the wolf that always walks alone, lowering its ears, somewhat reluctanctly, but finally showing its soft belly docilely.

I smiled and shook the hand I held, and my fingertips stepped on his calloused palm.

MC: The talented game girl was very satisfied with her, resepeclable opponent and Invited the talented basketball boy to continue their Valentine Day's date.

MC: Are you willing?

He hid his words in the hands hanging by his face, and I could only vaguely see the corners of his tightly pressed lips lowering and than raising.

What finally responded to me was the touch of his fingers inserting between my fingers, and his gentle but irresistible power.

My eyes turned around, and I fell into the arm that carried the breath of sea breeze and summer sun.

~^~^~^~

He lifted the interlocked hands to his lips, put the small rubber band between his fingers, and exchanged the temperature imprinted on the ring finger of my left hand.

Gavin: Of course I do.

Another slower kiss Pressed against the bese of the finger.

The words falling on my skin formed a loop with my breath, locking all my moods and excitement.

His eyes were blazing, and his gentle words were confirmation, and also some kind of agreement that I couldn't refuse.

Gavin: I do.

Gavin: I also just want to hear you say yes.

----❤️----

[reid-fiction]

A Progression of Touch

In which Spencer doesn’t like to touch people until you come along and then he can’t help himself

A/N: Look at me, dropping stories like flies. Also, I’ve been staring at this gif for far too long...

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

He doesn’t like to touch other people.

He knows it, you know it, the whole F.B.I. knows it. He told you as much the first time he met you by the way he awkwardly refused to shake your hand. Though he compensated with a friendly smile and a wave, you knew you were in for a ride with Dr. Spencer Reid. 

It wasn’t that he thought you were diseased. He just knew too much about germs and the human body to risk it, especially around cold and flu season which was exactly when he met you. It was bad enough that Garcia had dragged him to the Christmas party to begin with - there were so many people in close quarters, who knew what viruses were floating around - but he wasn’t a big fan of mingling and small talk either. And that was exactly what Penelope was forcing him into when he got his first glimpse of you. 

As soon as you had five minutes with Spencer under your belt, you knew you wanted a lot more time with him. He was unlike any person you had ever met and he fascinated you, especially his aversion to touch. 

A few months later, when Spencer finally bit the bullet and asked you on a date (after much prompting and borderline bribery from Garcia and multiple other team members she had coerced into helping her), he knew that his no touching rule was not going to fly for very long. He didn’t know much about relationships, but he did know that physical touch was a pretty important factor to most women. Though you never pushed him, he could tell that you were holding back for his benefit. He could see it in your eyes every time he dropped you off after a date. In most scenarios, a kiss goodnight would be expected - you wanted it, he could sense it - but it felt like you were the wrong side of a magnet that he just couldn’t get himself close to.

This was a problem, because he was falling for you and he was going to have to do something about it. 

Spencer knew that going the 0-100 method wasn’t going to work for him. He couldn’t just jump from not touching you at all to getting hot and heavy in the backseat of a car. But, gradual steps may work. If he eased himself in to getting acquainted with touching you, he could both push himself out of his comfort zone and give you a bit of the physical contact that you were clearly craving. 

-----

It started with a hug. 

One night, after walking you to your front door, you could tell that Spencer was concentrating on something and it wasn’t your current conversation. You were rambling on about some TV program you had seen the other night, and you knew he wasn’t listening to a word you were saying. 

“Hey, you okay?”

He glanced up at you, frowning, as if he had just remembered you were standing there.

“Yeah, fine. Why?”

“I dunno,” you shrugged, wrapping your arms around yourself after catching a gust of chilly air. “You just seem...far away. Distracted.”

He paused, pursing his lips at your accusation, and you suddenly felt extremely vulnerable under his gaze.

“Is something wrong? Did I...did I do something? I mean, are you -”

“No!” 

The suddenness of his reply caused you to jump, and he let out a nervous chuckle before running a hand through his hair. 

“No, it’s not you at all. I’m sorry, you’re right. I am distracted.”

“Well...about what? Maybe I can help.”

He paused again, and then smiled. “Yeah, maybe you can. Would you be able to just...stand still for a second?”

The strange nature of his request caused you to frown a bit, but you simply nodded and watched him with curiosity. A few seconds later, he slowly started to to move a few steps closer and raise his arms slightly. You had absolutely no idea what he was doing, but you didn’t move a muscle. His arms eventually found their way to rest lightly on the sides of you waist and then started to wrap around your torso. 

Your stomach instantly flipped. This was the first time Spencer had ever touched you beyond the occasional brush of your shoulders when you moved past him, or a playful kick to his leg when he beat you at chess. It had been two months of weekly dates, dinners, museum trips and evenings of sitting and talking until you were both too tired to form coherent sentences but, as much as you loved those times with him, you’d by lying if you said you never wished that he would throw caution to the wind once in a while and toss an arm around you or caress the side of your face with his fingers. 

Now, just the feeling of his hands on your back was like opening up a can of worms that had been wriggling in desperation for weeks, and you certainly hoped that this wasn’t a one time thing, because there was no way you’d ever be able to put those worms back in the can after this. 

He took another step toward you and circled his arms tighter around your back. You knew he had asked you not to move, but you couldn’t hold back any longer. You slowly raised your own arms until they were resting on his shoulders and then, when he didn’t protest, you wrapped them around his neck and leaned in until your head was nestled just below his collarbone. He tensed up only a moment before you felt him lean his head in the crook of your neck. 

You weren’t sure how long you stood there, holding each other. It could have been a few minutes, it could have been a few hours. You didn’t care, all that you knew was that you never wanted him to let go. 

-----

After the hug, his next target were your hands. 

Although Spencer was keenly aware of just how many germs the human hand picked up throughout the day, he was determined to overcome his aversion. You were clean and had good hygiene habits, he knew that. He had been hugging you every time he saw you since that first night, how much more difficult could holding your hand be?

It was during a movie he wasn’t really paying attention to that he finally made his move. Lately, his go-to move during movies was to carefully put his arm around you and rest his hand on your shoulder. He was completely comfortable with that movement now and really thought nothing of it anymore. He could tell that you enjoyed it as well, so he was more than happy to oblige you and suggest a movie night as often as possible. 

Tonight, however, he had different ideas. He purposely kept his arm at his side for the first half of the film, and he knew that you noticed. Truthfully, you had come to expect the motion now and were slightly disappointed when it didn’t happen as soon as the opening credits started to roll, but it wasn’t long until you figured out why.

You thought it was an accident at first. You had both of your hands resting in your lap and had your eyes focused on the movie when you felt it. The lightest, softest brush of skin against your own. Your hand twitched involuntarily and you silently cursed yourself for probably scaring him away. But, a minute or so later, it happened again. Still soft, still tentative, but it lingered. 

You stealthily flicked your gaze down to your lap and saw Spencer’s hand hovering just slightly over your own. You weren’t entirely sure what he was aiming for, but you kept your hand deathly still while you waited. His hand finally came to rest on your thigh and the side of his palm rested lightly against your own. You watched as his pinkie brushed up over the back of your hand, then another finger, and another, and another, until his whole hand was on top of yours. You opened the spaces between your fingers in hopes that he would lace his own through, and you weren’t disappointed. His fingers slid between yours like butter and you felt him squeeze your palm and slowly caress the back of your hand with his thumb. 

It was your idea to shuffle closer to him, lift his arm with your hands still intertwined, and loop it over your shoulder. He glanced over to you, smiled, and squeezed your hand again.

You wished you had picked a longer movie. Truthfully, so did he. 

-----

The idea of kissing you was terrifying. 

Spencer had kissed and been kissed before, but it wasn’t a common occurrence and it hadn’t ever been with someone he truly cared about. It was one thing for two body parts to come together in what science called a kiss, it was a whole other thing for that kiss to mean something. The last thing Spencer wanted was for him to screw up a potentially important moment in your relationship because he was hesitant or overly paranoid. 

He also had no idea how to know when the “right” moment was, if there was such a thing. Hugging was easy now, holding your hand was routine - he could do those at really any time, in any location, in any circumstance, and it wouldn’t be considered awkward or weird - but kissing was different. It was intimate, it was private, and it required more thought. 

It had taken him weeks, but he finally had a plan in mind. It was elaborate and detailed - as most of Spencer’s ideas were - and he knew exactly what he was going to say and do leading up to the moment.

However, what he wasn’t betting on was the sudden, overwhelming, spontaneous desire that came over him one evening while you were sitting in his apartment. You hadn’t been doing anything out of the ordinary; you had gone out to dinner, walked back to his place, and had plans to spend the rest of the night talking, maybe doing a puzzle or playing a game, and then you would go home like you always did. 

But it was something about the way you laughed after he told you a funny story that happened at work that day. It was the way your eyes locked on his every time he spoke, and the way you looked so intensely interested in every single thing he was saying, even if you didn’t understand all of it. It was the way you leaned into him when he pointed out something in a book he was holding, and the way he could smell your shampoo - vanilla with a hint of lavender - when you got close to him. It was the way your hand rested lovingly on his back while he read a passage to you and the way you absentmindedly twirled your hair as you listened. 

He needed to kiss you, and he needed to do it immediately. 

He didn’t care that it didn’t fit into his plan, he didn’t care that it wasn’t exactly what he pictured, and he didn’t care that he hadn’t prepared himself for it. The only thing he could think of was the shape of your lips and his intense need to know what they felt like on his own. 

So, he went for it.

It wasn’t slow, it wasn’t subtle, and it was probably the messiest thing he had ever done. He put the book down on the table, looked over at you, grabbed the sides of your face and pulled you to him. You were initially frozen in shock - the last thing you had expected that night was for Spencer to kiss you, let alone like this - but you could feel the intensity and desperation as his lips moved over yours, and that was enough to thaw your surprise and trigger your response instinct. You put one hand behind his head and pulled him impossibly closer to you, scooting to the very edge of your seat. 

His hands dropped from your face and landed on the tops of your thighs before he slid them up to your waist and you could feel him start to tug you closer. There was nowhere for you to go other than practically on top of him, and you knew there was no way he wanted you to do that. 

Was there?

As much as it pained you to do so, you momentarily broke the kiss to catch your breath. 

“Wow.”

Spencer chuckled, still gripping your waist. 

“Sorry,” he said, “I guess I just...couldn’t wait anymore.”

“Oh, don’t apologize!” you said, a little too enthusiastically. “It was great, and I wouldn’t have stopped you, it’s just...”

Spencer studied you, and brought one hand up to the side of your face again.

“Just, what?”

“It’s nothing, I guess I just wondered - I mean, I wasn’t sure how far you wanted to...you know...go. I don’t want you to feel like you need to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

Spencer smiled, and you felt him tug you closer again. You gave him a questioning look, and he nodded.

“C’mere,” he said. “It’s okay.”

You tentatively stood and took a step closer to him before he gently guided you down until you were straddling his lap. You exhaled a breath of nerves as you seated yourself and brought your hands up to rest on his shoulders.

“You don’t need to worry,” he said. “I’m not going to push things any further tonight. But, right now, I would really like to keep kissing you. It’ll help me get comfortable with it. Repetition of an action you’re uncomfortable with is proven to retrain your mind in how you view the action.”

You grinned. “Is that the only reason you’d like to keep kissing me? To prove a scientific fact?”

“It’s more like a psychological fact. You see, in moments of intense satisfaction or pleasure, the brain releases something called dopamine which causes -”

You didn’t give him a chance to finish before you leaned in and kissed him again. 

The psychological facts could wait.

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

[fruitcoops]

Could you do something with MP 47,48,53? Maybe like loops gets really really sick and the whole team want to help him because he use to help them?

This turned into a love letter to James Potter’s friendship skills, oops. Thanks for the prompts! Credit for Sweater Weather and the Lions goes to @lumosinlove!

Prompt 47: “You’re slow today.”

Prompt 48: “I think I need to sit down”

Prompt 53: “Shit, your fevers really high, we need to get it down.”

There was a running joke among the Lions that James Potter was the most oblivious person in the world, and while it had some merit, it wasn’t strictly true. Yes, James was oblivious when it came to love lives, inside jokes, and a frightening number of vegetable names, but if one of his friends was off-kilter, he would know in seconds.

As soon as Remus Lupin stepped into the locker room, James’ spidey-senses began to tingle. His face was tinged with shades of pink and gray, and he bumped into the edge of his stall twice before sitting down to tape up. “You okay, Loops?” he asked.

“What?” Remus blinked at him a couple times. “Oh, yeah, all good. Distracted.”

James made a noncommittal noise and decided then and there to keep an extra eye on Remus during practice. He seemed to feel a bit better once they were on the ice, skating smooth as ever through drills for the first twenty minutes. Once, he wobbled coming around the goal—for Remus, that was equivalent of falling flat on his face and dying on the spot. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” James asked again during water break.

“Mmhmm. Didn’t sleep super well last night.” He ran a hand through his hair and James frowned. They had not been working hard enough for him to be that sweaty that fast. “C’mon, scrimmage time.”

He got worse as the game dragged on. Sirius kept glancing back at Remus, concerned—did they get in a fight? James wondered as he tapped the puck to his captain with a silent Look. Is he hurt?

“You’re slow today, Loops,” Finn teased as he glided past Remus on the way back from the goal. Remus offered a half-hearted smile and poked him with his stick. “Come on, Speed Racer!”

“Cut it out, O’Hara,” James said, sharper than normal. Finn’s carefree smile dimmed and he looked back at Remus, who tried to check Logan and simply bounced off. “Loops, what’s up?”

“I think I need to sit down,” Remus muttered. He stopped by the boards and struggled to pull his helmet off.

“Lupin, what’re you doing?” Coach Weasley barked from the other side of the rink. “The scrimmage is still going!”

“I don’t think he’s okay, Coach,” James called, skating to Remus’ side with Sirius on his heels. “Remus, look at me.”

His eyes were glassed over when he glanced up and Sirius swore softly behind him. James tugged his glove off with his teeth and held the back of his bare hand to Remus’ forehead and cheeks—he was burning up, and not just from working out. “Shit, your fever’s really high, we need to get it down.”

“Fever?” Talker appeared over his shoulder. “Woah, Loops, you don’t look so good.”

“I’ll be fine, I just need, like, two seconds,” Remus said, holding up his hand and listing to one side.

“Come on, buddy, let’s go to the bench.” James touched his lower back and began guiding him off the ice. “Cap, Talker, you should head back out. I can take care of him.”

“What the hell is going on over here?” Coach asked as he walked over to them. “Is somebody hurt?”

“I’m fine, I can play,” Remus protested. The amount of weight he was leaning on James said otherwise.

Coach gave him a quick once-over. “Not like that, you can’t. Were you around Halla recently?”

“We took him some soup two nights ago,” Sirius said. For reasons James didn’t entirely understand, he sounded incredibly guilty. Coach had discouraged them from visiting Ollie while he had the flu, but it wasn’t against the rules. “I should have been keeping a closer eye on him.”

“No,” Remus reached out for his shoulder and ended up smacking him on the arm. “No,  ‘s okay. I just need a minute to catch my breath.”

“You need rest,” Coach said gently, ruffling his hair. “Pots, can you get him to the PT room?”

“You bet.” James wrapped one arm around Remus waist and headed to the bench, then took both their skates off and led him down the tunnel. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I need to play,” Remus said. His voice was the strongest and most adamant it had been yet. “I have a spot on the team, I need to play.”

“How long have you been like this?”

“Muscles started hurting this morning and I got dizzy around lunch. I thought it was a cold.” Remus shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I need to earn my spot here.”

James sighed as he opened the door to the PT room. Unfortunately, Hestia was also home sick that day. “You don’t need to ‘earn’ shit, Remus. You’ve been part of the team ever since you started working as our PT and patching us up in more ways than one. We care about you. You need to let us take care of you, too.”

Remus winced as he laid down on the table. “Sirius is going to blame himself for not noticing.”

“If he does, I’ll give him the Eyebrows of Disapproval.”

“Good.”

James rested his hand on Remus’ head; he was a little cooler, but not much. “Rest, okay? I’ll send Cap in when practice is over.”

“Kind of ironic that I’m the one laying on the table now, huh?” Remus cracked a smile and James rolled his eyes.

“Sleep.”

“I will, I will.” His gaze softened and he squeezed James’ wrist as he pulled away. “Thanks, James.”

James smiled down at him and gave a him a light flick to the ear. “Don’t ever pull a stunt like that again or I’ll go full Mama Potter on you, and that’s a threat.”

Remus was still laughing as he closed the door behind him.

[gravelyhumerus]

Criminal Minds College AU - Chapter Nine

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Title: “I may just take your breath away”

Relationship: Jemily

Chapter Summary:

Emily and JJ sleep together.

Slow-burn Jemily college AU where they live across the hall and despite all odds, the universe pushes them together. AKA they’re silly gay babies who pine after each other for months.

Read it on AO3

Tumblr:  One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, (bonus scene), Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Epilogue

Content warning: detailed descriptions of sickness, abortion mention.

—

Jennifer Jareau looked like a drowned rat.

A pretty, blonde, sniffly drowned rat that Emily Prentiss had a massive crush on. 

She was soaked head to toe, her running shoes muddy and her hair slicked to her skull. She was shivering and looking absolutely miserable. Over her shoulder was her blue duffel bag full of her soccer equipment. It was a Monday, so Emily knew JJ had a practice that afternoon. 

“Pen locked me out of our room,” JJ said without greeting as she walked into Emily’s room, “And I need a towel.”

“Hello to you too, Jayje,” Emily said sarcastically. 

She stepped back to let her friend enter, shivering at the thought of having to play soccer in the pouring rain, let alone a rainy November afternoon when the temperature was verging on freezing. Ever since the brutal storm on Halloween, the weather had been dreary and wet.

 Emily could see the field from her window, it was across the street by the Arts building. While she, and the rest of their friends, made a point to go to all of JJ’s games together and cheer her on, Emily was thankful that the weather had been ok so far, she wasn’t sure how much hypothermia she could handle for one girl. 

She grabbed her bath towel and tossed it JJ’s way, and opened her closet to find a cozy sweater to offer. Well, Emily thought, she probably would take hypothermia to support JJ, she just wouldn’t be happy about it. 

JJ was simultaneously drying her hair and rifling through her bag. She was still shivering from the cold.

“I left my keys when I ran out of my room this morning,” JJ explained, “And Pen promised she’d be here when it was over.”

“I think she’s teaching Hotch how to knit at his dorm,” Emily said with a laugh, having seen her Insta story a few minutes prior of Hotch struggling with his hands tangled in yarn. 

“Just wish she would’ve left the door unlocked,” JJ muttered, “I think I have my spare keys in here somewhere.”

“Here, take this,” Emily said, handing her a grey hoodie with “Oxford” written on the chest, a souvenir from when she lived in England. 

Emily turned around so JJ could at least get out of her wet shirt and into the sweater. For a second, the devil on her shoulder told her to look into the mirror on her closet door, that if she did she’d catch a glimpse of JJ shirtless, but Emily shook her head slightly, squeezing her eyes shut. Guilt flared in her stomach at the thought.

She’s been thinking about JJ too much lately. 

Their kiss. Their magical life changing kiss. The kiss to end all kisses. That was basically all Emily’s brain could focus on these days. 

Before that, her fantasies about Jennifer Jareau were simply fantasies, but now! Now she had her memories. That kiss lingered on her lips and on her brain and in her dreams. Sometimes late at night Emily has found herself putting a thumb onto her cheek, closing her eyes and pretending it was JJ’s hands pulling her closer, just as she had done in the basement on Halloween. 

If she had to describe how she felt, the only thing that made sense was to say that Emily was absolutely smitten with JJ. 

But, and there was always a but, they hadn’t mentioned the kiss since. Not even a word of acknowledgement between the two. 

The day after, when she and Derek walked to class, he interrogated her about what the hell happened , but Emily genuinely didn’t know. What she did know was that it wasn’t Emily who instigated, she thought, it was JJ who had pulled her tight and whose tongue swept across hers. 

That week, Emily had grown more and more concerned that she had crossed a line. JJ had started acting strangely, looking away anytime Emily looked at her and telling her that she was too busy to hang out. Then, that weekend JJ had surprised her with a party. A party to celebrate Emily, and Reid and Hotch.

Emily realized that JJ wasn’t ignoring her, instead she was scheming something to make Emily happy. And what had she done? Cried in the bathroom and made a scene. Instead of JJ realizing that Emily was a broken shell of a girl and running far from her, JJ had held her tight and told her everything was going to be ok.

Emily didn’t tell her everything that day, not about all the awful things she did to fit in as a teen, about her mistakes, her abortion, about Matthew… Not yet. Emily had tucked all of that into a box that need not be opened up any time soon.

So now, Emily had the thoughts of JJ’s lips dancing around her brain, but also of her hand in hers, her arms around her and the way she promised she’d always be there.

This got in the way when Emily was trying to focus on other things like school or carrying on a conversation with the blonde. 

JJ sneezed, startling Emily out of her thoughts. She turned back around and looked at JJ, who’s hair was slightly less wet and was now wearing her hoodie and looking a little bit warmer. 

“À tes souhaits,” Emily said, saying bless you in French.

“I hope I’m not getting sick,” JJ grumbled, dumping some pens out of her backpack in search of the elusive keys. “Kennedy’s gotten half the team out with the flu.”

She sneezed again.

“Gesundheit,” Emily said, having fun with her languages. 

“She got it from her boyfriend,” JJ continued, “You remember Anderson? On the water polo team?” 

Emily nodded, taking a seat on the edge of her desk, watching JJ sitting on her bed in her clothes, imagining a completely different situation where she would do that. (Emily’s thoughts were full of comments like these, her imagination going wild at the prospect of JJ maybe liking her back.)

“I’m going to kill Garcia,” JJ said, “She told me she’d be in our room after our game.”

“Aha!” JJ said, pulling her lanyard out of a pencil case. “Got them. Thanks Em for the towel. You’re the best neighbour I could ever ask for.”

JJ handed it back, and Emily took the slightly damp towel and hung it up on the back of her closet.

“Anytime,” Emily said, “Though I think this may be an elaborate plot to steal all of my clothes.”

JJ looked down at herself.

“I think it suits me!”

Emily had to agree.

 ———

Two days later, JJ was at Emily’s door again, but looking a lot worse for wear. 

A pink fuzzy blanket was wrapped around her shoulders, she was wearing oversized sweatpants and a sports bra, and her hair was messy and tucked behind her ears. Her nose was red and her skin looked pale.

“Hey Em,” JJ rasped.

“You’re sick,” Emily pointed out, unhelpfully.

“Nice work, Sherlock,” she said, coughing into her blanketed arm. 

“What’s up?” Emily asked, leaning on the door frame.

“I’m out of cold pills and can’t sleep,” JJ said.

“It’s like nine pm?” Emily said, the statement coming out as a question. 

“I have practice at six in the morning,” JJ said, adjusting the blanket around her shoulders, sniffling a little. The girl was swaying as she stood. 

“You cannot actually be going to practice in that state,” Emily said.

“What state?” JJ barely managed to get out between sneezes.

“ Bless you ,” Emily said, knowing the girl definitely needed it. 

Emily went to her desk, rummaging through a drawer. She found the very end of a cold and flu medicine pack, the kind with day and nighttime pills and handed them to JJ. 

“Those good?” Emily asked. 

JJ nodded and thanked her, before trudging back across the hall. 

Before her door closed Emily said: “ Please take a break JJ!”

“I’m fine,” came the nasal voice of her friend, followed by the sound of her blowing her nose. 

 ———

On Wednesday, JJ showed up to their weekly French study date somehow looking even more sick. There were bags under her eyes, and a wracking cough made her entire body shutter with its force. 

JJ continued to insist that she was fine, despite the fact that she spent more time coughing than speaking French.

Emily was worried about her, but knew at this point, nothing she would say would make the very determined girl slow down. 

 ——— 

On Thursday, Emily walked into the girls’ bathroom, toothbrush in hand before bed, and found JJ curled up on the floor next to the toilet, looking pale as a sheet.

“JJ, oh my god,” Emily said, pushing open the semi ajar door and kneeling down next to her friend. 

“Mmm fine,” JJ made out, her face in her arms, not lifting her head to talk to Emily.

“This is the exact opposite of fine, JJ,” Emily said.

She had absolutely no idea how to help her. 

Emily thought back to all the times she had been sick, and it had usually been whatever staff her mother had had at the time who took care of her. Nannies, cooks, assistants would bring her food, take her temperature and put buckets next to her bed. Ambassador Prentiss wasn’t the kind of mom that Emily would see on TV worried about her child when they were sick. 

“Do you want water?” Emily asked, feeling helpless.

JJ shook her head, not raising it from the edge of the toilet.

“The floor is nice and cold,” JJ said, “I like it here.”

Emily almost laughed, and would have if she wasn’t so worried about the other girl.

“What do you need, JJ?” Emily asked.

“Nothing,” JJ said, “I can handle this.”

JJ’s hair hung limp around her face, and Emily leaned forward, taking the elastic from around her wrist and helped JJ pull her hair back. Emily couldn’t help, but she could at least keep JJ’s hair from getting puke on it.

Clearly hitting another wave of nausea, JJ moved, emptying the rest of her stomach into the toilet and then flushing. Emily rubbed her arm up and down her back, hoping that the motions would be comforting. 

While the toilet did its thing, JJ sat back, leaning against the grey stall door, her shoulder resting against Emily’s. Her head was tilted back and her eyes closed tightly against the fluorescent lights. 

“I really don’t feel good, Em,” JJ whimpered. 

“I know,” Emily said, “What do you want?”

“Water,” JJ croaked. 

“I’ll get some,” Emily said, patting JJ on the shoulder. JJ nodded, returning to her hunched over position on the toilet.

Emily basically sprinted down the hall, and spotting JJ’s slightly ajar door, she pushed it open to find Penelope sitting at her computer.

“Hello my beautiful goth friend,” Penelope said, “How may I be of service to you?”

“JJ’s currently puking her guts out,” Emily explained, slightly breathless, “She’s asking for water.”

“Oh my poor dear,” she said, pushing back from her desk and hurrying over to JJ’s night-side table to retrieve her water. “She told me she was going to shower, I didn’t think she was that bad.”

“She kept telling me she was fine,” Emily said, “Even while she puked.”

“Typical,” Penelope huffed, following Emily down the hall, “Can’t show any weakness. Both of you! I’m sick of it.”

Emily didn’t say anything, not sure if she could argue that accusation. She followed Penelope into the bathroom, hovering by the sink as Penelope took over her caregiving responsibilities. 

She gently felt JJ’s forehead, and held up her water bottle for JJ to rinse her mouth. 

“Let’s get you to bed,” Penelope said after a few minutes without any puke. “Em? Help us?

JJ stook shakily, and when Emily took her arm, JJ leaned into her, putting most of her weight on the taller girl. Penelope carried JJ’s water and shower things back for her, letting Emily take care of the dizzy JJ.

Penelope held the door open, and Emily guided JJ into bed, hovering awkwardly as JJ nestled into her bed and Penelope grabbed their trash bin and placed it next to her. 

“I’ve got it from here, Em,” Penelope said, patting her on the shoulder. 

“Feel better JJ,” she said, backing away, unable to take her eyes off the girl, who looked paler than she’d ever seen her. 

“I miss you already,” JJ rasped out, her eyes still closed, curling up on her side and pulling the blankets up over her shoulder. 

Emily smiled before leaving the room. She was worried about her but knew Penelope would take better care of JJ than Emily could ever. 

 ———

She and Hotch spent almost five days straight crammed inside a tiny study room in the arts library working on a criminal psych presentation. It was worth almost half their grade.

They had commandeered the tiny room, booking it for the entire block of time each day, and only really leaving it to eat and sleep. At first, their friends would join them, popping in to provide moral support, but as the deadline neared, and Hotch and Emily grew more frantic, their friends mostly left them alone besides for the occasional reminder to take a break.

According to Penelope who periodically texted Emily with updates, JJ spent most of the time sleeping, and having been given time off from soccer and extensions on her school work, Penelope had finally convinced her to focus on recovery. 

It was in the library when Emily began to sniffle. It was an annoying nasal drip that tickled her nose and made her feel like she constantly needed to blow her nose. 

Unfortunately, she was not the kind of girl who had tissues on her. Emily wasn’t particularly well prepared in that respect. She dug through her backpack only to find a pair of tangled headphones, chapstick and two tampons. She briefly considered sticking those in her nose and calling it a day but thought Hotch would probably pass out at the sight of that.

An hour in, Hotch got so fed up with her constant sniffling that he stole a roll of paper towel from the boys washroom and threw it at her when he returned. 

The scratchy paper made her nose sensitive and red. She learned about the redness when Hotch called her “Rudolph” to get her attention.  

As the day ticked on, Emily began to feel either too hot, or too cold. She chalked this up to the library’s dodgy heating system and the colder November weather. 

After lunch, the sneezing started. 

“You’re sick, Prentiss,” Hotch told her.

“No of course not,” Emily said. “I don’t get sick. It’s just allergies.”

“What are you allergic to?” 

“Uhh,” Emily looked around, “Dust?”

“Sure.”

Emily was not sick. She couldn’t afford to get sick. Sure, she had spent a lot of time in close proximity to JJ, who was still spending her most time with her face in a bin, but Emily didn’t need this now. 

She was certainly aware she had had the exact conversation with JJ, encouraging the other girl to take a break to recover. Emily could talk the talk but couldn’t walk the walk on self care.

When she woke up the next morning. She felt even worse. Her throat was sore, she had a headache and she couldn’t breathe through her nose. Having given JJ all of her cold medicine, she powered through, drinking an endless barrage of hot tea, hoping it would heal her. 

She had too much to do. 

Days passed with Emily pushing herself to exhaustion, working all day, making it to her extra curricular meetings and only falling asleep during a few of her lectures. 

The day of her presentation, Emily’s entire body hurt. She had barely slept the night before, as her sneezing kept her up. She managed to wear a pair of leggings and a sweater, but tied her hair back in a ponytail, too exhausted to do much else.  

“You look like shit,” Hotch told her when she showed up to their class, shaking his head. 

“Thanks, I feel like it too,” Emily quipped. “I haven’t thrown up yet though, so I count that as a victory.”

In a feat of sheer willpower, Emily made it through her presentation before collapsing into the fold out lecture hall seat, her head laid back, immediately falling asleep and sleeping through the other four group presentations. 

After class, Hotch felt her forehead with his hand and announced that she had a fever. He then frog marched her straight to the clinic, pointing out that her hands shook and that she couldn’t do anything without coughing up a storm. 

Emily was sure if it was not for his American Law seminar with mandatory attendance, he would be right next to her, ensuring she actually saw a doctor.

“The doctor will call you when it’s your turn dear,” the receptionist told her as she handed Emily’s student card back to her. 

Emily nodded and grabbed some hand sanitizer, rubbing the cold liquid over her hands. 

She sighed, which turned into a cough that tore through her lungs. She found a spot in the waiting room, under a gigantic poster about STDs. To her left was a small table covered with pamphlets about mental health resources and a big bowl of condoms. 

The door to the clinic opened again and Emily shivered. The early November breeze was starting to chill her to the bone. She lifted the hood to her black sweater over her head, hoping to conserve some more heat that way. 

Emily glanced at the new patient and was not entirely surprised to see JJ walking towards her.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Emily said as JJ walked into the waiting room.

“I hear I gave you my plague?” JJ asked, shrugging her backpack off her shoulders. 

Emily nodded and coughed. 

“Sorry,” JJ sat down next to her.

“What are you doing here?” Emily asked, “You look a lot better than you did.”

“Hotch told me you needed an escort,” JJ said, “And I was in the neighbourhood. He said something about not trusting you to actually go to the doctor’s.”

Emily laughed at that. 

“You’re my babysitter?” Emily asked. 

“I’m whatever you want me to be,” JJ said with a wink. “I think half of my team is out of commission with this. I’ve never been so sick, I’m glad I’m on the mend.”

Emily nodded, counting the days in her head and realizing that JJ had been out for over a week. 

“You look better than you did,” Emily commented.

“Thanks,” JJ said, sarcastically, “At least I’m not puking anymore.”

“I never get sick,” Emily coughed, “I just want something for the cough and I’ll be fine.”

Emily coughed into her elbow, as if reminded.

“How did your presentation go?” JJ asked. 

Emily’s heart swelled at the thought that JJ paid attention to her.

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Emily said. “I feel really out of it. Hotch marched me straight here after so probably not great.” 

“Emily Prentiss?” A nurse called out.

Emily gathered up her things, shot JJ a wave and went into the exam room. 

Her doctor, a surly elderly white woman, with greying hair tied back in a low bun, barely looked at her, asking Emily a series of questions.

“What are your symptoms?” she finally asked. 

Emily explained how her head cold transformed into something a touch more debilitating, making sure to avoid downplaying her symptoms, because she knew they would take any opportunity to send her home telling her to drink water and rest. Emily did not have time to rest. 

The doctor took her vitals, listened to her lungs, grimacing at the sound of them, then took her oxygen, noting them in her chart.

Emily wasn’t a doctor but the face she made at her oxygen levels meant that they were definitely not good. 

The sudden onset of chills left her shivering on the examination table as the doctor took notes on her chart.

She checked her phone, smiling as she noticed that she had a notification from the one and only cheetobreath98.

It was a selfie, taken surreptitiously from below in the waiting room, captioned, “plague lookz!”

Emily found herself smiling. A small flame with the number 27 was next to JJ’s name. They had a streak. It was childish, but the visible marker of the fact that they had talked every day for a month, sometimes for hours at a time, sending silly photos back and forth. 

“You have a chest cold. Bronchitis. We want to nip it in the bud before it becomes pneumonia,” the doctor said, spinning in her chair to face her. “We see it a lot with students, you all work too hard.”

Emily nodded, not really agreeing with the sentiment, but understanding the feeling behind it. Emily had to work hard. 

“Take this inhaler three times daily, at least,” he said, “And any time you’re having difficulty breathing. You can take some acetaminophen for the fever.”

He explained how to use it. 

“You cannot drink, smoke or take any recreational drugs on this medication,” he warned. 

Emily, who had vowed to not smoke for the duration of her illness anyways, hoping to preserve her fragile lugs, nodded.

“Try honey for the sore throat. Lots of liquids.”

She nodded.

“Come back if you’re not better in a week,” he concluded. “Your prescription will be  there for pick up at the pharmacy.”

“Thanks doc,” Emily smiled, taking her leave, placing her mask back on for the hallway.

In the hall she pulled out her phone, opened Snapchat and took a selfie with the waiting room in the background. 

“Ya girl’s got bronchitis!!” Emily captioned it, sending it to JJ, as well as Derek and Hotch. They would enjoy her misery. 

Immediately Derek texted her.  

Derek 🕺: suuuuucks bro. need some soup?

Emily: i’ll be fine but thanks 

Emily: i feel like shit. the doctor gave me a puffer lol

Derek🕺: must be bad, I hear they usually just prescribe rest. Your lungs must suck 

Emily: typical, id assume they’d be in pristine condition 

Derek🕺: 🙄

Derek🕺: you literally smoke cigarettes 

Emily laughed at her phone and walked up to the receptionist to fill out the paperwork. The nice woman smiled at her and told her to get well soon. 

As JJ met her in the foyer, phone vibrated with another text. 

Derek🕺: you coming back to res?

Emily: ya, hotch sent jj to baby sit me

Derek🕺: wasn’t she the one who got you sick? now shes taking care of u

Derek🕺: did u make out or something??

Emily: shut up that was before she was sick

“Get any good drugs?” JJ whispered to her conspiratorially as they walked out together. 

Emily laughed louder than she expected, which manifested in wracking coughs between the two girls. 

“Actually yeah,” Emily held up the prescription. “Only because you got me sick.”

“Everyone is sick, how can you be sure it was me? Anyways I had the flu, not bronchitis.”

“You’ve been cooped up with Hotch all weekend. Maybe he got you sick.”

“I don’t think Hotch can get sick,” Emily muttered. 

They went to the pharmacy together, picking up Emily’s drugs. Emily also added some acetaminophen to her haul, cough drops and a pack of tissues, the kind with moisturizer per JJ’s suggestion. 

As Emily waited in line to cash out, swaying a little with the exertion of standing up, JJ left for a second and then returned with a box of tea. 

“I’ll make us some,” JJ said, “It’ll heal you.”

Emily felt warm, despite the chill of the store. She wasn’t sure if it was her fever or her growing love for Jennifer Jareau.

Together, they walked to their residence. Once inside, Emily wondered if JJ actually meant it when she offered the tea. 

Emily opened her door, tossing her things on her desk. She took her puffer out of the bag, read the instructions before taking a dose, trying to keep the medicine in her lungs as she breathed deep, holding back the coughing. 

The sun had started setting earlier and earlier as winter neared, and outside of Emily’s windows, the street lamps turned on. 

Emily desperately wanted it to work. She felt like a zombie, exhausted and either too hot or two cold all at once. 

She changed into a pair of pyjama pants, a black crewneck sweater with a band logo on the chest, and a pair of fuzzy socks, and pulled a blanket around her shoulders, wondering if she should just crawl into bed or if JJ’s offer still stood. 

“Em!” JJ called out as she knocked on her door, “Kettle’s boiling.”

Emily’s heart soared. The sentence felt so… domestic. She hurried across the hall, inhaler in hand (just in case), standing hesitantly in the doorway. JJ had changed into grey sweatpants and a soft green hoodie with her gold-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, looking much comfier than she had.

“Sit down!” JJ encouraged, “If you feel as gross as I do, you’ll need it.”

Emily did, relaxing on JJ’s bed, leaning into the mountain of comfortable pillows and breathing a sigh of relief in not standing any longer. A deep exhaustion had settled into bones, not helped by the long lecture that morning and the clinic visit. 

JJ walked over, handing her a mug and sitting on the bed next to her, taking a sip of her own mug. 

It was the same tea as before, sleepy time, with the warm combination of chamomile, mint, and other fruity tastes greeting her like a hug. She clutched it with two hands, enjoying how the mug radiated heat and warmed her chilly fingers. 

“Thank you,” Emily managed, her voice sounding a bit less scratchy to her ears than before.

“Any time,” JJ replied, “It’s nice to have company.”

Emily looked away, suddenly feeling shy. Should she stay? Was she welcome to hang out? Emily wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay, she didn’t want JJ to see how gross she was with her messy hair, stuffy nose and endless sneezing. 

JJ clearly looked better than she did earlier that week, Emily taking her place as token invalid in residence.

“I was going to watch tv,” JJ said, “I don’t think I could handle doing homework right now.”

“Oh I’ll go,” Emily said, taking the hint and moving to climb off the bed. JJ’s arm stuck out, grabbing her shoulder and stopping her. 

“No, Em,” JJ said, “I was wondering if you wanted to join me. ”

Oh. Emily felt her face break into a smile. She relaxed into the bed as JJ grabbed her laptop and set it between them, she pulled a fluffy sky-blue blanket, and draped it over her legs, then over Emily’s. 

There was the noise of keys in the door, Emily felt herself pull away from JJ, leaning away from her friend as if they had been caught doing something wrong.

Penelope Garcia opened the door, followed shortly after by Derek Morgan who was carrying two large take out bowls of soup. 

“I knew I’d find you here,” Derek said, handing each of them a bowl. 

“How are my two sick dears?” Penelope cooed, as she collected a textbook from her desk. 

Emily tried to speak, coughing instead, and JJ reached out to steady her bowl, knowing that she would spill if she wasn’t careful. 

She decided not to acknowledge Derek's comment because even Emily didn’t know she would be in JJ’s room, how could he? 

“Just about as bad as you would expect,” JJ said. 

Emily nodded, recovering from her fit. 

“We won’t keep you!” Penelope replied, “we have a study date! Enjoy your movie night. Don’t forget to text me if either of you need anything tonight. I’ll be back late.”

Penelope looked at them and frowned. 

“I may quarantine away from you, I do not want to catch that.”

“Get some sleep, guys” Derek said. “You look like shit.” 

“Thanks,” Emily said, thick with sarcasm. 

“Toodles!” Penelope said as they left.

The door shut, and the two girls began to sip the soup. It was chicken noodle and had cooled to the perfect temperature. 

“What do you wanna watch?” JJ asked between spoonfuls. 

Emily thought about her comfort tv and movies: The X Files. Or Star Trek: The Voyage Home (the one with the whales, exclusively, because she finds it silly and always makes her feel better). They were so nerdy. She couldn’t look JJ in the eye and reveal how much of a nerd she was. 

“I’m not sure,” she said instead, “Did you have something in mind?”

“I usually watch cooking shows,” JJ said, “To be honest. Or Gilmore Girls, Parks and Rec, or-”

JJ stopped herself. 

“Or what?” Emily prodded.

“Twilight ,” JJ admitted. 

Emily laughed.

“I haven’t seen it,” Emily commented, “I missed that phase I guess.”

“Oh you have to,” JJ said, getting excited, “It’s fantastic. And bad. It’s both at once. I was team Edward.”

Emily knew that was the vampire; she didn’t live under a rock, she just hadn’t actually seen the films. 

JJ began to babble, between coughs, about how as a kid she read each book as they came out, and even had a poster of the cast on her wall. Emily simply basked in her company and the excitement of watching something she cared about. 

Emily found herself cuddled up next to JJ, eating their soup and watching Twilight .

Between the warmth of JJ’s bed, the soothing soup and finally relaxing, Emily suddenly felt slightly better. Maybe taking a break to recover was actually a good thing. 

Emily almost laughed at the thought that it only took a case of bronchitis to get her in JJ’s bed. 

As the movie wore on, Emily’s exhaustion, and full stomach overtook her. The two girls wrapped in a blanket made it quickly warm and comforting, and as Bella discovered that Edward was a vampire, Emily felt her eyelids drooping. 

She tried to fight the feeling, but soon, Emily was fast asleep next to JJ. 

 ———

Emily woke up, hours later, in the dark with another blanket wrapped around her, JJ’s laptop nowhere in sight and no memory of anything she had just watched.

JJ was curled up into her side and was snoring quietly. 

Emily stiffened, at the reality of her current situation. She needed to relax or she would wake JJ up. Her back was to the wall, and JJ’s prone body blocked her exit. 

Her mind moved a mile a minute. JJ must’ve put away the laptop and given her another blanket, chosen not to wake Emily up. She wanted to sleep in the same bed.

What did this mean? Did JJ want to sleep next to her? Did JJ like her?

She thought hard about this, but she knew there was no way this was romantic . This must just be how close, female friendships went. Emily’s feelings for JJ were clouding her judgment. 

Emily was never invited to sleepovers, or had any close girl friends before, this is probably just what she was missing out on. 

God, she thought, maybe it’s good that nobody liked me. I would have caught feelings and made it weird. Just like I’m doing right now. 

Emily examined JJ’s face, which was only inches from her own. Gazing at each freckle, her long light brown eyelashes, her perfect eyebrows. Her pink lips were slightly parted, brealths coming out softly.

JJ shifted closer, as she, in her sleep, was probably moving toward Emily’s warmth unconsciously. 

Emily closed her eyes and basked in that moment. 

Before she knew it, JJ rolled around onto her other side, and Emily was left staring at the back of her blonde head. 

Missing the warmth, Emily tugged the blanket further around her shoulders. 

Emily looked around JJ’s darkened room, at the empty bed across the room. Penelope, true to her word, was elsewhere. For a second, Emily wondered whose bed she was sleeping in, but the strong urge to cough overtook her, distracting her from that train of thought. 

She rolled onto her back, coughing into her elbow, trying to stifle them so that she did not wake JJ. Unfortunately, the coughs kept coming, and Emily found herself struggling to breathe. She sat up, and before she knew what was happening, JJ was awake and sitting next to her with a comforting hand on her back, and Emily’s inhaler in hand.

“Hey you’re ok,” JJ whispered, running her hand up and down her back, “It’s ok baby.”

Emily tried to catch her breath, taking her medicine and trying to hold it into her lungs, before coughing again. Her entire body shook with them, and it brought forth the aching that permeated her entire entire body.

The coughs slowed, and she fell back into JJ, whose arms wrapped around her as she made soothing noises.

“You ok?” JJ asked, her own voice still sounding a bit hoarse.

Emily nodded, whimpering, and JJ handed her a water bottle. Emily thought for a second before taking it, knowing that she had already caught JJ’s sickness anyways. 

JJ’s strong arms wrapped around her, supporting her limp frame as she drank water and calmed back down, before moving away to let Emily lay back down.

“I didn’t want to wake you,” JJ said, “You were out halfway through the first movie and I knew you definitely needed the rest.”

Emily nodded, bracing for JJ to ask her to leave, but that didn’t come. 

“How are you feeling?” JJ asked. 

“Better,” Emily croaked. “My lungs still hurt.” 

“Do you still have a fever?” JJ asked, moving her hand to feel Emily’s forehead.

Emily closed her eyes at the gentle touch. 

“You’re hot,” JJ said, tutting at ther.

“Don’t you know it, babe,” Emily said, without thinking. 

Her eyes shot open, and she began to stutter, trying to backtrack what she said. JJ began to laugh.

“Miss Prentiss is cocky when she’s feverish,” JJ said, grinning at her.

Emily felt herself blush, but hoped JJ would take that as her fever and not her embarrassment. 

“It’s late, Em,” JJ said, “Go back to sleep.”

There it was. An invitation to continue sharing her bed. Emily relaxed, closing her eyes. 

This time, she didn’t quickly fall asleep, finding herself feeling tense in JJ’s bed, not wanting to do anything that would be seen as suspicious. 

Was she lying too close? Was she moving too much? Was she allowed to cuddle up to JJ? Did girls cuddle with each other?

Over Thanksgiving weekend last year, when she visited the Morgans with Derek, she and he shared his childhood bed. It was not like this, with the two of them fighting for blankets, kicking each other, and grumbling like siblings. Then, Emily didn’t feel this fluttering in her stomach or the desire to sniff the other persons hair. Well, Derek barely had any hair to sniff.

Emily forced herself to relax, to take as deep breaths as her lungs could manage and to try to fall back asleep. 

Some time passed, with Emily breathing slightly congested breaths in and out, as JJ tossed and turned a bit, moving around to get comfortable. 

Emily faded in and out of consciousness, right on the verge of sleep when movement on the bed told her that JJ had rolled again, and was now facing her. She could sense that JJ was looking at her, but didn’t open her eyes to confirm, still verging on sleep. 

She must have assumed that Emily was fast asleep, because the other girl turned to face Emily, and did something that Emily didn’t expect, nor knew exactly what to do with. 

JJ had kissed Emily’s forehead, softly, and Emily’s sleep deprived, feverish brain was not sure if it had actually happened, or if she had hallucinated. 

It took everything in Emily to not react, forcing her eyes closed and her body still, keeping her breathing steady. then rolled onto her side as if nothing had happened. 

Emily didn’t have the capacity to process the kiss, or the rush of emotions it conjured, so she decided that it was simply a figment of her imagination. 

Both girls fell asleep shortly after.

———

The second time Emily woke in JJ’s bed, the sun was up and the room was bathed in golden light. Emily felt warm and safe, and compared to the previous day, her body wasn’t aching as much. Emily opened her eyes and found that she was not only laying face to face with a sleeping JJ, but their limbs were tangled, as both of them had apparently decided to cuddle the other in their sleep.

Emily’s legs were wrapped up in JJ’s, her right leg between JJ’s, and the blonde’s arm was thrown casually around Emily’s shoulder, holding her close. 

This time, Emily didn’t panic, and relished the embrace of JJ. She knew that she wasn’t likely to get a chance to be this close to her again, without the excuse of a fever, so she wasn’t going to ruin it. 

Despite her best efforts, JJ’s eyes blinked open, as if sensing that Emily was awake. 

Emily pulled away, yawning, attempting to untangle their limbs.

“Why hello there,” JJ whispered, giggling at her. 

“Hi,” Emily whispered, smiling back at JJ.

“You look a lot better,” JJ commented, reaching out and fixing Emily’s bangs for her. 

“I feel better,” she said, “Less like I’m on the verge of death.”

“We can’t have you dying, Em,” she replied, “Who else would I cuddle with?”

Emily smiled at her.

 JJ sat up, stretching, revealing a slip of her lower back as the hem of her sweater rose above her waist. Emily did the same, sitting crossed legged in her bed, still wrapped in blankets despite the warmth of the room. JJ was lucky and her bed was near the radiator, keeping them toasty warm despite the chilled fall air. 

Emily peeked outside, watching fall leaves fly through the sky, patterning the courtyard with a blanket of leaves. JJ stood, put on her slippers, and took a drink of water, before offering it to Emily. 

Taking the water bottle, Emily sipped it awkwardly, completely unsure what to do with herself. All her experiences being in someone else’s bed had usually also involved her leaving quickly after, or at least in the morning before the other woke up. Now, Emily was watching JJ fuss with her hair in the mirror in the golden light of day.

“I’m starving,” JJ said, “What time is it?”

Emily grabbed JJ’s phone, seeing the time. It was 6:30am, long before she ever normally woke up. She must have fallen asleep earlier than she thought. 

“Cafs aren’t open yet,” Emily said, “It’s only 6:30.” 

“Do you like omelettes?” JJ asked.

———

Fifteen minutes later, Emily was seated in the tiny dorm kitchen at the end of their floor, wrapped in a blanket, with another steaming cup of tea in her hands, watching JJ flip an omelette in a pan.

Apparently JJ is one of the few people to use the kitchen—besides Emily and her cookies—to use the kitchen for more than instant noodles and pizza pockets. 

She had eggs in the fridge, and diced frozen vegetables in the freezer, and quickly whipped up a delicious breakfast for the two of them in minutes, chatting the entire time. 

“Oooh,” JJ said as she pulled out her carton of eggs, “I should get some apple cider. Someone’s got a massive jug in here and I’m dying for some.”

“I’ve never liked apple cider,” Emily said, taking a gulp of her tea. 

The hot tea—and her doctor prescribed medicine—was clearing her sinuses and Emily felt like she was breathing fully for the first time in days. 

“That’s impossible,” JJ said, matter-of-factly, as she cracked an egg into a bowl. “It’s the best thing ever.”

Emily shrugged, “I’ve only had it once and it wasn’t that good.”

“If I wasn’t a good person, I would steal this person’s cider and make you try it,” JJ said, gesturing with a spatula. 

JJ turned and busied herself with adding the veggies to the pan, sautéing them in butter and some seasoning. 

“We should go to the fair, together,” JJ blurted, “I mean. All of us.”

“I’ve also never been to a fair,” Emily said with another shrug. “I have to remind you that I’ve barely lived in the US, and when I did, I was trapped in stuffy private schools.”

JJ gave her a look that, if it was from anyone else, would look pitying. 

“It’s decided,” JJ said, plopping the omelette onto Emily’s plate. “When you feel better, we’re going to the fair.”

“It’s a date.”

[cocos-cocoapuffsarenotforsale]

Hazards of Lying

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Potter!Reader

Summary: Draco and the Reader have been in a secret relationship for a while. But what happens when she gets injured during a Quidditch match and their relationship is outed?

Tags: Swearing, Fluff, Potter!Reader, Gryffindor!Reader, Protective!Draco, She/Her Pronouns, Female!Reader, Slight AU, Canon Divergence, Godfather!Sirius Black, Sirius raised Harry and Reader, Harry’s Twin!Reader, Canon Typical Violence, Sick!Reader, Injured!Reader, Secret Relationship, Happy Ending, Quidditch (Idk if that’s a warning)

———————————————————————

“Ready to get your butt whooped Malfoy?” You tease your boyfriend of two years, Draco Malfoy, as you pull him into an empty classroom.

“I think you really ought to be asking yourself that Potter.” He responds cheekily, giving you a quick peck on your pouting lips.

“Watch it Malfoy,” you warn, before a cough rakes through your body.

“Love, are you alright?” He asks with concern lacing his features.

“Yeah, I’m fine it’s just a little cold,” you lie. You didn’t want to tell Draco the truth about just how shitty you were feeling. He would find a way to make you sit out the match. Not for nefarious reasons, of course, he just wanted to make sure you were ok. But you couldn’t let your team down, especially your twin brother Harry. It was Harry’s first year as Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and you wanted to do all you could to make sure it was a successful one.

“You sure you’re good to play today?” He presses, eyeing your rundown form suspiciously.

“Scared you’re gonna lose Malfoy?” You quip trying to get his mind off of your health.

“Not in the least Potter. I’m merely concerned about my girlfriend’s well-being.” He tries to make the reply come off as playful, but you can hear the edge in his voice.

“I’m fine, Draco. I’m great actually seeing as how I’m about to kick your sorry arse in Quidditch.” You taunt, with a playful smile spreading over your face. 

“In your dreams Potter.”

“You always are.” You reply with a wink before giving him another quick kiss. 

“I gotta go meet Harry and the others for breakfast. I’ll see you down on the pitch. Wanna meet up after the match?” You ask as you walk back to the door.

“Sure, Room of Requirement? 8 o’clock?” 

“Sounds good. Love you Malfoy.”

“Love you too Potter,” he replies with a wink. You exit the classroom and head towards the Great Hall to meet up with your twin brother and your friends.

———————————————————————

GREAT HALL

“Ready for the match today, Y/n/n?” Harry asks as you sit down beside Hermione, across from Harry and Ron (who was already piling food onto his plate).

“Born ready brother.” You reply, grabbing a small muffin. You were hoping that picking at the muffin would prevent your brother and friends from noticing your lack of appetite.

“You feeling ok Y/n/n?” Hermione asks after a while of you just picking at the muffin. Damn Hermione and her astute observation skills.

“Yeah, I’m just not very hungry. Pre-game nerves.” You lie. Harry’s eyes narrow and he eyes you closely.

“You’ve never been nervous before. You’ve been playing since second year.” He points out, watching your reactions carefully. 

“Well it’s the first game of the season and it’s the first time without Wood. It’s just different this year.” You can tell Harry and Hermione don’t believe you. And Ron was too busy with his food to pay attention. Thankfully Harry and Hermione let it go for now.

———————————————————————

QUIDDITCH LOCKER ROOM

By the time you had made your way down to the pitch, you were feeling ten times worse than you had when you first woke up. Your head was pounding, your stomach was churning, and you felt like you were going to pass out any second. But you couldn’t let your team down, so you forced yourself to push through.

“You ok Girl Potter?” George Weasley asks you when you walk into the locker room.

“Yeah, you’re not looking so hot,” Fred concurs when he takes in your haggard appearance.

“I’m fine guys. Let’s just go out there and kick some Slytherin ass.” You reply.

“Must be ok, she’s still so feisty.” Fred teases with a wink before Harry walks in.

“Alright team, it’s the first match of the season. I know there have been a few changes this year and we haven’t played a real Quidditch match in over a year, but I believe in us. This is our year to win the Quidditch Cup! So let’s go out there and crush Slytherin!” Harry encourages and the team cheers excitedly. You feel yourself sway a little when you join in but push it aside. You were not going to let your team down, let Harry down.

“Let’s head out then team!” Harry instructs and you all follow him onto the pitch. 

Once everyone is in position Madam Hooch gives her usual speech about keeping it clean and then she blows her whistle and throws up the Quaffle. Katie wins the face-off and passes you the Quaffle. You speed off towards the goalposts and fake out the Keeper before passing the Quaffle back to Katie, who scores right after. Your head was pounding even harder and you felt incredibly woozy. But you tried to shake it off, you were not going to let the team down.

“You good?” George mouths as he comes up next to you. You sure as hell weren’t good but there was no way you were going to admit it so you merely nod in response. 

By the time Gryffindor had scored a total of 90 points, you were ready to fall asleep right then and there. You were so worn out but you weren’t ready to give yet. You just hoped Harry would find the goddamn snitch soon. You were so out of it you didn’t even notice the Bludger that almost knocked you out of the air. Luckily Fred had his head in the game and whacked the Bludger away before it could hit you. Fred shot you a worried glance but you just shook your head and soared off towards the Slytherin goalposts to help Katie and Angelina score. 

But on your way towards the goalposts, you start seeing black spots. You try to ignore it again but suddenly your vision goes black and that’s the last thing you remember.

———————————————————————

DRACO’S POV

I kept a close eye on Y/n after our little rendezvous before breakfast. She seemed off earlier and it had me worried. I knew how stubborn she was and there was no way she would willingly sit out a Quidditch match, even if it was in her own best interests. Through breakfast, I noticed she didn’t eat anything. All she did was pick at that stupid muffin. But it wasn’t like I could say anything to her now. We had agreed when we started dating to keep our relationship on the down-low. After all, could you imagine the rumor mill at Hogwarts if they found out the Slytherin Prince was dating the Boy-Who-Lived’s sister?

By the time we started the match, Y/n looked awful. How the fuck could Potter let her play like this? It was so obvious that she was unwell, her face was ashen and she looked as though a light breeze could knock her over.

After Gryffindor had scored nine goals and we were trailing behind with a total of 30 points, I noticed Y/n swaying. Why the bloody hell did Potter let her play today? She could fall and get seriously hurt, not to mention she looked like she was about to vomit any minute.

I gotta get that bloody snitch, I need to end this game before Y/n passes out.

I see the snitch and Potter soar past me and I go to move for it when I see a streak of black darts past me. I manage to avoid it but then I see it take off towards Y/n. She’s so out of it that she doesn’t even notice the Bludger that’s coming right at her. I feel my chest seize and I start to fly towards her when I see one of the Weaselbee Twins whack the Bludger away. 

I need to end this game, is all I can think after and I see the familiar gleam of the snitch out of the corner of my eye. Potter apparently saw it too and is already after it. I let out a low growl before I take off after him and the snitch. 

Just as I see Potter’s fingers close around the snitch I hear yelling. I turn and see Y/n falling, my heart stops and all I can do is try to catch her in time. I quickly start muttering the spell to cushion her fall when I realize there’s no way I’ll make it in time. 

Fortunately, my spell seems to have worked because while she still hits the ground with a soft thud it was definitely not as bad as it could have been. I’m by her side moments later, I was the first one to reach her and I feel my heart splinter when I see her motionless form.

“Y/n, Y/n, please, love, please, wake up,” I plead as the traitorous tears run down my cheeks.

“Y/n!” I hear Potter yell and he runs towards us. 

“What the hell are you doing Malfoy?” He spits shoving me away from her and I let out a deep growl making him back away in shock.

“I’m trying to take care of her Potter. Since you apparently are incapable of looking after your own bloody sister.” I hiss, furious. 

“Enough! We need to get her to Madam Pomfrey at once.” A deep voice commands, I look over to see the Headmaster and other teachers gathered around us, along with a horrified looking Sirius Black.

“I’ll take her,” I grumble as I carefully scoop her up into my arms, trying to be as gentle as possible. Potter and Black look like they’re about to argue but once they take in the state Y/n’s in they think better of it and simply follow my lead, as do Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape.

After we finally arrive at the Hospital Wing I lay Y/n down on the bed that Madam Pomfrey had motioned me over to.

“Is she going to be ok?” I ask in a quiet voice after Madam Pomfrey finishes her preliminary exam.

“What do you care, Malfoy?” Potter snarls.

“Enough of this, we should be focusing on Y/n,” Sirius commands, concern covering his face as he looks at his goddaughter’s unconscious form.

“Agreed Mr. Black, your goddaughter should be fine in a few hours. It seems she had a small flu bug and that was probably what caused her to pass out. She has a concussion, a couple of broken ribs, and a fractured wrist. I should be able to fix her right up but I do want her to remain overnight so I can keep an eye on her.” Madam Pomfrey explains.

“Daughter,” I hear Sirius correct and Madam Pomfrey nods with a small smile.

“Daughter,” Madam Pomfrey amends. 

“When will she wake up?” I ask in a croaky voice. 

“Well, it could be in a few hours or in a few minutes. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go fetch the healing potions.” She replies shuffling off towards her office.

“Sirius, you are welcome to spend the night with her if you wish.” Dumbledore offers kindly.

“Yes, I would like that. Thank you, Albus.” Black responds as he pulls up a seat next to her bedside and grasps her hand in his.

“Well, we had best get going,” Dumbledore suggests and he, McGonagall and Snape leave the wing promptly.

“Draco, why don’t you have a seat,” Black encourages softly. I nod and pull up a chair on the opposite of the bed and take her free hand in mine. Potter glares but says nothing and instead takes a seat beside his guardian

———————————————————————

READER’S POV

When you come to you are greeted with three very worried looking men. You look around slowly so as not to jostle your pounding head and realize you were in the Hospital Wing.

“What happened?” You ask softly, all three sets of eyes whip towards you.

“Thank Merlin!” You hear your godfather exclaim.

“What happened? I feel like I-” Harry cuts you off.

“Like you fell 100 feet?” Harry teases making you glare at him.

“Yes actually.” You reply sticking out your tongue at your obnoxious twin.

“That’s because you did, Princess,” Sirius responds, solemnly.

“The match,” you say, finally remembering.

“Yeah, you fell off your broom. You’ve been out for about an hour.” Sirius explains softly.

“Why?” Draco asks in a hushed voice.

“Why what?” You question, bewildered.

“Why did you lie to me? Why did you play when you were unwell?” He practically growled back.

“I knew you would try to make me not play. And I really wasn’t feeling that bad then. I couldn’t let Gryffindor down. Especially this year.” You explain. Sirius shoots you a quizzical look.

“What do you mean especially this year?” Your godfather inquires.

“Well, Harry’s captain this year. I couldn’t let him down.” You mutter not meeting your brother’s guilty eyes.

“You wouldn’t have let me down Y/n/n,” Harry reassures you and he pulls you into a tight hug.

“You need to take care of yourself first. You could’ve really been hurt Y/n, or even…” Draco trails off but you can see the fear in his eyes and fill in the blanks.

“I know, you’re right Draco. I’m sorry, I was stupid. So I guess our secret’s out of the bag, huh?” You ask cheekily, trying to lighten the mood.

“You could say that,” Sirius teases with a chuckle. “Why did you keep it from us, Princess?”

“I didn’t want to make you guys mad. I know how you both feel about him.” You play with the hem of your dirty Quidditch uniform to avoid looking at anyone.

“That doesn’t mean you have to hide things from us. I just want you two to be happy. If he makes you happy and treats you right, that’s all I can ask for.” Sirius replies, gently gripping your chin to make you look at him.

“Really?” You whisper in shock.

“Really Princess.” He assures you. 

“Me too.” Harry murmurs awkwardly. 

“For real?” You question, not quite believing him.

“For real sis.” He promises.

“Thank you, guys.” You say, unable to stop the excited smile from covering your face. 

“Why don’t we give you two a minute, I need to take a walk anyway,” Sirius suggests and he stands up and wraps his arm around Harry’s shoulder. Harry reluctantly nods and the two of them exit the Hospital Wing.

“Promise me something?” Draco asks, sitting on the end of your bed and taking your hands in his.

“What?”

“Swear to me you will never do something like that again.” His voice was eerily quiet and you could tell by the look in his eyes there was no use arguing this one.

“I promise Draco.” 

“Good,” he replies looking around before he gently, but firmly presses his lips to yours in a possessive kiss.

“Merlin, you scared the hell out of me,” he mutters when the two of you finally pull apart.

“I really am sorry.” You apologize again, feeling guilty for all the worry you caused everyone.

“I know, love. Just never do that again. And no more lying, deal?”

“Deal.” You reply, pulling him down for another kiss.

“I love you, Potter,” he confesses after you release him.

“I love you too, Malfoy.”

[angstmatsuscenarios]

How about an Ichimatsu sickfic? I believe that’s within the limits of the rules. I dunno, maybe he tried to play it off as nothing, but stuff happens? I’ll just leave the rest to you. I rly like this blog and I’m excited to see the ask box open again!

Sickfic is not only welcome but also my forte, hehe. Here is some Ichi sickfic for you, hope you enjoy!

Warning for a brief mention of needles (drawing blood, very brief and non-graphic) under the cut:

At first Ichimatsu didn’t give much thought to the fatigue and sore throat he’d been suffering through all day--it had been annoying, but he figured it was probably just allergies, and had kept his face mask on the whole day. He’d felt lousy for the past couple of weeks, and figured it was nothing too bad.

By that night, though, he felt worse--he’d had no appetite at dinner, and it took nearly all of his energy to follow his brothers to the bathhouse. The soak in the hot water felt good to his aching muscles, but the walk home was excruciating, his legs trudging along slowly and his whole body shivering even though it wasn’t that cold out. When they finally got back home all he could do was crawl into the futon the second it was laid out and curl up in his spot, burying his face deep in the blankets.

“Does Ichimatsu seem okay to you?” he overheard Osomatsu ask the remaining brothers. 

“He looks rather pale, and he’s shaking…” Karamatsu noted, a hint of concern in his voice. “Perhaps he’s fallen ill?”

“Then we should force him to sleep in the other room,” Todomatsu asserted. “What if he’s contagious?”

“Have some heart for once, Todomatsu,” Choromatsu admonished him. “He’s wearing a mask, and besides, when has splitting us up ever stopped us from catching each other’s colds anyway?”

“I’m sure he’ll be okay!” Jyushimatsu said with assurance. “But he looks tired, we should let him rest.”

“Fine...but if we’re all coughing and sneezing by the next morning, don’t blame me,” Todomatsu replied curtly.

Ichimatsu would’ve chimed in with a “shut up and die, Todomatsu” had his throat not hurt so badly. Instead he hunkered down deeper in bed and closed his eyes, willing himself to fall asleep and hoping he’d feel better in the morning.

-----------

Mhhh….I feel horrible….

It was the first thought to flicker in Ichimatsu’s mind as he sluggishly came to the next morning. He felt truly miserable, it had been a long time since he’d ever felt this sick...if he had before, now that he thought of it. He was dripping in sweat and wracked with chills all at once, his throat burned more painfully than it ever had before, and he was aware of a dull ache in his side. Not to mention, he was exhausted.

He sat up, slowly, but that brought on a wave of dizziness that made him feel like laying right back down again. His temples pulsated with an awful headache, and he brought his hands up to rub his bleary eyes and will some of the wooziness to go away. It didn’t.

Dammit….guess it wasn’t just allergies after all….

He groaned, reluctantly crawling out from under the futon. He was alone in the room--he assumed his brothers had gotten up to go eat breakfast and had left him to rest. The thought of food suddenly made him feel nauseous, but as much as he wanted to just go straight back to sleep he knew he at least needed to get medicine.

He stood slowly, the room swaying and his head spinning. He shuffled on wobbly legs into the hallway, pressing his hand against the wall for support. Every step was grueling, requiring so much effort it caused sweat to bead up on his forehead. 

What...the hell...is wrong with me…?

He was close to the stairs, just a few more steps...he gingerly put one foot in front of the other, then again…

But suddenly his legs gave out on him, folding so that he hit the floor with a weak grunt. He leaned all his weight against the wall, unable to support himself, whimpering quietly as he rubbed the sore spot on his side. 

Something’s wrong...this isn’t just the flu, is it…?

“Ichimatsu-niisan!”

Ichimatsu had been so zoned out he didn’t notice Jyushimatsu thundering up the stairs until he was by his side, kneeling next to him with a worried expression on his face. 

“Are you okay? I heard a thud, did you fall?” Jyushimatsu asked, and although he wasn’t exactly shouting his voice was loud enough to Ichimatsu’s pounding head to make his ears ring.

“N-no...don’t feel good…” Ichimatsu managed to groan out a response, his throat stinging so badly it made his eyes water. 

Jyushimatsu frowned. “You look awful...look at your neck, your glands are really swollen. And you’re super pale…” 

Still rambling, Jyushimatsu helped Ichimatsu slowly back to his feet. Ichimatsu was just barely aware as his brother practically carried him back to the sextuplets’ room and tucked him back into bed. All the while he wore an anxious expression that was very unlike the sunny fifth son’s usual disposition.

“I’m gonna get Mom, okay?” Jyushimatsu said, lightly patting Ichimatsu’s head. “She’ll help you, she always knows what to do.”

Ichimatsu only managed a feeble moan in response, closing his eyes. He’d never been this miserable when sick before, and it scared him...even scarier was that he didn’t have the energy to be as scared as he probably should be. He could only hope his mother could help him, though he doubted he would be cured by her gentle touch and homemade soup.

What’s going on…?

----------

After hearing that Ichimatsu had nearly passed out, Matsuyo insisted on taking him to the doctor. He hated doctors, but he was so out-of-it that he simply put up with the poking and prodding and blood-taking without much fuss (that was a real sign of how sick he was--he didn’t put up a fight when he saw the needle, just turned his head in the other direction and kept his eyes shut tight when his blood was drawn).

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before they received a diagnosis...but unfortunately, it was more serious than anticipated. According to the doctor Ichimatsu had mononucleosis. That explained why he’d felt so run-down for the last few weeks, and also why the glands in his neck were so swollen. The doctor went on to explain that it was the reason Ichimatsu’s side hurt, too--his spleen was swollen, a fact that thoroughly freaked him out, though the doctor said as long as he was careful not to injure his spleen and cause it to rupture the swelling would most likely go down sooner rather than later (the word “rupture” only induced more panic).  

There wasn’t much that could be done to treat mono, either--the most vital thing was rest. It could take weeks, even months, for someone to recover completely from mono, Ichimatsu discovered, and while it didn’t affect him too much since he had no job or school to worry about...the idea of being sick for so long was scary. He couldn’t imagine going more than a few days feeling this crappy, but weeks? Months?! Not to mention, it meant staying home and resting that whole time...he wasn’t much for leaving the house to begin with, but not be able to visit his cat friends in the alley, or join his brothers when they went to Chibita’s? He hated the thought of being excluded from all of that for who knew how long.

The doctor tried to be reassuring, insisting it was possible to have a speedier recovery as long as he took good care of himself, but all Ichimatsu felt was dread. It was awful news, he couldn’t even pretend there was a bright side to it. 

When Ichimatsu got home from the doctor, he’d found his brothers had set up a temporary room for him in the spare room. It wasn’t just that his mono was potentially contagious, but they insisted it would be easier for him to recuperate if he had peace and quiet while he rested. He wanted to call bull on that last claim, but was so tired that he just crawled right into his futon in his “new” room and went right to sleep without protest.

Days passed by. It wasn’t long before Ichimatsu started to feel bored and lonely. He felt marginally better than he had the first couple of days, but he was still nowhere near well, and the thought was depressing to him that he’d have a long time of feeling this way.  

He spent most of his time sleeping. He didn’t have the energy for much else. Sometimes his mother popped in to give him food (which he hardly ate—his throat hurt too much and his appetite was pretty much nonexistent), and other times one of his brothers would pay a quick visit (wearing a mask, not surprisingly). It was nice, but not the same as being with them like usual, and once they left he felt sad again. 

Gradually, though, Jyushimatsu began spending more and more time with him. He’d sit at Ichimatsu’s bedside for hours, playing a game or reading a manga or sorting his baseball cards—activities he didn’t always possess much patience for, being as active as he was. He made light conversation with Ichimatsu, though kept it to a minimum, knowing Ichimatsu wasn’t much for talking. It was the quietest and most still Jyushimatsu had ever been.

Ichimatsu was grateful for the company, but he felt guilty as well. Surely this wasn’t what Jyushimatsu felt like doing—this had to be cutting into his baseball time, which he treasured. Ichimatsu didn’t want both of them to be trapped inside all the time, not when Jyushimatsu was well and could do whatever he wanted.

“Jyushi,” Ichimatsu spoke up one afternoon, his voice rusty. Jyushimatsu had been poring over a baseball book, but perked up at the sound of Ichimatsu’s voice. “You don’t have to stay with me all the time...you can go outside and play baseball or whatever you want. I feel bad if you’re staying in all the time because of me.”

Jyushimatsu offered a bright smile. “But, Ichimatsu-niisan, I am doing what I want!” he insisted, crawling closer to his brother. “It must suck being sick in bed for so long. I wouldn’t want to be alone all the time if it were me. Besides, I have my most fun when I’m with you—even if you can’t do much now, I like being with you. And baseball isn’t the same without you there, either.”

“Really…?” Ichimatsu wasn’t so sure about that. How much fun could he be?

“Really!” Jyushimatsu nodded enthusiastically. “You’re my best friend, I’ll always stay by your side! And it won’t be like this forever either, sooner or later you’ll recover and we can get right back to playing! So just keep your chin up, okay, Niisan?”

Ichimatsu blinked, just a little surprised...not to mention touched. Jyushimatsu really did just want to spend time with him, even if that time consisted of doing nothing more than hanging out in the same room together while he slept. Jyushimatsu really was his best friend, and even though he still felt terrible that realization made him feel just a little better.

“Thank you, Jyushi...I’ll try.”

“You’ll be back to yourself in no time!” Jyushimatsu enthused with a grin that made Ichimatsu believe it. “Anyway, why don’t I read to you from my book until you fall asleep?”

“I’d like that. Thanks.”

With that, Jyushimatsu settled down right beside Ichimatsu and started reading, angling the book so they could both see inside. Ichimatsu wasn’t particularly interested in baseball facts and stats, but it was comforting being read to, and Jyushimatsu’s surprisingly soft voice soon lulled him into sleep.

It would take time for him to get better, but with Jyushimatsu by his side, maybe the road to recovery wouldn’t be as awful as it seemed.

[thedevillord-writes]

Pandora - Courage

"The secret to happiness is freedom...And the secret to freedom is courage"

-Thucydides

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

[Sora to Haruka]: Sorry! I'd love to meet but the kids have a play date.

[Naoko to Haruka]: This Friday? I could do next week but not this week.

[Aya to Haruka]: Who is this?

-.-

Scrolling through her messages was a little depressing. When she applied for the leave, she had lots she wanted to do. There were shopping trips, spending time with her sisters, going to the movies, and catching up with her friends from high school; all of whom she had not seen since their graduation. They kept in touch via text messaging but it was always the usual of 'Hi, how you doing?' and while they attempted to invite her out, Haruka always had to decline the invitations because she never had the time. Now that she did have the time however, they were the ones declining. And to make matters worse, she was ill.

For eight years, she never even had a cough. The closest she came to becoming ill was when Baba came in one day wearing a cologne so strong that she could not stop sneezing around him. She always had the theory of bacteria and viruses being too afraid of Eisuke to come close to her. Or well, she was simply too busy to be sick. It was only the second day of her six months leave when she caught the flu and ran a fever. With the last of her fever patches on her forehead, she dragged herself out of bed to stock up on her medicines. Every medicine she had expired at least a year ago. Even the fever patch she had on seemed to be having minimum effect on cooling her temperature down.

"Fancy seeing you here at this time, Haruka-chan. Oh Lord, what happened to you? You look terrible."

"Good morning, Tsubaki-san," Haruka smiled, her voice nasally from her blocked nose. "Yeah...running a fever and I can only breathe through my mouth right now so, I don't think I can look any better than this to be honest."

"Well, it's about time you have some rest from work too. With your boss working you down to the bone, I'm surprised you're only getting sick now."

"Actually, I'm on leave right now. This flu had great timing, I guess."

Eight years ago, when Haruka had nowhere else to go, Tsubaki took her in. When she could have rented out the apartment upstairs to someone else with a stable job, she instead leased the place below market price to Haruka. When the girl spent three months going to interviews and being rejected constantly, Tsubaki would bring her dinner everyday and waive the rent. Without children of her own, it seemed as if the woman had taken Haruka to be her own daughter and for that, she would be forever grateful.

"You're a workaholic, you know that?" Tsubaki sighed. "When people take time off work, they tend to be happier and healthier. The moment you stopped working, you get sick."

"I'd like to think that I was always too busy for the viruses to catch me and now, eight years of flu and colds have finally caught up with me."

"Well, I think you'll recover soon. Especially since you have a hottie taking care of you."

"Hottie?"

Without giving her an explanation, Tsubaki simply said goodbye and went on with her day. Although confused, Haruka bid the older woman goodbye and climbed the stairs up to her apartment. Sitting on the top step was the last person she expected to see albeit, by now, it was no surprise seeing him. Focused on what seemed to be a game on his phone, Yosuke was so immersed that he did not notice Haruka's presence at all. Not until she was standing right in front of him, at least.

When her shadow cast upon him, Yosuke looked up and greeted her with a bright smile. If she was being honest, Haruka was getting tired of seeing his face. Her first impression of him was that of a man with extreme good looks. Then it was just a man with an irritating personality who seemed to enjoy actively annoying her. She grew used to him soon after, though she was tired of his shenanigans; whisking her off to double doubles and what she could only describe as pimping her off. Then there was the borderline stalking which he once so cheerfully explained as a friend being concerned. There were also the occasional times where he would speak so deeply philosophical and acted as if he knew what she was thinking. What was infuriating, was the fact that he was always on point.

She took time off work to be away from Eisuke, from anything and everything that kept her from having a life of her own. But just when she thought she shook off everything in the way, life threw in Sagara Yosuke who was sticking to her like a barnacle on a rock unfortunately.

"Tsubaki-san must be blind to think of you as a hottie."

"Tsubaki-san? Oh, that lovely lady downstairs? She's not wrong, you know."

"What do you want, Yosuke?"

"That's the first time you called me by my name."

Since the entanglement with him, Haruka had made it a point to never call him by his name no matter how much he insisted. It was part of her professionalism to keep things strictly business between most people. Though if she had to be completely honest, the main reason was because she did not want to humanise Yosuke too much. If she started calling him by his name, it would feel as if he was a friend. With her temperature running high however, she had no energy to keep up. She had no energy to deal with him at all, yet here he was.

"What do you want?" she repeated.

"A little birdie told me that you're sick," Yosuke smiled. "So I came to see how you are."

"Did your little birdie tell you how creepy that is?"

Knowing that there was no convincing him to leave, she opened the door to her apartment instead. Ignoring Yosuke, she walked in and dropped the bag of medicines on the coffee table before going to get a glass of water. Following close behind, Yosuke took it upon himself to have a look around. Her apartment was not big, though it was more than enough space for one person. As expected of Haruka, the place was spotless with everything neatly in their place.

He took his time, walking around the small space and picking up every picture she had out. There were not a lot of pictures but there were big smiles in every single one of them. They were mostly of her sisters, with a woman whom Haruka resembled. As he continued his tiny exploration, he soon came to a small shrine in the corner; a shrine dedicated to the same woman in all those pictures. Kneeling down in front of the shrine, Yosuke paid his respects silently when Haruka came out of the kitchen with two glasses of water.

"You look like your mother."

"She was more beautiful," Haruka said, sitting on the sofa as she put one glass down on the coffee table for Yosuke. "You know, at the restaurant she used to work, she used to get men writing their numbers down on napkins and receipts for her."

"Like mother, like daughter."

"I'll never be my mother."

From all the times he had spoken to her, Yosuke became rather proficient at picking up double meanings in her words. Despite his persistent digging, any information regarding Haruka's father was carefully concealed. When he could not find anything through Haruka, he went through her sisters instead though just like Haruka, there was no name written on their birth certificates. Nor was there anything that so much as pointed toward a possible candidate. Trying to find out through their mother had proven to be even more useless. Anything before Haruka's birth was completely wiped; no record of academics, and no record of employment. And from the way Haruka would react whenever her parents were brought up, it only intrigued Yosuke further.

Looking over to the shrine and the photo on it, he could not help but wonder just what kind of man Haruka's mother got herself involved with. Although she spoke highly of and idolised her mother, it seemed as if the woman was also the sole reason why Haruka was so afraid of confronting her feelings for Eisuke.

Shifting on the sofa, Yosuke leaned forward and with one hand, he pushed Haruka down and got on top of her. She was weak, physically and mentally. It took her a full minute to finally realise what was happening but by then, Yosuke had her hands pinned above her head with just one hand. Desperately struggling against him, Haruka stopped moving when his face was just inches away from hers. The twinkle in his eyes gave away his mischief though she could tell he had no intentions of letting her go. Leaning in close, she could feel his breath on her ear as he spoke.

"Would you like me to feed you the medicine?" Instead of an answer, Haruka coughed in his face. Recoiling, Yosuke finally let go of her and Haruka pushed herself up with a glare. Fortunately for him, before she could say anything, a coughing fit found her instead. Going through the bag of medicine she bought earlier, Yosuke got two pills out and handed it to her. "Drink," he said, tipping her glass gently. "You should get some sleep too."

"Not with you here."

"Well that's rude of you," Yosuke frowned, then let out a chuckle. "I'll be on my way. I'm not looking forward to catching your cold anyway, especially since you seem adamant on giving it to me."

"Only if it kills you."

Feigning hurt, Yosuke put a hand on his chest and gave a pout though Haruka only rolled her eyes at him. Once she took the medicine, Yosuke watched as she got into bed. It only took her a couple of minutes but she was soon in deep sleep. "Did your mother not teach you to never lower your guard around a man?" Yosuke whispered, taking his phone out of his pocket. "Let's see if that man would lose his control."

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

Not having his secretary around was much more difficult than Eisuke originally imagined.

There were so many things he had grown accustomed to over the years that the moment they were no longer around, it felt as if the entire world was...off. His morning felt off, his afternoon felt off, even as he worked through the night, he felt off. Not to mention the horrendous cup of coffee that Yumi claimed was made exactly the way Haruka did. But there was nothing he could do. After working her to death for eight years, six months away did not seem like she was asking for too much. Though, it was exactly this leave that had Eisuke thinking.

All these years, he never thought she would leave. She found a job that would hire her, and he finally found someone with whom he could work. Early hiccups aside, there was no reason why Eisuke would not continue employing her. But did she want to stay on? The fact that she wanted six months away from him was proof enough that she had no thoughts of staying with him forever. There would come a day when she would eventually hand in her resignation letter and who was he to tell her to stay?

Then the appearance of Sagara Yosuke complicated things further.

For once, he had a glimpse of what it would be like if Haruka found someone to love. Over the years, she did not have a lack of admirers but he was never concerned because she had no interest in any of them. The business smile, coupled with the polite rejection, there was no reason for Eisuke to worry. With Yosuke, however, Haruka was not professional. She would scowl and frown, she would roll her eyes, and she would let her frustration show. She could be herself; something she could never be around him.

A notification buzz on his phone snapped him out of his thoughts. This was a personal phone that only a handful of people would contact him on, and only if it was absolutely necessary. Flashing on the screen was a message with a photo attachment but the sender was unknown. Prepared to delete the message before seeing it, Eisuke stopped himself the last second. Something in his guts was telling him that he would regret not seeing it, so he clicked in instead.

Sleeping Beauty has been missing her Prince Phillip so much that she fell ill!

Without her prince beside her, I wonder who will take care of the princess?

Beware, princesses this pretty, there are princes all over the world after that true love's kiss.

Attached was a picture of Haruka, fast asleep in her bed with someone holding her hand.

Standing up suddenly, Eisuke knocked his chair over though he barely noticed. He had no time to notice. Grabbing his suit jacket, he rushed out of his office, startling Yumi at her desk when he burst through his door.

"Cancel everything today," Eisuke ordered, heading toward the stairs.

"What? But you have a really important meeting wit-"

"Cancel it!"

Hurrying down the stairs, Eisuke was out of the penthouse so fast that the other men barely had a second to say hi. As he made his way to the garage, he grabbed a random key and pressed the unlock button, getting into the car with headlights on. His mind was occupied only with the fact that Haruka was ill and she was alone. Alone with another man. There was no doubt that the hand holding hers belonged to a man, but the question was who and Eisuke had an idea as to who.

The usual thirty minutes drive to her apartment only took Eisuke eighteen minutes as he arrived on her street. There were several lights he ran though he could not care less. Slamming the door to his car, he took two steps at a time and stood just outside her door. Just before he pressed the doorbell, however, he stopped. What was he hoping for? If he went in now and was confronted with Haruka and another man, what was he going to do? Pulling his hand back, Eisuke turned away from the door but could not bring himself to leave.

Still contemplating, the door suddenly opened and he turned to see Haruka. She had a fever patch on her forehead but the redness of her face was a dead giveaway that it was no help. She was leaning against the door frame just to keep herself upright. It took her a minute or two, all the while coughing, just to recognise Eisuke.

"Mr. Ichinomiya...?"

"Where are you going in that state?"

"Buy...medicine..."

"Can you even walk?"

His question was answered when she suddenly leaned forward collapsing, though he caught her in his arms. Just holding her, he could tell her fever was way too high for her to be out of bed. Sweeping her off her feet, Eisuke carried her into the apartment and put her back in bed. Looking around her apartment for a thermometer, that was when Eisuke spotted the small bag of medicine on her coffee table. Just how sick was she to forget she had medicine right there?

After taking her temperature (39 degrees), Eisuke went to get a wet towel. While he knew it was recommended to take her to the hospital for a high fever, Eisuke also remembered the one and only time she was taken to the hospital and had a panic attack. Even seeing the doctor on site at the hotel for a simple annual body check seemed to give her anxiety. Though, he found it ridiculous that he was here taking care of his secretary. Eight years ago, or even just two years ago, he never would have imagined he would be in this position. If he knew Haruka was ill then, he would have just called a doctor for her at most. No one would have thought that Ichinomiya Eisuke would be wringing out the towel and carefully putting it on her forehead.

"You're the only person in this world who could make me do the most ridiculous things."

"...don't go..."

Who was she calling out to? Yosuke was not around when Eisuke came, could it be him she was calling for? Jealousy and rage was boiling in him. That was until Haruka started talking again.

"...don't go, Eisuke..."

Hearing his name from her had Eisuke stunned. His heart was beating fast though he did not quite understand why. Last time she said his name, he lost control. Was this what it felt like to be in love? To give in to impulses and lose his grip on common sense, was that what being in love was? To feel jealousy and anger whenever she was with another man, was that what love was? To think about her and only of her, wanting to be with her always, was that love?

If so, he was uncontrollably and madly in love with her.

He was in love with Matsuoka Haruka.

"I'm not going anywhere," Eisuke said softly, brushing her hair out of her face gently. Leaning in, he pressed his lips on hers gently. "Don't worry, I'll be here and I'll wait for you. I'll always wait for you and only you."

[blankietaegi]

J.JK

oKaY i need to stop making jungkook Drabble but i acc can’t help it. he can just be twelve different people and it’s a d o r a b l e. anyway here’s another with jungkook being a scary demon until he starts liking you for no reason. :) masterlist.

some say that lonely people like the rain because it gives them company.

the small but loud droplets hits your window with force from its long fall. you look up at the dark clouds that hang like a black cloth. the traffic is holding its breath, everything seems tense. you of all things, are tense.

you rustle around your bed, finding a comfortable position to read the book your english teacher assigned to you. you didn’t mind reading, you liked some books. but when it comes to How To Kill A Mockingbird, your taste in books contrasted.

so you lay there, in your bed with the quilt thrown off and the pillows by your feet. you look up at the ceiling and hope to be able to speed read till the end of the book, just so you could survive your next english class.

sighing loudly, you hear a knock on the window. your attention immediately switched. a knock? on your window? didn’t seem to make sense.

so you checked to see what it was. as you pulled back your transparent blinds, your eyes twinkled in hope for something. but sadly, you were mistaken, there was no knock.

still unsure, you open the window and poke your head out. your hair catches some droplets as you do. you sigh and look down at your feet. their cold, you should probably put on some socks. you sigh and realise you’re procrastinating, again.

so you began to sit back down and re-read page 33, for the sixth time after closing the window. but just as you sit down on your bed, continuing to stare out the window, you noticed the other side of the bed is heavier than usual.

“scream and i won’t hesitate to kill you.”

the voice is a low, male voice. it’s said in a hushed whisper with the sense of a smirk. your body reacts and tenses up. a million thoughts run through your mind but sadly, you don’t have time to execute any plans. so you stay silent and let this stranger stay.

“good girl,” his voice is laced with humility. he’s teasing you.

“w-who are you?” you ask with a dry throat. he chuckles for a moment before sighing. you can feel him fall back onto the bed and you flinch as he does it. he lays there, out of the corner of your eye, you see his hands above his head but that’s all. you’re scared to turn and face him.

“you can look at me, baby.” he says. a smirk play on his lips, as you slowly turn your head to face him, the first thing you noticed are his eyes. which are a glowing shade of red. startled, you try to figure out words but none come out.

“my name is jungkook, and i’m your guardian demon.” jungkook smiles yet again.

“h-h-how-“ you stutter.

“did i get in?” he asks, dismissing your own words in a controlling manner. “didn’t your mommy ever tell you to lock your windows at night?”

you nod your head, a sudden wave of scared comes over you. if this is real, and he is a demon. you’re practically playing a game with the devil. you quickly go to run but it’s not much use. like a magnet, you are pulled back into jungkook’s grasp. his arms wrap around your sides and hold you in a tight embrace.

“don’t try to run from me.” he startles you with his low toned voice. you gulp softly and try to sit back up.

“i’m guessing you have questions, and i probably have answers.” he tells you lying back on the bed. you sit on his thighs, unsure if you can move or not.

“so, i’ll give you three questions, since i’m feeling generous.” jungkook chuckles to himself as his red orbs stare up at you.

you open your mouth, instinctively wanting to ask the question- who are you?! why are you here?! are you really a demon?! - but these questions would get you nowhere.

“what does ‘guardian demon’ mean?” you put thought into your words.

“it’s hard to explain,” jungkook sits up and stares out for some explanation.

“like a guardian angel, i protect you. but guardian angels protect you from evil, i try and protect you from the good.” he looks at you, you’re still confused.

“my job is make sure you stay humane. if you didn’t have me, you’d be classified as an angel, which means you are no longer a human being. i keep the bad in you, where it’s needed.” jungkook says. you begin to understand a bit more.

“why haven’t I met you before?” you ask your second question without much thought.

“have you met your guardian angel yet?” he asks you as you shake your head. you sadden for a bit, knowing you wasted a question.

“that’s a good question,” jungkook chuckles, giving you the benefit of the doubt.

and that’s all you can hear before the sound of snoring ricochets off of your walls. you look back, startled, and catch sight of a sleepy jungkook. his eyelids are heavy and his head if lying to one side. this boy is something different. you couldn’t deny his red eyes, so you accepted him as what he said he was.

a demon.

-

after last night, jungkook stuck around for the next morning. not his greatest decision.

you were panicked. you paced around your room for the twelfth time that morning. jungkook wasn’t even sure you’d had breakfast. you were reading that dumb book all morning. since the moment you remembered it. and now you’re lying in your bed in your clothes, with no shoes on and reading the book.

jungkook groaned hearing you mummer the words as you read because you are sure that it makes you read faster. then you re-read said page because you “didn’t get anything out of it”. this set jungkook off.

in a snap of his fingers a bolt of lighting struck right outside your house. the sound startles you and you shoot up. but the lighting was gone and all you saw was an irritated jungkook sitting on a stool in front of you.

“what?” you ask defensively. jungkook proceeds to grab the book from your hands. you immediately reach to snatch it back but he raises it. higher than his head and out of his grip. now, your book was levitating above.

“jungkook! get that down! i need it for today!” you look jungkook dead in his red eyes. almost bored, he tosses it across the room. you then huffs and remains in a arms crossed position.

once your book hits the floor you go and grab it. you flick through the pages trying to find 115, where you left off. you speed read till the next chapter.

as a random change of emotion, jungkook hands go down by his side. he keeps his back to you but his head raises.

“you won’t need to read it.” he speaks softly. you look at him in confusion and scoff at his childish antics.

“my professor is expecting this read jungkoo-“ you explain but don’t get to finish his name before he interrupts you.

“unfortunately, your professor will not be attending class today,” jungkook turns to look at you.

“he’s gotten a bad case of the flu.” he has a sadistic smile. just then, you realise what he had done.

“jungkook!” you exclaim.

“how could you do this?! what the fuck!” you stare at him in anger while shouting and his eyebrows raise. he was wondering why you were angry at him.

“wait, hold up at second,” jungkook turns around at an abnormal pace with startles you. he looks you dead in the eye, confusion. you bite your inner lip, preparing for some kind of soul sucking or death. but jungkook just simply stares into your eyes, unbearably serious. you stare back, not to scare him back, but in fear. you just angered a fucking demon!

“y/n...” his low, deep voice trails off as he looks you up and down. you gulp, the sound so loud you wonder if you could hear it. considering how close he was, he probably did.

“how the fuck can you be angry at me?!” jungkook pulls back as it takes you a moment to process what he was saying. you smile and hunch over, your heart racing. jungkook, still comepltelt serious, is confused by your reaction. you catch his confusion and try to explain yourself while laughing.

“oh my god, i thought you were going to kill me!” you shout, giggling the entire time. jungkook, only noticing his tone now, smiles slightly and rolls his eyes. jungkook folds his arms and enjoys the giggling ball of mess in front of him, which was you.

it’s only now that jungkook sees the little dimples you have, that some people mightn’t count as dimples but are. he notices your eyes, how they close slightly when your show that amazing smile. jungkook only notices now that you cover your mouth when you laugh, and snort sometimes.

overwhelmed, jungkook whispers a soft “wow” while he stays there, staring at you. you wipe the happy tears from your eyes and look back up at jungkook, he’s in a daze. you tilt your head and wave your hand in front of him, taking him out of his world.

“jungkook? you okay?” you ask, concern dripping from your voice. jungkook’s smile widens after you show your concern, if that’s even possible.

“i’m perfectly fine.” he answers, all cuddly and soft inside. you sigh, tired after the late night and sudden laughter.

tirelessly, you fall on your bed, jungkook following you. you both lie next to each other, staring up at the same ceiling. that’s what you think, but sercretly, jungkook is staring at you, because he’s in such awe at your presence. without noticing jungkook’s gaze, you slowly drift asleep, mouth slightly open.

“what you do to a demon.” jungkook whispers, wishing he could tell you everything going in his mind about you. all the little details, all the new feelings he has just from making you laugh.

jungkook tries not to think on it to much. he’s here for a different purpose, not to fall in love with you...

although that does sound like a great idea.

all rights reserved to @blankietaegi

[sicklylittlesnowflake]

Yoo you know what I really fucking love?? Contagion. Like what If.. juggie got sick and archie took care of him and THEN he got sick and betty was like "y'alls are Dumb" and took care of them. Thank you! !

(Hey anons! I’ve decided to combine both of your prompts together, as they’re very similar and I would end up writing the same exact fic for both! So, this way, it’s longer and has more content so hopefully that’s okay with you guys! Also this has an abrupt ending, sorry! Didn’t know how to!)

Archie was really affectionate.

He loved being touched, being held, whatever. A complete opposite to Jughead, who only allowed people to touch him in special occasions. Jughead had recently found he enjoyed smaller gestures, like shoulders brushing, little back or shoulder pats or the occasional hair ruffle.

But it did not compare to Archie, who lived for cuddles and snuggles and still hugged his dad every time they parted or reunited. Even if it was just from school.

So when Archie was gone for three days on an away game for football, he was definitely in need for some cuddles.

Jughead had been sick for a few days now, his sickness starting just as Archie left. He had managed to catch himself a flu, which was a culmination of both an awful chest cold and a head cold. Jughead had been sneezing and coughing nonstop, and was just a disgusting mess of bodily fluids.

He didn’t want to worry Archie, so he hid it for a while. Jughead wanted Archie to be at his best for the game (which he found out was worth the effort, because he and Fred received a very excited call from Archie at night proclaiming their victory) so worrying Archie was most definitely a no-go!

However, once Archie was on that bus, and the bus was out of sight, Jughead had finally released that sneezing fit he had been holding in. It then accelerated into a coughing fit, which Fred just tutted to and sighed. Of course Jughead was sick. Fred simply shook his head and put an arm around the boy, leading him to the car that would take them home where he would take care of him for the next few days.

Fred had been a very good caretaker, but Jughead was nowhere near better yet. In fact, Fred had just left to buy some medicine and other supplies, not expecting Archie to return yet. He had come back quite early.

“JUGGIE!” Archie yelled as he practically smashed into the house, like the Juggernaut in that shitty X Men movie.

“Fuck!” Jughead yelped in surprise as Archie tackled him down onto the couch to give him a massive hug, squeezing the smaller boy.

“Fuck, Archie–you are literally deflating me like a–” A tickle in his nose caused him to drop his sentence, his entire body being overtaken by the sneeze.

He used whatever control of his body he had left to warn Archie, “..A-arch..hh..I’m sick..hh..! Get off..!! I’m go..gonna.. snee–”

Archie didn’t seem to care that his best friend was going to splutter germs all over his face, because he just shook his head and kept on hugging him. Then Jughead sneezed all over him, and again, and blushed so hard in embarrassment. Archie didn’t care; and just laughed loudly, missing his friend far too much to even care about the gross act.

Archie finally let him go, to see Jughead red as a strawberry.

“Archie! I’m so sorry–fuck you’re going to get sick, that was so disgusting!”

“It’s fine Jug, honestly? I’m in dire need of some coddling and I’ll get more of it if I get sick,” Archie grinned.

Jughead rolled his eyes, “You’ve got this sick fascination with sickness. Honestly, it’s the bane of my existence and it happens to me so often!”

Archie tapped Jughead on the nose, “Its probably a side effect of your great metabolism. Besides, you get to miss school and get to stay in bed all day, which are things you like??”

Jughead huffed, “Yes, if it weren’t for the fact I lose my appetite, which is the most tragic thing that could happen to me, which is really something given my life’s miserable track record, and also for the fact I hate sneezing and coughing. It’s the worst.”

Archie laughed, “They’re funny though, seeing as such loud noises can come from such a quiet person!”

Jughead groaned, “Which is why I hate them! I hate attention, and my sneezing always brings me so much attention cause I can’t be any quieter!”

Archie laughed and swung an arm around him, “You’re fine the way you are Jug, don’t ever change.”

Archie was a clingy sick person.

Jughead was still asleep, and still sick, when Archie woke up whining, asking Jughead for his dad. The moment he heard Archie Jughead felt absolutely awful and guilty for getting Archie sick. There was this pit of guilt forming in his stomach.

One emotion that Jughead could not deal with was guilt. Sadness was common enough in his life, anger was not as common but he accepted, and happiness he embraced. However guilt ate away at Jughead’s heart and sometimes he couldn’t even move he felt so guilty, that it literally consumed his every waking moment.

So Jughead put his remaining sickness aside, because he was getting better, he would be fine, and went straight into caretaking mode. A mode of his he wasn’t used to using with Archie, because Archie got sick once a year, but he was an older brother, and he had experience.

Archie had caught this weird version of his Flu, in which he had caught the chest cold part of it. He was a hacking, phlegmy mess and every time Archie coughed, it was like a pang in Jughead’s heart. He just felt so awful.

When Fred came up to check up on Archie, he gave his son the cuddles he was practically begging for. Jughead knew he was potentially thinking of staying; and he felt so bad, knowing that the Andrews were in a bit of a pinch for money. Fred should be working as much as he could; and Jughead had prevented that.

So in order to prevent this from happening, Jughead took control of the situation, claiming he was no longer sick. Fred naturally was skeptical, and felt for a temperature to find that there was none. Satisfied, Fred left Jughead to his devices with some supplies. What Fred didn’t know though, was that minutes before, Jughead had soaked his face in freezing cold water to temporarily remove the heat.

Jughead went downstairs to prepare Archie some tea to soothe his throat, and rubbed at his nose to try and hold back a sneezing fit. He sniffled for good measure and walked up with the tea, and once he walked into the bedroom Archie spread his arms out.

“Juuuuug~” He whined, clearly wanting a hug.

Jughead sighed and shook his head, “Yes, after you drink this and take your medicine.” He sat at the edge of Archie’s bed and handed him the said objects.

Archie pouted like a child, “I don’t want to! Pills hurt my throat.”

Jughead pinched the bridge of his nose and rolled his eyes fondly, “Do you want me to fetch the cough syrup instead then and spoon feed you?”

Archie nodded, completely serious.

Jughead blinked, looking at Archie, trying to decipher wether he was genuinely serious, “..Are you serious?”

Archie smiled and nodded eagerly.

“You really are something, Archie Andrews,” He teased fondly, as he went downstairs yet again to retrieve the cough syrup and a spoon. As he returned, he once again sat at the edge of the bed and poured the contents of the bottle onto the spoon and brought the spoon to Archie’s mouth, hoping Archie wouldn’t notice that his hands were shaking.

Archie didn’t seem to notice and opened his mouth, letting Jughead spoon feed the medicine into his mouth. The medicine wasn’t as horrid as he expected; it tasted like strawberry. He took the cup of tea and sipped at it, letting out a sigh of content.

“..This is my favourite tea, Jug. The kind that you make,” Archie gushed, the tea soothing the soreness and scratchiness of his throat.

Jughead huffed, “Its the type of tea you buy at the supermarket. Not exactly gourmet, luxury tea.”

Archie grinned at him, “..Yes, but you made it.”

Jughead groaned and whacked him very lightly, “This sweetness is rotting my teeth. Stop it.”

Archie then pulled Jughead in with him, taking the smaller boy into his arms and snuggling his face into Jughead’s soft, black hair.

“You’re warm, Juggie,” Archie said softly as he pulled the boy closer, to absorb his warmth.

Jughead tensed slightly, wondering if Archie had caught him in the act.

“..it’s so nice,” Archie finished, letting out a small sigh of satisfaction as he closed his eyes, relaxing. Jughead relaxed.

The two stayed like this until Jughead took out his laptop and played on a Die Hard movie to keep them both entertained, running his hands through Archie’s hair to keep him happy. Jughead couldn’t even concentrate, and could only concentrate on how bad he was feeling.

“I’m hungry,” Archie said halfway through the Avengers movie.

Jughead was relieved, needing to get out of there to grab himself a glass of water, and relieve himself of a sneeze that he was battling for the past half an hour. He groaned to cover up his act.

Jughead went down the stairs to heat up some Campbell’s Chicken Noodle, waiting until it finished before pouring the soup into a bowl. Jughead then brought the steaming bowl upstairs, the steam causing his sinuses to start to run again, and Jughead bit back the temptation to sniffle.

Archie smiled as he walked in, “That smells, great, Jug!”

Jughead shrugged and sat down next to the boy again, handing him the bowl and spoon. Archie stared at the objects for a while, then looked back up at Jughead.

Jughead could not believe this little shit.

He raised an eyebrow, “Do you want me to fucking feed you?”

Archie grinned bashfully.

Jughead sighed, unable to refuse this stupid ass boy and took the bowl and spoon back. He dipped the spoon into the creamy soup and brought the spoon into Archie’s mouth.

As much as Jughead groaned and complained, Archie knew that Jughead was secretly enjoying it. The action reminded Jughead of his little sister, and being an older brother again. Archie would often cuddle Jughead and he knew Jughead missed being an older brother. He hoped that this would help Jughead cope better, rather than make him miss it more.

When the soup was finished, Archie felt extremely sleepy. He tried to keep his eyes open but ultimately failed, grabbing onto a pillow to cuddle, thinking it was Jughead.

Jughead sighed in relief as Archie’s breathing evened out, needing a moment to himself and let out a few coughs and sneezes he had been desperately trying to hold in. He made sure Archie was comfortable and walked down the stairs into the kitchen, stifling some coughs into his sleeve. He pinched his nose as he began to sneeze, relieved he had finally tried to relieve the tickle in his nose, but still having to be quiet in case he woke Archie.

Suddenly, the door bell rang and Jughead groaned.

He made his way to the door and opened it, to see the bright and lovely Betty Cooper holding two tubs of ice cream.

“Hey Jug! I heard Archie was sick so I brought these in,” Betty said cheerily.

Jughead smiled at her, “That’s so nice of you Betty. Uh, he’s asleep right now so..”

“Okay!” She whispered as she let herself in and walked towards the kitchen. “Let’s get these ready.”

Jughead sniffled and rubbed his nose, hot on her feels. He hadn’t quite finished sneezing so the tickle was still there, irritating the heck out of him.

Betty made her way to the kitchen, knowing the place inside and out. The three were childhood friends, so of course she knew. She pulled the bowls out and began to open the tubs.

“Jug? Can you pass me the ice cream scooper?” She asked.

Jughead nodded and walked toward the drawer to locate it, and on his way back to Betty, a sudden headache flooded his senses, his legs gave way and he nearly fell, grabbing onto the counter.

“Juggie?!” She exclaimed as she rushed towards him.

Jughead gave a thumbs up, and went to look up when his hair that was peaking out from his beanie fell onto his nose, and all hell broke lose. Jughead fell onto a sneezing fit, harsh and rough.

Betty sighed in exasperation, “You’re so dumb, Jughead.”

Jughead sniffled, rubbing at his nose, “Well, at least I didn’t get sick because I refused to get off of someone who was about to sneeze.”

Betty facepalmed, “You’re both the dumbest people I’ve ever met. How you’re both not dead, I will never know.”

Jughead smiled sheepishly.

Betty groaned, “ugh, you’re coming with me!”

The blonde dragged the brunette up the stairs, literally by the ear and once they were both up at Archie’s bedroom, she literally threw him into the air mattress.

“Wh–huh, what’s happening Betty?” Archie asked groggily.

“Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way over here is still sick and is being a little..buttface,” She hissed fondly.

Jughead laughed nervously.

Archie raised his eyebrow, “Seriously, Jug? You are so impossible.”

“..You’d never let me take care of you if you knew I was still sick,” Jughead mumbled into the pillow he was thrown into.

Archie softened, “Did you..just admit you like taking care of me?”

Jughead shrugged, “Yeah I guess. It makes me feel useful again; and since..it’s always the other way around I feel like I owe ya this one.”

Archie pulled the boy into his own bed, even in his sickness strong enough. “..C'mere, there’s enough space here.”

Betty laughed at them, “You two are so weird. I’ll be back in a second.”

Betty came back up in a minute with bowls of ice cream, three flavours in each bowl. It was oddly a representation of all of them; chocolate for Archie, vanilla for Betty and Strawberry for Jughead.

As the boys basically lunged for the bowls, Betty pulled them back and shook her head.

“Medicine first, idiots,” She laughed, handing them both pills.

Jughead wolfed the pills down no problem; being used to constantly swallowing pills due to constantly being ill, and also taking pills for anxiety.

Archie pouted at Betty, “..but my throat hurts!”

Betty looked confused.

Jughead sniffled, “He’s saying he wants you to spoon feed you syrup.”

Betty rolled her eyes and poured out some cough medicine onto a spoon. She brought the spoon close to Archie’s mouth, putting on a mocking, cooing voice, “Here comes the choo choo train, little Archie!”

She shoved the spoon into his mouth and laughed heartily, and Jughead couldn’t help but join her until he began to cough again. Betty frowned and rubbed his back for him.

“Like I said, you both are so dumb,” She sighed, sinking further into the couch. They began to dig into their ice cream, as Betty put on The  Winter Soldier onto Jughead’s laptop for them to watch.

They all sat in a comfortable silence, somehow all fitting in Archie’s double bed. It felt all too familiar; the three childhood friends in Archie’s house (because Alice didn’t want FP’s son in her house, of course, and she also didn’t want her daughter in FP’s house either), watching movies with ice cream. Granted back then they were watching The Lion King and they’d all start crying, and now they were watching Captain America, but it still felt as safe and warm as it did then.

As a rather suspenseful scene came up onto the screen, despite already seeing the movie, the three tensed up. Suddenly, Jughead sneezed loudly and caused the two to jump in surprise.

“Jug!” They groaned in annoyance.

“..sorry!” Jughead exclaimed in embarrassment, until they all started laughing heartily.

Despite two of the three people sitting on that bed feeling awful and ill, they still had a great time, because there was no better medicine than each other.

[simplyathought1-blog]

HARRYS SPORTS BAR

Harry sat on his comfortable armchair watching the cricket match with interest. His favourite team stood a good chance of winning today. He was rooting for them. Tina his wife, had given him popcorn and chips to munch on while he watched the game in the living room. Harry was having a delightful Sunday. He felt relaxed and happy. “I need this kind of a day more often. This is the life, I want.” he mused.

“The television is really old. The colors and brightness, are not as they should be. It’s lived its life. We need to change it, before it breaks down completely. Buying a TV during the next sale makes sense. Will tell the Mrs. to look out for a good one, at a good price.” thought Harry.

Getting Tina to agree, wasn’t going to be easy.

Tina wasn’t a fan of technology. It would take her a long time getting used to an electronic device. Once she learnt to use it she dint want to change it – Ever. Harry had spent two years, convincing Tina, that they needed a new music system. The one they had bought a decade ago, was a basic model; good enough to play the occasional CD. After years of use, it dint even catch the radio frequency properly anymore! Tina refused to part ways with it.

She was kind of emotional about it.

Harry had got tired of waiting for Tina to select a music system with him; he decided to go ahead and buy it on his own, when Tina was away at her friend’s wedding in Thailand. Harry got an earful from her when she returned, but now that the purchase was made, she HAD to learn how to use it. At least some of its features! Harry had placed the new speakers artistically, complementing the decor of the house. The music system was set up in the living room and looked beautiful. Tina couldn’t help fall in love with it. She played her favorite songs or radio station on it while she cooked, read a book or invited her friends for wine or an afternoon tea.

She still kept the old music player. On top of the microwave, as a reminder of the years gone by.

“What a shot. Six Runs!” shouted Harry. His team was inching closer and closer to a win and he was elated. “A few more runs in quick succession is all that we need. I hope we don’t lose a Wicket! The batsman is in superb form. He had a fantastic innings this season.” Harrys best friend was supporting the opposing team and they had waged a friendly bet. Harry hoped his teams victory today, would make him the winner of the drinks and dinner at his favorite Sports Bar.

Harry wasn’t really a social animal but he did like the company of few friends, with whom he enjoyed an occasional outing. In his younger days, Harry had been a real party guy. Out each night and the life of every party. With the passage of time, he felt less inclined to it. His mind and body couldn’t cope with the lifestyle anymore. One late night would ruin the next two days for Harry. He would feel like a zombie with red, sleep deprived eyes and a massive headache. It wasn’t pleasant and Harry avoided it at all costs. He liked a feeling of wellness and was slowly changing his lifestyle; moving towards regular exercise, Yoga and healthy eating habits. Weekends were precious to Harry. Enjoying a good movie, an appetizing meal, a non-exhausting outing or simply being lazy watching sports or news, was Harrys definition of weekend fun!

Tina walked into the room with a bowl of salad in her hand. “I know it’s your cheat day, but you might as well eat something healthy now that you have eaten all the chips and popcorn. Lunch is still a few hours away.” She handed Harry a bowl of cold cucumber and beetroot salad sprinkled with a fresh herbs. He dint like beetroot but this looked good. He tasted a spoonful. It was indeed delicious. “Tina, why don’t you and the girls enjoy watching sports with me? You like to watch the Olympics or the finals of the FIFA World Cup. Our daughters change the sports channel whenever they can. Cinema seems to excite you, Netflix entertains them but not sports. Why is that?” asked Harry. Tina looked at her husband and smiled. The kind of smile one gives a petulant child before answering a question he has posed. Harry felt annoyed. “Why are you smiling like that? What is so funny?” Ignoring the second set of questions and still smiling, Tina said “It’s not that we dislike sports Harry, we don’t. However, we enjoy watching movies and some good Netflix series more than sports. The way you prefer sports over theater for instance!

“People simply tend to do more of what they enjoy and less of what they don’t but that doesn’tnecessarily mean they don’t like something at all.” explained Tina. Harry nodded, “True. Makes sense.”

Tina and Harry often brainstormed together and looked at situations from alternate perspectives. It helped them to see the other side of the coin based on each other’s views. Theywere very different in nature, yet they complimented each other beautifully.

“Harry, we need to go to the shopping mall today. You are in dire need of new shirts and we also have to buy the weekly groceries.” Harry dint like the sound of that. His wonderful Sunday was on the verge of disappearing into thin air. He couldn’t let that happen. “I’m most definitely NOT going to the mall. I hate shopping. It’s a boring and exhausting experience. I don’t enjoy it one bit. There is no need for shirts too, I have plenty!” Having answered Tina in one breath, Harry turned his attention to the screen.

It was almost certain that Harrys favorite team would win the match today. The last five overs were left. The excitement being felt by the audience, watching the match live had reached Harry in his armchair. He was looking forward to gloat over his win amongst his buddies. Sometime later, Harry jumped out of his chair and screamed with delight, “We won!” He reached for his cellphone and dialed his friend. “I told you we would win. What a match! Fantastically played.” Harry gushed. “I won the bet too buddy. See you Saturday night to watch the FIFA World Cup match.”

Harry felt good. Sports had that effect on people. It spreads an infectious excitement. With the T20 cricket matches getting over soon, Harry was looking forward to watch the FIFA World Cup 2018. This time it was being hosted in Russia. “The land of beautiful ladies and great vodka. I have never visited Russia. I wish I could have gone to watch a few matches. See the Kremlin and St.Petersburg. The weather would be cold there.” Harrys Blanket would be the first thing packed in the suitcase to keep him snug. The thought made Harry smile.

“Day dreaming Harry?” asked Tina. “Now that the match is over AND your team has won, why don’t you get dressed and we head to the mall and finish the shopping we need to get done.” Harry stared at Tina, “You are still thinking about shopping! I just told you I don’t want to go.” Tina gave Harry a stern look and said, “If you want to be left alone to enjoy what interests you, then you too need to help me get things done at home. I can’t buy YOUR clothes without YOU trying them. You are wearing shirts with worn out collars. They look terrible! Harry knew Tina was right. She seemed to ALWAYS be right. Yet, he dint want to head out of the house. He wanted to be lazy.

Every holiday, Harry wanted to stay at home, surrounded by his family. It was an attempt to cut off from the worldly noise. Harry wanted to feel at peace. He wanted a sense of calmness. Going to a busy shopping mall wasn’t the best way to do that!

Tina understood and empathized with Harrys feeling. At times she felt the same and their friends did too! The pressure of work, increasing bills, tiresome commute, high prices and poor health had a draining effect on everybody in this busy city. Most people they knew, were in a constant state of exhaustion. The quality of life was deteriorating with time instead of improving. The weekly days off seemed to vanish; before the mind and body had a  chance to recover from the tough week gone by. Despite that, household tasks couldn’t be avoided.

Harry had a feeling, that there was no way, he could get himself out from going to the mall today. He knew Tina had set her mind on getting him the shirts he needed. Mustering uphis optimism, Harry made one last-ditch attempt to convince Tina. “I think I am coming down with the Flu. Probably going to be sick. I better take a nap, if I want to feel better foroffice tomorrow. You take the girls and finish the groceries if you like. Enjoy a nice lunch at the mall too!” Tina was quiet. She stood up and smiled. “That sounds like a nice plan Harry. We can’t have you fall sick, can we? To feel well, you must sleep and rest every chance you can. I’m going to let your friends know, that they can cancel your reservation to watch the FIFA match at the Sports Bar next weekend. We can’t have you exert yourself with a late night. Absolutely not!”

Harry sprang out of his chair and gave Tina his brightest smile, “On second thoughts why don’t I come with you and get everything done. You are right! I need to try the shirts myself and I also want to select the flavor of the ice cream tub when we buy groceries. It will be nice to walk too. Sitting in the chair, watching the match for long has made my back stiff. He walked up to Tina and gave her a hug. “Did I tell you about this new restaurant? I plan to take you there soon AFTERmy boys night out at the Sports Bar!”

Harry can’t risk annoying his wife. Who can!

About the author-

Urvashi Kumar Trikha writes entertaining fiction, inspiring articles and motivational quotes for her readers spread across the world through her internationally popular blog ‘simplyathought.com’.

[cellerityweb]

Eye Candy – Visual FX in Shadow Tactics

We hardly notice them, when they’re in the game, but we instantly know when they’re missing and something’s off – visual effects are cucial for a game’s atmosphere, no matter their size.

Shadow Tactics is a hardcore realtime stealth game in which you control a small team of specialists, each equipped with a unique skill set. Analyzing the genre, there were quite a lot of cornerstones we had to consider while doing the effects. So, let’s take a look at what these cornerstones were exactly.

Visually comforting

In Shadow Tactics you generally have pretty big maps that take you from 1 to 3 hours to play through. So it’s essential that these scenes feel natural and are visually appealing. The player has to feel comfortable being there, even if the situation itself is hostile. On average, the camera is pretty far away from the characters, so you have to carefully exaggerate certain things to ensure readability and meet the player’s expectations. For example: if a character uses his samurai sword to take out a target, it would look pretty boring from that distance, although it has to feel rewarding. Also, being a tactical game, the player always has to feel in charge of the situation and has to be able to quickly make out what is happening.

1

As we chose a realistic approach for the game, there is no black magic, just an advanced technology to suit the gameplay. One of our characters has a long range sniper rifle with insane accuracy. It’s neither historically correct nor too far off, meaning it doesn’t stand out in a negative way. Considering there’s only limited space, I want to focus on the following aspects:

Environment: – Ambience – Physically based

Characters: – Environment interaction – Blood

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Let’s look at environment effects first, with »Ambience VFX« that are independent from the player character [1]. Constant movement on the screen is essential for creating a living scenery. You need omnipresent effects that carry the atmosphere of a level. For example, in a war zone there should be a lot of dust and smoke, maybe some ash and embers flying around. Meanwhile, up in the cold mountains, wind is blowing over the rocks, picking up and blowing away the fine powdery snow.

The thing with ambient effects like this in general is that you need a certain level of density to create an acceptable illusion. It needs to feel volumetric. A density that is too low won’t either create the required effect or break the illusion altogether. So how do we achieve the density we need? Well, we could use an emitter [2] that is about the size of the map, but that’s not really an option. Huge map equals thousands of particles at all times, but you only want the ones that you can actually see. So, what about creating an emitter around the camera?

Works fine as long as you don’t move it. When you move the camera, particles cannot respawn fast enough to reach the required density on your screen, especially when the cam covers great distance after rotating it. Even fast particles can’t catch up. Plus, effects on the ground wouldn’t work either. So we went with a grid-based solution [3]. First, you create a

3

2D grid across the map. Then you set up a number of subdivisions. Each of the generated cells will be fitted with a particle system where the box shaped emitter matches the cell size. Then you create a reference point [4] that is parented to the camera. At runtime, the script will ask the reference point for each frame »Hey, where in the grid are you? And are there any neighbouring cells near you? If the answer is ‘Yes’, on turn the related particle systems and stop the ones which are currently out of range.«

  It’s also important to set the particle systems to »pre-warm«. That means the particle system pre-simulates a certain state. An example from Destiny [5] shows what happens if you don’t pre-warm. The waterfall doesn’t start to simulate until you get in range and then slowly builds up. That said, the option to pre-warm doesn’t come cheap. I was skeptical at first but it turned out that the performance cost is well inside an acceptable margin.

4

Be Water, my Friend!

On to the next topic – let’s take a closer look at a few interesting points concerning our water, which uses a second camera to create reflections. Pro: we get accurate reflections Con: it doesn’t work with water on different height levels, because you would get an offset in the reflection.

However, the large water bodies tend to be on the same level. On the smaller ones we then used a generic reflection probe. Also, we don’t have a real depth fade [6]; I won’t go into detail here, just know it didn’t work with our implementation of the enemies’ viewcones. We just used a simple mask to create transparent areas around shallow spots like shores, then we put a simple ground texture underneath. Yes, we did use transparency and yes, there are shadows on the water [7]. The thing is: transparency and shadows don’t get along too well in Unity, which means that you cannot have shadows on transparent objects, at least without pulling some deep tech stunts.

To our advantage, we already had map-sized masks in place for other stuff like blur and fog, so I just used another channel to store a top-down shadow map [8]. Of course we couldn’t have changed the light direction during runtime or have big dynamic objects cast shadows on the water, but that hasn’t been the case, so a static map worked just fine. Unfortunately particles and lighting don’t get along all too well in Unity. However, now we had a shadow map of all the static main geometry of the level at our disposal, so we used it for some particle effects as well.

Physically Based Animations

Solid objects need to behave in a physically correct manner. Pretty much all of these animations are prebaked in Unity, using a small tool. I’ll explain with the help of barrel racks [9][10] . Objects are first fitted with colliders and rigid bodies. During runtime you apply a force and let physics handle the rest. The tool will then just save each frame of the object’s transformations and store them within an animation file. In this case the rack is being pushed by this long box collider with a simple forward motion to make the rack topple over.

But why go through all that trouble and prebake everything? Well, because physics tend to be a bit random. The outcome has to be predictable because every time the player interacts with such an object, it has to react in the same way . It’s crucial that the player is in charge of the situation and able to calculate the result of his actions. For us it’s important, that there are no objects where they aren’t supposed to be any – obstructed pathways for example.

Destructibles – Bringing Us Joy Since …

Destructible objects are a ton of fun, but a nightmare for developers [12] – so much work for only a few seconds of fun. Every object is pre-sliced by using Blender, but there’s still a lot of manual labor involved. You have to prepare the object [13] and make sure that there are no open parts of the model. Also, I had problems with the newly created faces, the tool didn’t really handle the unwrappin in an acceptable way. Eventually I ended up unwrapping every single piece by hand, because I didn’t have the time to look for a better solution. Well, it wasn’t fun …

In general, every destructible object has two states [14]: – whole – destroyed, fragmented

When an object is being destroyed, you simply switch the states and play the prebaked animation.

Of course, later on you don’t have the colliders anymore, that’s why we prebake after all. The gate [13], for example, has a »pusher« object – just like the barrel rack – that drives the other objects in a certain direction. Explosion-like setups are relatively easy to make because every rigid body can be turned on from the beginning. With the force being applied instantly, the objects don’t really have a chance to just drop down like they normally would. Cascading motions, however, are much harder to achieve. If all rigid bodies were turned on and gravity was affecting them from the beginning (which they have to), they would simply fall down.

So, I wrote myself a script that is applied to each rigid body and checks its neighbours for movement. If any of them move over a given threshold, they switch themselves on. Now, when you push away your first object, it cascades from that point over the whole object.

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Character Related Effects

Next topic: visual effects that are related to characters within the game. First, we will take a look at environmental effects that are triggered by players. Characters always need to feel like they’re connected to world. They should blend in – of course not to the extent that you cannot see them anymore, but just enough to make them look like they belong to where they are. Adding effects that simulate interaction with the environment helps binding them to the world, but it brings us to another problem. When your character stirs up dust while walking, for example, you’d also expect splashes while running through water; the same goes for snowy areas [15]. If that doesn’t happen, it can easily reflect badly on the immersion. That’s where terrain-dependent VFX come into play. Unfortunately, that’s the kind of stuff people hardly notice when it’s there – but it would look and feel strange, if they weren’t.

Nobody will come up to you and say »Hey dude, what an amazing job you did on these dust clouds. They’re absolutely sensational!« Still, most of the times it’s worth going the extra mile for stuff like this, but once you start there’s literally no end [16]. You stumble from one tiny detail into the next one. Fun fact: While preparing this article one of my colleagues came up to me and actually said »Wow, I didn’t know that there were different effects for that.« So much for people noticing.

Let There Be Blood!

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Talking about complex issues, let’s move on to »blood«. Blood is a fluid and fluids tend to behave in a complex way. When approaching a (fluid) substance like blood, it helps to break it down into its fundamental components and think about their defining characteristics.

Let’s start with a simple blood splash particle [17]. First, I set up a fluid simulation in Blender and created a nice splash shape. Later on, however, we didn’t just want this particle to fade out to make it disappear. It was supposed to dissolve in a more natural way, like getting thinner and reshape into small drops [18]. So, in order to create kind of a dissolving motion, we needed to make a base for a treshold animation in Unity.

For those who don’t know how it works,

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please let me explain real quick: At the beginning, every pixel that carries a tiny bit of color information will be shown. Over time you raise a value from 0 to 1 and cut away everything that’s lower than this value at this very moment. So, the »brighter« a pixel is, the longer the texture will be shown at the same position (To see how it works in detail, please check out this website: http://www.alkemi-games.com/a-game-of-tricks-iii-particles-fun-part1/)

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So, I created a mask by spawning metaball particles inside the shape in Blender and animating their size over time with a bit of an offset. What gave me the idea was a talk by Eben Cook about the Blood in »The Last of Us« at GDC. Of course he had different tools like Houdini at his disposal, but it gave me a helping push into the right direction.

If we now take what we already have, throw it into Unity and write a small shader, we’re off to a good start, but it’s obviously not enough. Liquid that sprays into the air splits into small droplets that shape and shift around and – due to constantly changing surface angles – reflect the light in absolutely crazy ways. To simulate this effect I could have used a normal map but that would have eventually been sort of an overkill for such a small splash. Plus, it would have taken up valuable memory space. So I used a simple dotted texture that scrolls around in world space really fast. It’s actually a bit stronger around the edges for which I used another mask, but we can ignore that for explanatory purposes. The good thing is that you can’t really make out what’s happening in detail while playing, because everything happens really fast, but it does a good job simulating the sputtering of droplets in the air.

20 – Drawing blood splashes by hand and making them look realistic would have been very difficult. So, Florian reused some assets he originally created for The Last Tinker, back in his early days at Mimimi Productions. In order to create some special effects, he let watercolors drop on paper, then he scanned the stains. These assets never made it into The Last Tinker, but worked perfectly for Shadow Tactics. The lesson learned: never throw away stuff you created, just because you didn’t have any use for it yet – it might come in handy some day!

We need … more blood!

Yuki’s melee [21] attack was actually the first I created because it has a nice flow to it and was therefore perfect to test things. Once I was finished with the first draft I showed it to my colleagues and they said »Ok, this looks nice, but where’s the blood? There needs to be much more of it!« And I was like: What did they just say? More blood? Well, you don’t hear that every day – but they were right. I first went with a normal amount of blood which was hardly visible from further away, so I had to find the sweet spot between »unrealistic« and »convincing«.

To better illustrate the impact of an attack we used some blood »decals« on the floor. The reason why ‘decals’ is put in quotation marks, is because we didn’t have actual decals. They were just simple quads spawned just a bit above the ground. Whenever one of these blood splashes spawns, a script roughly checks the quad’s bounds for ground underneath – if there’s none, then the splash will not be shown. If the check results come in positive, it will pass the normal version of the surface underneath to the quad and rotate it accordingly. Spawn and despawn are basically done with the same technique that I mentioned before, only with a softer threshold and different maps.

No Gore Fest

We never wanted our game to be a virtual bloodbath. The use of blood was always meant to be justified and to give the game a realistic touch, at least to a certain degree. It was important for us never to use blood for the sake of brutality, there had to be a reason for its use. Like the scene in which a samurai who has brought great shame over his daimyo, is asking for permission to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) and thereby restore his honor – that’s pretty much as bloody as it gets in Shadow Tactics. Yes, it is brutal and messy BUT slicing open your stomach and be being decapitated afterwards … well, that’s exactly what it is: messy and gruesome. It simply underlines how desperate someone must have been to go through with an act like this. So much from me about VFX in Shadow tactics – hopefully I did not bring shame over my house.

About the Author:

Florian Smolka

is VFX and 3D Artist at Mimimi Productions.

Florian has been at Mimimi Productions for almost five years. Thanks to his outstanding work on daWindci during his studies at university, he secured himself a spot within the team. Since then, his range of tasks and responsibilities grew alongside his technical expertise, which makes him the perfect bridge between art, code and visual effects. @Smou_

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