#like i rarely eat sweets and most eat small bites cuz the sweetness makes my throat hurt if i get too much of it

[aria0fgold]

Feeling... pretty not so good today... Like, yesterday my throat just started hurting and I couldn't sleep well at all and now it's still hurting a bit complete with a slight cold and a small headache and that's my cue to have a healthy routine until I feel better enough to continue with my day to day not so healthy routine.

[angelatmidnight1]

oh wow, I really loved reading through your mirage/wattson fic, its so well written and adorable and it kind of put a smile on my face the whole time :) I was wondering if you could write something with wraith and wattson? Maybe wattson getting wraith cuz shes usually more quiet and needs to loosen up a bit? Or for instance, the other way around- wraith getting wattson, which catches her by surprise since she never in a lifetime would think that the reserved wraith would have this playful side

Can You Keep A Straight Face?

The voices in Wraith’s head have been giving her a hard time and she’s become more reclusive than usual. She has managed to push everyone away except for Wattson, who is determined to be her light at the end of the tunnel. The Legends have time off away from the games and it is the perfect opportunity for the engineer to talk to the mysterious skirmisher. While they spend time together, Wattson hears a song on the radio that she wants Wraith to explain to her. Wraith tells Wattson what a ‘poker face’ is and the engineer takes it upon herself to explore the meaning further. Wraith always says that nothing phases her, but is that really true? Natalie wants to know for sure and, well, let’s say Renee saw this coming a mile away.

“Tea?”

Wattson tentatively pushed the mug of dark liquid towards the skirmisher across from her. The mug was a purple, 16 ounce galaxy themed mug that Natalie bought especially for Renee. The black tea inside the mug was prepared with two spoonfuls of sugar and a splash of milk, made exactly the way Wraith preferred. Wattson didn’t know a lot about Wraith but she did catch her drinking tea on the occasion. This prompted the engineer to seek out a mug that matched Wraith’s theme and, at least in her opinion, the galaxy mug fit her perfectly. Wraith, however, didn’t look up when the mug was pushed in front of her. She was staring at the wall across from her with a distant look in her pale eyes. Wattson frowned; the engineer knew that the voices kept her safe in the Apex Games, but she wasn’t sure if she could say the same thing outside the arena. There weren’t any games scheduled in at least three days and, clad in her oversized black hoodie and snug fitting jeans, Wraith looked so small and alone. Wattson waited to see if her friend would acknowledge her but, when the skirmisher began to anxiously tug at the cuffs on her sleeve, she leaned forward and placed her hand on her arm. “...Renee?”

Wraith flinched and accidentally brought her knee up to the table with a loud bang. The entire table shook and threatened to spill the contents of her mug. Wattson jumped away with a squeak and eyed her worriedly once she finally returned her gaze. The skirmisher was rubbing her knee with a pained expression on her face and sighed quietly. “Sorry..” Wraith’s voice barely qualified as a whisper and she finally took notice of the hot tea in front of her. “I’m not thirsty, Natalie. Thanks though.”

“Oh…” Natalie answered sadly as she picked up the mug and brought it to the middle of the table. The last thing she wanted was the tea to go flying if something or someone startled her again. “Well, how about chocolate cake then? I made some this morning.” Wattson tried to sound happy again as she bounded over to the nearby countertop. The chocolate cake was encased in a cake pan but the engineer cut two slices out of it ahead of time. Right before she could take the lid off, however, Wraith shook her head and pulled her sleeves over her hands. “No thank you.” She murmured, her fingers finding the soft cotton material and curling into it. Wattson turned back around and could not hide the sadness on her face this time.

“But you love chocolate cake. It’s good, I promise! Elliott and Octavio already had a slice.” She responded as she picked the cake pan up and brought it over to her anyway. Wraith’s lip curled into a very, very faint smile once the dessert was in front of her. There were, indeed, two slices missing from another side of the cake. 

“I don’t think there’s any food that Elliott wouldn’t eat. That’s probably why the fridge tends to be empty.” Wraith answered with a quiet chuckle that thrilled Wattson to no end. Smiles were rare for the skirmisher, but laughter? Those were worth more than gold. The smile disappeared almost as soon as it appeared but it didn’t deter the engineer. Everyone had to start somewhere, right? 

“Well, don’t just take their word for it.” Natalie chirped, popping the lid off of the cake pan and letting the sweet aroma of chocolate fill the air. “Let me get you a slice!”

The pair sat in comfortable silence as they ate their cake in the small kitchen. Wraith even elected to drink the tea to go along with her cake and had a small, content smile on her face. “The cake is good, Natalie.” The skirmisher offered after a few more minutes of silence. “The tea is too. Not too sweet and not totally bitter.”

“I’m glad you like it. We can have tea like this whenever you want. Did you know that there’s even some teas that change color? It’s amazing!” Natalie spoke excitedly and earned another quiet chuckle from the raven haired woman.

“No, I didn’t know that. We’ll have to try it sometime.” 

Wattson beamed and finished off the last few bites of her cake. “Then we will. It’s decided!” She declared with two thumbs up. Renee nodded and went back to quietly eating her cake. In the course of listening to the white noise inside the dropship, a thought popped up in Natalie’s mind, though she was hesitant to breathe life into it. She let the thought run laps in her head before deciding, even more hesitantly, to put a voice behind it. 

“Renee?”

Wraith looked up and put her mug down on its matching plate. “Yes?”

“Um..” The engineer looked down at her hands and took a breath before looking at her. “I just want to say that if you ever need someone to talk to, or just sit with, I’d be more than happy to help. I know that your...um…” Wattson trailed off and felt her heart pound in her chest. Maybe it was better to stop talking, but something in her told her to keep going. “Whenever we’re on a team together, and you know that someone is aiming at you? Those voices? I understand that they help keep you safe. I just wanna tell you that there isn’t one person on this ship who wouldn’t do the same thing.” Natalie offered with a small, nervous smile, praying to whatever god was listening that she communicated the message in the most efficient way possible. Wraith blinked and pushed the crumbs around on her plate, processing each word the engineer said to her. Natalie felt worry grip her insides when the skirmisher didn’t respond right away. What if she upset her? What if she got up and decided not to talk to her again? The worries rose all the way to her neck and threatened to choke her, but they were quelled by Wraith’s grateful glance. 

“Thank you, Natalie. I’ve learned to live with the voices. They help remind me who I am and what I need to find, but...I appreciate your concern.” Renee replied in a soft voice but, this time, her smile was genuine. 

Wattson squeed and unintentionally knocked her chair over as she ran over to give Wraith a hug. She was careful in how she hugged her for a couple of reasons: One, she didn’t know if Wraith even liked hugs. And two, Wraith was a little shorter and smaller than she was, and she didn’t want to suffocate her. So, with that in mind, the engineer gently wrapped her arms around the woman’s shoulders. Wraith flinched and stood in her hold awkwardly, prompting the blond to release her. “Any time, mon ami~. Hey, do you like music? Here we are sitting in this quiet ship when we could be rocking out to some tunes.” Natalie giggled as she skipped back over to a different part of the counter, standing in front of her portable radio. It was small, round, orange, and had little lightning bolt stickers on the side. Octavio got it for her and spray painted it and the sight made a little blush dust her cheeks. Wraith watched Natalie press various buttons before an upbeat, yet unfamiliar melody sounded from the little device. “I don’t listen to music too often.” The skirmisher admitted with a light shrug of her shoulders. “I guess anything would be fine with me.”

“Got it~!” Wattson asserted happily as she flipped through the different stations. Some songs were too loud and others made her blush but, after a few more changes, the engineer found one that made her smile. “Oooh, I like this one. Come on, Renee, come dance with me!” Wattson demanded with a grin, not waiting for an answer as she ran over and pulled the woman to her feet. Wraith suddenly looked uncomfortable and didn’t move from the spot she was pulled to. “I don’t know how to dance, Natalie.” She mumbled, crossing her arms against her chest. By now, Natalie was swaying to the beat and took a hold of the woman’s wrists. “It’s easy! I’ll show you.” She giggled as she lightly pulled Wraith along to make her sway to the beat along with her.

While the pair, mainly Wattson, danced along to the beat of the song, the engineer raised a brow and turned towards Wraith. “Renee? What’s a...po-ker face?” She questioned, saying the term slowly and letting go of her friend’s wrists. Renee retreated to her seat once freed from Natalie’s grasp. “A poker face is a blank facial expression. You’re not smiling, but you’re not frowning either. It helps when you’re playing card games, like poker, because the person you’re playing against can’t tell what cards you have because your face doesn’t give it away. This is what Elliott tells me anyway.” She explained with her foot unconsciously tapping to the beat. Wattson slowly nodded before perking back up and pulling up a seat beside the skirmisher. “So, poker faces are kind of what you have, right? I mean, when we fight together, you always look so composed. Even if we’re getting shot at.”

Wraith thought about it and shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, I suppose you could say that.” She confirmed with a small nod, adding,  “ Nothing really phases me anymore.”  

“So even something scary happens, or maybe something funny, it won’t affect you?” Natalie asked curiously with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Wraith shook her head and gave the engineer a strange look as she stepped closer to her. Without any warning, Wattson gently poked the skirmisher’s cheeks and giggled as she reeled away. 

“Why did you do that?” Wraith grunted and rubbed both sides of her face. 

“I’m doing what the song says! Poke-her face. But you’re the strongest woman I know. So you should be able to keep up a poker face, oui?” Wattson grinned, a rush of playfulness coming over her as she booped her nose. The skirmisher groaned and swatted at her hand but Natalie kept coming back. 

“Stop, Nat...that’s not even what the song means--” Wraith’s breath hitched as the engineer’s pokes wandered to her sides. She sharply recoiled out of Wattson’s reach and the voices in her head started whispering: 

You’re not safe there. 

Danger, move!

Wattson blinked at the conflicted look on her friend’s face. “Renee?” She whimpered as she took a slow step forward. “I didn’t mean to--”

The second Wattson approached her, Wraith turned around and phased out of the room, leaving a dejected engineer behind.  

It was true that Wraith’s voices kept her safe by warning her of impending doom. A sniper having her in their sights, a punch about to be thrown her way...she always knew what was about to happen to her. Having that knowledge kept her one step ahead of any opponent before her. An extension of keeping her safe, however, also included warning if someone tried to tickle her. The voices added this extra layer of precaution because the skirmisher was both ridiculously ticklish and friends with the only one brave enough to touch her, besides Wattson that is: Elliott Witt. Wraith nearly broke Mirage’s arm the first and only time he decided to tickle her. He just wanted to make a pretty girl smile, he said, but Wraith made him swear on everything he loved that he’d never try a stunt like that again. Elliott was too frightened to refuse and never brought it up again. But now, alone in her room, Wraith pressed her hand against the spot that Wattson poked and shuddered at the lingering ticklish sensation. She didn’t like being ticklish; it made her feel weak. Powerless. There wasn’t a bullet large enough or a knife sharp enough to break her composure, so why did a poke to her side or a scribble on her neck force her to laugh? The skirmisher growled and stared at the ground but then she thought about Wattson. Wattson didn’t tickle her to make her feel weak, she just wanted her to smile. Like Elliott did. Wraith felt a little guilty for leaving her behind the way she did. But maybe, she thought, she’d go back and show the engineer how to really keep a ‘poker face’, just like hers. Wraith smirked and set a portal from her room back to the kitchen. 

Wattson sniffled and rubbed her eyes as she put the plates and mug in the cupboards. She blew it. She had one opportunity to become better friends with Wraith and she mucked it up. “Tu es un idiot (You’re an idiot)..” She cursed aloud, finding her chair and burying her face into her hands. She started to cry and didn’t hear the faint sound of a portal being set. Wraith heard the cries from the corner she hid in and felt even worse. She had to make this right in the only odd way she knew how. The skirmisher, a veteran in stealth, creeped over to the crying woman and grabbed her by the back of her shirt. Wattson gasped but didn’t have time to scream as Wraith pulled her into the portal that led back to her room. 

Once the pair was in Wraith’s room, the skirmisher closed the portal and released Wattson. The engineer felt a little woozy and wobbled on her legs, prompting Wraith to hold her arms to steady her. “Easy, easy. I’ve got you.” Renee whispered as she sneakily removed her scarf and bound it around Natalie’s wrists. Natalie, once her head stopped spinning, tried to look over her shoulder at the woman but she kept ducking behind her. 

“Renee? I’m sorry for upsetting you. I won’t ever touch you again. Will you please forgive me?” She pleaded as she kept trying to turn around to face her. It was difficult to do because Renee’s shorter height meant that she could just hide behind her. But another thing that was difficult, the engineer realized with alarm, was that she couldn’t pull her wrists free from whatever was holding them together. “Renee?”

“You don’t need to apologize, Natalie. I knew your every move.” Renee answered coolly, walking towards her bed with the longest end of the scarf in her hands. She gave it a hard pull and dragged the engineer along with it and, once Wattson was sitting on the mattress, she pushed her flat on her back and tied the rest of the scarf to the bed frame. Terror washed over Natalie’s face as she struggled and looked up at whom she believed was still her friend...right?

“I’m sorry!” Natalie wailed with the tears finally rolling down her cheeks. “Please don’t hurt me, Renee. I--”

“Hurt you? Natalie, you’re my friend. I’d even say you’re my best friend so long as you don’t repeat that to Elliott. I would never hurt you.” The skirmisher assured as she knelt beside her. 

Wattson blinked away what was left of her tears and opened her mouth to speak. What came out, though, was a squeak as the skirmisher tapped her sides. “Whahat--” Natalie sputtered and squealed as Wraith hooked both of her small hands around her sides and raked her fingers up and down. “Whyhyhyhy aahahahre yohohuhuh--REheheheheheheheneee!” The engineer giggled madly as Wraith quickened her tickling pace. Unlike Wraith, who wore a thicker hoodie, Wattson’s thinner Nessie shirt made it easy to literally get under her skin. 

“I thought you’d want to know how to keep a poker face, like I do. I told you that nothing phases me. Not pain, not death, not tickles.” Wraith smirked a playful, evil smirk as the realization colored Wattson’s face. The skirmisher reached under her shirt and clawed at her bare belly, drawing out squeaky cackles from the woman. “Can you say the same?” Was the last thing Renee asked before she kneaded and scratched all over Natalie’s tummy. 

Wattson shrieked and laughed loudly as Wraith’s short nails scratched along every ticklish nerve on her stomach. She pulled at the makeshift bond that held her wrists in place and tossed her head back when Renee dragged a nail around her navel. 

“NAHAHAHAhahahahaha stahahahahahahahahp!” Natalie screamed and kicked her legs against the mattress while the skirmisher continued to torment her stomach. When Wraith poked her navel, the engineer snorted and turned over on her side. “PLEHEHEHEhehehehehase dohohohohohohn’t!” 

Wraith grinned and pulled Wattson back down and pinned her kicking legs with her powerful thighs. Wattson paled; she didn’t realize how strong the skirmisher was. “Don’t what, Nat?” She chuckled as she gripped her sides again and squeezed them repeatedly. Natalie laughed harder and tried to wiggle out of her hold but Renee didn’t let her go. “DOHOHOHohohohn’t tihihihihihckle! I cahahahan’t taahahahahake ihihihihihihit!” She squeaked, arching her back when Wraith’s fingers buried back into her tummy. “RENeneneheheheheee! Plehehehheheheehehase!”

“You need to learn how to tune out sensations.” Wraith calmly explained over Wattson’s mad laughter. “It isn’t easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. I’m going to help you build up your endurance.” She concluded quietly before ducking her head down and blowing a raspberry over her navel. Natalie’s screams went up in pitch and she shut her eyes, shaking with laughter. 

“NOHOHOHOHAHA STAHAHAHAHAP!”

Renee chuckled again and blew another raspberry, causing Natalie to scream again and arch her back. “This is just one of many sensations you’ll have to learn to ignore. Try focusing on something else and Stop. Laughing.” The skirmisher accentuated each word with a poke to Wattson’s ribcage. Natalie sputtered and fell into a heavier laughing fit. Panic boiled inside of her since the skirmisher was coming awfully close to her armpits. 

“I CAHAHAN’T! IT’S TOHOHOHOHO MUHUHUHUHCH!  JAHAHAH’AHAHAHBOHOHONE! (I give up!) PLEHEHEHEHAH!” Wattson couldn’t finish her sentence and bucked as Wraith rubbed circles on her lower ribs. The engineer arched her back with another cry of laughter, yet Renee easily pushed her back down. “RENEHEHEHEHEE NOHOHOHOHOH!”

“You won’t get anywhere with that attitude. I need you to believe in yourself just like you believed in me.” Wraith smiled and tweaked her lower ribs before she started kneading her way up the ribcage. The skirmisher once believed that tickling was humiliating but now, she could see the appeal. It made her happy to see Wattson laugh, even if it was forced. “I’ll make you a deal, Nat. If you tell me where your worst spot is,” Renee began, flicking her nails up and down one rib that really made her struggle. “I might go easier on you..”

“NEHEHEHEHVER! I WOHOHOHOHN’T DOHOHOHOH IHIHIHIHT!” Natalie yelled and wriggled her trapped hands, the ticklish scratches driving her up the wall. 

Wraith smirked; that’s exactly what she hoped she would say. The skirmisher pretended to be disappointed and fluttered her fingertips against Natalie’s upper ribs. Wattson thrashed violently and shook her head in protest, her eyes snapping open and searching Wraith’s for mercy. “NOHOHOHOHT THEHEHEHRE! RENEE! HAHAHAHAVE MEHEHERCY!” She screeched, her eyes tearing up as she looked into the resolute, pale eyes of the skirmisher. Wattson wasn’t going anywhere. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to tickle here? Or do you mean...here?” Wraith suddenly leaned forward and buried her wiggling fingers into Wattson’s exposed armpits. She made her fingers into little clawlike shapes and jabbed her nails into her skin. The engineer let out a hoarse scream and finally dipped into hysterical, high pitched laughter. 

“AAAHAHAHAHAHAH THEHEHEHRE! NOHOHOHOHT THEHEHEHREAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Where is there? You keep saying, ‘not there, not there’, but I don’t know if you mean here…” Wraith mused as she dropped her hands back down to Wattson’s upper ribs. She kneaded her thumbs into each side of the ribcage and even though she laughed hard, the skirmisher already knew that her armpits were her hot spot. “Or here?” Renee finished innocently as she took her thumbs again and stroked the very center of her armpits. 

Wattson was in stitches and helplessly flopped against the mattress, pulling down on her wrists like crazy. They didn’t move an inch and the skirmisher took one finger on each hand and slid it up and down the length of her arms, forcing another desperate wail of laughter. 

“BOHOHOHOHOHTH! NEHEHEHEHEITHER! AAAAHAHAHAHAH I DOHOHOHOHOHN’T KNOHOHOHW JUHUHUST STAAAAHAHAHAHAHAH!” Wattson managed to get all of that out in one breath before all she could do was struggle and laugh. 

Renee giggled and took both of her hands and dove onto only Natalie’s left armpit. She clawed her fingers again and scritched around the outside of the armpit, slowly following the curve to make her way back down to the center. “I’m sorry, Natalie, but I’m just not understanding you.” She snickered, sneaking in a quick pinch as she got closer and closer to the armpit. Natalie’s laughter just dipped back into manic giggles but, whenever the skirmisher flicked a nail against the hollow, she coughed out a laugh. “NOHOHOHOHOH MOHOHOHOHOHRE!” She begged, a few mirthful tears slipping down her cheeks as she desperately tried to sit up. “PLEHEHEHEHEASE! I THOHOHUGHT WEEHEHEHE WEEHEHRE FRIEHEHEHENDS!”

“We are friends, Natalie. But you’re not even trying to hold in your laugh. If this tickles that much and you really want me to stop, then why don’t you just put your arms down? I’m not the one holding them up..” Wraith flashed her an evil grin as she suddenly descended on her left armpit and tickled mercilessly. Wattson howled with another round of hysterical laughter and whipped her head around like mad. The tears kept coming, she kept pulling, and her arms stayed locked in place.

“AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH SAAHAHAHAHAH NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOH!”

Renee kept tickling Natalie’s armpit until her laughter became silent. She slowly, slowly, stopped wiggling her fingers to let her breathe, but kept her hands buried in each armpit. Natalie breathed raggedly and rubbed the mirthful tears off on her shoulder, looking up at the skirmisher with a mixture of awe and gratitude. “I...didn’t know you were so mean…” She panted tiredly and tilted her head back with a groan. “Mon Dieu (My God), my stomach hurts…”

“It isn’t my fault that you can’t keep a straight face, Natalie. I’d say try better, but it wouldn’t help against me.” Wraith teased and tensed her fingers, pretending as if she was about to launch another tickle assault. She snickered when the engineer jumped and squealed, the panic returning to her in full force. “You still haven’t put your arms down?” Renee tutted, tensing her fingers again and hovering both hands over Natalie’s right armpit. “I guess that means you want me to keep tickling.” The skirmisher continued with a shrug before tauntingly wiggling her fingers over the sensitive skin.

Wattson’s eyes widened and she struggled frantically, nervous giggles already sounding from her as Wraith’s fingers grew ever so closer. “I can’t!” The engineer whined, grunting as she pulled down on the scarf as hard as she could. What was the scarf made out of? Metal? “I’m trying, Renee, and I can’t! Please! I can’t put my arms down!” She cried out desperately, giving the skirmisher puppy dog eyes as she held her hand just above the armpit. Renee remained silent, a heavy tension filling the air before she spidered all ten fingers into the poor woman’s armpit. “You’re not trying hard enough. I know you, Natalie, and I’m sure you can do anything you put your mind to.” She smirked, unable to help herself from joining in Natalie’s screams of laughter. 

Apparently, Wattson’s right armpit was just a little bit more sensitive than the left one, and Wraith picked up on that immediately. She used one hand for scratching little circles against her skin and the other one for squeezing where the armpit met her upper ribs. By now, Natalie was crying with laughter and gave up on trying to free her wrists. “AIEHEHEHEHEHEHS PIHIHIHIHIHIHTÉ! PAHAHAHAHAS PLUHUHUHUHS S'IHIHIHIHL VOOHOHOHOHUS PLHAHAHAÎT! (Have Mercy/No More Please!)” The engineer cried before dipping into silent laughter again, her arms shaking in place. 

Renee eventually let up on the tickling when Natalie’s face started turning deep shades of red. She leaned up and smirked as she untied the woman’s wrists and laughed when she immediately pulled her arms down. “That’s all you had to do, Nat. You’re lucky that we’re friends, otherwise I may have kept going until you put your arms down yourself.” She threatened playfully as she wrapped her scarf back around her neck. Wattson trembled and rubbed her arms against her sides, a smile still etched across her lips. The ticklish sensations still plagued her skin, but she was happy that Wraith seemed to loosen up and smile...even if it was at her expense.

I hope this was okay! I got the inspiration from Lady Gaga’s Poker Face. Please let me know what you think!

[fightmewiatch]

Long Time Coming

Pairing: Colin Shea x Reader

Prompts: “ Is that my shirt? ” & “ Did you do something different with your hair? ” & “ You’re teasing me again… ”

          It was not often that you had the chance to go out and have some drinks at the bar with your friends, but when you managed to scrape together enough money and enough time to do it, you were all over it, happy to be able to feel normal for just a little while. 

         It was a little more often that you found yourself ending those nights in your neighbors apartment, tucked into his bed or wrapped up in a blanket on his couch, sleeping off the booze in your blood. Colin was probably your favorite neighbor, despite the fact that, half the time, you could hear his escapades through the wall when you were either trying to work or trying to sleep. He was always willing to lend you a hand if you needed it (as long as you promised him some kind of food). 

         At first, he put you to sleep in his bed and took the couch when you came knocking after being out most of the night drinking, and then being unable to unlock your front door, fingers fumbling too much with the keys. Colin had been a little drunk, too, so, rather than trying to figure out the key to use himself, he just brought you in, took your shoes, and tucked you in. 

         It was a month of him catching you after nights out, letting you sober up in his apartment, before the ritual grew to include him making coffee, and then throwing in breakfast. 

         It was the first time you sat down for that breakfast and coffee that you looked at Colin and felt your breath catch in your throat. Those blue eyes were shining as he looked over at you, his lips curled into a hopeful smile as you sat with a bite of the chilaquiles he tried to insist he’d made but had actually run down to pick up from the Mexican place around the corner before you woke up. You were suddenly finding yourself looking at Colin like it was the first time, his hair mussed from sleep still, sitting beside you in the wrinkled clothes he’d grabbed off the floor. He wasn’t just your great but sometimes annoying neighbor. There was something else about him in that moment that was just so sweet that you had a moment where you forgot that he was just your friend. 

         You took a few weeks, after that realization in your head, before you even considered going out drinking again, but now, almost a year after that first breakfast, it was almost a regular occurrence. You still couldn’t always afford to go out and get drunk, but Colin was more than happy, most days, you have you crash at his place and get smashed with him while watching crappy television and eating whatever takeout sounded good after a couple of beers. 

         The sound of your knuckles on the door was always crazy loud, enough to echo in the hall, but it always got Colin to open the door in less than a minute, a big grin on his face. 

“Hey! I was wonderin’ if you were comin’ over. Did you do something different to your hair?”

“No?” you asked, reaching up to pat your free hand over your hair, handing him the six-pack you’d picked up. “I mean...it’s just...hanging around my face, I broke all the hair ties I had, and forgot to get more.” Colin hummed, nodding, and shrugged. 

“Well, it looks good. C’mon in,” he invited, stepping back as you slipped by him into the apartment, tucking the keys from your place into your purse and hanging it up on the hook along the wall. “Is that my shirt?” You couldn’t help the laugh off your lips, turning to see him as you kicked off your sneakers. 

“Is it? It was in with my stuff,” you replied, shrugging casually, but you knew damn well it was his - you hadn’t owned a henley of your own since college, and Colin’s just looked so freaking comfortable. As you turned to see what food he’d ordered in, he caught your elbow, his hand sliding down to yours as he spun you around to look at the shirt. “Colin!”

“It is my shirt! I’ve been looking for that!” he chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m gonna need that back.” You quirked a brow, tilting your head as he shrugging. “My shirt, neighbor.” 

“You want it back now? Because if I do that, you’ll have to give me another shirt to wear.” Colin stepped back, slowly looking you over, before you started snickering, reaching out to shove him. “You stop that, Colin Shea.”

“Ah, you love it, sweetheart. Alright, I will put this in the fridge, and good call bringing more because I only have two left in there,” he grinned, patting your shoulder as he moved to tuck the case you’d given him into his fridge, and retrieve the two bottles that were in there. “Hope pizza is good.”

“Pizza is always good.” 

         Sighing, you buried your face into the pillow, and rolled onto your stomach, snuggling further into the bed. This part, you knew well. Colin let you take the bed after dinner and drinks and whatever crap was on television, just like every other time you crashed at his place. What you didn’t recognize was the warmth along your side, and, after scrunching up your face in confusion, you turned your head, startled to see Colin laying beside you, his arm tossed across your waist. 

“...what…?” you mumbled, mouth dry and tongue heavy. Colin cracked one eye open to peer up at you, sleep pulling his lids back closed as he hummed and snuggled back in. 

“I ever tell you how pretty I think you are?” he mumbled. You blinked at him, before sighing, thumping your head against the pillow.

“You still drunk, Colin?” 

“Nope, not drunk,” he promised, his hand moving to slide warmly across your back. “But you. You’re teasin’ me again.” 

“Again?” you asked, surprised, before his fingers plucked at the fabric of his shirt you were wearing still. “...what about it?”

“Second time you’ve stolen one of my shirts, beautiful.”

“...And?” you asked, brow quirked, as you studied his face, the way his lashes fanned out softly against his cheeks as his face smoothed out into a small smile.

“It’s in a guy’s DNA, seein’ their favorite girl in one of their shirts is incredibly sexy.” 

         The room was quiet for a moment, long enough for him to open an eye to peek over at you, before you shuffled around until you lay on your side, facing him. 

“...did you just call me your favorite girl?” Colin’s eyes both opened that time, and he studied you, then, gauging the question you’d posed, before shrugging, and nodding.

“Not like I just let anyone come by every couple weeks to drink, eat, and sleep in my bed.”

“...but, your one night stands…”

“Haven’t had one in...almost a year,” he admittedly quietly, his hand slipping up to brush your hair from your face. 

         You were embarrassed when you thought about it, realized that you hadn’t heard another person in his apartment in months. You heard noises, still - him cleaning up (rare) or rearranging furniture, or practicing now and then when it wasn’t a good idea to do so up on the roof - but you hadn’t realized none of them were of any kind of date. It made you blush, lip pulled between your teeth, and the sight of it brought a smile to his lips as he tucked his hands beneath his head. 

“Look, I’m not saying you gotta feel the same way or anything, you know. Been a long time since I met anyone I would be happy just being friends with, if that’s what you want, but...you’re my favorite girl, and you can’t do a damn thing about it.”

         Laughing softly, you covered your face, hearing his laugh against your ear as you leaned forward to bump your forehead against his arm. After a moment, you sighed, tilting your head back to see him. 

“Well, I suppose it’s only fair, right, that I tell you that you are my favorite...neighbor.”

“Oooh, I get favorite neighbor?” he asked, whistling as you snorted. 

“Keep up the noises, though, and I’ll take it back.”

“But you love my noises,” he grinned, so cheekily, as you poked his side. “Ah, hey! I thought I was your favorite!”

“I might change my mind!” you teased, squealing as he threw his arms around your waist, mostly as a way to block your hands from reaching his sides. “Colin!”

“You are my favorite girl,” he repeated, as your giggles eased, your hand resting lightly against his bicep. The feeling of your heart racing in your chest was a new feeling, too, as you leaned in closer, scratching your fingers against his shoulder. 

“Good...cuz you are also my favorite guy,” you admitted, shyly. 

         Not that you had much of a chance to dwell on it, as Colin met your gaze one more time before his lips brushed yours, pulling you close as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders and deepened the kiss. 

         Coffee and breakfast were just going to have to wait. This was a long time coming.

[aching-tummies]

Chocolate Indulgence

Ever had one of those moments where you're staring down a food-item you know is going to absolutely wreck your stomach...but you know you'll eat it anyway?

Most of the people I know that have a dairy-sensitivity (e.g. lactose, rectin, etc.) tend to have moments like that frequently. They know eating cheese is going to cause Satan-himself to reach in and clench their stomach in his vice-like grip, but one does not simply say 'no' to pizza. Then there's the ones that ensure they've got dibs on the closest washroom before they shovel ice-cream or a milkshake into their system and that particular washroom becomes a hazmat zone for the next three hours. I've seen the latter used with purpose too when this particular someone I knew was pretty backed-up while travelling. He was out with some friends when he realized it'd been quite a while since he had last went no.2. His friends knew about his dairy-sensitivity and their eyes widened when he ordered something with dairy from the shiftiest-looking vendor in the area (he was also a huge germaphobe, so the fact that he went even 3 ft near that vendor already caused jaws to drop). He chugged it, asked his friends to wait around the area for a solid hour or two, and then proceeded to violate the public washroom. He came back looking like the definition of ‘relief’ just as his friends had started to think he had died ‘cuz they didn’t expect him to be in the washroom that long.

While not as dramatic, I sort of had one of these moments last night. Of course, it wasn't just that one moment that led to that, it was a whole day of events that led up to the moment.

I started the day going out to have breakfast with a family member before heading off to work. A favorite fast-food chain had recently opened a location near our place and near the place I worked so we decided to go there for breakfast/lunch, whatever you want to call it. I've been eating less recently, being busy and anxious about work and some other life-stuff...also with my work being at non-consistent hours my family member ends up eating without me and most of the time I'm too exhausted to bother cooking for myself. I live with some fairly judgemental family members who go off on me if I don't clean up properly when they say so and cooking for myself just becomes more of a hassle than it's worth. E.g. I'll make some instant noodles for myself and before I've even taken the first bite they'll come over and start screeching about how I left a cooking utensil in the sink rather than clean it and leave it out to dry before I sat down to eat. I was already eating straight out of the pot I was cooking the thing in, the utensil was a butter-knife I used to get some XO sauce or whatever out of the jar and into the pot...and the butter knife wasn't necessary or useful for eating the noodles. My plan was to leave it in the sink and wash everything all at once in about 20 minutes when I had finished my food. I didn't want to deal with the screeching after hours of dealing with customers and co-workers screeching at me to do a task while I was in the middle of doing another task someone else had screeched at me to do, so I've opted to roll with being hungry for the last few days. My usual routine was wake up, get ready, make a quick breakfast to get me through my shift, come home and stay out of the way until dinner time with my family--if there was going to be a shared dinner-time, and then go to bed.

Yesterday was basically the same. I had breakfast at a fast-food restaurant with a family member who was kind enough to drop me off at work. After work I decided to come home rather than eat out after work (I wanted to save some money). I went home and was already pretty hungry but dinner wasn't going to be for another four or more hours. I ended up taking a nap, realizing after I woke up that I had managed to get through the day without drinking coffee, and that was probably why I ended up napping. I got downstairs to find that my family member had opted to cook for themselves, meaning I was on my own for dinner. I grabbed something small and self-contained to avoid being yelled at for making a mess and went about my business. Hours later, I was getting ready for bed. I couldn't sleep 'cuz my stomach had been growling at me since I started brushing my teeth. I was fairly awake from the nap I had taken so I decided, "screw it--I'll grab something to eat and watch a movie or something before I go to sleep".

What to eat, right? After days of being hungry after work, I decided I deserved a treat. I was really craving something sweet, but the only thing that satisfied that sweet tooth was some coffee I had in the fridge...which I was definitely not going to indulge in. I wanted to sleep eventually and coffee at 2AM was ridiculous. What else is sweet and goes almost hand-in-hand with coffee? Chocolate. Pancakes would make a mess, mug-cake was an option but I didn't want to measure out everything...also, one of my family members has been pretty snarky about finding flour on the counters. Some of it is from them, but since I'm the one that's always making home-made pasta and other types of noodles it's always my fault if there's a powdery substance on the counters. I didn't want to just outright eat chocolate chips like I usually do 'cuz I had already brushed my teeth and felt bad about eating something that would stick to my teeth and add to decay. In the end, I opted for a mug of hot chocolate. I was craving something sweet, specifically chocolate, and hot chocolate fit the bill. If I rinsed my mouth with some water after drinking it then it’d probably be okay.

My usual method is dumping the packet into a mug, filling it about 2/3 of the way with hot water, stirring until the powder is dissolved, and then topping up the final 1/3 with cold 2% milk. The milk makes it richer as well as cools down the contents enough to drink. I hesitated a little about adding the milk, the boba-incident fresh in my mind. I decided "screw it. I don't have to work tomorrow" and I added the milk to the mug. I decided to indulge further. It's been a crappy week walking on eggshells at home and at work and choosing to be hungry rather than listen to family members rant and yell over a bit of flour...so I found some nutella and added a generous spoonful to the hot chocolate. If you haven't tried this, you should (provided you don't have a nut allergy). I recommend dissolving the nutella in the hot-water/powder mix, prior to adding milk. The heat will allow it to melt that much faster. That mug of hot chocolate was heavenly.

I took the mug upstairs and put on something to watch while I enjoyed my chocolate-y treat. A couple of hours later, I was ready for bed.

As I lay down, waiting to sleep, I felt an odd sensation in my stomach. It wasn't painful. It was just shy of uncomfortable. It was an odd feeling I couldn't place. Was I still hungry? Were my guts unhappy with the little bit of dairy in the hot chocolate? It felt like a mild pressure around my navel-area, but my stomach was definitely empty too. I rubbed my stomach a little, staying awake for a while monitoring the feeling, hoping that it wouldn't be a repeat of the boba incident. I didn't have to work the next day, but I didn't want to go about the whole day feeling like a painfully bloated basketball. I don't know if it was gas from the dairy 'cuz I couldn't burp and I didn't feel any gurgles or gas-bubbles moving around under my palms. It wasn’t entirely like hunger either. It felt like there was something sitting in my guts...not painfully, but just present, and my stomach was undecided about whether this something meant it was allowed to be hungry or not. I guess my stomach was confused. It was so late that it was early, usually an hour where everything is asleep, there was dairy somewhere slightly bloating up my guts, but it was also hungry. I had downed dairy on an empty stomach and it was confused...was it supposed to still be hungry? Was it supposed to go to sleep? Was the dairy going to be a problem? To growl or not to growl? 

Definitely not as dramatic as something my dairy-sensitive friends have gone through, but that's what I thought about while I was soothing my stomach before going to sleep. I added the milk to my hot chocolate, wary that it would upset my stomach. Whatever that feeling was, at least it allowed me to sleep. I was still hungry, seeing as the only solid food I had to eat was over 14 hours ago and it was the 'empty calories' of fast food, but at least I didn't have to contend with the gnawing hunger as I tried to sleep. I didn’t add a whole lot of milk into the hot chocolate, so it wasn’t enough to cause some major indigestion. Not sure if this happens to other people too, but I've found that when I sleep on a hungry stomach I wake up with a corner of my pillow in my mouth and a loud and cramping stomach demanding I fill it before it plays the 'nausea' card. I didn't want to spend my day off feeling hungry, nauseous, and contending with indigestion.

As always, feel free to send asks in talking about tummy stuff. If it hits my kinks or I like it, I'll post the reply. If you don't see it odds are either that tumblr ate it or I'm not really interested in it and I can't contact you to say that if you're on-anon. Sometimes I’ll let the ask sit in my inbox for a while until I figure out how I’ll respond to it. I tend to be hungry fairly often lately, so if you ever wanna just send a stab in the dark hunger-RP-esque ask that’s totally fine. I’m not too big on the idea of teasing with food or overly patronizing banter, but tummy-centric stuff like manual stimulation of my hungry tummy for the growls/sensations or some way to torture my aching guts is usually something I’m down for. Hands on a suffering stomach are a pretty steady craving whenever I fall into kink-feels.  Navel-stuff is rare to see, but definitely welcome too. 

[teamkaiforever]

BABY SISTER           - PART II

Kai Parker x Reader word count : 4 059 summary : continues the story from part I … note : apologies for taking so long. i hope you like it :) *not my gif _________________________________     “You really did it this time big brother.” sighed Y/N as they headed out of town through one of the back roads of Mystic Falls. “Did – did you do the same for Liv or?” Kai turned towards her with blank expression on his face. Thought had crossed his mind , he even had an extra vial with vampire blood when he went to see his baby sister but he hadn’t done it. Now he couldn’t stand seeing Y/N’s eyes so red and puffy , specially knowing he was the one who had caused it. Of all the people on this planet his baby sis was the last person he wanted to hurt.     “I did it again , didn’t I ?” he sighed. “I never wanted to cause you pain sis. You have to know that. It was the only way to for us both to be safe from our father. I promised you to protect you and I did exactly that. I’ll find a way to make it up to you.” Y/N sniffled looking at the road ahead. It was dark and the headlights were the only thing providing any light. Kai had avoided answering her question , which only confirmed what she already knew.     “A ‘sorry’ would be a nice start.” she mumbled. Kai placed his hand on her shoulder , making her turn towards him. His eyes had started to water and he looked like a lost puppy. Seeing Kai like this broke her heart all over again.     “I am sorry. I should’ve saved Liv she — she wasn’t that bad was she ?” he thought out loud. “Maybe one of your friends got to her and saved her. I hope someone did —” ___________________ THREE MONTHS LATER Living in New Orleans was a lot different than living in Portland. There were a lot more vampires and witches and even werewolfs than Y/N and Kai had originally thought. It didn’t take them long to meet the Originals and that turned Kai into the big overprotective brother after he realised all three brothers took quite the liking to his younger sibling. Ever since the first moment they saw his baby sister Elijah , Kol and Klaus started doing whatever they could to win her over. He would rarely leave them alone and often used magic to cloak himself and make sure they treat his baby sister properly or else.  To Y/N it felt weird at first since no one in her life had ever shown interest in her , specially not like that and definitely not in those proportions. Three months later the three brothers continued trying to win Y/N’s heart. Klaus would spend hours talking art with her and impressing her with his paintings while Elijah would show off with his book collection and knowledge about classical music. Kol wasn’t further behind - he had figured out Y/N likes all things witch related so he showed her all the dark objects , thought her how to make them and showed her his mother’s grimoars. Every time each of the brothers came up with something new and different , competing for her affections. Kai and Klaus became good friends after realising they had a lot in common - both their fathers had rejected them because they were born different. Both had had their parents call them an abomination and now they were hybrids , one of the few ones left in the world. They’d often go grab a bite together and get into trouble along with Kol. Elijah was more guarded than the rest of his siblings and Kai didn’t really connect with him but Y/N appeared to like him quite a lot because somehow they’d spend hours and hours together at the library - reading and listening to Bach and Mozart. Kai had no clue his baby sister likes that kind of music but he liked seeing her happy and spending time with the eldest of the Originals had a way to make her smile just with his presence. Kai still couldn’t figure out how that was possible. One Kol had tried to kiss Y/N and Kai had intervened unsure that’s what his sister wanted. He couldn’t understand why she was upset with him after that but she had explained to him that she feels something for the brother — and not just for him , which had confused Kai more than ever.       “What – how can you do that ?” he wondered. “Isn’t loving more than one person that way at the same time impossible ?  God , emotions are so confusing. I don’t think I’ll ever understand them.” Y/N sat next to Kai on her bed , wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Her big brother was learning to deal with emotions but still it was taking time. He was doing better every time but it appeared that just when he thought he got the hang of it - something surprised him.     “Actually it is but its confusing as hell. ” she laughed. “And what are you talking about? You are doing perfectly fine.” she said softly. “Look at me - I am a mess too when it comes to those things. I don’t know what do to or to say. My head is spinning 24/7 these days.” Kai laughed placing his hand on his sister’s. “You always know what to say sweet cheeks. I promise not to do that again , but - ” he sighed. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”     “I love you big brother.” she said kissing his cheek. “Come on , Klaus and Elijah are probably waiting for us. Elijah said he has a surprise for me. I wonder what it is.”     “Maybe another book?” said her brother , getting up from the bed. “I am worried about you sis - you spend so much time reading. When do you have fun?”     “Reading can be fun — and so is spending time with Elijah.” she said blushing a little.     “Wait – is he the other ? OH  sis. That would be awkward. Even I know that.” he muttered. “You know , I think Klaus has a thing for you ? He keeps asking me all sorts of things about you - whats your favourite dessert , your favourite colour. It’s annoying really. All he wants to talk about with me is you.” Y/N stared at her brother for a few moments , starting to laugh. “OH brother. I’m doomed.” A WEEKS LATER Kai sneaked into his sister’s room in their apartment. It was around 2AM on her birthday and since he had missed so many , he wanted to make up for them. He pushed the door open , carrying a plate with their favourite cupcakes , candles and a lighter in his pocket. Y/N had curled up on her bed sleeping. Years later he still saw his four year old sister laying there hugging her stuffed bear Beary. A small smile spread across his face and he took a few steps inside , sitting on the bed hiding the cupcakes behind his back.     “Wake up sweet cheeks.” he said smiling , lightly poking her in the shoulder. “Its your birthday. Waaakkeee uuuppp.” Y/N stirred in her sleep and he poked her again and again until she woke up. Her eyes opened slowly and then widened seeing the cupcakes with the candles lighting up. Kai couldn’t tear his gaze away - her eyes had lit up just like every time he had sneaked into her room when she as little.     “Happy Birthday sis.” said Kai. “Sorry , I just couldn’t wait until the morning. It’s been so long since I could say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you and I just - I am so excited. Ready to make a wish ?” Y/N looked at him with a wide smile on her face and closed her eyes blowing out the candles almost at once , making only one wish - for them to always be together. Kai grinned at her leaving the plate on the nightstand and wrapped his arms around her. Eighteen years worth of lonely birthdays , when only Jo cared enough to make something special for her and even that had been behind their father’s back. Now her entire world had fallen completely into place and she couldn’t be happier to spend this most special of days with her most favourite person in the world.     “I have the best brother in the world.” she smiled , feeling tears gathering in her eyes. “Can’t believe after all this time you still remembered my birthday.”     “And I can’t believe you didn’t say a word to me or to the Mikaelson’s about it.” teased Kai. “I promise to make this day the happiest most special one ever. There are 18 years worth of birthdays to make up for -”     “Just having you back is more than enough. I don’t need anything else.” she smiled feeling a tear roll down her cheek.     “Wh-why is there water pooling in your eyes? Wait – what is this called ? Happy crying ?” he asked. Y/N nodded. Kai wondered what her reaction would be at the end of the day after the big surprise. “Hey , maybe you are right ! I am getting better at this emotions thing. OH and there is something else , but you will have to wait for that till the morning. And — raspberries or strawberries ? Which ones you want on your birthday cake ?”     “Kai , I already told you I dont –”     “I am not taking 'no’ as an answer so - cake ?” Y/N sighed , yet another thing she and her brother had in common. “Okay. How about chocolate on top of chocolate with extra chocolate?” she said taking one of the cupcakes , swiping some of the frosting with her finger before taking a bite and getting frosting all over her face. “Mmmm … Tell me you made more of those.” Kai beamed at her , grabbing the tissue box near by her bed , cleaning up the frosting from her face.     “Every time sweet cheeks. How do you keep doing that?” he laughed. “And yes - I made you two dozens. Thought you might want more of them — and about that cake. Don’t you think that’s too much chocolate?”     “There is no such thing as 'too much chocolate’. You know that.” Y/N finished her cupcake and reached for another one while Kai looked at her with wide eyes and a grin on his face. The past few months hadn’t been easy for them and for a while after the wedding , Y/N hadn’t really been talking to him but eventually they had talked and worked things out. All they had was each other and their brother / sister bond only got stronger as time passed.     “Are you going to eat all of them without offering me one ?” teased Kai. Y/N laughed. “Cuz thats offensive. I spent like 2 hours making you those.”     “I thought it was my birthday.” she said serious for a moment watching her brother stare at her with an amused expression on his face. “They are not just for me , you know.” Kai reached for the plate but Y/N grabbed it and moved it out of his grasp , again and again each time he tried.     “This is payback , for what I did when Kol tried to kiss you isn’t it ?” Instead of falling asleep again , that night they spent talking and eating cupcakes. Y/N told him about the surprise dinner date Elijah had made for her the day before. The original vampire had turned their favourite room at the compound - the library - into a scene from a fairy tale. Twinkling lights had been hanging all around a small arch mixed with pastel colour flowers and there had been a young mad playing the violin standing near by. Out of all the Mikaelsons , Y/N shared the most special connection with the eldest and however she felt about his brothers , to her Elijah was the one. Y/N didn’t want to choose because she was worried it would draw a rift between the brothers and somehow break their bond - 'Always and Forever’. Though her heart had already chosen.     “I took pictures… when he wasn’t looking.” smiled Y/N , grabbing her phone from the night stand. “It was so romantic and he was absolutely the sweetest. And the way he looks at me — it makes me feel those butterflies I told you about and - ” Kai looked at the pictures , swiping one after the other while his sister kept talking. He still didn’t get this whole 'romance’ thing but what Elijah had done looked sweet and his sister apparently liked that sort of stuff. Y/N stopped talking seeing Kai’s face. Her brother was smiling but also looked a bit uncomfortable.     “This is weird , isn’t it ?” she sighed. “Me talking boys with you?”     “It’s a little — weird but what in our lives has been normal.” smiled Kai , kissing her forehead. “I know I am still new at that emotions stuff , but I just want you to be happy. If he makes you happy - then I am happy, but if he hurts you-”     “You are not taking on an original Kai.” she said serious. “ I don’t ever want to lose you again , okay. Plus Elijah would never hurt me but if he does - trust me , there is no way he is getting out unharmed.” Kai laughed under his breath. “I keep forgetting you are not a toddler anymore. I am making you that cake - what was it 'chocolate with chocolate with extra chocolate’? Though you are not allowed in the house when I do. I want it to be a surprise. You are going to love it !”     “I am sure that I will , since its you who made it.” she smiled. Y/N’s day went by as usual - she walked over to her favourite coffee place to get her chai latte and not too long after that Rebekah called about some friend emergency dragging her to the mall on a shopping trip. It was all super strange because somehow Rebekah decided to buy her  a full new closet and had insisted she changes at the mall into one of the white puffy dresses after somehow her outfit had gotten stained with coffee. When Y/N finally got home around 5PM her brother wasn’t there but there were traces of flour and melted chocolate in their kitchen.     “Oh-kay. So – where is the cake?” she wondered out loud , dropping the bags on the floor when her phone rang. Caller ID saying KAI. “Hey where are you —”     “Y/N –” groaned Kai. “ — something happened.”     “Kai ? Are you okay ? Where are you ?” she asked worried , already heading for the door. “Tell me now.”     “At the com-pound. Kol and I had a — little d-disagreement.” groaned Kai , “I can’t – there is a p-piece of wood in my chest c-close to my h-heart.”     “I’ll be there in a few seconds. Don’t move okay.” Y/N put her phone in her bag and ran outside , using her vampire speed to get to her brother. Of course he’d do something like that. Just a few hours ago she had specifically warned him not to take on an original and what does her brother do ? Take on an Original.  In moments like these she wondered who is the older sibling - she or her brother.     “Kai ? W-where are you?” she called out , walking in the compound wondering why it’s so dark in there. “I swear when I get my hands on you and Kol -”     “SURPRISE!!!” called out everyone - Klaus , Elijah , Kol , her brother , Rebekah , Freya , Hayley , Marcel , Josh — and a bunch of strangers she had never see in her life.     “W-what – h-ow ?” she stuttered. A moment later Kai wrapped his arms around her so tight , if she was a human he’d probably break a bone or – ten.  Y/N’s eyes kept darting all around the room - there were multi colour balloons everywhere , twinkling lights over head which somehow blinked like actual stars and a big 2 layer cake. Y/N could smell the chocolate all the way from the doors - and there was so much chocolate.     “Happy Birthdayyy !!” said Kai smiling widely. “OMG my baby sister is all grown up now. How did that happen ?” Y/N wrapped her arms around her brother , burying her face in the crook of his neck. How hadn’t she seen this coming? Was she really that distracted in thoughts about Elijah not to pick up on Kai’s tells ? He let go off her , placing his hands on her shoulders studying her face. Y/N was still in a startled haze unable to believe what was happening around her. Technically that was her first real birthday party and everything was so beautiful and perfect. Her gaze fell on Kai , noticing how his eyes sparkled and he looked nervous as if waiting for a tornado to hit or something.     “You are going to yell at me. Aren’t you?” said Kai smiling nervously looking at his baby sister. “I promised you the happiest , most special birthday – and voila.”     “I’m not – I’m not going to yell at you.” she said , punching him in the shoulder. “You scared the hell out of me. I thought I was going to lose you. How could you –” Kai grinned , lightly rubbing his shoulder. Nah , his sister wasn’t mad about the party. There wouldn’t be a smile from ear to ear on her face if she was.     “On the bright side — you had no idea this was going to happen right ? Rebekah didn’t spill about it today during your crazy shopping trip.”     “I haven’t spilled anything.” said Rebekah smiling hugging Y/N. “Happy Birthday Y/N.”     “T-thanks.” smiled Y/N , the next second Kol practically swept her off her feet and then Klaus almost knocked the air out of her lungs with his hug. Freya and Hayley congratulated her too , giving her a hug and then it was Elijah’s turn. He had been waiting for all his siblings to take their turn before him , so he can get the longest hug. As usual he was wearing a suit and he somehow looked hotter than ever with his sideways smile and that glow in his eyes.     “Happy Birthday Y/N.” he smiled pulling her into his embrace for a long hug , tucking in a strand of hair behind her ear right after. “You look so beautiful. A true vision. Would you do me the honnor of giving me the first dance for the night?” Y/N felt her cheeks flush , even more when her brother put his hands on her back pushing her to the dance floor with Elijah seeing how she had stopped breathing.  Kai knew if his little sister could speak she would say 'yes’. He watched Elijah place his hands on her waist while hers hooked around his neck , dancing to the slow song. His over protective side , as usual objected to anyone ever touching her but he pushed it aside because of her. A sigh left Kai’s lips and he grabbed a glass with champagne from one of the waitresses walking by.     “It’s so sweet , what you did for her.” said Rebekah , grabbing another one of the champagne glasses. “Look at her smile. Y/N is lucky to have you as a brother.”     “No. I am lucky to have her as a sister after everything.” replied Kai , looking at his glass with a small smile. “After all the awful things I did - killing our entire family…”     “You did it to protect her. Y/N told me about your father and everything. She understands why you did it.” smiled Rebekah placing her hand on Kai’s shoulder , kissing him on the cheek. “Do you want to dance ?”     “I um – I am not good at dancing.” he said awkwardly. “I’ll step on your foot or worse. It’s better if you ask Marcel –”     “I don’t want to dance with Marcel. I want to dance with you.” said Rebekah , taking his glass, leaving it on one of the empty trays before pulling him onto the dance floor. “Come on.” Y/N saw Kai and Rebekah getting onto the dance floor a few metres away from her and Elijah who hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her since the moment she had arrived. There was a small smile on his face and the way he was looking at her sent butterflies in her stomach like never before. They danced to two - three songs not really talking just gazing longingly into each other’s eyes until all of the sudden he took her hand and pulled her away from the crowd.     “Where are we going ?”     “Somewhere private.” he smiled at her , taking her up almost to the attic to the balcony overlooking the city. The sun had started to set and the sky was all shades of red to pink to purple with a few grayish hints from the clouds here and there. “Close your eyes.”     “Elijah wha-”     “Close your eyes.” he insisted , waiting for her to do as he asked. After she did , he whooshed himself into the small room next door getting her present. “Open.” Y/N opened her eyes finding her most favourite Original holding a medium sized box with a giant blue bow on it. She looked at Elijah who was smiling at her , his eyes sparkling like never before then at the box , pulling on the bow until it was untied , her excitement building up with each second. She wondered what could be inside. Carefully the girl opened the box under the excited stare of the vampire. Her eyes widened seeing what’s inside.     “OH MY GOD!” she covered her mouth with her hands. “Are those –”     “Yes. Original copies of all your favourite books and a couple of classical records I thought you might like.” said Elijah with a smile on his face. Y/N reached inside the box pulling out one of Dicken’s books - Great Expectations. He watched her trail the cover with her fingers , unable to stop smiling even more after Y/N opened the book and turned a few pages seeing a handwritten message from the author himself. “That one’s your favourite right?” Y/N nodded , smiling widely. “I - I don’t know what to say. This is the best present ever ! Thank  you.” Elijah left the box not too far away from them and Y/N practically tackled him with a hug. He wrapped his hands around her tightly gently stroking her hair. Up until that point she had had trouble saying anything about the way she felt but after this there was just no way she’d keep quiet anymore. Slowly she pulled away from the hug , looking up at the original.     “Elijah , I -” He brushed his palm against her cheek , gazing lovingly into her eyes. Y/N felt her heart about to leap out of her chest , even more so with the way he was leaning in towards her and was just about to kiss her. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and then their lips met in a gentle kiss , quite literally transporting her to cloud 9. Elijah’s hands remained on her waist , going slightly up but not too low being a true gentleman. Far too soon he pulled away and even after that gentle kiss Y/N felt completely breathless.     “Would you like to join me for an evening at the theatre?” asked Elijah resting his forehead on hers , smiling at her. His fingers gently brushing against her cheek while his eyes never left hers.     “Y-you mean like -”     “ - on our official first date.” he finished for her.     “I’d love to.” she smiled widely. “When?”     “Tomorrow?”     “Tomorrow sounds perfect.”     “Hey s-sorry to interrupt, but it’s time for the cake… and I need the birthday girl.” said Kai , popping his head through the door. Y/N looked at Elijah , still feeling his lips on hers and took her brother’s hand who pulled her down the stairs towards the party. “You are not going to hit me again right ? I waited until you two were done with the kissy bit and the other stuff. I - I know I said I wouldn’t interrupt those moments anymore but —”     “Sorry what ?” she asked suddenly not having a clue what her brother had said. Kai laughed under his breath. “Tell me you will explain this whole 'love’ emotion to me okay? I know that I love you but the whole romance thing of it all is a bit of a blur.” Y/N laughed. “Sure thing big bro.” MASTERLIST - SMUT MASTERLIST - FLUFF