#like it would have been cool if her admiration for him turned into mutual respect but for that the narrative would have to respect her sooo

[cloudcountry]

breaking the mold

Genre/Tropes: Mutual Pining if you squint very hard.

Summary: Vil has always been cast as the villain. With a new writer working with his club, he learns that not every director will see him that way.

Author's Comments: I wrote something similar to this for another character that was normally portrayed as a villain (2p!America cough cough) so it was kinda funny writing something like this again but I really enjoyed it!! Also, in Epel's SSR vignettes this club apparently doesn't have auditions? Vil just picks someone and is like "you're good" so I put Reader in that same role.

~~~~~

“For our next play, I’ve opted to let our newest member write it. They’ve proven themselves efficient at directing the stage crew and have shown me various samples of their writing.” Vil announced, locking eyes with you from in front of the small crowd of club members, “Come to the front, director!”

Murmurs swept through the crowd as you jumped up, rushing towards his side with a huge smile on your face. Vil looked upon your smiling face with pride, confident that he’d made the right choice. It only made you more motivated to please him.

“A new member? Writing for us?” someone muttered from the group, “That’s unheard of.”

“You must push boundaries to progress.” Vil responded, “I’ve made my choice. I only hope the rest of you are willing to give them a chance.”

“I won’t let you down!” you proclaimed, standing even straighter in hopes that the club would accept you.

“Let’s try it out. What’s the worst that could happen?” someone else said, “Besides, Vil will still be overseeing everything, Nothing will go wrong!”

Another murmur swept through the crowd as people started to nod. Vil turned to you with a small nod, and you knew exactly what he was trying to say.

They don’t believe you can do it by yourself. Prove them wrong.

👑

The next day, Vil walked into the small room the club had set aside for you. The table was cluttered with papers and pencils, and in the middle of it was you, writing down one last note before you looked up at him and beamed.

“So, how’s the cast list coming along?” he asked, trying to make sense of the messy writing scrawled over the papers nearest to him.

“I’m so glad you asked! I’m planning on casting you as the main character, of course.” you hummed, pouring over the script on the table, “I want to start off my first play with a bang, but you’re also the safest option because of your experience.”

Vil watched you work, scribbling down notes for the plot and little details you wanted added to the set. The passion and personalization you were giving to this production was admirable. Vil often had to remind his fellow club members to do exactly what you were doing when directing productions and designing sets. All of the actors and crew should be represented in their own special ways when on stage.

“Just so you know, I refuse to play a villain role. If you opted to play me in that role, perish the thought. I refuse.” he declared, pulling out the chair opposite of you and sitting down.

He was prepared for a barrage of complaints and reassurance. He was prepared for ‘but you’d do so well!’ and ‘it’s a great opportunity!’ and ‘what do you mean? Do it for the play!’ His agent’s voice echoed in his ears as he waited for your response, and he shook her away.

“Don’t worry, you’re not the villain. Not every hero is warm and soft, you know?” you laughed, shaking your head, “Heroes can be cool and tough too. If I wanted to write something with a wimpy hero I wouldn’t be casting you in the first place.”

You passed him the list of characters from across the table, pointing to the bright HERO title with stars doodled around it. His name was written in your all too familiar handwriting, a little smile stretching across the bottom of his name that used the two i’s as eyes.

“If this is your verdict, I’ll respect it.” he nodded, passing back to list.

“Oh, but you wouldn’t have if you were the villain?’ you snorted playfully, “I’m just kidding. I’m not here to write something cliche and stupid. I’m here to explore a side to heroes that the productions we’ve seen so far don’t want us to see.”

“Elaborate.” he said, lacing his fingers together on top of the table.

“All of the productions I’ve seen in Twisted Wonderland portray heroes as happy and soft and sweet. But heroes need to be smart and strong and resilient, you know? I don’t understand why people think those attributes are more villain-like. It’s like they want their heroes to be joyful and handsome instead of genuinely strong.” you met his gaze and beamed, “Not that you aren’t handsome. Obviously. You know how good looking you are.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere.” Vil rolled his eyes, gesturing for you to continue.

“Right, right. I’ll keep talking, Your Highness.” you snickered, scribbling a few more notes down on the character page, “I actually cast Rook as the villain this time around. I’m sure he’d be thrilled to share the stage with you. Also, doesn’t he have that dramatic villain vibe about him? I figured he’d be able to play the tyrannical king role pretty well.”

“You’re definitely right about that.” Vil nodded, lifting up the set design from your pile of papers, “Is there a particular reason why you chose the mirror to be here, in the corner?”

“Ooooh, I’m so glad you asked!” you nearly leapt across the table to look at the diagram with him, your hand resting on his arm for support, “You see, the tyrannical king ends up trapped in the mirror at the end of the play. I wanted to pay homage to the Evil Queen and her magic mirror while also giving the impression that the king’s punishment is a result of finally being cornered. He spends so much of the play in the middle of the stage, but once the hero and his allies find him he gets backed into that corner with no escape! He’s hidden away from the audience’s view and then the lights go out and boom! He’s trapped in the mirror for all eternity!”

“It’s very hard to come up with an original story, so I don’t blame you for referencing the Evil Queen.” Vil hummed thoughtfully, “However, are you sure the mirror design is your best work? If it’s truly a symbol to pay homage to the Evil Queen, will the audience get that message from this design?”

He handed the design back to you, watching as you poured over it. Your pursed lips slowly lifted into a smile as you jolted back into your chair, scribbling away at the paper once again.

“I got it now! This next one will be the one that knocks your socks off!” you proclaimed, waggling your pencil at him.

“I look forward to it.” he chuckled, leaning over to pat your head before leaving the room with a swish of his cloak.

You shot up in your chair, brushing a hand over where he had touched your hair. He really did know exactly how to motivate people, didn’t he?

👑

“Why did you cast Vil as the hero?” Epel asked, tilting his head as he read through the cast list.

“He’d be a lovely hero. That’s why.” you replied, waiting for the rest of the cast and crew to read over the list.

“That’s…an odd choice.” someone else piped up, “I mean, Vil is more suited to be a villain, you know?”

The group mumbled in agreement, nodding their heads. You furrowed your brow, holding back the twinge of annoyance in your chest.

“Do you want to have a play with a hero that’s soft and gentle? Or do you want a hero that’s tough and reliable? Do you want someone who only focuses on the princess, or a hero that rallies people together? Do you want a hero that nobody cares much about because they’re so vapid and uninteresting, or do you want a hero that everyone will remember because he’s the one that sent chills down their spine?!” you narrowed your eyes as the club listened, allowing you to explain yourself, “Vil is perfect for a hero role. It’s a disgrace that nobody has cast him in that role before.”

The room was silent for a moment before Epel sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

“If that’s what our director thinks, then I agree. They’re pretty convincing too, when they want to be.”

“Thank you, Epel.” your gaze softened as you relaxed, making sure to make eye contact with as many people as you could, “I’m willing to hear your input on this, but I’m not going to put Vil in a role that I think would be ill-suited for him.”

“I think Rook as the villain is a good casting choice.” Someone offered, “We’ve never seen him in a role like that before, but seeing you make that decision has made me curious.”

“Yeah! I know he’s in the science club, but there’s no way he’d pass up a chance to perform with Vil.” you nodded enthusiastically.

“He has no qualms about getting people not in his club to participate.” Epel mumbled, “I miss Spelldrive practice for one of his plays once…if I missed the play he would’ve killed me.”

“You were our main role, Epel. Our leading star. The play would have been ruined if you didn’t show up.” Vil replied, stepping into the room with grandeur.

“Housewarden!” Epel yelped, “How long were you there?”

“Don’t yell. I’ve been here the whole time.” his eyes flickered to yours, gratitude in his eyes, “I heard your discussion about the roles. I’m glad we’re all in agreement.”

“I’ll run them by Rook later.” you shot up out of your seat, gathering your papers quickly, “I still have to finalize that mirror design, and then I’ll show you that too. Let me know what you think!”

“Wait.” he placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, eyes only for you as everyone else filed out, “I want you to stay back for a moment.”

“Hmm? What for?” you asked.

“I want to talk to you. That’s all. Do I need a reason?” he replied, a challenge clear in his tone.

“Of course not, handsome.” you laughed, sitting back down, “What did you want to talk about?”

“I wanted to show you my gratitude.” he began, sitting in the chair beside you, “You have been the only person that has bothered to take my thoughts into consideration. It’s such a simple thing, but since you are the first to show me such thoughtfulness, I feel the need to let you know the impression you’ve made on me.”

“It’s no big deal at all! I just did what I thought would fit you best.” you stumbled over your words, face warming at the praise.

Since when did Vil praise you for silly things like that?!

Amused by your reaction, he laughed. How was one man so pretty? His hair fell into his eyes before he brushed it away, meeting your gaze again. You swallowed thickly, nerves twisting in your stomach.

“I trust you will do your best.” he said, hands clasped in his lap, “I believe in you.”

With that said, he left, leaving your mouth hanging open in shock.

If Vil Schoenheit wanted you to focus, he’d need to stop praising you like that.

👑

The day of the play was fast approaching as you watched over the rehearsals. The costumes had come together a while ago and the set had been built completely. The paint crew was still touching up on little details of the castle and mirror, each golden swirl and apple motif painted with extra care. Some of the club members that had worked on the set even picked up a paintbrush for the production. It warmed your heart to see everyone try so hard for the sake of you and your production. Even Epel came in to work hard when he didn’t have Spelldrive practice, his painted apples shining more radiantly than anyone else’s. Before you knew it, the show was being performed for any NRC students that wanted to attend. You extended personal invitations to all of your friends, making sure Malleus in particular had the date memorized so he could see your vision come to life. Cater had spammed his Magicam feed with promotional posters for the show, and Vil had also done some advertising to a lesser extent. The nerves were starting to settle in as you watched the people file into the theater, the low rumbling of conversation making your stomach do flips. Pacing around, you took deep breaths as your heart pounded. Today was the day of your debut as a director for Vil Schoenheit and the entire Film research Club. You only hoped you could do him and the rest of his club justice.

“You’re up.” Vil said from behind you, resting a hand on your shoulder, “I know you’re nervous, but you’re ready for this. I would not let you walk out on that stage if I didn’t think you were one hundred percent ready.”

“Thank you, Vil.” you smiled, hands shaking as they took the mic from the nearby stand, “I’ll…I’ll go break a leg out there.”

His eyes shone with affection as he offered you a smile, gently pushing you into the bright lights of the stage.

You blinked as your eyes adjusted to the new lighting, a chorus of cheers and whoops erupting from the crowd. Your stomach twisted itself into an even bigger knot as the darkened blurs wriggled and twitched with movement, but you reminded yourself of Vil’s words and breathed deeply.

“Thank you all for coming out tonight!” you said, putting the biggest smile you could on your face.

The sentiment was met with another round of applause and a loud yell of “THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND,” which you could only assume came from Ace.

“Thank you, thank you! Um…” you clutched the microphone tightly as the applause died down, taking in another deep breath, “This is my first time producing a play with the film research club. Being a director has been hectic, but it has also been very rewarding. As you all know, I got to work with the amazing Vil Schoenheit on this project-”

An even bigger applause erupted from the crowd at the mention of his name, to which you responded by looking backstage for him. He was standing just behind the curtain, a smile on his face as he listened.

“I know, I adore him too. He spent hours and hours with me, pushing me to do my best on set design and costumes and storytelling. He wanted me to make this play personal, and because of that, there are bits of him in the story, too.” you stopped to take a breath, the audience silent as you continued, “Thank you all for coming out tonight to support the work we do. Without further ado, I present to you, Poison’s Heir!”

The audience burst into applause again as you rushed off stage, waving to everyone that had come to watch your show.

“You did so well.” Vil whispered as the lights dimmed, “Now go take a breather. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Break a leg.” you whispered back, beaming at him.

👑

The second the auditorium doors were opened after everyone had taken their final bow, you were jumped on by Ace, Deuce, and Grim. A strangled yelp escaped your throat as you begged them to let you go, but they refused.

“You never told me you wrote in your spare time!” Ace yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at you, “I can’t believe you wrote something like that and didn’t tell us! What is wrong with you?!”

“It was really good, Prefect.” Deuce said, looking at you with stars in his eyes, “I’m so impressed, it must have taken so much work to build everything.”

“That’s why you kept sneaking off! That’s why you had all those late nights! Why didn’t you tell me?!” Grim grabbed your leg and shook it vigorously.

“I wanted it to be a surprise!” you yelped, shaking them off, “I’m surprised you guys even came!”

“Of course we did! You always come to my basketball games and I know you go to Deuce’s track meets too! Don’t act like it’s a burden for us to show up!” Ace crossed his arms over his chest and glared, pouting like a child.

“Hello, Child of Man.” Malleus interrupted, appearing behind you unexpectedly, “That was a lovely production.”

“Hornton!” you jumped, placing a hand over your heart, “You scared me! Don’t just teleport behind people like that!”

“But I didn’t.” he mumbled, a confused look on his face, “I just walked up to you.”

“Ah. My bad. I was occupied.” you sighed, smiling at him, “I’m glad you liked it!”

“I brought you this.” he hummed, presenting you with a bundle of orange roses, “I was told by Lilia that directors and cast members of plays often receive flowers after a play as a show of appreciation. He stressed that I should not give them to you before the play, since I would be bestowing bad luck upon you.”

“Dude, we so got one upped!” Ace quipped, but you ignored him.

“Aww, thank you so much.” you gasped, gratefully accepting the flowers from his arms, “They’re beautiful. I’ll be sure to treasure them for as long as they live.”

“Don’t worry, Child of Man. I’ve enchanted them so that they will not die.” he smirked, “You don't even have to water them. Those flowers will remain stationary, halted in time, just like the memory of your first production in my mind.”

You almost cried with how moved you were, but settled for giving him a huge hug. He returned it, holding your gently before he gave you a final smile and moved on.

The next person to throw themselves on you was none other than Cater.

“Hon!” Cater screeched, throwing his arms around you dramatically, “Oh, that was a gorgeous production! I wish I could have recorded it!”

“Thank you so much!” you laughed, wrapping your free arm around him to hug him back.

“Would you mind taking a picture with me? I’d absolutely love a photo of the director themself!” he begged, hands itching to grab his phone and take as many pictures as possible.

“Of course you can.” you pulled away, putting on another one of your director smiles.

Cater whipped out his phone and took a bunch of quick pictures, trying out a few different angles. You felt your crowd pleasing smile grow into a genuine one as your face warmed, feeling all the love all of your friends were sending to you.

“You don’t mind if I post these to Magicam, right?” he asked.

“You ask every time Cater. My answer is always no. I don’t mind at all!” you laughed, thankful he’d go through the effort of checking every time.

“I just want to be sure! I’ll send you the ones I want to post just so you can go through them.” he said, pulling you in for one last hug, “Great job, hon. I’m so proud of you.”

The crowds slowly died down as time went on, and the club was finally allowed the step back into the auditorium. That’s where you found Vil, standing by the doorway in his costume.

“I was waiting for you.” he said, hooking his arm through yours and pulling you away from the group, “Come with me.”

You allowed him to lead you outside into the cool night air. He sat down on a nearby bench and gestured for you to do the same.

“So how many flowers did you get?” you asked, still clutching the orange roses to your chest.

“I received many flowers from adoring fans.” he said matter of factly, “But that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

“What is it?” you asked, scooting closer.

“Magicam. The production is blowing up.” he murmured, unlocking his phone and pulling up his Magicam feed.

You watched as he scrolled through post after post of happy, celebratory photos, all tagged with #Poison’sHeir. Your heart warmed at the display and the fact that Vil had taken the time to show it to you.

“I dare say your first show was a success. I’m looking forward to the next one you direct.” he chuckled, expression soft and caring, “I’d love to work with you again.”

Pride welled up in your chest at his words, the knowledge that this would not be your last show and that you’d impressed him enough to earn his praise forcing a wobbly smile to bloom across your face.

“Wait…Vil, is that Neige?” you gasped, the laughter catching in your throat as the moment was shattered.

His nose wrinkled in displeasure as he rapidly scrolled away from the post.

“Don’t pay attention to him-”

“Noooo, Vil! I wanted to see his post!”

“Stop trying to take my phone-!”

[geotjwrs]

Can I request a platonic Jenna x male reader where r is a writer and like one of his screenplays like gets picked up and Jenna stars in it and they both realise each other are incvled in project and just a sweet look into their friendship?

invisible string

Pairings ; Jenna Ortega x Male!Reader

Warning/s ; none

Y/N had always dreamt of becoming a screenwriter. From the days spent scribbling stories in his worn-out notebooks to the nights staying up late typing away on his laptop, he poured his heart and soul into every word. It was his passion, his escape, and now, finally, it seemed to be paying off. One of his screenplays had been picked up by a major production company. The excitement was overwhelming, but nothing prepared him for the shock of finding out who would be starring in his film: Jenna Ortega.

Jenna and Y/N had met a few years back at a film festival. They had hit it off immediately, bonding over their mutual love for cinema and storytelling. Despite their busy schedules, they had kept in touch, exchanging messages and occasionally catching up over coffee whenever they found themselves in the same city. Their friendship was a comforting constant in Y/N's ever-changing life.

When Y/N received the news, he couldn't believe his luck. He was both thrilled and nervous about the project, especially with Jenna being involved. He knew how talented she was, and having her bring his words to life was an incredible honor.

The first day on set was a whirlwind of activity. Crew members buzzed around, setting up equipment, adjusting lighting, and preparing for the day's shoot. Y/N arrived early, wanting to soak in every moment of this experience. As he walked onto the set, he spotted Jenna talking to the director. She looked radiant, her enthusiasm contagious as she animatedly discussed her character.

"Y/N!" Jenna called out, her face lighting up with a bright smile as she saw him.

"Jenna!" Y/N replied, grinning as he walked over to her.

They hugged tightly, both of them laughing with excitement. "I can't believe you're here!" Jenna exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "When they told me about the project, I had no idea it was your screenplay. This is amazing!"

"I know, right? It's like a dream come true," Y/N said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't wait to see you bring the character to life."

"Well, I promise to do your words justice," Jenna said, her tone sincere. "Your script is incredible, Y/N. It's one of the best I've read in a long time."

"Thank you, Jenna. That means a lot coming from you," Y/N replied, feeling a warm sense of pride.

As the days turned into weeks, Y/N spent a lot of time on set, observing and learning. He was amazed at how Jenna immersed herself in her role, bringing depth and nuance to the character he had created. They often found themselves discussing scenes, bouncing ideas off each other, and refining the dialogue.

Their friendship deepened during this time, built on mutual respect and admiration. They shared countless moments of laughter, inside jokes, and even some late-night brainstorming sessions when inspiration struck. Jenna's dedication and talent inspired Y/N, and he felt grateful to have her as both a friend and a collaborator.

One evening, after a long day of shooting, Y/N and Jenna found themselves sitting on the steps of her trailer, sipping coffee and enjoying the cool breeze. The set was quiet, most of the crew having left for the day.

"You know," Jenna said, breaking the comfortable silence, "I'm really proud of you, Y/N. You've come a long way since we first met."

Y/N smiled, looking down at his coffee cup. "Thanks, Jenna. I couldn't have done it without your support."

Jenna nudged him playfully. "Don't sell yourself short. You've got talent, and you work hard. You deserve all the success that's coming your way."

"Well, it helps to have amazing friends like you," Y/N said, meeting her gaze.

They sat there for a while, enjoying each other's company and the sense of accomplishment that came with seeing their hard work come to fruition.

As the filming progressed, Y/N and Jenna continued to support each other, both on and off set. They celebrated the small victories, like nailing a difficult scene or receiving positive feedback from the director. They also leaned on each other during the tough times, offering encouragement and reassurance.

One particularly challenging day, when everything seemed to be going wrong, Jenna found Y/N sitting alone in a quiet corner of the set, looking stressed.

"Hey," she said softly, sitting down next to him. "You okay?"

Y/N sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Just feeling overwhelmed, I guess. It's a lot of pressure."

Jenna put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know it's tough, but you're doing an amazing job. Remember why you started this journey. Your passion and talent brought you here, and you've got a whole team behind you."

Y/N looked at her, feeling a surge of gratitude. "Thanks, Jenna. I needed that."

"Anytime," she replied with a warm smile. "We're in this together, remember?"

As the final days of shooting approached, there was a bittersweet feeling in the air. The cast and crew had become like a family, and it was hard to believe that their time together was coming to an end. On the last day of filming, emotions ran high as they wrapped up the final scene.

After the director called "Cut!" for the last time, there was a moment of silence before the set erupted into cheers and applause. Y/N felt a mix of relief, pride, and sadness as he looked around at the people who had brought his vision to life.

Jenna made her way over to him, her eyes shining with tears. "We did it," she said, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Yeah, we did," Y/N replied, his voice choked with emotion.

As they stood there, surrounded by their friends and colleagues, Y/N realized how much this experience had meant to him. Not just because of the success of his screenplay, but because of the incredible journey he had shared with Jenna. Their friendship had been a source of strength and inspiration, and he knew it would continue to be, no matter where their careers took them next.

In the weeks that followed, Y/N and Jenna kept in touch, their bond stronger than ever. They celebrated the film's success together, attending premieres and interviews, always supporting each other. Despite their busy schedules, they made time for their friendship, knowing how important it was.

One evening, as they sat on a rooftop terrace, looking out over the city lights, Jenna turned to Y/N with a thoughtful expression. "You know, this is just the beginning for you. I can't wait to see what you come up with next."

Y/N smiled, feeling a sense of excitement and possibility. "And I can't wait to see you in your next role. You're going to keep amazing audiences, Jenna."

They clinked their glasses, toasting to the future and to their enduring friendship. As they sat there, talking and laughing, he would always have Jenna by his side.

And that, he realized, was the greatest gift of all.

[is-on-its-way]

In the name of the Father, the Skeptic and the Son

Episodes: One Son/ Two Fathers

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Epilogue

·˚ ༘ ༊*·˚·˚ ༘ ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟﾟ･༘ ☾･ﾟ⋆･ﾟ:⋆·˚ ༘ ˚·˚·༊ ༘ ˚·⋆:ﾟ･⋆ﾟ･*☾ ༘⋆:ﾟ･⋆ ☾ ༘ ˚·˚·*༊ ༘ ˚·

Chapter 4:  I don't wanna be a bandage if the wound is not mine

She had been fighting every impulse to start jogging down the street and away from him since he’d sat down next to her in skinners office.

·˚ ༘ ༊*·˚·˚ ༘ ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟﾟ･༘ ☾･ﾟ⋆･ﾟ:⋆·˚ ༘ ˚·˚·༊ ༘ ˚·⋆:ﾟ･⋆ﾟ･*☾ ༘⋆:ﾟ･⋆ ☾ ༘ ˚·˚·*༊ ༘ ˚·

She shouldn’t have said what she’d said. She shouldn't have said a lot of things, but the thoughts had erupted out of her as if keeping them hidden wasn’t an option. She’d felt a dire need for Mulder to understand, because he obviously didn’t. She wanted desperately for him to get it; to get her, the way he had seemed to so effortlessly before Diana. No. If she was honest, it was Antarctica that had done it, it was telling him she was giving up on him and crossing the threshold of something that had threatened between them for years in his hallway, only to be interrupted by the reminder of this path they were on together. Diana had just been a catalyst for her fears to manifest themselves.

She’d spent the last four days deep cleaning her apartment and going on jogs for the first time in her life trying unsuccessfully to calm her mind. She’d been unable to sit still since she’d told Mulder working with him was personal for her. The end result was the same though, chaos in her mind. Only, her entire body was now sore.

They had sent in their report detailing what had happened in the hangar and the events leading up to it. Mulder had emailed her his summary and she’d filled in the parts that were missing from her account before sending it back. He let her know when he’d sent it to Kersh, and after that he’d left her alone like she’d requested. 

And now she had been so needlessly mean. So insane it was a wonder Mulder had agreed to get in the car with her at all. She felt shame cooling her skin and making her shiver. She was an expert at running away, had never been one to bare her soul to anyone, never one to open up. Or ask for what she wanted in a relationship.  She was terrible at it.

It was always the man who would chase after her, would profess his undying love, who would revere her as if she were a marble statue in the Louvre. And like a statue she’d never had to work for it. She had liked it that way. It felt safe and easy. But it was also hollow and empty she’d come to realize. Five and a half years with someone, who she knew saw her in a way no man had before had altered her expectations for what partnership could be. 

She felt turned upside down with Mulder. They had had a relationship up until now based in a mutual respect and admiration of each other that eclipsed every relationship she’d had. He wasn’t one to act upon a desire or chase her, not in the way she was used to. He’d give small hints. He’d give big hints sometimes. But he never chased her, as if she were some prize to be won. Instead he had a quiet steady way of respecting and valuing her and her opinion. It was terrifying. It was exhilarating. She couldn't live without it. 

It felt like the bottom had dropped out of her world then, when he had so hostilely rejected What she knew was right. Information directly tying Diana to the people who had hurt so many women, and had left her one of the last still standing, bruised and broken.

She looked out the passenger seat window, elbow resting on the sill, hand propping up her cheek. A couple crossed the street hand in hand. They were older, the woman had long grey hair flowing down her back and was smiling at him. The man was well lined and well dressed and speaking to her as if she were the only thing in the universe. Scully’s eyes followed them as they crossed and she teared up with nostalgia for a life she’d never lived. 

For a life she thought she’d have when she was in elementary school. A husband, children, a nice house, maybe a dog. Everything would be easy. Her husband would look at her like that man was looking at that woman. Sometimes she caught Mulder looking at her like that, when she walked into a room, or when she came up with a theory that closely matched his own or when she ate especially messily, sometimes even when she disagreed with him on a case. 

She turned her head so he wouldn’t see the tears welling in her eyes.

·˚ ༘ ༊*·˚·˚ ༘ ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟﾟ･༘ ☾･ﾟ⋆･ﾟ:⋆·˚ ༘ ˚·˚·༊ ༘ ˚·⋆:ﾟ･⋆ﾟ･*☾ ༘⋆:ﾟ･⋆ ☾ ༘ ˚·˚·*༊ ༘ ˚·

They parked in the parking lot and made their way into the austere art deco building. The facade looked like a skyscraper knocked on its side. They showed their badges at the front desk and were directed to a bank of elevators which they rode to the fifth floor. They made their way to number 556 and knocked. 

The door swung open and a pretty woman with wild, curly, dirty blonde hair opened it. She was dressed in jeans and a baggy t-shirt with Birkenstock sandals and wooly socks. She was a bit taller than Scully, curvy and exuded an air of easy composure. She would’ve looked more suitable, standing on a bluff, surfboard under her arm.

“Hey you guys!” She said “Come in” she motioned them inside with an airy wave of her hand. “Apologies for my outfit, we were called in last minute to get you both up to speed.” 

“No problem” Scully said motioning to her outfit as well and the two women smiled at each other. Im agent Dana Scully, this is…”

“Agent Fox Mulder, yeah I know” she smiled at them both. “Its really nice to meet you both, we’ve heard so much.” She leaned in to shake their hands, one hand kept in her back pocket. “Agent Stella Grey” 

Scully smiled at her. On any other day she might’ve found this agents knowledge of Mulder’s name perturbing but she had been fighting every impulse to start jogging down the street and away from him since he’d sat down next to her in skinners office.

Agent Grey led them into the vast warehouse space. Yellowing wide plank wood floors creaked underneath them. Light was streaming in through the wall of giant glass windows, illuminating a fog of dust swirling through the air. There were rows of storage and racks full of clothing in plastic dry cleaner bags. Old wooden tables lined the other wall. It looked as if the space had been built in 1940 and never updated except for the clothing and people inside it. 

Savage Garden played softly from a radio on one of the tables. A man stood over it looking down at paperwork. He was relatively tall, Mulder had a few inches on him but the man wasn't as lanky. He had curly black hair cut close to his head, and his well muscled torso was apparent through his long sleeve shirt. He looked up as they approached. 

“Hi, you must be agents Scully and Mulder” He shook their hands. “Agent Emmanuel Ramirez. We’re glad to have you guys on our case, you’ll probably have more answers for us than Agents Spender or Fowley were willing to provide.” He spoke with a slight New York lilt.

Mulder cocked his head to the side and Scully raised her eyebrows. 

The other agents shared a glance.

“You’ll have to excuse our confusion, people usually tend to regard us with a certain…”

“Distain” Scully finished for Mulder and he glanced at her, nodding.

“Well, we’ve seen some things in New York that would probably leave you with a few questions and concerns.” Agent Grey said airily.

Mulder smirked. “ I believe it.”

“Well theres usually explanations for things that seem unexplainable at first.” Scully said shifting uncomfortably feeling like they might be the butt of the joke in a moment.

“And you report these things in writing to your superiors?” Mulder asked. Intrigued by these agents, but openly skeptical.

“Right. The thing is, while we have seen some things, we aren’t really interested in rocking the boat. Just trying to do our jobs and keep the evil out of society, however it may… present itself.” Agent Ramirez said sharing a glance with his partner. 

“Right” Mulder said tightly. 

“So, be selective with the information we put in our reports?” Scully asked.

“Well we try to be diplomatic about what we share with the higher ups. We like to stay employed, you know how it is…” Grey said. 

They both grimaced, answering “Yeah” 

Agent Grey said “That doesn’t mean we aren’t very excited to get the infamous Mulder and Scully on our case. Agents Spender and Fowley just weren’t prepared for what this is, Spender especially seemed to think we were pulling his leg.”

Agent Ramirez added “You two have the know how we need so you aren’t out there taking unnecessary risks.” 

“We’ll be going to New York?” Scully asked.

“No luckily for you we’ll be at the St Regis here in DC” Agent Ramirez said.

“The group we’re investigating is coming for a… meeting, if you will, with a group here in DC” Agent Grey added. 

“Don’t tell me its the mob.” Mulder said exasperated. 

“Right in one” Ramirez said touching his nose. 

Mulder scoffed. “What could possibly be so unexplainable about a bunch of trigger happy Italian cheats?”

Ramirez motioned to the table and everyone sat. 

We’ve been investigating a series of deaths. They’re… especially heinous. 

Agent Grey handed out folders with autopsy reports and photos. They opened them on the table to share and were hit with gruesome crime scene photos. Eyes cut out, bodies in parts, eviscerations. 

Mulder leaned back in his chair and pushed the evisceration photos away. Scully rifled through the rest of the similarly violent reports, mildly interested. 

“The victims are all people who had associations with a particular guy. Sonny Cusano.” He handed Mulder his file. “All of them crossed him or got on his bad side in some way.”

“So how does this tie into the x files?” Mulder asked.

“Well… Cusano’s dead.” 

Agent Ramirez fished around on the table looking for something. Agent Grey handed him a medical file and he said “Gracia loca” in a way that said ‘loca’ was his pet name for her, before continuing.

He died of a…” he glanced at the page she’d handed him “ruptured aortic aneurysm in June. The murders only started in July.”

“So someone close to him has been carrying out revenge for him. Not uncommon in that world” Scully said looking up.

“Thats the thing. Everyone is scared. One guy even called us and requested protection. The people we have on record swear up and down no one has been tasked to carry out any orders. And some of these guys are high up.”

Mulder scoffed “The mob isn’t what it used to be, huh. What happened to honour among thieves? They’re not supposed to be talking to the feds.”

Agent Grey cracked a smile. “Actually theres a long history of mob, US government cooperation. Especially during WWII.”

Mulder gave a non committal grunt. This wasn’t his wheelhouse. “So he faked his death.”

“We thought of that too but uh, we exhumed the body to make sure. Or should I say the coffin. There was no body, but there was decay… the M.E. called it putrefaction.” Agent Ramirez said.

Scully furrowed her brow.

One victim was found still breathing, Anthony Mesano,” Agent Grey pointed to a folder that lay open. “His last words were apparently, ‘It was Cusano.’”

Mulder sat up, interested now. 

Scully said “No bones were found in the coffin?”

“No nothing. Except staining on the inside matching Cusano’s DNA.”

Scully’s eyebrows knit. “Someone dug him up?”

“Maybe. The ground wasn’t disturbed from what we could see. Who knows.” Ramirez shrugged. “I just know something fucky is going on.”

Agent Grey added “Since July the murders have continued steadily on the new moon of each month. There have been sometimes two or three murders in a night. But only at the new moon.”

“I see the new moon and the new moon sees me” Scully said absentmindedly.

Mulder looked at her questioningly.

“It’s an Irish saying. The new moon is important to many cultures. The Irish saw the new moon as protector and would pray to it in pagan times. Even today there are superstitions of prosperity, or predictions of the weather, or future husbands through prayer to it. 

In the Japanese shinto religion the new moon is a time for wishes. In roman times the new moon represented the maiden goddess, virginal, a rebirth. 

Many cultures see the new moon as a battle between the gods or goddesses for control over the sun or the sky. 

Other cultures saw it as a time of evil, bad luck and death. In India its associated with the invocation of evil spirits and asking favours to curse enemies.” 

She finished and realized everyone was looking at her. Ramirez and Grey with interest and surprise and Mulder with that look she’d seen the old man give his smiling wife.  

She glanced around and shrugged. “I like the moon.” 

Mulder pulled his eyes away from her and asked “Was he buried during the new moon?”

“Umm let me look. Why?” Ramirez said looking in a stack of files.

“Its known to be bad luck to bury a body at the new moon.”

 “Buried July 23. Loca, can we look up a lunar calendar on that thing. He motioned to the IBM laptop on the table.”

“Sí cattivello” she answered in an Italian accent as she sat at the computer.

Scully smiled at their pet names for each other. She didn’t know what ‘cattivello’ meant but she was sure it was just as sweetly insulting as ‘loca’.

“It could be strigoi, troubled spirits who are said to rise from the grave. They can transform into animals, or become invisible. Were any of the victims drained of some or all of their blood?”

“Not that we are aware.” Answered Ramirez.

“Hmm” 

“So you guys really believe in this stuff?” Ramirez asked genuinely interested

“Well it might be hokey to label things you encounter after mythology, but it doesn't make these things any less real.” Mulder said.

“Some of these cases can be easily explained with scientific fact.” Scully added again

“And the others?”

“Science hasn’t caught up with some of whats possible yet.” Scully pursed her lips, glancing at Mulder “And sometimes, what seems like something impossible is just, humanity being well… human.”

She could feel Mulder’s eyes on her but she chose not to look, not to view the disappointment she knew would be there.

Agent Grey inhaled sharply, “July 23rd was a new moon.” She looked around the table at them.

“What about possession, Scully” Mulder said “Like the dybbuk from Jewish mythology? Or Italian folk magic spirit possessions are not uncommon, which would tie into these guys… Italian-ness”

“Mulder” Scully said quietly glancing at the pair of agents.

Mulder continued in that familiar tone he took when she was being skeptical. “Nearly every culture on earth has mythology related to possession, Scully. Lemures in Italian mythology are the vengeful spirits of those not afforded proper burial, or affection by their loved ones. Maybe this guy was buried on an unlucky new moon, turned into one of those things, and is possessing someone or doing the work himself to get revenge on those who hurt him.”

“Maybe we should discuss this in private first.” Scully said looking at him, then glancing at the agents.

Agent Ramirez put his hands up “Hey, my abuelitas each had their own bruja superpowers even if they were devout catholics in their own minds.”

Agent Grey smirked. “You’ll find our backgrounds directly inform our willingness to be open minded.”

Mulder nodded at them appreciatively.

“Im sure any of these things are possible, but we cant rule out this man has just faked his death to get revenge on his associates for some slights he perceived.” Scully said determined to make her point. It felt like swimming up a waterfall with so many people so open to impossible possibilities.

“What about, you know… vampires” Ramirez asked.

“Its not vampires” they both said in unison. The agents raised their eyebrows in answer.

Scully finished “at least not from what you’ve told us so far” She cleared her throat remembering their misadventures in Texas. Mulder scratched his forehead, preoccupied.

“Whatever the case may be, we’re determined to catch whatever or whomever is doing this, this new moon.” Agent Ramirez said.

“Saturday evening.” Agent Grey clarified. “The Italian mob is meeting the Greek mafia at the Astor ballroom for some… business discussions. They’re throwing an auction with other activities, gambling etcetera.” 

Agent Ramirez added “We’re not there to get them for the gambling, our priority is to find this killer.”

“And they’re okay with you doing this?”

“The head of one of the families knows and has invited us to be there in the ballroom. Obviously we’re not invited to the closed door meeting.”

Mulder sighed. Scully looked at the agents reading their faces. This seemed like walking into a room with a bomb in it.

“A couple of his connections will be there. One of the last people we’ve been keeping an eye on who refuses to come under FBI protection is Cusano’s widow.”

“Lucia Lombardi” Grey said handing them her file. She pronounced the c like a ch.

They put their elbows on the table as they both looked down at her file. She had a timeless beauty about her. Black hair cascading in waves, down her shoulders, framed a heart shaped face adorned with high cheekbones and a fine jawline with a small pointy chin. Honey brown eyes seemed to glow from an upturned sultry gaze. She had a perfect pout, colored in blood red lipstick.

“They call her the red widow. On account she wears red to each of her husbands funerals.” Agent Grey said

“Each?” Scully said “How many have there been?”

“Four and counting. But this time she’s claimed she’ll never marry again.”

“Yeah right” Scully said under her breath and Agent Grey laughed. 

“So what do you guys need us for?” Mulder asked.

“Okay so this is were you guys come in. We’re well known to a bunch of people in the organization and we don’t want to be a distraction since we only have the invite of one person. We need you to be in the room keeping an eye on things, well be in a side room with the rest of the team, Agents Vince and Thomas will be out in the hall with you’s too, keeping an eye out”

“An eye out… for the ghost of Cusano?”

“For anything.”

“Won’t they know right away we aren’t mob?” Scully asked

“Its an open invitation auction. Well, open to more than just mob anyway. The business dealings are just part of the festivities.”

“Obfuscation.” Mulder said

“Exactly.”

“Now about the outfits.” Agent Ramirez continued “Agent Mulder you’ll need a suit and over coat. They’re wearing fitted knee length overcoats and thin knot thick ties with matching pocket squares. We have some options picked out you can try on.”

Mulder nodded and kept reading the reports in front of him. It seemed he’d decided he was interested in this case after all.

Agent Grey got up “I didn’t want to bring out anything until I saw you, whats your dress size? 

Scully glanced at the men and then said “Four, usually.” 

“Shoe size?” 

“Seven”

“Perfect, let me get the some of the things we picked” She disappeared into the racks of clothing.

“Loca, no elige el rojo, trae los negro. Combinará mejor con su pelo rojo.” He said in rapid spanish, glancing at Scully’s hair. She guessed what he was saying from the look.

“Chiaramente. Non sono tonto” she called back.

He grinned at this and looked down. 

“You both speak multiple languages?” Scully asked him.

“Well I’m Puerto Rican. Quintessential New Yorker” He laughed “Stella is just really good at learning languages, but she was sent to Italy to her nona every summer so the Italian comes natural, she teaches me.” He said proudly.

Scully looked at his appreciation for his partner and a pang hit her in the stomach.  

Stella came back holding a bunch of hangers and a box of shoes. She motioned to Scully, “Come on we can try things on over here.” She led Scully to the only bathroom and handed her the first dress. 

“I can alter things so if its too big thats okay. Just let me see once your in it.”

“Just come in with me, it’ll go faster.” Scully said and the women disappeared with the pile of dresses into the bathroom.”

·˚ ༘ ༊*·˚·˚ ༘ ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟﾟ･༘ ☾･ﾟ⋆･ﾟ:⋆·˚ ༘ ˚·˚·༊ ༘ ˚·⋆:ﾟ･⋆ﾟ･*☾ ༘⋆:ﾟ･⋆ ☾ ༘ ˚·˚·*༊ ༘ ˚·

An hour and a half later they stood in front of the elevator both having picked out outfits and been fitted by Agent Grey. She pushed the elevator button and Mulder nudged her arm with his elbow. 

“Do you think they’re..?”

Scully raised her eyebrow.

Mulder made a passive face, asking for her opinion.

“Maybe, maybe not. It feels unfair to speculate when everyone gossips about us behind our backs though.”

“They do?” Mulder said in surprise. “What do they say?”

“Only what I’ve heard when I’ve been in a toilet stall, or rounding the corner to the break room. Nothing Im sure you haven't heard or seen yourself, you know, when people shut up when you walk into a room?”

The elevator dinged and the doors opened.

“I just assumed they did that because they don’t like me.” Mulder said in a sarcastic monotone. as they walked onto the elevator.

Scully gave him a sceptical look and he added. “I don’t know if you noticed Scully but I keep to myself.” 

“You mean the janitor you get your torn up reports from, doesn't share gossip with you?”

“As a matter of fact no.”

The elevator doors closed and Scully leaned against the back of the car, looking at her shoes. Thankful Mulder wasn’t completely blanking her after what she had said to him in the parking garage. Mulder touched her shoe with his and she looked up. 

“So did you ever pray to the new moon for anything?”

“Maybe. Why?” She asked suspicious.

“Just wondering what the spell for a husband is.”

“Are you in need of a husband Mulder?” She cocked her head at him.

Mulder shrugged and she smiled despite herself, he looked at her pleased with himself.  

“Nobody danced naked in front of the moon if thats what you’re asking. At least not when we asked about our husbands.” She smirked at the shocked look on Mulder’s face.

She rolled her eyes. “My sister and I did it once. We were in high school. If you wanted to see your future husband you stuck a knife in the dirt under your knees while saying a prayer to the new moon. Aunt Mabel taught us.”

“What was the prayer?” he asked.

She looked at him and said in a monotone.

“New moon, new moon, Happy may I be Whoever is my true love This night may I see.”

The elevator stopped and let them out. 

“And what did you see?” He asked when they were outside.

“Just mud on a knife. Although Missy swore up and down she saw the name of her high school crush on the blade.”

“Maybe you were looking at the wrong side.” Mulder said voice shaking, trying to keep his laugh in.

“Maybe it was just dirt, Mulder.” She said as they reached the car.

Mulder shrugged “Never say never, Scully” he said jovially as he opened his door and gave her a grin. 

Steep afternoon sun hit his face in amber and set his eyes alight, a singing green.

She smiled back lost in his fine face, but then looked away. This was too close, this felt like relief when she still had a knot in her chest at his misplaced trust.

“I think I’m going to walk home from here.” She saw his face falter in worry.

“Scully, don’t be ridiculous, thats an hour walk from here.”

“I just need to clear my head. I’ll be fine Mulder.” She said starting to back away towards the parking lot exit. 

“Scully” he sighed “Don’t.” It was like a request. Almost pleading. “I can drop you off at home.”

“Its such a nice day.” she said backing away and forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

He looked like she had kicked his puppy. She felt the knot in her chest tighten. She’d always been so easily swayed by those eyes, and his beautiful face, something else only he alone was so accomplished at. But she was an expert at running, and she gave in to well practiced instincts.    

“Ill see you tomorrow.” She said as she turned and walked towards the gate. She heard the car door close but the engine didn’t turn over. The car never passed, as she expected, even as she turned the corner at the end of the street. 

·˚ ༘ ༊*·˚·˚ ༘ ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟﾟ･༘ ☾･ﾟ⋆･ﾟ:⋆·˚ ༘ ˚·˚·༊ ༘ ˚·⋆:ﾟ･⋆ﾟ･*☾ ༘⋆:ﾟ･⋆ ☾ ༘ ˚·˚·*༊ ༘ ˚·

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Epilogue

@today-in-fic ✨

[mistninja]

I wish sakura and sasuke were, you know, friends :/

[hongjoongscafe]

Home

Day 1 of the blogversary drabble week.

Pairing: boyfriend!hongjoong×girlfriend!oc (Sun Jung)

Genre: fluff, smut

Summary: she found her home.

Warnings: vanilla sex(?), unprotected sex (let's not do this in real life:)), oral fem., fingering.

Word count: 4.3k+

Drabble week masterlist

Masterpost

*DO NOT REPOST, PLZ*

On a hot summer afternoon, Sun Jung was walking to her boyfriend's– Hongjoong– apartment. She was regretting not bringing her car, the heat was oozing out of the ground and not to mention the heat waves. 

Sun Jung wanted to dip herself in the ice water and never come out. The heat hits differently after the monsoon. She was sure that if she touched the ground, she might end up burning her delicate fingers. 

The only thing that kept her going was Hongjoong. She was desperate to look at his beautiful features, feel his safe arms around her, and comfort her. And not to forget the four cats he dearly loves. She was never a cat person but these four cats changed her thinking for good. The amount of comfort they brought was surprising. 

It has only been three months since they started dating. Things are going well. Hongjoong was a loving boyfriend. His sweet aura always calmed her down. Unlike others, he respected her boundaries. He never acted out of his needs and always looked out for her, and always sang slow romantic songs for her while playing guitar or piano.

They met through a mutual friend. When Hongjoong sent her the follow request on Instagram, she did not expect that little conversation to turn into a beautiful and respectful relationship. This happened two months before they started dating. It's all Sun Jung wanted. 

…

"Joongieeee~" Sun Jung rang the bell of Hongjoong's apartment, "open, it's so hot outside!" She whined, cursing at the fact that this tiny complex didn't have stairs.

The door opened and she felt the nice cool air hitting her sweaty face. She sighed and looked at Hongjoong who was standing there with a wide grin on his face. He was shirtless but adorned with an apron and was wearing basketball shorts. She looked down and one of his cats was peeking out to see who was at the door. Looking at her, the cat– Lucy– meowed and came closer to her and rubbed her face on her ankle. Sun Jung picked the cat and cooed. "Ah, look at you, Lucy. You look so fluffy today. Have you been sitting in the A.C. without me? Huh?" Hongjoong smiled at her, admiring her. 

Although she looked disheveled. Hair in a messy bun, all over her head. Her tote bag was hanging from her neck like a water bottle. The sweat was soaking her white cami top, black denim shorts looking too tight and uncomfortable. She didn't even bother wearing shoes and came in sliders. 

Hongjoong felt content with Sun Jung being comfortable coming to his house in her regular getup. He wanted nothing more than her being herself around him without feeling like she needed to do something extraordinary to impress him. He was impressed the moment she replied to his awkward hi.

"Come inside, you look like you are gonna pass out," he stepped aside to give space. 

Sun Jung looked at him and gave him a wide smile. Stepping inside, she let out a satisfied sigh. Lucy jumped out of her grasp and went away to her other cat siblings. "It's so hot outside! If I had stayed there, I probably would have melted," she whined and pouted at him.

Hongjoong giggled and held her hands, "I can see that…" he kissed her lips, salty from the sweat, "oh, salty."

Sun Jung grimaced and moved away, "don't! You are so nasty," he giggled as she wiped the sweat off of his and her lips.

"How about you go and take a nice and cool shower? The lunch will be ready by the time you come out," he suggested.

"Ah, yes!" She paddled towards the bathroom.

"Did you bring your stuff or want me to give you the towel and stuff?" 

Sun Jung turned around and patted the tote bag hanging from her neck. "I brought everything as we planned for the day," she closed the door behind her. 

Hongjoong went back into the kitchen and started plating the food and peeling the hard-boiled eggs that were sitting in the ice bath. Looking at the heat coming out of the road on the way back from the grocery store, he knew she would be a mess so he made some cold noodles with some side dishes. He filled large glasses with peach iced tea. Arranging everything on the white dining table for two at the corner next to the wall-size window, he placed a bowl full of small flowers in the center. After that, he quickly filled the cats' water bowl with water and some food. 

"Joongie~" Hongjoong's ears perked at Sun Jung's soft voice. He put back the scoop in the container of cat food and walked toward the bathroom. 

"Yes, darling?" He smiled when she peeked her head out of the door, hair dripping wet. 

"May I borrow your shirt or something? I forgot to bring my own…" she whispered slowly, looking at him with innocent eyes with a finger in-between her teeth. 

"You brought everything but your clothes?" He teased and laughed when she whined. "Alright, alright, hold on a second," he giggled and disappeared into his room. 

Hongjoong came out with a white loose tee. He gave it to her and she took it sheepishly and closed the door softly. 

Sun Jung came out with a towel wrapped around her head. Hongjoong looked at her with a million stars in his eyes. He noticed that after showering, her eyes turned red. His eyes moved down to his shirt which went until her mid-thigh… And nothing else. His eyes snapped back to her. But she smiled at him. 

"What do we have here?" She sat in front of him. Hongjoong uncovered the lids from the plates, making her gasp, "Wah! This looks so tasty! Did you make all of this?"

"Ah, yes," he shyly chuckled. "I figured that you would be feeling so hot on this hell of a summer afternoon, so I made this."

Sun Jung gulped a sip of the iced tea, "you are so thoughtful, Joongie. I appreciate all of this. Thank you!" She smiled and picked up her chopsticks and started eating. The cats were chilling around them. JoJo was sitting in Hongjoong's lap. Lucy and Coco were sitting on the floor next to Sun Jung's feet, their fur brushing her skin softly. Kitkat was resting next to her water bowl. 

It all looked so domestic. So peaceful and relaxing. Sun Jung wanted to pause the time and spend time like that. Never in her life has she felt at this rest. The vibe Hongjoong passed was so soothing. 

… 

After their lunch, Sun Jung washed the dishes as Hongjoong was doing the laundry. He came out with her shorts in his hand. "After that, wear this. I wanna take you to the best place for shaved ice."

Sun Jung's ears perked up and quickly washed the dishes and wore the shorts. Hongjoong chuckled. "So where is it?"

"Right in front of our complex," he opened the door and let her out, and locked it. "The granny makes the best in the whole world. Their flavors are limited but the best and original. Those artificial flavors can never beat her," he told her as they stepped down the stairs. Hongjoong was in a white tee and black shorts and sliders. 

"You are so cheesy," Sun Jung giggled from behind. 

"Why?" He stopped and looked at her. 

"You wore identical clothes," she smirked. 

"A-ah, well let's be the annoying couple for once," he hastily stepped down and smiled when he heard her laughing. 

The shop looked like something straight out of anime. In the wooden frame with white pieces of clothes hanging, there was something written in Hangul and Nihongo, and there was a wind charm as well. Hongjoong lived in an old area. Everything was so animated. 

An old lady was sitting behind the counter in a kimono. She must be Japanese, Sun Jung thought. Her features were like animated old ladies. It all looked surreal, so refreshing and peaceful. 

"Halmoni, how are you?" Hongjoong respectfully bowed, followed by Sun Jung. 

"Hongjoong-ah!" She exclaimed and got up and came out from behind the wooden counter, "here's my boy! I made all the flavors you asked me to," she said and held his hands in her wrinkly hands. She looked so sweet and loving, Sun Jung wanted to hug her. "And who is this beautiful lady? Is she the one you were talking about yesterday?" 

"Halmoni! It was supposed to be a secret," he pouted like a kid. "But yes… she is Sun Jung."

"Anneyonghaseyo, Halmoni~," she sing-songed and bowed respectfully, making the kind lady giggle. 

"Ah, so pretty," she held Sun Jung's hands and patted her head. 

"Halmoni, shaved icy," Hongjoong whined, and the lady padded towards the old machine and loaded it with the ice. Hongjoong made you sit on the wooden chair table and followed the lady. 

They both chatted. In between, Halmoni scolded him like he was a little kid. The scene made her heart swell in love. Coming to his place on this hot summer noon was worth it. Nothing could replace this moment. 

This is when she realized that she had fallen in love with him. So deep and dearly. 

"Here, I know I should have asked you for your favorite flavor but this is special… you will love it!" Hongjoong brought two bowls filled with shaved ice and with red-ish pink pulpy syrup with some tiny green thing on top of them. 

Sun Jung took the long tail spoon and scooped some ice on it and ate it. The sweet flavor of minty watermelon made her eyes wide. It was so refreshing. "Yah! Hongjoong-ah! This is so good!" She exclaimed and clapped like a toddler. "Wah, Halmoni~ this is so good. I have never eaten anything like this ever," she scooped a bigger bite. "You were right! Nothing else can beat this."

Hongjoong and Halmoni laughed. They ate their shaved ice. A fan was facing them. The sound of insects reminded her of her childhood. Sun Jung didn't want to leave. They all talked about random things here and there. 

While leaving, the lady packed some candy for Sun Jung to take with her. "Sun Jung-ah, visit me again, hm. It was nice to meet you. Hongjoong-ah here won't stop talking about you. I have never seen him this happy. Now I know why it is like that. My blessings are with you both," Halmoni smiled. Sun Jung couldn't stop but hug her tiny body. 

"Halmoni, I will come here regularly. I'm gonna be your regular," she broke the hug and bowed. 

The small group of school children came rushing in, demanding their shaved ice and candies. The lady got busy with them and Sun Jung and Hongjoong finally came back. 

…

They both were sitting on the big couch. Sun Jung's head was on Hongjoong's chest. The curtains were drawn, they were not blackout. But they left a nice cool shade, still a perfectly lit room. The cats were cuddling with the two of them. A thin sheet covering their legs. Pride and Prejudice was playing on the T.V. 

"I love this," Hongjoong spoke. "I love when you are with me. Everything seems so nice and wonderful… I feel safe around you," he whispered in the last part. 

Sun Jung shifted and looked up at the man. He was looking at her with glossy eyes. "I can say the same thing," she pecked his cheek. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

Hongjoong sat straight and looked at her with big doe eyes. His heart started to beat faster. She could hear it. "Y-you love me?"

"Mhm," she sat properly facing him. "I do."

Hongjoong held her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. A single tear rolled out on his cheek. He gently brought her face closer to his and asked for permission through his longing eyes. A gentle nod was enough for him to lay his soft lips on her pouty lips. 

He gently moved his lips. It turned into a make-out session within minutes. Her tongue grazed his lower lip, asking permission to enter. He let out a low moan when their tongues clashed. They tasted like the candy they ate. 

Hongjoong swiftly picked up Sun Jung and brought her to his room. And laid her down on his matters gently. He closed his not-so-blackout curtains. The nice creamy shade made them look dreamy in the cream-colored room. The decorations were so light.

He removed his shirt and tossed it on the sofa chair in his room. Getting on the bed, he hovered over her. Kissing passionately. His hands caressed the side of Sun Jung. Playing with the hem of the shirt that she was wearing, he removed it from over her head. And threw it somewhere. Hongjoong took a deep breath seeing Sun Jung in a pretty black bra. 

Hongjoong dipped down and latched onto her neck, kissing and sucking the soft spots. His hands went behind her and with a single snap, he undid her bra and gently removed the straps. Now kissing lower on the collarbone. 

He took his time with her. Getting even lower he took her left nipple in his mouth causing her to moan, "J-Joongie. Fuck, baby."

His eyes darted above looking at her pretty face. He gave the other nipple the same attention. Sucking some hickeys on her chest, he got up and looked into her desperate eyes. 

Hongjoong kissed her, "are you sure? We can stop if you want," he caressed her hair. Their chests were flat against each other. 

"I want you, Joongie. Please, I want to be yours completely. I wanna feel you, the whole of you," she panted. 

This was all he needed to hear. He sat back and hooked his fingers in her shorts and panties and removed them. Feeling shy and insecure, Sun Jung hid her pussy from his eyes.

"No, don't hide your pretty body from me, love. Lemme admire my love's raw beauty," he gently opened her legs and looked at the glistening pussy. "So pretty," he whispered and poked her clit making her jolt in surprise. 

"More," she let out a needy whine. Hongjoong dipped his head between her legs and licked a long strip from her hole to her clit. He moaned at the taste of her and latched the bud. He sucked and licked the needy bud. 

"So good for me. So sweet," he muttered, the vibrations sending shivers down her spine. His finger caressed the opening and eased it inside her velvet walls. 

"Mmm, Joongie," she held his hair and gently tugged on them. His other hand came up and rested on her sternum, feeling her fast heartbeat while his other hand picked up the pace. 

Hongjoong and Sun Jung looked into each other's eyes. Their eyebrows were scrunched up. He was moaning onto her pussy as he looked at her with needy eyes.

She looked so raw and hot at that moment, her hair was all over the pillow, and the thin layer of sweat made her body shiny and even hotter. He felt her walls clench around his fingers and picked up the pace of his tongue while sucking. 

Her legs squeezed Hongjoong's head and she came with a loud moan of his name. His eyes rolled at the back of his skull when he felt her coming on his fingers. He let go with a loud pop. 

His chin was covered in her juices and his shorts were feeling too tight against his hard bulge. But this was not about him. He wanted to make her feel special. 

Hongjoong wiped his chin with the back of his hand and came up and looked into her eyes. They panted and giggled like they were in high school who just kissed for the first time. But it was their first time with each other. He wanted to make it special for her. 

For someone else, they might be moving so fast but for them, they were already late in each other's life. They regret not meeting before but now they won't let any moment pass away. They were madly in love.

Hongjoong kissed her body. Not even a single area was left where his lips hadn't touched. He worshiped her body like his life was depending on it. He kissed all of her scars and marks on her body, it made her feel special and less insecure. 

"I want more, Joongie. Give me you, please," she whispered as he was sucking a hickey above her belly button. But now, her whole body was shiny with red and pinkish marks he left. 

"I'll give you whatever you want, my love," he removed his shorts and boxer and let out a sigh when his hard cock felt like breathing again. "Tell me what you want."

Sun Jung's insides got giddy looking at his length. His pretty head was drooling precum and was aching for attention. She shifted into a comfortable position and opened her legs and bent them towards her chest, holding them from her knees. "I want your cock here, please," she rubbed her pussy making a squelching sound. 

Hongjoong cursed under his breath and jumped back on the bed in between her open legs. He pressed a sloppy kiss on her lips and pumped himself before easing his way inside her wet and warm cunt. 

"Mmmm fuck!" Sun Jung moaned at the oh-so-needed stretch. Hongjoong's cock was thick and long. It hit every pleasurable spot inside her. 

"So fucking tight. All for me," he softly moaned into her lips. He waited before moving his length. His lips left hers and moved down to capture her perky nipple. His right hand was holding her leg up and the was balancing on the forearm and his hand was caressing her shoulder. 

He buried his head in her neck, taking in her scent that reminded him of the beach. "All mine," he grunted when he felt her clenching around his length. 

"All yours, Joongie. Take me however you want," her head rolled back when he gave a specifically hard thrust, stimulating her G-spot. "There," she moaned. 

Hongjoong let go of her leg. Bringing his hand south, he rubbed her throbbing clit with his finger. He could feel the motion of his cock moving in and out. He moaned louder when she clenched harder. Her face was scrunched up and her mouth open in a silent scream. "Moan for me, baby. Lemme hear you, please."

"Joongie, so oh good," her broken moans edged him. "I'm cumming!" With two more thrusts, her back arched, and her nails dug into her palms that were laying tightly on his back, trying not to scratch his soft and silky back. 

"That's it, baby, that's it," he whispered and pulled out and pumped him and came all over her. His load shot aggressively on her stomach and breasts. He felt her trembling from her high. 

Before he could cuddle, Hongjoong got up and padded towards his bathroom. Coming out with a wet washcloth, he cleaned her gently, especially around her sensitive pussy, trying not to overstimulate her worn-out body. 

After cleaning everything, he came back, laid next to her, and pulled the covers over them. Sun Jung moved closer to his waiting arms and cuddled into him. "I love you," they said in unison and giggled. 

In the warm closeness of each other, they drifted off. 

…

Sun Jung's eyes fluttered, the room was shining orange from the sunset. She moved around but the bed was empty other than her naked self. There was a glass of water on the side table, she smiled at the events that happened earlier and drank the water only now realizing how dry her throat was. 

The door opened slowly, showing Hongjoong just in his basketball shorts from earlier. He looked so angelic in the shade of sunset. 

Hongjoong's mouth opened a little when he was greeted by Sun Jung sitting with her legs hanging from the side of the bed. Her naked body was facing the curtained windows when she looked at him, his breath hitched. The only thought crossing his mind was how could someone this beautiful could ever possibly end up with him. At that moment, he knew that this was a forever thing. He embraced it with open arms. 

Sun Jung looked so beautiful, her whole body was covered in red marks given by Hongjoong, her body reflecting the orange of the sunset graciously. As she smiled, he moved closer to her. This time she didn't shy away.

Hongjoong cupped her face and slowly kissed her warm lips, giving some soft pecks on her whole face. It made her giggle. "Good evening, my love," he whispered. 

"Good evening…" she shyly said. "You look so handsome."

"And you look like an angel… my angel," he pecked again. "You should shower. I'll change the sheets and then we can go out for a walk or something and grab some dinner. Oh, how are you? Is something hurting?"

Sun Jung's heart jumped in excitement. The way he cared was so loving. His soft hands felt so right on her glowy face. "I'm fine. Just a bit heavy-ish. And sure, I'll shower, and then go out," she got up, pressing a long kiss. 

"Oh, by the way, I'm not letting you go back tonight. You are staying… oky?" He asked with a pouty face. 

Sun Jung chuckled, "I wasn't planning to."

She entered the bathroom and saw her clothes neatly folded on the counter. How long have I been sleeping? He washed my clothes and dried them too, She thought with a smile. A tiny basket filled with toiletries was arranged next to the clothes with a little note on it saying 'I know you bought your stuff but here is something for you. I hope this goes with your skin type'. Could he be more perfect? She cried internally, eyes glossy. She quickly showered and got ready. Her clothes smelled like Hongjoong. With a satisfied hum, she walked out. 

The four cats were nicely cuddled up where they were sleeping. The sheets were fresh and the room had a nice aroma of earthy air freshener rather than the faint scent of sex. She patted all the cats and left the room. 

"Ready?" Hongjoong asked, standing near the television, pouring food and water into the cats' bowls. 

"Yes," she said and put on their shoes, and left. 

They saw that Halmoni was cooking some tteokbokki for the evening on the stall outside the shop. Now with one young boy helping her. 

Sun Jung dragged Hongjoong and asked for the mouth-watering dish. They bought one serving for them to share, keeping dinner in mind. The young boy was the lady's grandson who always helped her after he is done with his studies for the day. 

It was all nice. Least to say, this only made you wanna live with him forever. Not anywhere else, but the one he already owns with four of his wonderful baby cats. That house felt like home. A home she always dreamed of, in the serenity of the environment. 

During the walk, they ended up next to the stream and played badminton with some middle schoolers. They were more than happy to let them play with them. It was all laughter and giggles. They even asked the couple to join them next time they go on a walk, which they accepted with whole hearts. 

After their walk, they went to eat Korean Barbeque. They enjoy the delicious meal with some shots of Soju. Later on, stopping by the convenience store, they bought some ramen and other snacks and ice cream. 

On the way back, they walked past a tiny gift shop where Sun Jung's eyes fell on four identical charms with empty pallets. Going inside, she asked the shopkeeper to engrave the names of four cats. They looked so beautiful. 

Hongjoong insisted on paying but she didn't let him. "It's a tiny gift from me, just let them have it, Kim!" She squished his cheeks between her palms. 

The first thing Hongjoong checked was cats' bowls, making sure that they ate their food. He then assembled the snacks in his pantry and went inside his bathroom. 

Sun Jung was in the bathroom when Hongjoong joined her. She changed into his loose shirt and panties and he was left in his boxers. They both brushed their teeth and washed their faces, not to mention the many showers they took earlier. 

After their skincare routine, they joined the cats in the bed. Sun Jung fastened the new collars around their necks. Cuddling closer to each other, surrounded by cats, they watched anime on the laptop. After a few episodes, Hongjoong looked at Sun Jung's peacefully sleeping form and closed the laptop. He cuddled her even closer to his chest. Kissing her head, he fell asleep into a deep slumber with his five lifelines. 

In the morning, Sun Jung woke up before Hongjoong, still cuddled up with his warm body and four cats. She looked at them, admiring the beauty of her comfort man and cats. Coco was purring softly near her ear. Looking at the cat, she patted her as the cat scooted closer until her head was nuzzling against Sun Jung's face. 

She realized that she was not at her boyfriend's house… she was at her home with her boyfriend and his cats. She was home with the love of her life.

Hongjoong woke up a bit later, the sun shining brightly in the sky. He squinted and looked around for Sun Jung and the cats but none of them were there. He got up and came out into the living room and his heart warmed up immediately. There they were, cuddled up together on the floor. She was caressing the cats.

She looked in his direction and smiled widely. "Good morning! I made breakfast and was waiting for you to wake up so we could eat together."

He moved closer to her and sat next to her on the floor. Coco immediately cuddled him. "Good morning, my love. You should have woken me up. Hm."

"It's alright," she pecked his lips.

"Can I tell you one thing?" He spoke.

"Anything."

"You make my house home."

.....

Sanaa's note:

It's been a year since I started this blog. I didn't know I would come this far. I have never written a single story before this blog. I wanted to try it out but never knew I would have this big family. Along with this, I made many friends, I'm so thankful for them. You all held me tight and motivated me when I was at my lowest.

Your feedback always encouraged me to write more and more. Every single time when someone likes or comments or reblogs or interacts with me and my blog in any form, I always thank them in my mind. You all make this place special for me. Thank you for being here and supporting me.

I try my best every single day to be better and you all help me. I just want you to know that this blog is not only mine but yours too. I want you all to be comfortable here. If you ever feel alone or want to talk to someone, talk to me. I'll be your friend and help you.

Thank you so much for this wonderful year and for accepting me the way I am. I hope we stay here for a long. 💓💓💓

.

The behavior of all the characters is visualized.

Taglist:

@veneziamadness @cheline @jhmylove @sansmilkbread

*lemme know if you wanna be added to the permanent or specific taglist*

*original pictures are not mine, I just edited them*

Have a nice day/night💓

[mercy-burning]

Fake Fiancée - Part 2

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader Summary: Reader becomes rather possessive over Spencer when she learns he’s been been with someone else since they hooked up four months ago. Category: SMUT (18+) Content Warnings: Language, mutual masturbation, oral sex (male and female receiving), penetrative sex, unprotected sex, creampie, hand-on-neck (no choking), praise, degradation kink, possession kink, dirty talk Word Count: 7.1k (I didn’t mean for it to get this long I swear aldjfsdlfksk)

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 

MASTERLIST

NOTE: HERE IT IS!!! 🥰 Thank you all for showing so much love to Part 1, I seriously wasn’t expecting all the requests for more of the story, so it was fun coming up with ideas! I’m still not sure if I want to do 3 or 4 parts yet, but I’ll let you know soon! In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy reading this second installment! ❤

***

He's been a ghost in my head for four months.

Everywhere I went I could hear his voice, hear the way he whimpered out my name and how cries got higher and higher as I clenched around him. I felt the rough grip he held on my hips as I rode him, the pads of his fingertips leaving behind faint bruises that I currently wished I still had.

And more prominently, I saw his face. It was always in the back of my mind, burning into me with lust-drunk eyes and a pouty mouth in the shape of an O. It sizzled into my brain, the sound definitely sounding more like raindrops than fire, but I was more than okay with that.

Though, every time it rained, I couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same— if he stood outside or watched from the safety of wherever he was and replayed that moment over and over again until he was aching to be in my presence once more.

I also had to wonder if he knew about the ring I'd left in his front seat.

Did he leave it in his car, perhaps in the glovebox or on a string that he tied around his mirror? Or did it fall somewhere between the seats? Maybe he found it and did what I never could, pawning it off for some happily-accepted cash while he laughed at how careless I was to take a stranger's virginity and then leave my expensive diamond ring behind like a fool.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the means to find out.

It's not like I could have wandered up to the FBI building and ask to meet with a Dr. Spencer Reid... Right? Because that as absurd. I'd only met the guy once, and he'd probably think I was crazy for trying to track him down.

It was a whole ordeal that I'd mulled over again and again, and I ultimately decided that it was ridiculous.

If anything I was happy to be rid of the ring. I could move on with my life, and maybe Spencer sold it for money or he's held on to it as a souvenir for a special night.

Win-win.

It didn't dull the small ache I felt for him, though. Every once in a while I found myself remembering how great that night was... I hadn't felt that way—sexy, confident, fun—in a long time, and as much as it sucked that he was getting picked on by some drunk idiots at a bar, I was glad it led me to him.

Some nights, when I was missing him significantly more than usual, I even went back to Waterson's in the event that I'd run into him again, hopefully under better circumstances.

Tonight was one of those nights.

This time I didn't have a ring to keep most of the men from hitting on me, but now that I was well and truly over my ex-husband, I was glad I didn't use that as an excuse to keep the ring around anymore. As annoying and painful as the drunken flirting was, I was way better equipped to handle it and truthfully somewhat relieved that I could get back to normal.

You know, save for the fact that I was only at Waterson's in the first place to maybe see some guy I hooked up with four months ago and still haven't stopped thinking about...

Because that was totally a normal thing to do.

I was on my second beer of the night when I felt a presence behind me. And even though I was pretty sure than I'd be able to tell if it was really Spencer, a part of me still buzzed thinking of the prospect of seeing him here again.

I turned around though, and was met with an entirely different person. I tried not to look disappointed, but it must have shown because the man who'd caught my attention gave a small laugh.

"I'm sorry, are you expecting someone?"

I liked to think that I had a good read on most people, especially when it came to men in bars. This man was someone I looked at for a few seconds and immediately knew that he wasn't looking to make me uncomfortable. He had come over to flirt with me, no doubt, but the difference here was that where most men would have gone straight into it, this man genuinely looked like he was willing to haul ass if I really was waiting for someone and didn't want his company.

That alone made me willing to entertain him a little, even if I was disappointed that he wasn't who I desperately wanted him to be. But it certainly helped that he was attractive.

The first word that came to mind was smooth. Even as I laughed back at the man and answered him, my eyes did some wandering of his figure and admired what I saw. A crisp, tight grey tee shirt that hugged some rather nice muscles, and brown skin that was just a few shades lighter than his eyes, which were kind and a little playful. His smile was stunning, sharing that same playfulness that his eyes held as he practically sparkled to life at my answer.

"Oh, no, I'm not... But I certainly wasn't expecting you..."

I made sure to smile at him, a little smirk that complimented the admiring eyes I was offering him and a little laugh that never failed to get me what I wanted.

He gently leaned into the bar, one of his hands coming to rest of the cool wooden surface. "I'm Derek."

"Y/N."

"Pretty name."

I don't know what made me so bold, but I nodded and shot him a wink. "Not as pretty as you."

We shared another laugh, and then I took a swig of my beer, finishing the last of it and then sliding towards him. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"We just met and you're already stealing from me... That's my line."

"What can I say, I'm quick... Hey, Carla! Can I get two more for me and my friend here?"

The bartender—and my longtime friend—laughed a little, taking my empty bottle. "Sure thing."

The look she gave me right before turning away practically yelled, I thought your type was helpless skinny white guys who can barely look you in the eye without creaming themselves...

Yeah, well, you worked with what you were given. And besides, my type was practically anyone with just a shred of decency.

Real high bar, huh?

But after Patrick, I couldn't complain. Derek seemed like the type of guy who would flirt with you at any given chance, but respected your boundaries all the same. Unfortunately that was hard to find nowadays, especially in bars like Waterson's.

So, yeah, he wasn't the man I was naively wishing to see here tonight, but he was into me, he was decent from what I could tell, and he was hot.

So we had a drink and spent a good twenty minutes chatting it up. Since it was my third beer of the night, I was accumulating a pretty steady buzz, and the longer I talked with Derek the more I opened up a little. I found myself leaning into him and finding excuses to lightly touch his arm, but I kept noticing that he was glancing down at his watch occasionally.

"Are you expecting someone?" I asked, playfully.

"Right, uh... Yeah, I was supposed to be meeting a friend here. He's usually early, but I think we got our times mixed up again..."

"Again, huh? You two aren't very good coordinators?"

Derek laughed, the sound making me feel all warm. "Well, for FBI agents you'd think we'd be better at it."

"O—Oh," I said, my heart stopping for a beat. Had I heard that right? Was I more tipsy than I thought? "FBI?"

"You seem stunned," he said with another laugh. "What, you're not a criminal, are you? Do I have to take you in?"

I laughed, albeit nervously, but decided that this all had to be pure coincidence. If I didn't, I would have gone insane. Even still, it was difficult for me to sit here and openly flirt with this man when I knew he just confessed to having the same profession as the literal man of my dreams— and as of late that also included daydreams.

In fact, I was positive that's what it was when I saw Spencer approach us— a daydream.

Derek was calling my name, I knew that much, but I couldn't do anything but look over his shoulder where Spencer's ghost practically froze in place when he spotted me.

"Y/N?"

That wasn't Derek's voice. Spencer's mouth moved in time with the calling of my name, and it even sounded like him. I blinked rapidly, hoping that I could snap out of it and excuse myself for the rest of the night, so I could go home and sleep it off.

But even when I finished blinking, expecting Spencer's figure to be gone, he was still there.

At this point Derek had turned around, and what he said next snapped me out of it pretty damn good.

"Reid? You know her?"

"You're real," I said, speaking for the first time in a while. My throat felt dry, and my heart came alive at the sight of him.

Spencer stared at me, his eyes softening after I spoke to him. I saw his lips twitch into a shy smile before his hand came up in an equally shy wave. "Y—Yeah, I'm real." What followed was a huffed laugh that cemented his nervousness at seeing me again for the first time in four months, and it was the most refreshing thing I'd heard in a while.

"Oh my God," I said, a smile of my own starting to creep up.

I'd completely forgotten about Derek being there until he spoke up, snapping us out of our reunion, his voice conveying every range of confusion.

"What the hell is this?"

***

I knew there was always a minor chance that I'd run into her again, but it still rendered me utterly still and practically useless when I spotted her across the bar with Derek.

She was just... there. After months of debating whether or not I should send her a letter with the ring mailed back or stopping by to see her, or even using Garcia's help to find where she might have been so I could 'surprise' running into her... It happened to chance that I didn't need any of that at all. Because she was really there.

And she was flirting with Derek.

I'd have been lying if I said that didn't really bother me, but truthfully I'd always felt a bit insecure around him, mostly when it came to being surrounded by women who were most likely fawning over him instead of me.

Not that I particularly wanted or even needed them to fawn over me in the first place... It was just... Telling.

And it's not like I knew or thought I wasn't at least somewhat attractive. But seeing the one and only woman who'd ever made me feel very good about all of that for probably the first time in my whole life openly flirting with my best friend? It stung. It felt like now that she'd seen me and him in the same place, she'd decide that she'd made a mistake before and that she'd be better off with someone else— someone who was stronger and more skilled and probably easier to look at.

Even when the three of us sat at a booth and Y/N decided to sit next to me, her proximity dizzying after all this time apart, the first thought that came to my mind was, She doesn't want to see me. She'd much rather sit across from Derek so she can look at him instead.

I was starting to think maybe I should have stuck to mailing her a letter...

"So... Are you gonna tell me how you two know each other?" Derek asked, leaning back and easily amused.

Y/N seemed to be amused by all of this, too, because she answered immediately, a tone in her voice that I'd only dreamed about for four months and nine days straight.

"Oh, we were engaged."

If I didn't know any better, I would have thought Derek's eyebrows were going to fly straight off his head. "Engaged? Like... Engaged?"

"I—It's not what you think," I jumped in, suddenly a little embarrassed. "Not really engaged, but... Y/N pretended to be my fiancée once... There were, um... There were these guys who wouldn't leave me alone and she came over and told them off."

I hoped he wouldn't piece it together, but it was inevitable, and the look of realization that crossed his features made me feel extra warm with embarrassment.

"Oh... Is she the reason why you actually said yes to that date last month?"

Y/N turned to me, an eyebrow raised. "A date? Because of me? I don't... I don't follow..."

I was going to explain, but Derek beat me to it.

"I've always tried to set Pretty Boy here up for a date, but he's always said no, and then out of the blue I ask him and he agrees. Which was a shock in its own. I knew something was up, something had to have given him the confidence to go on the date... And all along its been you, hasn't it?"

"Well, I... I don't know, I guess so?"

They both looked at me then, and I stared down at my hands, unwilling to look either of them in the eye. "Y—Yeah... I don't know, I guess Y/N just... helped me see something in myself I hadn't seen before."

I half expected them to think it was silly, but Y/N's hand dropped down onto my knee and I stared at it for a moment before flitting my eyes up to meet her gaze. It was soft, and a small smile grazed her pretty features.

"Oh, Spencer, I'm so glad I could do that for you... How was the date?"

"O—Oh, it... It was fine. Not... I'm not seeing her anymore, but it wasn't bad... Just, um... There wasn't much of a connection, that's all."

In simpler words, She wasn't you.

But I couldn't tell her that, not when she was staring at me again with those sparkling eyes and her hand burning a hole through my pants with her electrifying touch, and most certainly not with Derek sitting right in front of us.

"Hey, whether it worked out or not, whatever you did to get him out there, it must have been one hell of a job," he said as if he'd been reading my thoughts.

Y/N gave me a knowing look, though, and suddenly I was transported to my car, feeling her hand explore my body as she showered me with filthy words and names that set me alight and cemented something about myself that I'd never known. Since then I had dreams about her, telling me how much of a 'good little whore' I was for her, and I always woke up from those dreams clutching her ring around my finger.

"Well, like I said, I'm glad I could help. Your boy here is one in a million."

It was awkward. This was all very extremely awkward. And even though I knew that, I still couldn't bring myself to stop it. I couldn't bring myself to stop staring at Y/N, soaking her all up like she was going to leave again at any given second. I couldn't stop thinking about her, our predicament, what we did and what I discovered about myself back then...

God, I was talking like we hadn't seen each other in years. It was only four months and yet I was acting like she'd left me alone after years of being together. This was ridiculous, right?

Thankfully Derek's phone rang, snapping us all out of the bubble of silence we'd been in for what seemed like forever.

"Uh, I'm gonna... get this. Be back in a few."

I expected Y/N to drop whatever act it was she had going on with me after he left the table, but her hand remained firmly on my knee. And then she moved a little closer, turning to me completely and tilting her head with a smile that only meant mischief.

"So... Looks like we have some catching up to do..."

***

I was practically giddy when Derek excused himself for a "Garcia Emergency". Though, I was concerned until he assured us that it wasn't anything bad, and by the look on his face as he quickly talked things over With Spencer, I got the feeling he was expecting his friend to 'have some fun' tonight. And that's what truly made me giddy.

We sat close to each other again, a few drinks between us and only a few booths away from the one we sat in the first time we met. If it weren't for the rock missing from my finger, I would have been convinced we'd actually transported back to that exact moment.

"You getting Deja vu, Doctor?" I asked with a smile, watching as he swallowed.

"Y—Yeah, kinda. It's great seeing you again, I... I really didn't think I would."

I laughed. "You know where I live, and you're an FBI agent... I'm pretty sure you could have saw me again if you wanted to."

"Well... Yeah, but I didn't want to be creepy or anything..."

"Trust me... If you randomly showed up at my door, I'd be anything but creeped out. I missed you..."

Spencer looked up at me for a moment, his eyes shifting before he seemed to relax. "You... did?"

"Of course... I haven't stopped thinking about you since we met. And I hope that's not creepy," I added in a laugh.

"No, not at all," he reassured with a nervous laugh of his own. "Actually, um... I've been thinking about you a lot, too..."

"Even on your date?"

I'd only meant it as a little joke, maybe another conversation starter, but at the mention he seemed... embarrassed.

"Oh, no, that was... That wasn't really... I—I only really did it to get Derek off my back, it—"

I rested a hand on his arm and smiled gently. "Hey, it's alright... I didn't really mean anything by that, I'm just... I meant it before, I'm really glad you did it. I know you said it didn't really work out, but did you have some fun at least?"

He laughed again, but this time there was hardly any humor in it. "Well, she wasn't you..."

I smiled a bit, but immediately following his words was a wide-eyed terror and instant regret. "Oh, I didn't... I'm sorry, I—"

"So, you did think about me on your date, huh?"

He froze then, presumably at the low, seductive drawl I blanketed over my words. His mouth slightly hung open, tongue flittering behind teeth as he tried to find the right words.

I smiled at him, and then he settled on, "Yeah. I did."

"It's not very polite to think of other girls while you're on a date, you know..." I made sure to let him know I was only teasing, and that I just wanted to know what his reaction would be.

Still, he surprised me when he said, "It's not my fault you're impossible to forget..."

He flashed me a smile then, and my stomach twisted deliciously at the little dash of confidence he'd grown in the past minute.

Maybe I could bring more out of him...

"Okay, fair... But it is your fault that you didn't come find me."

"Also fair... But... You're here now..."

Spencer inched closer to me, and I smiled, taking my bottom lip gently between my teeth before leaning in, too. "How about that..."

Our lips brushed for a second, so gentle it was like being tickled by a feather, and then he spoke again, his breath hot on my mouth. "I've... dreamt about seeing you again for so long now... Kissing you..."

"Me, too," I responded, bringing a hand down to graze the inside of his thigh. "Guess it's a good thing I'm a firm believer that dreams come true."

"Yeah," is all he said before he finally took the initiative to finally kiss me.

I sighed, melting into his touch and tightening the grip I had on his leg. Meanwhile his hands rested at my forearms, fingers dancing experimentally over my skin and making me tingle in their wake. And once I parted my lips, he took his shot and gently brought his tongue out to meet mine in a collision that quite frankly made me throb.

He'd been a decent kisser before, but... It's obvious he's had a little practice since then. Not that I'd have minded either way, but damn if this newfound experience didn't give me the most sinful idea.

I felt him whine as I pulled away, and that made everything even better.

"You wanna get out of here?" I said in the cheesiest way possible. But he didn't seem to mind.

In fact, he nodded rapidly and took a quick drink of his beer before following me out of the booth and towards the door.

***

Leading Spencer up and through the doorway of my house was probably the most electrifying 'date' experience I've had... well, ever. I'd been excited to sleep with people, sure, but with Spencer I found something greater. I wasn't entirely sure what that was, yet, but it was definitely good.

He reiterated that thought nicely once the door was closed and his hands were on my face, bringing my mouth to his again while I dropped by keys and haphazardly threw my phone and wallet on the side-table next to us in favor of gripping his shirt.

Just through his kisses I could tell how much he'd longed for this moment. I know he told me, and I'd certainly understood the feeling, but when it came down to actually acting it out in the flesh, I was much more in favor of that method of communication.

I gladly accepted his wordless confessions, through every groan and gentle graze of his tongue that he offered to me. And in return I gave him sharp tugs of his shirt and hair, conveying my urgency and the need to be closer to him.

When my legs started moving, his did, too, and we reluctantly pulled apart in favor of not tripping up the hard wooden staircase on the way to my bedroom. Though, I was thankful he was in just as much of a rush as I was, because otherwise I probably would have gotten embarrassed.

And that didn't happen easily.

I fumbled for the light switch once the door shut and our mouths connected once again, and I could have sworn it was like something out of a trashy TV show. The thought almost made me laugh, but I held it in in favor of moaning when Spencer lowered his hands to my ass and squeezed, pulling us closer together. I finally hit the light switch and then flow both of my arms to wrap around his neck and draw him even closer.

He was everywhere all at once, and it fueled me. I'd come to miss physical human interaction, but I hadn't realized how badly I craved it until he was right there, taking up all of my personal space and aiding me in creating this perfect recipe of frantic, glorious electricity.

It was going to kill me, and I would have gladly let it.

I experimentally rolled my hips forward and felt him gasp into me, and it wasn't long before he started growing hard.

Good... Now I could set the plan in motion.

"Remember what you told me?" I asked breathlessly before our heads switched sides and leaned in for more kisses.

In between them, he returned, "When?"

"The first time we met..." I trailed my lips down the column of his throat as I continued. "When you said you edged yourself..."

"O—Oh... Yeah, I remember."

"Mmm," I hummed, sucking a mark into his neck for the time being. As I did it, the grip he held on my ass tightened a bit, and I laughed lightly over his skin, slowly licking my way up to his ear. "I wanna see..."

The trembling he provided under my influence was a good sign. And then another came when he whispered. "Y—You want to see... me? Touching myself?"

"Mhmm..." I planted kisses all along his jaw before pulling back to look him in the eye, making sure he knew I was serious when I told him, "But only if that's okay with you."

He didn't even take a second to think, nodding rapidly once more and giving me a flash of a smile. "It's okay."

I hummed happily, leaning forward to give him one huge kiss, long and hard, before pulling away from him completely and nodding towards the bed. "Clothes off..."

Our hands got to work as soon as the words left my mouth.

And it wasn't until my shirt was on the ground and Spencer's eyes remained glued to my chest with trembling hands that I realized, even though we'd slept together before, our clothes had never actually come off. Tonight we were completely baring ourselves to each other, and that was somehow more intimate than the idea of taking his virginity was.

I reached out and grabbed his shirt, gently assisting him in removing it, and it must have snapped him out of wherever he'd gotten trapped because he shook his head and let out a nervous laugh, averting his eyes from me and staring at the ground.

"S–Sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for," I reassured, throwing his shirt to the ground next to mine and bringing his hands to rest on my bare stomach, slowly sliding them up. "I like when you look at me..."

His eyes reached mine once again, breath hitching as I guided his hands to cup my breasts over the bra. "Well, I... I like looking at you."

I kissed him again, hoping to bring forth some familiarity to our current routine, and it worked like a charm. Our movements were slow and steady, each article of clothing joining the floor one by one until we were down to nothing but my underwear.

I led him to the bed then, breaking us apart and making him sit. Now that I was taller than him, I gripped his chin in my hand and tilted his head up to look at me.

"Lay back for me?"

He scooted further along the bed until finally he leaned back, his head resting nicely on my pillows. I climbed up after him, kneeling at his feet and bringing a hand down trace lines along the inside of his thigh. Meanwhile I looked him up and down, finally getting a decent look at his full, bare form.

"Ohh, so pretty... And I bet you're even prettier when you're touching yourself... You wanna start?"

He reached out for his dick in answer, wrapping a delicate hand around it and slowly stroking up and down as he looked up at me with the stars in his eyes. "Like this?"

"However you normally do it, baby. Just relax. Make yourself feel good..."

After a slight nod, his hand picked up a little speed. He swiped his thumb over the tip to gather some precum for lubrication, but as hot as that was, I had a better idea.

"Here, let me help," I offered with a smile, leaning down and bracing my hands on his knees. I let spit gather on the end of my tongue before allowing it to drip down and land right on the tip of his cock. The sound he let out, broken and dripping with want, sent a jolt of electricity through my blood, only amplified by how wet he sounded once he started moving his hand again.

I let my eyes roam all over, taking in every heave of his chest, the veins in his arm and hand as he worked himself, the soft fluttering of his eyes as he lost himself in the moment... At the risk of sounding absolutely cheesy, it truly was a magical sight. I felt entirely lucky that I got to see him again at all, and now like this, bare and vulnerable and exuding lust while I was left to my own devices.

All that to say, I hadn't realized I was touching myself as well, until a whimper came from my mouth, my clit gently throbbing with stimulation at the hands of... well, my hand.

Upon seeing me, Spencer let out a whine of his own, picking up speed with his hand and throwing his head back onto the pillow.

"Y/N..."

He wasn't addressing me, wasn't asking me anything at all... My name on his lips was more of a declaration, like some type of chant, a string of letters and syllables formed specifically to bring him closer to the edge he knew he'd have to resist falling from.

"You getting there, baby?"

"U—Uh huh..."

"You better hold it," I drawled lowly, bringing myself into the more strict persona I wanted to bring out tonight, given that's still something he was into. "Just like you promised."

After a few more hard strokes of his hand, Spencer leg to quickly, bringing his hand to rest on his chest as his mouth let out the most delicious whines and grunts of determination to keep it all in. Without the stimulation, I noticed his dick slightly twitching over his stomach, glistening and  hard...

Fuck, if it wasn't the hottest fucking thing I'd ever experienced with my own eyes and ears...

I pulled my hand out of my underwear, too, still a little shocked that I hadn't realized before that I was doing it to myself and a little turned on at the fact that it had that big of an effect on him.

"I—I would have been able to go longer, but... But you were there, and you were... And I only ever have you in my head, not right in front of me..."

It was obvious that he was probably afraid he'd let me down somehow, and that was definitely not the case. So I leaned down and dragged my hands over his lower stomach, feeling inch of skin while my mouth came down to press featherlight kisses to the base of his dick. "Spence, that was hot as fuck... You really think of me when you do that?"

"Mhm," is all he offered, currently reveling in the way my tongue darted out to explore the lines of his cock.

"I think of you, too," I admitted, pausing to press a kiss to the underside of his tip. "When I touch myself... I think about how pretty you were the first time I called you a slut... Tell me, baby, you still like that?"

"God, Y/N, yes..."

I sucked gently on his tip now, watching as he watched me, his bottom lip occupied between his teeth and his eyes on the brink of closing.

He was getting close again. So I stopped, pulling off of him with a soft pop and smiling as I crawled up his body and planted a kiss to his cheek. My legs straddled his hips, and I got close to his ear.

"Tell me, what about this... other girl you went on a date with... Did you sleep with her?"

"Um... Y—yes..."

"I'm willing to bet she didn't make you feel half as good as I do..."

"She didn't..."

I smiled against his jaw, bringing one of my hands to stroke his hair. "Was she mean to you? Did she make you her dirty little whore?"

I could feel him let out a trembling breath as he answered, "No."

"That's right," I said softly, right before switching gears and tugging on his hair, pulling back to look in his eyes. "Because you're my dirty little whore."

His cock twitched along my ass at my words, and it made me smile. But before I could speak again, he did it first.

"I'm all yours, Y/N... No one else's..."

I couldn't help it then. His words, our position, the needy look in his eyes as he confessed this to me... All of it was enough to make me snap.

So I leaned in and kissed him, hard. My hands tangled in his hair while his flew to my waist, sliding down to play with the hem of my underwear as his tongue slipped into my mouth and against my own with ease. I swallowed each whine with the greatest pleasure, my hips involuntarily grinding down and spreading the evidence of my arousal along the fabric of my panties. I wondered then if he could feel how wet I was, how much I wanted him.

I didn't have to wonder for long though, because he slipped one of his hands around front and dipped into said fabric, finding how wet I was and groaning into my mouth at the feel of it.

"You've been dying to get another try at this pussy, haven't you?" I whispered into his mouth.

Unsurprisingly, I was met with a whine in return. "Uh huh... I missed you so much..."

I ground down into his hand, nipping at his lips a little before giving my next demand.

"Then prove it."

Rather than fingering me like I expected him to, Spencer rolled over and straddled my legs, tearing my panties down and leaving me with a smile.

"I love the confidence you've grown, baby boy... Proves how dedicated you are... to being the best little slut you can be."

"Yes, Y/N," he responded, leaning down and kissing the inside of my thigh. "I wanna be good for you... Let me show you, please..."

"Show me..."

His tongue came in contact with my pussy, and it immediately sent my head flying back into the pillows, a low whine escaping my throat. He flicked it over my clit expertly a few times before going down and licking a broad strip up the entire area. Vibrations flittered along his path through his groans, and just hearing how much he enjoyed it had me clenching the sheets for stability.

"Ohh, what a good boy," I praised, bringing one of my hands to stroke his hair back. "Who's my good little whore?"

He grumbled into me, but I tugged at his hair.

"Say it."

He pulled away briefly then, still in contact with my pussy as he breathed out, "I'm your good little whore..." And then he promptly got back to work, devouring me with a hungry precision that made me laugh.

"Needy, too, I see... So desperate for that cunt..."

"Yes, " I heard him mumble into me. He repeated it a few more times, chanting it as his tongue flicked through me and tasted every last drop of my impending orgasm.

I sat up a little and held his head to me, his tongue moving at a quicker, more relentless pace. My stomach started to twist and my legs clenched, holding Spencer firmly between my legs as my hips rolled forward and met his every movement. Moans fell sweetly off my lips with every second, getting higher and higher until I finally held myself still and let the high take over. His tongue drew out one of the sharpest orgasms I'd ever had, the fervor he delivered making me see stars for a solid twenty to thirty seconds before it finally subsided and my muscles started to relax.

"Fuck," I breathed, almost whining when he removed his mouth from me and just kneeled there, studying my form as I tried to catch my breath. "Get up here," I asked more than demanded, though it might have been hard to tell what with my head spinning.

Spencer climbed over my body and I pulled his face down into a warm, wet kiss that had me tasting myself and growing wet again at the taste. I pulled away then, looking into his eyes and playing with his hair.

"I can't believe you didn't come see me sooner... Depriving me of that pretty fucking mouth..."

He kissed me again briefly, whining into my mouth before I continued. "But no... You were busy going on dates..."

"I'm sorry, Y/N," he said, kissing my cheek softly, over and over as his lips made their way down to my neck. "I'm so sorry, I... I wanted to see you, I just..."

"I know, I know," I cooed, closing my eyes and relishing in the feel of his lips on my skin. "But tonight you're gonna make up for lost time, got it?"

"Yes... Yes, I'll do whatever you want..."

I hummed, bringing his head back up to meet his gaze, and my thumb stroked over his bottom lip. "I want you to put that pretty cock to good use and fuck me like the desperate little slut I know you are..."

I kissed him then, gasping out once he shifted his hips and entered me slowly— I knew he was going to get to it quickly, but I guess I'd underestimated his need to please me.

The sentiment had me curling with want, more of it coming when he bottomed out inside me and trembled. Really, I could feel him shaking as he started to pull out and then back in, setting a steady pace that would surely become more erratic once I started talking to him again.

"Shit..." Spencer cursed, shifting up on his arms for more leverage as he steadily drilled into me. "I m—missed this... Missed you..."

"I know, baby, I know... I missed you, too... And you know what else?"

I drifted one of my hands down in between us, spreading out my fingers so that his cock fit nicely between them as he fucked me. The added friction of my fingers had him whining out, dropping his head down so that his ear was right by my mouth.

I whispered. "So did my pussy... So you better fuck her good..."

The sudden brutal velocity in which he slammed his hips against mine felt like a strike of lightning, and the loud groan he let out against my neck was the thunder. Everything shifted then, Spencer lifting himself up and holding onto my legs as he drilled into me at full force, his body glistening with exertion and my own succumbing to his wind.

"Yeah, that's it," I cooed through a laugh of pure pride. "That's a good fucking whore... Giving me that cock like I own it..."

"Y—You... do," he stuttered through a broken whine. He was getting close again, and I knew just the thing to do the trick.

I reached my hand up to hold his neck, not applying any pressure, but just holding as I forced his eyes down to look at me. "That's right... That slutty cock is mine... Now give it to me..."

The end of my sentence was punctuated with a sharp cry out as another orgasm tore through me. I shouted Spencer's name into the abyss as He fucked me through it and started twitching inside me, signaling his end as well. And the added warmth from his cum as it coated my insides well and truly marked me as his, despite the words we'd just exchanged.

I belonged to him just as much as he did to me, and I wondered if he knew that. If he knew just how much he inhabited my every thought.

I wanted him to know that I was practically infatuated with him.

But that conversation could wait until after we were... settled down.

He was still inside me as he slumped forward, laying his head on my chest and rubbing lines into my forearm.

"You okay?" I asked gently, combing through his hair with my fingers.

"Most definitely... Just... tired."

I smiled, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "You're welcome to stay here for the night..."

He was silent for a long while, almost so long that I thought he'd actually fallen asleep. But then he said, "Right here? With you?" and my heart soared.

"Of course."

Truthfully, I'd have let him stay forever.

But when I opened my eyes the next morning, the other side of the bed was cold, and his body was nowhere to be found.

***

Dear Y/N,

I'm sorry for leaving you alone last week. I know you must be a little hurt and confused, but if you aren't, then just forget I ever said anything.

Nonetheless, I regretted leaving you behind last time without at the very least sending you a letter, so I hope this one finds you well. After all, you have shown me experiences I never could have imagined enjoying as much as I did, so I should thank you for that.

But that's not all that this letter is for.

I also want to invite you out to dinner some time. I know this might be a little unconventional, but given how we met and also how we reunited, I figured this would be a fun, romantic way to ask you out. I understand if you don't feel that way given that I've more or less abandoned you twice now, but I promise it was all for good reason.

If you'd like to talk more, about anything I've disclosed in this letter, I've attached my phone number below, otherwise I'd love to hear back from you. I know this sounds strange, but I've been dying to know what your handwriting looks like. I bet it's pretty, like you.

Once again, I am truly sorry for leaving you behind without a word, but I want a chance to make it up to you. Please say you'll reach out. Otherwise, I know where to find you if you'd rather I make some cheesy romantic comedy—esque gesture of affection that either makes you fall in love with me or hate me.

Yours, Spencer Reid

***

PERMANENT TAGLIST:  @elldell1204 @muffin-cup @calm-and-doctor @slutforthegubes @rainsong01 @yourmisosoup @liveloudwriteloud @reidsconverse @la-vie-en-amour1 @edgycowboy666 @averyhotchner @centiaaa @lizziechaseee @coffeeandendlesswords @usuck @spenxerslut @g0lden-cth @emilyprentisslittlewhore @takeyourleap-of-faith @reidyoulikeabook @spencerreid9 @b-a-utiful @jareauswifey @big-galaxy-chaos

If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, feel free to message me or leave a comment and I’ll get to it!

[pink02]

Prank Wars

Camilo Madrigal x f!reader

Genre: Fluff, Angst (kinda...? 🤏)

Summary: Rivals and enemies since the beginning, you two would annoy each other down to the bone till the shapeshifting boy pulled a prank on you. Enraged by his act, you were determined to seek revenge and knowing Camilo, he also won't back out from a challenge and thus a war broke out. A prank war.

Trigger warnings: Acts of bullying, Mentioning of vulgar and curse words, cheeky yellow chameleon pranking and well... Camilo is somewhat a jerk.

A/n: I keep changing the overall plot since the scenes that I'm working on just don't add up to each other so yeah... might or might not add a part 2 but heyy...?

Ignore any grammatical errors, I'll fix them as soon as I can.

♡♡ Masterlist ♡♡

You and Camilo had this long term rivalry that everyone in Encanto already knew about. Everyone, I mean everyone.

The pride and stubbornness you two have, sets far from the average person's limit, even from the annoying acts to the full on arguments. You two can't even stand in the same room together let alone in the same town without getting onto each other's throats.

People have already tried a bunch of ideas to make you two get along, even the Madrigal boy's family. Sometimes they would ask you both for the same errand just to see you two attempt to get along or at least talk to each other in a civilized way. But so far you two just won't budge.

People already had forgotten when it even started since they're all no longer countable within their fingers. It's already had been an old joke to be honest.

Destined as arch enemies? Nemesis? Rivals till death? People would even joke around that someday you two would be wedded to each other, obviously making both of you cringe in disgust.

But alas... peace came once again... until...

You were outside and was enjoying your alone time reading by the fountain. People would sometimes greet or wave at you as they pass by while you would likely return the gesture.

Obviously being somewhat famous due to the fact that the eldest grandson of the most respected and admired family had always got some nerve with you. And by that, your feelings with him are mutual.

The angry with each other part, not that you guys would have actual feelings with each other. Pshh, please. Over my own dead body. You gagged at the thought.

By far, you were having a quiet and peaceful time. Indulging yourself into the scenes of a book you're reading. It was a book about romance, of course girls in your age would likely drown themselves in stories like these and that includes you.

You sighed dreamily as you were at the part where the male lead takes the hand of his chosen woman and profess his love for her, roses in his hand and gentle smile upon their faces. Oh how you would dream it would be if someone confess their love like that to you, don't you? It doesn't hurt to dream anyways.

Suddenly, a splash of water hits your back making you squeak in surprise. Jolting by the cold, you shot up from your seat and turned your head behind. To behold seeing Camilo clutching his stomach laughing hysterically as he pointed his finger at your face. Your face immediately burn in anger seeing the shapeshifting boy.

"REPTILLO!!" You shouted in fury as you glared at him.

The Madrigal boy tried to stop himself from laughing too much but seeing your reaction, it makes it harder for him to even lower his loud cackles.

"It’s hot out here, isn’t it?" He asked between fits of laughter. "Good to have some cool water to take out the heat." He finally manages to talk clearly while he wipes his tears away from his eyes.

Your scowl deepened. "CAMILO." You yelled his name.

"You called?" He smirked then jumps out of the fountain. Knowing that he silently sneaked up on you from behind when you saw his pants were rolled up so that it wouldn't get wet.

"Ughhh, you idiot!" You clenched your fists making your knuckles white.

"Have to correct you about that." He said, nonchalantly swaying his arms as he walks up to you. "I mean, its hot today and I just want to help you cool off, y'know? That makes me a genius." He looks at you with a smug grin as he crossed his arms in front of him.

"Cilucagado." You cursed under your breath while gritting your teeth then stormed away.

"Don't need to thank me!" He yelled off from the distance and hearing another round of laughter from the boy in the ruana.

You muttered curses as you walked back home, fuming at the boy who did this to you. That cabrón, stupid little-. As you approach the front door of your house, someone called your name from behind.

Turning around, you saw your bestfriend, Marianne, running towards you. She was the baker's daughter and she would know all the gossips and rumors all around the town, well second to Dolores. She has a lot of connections due to being the delivery girl of their family's pastries and bread.

As she approached you, she swung her arm around your shoulder panting obviously tired from all that running. "J-just a moment." She heaved trying to breathe normally.

"You okay?" You asked raising a brow.

"YES-! I mean- yeah." She suddenly shouts but quieted it down quickly, holding both of your shoulders making you jump. "Okay...?" You muttered awkwardly.

She released you and tried to compose herself. Well, kinda looked like she's meditating as she closed her eyes while pinching her fingers together inhaling and exhaling slowly.

You waited of course, already used to seeing her like that. Her eyes snapped open abruptly and looked at you. "I've heard-"

"Of course you do." You deadpanned already knowing what she's about to say.

"Are you alright?!" She worriedly asked frankly squishing your cheeks together and pulled your face towards her.

"Absolutely..." You held her hands and forcefully pulling away from her. "Not." You grumbled then stepped inside your house.

"Did that Madrigal hurt you?" Your bestfriend followed you worryingly as you two walked up to your room.

"No just angry." Your eyebrows furrowed once more as you recall what happened earlier.

"He should be punished. How dare he do that to you." Marianne said as both of you entered your room.

"Yeah, how dare him." You nonchalantly muttered while looking into your closet for a set of clothes.

"What will you do?" The other girl asked as she sat onto your bed while you changed.

"What will I do...?" You paused slightly, repeating her words as you turn your head at your friend.

"I don't know." Marianne shrugged looking around the room briskly. "You're on to something."

"Maybe..." She dragged slowly.

You stood in front of her and crossed your arms. "What?"

"Ohh come on! As if you would let him have the last laugh!" The girl burst as she flings her hands around.

"Of course I won't. Who says I won't take revenge?" You said raising a brow.

Marian dramatically gasped. "Oh, no! My bestfriend is adding fuel to the fire." She woed and flop onto your bed. "Mhm..." a smile tugged on the corner of your lips slowly.

"You have a plan?" She asked sitting up.

"Yeah, but I need your help." You muttered smirking mischievously.

"Have a good day, Señor!" Camilo waved goodbye to the man after helping him carry hay to his cart.

He got home and walked straight towards the kitchen knowing his tía would always leave snacks. As he went inside, he saw a small basket full of cookies on the table and a note with a 'Thank you, Camilo' written on it.

His eyes brighten and grinned. "Well don't mind if I do." He slurred then grabs a cookie giving it a big bite.

As he munched down the piece of pastry, he abruptly stopped and widened his eyes. "HOT! HOT!" He shouts practically panicked and spits out the remaining cookie.

Dashing to the sink, he quickly grabbed a cup to fill it with water. "Come on, come on, come on." He jumps on his spot fanning his mouth as he waits for the cup to fill up.

As the cup filled he gulped the water down dispersing the spiciness. Feeling replenished and relieved, he sighed and wipes his mouth with his sleeve. "Camilo?"

He turns around and saw his cousin, Mirabel looking at him confusingly by the doorway. "Did you make them??" He shouts frankly points at the basket of cookies. "Nope."

"Then who?" He placed down his cup quite forcibly getting angry by the lame trick.

"Oh, a girl dropped by and-"

"Of course it would be her!" He groaned crossing his arms cutting his cousin's words.

"Wait, what?" Mirabel raised a brow having no sense of knowledge.

"She's taking revenge on me!" Said the shapeshifter as he dumped the cookies in a trash can.

"Who's she..." Mirabel asked slowly making Camilo turn his head and look at her with a bored look as she tried to figure out what's happening.

Upon realizing, her eyes widened. "Ohhhh! She!" Bingo. "Wait- revenge? What did you do?" Her eyes narrowed at her cousin then raised a brow.

"Splashed her back with water by the fountain." The shapeshifter rolled his eyes shrugging.

"Why?!" Mirabel shouts in overreaction.

"Relax, it was just a measly prank." He scoffed unconcerned by his cousins displease.

"I think you should stop..." She said slowly and frowned at the shapeshifter.

"Nahh, she's obviously surging a war at me." His shoulders shrugged again.

"I'm warning you, primo." The girl in green classes furrowed her brows.

"Yeah, yeah." Camilo ignored the girl and left.

"So this morning, Doña Evangelista said if one of her suitors would make a song for her, she would pick him as her lover!" You and Marianne were having a stroll after a day full of chores and work. She was talking about the latest gossips in town, obviously giving out the most interesting parts.

You shook your head and sighed. "How many are they?" You asked.

"About... four... or five?" Your bestfriend said looking up while placing a finger on her lip thinking.

"Wow, lucky." You said in disbelief.

"What? You want suitors too?" The other girl mischievously grinned nudging your side.

"No!"

"Why?" Your bestfriend looked at you confusingly.

"I don't know... it feels like guys would treat you like a prize trophy or something." You chuckled slightly.

"Well too bad you don't have any." Marianne smirked at you.

"You mean thank god that I don't have any." You said rolling your eyes making both of you laugh.

As you both turned to a corner, a bucket of red paint was poured over your head making both you and your friend gasp.

"Hey, ___! Why so red?!" A voice rang from afar then a laugh.

Stunned to even move you already knew who it was. You snapped your head up and glared at the boy. "Reptillo." Your teeth gritted in anger.

Days, after days, after days passed by as you and Camilo's war had gotten heftier and more aggravating. One time as you saw him walked pass by the market carrying a satchel, you placed a big heavy rock quickly and quietly. Shortly, he was pulled down by the weight visibly caught off guard. He grumbled obviously confused and looked around. The Madrigal boy spotted you leaning by a wall with a smirk on your face, he glared.

Of course the Madrigals would know all the chaos you and Camilo cast into each other, even your parents would know, even the whole town would know. Your parents already have been scolded you multiple times just to stop all your nonsense but both of you keep doing it so anyways, same goes for the shapeshifter.

Camilo was sometimes given more chores than usual as punishments but still, he would pull up a trick or two to any chance he gets whenever he sees you. As for you, sometimes you would be grounded to which you weren't allowed to leave the house but still manage to ask Marianne to set out plans for your next scheme.

"Aren't you getting tired of all this shenanigans?" Mirabel groaned as she face planted on the dinner table.

"Yeah, people already had enough with you guys. Even us!" Isabela said as she grabs an arepa from the plate.

"Her parents are scolding her again." Dolores hummed then looks at her brother.

The other Madrigal children gathered up in the kitchen while Camilo ignored them, still thinking for another trick he could pull after threw feathers at him. As he felt eyes on him, he looks up to the girls clearly waiting for him so say something.

"She started this!" He tried defending himself.

"Clearly it was you." Mirabel deadpanned giving an unimpressed look to her cousin.

"No! Like, since we were little!" The boy shouts.

"Oh come on! That was years ago?! Move on!" Isabela exclaimed dramatically. "She didn't even say sorry!" Camilo shots back.

"Yikes, didn't know you would hold on to grudges that long." Mirabel points out making the shapeshifter glare at her. "What did she even said to you?"

"She said that my powers were weird." He slumped onto his chair. "That's all?!!" The three girls chorus while looking at him widely.

"You guys were still kids! Of course she would say that!" The plant conjuring girl rolled her eyes.

"I was hurt, okay! I told her she was ugly." Camilo crossed his arms in front of him with a huff.

"Ughhh, you both are idiots." Mirabel faceplamed as her cousin slumped on his chair once more grumbling.

"I think it's time for you two to make amends." Dolores squeaked.

"No way!" Camilo sat up straight.

"Why?" Mirabel raised an eyebrow confusingly. "I don't know?! Maybe because it's been so long that she now hates my guts?!"

"I agree." Dolores hummed.

"Then we need a plan to make her not hate your guts!" Mirabel declared smiling enthusiastically at the boy.

"How?" Her sister questioned. "I don't know.... let's try asking her friend or something?" The girl with the glasses shrugged.

"Oh! I know! A picnic by the river!" Dolores clapped her hands together.

"Yeah! That would be great!" Isabela agreed smiling widely.

"Ew! Are you guys setting me up on her?" Camilo visibly cringed scrunching his nose in disgust.

"No! well, maybe? Do you want us to?" Mirabel nonchalantly said then smirked at her cousin slyly.

"No thanks." The shapeshifter shook his head and stands up.

"Wait! Don't you want this to be over?!" Isabela practically wailed.

"If she stops then I'll stop." The Madrigal boy declared leaving the three girls stunned.

.

Like any other day, Marianne would roam around town delivering her family's fresh baked goods to people who can't come to their bakery. With that, she sometimes would talk to the customers obviously want to get some new info and gossips.

She paddled her bike through the roads but stopped when she heard someone called her name. Getting down from her bike, she saw Mirabel approaching her.

"Hey!" Mirabel smiled and stopped in front of her.

"Uhh, hi?" The baker girl awkwardly greeted back.

"Look, I need your help. It's about ____ and Camilo." The Madrigal girl said.

"Oh! what about them, señorita Madrigal?" Marianne smirked placing her other hand by her waist and holding her bike with the other.

"Don't call me that- Anyways! I need you to lure your friend by the riverbank." The girl in glasses clasped her hands together while looking at Marianne.

"What? Are you guys gonna ambush her or something?" Your friend raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"No! We want her and my primo to make amends. Don't you want them to stop with their so called war??" Mirabel groaned frantically.

Marianne storts. "Nahh... it's quite entertaining to see them slashing their throats at each other." She smirked making the other girl look at her with a bored look. "Alright! Fine. But for a price." The baker girl smirked mischievously.

"What?" Mirabel questioned.

"A date." The other girl declared smiling fanatically making the Madrigal girl blushed in surprise.

"U-uhh fine?" The Madrigal stumbled taken aback from the sudden request.

"What time?" Marianne asked leaning on her bike ignoring Mirabel's stutters. "Before dawn."

"Fine by me." Your friend smiled and left with a goodbye. That was easier than I thought. Mirabel shook her head in disbelief.

Marianne had arrived at your house shortly already knowing that you’re the only one home. She didn’t even bother to knock as she just let herself in.

"Oh mi preciosa amiga!" she burst into your room making you jolt up in surprise.

"Stop that!" You scold holding onto your chest glaring at her by your door. "Whoops?" she squeaked sheepishly.

"What do you want?" You dismissed as you lied back down onto your bed continuing to read your book.

"I have a great idea! Let's go by the riverbank!" She smiled coming close and sat in front of you.

"Now?" you probed raising a brow looking up to her from your book.

"I still have deliveries to do right now and I was just passing by to tell you. Meet me there before dawn! Byeee!" Your friend shouts and quickly exits your room.

"Ok?" You muttered to yourself quite confused from the sudden leave.

Time passed shortly, you noticed it’s almost time to meet your friend. You stood up and changed into more presentable clothes as you were just wearing a plain shirt and shorts.

Exiting your house, you made your way down to the river a little confused. To all places you guys want to hang out, why the river? Well it's not like you're complaining. It’s just that its weird she wants you to go to the river so suddenly. You usually just hang by the town square or by the fountain, not the river. Well let's just see what's she's up to, I guess. You sighed in thought.

As you came by the river, you heard voices by the distance. By your obnoxious curiosity, you came closer and tried to look for the people who are talking.

"I told you she won't come."

"Could just wait?? She'll be here any minute."

"Fine! If she won't appear in five minutes then I'm leaving."

"Fine!"

"Hello?" You called cautiously making the voices stop promptly.

"Anybody there?" You asked again slowly walking closer. If this is a monster, I'm out of here. You thought scaring yourself a little.

A bush suddenly shook in front of you making you jump a little. Steadily, you approach it but screamed when a figure came out from behind the bush. "AHHHH!!" The figure also screamed. You froze up seeing it was only Camilo.

"You!" Immediately, your face turned into a scowl. "Is this another one of your pranks?! Did you set me up by asking my friend just for you to scare me?!"

"What?! No! Ughhh, I told you this is a dumb idea." The Madrigal groaned looking back at the bush. You raised your eyebrow with a puzzled face.

The boy in the ruana sighed and facepalmed as he didn't get a reply. "Look, my cousins want us to make amends yada yada." He looks back at you with a bored look.

"Me? Amends with you? Pfft please." You scoffed rolling your eyes.

"Ughhh, I can’t even stand talking to you." Camilo groaned.

"Then sit, moron. No one even asked." You deadpanned as you crossed your arms in front of you.

"I have had it with this-this game of 'being enemies' and all, you're completely making my life a living hell." He points at you accusingly.

"Excuse you for your audacity, for all I know my life had been nothing but peaceful up until you show up!" You flung your hands around in disbelief.

"How was it my fault?! It’s not like you own this place just to make me not walk right in front of you." The shapeshifter scowled.

"Yeah I don't, I wish I do though." A smirk tugged on the corner of your lips.

"Ughhhh you’re insufferable." Camilo groaned rubbing his face with his hands.

"Quite the same for you, actually." You tilt your head sideward.

"Could you just stop?!" He shoots up looking at you.

"Stop what?" You asked raising a brow.

"Being that! Being sarcastic and all!" The Madrigal boy furrowed his eyebrows.

"Maybe it's just my personality, Pendejo." How many times did you rolled your eyes just by being with this guy, already?

"Look, clearly I'm making a progress trying to at least tolerate your snappy attitude." He glared.

"Oh wow! I'm so honored. Señorito Madrigal thinks I'm tolerable." You sarcastically smirked.

"Look here you pretty little-" Camilo walks up at you already had enough with you but stumbled as he hit his foot by a rock.

Tripping, he grabbed you and dragged you down making both of you fell onto the ground. As your back hit the ground you closed your eyes but felt something soft on your lips.

Slowly opening your eye, dark muddy green orbs stared down at you widely. Camilo jolts up quickly with red tinted cheeks as he covered his mouth, you froze in realization and shock. Oh no... (Oh yes ;3)

"I-I..." You stuttered out blushing madly.

Well that.... didn't turn out as you all imagined....

Days passed after that incident, the town of Encanto is once again peaceful and quiet. Well, obviously the two of you, Camilo, had been ignoring each other the next couple of days. But whenever you two would encounter with each other, you two would blush and frantically panicked just to run away from the awkward intervention.

"Thanks for the vision tío Bruno." Dolores grinned.

"No problemo, mi sobrina." Bruno smiled at his niece.

"Just have to wait for a couple more days till those two realize their feelings for each other." The young woman hummed.

"Ay, we just have to wait." The man in the green ruana laughed shaking his head.

El fin.

Taglist: @eventides-child-in-the-tardis @sunnth

A/n: Heyyyy! I had fun writing this long ass story. Quite funny that I have to come up so many pranks and all of that lol 💀

Originally I was gonna make it into a full on prank where Camilo crossed the line making reader-chan cry and all of that. But then I just thought of that plot twist by the last minute and didn't regret anything.

Hopefully you guys liked it! Its already 2am here and I'll be having guests at 8am omgg pray for me.

[abysscronica]

Yo~~ ngl, I didn’t even notice birdie’s possessive behavior until that ask pointed it out 😂. but now it makes me wonder, what do aokiji and kid think of this? Ik kid’s possessive af, but i feel like he’d find possessive behavior annoying. As for aokiji, i just realized you prob can’t answer due to Bonds spoilers lol.

But now i’m wondering: if birdie decided to go along with tsuru and her legion, do you think birdie would be less messed up?? I’m beyond curious on birdie and aokiji’s past, and think (in my head anyway) that he’s somehow the cause to her behavior, like not following orders and just being difficult. But anyways, looking forward to when you get to Bonds!! Also, if I may ask for a tiny hint, will we get to see any kizaru/birdie interactions thru flashbacks maybe?

Hey, thank you for the ask! Sorry it took a while for me to get to it.

Let's get to the Kid part right away: a possessive birdie turns him on. I'm with you that he normally would find possessiveness (directed to him) very annoying, and he wouldn't stand for it with the random women he was messing around before, buuut... because birdie is such a tsundere, and he loooves teasing her, he gets off by seeing her getting jealous, and it amuses him when she tries to get his attention back. Because she always tries to play it cool like she's not really smitten with him, Kid loves seeing her forced to show her feelings. I guess everything is different when it's someone you really care for. 🤷‍♀️

Now, Aokiji! There are some hints in Captive that may partially answer your doubts, so I can get into them without turning spoilerish.

More than annoying, he finds birdie's possessiveness toward him somewhat concerning. Aokiji knows she's not independent and idealizes him way too much. We subtly get this feeling in a few instances: he wants her to decide for herself what to do with the ancient books, he leaves her alone during the ball so she can handle the social situation on her own and, at the very end, he wants her to say that she will be fine without him (which she fails to). There are other examples in the flashbacks.

At the same time, he doesn't do enough to address this issue, and it's not clear why. Did Aokiji really want her by his side all the time? Was it convenient? Did he think about her like his daughter? Was he simply too lazy? Because of this, yes, he enabled birdie's toxic/asocial/headstrong traits through her teens, so they dragged into her twenties and she never really learned how to connect with others.

The thing is, like you pointed out, we do not get Aokiji's POV in Captive, so it's hard to make out what he thinks. It's clear he cares about her to some extent, but not much else. You'll get some clarification in Bonds, although you'll probably have to wait for the very end.

I'd love to write some birdie/Kizaru interaction! I'll see if I can sneak something in Bonds.

Lastly, what if birdie had accepted Tsuru's invitation to enter her squad? Her social skills and behavior would be more developed, but... she likely would be just as unhappy. Birdie doesn't do well with women (she doesn't do well with humans, actually, but there are better chances with men), so she would probably feel like an outsider all the time anyway.

What could've actually been a game changer was joining Smoker's G5. There's mutual respect between birdie and Smoker/Tashigi, she could truly connect with them in due time. Plus, G5 men are the rascals of the Marines: birdie could do great among them. Not only she would benefit from a greater degree of freedom (with Smoker's trust), but as she rises through the ranks, she would have to keep in line men that are just as difficult as her, so she'd learn first-hand how much of a pain in the ass she is/was. Furthermore, birdie and Tashigi could have become true friends.

Yes, this is one of the very few scenarios in which birdie really finds her place in the Marines. Had Aokiji won the duel and become the new Fleet Admiral, he probably would have sent birdie to Smoker.

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed - Episode 02

Warning: Spoilers for all 50 episodes!

(Masterpost ) (Previous Episode) (Next Episode)

Donkey Riding

way ho and away we go, donkey riding donkey riding way ho and away we go, riding on a donkey

Wei Wuxian and Apple are doing their best for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. 

Xiao Zhan had trouble riding the donkey sitting side-saddle, so the Department of Questionable Practical Effects made him a fake leg to wear while riding regular style. 

Can you spot it? It’s very hard to spot. It is very convincing.

Simple Pleasures

Wei Wuxian takes his time wandering up the nearest mountain, and half of the cultivators in the land also wander up this mountain because...Night Hunting! The cultivators are hot and thirsty from walking because they forgot that they all know how to fly. 

Wei Wuxian relaxes by a well and listens to people stanning him. 

Also

I’m going to say it: Wei Wuxian never met a drinking vessel he couldn’t blow.

Everything is Beautiful at the Ballet

The actress who plays A-Yan is named Zhang Linran. She probably has studied dance since she was 4 and now she gets her big break which turns out to be feeding an apple to a donkey. So let’s pause for a second to look at how beautifully she moves.  

Reunions are Awkward, Part 1

Wei Wuxian meets up with one of his family members and it goes super well. 

I...like Jin Ling? He’s much less of a douchebag than his dad, his uncles Jin, Jiang, and Mo (the three stooges), and every damn one of his Jin cousins. He’s genuinely brave (his Dad’s primary good quality) and his hair is on fleek. He’s still a whiny diaper baby, but I like him. 

(much more after the cut!)

Then Jiang Cheng shows up, looking fine as hell and radiating peak arrogant-prick energy.

When he discovers that ‘Mo Xuanyu” stuck a piece of paper to Jin Ling, he tells the child to literally murder him. Excellent uncleing! A+++++ would recommend.  

“In fact, literally murder anyone who uses Yiling Laozu’s tools, like talismans, lure flags, or spirit compasses - basically murder everyone in the Lan Clan plus those other fanboys we saw coming up the hill. Then get out there and make some friends, goddamn it!”

These nets full of cultivators on this daytime night hunt are the only time we ever see anything in a net during a night hunt.�� In fact dudes constantly go night hunting and the only prey we ever see is rock lady, murder turtle, and a couple of rag mops in the lake. 

You Are Not Qualified to Speak to Me

Also radiating arrogant-prick energy on this occasion is Lan Wangji. He has been using pettiness as a weapon since long before he met this Jiang Cheng turkey, and he *brings it* when Jiang Cheng tries to have a conversation with him.

Letting your eyes wander everywhere except to his punchable face while you ignore his passive-aggressive questions? Quality work. 

Dropping a silence spell on his child and then letting your own child explain it to him? Golden. 

Lan Wangji is never ever going to forgive Jiang Cheng for what he did on cliff day, and his silence here is as pointed as an ice pick. I suspect the last words Lan Wangji actually spoke to him were “Jiang Wanyin, stop it,” sixteen years ago. 

Jiang Cheng is actually the bigger person in this particular interaction, visibly mastering his temper and telling Jin Ling to take his medicine. 

Reflecting

Wei Wuxian hangs out by a beautiful river and hallucinates for a while. River Jiang Yanli is nurturing and River Jiang Cheng is pissed off, so there are no surprises there.  River Jiang Cheng thinks that Wei Wuxian is a promise-breaking douchebag. He’s not exactly wrong. 

Courtesy of convenient gossiping cultivators, Wei Wuxian discovers that the 16 year old arrogant kid from the Jin clan who his brother from the Jiang clan has custody of is actually and quite obviously Jin Rulan.

Well fuck I guess now I care about something, that’s inconvenient. 

Needing to help parent the child of the sister who parented him is what draws Wei Wuxian fully into his new life. 

As soon as he has this realization, Apple comes back from roaming around, and never gives him any trouble after this for the rest of the story. Which...probably doesn’t mean anything. 

Wen Gravesite

Does Wen Ning hang out here because it’s where he and his (dead) people came from? Oh great, now I am sad. 

Judging by all the leaves on this grave thingy I’m going to say that this grave tender dude is, ah, not very good at his job. 

Get him, Jingyi!

I feel like maybe we all focus too much on how Lan Jingyi is so hilarious and sardonic and not enough on how he is a such a biscuit. 

Soul Grass

As mentioned in the previous post, Chinese spiritual concepts don’t always translate well into English. Soul grass? Sure, why not. 

This is where Wei Wuxian’s Sherlock Holmes brain starts to work, although he still doesn’t remember really basic stuff about Dafan Mountain. Dying and changing bodies is rough on the old neurochemistry. This creates more opportunities for flashbacks, however, and if there’s one thing The Untamed deffo needs more of, it’s kissing flashbacks.

Temple Statue

Presumably grave-tender dude is also in charge of clearing away spiderwebs at the temple, because it’s not getting done. 

Jin Ling walks into the temple blaspheming at full volume. 

Since this isn’t a Greek story, he isn’t immediately struck blind for this. Then when he wishes for the statue to come alive, it obligingly does.  Everything’s coming up Rulan!

Wei Wuxian shows up to rescue all the kids by throwing talismans at the monster which does not tip anyone off to who he is. 

Baby Cultivator Babysitting

Lan Wangji chills out in the cultivators’ pavilion with Jiang Cheng and their mutual hate boners.

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian forgets all about his nephew and turns into cool professor guy, explaining the basics of soul-eating to the baby cultivators and gleefully encouraging their fear of Hanguang-Jun’s punishments. 

Because the Lan babies are good filial children they are super respectful and engaged with this random adult who is lecturing them. They also - like their own Hanguang-Jun at their age - see and admire Wei Wuxian’s intellect. It’s easy to forget how extremely smart Wei Wuxian is, because of how extremely dumb Wei Wuxian is.

Lan Jingyi suddenly figures out Wei Wuxian is not crazy. 

Bis. Kit. 

Then Rock Lady shows up and Jin Ling sticks 6 arrows into her while Lans Jingyi and Sizhui stand around not bothering to draw their swords.

I see a lot of comments about the bad effects in the statue sequences but I think Rock Lady is all right. The figure animation is decent and the lighting is no worse on her than on everything else in the scene. Her hair is nice, for a rock person.

Admittedly I just finished watching Guardian which has CGI monsters so bad they may have injured my retinas and possibly also my DNA, so the bar, for me, is pretty low. Rock lady clears it with room to spare.   

Note: Wei Wuxian’s flute playing does zippity towards controlling the statue. Not sure what his plan was here.

Wen Ning Kicks Ass

Now we get to meet Wen Ning, who appears to be a stone-cold badass. Later we will discover how hilariously inaccurate that assessment is. 

While all versions of Wen Ning are delightful, this version of Wen Ning is also...strangely attractive? He’s got a Patti-Smith-Horses-Era vibe here, instead of his more usual lost-baby-dork vibe. And his dreamy “I have nails in my head” expression is intriguing. 

I mean, he’s not a total snack like zombie Song Lan or pre-zombie Song Lan or blind Song Lan or post-zombie Song Lan, but this look is a good one for Wen Ning, is what I’m saying.

Reunions are Awkward, Part 2

Lan Wangji, who has 99% already recognized Wei Wuxian because of the haunted sword and the fierce jawline and beautiful neck and tiny tiny waist, is summoned by his flute playing as inexorably as the Ghost General was. 

Jiang Cheng also recognizes Wei Wuxian and goes into full beatdown mode, thwarted (silently) by Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian attempts to preserve his incognito by sassing Jiang Cheng in as sibling-like a manner as possible. 

Hanguang-Jun’s Pro-Ghost Agenda Has Been Clear for Some Time

This Jiang/Lan fight is hilarious when you consider the implications.

Macroexpression vs. Microexpression

Mo Xuanyu brought Wei Wuxian back using sacrifice summons, a dark ritual invented by Wei Wuxian that he, most likely, did NOT show to Lan Wangji back in the day. So it’s a pretty safe bet that Lan Wangji doesn’t know that Wei Wuxian was gifted a body, rather than stealing one.

when your brother turns around, you must whip him you will never live it down unless you whip him

When Jiang Cheng lets loose with Zidian, it’s not just because he’s angry. He’s using purple power to force Wei Wuxian’s ghost out of the body he’s apparently possessed. And Lan Wangji instantly STOPS him from doing that.

Clan Leader Jiang: this person has been possessed, against their will, by an evil ghost

Future Chief Cultivator Lan: Counterpoint: I am banging the ghost

Flashback Time

Welcome to your 30-episode flashback!

Once I used to join in Every boy and girl was my friend Now there's revolution, but they don't know What they're fighting

Let us close our eyes Outside their lives go on much faster Oh, we won't give in We'll keep living in the past

Road Tripping to Summer School

Gosh I’m looking forward to younger, kinder, more relatable Jiang Cheng.

...prick. 

Incidentally, until now this episode didn’t know that Jiang Cheng has smile muscles, and neither did the person who glued his wig on for him.

I Like Rabbits

Here we have our first rabbit in a large collection of rabbit iconography that appears in The Untamed. 

Instead of sending everyone to the Wikipedia page for Tu'er Shen I’m going to take this opportunity to rec the short film Kiss of the Rabbit God by Andrew Thomas Huang (tw: blood, tw:body-mod cutting) which you can read about and watch over at  Nowness.com 

Particularly if you are a queer person of Chinese heritage, check it out. 

So. What the fuck are these? Are they food? 

Are they made from wax? Or corn starch? or pig intestines? 

Wei Wuxian runs off to get laid drunk and Jiang Cheng grumps about it. Jiang Yanli reminds him that being free is a Jiang Clan Rule, so really Wei Wuxian is following the rules by not following the rules. Does that mean he’s not free? My head hurts. 

Jiang Cheng: yes but grump grump grump

Jiang Yanli: Nothing bad will ever happen because of A-Xian’s choices, trust me

Outro

Wei Wuxian faint tally: one  Caught by: the cold hard ground

Soundtrack: 1. Donkey Riding by Great Big Sea 2. Living in the Past by Jethro Tull 3. Whip It by Devo

Fic prompt:  Lan Wangji’s internal monologue while he sits in the pavilion with Jiang Cheng 

If you write a fic from this prompt and want to share, please post a link in comments!

Bonus: Wang Zuocheng, macro-expression king

Episode 03 Restless Rewatch coming soon!

[shihalyfie]

How would you describe the relationship between each respective goggleboy and 'rival'? Ive seen different interpretations but im curious what you think! Not to mention that the fans are sometimes arguing over who the 'rival' actually is, like with Daisuke where some people say its Ken and others say its Takeru. (I dont think there are actual rivals in the show, except for maybe Manga!Kiriha who outright says he will be just that with Taiki.)

One thing to keep in mind is that the word "rival" has kind of integrated itself into anime lingo as a full-on English loanword, so it comes from expectations of anime tropes more than anything. While even official staff has used that word in talking about Digimon, as you say, it never really fit to begin with, because not only has Digimon TV anime never been a particularly conventional shounen series in many ways, that term was also mostly coined in light of series where that term made a lot more sense. As in, they were more likely to be actually competing over something (in sports, or something tournament-based like card games); in that sense, a "rival" would be someone who might be antagonistic by being on the other side of the field, but would have a mutually positive relationship with the other person overall because the competitiveness would keep both of them on their toes and allow both of them to improve together. Digimon is not the first time this term has started getting overapplied to contexts where it doesn't really fit at all (it's been going on in Super Sentai for years), so people generally have a greater perception of it broadly meaning "two characters who have differing opinions on how something should be done due to their differing personalities, and sometimes fight over it", but in Digimon especially, it really does seem like trying to smash a square peg into a round hole.

The short answer: Xros Wars is probably the only one you can make a real argument for.

The long answer, in detail:

Adventure: I cannot emphasize enough that Adventure, being a series that was really big on that whole trope subversion thing, is a series that casts the trope of "rivalry" as "getting in a lot of fights" as a bad thing -- it's actually pretty unsubtle about it, because the word "rival" itself is explicitly used in Adventure episode 44, by Jureimon trying to manipulate Yamato. Or, in other words, "hey, if you saw someone who's supposed to be your supportive friend as someone you had to constantly compete against for no good reason, wouldn't that be really messed up?" Adventure does not even bother with or remotely believe in the idea that fighting somehow is a sign of how good friends you are, at least, not as long as that fighting is a sign of genuine hostility and refusal to communicate (which is why Yamato punching Taichi in 02 doesn't count). Every time Taichi and Yamato got in a fight back in Adventure, it was heated and ugly, and everyone in their presence was horrified, and once they sorted out their issues in Adventure, their appearances in 02 and Kizuna involved properly talking things out and making an active attempt to understand each other's feelings. There's a bit of bickering between them due to said opposing personalities, but it's never over anything serious (see the contrast in Kizuna between them having a bit of a minor row at the beginning, but high-fiving right after and spending the rest of the movie practically counseling each other).

02: Straight-up does not exist. Daisuke may have seen Takeru in that way due to the Hikari issue at first, but he was really running in circles getting absolutely nowhere about it, Takeru was mostly like "okay, you have fun with that," their only major argument about anything was the very serious issue in 02 episode 11, and it still resulted in Daisuke trying to understand Takeru's feelings. I think all of it boils down to Daisuke himself just not having that kind of personality to begin with, because he's friendly and supportive before anything else, and the whole thing with Takeru became a non-issue after a fashion (way before we even get into Kizuna, at that). Ken has the word "rival" sometimes applied to him in official franchise media, but nobody ever believes it. Sure, Daisuke and Ken have fairly complementary personalities, but they seem to both be aware of this fact and actively using it to help each other. It's very, very, very hard to imagine them ever getting into any kind of fight the way Taichi and Yamato used to in Adventure. It's just not happening! They're "best friends" who enjoy each other's company and actively hang out, and...yeah, that's it.

Tamers: Also does not exist! I know a lot of people really try to say it's Ruki because she's the one with the lone-wolf attitude and aggravated Takato at first, but my impression of Takato's attitude with her wasn't out of any competition but more that he'd like it if she didn't try to pick fights with him. Which she does actually stop after a while, mind you, and you could even make an argument that she's more of a foil to Jian than Takato, because Jian's the one who was completely pacifist at first, with Takato caught in the middle. In the end, Ruki never actually attains a particularly close relationship with Takato compared to Jian, nor does she really keep up a particular competitive streak with Takato; she kind of pops in and out at her leisure because of her more independent streak, and Jian ends up more of Takato's right-hand man (which is why the franchise presumably picks him as the secondary character to feature whenever they do "secondary characters"), but neither Takato nor Jian are prone to conflict and the entire trope is just fundamentally absent. The Tamers trio, is, ultimately, a trio.

Frontier: Takuya and Kouji are probably the first pair to really look like a proper execution of the trope, and at the very least they align pretty perfectly to how it's known in Sentai: a more hot-headed, aggressive lead with a more cool-headed and cynical right-hand man, where they end up often prone to conflict over dispute on how to best lead the team. However, while it's much more of a conventional execution than Adventure (since Adventure had Yamato actually be more prone to being an emotional fuse bomb whereas Taichi was often too chill more than anything), there being any conflict isn’t gone into that deeply beyond just "their personalities are complementary", and in that sense it's not far off from Adventure itself.

Savers: The series kind of baits you into thinking it might go this way when Nanami taunts Tohma about how he had to resort to a Masaru-esque tactic to beat her (it's one of its early red herrings about Tohma supposedly betraying the group), and it does have traces at the start because of how blatant of a foil Tohma is to Masaru, but one thing important to consider is that while the "rivalry" of what's being competed over is barely even relevant in most Digimon series to begin with, Masaru and Tohma don't even have a "group" to lead -- they're the employees under DATS who are being given orders from above, and are dealing with situations as they come. Masaru ends up leading the charge a bit, but he's not actually a leader in any shape or form, and Savers is more of a story of Masaru's coming-of-age than anything else, so while the series mostly has to do with his personal philosophy more than Tohma's, it ultimately lets the two of them pursue their lives their own ways. Masaru's worst bout of infamous anger is at being hurt over Tohma's apparent betrayal, not against him personally.

Xros Wars: I would say this is the only series to date where the term "rivals" properly applies, and it's because they're fighting over something concrete: the Code Crowns, and eventually Digital World territory. So in this case, for the first two parts, the answer is obviously Kiriha; Nene was a rival at first, but after various events happened she allied with Xros Heart early into Death Generals, and while Taiki and Kiriha had a relationship of mutual respect, Kiriha still considered him an opponent over what they were competing for until eventually the Xros Heart United Army fully came into formation. In the manga version, Kiriha does invoke the word "rival" in the above sense of competing to polish one's skills, but ironically, its version of the Death Generals arc involves them being much more in-tune with the same goals, so it might actually apply less because Taiki kind of responds with "uh, sure...?" since he's not nearly as interested in self-improvement. In Hunters, while it initially seems like it might be Yuu, the answer is really Ryouma, and note that Ryouma never really forms a particularly close relationship with Tagiru; it's just that he's the person most at the forefront for competing with Tagiru in the Hunt, to the point he's the first person chosen to wield the Brave Snatcher and turns out to be a bit of a foil for Tagiru in terms of actually having admired Taiki this whole time.

Appmon: Also does not exist. Rei tried to do the whole schtick in terms of competing for the Seven Code Appmon at first, but Haru was having none of that and immediately reached out to him emotionally, worrying about his welfare, and although Rei had a bit of a detached relationship with the other Appli Drivers thereafter, it really was friendly more than anything, just a bit awkward. Haru and Yuujin aren't even on the table, since their relationship is "best friends" akin to Daisuke and Ken.

Adventure: reboot: Also does not exist, considering that Taichi and Yamato bickering over the best way to approach things is limited to the very beginning of the series (and one of those times was with Yamato and Sora, not Yamato and Taichi, at that). In fact, I think most of these kids have been acting separately for most of the series anyway...?

[hopeshoodie]

hi! what would the s2 lis be like when meeting mc's parents?

Arjun

Of all the LIs, I’d personally be most comfortable with Arjun and Noah meeting the parents, and I think Arjun would be better. Arjun’s a natural conversationalist, he knows where reasonable boundaries are and can sus out the touchy subjects based on people’s reactions. He would be extremely respectful and polite, but not in that stilted ‘I am uncomfortable’ way. He’s super comfortable jumping into discussions and just kind of makes himself at home. The most awkward he would get would be going in for a hug and then drawing back when he realizes MC’s dad wants a handshake.

Bobby

We know that Bobby gets really performative when he’s uncomfortable. And meeting MC’s parents is going to be very uncomfortable for him. First of all, he’s going to REFUSE to touch MC or even really acknowledge that they’re romantically involved. For some reason, having eyes of authority figures on him or too much attention turns his relationship from “future wife” to “my goofy bestie”. He’s going to go out of his way to be extra jokey and goofy, and the more people are unamused by him the harder he’s going to try to get people to laugh. I feel like that escalates from him making self-deprecating jokes that no one laughs at to him doing actual physical comedy like pretending to slip or drop things, all while MC buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. He’s also going to be super eager to serve- jumping up when the dishes need to be done, sticking his head in the kitchen and insisting he help cook (even if everyone else is in the living room), insisting he go out in the rain/snow to warm up other people’s cars if they’re planning on leaving soon. Like just generally doing Too Much and then when they leave he just deflates into a ball of shame and self-consciousness.

Carl

He’d be very polite, giving everyone a handshake and a smile, but he’s very very uncomfortable. No matter how welcoming or lovely MC’s family are, they’re still… New people, in a new place, a change in his routine. He’s going to be rather quiet (per usual) and only participate in conversation if he’s prompted to or if someone directs a question to him. MC is going to have to steer the conversation towards him a lot, like “Carl’s actually working on developing an app similar to that, right babe? Tell us about it!” If it’s a big family event like a reunion, Carl’s going to find the one (1) cool cousin and chill in the corner with them.

Elisa

I feel like she would be really out of sorts because she’s so used to using her clout and beauty to instantly charm people and others being taken aback by her bubbliness and hotness, but that’s not really a thing to MC’s parents/family. Like, she’s never been ‘someone else’s girlfriend’ because she’s always framed herself as the main character (and not gotten close enough to her partners to even out the scales in her mind). But suddenly she’s thrust into this really casual setting where no one knows or particularly cares about her status, and it’s jarring. She definitely shows up overdressed in something a little too revealing or edgy, and it takes her more than five dinners with MC’s family to really drop all pretense and be genuine with everyone.

Felix

He’s turning up his jokiness and argumentativeness to a 10 as a defense mechanism for feeling out of place, just like Bobby. Unlike Bobby, he gets discouraged when it doesn’t work and slowly lapses into silent pouting as more and more jokes flop or he gets corrected. It takes a little reassurance from MC, but with time his sweeter side comes out and MC’s parents walk away thinking “what a nice boy”.

Gary

I try not to have many thoughts about Gary, but I bet he’d either not want to meet the parents and be really dodgy if MC insists or be overfamiliar with them right off the bat, depending how into MC he is. If he’s hopelessly into MC, he’s going to be hugging everyone on first meeting, maybe call her mother ‘mom’ in that uncomfortable way that overconfident men do.

Henrik

Henrik’s probably the second best in this scenario because he’s so laid back, and he matches other people’s energy easily. He’ll just seamlessly fold into conversations, and laugh for the right amount of time at MC’s dad’s jokes. Henrik has that really warm, reassuring, kind presence that makes everyone feel at home and he’s used to being in big family units, so I think everyone would just be happy to have him around, regardless of how well they know him.

Rahim

My precious. Love of my life. He is so, so bad at meeting MC’s parents for the first time. First of all, he’s touching MC an uncomfortable amount. He’s pulling out her chair and guiding her into it before pushing it in, his hand’s on her knee, he’s holding her hand above the table, his arm is around her shoulders, his hand rests on her lower back. Super romantic, but like oh my GOD please do it in moderation and not in from of her parents omllll. He’s going to revert back to that awkward ‘I don’t really talk and if I do I’m going to stammer over my words and get really flustered when making a point’ thing. He shakes MC’s dad’s hand a little too hard and comes across as really high strung.

Kassam

I don’t think MC’s parents will like him at first because he comes off very disdainful. He doesn’t mean to, he just struggles to create topics of conversation that include mutual interest, and doesn’t really feign interest when her family is talking. He doesn’t particularly like little kids, so if MC has a niece or nephew he’s probably going to grimace when their pick their nose/get burped and throw up/make a mess of their food/say something weird. He thinks he’s being polite by declining to ramble about his own interests, but it comes across as him being rude because when you ask him a question he answers with 1-3 words.

Lucas

I would let my daughter or son marry Lucas, that’s how good he is at meeting MC’s family. He comes across so gentlemanly, worldly, refined, and confident. He’s making all the right moves to a traditionally minded parent (holding doors open, covering the check, fetching her coat, having perfect etiquette), he speaks eloquently and in turn, he asks questions and genuinely listens to the answers. He just seems like a perfect man. Until you know him too well or get too many beers in him, but he’s careful not to let that happen.

Marisol

If I brought Marisol home to my parents, I can picture them nodding and then saying “she seems very… Nice… But you know. A lot.” Marisol doesn’t know how to temper her own argumentativeness or assertiveness, and she has opinions on everything. So if MC’s family member says they recently saw a movie, she’ll go off on this rant about problematic themes within the movie for five minutes, not realizing that she’s putting everyone off of her. She tends to dominate the conversation and talk about her accomplishments with a bit more pride than it tasteful. But the way she looks at MC, with all the admiration and softness in the world, almost makes it worth it.

Noah

He’d be awesome meeting the parents, but even more awesome meeting the cousins/nieces/nephews. The more people there the more comfortable Noah is, because less attention is directly solely on him. But it’s very clear to everyone in the room the immense amount of respect and adoration he has for MC, and he’s extremely polite and agreeable. They probably assume he’s a bit bland upon the first few meetings, and maybe Noah doesn’t do much outside of a few well timed jokes to show them otherwise.

[allthingskakashi]

Hi! Coul a request a scenario that involves Sukea please? Like the reader has a crush on Kakashi and he finds out because her friends tease her in front of sukea and then Kakashi asks her on a date idk if I’m making a point, or can just do anything you wish that involves him pleasee? Thank you ♥️

Okay first of all, that's a really innovative idea!! I loved it. Secondly, I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this but ahh well here it is now and i really hope you like it ❤️

• Serendipity •

[Kakashi x Reader] || 3k words

a/n : ugh tbh I've been running a little low on creativity lately which is why i hadn't posted anything for like a week but i also didn't wanna go without writing anything so well... I tried. 😩

You sit in the small dumpling restaurant with your friends Kurenai and Anko. Beyond you, the falling dusk envelopes your village in mystical hues of blue and red. It’s Friday, which means the weekend has rolled in after a long and tiresome week. The thought of being off duty for the next two days lifts your spirits, and you look forward to spending the time relaxing at home in your own company.

The evening is busy, streets bustling, vibrant with the hustle of villagers; some heading for a night out with friends, some returning home to spend time with family, some getting ready to go out on a date, everyone looking like they have somewhere to be, something to do.

You sigh, shoving a dumpling in your mouth.

“Why the long face?”, Anko asks between chomps.

“It’s nothing” you shrug, your tone failing to fool anyone.

There’s a soft creak as the gate to the shop opens behind you, a small gust of air whooshing in from outside. The merry chatter in the room comes to a sudden halt, to be replaced by sounds of hushed murmurs and whispers. You glance at the group of women sitting in the table ahead of you, staring at something with mouths open wide in awe. Ahead of you, Anko’s eyebrows are furrowed, a curious smile touching the corner of her lip.

You turn behind, wanting to catch a glimpse of whatever it is that has managed to elicit such a response from the entire room.

Your eyes fall upon a handsome young man, who has just now walked into the restaurant and taken a seat behind you. You feel your heart skip a beat. He’s easily one of the most handsome men you’ve ever seen. A mop of thick brown hair adorns his head, a tint of purple on his eyelids and stripes of the same colour running across both cheeks. His face is sharp with an angled jawline and he has on a long trench coat with a scarf around his neck. He’s also holding a camera, you notice.

Probably an outsider.

A waitress walks over to him, standing by him and twirling a curl of hair, visibly enchanted by his charms.

Someone thumps the front of your table, startling you. “Jeez y/n, get a grip!” Anko’s voice brings your attention back to your friends as you finally tear your eyes away from the mysterious man in the table behind you.

“What? I wasn’t checking him out” you sputter, unnerved.

“We didn’t say you were”, Kurenai chimes in.

You feel your face getting hot as red tinges your cheeks and you look away, avoiding your friends’ eyes.

“Hey, why don’t you go talk to him? Maybe ask him out?” Kurenai says, her eyes lighting up.

You open your mouth to say something, but Anko cuts in.

“Because she’d rather sit around pining for Kakashi and doodling his name on her diary. How long has it been now? 7 years?”

Kurenai giggles, but puts a comforting arm around your shoulder.

“Alright now, go easy on her”, she says kindly. “But she’s got a point y/n. You and Kakashi have known each other for a long time. You’ve kept your feelings to yourself for years now, I really think it’s time you go out and do something about it. Who knows, maybe he feels the same way about you. Why don’t you give it a shot?”

You let out another sigh and look at your lap. “I just don’t think it’s the right time yet.”

But that was a lie. You’d had feelings for Kakashi ever since you were a teenager. You had always been friends, but you wanted more. You loved being in his company and you had a lot of mutual respect and admiration for each other. But you could never bring yourself to just say the words to Kakashi. There were times when you almost blurted it out, and times when you felt like maybe he felt the same way about you too… but they may have been delusions, for all you knew. You didn’t know anything for certain. And that’s what stopped you from gathering up the courage to say it to him. You told yourself and your friends who knew that you would someday, when the time is right, but it was all a big fat lie. You were scared, and that was the truth, as much as you hated to admit it.

You watch Anko roll her eyes as Kurenai exhales, tilting her head.

“Y/n…It’ll never be the right time. Just do it. You’ve taken down S-rank criminals, you can handle this. Trust me, even the copy ninja can’t resist THAT” Kurenai cheers, grazing her eyes up and down over you with a suggestive smile, her voice encouraging. You chuckle, waving your hand dismissively in embarrassment.

“Look”, Anko interjects in her matter-of-fact voice. “Kakashi’s a wuss. If you wanna get it on with him, you gotta make the move. He’s even worse than you so pussy up and ask him. If I have to hear another of your lovelorn sighs one more time, I’ll go tell him myself.” She says, shoving her last dumpling in her mouth and gulping down a glass of water.

You’d been friends with Anko long enough to know not to put it past her. Besides, they were right. It HAD been very long. Perhaps you really did need to pussy up.

Ughhhhh. Why couldn’t this be easier?

“Anyway, I’m gonna go hit the bar. Any of you suckers wanna join me?” Anko asks, getting up from her chair.

“I can’t. I invited my team over for dinner tonight so I’ll get going.”, Kurenai says, collecting her purse and getting ready to leave as well.

“It’s okay, you guys go. I’ve got some things to do” you say, waving them off.

You watch your friends go out the exit and disappear along the curve of the street. Truth is, you kind of want to be alone, maybe take a walk around the village, gather your thoughts. This conversation with your friends today stirred something in you and you need time to think. You’d let things go on as they were for very long now, but it was time you took matters in your own hands.

Putting the bill down on the table, you head towards the door. Your eyes fall where the man was sitting but the seat is empty now, and you catch him ahead of you, just a few steps away, also heading towards the door. You stand close behind him, clutching your purse to your rib as he opens the door. His elbow juts out, knocking the bag out of your hand as it falls to the ground.

For a quick second you think it’s a thief and you’re almost about to strike a blow but the man crouches down quickly with an “I’m so sorry”, picking your purse up and holding it out to you.

Up close this way, you can see his eyes. There’s something familiar about them but you can’t put your finger on what it is. “Thanks” you mutter, taking the purse from him, your mind still trying to comprehend why this man you’ve never seen before feels so familiar.

“Are you a tourist? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before”, you ask, concealing the suspicion in your tone.

Your village is a small one and almost every face is familiar. Having a visitor in the village is quite unheard of and your instincts tell you that something feels off.

He clears his throat before answering. “Hi, I’m Sukea. I’m a reporter from the Land of Fire. I’m here to conduct research for an article” the man replies, almost in an automated tone but with a smile that immediately softens his features. He’s got a mole under his bottom lip, you notice.

Gosh, that’s a pretty face.

Before you have the chance to say anything else or ask more questions, he mumbles that he’s getting late for something and turns away, hurrying down the street.

You stand there, watching him go.

Weird.

But you’ve got other things to think about now, decisions to make, so you shake the thoughts of this mystery man off your head, although you can’t help mulling over why he felt so eerily familiar.

You walk down your usual route in the quieter part of the village. Walks always somehow help you clear your mind.  The air has cooled down now and there’s a slight chill in the air. A sweet smell of flowers wafts through. You lose track of time walking around the entire village, over the cliff, through the forests, by the stream which shimmers under the moonlight.

It’s almost ten by the time you reach home and the walk makes your calves ache. Probably wasn’t such a good idea to go on such a long walk after injuring yourself on your last mission.

You freshen up and throw yourself down on your bed, glad for the two days of rest that awaits you.

Pulling the blanket over your head, you turn to your side and close your eyes. Kakashi’s face appears almost instantly, the images playing a montage in your head.

His smile that makes buds bloom into flowers… his laughter so pure like a young boy’s…his silver hair which sparkles in the sun, making you want to run your fingers through it… the warmth of his voice when he talks to you-- and suddenly something goes off in your brain. Like a flame igniting. Or rather, a long burning flame finally receiving emancipation. There’s a jolt through your veins and you think—Tomorrow. I’ll tell him tomorrow.

And before you have time to process the sudden thought, languor takes over your body, lulling you to sleep.

You’re up early the next morning, the jolt from last night still coursing through your veins. You’re feeling pretty confident, more than you ever have. Today’s the day you tell him.

But first, you have to head over to the Missions Desk to submit your report. You bash yourself for putting it off till now.

The day outside is beautiful, white cotton clouds floating aimlessly across the azure sky. A pleasant breeze tickles your skin in soft whispers.

You reach the main office and submit your file. The room is empty, except for the people working behind the desks. The man in front of you takes your file, checking the date of your mission and you’re sure you can see a look of judgement flash across his eyes.

You almost feel a little guilty.

“You know, all the other jounins have submitted their reports already” he mutters, not looking up from your file.

“Well actually…”

There’s a voice behind you, and you turn around at the sheepish tone of the familiar voice. Your heart instantly paces up. Kakashi. There’s a file in his hand too. You can’t help the smile that escapes.

You look at him as he comes forward, handing his file over. The man shoots him a similar glance and shakes his head, but doesn’t say anything. You can tell that this must not be the first time. Kakashi smiles sweetly at him, before turning away and looking at you.

“Y/n! Didn’t think I’d run into you here…”

Your blood pounds in your ears as you recall the resolve you made to yourself last night. You’d promised yourself you’d tell him today but right now, in this way? You weren’t ready for this. You hadn’t prepared what you were gonna say, or how you’d say it. A hundred thoughts run through your head.

Hell with my resolve. This really isn’t the right time. I can’t do this.

But on the other hand…

Your brain goes at odds with your heart as you realise you haven’t answered Kakashi yet.

“You okay?” he asks, his voice concerned.

You straighten up, composing yourself.

“Oh hey yeah, I’m fine! I’m great. What’re you upto?”

“Just got a few things I need to do”, he shrugs, walking beside you as the two of you come out of the office into the main corridor of the Hokage Mansion.

“Right. Got any missions this weekend?” you ask, stalling to give yourself time to think clearly.

“Nope. You?”

“No. You?”

“You already asked me”, he chuckles. “So uh. Where are you headed?”

Ugh. This is a disaster.

“Just the market. I… I need to buy fish for dinner”

You feel your palms getting clammy as the air starts to feels too tight. You look at Kakashi out of the corner of your eye and you notice.

He looks nervous too. He’s fidgeting with his hands and there’s something strange about him.

“Well…uh” he stutters, rubbing his neck with his hand before looking at you. “maybe you don’t.”

You look up at him, your eyes wide and face scrunched up in confusion. You’re outside the tower now, standing on the street.

“I…don’t?”

He scratches the back of his head.

“Uh…I mean…I’ve got fish.”, he stammers. There’s a very visible tint of red on his cheeks.

You’re utterly wrapped in confusion by now, and you wonder why he’s acting so strange. Unsure of where he’s getting with that, you say, “Um…That’s nice. Where do you buy fish from? I’ve heard the market by the Temple is good for seafood. I haven’t had the chance to try it out myself though.”

Mother Earth please swallow me whole.

Kakashi lets out a nervous laugh, still fidgeting around with his hands and looking everywhere but directly at you.

“Y/n what I’m saying is…maybe you don’t need to buy fish for dinner because” he looks at you from under his shaggy bangs,which fall over his eyes in the absence of his headband. The tint of his cheeks deepens. “well, because I was thinking maybe you could come over…and I could…cook dinner for the both of us...? Or um go out, whatever you’d like” he says, immediately looking away.

You’d never thought it was possible for the calm and cocky Kakashi Hatake to look this nervous. It’s quite a sight. You might have laughed at it if you weren’t just as nervous yourself.

“Like on a date?” you ask, shock evident in your tone. Your heart is battering in your chest.

This is a very, very surprising turn of events.

“Well…yes”, he breathes, barely meeting your eyes now.

You can hear your heart in your ears. And suddenly, it feels like spring has bloomed inside your heart. Not just your heart but everywhere around you. Like you’ve been transported to a meadow and there’s only flowers and rainbows and butterflies all around.

A breeze passes through, sending a few petals from nearby trees floating along the street. Strands of your hair blow into your eyes.

You sweep them away, looking up at him to see him looking at you, his eyes hopeful, waiting.

You meet his gaze with your burning eyes and smile, tucking another loose strand behind your ear.

“I’d love that” you say before looking down, your tone barely containing the ecstasy you feel within. You feel the chirp of a thousand birds singing inside your heart.

His eyes light up, mouth forming into a grin as you see the muscles on his face relaxing visibly.

Kakashi’s eyes crinkle from the smile and he says, “Well then…I’ll see you for dinner.”

He starts walking away, before turning back and calling out “Oh and yes, I do buy my fish from the market by the temple.”

And with that, he turns away grinning, disappearing with a whoosh, leaving you to stand there, still in shock and gaping after him; wondering which stars had aligned, what forces in the universe had conjoined and what twist of fate had occurred, turning your life around, making you the happiest woman in the world, in the span of just one day.

                                 *     *     *

Aaand a lil bonus addition :-

It’d been around two months that you and the silver haired jounin of the Leaf had been together. Almost everyone in the village knew by now and it had been two months of pure unadulterated bliss. You fit so well together, it felt as if you’d never been apart.

Today was just another lazy afternoon, with you and Kakashi in bed, entangled in each other’s arms, neither one of you wanting to leave your little heaven on earth.

You intertwine your fingers with Kakashi’s, backing into him so you’re pressed against the warmth of his body.

“Hey, Kakashi?” you whisper.

“Hm?” he replies, sleep mangling his voice.

“I’ve always wondered. Why did you ask me out that day? You told me you’d liked me for a long time too. So… why not before? Why that day?”

He chuckles softly into your hair, pulling you closer with his arm.

“Well” he says, almost in a whisper. “I thought it was time I stopped being a wuss.”

“Huh?”

“It had been a really long time and… I thought it was time to, how do I put this, pussy up.” he says into your neck, his voice calm, but with just a tinge of amusement.

WAIT A MINUTE-

You jerk up on the bed, freeing yourself of his grip and turning to face him.

A subtle smile plays across his lips but his face is tranquil, giving nothing away.

Panic rises in you and you shake his arm vigorously. “KAKASHI! HOW-HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?”

He doesn’t stir, eyes closed tight, pretending to be sleeping.

“KAKASHI TELL ME RIGHT NOW” you continue shaking him, but it’s in vain, the man doesn’t stir.

You sigh, replaying the day from two months ago in your head, ravaging your brain for any possible hint. And just like that, it dawns upon you.

“Oh my god—That was you.” You blurt, everything suddenly clicking into place in your head. You feel like a fool for not realising sooner.

He remains unmoving, eyes closed shut. But you don’t miss the slight wrinkle of his mask as his lips upturn into a grin beneath it.

“That was you, wasn’t it??? It was! You sneaky little bastard!” you shriek, jabbing at his arm with a few pokes, but it does nothing.

“Kakashi!”

“Ssshh, I’m sleeping” he whispers in fake slumber, a smile grazing his mouth as he wraps his arm around you, pulling you back into the bed with him.

“Did you really just shush m- “ you begin in protest, but your sentence remains unfinished as he presses his mouth onto yours, catching your lips in a kiss and shutting you up before you can say more.

[babyboyblasty]

CHAPTER 10:

"You look nice, Deku" Uraraka smiled, her hands held behind her back as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet in a childish manner, looking at her green haired friend. "Is there anyone in particular you're trying to impress?" she gave him a knowing look that Izuku stuttered and blushed to.

"No! O-of course not" he immediately denied and averted his eyes when that only seemed to make Uraraka's smirk widen. Izuku knew he was a terrible liar and Uraraka could be very scary sometimes. "But um, hypothetically speaking.. if I /were/ trying to impress someone- which I'm not- but hypothetically speaking do you think they'll.. you know. Be impressed? Hypothetically."

Uraraka looked her friend up and down. Izuku's fashion sense has definitely improved since the beginning of their first year. Both Tsuyu and herself had made sure to teach Deku and Todoroki a thing or two about dressing themselves since they were completely clueless sometimes. Midoriya was wearing brown, cuffed corduroy pants with a forest green oversized short sleeve button up, a lighter green long sleeve underneath that to create layers. The red shoes were never going away though and Uraraka gave up in trying to get him to wear another pair of shoes. He looked good and Uraraka noticed how his hair was a bit neater too so he obviously put a bit of extra effort into trying to style his curls. In fact, looking around the common room it seemed that Deku wasn't the only one who put a little extra effort into their appearance today. Half the boys there looked like they were going off to a party instead of a casual class outing. Even Iida looked like he was trying out a new hairstyle. No glasses either.

"Umm, Uraraka-san?" Izuku waved his hand in front of the girl's face to get her attention. She zoned out for a bit there and she blinked, turning to face him again.

"Oh, right! Well, /hypothetically speaking/ right?" she smiled and he nodded, "I think they'll be very impressed." Deku beamed and her eyes shifted to Todoroki who was just arriving downstairs. "Oh, look! There's Todoroki-kun. Let's go talk" she grabbed Deku's hand in hers and took him with her. He looked very good! Todoroki's aesthetic was more of a simplistic/classy style with neutral colors. This time he decided to switch it up and was wearing a white t-shirt with an unbuttoned, loose fitting pale blue and white striped dress shirt over that. He had black jeans and white sneakers too. He looked very good. "Oooo~ is there anyone /you're/ trying to impress, Todoroki-kun?" Ochako teased.

"Yes."

Ochako didn't expect such a direct answer but giggled anyway at her blunt friend. Deku on the other hand didn't find it as funny.

"Is Bakugou here yet?" Shoto changed the subject and looked around the common room but didn't spot the explosion quirk user anywhere. He felt a little disappointed.

"No, Kacchan isn't here. Neither is Kirishima-kun" Izuku really tried to keep the bitterness out of his tone. He knew that they were best friends but did they really have to be glued at the hip 24/7? Deku doesn't like the way he starts to feel when he thinks of those two together but he can't help it.

"Oh" Shoto mumbled. There was an awkward silence where no one said anything for a few seconds until Uraraka couldn't stand it and broke it.

"So how are you feeling, Todoroki-kun? Are you still tired or are you feeling a bit better from earlier?" Ochako questioned. That got Izuku's attention and he turned to Todoroki with a curious expression. Was he sick? Todoroki didn't mention anything to him today. He wondered why he didn't tell him.

"I feel better, thank you. I'm excited to be going out with my friends" he smiled briefly and Izuku returned it. After that things started to go back to normal as they talked about what stores they wanted to go to and if they had anything in particular they wanted to buy. The common room was filled with brief conversation before the 'ding' of the elevator was heard and everyone turned to look at a nervous Kirishima standing on the far opposite side of a bored looking Bakugou. Izuku felt a knot form in his throat and Todoroki felt his heart skip a beat, their faces heating up a little at what girl Kacchan was wearing. He looked good. Hell, even if he was in his normal body and wore that he'd look good.

"You're here!" Mina rushed forward to hug her two friends in a crushing hug which Kirishima gladly returned. The girls may or may not be feeling smug at how everyone reacted to seeing Bakugou. Yeah, they did that.

"I said I would go with you extras, didn't I? Now let go, pinky" Bakugou groaned. She smiled wide before stepping back.

"This'll be so much fun!" Mina jumped up and down.

"Everyone please form a single file line for attendance! As class president I must make sure everyone is accounted for before we vacate school grounds" Iida made sure to grab everyone's attention by speaking loud and clear as well as waving his arms about. Where he pulled the clipboard from no one knows but Iida started to check off names in the class roster to submit to Aizawa sensei once they come back in a few hours. "Alright. Everyone is here. We can go now" he nodded in confirmation.

The class had to take the bus to go to the mall so Iida stayed by the door until everyone was inside before going in himself. Bakugou was planning to sit with Kirishima but the redhead as soon as he was in the bus went and sat beside Sero instead. Katsuki was confused since they always sit together and even Sero was looking between the pair in confusion. "You don't mind, right Bakubro?" Kirishima awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. Bakugou just shrugged and moved on to find an empty seat to which Kirishima let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

"What was that?" Sero questioned once Bakugou was out of earshot.

"What was what?" Kirishima turned to him.

"That. You always sit with Bakugou so why all of a sudden did you decide to sit next to me? I don't mind but I was a little caught off guard, man. You know, you've been acting weird ever since the night we played games in my room. Is everything cool?" Sero had an idea of what was happening but he wanted to hear it from Kiri himself.

"Yeah, everything's good. I just need to sort some things out for myself first" he explained and Sero nodded, leaving it at that. Kirishima appreciated that about Sero. He knew if it was Mina or Kaminari they wouldn't stop pestering him about it. Kirishima just wanted some time to hopefully figure out why he was all of a sudden feeling so weird around Katsuki.

On the other end of the bus, towards the back, Bakugou found an empty seat. Everyone else seemed to be already sitting with someone else but he didn't really mind it. Once seated, Bakugou put his elbow up on the edge of the window and looked outside. He felt someone slightly tap his shoulder though and looked up to a shy Koda. 'May I sit here?' he signed and Bakugou raised an eyebrow. He rolled his eyes and signed back 'go for it' and Koda smiled a little, quickly sitting down beside Bakugou. Aizawa did mention that because of his quirk, he may experience hearing loss in the future if he didn't take the proper precautions so Bakugou has been taking JSL classes from Koda since the beginning of their second year and developed a somewhat mutual understanding with the guy. He really wasn't all that bad, just a little quiet. And while they weren't friends friends, Bakugou knew that if he ever needed a quiet place to study or just hang out for a bit without talking, he could go to Koda's room. The same went for Bakugou. If Koda ever wanted to spar or wanted pointers to help in improving his fighting skills, Bakugou is available.

Now that everyone had a seat, the bus began to move. The ride was going to take approximately fifteen to twenty minutes so he just wanted to use the break to relax. Bakugou could tell Koda wanted to say something based on the way he would look at him every few minutes but then look away though. "What is it?" he finally asked a little less than halfway into the trip and Koda shook his head. "I know you want to say something, now what is it?"

Koda looked hesitant at first but then signed 'how are you feeling?' with a sincere look. Maybe if it was someone else Bakugou would have told them off for getting into his business but Koda was someone who earned his respect and admiration throughout their time together in UA and who he saw as an equal.

"Why do you ask?" he asked instead, a bit defensive, and Koda responded by signing 'this is a big change and I was just wondering how you were doing.' Bakugou shrugged. "It isn't something I can't handle. Besides, today is the last day of the quirk so I should be back to normal by tomorrow morning" Bakugou mumbled, adding in a "thanks" as an afterthought. Honestly speaking, Koda has been the only one who's asked him how he felt about this whole quirk situation. The rest of his classmates all just seemed to be having fun with it and while he didn't mind, it was nice to be asked.

'You're always welcome to come hang out with me and my bunny if you ever need quiet time,' Koda offered. 'He told me he misses the angry blonde boy with the warm hands" he joked. Bakugou smirked a little with a "tch, sure whatever. Tell 'im I miss the furball too" leaving his lips. After that Bakugou and Koda fell into a comfortable silence where Bakugou closed his eyes to rest for the few minutes they had left on the bus ride.

Everyone else in class 3-A never thought they'd see the day where they all wished they were in Koda's place. The anivoice boy was sitting perfectly still so as to not wake the pretty blonde that had leaned his head on the other's shoulder sometime along the trip and was now sleeping peacefully on him.

[word count: 1775]

( this fan art isn't in correlation with the story chapter but oH MY GOD LOOK HOW PRETTY GIRL BAKUGOU IS- 😩)

[thebeautyoffanfics]

Howdyy!! Congrats on 200 followers! That’s so exciting.

I would really like to get a character letter if that’s cool. I’d like it to be from Kyoya from OHSHC, and I think a confession letter would be pretty rad.

My name is Kristi and my pronouns are she/her. oh! And my relationship to him would be mutual pining! Thank you sm and congrats again on 200 <3 🌙🌙

a/n: thanks so much!! I’m not sure if i’ve ever written for anyone from ouran yet, much less kyoya, so i do hope this turns out alright :00 i also super super hope that it’s in character- i’ll try to get his style down as best as i can!! thank you so much for requesting!!! <33

Dear Kristi,

I hope you’re doing well when you receive this letter. I’m a rather busy man, so I do hope you can understand the sincerity in this letter. Many girls, I’m sure, would appreciate something like this. Please, read it thoroughly.

I’m no fan of dragging this sort of thing out. If you’d prefer a gentleman who goes out of his way to give you some dramatic monologue, I’m afraid that the wrong person has fallen for you. Still, you aren’t as sly as you think you are- and I’m afraid, with you, I’m not either. Over the time that I’ve come to know you, I have found myself growing fond of you. Our friendship has been enjoyable, and seeing you daily is a sort of highlight… I do assume you know where I’m getting with this. I’ve fallen for you, Kristi, and it would be ideal if you returned the feelings. However, even if I don’t understand it, I would respect you if you felt indifferent.

Well, with this much of a page remaining, I suppose it would be a shame to have written a letter in the first place. So, though these sort of cheesy things are best done when being paid for, I’ll elaborate how I feel necessary. Free of charge, of course.

You are the type of person who… isn’t a headache. Unlike many people I’m surrounded by, your presence is comforting. I appreciate it. As you’re surely well aware, I wouldn’t tell you that, nor any of this, if I didn’t truly mean it. After all, even if you’ve visited me in the club room, there’s no special package you can earn that makes me required to send “love letters” and spend unnecessary time with you. However, that may be a good idea for someone like Tamaki… I’d have to consider something like that. Still, as I’m writing this, no such thing exists. Even if it did, I believe I’d want to leave that for Tamaki. I’d certainly leave it for the blond brat if your feelings are indeed mutual.

Kristi, I appreciate your friendship. I appreciate how you put up with things, particularly me. As troublesome as any person may be, the times that you are troublesome are easy to forgive. On top of that, they feel few and far between. Your personality is admirable, as is everything else about you. I mean that genuinely. With all this being said, once again, please consider everything in this letter carefully. If you would, do consider paying me a visit to let me know if my confession has or hasn’t been accepted. For you, I’ll be willing to take even more time out of my relentlessly busy schedule. That is, to write this, to get a response, and (should the response be positive) maybe even have some time together with you. A date, perhaps? A date with you does sound nice.

Sincerely,

Kyoya Ootori

[prurientpuddlejumper]

Being Fake Soulmates with Dr. Chilton (Part 2)

<- Part 1 | Part 3 ->

Frederick Chilton x Reader | The Good Place crossover

1,200 words

It had been a few weeks since the start of your afterlife and your introduction to your pompous, preening soulmate, Dr. Frederick Chilton.

At first, you were sure you were soulmates in the way Michael Myers and Laurie Strode were soulmates: destined to torment each other through all of eternity. He was exactly the type of entitled asshole you always wished you had the guts the stand up to, and the thought of playing house with him made your skin crawl.

After catching him in a vulnerable moment, however, you began to have sympathy for the lonely psychiatrist. His prickly exterior and well-guarded emotions drove everyone away, but once you got beneath that, he turned out to be an affectionate, needy snuggler. There was a void of love in his life on Earth that he was starving to fill, and maybe it wasn’t so bad that you were destined by the universe to fill it.

It still drove you crazy when he asked Janet for Beluga caviar and white truffles (which you knew he secretly hated), and it frustrated him that you dressed comfortably (when Janet could create the most glamorous outfits you could imagine), but you had settled into a mutually fond relationship.

This was paradise, after all. He was your soulmate. If you trusted him, coaxed him to open up, then you would understand each other as only two perfect halves of a whole could.

“What a bunch of judgmental ash-holes,” you muttered, elbow linked with his as you returned from a ten-course dinner party at the Al-Jamil residence—the only home even bigger than Dr. Chilton’s.

“Get to know your neighbors, Michael said. What a nightmare,” replied Chilton with biting sarcasm. Complaining about other residents in the neighborhood turned out to be the one hobby you had in common, so you indulged in it ruthlessly. It wasn’t mean; it was a bonding exercise.

“I know this is the ‘good place’ but does everyone here have to be so… obsequious?”

“Arrogant is what they were,” Chilton corrected. “All because of, what was it, a hundred acres of rainforest?”

“A hundred thousand acres. Didn’t you hear, they saved at least two dozen species from extinction. And they had the nerve to correct me on what spoon to use!”

The doctor’s lightly-stubbled face twitched at that. The nature of his scowl shifted. “You could have at least made an effort to learn table etiquette.”

Your arm stiffened, considering pulling out of his. “You could have been on my side.”

“You were using the dessert spoon for—”

“Sorry I embarrass you!” Your arm yanked away from his elbow and crossed your chest. “Just your soulmate here.”

The night sky was lit by a dazzling show of stars glowing in a sea of deep blues and purples that swayed in the cool (never cold) breeze like a Van Gogh painting come to life. You stood outside the magnificent door to the Chilton Estate, face heating as you reconsidered why you agreed to live with a spoiled buffoon.

His cat-like green eyes evaluated you just as critically. “Why is my soulmate so…?”

Insulting comments perched on his tongue about your clothing, your manners, your overall lack of high-society finickiness, but faltered.

You did embarrass him, it was true, but not as much as he was embarrassed by himself. He was in a foul mood because the neighbors were better than him in every way. Dr. Chilton prided himself on his grooming, yet Tahini Al-Jamil made him look like a pauper. He longed to be admired and respected among his peers, but with peers like these—the best of the best of humanity—he was nothing. Without achievement of note. Dinner had been a sharp reminder of that.

If his soulmate were glamorous, they could elevate his status instead of dragging him down. He had hoped, when he was introduced to you, for a prize he could show off. It was an ego-crushing disappointment when he discovered his soulmate was so… common. But you gave him something better than status—something he never had before. Whenever his facade slipped and he couldn’t keep himself from falling apart, you didn’t attack him for being weak. You sat with him, and held his hand, and reassured him. He didn’t have to be perfect when he was with you, didn’t have to perform the role of the dignified doctor who squashed down his emotions—the role assigned and enforced since childhood by parents who did not tolerate failure.

Pursuing esteem and glory only brought about his early death. Perhaps you were the universe’s way of showing him a better path: the person who saw him and loved him beneath the mask.

His tongue flicked over the roof of his mouth as he let go of the next cruel syllable without uttering it.

The sculpted wood doors of the mansion unlocked, recognizing their owner’s arrival. Using the sound as an interruption from the brewing spat, Chilton put a soft hand on your lower back and guided you inside to privacy. You scowled as he turned, shoes clicking on the marble floors, to press a kiss to your forehead.

“...so stunning?” he finished his thought.

You grumbled your opinion as to the likelihood that that was what he had meant to say, but he gently grasped your chin and turned your pout toward him.

“I should not have let them talk down to you.” Because you make me complete, he meant to say. Because you deserve better. “As if they have any right to speak down to anyone” he scoffed instead. “A standard single-pocket napkin fold? Tasteless. They could not be bothered with a proper fleur-de-lis? At least a double-diamond.”

His voice had taken on that particularly snobby affect it slipped into when he wanted to drive home his superiority—that almost-British accent meant to sound classy. It wasn’t quite an apology, but he was using his snobbery in your defense rather than against you now, and you felt the warmth of his intent.

You rested your head against his shirt collar, where his shoulder joined the pulsing heat of his neck, hands finding his hips reflexively. His arms quickly followed your lead, surrounding you.

“I could have stood up for myself, too,” you murmured. “I already felt like garbage for thinking I made a difference by recycling when Tahani was out saving half the Amazon basin with her vast fortune.”

He held you silently. Though he was a merciless gossip and often said too much, Chilton was careful with his words. When he was not sure what to say, he preferred to say nothing, so he was often tight-lipped when you were upset. He wished it were different—that he could give words of encouragement to magically make you feel better—but empathy did not come naturally to him. Should he open his mouth, he was inclined toward giving helpful advice or psychoanalysis, neither of which were comforting. It was one of many reasons he spent his life alone.

So he simply held you, stroking your back as your humid breath warmed his neck. He understood how you felt, at least. Small. Insignificant. Humiliated.

It was as if that dinner party was perfectly designed to strike a nerve in both of you.

​

[madamewriterofwrongs]

Missed High Five

911/Buddie

For @buckleysjareau who asked for Buck giving Eddie flirting lessons <3

If he was going to blame anyone, he would blame Chimney. No, he would blame himself for listening to Chimney. What did he know about dating anyways? Sure, he and Maddie had been through hell and were still going on dates and discovering things they loved about each other and seemed to be genuinely happy together. But that was a fluke, obviously.

Just ask them out. The worst they can do is say ‘no’ and then you can move on.

Horrible advice. In point of fact, the worst thing they could do was not ‘say no’. They could laugh in their face; they could say yes to avoid conflict; they could ask for a transfer and they’d never see each other again.

Maybe Chimney’s advice would be different if he knew that he was telling him to ask out a coworker.

Either way, it was definitely Chimney’s fault, and not the extra shot he’d done at the bar while they were all out celebrating Albert’s birthday.

“It’s weird, right?” Hen tucked into his side as he lounged at the edge of the party. “Not knowing any of Albert’s friends?”

Eddie shrugged to avoid admitting that he was incredibly uncomfortable. “That seems to be the way with us, though. Any excuse to get together.” He took another swig of beer, eye catching sight of the object of his interest dancing with a few of Albert’s coworkers. “Or maybe it’s just weird because we’re making it weird.”

Hen followed his line of sight, chuckling when she found Buck twirling a young woman who was clearly starstruck by the older man.

“More like we have the common sense to know when the age gap is too wide.”

Just ask them out.

Chugging the last of his bottle with an audible gulp, Eddie kept his eyes squarely on his target as he slammed the glass on the bar behind him. “Then I guess I’d better go save him.”

Eddie hated the dance floor; there was a reason he’d been avoiding it all night. It was overwhelmingly hot and crowded and too loud to hear anything beyond the pounding of the bass under their feet. He’d never held much love for clubbing in his twenties and he certainly held no affection for it now. He was here to celebrate the birth of a mutual acquaintance and save his best friend from embarrassing himself from being too nice to realize when he was being hit on.

How the mighty have fallen, Chimney had teased him the first time the waitress at their usual place pouted over not getting his number. Buck hadn’t even noticed that she was dropping obvious hints about what time she got off work and whether his apartment was close by. He’d just answered her questions respectfully, turning back to his conversation with the table until Chimney had finally slapped him upside the head for being so oblivious.

None of us what Playgirl Buck to make a reappearance but that was just pathetic.

Eddie had never seen the so-called ‘Buck 1.0’, only the lovelorn 2.0 who’d lost his girlfriend long before he realized, and struggled to find solid ground in the midst of rediscovering his priorities. He liked that Buck – there was a reason they’d become such fast friends – but even he had to admit that the man had lost his game.

“Eddie!” He couldn’t help the fond smile that crossed his face when his friend shouted his name over the thrumming music. “Come join the land of the living.”

“Actually, I came to drag you back to the land of the dead. We’re taking Christopher to the zoo in the morning, remember?” Buck seemed to miss the way the woman he was dancing with instinctually stepped away at the mention of the little boy. Eddie did not.

“Fine,” the blond sighed, though his face showed no signs of being put out. That was something that Eddie had admired in his friend from the very beginning: his unabashed love for Christopher. That kid was possibly the most loveable creature on the planet but the way Buck cared for him was a beacon in the darkness of space. “I’ll just say ‘bye’ to Albert.” With that, he’d disappeared into the crowd, leaving Eddie surrounding by sweaty, noisy, thrumming twenty-somethings, without anyone to save him.

Okay, so the music wasn’t that bad. And the crowds – while plentiful – were keeping a respectful distance (he wasn’t getting jostled about, nor was he being judged for using the word ‘jostled’). In fact, it had a pretty good beat to it. He could probably find the rhythm and dance to it, if he wanted to. It wasn’t awful in here after all.

The hand between his shoulder blades made him jump. “Ready to go?” Oh, thank goodness.

With one last wave to his fellow old fogeys at the bar, he followed Buck out of the crowd and into the cool night air.

It was always cooler outside than in some noisy club but in point of fact, it was a warm California summer, dulled by the lights of the city which overtook the starless black sky. Nevertheless, Eddie found himself drawn to Buck for warmth (or so he convinced himself). It had nothing to do with the comfort and ease he felt with the other man, content at his side in a way he never realized he could feel with another person.

He’d accepted some time ago, that he was ready to begin dating again. Life after Shannon was still boiling over with guilt and loss, but he had started to wonder – thanks to some helpful sessions with his work-mandated therapist – that sharing that grief with another person would help the healing process. So, he’d begun to look at the world with fresh eyes; almost immediately, those eyes had fallen on his best friend. The man who’d been by his side since their first meeting, protecting his son, comforting him through unspeakable loss, leaving (as they always did) but coming back.

He couldn’t quite put a word to how he felt for Buck, but if there was going to be a reason to reenter the dating pool, it would be to figure out what that word was.

So, yes, he may have found comfort in leaning against Buck’s side long ago, but he was now acutely aware of how often he did it, and how much he enjoyed it. It wouldn’t be a grand feat to place his arm around the other man’s waist, or let Buck put his hand on his shoulder. In fact, he found the urge to pull himself closer grew stronger the more he let his mind wander.

There were just one or two things he had to get out in the open, first.

“Hey, Buck” he spoke as casually as a man with a singular focus could speak. “If I wanted to ask someone out, what do you think is the best way to do it?”

Eddie tripped over his feet when Buck stopped dead in his tracks, turning to face his friend with laser-focused intensity. There was something etched there – concern? Jealousy (he wouldn’t dare to think)? Excitement?

“You got someone in mind?”

He couldn’t know, could he? Was he so obvious that one question revealed his secret? It was better to test the waters first.

“I do, actually. It’s a coworker; a friend.”

Buck hissed in discomfort, shoving his hands into his pockets with enthusiasm. “That’s tricky. Trust me when I say that sleeping with your coworkers is dangerous.” His shocked expression must have been as evident as his longing, because Buck chuckled a moment later. “Not at the 118. It was before I moved to LA and definitely a mistake.”

It was not as reassuring as Buck seemed to think it would be.

“So you don’t think I should go for it?”

“I didn’t say that, just” Even his non-committal shrug was cute. Eddie was doomed. “Be careful, I guess.”

What was he supposed to do, now? How could he test the waters knowing Buck was hesitant to dip his toe in? Perhaps he should just abort the whole mission and go back to caring too deeply for a man who’d come to mean the world to him.

He couldn’t blame Evan Buckley for turning him into a sap, but his presence in his life certainly hadn’t helped his natural inclinations.

“So…” Eddie startled when Buck bumped his shoulder. They’d been walking towards his truck – parked far enough away from the bar that he’d briefly contemplated just walking from home – for a few minutes while he lost himself contemplating whether or not to follow Chimney’s advice and just ask him out, already.

“So what?”

“Do I know this person you want to ask out?”

He suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to find out if the rumors of an entrance to Hell in Pasadena were true.

“Yeah, actually, pretty well.”

“So it’s someone we work with.” Buck bounced along the sidewalk, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Interesting. What’s your game plan?”

He was wrong; this was hell. This moment, walking beside his best friend on a random Saturday evening, was the definition of hell.

“I don’t really have a plan” he admitted, realizing in that moment, how close it was to the truth. Alarm bells began to chime with a reminder that this was a bad idea. Yet, still, he persisted.

“Then you’re in luck because I am here to help.”

“I’m sorry, when was the last time you went on a date?”

Buck made a disgruntled face, hidden by his smile, the way he did whenever Eddie teased him. He’d long ago catalogued the way his facial expressions changed depending on which of their friends was doing the teasing. This look was his one of his favourites.

“It’s been a while” thirteen months and nineteen days (not that Eddie was counting) “but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“I think that’s exactly what it means.”

“Look, do you want my help or not?”

More warning bells clattered through his, admittedly, less fuzzy brain, but for some reason – which, to this day, he still isn’t sure of the reason – Eddie ignored them.

“Fine. What’d you got?”

The man punched his hand in excitement, fairly skipping down the street now; eyes aglow with enthusiasm (or perhaps it was just the smog).

“Okay, so, first of all: do you know if they’re interested?”

If that wasn’t that the million-dollar question on Eddie’s mind. “I’m not sure. I know they’re open to the possibility of dating, but they haven’t made any signal that they’re interested in me specifically.”

“That’s okay. Now you just have to woo them.”

He hadn’t meant to laugh so loudly, but it was impossible to know what Buck would say next on any given day; and tonight was no exception.

“Woo?”

“Yeah,” The firefighter plowed on with his usual fervor. “you know: you spend time with them, give them gifts, take any opportunity you can to touch them.”

“Touch them, how?”

They hadn’t stopped walking, but Eddie found himself dizzy from the realization of how slowly they were moving – how close they were. They were always comfortable standing shoulder to shoulder but suddenly, it was too much and not enough. The space under his collarbones grew incredibly hot.

“Just little things.” Buck bumped his friend’s shoulder with more purpose, rubbing the fabric of their shirts together. “A shoulder touch, a hand on the small of the back,” he demonstrated with a move that startled Eddie with its certainty. “Any chance you get, create a physical connection.”

They’d all but stopped walking now, Buck’s hand cupping his back, his own traitorous limbs reaching out to hook into his friend’s jeans. If he pulled hard enough, maybe he could make Buck gasp the way he did in his head when they-

Buck seemed completely oblivious to the stretch of rope between them; anticipation pulled taut. His smile was as calm and eager as ever, so proud that Eddie was a hands-on learner.

If only he knew how hands-on.

“Does it work?” Eddie found himself hoping for a very specific answer that he wouldn’t dare spell out, even in his mind.

“It always works for me.”

The pair hadn’t separated, though the moment was long past over. Yet, Buck still smiled, unaware of how close he was to everything changing.

That was the chink in his normally confident armor. He wasn’t worried that Buck would hurt him, or that they would lose their friendship if things went south – he wasn’t even concerned with how their work dynamic might be altered by the addition of a more personal relationship in a high stress job. It was that things would change; things, which he’d only barely gotten a handle on. Sharing a bed, sharing aspects of his private life, trusting and opening up more than he already had with Buck. And it would all happen at once. He hadn’t been a wonderful partner the first time around; there was no guarantee he’d get it right now.

When did Eddie start thinking of Buck on par with Shannon?

“So” he cleared his throat but hadn’t found the courage to let go of Buck’s belt loop (nor had Buck removed his hand from the small of his back). “spend time, give gifts, and touch them. Then what?”

“If they’re receptive to all your advances, then you just have to go for it.” Buck nodded unhelpfully. “Ask them out.”

“Why is that everyone’s advice?” Eddie grumbled to himself.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He was doomed. “So when you say ‘spend time together’, do you mean like how we’re taking Christopher to the zoo tomorrow?”

The way Buck tilted his head in contemplation shouldn’t have been as endearing as he found it, but at that point, there was nothing to do but admit that he was a goner for everything that man did.

“Yeah; or how I let you drag me to baseball games.”

“I don’t drag you” Eddie lied.

“I’m not going for the overpriced beer and popcorn.” It was an admission that gripped his heart with something akin to hope.

“And giving gifts. Like that skateboard you found for Christopher?”

“That was mostly for Christopher” Buck conceded, still only a tantalizing breath away and none the wiser. “But yeah. Or when you fixed my bike on your day off. It’s the little things that mean the most, right?”

He hadn’t spent two hours learning how to repair Buck’s broken line in order to see the smile on his face, but the hug he received was well worth the blood, sweat, and swearing.

“And touching?”

He was a fool for asking but he was worse for wishing he didn’t have to. For wanting to have the power to kiss and press and hold whenever he wanted without having to go through the stress of risking his heart.

The worst was wondering if Buck looked down at his lips intentionally or if it was a simple reflex.

“Touch can be as simple as brushing shoulders.” He half-expected the man to demonstrate the way they had been for so many months, but his fingers curled against the fabric of Eddie’s sweater as if willing himself not to. “Or it can be a welcome hug, sitting next to them when there’s space to be apart.” He didn’t need to catalogue the library of examples he had because each touch had been seared into his skin since he realized it was an option. Standing this close, Eddie was certain he could see the same memories flashing through Buck’s eyes, the warmth of their breaths mingling together like smoke in the breeze.

It would be so simple now: reach out and steal that first kiss he’d been craving all night. And it would taste sweet. Buck was always going to taste sweet but he’d also tried some artsy blueberry ale and the scent of it still lingered. He could close his eyes and pretend they’d always been kissing; pull him close and never let go.

But he’d never steal their first moment together. It was meant to be shared, to enjoyed equally and with the same longing enthusiasm; he needed to take the plunge first.

“And then you ask them out?”

“Exactly.” Buck, endearingly oblivious Buck, smiled proudly at his protegee and tilted his head away, still not leaving the safety of their bubbly but no longer engaged in their battle of wills that he didn’t realize he’d won.

How was Eddie meant to resist?

“Go out with me?”

“Just like that. I doubt they’ll say no.”

Eddie’s stomach dropped to the ground and rolled into on-coming traffic. “Is that a ‘yes’?”

Buck furrowed his brow in confusion. “Yes, that was a straightforward way of asking someone out.”

There were many times in his career as a firefighter that Eddie had to control his expression for the unbelievable things people said to him on a call – some were awful, some where hilarious, others were just ridiculous – and he was quite proud of his ability to school his features in the face of adversity. He was never prepared to use that super power while off the clock.

“Are you serious?” He gaped at Buck with pure confusion and disbelief – and no short measure of disappointment. “Is this your way of turning me down or did you really not know?” He couldn’t decide which was worse – yes, he could, but he was still fighting his traitorous heart beating out of his chest at the realization of what he was about to reveal.

“Not know what?” It genuinely was so innocent.

With his last ounce of will power, Eddie released his friend’s belt loops and guided him backwards. Cold air hit his chest and he was reminded of how exposed they were in this moment – not only from the elements but from his heart, as cliché as it was. Buck seemed reluctant to release the grip on Eddie’s now-rumpled shirt but he did it, and the space became even greater as he mourned the loss of being completely surrounded.

He needed the room to offer his heart.

“Buck, I was trying to ask you out.”

Silence; the passage of time marked only by the widening of his friend’s eyes.

“Oh.” Realization. “Oh.” Comprehension.”

His heart crumbled. “Yeah. But, I understand that you’re not inter”

“I am.” The panic was surprising but the sincerity knocked him off-center. “I definitely am.” With every rambled word, Eddie was forced to lean back from the sheer gravity of Buck’s energy. “I had hoped and then I had stopped hoping and then you wanted advice and I thought I’d missed my chance and then I got so caught up I thought I was misinterpreting everything and I didn’t want to assume but I also really, like, being close to you, Eddie and if this was my only chance then I was going to take it but it seems like it might not be my only chance unless I’ve completely blown my shot which I might have because I don’t think I’ve ever rambled this much – why can’t I stop talking, Eddie, I’m never like this, I promise – I think I’m realizing in real-time just how much I screwed up what is probably the best thing in my life”

“You didn’t screw up anything.” The urge to laugh at the breathless man before him was smothered by throwing both hands over Buck’s mouth. “You didn’t screw up a damn thing. Though the rambling is new.” He allowed a chuckle to escape and it seemed to ease the tension in his friend’s shoulders. Everything fell silent again as Eddie stared into those bright blue eyes filled with what he finally recognized as the same hope he’d been carrying around.

“Go out with me, Buck?”

Without missing a beat, the other man nodded vigorously beneath Eddie’s hands, feeling the smile stretch wide.

“Good. I’m glad.”

A warm hand circled his, gently pulling his hand away from Buck’s mouth but never straying far from his face; the smile had turned a familiar shade of cocky and cute – though the latter was a newer realization.

“So I guess my technique worked, huh?”

Eddie gaped in some horrible mix between genuine offence and pure joy. The little-how could he-did he think-why would he-he’s trying to-

“Shut up” he floundered, using their joined hands to push Buck’s chest away, though the other man never released his grip and with a simple tug, he found himself back in their familiar bubble. Not safe from the cruel reality, but secure in their new truth and warmed by hope.

“Make me.”

He had every intention of doing just that.