#pat x dave

[eoinmcgonigal]

@roseszirnheld i had two ideas for your request, so here's the other one ^^

Kiss + Pat/Dave

Even in the shade, it's hot—too hot to move much, to do little more than pass the smoke they're sharing back and forth, their fingers brushing with each exchange. Pat exhales, turning towards Dave as he offers it over again, content with himself, with this moment, and with the ease within his body as he leans in and presses a kiss to Dave's lips. He hadn't meant to do it, but it hardly matters. Dave kisses softly back, and then takes the smoke, and they resume their silent, lazy companionship in the shade of the ancient, enduring shelter.

Rogue Heroes KTF

[s1eep-o]

Hey! Hope your having a good day!! I was wondering if you could do something with a Dave Grohl (early foo fighters) x sunshine fem reader who’s also the lead singer of a band? Like they meet and she doesn’t realize who his is but he’s freaking out inside? Just some cute fluff. Sorry if that’s too much!!

-🔮

AHHH I LOVE THIS IDEA *smooches your head*

A/N: OMG i am so sorry this came out so late! i have been so lazy and i didn't know what i should write, but hopefully this checks your boxes on you list!

warnings: cursing, smoking (brief mention), and drinking (brief mention). inform me if there are more.

pairing: earlyff!dave grohl x leadsinger!sunshine!fem!reader. ( i don’t rlly like the y/n thing so i gave her a name if ya don’t mind)

It was 1998 and the Foo Fighters were attending a music festival to promote their newest album, The Colour and the Shape. All the bands and their tour buses have just arrived at the festival grounds and a young Dave Grohl was exploring the place when he saw her, “Oh my god..” but before he could get a chance to say hi, you were gone. He practically ran back to the bus, “Oh my god, T. You will not believe who I just saw.” Taylor was lounging on the couch, “Huh?” He answered groggily, “Aurora fucking Sparks, the lead singer from Velvet Ecstasy!” He was basically jumping up and down like a little child.

Taylor jumped from his spot on the couch, “You’re fucking joking Dave.” Taylor said in disbelief, “T you gotta believe me, man. Let’s go look for her dude!” He grabbed Taylor’s shoulders and started shaking him. “Who knows, maybe you could even get her number. I heard they’re rehearsing right now.” Taylor smirked and wiggled his eyebrows at his friend while they exited the bus.

“Okay good work, I think we should just turn up Donny’s mic up a little and it’ll be perfect.” Aurora said to the band, she looked off to the side looking for a stage tech but instead saw a brunette and a blonde watching the band. She walked over to the pair and noticed how they were completely starstruck, “Hey, I’m Aurora. Are you guys the stage techs?” She asked with a soft smile. “No we’re uhm actually in a band.. we just came to watch- we’re huge fans.” Dave said nervously, basically stumbling over all his words. “Oh! Well thank you, what’s your band name?” Dave was so shocked about having a conversation with her that he was silent so Taylor had so speak up, “What he’s trying to say is that we’re in a band called Foo Fighters, we’re actually promoting our second album!” Taylor told her enthusiastically, “Wow, Foo Fighters? I think you guys are actually opening for us!” She replied.

Later that night.

“Calm down Dave, we’ve done this a bunch of times.” Pat told him, putting a hand on his shoulder as an attempt to calm his nerves. "It's not his performance that's making him nervous," Chris piped up "It's who's watching." This earned a laugh from the rest of the boys except for Dave. "You guys are up." A stage tech came by and informed the group, they all got up and came together in a small circle and all mumbled a little goodluck prayer.

"We are Foo Fighters and this is a song from our new album!" All the nerves Dave previously had dissipated, being on the stage made him feel amazing. Little did he know he also had that same effect on those who watched. From the side of the stage Aurora watched in awe, "Rory, what are ya doin man- we're doing our pre-concert ritual!" Her bandmate, Hannah yelled at her over the music. "Sorry Han, I got a little distracted. I'll be right there!."

"Hey guys!" Aurora said, out of breath standing in the doorway of the green room. "Look who decided to show up!" Donny said from the leather couch, "Someone was a little distracted by the opening band, eh?" Ricky chuckled. "To be fair, they are really good! I'm surprised I've never heard of them before.." Aurora said as she picked up her guitar and plopped down onto the couch. Strumming some chords on the guitar as the band was having a normal conversation, "So Aurora, you and Grohl, huh?" Ricky asked, "Me and Grohl? What do ya mean Ricky?” Aurora asked curiously, “Oh cmon Rory, I saw how you were ogling him just now!” Hannah exasperated. “Hey man, if ya ever get close you should hook me up with one of his bandmates.” she joked as she got close to Auroras face, “No way man!” Aurora replied, sticking her tongue out.

“Hey you guys are up.” said one of the stage directors. The band all stood in a small circle and put their hands into the center of the circle, letting out a little holler before leaving the room. Everyone was on stage, Aurora began to walk up the steps to join them, but someone grabbed her arm. "Uh- hey Rory, is that okay if I call you Rory?" Dave stammered out, Aurora just smiled sweetly and gave him a curt nod. "Well, Rory- good luch out there! You probably don't need it but, yeah." He replied, trying to seem as chill as possible. "Thank you, Dave!" Rory shouted out over the cheers and made her way up the stairs to join the band.

"That was hil-ar-i-ous, dude!" Taylor said to Dave the second he walked back over to the band, "Man. I never seen you like that with a girl before." he continued, playfully slapping Daves shoulder. "Shut up, Hawkins." Dave muttered, plopping down onto a nearby couch. "Alright dude," Taylor said, raising his hands in mock surrender, "All I'm gonna say is that you should so ask her out tonight." he said plopping down next to Dave.

"Thank you so much everyone, it was amazing to perform for you all. Till next time, see ya!" Aurora shouted through the mic and began to walk off the stage, followed by the rest of the band, heading straight to the snack bar. "Hell yeah, they made us sandwiches!" Hannah pumped her fist in the air and went to grab a sandwich from the table. "Pace yourself Han, don't want a stomach ache tonight." Donny joked, also grabbing a sandwich. Rory just grabbed a water bottle and some chips, heading to the seating area with Ricky.

"Hey Aurora, over here!" someone shouts her name and she turns to look towards the voice to see the Foos sitting at a couch and drinking, "I'm gonna go head over there, you think you can goback to the snack bar and bring the rest of the band over here, please?" She turned back to her side and asked her bandmate Ricky, who gave her a quick thumbs up before turning back to the snack bar.

"Howdy guys!" Rory walked over to the couches and plopped down to sit next to Dave, "Hey Dave!" she says, smiling at the nervous boy. "Hi Rory. You did really great up there, you looked very pretty, too." He said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck and looking at his shoes. Pat snickered from where he stood with Taylor, "Aw, thank you Dave. I really appreciate it, and if we're throwing out compliments.. you looked very handsome earlier." Dave immediately began to burn up, "Thank you.." He replied, finally looking into her eyes, "I've been meaning to ask-" he quickly gets cut off by Donny, "Heyo! The party has officially arrived lame-os!." He shouted, putting his arm around Nates shoudler. Ricky and Hannah came from behind him, arm in arm, "Let's bounce ya'll, we're hitting up the karaoke bar!"

A bunch of shots later, at the karaoke bar

Taylor and Donny we're screaming out the lyrics of the song Don't Stop Believin very drunkinly, causing the both the bands to double over in laughter. Rory grabbed her drink and finished off what little remained, "Hey Dave?" she called out to him who sat at the other end of the table of her, "You wanna go for a smoke with me?" She asked, her dreamy smile and glimmering eyes catching the tipsy Dave off guard, almost sobering him up completely. "Sure!" he replied, getting up from his end of the table and walking over to the still sitting Aurora. Standing up from her seat she linked her arms with Dave, resting her head on his shoulder and slowly walking outside. The loud singing coming from Donny and Taylor dying down as the pair walked out into the crisp air.

Quickly unlinking their arms to grab a smoke and a lighter, Rory lights it and looks at a mesmerized Dave, smiling sweetly at him when the two make eye contact. "You were asking me something earlier?" she questioned him, "before Donny cut you off." she added, giggling lightly. "Oh! Yeah.. well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to go out tonight, but seeing as we all ended up at a karaoke bar, I don't think that's possible anymore.." he replied quietly. Rory was a little taken aback, her face dropping, but she quickly smiled again and walked over to Dave, throwing her cigarette to the ground. "Who says we can't ditch these losers and go on our own date?" she suggests, grabbing his hand and holding it in hers.

The pair ended up on the swings of an old playground, talking about everything and nothing. Rory was rambling on about something, when she noticed she wasn't recieving any quips from Dave she turned to look at him, noticing how he was admiring her in the pale moonlight. "S-sorry.. you just look so beautiful." he says quietly, glancing down to her lips, "Can I?" he whispers, Rory nods and leans just a bit closer to Dave, he reciprocates her actions and slowly he closes the gap and kisses her softly, holding her face. Kissing him back, Rory places her hand on the back of his neck, the kiss is quickly broken when there is a loud snap of a twig. "Damn it, Donny!" Taylor shouts at him and smacks him, "Ow! What the heck, Tay!" Donny shouts back, the pair ended up on the ground wrestling each other. Rory and Dave just look at each other and burst out in laughter.

A/N: hey ya'll i tried to get this out as quickly as i could so there may be a few mistakes, or a lot.. anyways!!

[wearebackbagels]

SAS Rogue heroes:  X-Men au

For a while now @rosescruensixxam and I have been working on an X-Men au and here are part 1 out of 3 planned posts, the rest will come soon enough. 

This is everyone’s powers, we TRIED to do the characters justice but at least we had fun while doing it!

DAVID STIRLING:  Power bestowal and augmentation, disintegration

PADDY MAYNE: Metal claw growth, Superhuman Durability, Adaptive Reflexes, Superhuman Marksmanship, Impenetrable Skin, life force absorption (alias Mad Dog)  

JOCK LEWES:  Energy Manipulation, Energy Blasts, Molecular Acceleration, Superhuman Durability, (alias Oppenheimer?)

JOHNNY COOPER: Slowed down aging, superhuman reflexes, super leaping, superhuman speed, wall crawling, superhuman agility( he is basically Nightcrawler) (alias Sparrow( from “The Sparrow from Minsk”) nobody is gonna get this)

AUGUSTIN JORDAN: Life Force Absorption and conduction, blood bending, Adaptive Evolution/ Immortality, Superhuman Marksmanship,  (alias Vampire/Twilight haha)

MIKE SADLER: Wolf transformation, shapeshifting, Superhuman Durability, super acute senses, razor sharp teeth (alias Coyote idk)

REGGIE SEEKINGS: Mutant tattoos includes (making tattoos come to life) tactile hypnosis, superhuman durability ( more will be added)

EVE MANSOUR: Chronoskimming, mind reading, some ice-powers cause she is cool all the time

BILL FRASER: Pyrokinesis, solar form, solar absorption, flight, wing growth/wing blades (alias Icarus( coolest name ever) 

DAVID KERSHAW: Animal manipulation, animal empathy (alias Kitten?)

EOIN MCGONIGAL: Weather Control( ironic we know), lightning travel, cyclone spinning, aerokinesis, flight 

GEORGES BERGÈ: Hydrokinesis (alias Wave, Riptide, Crescent( like the moon)?)

ARNDRÈ ZIRNHELD: Illusion generation, mind/physical control (alias Vision?) 

PAT RILEY: X-Factor Detection, Telepathy, Force Field Generation (alias Shield?)

JIM ALMONDS: Healing factor, (alias Nurse?)

MARC HALÈVY: Self detonation, shockwaves (alias Grenade? pull the pin and throw me where the enemy is most numerous)

HERBERT BRUCKNER: Invisibility, shapeshifting, self duplication

WALTER ESSNER: Electrokinesis, technopathy( if frying phone batteries count), lightning travel?( eventually) 

(alias Surge? something like that, I can imagine someone at the school calling Walter “Sparky” in a joking way not knowing about his past( part of a fic we wrote) and the guy just tranformes into that ptsd war dog meme) 

I AM SO SORRY HAHAHA

THAT MEME MADE ME CHOKE ON MY FOOD LMAO, that is what im here to do, kinda

@elkro @just-barrow @onyxsboxes​ @adowbaldwin​ @invisiblegargoyl @booksoncanvas​ @bachaboska @kuro-anko @snitling @fergusfraserapologist​ @akatsuki-rin @rosescruensixxam @queerevolutionaries​ @cloudyfacewithjam​   I think that was everyone, get over here guys!

[hesbuckcompton-baby]

Damage Gets Done - SAS Rogue Heroes x OC - Chapter 7

Masterlist | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 |-| Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11

Summary: As L Detachment is granted leave in the wake of Jock Lewes' death, more of Diana's personal life comes to light, and her friendship with Reg is cemented more than ever

Relationships: L Detachment x Platonic!OC, eventual Reg Seekings x OC

Warnings: Language, drunkenness, violence

Word Count: 5.2k (Got a bit carried away with this one)

Tags: @20th-centu-fairy-girl @trenchenjoyer @dcyllom @footprintsinthesxnd

A/N: Sorry for the slow updates! Anyone who's been to university knows November is ROUGH and I honestly had zero time to write until now, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"We're all down right now - give it time, give them time, let them get some rest. We'll bounce back soon enough."

David Stirling would never admit how desperate a bid it had been when he first gave the order for the men of L Detachment to disperse - to take some time away from the bleak desert wasteland and dwell amongst the living for a while, to see what Cairo had to offer and wash the taste of grief from their tongues. The loss of Jock Lewes had hit every single one of them in a variety of ways, the stagnation o death hanging thick in the air at Jalo, and it seemed they were hanging on by a thread. They could only live at half mast for so long before something went wrong, before they lost someone else too.

And so he had sent them packing - dispelled the group with the distribution of their uniform, and L Detachment had been allowed to descend on the streets of Egypt's capital. He almost pitied the rest of the city, but from high up in his apartment, Eve resting comfortably in his arms, he found he couldn't quite give a shit about what the rest of them were getting up to.

The Cairo sunshine was beating down on Diana Fayed's scalp as she made her practised way through the city streets, a stack of bangles jangling on one wrist, an antique watch ticking away on the other. A cigarette hung from between her lips, a long stump of ashes building up on its tip as she wove through the bustling crowds, narrowly avoiding a few stray Brits and carefully dodging the street vendors she had come to know as the most persistent. It was a hub of life, and she knew its walkways like the back of her hand, each step so rehearsed she scarcely had to think, years of repetition ingrained in her very bones.

It was this intimate knowledge of the place that made it so easy to tell when something was off. Which was why the din of a brawl down a nearby alley made her ear prick as she passed, pausing to stomp out her cigarette against the pavement.

The alley in question was usually quiet, especially during the day, its path better trodden at night when the brothels on either side were most active. Shuttered windows, often used to lure in customers from the street below, had been bolted tightly shut, the inhabitants of the two establishments decidedly ignorant of whatever was going on outside. In cities such as these, people perfected the art of minding their business very quickly.

Dian leant her shoulder up against the brick arch that lined the entryway, peering through the rabble as the uniformed men scrapped and beat each other senselessly, and she fought to suppress a sigh at the familiar-looking berets she spotted in the crowd.

Only had the uniform for a day, and already they're showing us up.

As the chair in Fraser's hands collided swiftly with the back of another soldier's head, she winced, beginning to rather enjoy the spectacle as it went on. Here in Cairo, she wore no uniform - here in Cairo, she didn't have to worry about being associated with this band of beloved morons. Bill's decisive blow seemed to end the squabbling, and a moment of stillness almost had a chance to descend upon the group before the far-off sound of the MP's whistle shattered any illusion that this was over, that there might not be a consequence for their actions this time.

There wouldn't be if she could help it.

Roughly shouldering past a confused-looking soldier, necklace bouncing against her chest with each forceful step, Diana raised her fingers to her lips, filling the absence of a cigarette, and released a sharp whistle. The sudden sound drew the attention of every man in the alley, alarmed expressions of recognition spreading across the faces of her comrades.

"MPs. Move." She barked, the others bolting to flee the scene before they could be reprimanded or returned to the military prisons some of them had been recruited from.

Reg fell in step beside her as they hurried to escape through the opposite end of the alley, fidgeting to adjust his beret as he spoke. "Y'know, we only did it 'cause they were-"

"Yeah, I don't care," Diana interrupted, tugging at his arm and gesturing for the others to follow as she led them through a labyrinth of dark, narrow passages - remnants of what had once been streets, now built up and over so much so that they were little more than tunnels, hidden from even the sunlight above. They could hear people walking over their heads as they navigated the alleyways, the MPs' whistles growing fainter and more distant with each turning.

The men squinted in the sun as they emerged back into daylight, the maze of back streets opening out onto an actual road, trafficked by the expensive cars of the city's richest, men dressed in military uniforms with women on their arms traipsing the pavements. She had not taken pause even once since their escape had begun, taking each twist and turn on their route without an inkling of hesitation, and the others noticed. Reg had never known her in the city she'd grown up in, but it was as if Cairo became an extension of her own body, the streets so familiar beneath her feet it was as if they had been born as one, created as a single entity. She was almost a different person here - above them in every conceivable way.

Reaching the front door of a large residential building, he paused to frown at the armed guards posted on either side of the doorstep, Diana fumbling for a key in her pocket before sliding it into the lock and herding them inside with a sweeping arm. Whatever this place was, Reg had never seen anything like it - Persian rugs lined the stone floors, pieces of stained glass dotted in every window, the hallways leading inwards to a huge central courtyard, visible from the foyer, a fountain bubbling away peacefully within.

"Where are we?" Fraser asked, passing his weight from foot to foot as if still expecting the MPs to burst in at any moment.

She turned to reopen the door they had entered through, craning her neck to survey the street outside before addressing his question. "My house."

"Fuuuuck me," Seekings muttered under his breath, taking a moment to look around, pausing as he noticed a painting hung on the wall at the base of the stairs. He could tell it was Diana - or supposed to be her, at least - although the resemblance wasn't quite there. Her hair hung in the elegant, artificial curls he saw the Englishwomen sporting, far from the wild, tight ringlets he was used to. Her eyes were gentler, her smile softer, as if every bit of hardness she possessed had been filed down and dulled. The woman in the painting was beautiful, but she wasn't Diana - not the way he knew her. She wouldn't even spare the artwork a glance as they stood there in the hall, as if she were ashamed of its existence.

The low hum of conversation could be heard from somewhere upstairs, and the men turned their heads at the sound of footsteps against tile, the figure of General Hannigan strolling merrily towards them. Even the months of SAS conditioning had not removed the deepest impulses of military training, and their small group snapped to attention, hands raised to their foreheads in salute as the General approached, jacket emblazoned with medals yet hanging unbuttoned, one of his shirt tails hanging untucked from his trousers.

The General surveyed their appearances, left a mess by the alleyway brawl, bruises already blooming on the skin left bare. "These are your boys then, eh?"

Diana was perched on the bottom step of the staircase, untying the laces of her shoes, the bangles on her wrist jangling noisily with the movement. "Aye," She nodded, a slight smile curling her lips. Her boys. Reg supposed they were really. There was very little she could ask of them that they would not do.

"Well, I'm sure you lot have some stories under your belts. I'll have to have you round to tell me about them soon, don't you think Diana?"

"Yeah, sure," Diana replied, padding barefoot across the hallway to an opening out into the courtyard, attempting to wrangle a stray cat that had made its way in as it lapped at the water in the fountain. Reg's brow furrowed, and Dave struggled to suppress a laugh beside him as she reached out and grabbed the creature, holding it at arm's length as it hissed and scratched the backs of her hands. Letting out a flurry of curses under her breath, Diana hurried to the front door, her father holding it open just long enough for them to expel the beast and bar its re-entry.

"Damn things," She muttered, sucking one of the cuts on her knuckles as the General straightened his jacket.

"Right, well, I've got half of senior command upstairs drinking their tea and wondering where I am, so I ought to go. Will you join us, Diana?"

"I'd rather be shot," She replied without hesitation, her jovial tone making Pat snort loudly. Hannigan seemed unphased by this response, giving his daughter a pat on the shoulder before disappearing up the staircase.

Silence hung among them for a long, awkward moment, droplets of blood blooming against her skin from where the cat had scratched at her. Diana looked up after a while of nursing her wounds, noticing the frown creasing Kershaw's expression. She shrugged. "We get them in here all the time. Dad keeps birds, so we've got to keep them out as best we can."

"... Right."

"Do you usually have half of senior command drinking tea in your house?" Fraser asked.

"Only on Wednesdays."

"Ah."

The coast outside had cleared, not a single MP in sight amongst the hustle and bustle of wealthy Englishmen sweating through their expensive suits in the Cairo heat. Diana had made sure to lightly scold them before letting the boys go, writing a shortlist of clubs they could actually enjoy and get appropriately hammered without military intervention. Kershaw took the list with a grin, tucking it into the breast pocket of his shirt with as much care as if it were the holy grail itself. Their evening plans secured, the small group made to leave, filing back out through the front door, keeping a keen eye open for any more cats attempting to gain entry.

Reg was the last to leave, pausing in the doorway to look back at her one last time. The afternoon sun slipped through at an angle, and in the light, he could see light shades of brown running through her dark curls. Whoever had painted her had been a fool. They hadn't looked close enough - they had missed everything that made her truly beautiful.

"Forget something, soldier?" She asked softly, a smirk teasing her expression. He reached out, taking her hand in his with all the care he had the day Jock had died, brushing the pad of his thumb across her scratched knuckles, leaving a slight smear of blood in his wake.

"Look after yourself, eh? Have a good night." Reg nodded, dropping her hand as swiftly as he had taken it and leaving without a word.

The sensation did not come easy to him. Reg Seekings had only ever been familiar with anger - with rage, violence, and the feeling of adrenaline coursing through his body after he committed it. It was hard to be gentle - hard to force his hands to work softly, as if he were reeling back every muscle in his body that knew how to hurt, tucking what seemed the biggest part of himself away and digging down deep in the hopes he might find something better. As they headed down the street, getting further and further from the house with each step, he looked down at his hand, a smudge of Diana's blood dried and dark against his thumb. It was the first drop of blood Reg had felt on his hand that had not been born of violence - that had not come from the force of his fists.

"Y'alright there, Reg?" Kershaw's voice came from ahead, looking back over his shoulder.

He pushed his bloodied hand into his pocket and out of sight. "Yeah."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

When Reg, Dave and Pat had decided to go out that night, they were almost certain the address Diana had given them was incorrect. She had doodled a star beside the club's name - a sure sign of its quality - but the men could not help but share a look of uncertainty as they were led down a dark, narrow alleyway, silent in the cool evening air, the only sound the whirr of engines a few streets over.

"We better not be lost," Dave muttered, tearing the map from Pat's hands who surrendered it with an almost insulted scoff.

"The address is wrong, it ain't my fault."

At the other end of the alley, a basement door opened, a sliver of warm light escaping towards them along with the soft sound of music. A man and woman emerged, arm in arm, swaying side to side, clearly intoxicated as they staggered past the three of them and disappeared around a corner, the heavy metal door they had existed through being pulled shut with a creak.

"Well. I s'pose that's it then," Kershaw said, ignoring Riley's sideways look of 'told you so, asshole'.

They approached tentatively, Reg's knuckled rapping against the metal with a loud thud thud thud. A letterbox-sized slot was tugged open, a man peering at them from inside, bathed in the golden glow of lamplight.

"What d'you want?" He demanded.

They could not simply demand entry. That wouldn't work, they were smart enough to know that. Reg opened his mouth, hoping something smart would come to him, but nothing did. Shouldering his way to the front of the group, Pat spoke up, turning on his American charm, his voice coming calm and smooth.

"We're friends of Diana Fayed."

The door was hauled open wordlessly, creaking on its hinges, and the trio looked at each other in disbelief at their luck, Dave clapping Pat on the shoulder in approval as they headed inside. The sound of live music hit them the moment they entered, the club opening out before them with as much wonder as a distant mirage in the desert. They entered through the basement into the club's second floor, balconies adorned with tables running around the walls, the centre open above the main floor below. Despite being burrowed deep in the ground without a window in sight, they had somehow created the illusion of daylight, and it felt as though they had stumbled upon a time machine, transporting them to the heat and brightness of midday sunlight.

A band was in full swing on the main floor below, playing raucously atop a small stage that had been built up opposite the bar, the tiled floor dotted with tabled and dancing couples, Cairo society mingling freely as the alcohol ran ceaselessly.

"She knows her stuff, our Di'" Dave chuckled, unable to wipe the giddy grin from his face as they made their way to a table. Reg lowered himself into a seat, doing a double-take as he noticed a pair of beautiful women nearby, gossiping amongst themselves as they stared at the uniformed men. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling a smirk coming on. But there was an inkling of hesitation, a sense of unease somewhere deep in his stomach. This wasn't like him. He needed a drink.

"Speaking of Diana," Pat frowned, peering over the balcony railing at the crowd of people below. Reg looked down, spotting her almost instantly.

She was making her way from the bar, a glass of whiskey in each hand, red lips spread in a grin as she chatted to a uniformed soldier next to her, his shoulders carving a way through the crowd for her as they headed towards a table. Her curls fell neatly without the disruption of the desert wind, the dark hair in stark contrast against the white silk of her dress. It held her close in all the right places, a flattering v-neck in the front, and a deep back exposing the curve of her spine. It was as if she had been carved from marble, so perfect did she look in Reg's eyes. He felt his mouth turn dry.

"Hey, Di'!" Dave called, and she met their gaze, lifting one of the glasses in something between a wave and a toast. Whatever she called back had been lost beneath the din of the music, but Reg couldn't tear his gaze away from her, try as he might.

"She looks good," Pat observed. Seekings almost glared at him.

"Oi Reg, look out, got an admirer over there," Kershaw teased, gesturing towards the pair of women who had been watching since they entered. He spared another glance to Diana down below. She had reached her table, sitting amongst a crowd of military men and well-dressed women, the group chatting and laughing like old friends. She didn't need him looking out for her, even if he wanted to.

Fuck it.

Reg picked up his glass as their drinks arrived, taking a sip and rising from his chair. "Fellas," He nodded, the others jeering in encouragement as he made his way over.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

It had been the first drop of real, good alcohol she had felt on her tongue since everything had happened. She hadn't had a drink when Eoin died, she hadn't had a drink when Jock died. Tonight it seemed Diana was drinking for both of them. No more sipping out of scavenged bottles they'd stolen from the New Zealanders. This was the good stuff.

"You sure you're good?" Jas asked from beside her. Jaspreet Nadar had been her best friend since they were children, since her father had followed the flow of cash from India to Egypt and decided to set up his business here, becoming friends with the General along the way. The pair hadn't seen each other in months, but their much-awaited reunion was becoming somewhat tainted by the tragedies Diana had witnessed. The moment the first drop of drink rolled down her throat it was as if she remembered everything she could be drinking for - and with that came the urge for another glass. And another.

Diana reached over and took Jaspreet's hand in hers, their palms slotting together perfectly. "Will you get drunk with me?" She asked sincerely.

The corner of Jas' mouth curled upwards in a smile both sympathetic and mischievous. "You know you never have to ask me that twice," She said, and Diana laughed as she watched her best friend upturn a shot glass and let its contents spill down her throat.

Their company for the night was largely comprised of the sons of Diana's father's friends - young, bright, military men hoping to live up to their fathers' legacies - and university students who had crossed the river in search of a good time. Neither Diana nor Jaspreet knew any of them as more than acquaintances or drinking buddies, but the atmosphere was jovial, and for a moment one could almost forget there was a war going on outside of that basement.

Except Diana couldn't forget. Sometimes she would wake in the dark, and for a moment find herself back in the desert the night of her first jump, staring up at the endless blackness, Eoin McGonigal's corpse a dead weight behind her, every muscle in her body screaming for release. She had ached for a week after that night, and was beginning to suspect Paddy had noticed her reluctance to meet his eye. In the SAS there was no time to stop, to process, to find a healthy way to cope instead of drowning in the horrors you had seen - and those you had committed yourself. The warmth of the alcohol in her throat was a calming presence, a mellowing influence that held the memories at bay. She began to find herself reaching for the next glass before she had finished the first.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Reg's night was coming to a close. Comfortably buzzing from the alcohol, a beautiful woman ready to accompany him home - it was everything a night should be in a place like this. Downing the last of his drink, placing the glass down with the finality of a man ready to leave, he held out his arm to the woman - whose name he found he was struggling to recall - and she took it as they rose to their feet, a sense of anticipation hanging between them for what was to come.

It was just as he was about to leave when a hand seized his shoulder. He felt his entire body tense, mind suddenly racing in an attempt to pin who it could be. An off-duty MP who recognised him from the brawl? One of those cunts from the alleyway looking for a round two? Reg squared his shoulders in preparation for a confrontation as he turned, only to fall limp again as he found himself face to face with Kershaw, his brow furrowed in concern.

"What is it?" Seekings asked, tilting his head towards the woman on his arm to signal his preoccupation.

"We've got a... situation," Dave frowned.

"What the fuck is it?"

"Well..."

Over the din of the band, Reg heard a familiar cackle erupt from down below. Expression furrowing to match Dave's, he stepped towards the balcony railing, peering down at the main floor below. Diana's table was now empty save for her and another woman he didn't recognise - thick black hair curled fashionably, draped in a dress of purple silk - and the both of them were visibly, utterly, unmistakably shit-faced. Pat had already gone down, and had a gentle grip on Diana's arm, attempting to help her up from her chair as she continued to tell the other woman a very loud story, her words coming slurred as her companion struggled to contain her giggles.

"Oh, fuck," He muttered, his companion for the evening suddenly forgotten as he made his way to the stairs, descending with Kershaw close behind him.

Riley was visibly embarrassed by the attention they were drawing from nearby patrons as he attempted to steady Diana on her feet, ankles almost buckling as she tried to balance in her heels. "No, because he had a gun!" She slurred, halfway through her story, the other woman at the table letting out another laugh.

"Jesus Christ, how much have you had?" Reg scolded, wrapping an arm around her torso as he reached her side. Diana's brow rose in surprise at this, peering down at where his hand had a firm grip on her waist.

"Handsy," She noted, snorting back laughter.

"Fucking hell. Let's go."

The men attempted to steer her towards the exit but she tugged against them with all her might, craning her neck to look behind them. "Nooo, we have to bring Jas!"

"Who?" Dave asked, preoccupied with shouldering his way through the crowd ahead.

"She's my best friend, we have to bring her!" Breaking free of Reg's grip, he let out a frustrated sigh as he realised she had kicked off her heels, leaving them discarded in the middle of the floor as she returned for her friend, the pair swaying against each other as Jas stood up. "If you don't bring her I'll shout kidnap. I'm not fuckin' around."

None of them had the energy to argue, and so they helped the two women up out of the club, emerging into the cool night air, squinting in the darkness. Kershaw had a firm hand on Jaspreet's arm, and it was only once she was certain the other woman was with the group that Diana let Reg help her along, leaning into his side as he kept an arm around her.

"What happened to all your fancy friends, eh?" He asked quietly, feeling the warmth of her skin through her dress.

"They got bored - we got loud and they got embarrassed - went off to find somewhere else to sit."

There was that anger Reg knew all too well, bubbling up inside his chest so quickly he had to keep himself from clenching the hand that had a hold on her. She had been vulnerable, and they had ditched her. Who knew what could have happened, where she could have ended up had someone less savoury showed up? The possibilities flooding his thoughts made his blood boil, and his grip on her tightened slightly.

It had taken almost a half hour of wandering for the three soldiers to admit that they could not remember the way to Diana's home, the realisation hitting them with a sense of slight panic. Even with her knowledge of the city, there was no way she'd be able to guide their way back in this state. After some time deliberating, it became clear that they had only one option.

Stirling's butler opened the door to his flat promptly, an immediate expression of dread crossing his face at the sight before him. Reg, Dave and Pat were stood in the hallway outside, smiling hopefully as Diana and Jaspreet attempted to recall the lyrics to a song that had been playing in the club, giggling as they failed to find the words.

"No. No." The man protested, shaking his head despite his willingness to step aside for the group, the men shuffling past him and into Stirling's living room.

"Where's Stirling?" Kershaw asked, guiding Jas into a nearby armchair.

"He's out. You're lucky he doesn't have anyone over tonight, or you'd be in real trouble."

"Yeah, well. If he had a problem with this, tell him to call General Hannigan," Reg grunted.

The butler left the room swiftly, clearly choosing to pretend he hadn't seen anything at all. Diana was half-lying down on the sofa, her head pressed against the armrest, kicking off the shoes Reg had made her put back on before they left.

Without a word, Seekings turned to leave, fists clenched. "Woah, where are you going?" Pat called. He was satisfied that Diana was safe, but another pressing issue was tugging at him.

"I'll be back soon," He said simply, the door to the flat closing behind him with a slam.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

It was well into the early hours of the morning when Reg returned, entering far more quietly than he had left as he eased the door shut behind him. The flat had slipped into a comfortable silence, the only light creeping in from the streetlamps outside, a faint orange glow bathing half of the main room.

He collapsed backwards into the nearest armchair with a sigh, exhaustion tugging at his eyelids as he nursed the cuts and bruises that now littered his knuckles. The sudden shift of the light somewhere to his left startled him, sucking in a loud, sharp breath. "Fuckin' hell," He whispered.

"Sorry," Diana's voice replied from the darkness, and as his eyes adjusted he realised she was crouched on the hardwood floor, gently removing the pins from Jas' hair as the other woman slept soundly, her face pressed into the sofa cushions.

"Oh, it's you," Reg sighed, relaxing into his seat once more. "...What are you still up for?"

"These'll hurt when she wakes up," She pointed out, forming a neat pile of hairpins in the palm of her hand as she removed them one by one. It was such a caring gesture that he couldn't help but smile, almost forgetting the twinging pain in his fists.

"... Where did you go?"

"Oh, uh..." Reg looked down at the cuts on his hands. Diana shuffled across the floor towards him, the skirt of her dress creasing and bunching up around her hips with the movement. Even in the dark, he could make out the exposed skin of her thighs, and tried his damndest not to look. She was still drunk, after all. "Had some shit to deal with."

She reached up, taking one of his wounded hands in hers and squinting to make out the blood that was now beginning to scab. "Did you beat someone up?" Diana asked, almost teasingly.

"Went back to the club," He admitted. "Found one of the blokes who ditched you..."

He could make it out in her expression the moment she realised what he had done. Reg tensed, half expecting her to be angry, but in her intoxicated state, she merely smiled, letting out a giddy chuckle.

"Well, I am flattered," Diana grinned, and he had begun to do the same when she pressed her lips against the cuts that covered his knuckles, holding them there for a moment before turning her head to rest her cheek against the back of his palm, curled up on the floor beside him.

Reg sucked in another deep breath, fighting hard to bury anything he might have been feeling in that moment. In the dark he could feel the band-aids wrapped around her fingers from where the cat had scratched her, could feel the warmth of her cheek against his hand and hear the slow lull of her breathing. He could have stayed in that moment forever, but all at once it began to seem selfish.

"Right, come on," He grunted, pushing himself up from his chair. Diana looked up at him in confusion, and he spared a glance around the flat. "Where's the others gone?"

"Bed," She shrugged.

"Right then, that's where you're going too," Placing a hand on either side of her rib cage, she gripped his wrists as he hauled her up onto her feet, her skirt falling back down past her knees. Suddenly it was a little easier to breathe. Reg manoeuvred her awkwardly towards the sofa, accidentally stubbing his toe on something hard in the dark. He almost swore, and she pressed a finger to her lips, fighting a laugh as she shushed him, Jaspreet still sleeping soundly close by.

"Yeah, yeah," He whispered, shaking his head dismissively as she lay down along the length of the couch, curls splayed against the cushions. "Goodnight then," Reg nodded affirmatively, taking a step back.

"I think, technically, it's morning."

"Oh, shut up," He muttered, fighting a grin as he turned to leave, heading towards the spare room Stirling kept for guests on nights like these.

Just as he was about to leave, Diana's voice came, quiet and soft, from the darkness. "Thank you. For beating someone up for me, that's very sweet."

Reg nodded, a long pause lingering in the cool night air as he fought to find the right words.

"I will always be there to beat someone up when you need me," He said. Even in the dark, he could tell she was grinning.

"How romantic."

[notsopersonalcharlie]

Work Divorce

Aaron Hotchner x BAU!reader angst/fluff

Summary: Aaron and you come to a realization when you get into a fight about a case.

Warnings: Cannon typical descriptions of violence, alcohol, mentions of divorce, aaron being cuddly, no use of Y/N

Notes: I thought of this (and wrote it) at the airport so sorry for mistakes! Read more of my hotch stuff here and the angsty interlude to this here Gif isn't mine

“Absolutely not. You are not going out there.” Hotch’s mouth was a straight line, and his features read anger to anyone but you. It was his eyes that gave him away. Pure panic and fear.

“Hotch, I built a rapport with him over the phone. I can-“ You tried.

“That’s final.” The whole room was tense, the police officers who didn’t understand the implications and your team, who felt like they were watching their parents get into an argument.

“You have to let me do my job.” It hung in the air, and Hotch didn’t respond.

The tension followed the team onto the plane. The case had ended badly. Yes, the team had managed to rescue four of the five hostages, but not all of them and the unsub was dead. And it had become abundantly clear that Hotch had made the wrong choice. You could have saved them all.

You were kneeling on the dirt floor of the cave the unsub had dug, holding cloth to a bleeding hostage. The other four had been able to walk out on their own and you were waiting with her for the paramedics who had to make their way through the forest. She was crying, tears leaking down the sides of face and dragging clean lines in the dirt and blood that had been caked there.

“He wanted to talk to you. I could hear your voice. I cou-“ she hiccuped, “Why didn’t you come?”

Your lip trembled and you swallowed trying not to think of the memory as you curled yourself into a seat beside Derek, using him as a barrier against Aaron. He had sat down in his usual seat, the one beside it occupied by JJ who usually sat where you were now.

“You did what you could, kid,” Dave said, patting your shoulder on his way past you.

You tried to sleep on the flight, closing your eyes and staring at the back of your eyelids. You had no idea how much time had passed since the plane took off, but you heard an exchange beside you and Derek moved, replaced with the familiar warmth you knew as your husband.

“I-“

“I don’t want to talk right now,” you responded, eyes still closed. The scene of her body being carried out of the hole, limp hand sliding out of yours, was replaying on a loop. Aaron’s hand rested lightly on your calf where you’d pulled it up to make yourself smaller. It was his form of an ‘I’m sorry’.

-/-/-/-/-

Derek and Emily were whispering over the dividers between their desks when Spencer got in. He tossed his satchel in its usual spot and leaned over.

“What’s going on?”

“Their stuff is gone from their desk. Hotch got here alone,” Emily hissed, nodding to where you usually sat. All of your trinkets, colorful pens, and most importantly your wedding photo were gone. It had been a week since the last case, and the last time the team had seen the two of you together was the day after you got off the jet. You had gone into Hotch’s office, door closed, and from the expressions visible through the noise proof window, it looked like you were yelling at him.

You had left, stormed off was more like it, and not been back over the week. And now this on a monday morning. Hotch was visible through the window, frown prominent as he read over a case file. All three younger agents averted their eyes when he looked out, but Spencer managed to scan over the expression when Hotch looked at your empty desk. Melancholy was the best way he could name it.

-/-/-/-/-

Another week and another case passed without a single mention of you. Hotch had never been one to wear a wedding ring, not after his first divorce, so there was no indication there. Still Hotch’s expression flickered to sad when he looked anywhere you usually were, beside him on the jet, in the bullpen, at the round table, and even in moments when the team was used to your quips against him.

“Whatcha got, babygirl?”

“Is everyone there?” Garcia asked, uncharacteristic of her. All ears turned in that direction.

“Everyone but Hotch and Rossi.”

“Good. They are still married! Legally at least. Hotch put in the transfer papers two days after the fight for them to move to the counterterrorism team.”

“Three whole floors?” JJ joked.

“This isn’t a laughing matter, Jennifer!” Penelope’s voice shrilled, “This could be serious! The fight was real!”

“Baby girl, let’s not get all sorts of spin up.”

“They drive to work separately!” Reid cut in. All eyes turned to him.

“What?”

“Wednesday and Thursday I saw both their cars in the garage on my way in.”

“And you kept it to yourself?” Emily complained. The door to the conference room, turned BAU office opened admitting the other two members of the team.

“Thanks for the heads up, baby girl. We gotta go.” Morgan ended the call before she could give them away.

“What was that about?” Rossi asked, taking one of the seats.

“Just warning us about weather patterns,” Emily said at the same time as Morgan said, “She was telling us about another case to keep an eye on.” The two agents glared at one another.

“Smooth,” Rossi joked, “Can we get back to work now?“

-/-/-/-/-

The case didn’t end up being too horrible or difficult. They made it out without another killing and the unsub was caught without a firefight.

Emily picked up her phone, the ringtone distinctly Garcia.

“Hey, we’re almost-“

“Stall! I don’t want to see them fight!” Emily’s eyebrows knit and she frowned. JJ gave her a questioning look.

“Who?”

“The Hotchners! Just stall!” The call ended. Emily looked at the team, who were slowly getting out of the SUV, a few protesting groans since they all had to run through the streets of Cincinnati a little bit longer than they would have preferred. She huffed to herself and quickly unclipped an earring, dropping it between the seats.

“Shit!” The whole team turned to look.

“I dropped my earring.” Hotch looked exasperated, but he turned the car back on so they could turn the lights on and climbed in the back with Emily to hunt it down.

Upstairs the other SUV of the team was standing in the hallway talking to you.

"How was the case?" You were carrying a few things from Hotch's office, the blanket from the back of the couch and one of the photos of you and Jack that sat on his desk. Spencer was documenting the items in your hands and cataloguing them, JJ could tell based on how is eyes scanned over the items twice.

"Not bad. We were just talking about celebrating." You gave a tight smile and your eyes flickered to the elevator coming up from the garage.

"I'll talk to Hotch. I gotta go." You rushed for the stairs, the door closing just before the elevator doors opened to reveal the rest of the team.

"They seem like sturdy earrings," Morgan sighed, "but whatever." JJ and Spencer were staring at Hotch openly before Emily coughed.

"What?" Hotch asked, looking down at his suit.

"Nothing. We were just talking about celebrating today. We haven't all hung out for a while. Rossi, can you host?" The older agent rolled his eyes.

"You know you could at least ask me before asking in front of the whole team," he griped, "But yes. I can host. Make yourselves scarce. Drink some water. See you at seven." The agents scattered to their desks, but once Hotch and Rossi were in their offices, they stood with their heads together, occasionally glancing up at Hotch's office to see if he noticed the missing items.

Aaron walked into his office and immediately noticed the lack of blanket on the couch. Additionally a spot in the dust on his shelf and an absent little plastic dinosaur that sat next to the Captain America figurine on his desk gave away your recent presence. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the rest of the room before deciding everything else was in place. With a sigh, Aaron tossed his go bag by the door and removed some files from his briefcase before picking both bags up and heading for the door.

The agents in the bullpen were whispering and Aaron rolled his eyes at them. They were terrible profilers sometimes.

"See you soon," he called, hiding his smile when they all jumped apart.

"It must have been so bad! For them to be avoiding each other! And stealing stuff out of Hotch's office? That's crazy!" Emily hissed.

"We'll find out tonight." They knew you would never miss an evening at Rossi's. You two were always there first and left later than everyone else.

The younger agents nodded in agreement and dispersed, a continuous drone of concerned texts in their chat as they got dressed for the evening and stopped for snacks, wine, and beer.

Spencer, who was chronically punctual arrived first, the driveway conspicuously empty. He jabbed a message into the chat 'no one's here yet'. The responses of shock were followed by 'go inside and ask dave about it!' from Emily.

The front door was always unlocked when he knew they were over, given Dave's chronic laziness and the access to a firearm in basically every room in his massive house.

"Rossi! It's Spencer, don't kill me."

"We're in the kitchen," came Hotch's voice. Spencer peaked in and failed to hide his shock. You were sitting across Aaron's lap, red in the cheeks from alcohol. Your arms were wrapped around his neck and you were in a full body laugh. Aaron was laughing too, his headshaking, eyerolling one when you said something particularly silly. Dave was leaning on the other side of the counter, the grin on his face prominent.

"I can't believe you would betray me like that," Aaron chuckled, "It's my stuff."

"Nuh uh! We're married! It's my stuff too." Aaron's arms squeezed tighter around your middle, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. You could feel his smile when he kissed you again and you felt like a teenager blushing. Dave pointed past you to the doorway.

"Don't you dare start texting, boy genius. Let the kids find out on their own." You and Aaron both turned to see Spencer put his hands up, phone slipped back into his sweater pocket.

"Take a seat, Doctor Reid. Have a drink," you joked. Dave poured him a glass of wine.

"So you just switched teams?" You looked at Aaron, who shrugged a little bit. No use lying.

"Kind of. We both realized there was no world in which Aaron could be impartial, no matter how hard either of us tried. And I got promoted." Watching Spencer's gears turn was always fun. You could almost see the puzzle pieces fall into place as they did in a split second.

"You're the new supervisor in the CT unit! That's why you stole your stuff from his office. They were for yours." You nodded.

"Precisely. And it's not stealing! It's mine!"

"It is absolutely stealing, you're a menace."

"Your menace," you corrected, booping him on the nose before reaching for your wine.

"We're here!" Penelope's voice echoed through the house, followed by the cacophony of Emily and Derek arguing. It was about you.

"Just come in here!" You complained. There was a thunder of footsteps running through the front hallway and the three other agents cartoonishly paused in the doorway staring.

"You know people are allowed to get new jobs right?" Aaron asked. He wasn't usually the joker in the group, but sometimes with just the right amount of alcohol his dry humor took over.

"Thank god! I thought I was going to have to start planning two parties!" Penelope gushed, running over to hug you. You laughed, sliding out of Aaron's lap. He was reluctant to let you go. He had been every time you were together, now that you didn't see each other constantly he missed you being beside him.

"Anyway, if we ever separated I would get the team," you stage whispered. Aaron pinched your thigh.

"Absolutely no you wouldn't."

"We will have to write up a contract for your work divorce," Spencer laughed.

"That's not fair! He used to be a lawyer," you whined. Aaron pulled you back into his arms, resting his chin on your shoulder where you stood in front of his stool.

"187 over here can help you." You bickered and laughed and explained yourself to the team once JJ and Will arrived.

"I can't believe you thought we broke up," you sighed once dinner was over and all of you had settled in the backyard under the summer stars.

"I can't either," Dave laughed, "They have no idea how much more of a mess you two would be."

"Hey!" Both of you interjected. The team laughed as you both looked at each other. Aaron pulled you ever closer, nuzzling his nose to your cheek. He was properly drunk now, which is why you both decided ubering over was a better idea so you didn't have to worry about a car.

"He's right," he muttered, his letters slurring together. You chuckled, wrapping your arms over his shoulder and squishing him to your chest.

"I know. I would be too."

[moonlightspencie]

do it for me

quote: “Like every serial killer already knew: eventually, fantasizing just doesn’t do it for you anymore”

Pairing: Dave Lizewski x fem!Reader

Warnings: smut!! (p in v, dirty talk, etc) it’s porn with little to no plot aka mdni

Word Count: 2.7k

A/N: this is self indulgence at its finest

“Hey, study partner,” you sang out, giving Dave a cheeky smile as you opened the door of your apartment.

“Hey,” he gave a polite, though slightly nervous, smile back. 

You’d been paired together in your speech 101 class to complete a “group speech”. Though, at first you were certain you’d gotten the short end of the stick when you realized you were the only group of two in the class. Not to mention you got paired up with the quiet, kind of dorky guy. 

It only took two study sessions for your mind to change entirely.

His dorkiness quickly became endearing, especially when you realized just how cute he was up close. His messy hair and stupid glasses were stupidly attractive. He was surprisingly jacked under all the layers he normally wore. And, god, his eyes.

If he looked at you with his eyes all wide and innocent-looking one more time, you were certain you’d end up jumping him.

All of that, paired with how cute and blushy he got any time you flirted with him, was the perfect storm: you needed him bad.

You opened the front door of your apartment a little further, allowing him inside. He shuffled just past you, dropping his bag unceremoniously in order to pull off his shoes. You leaned against the wall to observe him as he did, finding yourself watching his every move like a hawk as of late. It was hard not to. You’d certainly had enough dirty dreams in the weeks prior, leading to even dirtier thoughts guiding your hand every time you go that familiar feeling fluttering in your stomach.

You only snapped out of it when he turned to you, his cheeks flushing a bit as he realized you were watching him. Only, you weren’t so nervous. You never were one to shy away from a crush. You merely smiled at him, pulling yourself off the wall and grabbing his arm.

“Come on,” you said, tugging him towards your room.

“W-what?” he blushed harder, quickly grabbing his bag as you pulled him along. “What about the… the living room?”

“My roommate is watching a movie in there with her boyfriend tonight,” you stated, omitting the fact that you asked her to occupy the space that night so you’d have an excuse to get him in your bedroom.

“Oh…” 

“It’s okay. My bed’s comfier anyway. Trust me,” you smirk over your shoulder, loving the fact that you could practically read what went through his mind in that moment.

That was the other thing you found yourself liking about Dave: you could read him like a book. Any time he was nervous, he fiddled with his hands. Any time he was stressed about class, he buried a hand in his hair roughly. And any time he was thinking dirty thoughts, those cute, pouty lips of his opened slightly and his eyes got all wide and round. Not to mention, he’d suck in a shaky breath. It was fucking endearing and horrifically sexy.

And he was doing it right then.

You turned over how you’d get your way as you pulled him into your room, though you knew it probably wouldn’t be hard. He obviously thought you were hot, and you still had plenty of time to do work on the speech before he’d leave.

You let go of him at last, shutting the door behind the both of you. You then shuffled over to your bed, sliding off your slippers before you got onto your bed, kneeling on the soft mattress. You patted the spot next to you, trying not to smile at the fact that he was looking at you as if he was thinking a little too hard about something else again. After a beat, though, he obeyed.

“Attaboy,” you mumbled, just to get another reaction out of him.

He cleared his throat, settling in uncomfortably. “So… Uh…”

“So…” you tilted your head in question, leaning in a little closer to him.

“Uh…” he gulped, looking down at you as you were mere inches from him. “Uh… We’re… Our topic is about killer whales, right?”

“Mhm,” you nodded, blinking your lashes at him. “Guess we gotta figure out how we’re doing it, huh?”

“What?” he squeaked out.

You grinned a little, raising a brow. He sucked in a breath when he finally pulled his head out of the gutter.

“Oh. Right. Right, yeah. How to… how to do it,” he nodded, too quickly to be natural. “Sorry, I don’t know where my head’s at.”

“That’s alright. No worries,” you smiled sweetly, resting a hand on his thigh gently.

He stiffened up physically, and you could only imagine the same happened in his pants. You squeezed his leg for a little extra emphasis. 

“You okay?” you asked.

“Mm… Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

He nodded a little, glancing briefly at your chest. You were in.

“Hey,” you said softly, rubbing up and down his leg. “You don’t need to act so shy. I don’t bite that hard.”

He blinked a few times, chewing on his lip. “I’m just… a little nervous.”

“Why?”

“Well… It’s just that… I mean that, that you’re��”

You chuckled to yourself. “I’m totally fucking with you, by the way.”

“What?” he asked, his voice high pitched.

“I said I’m fucking with you,” you repeated, sliding your hand up to his crotch. “Ooh. Someone’s excited, huh?”

“Uh…” he squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

He paused, breathing heavy. “I don’t know.”

You laughed fully, moving your hand away again. He breathed out a sigh of relief, though you made sure to stop his relaxation in its tracks. You swung a leg over his hips, settling down onto his lap. He groaned, his hands grabbing at your thighs immediately.

“What are you doing?” he breathed out, clearly not protesting it.

“I’ve wanted to fuck you for weeks, Lizewski. You can’t seriously be that oblivious,” you muttered before smashing your lips into his.

He let out a shuddering, whiny moan into your lips, kissing you back like he’d been dreaming of it. You hoped he had been. You nipped his lip, getting him to open up for you to slide your tongue against his. He gripped your thighs and hips, his hands greedy as they wandered over your body. 

“You’re so pretty,” he gasped out as you moved your lips across his cheek and down his jaw. “Fuck, I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

You hummed happily, moving your lips down his neck. You licked and sucked at his skin, drawing out a million little sounds from his lips. You nipped at him, then sucked hard on his skin, determined to leave a mark. He moaned your name, squeezing your ass with both hands, relishing in the feel of your body beneath your thin shorts.

“Shh, baby,” you mumbled, licking over the new mark on the base of his neck. “There. Looks real pretty.” “Shit,” he whimpered, trying like hell to move your hips over his.

“Desperate,” you whispered into his ear, obliging him with a roll of your body.

He moaned softly, needy and clearly wanting more. But you wanted to see how far you could push him. You rolled your hips again and again over the obvious erection straining against his baggy jeans. You couldn’t imagine it felt great, but all the same, he wasn’t complaining. He wrapped his arms around your waist, burying his face in your neck, his shaggy hair tickling the underside of your jaw.

“How’s it feel, baby?” you teased.

He merely groaned, staying silent for a few moments. “I… it kind of hurts. But please don’t stop.”

“Here,” you said, going up on your knees. “Pull your jeans down. It’ll feel better.”

He gulped, but quickly obliged your request. He clumsily pulled his jeans down his legs, clearly wanting and ready despite the fact that he looked like a deer in the headlights. You lowered yourself back down, grinding against him once more. He whined softly, guiding your hips with his eyes glued to where your bodies met through the fabric.

“Have you ever done anything like this?” you asked, a little amused at how excited he was.

“Only once… high school girlfriend…” he muttered in response. 

You chuckled softly. “Poor boy.”

He groaned, continuing to move you over his nearly-painful erection. You kissed down his neck, leaving a few marks for him to remember you by when he went to bed that night. He continued letting soft, pathetic noises fall from his lips, practically panting at this point.

“You getting close already, Lizewski?” you whispered, lips brushing his ear.

He merely nodded, his hands gripping you like he was afraid you’d disappear if he let go. He breathed into your neck, chasing his release. But you couldn’t have that.

“You want more, don’t you?” you asked softly, winding your hand in his hair to give it a little tug.

He nodded his head, staring at you with a slack jaw.

“Okay, angel. What do you say?”

“P-please,” he whimpered softly.

You smiled to yourself, moving up on your knees and quickly working at the belt of his jeans. He swallowed, starting at your hands as they undid the button and zipper next. He hummed shakily, watching you push his jeans down ever-so-slightly.

“You think you can manage to pull those off so I can get my shorts off?” 

He nodded earnestly. “Yes. Yeah, I can do that.”

“Good boy,” you patted his leg, then rolled off of him to shimmy out of your shorts and panties, not wanting to wait any longer. 

You’d been patient for what felt like ages now, not jumping on the guy out of respect. But you were only a woman, and you could only put off your desires for so long: especially when he clearly wanted you just as much.

You kept your eyes on him as he pushed his briefs off, laying back on the bed with his chest heaving and hair messy around him. His cock was hard and ready and so gorgeous. He wasn’t massive or anything, but between the coloring and his shape, you were certain it was the prettiest you’d seen. The slightest curve pointing towards his tummy that was now partially exposed from his shirt riding up.

“Wow.”

“What?” He asked breathlessly, looking up at you with wide, wet eyes.

You smirked at his desperation. “You’re just really pretty like this.”

He whined softly, obviously trying not to look at your exposed lower half as you crawled towards him on the mattress again.

“I’m really glad we got paired up for this class,” you admitted, straddling his legs. “Don’t think I would’ve ever considered you otherwise. But now I can’t stop thinking about fucking you.”

“Fuck,” he sighed, his eyes falling shut. “Please.”

“You sound so sweet when you beg.”

“Please,” he repeated, looking at you in utter need, his hands sliding up your thighs and to your hips.

“Shh,” you whispered back to him, reaching down to stroke his firm cock. He practically squeaked, his hips thrusting into your hand. “You’re awfully responsive, huh?”

“Y-yeah,” he all but moaned in response. “God, you’re so pretty.”

“Thanks, honey,” you replied noncommittally, dragging his tip through your folds to gather the slick there. He let out a shaky groan, fingers tightening on your hips.

“Wait,” he exclaimed softly, shaking his head.

You raised a brow, stopping your movements. “You alright?”

“Yeah. No, I’m… I am so good, you have no idea,” he mumbled quickly, still staring at you. “I just… I’d really like to be on top. If that’s okay.”

You chuckled, then nodded, obliging his request. You rolled off of him, laying on your back with your head in the pillows.

“Only because you asked so nice.”

“Thank you,” he said, whiny and needy as he moved between your legs. He let out a breathy moan as he slid his tip against you again. “You’re so soft. Wet.”

“I know.”

“Mm…”

He moaned, nearly looking like he could cry, as he started pushing into you. His eyes were glued to where you swallowed the head of his cock easily, brows knit together as he breathed heavy. 

“God… fuck…” he whined, falling on top of you with his head in your neck, letting himself ease into you. You gasped softly when he finally bottomed out, feeling yourself gush around him. “Fuck. You feel so fucking good. So good.”

“You’re not too bad yourself,” you reply, carding your hand through his hair and tugging it softly.

He lifted his head to take off his glasses, setting them on your bedside table. 

“Thank you. For letting me do this,” he whimpered, his face lowering back to your neck. 

He started thrusting his hips against yours slowly, sucking and biting at your neck as you felt his cock drag along your walls almost teasingly. He breathed heavily, every little needy noise like music to your ears. You ran your nails across his back, wanting to mark him and make him remember you every waking moment of his life. 

“You feel perfect,” he squeaked out, his hips starting to snap harder against yours as he grew more needy chasing his release. “I’ve had a crush on you all year. I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

You chuckled breathily, his body pinning yours to the mattress as his hand gripped the sheets above your head. He moaned at every thrust, practically using your body to get himself off. Not that you minded. It was unbelievably hot to see him so desperate for you that he almost couldn’t help the way he pushed himself into you. 

“I could cum inside you right now,” he moaned again, moving his head to kiss you once. “Promise I won’t. But I could… I’m so close.”

“You can cum anywhere you want.”

He groaned, kissing you again, all tongue and want. “Please… Take off the shirt. Wanna… your tits.”

“Yeah?”

“Please,” he begged, whining as he kept pushing into you. “Please. I’d do anything.”

“Okay, baby,” you complied with a self-satisfied smirk, tugging at your shirt until you were able to pull it over your head. You watched him as he eyes were drawn to your breasts bouncing in your bra before you pulled that off, too.

“Oh, god…”

“You like them, huh?”

“Love ‘em,” he groaned, gripping one of your tits roughly with his hand. “God.”

“Mm…” you moaned a little, back arching into his touch. “Fuck, I’m close, too.”

“Really?” His eyes widened.

“Yeah.”

“Oh, shit. Okay. I’m… fuck, that’s so hot,” he said quickly, looking at you like you’d hung the stars just for him. “I– I’ll make you cum first. Promise.”

“Baby…”

“No, please. I wanna watch you,” he breathed out, eyes moving between your face and tits as he tried his damndest not to cum before you did.

You decided you’d be nice, just this once, and moved your hand between your bodies. You rubbed quick little circles around your clit as he kept railing you into the mattress, trying to get yourself to finish first. He whined as he kept going, squeezing his eyes shut as he clearly put in a lot of effort to hold himself off.

“You’re close?” he checked.

“Yeah. Really close. Almost there.”

“Mm…” he groaned, lowering his head and sucking one of your nipples into his mouth.

That did it.

You gasped, moaning his name as you clenched hard around his dick, soaking him in your release as he thrusted as fast as he could manage. Though you were left empty only a few seconds later as he pulled out, just in time to shoot his seed all over your bare chest. He groaned wantonly, stroking himself a little bit as he finished.

“Holy shit,” he whispered, voice high pitched and whiny. “Holy fuck. Fuck.”

“Yeah?”

He swallowed, mouth hung open as he tried catching his breath. “Uh huh.”

“You’re adorable,” you chuckled, watching as he sat down next to you, still trying to breathe normally again.

He nodded. “God damn.”

You reached for the tissues on your bedside table, wiping the cum off of your breasts as Dave fell back onto your bed in a combination of bliss and exhaustion. You chuckled at his actions, shaking your head.

“I think this makes our study sessions way more fun,” you offered after a moment.

Dave laughed breathlessly. “I think I’ll have to thank our professor.”

[hotchner-edu]

Intertwined | Aaron Hotchner

Synopsis: Following the bullet you took for Aaron, he must pick up the pieces of himself to face the awful realization of what comes next. — part 2 of THIS

Pairing: Father-figure!Aaron Hotchner x BAU!Reader (Platonic)

Warning: angst, hurt/comfort, daddy issues, happy ending, descriptions of blood/feeding tubes, medical inaccuracies—

In spite of how dangerous being an agent in the field was, and how often Jack’s pediatric appointments occurred, Aaron never grew accustomed to the overwhelming stench of sterileness.

It coated every surface of every room, pervading his senses to remind him of the hollowing anxiety that swirled in his chest— the feeling of utter helplessness in the face of impending doom.

His eyes were rimmed red, stinging from exhaustion and unshed tears. He's slumped in his chair, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together as his eyes stared unblinkingly into the vinyl floor.

Guilt was trapped in his heart, tugging and stabbing as he replayed the conversations he had with you the day prior. He knows he's been unfair with the team as of late because of the divorce proceedings with Haley, but unfair doesn't even begin to describe his treatment toward you.

You were young and careless. He hated how careless you were. It made you susceptible to slip ups, it made your heart too soft, and it made you take that damn bullet for him. And now you were being operated on by every competent staff member in the damn place, echoes of his desperate yells and furious shouts ringing through his head.

He'd lost all composure in front of the hospital staff— in front of his team. But he found it hard to care, every ounce of his energy circling around the memory of blood rapidly gushing from your neck.

Derek had started to chew him out at the scene, but stopped when he saw his horrified face, eyes glued to the paramedics who were urgently trying to resuscitate you.

His jaw shifts, clenching hard as the burning of tears stirs in his eyes once again.

He feels something cold press against the back of his neck, momentarily causing him to close his eyes.

"Pull yourself together." Dave's voice comes out calmly, trying to comfort Aaron to the best of his ability.

"She looked dead." He whispers out, voice quiet but etched with regret.

Dave shakes his head— he can see it in his peripheral, and the older man moves in front of him, squatting down to catch Aaron's eyes. "But she's not."

"How can she not be?" He mutters, shoulders sagging as his mind instantly shoots toward the worst case scenario, imagining himself having to fill out the case reports— having to fill out the papers explaining how you were killed on the field.

Dave's eyebrows raise slowly, speaking softly. "Do you want me to get Reid over here to read off some statistics?" He attempts to joke, glancing over at the rest of the team as they all sat in silence down the hallway.

Aaron doesn't react to the joke. "Why did she push me out of the way, Dave?" He asks, searching futilely for an explanation as he stares at his friend.

"The same reason you would have done the same for her if you were in her shoes." Dave states with a sad smile, patting his shoulder before handing him the cold water bottle.

By three in the morning, six hours since you've been in surgery, Aaron can see that most of the team has fallen asleep in their chairs. He's still sat in the same spot, back protesting the odd position he's put himself into as he busied himself with catastrophizing.

He only musters up the energy to sit up when the OR doors open, a visibly disheveled and exhausted surgeon walking toward them. He shoots up from his chair, joints cracking as he hurries toward the woman.

"For Y/N L/N?" She asks gently, gazing at him with an inscrutable expression.

Aaron nods quickly, mouth dry. "Yes. Is she okay?" He asks urgently.

"She pulled through. A few centimeters to the right and her carotid artery would have been severed. She likely won't wake up for a while, and we'll need to put her on a nasogastric tube for a few weeks since swallowing will be difficult." The woman explains.

Aaron's ears ring in relief when he realizes you're alive, but the more he hears, the more his stomach sinks. You were going to be enduring hell for the next few weeks.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." He whispers breathlessly and rubs a hand across his forehead.

"She'll be situated in the ICU. However, you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to see her." She explains, flashing a glance over his shoulder to look at the rest of the team.

Aaron has to be dragged from the hospital that night, the team urging him to go back to the hotel to clean up and sleep so that he could visit early.

A part of him felt a bit of shame for falling apart, needing his team to reorient him as he seemed to be stuck in a perpetual daze.

He's unable to sleep for more than two hours, waking up in cold sweat with the unmistakable sound of a gunshot ringing in his ears as he sits up. He's sure his mind is tricking him, but he's almost certain he can hear the sound of the bullet piercing through your flesh in the back of his head.

Aaron is driving off to the hospital again before most of the team is even up, rehearsing what to say to you in his head as he is reminded of the cruel words he spat at you in the precinct.

Everything is moving in a blur for him, and by the time he's by your bedside, he isn't even able to remember when he even parked and walked into the hospital.

He pulls up a chair to sit by your side, eyes studying the bruising around your neck that’s peeking out from the bandages wrapped around your stitched-up wound.

The only thing assuring him of your breathing was the rhythmic beeping from the vital monitor that echoed like a backtrack for his jumbled thoughts.

He could swear you weren't breathing.

Maybe the machine was deceiving him? Did the nurses hook everything up right?

Maybe the job was finally getting to him and he was losing his mind.

"Can you hear me?" He croaks out, hand moving to cover your limp one. "Y/N?"

You can see colors warping, dancing and spinning before melting into a soothing darkness. It felt like you were floating, then wading through water, then being lifted into suspension again.

You felt nothing, but you also knew there was something you needed to remember.

Like a sponge soaking up water, bit by bit, you could feel your senses returning. For a split second you could feel every muscle in your body, every sound around you, and then nothing again.

"Y/N?"

The sound was deeper and worn down. Yes, that was your name.

Willing yourself to move, you felt a tingle run down your body.

Your eyes peel open and you're blinded by brightness, stabbing into your nerves and triggering blossoms of dull pain to erupt around your body.

When you're fully awake and cognizant, the memories come pouring in like an irrepressible tsunami. Your neck was pulsing in pain, and it takes you a moment to understand why.

"Y/N? Hey, hey. You're up..."

Your eyes shift over to your side and you're met with the sight of a disheveled Aaron Hotchner who looked like he just survived a combination of natural disasters.

A part of you feels pity for his uncharacteristically unkempt appearance, realizing he was probably at his wits end from worry. Then, you're slapped over the head with the memory of his acerbic words.

You're still deeply wounded from what he said to you, the image and esteem you held him in faltering with every replay of the memory.

"How are you feeling? Are you in a lot of pain? Wait, let me get a nurse." He rushes out breathlessly, turning around to leave the room.

You could tell he cared for you just by how he was conducting himself at that moment, but a nagging voice in your head was convincing you that he was just doing this to alleviate the guilt and pity he felt for himself.

You didn't need him attending to you just to clear his own conscience. It was a bit juvenile, but you wanted him to suffer a bit more.

True to your initial resolve, over the next following days, you stay cold toward Aaron. When the team first got word that you had woken up, you were nearly blinded by the sheer volume of colorful balloons Penelope brought.

And tears. So many tears were shed for you that you were sure they thought you were going to drop dead at any given second.

Everyone was taking turns acting like a mother hen toward you, and Derek even toned down his jibing in exchange for playing his various playlists for you. Spencer took to reading to you everyday, citing that he didn't want you to strain your eyes.

Emily and JJ talked about everything under the sun with you, making promises and plans for the next few months— shopping trips, movie dates, and anything else they could think of.

Well, you weren't able to really talk yet so they mainly chatted with each other while looking to you for nods or headshakes.

Penelope entertained you by pulling up private information on anybody you could name from your past (which was maybe a little illegal, but the things she did for you.)

Rossi indulged you by recounting some anecdotes from his time serving in the Marine Corps.

Aaron was probably your most constant visitor, dropping by everyday and staying for hours. You barely looked at him on most days, but when the team is called back to Quantico after a week, he becomes your only companion after he decides to take a few weeks off to take care of you.

You could see how disheartened he was getting everyday you ignored him, and you cursed yourself for feeling awful about it.

Two weeks have since passed since the rest of your team returned to DC, and Aaron was lucky to get a few words out of you everyday. You're currently watching a rerun of an old sitcom, trying to distract yourself from the awkward tension between you and Aaron.

"The doctor said you're not allowed to fly for a while, but you can be discharged by tomorrow since you're able to eat soft foods now." Aaron speaks softly, leaning forward in his seat before reclining again, a nervous habit of his.

Staying quiet, you gently prod the tube in your nose that was being removed in a few hours.

"Do you feel ready to leave?" He asks kindly, voice patient and soft.

You nod once and you can see him smiling a bit from your peripheral.

"That's great, sweetheart. I'll ask the doctor for all the medication you'll need." He says before hesitating. "I'll drive us back to DC. It'll take three days or so."

Your head snaps to look at him in shock, wincing a bit as the sudden movement causes a sharp pain to cut through your neck and shoulder.

Aaron can see your shock and indignance at the news. "I'm sorry." He whispers. You're not sure if he's apologizing for making you endure his constant presence for three days on the road, or if he's apologizing for everything that happened prior, but you just exhale through your nose and look away.

Being bedridden for most of your stay caused your muscles to be significantly weaker. Your legs were like jelly when you attempted to shuffle off your hospital bed, meaning Aaron had to help you around.

You were sinking further into confliction. A part of you wanted to wholeheartedly accept his help, the appreciation for his fatherly tendencies growing stronger. In the weeks that you've stonewalled him, he stayed by you and was always jumping to attend to your every need.

It was hard to forget the one night you woke up in blinding pain, huffing and hissing silently. Aaron had woken up in a matter of minutes, holding your hand and trying to soothe you back to sleep.

Maybe he did care.

On the first day of your drive back to DC, you're sitting comfortably in the passenger seat, the pain medication you're on making you relaxed and drowsy.

Aaron doesn't try to talk to you until you're two hours into the drive. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it right now, but I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

You stay silent, having expected him to bring up the topic sooner or later.

"I was being completely unfair to you. I won't make excuses for what I said and did because I should have been able to keep myself in check, but I failed." He continues, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

"I want you to know, above all else, that I don't think you're incompetent or unskilled— you're a crucial part of the team, and I'm sorry if I made you doubt that." His voice wavers slightly, growing heavy with emotion as he seems to be unleashing everything he's been holding in since you woke up.

Your chest rumbles softly as you speak quietly, voice weak from the lack of speech in the past few weeks. "I always saw you as like a father to me."

The moment those words left your mouth, you almost wanted to take them back as the heartbreak in Aaron's face was clear as day. He swallows hard, clearly becoming even more emotional from your declaration.

It clearly meant a lot to Aaron since he knew how poor your relationship with your father was growing up. So to have your trust, something that's been battered by others and locked away inside of you, it reminded him of the hurt he carried because of his own father. It reminded him that he once was like you, vying for that affection and care when everyone's backs were turned.

"I'm sorry." He whispers, clenching his jaw as his eyes well up.

"Do you really care about me?" You ask, looking ahead at the road.

"Yes. I always have." He answers back, voice almost inaudible as he sounds a it choked up. "Because the same way you view me as a father, I always saw you as my kid. My reckless and soft-hearted kid that I needed to protect."

Tears fall from your eyes at his words. "I don't know if I can forgive you." You whisper candidly.

"I know." He nods and blinks away his tears. "But I just... I hope that the light inside of you never dies. This job... it takes everything from us. It almost took you from us. So we need you to keep that fire inside of you alive."

You feel very small at that moment, wanting nothing more than to shrink away and abandon everything. But despite that pervasive feeling, you can't help but continue clinging onto the hope and safety Aaron provides you with.

"Promise that you care about me?" You ask almost childishly, not wanting to be strong and alone any longer. The medications you were on certainly made you feel less inhibited, your honest feelings pouring out of you.

Aaron's words are almost hushed as he's quick to reassure you. "Yes. I promise, you can cry on me and depend on me. I promise that it's okay to be tired."

"I... I'm so tired." You whisper softly.

"You've endured so much all this time. I'm sorry I couldn't see it before." He says quietly.

Neither of you say anything after that, letting the conversation slip away as some semblance of closure blankets you both.

When the sun begins to set, the sky a canvas filled with an array of oranges and purples, you let yourself relax.

You can't pinpoint when you fell asleep, but when you're conscious again, Aaron is by your side, gently patting your shoulder. "There she is." He says softly when he sees you blinking awake. "It's almost midnight, I thought it'd be better for us to rest up for a few hours. I also need to check on your wound dressings."

Grumbling a bit, you slowly sit up and look through the windshield to see a roadside inn in front of you both. Nodding, you let him help you out of the car and toward the check-in desk.

"Does your neck hurt?" He asks quietly.

"No. Just sore right now." You whisper back tiredly, limbs feeling heavy.

When you're both checked into a room for the night, you waste no time dragging yourself toward one of the beds.

"Don't lay down just yet." Aaron is quick to say, placing your bags down and going to wash his hands.

You reckoned that if he weren't such a great agent, he'd fare well as a nurse from the way he was deftly redressing the bandages on your neck, disinfecting and cleaning like it was second nature to him.

He can sense your questioning gaze and he huffs a bit sheepishly. "I, uh, asked Reid for some pointers on the phone. And searched the internet."

"Let me guess, WebMD?" You smile weakly.

Aaron's face breaks out into a small grin and he chuckles. "Yeah, and ReidMD."

You snort a bit at his joke. "That was awful."

"Jack says I'm getting really good at making dad jokes." Aaron quips back playfully.

"I'll have to teach him that it's not good to lie like that." You muse, hiding a small smile as he narrows his eyes at you in fake offense.

It felt like you were gaining a bit of normalcy back, and you would be lying if you said you didn't miss being able to talk freely like this with Aaron.

"Alright, done." He sighs and hesitantly rests his hand on your uninjured shoulder. "Anything else you'd like me to do?"

You caught onto his true meaning, knowing he was trying to make further amends with you. Considering it for a moment, you shake your head gently and smile tiredly. "No, you're all good."

Aaron lets out a shaky exhale before leaning down to hug you, being mindful to not press on your injuries. "I love you, kiddo."

"I love you, too." You whisper back and pat his back reassuringly.

You would be out of commission for a while and that reality weighed down on you, but Aaron's reassurance and presence provided you with some relief.

You were tired, but for now you could rest.

[reidmarieprentiss]

Heyyy so this is very specific 😅

Remember the fisher king part 2 episode when Spencer escapes the bomb? So imagine the bomb part happened in a different case (because I need Emily and Dave in) and he had to go to the hospital because of some wounds (he’s really fine but the team insisted) So they go to the hospital.

They could see Spencer was nervous looking around like he was scared, Morgan, JJ and Emily just thought it was the germaphobic thing. While Hotch and Dave (the only ones who knew) already had a bet on: how long will it take to Spencer’s partner, a doctor at the hospital they’re in, showed up screaming at Spencer for risking his life (again).

And guess what happens? They show up with steam coming out of her ears. Ready to scold Spencer. They ask him what happened and he keep it simple “I just got fell” and she turns to hotch and Dave “is that true” you choose who ditches on Spencer. While all of that happens JJ Emily and Morgan are like “wtf is going on???? “Reid has a partner???!”

I told you it was specific 😭

Love Doctor

Pairing: Spencer Reid x gn!reader

Category: fluff

Warnings/Includes: mentions of a bomb

Word count: 712

a/n: this was so cute i love this ask!!!

main masterlist

As the team walks into the hospital, Spencer tries to hide the unease coursing through him. The incident with the bomb was behind them, but his nerves were anything but settled. He knew what was coming, and it wasn’t just the doctors poking and prodding at him. Morgan, JJ, and Emily exchange glances, assuming Spencer’s discomfort is due to his well-known aversion to hospitals and germs.

“You’re gonna be fine, pretty boy,” Morgan says, patting Spencer on the shoulder. “Just a few scratches, and you’ll be out of here in no time.”

“Yeah, Spence, it’s not like they’re gonna make you stay the night or anything,” JJ adds with a reassuring smile.

Emily nods, her tone light as she says, “You’ll be out of here before you know it, probably before they can even make you wear one of those hospital gowns.”

Spencer forces a tight smile, his eyes darting nervously around the busy hospital hallway. His heart races, not because of the minor injuries he sustained but because he knows who works here. Hotch and Rossi, walking a few paces ahead, exchange a knowing look. They’ve both seen this play out before, and although they’d never admit it, they’re both wondering how long it will take for the inevitable confrontation to occur.

Just as Spencer is about to sit down on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, he hears a familiar voice, sharp and filled with exasperation.

“Spencer Reid!”

The sound of his full name, spoken with that particular tone, makes Spencer cringe. He turns slowly, already bracing himself for the storm about to hit. You, his partner, a doctor at the hospital, storms toward him, your face a mixture of relief and fury. The rest of the team watches in shock as you approach, eyes blazing with anger.

“What were you thinking?” you demand, not bothering to lower your voice. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? You could’ve—” You stop yourself, taking a deep breath, clearly trying to calm down but failing spectacularly.

Spencer rubs the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “I, uh… I just fell.”

You narrow your eyes, turning their attention to Hotch and Rossi, who are both standing with their arms crossed, attempting (and failing) to hide their amusement. “Is that true? Did he just fall?”

Rossi, not missing a beat, smirks and says, “I’d say he more or less threw himself into harm’s way, but ‘falling’ works too.”

Hotch, with a slight nod, adds, “There might have been a bomb involved.”

Your eyes flash with irritation as you look back at Spencer. “A bomb? You said you fell!”

Spencer shrinks a little under your gaze. “Well, I did fall… after the bomb went off.”

You look like you’re about to explode, but instead, you take another deep breath and pinch the bridge of your nose. “Spencer…”

Meanwhile, Morgan, JJ, and Emily are standing off to the side, their jaws practically on the floor. JJ is the first to speak, her voice low with shock. “Wait… Reid has a partner? A partner who’s a doctor?”

Emily, eyes wide, whispers back, “And they’re yelling at him… like he’s a kid caught sneaking out of the house.”

Morgan, unable to contain his amusement, chuckles. “This just got interesting.”

You turn back to Spencer, your voice softer now but still firm. “You’re coming home with me after this, and we’re going to have a serious talk about you risking your life like this. Again.”

Spencer nods quickly, knowing better than to argue. “Yes, my love.”

As you usher Spencer towards the examination room, Morgan, JJ, and Emily exchange looks of bewilderment and amusement. Hotch and Rossi follow at a distance, satisfied with how things have unfolded.

Emily, still stunned, leans over to Morgan. “I think we just met the one person who can actually scare Reid.”

Morgan grins. “I think you’re right.”

JJ, shaking her head in disbelief, murmurs, “I didn’t even know he was dating someone…”

As they all watch Spencer disappear into the examination room with his partner, a new wave of curiosity and respect for their genius colleague washes over them. They’ve just witnessed a side of Spencer Reid they never knew existed, and none of them are sure how to process it.

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

tag list <333 @dirtytissuebox @yokaimoon @khxna @noelliece @dreamsarebig @sleepey-looney @cocobean16 @placidus @criminalmindssworld @lilu842 @greatoperawombategg @charismatic-writer @fxoxo @hearts4spensco @furrybouquettrash @kathrynlakestone @chaneladdicted @time-himself @mentallyunwellsposts @sapph1re @idefktbh17 @gilwm @reggieswriter @loumouse @spencerreidsreads @i-live-in-spite @fanfic-viewer @bootylovers44 @atheniandrinkscoffee @niktwazny303

[illdowhatiwantthanks]

The Butternut Squash (The Surprise, Part 19)

Emily Prentiss x fem!reader Warnings: pregnancy times, mentions of female anatomy/breastfeeding, explicit language (let me know if I missed anything!) Word count: 2.2k

Summary: You and Emily don't really need a baby shower, but you do need help getting the nursery ready, so the whole BAU comes over one Saturday to help out.

Week 29: The Butternut Squash

You had insisted on no gifts. You and Emily had plenty of money. You didn’t need a registry, and you didn’t need a baby shower. What you did need was help getting the nursery decorated and set up. So Emily–fresh off a 4-day case–had invited the entire BAU over to help prep the nursery on a rare, free Saturday.

“Emily,” you complained that Friday morning when she came home. “I won’t even have time to make food!”

“You don’t need time to make food,” she chastised, wrapping her arms around you from behind and resting her chin on your shoulder. “Because we’re just gonna have it delivered.”

You scoffed. “I always cook, Em. It’s my whole thing!”

She turned you around and grasped your face in her hands, kissing the tip of your nose, then moving to your lips. You huffed impatiently, even as your stomach erupted in butterflies (and maybe a few kicks from the baby) when Emily kissed you. “Okay, well, right now your whole thing is being seven months pregnant, so…”

“I could at least make cookies…” you grumbled. “If you get me chocolate chips from the store?”

Emily raised her eyebrows at you, but smiled lightly. “Will it make you happy?”

“Mmhm,” you confirmed, turning on the charm and your very best puppy dog eyes.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, kissing you one more time for good measure and grabbing her keys from the counter. “I can’t say no to you when you look at me like that.”

“Thank you, my love!” you called after her, a little too giddy with your grocery store victory.

“Yeah, yeah…” she muttered, shutting the door, but you knew she was smiling behind it.

But, now, here you were. Saturday, mid-morning. A plate of fresh-baked, homemade brown butter chocolate chip cookies on a plate on the coffee table… along with gifts from every single member of the BAU. Despite insisting they not bring any.

Hotch sat in the living room with you, playing Mario Kart on the Switch with Dave and Jack. Penelope gossiped with you on the couch. Meanwhile, Emily was running operations in the nursery, and every so often you could hear her ordering Derek and Spencer around. It made you giggle. JJ squeezed your shoulder, hovering back and forth between rooms.

“You need anything, Y/N?” she asked.

“I’m okay,” you assured her. “Thanks, JJ. Just… make sure Emily doesn’t get too bossy.”

JJ laughed. “Oh, I’m not sure anyone can do that.”

“Can we do gifts now? I think we should do gifts! Open mine, Y/N!” Penelope insisted, patting the spot next to her on the couch for JJ and handing you a glittery gift bag. You should’ve known they wouldn’t listen when you’d said not to bring gifts. You would’ve done the same thing. They were your family, after all.

You pulled out the tissue paper to reveal several tiny baby onesies in bright colors with adorable designs and sayings. Happy Camper. Silly Little Bear. Even one with tiny dinosaurs all over that said Babysaurus. Your heart felt like it might burst thinking about how cute your little one was going to look in these.

“Penelope, these are so cute!” You wrapped her in a hug. “I’m gonna send you so many pictures of her in these!”

“I know you guys are waiting to find out the gender, so I tried to pick ones that were gender neutral. Although, I mean I guess technically every outfit is gender neutral or… should be, or–”

You stopped her before she spiraled. “They’re perfect."

Before you knew it, Jack was pressed up against you, shoving another gift bag into your hands.

“Open ours, Aunt Y/N!”

You wrapped an arm around him and gave him a squeeze. “Thanks, buddy. I can’t wait to see what it is!”

You pulled out the most adorable stuffed gray wolf, soft as velvet, complete with two little pointy felt teeth sticking out.

“Oh, Jack, it’s perfect!”

“His name is Wolfie,” Jack told you, snatching the toy back.

“Jack,” Hotch scolded. “Remember, that’s for Aunt Emily and Aunt Y/N’s baby. It’s not yours.”

Hotch looked at you apologetically, and you shook your head to let him know it wasn’t a big deal.

“I made you this picture, too,” Jack said, handing you a crumpled piece of paper. You smoothed it out to find stick figures of you and Emily. He’d drawn your belly as a big circle, with a tiny swaddled baby inside of it. You grinned.

“Now, this is art, Jack. This is going right on the fridge.”

“This is you,” he said, pointing. “And this is Aunt Emily. And this is the baby inside your tummy.”

Speaking of the baby, she was incredibly active right now. Almost as if she, too, was happy to be with her BAU family.

“You want to feel her kick?” you asked Jack, and he nodded. You grasped his hand in yours and pressed it over your baby bump, estimating at the last place she’d kicked. Jack screeched when he felt her kick his hand, jumping on his tiptoes.

“Oh my gosh!” he squealed. “Oh my gosh! Daddy, there’s an alive baby in there!”

Hotch smiled at you. He was such a good dad. A good team leader. A good friend to you and Emily.

“After she’s born, Jack, you’ll have to come over and hold her,” you told him, but he was already gone, distracted the Switch.

“Aw, crap,” Dave exclaimed as Hotch hit him with a red shell. Hotch chuckled. “Y/N, go ahead and open up mine,” Dave said. “I’ve already lost this race. It’s the one with the silver paper.”

Penelope grabbed the gift for you, since your arms wouldn’t quite reach all the way to the coffee table. You ripped off the paper to reveal a box set that read, “Ciao Pasta Bistro.” It included a tiny little metal stock pot and colander, little ladles, and soft felt pasta shapes–bowties and raviolis and elbow noodles and shells.

“Oh my god,” you breathed, looking it over. Penelope and JJ leaned next to you to get a closer look. “This is freaking adorable.”

“The little meatball’s gonna know her pasta shapes if Uncle Dave has anything to say about it!” Dave called, cheering as he zoomed past Hotch with Star Power.

“Thank you so much, Dave,” you said, and you really meant it. They were such thoughtful gifts, so particular to each of them. You couldn't wait to show the baby, to let her get to know her BAU family, too.

JJ waited until everyone was distracted and Penelope had been dragged into Mario Kart (“Okay, but I’ll win! They don’t call me a tech goddess for nothing!”) to give you her gift. She sat next to you and pulled a bag from underneath the coffee table.

“These are more for you than for the baby,” JJ explained. “But if your pregnancy is anything like mine, you’ll get plenty of baby gifts, but not a whole lot of mom gifts.”

“That’s really thoughtful of you, JJ.” You squeezed her hand.

She pulled things out one by one, displaying them discreetly and explaining their purpose. “Listen, your nipples will hurt so bad. So bad. Just telling it like it is. So…” She held up a plastic tube. “Nipple cream. This one was my favorite. Also, silver nursing cups. I can’t explain why the silver makes them less sore, but it does.”

You nodded, feeling both overwhelmed and extremely grateful. “It’s basic, but there’s also a food delivery gift card in here. I know you love to cook, but I promise you’re not gonna feel like it for a while after giving birth.”

“JJ, I don’t know what to say. This is so nice.”

She held up a finger to stop you. “Last gift.” She pointed to herself. “Me and Will. We’re happy to babysit. Often, if you like.” When she saw you start to protest, she said, “Look, Henry’s getting older, and I really miss baby snuggles. So it’s really no trouble at all.”

You felt like you might cry. It wasn’t that nobody paid attention to you or took care of you during your pregnancy. Emily took excellent care of you. It was just that JJ was right. Most people looked at the end of your pregnancy and the birth of the baby as the end of the hard part for the birthing parent. But you knew that wasn’t going to be the case. And JJ knew, too. You were so grateful for her friendship, for her support.

“Thank you so much, JJ,” you said quietly, pulling her in for a hug.

“Oh, are you opening gifts?” Spencer asked, entering the room and hovering quietly behind you.

“Yep!” you said, watching him retrieve a tidy package wrapped in newspapers and hand it to you. You looked at him, eyebrows furrowed. “Are you guys done with the nursery already!?”

Spencer chuckled. “Oh, no. Not even close. I just snuck out while Emily was yelling at Morgan.”

You shrugged and started tearing the paper. “That tracks.”

Inside Spencer’s package was a set of colorful board books with titles like Quantum Physics for Babies, General Relativity for Babies, and Rocket Science for Babies.

“Spencer, these are awesome!” you exclaimed, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “Baby Prentiss is gonna be a genius.”

“You know, that’s probably true,” Spencer observed, taking Penelope's place in front of the TV next to Jack. “Scientifically speaking, children inherit their intelligence from their mother, not their father. So no matter how intelligent or unintelligent the donor was, the baby will inherit your intellect. And you’re really smart, so it’s likely the baby will be, too.”

“Trust Reid to come with a prepped science lesson,” Emily said, poking her head around the corner.

You threw a balled-up piece of wrapping paper in Emily’s general direction. “Zip it, Em! I like hearing about what Spencer knows.”

“Nerd,” she muttered under her breath, coming up behind you to place her hands on your shoulders and kiss the top of your head. “You alright? You need anything?”

You squeezed her hand. “I need you... to stop being so mean to Derek.”

“Thank you!” Derek exclaimed, emerging from the hallway to shove Emily out of the way and plant a kiss on your cheek. “It’s nice to know someone around here cares about Uncle Derek.”

Emily shoved him back. “Yeah, well, I don’t want to have to tell the little butternut squash that you wussed out of painting his nursery one wall in.”

Derek grabbed one of the cookies from the coffee table and took a bite, momentarily closing his eyes in enjoyment. You smiled. This is why you loved cooking and baking.

“Listen, Prentiss,” he teased. “I’m taking a well-deserved break. You’re lucky I love your girl or I wouldn’t put up with this shit.”

“Ooh!” Jack squealed. “He said a bad word!”

Derek looked at Hotch apologetically, then reached down to grab the last unopened gift bag. 

“Here, mama,” he said, handing it to you. “Saved the best for last.”

You grinned at him, handing Emily the loose tissue paper as you opened the gift. Inside was a collection of soft toys that included a football, a whistle, and a little number one finger.

“Oh, man, are we gonna have a little football fan, Uncle Derek?” you asked, grinning cheekily.

“Not just any football fan,” he insisted. “There’s one more thing in there.”

You pulled out a tiny Chicago Bears onesie, complete with a number 34 on the back for Walter Payton.

“A Bears fan, huh?” you said, smiling from ear to ear.

“I figured since the little guy or gal’s gonna be born right as football season’s kicking off, he’ll spend a lot of time on the couch watching the games with Uncle Derek. And we gotta be decked out in our matching gear.”

“If you let us sleep, Morgan,” Emily said, squeezing his shoulder playfully. “You can indoctrinate my son into being a sports fan all you want.”

“Or daughter!” you protested, and the whole team laughed. By now, your faux-feud over the baby’s gender was well-known. They were even placing bets. It was about a 50/50 split.

“Alright, guys,” Emily said, clapping her hands together and rallying the troops. “One wall down, two walls to go. And one wall of wallpaper, but I don’t think that’ll take as long.”

JJ, Penelope, Hotch, and Dave stood to follow Emily to the nursery while Derek took a seat next to you. Spencer sat cross-legged on the floor with Jack, fully immersed in Mario Kart.

“Be there in a second, Emily,” he called. “We’re about to start Rainbow Road.”

You grinned, so glad to be surrounded by Emily’s family–her real family. Happy that you had people who were excited for you, people who took care of you, people who gave up their Saturday to help you get ready to welcome a new family member.

“Hey, Jack, add me and Derek in for the next round,” you said, lowering yourself gently onto the floor, Derek’s hand instinctively grasping yours to support you. “I play a mean Moo Moo Meadows.”

[eoinmcgonigal]

one more! "standing on your tip-toes, frustrated that you can't reach your lover's lips" with pat/dave?

thank youuuuuuuuuuu

there's always room for one more!!

-

The slope doesn’t help. Dave literally has the high ground, his back to the wall, and doesn’t seem inclined to budge, even though Pat has tried tugging him down from his spot. Dave seems quite happy there, lazily finishing his smoke and grinning down at him.

“Something you want?” Dave teases.

“Come on,” Pat urges, standing as close as he can get. It’s not close enough, and even up on his tip-toes he really needs Dave to help by angling his head down a bit.

Dave turns away, exhaling unhurriedly. “Well, I can hardly help if I don’t know what it is.”

His hands fisted in Dave’s shirt, Pat doesn’t let go. “Kiss me, damnit.”

“Oh, so that’s what you’re after.”

The grinning bastard almost chuckles, and Pat tries kissing him again, getting a graze in.

“Why didn’t you say?” Dave hums, leaning down. “I could have—”

Pat kisses him, hard, and doesn’t let go—not until he’s managed to turn them around and now has his back to the wall.

If Dave uses this change in fortune to pin him there, well… That’s hardly a problem Pat is going to complain about.

Kissing prompts

[bianquitasworld]

maybe a Dave Lizewski x reader period comfort? Ite that time of the month and as always it’s never fun 😔

Rest and Relaxation

Dave Lizewski x Reader

Warnings: None to my knowledge, aside from talks of menstruation.

A/N: I’m on my period right now and I’m literally fighting for my life. 💔

Dave couldn't help but notice the silence in the atmosphere as soon as he entered the apartment he shared with his girlfriend.

Usually, she would be waiting for him on the couch, binge-watching a random show like New Girl or Girlfriends. However, as he walked further into the apartment and looked toward the couch, a pout fell upon his face at her absence.

Dave searched the apartment until he entered your shared bedroom. His eyes fell upon a lump of fluffy pillows on top of your shared bed. A small smile formed upon his face and he let out a breathy laugh.

“H-hey!” His voice is cheery as he walks to flop on top of the large mattress. He reaches a hand out to pull the blanket open enough so he can see you, as soon as his eyes meet yours a small sense of worry washes over him.

You look tired and your forehead creases as if you were in pain and he can’t help but reach out and caress the side of your head lovingly.

“W-what’s wrong love bug?” Dave’s voice is soft and caring. You can hear the genuine concern in his voice which makes brightens your mood slightly.

“Cramps.” You mutter groggily and push the blankets off your face. “They hurt more than usual.” A small frown falls upon your face as you look into your boyfriend’s beautiful alluring eyes. His soft eyes and the sympathetic smile he’s giving you make you want to cry. Your emotions are everywhere and the pain in unbearable.

His brows furrowed as he looked at you. “Oh! Do you need anything? Do you need pads? Tampons? Diva cup? Chocolates? Midol? Heating pad? Water?! You have to stay hydrated ya know’?”

Dave’s rambling catches you off guard. His concern is so sweet and the way he’s talking and wanting to do anything to make your feel better.

“No, no.” You shake your head quickly. “I-I’m fine, I’m good..Actually-I think I ran out of pads..”

Dave stands from the bed hastily and grabs his wallet and keys. His glasses fall on the bridge of his nose and he nods and stumbles over slightly.

“I got it! I can like so do that! Right, right.” He nods and speaks loud enough for you to hear. He looks like a man on a mission as he quickly exits the room.

Dave returns after a second with an awkward look on his face, he walks over to you and gives you a quick kiss. “Sorry! I forgot, okay! I love you! I’ll be right back!”

You return the kiss happily. “I love you too!”

After about 30 minutes you can’t help but let concern consume your mind, Dave had been gone for so long and the store wasn’t that far from your shared apartment.

Meanwhile Dave was nervously pacing around the store trying to decide which size pad to get, he forgot to ask and he was far too embarrassed to call you and ask.

His cart is already filled with several of your favorite chocolates, your favorite savory snacks, ingredients to make your favorite comfort foods, teas, apple juices, Miodl, and a new stuffed animal to add to your collection.

He knew his budget was tight, his next pay check wasn’t coming till later in the afternoon. He had to think..maybe he could put back the snacks he had gotten for himself, so he shrugged it off and did! He got you five different sizes and overnight pads and shoved them all into the cart.

He let out a small huff and double-checked everything in the cart and nodded to himself, giving himself a mental pat on the back-a small proud smile on his face.

Dave hesitated for a second, he was trying to decide whether he should go check out through the self checkout or the register. He ultimately decided to choose the register seeing as there was barely any lines and it was faster.

Dave knew you got worried when he was out too long, he started piling everything on to the conveyer belt and look up at the cashier who’s eyes widened at the sight of all the pads and goodies.

Dave only offered an awkward smile and payed once everything was scanned. He bagged it up and quickly headed off to the house, jogging slightly. Dave’s face was filled with a bright smile at the thought of seeing your face and the excitement on it! He could already imagine how happy you’d be!

As he arrived home and carried the bags inside he became alarmed when he heard sobs from the bedroom, he quickly walked over to see you cuddled up with your pet cat, Marylin- a small cat with splotches of white, black, and ginger fur.

Dave looked towards you with concern and then pause when he looked up at the TV and realized you were watching Shameless. He turned back towards you and paused, Oh Brother! He thought to himself.

“Hey-Hey, bug w-what’s wrong?” Dave treated lightly, knowing he had to watch what he says or else he’d probably make it worse.

Dave watches as you sniffle and wipe your eyes. “Fiona raised them to the best of her ability-she was just a kid a-and Monica just thinks she can come in and take that from her. It’s just so sad-“

Dave nods and watches as your cat nuzzles against you. He carefully sits down on the bed and caress the side of your face and kisses your cheek. “Yeah-yeah it is upsetting bug-But it’s okay, alright? I got you something it might make you feel better? Wanna see it?”

Dave pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and smiles softly. He reaches into the bag and pulls out a medium sized duck stuffy with snorkeling gear on. Dave’s smile widens as he watches your lips curve up into a small smile.

“Davie..You got this for me? Thank you! I love it he’s so cute! Thank you!” You can’t help but pull him in for a kiss and smile at him with nothing but love behind your eyes. You could’ve sworn your pupils were probably the size of buttons right now.

“Oh! I got you your favorite apple juice.”

Dave shrugs like it wasn’t a big deal and smiles up at you.

“Ya know t-the one in the glass bottle?-Oh! Also got you chocolates and chips and some tea, heard that helps with cramps-“

He pulls out a bottle of Midol and shakes it. “More meds for cramps!”

The shaking of the bottle catches Marylin’s attention, she jumps forward trying to pounce on Dave’s hand and completely misses landing on the plushy pink carpet of your bedroom floor. She meows dramatically and exits the room in a stealthy manner.

You let out a small snort, what a drama queen she is. You turn your attention back to Dave and smile at him. He’s the best boyfriend ever and you can’t even fathom how you managed to snatch him up.

“Oh! I-I um I got you pads..I didn’t know what size you were so I got-I got them all-all the sizes..” A blush coats his cheeks. He look up at you embarrassed, his eyes widen as he watches your own eyes water and notices tears streaming down your cheeks, he panicked.

“What’s wrong?! Did I get the wrong sizes? The wrong snacks?! I can go back to the store right now!” He moves to get up but is stopped when you quickly grab his arm and pull him back into the bed with you.

“No nothings wrong! You’re just s-so sweet! You’re so sweet Dave! This is like the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” Your voice cracks and he let out a breath of relief and nods.

“Thank you, this so so sweet..really this is amazing!”

“You don’t have to thank me-i’m just doing what any boyfriend would.” Dave shrugs and pulls you in for a kiss.

You pull away with a dorky smile on your face.

“Also I bought some stuff to make some pasta-“

“If you don’t stop i’m going to cry again-oh my god.” You fan your face with your hands to try and calm down. He’s literally the sweetest man on earth and he’s your boyfriend!

[albertdabuttler]

Masked Adversary | D.L.

MASTERLIST

this fics masterlist

fandom: Kick-Ass

pairings: Dave Lizewski/Kick-Ass x F!Reader

WARNINGS: cussing, suggestive thoughts?? mentions of kissing 👅👅, angst and overthinking cause im a hater. SLOW BURN :P

summary: You and Dave have lost a childhood friendship. The circumstances have made you grow to despise one another, until KickAss has no one else to turn to but you, causing him to develop a small crush. The only problem being that you don't know it's him.

WC: Like 3k idk

Guys lmk if I ate…

———————

You had just finished showering when you heard your mom calling your name, telling you there was someone at the door for you. Thankfully, you were dressed and had finished drying your hair already. “Coming!” Opening the door of your steamy bathroom, you were met with Dave walking past to your room.

“I already sent him up!” She called from downstairs, far too late.

“Hey,” You spoke in a rather awkward tone, slipping past him towards your room as he followed. “Uh, sorry if it’s a little messy, I was gonna organize it before you got here but you got here already so… Yeah.” You picked up everything from your desk, taking your things to your bed to study comfortably.

Dave stood there awkwardly, not sure if he should also sit on your bed with you or… Anywhere else.

“Come on, dude,” you scoffed in amusement, patting your bed to get him to sit down. He laughed nervously, setting his bag next to your bed and taking his notebook and pen out. He sat down across from you, at the end of your bed while you sat by your pillows.

“Nice shirt,” he said, seeing the Robin shirt you were wearing and remembering he had drenched it in his blood. You looked down at it, smiling to yourself. “I found it in my closet yesterday and… I—I just washed it.” Dave himself was just wearing a tee and sweats.

“Okay, so I was able to get half of my stuff done after you dropped me off earlier, but I still have this part to finish.” You pointed at your laptop, showing him what you still had to write and continued to talk about what else you had to finish.

It was a project for science. The two of you had to put together a presentation on some animals or something.

“So…” you tapped your pen against your knee.

Finishing writing a sentence, he lifted his eyes to look at you, “Yeah?”

Was it just you or was he actually starting to look… Good?

“Um…” You looked to the side as you thought of an ice breaker. “You had any girlfriends yet?”

He blushed and smiled awkwardly, “Uh…” Scoffing at himself, he looked around as if an answer would pop into his view. “Not really… Why…?” He squinted at you.

“Hm. Still a loser I see. Glad to know you haven’t changed.” You teased. He only rolled his eyes, looking back down at his paper.

“You’re so annoying. Didn’t you get dumped like three times?”

“Unbelievable,” you watched him, rolling your eyes. “When you get a girlfriend you can talk shit.”

He smirked. “You’re not denying it.”

You glared at him. “I dumped them.”

“Right.” He looked back down at his notebook, trying to hold back a smile.

You glanced up at him again, taking in his features, the way his glasses slowly slid down his nose as he looked down, the way his bottom lip was caught between his teeth in concentration.

Before you knew it, he was looking up at you with a curious look. “…What?”

You blinked, hiding the flustered feeling you got from him catching you staring.

“You’re also not as incredibly nerdy looking as I remember.”

He can only glare at you. “What’s that supposed to mean?” But alas, he hoped it meant you were attracted to him. At least almost as much as he was to you.

“Nothing you just… Don’t look so bad after all this time.”

He quickly looked back down at his notebook, unsure of how to feel from the so called ‘compliment.’ Although his heart was pounding through his ribcage, he decided to tease.

“You think I’m cute?” He gave you a smolder.

“Oh hell no.” You scoffed at the stupid face he made.

“Maybe.”

Even if you had whispered that last part, he still heard it.

You had spent almost an hour working on your project before you heard your dad knock at your door. You had no time to answer before he opened it.

“Dinner’s ready.” He said, smirking at Dave. “Keep the door open.”

You rolled your eyes. “Dad, you know it’s not like that.”

Dave and your father had a very good relationship before you had stopped being friends. There were even times where your dad would go out of his way to invite Dave and his dad over for dinner. They even had their own inside jokes.

“Don’t worry, sir.” Dave shook his head, “I’m way out of her league.” He had a smug look on his face that made you want to shove him out of your house.

“Up top,” said your dad, holding his hand up as Dave stood up. You knew your dad loved you and was just teasing, but it still annoyed you.

“You guys suck.” You said, pushing past your dad and meeting your mom in the kitchen while they laughed.

If it was any other guy, like your last boyfriend, your dad would have beat his ass for saying something like that. But it was Dave, and Dave was like the son your dad never had.

“Love you, hun.” Your dad called after you but you didn’t reply.

You set the dinner table quickly, sitting down as your mom set the food down.

Your dad sat at the end of the table with your mom across from you, Dave’s usual spot had always been next to you and that didn’t change.

“Where have you been? We missed you, kid.” Said your dad, already digging in.

Dave gave you a look, wondering why you hadn’t told your parents your reason for not being friends.

“I dunno… Just been busy, I guess.” He said quietly.

“Why haven’t you come over?” Your mom asked.

Dave and you looked at each other for a second, “We just didn’t really talk much after freshman year ‘cause we didn’t have any classes together.” You told her, which wasn’t really a lie. You and Dave didn’t have any classes together freshman year.

“That’s sad,” she frowned, “you two were always inseparable.” She smiled at Dave fondly.

Dave only poked at his food, “Yeah,” he said, smiling to himself.

You had finished eating, everyone continuing to converse here and there with their on food still on their plates when you felt Dave’s knee touch your thigh. He didn’t pull away, and neither did you to see what he would do. He only kept talking to your parents, completely ignoring the fact his body was touching yours.

Of course he actually did realize this. In his head he had done it on purpose just to see how you’d react. You tried to stop thinking about it for the rest of dinner.

You weren’t mad or uncomfortable, of course it had happened before, but it felt different somehow. Familiar.

“So have you guys gone on any dates yet?” Asked your mother, out of nowhere.

You froze, staring at her. Dave choked on his drink, coughing over and over again, trying to catch his breath but he didn’t seem to tone it down. His face was red because of this. And other reasons.

“Sorry.” Your mom hid a smile, seeing Dave’s reaction gave her more than enough answers on his part.

She gave you a knowing look and you sent her a look of disgust.

"Gross." You said, repeating Dave's words from earlier that day. Dave finally cleared his throat of whatever he choked on and tried to back you up. His knee wasn't touching you anymore, you noticed.

"What she said," he pointed his thumb at you, voice hoarse.

"You've never even thought about getting together!?" Your mom looked surprised. At this, you couldn't help but do exactly that. What it would be like to go on a date with him, maybe getting a coffee at Atomic Comics, maybe watch the Avengers movie that was about to come out in theaters. What it would be like to hold hands at school, how surprised everyone would be since you guys seemed to hate each other so much. What Cleo would say, what Todd and Marty would say.

What you would have to tell Kick-Ass if he climbed into your window again.

'Hey I know I patched you up and stuff and kinda stopped you from bleeding out, and I know we kissed like three times but guess what?! I have a boyfriend and I can't talk to you anymore.'

And what it would be like to kiss Dave. If he would be any good at it, or if he still hasn't gotten laid because he's too much of a pussy to talk to girls. How it would feel if he had his hands all over you, his lips brushing yours, how it would feel if he was kissing your neck softly—

"You guys have much in common." Your dad smiled slyly at you two, snapping you out of your daydream.

Why had you let your mind wander that far?!

Dave stared at his food, his face an obvious red.

"Okay, that's a wrap..." You cleared your throat, pursing your lips. You excused yourself from the table, picking up your dish and Dave followed, “Thanks for the food,” Dave smiled at your mom as you took your dishes to the sink.

"Sorry about that," you spoke as you approached the top of the stairs.

"I—It's fine." He brushed it off, sitting down on your bed as you shut the door.

It was silent for a few moments as you scrolled through an article on your laptop, Dave reading from his drafts.

"Have you even had your first kiss yet?" You questioned out of the blue.

His eyes shot up, hesitating for a second before regaining his composure.

"Yeah. Sixth grade, remember?" He said proudly. "Have you?"

"Yes, dumbass. You know this." you scoffed.

"With who?"

"Remember Freddy? The brunet guy that called you a nerd in second grade and you never got over it? He was my first boyfriend."

"Lame." He rolled his eyes. "Smart-mouth like him I bet it was the best kiss you ever had." He shot.

"Wrong. Best kiss I ever had was with Kick-Ass." You crossed your arms sassily.

It was safe to say that Dave was flattered. "Oh really? You don't even know him though, so it doesn't really count."

"Maybe I don't know who he is, but I do know that he actually likes me. I just have to find out who he is. He’s probably hot or whatever…”

Dave blinked in awe. "He might not like you… He could just be using you. Why are you kissing random guys anyway? Are you really that desperate…?”

“No?! He just made it obvious, okay? And why are you getting all weird? Are you jealous…?”

“Me? Jealous of him? Fuck no, I’d rather be stitched up by a damn chimp than you with your terrible needle skills.”

You paused. “How did you know I needed to stitch him up…?”

He was able to answer before hesitating, “Cleo told us when you left for fourth period.”

“Fine whatever. Just piss off dude, at least I talk to the opposite sex.” You huffed.

He stared at you for a moment and you laughed at his expression, himself joining you soon after. A few moments later you noticed yourself looking at him too often. Like you were expecting him to say something.

“…What?” Dave slowly looked up at you from his notebook, noticing your lasting gaze.

“I—“ you thought for a moment, figuring out a way to explain yourself. Suddenly, you sat closer to him, pulling his glasses off his face before putting them on yourself.

“Holy shit, you’re blind.” You teased.

“Shut up.” He scoffed, “you’re exaggerating.”

You took a moment to look at him, noticing the big difference without his glasses. Dave watched you expectantly.

“You look weird with glasses.” A smirk threatened to creep up on his lips. You only scoffed.

“And here I was thinking you looked cuter without them.”

He blinked, losing his words and you began to notice a pink upon his face. He laughed nervously, swallowing whatever was in his throat as he looked away at his notebook, trying to pretend like he didn’t hear you.

You smiled, feeling a sudden urge to tease him in a flirty way. “Did you hear what I said?”

Dave looked back up at you. “What?”

“You should wear contacts. You have really pretty eyes.” You looked at his lips for a moment, licking your own, picturing yourself kissing Dave.

“Um… Thanks…” His heart rate began to quicken as he tried keeping his gaze on you, noticing how you looked at his lips. All of a sudden, he grew bold, looking at your lips too.

“What are you looking at?” He asked curiously.

You blinked and looked up at his eyes, adjusting the glasses on the bridge of your nose. “Nothing.”

“You know… I had a crush on you in eighth grade.” He whispered.

You laughed, “What?”

He chuckled, “Yeah, I don’t know how my taste was that terrible at any point in my life.” He tutted.

“Fuck you.” You laughed softly. “You’re such an asshole, you know that?”

He held back a smile, tracing his eyes over your features.

The two of you stared at each other for what felt like an eternity until you felt yourself being pulled closer to him. He leaned towards you as well until his face was just a few inches from yours, his hand resting next to your leg to hold himself up.

Finally, he began closing the distance, trying to ease into it as if not to scare you. His lips barely made it to yours before you pulled away, removing his glasses from your face and placing them back on his with a smile.

“We should finish this…” You sighed.

His face was noticeably red again, especially from the embarrassment of you pulling away. He felt like an idiot, thinking you actually wanted to kiss him. He didn’t question you or anything, but he still wanted to understand why you’d lure him in like that only to rip it from his grasp.

"Oh fuck, it's already ten past nine," spoke Dave, putting his things away.

"I would say you could sleep over like you used to, but I don't want my parents saying shit like that ever again. Plus Kick-Ass could come over and I don’t want him to think I’m with a nerd or whatever.” You teased.

Giggling, he stood up with his bag in hand, you followed him to the front door.

"Thanks for having me," he smiled as he walked past your parents in the living room. He opened the door for you, stepping out after you.

"Thanks for studying with me... And dinner." He spoke softly, giving a small smile.

"Yeah..." You stood in front of him, admiring his features as he towered over you. He had a strong jaw, soft plump lips, a cute nose, perfect eyebrows (for a guy), and beautiful blue eyes behind his glasses. His curls fell over his forehead—were you looking at him too long? You felt like a creep for just staring at him for what felt like hours. You knew it had to be weird. But what you didn't know was that he was admiring you too.

He was standing so close, close enough for you to right hook him. You looked at his eyes 'til you caught him glancing at your lips. He wanted to kiss you again, like he did yesterday, but he knew he couldn't. Not as himself, at least.

For some strange reason you moved closer to him, not knowing why or what your motive was.

"See you Monday." He took a step back, pursing his lips with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"We—You can come over tomorrow if you want...?" You tried, but to do what? Why did you want him back here again so soon?

"Uh—I have stuff this weekend... But I'll text you if any plans change..." He slowly walked backwards onto the sidewalk. He felt bad for lying again. He couldn't keep this up much longer.

———————

SLOW BURN MUTHAFUCKAS 🗣️🔥🔥

TAGS BC YOU ASKED!! @iliterallydontexistlol @esmestarz @pernandofalonso @lizzxoxo @real-sharena-h @iheartdilfs01 @friendlyneighborhoodhottie @popejar

[lis-likes-fics]

Love Letters

Pairings: Aaron Hotchner x Reader Word Count: 8.1k words Warnings: Murder, torture, depictions of mental illness, typical Criminal Minds content... A/N: Collabed with a couple friends about the serial killer. Guys, this was hard. Spent sooo much time building this character and then didn't even end up using all of the stuff we came up with. But it was fun and I enjoyed this and I hope you do too! Special thanks to the ones who helped me plan, @the-nerdy-goddess and @thecreature-bug and my beta reader @killerqueen-ofwillowgreen!

A knock on your classroom door has you turning your head, and you smile at the sight of the math teacher one door down.

You know why she's here, sneaking a “meeting” before all the kids get here for homeroom. You roll your eyes, scooting back in your rolling chair and crossing your arms.

“So how was the date Saturday?” Esther asks, raising a teasing brow as she walks further into the room, taking a seat right on the side of your desk. “You get lucky?”

You scoff. “I wish. The guy was boring. It was a total snooze fest.” You pick up a paper from your grading stack, marking another consecutive one hundred on little Amelia's test. “I told him I was a teacher and he told me how he had a crush on his teacher from the eighth grade.”

“Blergh,” she groans, making a face. “Was he a gentleman, at least?”

“I wish, part two. He didn't pull a chair, he didn't open a door.”

She shakes her head in disappointment and pats your back. “Your gentleman is coming to you soon. You deserve it.” She reaches over, picking up your necklace and running her thumb over the F before dropping it back down. “And I like that necklace.”

You laugh sarcastically at her, jutting your chin out toward the mirroring E around her own neck. All the fifth grade teachers wear one, a gift from Sarah’s—the science teacher’s—birthday party. “I like yours.”

She brushes the golden charm on her dark chest with a smile. She scoots off your desk. “Hey, if you're looking for another date, I might have a guy.” She winks at you, and you almost throw a pencil at her.

“Don't you have a class to teach?”

“Eventually,” she shrugs. “Small accident a few blocks away, traffic’s backed up. Buses are late–”

“–and most of your class rides the bus.” You nod, “Yeah.”

She walks to the door, patting the frame twice. “But I'll leave you be. I have copies to print.”

You shoo her away. “Goodbye.”

She winks at you again, clicking her tongue. “See you.”

~

The elevator doors close as David steps in next to Aaron. After a quick once-over, he smiles. “You look tired. Jack?”

Aaron shakes his head as he glances at his shoes, “No. Jack's fine.”

“Oh,” Dave raises his brows. “Did Aaron Hotchner have a date?”

He chuckles, amused by the assumption. “Me?”

He shrugs. “Good to have a little hope.”

Another rare chuckle passes his lips as he shakes his head again. His voice is low and soft with his amusement. “Yeah, I had a date. With a wrench and a kitchen sink.”

He hums, tilting his head from side to side as if weighing the options. “A date is a date. At least you can fix the sink.”

“Alright,” he mumbles lightheartedly.

Dave pushes the doors open as they enter the round table room, watching as the rest of the team slowly makes their way. When everyone is present and accounted for, he begins.

“What have we got, Garcia?”

Penelope sets her coffee cup down, making a face. “Oh, my little ducklings, nothing good.” The screen turns on and presents a round of crime scene photos, multiple women covered in uniform cuts all matching the other perfectly, besides the differences in the letters adorning their chests. It's graphic and strange.

Garcia avoids looking with everything she has. “Some hikers at the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia were going about their business when they found five perfectly marked graves lined up in a row.” The presses a button and said graves are shown before and after they were dug up. When Garcia says perfect, she means perfect. The graves are perfect rectangles, all the same size and depth and almost as though someone used a ruler to make sure the lines were straight.

“The bodies found were Madeline Johnsons, Beatrice Cabrera, Clara Warner, Dakota Platt,” one more press reveals a woman with dark skin now pale with death, “and our latest victim, Esther Cooke.”

The team flips through the files they were given, analyzing the information as it comes. “All were found covered in multiple incisions all over the body, and letters carved on their chests.” She makes a face. “I don't know how much you guys gate papercuts, but I know that if I got as many as our victims here, I'd be forever emotionally ruined.”

Reid's analytical eyes take in the sight of the bodies. “It's almost reminiscent of Lingchi, translated to ‘slow slicing’ or ‘death by a thousand cuts’. It was a form of torture and execution used in China around the 10th century until the early 20th century.” He talks a mile a minute, squinting his eyes at the photos as he does.

Prentiss shrugs, “Well, one papercut is bad enough, I could never do a thousand.”

JJ brings her drink to her lips. “I couldn't do ten.” They chuckle to each other.

Morgan juts his neck toward his files. “How did they die? The wounds are made for bloodletting.”

Garcia groans lightly. “So not glad you asked. Their throats were slashed, two incisions made at each side of the neck to cut the jugulars.” She adjusts her glasses, glancing at her tablet. “Autopsy reports say very slowly and with a very sharp knife. Like the unsub was trying very hard to keep steady. They also found traces of chemicals used in disinfectant in the wounds.”

Prentiss' brows knit together. “Why not just cut it clean across?”

“Well, look, there are 26 cuts in total on all the bodies, including the one at the neck,” Reid points out. “The incisions were very specific.”

“‘Course it was, look at that pattern,” Morgan says.

Each limb has a total of six equal cuts along the top of them, with the last two finishing off at the neck. It's too specific.

“All of the letters on their chests match the beginning of their names, except for Madeline. She has an A,” Garcia explains. “Madeline's family said she went by Addy.”

“Then the letters carved into them match the first letter of their names,” JJ says. “Maybe he's trying to go through the alphabet.”

“Matches the cuts,” Rossi shrugs. “There are 26 cuts, 26 letters of the alphabet.”

“Who died first and who was last?” Hotch asks, not looking up from his screen.

“They were killed and buried in alphabetical order, sir.”

A few members of the team nod, their theory supported. Reid clasps his hands. “Paired with the perfection of the graves, the specificity of the incisions, the disinfectant, we could be dealing with someone struggling with high level obsessive compulsive disorder.”

They agree.

“But how is he targeting his victims, other than by their names?” Prentiss wonders, “I mean, how does he figure out what their names are in the first place?”

Rossi sighs, “I guess that's what we have to find out.”

Hotch looks up at his team, his stern gaze glancing among them. “Based on the timeline of these kills, we hopefully have about a week before he strikes again. Let's not give him time. Wheels up in thirty.”

~

You look up at the gentle knock on your door interrupting your silent lunch break. You clear your throat, dropping your hand from your necklace as you lay eyes on Principal Luis.

“Hey,” she greets softly. “You doing okay?”

You nod, offering a half-hearted grin. You've had to smile at your kids all day today, despite the grief, and you were really depending on your break to wind down from it. “Considering.”

“You think you could talk? There are some FBI agents here with a few questions about Esther.”

You sniff, furrowing your brows. “FBI?” For you? You supposed that makes sense. You were close enough…

Two agents walk into the room, their professional blacks offset by the colorful parade that is your classroom. It looks strange, almost silly. You stand to greet them.

The woman offers a smile, a kind face to ease any worries you may have. The man is a little more stern, but there's a gentleness you admire hidden beneath.

“Hello, Ms. Hughes,” he greets. “I'm Agent Aaron Hotchner, this is Agent Jennifer Jareau. We're with the FBI.”

“You can call me JJ,” she says as she reaches a hand out toward you. You take it. “We're here with a few questions about Esther Cooke.”

You try not to look too miserable.

Agent Hotchner’s voice is soft as he speaks to you. “The principal said you and Ms. Cooke were close?”

You nod, crossing your arms. The classrooms are always cold. It's felt a little colder lately.

“She worked right next door,” you try not to stutter. “We were the closest in our department. I'm holding conferences tomorrow with parents about taking some of her kids into my homeroom until we find a…a replacement.”

Noticing your disquiet, JJ speaks up. “Was there anything going on in Ms. Cooke’s life? Anything out of the ordinary?”

Thinking, you shake your head. “Not really.” You shrug, “It was school, home, and not much else. The occasional night out with me, we are–” you clear your throat, “we were both single.”

Agent Hotchner adds in, “We're there any strange absences or even a trip she was going on?”

Again, you think. But nothing really comes up until– “She mentioned that she went on this tour thing with her parents last weekend, local. Some sort of…hiking thing? It's usually for tourists but they won free tickets.” Then you back track, “Is that the kind of thing you're looking for?”

JJ glances at Agent Hotchner. You're not sure what that means. “It could be.”

“When was the last time you saw her?” he asks.

You shrug. “Monday…before she went home. She didn't show up Tuesday or Wednesday, I figured she just got sick or something…forgot to tell me.” You rub your cheek with your sleeve. “I thought it was weird ‘cause she didn't call in or anything. I had to request a sub for her.”

Agent Hotchner nods. “Thank you for your help.”

“Of course. Anything.”

He dug in the inside pocket of his suit. “Call us if you have anything else. Here's my card.”

You reach out to take it, your fingers brushing. It was a comforting feeling. “Thank you.” The words are gentle as they leave you. You shake out of your slight daze, “Uh, here's mine if you have any other questions for me.”

You go behind your desk, grabbing a sticky note shaped like a koala and the first pen you see (which ends up being the brightest green marker you own)... The kids love the colors.

When Agent Hotchner takes it, he almost grins. You recognize the hidden amusement in some of the kids you teach. The ones that are harder to get to open up, even at this age. It's a little sad. Those kids happen to be some of the sweetest you know.

The sight of him in a sophisticated suit with all his professionalism, holding a cutesy koala sticky note is almost comical. He nods his thanks, and then turns to JJ.

They both begin to make their exit when you stop them. “Hey.” They turn. “Did anyone find her necklace?”

“Necklace?” JJ furrows her brow.

You nod. “All the fifth grade teachers have necklaces with our letters on them. Just like this.” You pick up the little charm around your neck for them to examine. “Except she had an E.” You let it drop, scratch the back of your neck as you hum. “Her parents said they never found it when they…”

The thought of saying “dug her up” out loud was haunting, and you already felt that shrinking feeling in your gut.

JJ redirects. “Would she normally take it off?”

You shake your head quickly. “Not Esther. She loves–” you sigh, annoyed now that you keep making the mistake of present tense. As an English teacher, it hurts more somehow. “She loved that necklace. We all do. We wear it nearly every day. Especially now.”

Agent Hotchner nods again, a really gentle movement that you honestly appreciate. “We'll keep an eye out,” he says. “Thank you for your time.”

You nod back at him, offering what smile you can. “Thanks.”

They leave and you check the time. You'd have to get your kids from lunch soon.

~

“Did she have anything?” Morgan wonders as Hotch and JJ return.

JJ’s teasing brows bounce. “Other than Hotch’s number? A bit.”

Rossi smirks, leaning across the table. “Did you find something special with our Ms. Hughes?” He puts emphasis on the title so Hotch is fully aware of her marital status.

“Let's focus, please.”

Hotch doesn't seem particularly annoyed, but there is a case at hand and he wants it solved as fast as possible.

Besides, it would be unprofessional to call her like this…asking her on a date after questioning her about her recently deceased.

The team giggles quietly amongst themselves. Children. But they do focus in as Morgan's phone rings as a signal to their resident oracle.

“Talk to me, babygirl.”

“I ran those credit card records like Hotch asked,” she starts. “All of which come up with very different results with no special link but one: three of the five all purchased hiking tickets for a guided trail a few days before they went missing. But they're very popular trails, tourists and families go all the time.”

“Hiking trail?”

“Is that significant?”

JJ looks around at the group. “Ms. Hughes said Esther Cooke’s parents won free tickets. They just went last weekend.”

“That would explain why it doesn't show up on the credit card records,” she says. The clack of her keyboard fills the space before she's speaking again. “Oh, yes, I see. The reservation is written in her mother's name.”

Reid looks up from the board where he worked on his geographical profile. “Clara loved out of state,” he says, “she was visiting. That could be how he found out about her.”

Rossi agrees. “So he's choosing most of his victims at the trail. Maybe he's a guide?”

JJ shrugs, “But how is he picking his victims?” She walks over to the pictures of all the victims hung up, their differences glaring as she shakes her head. “He's compulsive, he can't do it at random.”

“I don't think it is,” Hotch says. Eyes fall on him, urging clarification. “Ms. Hughes said something that stuck out to me. Esther Cooke always wore a necklace with the first letter of her name on it, but it was missing from the crime scene.”

The wheels turn in Reid’s head as he breaks away from his map. He picks up the crime scene photos, sorting through them to compare them to the headshots of the victims lining another board. “We might have something,” he mumbles. He picks up the first victim’s pictures. “Here, you can see Madeline wore a necklace with her nickname, Addy, on it. But at the burial site, it's missing.”

Prentiss catches on, picking another. A quick examination has her nodding along. “And look here. Clara had one, too. Hers is just a C.”

Rossi’s heavy brows furrow. “So you think he's targeting these women based on their necklaces?”

Reid words fly from his mouth as he speaks. “If he's killing them, burying them, and carving their letters all in alphabetical order, that could be his trigger—seeing the letters already in place and feeling the need to make it permanent, perfect.”

Morgan picks up Esther's picture, nodding. “We ready to give the profile?”

“I think so. Garcia,” her attention is lightning quick at the sound of her name, just like her wit, “get me a list of everyone who went on those trails and every guide who has led the ones our victims participated in.”

“That list is going to be longer than the Nile, but like Neith, I shall be victorious,” she declares.

Prentiss adds in. “Go ahead and narrow that down to white males who live in the area.”

“That helps.”

“Thank you, babygirl.”

“Happy to help, my salacious little snack.” She smacks the “ck”. He can hear the smirk in her voice. “I'll have that list in a jiffy.” Morgan chuckles as the call ends.

~

You plaster a grin on your face as you welcome in the next pair. It's been a long day already. The children have been a little fussy, others just sad, about the changes going on during class. The parents you've seen already have been awkward, annoyed, or (on the better occasion) nice, and you're ready to go home.

Just a few more meetings, then you can go home.

“Hello,” you greet. “Thank you for coming in.”

Ms. Tucker smiles gently, doing her best to be kind. She's one of the more patient parents. Her husband on the other hand… You've never been able to describe him as patient.

“Could we make this quick?” Mr. Tucker asks, checking his watch. He blinks harshly once, twice, three times, before looking back up at you. “I've got an appointment in an hour and…thirteen minutes.”

“Don't be rude, Larry,” his ex-wife insists, rolling her eyes as they take a seat in the chairs set in front of your desk. You sit as well, mentally bracing yourself for his meeting.

“Well, she's bringing us in here to tell us our kid isn't doing well in school. How do you want me to behave?” Another tight blink follows as he whispers under his breath, “Behave, behave.”

Ideally, these meetings should take no more than maybe five minutes. But parents make that difficult sometimes.

“Maybe if you spent more time with Peter, he wouldn't be having trouble,” she insists.

The animosity coming off the two of them is creating an environment that makes you want to kick them out of your room and do what you want. But you can't.

He scoffs. “Spend more ti–”

“Actually…”

They turn back to you then, remembering you're there as they close their mouths and listen. “We're not here to talk about his behavior. Peter has been wonderful in class.”

You grab Peter's file. It's just a stack of papers with Esther's old notes for him and his grades. You clear your throat quietly. “As you may know, the teacher next door to me just passed, and we are rearranging her classes until we can find a suitable replacement because we are short staffed.”

You hate saying “replacement”. These meetings have been hard enough simply because she's gone, but being the one of the people already working to replace her has been mentally taxing.

You pull your necklace from inside your shirt, sighing as you look up at them, toying with the charm.

You don't catch it. The movement is so slight and the whisper is so gentle that the moment goes completely over your head as Mr. Tucker's eyes lock on your charm. Under his breath falls a small, “F…F, F.”

“This conference was just to ask about whether or not it would be alright to transfer Peter into my class,” you continue, grasping the top pages out of the file. “Otherwise, his behavior has been fine. He's a smart boy with good grades. Ms. Cooke’s notes do say that he has a bit of trouble mixing with classes though, and he can be a little distracted. Another reason he would switch, he needs the extra social help.”

Ms. Tucker leans in slightly. “You said he has trouble mixing in?”

You nod, tilting your head as you remember Peter's behavior during your classes. “He's a little lonely.”

Mr. Tucker murmurs under his breath, holding onto the words. “Lonely.” His brows twitch. “Lonely…lonely.” You know they're tics, so you try not to make it obvious that you've caught it.

“He got along well with the teachers, but he's closed off to the other students. She saw that a couple of other kids picked on him, but they were little things that we were able to solve fairly quickly.” You sigh, thinking for a moment. You have to choose the right words, or this will end in an argument. “I would recommend trying to get him into things outside of school. A sport or a club, just something to get him to interact with more kids.”

Ms. Tucker is all ears as you speak, taking in what she can as she contemplates a solution. Her ex-husband seems a little out of focus, however. He watches you, his eyes taking you in, in a way that makes you uncomfortable.

“It also helps when the parents are on the same page,” you push through, ignoring the crawling in your skin and focusing on this child and his needs. “I realize you went through a divorce recently, which can be tough on your son. I know it's not my business to manage your relationship, but for the sake of your son, it's important not to be hostile in front of him. It could force him into thinking he has to choose a side, which can lead to negative effects on his mental health.”

She nods, soaking it in. “We can talk about it. You have our permission to take him in.”

“Yes.” Mr. Tucker nods. You watch his head dip three times. “Yes, yes.”

You sigh internally, glad the meeting is coming to a close. “Thank you,” you smile. “Did you have any questions for me?”

He replies, smiling as well. “No. Thank you.”

“Alright,” you close Peter's file, “then we should be good.”

“Thank you,” Ms. Tucker says. She reaches a hand out to shake your hand, and you take it. Her ex-husband does the same, though he lingers a little longer than you appreciate.

“Of course.”

They leave. You take a moment to breathe before you welcome in the next parents. And two meetings later, you've wrapped everything up. After clearing your desk, you snatch your things and head straight for the door.

You're happy to know it's not too late when you step out of the building. The sun is still up, but the moon is beginning to show with the coming evening. As you make your way to your car in the relatively lonely parking lot, it blinks when you unlock the doors.

You open the back door to throw your things inside, slamming it shut and opening the front in one movement.

You don't hear the footsteps behind you over the sound of your relief about the end of your day. So when something comes down hard at the back of your head, your pain and surprise is interrupted by the sudden darkness that overcomes you.

~

“You're on speaker.”

Garcia’s voice arises from Morgan's voice like the oracle she is. “Then I shall speak my prophecy for all to hear. I narrowed that list down significantly to the tour guides that lead the trails all of the victims went on—except the one who didn't. Speaking of, it turns out that our odd one out, Dakota Platt, put in an application to work as a guide but was denied. Anyway, I came up with three matches.”

Rossi hums. “Narrow the list to anyone recently going through a major change. A divorce, potential job loss, something like that.”

The sound of Garcia’s keyboard is heard over the phone, her voice coming a second later. “That takes one out. There's Perry Williams, he's just suffered a loss in the family—his mother died of lung cancer four months ago, around when the killings started. Then there's one other, Laurence Tucker, who just went through a divorce around a year ago. He's fighting a custody battle with his wife, started a couple weeks before the estimated time of the first murder.”

“Can you take a look at their medical histories?” Prentiss requests.

“Tucker has diagnosed OCD. He stopped taking his meds at the same time as the divorce.”

JJ is already on her feet as she slips her phone in her pocket. “That's our guy.” The rest of the team follow suit.

“I've just sent his home address to your phones.”

Hotch is packing his things as he speaks. “Garcia, go through his history. There may be something to suggest where he may be taking his victims to torture them. He can't be taking them home.”

Morgan raises the phone to his mouth. “Thanks, hot stuff.”

“Anything for you. Garcia out.”

~

“Clear.”

At the sound of the last check, Hotch lowers his gun as he sighs. “Hotch.” He looks over to see Reid peeking his head out of a room down the hall. He follows him, walking inside and following his gaze down to Reid’s hand, where he's holding a necklace he's pulled from a dark box on the dresser.

There are four necklaces neatly arranged within it, the fifth in Reid’s hand. An E for Esther.

His phone rings. “Yes, Garcia?”

She speaks quickly. “Our guy grew up in the area and attended a schoolhouse when he was little that was shut down years ago for unusual practices with the students. Reports found that the teachers there used to discipline ‘bad kids’—and by bad, I'm not talking just behavior, these are kids with diagnosed Autism, ADHD, OCD, the whole alphabet. Oh…maybe that wasn't the best word.”

“How were they disciplined?” Reid asks, pulling her back on track.

“Oh, right! The teachers used to slap hands with rulers and spank these children, sometimes with paddles. Sometimes kids would come home with big red letters drawn on their chests or clothes when they received failing grades as a way to shame them into passing.” She hums, “I'm guessing that's where the signature comes from.”

Reid sets the necklace down, “Is the building still up?”

“Like I said, it was shut down years ago. It was marked for demolition, but they never got around to it. The building still very much exists, and it's covered in wooden boards and caution tape.”

Hotch nods. “Send us the address. This could be where he's killing them.”

“Already done,” she says. “Also, fun fact. I learned that Tucker's son attends the school Esther Cooke taught at. Apparently, he was one of her students.”

A chill ran down Hotch’s spine as he thought about that. Scrambling in his jacket, he pulls out the koala sticky note in the inside pocket. “Garcia, I need you to give me another address.”

Reid’s brow furrows at his sudden haste. “What's wrong?”

“Ms. Hughes held conferences today for the parents of children Esther Cooke taught.”

Reid walks after him as Garcia retrieves the address. “So?”

“She wears an F.”

~

Your bleary eyes are so dazed and heavy. Mixed with the pain, it was hard to keep your head up and your eyes open. The letters lining the top of the walls, the alphabet which wraps around the room, fly around your head. It mixes with the chairs and desks, arranged so neatly around the room, lining the walls like the letters do. There's chalk and pencils and paper, all old and run down but set so neatly. The chaos and the tidiness is maddening.

It really hurts. Your arms and legs are covered in cuts, slow and methodical and painful. Your limbs shake with exhaustion, sweat sticks to your forehead and you feel heavy and sick. He'd removed your necklace. It's sitting on the desk where he keeps the rest of his supplies. You want it back.

His disorder is evident, and it bleeds over you with a glaring taunt. Every time he cuts you, he measures it with a ruler, and then you're thrown through the added torture of him disinfecting the wound each time. He counts it each time. He chants under his breath every time he cuts you, every time you talk, every time he blinks.

You just want to go home.

“Mr. Tucker, please,” you beg for the hundredth time, your plea falling on deaf ears.

He shakes his head, his ruler in the middle of your thigh. You want to move it. If he can't make a precise cut, he won't cut. But you don't have the strength. It's taking a lot to keep your head up.

“Hush,” he urges absentmindedly. “Hush, hush.” He adjusts the glasses on the bridge of his nose, careful not to use his hands.

“Why are you doing this?”

His attention is razor sharp as he measures. “I have to.”

It’s the most answer he's given you so far. Maybe if you just keep him talking, you'll be able to talk him out of it. You keep your voice gentle, trying not to sound as pained as you are. “Why?” you ask, though your voice wavers. “What did I do? What did Esther do?”

The name seems to spark something as he nods three times. “E, E, E.”

Your brow furrows. “Is this because of our necklaces?”

He shakes his head this time. Three times. “You won't understand.”

You sigh heavily. “Then help me understand.”

“You won't, you won't.” He picks up the knife, and you flinch away from him. “You won't.”

You keep trying. “You just have to talk to me,” you give him the best smile you can. “You can talk to me, Larry.” If you say his name, maybe you'll appeal to him. You can make it personal. You have to try something.

He mutters under his breath, as though he's thinking. “Talk, talk…talk.”

You nod, speaking slowly. “Yes. Just put the knife down, and we can talk.”

A scream tears through your throat as he drags the sharp blade across your thigh. It burns and it sears and tears stream down your cheeks at the feeling.

“19, 19, 19.”

You don't know what number he's going to, but you're scared for what he'll do when he finishes counting.

You struggle around the lump in your throat to speak, forcing out a breath to try and level yourself. “Is this about your OCD?” He glances up at you, but he doesn't give it too much thought. “I recognize it. Peter has early signs.”

“Peter,” he mumbles, finally taking pause to think. He hums and blinks.

“Yes, Peter,” you urge. “Your son. If you keep going, you could hurt him.” It's hard to see past your tears, but you keep going anyway. “When you get caught, and you will get caught, Peter will be taken away from you forever. He'd never forgive you.”

“Forgive me,” he huffs, shaking his head and rubbing his face. He grips his ruler in one hand. “Forgive me, forgive me.” He presses the ruler to the other leg, “Stop talking.”

You try to squirm, “Larry– Ah!” You purse your lips to stifle your shout, squeezing your eyes shut and clenching your fists.

“20, 20, 20.”

A round of sobs rack through you. You can't hide the pain anymore. It's so evident, and it's so intense. You can't breathe. You hiss as the disinfectant stings.

“Please,” you cry. “Please, just tell me why.”

He shakes his head. He's upset now, you can see it in the crease of his brow, in the excessive head shakes, in the way he rubs his face so roughly. “They said I have to.”

“Who?”

“My teachers.” He looks around the room, and his eyes fall on the alphabet lining the walls.

You follow his gaze. The schoolhouse actually makes sense now. You thought he'd chosen it because it was abandoned…

“I can't do the alphabet. I have to do the alphabet, alphabet.” He says it like he's reciting something, like he's punishing himself.

Your breath is heavy, you blink rapidly, trying to see past your tear-filled eyes. “Your teachers made you do this?”

God, sometimes you hate teachers.

He rubs at his eyes, sighing heavily. “A, A, A,” he begins, speaking quickly and almost like he's struggling to speak. It reminds you of memorization methods. Sometimes you suggest it to students who have trouble remembering vocab—write it down over and over until you remember. Maybe that's why he's doing it? “B, B, B. C, C, C. D, D, D. E, E, E. F.”

He opens his eyes and points his knife at you. “F. F.”

The fear flares within you again. You try not to turn to a blubbering mess. You can't communicate with him if you can't speak properly. “Is that what you're doing?”

He moves to your arm. You try to pull at the duct tape he's got wrapped securely around your hands. You've been trapped here so long, your hands are numb, your wrists are bruising.

“Have to get to Z, Z, Z.”

You almost shout it when he presses the ruler to your arm. “Listen, listen, listen!” you say it in a rush, so, so scared. He actually stops. “Okay, they said to say it three times, right? You have to write it three times?”

The number triggers his tic. “Three, Three, three.” It's honestly becoming annoying. It's insistent and repetitive and it feels almost invasive. But you have to be patient or he'll just kill you faster.

“You don't have to do this.” Your face is itchy from the tears drying and re-wetting, but you can't scratch. “You're gonna be okay.”

He's not listening anymore. “Behave,” he warns, holding the knife to your face. “Behave.” He shakes his head. “Behave.”

He's stopped listening. Despite your screams, he measures and cuts and cleans and measures and cuts and cleans, repeating each number as he comes to it with calculated method.

You clench your fists as the knife digs into your thigh again. You're surprised you can get your broken cries out as you struggle to breathe.

He stands up, taking large steps back to look at his work. You suppose he's almost done, and that terrifies you.

You think about your students, the little kids in your classroom who have already lost one teacher and are now going to lose a second. All those good kids are going through so much already. They all loved Esther. You know they all loved you. You have a wall of art, holiday cards, and plenty of hugged legs to show for it.

You don't want to lose them. You don't want them to lose you.

In a last ditch effort to dissuade him from his pursuits, you shake your head and sigh heavily. “Please.”

He comes closer to you, squinting his eyes to try to ease you. “Shh, shh, shh,” he says. “Just close your eyes. It'll be over soon, soon, soon.”

He presses the ruler to your neck, and you don't have the strength to fight it. It inspires more tears as you shake your head weakly. “Please, please, please.” You chant it, closing your eyes shut. You brace for the end…

Both of you jump when the loudest crash resonates within the room. Wood splinters and heavy boots stomp against the floor. Startled, he staggers back. You open your eyes, lights flashing as the room crowds with armoured people.

“Laurence Tucker, drop the knife.”

You know that voice. You recognize it. It's hard to see past the lights and the tears in your eyes. You know him.

“Can't! Can't. Can't, I have to finish. I have to finish. I have to finish.”

He's panicking. Too many things happening at once, everything out of order, everything out of control. He grips the knife tighter, looking between you and the cops in the room.

Someone else, their voice louder and less patient, shouts. “Drop the knife now!”

“Behave, behave. Behave!”

Someone else's voice, softer and somehow understanding, speaks. Though the voices are beginning to blur. “We know what your teachers did to you,” he bids. “We know how they hurt you.”

They hurt him.

He shakes his alphabet, losing it over the chaos. His frustration is palpable. Every time they speak, he gets more and more angry. “Can't do the alphabet. I have to do the alphabet. I'm supposed to do the alphabet!”

“Larry,” you speak, your voice hoarse from overuse. You catch your breath, keeping your voice level. Like you're talking to one of your students. He's scared, he's angry. He needs patience. “Larry, look at me.”

You can practically feel the concern of the agents rolling off of them. They don't want you misspeaking and making him more upset than he already is.

But he looks at you, and he seems to respond to the softness because his furrowed brows shift very slightly, his anger turns to some semblance of fear.

Although it hurts, you try to smile. It's taking so much to lift your head, even more to get the words out without the heaviness of your rising fear and exhaustion.

“They were bad teachers.” He rubs his face, but you press on, speaking slowly. “They weren't supposed to hurt you. Teachers are supposed to help. They were wrong.”

He closes his eyes. “They were wrong,” he whispers, like he's trying to convince himself. “They were wrong, wrong.”

The desperation seeps in. “Let me help you,” you whisper. “Let them help you.”

“Help me,” he mutters, his voice as quiet as yours. “Help me, help me.”

The first voice, the one you know, he speaks again, patient but still an order. “Drop the knife, and we can help you.”

“Help me,” he whispers. Slowly, he moves as he contemplates the words. “Help me.” They raise their guns in alarm, but he keeps crouching until he's finally kneeling on the floor. He grips the knife. “Help me.”

“Just breathe, Larry,” you huff. The spark of adrenaline you'd gotten from your rescue is wearing off again. You feel like you might pass out. “It'll be okay,” you mutter. “It's going to be okay, it'll be okay.”

He stares at the floor, thinking. “Okay…okay,” he drops the knife, and it clatters to the floor. “Okay.”

They make quick work of cuffing him, forcing his hands behind his back as the metal clinks against itself.

An agent immediately rushes to you, and you immediately recognize him, just as you had his voice. Agent Hotchner kneels before you, carefully removing the duct tape around your wrists and ankles. “Are you alright?” His voice is so soft and gentle. You lean into it as your eyelids become heavier and heavier.

“I think I'm gonna pass out.”

Your voice is scratchy when you speak. He looks you over, and his hand comes to press against your cheek. It's oddly intimate, though you know it's for comfort. You lean into the warmth. It's helping.

���No, you won't,” he says as he removes the tape wrapped around your middle. “I've got you.” He glances behind him, throwing his demand over his shoulder. “Get me a medic.”

He turns back to you. “Can you stand?”

You want to say yes, but you genuinely don't think so. You shake your head, “I don't know.”

“Do you want me to help you stand?”

You nod, the movement choppy. “Yeah.”

“Okay,” he says. He wraps his arm under yours, lifting you slowly, carefully, like you're fragile and precious. “Can you tell me your name?”

Your words are sticky and slow. You genuinely think you're going to pass out. “You know my name.”

“Yes, I do.” He nods, and when you glance up at him, he's giving you the gentlest smile, and you feel like everything is going to be okay. “Can you make sure I have it right?”

You hum. “Fawn Hughes.”

You're so discombobulated that you don't even give him your birth name, instead the one granted to you since you were little.

“Fawn,” he mutters. “Is that your nickname?”

You nod, slowly, and hum.

“It's nice.”

The both of you make your way as he helps you hobble out of the schoolhouse and into the evening air, past golden hour where pinks and purples coat the sky. It goes a little faster when the medic finally arrives. They help you onto a stretcher, and Agent Hotchner apologizes every time you whine at the pain.

When you're settled, he gives you a gentle nod. You grab his hand before he can turn to leave, hoping he doesn't notice the way you wince and knowing he does. “Thank you,” you mutter.

He sighs gently. “Don't thank me.”

“Thank you,” you say again, a little more insistent this time. You swallow thickly, the falling adrenaline increasing the solemnity as your exhaustion begins to crash down on you in waves. You're surprised when you feel a tear slip down the side of your face, disappearing into your hairline. You'd cried so much already, you weren't aware you still could. “He was going to kill me. If you hadn't come through, I'd be dead. So thank you.”

He looks down at you, nodding gently, the movement almost imperceptible. “You're welcome.” He glances at the medic, and then toward the ambulance waiting for you. “They'll take care of you.”

You didn't want to ask, but the need is too strong. You're so scared, and he's the only one here you truly trust. Besides the fact that he'd come to your rescue, you don't necessarily know why.

“Can you please stay?”

He thinks for a moment. Really, he should be here helping the rest of the team. But as he looks over, locking eyes with Rossi talking with Prentiss, he looks between the two of you and sends him a nod.

Agent Hotchner turns back to you and nods. “Yes.”

You want to thank him again, but you know he'll just tell you not to. As they load you into the ambulance, he holds your hand, and you lay back and answer the medics questions.

~

“Mom, I'm fine.”

You sigh, as your mother's worried voice rises from the other end of your phone. “You were kidnapped and tor—Shit!—tortured by a deranged serial killer. I have a right to be worried.”

“Well, you don't have to be. I'm okay. See?” You show her the bandages wrapped around your arms. “Patched up and healthy. Doctors say I should be out of here tomorrow morning.”

“We'll be there by then.”

“You don't have to come down.”

“Hush. We're coming down, and you can't stop us. I love you, and we'll see you in the morning.”

She hangs up before you can respond. You shake your head and sigh, setting your phone down. At least you know she was worried about you.

You glance up when you hear a knock at your door. “Come in.”

The door opens as Hotch steps inside. His face is gentle, though without a smile. You miss it in a way as you offer your own.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, his voice just as soft.

You take in a breath. “Okay,” you say. “Considering.” You motion to your phone on the bedside table. “Got off the phone with my mom, she's…already on her way from out of state.”

He closes the door gently behind him, sitting on the chair beside your bed. “She's worried about you.”

You nod. “Yeah, I know.” You sigh, glancing over at him. His eyes are on you. Your lip twitches, fighting a bigger smile. You clear your throat. “Doctor said I'll scar, but…the knife was so sharp and steady enough that they should scar fine… They're discharging me in the morning.”

“That's good.”

“Yeah.”

Honestly, the quiet is nice. You look at him, at the features of his face, the softness mixed with his professionalism looks good on him.

“We retrieved this from the schoolhouse,” he says, reaching into the inside pocket of his suit. He hands you a necklace, your necklace. You smile gently, reaching out for it as he places it in your palm.

You're going to have trouble wearing it for a while, but it's nice to have it back. You look up at him thankfully.

“We also found this at Tucker's house.”

He hands you a second necklace. It's identical to your own, except this one has an E…for Esther.

You swallow the rising lump in your throat. Your smile aches as you breathe through the tears threatening to well in your eyes. You look up at him, your smile trembling as you hold back tears you've already shed. “Thank you.” He nods, smiling very briefly. “I'll, uh…I'll get it back to her family.”

“I'm glad I could help.”

Another comfortable silence falls over you. You tilt your head as you look up at him, wrapping the necklace around your fingers as you think. Something's on his mind.

“What is it?” you mutter.

He contemplates for a moment before he speaks. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah.”

“How did you manage to talk him down so well? You seemed so…calm.”

You look down at Esther's necklace, thinking for a moment as you shrug. You speak slowly, clearing your throat as you rub the thumb of your free hand along the white bandage on your forearm.

“He told me his teachers made him do it.” You close your eyes and take a steadying breath, the events of the night before too fresh to ignore. “That agent…said his teachers hurt him, so I treated it like an abusive parent situation. He just needed someone to be on his side.”

You hate that it had to be you, but at least you understand why he did what he did. You almost hate that you understand. “He was hurt as a kid. That kid needs to know he's not alone.”

Hotch thinks about that, nodding gently. “You're a wonderful teacher.”

His words are genuine. It warms you and puts you back at ease. “Thanks.” You smile at him, his little one reflecting back at you. “I guess I'll just have to figure out what to do with myself until they let me go back to my kids.”

A tiny chuckle escapes him. It's a good sound for him. “I think the children will be fine.” You chuckle as well, the sound of his laugh a contagious thing that you can't help.

He glances over his shoulder, out of the open blinds of your room to see Rossi standing in the hall. Hotch’s smile simmers down as they make eye contact. He nods, standing to his feet with a sigh.

“I have to go,” he says, almost regretfully. “Get well soon.”

You turn your palm up as it rests in your lap, wanting to reach for him but not wanting to seem desperate. “Thank you.”

“You don't have to thank me, Ms. Hughes.”

After a moment, Hotch turns toward the door, placing his hand on the handle. “Agent Hotchner?” you call timidly, your heart thumping in your chest and your palms clammy. He pauses on his way to the door, turning back to you with a gentle look.

You clear your throat, dipping your head and trying not to seem as nervous as you feel. You almost died. If that didn't tell you how short life is, you don't know what will. Asking wouldn't hurt.

“I know you're probably busy and all, but…” you lick your bottom lip, summoning the courage to look him in the eyes as you smile nervously. “Would you like to go to dinner with me sometime?” You think for a moment, “I'll stop thanking you so much if you do.”

Since meeting this man, the smile he gives you is the largest you've seen on him. It summons your own beaming grin as he looks at you with cheeks you swear are tinted pink. He chuckles gently, taking a couple slow steps to you as he nods. “I would love to.” All the weight of your worries lift from your shoulders with a sigh. “Please, call me Aaron.”

Your cheeks warm at his gentle affection. You have to clear your throat to speak. “Okay, Aaron,” you say. “But only if you call me Fawn.”

Another tiny chuckle comes out of him. “Where did Fawn come from?”

It’s a genuine question, an innocent curiosity you're happy to sate. “I used to be obsessed with deer as a kid. The nickname stuck,” you say with a shrug. “Some people think it's stupid, though. You can call me by my–”

His interruption isn't rude. In fact, you have to fight the urge to hide your face away as he says next, “I'm looking forward to that dinner, Fawn.”

You smile. “I'll hold you to that.”

Aaron gives you one last smile, saying a soft goodbye as he leaves the room to join Rossi, who gives him the biggest smirk he's ever witnessed.

As David opens his mouth to say something, Aaron stops him immediately with a raised hand and an annoyed grin on his face. “Don't.”

David raises his hands in defense, walking silently next to Aaron to join the team.

Criminal Minds taglist: @queermaxwooo @mdanon027 @lilianhallee @hpstuff244444 @thegr8estpuff @niktwazny303 @bubbles2300

[hesbuckcompton-baby]

Damage Gets Done - SAS: Rogue Heroes x OC - Chapter 3

Masterlist | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 |-| Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11

Summary: Tensions arise between Diana and her father as the SAS prepares to depart on their first mission into the desert

Relationships: L Detachment x Platonic!OC, eventual Reg Seekings x OC

Warnings: Language, smoking

Word Count: 3.1k

Tags: @20th-centu-fairy-girl

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The wind swirled and whistled in Diana's ears, drowning out the constant humming of the plane's engine as it slipped further and further away into the night sky above. She could scarcely breathe, every inhale punctuated by the pain of sand scraping against the flesh that lined her throat as the storm raged all around her, grains colliding with the glass of her goggles so hard she feared they would break.

Her hands held the straps of her parachute tightly, a silent prayer going out then suddenly fulfilled as the thin sheet of fabric caught the wind, inflating in a great canopy above her, the rapid descent suddenly slowing. She couldn't see anything - the dark clouds of sand blinding her to anything but a sea of deep blue that seemed to envelop her on all sides, the night sky indistinguishable from the desert floor below as it inevitably inched closer and closer by the second, her legs gone slack in the hopes her knees would not shatter on impact.

Somewhere to her right, Diana heard a howl of agony rise, the terrible sound gone as soon as it came, siphoned by the wind that encircled her. She opened her mouth to call out in the hopes that they could find each other, but the sand choked her, drying her mouth and clumping in her throat. Before she even had time to cough, the ground was coming up to meet her.

And then everything went dark.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The air inside the tent was tense as the survivors of the last three months of training stood quietly, waiting to be called up, waiting to board their plane as the sand storm outside battered the canvas, a high-pitched whistling piercing the silence. A few of them had taken to distracting themselves from the anxiety by tossing a handful of pebbles one by one at a row of empty beer bottles Kershaw had lined up against one side of the tent, sighing and tutting as they missed, the stones hitting the fabric with a soft thump.

Cooper's tongue was drawn between his teeth, eyes narrowed with concentration as he took his shot, the bright green glass shattering as he hit his target to a scattering of half-hearted cheers. The waiting was perhaps more torturous than the training itself had been - lingering here with nowhere to go and nothing to do, uniformed head to toe in their overalls and helmets, heavy packs piled high in one corner to save their shoulders the strain of wearing them for who knew how long.

A table had been set up by the tent's opening, atop which a field telephone began to ring. The sound drew a dozen expectant gazes, anxious for any news that would signal they might be able to leave soon. Diana did her best to ignore it, lining up her next shot with care, ready to toss her last pebble.

Pat Riley was the one to pick up, most of their more senior officers seemingly vanished, off somewhere to haggle with their would-be pilots. "Fayed," He called across the crowd. "It's your old man."

A few titters of disappointment could be heard around the room, and she let out a groan as she missed her shot, Dave letting out a chuckle at her frustration. "Tell him I'm busy, will you?" She asked, retrieving a few of her stones and dusting the sand off of them against her trousers.

"You're not busy," Pat pointed out, and she huffed irritably.

"Well just lie?"

"... He's a general, Di. I'm not risking my ass so you can do... whatever that is."

Throwing her hands up in frustration, Diana crossed the tent, taking the receiver from Pat's hand and discarding her helmet so that she could hold it to her ear. "This is a field telephone, I told you not to call me on it," She stated, sparing no time to greet her father. Over the quiet buzz of the tent, her conversation was clearly audible, and upon noticing a few men stare as a result of her frigid tone, Diana made the switch to her native tongue. "What do you want?"

"I'm a general, I can do as I please. Besides, the line was free, I'm not interrupting," Hannigan's voice came, somewhat muffled as a result of the terrible weather. He replied in English, as his spoken Arabic had never been good, and he had devoted little effort to remedying this.

"We're waiting for the planes, this better be important."

"I'm just making sure you're ready. Talk me through the jump - how to stick the landing - then go through how to clean and load your rifle for me," Her father prompted, talking as if he were one of the many tutors Diana had gone through as a girl.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Dad, I've been training for months, I don't need you to brief me."

"I'm just making sure you're ready, you-"

"Do you trust me? Do you trust that I actually know what I'm doing, or are you worried that if I fuck up it's you that'll come out looking bad?" Diana's jaw was set tightly, and she had begun to draw the eyes of the men closest to her. Although none of them understood a word she said, her hurried speech and aggravated tone were enough to set them on edge, brows furrowed with concern.

She heard her father sigh over the phone, his voice softening. When she had answered, he had spoken with all the authority of his rank, but now he sounded like a father, not a general. "I wanted to hear your voice before you go," He admitted.

Letting out a breath, she allowed her body to relax, leaning against the table. "Yeah, I get it. Listen, Dad... If this goes bad - if something happens before the next time I can see you, I-"

"Don't worry about that now, Diana. Just think about the next task at hand, nothing else is important."

"Ok, but I'm just saying - the task at hand is going to be dangerous, and if I don't make it back-"

"You will." Hannigan declared. His determination, his belief, his stubborn refusal to let her utter the words, were driving Diana to frustration, unable to say what she felt was needed, unable to part with him on her own terms. Perhaps it was fatherly affection - a man unable to cope with even the possibility of his daughter not returning to him - but there was arrogance there too. Such strong belief in his own teachings that he believed her incapable of failure, forbidding her from even entertaining such a possibility.

"Alright, whatever," Diana huffed, reverting back to English as she prepared for an unsatisfactory goodbye, the receiver already hovering further away from her face. "I'll see you soon, yeah?"

"Goodbye, Diana," Her father's voice came, and she wasted no time waiting to see if the man had anything else to say before hanging up the line, replacing the receiver with a rough clatter.

Reg had watched the encounter from nearby, a frown drawing creases across his forehead as Diana returned to the others, muttering angrily under her breath and only half paying attention as she put her helmet back on, the strap below her chin twisted and loose as she did it back up, distracted by her own vexation. If she jumped like that, it would be a disaster. He stared for a moment, waiting for her to notice, but Kershaw had begun chattering in an attempt to lighten the mood, pulling her attention away.

He needed to fix it, but something stilled his hand. The room around them was so busy, and his acts of kindness came so rarely, that it would almost inevitably draw attention. If someone made a comment, would he be able to quell his anger? Reg knew he had a problem - albeit a problem that L Detachment valued - but he sometimes found himself treading on eggshells, wary of anything that could drive him to anger, even if, to an outsider, it would appear he remained just as rough as ever. Get the fuck over yourself, he scolded, and reached out to fix the problem.

The moment Diana felt his finger brush against her skin her talking ceased, gaze snapping towards him, confusion evident in her expression. Her brow knitted, a small crease appearing across the bridge of her nose, and her eyes were so bright - so deep and so warm, even now - that Reg almost stepped away, so taken aback he was by her. He had seen her every day for months now, but with her face so close, every freckle and feature clear to the eye, it almost seemed as if he were seeing her for the first time.

"Yer strap's all fucked," He uttered, looking away to focus on the leather band as he fixed it, untwisting the fabric and re-buckling it tight, his knuckle skimming the soft skin beneath her chin. "Jump with it like that you'll smash yer fucking skull."

"Shit, thanks," She said, tucking a stray curl back under the brim of her helmet.

"Yeah, no problem," Reg shrugged it off, looking swiftly away before the blood could make it to his cheeks, sunburn hiding the hint of a flush. Diana's gaze lingered on him for a moment as he turned his back to her, reaching up to tug the strap as tight as it could go. He had been right, and she felt foolish at having made a mistake so potentially catastrophic.

However, the brief moment of shame was swiftly dispelled when she spied Paddy, lingering by the tent's entrance, seize a pistol from the table, and duck out into the sandstorm outside. Letting out a huff, Diana shouldered her way through the crowd, tugging her goggles down to shield her eyes as she followed after him, yelling against the blustering wind.

"Paddy put the gun down," She drawled, requiring no explanation. The man was frequently impatient and always volatile, and it was clear all their time spent waiting around had become too much.

"If they make me wait another hour in that fucking tent, I swear I'm putting a bullet between their eyes," He declared, storming over to where Stirling and Lewes were already negotiating their imminent take-off with a team of disgruntled pilots.

"Oh yes?" Diana challenged, falling into step with the Irishman. "And then what - you're planning on flying us, are you?"

"Nowt but an ambitious truck, could do it in my sleep," The man yelled, the pair only just able to hear each other over the storm that encircled them.

She nodded along sarcastically, mocking his self-confidence. "Oh, wow, yes, you're so smart, how did I never think of that - Shut the fuck up!" Diana cried, pausing to spit as the wind blew a clump of sand into her mouth. They continued to bicker as they reached the other two men, and Paddy cut straight through them, coming face-to-face with one of the pilots. As he yelled, flecks of saliva landed against the other man's cheeks.

"Do you postmen have a problem with a wee bit of wind?!" He hollered, and came halfway to raising the pistol above his head before Diana grabbed his wrist, the pair glaring at each other as he failed to shake her off, her grip far stronger than he had anticipated.

"Will you fuck off?!" He yelped, attempting to tear her hand away, but upon realising this would be unsuccessful, Paddy jabbed at her shoulder, giving Diana a rough shove.

"Oh, you bitch!" She replied, striking out herself. Diana had intended to return the hit to the shoulder, but the weather was proving detrimental to her vision, and Paddy moved at just the wrong time, her hand colliding with his face with an audible smack. He looked at her with a mixture of shock and feral rage, the loaded pistol hanging between them like a time bomb, ready to go off at the next unpredictable movement. She was certain he was about to tackle her, before Jock's voice split the air.

"Will the pair of you stop scrapping like fucking children?" He snapped, and Diana released her grip on Paddy's wrist, the Irishman taking a firm step back, the pair of them pausing for a moment, standing like scolded schoolboys.

"... We have to go tonight," She called after a moment, her tone mellowed as she implored the stubborn pilot. "If we don't go, we're letting those Nazi fucks walk all over us - they'll take my home, and then they'll come for yours, I fucking guarantee it. If Tobruk falls-"

"Tobruk will not fucking fall!" Paddy interrupted.

"Aye, see, that's the spirit. They're fucking parasites and we're the cure - if we don't get in there and destroy those planes, whatever shitstorm rains down on us next is on you, am I clear?"

The pilot nodded timidly, clinging to his hat as the wind attempted to tear it away from him. "But the wind is thirty knots, half this is considered unsafe-"

"War. Is. Fucking. Unsafe!" Mayne roared, and Diana had to yank him away by the shoulder to prevent another outbreak of violence among their little group.

"Would you like to explain to General Auchinleck why his advance was unable to continue?" Stirling prodded. "Or perhaps General Hannigan? He was just on the phone with his daughter here, I'm sure we can get him back. I'm sure he'd love to hear why you're keeping her from completing her mission, eh?" He turned to Diana, brow raised as he waited for her to back him up.

"He'll be pissed," She confirmed, nodding. "Certainly got enough sway to make the rest of this war look pretty grim for you, dear."

There was no certainty that these threats would work - that they would make the pilot see their side of things rather than simply rile him further - but after a moment of thought he ceded with an uncertain nod, the idea of taking off clearly still frightening him. "Get your men boarded."

With a grin, Diana turned back towards the tent, Stirling close behind. "That went well," He admitted. "Good job."

"Arguing's one of my greatest talents," She smiled. "Apparently I make people feel insecure."

"I can see that."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

In spite of their conflict, Diana was assigned to Paddy's group for the jump, her back pressed up against the cold metal of the plane's cabin wall. The wind was proving just as difficult as the pilot had said it was, the group tossed side to side in the storm, murmurs of discomfort rising among them. A loud crack rang out just above her head, as if something hard had slammed into the side of them, and she reached out to tighten her seat belt, releasing a nervous huff.

"Hey," Dave spoke up, his elbow lightly nudging her from his seat on her left. When she looked over, he raised a single cigarette, balanced between his fingers. "Fancy one last go before we die?"

She nodded, sighing. "God, yeah."

With a grin, Kershaw paused to rummage through his pack before retrieving a lighter, the flame bursting to life in his palm as he held it to the last cigarette he had. Taking a moment to raise it to his lips, he let out a long puff of smoke before holding it out to her. Diana accepted gratefully, the familiar warmth filling her chest as she felt her heartbeat begin to relax, letting the nerves ooze out of her body.

"Y'know, I've never been on a plane before," She admitted, releasing the smoke in a great cloud.

"Oh yeah? They're not usually like this."

Diana chuckled as another tremor shook them. "I'd guessed as much."

All at once, the wind outside seemed to change direction, the plane lurching one way then the other, the men letting out a united cry of distress. From his place on her right, Eoin reached over and gently took the cigarette from her, taking a long drag of smoke before returning it as Paddy let out a chuckle at his friend's unease.

"You alright there, Eoin?" She asked, their fingertips brushing against each other as she took the cigarette from him, briefly inhaling the smoke herself before passing it back on to Dave.

"Aye, all's well," The man nodded, patting her knee with a smile. Diana liked Eoin - she liked him a lot. He was infinitely gentler than any of the other men here, aside from perhaps Jim, and always seemed to have the right words to offer when things got tough. She was glad he was here with her, glad they would be doing this mission together. Nothing felt quite so dangerous when Eoin McGonigal was there.

A few shouts from the cockpit roused Paddy's attention, and in a moment he was calling for them to stand up, to ready themselves to jump. Diana released her seatbelt, rising to her feet as she clipped her parachute to the metal bar that ran along the ceiling. Kershaw at her rear, McGonigal in front, they spared a brief moment to ensure all was sound and ready, Diana tugging on Eoin's parachute to ensure it was secure as Dave playfully rapped his knuckles on her helmet to ensure Reg had done a sufficient job of securing it. Sparing her friend one last smile over her shoulder, they began to step forward, one by one breaking free into the terrible weather outside, each figure disappearing into the darkness as if they had never been there at all.

McGonigal stepped up to the door and briefly reached behind him, finding Diana's fingers and giving them a squeeze. "See you down there!" He yelled against the wind before taking the last step, the ground disappearing beneath his feet. She watched as his parachute unfurled - a blanket of white piercing the deep blue sky - before he began to drift down and out of sight, vanishing through the clouds of sand being constantly thrown up at them.

"Alright, duck. Best of luck," She heard Kershaw call behind her, a reassuring hand patting her shoulder as Diana poked her head out of the door, her toes teetering over the edge as she stared down into the void below. With one last, deep breath, she stepped forward, her heartbeat catching in her throat as she felt everything fall away, her body beginning to plummet towards the sandy floor below as her parachute billowed outwards above her head.

But Eoin McGonigal would not be there when she landed.

[pretty-little-mind33]

Dave Lizewski x fem!reader

Summary: Dave helps you when you're on your period.

Genre: Fluff, kinda hurt & comfort

Warnings: mentions of blood (obviously)

~ @lavieenvalentina I hope you like this, lovie! ~

DAVE LIZEWSKI MASTERLIST

You and Dave haven't been dating for very long. 

Sure, you'd been friends since you were in diapers, but dating is a different territory that you haven't completely explored yet—a scary unknown especially when you wake up from an afternoon nap in your boyfriend's room and realize your time of the month had snuck up on you early and you're now laying in a pool of blood that's most definitely soaking through his sheets.

Embarrassment floods your cheeks and you turn onto your side, pressing your head in Dave's chest as you muffle out a groan. Why now? Your stomach cramps as an answer (or a taunt) and frustrated tears brim at your eyelashes.

You don't want to move. You don't even want to wake up, or wake your poor boyfriend and have him help you—knowing him, he's most likely to find it gross. 

You had only a few months earlier accidentally overheard him, Marty, and Todd talking about how disgusting they found the concept of periods. You'd wanted to smack them all over the heads, the idiots. However, now that this situation has loomed over you, you feel shitty. 

Was Dave really gonna find this disgusting—like he'd said?

Shit, there is blood everywhere! 

Reluctantly, you move the blankets away from your body and stare in disbelief at the blood patch under your bum. Dave's boxers, the ones you'd borrowed to sleep, are drenched in blood as well and you wince.  

Your stirring causes your boyfriend to wake up. "Y/n?" he mumbles, sitting up and running a hand in his dark curly hair. You want to sink deeper into the mattress, your back to the wall, chest heaving as you stare at him like a deer in headlights. Dave rubs his eyes and pats his nightstand for his glasses. Once he has them on, he blinks and looks down to where the blankets are uncovering you. 

His face suddenly pales and his voice comes out high-pitched and distressed when he sees the blood. "Shit, shit, shit, baby, are you hurt?" he says and he's fully sitting up now as he shifts to cup your cheeks in his hands, looking you over with worry.

Your stomach cramps as if to say yes but you shake your head no. 

Realization dawns on Dave when he looks down at the amount of blood again and the stains on his boxers you're wearing. He panics even more. "Oh—oh! Shit, shit, what do I do?" he asks, mostly to himself, and quickly stands up from the bed as if the mattress has burnt him. 

You stare at him, your throat dry as you also sit up higher now. "I'm sorry," you mumble and avoid his gaze.

You're so embarrassed.

Dave instantly frowns at your tone and rushes back to your side, his movements hasty and clumsy as he desperately tries to reassures you. "Hey, hey, why are you sorry? It's okay! I- It happens—right? This is normal, yeah? I just don't want you to be hurt," he explains breathlessly and runs his thumb under your eyes where he wipes away your stray tears.

"I'm not mad at you, baby, it's not your fault at all. H-here do you wanna take a shower? A bath? I- I can run to the store and grab you some chocolates—Mom always said chocolate helps the pain when this happens." 

At the mention of his mom, your heart sinks and you look up at him, eyes round. Your heart feels a little warmer at how hard he's trying. "So, you don't find this all—gross?" 

Dave's nose scrunches and his glasses rest crooked on his nose. "What?"

"Todd and Marty—"

Immediately, Dave waves his hand and doesn't let you finish, "Pshh, whatever I might have said with those idiots around means absolutely nothing," he dismisses, his tone stern, "Periods aren't gross—especially when they happen to you. I could never find you gross. Promise."

You hear the honesty in his tone and you smile. Dave rarely lies to you—not that he could anyway. You knew him too well for something as trivial as a lie to work on you. Hell, you'd found out he was Kick-Ass the moment you saw him on the news, he's that bad at keeping secrets from you.

"Okay," you whisper and look down between your legs at the crimson blood that still sticks to your skin. "Can I wash up?" 

Dave nods and helps you up, his hand under your arm as he helps you walk to the bathroom like you're an injured puppy. You laugh internally at how careful he's being with you. You don't make a peep, having him dote on you like this is really nice and you don't want it to end.

"Here," he whispers and sits you on the side of the tub. He kisses your forehead and then kneels next to the sink. He starts to chaotically rummage through all the drawers in the bathroom until he finds some of his mom's old pads and tampons. "Dad hasn't cleaned this out in years—I don't think these go bad, do they?"

You chuckle and take one from him, looking it over, "It should be fine, thanks."

"Of course, baby," Dave beams and stands. As if a light bulb suddenly turns on over his head, he runs back into his room and then returns with your jeans and sweatshirt for after your shower. 

He walks to you and tilts your head with his index finger under your chin as he kisses you on the lips this time, a deep blush adorning his cheeks when he pulls away. "You can throw your bloody clothes in the laundry basket, okay? I can start a wash later. I'll wait for you in my room, take your time!" he calls and then shuts the door behind him. 

Once you're showered and clean, you return to his room to find him emptying his snack drawer onto his desk. What falls out is a bunch of stale chips, old candy, and an ungodly amount of used wrappers.

You hold in a laugh as you lean against the doorway. When Dave turns and sees you, shame seeps into his cheeks and he stutters, "I wanted to go to the store but I didn't want to leave you alone in case you came back in—I- this is all I have—I don't have any chocolate. I'm sorry."

You walk over and kiss his cheek, "Don't stress over nothing, silly. Thank you for taking care of me so well," you whisper, meaning every word. 

Although Dave thinks he's doing a shitty job at taking care of you, he takes the compliment with a bashful blush and holds you closer.

  Would he ever tell you he'd bought a bunch of teenage girl guides to womanhood for this exact reason and had been reading them periodically for around a year—even when you were both still just friends?

Never.

Because if he did, then he'd sound creepy and that wasn't his intention at all. 

Dave just wanted to be prepared so he could care for you properly when the time came—which, even with his initial panic, he hopes he did. 

[sh4wty18]

hii can you write a long fluffy Johnnie x reader? 🙏🫶

of course! i hope you love it :)

date night.

pairing: johnnie guilbert x reader

summary: after a long night of filming, you decide to surprise your boyfriend by bringing date night to him.

cw: fluff, language

word count: 1.0k + edited

---

After a long day of filming videos for both his and Jake’s channels, the one thing Johnnie feels up for is spending time with you. He would always make time for you, no matter what. Tonight, he had been busy filming back to back videos with Jake in their filming room, presumably testing weird Amazon products or trying new snacks from a convenience store. 

You knew Johnnie would be exhausted after filming, so you decided to surprise him with dinner and a movie. You had a key to their house, so you let yourself in quietly, so that they wouldn’t hear you. Then, you ordered your favorite go-to meals from Dave’s Hot Chicken, and had them delivered. You’d also built a cocoon of pillows and blankets on Johnnie’s bed, and brought your favorite lava lamp from your apartment to light the room– nothing too bright which could induce a headache. After grabbing your dinners and sneaking them back into Johnnie’s bedroom, you wait in the dimly lit room for your boyfriend to enter.

By around 9 pm, you hear muffled voices from down the hall, no doubt Jake and Johnnie discussing the editing and posting schedule for their videos, as they usually did after filming. Then you heard Johnnie ask, “Do you smell chicken, or is it just me?” 

“No, dude, I smell it too… that’s fucking weird,” Jake replies with a laugh.

“Whatever, maybe we’re both going fucking insane,” Johnnie laughs, before opening his bedroom door, “Goodnight!” he calls out to Jake, and turns around. He’s taken aback at the sight of you curled up in his bed, waiting for him. “Y/n?” he closes his bedroom door and runs over to you, hurling himself into bed and wrapping his arms tightly around your body. “What’re you doing here? Did you set all this up for me??” 

You giggle as he kisses the top of your head, “Yes! I wanted to surprise my hardworking boy with a treat tonight.” 

“Oh babe, you’re the best, thank you,” Johnnie starts, tilting your chin up with his thumb and pointer finger and pulling you in to kiss your lips. “Have I ever told you I have the best girlfriend of all time?”

“Hmm… nope, I don’t think you have,” you joke, scratching your head with fake confusion.

“Well, she’s the best. She’s the most beautiful, smart, kind, thoughtful person I’ve ever met, and I love her more than anything,” he grins at you.

“You aren’t too bad yourself, boyfriend.” you nudge him in the side softly, and plant a kiss on the side of his neck. “I got your favorite,” you shake the Dave’s Hot Chicken bag in front of his face, and he grabs it happily. 

“I knew I smelled chicken!” he shouts gleefully, taking a sandwich out of the bag and handing it to you, then taking the other one for himself, placing your shared order of fries on the paper bag between the two of you.

“What do you wanna watch, Johnnie?” you ask, “It’s your pick, tonight is all about you.”

“You can pick, baby. You know I suck at picking movies. Anything you wanna watch, you know I’ll wanna watch.” He kisses the top of your head again, and gently rubs circles into the small of your back as he watches you search up one of his favorite movies, Edward Scissorhands. 

“Edward and Kim remind me of us,” you whisper in his ear as the opening credits begin, and you kiss his cheek, feeling his smile stretch across his face. 

You spend the next twenty minutes leaning over your sandwiches and fries, eating silently while watching the film. After you’re both done eating, you get up to throw all the trash away. Johnnie scoots over in your blanket cocoon, patting the space next to him, indicating for you to rejoin him. You jump back into the fort, finding a comfortable spot between his legs, laying back against his torso. He leans against the pillows and wraps his arms around your sides, intertwining both his hands with yours. 

You tilt your head back to look at him, and he leans down to kiss your lips spiderman style. You smile against his mouth, “Baby, watch the movie,” you giggle, “there’ll be plenty of time for messing around after.” 

Before you know it, you’re drifting off in his arms, which Johnnie is prepared for. He slowly maneuvers your body so you're laying on your side next to him, and he lowers the volume of the movie. He lays down beside you and wraps his arm around your waist, resting his other hand under his pillow. 

Just as he’s about to drift off as well, he feels you jolt awake. You turn to face him, wrapping your arm around his waist as well, so you’re holding each other. 

“Did I fall asleep again?” you ask quietly.

Johnnie giggles under his breath, “Yeah, baby. But it’s okay. I’m sleepy too.” he leans in to kiss you, pulling your body closer to his, and you move your hand up to hold the back of his neck. 

It’s a slow, sloppy make out– the best kind. The kind that you both know isn’t going to lead anywhere. It’s romantic, a way to deepen your connection and express your love for one another.

“I love you so much, and I’m proud of you everyday.” you whisper between kisses, as you catch your breath. You play with his hair, softly twirling your fingers through it, and he traces his fingers up and down your back. 

“I love you more.” he kisses your nose, “you're the most perfect girl in the world.” 

He turns to lay on his back, allowing you to wrap your arm around his stomach, and drape your leg over his. He rests his hand on top of yours, and turns to smile at you. Neither of you have to say another word, there’s nothing to be said that you both don’t already know.

So instead, you lean in to press your foreheads together. He kisses you again, long and deep. When he pulls away, you bury your head in the crook of his neck, kissing him one last time before getting comfortable for the night.

“Goodnight, angel,” he whispers up at the ceiling.

“Goodnight, my love,” you breathe into his neck, before drifting off to sleep in his arms. 

---

do you guys prefer this type of fluffy fic, or do you like more plot beforehand? let me know! as always, likes and reblogs are appreciated <3