#playing pin the donkey over here with all these arms.

[ministarfruit]

TEMPUS WEEK!!!!!!

[katsu28]

OMG grapple with rafe please 🤭🤭

i have not written for this man in a hot minute!! thank u for requesting ri my dear ILY <3

rafe cameron x reader, 1.8k

“You want me to take you down.” 

“No, I want you to try.” 

“You’re a child, Cameron.” 

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re scared, aren’t you?” Rafe teased, holding your phone up high and away from your reaching hands. “C’mon, you want it back, you’re gonna have to come get it.” 

“I’m not playing your game!” You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest. “Just give it back!” 

“Come. Get. It.” He repeated slowly, a drawn out proposition paired with the gleefully smug grin on his face that had you huffing in annoyance at your best friend. He tossed your phone on the armchair behind him, hunkering down into a guard stance. “You can admit defeat, y’know. Just say ‘Rafe Cameron is the greatest of all time’. I’ll even shorten it for you, you can just call me the GOAT.” 

“How ‘bout I call you a donkey instead?” 

He feigned being stabbed in the gut for a few dramatic seconds before pulling the imaginary knife out and pretending to drop it on the floor. “Low blow, but I can handle it.” 

You rolled your eyes at him. There were two options here—play his game and try to take him down, or surrender and say those dreaded words. Naturally, you picked the one you had no chance at. 

Sending a prayer to whoever was listening, you feigned left and went right, lunging at Rafe to the best of your ability. He didn’t fall for your weak attempt at a fake out, instead catching you around the waist and taking you down to the carpet with ease. 

You noticed that he took the care to slide his hand under your head so it didn’t bounce off the floor. It would’ve been nice, except that hand retreated and pinned your wrist above your head before you could fight Rafe off. He did the same to the other hand too. 

His knee slotted between yours for leverage as you wriggled in his grasp with no avail. You were pinned securely under his hands as he loomed over you. 

“Told you I’d win.” He breathed, his grin very Cheshire cat-like. You opened your mouth to shoot back a witty retort, but your voice died in your throat when his head dropped down a little closer towards yours. 

You suddenly came to terms with the very compromising position you were in with Rafe right now; your faces were mere inches apart, so close you could smell that damn mint gum he was always chewing on. So close you could see the scar hidden in his eyebrow he’d gotten when he’d crashed his bike when you were kids, the flecks of green in his blue eyes. In short, he was right there. 

The tension in the room had quickly turned unbearably thick, too heavy for your liking, but you couldn’t bring yourself to break eye contact. Part of you liked the way Rafe was looking at you. 

His eyes flicked down to your lips for a split millisecond before snapping right back up, and if you hadn’t been in such close proximity, you wouldn’t have noticed it at all. But you did, and so began the most devious plan that you really only had a few seconds to formulate in your head. 

You pretended to struggle for a few more seconds before feigning giving up, aiming a pout up at Rafe. His mouth curved into a smug sort of smile, all previous intensity in those irritatingly pretty eyes of his long since forgotten. He probably thought he’d just won. 

“Face it, you can’t—” Whatever gloat he was about to throw your way was cut off by you leaning up towards him, pressing your lips against his. Rafe made a strangled sort of sound right off the bat, freezing immediately the instant your mouth touched his. Just as fast, he kissed you back eagerly, way more eager than one friend should be kissing the other. And as cliche as it was to say it, fireworks erupted in your belly, bursting against your ribcage like it was the goddamn Fourth of July. 

You only hoped he couldn’t hear how loud your heart was pounding in your chest. 

His grip on your wrists loosened, one hand coming down to brace himself on the carpet while the other planted itself next to your head. The way he was kissing you so firmly nearly had you melting, but the little voice at the back of your head was yelling at you to remember what all this was for. No, you weren’t kissing Rafe Cameron just for shits and giggles; you were on a mission. And no matter how good it felt, how right, you’d be damned if you didn’t complete it. 

You bent your knees, planting them against his firm chest and pushing up—not hard enough for it to hurt, but hard enough that you caught him off guard. Before he could register what was happening, you had him flipped on his back, tables very much turned with his wrists trapped in both your hands. 

“Gotcha.” You breathed, mirroring his earlier smile now that you were the one with the upper hand. Rafe’s Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped hard, tongue darting out to lick his lips nervously. Maybe you were completely misinterpreting the situation entirely, but it almost looked like he wanted to kiss you again. You clambered off him quickly to rid the thought, snatching your phone off the cushion and shoving it into your back pocket. “Good game.” 

Rafe stumbled to his feet and cleared his throat, hunched shoulders straightening as he brushed the nonexistent dust from his polo. “I should—I’m gonna, uh, get going. Wheeze asked me to help her with something for school, I should go…help her with it.” Lie. He just didn’t know what to do other than go.

“Right, yeah, of course. You should go.” Lie. You just didn’t know what to do other than let him. 

He rocked on the balls of his feet awkwardly a few times, hands shoved into his shorts pockets awkwardly. “I’ll text you later?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Cool, uh. Bye then.” 

You watched him leave, watched him let himself out and make his way down the walk and climb into his truck, wanting to say something more but losing your chance the second he drove away. 

“Shit,” You breathed, burying your face in your hands. It seemed like a smart plan at the time, but now having said and done it, kissing Rafe—kissing your best friend who didn’t feel the same way about you—was the stupidest idea you’d ever had. 

-------

You’d just gotten settled into bed when you heard a commotion at your window that sounded suspiciously like pebbles clinking against the glass, and you knew who it was in an instant. There was only one person who preferred the throwing rocks at your window method over texting, so when you padded over and peered outside, you weren’t surprised to see Rafe grinning back up at you. 

He motioned for you to open the window and you did, retreating back to the warm comfort of your blankets as he climbed up the tree next to your room and slid inside expertly. He’d probably done the same maneuver a million times throughout your lives, though this time it was different. This time, you weren’t just two best friends having a late night hangout. The same tension from earlier was back, only this time, your kiss weighed heavy on your chest. 

“Hi,” He said quietly, brushing the leaves out of his product-less hair. The action made the soft strands flop over his forehead, giving him a younger, more boyish look. You always did enjoy this version of him. 

“Hi.” You echoed, trying to ignore the feeling it sent flip-flopping through your stomach. Rafe always gave you that feeling. 

“Mind if I sit?” 

“‘Course.” Rafe sat a sizable distance away from you at the foot of your bed, broad shoulders hunched, leg bouncing. You knew this change in demeanor was because of what you’d done earlier. 

“Can I ask—” 

“Is everything—” You pressed your lips shut, motioning for him to speak first. 

“Can I ask you a question?” He repeated, smoothing his hand over his knee as if that would stop it from shaking up and down. You merely nodded. You didn’t trust yourself to say or do anything else. “Okay. Okay, cool.” He cleared his throat, inhaling a quick breath and letting it out just as fast. “Did you mean it? Earlier, when you kissed me. Was it real?” 

“Real,” You repeated, tilting your head at him. 

“Yeah, real. Like, did you kiss me because you just wanted to win, or because you actually wanted to? Was it a real kiss? With like, real feelings behind it.” 

You knew what you wanted to say, but you just weren’t sure if you wanted to say it. Because if you said it out loud, that would make your feelings real and not just a nagging feeling deep in your chest. If you said it out loud, there was no taking it back, no fixing things if everything went wrong. This would be permanent. 

But with the way he was looking at you, the way he knew you, there was no point in lying. “It was real, Rafe. I wanted to.” 

His mouth fell into a surprised little oh, but he was quick to shift his reaction. “Think maybe you’d wanna do it again?” He asked, a genuine question marked with a hopeful smile curving his lips. 

You only had time to nod before Rafe was right up against you, hands sliding up to cup your face softly, lips meeting yours even softer. The ring on his index finger was cold against the warmth of your skin, leaving a coolness in its wake as his hand moved to settle at the back of your neck. Your hands found themselves twisting into the front of his faded Kildare Academy sweatshirt, bringing him closer to you. 

This kiss was much sweeter than the first. While that one was spur of the moment clumsy, this one was tender. Less like working towards an end goal and more like going with the flow, seeing where you’d end up. 

Rafe was panting by the time he pulled away, chest heaving as his eyes searched yours for any ounce of regret and came up empty. Then he smiled, big, wide, relieved. You didn’t think you’d ever get tired of seeing that smile, especially when it was aimed at you. 

“I’m gonna be completely honest with you, I would’ve won if you hadn’t kissed me.” He insisted, giving your neck a playful squeeze. You opened your mouth to protest, but he pressed another quick kiss against your lips. “But I don’t even mind that you played dirty, because now I’ve won the best prize of all.” 

“Oh, boo. That was so cheesy, Cameron.” 

“I got my girl, I’m allowed to be cheesy for once.” 

[electronikmilk]

Papa’s Punishment

alternative title: Accidentally Fucking Around and Finding Out

ive been working on this for so long and im sick of lookin at it

rating: explicit/nsfw

Copia x f reader 

contains: dom copia, possible abuse of power, spanking, and pet play. 

You had dozed, then awakened to find that you were still bound in Copia's ornate bed-chamber deep within the abbey walls. 

No, he wasn't Copia anymore. He was Papa now. And you had to address him as such when he wore the paint. That was what he said when he had his Ghouls drag you into his chamber after you had called him the silly little nickname that the other sisters called him behind his back as a joke. Ratman. It was innocent enough since he was fond of the small rodents, or so you thought. Copia's face had grown dark as soon as you uttered it, and it frightened you enough to fall silent after a fit of giggles. Then he reached out and gripped your chin tight before leaning close to address you. 

"Mm. Funny." He said in a way that sounded like he didn't find it funny at all and glared down at you, "It is bold of you to be disrespectful to your Papa when he wears the paint. And that is all I will be to you now. I'm not Copia, not Cardinal, and especially not Ratman. I am Papa, and I will not accept any other title, sister. Perhaps a little lesson is in order so you will remember this." 

Before you could say anything, Copia snapped his fingers, and that was when his two Ghouls surrounded you, grabbed you by the arms, and marched down the halls with you in tow. Everyone within the corridors stopped and watched as the Ghouls dragged you along. Two sisters from the convent whispered to each other and turned their gazes away as if they might be taken away at any second too. They knew where you were going, and it was sure as hell somewhere they didn't want to be, for it was a place of great shame and mystery. You let your head drop in humiliation before your peers, not standing the way they saw you. It was a relief when you finally arrived at Copia's chamber and were taken inside. You said nothing to the Ghouls as they fastened leather cuffs around your ankles, then bound your hands over your head with silk rope. 

"Sorry, sister," One of them had said. They removed the coif and veil of your habit, then pulled out the pins that held your hair in place so that it fell loose, "We're just following Papa's orders. I'm sure you understand."

All you gave them was a contemptuous look until they left. 

You had struggled against your restraints until you eventually gave up, falling asleep despite your buttocks pushing against the hard stone wall behind you. How long had that been? There was no clock or window in the room, so it was hard for you to tell. Perhaps a few hours. Long enough for you to wake up with a sore neck, anyway. The room itself lay in shadow and unbroken stillness. You winced as you turned your head to look around the room. The only illumination offered to you was from a small antique lamp on an ink-stained writing desk in the corner. The dim light threw long uneven shadows on the high arched ceiling above. A king-sized bed sat against the wall opposite you with a canopy bed frame draped with black cloth. It made it look like a dark, cavernous mouth that was ready to swallow you whole. A tall mahogany bookshelf containing several taxidermied rats positioned in various poses stood near the door. You made a face at the furry ornaments. It was definitely Copia's room. 

Your stomach growled, and the sound of it in the stillness of the room made it seem more like a lion's roar. How long Copia planned to keep you in here and what his intentions were, you didn't know for sure. You just hoped he wouldn't starve you. The thought sent a sudden jolt of panic through you; your mind flashed images of you left to rot in a cell in the abbey basement. You knew that the cells had been abandoned for centuries, just collecting dust and acting as storage for Yuletide decorations. But Copia had changed since he finally became Papa Emeritus IV. You had always thought him awkward as a Cardinal, sometimes even amusing in his antics, but he was always just that: awkward, no one to be scared of. It was a curious and abrupt transformation; He held his head high now, and his stride was no longer unsure or clumsy. When he wore the paint, he had an air of authority, of strength and pride no one knew he had. He wanted respect, and he demanded it among the clergy with an iron fist. Everyone was to address him as Papa only and woe unto anyone who didn't comply. At first, you had to admit his newfound confidence in his power was something to admire, covet even. That is until the sisters of the order were no longer safe from his wrath, then it became something to be feared. Copia had forgiven slips of the tongue and had given warnings that he said he would only offer once. If it happened again, however, there would be a severe punishment to follow.  

Sister Claire was the first to be punished. Claire had always been hotheaded and often butted heads with her superiors for the sake of her own amusement. She had been no different with Copia two months ago. On your way to your weekly duty to clean the chapel, you stumbled upon Copia, two Nameless Ghouls, and Claire in the middle of the empty hall. You seemed to go unnoticed by all four. Curious, you slipped into one of the corridor's alcoves and peeked around the corner, as not to be seen. As you listened closely, you caught the tail end of a heated argument over the state of the abbey's gardens. Claire was on a tirade, ranting about how Copia's lack of dedication to employing a proper gardener made the grounds look like it was in shambles. She had addressed the new Papa as Cardinal several times, much to Copia's irritation. The former Cardinal stood back with folded arms and a frown while the hot-blooded sister babbled on about how this needed attention and how that needed fixing. She addressed him incorrectly the entire time. It amazed you how bullheaded Claire could be. 

"Cara," Copia finally interrupted after Claire had called him Cardinal for the fifth time, his voice becoming stern. "I understand that you're upset, but I have made it more than clear that everyone within this church is to call me Papa. And frankly, I will not tolerate your blatant disregard for my rules." 

"Don't you 'Cara' me!" Sister Claire shot back, " And I'll call you Papa when I'm damn well good and ready. But until then, I think I'll keep calling you Cardinal, Cardinal." 

"Basta! Enough!" Copia shouted suddenly, grabbed Claire by the wrist, and dragged her behind him as he headed further down the hall, luckily away from your direction. "I have been patient with you, sister, with all of you. But no more!"

Claire resisted, trying to wrench from his grasp and yelling at him to let her go. Copia ignored this and tugged her along anyway. When she started cursing and slapping at him, Copia gestured for a Ghoul to take her about the waist and carry her. Claire shrieked like a banshee and kicked her legs in the air when she was lifted. Copia gave the Ghoul a sharp command for them to silence her, and the Ghoul clapped a hand over Claire's mouth, muffling the scream as they hauled her away. You watched the whole display in shock, unable to move or look away. When all four of them disappeared around a corner, you crept out from your hiding place on shaky legs. You quickly made your way to the chapel without encountering anyone else, and it was a relief to you. You tried to put what you saw out of your head, but as you tended to your regular duties, the sound of Claire's screams resonated in your head. 

You didn't see Sister Claire again until late into the evening. She seemed no worse for wear, having neither a bruise nor scratch on her. But she was timid, quiet, and obedient, you noticed when Sister Imperator asked her to sweep and wash the floor, which she almost scurried to do. When the other sisters asked her where she had been, Claire just shook her head frantically. Her pretty face grew red, and a look of shame and fear that concerned you twisted her features. 

"I can't tell you!" was all she said and nothing more. 

It wasn't too long until other insubordinate sisters fell victim to Copia's fury. Each one disappeared into his chambers for hours at a time, and when they were set free, none of them spoke of what they went through. You could only speculate, and what you brewed up in your head terrified you. All manner of dark medieval tortures often raced by: pears of anguish, iron chairs, Spanish donkeys, breast rippers, and thumbscrews. You knew all of that was impossible, however. None of the other sisters had a mark on them when they returned; they barely even a hair out of place, so what kind of punishment was wicked enough to force them all into silence? Whatever it was, you tried so hard to avoid it. You never spoke out of turn, tended to your duties without complaint, you even baked a cake for Copia on his birthday. But despite all your effort, misfortune still befell you over a joke that wasn't even that funny. Your throat tightened as tears began to prickle behind your eyes, and you dreaded what kind of torment waited for you in this dark room. 

You were almost lost in your contemplation of it all when you heard the heavy wooden door open. You saw the tall, lean figure of Copia enter the room and close the door behind him, a plate of food in one hand and a blood-red velvet bag in the other. He almost seemed like a specter, dressed in a figure-hugging black suit --the one that you said he looked handsome in to gain his favor. His face was bare of paint, save for his eyes. He had lined them with black, smudged eyeliner, making his mismatched gaze smoldering and intense. 

He made his way to you with both items in hand. He stayed back a few feet, the velvet bag swinging slightly at his side. The faint aroma of roasted chicken found your nose, and the delectable smell of it made your mouth water. Copia gazed at you with narrow eyes, his expression unreadable. You lowered your eyes and sucked in a breath, petrified of what was to come. You waited for yelling, cursing, for the food to be thrown at you, anything, but Copia just muttered something under his breath, went to place the plate and bag on the bed, then returned to undo all your restraints. You stood there free with stiff, aching arms. You wanted to stretch them but didn't dare make any movement that Copia might disapprove of. You kept your eyes down, only bringing them up once to see Copia sit on the edge of the bed with the plate in his lap, then darting them back to the floor. You felt the subtle pressure of his gaze on you for what seemed like a long time. 

"Come here." Copia finally broke the silence.

You obeyed and took a tentative step forward. 

"No." He said sharply, making you freeze, "On your hands and knees. Crawl to me." 

Your head jerked up, eyes wide in shocked disbelief. Your breathing hitched, and your heart started to hammer. You hesitated, and Copia frowned at you. He raised his gloved hands and slapped them together once, hard. It sounded like the cracking of a whip in the quiet. "Now, sister." 

You let out a little yelp and dropped to your knees. You hurried as you crawled over to Copia, stopping just before his feet. He gave a hum of satisfaction.

"Ah, excellent. You're obedient. That is good, my dear. It will make your ordeal go more smoothly." 

Ordeal. The word made you shudder. 

"But first, you must be hungry, si? You've been waiting here a long time."

Your stomach let out another grumble. You said nothing. You kept your eyes fixed on the glossy leather of Copa's black shoes as your apprehension deepened. You didn't want to look up at him; all at once, he seemed large, mighty, and terrible, like he could crush you underneath those patent leather soles if he so desired. He could make you suffer, and no one would witness it. It was just you and Copia. You and Papa.

"Say 'yes, Papa' or 'no, Papa,'" Copia said. "And I'm sure I don't need to tell you to be respectful." 

"I...I-" You stammered, then you swallowed hard, trying to compose yourself, "Yes, Papa." 

"Good girl." He said. "Now, kneel up and look at me." 

You did as commanded, and you realized as you looked up at him that you were crying. Through the blur of tears, you saw Copia's hand reach for your face. You flinched a little, then relaxed when you only felt the fingers wipe away your tears and smooth your hair back almost affectionately.

"Oh, come now. I have not been mean just yet, my dear. Don't cry." He soothed, "There will be plenty of time for that later, but if you're well behaved and do what I say, Papa will be gentle with you. Do you understand?" 

You nodded, sniffling and letting Copia caress your face. It comforted you, if only a little bit.

"Answer me properly,"

"Yes, Papa. I understand." You said.

"Very good, very good," Copia said. He leaned down and pressed his lips to your forehead before letting you eat the slices of succulent chicken breast on the plate with your hands. After you finished, he took a sprig of green grapes and fed them to you one at a time. He watched in obvious amusement when you spat the seeds into your hand and timidly discarded them onto the plate, careful of every move you made. When he got to the last three, he took one and held it up just out of your reach. He smiled when you blinked up at him, confused. 

"Up, cara," He said, "Show me a trick." 

You bit your lip, blushing, and again, you hesitated. You shook your head before you realized what a mistake it was. Immediately, Copia took the plate, set it aside, and then gathered you up to toss you over his lap so that your legs dangled over the floor. You gasped in surprise and fear when he flipped your skirt to expose your panties. When you felt the sting of his gloved hand spank you hard, you couldn't help but let out a cry. One great slap after another fell on your buttocks, sounding thunderous in your ears. You heard yourself taking in sharp gasps of pain with each strike. His hand seemed solid and heavy like a paddle as it spanked you, over and over, hitting you on the right cheek, then the left, and then covering your thighs with smacks while your ass stung and throbbed. You clenched your teeth to stifle your cries, and when you tried in vain to wiggle away, Copia held you in place and rewarded you with more vigorous blows, swift ones that whipped you like a strap. And soon, you realized you were becoming frantic, tears streaming down your cheeks. You tried to be still, but your body squirmed and writhed of its own accord. Now Copia worked only the backs of your thighs, where the punishing hand lingered and struck hard until you were sure that the flesh there was red and inflamed. 

"Papa, please!" You finally wailed and broke into choking sobs.

The blows stopped. You didn't move. You just shut your eyes and wept as Copia's hand now moved along your buttocks languidly. He stroked your thighs as if to soothe them.

"Now, do you see why I ask you to do as I say?" Copia crooned, "I can be cruel, sister. Much more than this, I assure you. The other sisters know what I can do, especially Sister Claire. She knows the worst of it. Lucifer's name, she was like a devil herself, all teeth and claws until I tamed her. The other Papas have spoilt her and the others rotten. Not just the sisters, but the brothers, too, and the priests, the bishops. They all have little to no manners, no respect. So I have to take it upon myself to teach them." 

You shook against his legs as he told you this. He rubbed little circles in the small of your back, then he squeezed your buttocks, sending a rush of sensation along your body that made you flush. You thought of poor Sister Claire and what she must have gone through that was enough to break her. Vivid images of whipping belts, heavy wooden paddles, and flesh crisscrossed with angry welts made your stomach sink, so you stopped. 

'I have to be good.' You thought. It was better to surrender than suffer the same fate as the others, better to leave with your good reputation with Copia intact. After all, he said he would be gentle if you obeyed, and you decided you would. You hoped he would keep his word, and you let your body slacken in resignation.   

"I like to play games with them." Copia continued, "I like to order them around the room, fetching whatever I throw for them because it pleases me or whatever else suits my mood. Sometimes I even strap them down and use the paddle. But I never hurt them, not severely. I happen to be a reasonable man, after all. Oh, but that would be too hard for you, wouldn't it? You're too sweet for the paddle, too soft. It's just a pity you disobey me, call me names. Do you think yourself too good to call me by my proper title, sister? Too good to follow my direction?" His hand tightened threateningly on your thigh, then you felt it leave your skin, and you were terrified he might spank you again. 

"No, Papa," You said in a panicked whisper. 

"Do I need to punish you like the others?" 

"No, Papa. I'll be good, I promise." 

"Yes," Copia sighed, his hand now playing with your hair instead of punishing you, "You will be perfect for me, won't you?"

"Yes, Papa." 

"Good."

Copia pulled you back up and set you on the floor. You had stopped crying, though your lips still trembled. You knelt there and awaited his command. Again, he took a grape and held it up for you. This time you didn't hesitate to take it from his fingers with your mouth. He held the next one high enough to make you raise yourself up on your heels to get it. He then tossed the last grape into the air, over your head so that it bounced and rolled a few feet away when it hit the floor. 

"Fetch, little puppy." He commanded, a smirk playing on his lips. 

You obeyed shyly. When you crawled back and dropped it into Copia's open hand, he let out a hearty laugh. 

"You're easy to train." He said and popped the fruit into your mouth, "Perhaps I should make you my little pet when we're finished here." 

You didn't really want to eat it, but you did anyway, seeds and all. Copia beamed at you, his smile genuinely kind. 

"Lovely, my dear." He whispered, his voice low and sweet. Then he gathered you in his arms once more and kissed you deeply. It sent a shock through you, settling into a knot in your stomach that made you shiver against your will. Copia kissed the smoothness of your forehead, kissed your soft hairline, your eyelids, and the tip of your nose. They were tender, gentle, like butterflies that brushed against your skin with their silky wings, and you lifted your head to receive them. He kissed your cheeks, then returned to your parted lips. You let out little sighs as he kissed you despite your fear, which now melted away a little bit as your body seemed to soften all over. Copia moved and rose to stand, pulling you up with him into his embrace. He pulled you closer to his body once you were steady on your feet; his kisses left your face to explore along your jaw and the line of your throat. His slim arms were surprisingly strong as they held you, and his lips were soft. They tickled against the sensitive skin of your neck as they trailed down. His hands started to roam your body, stroking your hips, groping at your ass and the backs of your thighs. It sent delightful shivers along your skin and down your spine. It made you feel weak, dissolving, aroused. Any fear you felt a minute ago faded into a haze of sudden lust. You couldn't stop yourself from throwing your arms around his neck and moaning. The action made the kisses harder, more fervent. When you felt Copia open his mouth to bite you here and there as if to taste you, you whimpered, and your body melted all the more. You felt your breasts against his chest, and you wanted to press them to him harder. You almost did when Copia pulled away, slipping out of your arms. The loss of sensation was nearly gutting.

You stood there dazed, swaying, and taking in uneven breaths. Copia's own breath came heavy and deep as he straightened his clothes to disengage himself. You could see his arousal through the tightness of his pants, and you bit your lip. If only your punishment could be just this, but you knew it wouldn't be. Copia appeared to be fighting to contain himself, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Once he was composed, he let out a quiet laugh. It was almost musical in its softness. Your body burned as you watched him, aroused but at the same time fearful of punishment. You would do anything to please him, to keep him gentle like this, so you waited.  

"Pardon me, cara. You gave in much faster than I anticipated, and I almost lost myself." Copia said, catching you in his gaze again. His lips spread slowly into a grin when he observed you flushed with desire. "And still, you wait for my command. I admit I didn't quite expect you to be as obedient as you are, and I would reward you, but I want to play one of my games with you first." 

Before you could protest, he took the velvet bag off the bed, opened it, and plunged his hand inside. He pulled out a spiked leather collar that looked like it was meant for a large dog. A black leash was affixed to it. You felt your breath leave you when Copia undid the collar and eyed you with a deliberate leer. You swallowed, then lifted your head so that Copia could fasten it onto you. He shook his head.

"Not yet." He said, "Take off your clothes." 

Your face burned as you obeyed. You took a few steps back and hurried to shed your dress, slip, shoes, and stockings, but you hesitated yet again once you were in your bra and panties. You felt so naked already, so vulnerable. You didn't know if you could bear it to be completely nude. You tried to shield yourself by bringing your hands up and wringing them. It did little to conceal you. Seeing this, Copia approached and kissed your temple. 

"You can keep them on. Now, my little puppy..." He buckled the collar to fit snuggly around your neck and left the leash dangling between your breasts. "You have been very, very good so far, apart from your little slip of decorum, but I want to see just how obedient you can be. You know a well-trained dog always follows its master's commands, yes?" 

An icy prickle crawled up your spine, sending shivers through your arms and making your heart clench in your chest before hammering hard again. 

"Yes, Papa..." You said as expected though uncertainty and fear laced your voice. Copia rubbed your shoulders, his hands firm and soothing at the same time. His touch made you feel almost woozy, dreamy even in your unease. 

"I will make it simple: Tonight, you're my pet, sister, and I am your master. As your master, I will give you commands, and you will do them as perfectly as possible to please me. Do what I tell you, and you will be rewarded. Disobey, and you will be punished. Ah, don't be afraid; I don't think you will disappoint me much, but..." Then he pressed closer to you, leaning in close to your ear so that you felt his breath caress your skin, "I confess I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy spanking that plump bottom of yours." His hand slid down and grabbed your ass before giving it a playful swat. You blushed. You felt the arousal rise in your core again. It flooded in, threatened to sweep you away in its erotic current, and you lowered your head, overcome by shyness. Copia lifted your chin and shook his head at you again.

"No. None of that." He admonished, "I want you to keep your gaze up and your manner attentive. And don't hide your body. I have been fair enough to let you keep your underwear on. Now let me see you." He took both your wrists and forced them down to your sides, then prodded your shoulders so that you straightened your back. You stood erect and grew embarrassed now that your posture didn't hide you. Copia nodded in approval, "Yes, much better."

His eyes roamed up and down your body, taking every inch of you in. You wanted so desperately to cover your stomach, your chest, to tear off the collar. Of course, you didn't dare any of it. You couldn't imagine what he would do to you if you were foolish enough to disobey him again; you didn't even want to think about it. 

For a moment, Copia seemed to be thinking, then he smiled. His eyes gleamed like gems in the lamplight. He took the leash and wrapped it around his hand a few times to make it short.

"Clasp your hands behind your back and keep them there. And open your legs wider." He said, then nudged your feet apart until they lined up with your shoulders. You kept your hands behind your back as commanded. It was worse than keeping your hands at your sides. This position arched your body a little more and forced your breasts out. You felt dreadfully exposed, and what was even more excruciating was having your legs apart. But what could you do other than what was commanded? Could Copia be so cruel as to punish you even if you threw yourself at his feet and begged for his mercy? You weren't sure, and you didn't want to risk it. He would have his way, and there was nothing you could do about it. Then you wondered, did you even mind? The pleasure that had built now ebbed away slightly, but it wasn't far from reaching you again. If Copia touched you, it would surely wash over you again. Part of you wanted to drench yourself in that pleasure, to swim and melt in it completely. A corner in your mind wished with all your might that Copia would let you; the rational part of you recoiled at your desire, it being so undignified and sudden. You tried to let your head drop a little, and immediately Copia pulled the leash up with a quick tug that snapped it back in position.

"I said to keep your head up," He said, his voice low, menacing. His hand didn't drop or loosen the leash, so your head remained up. "I will not tell you again, sister. Now be still and don't move until I tell you to."

Copia gazed down at you with such ferocity that you stood rigid and kept your lips pressed together tight. The new Papa was frightening looking but very handsome in the dim light that made his face angular, his eyes even more smoldering. You marvelled at him for a moment, then with a shock, you felt Copia's free hand on you. You felt his fingers trail down the side of your neck and down to your breasts. He grabbed at your right breast, cupping it as if to feel its weight, then kneaded it slowly until it sent shivers through you. His thumb brushed over your now hardening nipple through the material of your bra. He did the same with your left. He then imprisoned the nipple and squeezed it rhythmically between his fingers before reaching for the other to give it the same treatment. A rush of shameful pleasure shot through you and settled between your legs, making your sex grow warm as if it could also blush, and you held back a moan with great effort. Copia pulled on the leash, making you lean slightly closer to him. 

"Kiss me," He whispered. As soon as he commanded, you moved to catch his lips in a deep kiss almost too quickly, still keeping your hands behind your back. Copia sucked at your mouth, then opened it with his tongue as his hand went between your open legs and, without warning, stroked your sex through your panties. You uttered a sharp cry against Copia's lips before you could stop yourself. Your body immediately acknowledged him with a twitch of your hips and a soft discharge of fluids while you struggled to swallow another moan. You squirmed, resisting the urge to close your legs with everything you had. Copia broke away from your lips to kiss your earlobe, then he nibbled at it as his hand continued to stroke you. His fingers moved in slow circles now, pressed harder until they found the sensitive mound of your clitoris through the moistening cloth. You gave a soft, open-mouthed gasp and your hips jerked forward in supplication. You wanted to grind yourself on his fingers, rock your hips for more, but the sheer gracelessness of it seemed too much for you. Besides, you weren't sure if it was something he would approve of or chastise, so you stayed as still as you could, your legs starting to shake under your weight. Copia pulled back and smiled at your flushing face, then pulled the crotch of your panties to the side and glided two of his gloved fingers along the delicate folds of your labia. The fingers teased at the moist lips and continued to massage your clit in more circles, even slower ones that drew out the sensation. Breathy moans spilled from your lips. The pleasure washed through you, mounting and mounting as he worked you. Beneath your ecstasy, you felt a twinge of embarrassment at how quickly you had become wet for him. It was forgotten in an instant once Copia slid a finger inside you, then a second. You shuddered and cried aloud. Your sex quivered at the sudden penetration, and your cry melted into a long, low moan. Copia kissed the corner of your mouth.

"That's it," Copia said softly, pulling his fingers out, then sliding them back in slowly. Then again and again. "Don't resist me. Be a good girl for your Papa." 

Your hips moved forward at the sound of his voice. Once so frightening, but now smooth and rich as velvet. He was so close to you now, and for the first time, you could smell his cologne. It was warm, spicy, and delicious to you, almost intoxicating. Your eyes stared through heavy lids at Copia's lips. They were full yet strong, set into a faint smile that struck at a cord of desire in you that made the penetration even more pleasurable. You wanted to kiss and kiss those lips until you had your fill. You felt your sex start to throb, and you began to gasp, but before it became too much for you, Copia dropped the leash, withdrew his fingers, and pushed you back, that seductive little smile still there. You let out a disappointed moan that would have been humiliating had you done it to anyone else. 

"That's enough for now," Copia said, "Get down on your knees." 

Your mind whirled as you let yourself float down until you sat on your heels on the floor, your legs still slightly apart. Your thighs trembled under you, and your throbbing craved relief. You kept your hands behind your back. You feared that if you let them fall to your sides, you would lose control and throw yourself at Copia in desperation. The only thing you allowed yourself to do was writhe, clasping your hands as tight as possible. You felt the wetness of your sex between your legs, sticky, slick, and hot. 

You let out a sigh, looking up at Copia, your lips parted, your body wanting more.  He snapped his fingers and pointed to the floor.

"All fours." He ordered.

You fell onto your hands and knees. You arched your back, your buttocks lifted as if to be presented. Your body tingled in arousal at doing so, knowing that Copia could see you doing it. You wiggled your hips a little bit, and you were shocked at your own boldness. 

'Fuck it, I don't care. I don't care.' You thought.

Copia stepped forward, a low chuckle rumbling in his throat. 

"Good girl," He said, and he crouched down to take a closer look at you, "Does my little puppy want more?" 

"Yes, Papa." You said softly, "Please." 

"Then I think you should clean up the mess you made." Copia held up the hand that touched you. The gloved fingers were still glistening with your juices. He touched them to your lips, and you took them into your mouth without a thought. You sucked on them, letting your tongue swirl around the digits. The taste of leather and your own fluids mixed with your saliva, and when Copia pulled them away, you swallowed. The flavor lingered, both tantalizing and odd to you. 

Copia stood and made an airy gesture to your bottom.

"Wag your hips for me." He said, and he laughed when he saw your face go red, "It's no use being shy now, sister. Unless you want me to take my belt off and make good use of it. You don't want that, do you?"

Your breath caught in your throat. You shook your head. 

"That's what I thought. Now, put your face to the floor and swing those hips." 

Your face flamed as you lowered it until you all but kissed the floor, your ass high up in the air. You churned your hips and hoped it was pleasing. You felt Copia take the leash from the floor and give it a quick tug. 

"Faster. Arch your back more."

You lowered as you were told to do and arched your back almost uncomfortably, your cheek sealed to the floor. A groan escaped you at the touch of the cold stone on your chest. Then in utter submission, any sense of pride, if there was indeed any in the first place, left you, and you wagged your buttocks back and forth like an excited dog wagging its tail for its master. Above you, you heard the creak of the bedsprings as Copia sat. You felt another tug on the leash, and you lifted your head. Copia sat back on the bed with his legs spread apart, the bulge of his erection in full view. Your sex seemed to swell at the sight of it. 

"You please me very well, sister," Copia said. He tugged on the leash again to bring you forward. "No more playing. Come here, let Papa reward you." 

"Papa..." You whispered. You hurried to him on your hands and knees. You kissed the tops of his shoes on an impulse, then his ankles. Copia didn't protest, so you kissed his knees and dared to run your hands along his inner thighs and kiss them as well. His thighs were rather shapely and solid under his clothes, pleasant to touch. When your hand rubbed over his groin, Copia let out a soft moan. Encouraged, you leaned over and kissed the waist of his pants, still rubbing the bulging sex. 

"Undo them." Copia's hand stroked your hair.

You didn't hesitate to undo the button and zipper of his pants. And now you were staring at his cock through his boxers, a small wet spot formed on the dark cloth. Again, you leaned down, placing a little kiss there, then you darted your tongue out and licked it. The hard cock twitched in its prison as if it asked to be free. You looked up at Copia with lustful, inquiring eyes, and you were delighted when he nodded at you. 

"Yes, cara. You can touch it." 

You pulled the elastic fabric down until his cock sprung free from its confinement. It stood tall and thick. A bead of clear fluid seeped from the tip, and you stared at it, surprised by its length and size. You took it in your hand, stroked it, felt its hardness and warmth. You couldn't help but wonder if the others knew Copia was quite well-endowed. You caressed the shaft up and down, tightening your hand every so often at the base of Copia's cock. Copia moaned as you did so, his head lolling back slightly. Your heart fluttered in your chest. It felt good to know that you gave him pleasure, that you pleased him enough to avoid his wrath and to even reward you. What an honor this must have been! A ripple of relaxation washed over you. You closed your eyes and took the tip of the cock into your mouth, suckling on it before taking it deeper in.

Copia gasped above you and bucked his hips. The action drove the shaft even deeper into your mouth, and you sucked on it hard, bobbing your head with a steady rhythm. It nudged the back of your throat, droplets of salty liquid mixed with the taste of his skin. Copia's thighs shivered, and his breath quickened. You moaned as you continued to push up and down on his cock until his hips started to shake. 

"Fuck, sister," Copia grunted, "That's enough!"

He grabbed your hair and pulled your head away. He didn't pull you hard enough to hurt, but you still gasped once you felt the fingers grip your hair. When he released you, he motioned for you to stand. You obeyed.

"Take everything off and lay on the bed." He told you, almost breathless. 

The collar was the first to go; you unbuckled it and threw it aside, happy to be rid of the awful thing. You unclasped your bra and let it slip from your shoulders. Though the air was cool on your now naked breasts, your nipples grew hot and erect. A sudden, inexplicable desire to entice Copa came to you as you lowered and stepped out of your panties. 

'Do it.' Your lust-clouded mind ordered you, and you did. 

When you straightened, you locked eyes with Copia as you ran your hands over your breasts, pushing them together and biting your lip. A dark look flickered across Copia's face, and he stood with a low growl. He snatched your upper arm and yanked you to him. 

"You dare tease me in my own room after I've given you an order?" He hissed, then gave a wicked smile, "You must like being punished, sister. But we will save that for another time." 

He turned to fling you down onto the bed. You fell back onto the mattress; the sheets and coverlet were soft and plush underneath you. You had little time to enjoy it before Copia descended on you with rough kisses, his hips grinding against yours, his cock prodding at your thigh. His hand grabbed and kneaded your breast hard. But you wanted him so badly that you scarcely noticed how tight his fingers dug into your flesh. He then gave it a cruel slap that drew a loud moan from you. It was an exciting mix of pain and pleasure, and you wanted more.

"Again." You pleaded. You arched your back to offer your chest to him, and you wrapped your legs around his hips. Copia rose from his kisses. It was his turn to lock eyes with you as he lifted his hand and struck you again, just a little bit harder than the first time. You whimpered and squirmed underneath him. Copia positioned and moved his hips so that the shaft of his cock rubbed along your slick pubic lips, grazing your sensitive, engorged clitoris. You strained against him, tried to rock your hips to feel more of that rigid member. Copia looked amused by your torment. 

"Tell me what you want." He leaned down again and sucked at your nipples, bit at them playfully with his teeth. Your hands went to cradled his head to you, little sighs and moans leaving you unrestrained. 

"Fuck me." You murmured into his hair. 

As soon as the words left your mouth, Copia rose, brought his cock to your opening, then drove it into you in one fluid motion. You cried out. Your head fell back, and your body seemed to explode in pleasure. His cock was a thick, piercing thing inside you, bathing in your juices as he drew back and plunged into you. His thrusts were brutal, delivered in almost snapping motions that made the bedsprings creak under you. You heard yourself unleash loud, guttural moans with each solid thrust, wholly overcome by denied passion. Copia buried his face in your neck, his breath making the skin hot as he panted. The agonizing pleasure rose in your core, swelling, ready to erupt in a shower of sparks behind your skull, in your loins. Then all at once, your wet sex tightened around Copia and throbbed violently until you were all but screaming in ecstasy. You clutched Copia while the spasms rolled through you, and you let your legs spread wide, allowing Copia to slam into you unhindered until he also gave a small cry and shuddered above you. Hot, gushing fluid flowed into you and lay you back with your chest heaving in gasps. 

Copia pulled out and collapsed beside you. You turned on your side to face him; his features were soft-looking, almost angelic in their exhaustion. His eyes drooped closed, his forehead glistened with sweat. You brushed his disheveled hair back, leaned close, and kissed his brow, tasting the saltiness on your lips before pulling away. Copia opened his eyes, gazed at you lovingly, then took you and cradled you to his chest. The fabric of his suit felt luxurious on your naked skin in the afterglow, and you snuggled close to it, sighing. You both stayed that way for a few minutes, with Copia threading his fingers through your hair. You yawned, and your eyes started to feel heavy.

"We can't fall asleep," Copia said, shaking you a bit to rouse you, "I've kept you here long enough, and the other sisters must be out of their minds with worry by now." 

"Yes, Papa." You nodded, sat up, and winced a little. Your privates ached from their hard riding. You tried to hide it, only making a slight noise in your throat. It seemed you couldn't fool Copia, however. He also got up and rubbed your lower back, kissing your cheek.

"Was Papa too rough with you, cara?" He asked. You shook your head. 

"No, Papa, I'll be fine. It'll pass." You reassured him. 

"Alright, but I will have Cirrus check on you later tonight anyway," He patted your hip, "And what happened here must be a secret. You know this, right? Otherwise, I'd have to gag you and march you through the grounds. It's a little, eh, display, you could say, that I've come up with to officially demonstrate my authority to the others. I have yet to put it into practice, and It'd be unfortunate to have you be its first victim." 

You bowed your head, not in fear, but again in reassurance.

"Yes, Papa. I won't tell anyone." You said obediently. You crawled out of bed and gathered your clothes. Copia zipped and buttoned up his pants, then stood as well and straightened his hair. 

"Good. Now, get dressed and get back to the convent. Tell the Ghouls to run you a bath when you get there. Say it's my orders, and they'll do it." 

"Okay." A bath sounded lovely to you as you redressed. If only Copia could join you...

"And sister," Copia's voice came low, playful. You turned, and you saw his eyes gleam at you. Your pulse quickened.

"Yes, Papa?" You asked.

"Don't forget that I said I would save your other punishment for next time." He winked at you, and your heart soared. 

"I won't." You smiled. 

"Good girl."

You bid him good night, then left his chamber, secretly hoping that that time would be soon.

[reidyoulikeabook]

B is for Blindfolds

Summary: The BAU Christmas party is held at the office. Penelope is full of terrible ideas, but somehow Emily’s are worse.

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol and drunkenness, use of a blindfold (for a fun game, not anything sexy here), pining, idiots who don’t realise their love is reciprocated as HELL (they will, but not quite yet).

Word count: 3k

A/N: okay so i really had fun writing this one!!! i have a solid solid direction of where this is headed now and i’m EXCITED about it! as always, please let me know what you think :) this is technically Wednesday’s update, and there’ll be another on Friday!

This is the second chapter of the A-Z of Spencer Reid series, but can be read as a stand alone.

The team, yourself included, are more than ready to let off a little steam. There was no point trying to book anywhere in advance, not with the sporadic nature of festive serial killers, so you’d taken over the office. Penelope had, in eager anticipation of your return, decked it out like a winter wonderland.

“Seriously, it looks like someone robbed a grotto,” Emily had joked.

She wasn’t wrong. A seven-foot Christmas tree, God knows how she’d smuggled that into the building, obscured the hallway outside Hotch’s office. It was dripping in tinsel, baubles, you name it. It even had a nutcrucker man. Mistletoe was hung, obviously in a way she believed to be covert, and maybe it would have been if you weren’t all deeply familiar with the antics of Penelope I-Love-The-Holidays Garcia. You’re all careful to sidestep it as you walk in, knowing she’s a stickler for the rules. All equally reluctant to invoke her wrath before a glass of eggnog or two.

On the table, there’s a selection of alcohol laid out. Alongside a bunch of pink glittery cups.

“I got everything!” Penelope chirps.

“I can see that baby girl,” Morgan chimes in, greeting her with a hug.

She really has: there’s juice, fruit, almost every liquor you can think of (including the fancy whiskey that Rossi and Hotch like to get out at dinner), wine of varying colours, and what looks to be some fancy fruit cider. From the spread, and the mischevious twinkle in her eye, you’re sure she won’t be letting you escape unscathed.

At that thought, you can’t help but steal a glance to your right.

Spencer. The man is stood next to you with folded arms, surveying the options in a way that almost looks pensive.

Got to behave myself

I will behave myself

Will he be drinking?

That question is answered when he takes a step towards the table, stepping behind it. He picks up a plastic cup and, playing bartender, asks.

“So, what can I get you?”

***

“Mixology is pretty much the same as any other kind of chemistry,” Spencer explains, gesturing with the hand that’s holding his cup and swilling the liquid, “It’s about balancing the right components to get the combination you want. A lot of the recipes call for more alcohol than is strictly necessary for the flavour they provide. Usually the other elements of the drink are designed to bring out the flavour or mask it, depending on what alcohol you’re using. Almost always you want to mask the taste of vodka, but tequila you try to balance it out.”

Spencer is leant on the desk next to you, rambling, having been allowed to be in charge of making everybody’s drinks over the past couple of hours.

Sipping the concoction he’s made you, you have to admit he’s done a pretty good job.

He clearly agrees, since he’s consumed more than a couple himself. He’s just tipsy enough to push at the boundaries of affection, his shoulder pressing against yours, his happy eyes a little glassy. You listen, hanging on every word he says, watching him lick his lips before he continues speaking again.

“That’s why they serve tequila shots with lime and salt.”

“And here I was thinking they were just making it fun for body shots,” Emily cuts in, making Morgan and Penelope laugh.

You see the look on Penelope’s face and intercept her before she can start, “Don’t even think about it.”

“But!”

“No!” You shake your head, “You really think Hotch is going to go for body shots?”

Hotch laughs dryly, taking a sip of the whiskey he’s been nursing, “That’s one I think I’ll refrain from participating in.”

“Fine,” Penelope pouts, “But everybody’s doing pin the tail on the donkey!”

“Pin the tail on the donkey? What are we, 5 years old?” Emily laughs.

You lean in against Spencer, who has been quietly surveying the last few moments. Your fingers slip slightly beneath his buttoned sleeves, coming to rest on his forearm.

“Balance,” You whisper quietly.

He nods, shifting to allow you to lean more closely into him on the desk.

It’s hard not to get distracted by your proximity to him.

It’s only because you’re drunk.

Maybe. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel good. If you squinted, you might just look like a couple. That’s certainly what it looks like to Dave, who gives you a cursory once over before training his gaze elsewhere. Your heads are almost touching, Spencer is slouching but keeps his neck just stiff enough to avoid resting atop of yours. You’re casually against his body, the two of you strewn across the desk. It looks comfortable, familiar.

It feels comfortable, familiar.

It’s only because you’re drunk.

***

After a singular round of pin the tail on the donkey, during which a blindfolded Emily decided to go rogue and try to pin the tail on the moving-very-quickly-out-of-dodge Hotch, it’s decided the blindfolds will be used for a different purpose.

Trust falls.

Well, not so much trust falls, as you’re each blindfolded and tasked with the challenge of walking across the bullpen without falling. 

“We’ll pair up!” Penelope announces, rubbing her hands together with glee, “Hotch you’re with Rossi, Emily you’re with me, Derek you’re with ____, and Spencer you’re with J.J!”

Oh

You will away the tinge of disappointment that flares in your chest at not having been paired with Spencer. Although, when you look up at him, you swear you can see a similar feeling sitting behind his eyes.

Probably reading too much into it

“Reid has an unfair advantage,” J.J argues, interrupting your thoughts.

“How do I have an unfair advantage?” Spencer asks.

“Eidetic memory,” She replies.

There are murmers of dissent, then Rossi pipes up.

“If you can’t make it across the bullpen you walk everyday without falling, I think you seriously need to consider whether you should be out in the field with a gun.”

Everybody laughs. They laugh more, though, when Rossi falls on his first attempt, crashing into Hotch. The two decide to resign from the game after that. Hotch plays the health and safety card, but privately you think it’s the double whiskeys that have betrayed him.

“You think you can do it?” You ask Spencer.

He smirks, “I could do it in my sleep.”

You shake your head, “Your legs are too long. You’re like Bambi at the best of times, let alone three mai tais in.”

“Two,” He objects, you quirk a brow and he relents, “Fine, three. And a whiskey Rossi gave me which was awful. I drank it fast and then he told me that one glass I’d had would cost $40. Who would pay $40 to drink that voluntarily?”

“Rossi, Hotch, Emily,” You smile, nudging him with your elbow, “And don’t think you’ve distracted me Spence, I’m still betting you fall.”

“You’re betting?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re that confident in my ability to mess up,” He teases.

“Something like that.”

He grins, “You’ll see.”

He takes the blindfold when it’s his turn, smirking at you as he adjusts it onto his face. It’s with a great degree of annoyance that you watch him clear the bullpen in five easy, and somehow very elegant, steps.

“Go Spence!” J.J cheers, her previous displeasure completely forgotten.

“Pretty boy!” Morgan cheers.

Without taking the blindfold off, Spencer tilts his head to exactly where you’re standing, smirking, “You wanna go next, ____?”

It’s hard not to visibly react to what his cockiness does to you.

You swallow, “Fine. Give it here.”

***

You move your feet confidently one in front of the other. After almost a year of walking the bullpen, you’re pretty certain you can get across it unscathed. You even remember to swing your hip to the right to miss the Santa gnome gone fishing currently hanging off Derek’s desk. In doing so, however, you manage to get yourself all caught up.

With a single step, you feel yourself slipping, arms flailing and managing to catch on to absolutely nothing. You panic.

"Spencer!"

"Spencer?!"

Spencer.

You recognise the feeling of his hands steadying you at your waist. He pulls you against his body, tucking your outstretched arm into him to steady you. You vaguely register Derek’s amused chuckle from behind you.

“I got you,” Spencer says, “Stay still, I’ll take the blindfold off.”

His hands gently slide up your cheeks, lifting it with care to avoid yanking on your hair. He pulls it up and away from your head smoothly.

The lights are dizzyingly bright. You blink rapidly, allowing your eyes to adjust on the face of the slightly concerned, slightly amused looking Spencer hovering above you. His left hand lingering against your cheek. You forget yourself entirely, lost in the intimacy of his touch, barely daring to blink in case it’s gone.

“Mistletoe!” Penelope cackles with glee, breaking your reverie.

“What?” You ask.

Spencer looks up. You follow his gaze, seeing the strategically placed mistletoe. In guiding you to safety, Spencer had walked right into Penelope’s trap.

Oh.

Derek teases something, underscored by a quip from Emily that has them both in hysterics. Neither you or Spencer are really listening.

He’s already so close to you. The pressure of his hand on your cheek starting to make you flush with warmth. His thumb strokes downwards, over your cheekbone. You tilt yourself a little towards him. Trying desperately to act casual, but ultimately failing miserably. His breath fans over your face, smelling faintly of rum and lime.

“Not like this,” He whispers, so quiet that only you can possibly hear him.

He presses a kiss to your cheek instead.

Fuck.

“Very exciting stuff guys,” Emily chirps.

Vaguely, you’re aware of J.J admonishing her, Rossi’s eyes studying you, Derek’s laughter, Penelope’s squeal of delight that someone had finally fallen into her trap.

Your heart thumps in your chest, and you wonder if it’s loud enough for Spencer to hear. From the way he swallows thickly, stepping back with a degree of caution and a look of a deer caught in the headlines, you think it probably was.

Fuck.

What did he mean not like this?

***

After the mistletoe debaccle, the party starts to die down a little. Hotch makes an excuse to leave, shortly followed by Rossi.

You stick around for a little while longer, devoting most of your time to the decidedly tipsy Penelope who’s hanging off Derek’s arm. The mood is nice, actually, a welcome change from the tense atmosphere that often clouds the bullpen, and its occupants wherever in the US they may be.

It’s a little after 1am when you decide to make your exit.

“Do you want to share an Uber?” You ask Spencer, gripping onto his elbow as he walks past.

“Yeah! I was planning on taking the metro but you’ll be safer in an Uber.”

“Are you...sharing it with me?” You ask, feeling a little awkward at having to repeat the request for clarification. The tipsiness you’d initially felt has started to wear off; it leaves both tiredness and an odd shyness in its place.

“Oh no! Of course!” He smiles, grabbing his satchel from where it’s slung over the back of his chair, “We’ll get them to drop you off first, then me.”

***

The wait for the Uber is silent, but not uncomfortable. You loll against Spencer, comfortable in the quiet. The only sounds to be heard of keys as various other agents leave the building. It’s easy to tell which are coming from the grind of the paperwork and which are coming from their own parties. You’d like to attribute it to a years worth of profiling experience but the tinsel around Jerry from White Collar Crimes’ neck is a tad on the nose.

You don’t speak until it arrives, climbing in and closing the door. Clicking your seatbelt into place.

“Sorry about embarassing us before,” You say, purposely being ambiguous.

He squints at you for a moment before opening his mouth, “You mean calling for me when you fell?”

“Yeah,” You say,

“You didn’t embarass me,” He says, quiet, “It was nice actually. Nobody’s ever called for me when they’ve been in trouble before.”

“What do you mean?”

“I uh, I guess I’m not the most athletic. People usually go to Morgan if they need some kind of physical help. It was nice. That you wanted me. Even if you are drunk.”

“I’d have asked for you sober,” You admit.

He squints in response, and you continue, “I trust you Spence. I trust you to always have my back in the field, to protect me. I’d trust you with my life. I mean, of course I’d trust any one of the others, the team wouldn’t work otherwise. But,” You trail off, a little embarassed.

“But it’s different.”

“Yeah. Like you’re the person I’m closest to I guess. In the almost year I’ve been here, we’ve worked together the most. I think I have the best working relationship with you. If ever there was a crisis, I’d want you. Even if the crisis is me tripping on my own shoelaces while blindfolded.”

You both laugh at that. It’d be easy to succumb to a comfortable silence again, let the moment fizzle out.

“I think the same about you,” He says, his voice cracks a little with the sincerity, “Whenever anything goes wrong. You’re the person I want to talk to.”

You move your hand forward to close the gap between you two, taking his hand in yours and squeezing it, “I’m really glad we have each other Spence.”

“Even when I beat you?” The playful glint in his eye is back.

“Even when you beat me.”

“If I remember correctly, and I usually do, you actually owe me for losing the bet.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, you said ‘I’m still betting you fail.’“

You smile, “We never agreed what we were betting.”

“We didn’t.”

"So what do you want as your prize then, Rudolph?”

“Rudolph?” He laughs a little, incredulously.

“Well I called you Bambi before and obviously you’ve proved you’re more talented, I needed to pick a respectably agile deer.”

“Rudolph was known for his nose, not his agility.”

“The song says he guided the sleigh Spence, he couldn’t have done that if he wasn’t agile.”

He shakes his head at you, “He was just in charge of the lights.”

“Did they or did they not get around the world safely?”

“The song never clarifies that.”

“It’d be a little dark for them to kill off Rudolph.”

“Probably why they didn’t include it in the song.”

You huff out a laugh, rolling your eyes, “Well anytime you decide to stop nitpicking my compliments and decide what you want as your prize is fine by me, honestly.”

He smiles, obviously having decided to answer you sincerely. You study him as he, presumably weighs up his options, his teeth momentarily catching his plush lower lip. You swear you see his eyes flicker to your mouth. But then you blink, and he’s studying you thoughtfully.

Just wishful thinking

"Caramel,” He settles on.

"Caramel?”

“Last year I went to this coffee shop and I got their festive caramel coffee. It was amazing. But they only did it that one year, they gave me the recipe for the syrup but...” He trails off, looking embarassed, and when he speaks again his voice is quieter, “I kept burning it. I had a thermometer but I couldn’t get the temperature quite right.”

"You want me to make you caramel syrup for coffee? Mixologist skills don’t extend quite that far?”

He doesn’t say anything, instead pressing his lips together in a thin line. Almost as if he’s worried for your reaction.

You're quick to follow yourself up, “Well I’d be happy to give it a try, but I think I’ll need somebody to taste test it. Make sure I’m getting it right.”

He grins, “I’m probably a better taste taster than maker.”

“Well, we’re off for a few days, assuming we don’t get any cases. You’re at Ethan’s for Christmas, right? When are you back?”

“The 27th. But I’m going to visit my mom over new years, so I’m leaving again on the 30th.”

You nod, “Well, how about the 28th?”

“The 28th sounds good.”

It’s impossibly good (bad) timing that the Uber pulls up outside your building.

“Well I’ll look forward to it,” You say, undoing your seatbelt.

“Me too.”

There’s a silence. Not uncomfortable, but definitely not like the one earlier.  Your eyes linger on one another, almost cautious. There’s a buzz in the air, one that can't quite be attributed to alcohol.

Ask him what he meant by not like this

No

Ask him

“This your place?” The Uber driver asks, clicking his tongue with a degree of impatience.

“Yeah,” You reply, nodding. Reluctantly, you push open the car door, turning your head over your shoulder to look at Spencer as you depart.

His mouth hangs open a little, words seeming to play across his lips. Not making them out of his mouth. The driver clears his throat, and you throw him an apologetic glance. Spencer’s Uber rating will be in the toilet after this.

Good job he takes the Metro.

"Have a good Christmas Spence,” You say, wondering if he can tell. Wondering if he can sense how badly you want to stay, to let this Uber drive you around the backstreets of Virginia. They’re not particularly pretty. But there isn’t much you wouldn’t do just to spend time with him. You’d even allow yourself to promise caramel syrup you know you’ll butcher.

If he knows, the wistful look in his eyes doesn’t betray it.

“Have a good Christmas, _____.”

---

Next part: C is for Caramel

Series tagslist: @altsvu @reidingmelodies @muffin-cup @reidscanehand @bvttercupbby @jessicarabbit09 @lukewearingbeanies @lady-anon-x @aperrywilliams @southsidemistress @a-broken-pact @jjongs-tae-and-biscuits @reidsnose

(message me/reply to this to be added or removed!)

[unholyhelbig]

Workplace au: Beca is a new software engineer at the office and is extremely quiet. She doesn’t participate in any office activities, happy hours, or parties. When she doesn’t go to a mandatory meeting management pulls in Chloe from HR (whose already noticed the pattern and is worried) to speak with her

A/N: It’s been a while! I’ve been working a lot, but I’m going to get back to writing. This is literally the 60th time I’ve written Bechloe! 

Read on Ao3 | Request prompts here 

Beca looked around the office through the thick lenses on her glasses. Whoever had summoned her here had a flare for comfort; there was a leather office chair with a fuzzy turquoise pillow. A vase of lilies sat at the edge of the wood next to photos that Beca couldn’t decide were family or friends. She scrutinized the smiling faces and tried haplessly to guess which one was running late to their own meeting.

Beca picked up one of the stress balls that were on the edge of the desk and gave it a squeeze. It was well worn, and practically putty in her hands. She flipped it over and read the advertisement for some dentist downtown before she set it down and lowered herself in the seat even further. Her stare found a gold plated name: CHLOE BEALE

It was embarrassing, being called to the marketing floor, like this. She cared about the interworking’s of their projects, not the shiny ads that they printed on the sides of buses, or the giant PR parties that quickly followed a new release. No one else in her department had been phoned, but they all watched as she walked, red-faced, to the elevator.

The door creaked open and she found herself straightening her posture with a heavy breath. She had no one to impress here, not a single person, but still- she wanted to make a solid impression. Maybe one with a firm handshake and a questioning stare.

“I am so sorry I’m late.” The woman spoke before showing her face. She set down a big mug of what looked like chocolate, or maybe Coffee that wasn’t actually coffee. Her features were shrouded with copper locks, barely tamed. She let a large stack of flyers hit the desk with a muted thump. “You’re probably confused. I would be too.”

The woman sat down in the chair and smiled brightly. She had soft features cut with startling blue eyes. It was a nice smile, Beca decided. She was confused, however, but mostly intrigued. “That’s okay,”

“I’m not very punctual. I put out the fires that are burning the fastest, you know?”

“Sure,” Beca shifted herself in the chair “Does that make me a fire?”

“Mmm, a sparkler, maybe. Controlled.”

A controlled fire, that was better than nothing. Beca hadn’t seen a title on this woman’s door. Maybe she was the supervisor for PR, or just in Human Resources. She was comfortable, taking a sip of her drink and then cringing away from the heat.

“That wasn’t the right way to start. You’re not a fire.” Chloe grimaced and pulled a file out of the bottom drawer of her desk “It looks like you’re the most talented coder on your floor. Graduated Yale with a 4.0, which is super impressive. You’re efficient, Beca.”

She lifted a brow at this. She knew all of this, she stayed late into the night to make sure that she had the best numbers in her quadrant, even if it did sacrifice most of her personal time. Even still, hearing her accomplishments come out of this woman’s mouth made her stomach flutter. She wished she hadn’t put the stress ball back.

“Thank you,” She said.

“On paper, you’re perfect.”

“And not on paper?”

She sighed and threw the file onto the desk without reading the rest. “Frankly, we’ve gotten a few complaints.”

What was that supposed to mean? Sure she kept to herself, often eating her lunch in the corner of the break room with her headphones in. Sometimes, if it was warm enough, she would sit in her car and flip through whatever book she had forgotten to haul back up to her apartment. But she never caused trouble.

“You missed the last meeting,” She tried gently “Which raised a couple of red flags.”

Beca scoffed and sat forward “It was about the Christmas party. It didn’t’ seem important. The app did.”

“The app could have waited.”

“Funny, considering the whole company depends on the newest technology possible. If you all would rather play pin the tail on the Hanukah Donkey, that’s fine.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and schooled her expression like she couldn’t feel her heart in her throat. The way Chloe stared at her could stop a train dead on its tracks. She still couldn’t’ read the expression, and maybe that was a little scarier than being able to.

“You’re determined, and I like you.”

“I’m sensing a but.”

“But this company is based on inclusion. We try to make sure that everyone feels welcome. From what I’ve heard, you’ve been invited to Happy Hour multiple times and you refuse every effort.”

“This is about my social life?”

“Lack thereof,”  

Beca leaned forward again, this time not hesitating to grab the neon yellow ball. She squeezed it twice without consequence. Chloe took three more gulps of her drink before pushing it to the side. She cupped her hands together as if to pray “people are concerned.”

“Well, they shouldn’t be. I like to keep to myself. It’s not a big deal.”

“You don’t even go to birthday parties!”

“I didn’t know there were any.” She shot back.

“You’ve worked here for three years, Beca. Do people just not age?”

She smiled at that, but then let the grin drop to a scowl. This was about principle. The company that she worked for shouldn’t have a say in what she did after hours, because they already controlled what she did from 9 to 5.

“I have a proposition for you.”

Beca sighed heavily “I’m listening.”

Chloe grasped one of the flyers on the desk and slid it towards Beca. It was glossy and overdone. The background was a dark red with sharp gold writing. A masquerade ball to advertise the new VPN that they had been developing for months now. It was a little too on the nose.

“You have to come with me to this ball.”

“Do I, now?” She glanced up from the paper, stare heavy “Look, Chloe, even if I was into social interaction, which I’m not”

“Cleary.”

“I wouldn’t start dipping my toes in with a classy masquerade ball where all of these big execs are going to mix drinks. I don’t even think programmers are invited to these things.”

“Which is why you’re my plus one. I planned the entire thing. The way I figure it, if you can fake your way through one night of glam and glitz, you can at least pretend to like sharing cake in the break room.”

She let out a long sigh and squeezed the stress ball a few more times. The woman across from her was staring expectantly. Maybe she had been a little standoffish since she started here. Right now, she cursed herself for not agreeing to one drink every once and awhile.

“One night?”

Chloe nodded with exaggeration “One night, and we’ll never bother you again.”

Beca narrowed her eyes “I don’t have a dress.”

“I do.”

[a-fluffer-nutter]

The Fox And The Turtle

A/N - Hey guys, this was such a fun fic to write! This was prompted by a lovely anon who commissioned me on my Kofi! To that wonderful anon, I really hope you enjoy and thank you so much for helping me out a bit, my boyfriend and I used the money to buy a celebratory dinner after we got accepted for an apartment! If anyone else would like their own amazing fic, let me know or head on over to my Kofi and let’s get the process started. 

This is a Miraculous Ladybug fic featuring Nino and Alya. Please Enjoy.

Word Count: 4,034

           The first time was unexpected, an accident really. She never expected to get that close to him, to want to be so close to him.

           Alya Césaire had invited Nino Lahiffe to a nearby café to talk. She had arrived early in the morning, wanting to finish some schoolwork and to get started on a new blog post. There was so much she needed to catch her blog up with, especially with what had happened the week before.

           Lady Wifi.

           She never wanted it to happen, why would she? She idolized Ladybug, most of her blog was dedicated to the hero, but she had been the cause of another fight Ladybug and Chat Noir had to undertake. It all happened because of her.

           The autumn breeze rustled the sleepy trees, sending leaves of orange, red, and yellow floating toward the ground. The air was just beginning to have a chill bite at the bare skin of passersby, but this didn’t faze the people of Paris, most of them thrilled that the summer heat was fading, and autumn was taking over again. Kids had just returned to school, most of the teens excited to spend their weekends at the mall hanging out with their closest friends.

           Nino was on his way to the café to visit Alya. He hadn’t seen much of her that summer, though had followed her online presence closely. It was hard not to, when Alya seemed to run a major blog in basically every topic. In fact, Nino had been browsing online forums about Donkey Kong a few days prior, wanting to prove some sort of point to his younger brother, when he stumbled upon a Donkey Kong fan blog Alya had made a few years before. Sure, she hadn’t touched it in a long time, but the fact that Nino had accidentally found something made by her had made him laugh at the time.

           Humming to himself, Nino danced between small puddles of water that speckled the sidewalk. Staring at his phone, he tried to think of a good playlist for the next school dance. It was that time of year again; the dance wasn’t going to DJ itself.

           “Britney Spears or Lady Gaga?” Nino muttered to himself, staring at the blank note page he just opened on his phone. He may have had Lady Gaga playing in his headphones at the moment, but that didn’t mean Britney Spears wasn’t a favorite of his.

           A church bell chimed in the distance, Nino looking up from his phone in panic.

           “Oh no,” Nino said to himself. He was late to his meeting with Alya. Nearly tripping over a stroller with a screaming toddler inside, Nino jogged toward his destination, still considering what Lady Gaga song would be the best to dance to.

             Alya recoiled as she burnt her tongue again. She had just sat down with her steaming mug, her third pumpkin spiced latte of the day. She might have enjoyed making fun of people who drink pumpkin spice lattes, but they were too good for her to resist.

           “Ow,” She moaned, her tongue sticking out slightly between her plump lips. She had a habit of just rushing into things, being impulsive. From risking it all to get the next big scoop to instantly taking a drink of something she knew would burn her tongue, Alya had a penchant for impulsivity.

           The chime above the door rang, Nino throwing it open with so much force that it startled everyone inside in the café. Giving an embarrassed smile, Nino gave a short wave to the older lady who spilt a bit of coffee down her dress. Looking up from her computer, Alya rolled her eyes at the sight of Nino, though she couldn’t help the smile on her face.

           “Hi Alya,” Nino grinned, pulling off his headphones and slipped them down his neck. “Sorry I’m late, I got distracted.”

           “It’s fine,” Alya replied, waving her hand, motioning for him to sit.

           “Before we start,” Dropping his backpack to the floor, Nino plopped down into his seat, sitting across from Alya. “Do you prefer Britney Spears or Lady Gaga?”

           “You can’t choose between the two of them,” Alya let out a laugh, thinking about her fan blogs she has created for both of them in the past.

           “You’re no help,” Chided Nino, Alya simply replied by sticking out her tongue, still numb from burning it.

           “Anyway, I wanted your help with something,” Alya quickly changed the subject, getting down to business. Nino smiled expectantly, tilting his head ever so slightly. “I need to update my blog about Ladybug, but I don’t really know how to do it.”

           “Oh, I thought this was going to be something important,” Nino laughed, laughing harder when Alya shot him a death glare. He lifted his hands, “I kid, I kid. But how can I help you with your blog? You know more about Ladybug than anyone else I know. Wait, this isn’t about Chloe, is it? If so, I’m not helping you snoop on her more. I don’t want to get into trouble.”

           “Oh no, I’m definitely never snooping on Chloe again, she definitely isn’t Ladybug.”

           “Then, what do you need?” Nino leaned back, glancing up at the drink menu above the front counter. He may have been interested in whatever Alya was talking about, but he was torn between whether to order a strawberry smoothy or a chocolate caramel latte.

           “Lady Wifi,” Nino’s eyes shot down at her words.

           “Why are you asking me about her, you are her,” His voice dropped, glancing around to make sure no one else could hear him.

           “That’s the thing,” Alya looked down at her keyboard, fingers circling the keys. “I don’t remember it at all. I guess that’s good, because I could’ve hurt someone really bad and I would have to live with remembering myself doing that, but I don’t, which is really weird. I just feel bad about battling my idol, like I could have really hurt her! I don’t want to do that, besides, what would I do if I can’t blog about her?”

           “Work on your other eight hundred blogs. Or you know, schoolwork,” Nino rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a short laugh when Alya shot him another glare.

           “Come on, Nino,” She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Please help me.”

           “Okay, sure thing,” Nino smiled, leaning forward, placing a hand on her knee, giving it a small squeeze. “What do you want to know?”

           Instead of replying, Alya let out a stream of giggles, instinctually scooching back in her chair. Shocked, Nino pulled his hand back, lips parting.

           That was adorable.

           “Don’t tickle me, Nino,” Alya said, rubbing her knee, numbing the area of the ticklish shocks that just jolted through her muscles. “This is serious.”

           “Sorry,” Nino rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed by the blush he could feel painting his cheeks, crawling up to his ears.

           “Anyways,” Alya went on, ignoring Nino’s discomfort, and went on talking about Lady Wifi. Nino answered as many questions as he could, but he couldn’t stop the image of her giggling face from being at the forefront of his thoughts. Nino wanted to see it again but didn’t know when he would have the chance to.

**

                       “Nino!” Alya giggled, attempting to curl into herself.

           The attack had come unexpectedly, but there was not much she could do. Fighting back could give herself away, and it wouldn’t be for another few months that Nino would learn the new truth about her. She let him get away with the attack, though with her new strength, it was much harder to hold back.

           Nino sat over her, his knees straddling her thighs and hips, putting just enough pressure to pin the legs to the bench without crushing her. He sat triumphantly on her thighs, fitting perfectly between the hem of her jeans and her knees, which happened to be exposed that day thanks to the fashionable tears that came with them. He held her wrists together in one hand, surprised by how tiny her wrists were in comparison, he laughed victoriously once he had them pinned to the wooden bench, her hair messily entangled beneath.

           “Something wrong?” Nino teased, his free hand resting on her knee, feeling the short stubbly hair on her skin. Why shave in the winter when nobody was going to see it?

           “What are you doing?” Alya asked, voice trembling. The skin on her legs were coated with anticipatory goosebumps.

           Nino simply responded with a curt grunt and a slight shrug, then proceeded to squeeze the knee cap. Giggles filled her belly, rising to her throat like bubbles blowing in the wind. Alya bit back the laughter, her teeth pressing into her plump bottom lip, ruby lipstick painting a thin layer of gloss onto her teeth. She managed to hold back the laughter for a bit as he focused on squeezing just the kneecap but lost her composure a bit as he slipped his hand through the hole and hooked his fingers beneath her leg and scratched behind her knee.

           “Nino,” Alya squeaked before the vast number of giggly bubbles slipped through her control and turned into one of the most beautiful sounds Nino had ever heard. She squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head away so he couldn’t see her smile as well, though she fought the urge to tug at her arms.

           “Wow, Alya,” Nino cooed, his short nails still scratching at the skin, his fingers moving swiftly as if helping her scratch a persistent itch she couldn’t reach. “If you’re this ticklish here, you must be super ticklish everywhere else too.”

           Letting out a little yelp, Alya continued to giggle as Nino crawled his hands a little further up the leg and lightly traced swirls into the back of her lower thigh.

           Alya decided not to give him the satisfaction of conceding at all, of begging. Ladybug had just given her own Miraculous, which hid beneath her shirt, but she wasn’t afraid at this moment that Nino was going to see it. It would have to take a lot of thrashing for it to make an appearance, and Alya knew that wasn’t going to happen. Speaking of her Miraculous, Trixx was still hiding in her fanny pack, which thankfully was sitting next to her backpack on the ground below the bench. Lucky for Trixx, as he would be crushed by Nino if Alya hadn’t taken the fanny pack off before this all went down.

           “How about here?” Nino let out a small laugh as he quickly reached forward and latched onto her hip bone. Despite it not being that ticklish of a spot, Alya still let out a giggly gasp and a short kick. She dug the heel of her shoes into the bench, giving her something to focus on, grounding her just a bit.

           “Her giggle is adorable,” Nino thought, ecstasy flowing through his bloodstream, her smile and giggle like a drug to him. Though she was hiding her face, he could still see enough of her face to take in the beauty of it all, her lips curled up into a smile bright enough to rival all the stars in the sky.

           Needing more, Nino walked his fingers up just a bit to poke at her sides. Each poke elicited a giggle of a slightly higher pitch led Nino to the conclusion that this spot was a bit better than the last. Curling his fingers into a mimicry of claws, he pressed them into the softer flesh and began to vibrate his hand. This turned out to be a great technique.

           “No!” Alya nearly screamed, the dam finally collapsing and out flowed her wonderfully boisterous laughter. She let out another kick, then dug her heel back into the bench, trying hard to get control again.

           Ticklish shocks resonated through her body, sending surges from her side through her chest and into her throat, which continued to pour out waves of contagious laughter. Despite all this, she still did not tug at all at her arms. This was not satisfactory, not at all, to Nino. He wanted to watch her struggle, to writhe and laugh underneath him, under his ticklish touch. Alya, though, could not let this happen. She was a heroine, after all. A new hero, but still a hero that shouldn’t be taken down by something as silly as tickling. She knew she could fight it until Nino grew bored, she had to.

           “This a good spot?” Nino beamed, tempted to pull his other hand down to do the same to her other side, but thought against it. He won’t let go until she pulls free or begs.

           Nino didn’t know why he was being so sadistic all of a sudden, but he liked it. He liked seeing Alya like this, so flustered, so adorable...no. He didn’t want to admit it yet, he couldn’t like her like that, at least he didn’t think so. But she was so pretty, with eyes that glowed like gold coins and her lips as beautiful as rubies.

           “It tickles,” Alya broke Nino out of his thoughts, bringing out a laugh from him.

           “Well, I hope so,” Nino grinned, fingers stilling briefly before walking up to the base of her ribs.  “That’s kinda the point.”

           Alya let out a squeak as he gently prodded between her bottom two ribs. Nino’s grin spread wider as a devious idea flickered into frame in his mind.

           “Do you know how many ribs the average person has?” Nino asked, mindlessly tapping the same spot between the two ribs over and over, enjoying the small flinch each poke provoked.

           “Twenty-four?” Alya asked after a moment of thinking it over. Something like this should’ve come quickly, but she was a bit distracted at the moment.

           “Yep,” Another poke. “Let’s see if you have twenty-four, too.”

           Without a second to protest if she had wanted, Nino scratched at the lowest rib. Alya let out a breathy giggle, turning her head back so she could see him.

           “One,” Nino said before walking his fingers up to the next one. “Two.”

           “Three,” Alya found herself saying between nearly silent giggles. Nino raised an eyebrow, surprised by her participation. He briefly wondered if she was enjoying it but thought otherwise. Though maybe.

           “Four,” Her giggle became a bit more desperate. “Five.”

           “Six,” Alya startled Nino again, though pressed her face into her arm, hiding from him as much as she could.

           “Seven” Alya cackled, wiggling a bit in anticipation.

           The next three were in her armpit, which is standard anatomy. Alya knew this was going to be hard but tried to hold back as much laughter as she could. Unfortunately for her, it was not much.

           “It tickles!” She squealed, beginning to hysterically laugh as Nino counted the eighth rib. She couldn’t help but toss her head back, laughter pouring from her widely grinning mouth.

           “Nine,” It was hard for Nino to hear himself over her laughter, though he didn’t mind it all that much. That and he knew he wouldn’t be able to count a proper twenty-four. Alya likely didn’t know this fact, or at least Nino hoped so.

           Hands tightly balling into fists, her nails dug into the palms of her hands. It took a lot of effort to not struggle, her armpit being ruthlessly attacked by now, Nino having just announced the tenth rib, but didn’t really seem to be attacking it. Instead, he just scratched all five fingers along the exposed area. Nino was lucky that the day had been unusually warm for the end of autumn, as Alya opted to wear a tank top under a light jean jacket today, which she had taken off earlier into their hangout. This left nothing to protect her sensitive bare skin from his dull, scribbling nails raking up and down this one armpit.

           “Want me to stop?” Nino asked, wanting to see what she would do. She responded by glaring daggers at him, though due to the current situation, these daggers were more like pencils, not very dangerous, but still hurts a little if stabbed by one.

           “Sure,” Was all Alya could say. She wouldn’t beg for him to stop, not wanting to concede. She could take it, but she wouldn’t mind at all if Nino was bored and wanted to stop. This, however, was definitely not the case.

           “That wasn’t very convincing!” Nino let out a laugh as he wore a goofy grin. “If you want me to stop, you have to say, ‘Yes, Nino the Great and Wonderful, please stop tickling me!’”

           “Never,” Alya exclaimed, then let out a shriek as he suddenly attacked her other armpit. The pads of her fingers teased the shaved skin, the sensitivity of this armpit higher than the last thanks to the long anticipation Alya had to endure. She knew it was coming, but still could not brace herself for it.

           “Well, that’s no fun,” Nino pouted, sticking out his lower lip ever so slightly. His fingers stilled for a moment, contemplating his next move. “Hm…how can I make you beg for mercy?”

           “You can’t,” Alya chided, stretching her fingers as she breathed heavily, glad to have fresh air circulating through her lungs once more. “You can’t do anything to make me beg.”

           “Is that a challenge?” Nino sneered, raising an eyebrow. “Alright then, I accept that challenge.”

           Sucking in as much air as she could in anticipation, Alya tightened all her muscles and clenched her fists once again. Her heels dug back into the bench, ready to be a physical support in this endeavor.

           “Hm…” Nino poked the tip of his tongue out, contemplating his next move. Her armpits were a good spot, but she would probably expect that. He could sit on her arms and attack both at once, but that wouldn’t give him any other options for tickling her, except for her neck. Her neck seemed promising, but for some reason, he just felt something was telling him not to, like something in his brain nudging him another way.

           He glanced down at her stomach, a very easy spot for him to reach in this position, and one she couldn’t defend whatsoever even if she tried.

           “Does this tickle?” Nino asked as he reached down as if to tickle her armpit, but then withdrew his hand quickly and went for her belly.

           “Yes!” Alya let out a snort after a shrill scream, her heels pounding against the bench. Nino’s hand teased at the softer skin from her hips to right below her naval, poking at just the right spots to make her cackle and throw her head from side to side. “It tickles so much!”

           Nino was shocked by how toned her stomach was, the faint outline of abs could be felt through her shirt. 

            “Have you been working out?” Nino admired her belly, tracing his fingers over the muscles. “I’m a bit jealous. Maybe we can work out together. But oh well, it sure isn’t stopping you from being super ticklish!”

            “Shut up!”

           “Are you going to beg me to stop?” Nino asked, his nails now skittering over an overly sensitive spot just beneath the left side of her rib cage.

           “Never,” Alya repeated, her hands hurting just a bit from how tight she was straining her fists. It just tickled so much; her belly being one of her worst spots. That and… “No!”

           “Aw, does Alya have a ticklish little belly button?” Nino cooed, single finger wiggling in her belly button like a worm wriggling around on a fishing hook. Alya’s laughter was loud, likely heard by all who resided in Paris. She flailed her legs, not able to steady or ground herself any longer, her heels bashing the wooden boards beneath her. Her hips bounced as she thrashed and turned, trying to get her wrists free without hurting him, but Nino wouldn’t let go. She still knew she could get free, but she didn’t want to use all of her newfound strength, not wanting him to know that she was as strong as a heroine now.

           “It’s so ticklish. It’s so cute!” Nino’s voice was cutesy, adorable, as if he was talking to a puppy. As his index finger swirled around in her navel, his other fingers scratched at her tummy, Alya letting out a howl of ticklish mirth and agony. “How can such a tiny little thing be so ticklish?”

           “Shut up!” Alya let out another snort as she shot her retort.

           “You want me to stop?”

           “I’m not begging.”

           “Fine,” Nino grinned, devious plan forming in his mind. Without any hesitation, Nino let go of Alya’s wrists and thrust his hand down under her arm and began to tickle her armpit at the same time as her belly was being obliterated.

           “Stop!” She finally let out, bringing her arms down, trapping his hand in her armpit.

           “I will only stop if you say the magic words,” Nino laughed, dipping his middle finger into her belly button to help his index finger. Letting out another few snorts, Alya shook her head.

           “No,” Alya repeated over and over, smacking his chest, though not very hard. “Stop.”

           “Nah,” Nino let out a chuckle as he bent over, his fingers on her belly stopping momentarily to lift her shirt up to the bottom of her ribs. Sucking in the deepest of breaths, Nino planted his lips onto the skin around her belly button and blew the largest raspberry he could.

           “Mercy!” Alya tapped her fingers against the bench, tapping out.

           “You’re welcome,” Nino winked, thinking his pun was pretty funny. Alya simply responded with a half assed glare. He pulled his hands and face away from her body and looked over her, his head tilted a bit to the side. “Are you okay?”

           “Yeah,” Alya said as she gasped in more air, her lungs trying to catch up from the lack of oxygen she has had for the last half hour or so, or at least she thinks it was that long. Her current perception of time was definitely a bit messed up. “That was a lot.”

           “Sorry,” Nino let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. He lifted himself off her, standing up next to her. “I guess I went a little overboard.”

           “You think?” Alya smacked him with the back of her hand, finally feeling like she had the strength to sit back up. She rotated around to face him and put her hands on her hips. “I’m going to get you back, Nino. Mark my words.”

           “I’ll remember,” Nino winked, but he didn’t remember for that long.

**

           “You’re so mean!” Nino cackled, his head thrown back, his armpits being tickled by Alya, who was sitting behind him, her legs crossed, wrapped around his torso.

           “This is revenge, Nino,” Alya teased, quickly blowing a raspberry against his neck, eliciting a loud laugh.

           “It tickles so much,” Nino squeaked, wiggling around, but despite being the superhero, Carapace, he is not nearly as strong as Alya. She has been in the game for much longer, which he had just learned and was amazed that she didn’t literally kill him when he last tickled her. He was incredibly fortunate, but here he was, getting the worst punishment of his life.

           “That’s the point, Nino,” Alya grinned, slipped her left hand down and reached forward, grabbing at his knee, and squeezed.

           “Stop!” Nino yelled, his laughter louder than ever. “It tickled too much!”

           “Well, maybe you should have thought about that when you tickled me first.”

           “That was months ago,” Nino wheezed, too ticklish for his own good. While Alya had, quite possibly, the most ticklish belly button in the whole world, Nino was definitely more ticklish overall. Every inch of his body was ticklish, and his knees were quite bad.

           “Well, I like to hold grudges,” Alya gave a villainous laugh, now attacking his ribs and thighs.

           “I give, I give!” Nino let out a snort, unable to take any more tickling. “It’s too ticklish!”

           “Say that I am the best tickler in the world.”

           “Alya is the best tickler in the world,” Nino repeated, though thought about being snide, though thought against it. He really couldn’t take much more.

           “Good,” Alya said, withdrawing her body from his and stretched. “I think we’re pretty even now. Don’t you?”

           “Definitely,” Nino replied, unable to shake the phantom tickles he still felt. “We’re even.”

[gingersnapwolves]

The Untamed, a brief summary [Part 5/6]

Part One: Sword Wizard School

Part Two:  The Search for the Yin Iron and the World’s Worst Summer Camp

Part Three: The Fall of Lotus Pier and the Sunshot Campaign

Part Four: The Downward Spiral

Part Five: Mo Manor, Hungry Sabers, and Yi City

Ext, Mo Manor [I … actually have no idea where this is geographically.]

16 years have passed. A mysterious guy whose face we don’t see sits in an inn while a dude enthusiastically tells stories about the horrible Yiling Patriarch (Wei Wuxian’s title before he died.)

Wei Wuxian wakes up. He is confused, as dead people tend to be upon waking up.

ENTER A MENTALLY ILL CHARACTER WHO DESERVED BETTER

He hears the voice of Mo Xuanyu, telling him that he had no choice but to summon him, and now Wei Wuxian must take revenge for him. He has four curse marks on his arm, one for each target.

A sidebar: in the book, Wei Wuxian is summoned into Mo Xuanyu’s body, which makes way more sense. In the show, however, they didn’t really want to change actors halfway through, which I dig, so he’s in his own body for Reasons Never Made Clear. Because of this, they give him a metal mask to wear, saying Mo Xuanyu was a weirdo who wore a mask all the time and nobody has seen his face in years. We all love Xiao Zhan and don’t want him replaced so we accept this.

ENTER THE DUCKLINGS

Here are two young cultivators from the Lan sect, Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi. The former is sweet and kind, the latter is ‘fight me’ in a fun way. 

Wei Wuxian has no idea what’s going on but decides it’s time to Cause Problems. He figures out that Mo Xuanyu is yet another one of Jin Guangshan’s illegitimate sons. However, Mo Xuanyu’s mother was a member of the gentry, so he got to study at Koi Tower until he got thrown out for unspecified bad behavior. Everyone says that Mo Xuanyu was a lunatic. 

Wei Wuxian meets the Lan ducklings, has flashbacks to Lan Wangji, and decides to hide in his room and play sad music on a blade of grass.

An angry sword spirit shows up and kills a bunch of people. The ducklings call Lan Wangji, and Wei Wuxian hides before he can be seen. Lan Wangji wraps everything up and subdues the angry sword spirit but doesn’t know what’s going on.

Three of the four curse marks on Wei Wuxian’s arm vanish, indicating that the three members of the Mo family who were killed were three of the four targets of revenge. Wei Wuxian steals a donkey and runs away.

The mystery man from earlier throws a chunk of gold to the storyteller.

Ext, Dafan Mountain [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian argues with his donkey a lot, and it’s pretty funny.

ENTER A TRUST FUND BRAT

Jin Ling is now 16. He is a huge brat and we like him anyway. Given that he was raised mostly by Jin Guangyao and Jiang Cheng, he’s actually more well-adjusted than he has any right to be. Of course, the bar for ‘well-adjusted’ in this show is sitting on the ground (and half the characters have gone to get shovels). Jin Ling has set up a bunch of spirit capture nets in the forest, and they capture a bunch of cultivators instead. Wei Wuxian cuts them down, and he and Jin Ling get in a fight. (Wei Wuxian doesn’t know who he is, because why would he?)

Wei Wuxian calls him a little punk and pins him to the ground with a talisman. Jiang Cheng shows up and is pissed. Wei Wuxian runs away again.

Turns out everyone is there for some sort of night hunt. Lan Wangji and the ducklings show up. Lan Wangji is a petty bitch who no longer speaks to Jiang Cheng, and it’s great. He’s destroyed all the spirit nets Jin Ling placed for pretty much no reason other than that he can. Jin Ling is pissed. Lan Wangji puts the silencing spell on him because he’s being a brat. Jiang Cheng decides this isn’t worth getting into a bitch fight with Lan Wangji over and huffs off with Jin Ling.

They all end up at the mountain where the statue from the first arc was. It’s eating people again, or something like that. Wei Wuxian talks to the ducklings, who listen to him because he helped them with the sword spirit at Mo Manor. 

The statue attacks, and it’s chaos! Wei Wuxian decides that now is the time for some demonic cultivation. He starts playing a new flute (poorly, because he just carved it out of nearby bamboo). Wen Ning shows up. Everyone, including me, goes “WTF?!?!” because we all thought Wen Ning had been destroyed by the Jin sect.

Wei Wuxian realizes this is more trouble than he can handle and uses his flute to get Wen Ning to leave. But it’s too late. Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng have seen him. Lan Wangji grabs his wrist. They stare at each other for like a solid 30 seconds and it’s great.

Then Jiang Cheng ruins everything, because he assumes (correctly) that someone playing the flute and controlling Wen Ning is, in fact, Wei Wuxian. He hits Wei Wuxian with the lightning whip. A fun feature of the lightning whip is that, if an evil spirit is possessing someone, the whip will smack them out of the body. This doesn’t happen to Wei Wuxian, since he was summoned by Mo Xuanyu himself. Jiang Cheng gets a little confused by this and Lan Wangji takes the opportunity to grab Wei Wuxian and bounce.

 Int, Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

Wei Wuxian wakes up in Lan Wangji’s room. He says, ‘if I said I didn’t know where I was these past 16 years, would you believe me?’ and Lan Wangji says ‘yes’ without hesitation. I cry again.

 Ext, Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

Lan Wangji is down in the cold springs. Wei Wuxian decides, like a gremlin, to go bug him there. But he sees Lan Wangji shirtless and he’s got a bunch of scars and it freaks Wei Wuxian out so he doesn’t hit on him.

Lan Qiren has been trying to suppress the sword spirit but it attacks him. Wei Wuxian plays his flute (badly) and the ducklings all wonder why the hell he’s even here. They figure out the sword spirit is trying to lead them somewhere.

 Ext, Yueyang [Qinghe]

The sword has pointed them here and strange things are afoot. Wei Wuxian asks a guy if there’s some reason the sect leader isn’t taking care of it. He finds out that Nie Mingjue died in the intervening years while he was gone, and that Nie Huaisang is now sect leader and keeps telling people to please not ask him to fix problems because he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Nie Huaisang remains the most relatable.

They run into Jin Ling, who’s there with his adorable dog for night-hunting reasons. Wei Wuxian freaks out because he’s afraid of dogs. Lan Wangji leaps in to defend him and Jin Ling looks like he just found out gay people exist.

 Ext, the forest [Qinghe]

There’s a weird tomb full of coffins with sabers in them. Jin Ling has broken in and nearly gets swallowed by the building. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian rescue him. He now has a gnarly curse mark on his leg. When they get outside, someone’s been watching them. Lan Wangji goes after him while Wei Wuxian gets Jin Ling back to the city. Lan Wangji only gets a scrap of fabric but recognizes the pattern.

 Int, an inn [Qinghe]

Jin Ling freaks out when he wakes up because he thinks Mo Xuanyu is nuts. (One must presume he knows Mo Xuanyu better than the ducklings, since Mo Xuanyu is technically his uncle, and Jin Ling lives at Koi Tower a lot of the time so they would have encountered each other.) Wei Wuxian lets him go.

 Int, a different inn [presumably] [Qinghe]

Lan Wangji has dragged Nie Huaisang in for a little chat, because he knows Nie Huaisang was spying on them in the forest. Nie Huaisang tries to plead ignorance but then admits that the Nie sect has this problem where their swords are so bloodthirsty that they have to be buried like people and fed criminals occasionally, like one would if they had a particularly large python for a pet. Wei Wuxian clearly wonders how, in that case, they had any right to criticize him for a little light necromancy.

 Ext, Yueyang [Qinghe]

Lan Wangji leaves to … shit. I don’t remember. Well, he goes to do something, presumably important, leaving Wei Wuxian on his own. Wei Wuxian promptly gets spotted by Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling, and Jiang Cheng captures him. He says he doesn’t care that the lightning whip didn’t expel him, he knows he’s Wei Wuxian. He’s super pissed but doesn’t actually kill Wei Wuxian or even really hurt him, clearly conflicted about the whole situation.

Jin Ling suddenly ‘remembers’ important information about something that happened earlier to send Jiang Cheng on a wild goose chase. It’s likely that Jiang Cheng doesn’t actually believe this but he leaves anyway. Jin Ling sneaks Wei Wuxian out. Wei Wuxian tells him he’ll be in trouble because Jiang Cheng thinks he’s the Yiling Patriarch. Jin Ling scoffs because Jiang Cheng is always finding ‘Yiling Patriarchs’ in an ongoing search to find his brother.

Once in the forest, Wei Wuxian knocks Jin Ling out. He then transfers the curse mark from Jin Ling to himself because sixteen years of being dead didn’t teach him any self-preservation skills at all. 

 Int, the spirit-eating saber tomb [Qinghe]

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian bring the sword spirit to the tomb. It tells them they did a good job and then points them somewhere else, like some sort of spiritual scavenger hunt or an extremely intense game of Where in the World is Carmen San Diego. They theorize that the sword spirit is probably Baxia, Nie Mingjue’s sword, and it’s trying to lead them to wherever his body is. Nie Huaisang looks pretty upset about this, which seems reasonable. Our heroes promise him they’ll figure out what’s going on and return his brother’s body to him if possible.

Lan Wangji gives Wei Wuxian more details on Nie Mingjue’s death. The Nie sect has a history of ‘qi deviation’, which is sort of like a magical backlash. This is, they now figure, likely due to struggling to control these violent saber spirits. Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao were both working to try to help Nie Mingjue avoid qi deviation but failed, and he had a violent fit, ran away, and was never seen again.

 Ext, Yueyang [Qinghe]

Continuing in the vein of ‘shit, a lot happened while you were dead’, Lan Wangji tells Wei Wuxian that Xue Yang turned up a little while afterwards and Jin Guangshan made him a member of the Jin sect. Nie Mingjue wanted him executed for the murder of the Chang clan, but the lone survivor suddenly recanted his testimony, and not long after that, Nie Mingjue died/went missing. Xue Yang ended up in a pretty good spot. Wei Wuxian basically says ‘what a world’ and Lan Wangji takes his drink and knocks it back.

By the way, Jin Guangshan is now dead too, having died ‘in bed’ a little while after Nie Mingjue disappeared. I can’t remember when Wei Wuxian finds that out. But good riddance anyway.

Now drunk after one shot, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian have a touching moment or twelve. Lan Wangji admits that he regrets not helping Wei Wuxian in his last life, and Wei Wuxian tells him not to worry about it. After Lan Wangji falls asleep, Wei Wuxian goes outside and uses his new flute (which Lan Wangji has fixed up a bit) to summon Wen Ning. He finds that they’ve put nails in his head to suppress his consciousness, and removes them. They reunite and it’s emotional. 

But before much can happen, Lan Wangji wanders drunkenly from the inn. Wen Ning goes to hide, and Wei Wuxian ends up babysitting drunk Lan Wangji again and it’s hilarious. Drunk Lan Wangji tries to steal chickens for him and also graffitis a random house. 

When they get back to the inn, a masked man shows up and tries to steal the sword spirit. Even black-out drunk, Lan Wangji beats him, but he seems to have inside knowledge of the Lan sect fighting style. Then he uses a teleportation talisman, which hardly anybody has the skill to use.

 Ext, Yi City [Hell, as far as I can tell]

Listen. I’m going to be honest with y’all again. This arc messed me up. I have no desire to revisit it in detail and it virtually never comes up in my fics. So I’m going to be very, very brief here.

Xue Yang tricked Xiao Xingchen into killing a bunch of innocent people, including Song Lan, who is now a fierce corpse under Xue Yang’s control. Xiao Xingchen found out what happened and killed himself. Xue Yang freaked out because he either a) actually loved Xiao Xingchen in his own messed up way, or b) was having a tantrum like a little kid who broke their favorite toy by playing too rough with it. Your mileage may vary and a thousand fanfics have been written about this issue. Since then, he’s been hanging out in Yi City, which is full of dead people and poison.

The really important part is that Xue Yang has been using yin iron to do all this stuff. 

The ducklings followed a bunch of clues here, along with Jin Ling. Wei Wuxian herds them around while Lan Wangji fights Xue Yang and eventually kills him. The same masked man shows up, grabs the yin iron off Xue Yang’s dead body, and teleports again.

They find a headless body in a coffin underneath Xiao Xingchen’s, and the sword spirit reveals itself to be Baxia, indicating that it is indeed Nie Mingjue. Song Lan, now released from Xue Yang’s control, takes Xiao Xingchen’s sword and a spirit pouch with his fragmented soul and goes to be a wandering cultivator. It’s really depressing.

  Ext, some city [I don’t remember]

Everyone’s kind of shell-shocked by the fuckery that was Yi City, so they’re trying to chill out. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian have a tender moment watching the juniors shopping. Wei Wuxian says, ‘If A-Yuan had lived, he’d be about their age now.’ Lan Wangji looks at him like he just realized he left the stove on. Meanwhile Lan Sizhui is fascinated by a stand selling toys just like ones Wen Yuan had at the Burial Mounds. Hm …

Lan Xichen has arrived. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji show him Baxia and he’s really sad since he and Nie Mingjue were bros. Wei Wuxian (still pretending to be Mo Xuanyu) says that at this point, they know whoever killed Nie Mingjue and hid his body is a) friends with Xue Yang, and b) familiar with the Lan sect fighting style. He points out that this sounds a lot like Jin Guangyao, who had a ‘complicated history’ with Nie Mingjue.

Lan Xichen says it can’t be Jin Guangyao, because Jin Guangyao has been with him every night talking about important matters for the last week or so. Also, the use of the teleportation talisman has a negative effect on one’s health and he can personally attest that Jin Guangyao shows no signs of having used it. Another two thousand fanfics spring into existence.

At the end of the conversation, he calls Wei Wuxian by his name. Wei Wuxian takes off his mask and says ‘Damn, I should’ve known I couldn’t fool you.’ Lan Xichen pulls that whole ‘oh I didn’t actually know until you confirmed it just now’ trick but let’s be real there is absolutely no idea Lan Xichen didn’t already know, given that his brother has only ever tolerated one (1) person in his entire life.

 Int, the inn [wherever they are]

The ducklings are fighting, mostly because Jin Ling is mad that Lan Sizhui said something halfway complimentary about Wei Wuxian, who he hates for killing his father (and causing his mother’s death). The other ducklings are like “bro, chill”. Jin Ling will not chill. Jin Ling will NEVER chill. Wei Wuxian is sad because his nephew hates him.

Lan Sizhui tries to explain that he only meant maybe they should have all the facts before they condemn someone. Jin Ling continues to not be chill. Lan Wangji buys Wei Wuxian some booze to cheer him up.

Despite Lan Xichen’s words, they’re still convinced Jin Guangyao is involved, and make plans to go to Koi Tower and look for Nie Mingjue’s head. Lan Xichen comes back in and tells them he’s thought about it and if they find evidence, they should bring it to him. They agree.

 ~end of part 5~

[halo-jpeg]

Bearable | A Reddie Fanfiction

Read it from the beginning

Chapter 1

"Bill, why? Why would you say yes to that party? We don't know him! What if he's some serial killer? What if he tries to get us to do drugs? What if he kills us or lives in a dumpster or something?" Eddie is erratic, his drink still in his hand. They were hardly off the block of the little cafe known as Portland Authentic. Eddie hadn't been too fond of the guy behind the counter, mostly because he had written 'Eds' on his coffee cup. "I mean- we only just got to Portland and you're already going to get us killed or something!"

"Eddie, it'll be fine," Stan is the one to cut in with reassurance, taking a sip from his own cup and somehow not flinching at the taste of the straight caffeine, "Yeah, he was a little energetic but he didn't seem malicious. I think it'll be a good opportunity to get to know some new people." Eddie opened his mouth to speak, but Bill beat him to it, and no one had the disrespect to talk over Bill. That was just... off limits, so Eddie shut his mouth again and tried not to grimace.

"Buh-buh-besides," He started, one hand in the pocket of his jeans, the other soaking up the warmth of his cinnamon cappuccino, "It'll be guh-good to get out and see what kind of people Portland has to offer." With that, the discussion was closed, and Eddie let it drop with just a sigh, trying to shake away the lingering annoyance clinging to his mind. There were too many good things about Portland to worry about the bad things- in just a few days he would be working towards his dream as a doctor- he had always wanted to be a doctor. When he was younger, he had wanted his career to be within the health arena for the sake of reassuring his mother that he could take care of himself without being stuck behind a desk- now, though, he wanted to become a doctor to prove his mother wrong, to learn all sorts of things that would help him confirm that he wasn't sick, and had never been sick like Sonia Kaspbrak had said he was.

The rest of the walk back home was near silent, consisting of craned necks and obvious gawking- Portland really was gorgeous, and so different from Derry. Rather than the tiny, modest homes Eddie and his friends grew up knowing, almost everything in the downtown area was some form of 19th century architecture or something alike- each building consisted of warm tones, arched windows, grand streetlamps with pots of colourful flowers. Eddie can't even imagine what it must look like in the daylight.

"Oh, here's my work," Stan said, seeming not to have realized what street they were wandering down. The three halted outside of a small flower shop, Roses on Deane, and approached the large, open windows in the front. The lights were out inside, obviously, but it was still possible to make out the shapes of many many bouquets. Stan had managed to score a job a few months back thanks to a cousin who had a friend who owned the place, and though Stan never considered himself a huge fan of flowers, Eddie could see how the place would fit him. At least one of them had a job- Eddie shudders to think that there is yet another huge thing he needs to get done this weekend. If he doesn't have a job by next weekend then he won't be able to pitch in to help with rent. Bill, who had been working at the library back home, had been transferred here too, so he was also getting payed bi-weekly. Eddie was alone in his unemployment, but that was okay. He was smart, and efficient, and he would get a job sooner or later somewhere.

"When do you start?" He asked, finally bringing his rapidly-cooling drink up to his lips. He braced himself for a horrid taste, taking a slow, tentative sip, and almost letting a sound of approval slip past his lips. It didn't... It didn't taste horrible. Peppermint was okay, in his opinion, and it balanced out the bitterness of the coffee just right.

"Tuesday at 5:00," Stan took one last glance through the window, smiling serenely and turning to continue on to their new apartment. Again, the three fell into silence, calm and comfortable. They walked another three blocks before spotting their building, and Bill was the one to pull out an access card to scan at the door. Their bags were already up in their house, and Eddie had even made a few comments on how he appreciated the security. Electronic locks were unheard of to Eddie until today, and he was pleased. Now, he was too exhausted to be pleased. His coffee had him buzzing, and he would force himself to stay awake until his suitcase was unpacked, but he couldn't wait to curl up in his new bed, away from his hometown for the first time in years.

"We'll have to go grocery shopping tuh-tomorrow," Bill hummed half to himself as he stepped into the elevator, clicking the button labeled with a '2'. "We won't have any fuh-fuh-food. I'll buy us breakfast in the morning."

"Thanks, Bill," Stan smiles, "We can make a meal plan, budget things out. Just to make sure we can always make rent." Eddie nodded along, and took another long sip of the minty-bitter drink in his hand.

"We should go look at the campus. I want to find out where my classes are, maybe." Eddie found himself rocking back and forth on his heels, watching the little glowing number above the elevator buttons blink from 'G' to '1' to, at last, '2'. With a ding, the doors slid open, and a dim hallway was presented to them, the lights on low now that it was just about 10:00 pm.

"I want to go see Back Cove Park at some point. The bird watching is great. They have egrets sometimes, and other birds I haven't seen yet. I always go there when I visit- it's like tradition." Stifling a yawn (not because of the bird talk- Eddie was just tired) Eddie nodded his head. In all honesty, a nature walk sounded nice. Already, he was missing the Barrens, the poor dam he remembers building with Bill ages and ages ago. "It's right on the water, so we can go fishing too, or swimming if you guys wanted to. It isn't always as warm as it is tonight, and it's only getting colder, but..." Stan shrugs. They arrive at their apartment door, number 29, and yet again Bill is the one to pull out his key and stick it into the lock, giving it a twist and pushing the door wide open. Eddie steps inside first, flicking on the light and taking in the sight of his new apartment.

The door opened up into a short hallway. To his direct right there was a door leading to a small closet. A little ways ahead, the hallway broke both left and right, the left way leading to the kitchen and living room along with the doors to the balcony and Bill's room- in turn, the right way led to the main bathroom and the two other bedrooms reserved for Eddie and Stan.

"Wuh-well, I guess this is goodnight," Bill says, shutting the door behind him and kicking off his shoes, "We all have a l-lot of unpacking to do, I'm sh-sure." Both Stan and Eddie nod in near-perfect unison.

"Goodnight, you guys. Enjoy your first sleep in our new house." Stan speaks with a grin, staring at both Eddie and Bill with that intense hazel gaze that seems to communicate the intense reality of the situation. The three men had made it out of their childhood town, and now they were living on their own. They really weren't children anymore. Along with that look in Stan's eyes came a heavy feeling of bittersweetness- Derry was gone, now, and with it, Eddie's childhood. He smiled at his two best friends, and then turned down the hallway to greet his room.

-----

"Alright, that's everything," Ben says as the doors to the cafe swing shut and he locks them tight.

"Another job well done, boy! Another fantastic job, I'd say!" Richie throws one arm over Ben's shoulders, and then the other pulls in Bev by the arm. Crushing his two buddies in a double side-hug, he speaks in his almost-perfected MovieTone Newsreel Announcer Voice, disturbing the silence of the dark Portland streets, "You're both quite the caffeine-mixin' maestros, eh? You'll do great things for this world, great things!"

"Beep-beep, Richie. I'm exhausted." Beverly was smiling, sure, but Richie really could tell that she was done with today. He let both she and Ben go, toning down his behavior and pulling out a pack of cigarettes, offering one to each along with his lighter. Ben declined as politely as possible, so Richie and Bev were left to smoke without him.

"You'll get those beers for me, won't you?" Richie asks, taking a drag and relishing in the way the smoke filled his lungs. He should probably quit sooner or later, huh? Maybe one day. "I've got the cash back home. I'll give it to you and you can just go buy whatever you want. Party booze of your choice." Ben let out a chuckle, waving a hand in front of his face to show his dislike of the cigarette smoke. Richie mumbled something akin to an apology.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get it. And don't worry about paying me back, I'll be drinking it too." Richie beamed. With a light punch to the shoulder, he turned his attention to Bev, ready to play a little bit of Cupid.

"You're coming too, right Bevvie?" He asked the question as if it were nothing, oh-so subtly bumping Ben with his elbow. Beverly shrugged.

"Probably. It's basically a sin to miss out on an infamous Tozier party, isn't it?" She placed the cigarette against her lips, and puffed out smoke right after. "What else is happening other than drinking too much and getting the Police called on us for being too loud?" Richie couldn't help but snicker at that. The Police had, on numerous occasions, been called on him for playing his music at ungodly levels, but, I mean, come on, he has fantastic taste and the world needs to know it.

"Who knows, maybe some pin the tail on the donkey? Musical chairs?" Ben and Beverly both let out a snort, the redhead spinning to face Richie with suddenly bright eyes.

"Please," She said with a wide, bright smile, "I would pay to see you get annihilated by Ben."

"Excuse me, Miss Marsh, but I pride myself on being a musical chairs master! I was unbeatable in my fifth grade class!" Placing a feign-offended hand on his chest, Richie guffawed, upturning his nose in mock disgust. Beverly was laughing now, a light and cheery sound almost like the jingling of the bell in the cafe but a little less annoying. The bell also didn't make Ben's face light up, and he didn't want to hear the bell forever.

"Probably because you were built like string cheese, Richie- No offense, of course." Beverly only laughed harder at Ben's quip, and yeah, Richie admits that it was pretty good and about 99% true.

"The best damn string cheese you've ever tasted, Haystack," Richie shot his friend a wink, lifting one foot and crushing his cigarette out on the sole of his shoe, "Now, my dearests, I must depart- nice work we did today, you two!" Richie flicked the butt away, speaking over his shoulder as he set off in the direction of home. "I'll see you both at my party!" He spins on his heel, waving Ben and Bev off with one last peace sign before continuing on into the darkness. Richie hummed a little tune to himself, a pep in his step despite his light tiredness. Oh, how he wanted to get home- the idea of cracking open a soda and sitting in front of the TV sounded pretty damn great right about now. For a Friday night the world was surprisingly quiet- the same wouldn't be said about tomorrow. Toziers were born to party. Richie's dad had thrown some ragers in his teenage days, and so had his mom- now, it was his turn to take on the family name and keep that legacy going. Other than beer he probably needed some snacks, chips or cookies or as Ben had so wonderfully suggested string cheese because who doesn't like string cheese? He made a mental note to go grocery shopping tomorrow and hoped that he didn't forget it.

Richie's apartment came into view, a pretty little six floor building made of a nice red brick. He lived on the top floor and his neighbors probably hated him for reasons that should be obvious enough but he'd yet to be kicked out which meant he still had some boundaries to push. He'd been brewing up a new party playlist for a few days now and he made yet another mental note to throw on 'Dancing Queen'. Richie's humming transformed into whistling as he pulled open the door to his building, waving to the late-night receptionist, a kind young lady who hated his guts and probably thought he was flirting with her all the time when he really didn't even swing that way.

"Good evening, m'lady," He said with a goofy, lopsided grin, earning a scowl over the top of a home-deco magazine, "Quite the swell night it is," He didn't linger long, pressing the call button for the elevator and stepping inside. He tapped '6' and waited, his spirits high, excited for tomorrow. He liked getting ready for parties. He liked the decorations he always put up, the arrangement of the snacks that he put too much thought into, and the anticipation of being the host because that always meant most eyes were on him. Up up up the elevator went, and let out a happy little ding as the doors peeled back open and he went right to his door. Richie pulled out his keys, jamming them into the doorknob and pushing the door open to reveal the space inside. "Honey, I'm home!" He called out the words, arms out at his side in a motion of grandeur. Of course, there was no response, and he kicked the door shut with his heel. Richie tossed his keys onto the little table by the door, toeing off each shoe in turn and leaving them discarded in the middle of the entryway.

"Hey there, babes," His first stop was the fish tank on the kitchen counter, packed with swimming little neon tetra and angelfish and Richie's prized bala shark he named Bella- creative, he knows- to sprinkle in some food. The little jar was just beside the aquarium, and he popped off the lid, shaking it above the open water and watching his little pals swim forth for their dinner. With his lasting grin, Richie let out a chuckle, his heart swelling at the sight of his aquatic children as he set the food back on the counter and took a step away. His own stomach let out a growl, and he realized for the first time that he hasn't eaten since after his last class, way back at 3:00. Popping open his fridge, Richie scanned it's contents- yep, he really needed to go get food tomorrow. There was next to nothing. He settled half-reluctantly on some month-old instant ramen and cooked it up with ease. Richie hadn't had instant ramen in ages, but there was a good amount of nostalgia contained within the simple dish. It had carried him through high school one plastic cup at a time, helping him fight through long nights of studying and even a nasty breakup.

The microwave let out three beeps, calling out 'Hey! I'm done, come eat me!' with each and every one. Richie ate it as he hastily cleaned up the kitchen, throwing dishes in the dishwasher and even taking the time to watch a casserole dish by hand, putting on his playlist but keeping the speakers on a low volume for the sake of his neighbors. No more than 15 minutes passed and then he was done, finally allowing himself to do what he's been anticipating all day. With a Pepsi in hand, he made the couch his home, curling up in a knitted blanket and tuning into 'Friends'. As he watched, one eye always on the TV, he snatched the black nail polish from it's spot on the coffee table and began to paint it over the chipped remnants of what was already there. At some point, after they'd dried, he ended up falling asleep on the sofa.

[dreamlover31]

Love Will Find a Way: Chapter 8

After six weeks of being placed on bed rest while at the same time, receiving the royal treatment from her soft hearted boyfriend, in which there were daily foot and back rubs, sensuous sponge baths and his long, slender fingers stimulating her inner core; Alexa was given the all clear to return to work. As soon as she walked through the door, she was welcomed by an entourage of all the staff members, as well as the people who sought help there, they all clapped and cheered at the sight of her.

At one point, some of the children came up to her and presented her with drawings they had worked on while she was in the hospital, a smile beamed across her face as she looked at the various works of art. Out of everyone that showed up, the one person she wanted to see the most was Nicole, Alexa found out through Olivia that she tried to visit her in the hospital, but the overwhelming guilt she felt caused her to flee before anyone saw her.

Alexa searched the crowd of people with a hope that she’d come back after everything that had happened, she was about to turn away towards the small table that had a large cake on top of it that read ‘Welcome Back Alexa’ when she heard a small voice:

“Alexa”

As she slowly turned towards the sound, her eyes went wide at the person that stood before her.

“Nicole…”

The two women stared at each other as if they were old friends who had not seen one another in a long time, Alexa stepped forward and placed both of her hands on Nicole’s shoulder, fearing that she might tear off and run away again. Instead, Nicole leapt forward towards Alexa and wrapped her arms around her, Alexa gently soothed her back as she began to cry.

“I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault”

“No it’s not, don’t you ever think that”

“If I hadn’t left him then none of this would have happened”

Alexa slowly released Nicole from her embrace then cupped her face as she looked straight into her eyes and said:

“If you had stayed with that…monster, then you would be dead…listen to me, no one blames you for what happened to me or to Edwin, this is all on him and he can’t hurt you anymore. You’re finally free.”

Nicole nodded as she wiped the tears streaming down her face, then came another round of applause from everyone in the crowd, this time to celebrate Nicole for surviving such a horrific ordeal and to making peace with Alexa. The day of celebration continued with the consumption of the delicious chocolate decadence cake that was Alexa’s favorite and the cool refreshing taste of fruit punch, she watched with joy as the children played various games such as duck, duck, goose and pin the tail on the donkey while the adults danced hilariously badly to one of Katy Perry’s old songs being played on the radio. She was even more thrilled to see Nicole laughing and socializing with the other women, this was the beginning of a new chapter in her life and Alexa was proud to have played a part in it.

As the party was winding down, Alexa could see that the day’s activities were taking its toll on the children, so she suggested that the mothers take them back to their rooms to let them sleep, she watched as one by one the small bodies were being carried off; she would give a small wave to the ones that had their eyes open for a little bit. After most of the people had left, Alexa started to clean up some of the mess that was left behind until she felt a hand on her shoulder, when she looked behind her, she saw that it was Gladys.

“Hey don’t worry about that, I’ve got this”

“No it’s ok, I don’t mind the work”

“Lex, you’re the guest of honor and it’s considered rude to have them clean up afterward”

“Alright…I’ll just head into my office and catch up on some paperwork”

“Honey, you’ve been though a traumatic ordeal. You need some time away from all this, why don’t you and that boyfriend of yours get of town for a while, recharge your batteries and then you can bury yourself in your work”

“Gladys I appreciate your concern, but I’ve spent the last six weeks in bed so I’m ready to get back in the saddle”

“Lex you haven’t taken a vacation in what…four years, it’s time you focused on yourself instead of everyone else”

Alexa paused for a moment as she thought about Gladys’ suggestion, maybe she has a point, I haven’t really been taking care of myself…I’ve been so busy with making sure that everyone else’s needs were taken care of that I really haven’t considered my own.

“Alright, I’ll do it”

“Oh great, I thought I was going to have to deadbolt the locks on every door just to keep you out”

The two women laughed whole heartedly as Alexa pulled out her cell phone from her purse, she scrolled through her list of contacts and found Rafael’s number, she typed away at her keypad as she relayed a text message telling him to come over to her place for dinner tonight; that she had something important to tell him. As soon as the message was sent, she looked up at Gladys who gazed at her with a smirk; Alexa returned with a grin of her own.

“So not that you’ve got me out of here for a while, you have any suggestions as to where I should go on my vacation”

“My cousin has a house on the beach in the Rockaways, she and her husband are out of town visiting relatives so you can stay there and enjoy the scenery”

“And they’re going to be ok with two strangers in their house”

“They know you but it might take a little sweet talking with regards to your boyfriend. Anyway, I’ll call and make the arrangements and I’ll drop the key off at your place when everything’s sorted out”

“Alright, thanks Gladys”

They embraced themselves in a hug as Alexa wrapped up a little to go plate for her and Rafael, she waved good bye to Gladys as she headed out the door. When she arrived back at her apartment, she could see that Rafael wasn’t home yet, she checked her phone earlier but had not received a response to her text. She pulled off her jacket and hung it on the coat rack and then sat her purse on the couch as she made her way towards the bedroom, she quickly changed into a pair of black leggings and a grey shirt as she walked back into the living room where she stretched out on the couch. With the remote in her hand, she began to flip through the channels as she wrapped the blanket that laid across the couch around her, it was then that she heard a beep coming from her purse.

With her phone in hand, she looked at the screen and saw that it was a text from Rafael, in his message he apologized for not getting back to her sooner and that he maybe a couple hours late coming over there. Alexa responded by telling him that it was not a problem for her and that she understood, she also told him that she was going to have dinner ready for him when he got there. After the message was sent, Alexa lifted herself off from the couch and made her way into the kitchen where she took out the necessary tools and ingredients she needed for the meal she was preparing.

Several hours passed after she had sent Rafael that text, she placed his dinner in the microwave and was now back on the couch reading a book, Alexa became deterred from the entrancing storyline by the sound of a key turning the lock to her door. She showed a small smile as she saw the person whom she had been waiting for come strolling through the door, after he put his briefcase by the coat rack, Rafael looked up and winced at Alexa. As he stood in front of her, he gave her a small peck on her forehead and then pressed his against hers.

“How was your day?”

“It was great, everyone at the shelter threw me a welcome back party”

“Oh that was nice of them”

“Yeah I’ll tell you about it, but first you should eat something, I left your dinner in the microwave”

“Thank you”

Rafael kissed her forehead again and then entered the kitchen, after re-heating his meal, he grabbed a dish towel from the counter as well as a fork and a knife then joined Alexa on the couch. Once his plate was cleared with nothing but a few crumbs in its wake, Rafael closed his eyes as he leaned backward on the couch, he felt Alexa snuggle up to him as he let out a soft sigh; the scent of her cherry blossom perfume filled his nostrils while she gently rubbed his belly.

“You worked up quite an appetite huh?”

“Well unfortunately my diet consists of nothing but caffeine”

Alexa lightly giggled as she continued to stroke his midsection and burrowed herself further into him.

“Did you have fun at the party?”

“Yeah it was a blast, the kids there drew me all kinds of pictures…one of them was of me wearing a cape and punching out a bad guy”

Rafael smirked as his thumb gently circled Alexa’s upper left arm.

“But that wasn’t the best part…the best part was seeing Nicole there, she felt so guilty about what happened that she was afraid to visit me in the hospital, she thought that I’d blame her or that everyone else would”

��But it wasn’t her fault”

“I know and that’s what I told her…I’ll tell you Rafi just seeing her smile and laugh and enjoy herself just makes me even more determined to continue my work there”

“I know and that’s what I love about you…so what was it that you wanted to tell me”

“Oh Gladys insisted I take some time off to get my mind right before I officially return to work”

“I think that’s a great idea”

“Yeah I think so too, so she’s going to talk to her cousin and her husband to see if we can use their house in the Rockaways while they’re away, unless you already have other plans”

“I think I can clear my schedule for a weekend getaway with you”

Alexa looked up at Rafael and the two of them shared matching smiles before pressing their lips against each other to signify the level of happiness they shared at the thought of going away together; no court dates, no jilted partners, no worries.

Tagging: @madpanda75 @laceybellerain @tropes-and-tales @teamsladsandgents @thatesqcrush @southern-magnolia @madamsnape921 @karens-imagined-world @beccabarba @itsjustmyfantasyroom @glimmerglittergirl

[kairi-chan]

Hi! I hope you are having a great day. How about Loid and Anya planning a surprise for Yor on her birthday, with Loid buying Yor a real wedding/engagement ring to replace the grenade pin which she has been keeping up to this day? Thank you! 😍

Title: Small Space 

Genre: Family/Romance/Humor/Feel Good Feels 

Rating: G 

... 

“Here ya go, Twilight.” Frankie placed a small, velvet black box in his gloved hand. “One engagement ring. I sure hope she says yes.” He snickered. 

Loid did not find his friend’s joke funny in the slightest. He and Yor were fake married for a few months now, and things have been going quite well between the two of them. He had never really gotten her a proper engagement ring since his proposal was spontaneous and explosive. Literally. He opened the box and looked at the brilliant diamond that sat in the middle, flanked by two smaller rubies. 

“Not really the traditional kind, if I do say so myself.” Frankie shrugged. “Oh, and here, you can have this. It came with the ring.” 

The spy’s brow quirked up and saw it was a silver necklace chain inside a small ziplock bag. “It came with the ring?” 

“Yeah, apparently some ladies like to wear it like a necklace.” 

“Huh. Thanks.” Loid placed both items in his pocket and went on his way. Yor’s birthday was coming up soon, and the ring seemed like a good choice.

One time he picked Yor up from the office, he overheard her colleagues whispering about. It seemed they did not believe that she had been married since she had no ring, and always said she had no time to date. Things were a little complicated on that front. Even their neighbors were a little nosy about it. Loid thought that a wedding ring was enough, but it turns out it wasn’t. 

He walked back to their apartment thinking of something he could do for Yor. Taking her out on a date would be nice, but he thought it would be better if Anya went with them. It wouldn’t appear normal for them to leave their daughter on her mother’s birthday. A party would be good, and it would convince Yor’s colleagues and their neighbors a little more. 

The door opened before he could even open it, and he came face to face with Yor. Anya was holding on to her hand, and they both looked ready to head out. “Oh, Loid!” Yor smiled. “We were just heading out.” 

An easy smile grew on his lips. “Yes, I can see that. Where to?” 

“Ah, I forgot to get some groceries for dinner. I wasn’t sure what time you would be home, so I was going to bring Anya with me.” 

“Pa’s home!” Anya cheered. “Come!”

“Sure. Actually, why don’t we have dinner out tonight.” 

Yor touched her lower lip. “Are you sure? I can cook something fast for us when we get back.” 

“Yes, I’m sure,” Loid replied. Anya raised her arm towards him and made grabby hands. He sighed and picked Anya up. The little girl happily clung on to his shirt. 

Their dinner plans were ruined since Anya had fallen asleep before they even reached the restaurant. His wife did most of the shopping, with Loid just carrying Anya. It was a little annoying, if she was tired, she should have stayed at home. But the cooing and praises of looking like a lovely young family that they got was a plus, even if it was all fake. 

This whole family, even Anya’s parentage was fake. They were brought together due to their own agendas. Loid was doing it for Operation Strix, while Yor needed to be married to get her little brother and colleagues off her back. And Anya... He looked at the little girl sleeping soundly in his arm, leaning on his shoulder. She would be going back to the orphanage as soon as this was all over. 

It was convenient. That’s all it was. But there were little cracks, moments wherein the fake blurred together with the real, jarring his judgment and fooling his heart.  

The walk back to their apartment was quiet but comfortable. It had only been a few months, and perhaps a little too early to celebrate no arguments and whatnot but he and Yor actually got along well. As did she and Anya. Loid was thankful she could rely on her, too. He let Anya sleep on the couch while Yor put the groceries away. 

He then rolled his sleeves up and helped her chop up the vegetables. 

“I can take care of this, Loid. You can go rest while I prepare dinner.” 

“It’s okay. Cooking isn’t a bother.” He smiled. “And besides, I wanted to talk to you.” 

“What about?” She asked, putting the meat down. 

“Your birthday is coming up. Is there something you want to do? Perhaps a party?” 

“Oh, no!” Yor shook her hands in front of her. “That’s a little too much work, and I don’t really want one.” She averted her gaze. 

Is she shy? “You can leave the cooking and cleaning to me if that’s what you’re worried about.” He chuckled. 

“No, really. Maybe we can just do something, the three of us. Ah, Yuri might want to come. You can invite Frankie!” 

So a small party, then? “You don’t want your colleagues to come?” 

“Well… the last time I went to a party with them…” she trailed off. “Didn’t really go so well.” 

Understandable. 

“Okay, a small get together, then. You can leave it to me.”

.

.

. 

Loid sat on the couch, a smile on his face, as he watched the events unfold before him. Yuri was drunk and so was Frankie. Anya thought they were being silly and easily roped the two adults to play a game with her. Being a spy, Loid had seen a lot of things that were out of the ordinary and downright weird, but he could not describe how disturbed he was with the scene before him. 

Anya was on Frankie’s shoulders—normal, and totally acceptable. It got weirder when Yuri got on all fours, weeping, and Frankie got on his back. Anya was pointing towards the horizon, saying the lines she heard from her favorite Spy show. Yuri’s crying sounded more like donkey noises, which only made Loid cringe. 

“They’re having fun, aren’t they?” Yor smiled and sat down next to him, placing a cup of hot tea on the center table. 

“Too much fun, actually,” Loid muttered and turned to face her. “Sorry, Yor, this wasn’t how I wanted today to turn out.” 

“What are you talking about?” Yor looked at him. “This is more than what I could ask for.” 

“Really?” 

“Mhmm.” She nodded. “My family’s complete.” 

His eyes went wide, and he could have sworn he felt his heart skip a beat. This is was fake. This whole family was fake. But in this small space and time—as the sun was about to set and blurred the line between day and night—Loid allowed himself to forget. “I got you something.” He pulled the box out of his pocket, presented it to her, and smiled. “Happy birthday.” 

Yor took the box. Her eyes widened when she opened it and saw the ring. “Oh my! You didn’t have to!” 

“But I wanted to.” He grinned and looked over at Yuri, now lying down on the floor, as he had given up from holding Frankie and Anya up on his back. Still crying, though. Loid turned his gaze back to her and noticed that she was spinning the grenade pin around her ring finger. “Here, let me.” 

Yor’s cheeks flushed, as he slipped her wedding ring off, and then the grenade pin. Loid then slipped the new engagement ring on her finger, admiring it for a second, quite proud that it fit perfectly, before slipping her wedding ring back on. 

“Oh, Loid.” Yor held her hand up to look at the ring. “It’s beautiful, thank you. But umm… can I keep the other ring?” 

“This?” Loid held up the grenade pin. “Why, do you want to keep it?” 

“Yes, of course I do.” Yor smiled. “It’s the ring you used to propose to me.”  

The way she was smiling so warmly and sincerely made his skip again and Loid was convinced he might need to see a physician about it. He recovered quickly, though. “Then you can use this.” He pulled out the silver chain from his pocket and slipped the pin inside. “May I?” 

Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red, but she shifted on the couch to turn her back towards him. Loid carefully put the chain around her neck, his fingers brushing her nape as he locked it in place. Yor turned to face him again, her left hand coming to touch her chest, giving Loid a good view of her necklace and new ring. 

“Thank you, Loid.” Yor smiled at him. “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had.” 

Loid didn’t even get the chance to reply, as Anya had launched herself at them, wanting to play some more. Yor was happy to pick Anya up and tickle her, making her shriek and laugh. He shook his head, but stood up and followed his wife and daughter. 

Perhaps for today, in this small space and time, Loid would enjoy what it meant to have a family.   

...

A/N: Just a quick fic before I go to sleep. Thank you for sending the prompt, darling! I have received a bunch, and a lot of them have the Damian being jealous and Loid being an overprotective father! Teehee. I’ve got some ideas, but feel free to send in more prompts! <3 

If you like what I write, please do check out my profile for the link to my master post, twitter, Ao3, FFnet, and Ko-Fi. 

[justasparkwritings]

Merry & Bright {5}: Pretend That We’re There

Previous: Baby, Please

Pairing: Jung Hoseok x Reader

Genre: Fluff

Rating: PG13

Warnings: Swearing! Kissing!

Summary: A Christmas tree farm with your love is the perfect way to spend a December evening. 

         Christmas lights are strung across exposed wooden beams. Icicles pinned to the peaks of the exterior, shimmering off the naturally reflective snow. The snow, freshly fallen, is still pristine, unblemished by the people who have just walked through the front doors of the Christmas Tree Farm. The air, ripe with pine and mulled wine and hot apple cider sweeps through the space, engulfing everyone in a sugar-coated induced holiday coma.

          Ho-Seok holds your hand, the warmth from his enrapturing yours. You feel his thumb making circles against the back of your hand, and glancing at him, you can’t help but smile. His eyes are wide, too wide, as if the larger his eyes are the more exposure he has, resulting in capturing the best memories. His mouth is mimicking his eyes, jaw slacked as he takes in the festive decorations and bustle of strangers, all smiling and happy as they engage in their own Christmas traditions. The music is soft, some version of What Christmas Means to Me, and Ho-Seok bobs his head to the beat.

          “Whoa,” He says, stopping in the middle of the space to fully take it in. “This is, incredible.”

          He moves slowly, eyes sweeping over the vendors selling mulled wine and apple cider, the stands of ornaments and Christmas trinkets, the signs pointing towards the animals and Christmas trees. The smells overwhelming his senses as he tries to locate the booth of fresh cookies and sweets.

          “Whoa,” He repeats.

          “Where should we start?” You ask.

          “Animals?” He suggests.

          “Perfect,” You can’t stop smiling, his joy radiating against yours.

          You walk through the venue, making your way quickly to the reindeer, glancing at the sign pointing you towards the full stable of nativity animals. They have a donkey, sheep, a camel, everything that would’ve welcomed the baby Jesus into the world. Squealing as you notice a baby reindeer, Ho-Seok takes a photo as you giddily pay the few dollars for a couple of carrots to feed them.

           “Do you think reindeer are better than people?” You whisper to the reindeer, all gathered to nibble the carrots you are offering. “We’re not all bad, especially him,” You jerk your head towards Ho-Seok, who is busy snapping pictures of you. “He’s pretty fucking great.”

           “Y/N! Don’t swear at the animals!” Ho-Seok scolds, slipping his hand into his pocket.

           “It was a compliment,” You wink.

           “I wonder if they’ll paint one of their noses red,” He asks, taking a carrot from you.

           “Maybe, I wonder if they have the full line up,” You say.

           “Dasher and Dancer and Donner and Blitzen!” He says full conviction in his voice.

           “Do you really know them all?” You ask, amazed he’d retained that tidbit.

           “No, they’re on that sign!” Ho-Seok guffaws.

           “You’re the worst!” You say lightly hitting him.

           “Let’s go see them, maybe someone will take our photo!” Ho-Seok pulls you along to explore the rest of the stables.

           Together you are in awe of the nativity scene, real people seated amongst the animals, a reader telling the story of the birth of Jesus. As you wander past it, you notice an arrow pointing towards Santa, and another reader is flawlessly reciting Twas the Night Before Christmas. Children and their willing parents are lined up to take a picture with Santa, his elves passing out candy canes to waiting children.

           “Did you ever take Santa photos?” HO-Seok asks.

           “No, absolutely not!” You respond, eyes wide.

           “Never?”

           “I think they tried one year with my sister, and never with me,”

           “She ruined it?” He inquires.

           “No, it’s just, weird. That’s not even,” You lower your voice, “The real Santa.”

           “Y/N, are you telling me you still believe?” He asks, shocked.

           “I’m saying that some of these kids don’t know that these Santas aren’t real, they work for Santa and do his work around the world while he’s busy planning the route and checking his list, twice,” Your voice doesn’t waver, causing Ho-Seok to wonder if you truly believe this. Your eyes are just wide enough, innocence fresh as you explain the innerworkings of Santa Claus.

           “Oh, makes sense,” He says nodding. He loved your nonsense stories, your traditions or quirks that made him scratch his head. He didn’t know people like you existed, people who still believed in the magic of the holiday season.

           “Are you thirsty?” You ask, guiding him back towards the main barn.

           “Mm, yes, and hungry,” He says.

           “I’ll get the cider; you get the cookies?”

           “Meet in the middle?” He offers. You nod, kiss him quickly and maneuver through the crowds to the vendor selling hot apple cider. You opt for the traditional beverage, though the temptation for a spiked cider is very appealing. Slowly you make your way through the extra stalls, looking at the gifts and the joy on everyone’s face. This is Christmas, the magic of giving and receiving, the bliss of spending time with family. It was all you wanted, wandering a Christmas Tree farm with someone you love, sipping cider, nibbling cookies, trying not to sing to the carols and songs playing.

           You circle through and find yourself in the middle, where Ho-Seok stood, still staring in awe at the Christmas bazaar. You exchanged your items, a cider for him, a sugar cookie for you, and began to walk through the stalls.

           “We should get something,” He suggests.

           “Like what?” You ask.

           “Something special, to commemorate this trip,”

           “Hmm, something to take out every year?” You clarify.

           “Yes, like an ornament,” He says.

           You agree, knowing full well he will never be able to decide, the temptation to buy them all and trying to find the most perfect one will overwhelm him, and he’ll leave empty handed.

           In true fashion, thirty minutes later, all stalls visited twice, drinks and cookies gone, Ho-Seok stands empty handed.

           “I don’t know why this is so hard,” He’s frustrated.

           “Babe, you knew this was going to happen,” You say softly, lips moving swiftly to kiss his.

           “I wanted to just, find something special.”

           “Maybe you’re looking too hard,” You shrug, hands moving from his shoulders to capture his hands in yours.

           “Maybe,” He says, still pouting.

           “Do you want to dance before we go?” You suggest, eyebrows wagging.

           “Dance?” He questions, no one was dancing around you, no couples were swaying to the tunes from overhead, no one holding their loved one close, absentmindedly stepping in time to the beat.

           “Yeah, listen,” You say, closing your eyes.

          Ho-Seok copies you, and faintly he hears a favorite, I’ll Be Home for Christmas. With your hands, still in his, you pull him closer to a corner speaker. He lets go first, only to place his hands on your hips, pulling you to him. Your hands around his neck, you sway, both singing lightly to the song. Your love, much like a bow on a present, ties you together. The joy of a Christmas spent together, enjoying the festivities brings out the adoration you have for one another. Even when he’s frustrated, even when you’re hopped up on sugar, like the star in the sky, you always find your way to each other.

           Two days later, a fire raging, Ho-Seok sits next to you on the couch, an arm lightly tossed behind you, drawing you into his side.

           “This is for you,” You say, untangling yourself from him and hand him a wrapped box.

           He smiles, beams, as he carefully slips off the immaculate ribbon and tears the paper. He’s careful with the weight, it’s heavy, which confuses him based on the boxes size. He looks at you, confused.

           “What is this?” He asks, opening the box and removing the tissue paper. Carefully he takes out the bulbous snow globe. His eyes are wide, words ceasing to flow from his lips. “When did you, how did you?”

           “You went to take a picture of something, right before we left, and I picked it up,” You shrug. “Do you like it?”

           “I love it,” He says, shaking the snow globe lightly, the glitter and snow swirling around the Christmas trees, mimicking the farm you’d spent an evening at just a day or two ago. On the placard at the base of the globe reads “May every wish come true”.

           “It’s perfect,” He says, still staring at the orb.

           “When you’re alone, you can shake it and be transported back here, to our time together,” You say, leaning forward to rest a cheek on his shoulder. His mind is still absorbed in the gift, the love you have for him… the love he has for you, a marvel.

           “When I’m feeling alone, I’ll have you to remind me of home,” Ho-Seok whispers to the snow globe.

           “Merry Christmas, baby.” You say, pressing a soft kiss on his cheek.

Next: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

[anteroom-of-death]

Life, for Dummies p1

a/n: plz love me and go easy. i haven’t written anything since dodos were alive....

You were new to the “fam”. The Doctor picked you up randomly like a stray. Not that you minded most days. It felt like transfering to a school in March: the middle of the semester. And much like high school, friends groups were already formed. Hell, you couldn’t believe that Yaz and the Doc weren’t slamming each other against the walls and making out running down corridors and such. 

Graham especially treated you well. Like a pottering but wicked smart granddad. Ryan too, you could bond over basketball and other fun stuff. But still. A second out of step. Any time you had these thoughts, you shoved it down and cursed not totally growing out of your middle school “I’m not like other girls!” mindset. Which, what the fuck? You were a grown ass woman. 

“Y/N?” the Doctor said waving a hand in front of you, snapping you from your reverie as you came to the present. You are on Gallifrey and there’s some psycho of the week- named the Master looking ferally at you all like he was planning what bathtub you’d wake up in with a kidney missing. You totally zoned out. The Wii Mii music might as well be what plays when you enter a room. 

Shaking yourself you tried to size up the current threat. So- this is where the Doctor’s from? No bad considering it looked like a mix between Dresden after the bombing and Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It had lots of open fields. Big skies. Plenty of sunlight from two burning suns so no “When the street lights kick on, you come back in!” The image of a tiny little blonde baby-Doc bobbing around chasing space fireflies was cute. 

Damn reveries. 

“Be afraid Doctor!” He said five minutes earlier. 

How could anyone be afraid of that. Sure when swapping past stories they told you he was crazy and killed people. The grunting he made coming through the portal was not something fearful. They were oddly sexual. The Doctor’s greatest enemy? Was right before you?

“I should have had more coffee!” You whined under your breath. Honestly. All this running, you didn’t know if you needed to mainline Folger’s or get one of those dorky water packs suburban white dads had for hiking.

This fucker grinned at that. “You’re funny!” He giggled pointing at you. Figures he had like, super sonic hearing. “You didn’t tell me you had funny little humans with you this time!” 

“Hilarious dude! Can you even reach the shelves in the grocery store?” It was a pithy attempt at humor. The man had no right calling humans small. 

He laughed and looked like he was debating killing you. He gave a resounding twirlin’ and then went onto monologue as if he were written by Joss Wheden. Mainly at the Doctor. But he kept glancing over at you. Yaz and Ryan were obviously acting on primal instinct of figuring how to take the Master down and Graham looked half bored. They’d met him before. Graham looked like he was just waiting for it to be done. Graham was chill. Reliable. He didn’t fly off the handle as much as the rest of you all. He was older. He was one margarita away from becoming a Parrothead. You liked that. 

The Master’s glances felt disarming. Like he’d already seen you without your clothing. Not that it felt like a bad thing. He wasn’t unattractive as far as aliens went. Actually, kind of hot. The kind of hot you’d go for if it wasn’t for the fact he was massively evil, tried to kill all humans, and is currently being a bastard to your close friends. Something unique about his clapping. You did that when you were over excited. 

He was dashing. 

His eyes were large and just drew you in, mentally you knew every time he glanced over. Like he wanted to let you know it was for you and you alone. And he was fit, still soft. Something about the soft jaw, slight roundness to thighs and slight slouch of the tummy. The swagger and toothy grins? His skin looked soft and nice too. Crazy fashion sense. Maybe the inability to dress yourself was a Time Lord thing? 

G-d, those lips, so round and full and a nice color. You shoved a thought about, other parts being that color away. Were you really here, having a team huddle, imagining the evil bad man’s cock? Desperation, party of one. You hadn’t been laid in a long time, but really?

“Y/N!” Yaz asked as you looked over and the Master smirked directly at you, like he knew you were trying to picture his cock at that moment. “What do you think?”

You groaned, “I don’t know!” your voice peaked a hoarse few octaves. The Master had you wrapped around his finger and he didn’t even touch you. 

“He seems mega powerful.” You throw your hands out to exaggerate. He turned and pointed you out, “You have no idea what powers I have.”

“Man, shut the fuck up, or I’m gunna hit you.” You said plainly. Your eyes rolled back into your skull. You were suddenly your normal self again. He was just some dude, like any you’d see on the streets trying to undermine your confidence or get you to give him the time of day.

“No you won’t.” And he was right. 

So you all just followed the lead of your fearless leader, the Doctor…

_________________________3 Weeks Later __________________________

You were back home. It was Corona Time. And definitely not the fun kind. You were worried absolutely sick. Was the Doctor alive? What about Gallifrey? What was all of that? So many questions raced through your quarantined mind. That and a few errant daydreams about the Master taking you with what you assumed had to be a massive cock. What was that overused phrase you’d seen the internet use? Big Dick Energy? The man had got to have had a set of cojones on him for the amount.

You couldn’t shake that son of a bitch from your mind. 

He was hauntingly attractive. But evil. You were in a moral panic 24/7. You felt like those soulfully pained eyes followed you around your house all the time. 

You were trying to focus on finding work from home jobs that were legitimate. You gave up your career to run around and play 5th wheel and now you were paying. Shelter inside? More like buying lots of unneeded skincare to fill a new void in you.

You were just ready to click “apply” on Indeed when those asthmatic engine noises started pounding in your yard. Was that the Doctor? Saving you from going insane and buying the 200 plus dollars in your cart on DHC’s webstore. 

No, you didn’t see a kitschy blue box, but a stately match for your shed, but nicer. 

Who should appear? But the rat bastard himself. 

Boy, you were so screwed.

Suddenly he smiled politely and waved at you through the window. He pointed at your back door and was asking to be let in. 

Cautiously you opened the window. “Go away, Master.” 

“Is that polite to say? I’m your first visitor in weeks and you shove me-” He faux-shocked put his hand over his mouth “away?” You couldn’t tell if he was faking being insulted or for reals.

“I’d shove Timmy down a well if he killed my best friend and all her people.”

“Let me in, I just want to talk.” He opened his hand like he was caught red handed. 

You slammed the window down harder than probably recommended. You felt the slam’s noise in your jaw. He’d get the message maybe. Or maybe you’d let him in and pin his ass to the living room carpet. Choices, choices. You went back and clicked ‘place order’, your bank account app dinged and said you had less than fifty dollars left. No one was going nowhere so it didn’t matter. You finished your tea in a few gulps. You made your choice. 

Opening up the window, you shouted “Take off your jacket and place all of your weapons and your TARDIS key on the patio. Shoes too. Toss them into the Rose of Sharon.” You’d be damned if he was gonna kill you in your own house, surrounded by your own possessions, in your own damn town. 

“What’s a Rose of Sharon Y/N?” He asked, genuinely confused. “It’s the dead bush that’s claimed the entire ramp up to my patio…” Sighing you pointed at it. 

He giggled and obliged. 

Always giggling. 

He knocked as you were rooting for your sharpest whatever you could find. You opened the door and ushered him in. Almost comically, you began patting him down and weidling your weapon of choice. Excellent ass, you had to admit. Soft, yet firm. 

“Having a good feel, love?” He asked as you were admiring it. 

“Hey, you never know…” You off-brand sighed. He was nice to touch. It was addictive. 

He paced around your home, looking at the photos of you and your family. The stack of bills in boxes, your life. Like he was examining art in a museum. 

“I don’t appreciate you fondling my fruit.” You said when he’d made his way into your kitchen. 

He grinned, “Isn’t it customary for you humans to offer a beverage or a snack to guests?” 

Massaging your temples you handed him one of those nutri grain granola bars that crumble everywhere and a can of Coke. 

“Not very much, huh?” 

“There's a pandemic out there you dense motherfucker!” You shouted almost singing the words “pandemic” and “motherfucker”, throwing your arms upwards for examples.

You felt like you could swear around him. With the rest of your current social circle you felt like there was a PG-13 limit to your speech. 

“Forgive me.” He rolled his eyes. Tit for tat matching you. He leaned heavy on his seat and opened up the can and drank politely. You almost believed him

“So why are you here?” sitting down across from him cracking your finger joints and wrists out of habit. “Run out of people to piss off in space?” 

“Oh, always plenty there.” 

You snorted. 

“You seem very sure of yourself. Different from her other little pets.” He said. “Or, is it just a show…” He bore directly into your soul. “I’d believe it.” You glared at him, still holding your weapon, sure it wasn’t much. But to quote a legend “That’s my purse, I don’t know you!”

“You know what they say when you assume…” You put it out there.

“I don’t know!” He fumed on a hairpin notice. “Something about a donkey!”

“Relax, Jeeze.” You let out a nervous chuckle.

He grinned that megawatt, perfectly white smile with teeth better than most Hollywood actors. 

“You’re bored.” He observed.

“I’ve been confined in my house for three weeks.” You stated.

“What if...you weren’t.” He weighed the words out. Almost physically with his hands. G-d those hands. How soaked in blood were they? But how dexterous were they? You swatted away thoughts of how nice they’d be buried in you, “Oy, gevalt!” You said. Noticing you had been staring at his fingertips for a second too long…

“You seem distracted...Is it me? Is the Doctor’s little pet wanting to try out some real leadership?” He mocked, but there was some other little tone to it. Care? Amusement? Yearning? A combination of all four? Who knows. You didn’t.

His eyes had the most whimsical gorgeous glow, and his eyelashes had the most attractive flutter.

“Ya caught me!” You barked with all the false sarcasm you could feign. 

“Oh, I promise that I won’t blow up any planets, kick any orphans, wreck a ship carrying puppies and kittens for adoption... I’ll just show you the real way to see the stars. None of that running through corridors and fighting for your life. The way it should be seen.” He said, his nice waistcoat coated in crumbs. 

“Or are you a coward? Afraid to see the other side of the coin? Y/N.” You were inherently a little bit of a coward. He crooked a crooked grin.

You pondered and helped yourself to an apple. Hoping that he’d see your teeth and that’d be another layer of “Don’t fuck with me, Please!” Though you desperately almost craved to be fucked with at this point.

You pause and consider this, is it betrayal? To follow your instincts and go off with a literal madman instead of your new “fam” because and called you on your self-sure bullshit?

“Is she alive? Is the Doctor alive?” You pleaded. A bit of tears threatening to come up.

“Yes, of course.” He assured you. It was very comforting. He slowly grabbed at your hand. “I may not be a man of a lot of truths, but I’ll tell you this. She always somehow comes out on top. It’s frustrating.” The warmth was real in his voice and in his eyes.

You closed your eyes and willed yourself sane. But the little nagging at your core said to. Give in, give up. Go with him. 

“‘Kay.” You nodded. Suddenly sullen. “I’ll go.” The smile you gave was tired and you got up. You were almost shaking. He touched you and you came undone. This was not healthy. You’d blame the self-isolation, but deep down you knew it went deeper. Your jaw was trembling a bit. Self-preservation was gone. 

You screwed yourself up again and poked a finger on his chest. “Try anything funny that gets me killed and I’m stabbing you.” 

“No, you won’t.” This time, it was an order. An order wrapped in velvet and coated in chocolate.

You turned to go pack and he grabbed at your wrist. “No, you don't need that. I got a wardrobe department worthy of choice.” He grabbed at his shirt and brandished his look. 

“Fine.” You said. So tired, but feeling more alive than you had in years at once. 

Grabbing your hand and all his stuff out of your yard he pulled you into his TARDIS and it left. Off to the next….

[ericsonclan]

Happy Birthday, Louis!

Summary: Everybody at Ericson's Diner celebrates Louis' birthday <3

Read on A03: 

It was a fairly normal morning for Louis as he got ready to head to work. A thoughtful text from Clementine, a quirky e-card from Marlon and a brief text from Violet were the only things that distinguished this morning from all the others as being special. It was his birthday; he was 23 now. As he drove toward Ericson’s Diner, Liszt’s Transcendental Études playing in the background, he wondered if anything special would happen at work. Violet and Clementine would likely have some sort of small presents to give him and the rest of the staff would congratulate him. Maybe Omar would bake a cake that they could leave in the break room for the staff to enjoy whenever they had a moment. Then he’d probably do some sort of movie night at Violet and Prisha’s place or go out to dinner with Clementine. They were sure to have fun.

A ding came from Louis’ phone, causing him to glance over to where it lay on the passenger seat. His father had wired $500 to his bank account. It was his go-to every year at Louis’ birthday. When Louis was younger his father would give him whatever the latest trending piece of technology was. Looking back, Louis’ figured he assigned an office grunt to find an appropriate gift each year, though Louis had been too young to realize it at the time. The parties his parents threw had always been elaborate, but after their divorce things changed greatly. The parties were still thrown, but it was clear to Louis that his father simply used the festivities as an alternate venue for his business deals. Perhaps that had always been the case, but without his mother around to attend to the actual celebrations after the first few birthdays she flew out for, Louis noticed it all the more. Eventually he told his father he had no more interest in birthday parties and simply wanted to celebrate in his own way with his friends. After that the automatic money transfers began. A gift from his mother arrived at his doorstep each year, always something expensive with a trite greeting card attached to it.

Louis shook his head roughly, trying to banish the gloomier thoughts he had somehow slipped into. This day wasn’t about his parents or any lingering desire for their approval he somehow still clung to. It was about his friends, the ones who’d always stuck by his side. Growing up that had been Violet, Marlon and Mitch. Now there were so many more he held dear. With two years as the co-owner of Ericson’s Diner under his belt, Louis felt that this year finally felt like one worth celebrating.

Approaching the restaurant, Louis was surprised to see a notice taped to the front entrance door. He paused to read. It said: Today is the birthday of the founder of Ericson’s Diner, Louis Mason! Because of this, the restaurant’s hours have been changed today in order to give our staff time to celebrate. Our hours of operation will be 12 PM to 12 AM. Thank you. Who had put this up? He hadn’t been notified of any schedule change. Did that mean… was there going to be a party? Louis leaned over to try to peek through the windows, but all the blinds were still closed. It looked dark in there. It was probably just Omar and Ruby here so far, doing kitchen prep in the back. Louis tried the front door. Still locked. He was the first here to open up the front of the diner. Turning the key in the lock, Louis stepped inside and turned on the lights.

“SURPRISE!” The room literally exploded as confetti poppers went off all around the restaurant. Staff members jumped out from every hiding place imaginable: behind the bar, underneath the tables, inside the supply closet. Louis took a staggered step back in surprise, unable to believe his eyes. Every member of the staff was here, even people that didn’t have shifts that day. Who had put this all together? His eyes caught Clementine’s. She had hopped over the bar to stand in front of it, a warm, proud smile on her face. Stepping forward, she gave him a quick kiss.

“Happy birthday, Louis,”

“Clem, did you do all this?” Louis’ eyes scanned the restaurant, realizing just how much work had gone into this surprise. Every inch of Ericson’s Diner was decked out in balloons, banners, streamers and all sorts of other birthday paraphernalia. “Guys, wow… this is amazing!”

“Vi and I did most of the coordinating,” Clementine motioned to Violet who was leaning against the closet door, a subtle smirk on her face. “But everyone helped with setup. We actually did most of it last night, decorating after you went home,”

“Last night? But I didn’t head out till after midnight. How long did you guys stay up doing this?”

“Nothing’s too good for my best friend,” Marlon declared, walking forward and wrapping Louis in a tight hug. The two patted each other on the back before separating. “Had to make sure we made it the best birthday possible. You deserve it, Lou,”

Louis felt himself getting a little misty-eyed at the sentiment.

“So,” Prisha said from the back of the bar, “What do you want to start with first? Presents? Toasts? Cake?”

Willy, AJ and Tenn began bouncing with excitement atop one of the booths at the prospect of dessert first. “Cake! Cake! Cake!”

“You heard the boys!” Louis said with a chuckle, lifting a hand dramatically. “Bring on the cake!”

The decision made, Omar and Ruby hurried back to the kitchen to retrieve the cake. Instead of returning with the tin that Louis expected, Omar emerged with a giant pizza pan in his hands. He laid down his creation with a proud smile. “I decided to go in a different direction for your ‘cake’ this year. I know how much you like pizza buffets, so I thought I’d adapt a classic and make you a dessert pizza,”

“Oh my god,” Louis looked at the delicacy in awe. Chunks of cinnamon sugar covered a crust swirled in endless layers of icing. He had never seen such a massive dessert pizza pie. It looked delicious. “This is amazing!”

“Go ahead and dig in, y’all!” Ruby declared, bringing forth a pizza pan of her own. “We made plenty!”

Everyone eagerly tucked in, eating slice after slice of the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth goodness of the dessert pizzas. Ruby and Omar kept bringing more and more out, enabling no one to feel guilty as they indulged in slice after slice of the delicious pizza. Louis couldn’t believe how good it was: warm and gooey with a depth of flavor that kept him coming back for more. Before he even realized it he’d eaten four slices.

“Alright, guys!” Clementine waved her arms to get everyone’s attention. “Before we all get too stuffed to do anything else, let’s move on to the games. First off, the piñata!”

“Piñata?” Louis asked in surprise.

Mitch and Prisha shared a look. Reaching below the counter, Prisha lifted up the piñata, clearly already chockfull of candy. “Mitch and I made it out of papier-mâché ourselves so if you spot any white flecks in our hair, that’s flour,”

Louis squinted at the piñata. It was a pale yellow with green spackled all across it. “Wait a minute. Is that-”

“A cantaloupe,” Mitch interrupted, a mischievous grin on his face. “Figured there’s nothing you’d enjoy smashing to oblivion more,”

“That’s brilliant. Let’s do this!”

Once the piñata was set up in the middle of the room, Louis was given the honor of whacking it first. Having been blindfolded and spun around three times, he wandered in confusion for a moment, guided back by the cheered encouragement of his friends to give the cantaloupe a mighty hit. It didn’t break yet though. Prisha and Mitch had put plenty of layers onto the piñata to ensure everyone got a turn. The results of people’s swings varied. Clementine seemed unfazed by the spinning, making a beeline to the piñata that had some doubting the blindfold’s efficacy. Violet on the other hand ended up whacking Mitch in the gut with the bat, an action she swore was an innocent mistake. When the piñata finally cracked thanks to a particularly hard hit from Minnie, everyone rushed forward to grab as much candy as possible, stuffing their pockets and faces with as much as they could hold.

Clem and Violet had planned tons of party games. Musical Chairs came next, a heated match that saw Louis and Aasim vying for the final spot. In the end Louis fell just short of the final chair, sitting on Aasim’s lap instead to everyone’s amusement. Sophie and Tenn had drawn their own version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, titled instead Pin the Louis on the Piano. The blindfold came back out and everyone was about as successful with it as they’d been with the piñata. Willy ended up totally lost, pinning the doodle of Louis to Marlon’s leg instead. In the end Prisha got the closest with mini Louis sitting almost perfectly atop the piano bench. Pass the Parcel was next on the agenda. Marlon and Aasim had worked on this one together, wrapping the package in countless layers of newspaper. As each layer was unfolded and mini prizes discovered, it was obvious who had done each layer. Aasim’s were tidy and refined while Marlon’s looked like he’d mashed the newspaper around till it fit. Either way the system worked. Brody was the final winner, opening the box at the center of the parcel which contained the grand prize: two movie tickets. She was flustered and ecstatic at the fact that she’d actually won.

The games all wrapped up, it was time for the presents, or rather, the present. Louis was dying of curiosity as the giant box was placed before him, decorated in cheery birthday wrapping paper and a myriad of ribbons. Clementine explained that the entire staff had chipped in for this gift: something they all hoped he would love. It took a pair of scissors and some elbow grease to fully open and unbox what was inside.

Once the gift was fully uncovered, Louis couldn’t believe his eyes. It was a miniature piano, fully functional and just as detailed as his grand piano at home. It was just like the piano that Schroeder played the Peanuts theme song too in the comics. Louis hadn’t even known such a thing really existed. Placing the piano on the ground, he sat crisscross before it and began to improv the Peanuts tune. Everybody applauded, as excited as he was to see the piano in use.

This time Louis wasn’t just misty-eyed. Actual tears were coming out. Brody ran into the back office to get him some tissues. After Louis had dried his eyes, he turned to his staff, feeling practically speechless. He still sat before the piano as all of them stood round him, their eyes bright and happy at witnessing his joy. “Wow, guys… this is more than I ever could have imagined. The decorations, the pizza, the games, you guys bought me a piano for crying out loud!” Louis wrapped his arms around the instrument in a hug, rocking back and forth giddily for a moment before setting it back down. “Seriously, I couldn’t ask for a better staff. You guys are the thing that makes Ericson’s Diner so great. I’m so thankful for each and every one of you. Here’s to another year of great memories,”

“Hear, hear!” Marlon exclaimed, stepping forward and placing a hand on Louis’ shoulder. “Let’s have three cheers for Louis! Hip hip!”

“Hooray!”

“Hip hip!”

“Hooray!

“Hip hip!”

“HOORAY!” The room burst into cheers, everyone applauding excitedly. It took a few minutes before things calmed down enough for Aasim to take the floor.

“Alright, everybody, that was a great party, but now it’s time to clean up! We’ve got one hour till we open. Let’s get to work!”

Everyone scattered, moving to take down decorations and prep for the opening. Louis was about to pitch in when he felt a hand tugging his shoulder. He turned to see Clementine smiling at him. “I have a gift for you of my own,” She held out her present. Louis quickly unwrapped it. He felt his heart leap as he saw what lay inside. It was a picture frame, piano themed with detailed keys and musical notes running all along the edges. Truly beautiful. The accompanying picture was one of him and Clementine at the diner. It was one Louis didn’t recognize. The two of them were talking beside the door that led to the kitchen. Both of them were smiling, seemingly unaware that a photo was being taken.

“Brody took that,” Clementine explained. “It was taken on her phone and in secret so that’s why it’s a bit blurry. It was actually before we started dating, back when we were both sweet on each other but didn’t realize. She showed it to me once to prove that I was lying to myself if I thought you didn’t feel the same way. I figured it was a picture that deserved to be framed,”

“Definitely. Clem…” Louis felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest as he looked at his girlfriend. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have you by my side,” “The feeling’s mutual,” Clementine grinned before going up on her tiptoes for a kiss. Louis could still taste the sugar on her lips from the dessert pizzas. They pulled apart slowly, savoring the moment. Clementine rocked back onto the balls of her feet happily. “Marlon had to run make a delivery, but he told me to let you know that his gift to you is gonna be a paintball day so we all have that to look forward to. Violet has a gift for you too. I think she’s waiting in the break room,”

“Alright,” Louis took Clementine’s hand in his, squeezing it softly. “I love you,”

“Love you too,” They met for another kiss before Clementine playfully pushed him back. “Now go! You don’t want to keep Violet waiting,”

“Alright, alright!” Louis hurried over to the break room.

He found Violet inside, standing beside the table. A large scrapbook lay atop it. “Sorry I forgot to wrap it,” Violet said, motioning toward the scrapbook. “I got all caught up in organizing the party and shit and by the time I remembered it was too late to go buy any wrapping paper,”

“That’s fine. Should I?” Louis motioned toward a nearby chair.

“Yeah, go ahead. Sit down and read it. Not all of it, but… you get what I mean,” Violet grabbed her arm self-consciously, looking away. Louis sat down and opened up the scrapbook. On the first page was a letter dated 2004. It was one he had written to Violet.

Dear Violet, I hope you’re enjoying being back home. Some days I sort of miss the school and you and Mitch. Do you have any summer plans? We should meet up! Your friend, Louis

On the following page was the letter Violet had written him in response.

Hi Louis, Home sucks. The school was better. I have no summer plans. It would be fun to hang out. - Violet

Louis remembered receiving that letter in the mail. He’d been worried that once he and Violet left the school that they’d fall completely out of touch. Sending that first letter felt like throwing a message into the void; he wasn’t sure if she’d even respond. But Violet had written back and continued to write back to each and every letter he wrote. The scrapbook’s pages were full of all the letters they’d ever sent back and forth to each other from that day onward, organized chronologically from start to finish.

“They’re copies, not the originals,” Violet explained. “I had all the ones you sent me and Clem helped me figure out where you kept the ones I sent you. I made photocopies of all of them so that way you could hold onto your letters and… I could hold onto mine,” Her voice grew soft at that last part.

“Viiiii,” Louis looked up at his best friend, his eyes watery once more. “This is beautiful. I can’t believe you did all this!”

Violet shrugged. “I just wanted to say thanks, I guess, for always sticking by me. I’m where I am today ‘cause of you. So… thanks,”

Louis couldn’t think of anything else to say. Instead he settled for enveloping Violet in a hug, wrapping his arms tightly round her despite her half-hearted protests. When Violet’s arms came round his back, he knew she was happy with the hug too. The two stood in silence for a few moments, enjoying the hug. “Thank you, Vi,” Louis whispered, “For making this the best birthday ever,” He could just make out the smallest smile upon Violet’s face at his words.

“Happy birthday, Louis,”

[holylulusworld]

Catfights and Passion

Summary: Don’t mess with a Winchester or their best friend. (For more look at the original request under the tags...)

Pairing: Dean x Reader, Sam Winchester, OFC’s

Warnings: angst, pissed reader, violence, fun, virgin reader, fighting, smut, unprotected sex, fingering, sex in a shower, hard sex during first time as requested

In the hunter’s world, there is an unwritten law – don’t mess with a Winchester or you. Most of the hunters are smart enough to not piss you off - some are dumb enough to try…

One of the two hunters you are working with seems to belong to the stupider generation of hunters. Not getting the hints Dean, Sam and even her partner gave her she keeps on ‘poking the bear’. So far you remained silent, kept your cool, knowing she wants to provoke you.

“I bet she ain’t that good in fighting one on one,” Marcia mutters glancing at you talking to her partner in the bar, nipping at your drink. He’s telling you about his latest hunt while you try to ignore Marcia’s attitude once again.

Since you and the boys agreed to join her and Stephan on their hunt to make sure all of you get out alive she tries to get under your skin.

“Little girls shouldn’t play with big guys like the Winchesters.” She snickers. “Or maybe they like to play with kids? Is it that?” Your hands ball into fists and you take deep breaths. You promised yourself to not let her get to you.

“Did you swallow your tongue, kiddo?” She mirrors Dean’s nickname for you, and you turn around, furious.

“Last warning, you won’t get another one.” You say through gritted teeth. “Shut your cakehole.”

“Whoa, Sweetheart,” Dean says shoving you behind his back, shielding Marcia from your attack.

“Y/N calm down. She’s not worth a fight. Let’s have a drink with Stephan and celebrate a successful hunt. No one got hurt.” Sam says and you nod, taking deep breaths to relax.

“Awe, does the little girl need protection? Do you need the Winchesters to protect you from getting your ass beaten?” Marcia coos and Dean shakes his head.

“If I were you I would stop right now, or I’ll let Y/N pass. I’m not protecting Y/N, I try to protect you.” Dean says voice low and dangerous now.

“Marcia, stop right now. They helped us out and you are making fun of one of the best hunters we ever met. I know you are jealous, but this is getting ridiculous.” Stephan tries.

“Girl, leave Y/N alone,” Brad calls from the end of the bar. “She will mop the floor with you, Marcia.” He adds and the whole bar starts laughing.

Scoffing Marcia looks at Dean and then at his brother, a wide grin on her face she chuckles lightly. “I bet she is only allowed to stick around as she let you two stick your dicks into her.”

Now you are getting mad, pushing Dean aside you want to storm toward the huntress, but Sam is faster. He’s grabbing her shirt, dangerously smirking at her. “You want the fire? Are you sure? Let’s get the fire then…” Sam says and Stephan steps in, shoving Sam away.

“We should stop now. Marcia…I mean it.” Stephan warns but she keeps on chuckling until your fist meets her jaw, followed by a kick meeting her shin, stomach and another blow causes her to stumble.

“Dean stop her. Y/N will listen to you, this will end badly.” Sam says watching the other hunters surrounding you and the Winchesters.

Dean is clenching his jaw watching you hit the girl once again. One of the hunters now yells someone shall stop you so the guy behind you tries to grab you, to drag you off Marcia.

“Dude, I wouldn’t…” Dean tries but you already turned around, punching the poor guy's face, splitting his lip on your way.

Sam looks at his brother, scared you might get into more trouble, but Dean already tossed you over his shoulder, slapping your ass as you try to wiggle out of his grip, cursing like a sailor.

“Chill, little Bruce Lee.” He chuckles walking toward the exit and none of the hunters tries to stop him.

While Sam goes ahead to unlock the Impala, Dean yelps and his younger brother looks at him, brows furrowed, not knowing what just happened.

“Did you fucking bite my ass, Y/N?” Dean mutters and Sam stars laughing, holding his stomach as Dean lets you down to slap your ass harshly.

Muttering you glare at Sam who is still laughing, and you are close to attacking the younger Winchester, but Dean slaps your ass once again and you glare at him, licking your lips.

----

Still angry you storm into the motel room, glaring at the elder Winchester. “I would’ve mopped the floor with that bitch.” You curse and Dean sighs.

“I know. Now shower and relax, Y/N. I think you made your position clear.”

“Fine.” Pouting you walk into the showers.

Watching you slamming the door shut Dean looks at his brother, sighing heavily.

“I was scared for a moment,” Dean admits.

“Dean, you trained her well. I bet she could’ve taken down anyone in the bar."

Dean is smirking, letting out a chuckle. “Can you imagine sex with her? I bet it would be exciting and scary at the same time. A hell of a ride.”

“Dean, Y/N is still…you know…” Sam whispers.

“I know, Bitch. She’s my girl after all. We are talking about everything. Best buddies and stuff…”

“If you want to have the ride of your life get in here.” You yell from the showers and Dean gasps, glaring at his brother.

“Out…don’t come back for at least three hours,” Dean says opening the door to shove his stunned brother out.

“Where shall I go now?” Sam mutters.

“Here…take some money, go for a walk, watch the stars…I don’t care.” Dean mutters slamming the door shut before stripping his clothes off in a hurry.

“I’m still waiting for my ride.” You mutter.

“Son of a bitch, I’m on my way but these fucking socks won’t come down…” Dean curses almost stumbling on his way to the showers, one sock still on his right foot.

----

“You sure?” Dean asks kissing down your neck as his thumb works your clit.

“Dean, we are naked. Your fingers are in my cunt and you are asking me if I’m sure…? I want this ride – now!” You state and Dean growls, moving his fingers faster as his free hand gropes your breast.

You are impatient as ever when you grab a fistful of his hair to bring him down for a needy kiss. Tongues dance against each other, fingers works your tender flesh as you pant against Dean’s lips.

“Fuck!” You curse gushing all over Dean’s fingers. A primal growl leaves his lips before he grabs a fistful of your hair, yanking it back to bare your throat to him.

His lips attack the soft skin, leaving love bites on his way as you grab his cock, stroking it till he groans against your skin, slapping his hand against the wall.

“Sweetheart you are going to make me cum this way, and I want to give you this ride for sure.” Dean rasps and you let go of him, licking your lips.

“Then get started, Winchester.” You tease and Dean pins you to the wall, hooking one leg over his waist he lines himself up to push the tip in. His eyes meet yours before he starts inching himself into you.

Dean goes slow. One hand holding your leg in place the other playing with your hair as he watches your reaction.

“Dean…shit.” You pant feeling him breaking through the thin barrier, stretching you wide.

Your hands fly to his shoulders, fingernails biting into his flesh as he starts to move. At first slowly to let you adjust to the feeling. Dean doesn’t want to hurt you, but you have other plans.

Grabbing the back of his neck you bring him down for a kiss before one hand wanders down to his butt, squeezing it and then you slap his ass, glaring at him.

“I want the ride of my life not a slow ride with a donkey.” You mutter and Dean licks his lips before he picks you up to slam you into the tile wall, your head hits a tile, breaking it on it’s way as Dean starts pounding you into the wall.

Head buried into your neck Dean nips at your skin, as he slams into you with abandon. Your arms wrap around his neck, as you hold onto him for dear life. Cries leave your lips and you swear you can feel Dean smirking against your skin.

“Not that cocky any longer…huh?” He growls against you as your walls start to tighten. You’ve got no clue how he can keep up his pace and you honestly you don’t care as the twitching of Dean’s cock tells you he enjoys this as much as you do.

He moans your name, curses as you squeeze him tightly, coming undone with a strangled cry of his name.

“Damn…Sweetheart.” Dean grunts filling you to the brim with his seed, panting.

“That was a hell of a ride for sure.” You gasp and Dean chuckles against your neck. “Can we do this again? Uh, maybe we should fight in a bar first…”

“Yes to the freaking hot sex but no to the fight.” Dean states.

“No catfights and passion?” You pout, pawing at his shoulders.

“Nope…”

“Only passion?”

“Only passion.”

“What about my birthday? Do I get a catfight for my birthday?” You try and Dean cackles.

“How about mud wrestling?” Dean asks glancing at you, hunger in his eyes.

“With you or a girl?”

“Me?”

“Hmm…but I want a real fight first. Now let’s get clean and get dirty again…”

“Count me in my wildcat…”

SPN Forever Tags

@donnaintx, @screechingartisancashbailiff, @fallen-wolf22, @sister-winchesters99, @mogaruke, @the-is13, @helloitsmeamie203,  @strayrosesbloom, @thewinchesterco, @hobby27, @kittycatlover18, @gh0stgurl, @marvelfansworld , @sandlee44, @alexoloughlinlover31, @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt, @katpatrova17, @notyourtypicalrose , @heyitscam99, @onethingthatkeepsmealive, @natura1phenomenon, @flamencodiva, @echoesofpassion, @cocklesbelli, @voltage-my2dlove, @fandom-princess-forevermore, @thenamelesschibi, @lauravic, @fandomsrourlives, @wittysunflower, @drakelover78, @lemondropirwin, @lonewolf471, @wronglanemendes, @spnhollis, @void-imaginations, @jay-and-dean​, @shatteredabby​, @juniorhuntersam​, @helpmeluci​, @neii3n​, @goodgodimaweirdperson​, @alltimesamantha​, @chonisberonica​, @supernaturalonice​ @stuckys-whore​, @shadowkat-83​, @officialmarvelwhore​, @certaindeanwinchesterforcastiel, @wecantgiggleitsafandom​, @meganywinchester​, @shikshinkwon​, @miraclesoflove​, @yolobloggers​, @guardian-tn, @lu-sullivan​, @maniacproffesor​, @hollymac79​, @straycuties9​, @kayla-2000​, @ilovefanfic86​, @gracefultrenchcoat494​, @babygirls-fav​, @sadn0va​, @spnwoman​ @amiquette​, @linki-locks11​, @geekofmanyforms​, @eggingamazinglove​, @jessica-marsh09​, @spnficgirl​, @shut-themoonscone​

If your name is crossed out Tumblr won’t let me tag you for some reason. Sorry.

Dean/Jensen Forever Tags     

@spnfamily-j2​, @supernatural-bellawinchester​, @butifulsoul125​, @lyinginthegingerlocks​, @deans-baby-momma​, @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester​, @20gayneen​, @janicho88​, @thefaithfulwriter​, @dreaminemz​, @negans-lucille-tblr​, @sadwaywardkid​, @akshi8278​, @hhiggs​, @midnightsilver16830​, @mrspeacem1nusone​, @ria132love​, @caligraphee​, @the-witch-in-silence​, @multisuperfandom​, @deansgirl-1968​, @justanotherwinchester​, @jadesupernatural​, @squirrelnotsam​, @gaveherhearttotheliontattoo​, @shortwinchester​, @roonyxx​, @jason-todd-squad​

This is the original request. I hope I got everything right as it was partially hard to read/understand…sorry…

Dean x reader shot when the boys and her are working at a case with two hunters for are the time the other girl try to let reader lose patience, she’s jealous because in the hunting world they know she’s a Winchester since the boys adopted her and there’s a voice who run from hunter to hunters that dean trained she’s someone to not mess with, when they’re at the bar the girl start a fight with her provoking her, when the boys see her lose patience stand, dean take her behind him... (2) Sam tell her to calm, when the other girl see how the boys are shielding her she make fun of her how they protect her for getting her ass beaten, dean says with coldly voice that they are not protecting reader from her but her reader from her when the other hunters tell the girl to just leave them alone she say some bad thing about her fucking both brothers maybe at this reader have force to push away both dean and Sam going to the girl taking her by the neck looking her in the eyes ... (3) saying you want the fire? let’s get you the fire when they start fight (it’s a hunters bar) everyone surround them Sam tell to dean to stop her that will end bad she can’t control herself dean just lock at her fight with clenched jaw when she stand the girl (???huh?) someone yell to stop her she’s killing the girl when dean see someone try to take her behind (???huh?) tell him he wouldn’t do that buddy and before he can end the sentence dean and Sam see that se punch without problem the man too ... (4) Sam lock at dean scared but dean have already put reader on his shoulder slapping her ass when she try to escape telling her to chill, when they’re going to the impala Sam hear dean Yelp lock at him with brow furrowed dean just grows “are you fucking bite my ass y/n?” Sam star laugh so hard while dean slap her ass, back at the motel dean tell her to shower to relax when he’s alone with Sam he tell Sam he’s scared Sam watch him saying you have trained her so good ... (5)dean smirk saying it’s exited scared because sex with her it’s going to be a hell of a ride Sam let him know she’s virgin but dean already know that since they are in love best friends, reader hear them talking exit (???huh?) yelling from the shower that if dean want a ride it’s time to man up and that she would love a ride now, dean run in the shower to her yelling to Sam to go take a walk for at least three hours, hard sex coming really hard, hot sex, fluff

[korkisobsessions]

The Oath

XII. Sanctuary

All around them changed. The emerald forests disappeared and were replaced by wide golden fields.

And than they joined wide river that was lazily flowed through landscape to little valley. Water was like life. Trees were growing along river bank, strong and healthy. They saw animals hiding in the tall grass. Land here was fruitful. It was like perfect balance in nature. Mountains protecting it from north, river from south and deep woods laying on east. They were coming from grassy fields in the west.

Passing small village Nilah noticed people staring at them with distrust. Whispering and hiding children; especially boys.

“What is it?” Nilah was confused. When she saw young woman almost violently catching her son by arm and dragging him inside the house with death glare on Yeong shin.

“They know what I’m.” He bowed his head and tried not to look at villagers. “They thought I’m here to find apprentice. Parents are scared I will take their sons.”

“...to became chakho? But you are not one of them anymore.”

“It’s not that easy Nilah. It’s like that burn mark. It never disappeared.” He smiled sadly and pat donkey’s back. It looked like they are becoming friends. “And they thought that you are a demon.”

“What?” She cough and look around on suspicious stares of people around.

“They never saw someone like you. They are scared.”

They left village and follow little path over the hill.

“Did some chakho dragged you from your parents from Sumang?” she asked carefully, not to open some old wound.

Yeongshin was silent for a while, like he was looking for a right words. “No. I left willingly. My father was dead, so I left, to get money.”

“You mother must have been proud.” Nilah smiled, but her smile froze when she saw Yeongshin’s sad eyes looking to ground and clenched jaw. “I’m sorry...”

“She hated me for my decision to be a chakho. She despise them...us. I never saw her again after I left with my master. She always send my brother to forest to meet me. That was what he told me. I think that she forbade him to see me again, but he always run away.” He smiled sadly.

“Why she hated Chakhos so much that she repudiated her own son?” Nilah was so heartbroken for him. He must be just a kid when he left Sumang. It must be so hard for him to leave without mother’s blessings.

“I don’t know it for sure, but I think that Chakhos killed my father.” His words hang in the air like heavy storm clouds. Yeongshin looked calm when he said it out loud for the first time.

“What?” Nilah furrowed her brow and got down from cart to unburden the donkey. Yeongshin walked slowly next to her little lost in his thoughts. She held his hand in hers to help him.

“At first you must know, we were very poor. My whole childhood was starvation and dirt. So I think that my father was desperate and joined group of thieves. And Chakhos don’t hunt just tigers. Sometimes they hunt thieves...”

“I’m sorry...” she squeezed his palm.

He turned to her and smiled lightly. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m here with you.”

Nilah kissed his cheek and laid head on his shoulder.

Path before them disappeared in grass. They were standing near river bend. It was like paradise. Slowly floating river, forest near by and in the middle of it, little cottage like from fairytale. With field and small garden.

“Where are we?” she breath. The sign was stunning.

Yeongshin held her hand and smiled. “This is our home.”

Nilah was speechless. She thought for a moment that he was making fool of her. But he was deadly serious.

“It’s gift from your highness. When I find out that you are in prison, he wrote letter to Hanyang. Second part of letter was for ministers to gave us this place. Prince had this place to hide when he will be in danger. Almost no one knew about it. We are safe.”

Nilah stood there like statue. She can’t believe that life gave her something she was even scared to wish. When she was young girl, she always dreamed about marriage with noble wealthy lord who will be handsome and gentle, with good manners. Who will loved her like she will love him. He will take her away from her father to his castle with happy servants.

But than she was dragged to this country and she forget handsome lord. At least she knew she will live in castle.

But more she knew about world and everything that happened to her, made her realised what is true happiness.

Her true love was hard looking man, bravest warrior she ever saw. But with heart of gold. She found happiness in his eyes every time he smiled. She knew what he have been through, so every time he smiled it was like her personal victory.

And happiness was little house with him, In this paradise. It was like from her wildest dream.

“Nilah” he held her hand and lead her inside around little garden, where she knew she wanted to plant herbs. Two wooden steps cracked lightly when they remove their shoes.

There was big room with fireplace and small kitchen. In the corner was comfortable place to sit and eat. And than two smaller rooms. One of them was bedchamber and second was pantry.

“What do you think?” Yeongshin looked excited almost like little boy. “I know it’s small, it’s not much, but I can build another rooms.”

She knows that his ‘not much’ is silly. For Yeongshin this must be something like palace.

For the truth...she remember Sumang village. She was there once with Deok Sung. She remember something she can’t even called cottages. It was more tent than house. Floor was just trampled dirt and mud. Dried mud was all she remember.

He was calling this ‘not much’, because part of him still saw her like noble lady.

“It’s beautiful!” she whispered with tears in her eyes. “But I can’t!” she shook her head. “This is just too much.” She hide her face in palms. She can’t saw his disappointed face, his loose shoulders.

“I want to fight it, but I still hear Sang-Ho’s voice in my head. How my father will find us. He will let me live just few moments longer than you. But even just one second, with that idea, that you are dead because of me, will be enough.”

“Nilah stop this.” His voice was hard and almost cold. She didn’t expected him to be like this. He stood in the middle of the room and she can’t read his face. “This is not about your father.” He made few steps forward and stood before her. His eyes was hard but caring at same time. “This is about Sang-Ho poisoning your mind. He have no power here. You are free.”

He gently touch her face and pulled her into his arms. She buried face in his chest gasping for breath she don’t even know she was holding.

“He was telling such horrible things. Every time he came with new method my father will be torturing you.” She cried and held him tight.

“We are safe.” He murmured into her ear gently. His arms held her protectively.

“I’m just tired. Tired of everything.” She felt like all the suffering fell on her shoulders and she was breaking under its weight.

Yeongshin hooked his hand under her knees and lifted her up to his arms. He bring her to bedchamber and carefully laid her down on bed. She was already asleep when he whispered. “You can rest now. You are home.”

He was sick and weak. His chest was still bleeding and heavy rain was flogging his back without mercy. His body was violently shaking and he started to loose feeling in his fingers. Every time he licked his chapped lips they were colder than before. Death was breathing on his back and he knew, that if he will continue he will die soon.

His feet weakly slipped through the mud and rainwater. He hated it. It remained him home. Sometimes he thought that all his life was built from mud and dirt.

He lived in cottage from mud, his clothes were so dirty it looked like made from mud.

Mud were running in his veins and filling his mouth...suffocating him...filling his lungs. He was drowning in it.

“Come on kid, we are almost there!” Byung Chul shout at him. He almost can’t heard him through the rain. His master’s strong arms lifted him up from the ground. He didn’t even realised that he passed out and fell to the ground to pool of rainwater.

“Where are we going?” He cough and lean on his master.

“You will love that place, trust me!”

It appeared from the dark, and for a while he thought, he died already. It was the most colourful house he ever saw. Paper lanterns were shining in bright colours almost everywhere, hanging from the edge of the roof. He realised that they are in garden of the house already. Flowers were closed because of rain and because it was deep night, but he can recognised a lot of little trees and flower beds. He saw paths from little pebbles and small benches just wide enough for two people.

And he heard music, happily playing from the inside and cheerful singing of women.

“What do you think you are doing here!” came hard voice. It was woman standing on the balcony looking down on them. She was hidden from the rain under wide roof. Her hair was in tight braid with beautiful hair pin that must be worth more, than Yeongshin’s life. He was scared to looked at her, but for a blink of an eye he saw that she was beautiful, but quite older than him. She could be his mother.

“My beautiful goddess!”Byung Chull shouted and smiled.

“What you want Byung Chul? I told you last time, I don’t want to see you again!” she was obviously pissed. She must be same age like his master and was dressed in luxury silk robe.

“My beautiful flower. I need your help! Please just one night.”

“No!” she yelled uncompromisingly

But Byung Chul didn’t want to give up so easily. “Kid here was hurt, when he was saving little baby from hungry tiger. He throw himself in front of the beast to save that little orphan...”

Yeongshin cough and tasted blood on his lips. His body was loosing it’s fight.

“Oh come on! We both know this is a lie! I don’t want your apprentice to die here and scare the girls. It is not good for business.” She griped railing with her hands and for a while she looked like colourful bird.

“He will not die.”Byung Chul waved his hand like it was nothing.

“I think I will” Yeongshin whispered to only his master heard it.

“Shush you fool. You are not allowed to die.” Master patted his face to woke him up.

“He will bleed all over this place!” her voice became softer but still with disapproval.

And then, maybe five young women appeared on the porch.

“It’s Byung Chul!” “Madam Eun Jung! Let them in!” “Please madam!” “He’s got new apprentice!” they were shouting and giggling one over another.

“Girls! Back to beds! Now!” she started slapping them with her closed fan.

“Madam, please! He will die!” girls were pleading.

“He will not.” Byung Chul snapped.

“I will...” Yeongshin breathed hardly

“No, you will not...”

“Enough!” Madam Eun Jung yelled with furious face. All of them suddenly went silent. “You have tiger’s fat?”

“I do.” Old tiger hunter nod and pointed to his backpack “Kid killed two of them.”

Madam Eun Jung was silent for a while, her lips in tight line, face hard and eyes judging. “Girls help them inside! Clean them and treat their wounds.”

“You are treasure my lady!” Byung Chul blow her a kiss.

“Shut it! It’s just because I like you, you old bastard. And because he is cute.” And with that she disappeared inside the house.

Yeongshin was falling. He was swallowed by darkness and he only felt Byung Chul’s hard grip on his shoulder and lot of gentle palms holding him and lifting him up.

“Easy ladies, don’t rip him more, than he already is.”

Their whispering and mumbling was like anchor in the world of living. He was trying to stay awake, but he was loosing consciousness like snapping a finger.

He was brought inside to warm and dry room, but too much light hurts his eyes. He whimpered and someone covered his eyes with gentle small palms.

They took of his wet and bloody clothes and he heard them gasped when they saw his wounds.

“Bring some poppy milk.” There was madam Jung’s voice again.

“What...?”he mumbled weakly and tried to lift himself up.

“Easy...” Byung Chul pushed him back down. “Trust me, you will love it. It helps with the pain.” Someone lifted his head and touched his lips with cup. Liquid in it was thick and bitter. After few moments his world starts to spinning and swinging. Every sound got weird echo and voices came to him like from long distance.

“Hold him.” Madam Jung said and suddenly there were hands all over his body, pressing him into soft mattress. He never laid on something like this. His bed was always just ground or old mat. This was soft like cloud. For a few moments he forgot that he is probably dying and that he covered this expensive bed with his blood and sweat and just enjoyed this pleasurable place with cloudy bed and women around him.

“It works. He is smiling like idiot already.” Byung Chul pressed piece of fabric between his teeth. “This will hurt my friend.”

“I don’t think so.” He giggled and tried to say something, but his lips and whole face was strangely stiff.

Byung Chul laughed and it sounds like barking.

Madam Jung pressed wet cloth to his chest. He realised it wasn’t water when it starts to burn like fire. He screamed and fight because the pain unbearable. He opened his eyes no matter how it hurts and saw a lot of people. Madam was cleaning his wounds, sleeves of her expensive robe rolled up to her elbows and sharp eyes focused on his chest. She was removing old bandages that his master tangled around his chest sooner that day.

Byung Chul was prepared with needle and thread with drops of sweat on his forehead. It was the only sign of his worries.

And then there was young women around him, holding his shoulders and wiping sweat from his face, holding his hands and whispering calm words.

“You will live Yeongshin. And you will have long and happy life.” one of them whispered right to his ears and it was like warm blanket. He held it in his mind.

He was out cold when madam Jung and Byung Chul finally sew him together, girls cleaned him and tied clean bandages around his torso. They took him to bed and left him to sleep.

He sometimes woke up from feverish dreams scared to death not knowing where he is. Every time there was someone who gave him water, or poppy milk and wiped his sweaty face with wet cloth.

He still heard that woman whispering those words ‘you will have long and happy life.’ And that woman come to his bed again in the middle of the darkest part of the night. He didn’t saw her face, he just recognised her voice.

“You will lose everything, hordes of dead will cross your path but you will find your heart in burning arms of foreigner.”

He woke up in the morning and forget all of his wild dreams about woman whispering nonsenses. He knows that he must have sleep couple of day, because his body was stiff and all his muscles hurts.

It was beautiful morning, sun was shining through the open door that lead to the garden. Even though he was laid down he saw colourful flowers, blooming all around, various kinds of succulents and heard calming sound of running water. There were a few little waterfalls made from bamboo stalks. It was so beautiful and peaceful that he was scared he really died.

“You scared the shit out of me!!” came Byung’s voice. He walked into his room just in long cotton shirt. He had smile on his face and for a first time he looked in cheerful mood.

“Where are we, master?” Yeongshin tried to stood up, but his body was still too weak and every move was painful.

Byung Chul stood in the door looking to garden and when he stretched his body his shirt lifted and Yeongshin saw his naked butt. But his master didn’t care. He was happy and that was all that matter.

“This is safe heaven my friend. We are safe here.”

“Is this some infirmary?” he tried to find something that will help him to recognised this institution.

But his master just laughed and scratched his naked butt.

“No my friend, this is not infirmary. This is just ordinary whorehouse.”

“Whor...what? You are kidding?” He sat up with painful cry. “Master...places like this are too expensive. We....I don’t have money just to look at this place not to mention spending the night in here.”

He was scared that they will locked him up in prison because he was foolish enough to walk into whorehouse with empty pocket.

Master just laughed and threw him heavy pouch.

“You have a lot of money Yeongshin. Don’t forget that you killed two tigers. Your brothers skinned them and sold everything when I was taking care of your sorry ass. Fur was damaged because you killed them wrong, but it wasn’t that bad and it makes you nice pile of coins.”

Yeongshin almost faint when he felt weight of money in his palm. It was more than he every saw.

“And madam Jung loves tiger’s fat. She believes that it makes her young forever. So...don’t worry, we are good.” He laughed and almost tripped over his own foot.

“Master, you are drunk?”

“Yes, indeed.” He barked with laugher and scratched his naked butt again. “Have you ever been with woman?”

Yeongshin felt his cheeks going crimson with embarrassment. He wanted say something, so he wouldn’t look like inexperienced boy. But his master knew him better than he thought.

“Don’t worry kid. I will send you nice girl. She will get you back to your feet.”

“No...I don’t...” he stuttered suddenly scared to death. He rather faced two tigers again than woman.

“Shut your pie hole! It’s time to become a man.”

With that words Byung-Chul left. Yeongshin laid back down and released deep breath. His master will be his death.

Doors opened sooner than he expected. It was young woman with smile on her face. She was quite beautiful but she was wearing too much colours on her face. Her cheeks were too much pink and lips too red. And her clothes scared him most. Her robe was thin, almost transparent. He saw curves of her breast and hips.

“oh no...” he breath hardly, his heart hammering in his chest so strongly, she must heard it.

“Don’t be shy, I don’t bite, unless you want me to.”

And suddenly he was naked, his injuries were made it hard to defend himself, so he just laid there and waiting for the end.

“If you want to make your woman good, touch her.” She purr into his ear, when she took him inside her. He almost forget how to breathe but he laid his palms on her thighs.

“I don’t have woman.” He stutter.

“Maybe you will have, one day.” She starts moving on his lap. “She will thank me, if you touch her, here.” She grasp his palm and lead it between her legs. There was just a little bundle of flesh, between her wet folds, but when he touch it, woman on his lap was suddenly moaning differently. Honestly. Like she really enjoyed his touch.

He can’t say that it was bad. It was weirdly nice to feel warm body against his, to sink into woman, but when the warm feeling gets cold he felt weird.

It was like eating food just to stay alive, there was no pleasure in it. It was like mother’s onion soup. It filled his belly but that taste was something he don’t enjoy.

But the feeling when Byung Chul cooked soup with real meat, with herbs and vegetable. He still felt that taste even after long months. How he almost eat whole kettle.

“leave the spoon at least.” his master laughed.

And with that woman it was same. It was something that makes him good, but nothing to remember.

“How do you feel?” she smiled at him when she caught her breath.

“I...think...good. It was good.” He stretched his arm and grabbed his pouch with coins, but she laid palm on his hand and for the first time she smiled honestly.

“I don’t want your money.”

“But...I should...”he was confused like a sheep. Maybe it was still from blood lost or from his sudden lost of virginity. Maybe both.

“Few years ago, tiger killed my younger sister. If I can hump chakho to make him feel better, I will do it for free.”

She covered herself and left his room. She stopped at the door and looked at him for the last time. “It’s better with someone you love.”

He found himself sitting on a porch with rifle on his lap. He was still trying to convinced Nilah that they are safe, but he need his time to get used to it too. She was calmly sleeping, but he can´t. For the first time he realised how close he was to loose her.

And night was too cold. Since the plague, he was restless every time the temperature drops. He knew that tis place was safe. There was no infected seen in this area, but it didn’t calm him down. Like he will never be calm again. There will always be drop of doubt about their safety when they breath turn to steam. He will never enjoy first snowflake again.

He just didn’t want to lose anything. His hands were lightly shaking and he hold the rifle tighter. He just didn’t want to risk it. What if they come from the dark, running senselessly with their bloodied mouths and empty clouded eyes.

He closed his eyes violently and released deep breath.

Light touch on his shoulder bring him back from his worried thoughts. Nilah sat down on higher step, so she was siting above him.

“You should be sleeping.” He looked at her and was surprised how calm she looked. She sat closer and hug him around his back. He lean to her arms and closed his eyes.

He never felt like this. Safe and sound. She was his shield. Not real shield, but she protected him from the fear and desperation.

“We will be all right.” Nilah whispered to his ear and kissed him on his temple. “Come, and lay with me.” Her palm was warm when she lead him to bedchamber.

They laid together sharing slow kiss. His heart was beating fast and strong he felt it in his ears.

Nilah was on her side, facing him with one hand under his head and other laid on his shoulder. Even in the dark, he saw her eyes sparkling.

He touched her lips with his fingertip feeling the heat of her blood under her soft skin, then continued to her chin and her neck, kissing the place where he felt her pulse beating fast and strong. She was wearing his thin shirt and he can’t wait to see her in women’s clothes or naked. He wanted to buy her finest dress he can find so she don’t have to dress like man anymore.

Yeongshin’s hand were lightly shaking when his palm gently caress side of her breast. Nilah was always skinny woman. He remembered her figure from Hanyang like it was yesterday when he held her, injured in his arms. But today she was too skinny. He felt almost every rib under his fingers and he swore to himself, that she will never starve again.

“I will give you everything.” He whispered to her lips his personal oath. “You will never starve again. You will have beautifull dresses...”

“I don’t mind it.” Her voice was trembling when she held his shirt in her fist pulling it over his head. “I’m happy, in your simple shirt, until I’m with you.”

He carefully untied and put down all his hidden knifes. Nilah was watching him with fascination when she witnessed his unarming. He always have hidden knife in his sleeves or tied to his torso and now he was next to her complete unarmed and somehow vulnerable and it was so intimate she held her breath when he laid back next to her. His eyes, endless pits of sorrow, determination and secrets she loved, watching her carefully.

He was caressing her side, gentle curve of her hip, until his trembling hand found its way to her pants. He was scared that she will refused him, that he crossed the line where his touch is too much.

Her breath hitched when he touched her that way, the girl in madam Jung’s house told him to. He touched her like a delicate flower or fragile vase that cost more than his life. She let out light moan and slowly open her tights for him, that told him she enjoyed his touch.

His fingertip brushed against small bundle between her wet folds.

Nilah let out silent cry of pleasure. He felt her heat on his lips and in his palm.

“If I’m hurting you, please tell me...” he was still cautious, not to hurt, or scared her. But she silent him with her warm lips, her tongue slipping into his mouth and tight grasp on his wrist holding his hand against her crotch.

He keeps circling that wonderful spot that makes his beloved Nilah making sweat noises and trembling in his arms, until her body spasm and she let out gasping choked moan, the sound of purest pleasure.

His heart was beating so fast and strong he thought he will faint. That look on Nilah was something he wanted to remember forever. Her lips beautifully red and swollen, and cheeks blushed, eyes sparkling.

“You are the most beautiful thing I ever seen. He whispered to her ear and gave her just simple but sweet kiss.

She smiled and burry her face to his chest, like she was embarrassed, but he gently lifted her chin and kiss her again.

[remshakespeare]

Web of Destinies: Chapter 5

~*Chapter 5*~

Varian peered inside the banquet hall as he stood in the hallway. People from all over Corona were inside enjoying the festivities that he had planned that Lance didn’t help with. He held the strange flask close to him as he examined his surroundings. Cassandra and him would need a way out if Flynn really was a Changeling. Actually would Flynn even attack them? It would blow their cover after all…

“Varian.”

The boy let out a small scream as Cassandra frightened him. He gasped as the flask fumbled out of his hands.

“No!”

He reached down towards it. Right before it crashed to the ground, Cassandra lunged forward. She stretched her arm out before grasping the flask as it landed in her hand. The two stood there for a moment before letting out a deep breath.

“That was close,” Varian told her as she stood up.

“Too close,” Cassandra replied as she held the flask close to her. “We need to be more careful. If we lose this, we can’t prove that Flynn is a Changeling.”

“Right…”

Varian rubbed the back of his neck nervously as Cassandra strode over to the doors of the banquet hall. A deep frown crossed her features causing Varian’s stomach to churn.

“What is it?”

“...He’s not here.”

“Who?”

“Flynn!” She snapped. ”I thought I told Rapunzel to bring him!” 

Varian winced at the harshness of her tone. He took a small step away from, in fear of another outburst. Cassandra’s face fell when she saw Varian’s fearful features. She tore her gaze away from him.

“I-I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to shout at you like that...It’s just…”

She peered back into the banquet hall. “...I just want Raps to be happy...After everything she’s been through.”

Varian glanced down at the ground, bringing his hand up to rub his arm. “No I understand perfectly.” He squeezed his arm tightly. “I regret my actions from before...I hurt so many people. All I wish for is all the people I hurt to be happy.” He glanced up at the banquet hall. “Rapunzel and Eugene included…”

Cassandra smiled softly at the boy as he gazed out at the banquet hall. This was the first time they had a proper conversation since she’s been back. The fact that Varian can talk to her like this made her happy. She reached out towards him.

“Varian-”

“Cass!”

The two yelped as Rapunzel bounded over to the doors. Cassandra shoved the flask into Varian’s hands as the Queen neared them. Varian fumbled with the flask before sighing when he finally found his grip on it. Cassandra quickly shoved him behind the large door as Rapunzel stood in front of her. 

“Oh Cass everyone is so excited to see you!” Rapunzel grabbed her hands and squeezed them tightly. “Monty and Atlia baked a whole bunch of sweets! Feldspar is putting on a new play! Shorty is...Being Shorty...Oh! And you missed Ulf win pin the tail on the donkey! Even though it was all imaginary.”

Varian chuckled softly from behind the door as he listened to Rapunzel ramble on. 

“Oh, and we also had to redo your cake…”

Rapunzel lowered her gaze as she lowered their hands. “Someone-“ She glanced off to the side. “...not saying who...Ate your cake.” She looked back up at her friend. “So we just had to go with a single layered cake. I hope that’s alright with you.”

Cassandra squeezed her hands gently in reassurance. 

“It is. Thank you Raps…”

Rapunzel beamed at her before letting go of her hands. “Well come on! We’re all waiting for you!!”

Cassandra smiled as she began to follow Raps into the banquet hall. She suddenly stumbled back, as Varian yanked her back into the hallway.

“Cass, what about the Changeling?” He asked her in a hushed voice. 

Cassandra looked back at the banquet hall. Rapunzel was watching them, a quizzical look on her face as she tried to figure out what they were saying. 

“Okay new plan.”

Cassandra looked back at him and gently grabbed his hands. She held them up, but not high enough for Rapunzel to see the flask.

“You take the potion.”

“What!?”

Cassandra grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from the door. Pulling him away from Rapunzel. She whipped back to him and set her hands on his shoulders. “Listen, the plan won’t work if we’re both under the effects of the spell. Rapunzel would definitely know something is up. For now, I need you to take the potion while I convince Rapunzel, again, to let Flynn come to the party.”

Varian looked down at the flask in his hands. This wasn’t the craziest plan that he was involved in. Heck, he’s been in worse ones. So why was he so nervous? He looked back up at Cassandra though, a determined look on his face. He squeezed the flask tightly as he straightened up. 

“You can count on me.”

~*~

“Is...Everything okay?” Rapunzel asked the girl as Cassandra walked into the banquet hall.

“Oh yes! Varian just wanted to catch up before I got swallowed up by the festivities.”

“Ah right...He doesn’t really like these kinds of things.”

Cassandra perked up when she heard this.

“What do you mean?”

“Well after Varian got Quirin back, he started coming less and less to the festivals. When I asked him about it, he told me that he didn’t like these things...And that he has more important things to do.”

Cassandra frowned as she listened to Rapunzel. She knew Varian always wanted to help Corona using his alchemy, but she didn’t realize he would take it this far. She wanted to go back, and grab the boy. To force him to relax, and enjoy something else that wasn’t alchemy. But she knew she couldn’t do that. They both have a job to do, and they have no time to waste.

“Well that’s too bad,” Cassandra replied. “He’s missing out on a spectacular party.”

Rapunzel gasped as she heard Cassandra compliment her party.

“But…” Cassandra glanced at her. A large stupid smile was plastered on the Queen’s face, and her eyes seem to have lit up as she stared at her best friend. She could stare into her emerald eyes and be lost in them for hours…

But she had a promise to fulfill.

She tore her gaze away from Rapunzel. 

“I know someone else who is missing this party…”

Rapunzel tilted her head questionably as Cass rubbed her arm nervously. 

“I thought I invited everyone...Who are we missing?”

Cass braced herself as she looked back up at the girl.

“Flynn,” She replied. “I...Was hoping he would be at the party. I wanted to spend more time with him since I didn’t see him all day today.”

Rapunzel frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. 

“Cass, Eugene and Lance just took him to bed. Flynn shouldn’t be up this late anyway. He’s just a baby, he needs his rest.”

“I know! I know!” Cassandra threw her hands up in defense. “I just wanted to get to know the little guy more. After all, it’s not everyday your best friends have a child together.”

Rapunzel’s frown deepened as she pondered the thought. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the ground.

“I...Guess an hour or two would be alright…”

She looked back at Cassandra.

“But only an hour or two!” She told her, pointing her finger at her.

Cass smiled at her as she lowered her arms.

“That’s all the time I need. Why don’t we-”

“Look who’s here to party!”

The two girls turned to see Eugene walk into the room, holding baby Flynn in his arms. Maximus followed close behind, whining at the two girls who were playing on his back. Lance strolled in holding many baby toys in his arms.

“Wha-Eugene! What are you doing!?” Rapunzel cried.

“Well little Flynn here didn’t want to go to sleep,” He told her.

“So we decided-” Lance brushed up against Eugene as he raised the toys in his arms.

“To bring Flynn to the party!” He dropped all the toys onto the floor as he raised his arms outward. The girls laughed as Maximus made a low grunting sound. Rapunzel glared at Lance as the toys landed in a pile in front of them. Cass blinked as she heard a small squeak. She looked down to see the small chameleon push a toy block off of him.  

“Oh there you are Pascal.”

Rapunzel knelt down and held out her hand. The chameleon climbed onto her hand excitedly. She giggled before moving her hand towards her shoulder for Pascal to sit on. 

“Hey there little guy.”

Pascal looked up at Cass as she gently stroked his head. “I haven’t seen you for awhile…”

“He and Max are busy making their own animal guard! He’s very busy, and comes back exhausted,” Rapunzel replied.

‘An animal guard? Really? …Actually that’s not a bad idea,’ Cassandra thought as she continued to stroke Pascal. Pascal gave a quiet excited squeal as he pushed his head into her hand. 

“Does...This mean we’re off the hook?” Eugene asked as he continued to hold Flynn.

Rapunzel looked back up at her husband and glared at him. “No, you are not off the hook. Neither are you Lance.”

“Huh? What was that?”

“Lance! That’s for Cassandra!” Rapunzel shouted at the man as he ate yet another slice of cake. 

“Well you can’t just leave a perfectly good cake out like this!” He shot back.

Eugene laughed as he listened to their bickering. Cass walked over to him and held out her arms. “May I hold him?”

Eugene turned to her and smiled at her.

“Of course!”

He held out the baby to her.

“Just be careful not to drop him! After all, we don’t want you to ruin his good looks! He gets them from me after all.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes at Eugene’s comment. She looked down at the boy who was smiling up at her.

‘Creepy…’

Cassandra took a deep breath as she steadied her nerves.

‘Remember this is for Raps…’

She held out her arms to him, ready to accept whatever may happen.

‘It’s now or never.’

~*~

Varian watched from the corridor as Cass took Flynn into her arms.

“Alright...It’s now or never…”

He hid behind one of the large doors, and held up the large flask. He grasped the cork and began to pull. 

Pop. 

He grunted as he finally managed to pull the cork off. Light blue mist came from the bottle as Varian brought it up to him. He sniffed it before cringing away. 

“Urg…!” Varian groaned as he held the potion away from him. “Why does this potion smell like rotten eggs!?” He shivered as he thought of what kind of ingredients were used in this potion. Luckily he didn’t have to consume it…

He held up the potion as he tilted his head back. “Here goes…”

~*~

Varian glanced into the banquet hall. He frowned as everything stayed the same.

‘Did I take the potion right?’ He thought. His frown deepened as he glanced around the hall looking for Cass. His hands shook when he finally found her. He felt a knot in his stomach as Cass looked up at him. He gulped before hiding behind the wall once more. 

Why was he so scared? He shouldn’t have to. He had Cassandra helping him. If something went wrong, she would be there to help him. He took a deep breath, hoping it would calm his nerves. 

It didn’t.

But he didn’t have a chance at this point. He needed to know the truth no matter. He needed to know if Flynn was alright. He shoved the potion into his pocket before turning to face the hall. He took another deep breath before stepping inside. 

All eyes were trained on him as he walked his way to the group. His hands continued to shake as he made his way to the group. He was thankful that he wore gloves so no one would notice. But did they have to stare at him?

“Varian!”

He snapped out of his thoughts as Rapunzel rushed over to him. “You came!”

“Of course I did!” He replied. He managed to give her a smile causing her to beam. “I didn’t want to miss out on the cake.” He gestured towards the small cake. “...Or what’s left of it.”

“Either way this is going to be so much fun!” She grabbed his hands and held them up. 

“What should do we first? Oh I know! We should play musical chairs!”

“Why don’t we let him get some cake first?” Cassandra asked as she walked over to him. “After all, there might not be any left soon.”

Varian sucked in a breath when he saw the baby. This was the moment of truth…

“You know Rapunzel, Cass is right.” He lowered their hands before letting go of hers. 

“It’s been a looong time since I had some cake.”

He stepped to the side of Cass. She glanced at him, waiting for him to glance at the Prince. Waiting to find out that this adorable boy was in fact a Changeling…

“I mean the last time I had cake-”

Rapunzel tilted her head in confusion as Varian stepped closer to Cassandra. “-was at my party.”

‘Just one glance.’

“And even then-”

He clutched his hands as he risked a glance at the baby.

“-it didn’t...OH MY GOD!”

Everyone turned to the group as Varian jumped back in shock.

“Varian?” Rapunzel asked worriedly. She took a step forward, holding out her hand to him, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“WHAT IS THAT THING!?” Varian cried as he gestured his arms at Flynn. 

“Varian, it’s just our son,” Eugene replied as he stepped over Rapunzel. He set a hand on her shoulder reassuringly as Varian stared at them with wide crazy eyes.

“How...HOW DO YOU NOT SEE THIS THING!? THIS IS NOT YOUR SON!”

There was a collective gasp from the crowd. The two royals frowned as Varian continued to shout at them. Cassandra turned to them, and gently set Flynn onto Rapunzel’s arms. Rapunzel held Flynn close as Cass rushed over to Varian. She set a hand on his shoulder, and turned him away from the couple.

“He must have something in his eyes,” Cass told them. “After all, alchemy is dangerous work...I’ll go help him real fast.”

She proceeded to push Varian out of the banquet hall quickly. She winced as everyone stared at the two. Now she knows what it feels like to be the center of attention…

Xavier frowned as he watched the two exit the banquet hall. He stroked his beard in thought. “Hmm…”

“What was that all about?” Eugene wondered out loud.

“I...I’m not entirely sure…,” Rapunzel replied. She looked down at Flynn, a frown crossing her face. “But whatever it was…”

“I don’t think it’s anything good...”