#so yeah he was very happy with rice yesterday evening but last night he decided he had enough and refuses to eat it and also he's mad at me

[coffeeworldsasaki]

My dog is currently doing an hunger strike to fight against the great injustice of having to eat rice instead of pasta, keep him in your prayers

[kybabi]

hi love, happy new year!!! i recently stumbled across your blog and your works are gut-wrenchingly good ❤️❤️ may i request accidentally invalidating your feelings/hard work (but with a happy ending) with osamu, sakusa, and iwaizumi please 🥺❤️

invalidating their s/o’s hard work

w/ osamu, sakusa, and iwaizumi

part 1!

series masterlist here!

(a/n: ok to be completely honest i really had no idea what this prompt meant so i kind of just interpreted it in my own way? if i did this wrong please let me know LMAO

anyways.. these are all written in the timeskip!! thank you for requesting🤧)

osamu

you’d woken up feeling extra motivated today

you knew osamu would probably be tired after work and you wanted to do something nice for him

while he usually cooked for the both of you, you decided to try your own hand at it and make dinner

you spent the day going out to the grocery store and grabbing everything needed for dinner

you started preparing the food in the late afternoon, finishing just after 6:00

and then you waited for him to come home :)

you spoon the rice into smaller bowls and set them on the table aside the larger bowls and put out some utensils. the food looks amazing, and you’re proud of yourself for being so productive today!

when you hear the door open, you run over to greet your boyfriend, who’s come home from work. he nods at you and sets down his things.

“so,” you start. “how was work?”

he just shrugs at that, awfully quiet. his head is bowed, and you sense that he’s in a bad mood.

“that great, huh?” you sigh. “well, i made dinner for us! maybe that’ll make you feel better?”

“already ate,” he mumbles, irritation from his day leaking into his tone. you deflate.

“oh,” you respond quietly, fidgeting awkwardly. “well, i spent the entire day making it, so maybe—”

“i had a really long day, okay? i’m just gonna go straight to bed,” he scoffs, leaving you behind in the doorway.

“but i—”

“just pack it up or something,” he calls, and you hear the door shut from the living room. you exhale, disappointed and a little hurt.

you walk around to your side of the table, sitting down in your seat, and begin to eat, alone.

osamu heads straight home the next day, hoping you’ve made something delicious for dinner. he hadn’t gotten a chance to try what you’d made yesterday, so he’s looking forward to tonight.

but when he opens the door, there’s no fragrant aroma or any sign of you, really. he steps into the kitchen, seeing that there’s no dishes in the sink, no pots or pans on the stove, and nothing out on the counters.

he finds you in your bedroom, scrolling through your phone. you look up and smile upon seeing him.

“what’s for dinner tonight?” he asks expectantly.

you think for a second.

“i just finished up the leftovers from last night. did you not eat at work?”

osamu slumps, a little disappointed and very hungry. “not today, no.” he looks at you, anticipation in his eyes. he’s hoping maybe you’ll make him something like you did yesterday, but you just shrug.

“you could always just make something for yourself. i think there’s some instant ramen in the cabinet?”

then you’re turning back to your phone, ignoring him completely. he pouts.

“could you make something for me?” he asks. you look up at him.

“why would you want that?”

he stares at you.

“i like your cooking,” he shrugs. “is that so weird?”

you scoff. “yeah, kind of, considering you don’t even appreciate it at all. i spent the entire day cooking for you yesterday and it’s like you didn’t even notice. you didn’t even care that i worked so hard,” you finish, a little surprised at your rambling. you look away. “i just— never mind.”

osamu looks at you guiltily. “i’m sorry, baby,” he mumbles, sitting on the bed next to you. “i didn’t mean to invalidate all the time and effort you put into your work, and i was only thinking about myself.”

you exhale. “i should’ve known you’d already had dinner at work. it was stupid. i just thought, maybe you’d appreciate it if i did something nice,” you explain.

“that’s not stupid at all. i do appreciate it, okay? and i love you for it.”

you laugh, letting him kiss you gently.

“so how about we make dinner together then?”

sakusa

when you’d woken up today, you realized just how messy the apartment had gotten

while you didn’t exactly enjoy spending all of your free time cleaning up, you knew kiyoomi would appreciate it above all else, so you were determined to make it work

you organized the shelves and your clothes before putting them away

you rearranged sakusa’s dressers, making the clothes fit neater and look better

you added cute little touches of your own to sakusa’s things, folding his towel into a little pouch on his side of the bathroom and making everything look cute

you weren’t sure if he really cared about those things, but they looked a lot cuter, so you didn’t really care :))

you add a couple finishing touches to the dresser, picking out a little picture frame from a few months back and placing it on kiyoomi’s corner. it’s a picture of the two of you sitting together, your tongue sticking out the side of your mouth and kiyoomi looking away. it’s adorable, and looks great on the dresser!

when the door opens, you get excited, running over to see your boyfriend to watch his reaction.

“you’re home!” you smile, going to hug him. he stops you.

“something’s different.”

you laugh. “yeah. about that...”

you lead him through the house and into the bedroom.

“look! i organized and cleaned everything.” you look at him expectantly, eager to see his reaction. his eyebrows furrow, and he steps closer to examine the dresser first. he opens the drawers, and steps back.

“why did you have to reorganize all of my stuff? it looked fine before,” he deadpans. you stare back at him, dumbfounded.

“well, i just thought it would be a lot neater if i folded them back up and put them in like that,” you explain. you shift nervously on your feet.

he steps up and picks up the picture of the two of you, and scoffs.

“what’s this?”

“isn’t it cute? i thought it would look nice to put in our room. we don’t have many pictures of us or anything, right?”

he looks at you like you’ve grown another head.

“why would we need a picture of us?”

you just stare at him.

“i mean, i-i guess we don’t?” you sigh, dejected.

he steps into the bathroom, sighing heavily.

“y/n, what’s this?” he mumbles. he gestures to the little display you have set on the counter, his towel and toiletries organized adorably.

“i just thought—”

“could you stop rearranging all of my things? it’s getting annoying,” he grits, irritated. your heart sinks a little.

you hadn’t thought he’d be so mad. you thought he’d appreciate your hard work, but it just feels like you’ve made him upset.

the next day, he leaves for practice, and you get to work. you’d been too embarrassed to do it while he was still home, but he’s gone now.

you start with the bathroom, unfolding the towel and hanging it up where it was before. you try your best to put the items where they’d previously been, scattered around on his side.

you move to his dresser next, picking up the picture and sighing sadly. you turn it face down and put it back into its box. you start unfolding the clothing and attempting to put it the way it was before. but you have no idea how to fold his clothes the way he likes it, and you’re stuck.

you spend another hour just attempting to fit the pieces back into their designated drawers, but it just doesn’t look right. you exhale, frustrated.

and then you hear the lock opening, and you freeze. you try to fold the clothes as fast as possible, but it’s too late when you sense him in the doorway.

“what the..?” he mutters, seeing all the clothing scattered around you. you sigh, upset.

“i’m just trying to—”

“didn’t we talk about this yesterday?” he mutters, irritated.

you grit your teeth, on the verge of angry tears.

“i’m trying to put them back the way they were before i messed up, okay? i just,” you slide a hand over your face, defeated. “i was just trying to do something nice for you. but you just got mad at me, so i’m trying to make it better. is that so bad?” you manage to say, turned away from him.

kiyoomi stands there awkwardly, guilt washing over him at your explanation. he’d been so finnicky about the way you’d organized everything that he’d forgotten you’d even organized those things at all. you spent all of both yesterday and today trying to make him happy, and he didn’t even acknowledge that.

then he realizes that the picture of the two of you is gone. as much as he hated to admit it, he actually really liked that picture.

he sits behind you and pulls you into him. you try to push him off, but his arms are strong.

“i’m sorry,” he whispers. “i know you were just trying to help.”

you shrug. “it’s whatever.”

“it’s not,” he argues. “thank you for doing this. i love you.” you nod softly.

sakusa spots the picture frame sitting in a box to the side, and reaches over to grab it. he smiles at it softly before putting it back on the dresser. he sighs.

“there. it’s perfect.”

iwaizumi

when the two of you moved into the apartment around a year ago, it looked pretty bland

the walls were completely blank and there was no character to it

so you decided around a month ago to decorate it, hoping your boyfriend would be happy with the way it looked

you put up some picture frames and little potted plants, hanging them up all over the house

you continued to slowly add little decorations over the next month, constantly looking for things to put in your shared apartment

a new shipment has come in this morning, and you open it eagerly!

inside the packaging is a little hanging shelf and a couple other things to hang up on your wall.

you’re excited to put them up, hoping your boyfriend will notice. you’ve been putting so much time and money into making your apartment feel more like a home, though you’d be happy with hajime anywhere.

he doesn’t seem to care all that much about these decorations, but you hope that he’ll appreciate your hard work anyway.

you spend the day just putting things up. all of your supplies are scattered everywhere, tape and drills and nails and packaging peanuts and boxes covering every inch of the floor.

you hear the door open, and perk up.

but when you go to see hajime, you notice that something’s off about him. he’s seems to be in a terrible mood today, irritation practically emanating off of him in waves.

“you okay, hajime?”

he shrugs, barely paying attention.

and then he sees the mess you’ve made, and pinches the bridge of his nose, annoyed.

“y/n, what the fuck is this?”

you rub at the back of your neck sheepishly.

“i’m just decorating, hajime! did you wanna see—”

he exhales, cutting you off. “why do you need to keep buying stupid decorations? our apartment looked fine before you messed it up,” he spits, looking away.

you droop sadly. “but you haven’t even seen—”

“i don’t need to see whatever you’re doing. look at the mess you made.” he gestures to the supplies dispersed all over the floor. “i don’t get your obsession with all of this shit anyways,” he mumbles.

you step back, hurt. you’d been so proud of the work you’ve done, but it clearly means nothing to him. you swallow the lump in your throat, not saying anything.

“look, i’m just gonna go to bed.”

you watch him leave, heart squeezing sadly. the door closes, and you sigh.

you move into the living room, and stare up at the wall. slowly, you begin to remove all of the little pictures and lights and plants from their places on the wall, packing them up in boxes. you set them aside, stomach unsettled at the sight of the living room, barren and cold.

you decide to spend the night sleeping on the couch, not wanting to disturb hajime even further.

—

when iwaizumi wakes up, he rubs his eyes sleepily. he remembers the day he’d had yesterday, and how mean he’d been to you. he’s flooded with guilt at the memory, and you’re not even here for him to apologize to you. maybe you’re in the living room?

but when he goes to check the living room, the first thing he notices is how sad it looks. he goes to switch the lamp on, only to see that it’s gone.

the entire wall is empty again, and there’s not a trace of warmth in the entire room. and then he sees all of the adorable decorations you’d put up set away in boxes beside the couch, where you’re currently laying. his chest stings at the sight of you, curled up in a ball, alone.

he hadn’t meant to get so angry with you last night. he was just annoyed at the mess and took it out on you for no reason. but he didn’t realize how hurtful his words were, and he never expressed to you how much he appreciated you. he picks up the boxes.

when you wake up, the sun is streaming through the window, and you yawn sleepily. you hear noises, and you turn to see hajime shuffling through a box. when you realize what it is, you get up to stand next to him.

“hajime,” you mumble. “you don’t have to—”

he turns to see you, surprise and guilt swimming in his eyes.

“i’m sorry. fuck, i’m sorry. you were just trying to do something nice for us and i ruined it,” he apologizes, looking down. you exhale.

“it’s okay. you don’t have to force yourself to like the things i like just because you feel bad,” you respond.

“hey, look at me,” he whispers, tilting your chin up. “i love you, and i love everything that you’ve done with our apartment. it makes me feel so warm and happy to come home to a place like this where i can just be with you,” he murmurs. “i didn’t mean to take my frustration out on you yesterday and i said some things i didn’t mean.”

you look down at the plant he’s holding. it’s a succulent with a little flower at the top. you smile softly at it.

“help me put these back up?” he pleads, nosing at your cheek.

you nod, humming contentedly.

[amyscascadingtabs]

rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky

It’s the perfect little getaway, exactly what they needed. It would be even better if she could only stop thinking.

“So, tell me.” Jake holds her hand over the table, forcing her back to reality. “Five top moments for us 2019, go. Countdown-stylez.”

Three different New Year's Eves, as celebrated by Jake and Amy (and Mac).

read on ao3 💕

december 31st, 2019.

The hotel guests checking in before Jake and Amy are a family. A little girl with blonde hair, maybe four or five years old, is carrying her own pink backpack and making up dance steps around her father’s feet as he goes through the information with the receptionist, and an even younger boy is hiding behind his mother’s legs as he watches the people in the lobby with wide eyes. Looking up, Amy realizes that the mother’s open coat is revealing a baby bump, too. She’d put her at six, maybe seven months pregnant. Three kids. Amy feels a pang of jealousy.

Even with the observation skills of an experienced detective, it shocks her how good she’s become at picking out families and pregnant women in any crowd. It’s an interesting talent, but measured against the pain it causes her, Amy wouldn’t call it a very useful one. She notices Jake looking at the kids as well, a daydreaming look on his face, and somehow, that makes her pain worse.

The idea behind going away to a hotel upstate for New Year’s was so they could get away from the stress for a moment; go somewhere else, rest and relax, forget about the pregnancy master calendar they’ve stared themselves blind at for a few days. Amy didn’t realize how impossible it would be to get away from all the other reminders.

She draws a breath of relief when the family in front of them gets the keys to their room, the little girl running first towards the elevator and her brother laughing as he chases after.

“Cute kids,” Jake whispers, watching them longingly.

“Yeah.” Amy tries not to think about the negative pregnancy test she threw away in the bathroom trashcan before they left. “Really cute.”

//

“I’m excited you said we could drink tonight.” Jake toasts his White Russian with her glass of Sauvignon. “It’s been a while.”

“I know, “ Amy feels the guilt wash over her. “Well, it’s not New Year’s Eve every day. I think we’ve earned it.” And I already took a negative test, she thinks.

“We sure have.” He gives her a closer look, pressing his lips together like he always does when he’s worried about her. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Just tired,” she says. It’s not technically a lie. “I didn’t sleep that well last night.”

“Lucky we have a huge hotel bed to help with that tonight, then. Seriously, this place rocks.”

Amy’s prepared to agree on that part – she did her research the moment it stood clear they would both get New Year’s Eve off. After getting their room, they’ve spent the evening getting massages in the hotel spa, dining at the surprisingly nice restaurant, and now they’re admiring the view from the bar on the top floor, waiting for the fireworks. It’s the perfect little getaway, exactly what they needed. It would be even better if she could only stop thinking.

“So, tell me.” Jake holds her hand over the table, forcing her back to reality. “Five top moments for us 2019, go. Countdown-stylez.”

“Number five!” She rolls the r and holds on the i, earning herself an amused look from the older couple next to them. “Okay, I’m going to go with… that date you took me on for my birthday. I can’t believe you got into the puzzle bar this time!”

“I might have convinced the guard to let me in because it was your birthday, but still a good one. Number fooo-uur… the Cinco de Mayo-heist. God, that was fun, even if the tasing hurt like a bitch.”

“Agreed. Number three – when Holt finally invited us to that dinner party and I almost didn’t lose my cool once.”

“You keep telling yourself that, babe. Number two… the Jake way. Seriously, I still think we should try that again. It was awesome.”

“It was, but also way inappropriate,” she reminds him, but he just shrugs. “Number one, then.”

“I know which one is mine, but you go first.”

Amy swallows, then sighs. “Mine is after the manhunt. When we decided to start trying. That’s still my favorite moment.”

“Mine, too.” Jake looks her in the eyes, and she knows the bittersweet feeling is shared. “It’s going to happen, Ames. I know it. Maybe this month’s the one.”

Amy doesn’t have the strength to correct him, tell him she’s already taken an early test and that she’s lacking any confidence there’s going to be a second line when she tests again in a couple of days. Luckily, she doesn’t have to, because right then, the fireworks that have been going off a few at a time in the distance begin to multiply as the countdown starts.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four…

Amy leans forward so she can be kissing him already when the new year begins.

Three, two, one… happy new year!

The crowd around them erupts into cheers as the sky glows with colorful explosions when burning bits of metal lighting up the darkness outside. Jake kisses her deeper, seeming to forget that there are people around with a bit of alcohol in his system and his hands cupping her face. For a moment, Amy lets herself just be happy.

~

december 31st, 2020.

The instant Amy closes her eyes for the more-than-well-deserved nap Jake told her to take while he made dinner, Mac begins to cry from his crib again.

“McClane, please,” Amy pleads, as if reasoning with her two-month-old would solve his discontent. “You can't seriously be hungry again, that’s insane.”

She tries with the pacifier first, checking his diaper, even standing up and walking around with him for a bit to eliminate anything else, but Mac is still clenching his fists and only looking even more furious with her, so Amy gives in. She sits down with him again, unhooks one side of the bra and lets him find his grip, exhaling when the peaceful suckles begin and the desperate crying finally ceases. She swears it looks like her son is side-eyeing her for taking too long, but to her defense, she fed him for a good forty-five minutes only a little over an hour ago and it's exhausting being used like a human pacifier. Growth spurt, Camila Santiago said when Amy called her in tears yesterday, and the problem-shooting section in the 0-3 months baby-binder had agreed. Amy would argue that sounds way too innocent for something which is turning her otherwise happy and smiley baby into a constantly hungry and crying mini-monster who won't close his eyes for more than twenty minutes at a time.

There's a soft knock on the door after a few minutes, and Jake peeks in. He’s wearing his fancy kitchen apron, which Charles gave him for Christmas with the comment that there’s nothing sexier than a dad who can cook. It hasn’t magically improved his cooking skills, but Amy’s willing to admit that it does look good on him.

“You guys doing okay?”

“He is, for now. I’m going crazy. How’s our dinner going?”

“Well, I haven’t burnt it yet, but there’s still time,” he grimaces, sitting down at the foot of the bed. “Do you need anything, babe?”

“Sleep, but that’s not going to happen.” Amy rubs her eyes. “It’s fine. He’s got to fall asleep at some point, though, this is nuts.”

“Don’t challenge him, he’s breaking records,” Jake says, leaning forward to tickle Mac’s feet. Mac reacts by kicking at the boob he’s not currently feeding from, making Amy curse. “Oops, sorry. Anyway, I’m sure he will fall asleep at some point, and we can have a nice, calm New Year’s dinner. I mean, he has to be exhausted, right?”

“God, I hope so. I’m starving.” She can see Mac’s eyelids getting heavy, but every time she thinks they’re about to fall closed, it’s like he twitches and stares at her, wide awake. “He’s lucky he’s cute.”

Jake grins. “Lucky indeed.”

Mac starts pulling away at that moment, a little bit of milk still dribbling from his cheeks. Amy reaches for one of the muslin blankets that’s never more than a few feet away in their home nowadays, lifting him so he’s upright against her shoulder and patting him on the back. She expects a burp, but instead, she gets an unpleasant surprise when he spits up, managing to get sour baby puke down her back and in her already greasy hair. She groans, giving Jake an exhausted look when she sees him stifling a chuckle.

“Hey, I’ll take him. You go take a shower and I’ll put him in the BabyBjörn. Maybe that will do it.”

“That’s the hottest thing you’ve ever said,” Amy mumbles, and she’s not entirely kidding.

She makes the shower as long as she possibly can. Most days, she has to shower with Mac in the baby bouncer on the bathroom floor, so even the chance to be alone in the bathroom for more than five minutes feels like a luxury. She lets the shampoo really lather and the conditioner take its time to sink in, trying to massage the knots in her neck and shoulders under the hot water. She can hear Mac still fussing from the kitchen, and it makes her feel guilty even though he’s barely left her arms today.

“He’s fine,” she whispers to herself like a mantra. “He’s fine. Jake can handle it. He’s perfectly fine. Everything’s okay. You deserve this.”

She still skips the make-up and nicer clothes she had been planning to put on, throwing on a pair of maternity leggings and one of Jake’s old hoodies instead.

The dinner looks fantastic, some sort of chicken baked in the oven with rice and a lemon sauce, and Amy’s actually impressed. She imagines it would have been even nicer if she could have eaten it warm and together with Jake, but they only make it through toasting in orange soda and the first two bites before Mac wakes up from his ten-minute-nap, wailing as if he truly believed he’d just been abandoned. They end up having to take turns eating and walking laps around the living room with him, because he starts crying again if they stop moving for a second or as much as make an attempt to put him down. Amy is suddenly relieved they said no to her brother Tony’s New Year’s party-invite.

She can barely believe it when after what feels like the fiftieth or so feed of the day, Mac falls asleep. Curled up like a little frog on her chest and letting out the cutest of baby snores, he finally seems to relax, and Amy doesn’t even dare to breathe too sharply for the first ten minutes. Eventually, though, once it seems like he’s not going to wake up from the slightest movement or a raised voice anymore, Jake tucks them both in under a blanket and gets the Ben and Jerry’s from the freezer and orange soda from the fridge. Then he gets another blanket for himself, and they snuggle up together in the corner of the sofa in front of the tv. From live footage at Times Square, Amy can see crowds of people waiting for the ball to drop.

“Wishing you were there?” Jake winks, but she just laughs.

“Are you kidding? Cold, crowded, and you can never even get a good view. This is better in every way.” She strokes her thumb over Mac’s dark hair. “I have this one and you. That’s all I need. And ice cream,” she adds, digging out a piece of cookie dough from the tub.

“You’re right, it’s pretty damn close to perfection. Top five moments of 2020?”

Amy shakes her head, pointing to Mac. “No point. They’re all about him, anyway, and they’re all too good to compare.”

“True that.” Jake shakes his head. “Hey, isn’t it crazy that although he’s been kind of a nightmare today, I’ve already forgiven him?”

“No, it makes perfect sense, because I’ve almost wanted to give him away several times and now I can’t even remember why.”

“Having a baby makes us kind of crazy, huh?”

“Oh, absolutely. I wouldn’t change it for the world, though.”

“Me neither. Not even if I was offered a role in the next Die Hard-movie and Taylor Swift did the soundtrack.”

“That’s pretty big,” Amy laughs, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Would Taylor Swift do the soundtrack for Die Hard, though? Realistically speaking?”

“It’s a daydream, Ames!”

She has no time for a comeback, though, because right then, the countdown starts on the tv and Jake raises the volume a few bars so they can hear.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four…

p;

“New Year’s kiss,” Amy says, holding Mac up slightly so they can both reach him.

Three, two, one… happy new year!

They both smother his cheeks with kisses at the same time as the fireworks explode over the sky in the distance outside their windows and the crowd begins to cheer on tv. Mac doesn’t even flinch, completely oblivious to the celebrations going on outside. Amy sighs.

“How can he magically sleep through all of this, but wake up the second I put him down in his crib at night?”

Jake shrugs. “Babies, man.”

~

december 31st, 2021.

Amy has only started to take off Mac’s winter overall before he starts trying to flee, kicking wildly with his boots and pointing towards the kitchen where he’s already spotted Rosa. Jake notices her struggle and is quick to help her, and the instant the toddler is free, he hurries off towards his best friend.

“Wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo!”

“Mac! Hey, happy new year, man!” Before Amy can even take off her own jacket, Mac is already in Rosa’s arms and babbling excitedly as he plays with her gold necklace. Amy wonders how much of what Mac’s saying actually makes sense to Rosa, but she’s nodding and smiling and seems to have abandoned whoever she was previously talking to in favor of the one-year-old.

“Jake. Amy.” Kevin appears to take their coats, shaking their hands. “Welcome. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres are in the living room, and I see your small child has made himself at home.”

“He found Rosa, yep.” Jake grins. “And he has a name.”

“Ah, yes… McClane.” Kevin nods. “Very well. I have to go check on… the kitchen. Enjoy your evening.”

  “He’s never going to like me,” Jake whispers to Amy the moment he’s left.

“Well, I think we both might have lost a few points with the name choice, babe.”

“He’s one to talk names, he’s got a dog named after a cheese!”

“I know, but we can’t tell him that. Come on, Jake, I have to find something to chew on before I get sick.”

“You can always blame it on the alcohol, if you do.”

“Jake.”

“Just kidding,” he grins. “You go check on Mac and Rosa and I’ll locate the snacks.”

 It turns out Rosa is more than willing to guard Mac for the evening, currently showing him the model train she's found in the library. Mac is watching with focus as Rosa helps him turn on the button that makes the train drive around the tracks, laughing as it lets out a choo-choo sound.

“Your son is much cooler than the rest of these lame partygoers,” she shrugs when Amy asks her if she's sure it's fine. “He says what he's thinking, unlike the rest of all these dum-dums.”

“Dum-dums,” Mac repeats, proud. Rosa nods.

“Exactly. I’ll call you if something happens.”

 And so, in an unexpected turn of events, Amy finds herself able to sit down for most of the evening without having to chase a wild toddler around to keep him from whatever dangers he could somehow manage to get himself into in Holt’s and Kevin’s house. She supposes it looks quite antisocial of her, and maybe it is, but she’s six weeks pregnant and the early symptoms of nausea and fatigue seem to be coming on both stronger and faster the second time around, so Amy doesn’t really care. She’s got lemon sparkling water for a non-alcoholic drink, a paper plate of carrot sticks, salted crisps and almonds, and she’s not going to talk to anyone unless they sit down next to her. It’s practically heaven. Jake checks on her from time to time, assuring her multiple times that they can just leave early if she wants to, but however tired she feels, Amy doesn’t want to insult Holt that badly. They’re staying until midnight as per proper New Year’s party etiquette, and then — and not a second later — they can go home so she can crash in bed.

 Rosa finds her again when Mac begins to get sleepy, rubbing his eyes and yawning but still shaking his head when Amy asks if he's feeling a little tired. He crawls over to her arms anyway, laying his head on her shoulder and hugging his arms around her chest.

“Thanks for looking after him,” she tells Rosa, but she just shrugs.

“No worries. I don't get to hang out with him enough. Your kid is dope.”

“Douh,” Mac whispers, mimicking her, and Rosa laughs.

“Repeats every word you tell him, too,” Amy says. “Yeah, he’s pretty awesome. Come over to our apartment at five-thirty in the morning on any weekend and you can hang out with him all you want. I won't stop you.”

Rosa scrunches her nose. “I’ll consider it.”

“He’s in a great mood then, I can assure you that.”

“I'll take your word for it. Also, Jake was tipsy talking baby names with some etymology professor when I saw him last, and he seemed very intense about it for a guy who's not currently thinking of naming any new babies. Or?” She raises an eyebrow.

“No, he just get thats intense when somebody implies McClane is a weird name,” Amy says, and makes a note to herself to remind Jake about their agreement not to tell anyone else at least until the twelve-week mark. “Which, to be fair, I warned him that people would think. But here we are anyway.”

“It is a weird name. Couldn’t imagine him being called anything else, though, even if I still don’t understand why you agreed to it.”

“There was a really good PowerPoint involved.”

Rosa looks at her questioningly, but Amy shakes her head, knowing there’s no point in explaining the unexplainable.

“Hmm. You guys are weird. You make pretty great kids, though.”

“Yeah.” Mac has fallen asleep by now, drooling a little bit on Amy’s shoulder. She kisses the top of his head and thinks of the abstract idea of her second kid, the thump-thump of an already present heartbeat they got so lucky as to hear on an early ultrasound yesterday. “The best.”

 As midnight draws closer, most of the guests take on jackets, scarves and shoes to venture out into the garden to watch fireworks. Not wanting to be left out, Amy and Jake manage to get a half-sleeping Mac, who wakes up suddenly interested when he hears about the promise of fireworks, into his overall and join them. It’s a surprisingly good view from the garden, the cold winter air waking them up, and Jake points out the vibrant displays in the sky to a drowsy Mac, who blinks at them dazedly. It’s so cute it makes Amy tear up. Being both a mom and newly pregnant does that to her; she’s given up trying to fight it.

  It’s hard to believe that two years ago, she was toasting in champagne in a hotel bar and wondering if they would ever make a baby together, and now she’s standing in a garden watching Jake with their one-year-old son and knowing that next New Year’s, if all goes well, they’ll be parents of two.

“What are you thinking of?” Jake must see her tears, because he looks worried, but Amy just smiles.

“Just how quickly things can change. How happy I am. And how much I love you.”

“Love you, too. Top three-hundred-and-sixty-five moments of this year,” Jake says, hugging her close so they’re standing in a little family bubble. “Every single day I get to wake up with and then come home to my family.”

  Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four…

  They both lean in so they can smother their son with kisses, and he laughs as he figures out what’s about to happen.

 Three, two, one… happy new year!

  The sky explodes with color, Jake and Amy attack their son with kisses, and as the new year begins, Amy thinks she might just be the luckiest person in the entire world.

~

[haravath0t]

A Christmas Wish - Day 1

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Filipino!Reader

Warnings: fluff, an immense word count, a talk with the mom??

Hello, everyone! Finally, we have Day 1 of A Christmas Wish! I’m so happy I found a way to extend the Christmas Spirit well into the year through this request! We are uncovering a huge tradition that means a lot to me and my family as Filipinos! Many of the Filipino community are Christian/Catholic, so this particular tradition will be based on the Christian Christmas tradition for the sake of the plot and its personal meaning! I hope this is something that can be understood between author to reader! I promise, the religious aspect of this particular tradition will not be as emphasized as other parts of the culture that I will introduce! Happy readings my lovelies, and to all my Filipino readers, pasensya kung mali ng English translation ko. Ang hirap naman talaga mg translate eh 😅😅😅 huhuuuu

(italics indicate flashbacks! english translations are provided and the pictures of the foods are attached in the bottom!) 

You opened your eyes excitedly, a big smile forming on your face as you remembered a particular memory from yesterday that really made you so happy: 

You, Steve, and your family had finished putting your luggage in the trunk of the van, squeezing themselves in either of the two vans. The driver was now hours in on the road, the chaos had died down as your cousins who decided to join yours and Steve’s van were asleep. The city was long gone, as the buildings had now become hills and green fields, passing by small little towns and provinces. The once crowded and traffic highways turned into a wide empty road. 

Contrary to your cousins who fell back asleep, you were wide awake, not only from the jet lag, but also from your excitement. You were sitting in the middle of the back row of the van, earphones plugged in your ears, listening to the familiar tracks of OPM (Original Pinoy Music) and 70s/80s hits that you were familiar with from your karaoke nights with your parents. Steve was seated on the window (something you recommended him to do), looking as the green grass and hills passed by. Steve couldn’t help but smile, this was something that was so new to him, but it was something you saw as a reminder that you were actually back with your family, back in your roots, back home. It was simple. That’s what he liked most. 

“What do you think so far? We’re still a bit far from the hotel and their house, but we’re about more than halfway home,” you ask softly. Steve’s eyes left the window as he instead looks at your lovely sparkling eyes. He couldn’t help the smile that forms on his face as he easily recognizes the excitement on your face. “I already love it, doll. I really do. I can’t wait to have you and your family show us around.” He says softly yet with sincerity. You smiled excitedly and took an earbud out of your ear, kissing his cheek before you put the earbud in his ear, making him laugh. “Y/N, doll, what are you doing?” He asks softly as his eyebrows furrow. You giggle as you scroll through your list of songs that you had downloaded on your phone. “Oh, I figured… well.. If you want, we can listen to this playlist? We can try napping?” You offer, the excited smile turning in a shy one, tints of pink being apparent on your cheeks. Steve’s smile only grew as he kissed your forehead. “Yeah, I’d love that, sugar. What’s the type of music in this one?” He asks softly, securing the earbud into his ear further. “It has some Filipino music and some 70s and 80s songs that my parents love… I listened to them all the time growing up,” you reply with a smile, choosing the song “I Think I’m Falling in Love” by The Boyfriends, smiling as the familiar opening notes are being played into yours and Steve’s ear. Steve’s eyebrows raise in surprise when the music plays but smiles as he lets the tune settle into his ears. Steve subconsciously wraps his arm protectively around your body, “C’mon honey, get comfy, yeah?” You did not think twice as you lean against him, resting your head against the crook of his neck, a big smile on your face reappearing as his familiar scent fills your nostrils. A deep chuckle is felt underneath your body. “Feelin’ better?” He asks softly, resting his cheek against your head. “Mhm, much better.” You sigh happily, closing your eyes as you feel his fingers comb your hair. You smile as you drift off to sleep, hearing the lyrics “I think I’m falling in love, something’s telling me so”.

“You do realize wherever you’re goin’ I’m goin’ right?” He asks with a smile, as he swallows a piece of pandesal. “This is so good by the way,” he adds before you speak up. “I know, but this thing takes place at 4 AM in the Cathedral, Steve! That’s early! “Okay, but we go to different time zones for missions, sweetheart. This is not new, we’ll be fine, you know me,” he responds, chuckling, “besides, we can sleep in after everything.” “Fair point,” you giggle, finishing your milk and throwing the plastic cup away. You kiss Steve’s head and hug him from behind. “Well… I can’t thank you enough, honey. You are doing so much already. Thank you. My family likes you already, I’m sure” A comforting hand rubs your forearm up and down before a soft pair of lips meets the back of your hand. “I’d be very happy if your family does. Their opinion of us matters to me too.” “How’d you even know about us going to mass today?” “Your Tita Joy mentioned it actually last night over dinner, asked if we both were going to Simbang...Simbang Gabi?” Your heart leapt at the sound of Steve saying something in Tagalog, a giggle erupting from your lips. “Goodness, Steve, you’re so adorable. Come on, we gotta get ready if we’re going to the Cathedral by jeepney.” You say, kissing his head before you get your clothes from your suitcase to head to the bathroom. 

“Yes, ma’am,” he chuckles, playfully saluting you before he follows suit. 

Steve was quite happy he tagged along with you, for the town was wonderfully decorated with parols (Christmas lanterns) and a nativity scene in front of the Cathedral. Not only that, he loved seeing you focused throughout the service, watching as you were alongside your family and practicing your tradition. It was truly something beautiful to see in his eyes. 

Now, you and your family and Steve were outside of the Cathedral alongside other churchgoers, the town now starting to busy itself as the dawn arrives. There were now many food stalls outside, serving coffee and tea as well as wonderful foods to pair with the Christmas season. These included, bibingka, puto (rice cakes), suman, pandesal, and so much more. “Teka lang, Nanay, kukuha ako lang pagkain para sa atin lahat,” (hold on, mom, I’m just going to get some food for all of us) you say to your mom, her nodding in response. “Oh sige, anak. Sama mo ng Tatay mo! May pera s’ya!” (Alright, take your father with you! He has money!) She responds as you disappear in the crowd to get your guys’ share of good food. Steve only smiles at the interaction, watching as you go ahead with your father to one of the food stalls. “She’s like a kid, isn’t she?” Your mom says to Steve causing him to jump a little and only nod in response. “Yes, ma’am.” She playfully groans and waves her hand to him dismissively. “Oh, please you’re gonna call me ma’am? No, Tita will do for now,” She chuckles, making Steve relax in relief, not realizing his body had been tense. “Oh, Okay Tita.” She smiles and gives Steve a thumbs up and a nod of approval, which makes Steve smile. “You know, Steve, this whole Simbang Gabi thing is something she always has done since she was a girl. She loved it very much.” Steve smiles at this, imagining a younger you holding your parents’ hands as you make your way in the church. “It makes sense why she was up earlier than me during the Christmas season. I always wake up for a morning jog. I normally hear or see her out and about back home.” Your mom only chuckles, watching you and your father order some bibingka first. 

“Did she tell you what her motivation was as a kid?” She asks, seeing Steve shake his head. “No, I haven’t.” “Ahh, well, there’s this funny folk belief here, you see. If you attend all 9 masses, then you can make a wish and your wish will come true if that’s what God wills it to be.” Your mother explains, smiling when Steve has an “aha” moment and nods in understanding. “I think that’s beautiful,” he says, hands fumbling within the pockets of his jeans, eyes making contact with yours. He smiles even more when you show your beautiful smile before you go back to ordering from the stalls. “You really love my daughter, don’t you Steven?” She asls, looking up at the taller man. “With all of my heart, Tita,” he responds firmly and surely, which eases your mom. 

“That’s good to hear. I love the certainty. She deserves that much you know. She’s been through a lot. And… I can see the way you two look at each other. It makes me happy,” She says, sighing in content. “We’re glad to be able to have you celebrate with us. Goodness, I cannot even thank you enough for letting us fly over with you two.” “It’s not a problem, Tita,” He starts. “Family is important to Y/N, and I hope you know that she talks about you guys constantly. I can’t blame her, you all are very kind and lovely to me. It’s been a wish for her to come here for the holidays.” “Her wish, huh?” Your mom smiles. “Yes, Tita.” “What about you? You’re joining us in these, so do you have a wish?” Your mother presses on, burning through Steve’s eyes with her eye contact. Steve however, was blushing for different reasons. “I do, Tita. It’s ambitious, so let’s see.” “Well don’t be shy, tell me!” Your mom squeals excitedly, motioning to Steve to whisper it into her ear. And so he does, your mom is smiling bigger and bigger and bigger as she hears. 

“Oh, susmaryosep! (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!) That’s a nice wish, very ambitious, I like it! I’m sure it will come true. I’m sure.” Your mom exclaims clapping her hands together in pure excitement.  “You...you think so?” Steve asks shyly, seeking for reassurance. “It’s a tough one, Tita. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “a man out of time” being used on me. It’s a very tough thing to do, you know, to adjust to current events and current society.” He comments, scratching the back of his head. “And you are doing good, Steve. You’re an honest hardworking guy. I promise. I think when the time is right, you’ll get what you wish for.” “Well let’s see, Tita, let’s see.”

FOODS MENTIONED BELOW!!!

Pandesal (bread rolls)

Puto (rice cakes) 

Bibingka

Suman

Permanent Taglist: @world-of-aus @world-of-aus-reads​ @whew-oh-em-gee​ @tomholland-96​ @lordyitsjordy​ @letstalkaboutsebbaby​ @thee-soom-soom​ @lookiamtrying​ @vesper852​ @hailhydra920​ @buckybarnesthehotshot​ @heyiamthatbitch​​ @rodrikstark​​ 

A Christmas Wish Taglist: @faithtrustandrobbiekay​

(If you would like to be included in a tag list let me know via ask! ❤️☺️)

[supernatural-jackles]

The Man on the Side of the Road - Part 4

Title: The Man on the Side of the Road - Part 4

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 4,473

Warnings: Anxiety, Minor Angst, Fluff, Ketch, Mentions of Cheating.

Summary:  Driving down the road, going well over the speed limit. You come across a man walking in the opposite direction with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. His head cast down as he walked. Your gut instinct is telling you to check on this man, no matter what your parents told you growing up. Little did you know just how much this would change your life.

The Man on the Side of the Road - Masterlist

Square Filled: College AU ( @spndeanbingo​)

A/N: Part 4! I have a feeling you might be a little mad towards the end! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Happy reading! 

You lay in your bed, your hands resting on either side of your body as you stared up at the ceiling. You had been awake for hours. Your mind not quite shutting off to give you that sense of peace and calm that you needed. You didn’t want to get out of bed. You didn’t want to face the day ahead. You felt this heaviness in your chest that you knew was here to stay for the day. This time, you couldn’t even knock it down to first day jitters. Your nerves had nerves.  This wasn’t just the first day of school. This was the first day you showed your face after Ketch destroyed you. Not that anyone knew that.

 You knew you had to get out of bed sooner rather than later. You needed to get a start on breakfast. You were awake early enough that you could have a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. You could catch the morning cartoons, and give yourself some time to calm down before you had to leave. You only had three classes today and they were spread out throughout the day. They weren’t the most difficult either.  You finished the day at five forty-five and Dean was picking you up just after six so you could go out to dinner. That was the only thing you were going to focus on for the day. Dinner with Dean. He was on your side and that was what mattered the most. You could get through the day. You weren’t completely alone.

 It would have been a million times harder for you if you were alone. All your friends were friends with Ketch, and Jo. Everyone knew everything about each other. You were all part of the same friend group and now that you were on the outs, you weren’t going to have any of the people you had before. Hell, your own best friend was the one who slept with your now ex. Having Dean in your life was a blessing. You may have been his reason to keep fighting, but little did he know, he was your reason to keep your head up.  

 After you swam around yesterday afternoon, you made dinner together. You stuck with a simple rice and chicken dinner, and Dean even offered to barbecue it. You stayed in the for the rest of the night and watched Clueless, and half of The Blind Side before you got tired. Dean didn’t care what you watched. He was interested nonetheless. You did say that he could pick the next movie for movie night. It was nice to have someone there to watch the movie with you.

 You kicked off the comforter, knowing full well the day wasn’t going to start from where you were. You threw on a lighter summer robe that you kept at the end of the bed before emerging from your room. Your feet dragged on the floor as you made your way to the kitchen. You turned the coffee brewer on first, then grabbed a bowl for your Cheerios. You were like a walking zombie. You had no energy to do anything.

 You had everything you needed in your hands as you headed to the tv area. You took your respective seat on the couch. You noticed that your blanket from last night had been moved to the back of the couch. Dean must have cleaned up after you went to bed. He had a habit of double checking everything after you turned in. He certainly made you feel safe in your home.

 “Morning sunshine,” Dean greeted you gruffly. You turned your head to find him standing there with a bowl of cereal in one hand, and his mug of coffee in the other. His hair was sticking up five different directions. His eyes still glossed over with the remnants of sleep. He was clad in a fitted t-shirt and a pair of boxers.

 “Mornin’,” you yawned.

 “This your usual routine before school?” He questioned as he took a seat right next to you.

 “No. I’m uh - actually nervous about today, and I need a bit of a distraction,” you admitted. For the first time, you didn’t feel guilty about telling the truth about how you were feeling. You knew he was going to understand. He was the one who had stuck by you the last month. “How did you sleep?”

 “Eh, okay. I got a couple of hours in. Had a nightmare, actually,” he revealed. It was the first time he flat out told you about something like that. You took that as a good sign that he trusted you.

 “Do you want to talk about it?” You offered him, looking at him with sad eyes.

 “Just - seeing my dad die over again,” he shared. You noticed he was staring down at his bowl, not looking up at the tv or you for that matter. “It’s hard.”

 “I can’t even imagine how horrible that is, Dean. I’m sorry you have to see it over and over again, ” you breathed out. You leaned forward, placing your bowl of cereal on the table. You then reached over to grab Dean’s coffee and cereal, doing the very same. He looked at you in confusion for a moment. You moved over and wrapped your arms around him, squeezing him tightly. Your lips curled up when he hugged you back. “If it ever gets to be too much, you know where my room is. You can wake me up if you need to. Nightmares are a bitch.”

 “Thanks Y/N. I needed that,” he half smiled, releasing you. You both grabbed your bowl of cereal and continued to eat. You liked that he was sitting here with you, munching away at his fruit loops.

 You managed to find a good channel with lots of morning cartoons on. The classics. Scooby Doo, Bugs Bunny, The Flintstones. It was a better start to the day and you could see by the look on Dean’s face that he agreed with you. Cartoons always cheered you up, whether it was tv or movies.

 “I really don’t want to go to school today,” you confessed. “I don’t want to see his face, or hers. I don’t want the questions. I don’t want to hear the lies he’s told everyone. I don’t want any of the drama that is sure to come with it.”

 “You know, you’re the toughest chick I know,” he started. “You decided what was best for you when you walked away from him. When you saw that he was cheating on you. You know how many people forgive someone they’ve been with for so long for doing that? You know you deserve better than to be treated like that. It will say a lot about him if he’s fed people stories and even more so if he’s got her by his side. He’s settling for much less. She’s merely nothing but a rebound. A quick lay. He’ll be done with her in a couple of months when the sex is too vanilla for him, and she want a ring like you got. You’ll be sitting there watching the whole thing unfold, happy you got out in the knick of time. Trust me, you’re way too good for Ketch.”

 “It’s just hard to think about. He was a big part of my life for three years. I know full well he can be a dick, and this whole situation proves it.” You started. “Ketch knows how to get exactly what he wants, and I’m sure you know that too.”

 “Unfortunately yes, I do know that,” he stated.  “You’d think that people would understand that by now. If he can’t get out of something. I’m sure his parents will get him out of it.”

 “Hell, or my mom for that matter. Guarantee you that my mother is spinning this as a mental breakdown. I’m sure she’s telling people that the wedding is just postponed. Anything to make her look good.”

 “Your mom is the last thing you should worry about. It’s very clear that she isn’t the one who raised you” he started. “You are polar opposites from what I could tell.”

 “You have no idea,” you whispered. “So you went to school with Ketch?”

 “Yeah, he was in my grade. We had a couple of classes together. Stayed back after graduation from what I remember. Although, I didn’t know why at first. He had one of the highest GPAs in our class. You know as well as I do that his parents are filthy rich, and he doesn’t exactly need a college degree to get a job when his parents have him set for life. I soon found out he stuck around to get younger girls.”

 “So you’re twenty-seven if I remember correctly?” You questioned.

 “Yeah.”

 “I’m twenty-five,” you swallowed hard. He gave you a knowing look. “Everyone told me what he was like growing up. He was different when he was with me. That’s why I was with him for so long. We had our issues, but he was never like people told me he was. Not towards me anyways. Not at first.”

 “He’s a dick. Simple as that. I’m glad you didn’t marry him,” he smiled at you. “You deserve way better than him.”

 “Thanks Dean. You made me feel a little better about going,” you mentioned. “Makes me wonder if any of my friends are going to talk to me.”

 “If they are your friends, then they will,” he told you. “You’re going to kick today in the ass. Then, we’re going out to dinner, and when we get home, we’re going to make some pie.”

 “I like that plan,” you nodded with a smile.

 You figured it would be easiest for Dean to take your car, and drop you off at school rather than the other way around. He was the one who needed it more than you did. He used it everyday to get to work anyways. You were at school until he picked you up. You were ready just before nine. Dean was waiting for you by the front door, a smile playing on his lips. You could do this. You could make it through the day.

 He played with the radio before taking off down the street. You wondered if any of the neighbors noticed that you had a guy living with you now, and Ketch wasn’t around anymore. You wondered if they judged you the same way your mom surely were. Ketch never lived in your house with you because he didn’t like how small it was compared to his million dollar mansion. It didn’t matter much to you what anyone really thought of you. Especially the strangers. But you knew somehow, someway, that was going to change after today.

 Dean pulled into the parking lot of the college in no time, cutting the engine. You saw people heading towards the building, and sitting outside beneath the trees and at the tables. You couldn’t help but search for the ones you knew; the ones you called your friends. That nervous feeling settling in once more. Your stomach becoming uneasy.

 “You’ve got this, Y/N,” he stated. “You are going to get through today. I’m just a phone call away. I will even come visit on my lunch break if you want me to.”

 “Thanks Dean. I’ll text you throughout the day,” you nodded. “I’ll see you later on.”

 “You will,” he reassured you. Dean brought his hand up, holding his pinky out to you. The morning routine. You smiled softly, linking your pinky with his. “Promise.”

 “Have a good day, Dean,” you winked as you released his pinky. You pushed the car door open, stepping out. You kept your bag at your side, giving Dean one last goodbye before taking off.

 The campus was huge, and that was one of the things that originally reeled you into this college in the first place. Lots of places to study. You just wanted somewhere that you could stay for long hours and avoid going home to your mom. She didn’t want you to go far. This was the furthest you could go. Far enough that she couldn’t control every aspect of your life.

 You kept your head held high as you walked to the North building where your first class of the day was being held. English Lit. A continuation of last year's course, just different books. You knew you had this class with Ketch. You were going to be damned if he even tried to sit near you.

 You stopped off at the coffee cart outside the building, wanting to make sure you had something to get you through the hour and a half long lesson. Tea was always your go to, and this morning’s choice was peppermint. The only flavour they had left. You handed over the guy a five, telling him to keep the change. You had twenty minutes until class started. You needed to get a good seat.

 You were the second one in the large room. There was a huge screen at the front of the classroom, and a projector in the middle. You figured this was going to be a big class. That meant it would be much harder for Ketch to talk to you.

 You brought out your laptop, opening it up on the desk. You wanted to be prepared for this lesson. You liked to record lectures so you could go back on them. You needed to ace this semester. You needed to get out of here. Maybe move out of town and get away from your mom for good. Maybe you’d be lucky and Dean would come with you.

 “Oh my god, Y/N!” a female voice filled your ears. “You’re okay!”

 “Hi Ruby,” you breathed out, giving her a weak smile. God, please don’t let anyone else be with her.

 “You haven’t answered any of my texts after the wedding. I thought you were dead!” she frowned, bringing her hand up to your head. “What happened? Did you get cold feet?”

 “No,” you shook your head. You weren't sure if she already knew what happened. Or if she knew way before, and Ketch had been cheating for much longer than just that one time, like he said it was. After all, all the girls that were at your supposed wedding were friends. You were a group. You didn’t want to run the risk of telling her something, and then have her blabbering back to Jo. “Honestly, I just don’t want to talk about it. I just want to finish school, and move on with my life.”

 “Jo said that you never showed up,” she told you. “Did you not-”

 “Ruby! Please,” you begged. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

 “Y/N, I am one of your best friends. You’re the only one that knows that I slept with Garth that night after one too many tequila shots. You’re the only one I trust out of our entire group of friends. Not Jo, not Anna, or Suzy. None of them.”

 “I saw Jo and Ketch,” you muttered. “In the dressing room before the wedding. I saw them together.”

 “Like-”

 “He was on top of her,” you confirmed.

 “She - she was with him on your wedding day?” she gasped, her jaw going slack.

 “I don’t know how long it’s been going on, but it certainly didn’t look like the first time,” you shrugged. “That’s why I left.”

 “He didn’t treat you the way you deserve to be treated, Y/N. You’ll find someone so much better than him one day,” she assured you. “Your mom was pissed when you didn’t show up. I thought she was going to explode. Although your dad wasn’t concerned.”

 “My mom didn’t come by until yesterday. Her and Ronald still went on their vacation. My dad knew. I texted him when I got in the car to leave,” you told her. “Doesn’t matter anymore. Jo can fuck Ketch all she wants. I’m not going to let either of them ruin the rest of my life.”

 “How are you not upset about it? You were with him for three years?” she questioned. “I know you guys had your issues, but I still thought you guys were endgame. Are you okay? Do you need someone to talk to about it?”

 “I’m dealing with it in my own way, Ruby. But I’m not going to cry over him anymore. Like you said, we’ve had our issues,” you swallowed hard. “I can’t let him ruin my life because I wasn’t what he wanted. The sooner I move on from it, the better.”

 The class was filling up, and much to your liking, Ruby took the seat next to you. You typed away on your computer. You just had to make sure everything was all ready for the class to start. The professor was getting everything set up at the front of the class. You looked up for a split second, and you swore, your heart stopped. Ketch walked in the classroom with Jo behind him. You really thought you could have handled it after your talk with Dean. But seeing them together a month after you were supposed to marry him. It was a really hard pill to swallow. Were they together? With the smile on his face, it made you wonder if they were a thing. It didn’t matter to you, you repeated to yourself. You were better off without them in your life.

 Your phone buzzed on the desk, causing your eyes to flick downwards. Dean’s name was the first thing you saw. Just like that, Ketch didn’t matter at all. Dean spent the morning reassuring you that today was going to be a good day. Ketch was a dick and he didn’t deserve a single ounce of love you poured into the relationship. He didn’t love you, and he wasn’t going to get the satisfaction of a reaction from you. He didn’t deserve you.

 “Who’s Dean?” Ruby whispered with a smirk playing on her lips.

 “New friend I made a couple of weeks ago. He’s my roommate,” you told her. “He’s a really nice guy.”

 “Is he cute?” she played, wiggling her eyebrows. She would ask something like that, you thought to yourself with a smile.

 “Yes,” you nodded. “He’s really cute. But don’t get any ideas. I just got out of a three year relationship. We’re roommates and friends, that’s it.”

 “But you’d sleep with him?”

 “Ruby!”

 “What? With the smile on your face when he texted you, sure as hell was a more than a friend smile,” she teased.

 “Oh shut up.”

 *Hope your class is going good. My uncle Bobby gave me something today. Can’t wait to show you later*

  The class went by quicker than you expected it to. The professor just went over the little things you were going to be doing throughout the semester. It seemed pretty straight forward, and easy enough for you to keep up with. It certainly helped having Ruby there so you’d have someone to study with.

 When the class was over, you both packed up your stuff and headed out the doors. Ruby was heading to her next class, which started in half an hour. You had an hour until your next class and you were going to spend the time wandering around the campus. You had the time to reply to Dean’s text. You couldn’t help but wonder what his uncle gave him. Either way, you were happy he was doing good.

 The day flew by fast. By the time you looked, it was nearly six and you would be seeing Dean very soon. You managed to avoid Jo and Ketch for most of the day. Neither one of them seemed to notice you, or look in your direction. As far as you know anyways. You had to admit, you felt a little better after talking to Ruby. It was nice to know she was on your side too. For the time being anyways. Either way, it didn’t matter all that much. At the end of the day, you had Dean and he wasn’t going to up and leave you. You had a feeling he was sticking around for the long haul. He was your friend.

 Dean was parked in the same spot as he was this morning to drop you off. You couldn’t help but smile when you saw him sitting in the front seat of your car. You had been looking forward to dinner with him all day. You didn’t care where you went, just that you were going with him.

 “Hey handsome,” you greeted him as you opened the car door.

 “Hey to you, pretty girl,” he smiled widely. “How was your day?”

 “Not bad,” you told him. “Happy to be free for the rest of the night. How was yours?”

 “Good. You ready to see what my uncle gave me?”

 “Hell yes! Is it cool?” you questioned.

 “Really cool,” he teased. He peeled out of the parking lot, heading down the same streets he took to get to work in the morning. He was really comfortable behind the wheel of a car from what you could tell. He went a little over the speed limit at best. Not enough to get him pulled over. He had his music playing. You wondered what exactly it could be. Was it at the body shop? Was it at his Uncle’s place? It had to be something to do with his family. After all, it was from his Uncle.

 Eventually he turned into the parking lot of the garage, parking by the entrance. You got out with him. Dean motioned for you to follow him around the back of the shop. The path around back wasn’t paved and pretty rough as you walked. Lots of rocks of all sizes. You could see it in the way he was walking that he was pretty excited to show you.

 “Ta-da!” he pointed towards what looked like a car. It had very clearly been in a car accident. There wasn’t much left of it for it to be even close to working. It had to be a write off.

 “It’s a car?” you guessed.

 “This was my dad’s,” he started. “This is the car he got in the accident with. Bobby told me that if I could fix it up, I could have it when it’s done. I mean, yeah it needs a lot of work. I have the tools here. I just need to order the materials which I have access to. I just gotta save some money off every paycheck and I’ll have enough.”

 “How much do you reckon this will cost?” you asked him.

 “Quite a bit. It’s a 67 impala. But it’s a part of my dad. I grew up with the car. It means a lot to me,” he stated. “If I start this week, I could have it done by November. I’m sure Bobby has some parts around here already that I can use.”

 “I think that’s really great, Dean. it was really nice of your Uncle to keep it around,” you commented. “I know absolutely nothing about cars, so I won’t be much help. But I can give you some money towards it.”

  “No, it’s okay, Y/N,” he shook his head. “He said I can come down on Sunday’s to work on it. If you have homework or something, maybe you could work on it here while I work on the car?”

 “Sounds like a good plan,” you agreed. “You better let me drive her when she’s finished.”

 “Of course. Only you though. Best friend privilege,” he winked.

 “I’m honoured,” you giggled.

 Dean took you to another diner that wasn’t too far from the last one. He wanted you to try something a little different this time. Expand your taste buds, as he said. You could see that Dean was doing much better than he was a couple of weeks ago. He didn’t seem as preoccupied as he was before. He smiled more often, and his laugh seemed to be sincere. You wondered if maybe it was because he felt less alone. You spent quite a bit of time together, and you were growing closer and closer by the day. You just wanted him to tell you one day that he didn’t want to end his life. That the thoughts had subsided. He said they get worse at night when he’s alone. You held hope that one day, he was going to be okay again.

 “Alright, the fries are the best here. I know you said you love fries and can’t say no,” he chuckled.

 “Wow!” you let out a laugh. “A man that actually listens.”

 “Hey! I pay attention,” he argued playfully. “It’s not that hard.”

 “Tell that to the rest of your gender,” you smirked. “Alright, fries and what else?”

 “I think you’ll like the steak and cheese sandwich. It’s pretty good,” he suggested. “It’s one of my favourites. The cheese melts perfectly on the steak every time.”

 “I’m trusting you here,” you pointed at him with a knowing smile.

 “Have I given you a reason not to?”

 “No, you haven’t,” you smiled.

 The waitress came over to you, taking your orders quickly. It was on the busier side. Most people got off work at six, and you knew a lot of classes finished around then too. Everyone had the same idea as you and Dean did, clearly. The booths were filling up, so was the counter. This had to be a good restaurant if it was this busy, you thought to yourself. You were glad you got here when you did.

 You and Dean decided to share the fries, because you knew you’d eat them all and have no room for pie when you got home later. You couldn’t get the thoughts out of your head. Ruby’s words were ringing in your ears. Dean was cute, and not to mention, he was really nice to you. Your face lit up when you got the text from him, and he certainly made you forget everything that went down in the last couple of weeks. For the most part at least. Dean was a great guy, and he deserved a lot better. You knew you couldn’t be any more than friends with him. Even if you were to develop stronger feelings than you already had. You always had a thing for guys that needed help. That was your type. He was your type, the more you thought about it. Dating was out of the question. You had no idea why it had even crossed your mind, and so soon at that. You literally just got out of a relationship. You didn’t need to put yourself in another one. No matter how hot the guy was. Now wasn’t the right time.

 “Y/N,” a familiar voice pulled you from your thoughts. The hair on your arms stood up and you swore that your heart dropped to your stomach.

 “Ketch.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 5

Did you like it? What was your favourite part? Share your thoughts with me via reblog, reply or send me an ask! Feedback keeps me going!!! 

[deiaiko]

A New Life #2

< Part 1

It's morning, Khun got up first. He looked to where Bam is and seems like he's still in a very deep sleep. Khun got out slowly as not to wake him up and went to the bathroom to wash away the sleepiness off his face.

What was he thinking last night?! Brought home a homeless kid? That's not like him at all. He splashed the cold water onto his face. Maybe because he was really tired last night that his emotions took control of him. He splashed the water again and wiped his face with a nearby towel then stared at his reflection in the mirror. This will be so troublesome, he thought, but he can't just throw him out, can he? What done is done, he sighed.

Khun walked to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He measured some rice and put it in a rice cooker pan, might as well add half more cup cause he won't be eating alone this time. He rinsed the rice and pour the appropriate amount of water before turning on the rice cooker.

Then he placed a pan on the stove, heated some butter and cracked an egg then sprinkled it with salt and pepper to make a simple sunny-side-up. He repeated the steps again, and while doing so, he thought about what he should do with Bam.

He has no experience with kids, he won't be a great figure for him. Maybe he can report him to the police station? No, if he recall correctly, Bam despised the idea. Orphanage? No, he was there once, not that it's bad but he prefers not to be there, it reminded him of his old home and it's not a pleasant memory.

About time, the eggs are done and Khun put it on separate plates, he turned around to put them on the dining table just in time to see little Bam already got up and watches him curiously behind the wall.

"good morning", Khun motioned Bam to join him, but Bam quickly ran away. Khun was about to ask what he's up to but it's quickly answered as Bam came back with the cushion.

Bam placed the cushion on its original place but he sat on the floor instead, hoping Khun will use it this time.

Once again, Khun felt that warm feeling growing inside him, it won't hurt to keep the kid for now right? Maybe he could use a company.

They ate breakfast in silence, enjoying the meal and each other presence. It's weekend morning, and that means Khun is free today, he decided what to do. "let's get you a haircut", he suggested, "and then we can buy some new clothes and stuff for you".

Bam smiles and nods.

 ----------

 They were just from the barbershop and Bam got his hair cut. His hair is now short and fluffy, Khun fought the urge to ruffle it, not to mention that he looks way cuter than before because of his big golden eyes. Now he only needs some new clothes and he'll be perfectly cute.

Bam stood in awe as he entered a huge shopping mall, like it's his first time going to a place like this, or maybe it is, Khun didn't comment or ask about it.

"here", Khun offered his hand, "so you won't get lost".

Bam gingerly took his hand but smiled afterwards.

They walk around in the clothes shop for almost an hour. Bam got some shirts, pants, underclothes and shoes, and Khun also insisted to buy him a jacket with animal ears hoody.

It's fluffy and warm, and Khun also said he looks cute when he wore it. Bam will surely treasure that jacket.

Khun is pleased, Bam's happy face is all he needs, the money that he spent was worth it.

Next is equipment. Bam needs a place to sleep but mattress is too big for his room, so they settled on sleeping bag instead, and Bam is perfectly okay with it. Might as well buy him a pillow, a blanket and a towel too.

When they about to get to the cashier, they passed by the kids section which is loaded with toys and dolls, and one particular doll caught Bam's attention. It's a. . .crocodile? But it's brown with red eyes, wearing a red shirt and navy blue short, just as big as a soccer ball. Nothing special about it but Bam couldn't get his eyes off it.

Khun noticed this as well, "do you want it?"

Bam quickly shook his head, he didn't dare to ask him for more, though his eyes betrayed him as he kept stealing a glance at the doll.

Khun stared at him before picking the doll and put it in their shopping cart.

Bam was surprised, happy, but also troubled. "is okay?", he asked shyly.

"of course", Khun gave him a smile, it's a relatively small price to buy his happiness.

Bam's eyes twinkled with joy and he smiles brightly, "thank yhu!"

They passed by a bookstore when they're about to leave the mall, and Khun thought it'll be very beneficial to give him some books to spend time with. "let's work on your vocabulary and pronunciation".

"vokabyulery? Prenensea—uhm?"

Khun chuckled and patted his head, "haha yeah, you have a lot to learn".

 ----------

 They got home. It's past noon and Khun went to the kitchen to make lunch while Bam tries his best to tidy up the groceries. After they ate, Khun helped Bam with the remaining stuff.

It's a tiring weekend, when was the last time he walked that long? Khun flopped himself onto his bed and sighed in content as his body sank into the soft mattress.

Bam watches him curiously, holding his doll tightly in his arms. His face told Khun that he wants to say something.

"you should try to speak more often", Khun suggested, "it'll help you learn faster".

Bam nods, then followed by "okay". He approached Khun and asked him with a low voice while avoiding eye contact, "uhm, what shuld I call yu Mr. . .?"

Right. If he's not mistaken, he only said his name once, no wonder he forgot. "Khun, just call me Khun".

"Mr.Kun?"

"well, I guess that works too".

Satisfied, Bam smiled. Now that the question that bothered him since yesterday was answered, he yawned as the tiredness finally took over.

"tired too, aren't you?", Khun sat on the bed edge and lifted Bam up, 'he's very light', he thought. Then Khun placed him down next to him on the bed, 'only this time', he told himself. And they both fell asleep.

 ----------

 Khun slept for about 2 hours before his phone decided to wake him up. "hello. Yeah. Yeah. Huh? Isn't it— Wait, why don't you—. Argh, okay okay", he hung up. Why can't his team be responsible for once? It's weekend darn it. He sighed and started to work on his laptop.

Luckily he only needs a few hours to fix it, just in time when Bam woke up.

"good evening, Bam".

"good ifning", Bam replied, still half asleep.

"are you hungry yet?"

Bam shook his head. He yawned and got up while Khun closed his laptop. Then they settled on taking a bath first before dinner. They take a bath together because Khun wants to make sure Bam does it right.

"no, it's not like that", Khun facepalmed internally and smiles at the same time. And yes, apparently Bam did it wrong, so he must teach him from the start.

"close your eyes", Khun pour some water on his head and Bam reflexively wiped his face with his hand. Khun took a white bottle, "this one called shampoo, it's to clean your hair".

"shampoo?"

"yes, that's it. Now give me your hand", Khun poured a little shampoo on his palm, "there, now put it on your hair and rub it until foamy".

Bam slapped his head with his palm and laughs when he did, earning a smile from Khun. He rubs his head in a weird and funny way that makes Khun couldn't contain his own laugh. The shampoo smells nice, Bam likes it.

"you don't need to do this everytime though, once every two or three days is enough".

Bam nods, some foam trickled down his forehead. Khun helped him wiped it away.

Then Khun took something from his side, "this is soap, give it some water and then rub it like this", he demonstrated, "after that, rub it all over your body", Khun gave Bam the soap, "make sure you didn't miss anything".

While Bam slowly but surely covering himself in soap, Khun works on getting himself clean as well.

And then Khun got a childish idea that Bam will surely likes. "hey Bam, look at this", he took a tiny bit of shampoo on his palm and gave it a few drops of water, he rubbed his hands and blew a bubble from between his fingers.

Bam looks in awe at the round rainbow floating thing in front of him, "pretty!".

"it's called a bubble".

"ah!", it popped.

Khun blew another one for him. He might regret this later, but now it doesn't really matter because Bam's reaction was priceless.

They eventually rinse themselves, Bam is excited to use his new towel, it's so soft and fits him well. And he's really thankful.

Khun started to cook dinner, and this time Bam finally has a chance to watch him from close by. Khun decided to make fried rice that they still have some rice left, he put some ingredient on the sink, "Bam, can you name some of this?", he tested.

"um. Eggs, onyens, carrots, meat, vejetables", he said while pointing at them.

"not bad", Khun praised, "but to be specific, these are sausages, these are mustard greens and this is cauliflower".

Bam took a mental note and nodded.

Khun prepares dinner while explaining to Bam the step-by-step. From rinsing and cutting to cooking and seasoning.

Bam's eyes twinkled as he stares at the fried rice, it looks and smells delicious and he realized how hungry he is when his stomach growled.

So they ate. Khun noted that the food tastes more pleasant than usual, somehow. Maybe it's because he's looking at Bam's pleased expression while eating, maybe because there's someone he can share the moment with, someone who radiates happiness over some trivial things. And Khun wants to keep it as long as he could.

[darkthoughtss]

Don’t Get Too Close

Chae Hyungwon | Chapter Six - FINAL

pairing: Hyungwon x Reader

genre: angst, smut

warnings: swearing, angst

word count: 3279

A/N: This is the last and final chapter guys! I’m sorry it came later than promised but a lot of things came up. And I apologize in advance for any mistakes. Anyway, I really hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. I didn’t really prepare or plan anything, I just went with what came to mind while writing it. This is actually the first fanfic I finished. But yeah, I’m not a professional writer and I know I lack a lot, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Thank you for reading and take care! <3

Previous chapters: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5

18/4/2020 - 10:21 am

“How can it be a surprise if I know that there’s a surprise?” Hyungwon asked, lurking around your room.

“Oh shut up,” you said, folding your clothes, “You don’t know what the surprise is yet.”

“Why would you even prepare a surprise for me? I don’t think I deserve it,” he said. 

He opened your drawer and whistled teasingly when he saw it was full of your underwear. He pulled one of your lingerie up from your drawer. You quickly ran up to him when you noticed and tried to grab it from his hand. 

“Uuh, I can’t wait for you to wear this in front of me,” He said, teasingly.

You finally managed to grab it from him and glared at him.

“What?” He said, as a smile spread on his face, “Too soon?”

You placed the lingerie back in the drawer and placed a hand on each of his shoulders. 

“Relax,” You said, “I can tell you’re all worked up ever since I mentioned what I had planned for today. You don’t need to be so tense. It’s nothing big, don’t worry.”

He grinned and pulled you closer to him.

“I’m as calm as I can be,” he assured you, “Especially because you’re right here with me.”

He leaned in and kissed you softly on the lips.

“I will never get tired of kissing you,” he whispered.

You could feel yourself blush as he let go of you and poked your nose with his finger.

“Let me help you with that,” he said, grabbing a pile of your clothes.

You smiled by his gesture. 

This morning you had taken a shower after he went back to bed with your blanket. When you were done, you had given him a new toothbrush and some newly washed towels before he entered the shower after you. His clothes from yesterday were drying in the sun on your balcony after you had washed it. You let him borrow some of your baggy, oversized clothes temporarily. Your oversized “Pikachu” T-shirt fit him okay but his legs were too long for your sweatpants. Thankfully, it was hot outside, so his clothes would probably dry fast.

In the meantime, both of you had enjoyed the breakfast that Hyungwon had helped you cook. He wasn’t a bad cook after all. While eating Hyungwon told you he needed to stop by his dorm to change clothes and you told him you had to prepare his surprise anyway. He wanted to help pack your luggage for tour first while he waited for his clothes to dry. He was too embarrassed to walk out in public with your “Pikachu” T-shirt and purple sweatpants.

18/4/2020 - 1:13 pm

“No! Close your eyes,” you said, covering his eyes with your hands while standing on your toes.

He placed his hands over yours.

“Okay, okay, I’m closing them. How far yet?” He asked, laughing.

“Just a bit more,” you said.

You had prepared a romantic picnic and had chosen your absolute favourite place to go when you wanted to be alone. It was a nice spot on top of a hill accompanied by a stunning view. Surprisingly, it was a very quiet place where you rarely saw anyone. You used to come here every time you wanted to pause for a minute. 

Yesterday, you used some time to prepare food you could finish make today. While Hyungwon went to his dorm you prepared rice (shaped like turtles and decorated with seaweed), sausages, egg rolls, sandwiches, snacks and fruit. You had tried your best to make it look cute and hoped it would cheer Hyungwon up. 

“Okay,” you said, shyly, “Open your eyes.” 

You slowly lowered your hands from his eyes. He observed the view in awe and absorbed every detail in front of him. He noticed the lovely picnic and jokingly gasped. You had placed a basket with the lunch boxes and wine on a picnic blanket.

You smiled excitedly, anticipating his reaction. He turned to look at you with the biggest smile on his face. 

“Are you telling me you prepared all this just for me?” He asked.

You nodded.

“Do you like it?” You asked, “It’s nothing special... I just felt like you needed it.”

“That is so thoughtful of you, Y/N,” he said, “Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

He embraced you in a hug and you gladly returned the embrace.

“Now, let’s eat some of that! It looks delicious!” He said, full of delight.

18/4/2020 - 2:09 pm

Hyungwon received a couple of calls and messages while you were eating. You didn’t really notice it at first, since he completely ignored the calls and continued your conversation. At some point he got annoyed and muted his phone. That’s when you started to wonder.

“Aren’t you going to answer?” You said, as you munched on some cookies.

He sighed, “I probably should.”

“I don’t mind,” You said, “What if it’s an emergency?”

He poked your forehead.

“Hey!” You said, taken aback.

“I’ll answer,” he said and stuck his tongue out before leaving.

While you continued to eat, he chattered over the phone. You looked at the stunning view and let out a sigh. Everything felt so perfect right now, you were scared it would end. Was this even real? You turned to observe Hyungwon and felt the warmth of happiness spread in your heart.

Suddenly, you noticed he looked tense. He tried to refrain himself from raising his voice, but you could tell he was furious. It sounded like an argument. He hung up and took a couple of breaths before coming back.

“Is everything alright?” You asked.

He looked at you. You could tell from his eyes that he was frustrated. He was debating on what to tell you. He sat down and lowered his gaze, not being able to look you in the eyes.

“Don’t worry, Y/N. Let’s not think about it,” he said after a while. 

“It’s okay, I can handle it,” you said and offered him something to drink. 

He shook his head and refused.

“I’ll fix it,” he said.

“Fix what?” You asked, confused.

He ran his hand through his hair and tried to calm himself. He finally looked you in the eyes. It took a minute before he decided to tell you.

“I messed up,” he said with a serious tone, lowering his gaze again.

You didn’t say anything because you wanted him to continue. 

“Pictures of me yesterday have been leaked. They show me in front of your apartment,” he said.

“What?” You asked, shocked.

“The boss managed to hold the articles down. Thankfully, the pictures haven’t reached the media yet. They are receiving many calls from reporters wanting to confirm the rumors. And they want me present at the office now,” he said.

Your heart began feeling more heavy in your chest. 

“Now?” You asked, surprised.

His gaze slowly found yours and he nodded. You looked down, disappointed. 

To be honest, you didn’t care whether or not the public knew at this point. Hyungwon was one of the best things that had ever happened to you. However, if this made Hyungwon regret what happened yesterday that would mean he regretted being with you. You were still confused whether or not he felt the same for you as you felt for him. After he was so cold to you the past few days, it made you question his feelings for you. He hadn’t explained why he wanted to leave your apartment yesterday either. You could feel yourself becoming a bit anxious, questioning yourself if you let him come too close.

He lifted your chin with his hand.

“Don’t worry, Y/N, I won’t let it ruin today,” he said softly. “I know you worked hard to prepare today, and I won’t be able to be with you again before you come back from tour.” 

He stroked your hair and smiled at you. 

Maybe you were wrong. It probably wasn’t anything serious. He was obviously so warm, kind, gentle and lovely. It’s not like he kept secrets from you. You trusted him with all your heart. You had to stop doubting him, right?

“I won’t miss this for anything,” he said and leaned in to kiss you.

“But Hyungwon,” you said before his lips met yours, you looked at him with curious eyes. 

You had so many questions. How did he feel about the situation? Did he regret last night? Were the pictures bad? Was the chief angry? 

You gulped.

“Are you going to be in trouble?” You finally asked, worried.

He shook his head with a smile.

“Silly you,” he said and squeezed your cheek, “Don’t worry, okay?” 

You nodded your head, “Okay.” 

He leaned in and gave you a long kiss on the lips. You realized you were tense because the kiss made your whole body soften. It made you feel more calm. It was as if it answered all your questions. He pulled back and looked you in the eyes.

Suddenly, he grabbed your head with his hands and placed kisses all over your face. You fell back in giggles as you felt him kiss your forehead, cheeks, chin, eyelids, nose and lips. Hyungwon started laughing as you tickled his sides to make him stop. 

24/7/2020 - 7:45 pm

He had ghosted you. Or that’s what you thought. You finally came home from tour two days ago and you couldn’t wait to meet him and get an explanation from him. You wanted to know why he hadn’t picked up your calls. The first week after you left you had called each other back and forth without problems just like you used to. However, after that he started to respond to you coldly. He felt distant in his text messages. It didn’t feel like he wanted to speak with you. At first you respected his choice and figured he needed some space. But after the first few days without any contact you realized something was wrong. You missed him like crazy and wanted to hear his voice but he always came with excuses. Today, you were finally going to see him. However, something just didn’t feel right. You couldn’t push this odd feeling in your stomach away.

There hadn’t been any articles from that night. Your chief had shortly called you to inform you that you had to be more careful with your surroundings without revealing the reason. He didn’t know that Hyungwon had already told you. Hyungwon had told you about the meeting as well. They came to a mutual agreement, which he didn’t tell you about in detail.

You parked your car in the parking lot close to Monsta X’s dorm. You had informed Hyungwon you were coming and he had responded with a short “K.” You quickly wrote a message, telling him that you had arrived and speculated if you should walk inside. 

After waiting for twenty minutes without an answer from him you covered your face with a mask and got out of the car. You got the gift you had bought for Hyungwon with you. It was something you had spotted while in Japan and it immediately reminded you of him and you knew you had to get it for him. You knocked on the door and waited for somebody to answer. Wonho opened it.

“Y/N?” He asked, shocked and confused. 

“Wonho!” You said, pulling your mask down and showing him a smile.

“You’re back from tour right? Welcome back!” He said, “Come inside!”

He gestured you to come in. You walked inside before he closed the door.

“If I knew you were coming I would’ve prepared a gift. I’m sorry about that...” he trailed off, “Do you want something to drink?” He asked.

“Don’t worry, Wonho,” you said, touched by his gesture, “I told Hyungwon I would be here, isn’t he home?” You asked.

“Hyungwon?” He asked, his eyes widened. “Uh.. I,” he stuttered, as he quickly glanced at Hyungwon’s closed door.

You clenched your jaw and walked towards Hyungwon’s room. Something was definitely wrong. You noticed laughter inside of it and reached for the door handle. 

“Y/N!” Wonho said, failing to stop you from opening the door.

As soon as you did, a smell of perfume hit you. You immediately knew it didn’t belong there. Your eyes widened from the scenery in front of you. Inside lain Hyungwon on his bed, shirtless, beside a woman with his blanket covering her. The laughter came from the woman. You dropped the gift from your hand and it fell to the floor. Both the woman and Hyungwon immediately turned to look at you. You were in shock.

You felt your heart shatter so deeply that you felt like it would never be the same again. What hurt you the most was the look in his eyes when his gaze met yours. He didn’t look shocked at all, he didn’t get up to tell you that it wasn’t what it looked like. He didn’t even look like he wanted to explain. He just stared at you with cold, dead, distant eyes. 

You could feel a strong pain spread from your chest to your arms and stomach. You felt sick. Your body felt numb and weak. The tears had already fallen from your eyes and ran down your cheeks. You couldn’t move. The whole situation was so humiliating that you wanted to escape. But you trusted him so much, you wanted his explanation. Your legs couldn’t move because you knew deep down that you didn’t believe what you saw in front of you. He could explain everything, right? You didn’t want to give up on him so easily. This was just a joke, right? It looked worse than it was, right?

Wonho grabbed your wrist and tried to pull you back. He wanted to stand in front of you to protect you from the scene. But you pulled your wrist back right away. Why did Hyungwon just look at you with those cold, unrecognizable eyes? Why didn’t he say anything?

“What the fuck is the meaning of this?” You finally managed to whisper.

Hyungwon slowly got up from his bed. He stood in front of you with a lazy attitude. You couldn’t recognize him at all. You shook your head, not believing anything you saw. 

“We need to talk,” he said coldly, “in private.”

24/7/2020 - 8:19 pm

The woman had left after picking up her clothes from the floor. You couldn’t even look at her. You were disgusted. Hyungwon had gestured for her to leave with a single head nod. 

Did he just invite over some fucking whore? You could feel yourself become more angry at the situation. 

Wonho glared at Hyungwon before closing the door. The two of you stood in awkward silence, as he put on his shirt, not looking you in the eyes once. This was humiliating. Here you were, standing, crying and so fucking hurt. And he just acted like nothing was happening. What the fuck was going on? 

“I don’t share the same feelings for you anymore,” He told you coldly, blandly. 

You could feel a lump in your throat. It felt hard to breathe. Hearing the words leave his lips didn’t feel real at all. 

“I don’t want you anymore, so, let’s call it quits,” he said, looking down, lazily.

How could the words leave his lips like that? How was he able to break your heart so brutally without any sign of guilt? Did you really not mean anything to him? 

“You’re lying,” you whispered. “You can’t even look me in the eyes.”

He clenched his jaw and straightened his back. He looked you directly in the eyes with a firm look.

“Listen. You shouldn’t fool around with your coworkers and be such an amateur. You have been in this business for several years now, you should at least act like it,” He paused, “You either accept that or you get lost,” He almost spat.

You looked at him in utter disbelief. You felt exposed, fragile and broken. He had seen every side of you, your bad sides and your good sides but most importantly, your most vulnerable sides. Your darkest and deepest secrets. 

All the confidence, validation and happiness you had gained from him disappeared in a glimpse. You immediately snapped back to feeling self-conscious and insecure. He had taken a part of you that you would never get back. You had trusted him with your whole heart and given him all the love you could bear to give. 

You wanted to say so much but you couldn’t find the words. You felt cheap and disgusting, just the thought of him paying that woman made you feel nauseous. As soon as you felt the tears run down your cheeks again you just turned around and ran. You tried to hide your face as you ran out of the door.

Hyungwon’s expression turned from cold to painful as soon as you turned your back to him. He watched you as you disappeared from his sight. He hesitantly took a step forward but stopped himself. His heart wrenched as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. The look on your face broke his heart into a million of pieces. He had forced himself to watch you without flinching. 

Right now, he hated everything but he hated himself the most. He hated himself for hurting you. Watching your lively face lose all it’s colour and your beautiful eyes lose it’s stars almost made him drop the act. He couldn’t stop thinking about how much you didn’t deserve any of this. 

He cursed himself out under his breath. Everything in his body was telling him to run after you and tell you everything was a lie. But this was the only way of ending it. You had to hate him, he thought. 

Now that you had gotten too close, everything was escalating. The public couldn’t know. He couldn’t risk it. Heck, he couldn’t risk your life. He knew he would risk his own life and career to be with you. He could manage it. However, your life and career had an important value and at the same time it could be destroyed so easily. He had to save you. This was better than receiving hate, death threats and losing your career. You had to live. This was the only way. 

Hyungwon recalled what the boss told him. He had to end “whatever business” he had with you without letting you know the reason. Only that way it wouldn’t cause trouble for the company and for you. He had to sacrifice your relationship with him for you. If saving you meant you had to hate him, he could live with it. 

“What the hell is going on?” Hyunwoo yelled, as he appeared in the door frame.

Hyungwon’s gaze were still locked on the same spot where you had disappeared. He didn’t respond.

“You’re a fucking coward,” Hyunwoo said and sent him a death glare before running after you.

Hyungwon fell down to his knees as he covered his face.

Maybe he was a coward... But he just couldn’t see a way of continuing a relationship with you without hurting you. He didn’t want you to suffer, he couldn’t let you suffer. He didn’t want his own greed and desires to be fulfilled if it meant you had to suffer.

“I’m sorry, Y/N ...I really am,” he whispered under his breath, “I just... I couldn’t... I don’t know,” he continued as he repeatedly hit himself in the chest, trying to make the pain go away.

He couldn’t hold it back anymore and let himself cry, “It’s over. I’m done. I ruined everything.”

[taylorinthetardis]

Only Human - Prologue and Chapter 1

Hey everyone! So this is the Pride and Prejudice AU I’ve been working on for a while now. It’s set in Modern Day London and told from Darcy’s POV. It is cross posted on AO3, the link to it will be below. I promise I will update it soon, I’ve just been a little bit blocked for a while. But I promise there will be more. So here we go, the prologue and first chapter are under the cut! Enjoy!! Feedback is much appreciated!! If you like it and want to be on a taglist, please feel free to say so!!

Thank you to @madbaddic7ed for all your encouraging words and for convincing me to cross post!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22109365

Only Human

Summary:  The events of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as seen through the eyes of Darcy. Story takes place in modern day London. Lizzy and Jane are American students studying abroad. Their sisters take turns visiting them throughout the story. Bingley and Darcy are recent business partners, but longtime friends. Caroline is as snake-ish as ever. George Wickham is an actual rapist - the rape will not be described in detail.

Pairing: William (Will) Darcy x Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bennet; Charles Bingley x Jane Bennet

Rating: Explicit due to eventual smut

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 2.8K

                                                       Prologue

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I, William Darcy, am an arsehole. The following tale, dear reader, will explain how that came to be and how, I hope, I have made the preceding statement a falsehood instead. The following tale does not often show me at my best. I hope, however, that you may look past my faults and forgive my disgraceful, ignorant, and often impure thoughts as I relay to you the circumstances by which I came to fall deeply in love with the most wonderful, challenging woman I’ve ever met, the method by which I nearly ruined an incredibly important friendship, and the events surrounding the creation of a familial fissure that will never heal. I hope you will not judge me too harshly.

                                       Chapter 1: Hanover Terrace

I was sat in my office. My office. Still getting used to that. When I took over control from my Aunt Catherine in April, a lot of work was done to make this office mine. Catherine’s taste in furniture was, how should I phrase this, medieval. I was honestly surprised we didn’t have to remove any torture devices when her furniture was cleared out to make room for my more practical mahogany desk and overstuffed leather chairs. My degree from Cambridge’s Judge Business School was propped in my bookcase with photos of my parents and Georgiana on either side. The office is still rather spartan in comparison to Charles’ but I don’t mind it. Our companies had recently merged, an event that proved profitable for both parties and served to deepen our friendship. Our offices are across the hallway from each other now, as opposed to being across the Thames. The economic windfall had been excellent for Charles. He had decided to purchase a new home, one big enough for himself and his sister and closer to her university. Charles is an orphan, like myself, and the sole caretaker of his younger sister Caroline, who recently began her studies at the fashion and design school at Regent’s University. I feel for Charles sometimes. His younger sister is an absolute terror, but I guess we can’t all be blessed with saints for sisters. Caroline is an uncommonly cruel young woman. She delights in shit-talking friends and strangers alike. She also is labouring under the delusion that she will one day be my wife. Her older sister, Louisa, has enjoyed several years of trophy-wifery and it seems Caroline has decided that is the life she wants to live as well. Although she just recently came of age, she has flirted with me non-stop since the first day Charles invited me home with him. We’ve known each other since we were 18 years old. We are now 25. Damn near seven years. SEVEN YEARS. Seven fucking years dealing with Caroline’s shite. She just turned 18 earlier this year. What the hell did she think I was going to do with her when she was eleven goddamn years old? Go to prison? I sure as shit think not.

Charles entered my office at around 1. He was bouncier than usual. He had either had more than one of his normal sickly-sweet coffees or he was in love again. Turned out it was both.

“Oh, Will I’m so happy you convinced me to snatch up Hanover Terrace. I met the most beautiful woman in world yesterday. I never would have known her if I hadn’t decided to take your advice. I invited her and her sister out with us tonight. You don’t mind, do you? Even if you do, once you meet her, you’ll forget you were ever bothered.” He spoke at such a speed that I only caught about every third word. My ears perked, however, at the ‘out with us tonight’ part. Out with us? I don’t remember agreeing to go anywhere with Charles. He always wants to go to nightclubs. He knows I don’t dance. He always does this. Drags me to some poppy nightclub with strobe lights and terrible music.

“And how did you meet this one Charles? Spill your coffee on her? No, wait, you were walking Caroline’s stupid pug and she thought it was cute and wanted to pet it.”

“Christ, am I becoming that predictable?” Yes Charles. Every girl you’ve ever fancied has fallen into your life in a cliché.

I nodded.  He sighed.

“Well, it’s different this time. She isn’t like any other girl I’ve been with. More beautiful than Sarah, kinder than Tilly, oh and her sister Will. Her sister has got to be one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever spoken to in my life. They’re both very beautiful Will. If I was a betting man, I’d wager that Lizzie might even be beautiful enough to tempt you out of your shell and entice you to have some goddamn fun for once. Maybe she’ll even get you to dance.” He nudged me with his elbow, winking. Yeah right Charles. Not even Charlize Theron could get me to dance at a nightclub.

“I seriously doubt that Charles. So, what’s this one called, hm?”

“Jane.” He said it with a sigh. Oh, he’s already long gone. “Her sister is called Elizabeth, but she prefers Lizzie. They’re American, Darce. From the Midwest. They’re both studying abroad at Regent’s for the year.”

“And to what godforsaken place will you be attempting to drag me to tonight?”

“I was thinking Drama? I wanna show off a little Will. I really like her; I want to impress her.”

“Drama might be a little much for a midwestern girl, don’t you think? What about that place we went in Camden a few months ago, by the lock?”

“Lock 17? Isn’t that a little down market for you Darce? There isn’t even a dress code!”

“Come off it, you know I couldn’t care less Charles. I don’t even like going out. I just think Lock 17 will be the better choice for her. You don’t want to scare her. Anyway, I think you’ll have a nice time. Without me.”

“Nuh uh, you aren’t getting out of this. You come or you’re dead to me.” I rolled my eyes. Jesus he’s such a goddamn drama queen.

“Ugh fine I’ll go. But I’m not dancing and you can’t make me. I’m a grown man Charles. So, meet at Hanover Terrace at, what, 8pm? Or should we meet earlier?”

“I was thinking 7:30, that way we’ll all have plenty of time to get ready and you can get to know them before we go. I’m going to order the cab for 8 so we’ll have plenty of time to get there if there’s any slow spots.”

“Please tell me you’ll be leaving Caroline at home.”

“Yeah, so she can kick my arse over it later? No chance. Besides, we’ll probably lose her to the dance floor as soon as we get in. She’ll find some nice dumb boy to buy her drinks and you won’t have to see her all night.” No Charles she’ll be on me like white on rice all damn night and you bloody well know it.

“Alright. But I’m not dancing.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I arrived at Hanover Terrace about 7:30. As soon as Charles opened the door, I immediately regretted my decision to come. I should have told him I got food poisoning from lunch or something. Caroline was stomping through the front room, going from box to box screaming that she couldn’t find her favourite clubbing heels. Who the fuck has a favourite pair of heels for clubbing? Heels seem so impractical for dancing. Charles’ new love and her sister had yet to arrive and Charles appeared to be in a slight panic.

“What if she doesn’t come Will?” He said shakily. Christ he’s in a full meltdown.

“I’m sure she’ll be here in a few minutes Charles. It’s not even close to 8 o’ clock yet. You’ve got plenty of time, just relax.” I took a minute to look around his new home. He had barely unpacked. I helped him get everything in order for the move about two weeks ago and he moved in a few days later. Everything was basically where it was when I visited three days ago. “Have you genuinely not unpacked anything Charles? How are you even living in here?”

“I’ve got enough clothes unpacked upstairs to last another week probably. Caroline’s rarely home in the evening anymore so I just keep getting take-away. There’s a Chipotle just around the corner on Baker Street. You know I love a burrito bowl. Something I have in common with the lovely Jane.” Gag. Well, at least the movers got his furniture set up, although most of the downstairs furnishings were unusable because they were covered with cardboard boxes and plastic totes and suitcases. The sofa in the main living area was clear enough that I took a seat. Caroline continued her tear through the front room until a triumphant screech echoed through the relatively empty house. The heels in question were easily six inches high, sparkly platformed monstrosities. They completed a look which can only be described as what a disco ball would look like if it was a contestant on Love Island. Hopefully Jane and her sister would be a bit more sensibly dressed, like Charles and myself. I decided on a plain black tee and black jeans with my black and white trainers. Charles had gone with a less monochromatic palette, wearing a bright blue button down that was almost the colour of his eyes and a pair of dark blue jeans. We’re wearing the same shoes. Us and every other man in London. Suddenly there was knock on the door. I checked my watch, 7:35. I told Charles he was worrying for nothing. He bounced towards the door like Caroline’s pug when he needed a shit. He opened the door to reveal a young blonde woman and a younger looking woman with auburn hair.

“Jane, Lizzie, I’m so pleased you’re here. Sorry about the mess, haven’t had much time to unpack yet, with work and all.” Charles led them through to the room I had posted up in. The dark-haired girl peered at me through purple framed glasses. Her sister gave her a little nudge. Well fuck, Charles wasn’t kidding. God they’re both gorgeous! They were dressed considerably more sensibly than Caroline. Jane wore a low pair of black heels that complemented her red cocktail dress. Her sister was even more comfortably dressed, in black leggings, Doc Martins, and a plain white t-shirt. She wore a black leather jacket over the tee. Neither girl appeared to be wearing much make-up. Both were possessed of the natural beauty that Caroline tried to fabricate in her hour-long make-up routine that left her looking like she had Photoshopped her own face, but in real life. I stuck my hand out. “Will Darcy. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Wow, sound more like you’re a hundred years old, why don’t you Will?

“Will, this is Lizzie,” he gestured to the brunette, “and this is Jane.” He put his hand on the small of the blonde’s back and she blushed redder than Charles’ hair.

“Lizzie Bennet. It’s so nice to meet you Will.” She took my hand with her considerably smaller one and shook it. It was a firmer handshake than I’d had from some of my business associates. She dropped my hand and her sister took up the vacancy. Her handshake was much softer, grip much lighter, much more feminine. Looking at the two women before me, I wouldn’t have known they were sisters if Charles hadn’t told me. They couldn’t have been more different. One blonde, one brunette. Jane had soft blue eyes, Lizzie’s were bright and hazel. Jane was tall and slender, her sister shorter and softer around the middle. Taking all of her in I came to a sudden realization: she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Okay Will be cool. For once in your bloody life be cool. I opened my mouth, but before I could speak Lizzie launched into an animated conversation with Charles about her day. It was all I could do not to stare at her mouth while it moved faster than Charles’ ever had, no matter how in love he was or how many Frappuccinos he had consumed. I sat back down on the sofa, while Lizzie sat on the carpet, Charles on the coffee table, and Jane remained standing. Lizzie told us about one of her professors, an archaeologist who taught university classes when he wasn’t on digs.

“He’s like a real-life Indiana Jones except without the bullwhip and the hat. And he’s not Harrison Ford. But still. Oh, and don’t even let me get started on my Shakespeare professor. George. He’s my most favourite.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying your studies Lizzie. But don’t forget to explore the city while you’re here! London is full of endless things to see and do. I’ve lived here most of my life and I still haven’t seen everything!” Charles is so blessed. I wish I could just talk. Talking is better than staring. C’mon mouth, work! “Wouldn’t you agree Darce?”

Shit, I have to talk now? I nodded, again opening my mouth to speak, but no words came. Charles picked the conversation back up, turning to Jane to ask if she had a pleasant day as well.

“Yes. I took a lovely walk through Regent’s Park today. I only have the one class on Thursdays so I’ve been using the rest of the day to explore a bit. Lizzie’s schedule is so much fuller than mine so I’ve been finding places for us to go on the weekends. We’ve gone to Camden Market and Hyde Park. When you met us the other day, we were on our way back from the Tate Modern, I don’t remember if I said or not.”

“Yes, you said Lizzie was disappointed because she thought you were going to the Tate Britain.”

“Do you have something against modern art?” Oh, cool. Thanks, mouth. Why did that come out like I’m angry about that? Modern art is dumb. How is a pile of rubber or a cut-up McDonald’s bag art?

“I can appreciate that its art, like how I can appreciate that romance novels are literature or techno is music, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I prefer the old masters and classical art to a splash of paint on a canvas. My little cousin can do that too, does that mean her art belongs in a prestigious museum? Naw fam it sure don’t.” Yes. I wholly agree. Why does she have her eyebrow raised at me? Does she think I don’t agree? What is my face doing? Am I scowling? I don’t want to scowl. Did she say ‘fam’? That doesn’t matter. Why does it feel like it matters?

“You’ll have to excuse my sister. She’s never been shy about her opinions. And she has a lot of them.” Jane shot her sister a disapproving look. Lizzie just shrugged. Caroline chose that moment to come swanning into the room. Seeing there was a perfectly good space next to her brother on the coffee table, she chose to throw herself down into my lap. Oh, for fucks sake. She’s gonna get fake tanner on my trousers.

“Will, my love," I threw up in my mouth a little, "we’re going to have such a wonderful time at Drama tonight.” I can’t wait to burst her bubble.

“Caroline, did Charles not tell you? We aren’t going to Drama. We’re going to Lock 17, in Camden.” I tried to move her from my lap, but she dug her heels into the carpet for grounding. Fat Christ, Charles will you get your sister under control?

She sputtered, on the verge of a full tantrum directed at her brother when, blessedly, Charles’ phone vibrated. “That’ll be the cab. Caroline are you still coming?”

She jumped up off my lap and straightened the piece of sequined cloth trying to pass itself off as a dress. “Of course I’m going Charles. I put all this on, I can’t just not go out now!” She stomped off to the dining area to get her bag from the table. Charles led Jane towards the front door. I extended my hand down to Lizzie, who took it. I pulled her up from the floor. You should let go of her hand now Will. You’re being weird. I dropped her hand like it had burned me. Smooth. She looked at me, smirked and cocked that eyebrow again. Saying nothing, she followed her sister and Charles out the front door. Caroline took advantage of my initial inaction by slipping her arm into mine, leading me towards the cab. And my doom.

[inner-dreamscape]

Pink Skies pt. 2

Title: Sirens

Part One

Also posted on AO3

The electrical buzzing of the blinking 'VANCANCY' sign outside the motel was hypnotizing. Chuuya stared blankly down at his hands, splayed open in the red light, then splayed out in the darkness when the sign blinked back off again. Again and again, his hands appeared in a haunting cycle, each time the same. Nothing changed. Nothing he did afterwards changed the fact that his hands were stained red.

It was a day to celebrate but Chuuya couldn't fathom the happiness the others felt at his first successive kill. He had to leave. He had to escape. So, he ran back to the motel room the first opportunity he got and he spent the next two hours burning his skin under a hot shower and wasting all the soap in trying to clean the red from his hands. But no matter what he did, he couldn't erase it. Couldn't wash the stink and the stickiness away. That red clung to his skin as if that person's soul haunted him for what he had done.

His hands trembled, or maybe it was his entire body. He didn't know. He wanted to cry but the shock and disgust and the urge to scream all warred within him that no tears were able to be shed. So he just sat there, on the floor next to the single bed, staring at his hands. He couldn't look away from them, didn't want to look away. Afraid that looking away would dismiss the act that he had committed. That it would devalue a human's life even if that human was rotten to the core.

He didn't know how long he had stayed there but before he knew it, the sun was rising and the red light was washed out. The only thing left were his clean palms.

Just like that.

--

Chuuya peeled a hand away from hugging his knees to stare down at them. Without his gloves on, they were the same as back then, clean and devoid of any blood. But he knew better.

The guy he managed to track down went down easily enough. It was easy to set his death up like a suicide. So wracked with guilt about putting an innocent man in critical care that he ended up hanging himself. Too late to be saved before the cops descended on him to arrest him for the drunken hit and run. He only hated that he couldn't have made a mess out of him, for Dazai.

For Oda.

It's been a whole week since Oda got out of critical care. Ango and Kunikida have been taking turns watching over the kids, with Dazai helping out whenever he wasn't by Oda's side at the hospital. The first 3 days, it took both him and Ango to drag Dazai out of the hospital room in order for Chuuya to take him home to sleep. It became easier to convince Dazai to leave once Oda woke up to tell him himself.

True to Chuuya's prediction, the first meal Oda asked for was curry. Thankfully, the nurse scheduled was able to dissuade him from breaking doctor's orders. From then on, all the nurses assigned to him had to keep an eye on the visitors to make sure none of them brought in contraband food. They kept a very strong eye on Ango, much to the man’s chagrin.

Despite the emergency surgery Oda had to go under, he escaped the crash with internal abdominal injuries, a broken arm and leg, bruised ribs and a heavy concussion. He would have to undergo physical therapy once his arm and leg healed, but the doctors were hopeful that there wouldn't be any lasting damage. Chuuya was glad. He didn’t know how he would have handled Dazai if there had been lasting damage. The scars and disabilities reminders about how they both had failed to protect family.

The noise from the shitty TV suddenly rose in volume as the characters on screen screamed at each other. He wasn't really paying attention to it, having it on as background noise. It was one of those rare days that their neighbors were away and the floor was blessedly silent. The thin walls left little to the imagination and privacy a thing to be missed. But that night, he couldn't take it. The silence. So, the TV was on.

It helped to distract his raging nerves and anxiousness. But it could only help for so long. Flipping through the limited channels, nothing caught his attention that he could fully immerse himself in. Even the game system he and Dazai scrimped and saved up for, for a joint Christmas present to themselves (and to be honest, the kids for when they visited), didn't seem enticing. He sat there, watching the over acted drama play out on the small screen. By the time the protagonist was making her exit, he had fully chewed his thumb nail down to the skin.

His partner was still visiting Oda and would probably stay there until the nurses kicked him out after visiting hours were over. Maybe he had time to go out and buy some cheap wine before Dazai came back. He had finished his stock yesterday, using liquid courage to help him finish his plan. Perhaps he could get drunk and go to bed early, forget about today and not worry about tomorrow. He means, Dazai knew he was planning something like this right? Chuuya wasn't part of the goody-goody two shoes agency so he didn't have to feel guilty over what Dazai would think. If anything, he knew almost exactly what Dazai would think. That wasn’t the problem. No. What was the problem was that he killed when he didn't have to. He killed when he promised Oda that he wouldn't become a killer like the rest of the gang. He killed when he knew for a fact that Oda wouldn't have wanted him to kill the guy that ran into him. He would have wanted Chuuya to leave it to the police and let the justice system get justice for him.

But he had promised Dazai first. He had promised himself first. That he would do anything in his power and position to keep the two of them safe from the shadows of the underworld. He stayed in the Port Mafia to thwart any and all future attempts at the two traitors should they become a target again. He stayed to keep an eye on other organizations that might deem the agency an enemy.

Dazai might argue that Chuuya was doing exactly what he was supposed to do. Nothing more and nothing less. Chuuya would be deeply inclined to agree with his partner.

Still. What was done, was done and Chuuya had to live with that for the rest of his life. He was prepared to carry that burden. Maybe he could coerce Dazai into keeping this fact a secret between them. What's one more amongst many?

His other thumb nail was gone now too. His spiraling thoughts had taken him out of the false calm he had acquired from the mindless reality TV he had settled on. He was fidgety. Angsty. He couldn't quite stop the bouncing of his leg as he stared hard at the grainy screen. God, if only he had a cigarette to chew on…

"I'm home!" Chuuya strangled a curse. He let it loose anyway once he saw the blood beading up on his thumb.

Dazai stood in the genkan, brown eyes focused on him as he removed his shoes. Chuuya ignored him, sticking his thumb in his mouth to suck the blood away. He made a face at the metallic flavor that coated his tongue. He didn’t think he had bitten so hard.

"Chuuya's not going to say 'Welcome home'?" Dazai whined, hefting the takeout bag onto the coffee table. "Even after I went out of my way to bring him food?" He directed a pout at the redhead, hoping for some sympathy.

"Welcome home, asshole." Chuuya grumbled, rummaging through the food containers to sort out their own. It was Dazai’s turn to pick up food anyways, so he got no pity from him.

"Hm."

It was Chinese that night. Peeking into each of the cartons, he found sesame chicken, pork fried rice, white rice, kung pao beef, egg rolls and some lin yueng bau. He claimed the fried rice, kung poa and lin yueng bau for himself, pushing the rest to the other side of him for Dazai. He dug in.

"Chuuya." Dazai called, still standing from the spot beside the couch.

He grunted, mouth stuffed with spicy kung pao and eyes glued to the TV. He knew that tone of voice. He was the ‘we need to have a serious talk’ voice because they were doing that now. Talking. No more secrets between them, they had decided. He was going to try to waylay the inevitable but Dazai hadn’t been known as the Demon Prodigy for nothing.

"Chuuya." Dazai called again, reaching a hand out to turn the red heads face towards him.

Chuuya swallowed down his food, lips pulling down into a frown. "What."

Dazai stared at him intently, getting that furrow between his brows when he was displeased with something. The look made Chuuya bristle. A callus free thumb swiped the splattering of sauce off of puffy lips. A pink tongue couldn't help but dart out and lick the digit. Appalled at his own tongue, Chuuya ripped his chin away from Dazai's soft hands.

"What?" He asked again, annoyed.

"What's wrong with Chuuya." And wasn't that a loaded question.

"Nothing's wrong with me. Sit down and eat already." He took his own advice and went back to eating.

Dazai sat down, but didn't make any moves to eat. He was still staring at Chuuya and Chuuya had no doubt in his mind that Dazai was figuring things out. He always did. He was the only person in the whole world who understood him to his core and he him in return. So he knew that Dazai was gearing up to have a serious talk, but honesty? Chuuya didn't want to have it. Yeah, he knew he would have to discuss this at some point, but not right now. Not tonight. His refusal to look at Dazai signified that.

The slender hand reached out again, this time, grabbing for the takeout carton. Chuuya made a noise a protest, but ultimately had to let it go if he didn't want the beef and bell pepper to fall from his chopsticks. He watched as the container was set back onto the table with the rest of the food. He slowly ate the rest from his chopsticks to prolong the conversation.

"You killed someone." Dazai stated, not asked. Because he knew. Chuuya didn't have to ask how he came to that conclusion. Dazai's seen him plenty of times after missions where he was forced to kill someone in self-defense and Chuuya was exhibiting those habits right in front of him. "Who was it?"

"No one you know." His leg started bouncing again. ‘When had it stopped?’

"Liar."

Chuuya glared. "It's true! It's not someone you know." Technically it was true. Dazai didn't know that guy's name. Chuuya didn't know either but to-ma-to, to-mah-to.

"But I know of them. You're more…keyed up than usual. That only happens when it's someone we have in common." A light seemed to go off in his head. "It was that guy."

"What guy?" His heart beat faster. He knew.

"The one that hit Oda." One look at Chuuya's face confirmed his answer. He smirked lightly. "I'm right."

"Whatever." He mumbled, reaching for the food.

Dazai stopped him. Chuuya groaned, leaning back into the couch.

"How did you do it?" Chuuya didn't like the look that infiltrated those brown eyes. ‘He shouldn’t have those thoughts’ he remembered thinking once. More than once because old habits die hard, and yes it was a habit. Until Dazai taught himself better, he knew the other would still be having them. And hadn’t that been the part of the reason he had stayed in the Port Mafia in the first place? To protect the both of them but also to help foster that new outlook on life; that life was worth something more than the pain and suffering of others at your hands.

Discussing this situation was going to be hard without bringing Dazai’s bloodlust back out from wherever it was buried. But Dazai had agreed to Chuuya’s terms of handling the guy himself, so it was a start.

"No. We are not going to talk about this. I'm not going to tell you how."

"I can always look it up." He threatened.

"Not if I ask you not too. And not if you want to keep this just between us." Chuuya fired back.

"Are you?"

"What? Going to ask you not to look it up?" Dazai nodded.

Chuuya remained silent, thinking about his answer. He wanted to say yes. Keep everything buried deep down under, and he knew that Dazai would take his request seriously. But that's how things ruined. It would fester and fester until it was eating him up inside. Until there was nothing else left inside him. Didn't they say the best thing for a wound to heal was to let it breathe?

Letting Dazai look up the information saved him from having to say everything out loud. And wasn't he just a right coward for thinking it in actuality.

He wasn't a coward.

"No. No I'm not." And Dazai smiled at him, pleased. They've come a long way into their relationship. "But I am asking that you not do it right away. I'll tell you. Later. Just…not right now, okay?"

"Okay." Dazai slid the hand that was holding Chuuya's arm, down until he was holding Chuuya's hand in his own. He gave the smaller one a reassuring squeeze. "That’s all I ask."

Chuuya silently nodded.

"Are you still hungry?" Their food was probably already cold.

"Not that much, no." He lost most of his appetite at the mention of his heinous deed.

The leg that was not curled up on the couch supporting their hands was still bouncing. It stilled briefly at the heavy sigh that escaped from Dazai. The other's hand left his for a moment, fishing in his back pocket for something. Chuuya silently missed the warmth.

Dazai pulled out an unfamiliar packet of cigarettes. He shook one out, gripping it with his mouth and pulling before shaking another out and offering it to Chuuya. It strangely reminded Chuuya of the morning in front of the hospital.

‘A lot of things are.’

Curiously, he took the cigarette, holding it up to his nose to sniff it. There was a fruity scent about it, different from the spice and tobacco from their usual. Seeing the question on his partner's face, Dazai told him, "They're new. The company just came out with them a month ago; fruit flavors. That one's strawberry." The painted ring underneath the filter was red. Looking over, Dazai's was yellow. Lemon.

Dazai pulled out a lighter and lit his, taking a deep breath to get the smoke going. The scent of lemons surrounded them as smoke escaped those parted lips. Intrigued and impatient, Chuuya leaned forward with his own cigarette tucked between his lips, pressing the tip against the smoldering end of Dazai's.

He didn't notice the deep inhale from Dazai, or the widening of his brown eyes. Instead, he focused on keeping the tips pressed together, trying to light his own. After a few seconds, the cigarette started catching. He moved back a little to see if it was enough when his eyes caught Dazai's. Blue eyes took in the heated look that covered Dazai's face.

The scents of lemon mixed with strawberry wafted into their noses as Chuuya's started burning. Slowly, Dazai reached out to pluck the stick from Chuuya's mouth and his own before crashing his lips onto the shorter.

Chuuya could have sworn he heard Dazai mutter into his mouth, "Beautiful" as he returned the kiss.

The kissing didn't last long and the strawberry stick was shoved back into his mouth. Rolling his eyes, he took a drag, tasting the flavor on his tongue. It was tart from the taste of Dazai and lemon, and Chuuya couldn't bring himself to hate it.

"I like the strawberry." He said at last, taking another taste.

He felt a weight on his left side as Dazai tipped over, resting his head on Chuuya's shoulder.

"Hm, I like the lemon." Dazai smiled, releasing the smoke in Chuuya's face.

"It's sour like you, no wonder." The redhead teased.

"And you're red, your point?"

Chuuya rolled his eyes. "Shut up, shitty mackerel."

They spent the rest of the evening bickering and watching trash TV, cuddled into each other. They didn't talk about the drunk driver again that night, thankfully. When they crawled into bed around 2 in the morning Chuuya felt like himself again. He peeled his hands away from Dazai's back to look at them once more. They were clean. Sighing, he cuddled Dazai closer to himself, burying his face into fluffy brown hair. There will always be blood on his hands, whether they were clean or not, but he had Dazai there to help with the burden of it. That was all he could ask for.

The distant sound of sirens, filtered faintly into their bedroom.

[ohblackdiamond]

little t&a (paul/gene, nc-17) (part 21 of 29)

part 1   part 2   part 3   part 4   part 5   part 6   part 7   part 8   part 9   part 10   part 11   part 12   part 13   part 14   part 15   part 16   part 17   part 18   part 19   part 20   part 21  part 22   part 23   part 24    part 25   part 26   part 27   part 28   part 29  

Four weeks before KISS gets back on tour, Gene discovers that Paul’s been cursed by a groupie. For the sake of KISS’ finances, Paul’s comfort levels, and Gene’s libido, this crisis must be resolved. Sexswap fic. In this chapter:  Paul and Gene go on a date and discuss groupies. Gene muses.

            Paul ended up driving them to a Japanese restaurant about an hour later, even though they’d had Chinese takeout just a few days prior. Gene felt a bit underdressed in Paul’s tee and waistband-digging jeans, for all he was trying to avoid getting recognized. Then again, Paul was only in the other blouse he’d bought and the jeans from yesterday, so maybe it didn’t matter.

            But it felt like it did. It kept nagging at him. Paul hadn’t dressed up, but he had put on a little makeup. He’d even tried to do something with his hair. He knew exactly what this was. He knew Gene really was taking him out.

            Gene thought he’d be more nervous about the whole deal than he was. Paul was still getting the door for him, and part of Gene hated himself a bit for realizing he’d miss that, too. It wasn’t going to be as endearing once he was back to normal. None of Paul’s little quirks would be.

            Gene felt ashamed over it. He really did. Paul was the same person, with or without tits, but that didn’t mean Gene was going to stay interested once they were out of the equation. Paul had said he wouldn’t be. And that really hadn’t even been the only time. Paul had kept hinting at it long before. I bet you’d rather me stay a girl. It was a horrible thing to even own up to fantasizing about. Even if Paul had dealt with it fairly well, at least over the last few days. He’d taken to all the superficial trappings of being a chick pretty readily, the makeup and heels and so on, but that was probably because all that was stuff he already did as a man. Beyond that, he wasn’t really playing at being a girl very well. Wasn’t trying to.

            Could he really feel the same way about Paul once they took care of the curse? Once Paul felt ready to give it up? And it’d have to be soon; even not counting the tour, eventually, Paul’s parents or Bill Aucoin or someone would call in a missing person report. Would he still want Paul then?

            Gene wasn’t sure. He’d lay a woman whether she was pretty or not, but he’d never fucked a guy, and never been interested in the prospect. But it kept nagging at him anyway. Trying to picture Paul back to normal was almost hard, when he was sitting there in front of him. Looking cute as hell with his hair fluffed like cotton candy and another low-cut blouse on. Looking happy. Normally, Gene would get a little disappointed, hanging around once the clothes were off a chick, even one he was dating. He never could help feeling like something had been—oh, not spoiled, exactly, but—like something had been… lived-in, maybe. Like a month into owning a car, when the clean smell of the dealership was gone. No longer new, and disappointingly his.

            But watching Paul chatting amiably about nothing—no, not nothing, he was talking about maybe trying to visit Japan off-tour, sometime, get some real sightseeing in, instead of hasty bus rides—just brought back to mind the image of a couple hours ago. Those pretty lips wrapped around his cock, or, almost better yet, parted in a plaintive cry. Fuck, Paul could scream, and it was somehow almost appealing, how he kept trying not to do it but ended up moaning all the louder.

            Gene didn’t feel like he’d lost interest once he’d gotten Paul naked. It had just given him more to explore. Not just those sensitive breasts or the taste of his juices, either. Not everything was carnal. He hadn’t realized the guy had any freckles, for one, although maybe some of them had just been buried in the carpet of his chest hair prior. Maybe he’d just never had a reason to look.

            Gene’s stomach growled, and he decided he needed to quit while he was ahead. Paul was starting to look at him funny, and nudging him under the table with his foot. They ordered platters of teriyaki chicken, fried rice, and sushi rolls, Gene carefully checking the ingredient list and grilling the waitress about the fish used while Paul, predictably, ignored kosher and got exactly what he wanted.

            “Maybe that’s why you got cursed,” Gene teased, once Paul started eating his California rolls. Paul made a face.

            “Very funny.” He took a long gulp of his water. The guy had to have been starving after throwing up last night. “She was just… I don’t know if I can explain it.”

            Paul hadn’t tried to explain it, either. Not that Gene had pressed, back in the limo last night, when Paul had looked pale and shaken-up about the whole deal. But he’d been curious. Paul and Carol had been down in the basement nearly past the twenty minutes he’d allotted. Long enough for Paul to find out exactly why she’d done that to him.

            “Go ahead.”

            Paul hesitated.

            “It’s… Gene, do you ever think about the groupies? I mean, really think about them.”

            “No.”

            “I didn’t, either.” Paul seemed to try to laugh, and then he wiped at his mouth. “I… I remember getting kind of dopey over some chick when we were still playing ballrooms. Then I found out she’d let half the New York Dolls screw her.”

            “I don’t know why that stopped you.”

            “Because that meant it wasn’t… that meant I didn’t matter to her, if she’d just let me the same way she’d let them. It was too… shit, I can’t be talking like this out in public.”

            “Why not?”

            Paul stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head.

            “Because people can hear me.”

            “Barely anyone’s here, Paul.”

            Paul took another few bits of rice, using his chopsticks. He still wasn’t good with them, but he liked to pretend. World traveler Paul. Meanwhile, Gene was diving into his own rice with a fork, getting easily triple as much per bite. Far more efficient.

            “Yeah, but we’re not in the Village or any of that shit.”

            “Are you that afraid of getting looked at dirty? You know that’s all anyone would do.”

             “I’ll tell you in the car,” he said, and reached for another piece of sushi.

--

            Paul made good on his promise. Once lunch was done (the owner had actually dropped by their table and given them small bowls of ice cream on the house, which Paul seemed very chipper about) and he was out of the restaurant parking lot, he started in again. Offhand and abrupt, one hand worryingly on the radio dial. He seemed to be trying to find a traffic report.

            “I guess I thought the girls got off on it.”

            “No shit, Paul.”

            “No, listen. I thought they all did that with every rockstar that came to town.” Paul finally stopped fooling with the dial, turning up the volume. Gene half-wondered why, when Paul didn’t even live in New York proper anymore, and probably wasn’t going to hit boatloads of traffic on the way back. “I thought… I hoped they understood how it was.”

            “They all know they’re never gonna see you again.” Gene shifted uncomfortably. “You have fun one night, and that’s it. They take a good memory back.”

            “Carol didn’t.”

            Gene didn’t answer for awhile. The silence wafted up like summer haze above the pavement. When Paul didn’t elaborate, Gene spoke again.

            “Why did she do that to you? Just because she didn’t have a good time with you?”

            “No. That’s not it. She just… shit, Gene.” Paul let out a long breath. “She wanted something I couldn’t give her.”

            “She wanted to date you? Paul, that’s really not your fault, if she didn’t understand—”

            “Well, I didn’t deserve to get cursed over it, but… fuck, I don’t know.” Paul’s eyes were dark. Not unreadable, just pensive. “We go out there and we say all that bullshit. We love the fans. We love the girls. We… we do the teenybopper mags. It… Bill’s so smart, y’know, you got the girls that want you and the ones that want me and Peter and Ace and so on, right on down to a type—”

            “Paul, I don’t think I’m following you.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Are you saying you wanna be honest with the girls? You want to put in print that they don’t matter to you?” Gene shook his head. “It’s showbiz, Paul. You can’t be everything to everybody. The girls ought to know better. It’s not on you if any of them really think they’ve got a chance.”

            “We’ve let them think they do.” Paul was starting to look a little nerved-out by his own words. “They’re not getting that idea out of thin air, Gene. We… we’ve got a little bit of responsibility here.”

            “I’m allergic to that word in that context.”

            “Yeah?”

            “Yeah. It makes me think of paternity lawsuits.”

            He’d expected Paul to laugh, but he didn’t. Just kept driving in silence, switching the station again once they started playing music. It seemed like he was going into the traffic, rather than away from it. Maybe he’d wanted to stop somewhere before heading back home.

            “They’ve got feelings, though, don’t they?” God, Paul was still at it. “I didn’t ever mean to hurt them, but I did. I didn’t really start to understand until…”

            The ice cream felt suddenly like a brick of milk in Gene’s stomach.

            “Until what?”

            “Until you said we could take a picture for your album.”

            “Paul, that was a shitty joke, I didn’t mean—”

            “I know. I know.” Paul sighed, and beeped the horn at the taxi in front of him. Gene saw the cabbie roll down the window and stick his hand out, flipping him off. Paul returned the favor, but kept on talking as he did it. “I figured if… if I didn’t wanna be treated like that, like something to… to collect, then maybe some of them didn’t, either.”

            Gene couldn’t think of anything to say. That was rare enough to be worrisome. His girls were different from Paul’s, anyway. He didn’t have that sappy, sensitive lover image that Paul did, that’d make for clingy mental cases. His girls just wanted kinky sex, topped off with his tongue between their legs. But he couldn’t shrug off the feeling that Paul was onto something. Something a little bit terrible.

            He’d been on the road long enough to get a sense of demographics. The girls in the Midwest and places like Utah, in their way, were a real treat, eager to do anything to please. Gene hadn’t ever even had a threesome, but he’d fucked around a bit with BDSM, that kind of thing. He’d noticed the cornfed, good-girl, hometown types, they were the most likely to be up to indulging something weird.

            He’d thought it was just because they were repressed. Wanted to let loose before they ended up fat and married with five kids. It had never hit them that it might be because they were just naïve enough to buy into what KISS was trying to sell.

            “Maybe.”

            He felt Paul’s eyes back on him briefly, and then they were back on the road. Gene’s sense of direction wasn’t the greatest, but he knew for sure now that the route Paul was taking went nowhere near his house. He cleared his throat, putting his hand on Paul’s thigh.

            “Paul, you’re not… I don’t want to just take your picture. You mean more to me than that.”

            It was a couple of seconds before Paul nodded, resting his hand on top of Gene’s, lacing their fingers together.

            “Thanks, Gene.”

            “Don’t thank me. It’s true.” And then, because that still didn’t seem sufficient, because worry was starting to sink into Paul’s forehead, he leaned over on impulse, kissing him on the cheek, lips mostly brushing Paul’s hair instead. Paul’s one-handed grip on the steering wheel only faltered briefly, pink rising in his face. “Where are we going?”

            “You don’t know?” Paul started to smile. “C’mon, Gene. You took me out. I gotta return the favor somehow.”

            “It’s New York, you could be taking us anywhere.”

            “We’re heading to Central Park.” Paul patted Gene’s hand, and then shifted it to dig around in the middle console. “Real romantic, I know. Feed some geese, get out there in a rowboat… c’mon and check for me, Gene, I think I’ve got just enough change for the parking meter, even…”

            “What about the carousel?”

            “Sure, if you want—”

            “Great.” Gene’s hand was inching gradually up Paul’s thigh. “I think it’d be a fun ride.”

            Paul smacked his hand away.

[britishassistant]

But I Like One Piece (13)

There’s a lot of adults outside the compound.

There’s Ino’s dad, who’s fussing over her a lot, and Chouji’s dad, who waves at her, and a guy with spiky hair and a white chevron on his nose who leaps down from the roofs with Kiba, Akamaru and Sakura under his arms, placing them down before leaping away again.

Bigger Shikamaru then makes a face and pulls the hand on her back away to reveal spots of blood. “What happened here?”

“A trap got set off.” She says. “It was gonna hurt Chouji, so me and Ino got in the way.”

Bigger Shikamaru glances at her suspiciously. “Right. And how did this trap get set off?”

She decides discretion is the better part of valor and shrugs, wincing at the movement. “Lots of tripwires. Hard to tell.”

Bigger Shikamaru gives a slow nod, like he doesn’t quite believe her. “Uh huh. And why were there so many tripwires?”

“Because Uchiha’s scared.” She says, looking the man dead in the eye. “He’s really, really scared of that man coming back to finish the job. And he has no one to look after him, so he’s trying to protect himself. And us. By fighting us to make us stronger, or something. He didn’t explain it well.”

Bigger Shikamaru appears inscrutable during her tirade, but he looks away when she keeps staring pointedly at him, with another muttered “Troublesome.”

The click of a camera shutter has her looking over to see Lee taking pictures of the spiky haired guy and another guy with floppy hair, who are posing dramatically for photos. Kiba’s attempting to photobomb them with little success as Shikamaru watches.

“Right.” Bigger Shikamaru hitches her higher on his hip, raising his voice. “Chouza, can you get the rest of them home? Inoichi and I need to get these two to the hospital.”

Lee insists on coming along with them.

Once they realize what’s going on, Sakura and Chouji beg to come along too. It sort of snowballs from there, so they end up with a gaggle of children and Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji’s dads causing a bit of a stir when they all enter the hospital’s reception area.

She sees the same nice doctor from when she bit her lip last time, with the blond hair and pink eyes.

The nurse is nowhere to be seen.

She tells the nice doctor she didn’t bite her lip at all, even when it really hurt, while he’s doing something with the green glow to her shoulders that makes them stop hurting.

He pats her head and gives her a lollipop, and then gives extra ones to Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and Sakura with a wink and vague compliments to the mysterious medical experts for their good work.

Kiba doesn’t stop grinning for the rest of the afternoon, Shino’s insects buzz gently which she thinks means he’s happy, and even Hinata seems quietly pleased.

Chouji’s dad walks her, Lee and Sakura home after they get the confirmation that Ino’s going to be fine, while Shikamaru’s dad takes Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Uchiha.

Sakura’s quiet and subdued the whole way home, lollipop in her cheek, rubbing her fingers together every so often. She gives a weak little “bye” when they drop her off at her house.

Okaa-san looks particularly harried when she opens the door and takes note of the newly-healed marks on her back and the state of her blood-stained and dusty dress.

Her mother sends her upstairs to have a wash and get changed while Chouji’s dad has a talk with her and Otou-san.

By the time she comes back down, Chouji’s dad has gone home and her parents are sitting around the dinner table as Lee shows them his photos.

“Mayu-chan.” Otou-san says, holding up a picture of her and Ino crouched over Chouji with silver streaks soaring past them like deadly shooting stars. “Not that we aren’t proud of you for looking after your friends, but could you work a little harder to avoid getting hurt too please?”

“I’ll try, Otou-san.” She choruses guiltily.

It seems like what happened has become the talk of the village by dinner time.

Though she could be biased because that happens to be the time Gai-sensei bursts in, babbling on about explosions and grievous wounds and youth and her being sick on Anko’s shoes.

This earns her another week-long cooking ban, on the grounds that it might be a bug and not evil chakra that made her throw up.

Even Iruka-sensei brings it up at Ichiraku’s the following night.

“I heard you had an eventful day yesterday.” He says politely while they’re waiting for their noodles. He seems a bit more at ease now Naruto and Lee aren’t there.

“Yeah.” She sighs, tracing the woodgrain with her finger. “It’s just—ugh.”

Iruka-sensei is nice, so he doesn’t chuckle at her little exclamation of disgust and waits for her to explain herself.

“It’s just—” She throws her hands up at not knowing what it “just” is and decides to start over from what she does know. “Uchiha is not a bad person. He’s dumb and awkward and— whatever, but he’s not bad. He’s just scared. And alone. And everyone thinks he knows what he’s doing because the teacher keeps saying he’s a prodigy and that he’s the best at everything—but he has no shi–blooming clue.”

Iruka-sensei nods seriously, brows furrowing, so she continues. “But he doesn’t know that he doesn’t—or he thinks that since everyone’s calling him a prodigy that he’s supposed to. So when he got scared about the man who murdered his clan coming back because of the thieves, he tried to protect himself with the wires and traps, because there’s no adults who’ll defend him. And then he tried to have everyone over to defend us too, because he’s not a bad person, he’s just kinda dumb and paranoid, y’know?”

“I...think I do know, yes.” Iruka-sensei says slowly, like he’s realizing something.

“Yeah—and before me and Naruto went over and cleaned his kitchen, his kitchen was a tip, because he had no idea what to do with all this food people were giving him!” She turns to Teuchi-sama. “I mean, he was just eating white rice and uncooked tomatoes everyday! It was like when I met Naruto, except he had all this food when Naruto had nothing, but he didn’t know what to do with it, so it was all rotting and going to waste!”

Teuchi-sama winces.

“That must’ve stunk something awful!” Ayame-sama chirps.

“Sanji as my witness it did.” She groans, covering her face while Otou-san carefully pats her back.

“Nobody was feeding Naruto?” Iruka-sensei interrupts, brows drawn down.

“Not from what we could see.” Okaa-san replies, daintily sipping at her water. “He’d be chased out of the market. I think Ichiraku’s was the only place he could get a square meal, until Mayu-chan started feeding him.”

Teuchi-sama nods. “He was our favorite customer. Still is, in fact.”

“Mayu with her little lunchboxes.” Otou-sama smiles nostalgically. “Up at the crack of dawn, carrying around those sheets of paper with what he liked and didn’t like on them.”

She squirms, cheeks heating up. “I didn’t know him then.” She complains. “But he was hungry. I couldn’t leave him hungry.”

Teuchi-sama nods approvingly as he slides a bowl of miso ramen in front of her.

Iruka-sensei is quiet while he eats.

“What did you tell him.” Uchiha growls at lunch on Monday.

She blinks in confusion, about to bite into her onigiri. “What did I tell who?”

Uchiha looks pained, his grilled sandwich leaking tomato juice and pesto in his grip.

“The Hokage,” He grits out. “Has determined that I am not suited to living on my own because of something one of you said. So I now have this chunin living in my house and leaving his stupid porn everywhere.”

She winces. “But I haven’t seen the Hokage all weekend. He was with Naruto, and Naruto wasn’t with us.”

“We did hear the explosion.” Naruto pipes up unhelpfully. “It really freaked his mask guys out—we thought the village was under attack or something when we heard it, believe it!”

Sasuke glares at them all, taking a mutinous bite of his sandwich.

“Mayu.” Shikamaru says. “Do you know what my dad does?”

She frowns as she swallows and takes another bite. “Tactician?”

Shikamaru’s smile is slow and spiteful. “He’s the Jounin Squad Leader of Konoha. Second only to the Hokage himself.”

She stops chewing.

Oh. Oh.

Whoops.

Uchiha looks between the two of them, growing redder and redder with each passing second.

“TRAITORS!!!” He howls finally, and flings himself across the table at Shikamaru.

They all get detention again.

She’s really not sure how long the teacher expects to keep justifying things with “you’re friends and supposed to control each other” when he’s the authority figure here.

Though maybe her telling him this wasn’t the best idea.

“Well, you weren’t wrong.” Chouji says loyally.

“Thank you Chouji.” She replies.

“Still a dumb thing to say.” Naruto adds.

She places her hand over his mouth. “Sssh.”

He licks it again.

While they’re wrestling, she hears Sakura ask Uchiha, “Are you gonna be okay, Sasuke-kun?”

Uchiha snorts. “I’ll be fine. I just have to convince the Hokage that I’m strong enough to live on my own. And to do that, I need to get rid of the trespasser in my home.”

“...How are you gonna do that?” Ino asks, sounding a lot more wary than she has in previous Uchiha conversations.

He grunts in a way that conveys indecision, or maybe constipation.

“What if you pranked him?” Naruto suggests from where she’s almost managed to force her spit-contaminated arm to touch his cheek. “I know some pretty good ones that the jerks in the market never saw coming!”

Uchiha pauses.

His lips curl into a slow, cruel smirk.

She’s not privy to all the details, because Naruto is sworn to solemn secrecy by the prankster’s code.

What she does know is that the chunin who leaves his porn everywhere is subjected to potent itching powder in every fabric item he attempts to use, and somehow becomes convinced that the ghosts of the Uchiha clan would curse his family with pimply skin for every generation thereafter if he did not vacate the premises immediately.

Sasuke’s victorious mood is dampened when the Hokage apparently sends a new chunin to live with him the very next day.

This chunin apparently has a bad habit of talking down to children, no matter whether they’re the last remnants of their clan or not, and abusing his new position to bring home “friends”.

Uchiha takes this as a declaration of war.

He ends up mobbed by every cat from here to Kusagakure thanks to a potent mixture of valerian, catnip, and a secret ingredient that Uchiha refuses to divulge which was mixed into his shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in small enough increments to be unnoticeable until it was too late.

The Hokage sends a jounin.

Kiba ends up recruited to the cause.

The jounin somehow ends up ingesting enough laxatives to put a small monkey out of commission, and then has his all-black ensemble and glasses forcibly dyed many colors thanks to the liberal application of industrial-strength paint.

The Hokage sends Anko.

The ensuing carnage results in the statue of the Niidaime losing its nose and has Uchiha lying low for three weeks, alternating between hiding in her and Sakura’s houses and Naruto’s apartment.

A few days before their finals, Uchiha comes in looking oddly...defeated.

“The Hokage and the Council say that unless I accept the next caretaker they provide for me, I’m going to go into the Orphanage and the Uchiha lands will be forfeit.”

Hinata covers her mouth with her hands. Ino and Kiba sit there, silent and slack-jawed. Chouji pushes away his food and Shikamaru actually sits up. Shino’s insects stop buzzing altogether.

“They can’t do that, can they?” Naruto says, looking around for confirmation. “I mean, that’s your home, right? It’s yours.”

“But Sasuke-kun’s technically a ward of state and has to do what they say.” Sakura says slowly. “Until he becomes a genin or comes of age as a civilian.”

“And that’s eighteen or something, right?” She adds with a heavy heart.

Uchiha puts his head down on the table.

“Hey, that’s rough man.” Kiba says, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

Akamaru strides down the table and settles himself next to Uchiha’s head, gently licking his cheek until the boy turns and buries his hand in the puppy’s soft fur.

“Did they say who it’ll be?” She asks gently, pushing her BLT over to him.

He shakes his head slowly, lifting the sandwich and taking a bite. “The Hokage only said they’ll be there to greet me after school.”

“Well, whoever they are, they can’t be worse than Anko, right?” Ino says, trying to be upbeat.

Everybody at the table shudders.

They stand with him in solidarity at the end of the Academy day.

The other parents and children look at them strangely, a group of clan kids and a few civilians bunched together around the last Uchiha like a protective barrier, but no one comes forward to try and take him.

It isn’t until the last of them are leaving that someone arrives.

Iruka-sensei comes out of the Academy building, carrying a suitcase.

“Ah, Ketsugi-chan, Lee-kun, Uzumaki-kun!” He says, smiling brightly. “How are you doing?”

“We are well, thank you Iruka-sensei!” Lee says. “We are waiting with Uchiha-kun for his new guardian!”

Iruka-sensei’s eyes soften and he kneels down. “So you’re Sasuke-kun, huh? My name is Umino Iruka. It’s nice to meet you.”

Uchiha averts his eyes and stares stubbornly at the floor.

“I don’t want you in my house.” He says. “But the Hokage says if I don’t I have to go to the Orphanage.”

Iruka-sensei winces. “I heard about that. Do you want me to stay in one of the branch houses then? I just cancelled my apartment contract with my landlord, but I’m sure if I begged hard enough, she’d let me stay there for longer until we sort out what you’re comfortable with.”

Uchiha peers at him suspiciously. “...Okay. Do that.”

Suddenly Iruka-sensei’s stomach gurgles.

He blushes. “Ah, do you mind if we get some food first? There’s a pretty good ramen place I know.”

“Ichiraku’s?” Naruto bursts in eagerly.

“We’re not feeding you.” Uchiha says dismissively, ignoring Naruto’s cry of betrayal.

He begins to stride off down the path, only to turn when the teacher doesn’t follow. “Well? It’s annoying if you’re hungry.”

Iruka-sensei’s mouth quirks into a smile.

Somehow, she thinks as the teacher and boy disappear down the path, discussing one of the pranks that befell his hapless predecessor, this might turn out alright.

It’ll certainly be better than Anko.

[drummerqueenrmt]

Puppy eyes (Roger Taylor x reader)

Summary: Roger falls in love with a puppy. You didnt think that it’s a good idea at first.

Warnings: a lot of fluff, mentions of sex

Notes: I only want to thank all of you who are reading my things! I also want to remind you that my requests are open and that if you want me to write something for you don’t hesitate and send it to me! Finally, please li/rb/comment if you like this, for us writers the feedback is very important. Love you all 💛

“Look at him!”

“I am looking at him, Roger”

“He’s adorable”

“Yes, he is”

“So…”

“We can’t adopt him, not now”

“But why?”

“Because we just moving to our new house and we have a lot of things to do, we have to order everything and get used to life together and all of that…”

“C’mon, I’ve been living in your old flat for the past months even if I wasn’t supposed to, we are used to live together by now”

“Maybe we can adopt one in the future”

“But… I want that one”

You were arguing for the past fifteen minutes about adopting a little dog just because Roger seemed to fell in love with him. You knew very well that when Roger wanted something he was very persistent till he achieved it, that was very clear till the first time you met him and he spend the whole night trying to get your phone number. But you were determined not to let him get away with it this time, so you just walked away to buy all the things that were still on your list.

When you finished you realized that an hour had passed till you left Roger there watching the puppy, no news of him since then. You came back at where you saw him for the last time, you didn’t see them at first but then the saleswoman gave you a signal, pointing behind a shelving, and there he was sitting on the floor, with the puppy on his arms.

“They seem to like each other” The woman told you.

“Yeah… I can see that”

“Maybe you should adopt it. It’s a nice dog, very quiet”

You simply smiled to her and approached your boyfriend and his new love.

“Rog, I’ve finished, it’s time to go home”

“Have you heard that, buddy? We are going home”

“No, no… The puppy is not coming”

“Ignore her, she’s not talking seriously” The drummer stood up and smiled at you. “Right?”

“Look… I’m going to say this for the last time, we don’t have time for a puppy now, Roger… With the house, my job… You start a tour in three weeks!”

“And he will be delighted to keep you company while I’m away”

You came closer to him, one hand placed on his cheek caressing it. “We’ll adopt a puppy, I promise. But not now…”

“Please?”

“Rog…”

“Please, please, please!” He started to use his best strategy, it was time for his puppy eyes and his pouting.

“Roger, don’t” You looked away, he was so good at that.

“Look at us” He placed the puppy’s face next to his. “Look how cute we are together”

You gave them a look and, God, they were the cutest thing you had ever seen in your life. They were both looking at you with their big blue eyes, waiting for you to say yes.

But you needed to be strong and you just approached them, took the puppy and placed him again inside the fence where you first saw him. “I’m sorry, honey… Next time”

Roger was angry.

A lot.

He didn’t talk to you all the way back home, not even when you asked him something. And once you arrived home the situation didn’t change much.

“What do you want for dinner?”

“I’m not hungry”

“Roger…”

He disappeared into your room. When you finished eating something and cleaning everything, you entered the room. He was on the bed, his eyes staring at the ceiling.

“There’s some rice on the fridge if you recover the appetite”

“Nice…”

Once you put your pajama on you laid next to him, your eyes fixed on him.

“What?” He asked.

“I don’t want you to be like this” He didn’t say anything. “C’mon, Rog… It’s just a dog”

“No it’s not…” He turned his face to look at you. “He was the dog, we had a special connection”

“We’ll find another one and you’ll feel the same about it”

He snorted. “You don’t understand” And turned, giving you his back.

You started tracing circles on it with your fingers, knowing that that was very relaxing for him.

“I’m sorry for acting like this… Maybe I’ll feel better tomorrow” He said suddenly and you took that as a signal to hug him from behind.

“And I’m sorry for saying no to adopt him but-”

“I just want you to think of what I told you before, your excuses are nonsense”

“Alright… I will”

“Promise?”

“Promise” You gave him a kiss on the back of his neck and tried to sleep.

But you didn’t sleep much that night.

He was right.

Your excuses where nonsense.

You had a big house now where the dog would be able to run and play, you both were more than used to live together and a dog wouldn’t be a trouble, you worked on mornings but you would be able to take a walk with him before going to it and on evenings, and he definitely would help with the loneliness when Roger will be on tour.

So, the next morning when Roger woke up you weren’t in bed anymore.

You were bringing the puppy to his new home.

“Rog?”

“I’m in the kitchen! Where were you this early in the morning?”

“I forgot something on the store yesterday”

“Look, you were right… We can get another puppy anytime, it’s just that he was so cute…” He was cooking something for breakfast and you were at the door watching the scene with the little puppy in your arms.

“He had those big, blue eyes and-”

The dog suddenly burked and Roger knew what it was immediately. When he turned around his eyes went wide.

“Surprise” You said smiling.

“He… He is… He-”

“He’s staying with us, we are his family now”

Tears started filling the blonde’s eyes and he approached both of you with a bright smile on his face. “Why?”

“For once you were right, there weren’t solid excuses for not adopt him”

Roger looked at the puppy one more time before taking you by your neck and kissing you. “Thank you” He whispered. “I love you, I love you, I LOVE YOU!”

You smiled. “Why do you always get what you want?”

“I’m very convincing” He smirked.

“Yeah… With those puppy eyes…”

“You seem to like puppy eyes” He said while caressing the dog’s head.

“I like your puppy eyes” And gave him a kiss.

“And Hendrix’s”

“Hendrix? Like Jimi Hendrix?”

“Of course! It’s the best name for a puppy!”

“If you say so… Do you like it?” You asked looking at the hairball in your arms.

He made the same high pitched sound he did before.

“See! He loves it!” Roger then took the puppy and started giving him little kisses on his face, rubbing their noses together.

And your heart melted at the scene. It had been a good decision.

The days passed and the bond between Roger and Hendrix was growing stronger and stronger, they were practically always together. If Roger was laying on the sofa watching TV, Hendrix was laying on his chest watching it too; if the drummer was composing something with the guitar, the little dog was sitting next to him watching the scene carefully… You knew when Roger was arriving home because the puppy always ran to the front door to receive him and the blonde always laid on the floor to allow him to climb on top of him to give him a hug.

They were definitely best mates.

But the day of the beginning of the tour arrived and it was time to say goodbye to Roger for a while.

While Roger was packing his suitcase, Hendrix was looking at him curious and he often tried to enter inside the suitcase as if he knew that the drummer was placing there all the things he was going to take with him.

“I’m sorry, buddy… But you can’t come with me this time, you have to stay here with mum” He took the little one on his arms and sat on the bed. “I know it’s going to be difficult for both of us but I have to do it… I’m going to miss you a lot, mate” He hugged the animal strongly against him.

“I’m scared to ask if you are going to miss more him or me…” You had been watching the scene for the door.

He laughed, placing Hendrix on the bed and standing up to wrap his arms around your waist. “You will always be the thing I will miss the most while on tour, my love”

You passed your arms around his neck. “Sure?”

“Sure” And you melted into a kiss.

There were some tears and promises when Roger left, but you were used to it. However, Hendrix wasn’t and he spent all the day laying on his little bed with a sad look on his face. You tried to cheer him up, making him his favourite food, playing with him… but nothing seemed to help.

You laid on your bed, ready to sleep and hoping that he would get used as days passed. But you suddenly heard his crying and you hated it so much that you decided to go talk to him.

“Hey…” You started caressing him. “It’s ok, daddy will come back, I promise” He didn’t stopped till you suggested him to sleep on the bed with you. You were surprised at how intelligent he was, he understood almost anything. So, you took them and placed him on the bed next to you.

He seemed to be more relaxed but not enough to be able to sleep and you decided to put and arm on him, rubbing circles with your thumb. He liked the contact and he searched for more. He moved till his back was pressed against your chest and he placed his little head on your arm. You melted a little and wrapped your free arm around him, hugging him. And you both fell asleep quickly.

You get used to it so you slept together all the nights that Roger was away.

Your boyfriend was right when he said that the puppy would help with the loneliness, you were doing all the things together. You loved the feeling of him on top of you, how he received you when you came back from work, how happy he was when you placed the phone next to his ear and he heard Roger speaking to him. He was a blessing.

Roger arrived home late and without warning that he was coming to give you a surprise. He tried to be as quiet as possible, trying not to awaken you. When he entered the room and saw the scene he thought his heart was going to explode, he had in front of him the most beautiful and cute scene he had ever seen in his life.

He put his pajama on and laid next to you both, making slow movements. But… someone noticed his presence.

The mixed sounds of your dog and your just arrived boyfriend woke you.

“Hey, buddy! I missed you too” Roger was hugging a very excited Hendrix that, at the same time, was kissing him on the face and moving frantically. “Hi, love. Sorry we woke you, I tried to be quiet but this little monster heard me”

“Roggie!” You hugged him strongly and started placing kisses on his face too. “You didn’t told me you were coming today”

“I wanted it to be a surprise and it seems that you have liked it, you both are going to kill me with so much kisses”

“We have missed you so much” And you were finally being capable of kissing his lips now that Hendrix seemed to be more relaxed.

He passed an arm around you to pull you closer. “I’ve missed you so much that I thought of leaving the tour”

“I thought you were delighted having all those groupies around you”

“Fuck the groupies, I only need you”

You kissed him again and as the thing was becoming hotter, Roger decided to take Hendrix to his bed, he was too young to see something like that.

“Goodnight, little! Tomorrow we are going to play all day together and we’ll go for a long walk as you like” The puppy gave him a last kiss and Roger kissed his forehead before returning to bed. “Where were we?”

“I think you were going to show me how much you have missed me” You winked to him and he smirked.

He placed himself on top of you and started devouring your mouth. You spread your legs a little so that you could feel his hardness against your core but just at that moment…

*Woof, woof*

You opened your eyes a little and you could see Hendrix’s eyes staring at you. Roger looked too and sighted. “Buddy, we are busy here”

“I think he has get used to sleep here and doesn’t like the idea of sleeping alone anymore”

“This is your fault” The blonde told you before standing up and kneeling in front of the puppy.

“You were the one who wanted a puppy, don’t you remember?”

Roger rolled his eyes and directed his look to Hendrix. “You can’t sleep here anymore, little. We need some privacy” The puppy understood immediately and began to make cry noises. “No, no no… Don’t you dare doing that”

“He did the same to me the first night you weren’t here, now you understand why I let him sleep with me”

The dog was still crying although Roger was trying to calm him with pettings. “Stop, please… Don’t look at me like that with those big blue eyes…”

“That’s what you do to me! Take your own medicine, Roger Taylor!”

“Are you on my side? I thought you wanted sex…”

“Yeah, but this is very funny! For once you are the victim” You smiled triumphantly.

The little dog only needed one more little high pitched sound to convince Roger. “Alright… You sleep with us… But only today!” The puppy stopped crying immediately and started barking of happiness. Roger took him and passed him to you, he didn’t need much time to find his position. “He has to sleep between us, hasn’t him?”

“I’m afraid he has. But look at him, he’s adorable”

“I’m adorable too, you know… I am an adorable and needy boyfriend”

You both laughed. “He is more independent in the morning, we’ll do it tomorrow” You said caressing his cheek. “I’m so happy that you are finally here, Rog”

“I am happy to be here too, love” He pressed your hand against his cheek. “I would be more happy making love to you right now but…” You both laughed again.

Hendrix was looking at you too as you were talking and you gave him a little kiss on his head. “Goodnight, cutie”

“Hey! I want a goodnight kiss too” Roger protested. You move your head a little, getting closer to him and planted a peck on his lips. “Goodnight, Rog. I love you”

“I love you too” Was the only thing he could say before falling asleep because of al the tiredness of the tour.

Roger finally showed you how much he had missed you the next morning and although he said that that night was going to be the last time that Hendrix was going to sleep in your bed, the truth is that finally it became something routine.

But you didn’t mind.

You, Roger and Hendrix were a happy family after all.

THE END

Taglist: @godknowsimtaylored 💛 (send me a message if you want to be added)

[sooghostwriter]

Bodyguard

Pairings: Do Kyung Soo x OC

Genre: Mature,  Romance, Angst (But not love angst), now with fluff and Smut bb!!

Warnings: Main character under trauma.

Summary: Ae Ra is a singer who has been receiving threatening messages and letters for a while now, but she didn’t give them importance. Until one day the sender decides to act and kidnaps her. It’s then when her agency decides that she needs protection, so they hired two bodyguards for her. Mister Do and Mister Park.

Chapter 8

Kyung Soo woke up with the alarm of his cellphone. His fogged mind could remember that he left it on the nightstand next to the bed but when he reached for it he could only find a soft and warm surface “Wrong side” The soft and warm surface said as he apologized to it and turned to the other side. This time he found a hard and cold surface. After moving his hand around he could finally grab his phone. It wasn’t the alarm though, it was Chanyeol “Yes, here I am, yes” He answered, or tried to “Good morning, I can tell I woke you up, sorry…it’s pass nine though, you never wake up this late…wait, did you?...no, you know what? I don’t care, Kyung Soo, I need to ask you a favor” “What is it?” He tried to focus on his friend’s voice, but the soft and warm surface was moving next to him “My mom called, and I need to take care of something, you mind covering me until three?” “Sure, no problem, I will stay with Miss Ji” And like a tornado, all sense came back to his head. The soft and warm surface was Ae Ra’s naked back, and she was sleeping next to him, naked. Because sex. A lot of it. And he was her bodyguard, and Chanyeol too. And if it wasn’t because he was incredibly lucky, Chanyeol would have arrived at work an hour ago and find him and Ae Ra in bed. It would have been easy for Chanyeol to get in since they were the only ones who knew the code to enter the apartment “Is everything alright with your mom?” Kyung Soo asked, trying to act as normal as he could “Yeah, family inconveniences, I will be there by afternoon so you can go home and rest” “Don’t worry about it” “I’m not, I was just being polite, bye!” He hung up before Kyung Soo could defend himself against that clear meaning behind his comment “Are we ok?” Ae Ra asked, sitting on the bed. Her hair was a complete mess, she could barely open her eyes due to the light and she was scratching under her boob with fervor. He couldn’t avert his stare from the several red marks painting the skin of her chest. He put them there, and it filled his chest with a mixture of proudness and possession “Chanyeol will be here by afternoon” She pushed her mane back, opening her eyes in excitement “So we will be alone?!” He could only smile at her, because he was as happy as she was “I’ll go make breakfast, sleep some more” She shook her head, wrapping him on her arms “No, we will sleep some more because we barely closed our eyes last night, then we will take a bath because my muscles are very sore and I’m super tired” “What about food?” “We will eat each other later” She winked at him, and he could melt every time she did that. He allowed her to pull them both back to the bed and sank in Ae Ra’s chest when she cuddled him. They woke up a couple of hours later, this time with Ae Ra’s phone. It was Baekhyun informing her that he wasn’t going to be able to go that afternoon for dinner, he had to go work with Chen, one of her colleagues “Sure, don’t worry” Baekhyun tried to ask her something, and she could sense what that something was, so she hung up. He then send her a message with an eggplant so she silenced his messages for the rest of the day. They weren’t tired anymore, so Kyung Soo got up and prepared them breakfast. Ae Ra ate two servings of rice and the entirety of the egg omelet he made. Kyung Soo enjoyed watching her eat. He saw her for such a long time not eat at all, and now she was famished. He was so proud of her. She insisted on taking a bath in the fancy jacuzzi “We have to use it at least once” She claimed as she pulled his shirt over his head “It’s such a waste of water” He complained, but it was too late, she had already unbuttoned his jeans and her dress was pooling on her feet. She was only wearing panties, no bra, and that was it for him. He followed her like a puppy to the jacuzzi. He rested his back against her chest, her hands caressing his arms and chest, the warm water surrounding him, calming his tired muscles. He felt stupid for fighting her preposition “My legs are so sore, being on top is quite tiresome, but it feels so different from bottoming” Kyung Soo giggled at her comment, he always enjoyed how authentic she was “Bad different?” “No, just different, they are both great” Kyung Soo had to ask. He never told her, but he felt a huge pressure for being her first “You enjoyed it, really? As much as I did?” “More than you did for sure, our first time was amazing, and last night…groundbreaking, and I know that it felt that good because it’s you” “You are exaggerating” She pinched his waist after hearing his comment and he squirmed adorably in her arms “No I’m not, and I’m not saying this only because you are great at the sack, I know it felt amazing because it’s you, and I felt confident, comfortable and loved by you” “I do love you” She kissed the back of his head and whispered her answer to his hear “I love you to” They remained silent after that, resting and relaxing, inhaling the sweet scent of the soap. As her body started to feel restored, she remembered that there was something she wanted to discuss with him. She was going to do that last night, but her newly discovered sexual desire unable her from doing so “Kyung Soo? I don’t want to break this idyllic moment, but I want to talk to you about yesterday” “Yesterday? About what happened at the police station?” “Yeah, about all this actually, since the beginning you had such a clear view about what was happening to me, about what I should do, you helped me change the detectives in charge” “God knows where we will be right now if they were still here” “That change the entire course of this thing, but also you came up with that theory about my attackers that ended up being the right one” “That was just a lucky guess” She made him turn around on her arms so she could give him an exasperated look. He turned around completely and rested against her side, holding her by the waist, and resting his chin on her chest “It wasn’t a lucky guess, you put together the facts, and gave me a lot of peace of mind by doing so, but also I wanted to thank you” His round eyes looked at her expectantly, he didn’t know what reason she could have for thanking him “But the most important thing you did for me is that you kept me free from my own restrictions, you taught me how to open up, to express my distress, and not to feel like a burden” “You will never be a burden to me” He said, grabbing her hand under water and bringing it to his lips “I know, thank you” She wished she could have more words to express her gratitude “I love you” He answered, and that was the only word left for her to say “I love you too Kyung Soo” “I love you more because I’m also your fan” She liked it so much when he was playful “Right, sometimes I forget about that, but I’m your fan too you know?” “Really? Name one of my songs” She gave it a little thought and searched for the right answer “For example…I want to kiss every part of you, I want to mark you and hear each loud moan I can get, tonight I’m not stopping …or what about What if we do it and I end up liking it?” “Are you making fun of me?” In that position, it was easy for him to tickle her and get his revenge. She reacted by flexing her legs which made her yelp in pain “My legs are so sore” She whined and he immediately started rubbing them “Yixing is the only one who has made me this sore” She commented. She could almost hear Kyung Soo’s neck cracking when he lifted his stare to meet hers, deadly serious “Who made you what?” He wasn’t even trying to hide his jealousy “Dear god Kyung Soo! He is my dance coach and choreographer, of course he would make me sore” He lowered his stare, embarrassed and hid his face on the crock of her neck “Sorry” He whispered against her skin and her hand started rubbing his nape and head “It’s just…he is too cool and handsome” She giggled softly, he was relieved that she wasn’t mad at his little fit “You are adorable” He remained silent, enjoying her caresses. He was so relaxed and warm that he started to feel sleepy all of a sudden. He had just closed his eyes in pure relaxation when she called his name “Why do you shave your head?” She asked, and he finally looked up “It’s very comfortable, you don’t like it?” She wasn't surprised by his answer at all “I love it” “I have noticed that you always caress my head” “It’s very sexy, and your skull has such a nice shape” His face broke into a wide smile, his entire body shaking with laughter “That’s very Hannibal Lecter of you” She started laughing with him, kissing his scrunched nose. He cuddled next to her kissing her softly once in a while, his fingers gently tracing her skin, tucking her hair behind her ear. They would stare at each other in silence and then rub their noses together or caress their faces. They were cocooned by the hot water, the place in silence, calm, and secure. At some point, they started talking. She had so many questions about him, but she was always distracted when she wanted to ask. Now was the time. He answered all of them and ask her something in return. Between question and question, they reached the current issue of her attackers. It was just like always. She would express her distress and he would calm her down “I want them to catch him fast!” Kyung Soo complained, splashing some water as he slammed his hand against the surface “You don’t want to work with me anymore, don’t you?” Ae Ra pulled up a hurt expression “I didn’t mean that Ae Ra!” He stopped on his tracks when she saw her smile. She couldn’t keep the act “Very funny, but although I love working with you, if we are planning on having a relationship, we can’t keep working together” “We can date in secret” “Sure, but in the end, it would bring us more trouble, I get fired, you look like you were abusing your power, the backlash that you could get is already making me mad” “You are right, like always, what would I do without you uh?” “Don’t worry, I will make sure they leave someone good working with you, hopefully, you don’t fell in love with him” “I didn’t fell in love with you just because you are my bodyguard” “Then why did you?” She walked into the trap so easily. He didn’t plan it, but he was just human, and he wanted to know why. Why would she go out of her way to look at him? She could answer that. She would happily do so. After all, she had written a lot about it. Maybe like this Kyung Soo wouldn’t be so surprised when listening to her new songs “I fell in love with you for a lot of reasons, all of them happened at the same time, you were always honest with me, not only with your words but also with your gestures, If you needed to be serious, you were serious, but you were respectful, you never pushed me to do something, you talked me in to do it, you were always sweet and caring, I trust you like an old friend, and among all this is the fact that you are incredibly handsome, manly, but childlike when you laugh, your eyes…I wrote an entire song about them, your lips, I’m this close to dedicate them an entire album, you are soft but so solid and real, I’m so captivated by you, because I thought I would never find you” Kyung Soo felt the urge to hold her, hug her and kiss her. To thank her and to show her how he felt the same. How his feelings were the exact same. He wasn’t as good with words as she was, or at least that’s what he thought. But he was good expressing himself with gestures. He passed his right arm under her waist and pulled her to him. She encircled one leg over his hips and rested her chest against his. He brought her lips to his, gentle at first. A tentative kiss, his mouth barely grazing hers before he moved back. He stayed close, his nose rubbing hers “I love you Ae Ra” He whispered and felt her body shiver. Her eyes moved to his lips and he knew what that meant. He pulled her to him again and she met him halfway, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around him tighter. His small pecks against her lips become longer, more confident, as she started caressing his body, soft whimpers living her lips. She opened her mouth to him, and he explored eagerly.  She was just tilting her head back to encourage him to kiss along her neck when she felt him tremble under her. She pulled away, holding his face in her hands “You are cold” She said followed by a chuckle “I think we did the most of this hot water, let’s go get dressed” She had to agree, the water was barely warm now and it was time for lunch, her stomach couldn’t get distracted by his lips.

Kyung Soo cooked a quick lunch meanwhile she kept reading some of her fan mail. She would read it out loud so he could hear it and share that happiness with her “Have you ever write me fan mail?” She asked him as she filled away a letter she got from a fan from Brazil that she wanted to answer anytime soon “No never, but I do leave a thumbs up in your videos and I comment sometimes, a heart or a fighting! Followed by a couple of hearts” “I’ll take that, I will probably search for those comments too” “Ae Ra, you get like a million comments in your videos, don’t do it please, here have this” And he turned around and gave her not one but two finger hearts. She got stupidly flustered by it and covered her face in embarrassment “Damn it you are so cute” She cursed, defeated.

Chanyeol called him again saying that he would be a couple of hours late. Kyung Soo told him not to worry and was obviously happy to spend more time alone with Ae Ra. If Chanyeol needed it, he could stay the rest of the day with her. He should have proposed him that. After lunch, they arranged some pillows on the floor and they started going through her mail. Kyung Soo opened the envelopes, to check if any of them were from her attacker, which was pointless because the agency had already done that “We need to double check” She knew he was just trying to spend time with her, and it wasn’t bad at all “You get a lot of letters from your male fans?” He asked, acting nonchalant, but she knew better “A lot, I will say it is half woman half men” “What do they say?” “You know, I love you, you give me strength, stay healthy, now they are concerned about my wellbeing, they emphasize that they are supporting me and they will take me back when I’m ready” “Oh, that’s really nice” She bopped his nose and caressed his cheek “I didn’t know you were a jealous guy”

“I really try to control myself, so I don’t act crazy, I really hate that about myself” He looked away, embarrassed. Ae Ra was taken aback by his reaction. Not his jealousy, but his embarrassment for showing it. Kyung Soo was clearly a man under constant deconstruction. And being jealous was something he didn’t like “If that’s the amount and the kind of jealousy you are bringing to our relationship, I’m ok with that” “Really? it doesn’t bother you?” “No, maybe is too soon to say, but for now, no, it doesn’t bother me” He nodded with a pleading smile and kissed her cheek “I promised is not more than that” She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and came back to her reading.

It was around six when he got a third call from Chanyeol. He had already noticed their agency about his absence that day. His family issue took longer, and he wasn’t going to be able to make it to his shift. The look Ae Ra gave him when he told her about it was precious “You look happy” He told her, smirking playfully “Of course I am, I’m going to spend another day with my boyfriend” She commented offhandedly, as she moved around her room. Kyung Soo’s face lit up, he liked being called that. A lot. He detected that he would need to do some stretching for tonight. He was in good shape, but those were some extracurricular activities his body wasn’t used to. He was giggling with himself, lost in his thoughts when Ae Ra went to the kitchen for a bottle of water. He yelled at her, asking for a can of soda. His phone rang and he was surprised to see the number of the police patrol that had a fixed point downstairs across the building. Kyung Soo picked up and he recognize the voice from one of the detectives “Kyung Soo, we are entering the building right now, the suspect got inside through the parking lot and we saw him in the security cameras, he is using the stairs, we have a group behind him, and another is in the elevator so we can capture him as soon as he reaches your floor” “He is inside?! Is he armed?” “We are not sure but is very possible, keep Miss Ji inside, and don’t open the door” “Understood” Kyung Soo hung up and dashed to the kitchen to notify Ae Ra.

Ae Ra grabbed a bottle of water and a Sprite for Kyung Soo. She was thinking of grabbing something to eat when she heard someone knocking at the door. “Baekhyun? I’m coming” She didn’t remember at what time Baekhyun said he was going to arrive, but she was sure he was late. She left the drinks on the table and walked to the door.

Kyung Soo dashed down the corridor into the living room and saw in horror how Ae Ra was walking to the door, ready to open it.

As her right hand held the lock so she could open the door, a thought came to her like a lightning bolt. Baekhyun called her during the day saying that he wasn’t coming. And everybody who knew where she was, knew that they had to call before visiting for security reasons. Baekhyun wasn’t coming and no one called them saying they were visiting. Her heart sprinted at her chest, making her feel nauseous. Who was knocking? She came near the door to check if she could hear who was it. She was about to ask when she heard it “Ae Ra?” A voice called from behind the door “Open the door Ae Ra” It was a thing of seconds. Her hears caught the sound and her brain was able to recognize it immediately. She knew that voice. Her stomach and heart crunch into a golf ball. She couldn’t breathe suddenly. Her hands and legs started shaking and her head felt heavy. Another knock could be heard, and a seat of arms pulled her back, away from the door, with such strength that they both landed on the floor. The voice called her again, sweetly and terrifying. Kyung Soo’s grip tightened around her waist “Open the door Ae Ra!” The voice shouted, and instead of knocking it, he was punching and kicking the door with violence “I came so I could finally finish my mission” He shouted, kicking the door.

He was here. He found her, and he was there, just a couple of meters standing between them “He can’t reach you Ae Ra” Kyung Soo whispered to her, still holding her, maybe stronger than before. Kyung Soo was vexed. He wished he could open that door and grab the guy by the neck. But that wasn’t his duty here. More than killing the guy, his goal was to keep Ae Ra safe. And he made it just in time “He is not going to reach you” He repeated at the same time that the man shouted on the other side “Open the fucking door!” He shouted, but for the last time “Police! On the floor!” Loud noises were heard from different directions. Rustling and shouting. The voice at the door sounded desperate “No! No! You people don’t understand! You have to get her, she is the bad guy here, she is controlling all of us!” “Shut up! To the floor I say!” There was a long moment of silence. She could only hear Kyung Soo’s breathing and hers.  Her eyes were fixed on the door. The inert thing only vibrated with whatever was happening outside. Thuds, shouts, the sound of metal and grunts came from outside. She didn’t hear the voice anymore. Only his whimpers. He kept complaining, but the sounds were muffled by something. She felt like throwing up. Her body was cold and she felt her sweat running down her back. She felt gross. She wanted to run from there. Kyung Soo’s grip felt asphyxiating suddenly. She wanted to be away from him. She didn’t want anybody to touch her. She wanted to throw up, take off her clothes and take a burning hot shower. He had been so close. She could almost felt him on her. Ae Ra started moving in Kyung Soo’s arms. She was forcing herself out of his grip, kicking and moving her arms around. He let her go immediately and saw her move clumsily to the kitchen. There were some loud noises coming from there, things falling and her body crushing with something and then he heard her throwing up. He dashed inside the room and found her collapsed on the kitchen sink, barely holding herself. He stood next to her, patting her back, trying to soothe her trembling body. He could still hear noises outside. He didn’t know what they were doing there. Was he armed? What would have happened if she had opened the door? He couldn’t control himself. He knew Ae Ra needed some space now. But he was so relieved. He made it on time. He protected her. So he moved closer to her and bent down, resting his head against her shoulder blade. Just that. That was all he needed. Touch her. Know that all this was real, and it was over.

Ae Ra stopped convulsing eventually. She was exhausted, but at least the vomiting stopped. She still felt gross and suffocated. Kyung Soo’s light touch made her feel a bit better. A bit lighter, less shaky and very protected. She rinsed her mouth and washed her face with cold water. Kyung Soo didn’t move his head from her “He is gone Ae Ra, you are safe now” A gut-wrenching sob tore through her chest and quickly Kyung Soo scooped her on his arms. Tears spilled over his t-shirt, as her body wracked with an onslaught of sobs and tears. Yes, they had captured the man who conspired against her, and it was relieving of course, but Kyung Soo was wrong. She was always safe. Since he came to take care of her, she was always safe. She wanted to tell him that. But it was hard to talk, as it was hard to breathe. Kyung Soo’s phone rang in his back pocket, and with a bit of difficulty he could reach for it and answer it “We are taking him to the police station, no one was hurt during the arrest, he keeps shouting that he was doing us a favor, we will see if he needs to go to a psychiatrist facility…we will keep you informed, is Miss Ji Alright?” “Not really, she heard everything, but I will take care of her, thank you, thank you for everything” “No problem, see you soon” He hung up, and Kyung Soo immediately called Ae Ra’s doctor and Mister Min. She was still holding him, but her grip was looser. She encircled his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. She was still crying, sobbing really, but she was calmer now “Thank you” She whispered after Kyung Soo hung up the phone “No worries, wanna go to bed? The doctor will be here in thirty minutes” “I would like to take a shower first” She moved apart to look at him. Kyung Soo held her face with care, cleaning her tears. She was pale, her eyes red and swollen and she was cold, very cold. He took her to the bathroom and helped her undress, he prepared the shower and left her there as he went for her pajamas. When he came back, she was rinsing her body, her face under the water spray. He called her name, and Ae Ra turned off the water and came out of the shower. Kyung Soo covered her with a towel and patted her body, drying her “You are very sweet” She told him, kissing the top of his head as he was drying her hips “I love you Kyung Soo” “I love you too, how are you feeling?” “Better, cleaner, I feel like going to bed though” He finished drying her legs and carried her to her bed “I can walk, you know” “Oh I know, but I’m your bodyguard, I get to carry you like this” Ae Ra laughed, surprising both of them “We are both too young to get that reference” She hit his chest playfully “I like movies! Leave me alone” He complained and left her on the bed. He finished tucked her in when the doorbell rang. It was Mister Min and the doctor. Kyung Soo stayed with Mister Min in the living room, informing him of everything that happened, meanwhile the doctor went to Ae Ra’s room. Mister Min listened to him carefully. Kyung Soo felt good telling him everything. Reviving it made it feel more real, and sure it was painful, and it broke his heart to see Ae Ra like that, but that monster was caught now. He couldn’t hurt her anymore. The doctor said Ae Ra looked well, only her pressure was a bit low. But nothing else. He gave her medication so she could sleep, and then left. Mister Min went to see her then, sat next to her on the bed and hugged her for a long time. Ae Ra ended up dozing off on his arms. When he moved apart, he saw Mister Min’s eyes red with silent tears. A heart-warming scene. He stood up and walked to him, holding him by the shoulders, pulling him in a tight hug “Thank you Mister Do, thank you for staying by her side” He said between sobs “I owe you two so much, you kept my child safe” Kyung Soo hugged him back and patted his back, consoling him.

++ Kyung Soo slept with one eye open, checking on her for nightmares. But she had a peaceful night thanks to the medicine. That night she asked him to sleep with her. He had already planned to do so. She felt asleep before he came to bed, he didn’t want to wake her up, so instead of pulling her to him and cuddle her, he only grabbed one of her hands and went to sleep looking at her peaceful face.   The next morning, she woke up early. As soon as he felt her move, he opened his eyes. Hers were still closed though. During the night she had moved and was now on the other corner of the bed, arms away from him. Ae Ra turned her body around and started patting the bed, searching for something. She rolled over again and was now closer, so when her right hand found his left arm, she clenched it and slid closer to him. She didn’t open her eyes, but her body didn’t need her eyes to know that it was him. She hugged him tight and hid her nose on his neck. Knowing that she was looking for him made him feel so overwhelmed. Knowing that he was so important to her, that she looked for him instinctively on her sleep made him cry.  

The second day after the attack, she was ready to face him. Chanyeol and Kyung Soo got into bodyguard mood as soon as she told them that she wanted to go to the police station “You don’t need to push yourself, they will call us when they need us” Said Chanyeol with his mouth full of bread “No, I want to end this soon, I already spoke with the detectives, they say that a statement of me recognizing him as the attacker could speed things up” She looked at Kyung Soo waiting for his opinion, she was determined, but Kyung Soo’s opinion could definitely change her mind “I see, I guess you are right Ae Ra…finish your breakfast and then we will drive there ok?” She agreed with him, happy that he was on her side. She went back to her coffee, eager “Guys, I have a question” Chanyeol moved on his chair nervously “So, you two are…you know, first name basis…I’m saying since Kyung Soo just called you by your name” She and her boyfriend exchanged an exasperated look “I’m ok with it, I’m not telling anyone, I just want to know so I can cover it when is needed” Kyung Soo looked at his friend, a little less tense now and thanked him “No problem, this is great, Minseok owes me money!” Chanyeol’s eyes grew three times bigger, apparently, he spoke without thinking “Why does he owes you money?” Asked Kyung Soo, already knowing his answer “Well…I borrowed him some?” “Try again Yeol” Kyung Soo stood up and walked to his side “I sell him something and he hasn’t pay me?” Kyung Soo cracked his fingers and stood behind him, holding his shoulders with a tight grip “Again” Said Kyung Soo and Chanyeol’s face changed into a grimace of pain “Ok, ok I get! Stop it! We made a bet! We made a bet! Stop!” Chanyeol  slid down the chair very comically and run away from Kyung Soo. But besides him having longer legs, Kyung Soo was fast and followed him down the hall. Ae Ra couldn’t see where they went, but could only hear a loud thud and a cry of pain from Chanyeol.

[cptnsantiago]

it’s always better when we’re together

summary: Rosa straight up cackles at that, “On second thought, you might just want to pull a Kylie Jenner, keep it a secret the whole time.” Jake and Amy navigate telling the people closest to them about Baby Santiago-Peralta. 

read on ao3

Their first task, after the kissing and crying and hugging, is going to the store to buy a big ol’ binder. It was Jake’s idea, he was eager to get to researching and preparing but he knew he wouldn’t get the right tabs because there are so many of them. His initiative makes Amy want to pounce him right there in the kitchen but a binder covering the next nine months of their lives is also very appealing.

So now 2 hours later, new binder and special tabs on the table, Amy starts with the contents list. Jake had been reading one of the books he bought when he told Amy he was ready to start trying but now he’s been staring at her for a few minutes now with a smile on plastered his face and his fingers grazing her abdomen.

“Hey, you know we’re going to need a whole section dedicated to figuring out how to tell Charles right?”

Amy snorts lightly at this very real observation, because there’s no way Charles will react in a calm manner. He fainted when they got engaged, so there’s no telling what dramatic reaction he’s going to have. “I’m not sure any amount of preparation will help us with Boyle.” Amy’s smile only grows when Jake takes her laptop to type his idea down, “I think we just need to… Um…”

“Yeah there’s no way we can approach this without him losing his mind!” Jake is laughing and shaking his head. “And everyone else too, this is a pretty big deal.”

“Yeah, we’re having a baby. A real life tiny human, weird right?” She just wants to take the moment in so she closes the laptop and pushes it to the side. He wraps his arms around her waist, hands falling again on her stomach. “I love you so much Jake.”

“I love you so much too.” Jake says, heart eyes ablaze, “And I am so ecstatic, and terrified but I know we’ve got this. We’re a team. Ultra parenting team of geniuses.”

They were really lucky to be where they were, having only been trying for four months. On date night months earlier, Jake had started to telling her how he’d been doing with his therapist. He revealed that in the past weeks they had been discussing his dad issues, but through that he felt ready to try for a baby if she was also ready.

Amy had instantly begun to draft her trying for baby and pregnancy binder out in her head, it had been bliss. There was some interesting attempts when she was ovulating, and weirdly it made their sex life more amazing. Neither thought that was possible.

After months of trying, finally on a Saturday morning, they got around to taking one of their spare pregnancy tests in the bathroom. Missed period, swollen breasts, nausea and almost fainting on duty. They were certain this was it.

Here they are now, on cloud nine of the knowledge of the life forming in her body. “Ames, seriously, you- I’m so happy we’re doing this. You’re gonna be such a great mom, and I never truly thought I could be a dad. But with you, I feel like I can do it all.”

Amy laughs affectionately as she wipes a tear from her face, “I’m so glad I can use pregnancy hormones as an excuse to cry for a while.”

～

It’s just over a month later when people start to get suspicious of Jake and Amy. She struggles to keep the morning sickness under wraps and her temper is a tad out of control at times. Jake checks up on her more than usual, sends her frequent texts. They aren’t so great at the secret keeping thing.

Rosa confronts them first in the break room. “You’re being weird. Why are you weird?”

Amy scoffs, “Weird?”

“Weird? Rosa you’re weird.” Jake adds, chuckling nervously but they’re both such bad liars. His shoulders slump and he looks over at Amy.

“What’s happening?” Rosa sits at the table with them.

“Amy’s pregnant.” Jake admits bashfully, and she’s watching as Rosa’s mouth twitches into a smile.

“That’s dope. Congrats.” Her eyes scan over the both of them, “The weirdness makes a lot of sense.”

“Thanks Rosa.” Amy beams, “You’re going to be such a cool aunt.”

“Tia Rosa. The coolest. And you guys are gonna such great parents.”

“I would ask for a hug but that would be more suspicious.” Jake mumbles quickly, “We need to up our game.”

“Maybe we should just start telling people…” Amy shrugs, “There’s only two weeks until we’re out of the first trimester.”

“Yeah and maybe letting Boyle have his official meltdown over it will help us relax.”

Rosa straight up cackles at that, “On second thought, you might just want to pull a Kylie Jenner, keep it a secret the whole time.”

“Yeah I thought about that but I don’t think it’s possible.” Amy sighs.

“We just gotta rip off the bandaid.” Jake says, “Then once he’s done his freaking out, then we’ll have a nice stern talk about personal space.”

“Good luck mommy and daddy!” Rosa says in a cutesy voice, “That’s just a taste of what you’re in for.”

～

They invite Charles over for dinner a few nights later, and both Jake and Amy were hyped up as if they’re about to tell their parents. He has of course offered to bring dinner, and Amy is hoping there isn’t anything too weird in it because she’d rather not feel nauseous for this. Jake has a copy of their last ultrasound in his pocket, ready to give to Charles.

Minutes before he’s due to arrive, Jake finds Amy in their bathroom brushing her teeth and he can tell that nerves are getting to her. “You feeling okay?” Jake wraps his arm around her, his chin resting on her shoulder.

“Yeah, this is exciting.” Amy says after rinsing her mouth, “It’s a long weekend in front of us. Boyle, then Holt tomorrow night -”

“Wait what?” Jake’s eyes pop out of his head. For him, telling Holt is more exciting than his actual dad, a person he’d prefer not to tell.

“Didn’t I tell you we’re going to his house for rice with Kevin tomorrow?”

“Uh, no babe.” Jake is laughing nervously now, turning Amy around so they’re facing each other.

“Oh god , there’s no way I have baby brain already? I’m so sure I told you yesterday!”

“You didn’t even put it on the calendar? This is shocking.” Jake is poking her sides teasingly and she is trying to make a comeback but only weird noises came out of her mouth before they both hear a knock on the door. “Don’t think we’re not talking about this again later.”

Amy rolls her eyes with a smile and goes to greet Charles at the door. His energy from when he walks through the door is just as usual, and once he’s got his lasagne in the oven to warm up he gives them both warm hugs. “You saw us yesterday, Boyle.” Jake reminds him.

“Always too long to hang out with my favourite couple!” Boyle is bouncing on his heels, and Amy is glancing at him curiously as she gets them all drinks.

They all sit down on their couch and Jake immediately has his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Jake is engaged in a conversation about the day he spent with Nikolaj, and the excitement on his face makes her heart swell. She’s reminded of how great of a father Jake is going to be any time they talk about Nikolaj, or when interacting with Iggy or Terry’s kids. For a moment, all of her energy goes towards not crying.

“So we actually invited you for dinner tonight for a reason.” Jake says, intertwining his hand with hers and she can see Boyle shift to the edge of his seat in excitement.

“Besides seeing our favourite co-worker, we do have something to tell you,” Amy declared, “I’m pregnant!”

The noise that came out of Boyle was loud, however much more tame than either of them expected. “I am so happy for you two, you’re going to be such amazing parents,” Charles chokes out, bringing his hand to his face. He’s jumping over and holding them both in his arms. His reaction is, timid, to say the least.

“You figured it out.” Amy sighs, understanding washing over her.

“WHAT NO THIS IS MY GENUINE REACTION!” Boyle screeches. “Okay fine, I figured it out three weeks ago.”

“How?” Jake murmured, Boyle sitting back down next to them, with a soft smile on his face. “Well, first look at you, you’re glowing all the time!” He gushes, “But also I noticed how you’ve been sick, a bit snappy I guess… And you guys aren’t subtle, at all.”

Boyle tells them about seeing them come from the bathroom one morning, and Jake had been smiling and talking about an apparent dentist appointment, but he had remembered that Jake had already been to the dentist that year. “And Amy didn’t look so good so I put two and two together. You forget I’m an unlicensed doula.”

“How can we forget that?” Amy cringes.

“Wow, I’m surprised you didn’t freak out on us like we expected.” Jake laughed, “You fainted when we got engaged.”

“Well, I know pregnancy can be overwhelming. And… I know that I can be a bit much so I wanted to respect Amy’s space and wait until you decided to tell me.”

“Wow, Charles, thank you. I really appreciate that.” Amy’s chin begins to wobble at the thoughtfulness of their friend.

“Plus Genevieve got the brunt of my excitement, there was a lot of crying.” Boyle laughs. “Nikolaj is very excited to have a little cousin!”

Amy chuckles tearfully at this. “Doesn’t he already have heaps of cousins?”

“Yes but none of those cousins is YOUR BABY!” He shrieks again. “AMERICA’S DREAM BABY!”

～

Usually if they’re late, it is most of the time Jake’s fault. But today, they are 12 minutes late to dinner at the Holt and Cozner household. And it was this damn fetus’ fault. Amy had spent the hour previously upchucking her breakfast and lunch, despite having felt fine all day. Jake had insisted they reschedule but she didn’t want to delay sharing the news with her captain, mentor and friend any longer.

Neither of them comment on their lateness, but offer them drinks instead. Jake shakes his head while Amy asks for a water and they settle at their dining table while Kevin serves up their rice into bowls. “I’m really excited for a nice plain meal tonight.” Amy whispered to Jake with a chuckle.

“How have your weekends been, pleasant I hope?” Holt asks, his tone plain but somehow caring.

“Yes we’ve had some nice downtime, and Charles came for dinner last night.” Amy recalled.

As pleasant conversation began between the group; Jake ate his rice quietly, stuck in his own thoughts. He didn’t have any reason to truly be nervous, Holt (and Kevin, really) had been there for there the debate on children almost a year ago now and he had always been supportive of both him and Amy. But still, the importance their captain had in their lives made him excited and nervous in a way he didn’t expect to be. Telling his mom (and dad, he guesses), had been easier and more exciting; this was their first grandchild, so their happiness was contagious. Telling Victor and Camila was a bit nerve wracking, but they were thrilled for the pair of course. Telling Holt and Kevin was the last of the big people to tell before telling the last of their squad. It was scary.

“Jake?” Kevin repeated.

“Jacob?” Holt attempted to get Jake out of his stupor.

“Babe?” Amy’s hand rests on his shoulder, concern etched on her face. “Hey, it’s okay.”

“What’s going on Jake?” Holt questioned sternly.

“Well, we have some news.” Amy announced, her hand falling on his knee as an attempt to settle his nerves. “We’re having a baby!”

The happiness in his wife’s voice snaps him out of it, a smile creeping up onto his face again. “Yep, Amy’s, uh, preggo! Bun in the oven!”

Holt spares a glance at his husband before looking back at Jake and Amy. “Congratulations, Jake and Amy, on the ‘bun in the oven’.” Kevin comments with a small grin on his face. “I’m sure the two of you will make competent parents.”

Holt is quiet for a moment more before he speaks up, “I am so delighted by this news and I’m so proud of how far you’ve come as people. Congratulations.”

Amy sucks in a deep breath as she attempts to fend off the tears once again, and taking a glimpse over at her husband she sees the tears forming in his eyes and back at Holt she sees his lips are pursed in an emotional smile. She gives into her emotions and allows the tears to fall down her cheeks with a laugh. “Thank you.”

Holt stands up out of his chair and walks over to the pair, and when the both of them stand, he embraces them both one by one. None of them are trying to keep the tears in anymore, and once the hug is over Amy pulls the ultrasound copy out of her pocket to show it to him. The smile that appears on his face is so bright, Amy clasps onto Jake’s arm. “Is this a spare copy?” Amy nods, “May I keep this?”

“Yeah anything for their favourite grandpa? Grandaptain?” Jake babbled, “Or whatever.”

“I’m sure Raymond and I would be delighted to be included in your child’s life.” Kevin cuts in for his speechless husband.  

“I would love to be their Grandaptain.” Holt chuckles, placing his free hand on Jake’s shoulder.

～

The rest of the announcements go smoothly over the next few weeks. Gina reacts in a cool, Gina-esque way, but later pulls Amy inside to offer genuine advice and tells her how happy she is for them. Terry envelopes them in a giant bear hug before Amy begs to be let go before she pukes all over him. Hitchcock and Scully offer their babysitting services, which they politely decline. Amy’s squad downstairs cheers loudly for her, congratulations echo through the room and she almost cries at the support.

Once the entire precinct is aware, Rosa begins tabling out bets on different aspects of Jake and Amy’s kid. Birthday and gender, being the main ones. “I’m sorry, but Amy has SEVEN brothers. No way it’ll be a girl.” Boyle says as he puts $100 down.

“Wow, okay. Genetics are stupid . It’s going to be a girl.” Rosa has her arms crossed, grinning as both Jake and Amy walk over to them, “What do the parents think? Boy or girl?”

“Seven brothers. Boy doiiii.” Jake drones lightly, his arm snaking around Amy’s wait to rest on the side of the tiny bump that is hidden by her uniform. “It’s literally safest bet to make.”

Amy’s smile is bright as she laughs at her husband, the bets are out of control but half of the bet money is going to them as a squad gift so she can’t complain. She takes out her wallet takes out a $20 bill and puts it down on the bet jar Rosa is holding.

“I think we might be surprised.”

[wheresmynaya]

Two Ghosts Ch.8 | Brittana

Thanks to everyone that messaged or left me a review for last chapter! It really motivated me to continue (this was one of the chapters I had lost) so here’s another update. Happy Valentine’s Day!! 

           By the time Santana gets home, it’s just after sundown. She had sat in her car after the argument with Brittany and just stared out the window for what felt like hours. She couldn’t remember a time she felt this horrible. She kept replaying the way Brittany looked at her when she said goodbye; as if it was truly their last one.

           She can’t decide if that feeling in the pit of her stomach was guilt or regret, but as she continued to playback Brittany’s words over and over in her mind she decides it’s both. She just feels so terrible for how things went down and now, she has no idea how to fix things.

If she even can.

There’s also that little part of her that begs to know what Brittany wanted to say, but she doubts she’ll ever find out now.

           When she gets inside, her body feels so sluggish. Everything hurts for some reason and Maribel notices immediately as Santana slumps onto the couch in the living room. Maribel eyes her curiously from the other end and puts down the book she had been reading.

           “Rough day on the field?” Maribel asks.

           “Something like that.” Santana mutters and pulls the throw blanket that rests over the back of the couch to cover her legs.

           Maribel gives her a concerned look as Santana swipes at her phone.

           “The girls on the squad behaving?" Maribel tries again but Santana just shrugs.

           "Besides the reason why I don't want kids aka Alex being her usual self, everyone was fine." Santana answers and she doesn't even have to look up from her phone to know Maribel's trying to figure her out, she can just feel it.

           “This isn’t about Brittany, is it?” Maribel asks and Santana kind of hates how intuitive her mother can be. She had learned early on that nothing gets past her.

“No, it’s not about Brittany.” Santana lies, “It was just a bad day. I’ll be okay.”

Maribel pats Santana’s feet over the blanket comfortingly, “Well you can talk to me, mija. Whatever’s the matter, I’m here.”

           Santana peeks up at Maribel and gives her a small smile, “Thanks, mami.”

           Maribel just hums her response as she gets up and heads to the kitchen, “I made rice and beans, Abuela’s recipe. I’ll make you a plate, rice and beans can cure everything.”

           Santana nods although her mother’s already out of the room. She’s been so caught up in thinking about Brittany and how the day panned out that she hadn’t realized her stomach was rumbling. She’s thankful for the plate Maribel offers and they spend the rest of the night watching whatever reality show is playing on TV.

           It’s almost enough to distract her from her thoughts, but she’s grateful for the peace, even if it’s only for a moment.

 \\

             The next day Santana awakes, she spends the morning contemplating returning to New York. She told Brittany she was considering it, but in reality what was she going to go back to? She didn’t have a job or an apartment to return to and not much money saved up since she pretty much drained her account by moving back to Lima. Truth is, she was stuck here and the only way out was to continue coaching the Cheerios.

           She knew she had to make nice with Brittany, or at least keep things civil because they’re basically coworkers and they needed to be united when coaching the Cheerios. They couldn’t stress working together and being a team to the squad if they weren’t setting the example. Still, it was a hard pill to swallow for Santana because it meant she needed to apologize.

           Unless Brittany didn’t want anything to do with her and honestly, Santana wouldn’t blame her if that was the case. She never really took Brittany’s feelings into consideration when it came to what happened to them and their relationship. Not that she didn’t care about her feelings but because she really didn’t know. Santana figured that she was fine because she had Sam and she never really said otherwise. Then again, Brittany’s always been really good at covering up her feelings.

If Santana was bad, Brittany was worse.

People knew when Santana was upset; hallways would part and everyone would keep their distance. But Brittany? She only let you in on how she was feeling when she wanted to and that wasn’t very often. Brittany could be very straightforward and blunt when it came to how she felt, but she also kept a lot inside.

Regardless, they needed to reconcile for the sake of the squad.

 \\

             Santana arrives to WMHS earlier than usual and isn’t surprised when she finds that Quinn and Brittany’s cars aren’t in the parking lot. She decides to take a walk with nowhere in particular in mind, she just needs the extra time to clear her head. She had been too nervous to message Brittany beforehand because what she needed to say couldn’t be done over a text. However, she had no idea what to say. How could she apologize for the past five years? What could she possibly say that would make everything okay again? She was at a loss.

           She finds herself inside the school; classes haven’t quite ended yet so the halls are still eerily quiet. She’s still getting used to the fact that she doesn’t have to abide by the teacher’s rules and she can wonder the halls without fear of getting a detention. In fact, she’s the one giving the detentions out. Not that she has yet, but she’s pretty sure she as the power to now considering she’s sort of a teacher.

           She’s just past the science hall when she spots her head Cheerio, Maddy, exit a classroom just ahead of her holding a bathroom pass that Santana can’t believe is still a thing. She thinks about saying hi but she doesn’t want to be on Mr. Schue's level of being friendly with students, so instead she just keeps quiet and continues walking. Suddenly another familiar Cheerio exits a classroom on the opposite side of the hallway; it’s her arch nemesis: Alex. She thinks about calling her out for ditching class but something intriguing happens: Alex catches up to Maddy, their fingers tangling, and then they disappear behind a door.

           Santana walks a little faster because she doesn’t remember there being a bathroom there and by the looks of it, she doubts the school has had any remodels since she was going. If her memory is correct, the door should actually lead to-

           Santana stops at the door she remembers all too well and smirks as she reads the plaque with dusty gold letters: Janitor’s Closet.

           “Horny kids.” Santana chastises, though she can’t fight the smirk creeping up. She remembers how she and Brittany were back in the day; it was like they couldn’t keep their hands off each other and the janitor's closet was one of the few places they could escape to.

           She’s so surprised by the pairing but at the same time she wonders how she could've missed it. Now when she looks back on the short time she’s spent around the squad so far, she should’ve noticed how Maddy is the only one to keep Alex in check and their dynamic is way too familiar.

           She decides it’s kind of creepy waiting outside the door while the girls do who knows what, so she continues on walking. She checks her phone for the time and sees classes should be letting out soon and she shouldn’t be in the hall when it does unless she wants to get trampled.

           She doesn’t head to the choir room on purpose, but that’s where she finds herself a little while later. She flicks the light switch and the room illuminates and a sudden familiarity washes over her. She drags the tips of her fingers along the dusty piano as her eyes dance around; who knew a room could hold so many memories. She thinks of all the lessons she learned, the songs she sung, and the dances she danced. Her eyes fall on the back row of chairs and her minds drifts further; the number of smiles she counted.

           She takes a seat in the front row and sighs. Sue may have honed her work ethic and drive but in this room she learned how to dream.

           It's also the place where she broke the heart of the only person she's ever loved.

           “Oh my,” A voice shakes Santana from her thoughts and she looks up to see Mr.Schue walking in, sweater vest and all, “Santana Lopez! What an honor to have you back in my choir room.”

           Santana finds herself smiling as she stands and gives her old teacher a hug, “Hey Mr.Schue. Sorry for crashing.”

           “No, don’t be! I’m just here to grab these,” Will says as he walks over to pick up a stack of sheet music on the shelf, “I must’ve missed you at Sue’s funeral but I’ve heard you, Quinn, and Brittany have started coaching the Cheerios. That’s great! It’ll be nice having the three of you around, I was lucky with Brittany’s occasional visit.”

           That intrigues Santana and she tilts her head in question.

           Will notices and elaborates, "Brittany used to sit in on rehearsals during her breaks at MIT, help out around here sometimes. "

           "Brittany went to MIT?" Santana asks, stunned, and that causes Will to look at her curiously.

           "Yeah? Didn't she tell you?" He questions and Santana has to remind herself that no one really knows that she and Brittany haven't been speaking.

           So she nods, “Yeah, she did, it's been such a long time. We've got a lot to catch up on. It's good working with Quinn and Brittany again though.”

           Will laughs as he puts the stack of papers in his bag, “You guys will do an amazing job.”

           “Thanks, Mr.Schue.” Santana says, “Do you need the room? I can leave.”

           “No, you’re fine.” Will answers, “We don’t have practice today so the room is all yours if you’d like. Do you still sing?”

           Santana nods and says a little sheepishly, “I was a singing waitress at this diner back in New York. Turns out all those showtunes you taught us about come in handy.”

           Will chuckles, “Well, they are classics. I’m glad you still sing though, you have an amazing voice. It’s good you still use it.”

           Santana briefly thinks about how she used her voice yesterday with Brittany and she can’t fight a frown as she remembers she’ll have to face her soon.

Will eyes Santana wearily, “Is everything okay?”

           Santana’s throat tightens because the answer is far from yes, but she just paints on a smile and nods, “Yeah, just preparing myself for Cheerio practice. I don’t know how you do it. These kids are savages.”

           Will bursts out laughing again as he slips his sunglasses on, “They’re not so bad. I’ve got to run, but come by more often! Maybe you guys can sit in for a Glee rehearsal or something?”

           Santana smiles, “That sounds cool, Mr.Schue.”

           Will just gives a thumbs up before walking out of the room.

           Santana goes back to staring at the rows of chairs set up behind her and thinks. She thinks about all the things she’s missed out on in Brittany’s life, all her big accomplishments she wasn’t there for and anything in between. It’s one thing to go through a break up, but Brittany wasn’t just Santana’s girlfriend. She was also her best friend. She knew everything about Brittany and Brittany knew everything about her, but now they’re strangers and that thought alone is more heartbreaking than any break up.

Those thoughts stir something deep inside of Santana. It’s an oddly familiar feeling, but one that she hasn’t felt in ages. She remembers the feeling she got from performing, the adrenaline rush, it was the same feeling she got from singing showtunes at the Spotlight diner or pop songs in the shower. But this feeling is different, it’s a feeling that builds from deep within her. It rattles her like a quiet vibration and it settles in her chest and makes her heart pound wildly. It’s a combination of excitement and pain and anxiety and it’s like the only way she can relieve it is by singing.

           “Ready when you are.”

           “Jesus!” Santana whips around in the direction of the voice, her hand clutching her chest, “What the hell?”

           It’s Piano Brad emerging from the shadows and settling at the piano, “Sorry.”

           Santana just stares in disbelief, her chest heaving, “How long have you been standing there?”

           Piano Brad just shrugs, “Awhile.”

           Santana slowly blinks her eyes and tries to steady her breathing, “That’s really creepy.”

Although, Piano Brad scared the shit out of her, she wonders about his offer. She thinks about how long it’s been since she sang and how long it’s been since she has been accompanied by a piano and how this is exactly what she needs to calm her nerves. This is exactly how she needs to express herself when she can’t find the words.

           But then the bell rings and she’s shaken from her thoughts and she remembers what she has to do today.

           A song got her into this mess with Brittany so it probably won’t get her out of it.

           “Maybe next time,” Santana tells Piano Brad.

           He nods and rises from the stool before exiting the room without another word.

           Santana just stares at him once again in utter disbelief, “So weird.”

She goes to take a seat as she checks the time and notes there are twenty-five minutes until she must face Brittany. She sits there, knees bouncing anxiously as she racks her brain for ways to apologize but she struggles. What could she possibly say that could make things okay again? Brittany made some good points and made Santana see things in a different light, but what really crushes her is the way Brittany looked at her before walking away. She looked like her whole world just got rocked and Santana can’t believe it was by her doing. In the past, Santana has hurt Brittany before in more ways than one: from hiding who she was to rejection to dating other people, but she’s never seen Brittany look at her the way she did. Because of that, Santana wouldn’t be surprised if Brittany never wants to speak to her again but she has to at least try.

           Santana just sits there and watches the minute hand slowly move.

[thetravelerwrites]

Reed (Part 2) Lemon

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Female Human Reader x Male Cervitaur Additional Tags: Exophilia, Cervitaur, Deertaur, Monster Boyfriend, Love Triangle, Angst, Mixed Family, Interspecies Family, Interspecies Romance, Resolved Conflict, Sexual Content Words: 5786

A sudden declaration from the human stranger forces Reed's hand and gives the reader a reason to leave the farm. Please reblog and leave feedback!

The Traveler's Masterlist

The next morning, the storm had calmed and the rain wasn’t falling as violently as the night before. Torrey awoke with a stretch and smiled when he saw you. You smiled back.

“Good morning,” He said quietly, as other were still snoozing.

“Morning,” You replied.

“Did you manage to get any sleep?”

“A little,” You admitted, though the nightmares were back in full force. “You?”

“Some.” He scratched the back of his head. “I hope I wasn’t too forward last night when I kissed you. I know we’ve only just met, but I’ve taken a liking to you. I wondered if I had made that clear on our outing to town yesterday.”

Actually, you hadn’t picked up on it at all. You thought he was just being charming because that’s just the way he was. It didn’t occur to you then that he actually liked you.

“Oh,” You replied in surprise. “No, I didn't realize. I’m a little dense sometimes, I guess.”

“Don’t say that,” He said, sitting next to you on the cot. “I find you very clever, in fact. You were amazing with the metallurgist. I couldn’t have talked him down like you did.”

“Some people just need a firm hand,” You said.

“Do they, now?” He said in a low, suggestive mutter, looking away from you. You felt yourself blush.

Reed clattered out of his stall then very loudly, waking up the rest of the people in the common area. You scowled at him and he scowled right back. You wondered what was wrong with him. Sure, he was distrustful of the stranger, but this was odd behavior, even for him.

The rain stopped at lunchtime enough for Ryel to fire up her forge and work the shoe. While she did so, Torrey asked you to go for a walk with him. Smiling, you took him for a walk by the river.

“Have you traveled much?” You asked him.

“Quite extensively, yes,” He said. “I’ve never left the continent, but I’ve been to all four corners of it. Oh, there’s so much to see! The lantern festival in Dirna is absolutely beautiful this time of year. I’d love to take you to see it.”

“Lantern festival?”

“Oh, yes, they make these lanterns out of rice paper and ribbons, and then they light an oil wick, and the lanterns just float into the sky. It’s like the stars have come to earth for a night.”

“That does sound beautiful,” You admitted.

“Perhaps you’ll accompany me next year,” He said, smiling at you.

“Perhaps I will,” You said. It did sound lovely. Maybe it would be good to get off the farm every once in a while.

During your walk, he regaled you with tales of far off lands and exotic customs of people who lived miles and years away from your little farm. You found yourself daydreaming about these places, and every time you mentioned you’d like to see them, Torrey’s eyes would light up.

Shoeing the palomino took no time at all, and by dinnertime, Torrey was all set to go. Declan insisted he stay for another night so that he wasn’t traveling in the dark, possibly with more rain on the way, and Torrey gratefully accepted.

That night, Reed made the unusual decision to sleep outside of his stall and in the common area with everyone else. It was odd behavior, and you felt shy of talking to Torrey with Reed there. When you tried talking to Reed, he merely wished you goodnight and turned away from you. You didn’t like this new, distant side of him.

The next morning, at breakfast, Torrey surprised everyone by standing up and clearing his throat.

“I’d like to make an announcement, if I may,” He said, catching them all in his sweeping gaze. “First, I’d like to thank Declan and his family for putting me up these past few days.” He nodded at Declan and Ryel, who returned the favor. “Your kindness has given me renewed hope for a brighter future; most specifically, because it allowed me to meet your lovely daughter.” He smiled down at you where you sat next to him.

“Which brings me to the next part of what I wish to say, and it’s more a question than a statement.” He took a deep breath and said, “I’d like to ask her to marry me.”

A shocked silence settled on the table, broken only when Reed slammed his cup on the table, sloshing everyone within spraying distance, and shouted, “No!”

You looked at him, startled. Everyone did.

“You’ve known her less than three days,” He said, standing, breathing hard through his nose. “You can’t marry her.”

Torrey’s head rocked back and he laughed a little nervously. “Forgive me, but unless I’m mistaken, you’re her brother, not her father, correct?”

“No,” Reed snarled. “I’m not her brother.”

“Well, at any rate,” Torrey shrugged. “It’s not your decision to make. It’s hers.” He turns to you. “What’s your answer?”

You gaped at him, unable to speak. This was incredibly sudden and it made your head spin. You looked around the table and saw the same stunned look on everyone else’s face, including your parents. Soraya’s eyebrows were raised, but she shrugged at you when you look to her for help.

“Perhaps we could discuss this a lit--” Declan said, but Reed cut him off.

“Don’t do it,” Reed said, staring at you. “You don’t even know him.”

Suddenly angry, you shot to your feet. “What does it matter to you?”

You walked past everyone and out of the barn to the river. You expected Torrey to follow you, but instead it was your father.

“So,” He said, leaning against a nearby tree. “Whoa.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” You replied. “Papa, I am very confused.”

“As am I,” He said ruefully. “This is rather sudden. I know you’ve spent some time with him during his stay here. Do you even like him?”

“He’s a nice man,” You said, thinking. “I don’t dislike him. He’s told me about where he’s been and all his travels, and I do admit, it sounds very exciting.”

“More exciting than this boring old farm, eh?” Your father said, smiling sideways at you.

“That’s not what I mean,” You replied, but he stopped you.

“No, it’s all right, darling, I understand.” He wrapped a wing around your shoulders. It was a warm, comforting weight, like a cloak. “I love this farm, but it is a very small speck compared to the rest of the world. You’re not a forest creature like the rest of us; it’s only natural for you to want to see more.”

You laid your head on his shoulder and nuzzled into the soft fur. “I’m torn. Torrey seems like a very nice man and traveling the world with him sounds amazing, and while I do like him, I don’t love him, at least not yet. Not enough to marry him, anyway. But I do love you and Mama and the kids and the farm and…”

“And?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing,” You said with a sad sigh.

“Well, whatever you decide, darling, I know you’ll make the right choice for you,” He said, releasing you. “But maybe, before you make your decision, there’s someone you could talk to.”

“Who?” You asked.

“Reed.”

You scoffed. “Why would I need to talk to him?”

“Why do you think?” Your father asked, raising his eyebrows knowingly at you.

Your mouth hung open in shock. “You know about that?”

“Darling, the whole farm knows about that. You’re not as subtle as you think you are,” He said, rolling his eyes. “And I may be a bat, but I’m not blind.”

You hid your face in your hands. “Ugh, I can’t believe this. It’s so embarrassing. Do you think Reed knows?” You asked, pulling your hands away and looking at Declan’s face.

“I haven’t the faintest idea, love,” He said pointedly. “Why don’t you go ask him?”

“I’m too angry at him,” you said venomously.

“Trust me, he’s not all that happy with you, either,” Declan said with amusement. “Or your suitor. I had to separate the two of them before they drew blood.”

That surprised you; Reed was not the violent type. He had always been true to the nature of his animal half, skittish and non-confrontational. The fact that he had tried to fight Torrey was hard for you to imagine.

“I think I’ll take a walk first,” You said with a weary voice. “I need to clear my head.”

“All right, my dear,” He said. “Don’t be gone too long, though, will you? It may rain again and I’d prefer if you didn’t get caught in it.”

“I will,” you told him, waving as you set off.

You went down to your favorite large, flat rock near the river and sat there, listening to the river burbling. It wasn’t the torrent here that it was in other parts, and the steady white noise was comforting. You closed your eyes and let the sound swallow you up.

“Are you actually going to marry that man?”

You opened your eyes and sighed in irritation.

“What do you want?” You asked harshly, turning without standing up to see Reed coming out of a canter and stopping in front of your stone. “How’d you even know I was here? Did Papa tell you?”

“You said you wouldn’t leave,” He blurted out. “You said there was no reason to leave.”

“Well, now there is,” You shot back as you slid down. “Thing’s change.”

“You can’t marry him,” He said, breathing hard. “You hardly know each other.”

“So what? Why do you even care?”

“Because we’re family!”

“Are we?” You asked, rounding on him. “You were the one who said you weren’t my brother. So if you’re not my brother, then what are you?”

He took a step back as you advanced on him. “He can’t really want to marry you after three days. He’s got some ulterior motive. He’s using you for something, I just haven’t puzzled out what yet.”

The disbelieving tone of his voice hurt you. “What so hard to understand about someone actually wanting me? You think a man can’t find me beautiful just because you don’t?”

He took another step back, the anger on his face replaced with confusion. “What?”

“I know I’m nothing special,” You yelled at him angrily. “I know that you’d never look twice at me. I know you don’t think I’m lovely, but he does. He said so.”

“He could just be lying to you, don’t you see that?!” He yelled back, his eyes on fire. “Do you really think he fell in love with you at first sight? That’s impossible and you know it!”

“I don’t know that! In fact, I’m perfectly certain it’s entirely possible. So why couldn’t he have?”

“Even if I believed that, and even if he did, why would he want to marry you after only three days?”

“Because maybe he actually cares about me! It’s that so hard for you to understand?” You screamed at him, tears beginning to fall from your eyes. “And so what if he’s lying? So what if he doesn’t actually mean it? It’s nice to be told, just once, that someone finds you beautiful. That someone wants you. It’s worth being lied to sometimes, just to feel like you're wanted.”

He went silent and wide-eyed, retreating every time you advanced on him.

“You knew, didn’t you?” You asked him, the tears flowing freely down your cheeks. “You’ve known all along, and you just let me dangle like a worm on a hook. Didn’t you?”

At least he had the decency to look ashamed. He eyed the ground at your feet and bit his lip.

“Not… not the whole time. Only recently, the last year or so. I overheard you talking sometimes with Soraya.” He flicked his ears, half a second apart. “I have really good hearing.”

You huffed a mirthless laugh. “Did you think it was funny?” You asked him angrily, shoving him slightly. “Did you get a laugh out of it? Were you flattered, or were you disgusted knowing the fat, ugly farm girl was in love with you?”

“Don’t say that--” He said, and you shoved his shoulder again.

“I’m glad you were amused,” you sobbed. “I’m happy you found it so funny that it hurt me just to look at you. The idea that if you fell in love with someone else, it would have gutted me must have been so hilarious.”

“That’s not true!” He countered, trying and failing to gain ground, but you were in a fury.

“You know what?” You said in a dangerously low voice. “I think I will marry him. I’ll marry him and he’ll take me far away from here, and I’ll never have to see your smug face ever again.”

“Don’t, please,” He begged, grasping your wrists. “Please don’t leave.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” You asked him, your entire body shivering with rage and pain. “What reason do I have to stay?”

He released your wrists and grabbed you by your face, pressing his mouth to yours hard, kissing you with his lips and teeth and tongue, gasping and shaking.

This. This is what it should have felt like the first time. You saw stars behind your closed eyelids and every nerve was set ablaze. His touch on your face was the only think anchoring you to the ground, otherwise you’d be spinning in the void that only the two of you occupied. Nothing else existed but his hands on your skin and his lips against yours.

He pulled at your bottom lip with his teeth, and you opened your mouth, allowing his tongue to slip inside and tangle with your own. He moaned against your kiss and he pulled your body against his roughly, so that he could feel your soft chest against his firm one. There wasn’t a stitch of space between the two of you, but you still felt the need for him to be closer.

When you pulled back, you sniffled and grimaced at him. “I swear, if you only did that so I wouldn’t leave, I’ll--”

“I love you,” He said, looking you right in your eyes. “I’ve loved you for a long time, but I was just shy and stupid and I liked listening to you talk about me with Soraya in secret. I will admit, it was flattering. But I always thought there would be time for me to act, that I could court you slowly and build up to it and surprise you one day with my intentions, just so I could see the joy on your face.”

He wiped your tears with his thumbs and kissed your eyes, running his hands through your hair. “I didn’t realize you were suffering, or I’d have done something sooner. I should have said it when I realize that human had taken a liking to you, but I didn’t think you’d actually go for him because I knew how you felt about me. I should have realized you were tired of waiting. I should have realized how unhappy you were. I’m sorry, my love. I’m so sorry.”

At that, you cried in earnest, full wracking sobs that prevented speech. He held you tightly against him, letting you weep into his shoulder, petting your hair and muttering soft words in your ear.

“I’ll make this up to you,” He said, kissing your face with tears in his eyes. “I’ll never forgive myself for acting too late. I swear, I’ll never disappoint you again. Just…” He held your face with is fingers tangled in the hair behind your ears and pressed his forehead to yours. “Please. Please don’t leave me. And if you can’t forgive me, just… just don’t marry him. Stay with me. Be with me, please.”

You laughed through your tears. “You were the one I always wanted, you ass,” You told him, which earned a watery chuckle. “I’ve been waiting so long for you to say that to me.”

“I know,” He said. “I’m sorry.”

“You can make it up to me tonight,” You said, whispering in his ear. “After everyone goes to bed, meet me here, at my river stone.”

“I will,” He said, holding you close to him and burying his nose against the skin of your neck, inhaling deeply.

You sighed as you stepped away from him, though you still held his hands in your own.

“Now I have the unpleasant task of refusing Torrey’s proposal.”

“Do you want me to be there?” He asked.

You shook your head emphatically. “No. Refusing a man’s proposal while standing with the man I’ve chosen instead of him would be terribly inappropriate.”

“All right,” He said. “Let me walk you back, then. Hopefully he’ll take it well. Though, if it were me, I’d be crushed and ready to fight.”

“Speaking from experience?” You asked him wryly as you both started back toward the farm.

He laughed. “I guess. Seeing him with you made me sick to my stomach, but when I saw him kiss you, it was like I’d been shot through the heart. And I’ve been shot, so I know what it feels like.” He reached back to touch the four thin, diamond shaped scars on his side. “When he asked you to marry him, it was another round of arrows into my gut. That’s why I reacted so badly.”

You took his hand and held it as you walk. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s my own fault. I should have been braver. If I had told you sooner, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”

You snickered. “I can’t argue with that, jerk.”

He snorted and bumped into you playfully with his shoulder. “I deserve that, too.”

At the edge of the farm, you parted ways. He joined the boys as they went out to clear the fallen trees that had been knocked over in the storm from around the farm.

You found Torrey by himself in a chair on the porch, mending a tear in his gloves. He looked up at you with a smile, which slipped from his face when he saw your expression.

“I’m assuming you don’t have good news for me, then,” He said.

You sighed. “Can I join you?”

“Of course,” He said, putting aside his mending.

You sat down the chair next to his and took a breath. Feeling ashamed, you didn’t want to look at him when you said this, but it seemed important to look him in the eye. It was about respect. If nothing else, you did respect him.

“I want you to know that I like you very much, Torrey,” You began. “And the idea of traveling the world with you sounds very alluring. But…” You sighed. “The truth is, I’m in love with someone else.”

He didn’t answer immediately.

“I see,” He said at length.

“I didn’t mean to lead you on, it’s just that I genuinely thought he wasn’t interested in me and I was trying to put him behind me. But even if had I married you, I’d never be able to love you like I love him. It wouldn’t have been fair to you. You deserve a woman who can give you her whole heart, and that's not me.”

He sighed heavily. “Well, I wish I could say I’m glad you were honest with me, but I’d be lying.” He shook his head and looked at you with a pained expression. “I rushed this,” He said. “I should have taken more time, perhaps stayed in the neighboring town and visited you more. I spooked you by asking right away.”

“I don't think that would have made a difference,” You told him.

“Maybe it would have,” He said, shrugging. “People fall in and out of love all the time. Maybe if I had been more patient, you’d have fallen out of love with this other fellow and fallen in love with me instead.”

You doubted it, but you said, “Maybe.”

He squinted at you, hesitating. “Is that your final decision, then? Are you sure I can’t change your mind?”

You nodded grimly. “I’m sure. I’m sorry, Torrey.”

He sighed again and stood up, putting his gloved in his coat pocket. “Well, my horse is shod and the storm has passed. There’s no reason to stay any longer,” He said, smiling at you morosely. “If there’s nothing left for me here, then it’s best that I be moving on.” He bent down to kiss your cheek, adding, “Please tell your mother and father than I’m grateful for their hospitality and give them this.” He handed you a pouch. “For their trouble.”

“I will,” You said, clutching the bag. “I hope you do meet a girl who gives you her whole heart. You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy.”

He smiled a real smile then. “I hope she’s a lot like you.”

You blushed and looked at the ground.

His palomino was tied to the porch, and he undid the rope and tightened up her harness, vaulting up on her back. With a parting smile, he tipped his hat to you and nudged her forward, and was gone in a matter of minutes.

You heard hoofsteps behind you and you turned to see Reed coming up the ramp.

“How bad was it?” He asked, wincing.

“Not as painful as I expected,” You said. “I still feel terrible. He was a very nice man; in another life I’d have been happy to accept. I feel like I lied to him.”

“You didn’t lie,” He said, touching your face. “You didn’t know the whole truth yourself, so you couldn’t have lied. I hate to admit it, but he’s not so terrible; he seems like he make a good husband. For anyone besides you,” He remarked sternly and you laughed. “I hated him because I knew he was courting you, but really he seems all right.” He frowned. “For a human, that is.”

“I’m a human,” You reminded him.

“You’re one of the good ones,” He said with a seductive smile, pulling you close by the back of your neck. He kissed you again, deep and hungry, his arms a cage around your waist. You moaned as his hands roamed downward over your rear and his fingers dug in. You had to force yourself to pull away when you heard voices from around the house.

“Later at the river?” You asked him breathlessly.

He nodded, panting. “I have much lost time to make up for.” He kissed you one more time before fleeing back to the forest to finish hauling the wood.

That night, you waited until you were sure Soraya was asleep before slipping out of your shared room and downstairs, where everything was dark and silent.

Outside, you could still hear Birch and Cetzu laughing and joking, so Reed wouldn’t be able to escape just yet. Perfect. You’d have time to bathe before he got there.

You got to your special stone by the river and stripped down. Under the rock shelf, you had hidden a tin box with soap and bathing oils and set them on the edge of the rock where you could reach them.

You stepped a foot into the calmer pool in front of the stone table to test it. It was a little chilly but not unbearably so. The chill of the water hardened your nipples instantly, and you rubbed them a little to try and soften them up. You slipped in slowly, shivering as the water hit your tender bits, and dipped down under the water to wet your hair. When you came up, you heard a sharp intake of breath.

Reed was standing there, about twenty feet away on the shore, looking right at you. For a moment you couldn’t take your eyes off each other, but slowly, you reached for your soap, lathered up your hands, and made quite the show of washing your body, paying specific attention to your breasts, over your buttocks, and between your thighs. You reached up to run soap through your hair, stretching your body, perking up your breasts and arching your back.

You risked a peek at him, and he was breathing very hard. He stayed put, watching you, and you could see his member peeking out from the sheath between his back legs. Smiling a bit to yourself, you ducked down to rinse your hair and body, then snatched up the bottles of almond and rose oil and pulled yourself up on the rock shelf, water cascading off your body. You beckoning to him, smiling.

He jumped as though startled, and made his way over to the large stone you sat on. The moon was out and shining through the leaves of the canopy, painting patterns on your skin.

“Want to help?” You asked, handing him the oils. “I assume you know what to do with these?”

“I have an idea,” he said with a smirk.

“Good,” You said, laying down on your stomach and pulling your wet hair out of the way. You watched him fold his legs under him and kneel next to you. You heard a dripping sound as he poured some oil on your back and then felt his hands working the oil into your skin gently and firmly. You groaned in pleasure as his hands worked over the muscles in your shoulders and neck, drawing out the tension. A thrill shot up your spine as his hands spread the oil over your bottom and massaged them, rolling the skin back and forth, opening you up and easing back down. You wondered if he was looking at what lay between.

You felt him nuzzle your ear as he said, “Roll over.”

You obeyed, baring your front to the air and looking at him. He was flustered and biting his lip, but he applied the same tender ministrations to the front of your body, his hands kneading your breasts and tugging slightly at your nipples. You sighed and smiled at him, urging him to go lower by rolling your hips ever so slightly. His hands slid down your stomach and between your thighs, which you parted.

The first tentative stroke of the skin sent a shock through your body and made you gasp. He snatched his hand back in surprise.

“No, no, it was good,” You gasped, laughing. “Please, keep going.”

He smiled uncertainly, but touched you again, and you moaned softly.

“I’ve dreamed of this,” He said. “I’ve wanted to touch you like this for a long time, before I even knew your feelings for me, but I was too shy.” He felt the entrance and let a finger slip inside. Your mouth opened and your back arched in response. “I just thought, at first, that what you felt was just an infatuation and that it would pass.”

“I’ve loved you since I first laid eyes on you,” You breathed. “That’s why I know love at first sight exists.”

“Do you know when I fell in love with you?” He asked, his finger joined by a second, moving in and out of you at a steady speed.

“Mm?” Was all you could say.

“That day the bear came out of the woods when we were pulling up water together. It came straight at me. I was scared to death and froze, but you chased it away by literally screaming at it and throwing your bucket at it’s head. I couldn’t believe you were prepared to take on a bear for me. I could never be that brave. I fell in love with you right then.”

You gasped for an entirely different reason. “That was three years ago!” You smacked his shoulder. “How could you not tell me!”

“I told you, you’re braver than me. I was too scared,” He bent down and kissed your breastbone, working his way up to your lips. You writhed underneath him. “You make me braver.”

“Reed,” You whimpered against his mouth. “I need you.”

Because he was much smaller than a centaur, his body was a comparable to yours in length. He climbed up onto the stone, stepping over you with his hind legs between your knees and his forelegs on either side of your your waist, and knelt down. Sitting on his back haunches between your thighs and his kneeling on his forelegs, he was able to bend his human torso forward and reach your face, kissing you while his hands stroked your breasts and sides.

With a single twitch of his hips, he popped the head of his length into you, and you cried out against his lips. He eased himself into you, aided by the oils, little by little. He started out narrow and kept getting bigger and bigger as he slid further in, stretching you open. You both groaned at the sensation, your foreheads pressed together as he buried himself inside you. He knitted his fingers with yours and held your hands above your head.

He was still for a moment before moving slowly, his flanks quivering with the effort of holding back.

“Have you dreamed of this, too?” You asked him breathlessly.

He huffed out a laugh that was mixed with a moan. “Countless times. I even imagined turning you over this very rock and losing myself inside you.”

“There’s no reason you can’t,” You said, smirking at him.

“Shouldn’t your first time be gentle?” He asked in concern.

“My first time can be anything I want,” You told him. “And besides, it’s your first time, too. You should get what you want just as much as me. And maybe I want you to.”

He growled at you with a smile on his face. “I hate myself for waiting so long.”

“Do something about it, then,” You said, your smile widening.

He grinned and pulled away. He still had a grip on your hands, so he pulled you forward off the rock and spun you, catching the back of your neck in one hand, hair and all, and applied gentle pressure until you were bent over the stone with your rear in the air. He lifted his forelegs and braced them around your body on the rock.

He pet his hands over your buttocks tenderly, spreading them, and you felt him open you up and line his length back up with your entrance, easing himself back in. You moaned loudly, grateful you were far away from the house.

“Gods, you’re so warm,” He wheezed. He picked up speed, ramming into you, bouncing your thighs against the rock. You might have bruises tomorrow, but you didn’t care. They’d be under your skirt and no one would see them. They’d be your little secret.

Reed’s face was pressed against the back of your head, whimpering into your hair, blowing his breath across your neck. Every shorthair on your body stood on end. You needed more.

“Harder,” You begged. “Harder, please.”

He was only happy to comply, slamming into you with force, making incredibly sinful slapping sounds against your rump as he did.

“You’re so good,” He whispered with a cracked voice, his arms crossed over your chest as you held yourself up against him, holding your breasts with the opposite hand. “I love you so much.”

Why was it that phrase that undid you completely? You grunted obscenely as the pleasure crashed over you like a gale of wind, blowing you over the edge and drowning you in sensations. Your muscles clenched him as you came, and it cause him to release as well. He gushed into you with a shout of ecstasy, spilling out of you and splattering onto the ground between your feet.

His legs fell off the rock and his torso collapsed onto you as you collapsed on the rock, breathing hard and sighing loudly as you both came down and settled into bliss.

After a few minutes and a deep sigh, he pulled out of you and helped you stand up.

“Are you all right?” He asked as you turned to face him and plant a kiss on his lips.

“I’m lovely,” You said with a bright smile.

“You are,” He agreed, frowning at himself. “I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like I didn’t think so. I’ve always found you beautiful. I should have said it sooner.”

You stopped him by putting your fingers on his lips. “No more ‘should haves,’” you said. “We’re wiping the slate clean, starting over. I’m just as much to blame for all this; I should have spoke up long before now. I was just as scared as you were.” You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and kissed him sweetly. He reciprocated. “I should have been just as angry at myself as I was at you. Don’t keep beating yourself up. ”

He bumped your forehead with his gently. “Maybe. So, where do we go from here? Do you think Declan will let you move into my stall?”

You covered your face with your hands in embarrassment. “Oh, gods, I don’t even want to think about facing the family with this yet. They all know about my feelings for you. I do not want to have to look at Soraya’s smug face for the next sixty years.”

He laughed. “The boys have been goading me forever about you,” He remarked. “They’ll be just as bad.”

“Why don’t we just let them figure it out, then, since they’re all so clever,” You said sarcastically, and he grinned.

“Sounds good to me,” He said. “Though, I don’t want to have to sneak around to see you. You’re not a secret. I want them to know that we love each other.”

“They already know,” You said, rolling your eyes. “Now it’s just a matter of us finally acting like it.”

You went to the river to clean yourself up and started to shiver. He reached for your clothes and handed them to you as you waded out of the water.

“It’s getting cold. Let’s get you dressed and back in bed. We can deal with the family in the morning. Maybe I’ll just give you a big, sloppy kiss over breakfast.”

You giggled. “That would get the message across.”

He helped you pull your dress on and buttoned up the front, kissing up your body as he did. “I’ll shout it to the world, if I have to. I want everyone to know that I have you, and that I’m happy.”

When he stood up straight, you laid your head on his shoulder and sighed, closing your eyes. “So am I.”

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