#that whole email... alex ..sir

[yrsonpurpose]

xoxo A

[mahuhumaling]

changes i liked and disliked in the rwrb movie 📨

ohmygod. i'm finally gonna talk about this movie, aren't i? i've held myself off from making original creations like video or photo edits for this piece of media, and i still am, because i feel like if i start making one i won't stop, but i think a textpost can be an exception because i've made tweets and threads about it on twitter already.

anyway, i just wanted to rattle off on these since these opinions have been simmering up on me since the movie first came out. lol i watched it 15 hours later on a whim with bar-in-hell expectations. karma got to me, because i ended up getting brainrot over it.

this is a long overdue post.

the aging up is both a yes and a no for me. a yes because i have previously never been opposed to aging up YA characters (technicaly rwrb is more new adult that young adult but whatever, it's teetering) like shadowhunters, and matthew does a great job of justifying this choice: grounding their romance into a more mature and real love. it's not to say that young love isn't valid or real enough, but the decision to make firstprince in their late 20s makes the discussion of forever and their adamant to fight for their love is more realistic and believable. with that said, it's also a no for me because their ages are also detrimental to the timeline and character arcs. for instance, henry's grief hits him like a ten wheeler as a teenager, and the whole explanation that casey writes for his grief is that he expected to deal with something as magnanimous as that kind of loss when he's older and not when his brain hasn't even fully developed. another instance is alex's having to grapple with his career choices after college!

matthew's best change is quite possibly firstprince exchanging the key and the ring. hands down, much better. i do understand that since the novel is in third person limited (alex's pov), it makes sense at a literary level (lol) for alex to own both the key and the necklace ("two homes side by side" is a BANGER line), but the equal complete devotion that the two have for each other at that point is excellent through that showcase of exchange. i own part of you, you own part of me. it's such a great display for the trope of "token of love." romcoms are back, baby! cinema is back!

worst change, then, is probably alex's parents being still happily married and in love. my hot take is that i understand why june was cut out and she's not a huge loss, compared to alex growing up as a child of divorce. making that change to alex having parents who are still together removes a huge dimension to alex's characterization because a lot of his issues stem from that, mainly his abandonment issues. you can see the full effect in the scene where he storms the kensington palace. i understand and respect it, matthew essentially explaining that because this was a different henry, then this was a different alex to — that he needed to be softer. he was more pleasing, desperate, confused with "can we please talk?" instead of the brash "your royal fucking highness!" because that's what it is: confusion. movie!alex couldn't fully understand why someone would just up and leave like that, whereas book!alex was immediately angry because he knows full well when someone leaves him. (*ahem* his dad) but anyway someone discusses it here in such great detail and i very much agree!

oh another good change is showing henry's pov during the email leak. nicholas... sir... ugh. fine, we're getting you that damn oscar. but seriously, he did great. t'was devastating seeing his face crumble, and the one show/display of roual authority, of hot flash of anger, of power, just to talk to alex was even sadder because that was the only time he uses it.

another yes and no change for me is "history huh." the placement of the most popular line from being im the email to being said out loud privately for the two of them is something i'm divided about. yes: there is a great deal of comfort that comes with henry getting to hear that from alex's own lips. it's very sweet and romantic and yeah tbh tbh i would've melted into a puddle right then and there. that there is a comfort that comes with at least that wasn't taken away from them. but no: the whole point of that being in the email (along with bad metaphors, an incomplete list, the story of the prince born with his heart on the outside of his body, etc.) is that these two's privacy was violated. the whole world read those words that were just meant for the two of them, but the public ended up using that line for their banners and flags and signs. and it's important why? it was then made into a form of reclamation. that even if they went through shit and worried about the consequences of being public figures, that there was hope that at least a surprisingly large number of the general public voiced their support, that they were backed by the people they were serving. removing that from the email in the movie... well, you get the rest.

should the height difference even be talked about? that's a factor that is 80% outside of anyone's control lmao??? but i do think it's worth noting that i've grown kinda fond with it that now i imagine taylor & nick's physical builds when reading firstprince fanfics plus having a taller alex who has a height complex instead of a shorter alex who has a height insecurity is so fucking funny. what a great running gag. the gaslighting of the audience into thinking henry is taller is 10/10. best lampshading ever, actually.

henry standing up for himself to the king is both a yes and no too. yes: matthew's justification is pretty nice. not only does it save them production costs to hire a princess catherine actress and pacing issues, it also makes sense narratively. the movie has written henry as voiceless throughout it really well, so for him to save himself is a great reason for why. but also it's a no for me because it's equally important that catherine the negligent mother starts compensating for her absences by battling generational conflict lmao. there's also the factor of a woman saving a man too! the rwrb universe emphasizes quite well about how henry and alex are surrounded by these powerful female figures who are near and dear to them in their lives. to grow up learning from them. point is, movie!henry standing up for himself is a nice choice because he's older. and at the same time, book!henry being supported by her mother is a great choice because he needed to be affirmed with a larger support system in his younger age.

making henry the one to clarify at first that their relationship should be casual instead of alex is a big yes for me. the mixed signals henry does in the book makes for borderline inconsistent characterization, but he's younger there so it makes sense for us to be confused. but henry in the movie "explaining himself to alex for the past year" is a great cleaning up because at the start, henry has been clear on "ok but we can't do this long term."

this has been sitting on my drafts for too long (weeks) so i'll just post this now. and maybe update it, idk. this post feels too incomplete but i don't want to sit on it, so. whatever here it is. 🤣

edit:. i discovered this amazing podcast who talk about it in great detail and 90% of their opinions i agree with! imm frothing at the mouth with how they describe and reason with each change and i just 🥺 want to share how cool they are. [part 1, part 2]

[doofus-and-dragons]

Thoughts on Red, White, and Royal Blue(Taking notes helps me retain information so ofc I do it about my media like a goddamn nerd)

Overall thoughts:

I give this movie a 4/10. The actors were incredible and the jokes landed where they were suppose to. I was really excited for the movie, and I probably would have loved it if I hadn't read the book first (I don't regret reading it first. I adore the book, probably going to reread it). For me, the pacing was just extremely distracting. I didn't know where I was at any point in time. By the time I would figure it out, I was somewhere else. I also think that the removal of certain characters (June,Rafael, and Leo), the sugar coating of Zahra, and the microdosing (idk what else to call it) of other characters (Nora, Bea, Percy, and Shaan) really takes allies away from Henry and Alex, along with major plot devices within the main story. I felt like the movie cut out a lot of scenes (Star Wars, historical letters, the Rumors, Henry's date with June, the campaign, Nora in general, Alex's reaction to the leak, and the exposing Richards to name a few) really hurt the integrity of this movie for me. I was super excited going in, but now I'm just kind of bitter.

I did like how Henry and Alex's actors had some (from my pov) really good chemistry. That or they're just really good actors. They are, but like...differently. loved Oscar, loved the charcarization as a whole (other than maybe Bea (she felt kind of bland) and Zarha (she felt sugar coated). As a whole, all the actors (and yes, I do mean all) did an amazing job. Set design was absolutely breath taking. Most of the music was spot on (still salty about "Your Song" being cut out but yknow), and I'm a band kid and a theater kid so music means a lot to me. I loved the little metaphors, like when Alex gave Henry the key to his house (a bold choice, but it worked). I feel like Ellen deserved more of a "Im struggling to find an election balance and a mom balance" arc that Book!Ellen got, but Uma Thurman did a great job with Ellen. She didn't play too hard into the accent, and it was tasteful (much appreciated by the by). Loved Amy (wish we could have seen he do crafts tho...and her dog). LOVED it when they decked Henry out in commoner clothes!

So, yeah. My review of the movie is a 4/10. Here are the notes that better explain my personal opinion. If you enjoyed it, I'm so happy for you/gen.

Notes:

• The lack of June as a character takes away so many plot points and character building opportunities from all of the characters

• The loss of Leo as a character takes away from much of the drama not only within the First Family but also within the debate

• Who decided Miguell as a character???seems like they took that Post reporter from the book and turned his affection to Alex instead, which I guess they had to since the tossed June.

• I love Ellen,  Oscar, Zahra, Amy, Pez (why can't they ever call him pez?), Nora, and Shaan. 

• The movie is moving really fast.  I can hardly keep up with.  I'm constantly in a state of "Wait, where am I?  Why am I here?  This isn't supposed to happen yet is it?"

• I can't explain it, but Henry has very gay

• Where's Rafael?  He's like the reason for the climax (lmao)

• Sending him to Texas? But he's not supposed to be there yet! 

• I'm so lost that I can't keep up with the movie.  I can't even enjoy the sap from the email reading because I'm really confused.

• The acting is really good!  The pacing is just off.

• I hate this Miguel guy. 

• HENRY IS SUPPOSE TO BE CONFORTING HIM BECAUSE OF THE BETRAYAL

• Not enough Bea

• I am enjoying this 20 Questions scene, very cute yet very sad

• Zarha is suppose to be angrier at him for being awake.

• Henry in the closet will never not be funny to me.

• "...good morning!" -Prince Henry of Wales, 2023

• "And my sister" "awww I didn't know that!" "Yeah she was really happy for us."

• "Tetnhically I'm the spare!" "Not talking to you sir!" So funny!

• I'm assuming Miguel is the leak

• I'm back to being confused.  Also, not enough Amy.  I need more of her.  I need to see her dog Johnathan

• "She happens to be a he....and he happens to be henry..."

• Ellen is the best mom I love her

• I WANTED TO SEE ELLEN'S POWER POINT COME ON AMAZON :(

• Love how he's got a University of Texas Austin hat (it's not UT to me I'm from Tennessee, UT is University of Tennessee)

• Love how they Texas-ified Henry

• Sad we didn't get the kimonos

• So Oscar is Sen. Of Texas??? I thought that was Ellen before elected?

• Haha gays

• Needs more Pez

• Ok, wait, I know where I am! The start of the week of sad!

• Already? It feels like I've been sitting here for like half an hour.  I'm not retaining any of this.  God the pacing is killing me

• Also they didn't include them Skinny dipping which is honestly tragic

• Sad gay prince hours

• *megamind meme* No bunk beds?

• Bea calling him Hen is the world.  That's it. 

• WHY AM I ONLY GETTING ONE SCENE WITH SHAAN?

• Alex was suppose to be angrier, making a scene.  Shaan needed to almost throw him out. I need more Shaan.

• Eye opening for Henry time ehe

• Did he put his ring on the mantle I didn't catch it. 

• He was suppose to have make up time THEN go to the museum I'm lost again

• I can't help falling in love" and not "your song is" a choice

• They didn't bring up Sampson :(

• Wait he was suppose to put the ring on the chain.  It was sweet to give him the key tho.  I see you "key to my heart" symbolism.  I see you and I love you.

• DAVID!!!BABY BOY!!!

• Where's Zarha's anger? Alex's concern?  AHA Zarha and Shaan engagement real??? 👀

• Miguel is the leak and I dispise him.

• No meeting with the king? No Catherine? No Phillip getting hot tea spilled on him?  Tragic.

• Henry not getting to get a word in is tragic.

• I love Alex's speech it's so heart wrenching

• I need to see zarha's anger- oh Shaan is into it isnt he?  Love those two!  They are the true heros of this movie. 

• "I'll break the sound barrier for you" 🥺😭

• Henry playing Yankie doodle and Alex playing God Save The Queen is wonderful

• "Im white and upperclass so my affection comes on strings"

• Alex fidgeting with Henry's ring 🥺

• Stfu Pip, the fact you're the only one sitting on the side of the king is telling

• Stfu king Mary (he has no name just king so he's king Mary now).

• "Uh-bec-becu-because!!" 🙄

• Bea needs to spill tea on Phillip pls

• We don't get to see Alex's rslley speech? We're already at the election?

• No Zarha/Shaan makeouts? Srsly?

• No Liam? Where did the bikes come from?

• This movie has so many plot holes, it's like driving down a secret highway...

[fluffywing-e-tarot]

Custody battle for Tommy Craft (6/?)

Part 6 Back to work.

Alexis

Present Day

Alexis returned to the car. Charles waited in the sun, typing on his phone.

“Sir, Mr. Schlatt is getting impatient,” Charles said.

“Tommy’s at school. Now is the best time to go in,” Alexis said. He sat in the back seat this time. And buckled in, he felt the blade he kept on his person at all times since coming back to the states. Alexis reflected on the Email that started this whole mess for him. A task that Alex knew was far too dangerous for him and would put his (ex)husband and in-laws in danger. Alexis had determined that he had to lie. Not only to protect Tommy but also to protect Derick and Wilbur. He set his jaw, expecting to be berated. He stepped out of the car and walked into the atrium. The building looked beautiful, but Alexis knew that it was only a facade for the criminal info broker organization Dreispear.

“Mr. Quackity, welcome back.” the woman at the front greeted me. Alexis walked up to the Front Desk. he gave a smile to the woman. Her highlighted Brunet hair curled around her face. He recognized her as one of his other teammates while he was working in the US almost four years ago.

“Hay Imain,” Alexis greeted.

“James has been waiting for you ever since you landed,” Imane said. “I don’t blame you for waiting to come in. It’s a big move returning from overseas.”

“Had to leave all of my furniture over there. What are you doing at the front?” Alexis asked.

“ Lower risk than other places in the company,” Imane said with a flourish; his badge was there on the counter.

“Thanks, Imane.” he took the id and headed towards the Elevator.

“Good luck with Schlatt,” Imane called.

The one thing that he wasn’t looking forward to was that he knew the conversation wouldn’t end well on his part. He found his new desk. And logged in the business email had a collection of unread messages. He opened the inbox and decided to read the newest one first.

Come to my office - your Boss J.Schlatt.

‘Fuck.’ Alexis thought. He checked the timestamp of when it was sent and saw that it was just a few minutes ago. J.Schlatt knew he was here. He stood up and headed to the elevator; he clicked the boss’s office floor. Alexis stepped out onto the floor, being met by two guards that both had a stronger build than him.

“Weapons and phone.” the Native American demanded. The other bodyguard held out a plastic bin. Alexis unclipped the knife he had on him. It would be the first time since returning back to the States he would be unarmed. It didn’t bode well as Alexis was unarmed. So the boss had the advantage on that front. As soon as his powered-off phone was in the plastic bin and they waved a metal detector wand over him, they stepped away and let him onto the floor. The Body guard’s flanked Alexis as he walked towards the CEO’s office. The doors were open he gave a knock.

“Enter,” James Schlatt answered. Alexis stepped through the open doors.

“Close the doors, Mr. Quackity.” that was not a good sign. He hadn’t worked in person with Schlatt for over 4 years. But he knew his former partner signs of anger. He closed the door. He did hope that complying would spare any direct contact.

Schlatt turned towards him. The cup holding alcohol shattered at Alexis’ feet. “ You fucking idiot.”

“You messed up. The Governor is not happy. Instead of stealing the file on TechnoBlade in the allotted time. You come here behind schedule with a kid who looks nothing like you and no file to show for your work.”

Alexis grit his teeth like hell. Was he going to let James walk all over his personal life?

“It was a personal matter that I needed to attend to,” Alexis said a truth but only an excuse in the Company’s eye’s

"Personal matter. The governor not getting his information is a personal matter." James Schlatt said, "One I have to cover for, 'cause of your shit excuse."

"This will be the second time that a personal matter has interfered with the mission." Schlatt muttered. ‘the fucking bitch’ Alexis thought as if he didn’t need to rub one devastating experience in his face enough.

“ Stop beating around the bush. What’s the punishment?” Alexis demanded

“ For your mouth and flat ass, I have the perfect assignment for you. you’re in the Judgment department.”

The worst Outcome Alexis thought. The Judgment department was organized assassins and Interrogators to Kill and extracted the information from targets by any mean’s necessary, while on the flip side, they all had experience as lawyers. He hated it. Because there was no point in fighting. J.Schlatt was the Boss of this branch. He had to tread cautiously if he didn’t want to be backstabbed.

“Yes, sir.”

Next

Previous

First

[of-another-broken-heart]

Today has been hard. And a lot.

I took some tylenol last night to help with cramps. It worked so well, I forgot why I’d taken them by the time I was actually trying to get to bed. I couldn’t remember when, exactly, either, so I didn’t risk taking more to safeguard my attempt to sleep.

It took a lot to get to sleep. I had dreams. I was on vacation again (recurring theme) with family (recurring theme) and all the fun/relaxation was offset by people making things dramatic and stressful. I had my car with me. It was not operating reliably (another recurring theme in my dreams). I don’t think I dreamed specifically of Alex. Doesn’t matter too much, since it takes all of 0.02 seconds for me to think of him once I wake up. And I was waking up every 1-2 hours. 

I stayed in bed all the way until I needed to drive sister to work. Not sleeping much. Just... unable to get up. Too tired. Too exhausted. Too sad. Too purposeless. 

I decided to spend some of a gift card I got for xmas. After I dropped sister off, I resolved to buy myself a meal from McDonald’s. I was planning to get a burger that came with lettuce and onion and maybe tomato. I did not end up doing that, though. I saw they had a spicy crispy chicken sandwich meal, and it was only $6. So I did that instead. It was not very crispy. The spice was good. It took me nearly a full half hour to eat. I thought I had a tooth brush in my purse, but I couldn’t find it. I had some emergency travel picks, and I used one of those, but there were still some places in my fucked up teeth that held on to some food bits that I just had to deal with until I got home. 

But I didn’t go straight home. I put in my refill for my levo yesterday, so I figured I’d pick that up. And my gas tank was dipping below the 1/4 mark, so I figured I should put the last of my cash in it. 

The pharmacy was a small little hell. A lady walked in right before me, but didn’t take any undue time or act obnoxious. An older man came in after me - and jumped to the front of the line, because I was following the 6-foot distance guidelines and I guess he was too good to do the same. He flagged down no fewer than 3 of the employees to help him at the same time, asking for prescription refills (that he hadn’t requested in advance), chatting up the actual pharmacist, and then wandering around bragging about buying out certain supplies off the shelves for his/his wife’s diabetes.  While all that was going on, another guy walked in, and stood so close to me that his phone was next to my head when he held it up to look at it. Even in pre-pandemic times, that’s too fucking close. I moved away. He immediately closed the gap. I moved away again, to the counter this time, sputtering out “Six feet, please, sir!” and while he didn’t have anything to say back, he at least stayed put at that point.  The cashier was still half tied up with the demanding diabetes guy, but he asked who was next (it was me, and Mr. No Personal Space indicated as much, too) so I was able to ask for my meds and start getting out coins to pay the dollar it’d cost. I’m almost out of change. I mostly just have pennies left now. Dropped two quarters, four dimes, and ten pennies to cover my expense - set them in separate stacks on the counter to make it easier on the cashier, who verbally thanked me for the consideration before I made my way out of there and to the gas station. 

Gas is $3 per gallon here, now. I did not know that. It was $2.60 last time I bought any - not even 2 months ago. I put the last $20 of cash I had in Jenny. Not even 7 gallons. Getting out of that parking lot was annoying. I waited my turn, I waited... the person who had the right-of-way just didn’t go. Just plain did not go. Sat on their phone blocking me and 1 other person because she was supposed to go, and if either of us went, then she went, it’d be a big problem. Then when she finally moved (after the light had changed and there wasn’t any more room left) I had to go across the street into a different parking lot just to get out of the way of the people in the gas station parking lot, and then turn around, and then there still wasn’t room for me to pull out of the fucking parking lot because a goddamn pick-up truck rolled up while I was turning around, taking the spot in the road that I could have slipped into. But at least no one else came after that, and when the light finally changed again, I just got to cruise out and get back home without any further headaches. 

The whole time in the car, I felt like I was playing Russian roulette with the radio. From eating lunch to pulling back in the drive way after getting gas - will this song reduce me to an inoperable sobbing mess? How about this one? This one??? I have to drive with the radio off most of the time now. Because that’s how fucked up and raw I am now. 

I got home and checked my emails. Birthday is in a few days, and I get more well-wishes and gifts from corporate programming than I do from people I know. I got a message from Torrid. $10 to spend. I didn’t have very high hopes, but I spent a while clicking through the online clearance listings. I was pleasantly surprised to find a few things I did actually like, and could use, and which would (individually) be nearly free with the $10 birthday spending.  The first was a simple sport bra with a strappy back. I like those. They’re practical, and most of the ones I have are old and not fashionable at all. That one was only available in a single small size, though.  Next I found a pair of boots. I already have a pair of boots, but I like boots. And these were marked down to like, $12 and their original price was over $70? Bonkers good deal. And they were wide calf by default, because Torrid, so hell yeah? There was the option for extra wide, but that seemed like they’d be too big on me (given that standard wide calf fit me pretty perfectly with my existing pair of boots). They were in stock in my size, so I put them in the cart.  Then I found another sport bra. Originally $50, down to $11-something. It was only available in a 3... which might be a size too big for me, or it might be perfect. It was a zip-front black bra with little white stars on it. I put it in my cart, too.  I planned to pick one and remove the other. I had a little money in my Paypal to cover the difference, but I can’t spend a lot. But it was a really good deal... two items that originally totaled like $125, subtotaled to less than a fifth of that. And a ten dollar credit to apply on top, so it was only $13 or so that was left to cover?  $13 for a pair of boots and a new sport bra??  It has to get delivered to the store one town over (or it would have cost an extra $6 and taken longer) but I placed the order.  Happy Birthday to me, from Torrid (and the people whose donations I still had some leftover from. 

My teeth are bothering me so much. I want them fixed. I can’t make the calls. 

I need a new doctor, I need to be taken seriously, I need so much help. And I can’t make the calls. 

The precious few people who were slap-shod forming a support net for me, have mostly dispersed. I’m drowning again, and the promised life raft isn’t even coming any more. The boat that was supposed to be a sanctuary has dropped anchor somewhere far away and is not an option, any more. Not really. 

I just want to talk to and be with Alex. And I can’t.  I can’t. It’s one-sided. I’m wrong. It never should have happened, and I’m paying the price. I was never supposed to be happy. It was a fluke. I have to pay for it, now.

[limjaeseven]

You’re My Light

Pairing: Hoseok X Reader

Word Count: 5,336

Genres: Smut, Fluff

Summary: A call from your best friend inviting you to the yearly Diwali celebration has you and your boyfriend really excited but what would happen when you stumble across your troublesome ex on such a good day?

Warnings: oral sex (m&f receiving) sub!reader, dom!Hoseok, Sir kink, ass spanking, sex toys, bondage, overstimulation, creampie, dirty talk

[A/n]: I’ve been working on this for so long and I’m so glad to finally post it. Thanks to @uwugalore for giving me the honour of starting this project off. Shout out to @jamaisjoons for writing that last part and all the other people in the collab who helped out every step of the way

25 Days of Christmas: A BTS Anthology Masterlist

You had just finished an important business meeting when you got a call from your childhood best friend and partner in crime, Dhiraj. 

“Hey D, what’s up,” you asked as you jammed the phone between your ear and your shoulder as you pressed the button on the lift. 

“Nothing much, kiddo. Just called to invite you to the Diwali function next weekend. Knowing how busy you were, I knew it wasn’t likely you’d see my email. And when I didn’t get a response, I decided I had to call you. So, please check your emails more often,” he scolded. 

Working at KM Entertainment was hard work and it left you little time for yourself. You were pretty sure half your friends were going to leave you for not responding to their texts for weeks. The only person you had time for was your boyfriend, Jung Hoseok. 

“I’m sorry, D. You know how busy I am. I’ll check the mail and I’ll come for sure. See you there, bye,” You said before cutting the call. 

Now, to convince your boyfriend to come along with you.

It’s not that Hoseok didn’t like your family, he loved them. He just didn’t enjoy the questions of ‘when are you getting married’ that all the uncles and aunties asked. That’s why he didn’t like to come along with you when you went home. He loved meeting your parents as long as it was either at your guys’ place or a restaurant. 

You had grown up in a small Indian community in Seoul, full of people who mainly worked at the tech companies or hospitals in the city, i.e. it was a typical Indian society. Everyone was a doctor or engineer. That’s why when you sought out to become a music producer, the uncles and aunties weren’t happy. Your parents on the other hand were very supportive and encouraging.

That’s how you met Hoseok. He was a choreographer at KM Entertainment, the record label you worked for. One of your co-workers told you about him and basically got you to go on a blind date with him. You guys had instantly hit it off and became the most loved couple in the office. 

So, coming back to the Diwali celebration, you really wanted to go. Diwali was your absolute favourite festival of all time. Where as everyone was excited for Halloween and Christmas, you were the only person who cared about Diwali. You loved the festival because it was a night full of adrenaline, fire crackers, and sweets. It was six hours of good, pure, unadulterated fun. Especially, when it was with your friends.

You had four best friends growing up: Arshad, Rajveer, Dhiraj, Alex. The five of you were truly the best of friends. All of you lived in the same building and went to the same small public school together. You guys lived by the ‘one for all, all for one’ philosophy. If you got a new boyfriend, they would have to approve him first before he was allowed to date you. Being the only girl in the group, they were quite protective of you.

So, the fact that your friends hadn’t met your boyfriend i.e. Hoseok, was driving them crazy. That’s why they had Dhiraj personally call you, cause they knew you wouldn’t turn him down. You had always had a soft spot for him. You were just hoping Hoseok would say yes because you yourself hadn’t seen the boys in a while.

“Hey, babe,” you said as you entered the house, calling out to your boyfriend, who was sitting on the couch watching TV. 

“Hey love! How was your day,” Hoseok asked as you sat down on the couch next to him. 

“It was alright. I do have some news to share though." 

Seeing your nervous expression, Hoseok got a bit worried too and sat up straight, looking concerned.

"Don’t tell me you’re breaking up with me,” Hoseok said and you burst out laughing. 

“Of course not, babe. I’m not breaking up with you. I wanted to ask you if you’d accompany me to the Diwali celebration this weekend with my family and friends,” you said. Hoseok had known you enough to tell that you were hiding something, so he raised an eyebrow at you.

“The catch is it’s at my home,” you said and Hoseok immediately refused. 

“No way.”

“Please baby, I really want to go,” you pouted and managed the best puppy eyes you could.

“Alright fine!" 

Hoseok sighed and you hugged him, thanking him continuously. Smothering his face with kisses, you told him how much you loved him. 

"Babe, what is Diwali,” Hoseok asked out of nowhere and you facepalmed. You had completely forgotten that your boyfriend didn’t know about this famous festival.

“It’s a long story, so brace yourself,” you said. “There are two major epics in Hindu culture, the Ramayan and the Mahabharat. Diwali is based on the former. Dasharath is the King of Ayodha and has three wives, Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra. They bear him four sons, Ram, Laxman, Bharath, and Shatrughan. Ram is the perfect son and the heir to the throne. Kaikeyi, Bharath’s mother loves Ram just like her own son. But she is manipulated and convinced that it is her son that should be the ruler of Ayodha and so, she approaches King Dasharath.

“She brings up an old debt he owes her and tells him to exile Ram to the forest for 14 years and to make Bharath the crown prince. The king is devastated but has no choice and so Ram, along with his wife, Sita and brother, Laxman, leave for the forest. While living there, Shurpanakha, a demoness becomes infatuated with Ram and tries to kill Sita. Laxman ends up wounding her and she runs to her brother, Ravan and asks him to avenge her. Ravan had heard of the beautiful Sita and decides to abduct her as revenge. 

“Ravan is able to trick both Ram and Laxman into leaving their house in the forest, leaving Sita behind. While they are away, he manages to abduct her and take her away to the island of Lanka. Ram and Laxman travel far and wide to find Sita, but to no avail. They finally come across a band of vanaras, or monkey-men, who pledge to help him. One of the warriors of the vanaras, Hanuman, becomes Ram’s devotee. The vanaras seek out traces of Sita and find she has been taken to Lanka. Hanuman flies to Lanka and contacts Sita and informs her of Ram’s whereabouts, promising that they will be back to rescue her. Before returning to the mainland, Hanuman sets fire to the whole city of Lanka.

“Ram, Lakshman, and the vanaras army build a causeway from the tip of India to Lanka. They travel to Lanka, where an epic battle follows between the armies. Ravana is finally killed by Ram, and Sita is freed. The day Ram returns to Ayodha with Sita and Lakhman after his 14 year exile, and after having slayed Ravan, is celebrated as Diwali.”

“Wow,” Hoseok said, overwhelmed. 

“I know it’s a lot, but I’m so happy that we’re going. Let me call Jiwoo, we need new clothes to wear,” you said before getting up to call your best friend. You met up and she helped you design the outfits. 

“We’re here,” you said excitedly as you stepped out of the car. You picked up the box of sweets and headed towards your building. Hoseok knocked on the door and your dad opened it. “Y/n, Hoseok! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? Come inside,” he said. You both stepped inside and were greeted by your mom. The four of you had a chat over chai and sweets.

“You both look so good. Where did you get these clothes from?” Your mother asked and you told her how Hoseok’s sister was a designer and you both designed them together. It was your idea and her expertise made them perfect. 

A navy blue lehenga comprising of a short blouse and a full length skirt for you and a sherwani that fell till Hoseok’s knees for him. Detailed with gold embroidery, Jiwoo had gotten in touch with a woman who specialised in that type of work. Small mandalas that you designed decorated the dresses.

“It’s time for puja. The three of you, come with me." 

You and Hoseok followed your mom and headed to your prayer room. She taught Hoseok how to do the prayer and he happily helped. You father smiled at you as you both watched your mom bonding with your boyfriend. After you finished praying, you gave your boyfriend a kiss on the cheek and complimented him for doing the puja.

"It’s time to go,” your mom said. You nodded and the four of you got up to leave. 

“Where are we going,” Hoseok questioned. You just smiled at him as you guys walked towards the local school. As soon as you reached the school grounds, Hoseok’s eyes widened. 

“Welcome to our yearly Diwali Mela,” you exclaimed as you gave him a tour. There were multi coloured tents that sold everything from snacks to jewellery. The scent of cardamom and cinnamon flooded the air as you crossed the stall selling biryani. There were a good selection of rides as well, all of them bringing back memories from your childhood.

You were about to buy yourself and your boyfriend some Pani Puri when someone hugged you from behind. Just the scent of his perfume could tell you who it was. In the 15 years that you knew him, he never wore any other perfume. 

“D! It’s so nice to see you again,” you shouted, turning around to hug him properly. 

“Hey, y/n! Hey, Hoseok! I’m glad you guys could make it. The guys have been waiting for you,” Dhiraj said before dragging your away.

“Look who’s here,” Arshad said when he saw you. Individually hugging each one of your friends, you introduced them to Hoseok. 

“This is Arshad, Rajveer, and Alex. Don’t take anything they say seriously,” you warned Hoseok but your friends just laughed. 

“Y/n, Seema has some work for you, why don’t you let us have a friendly chat with your boyfriend over here,” Alex said.

“Okay, fine. Don’t you dare trouble him,” you warned before turning to leave. On your way, you gave Hoseok a chaste kiss on his cheek and whispered, “They’re harmless, don’t worry." 

You went to find Seema when you saw her standing by the stage in the middle of the ground. 

"You needed me?" 

She turned around and gave you a hug before asking you a couple of questions. You agreed to what she said and followed her backstage.

"So, Hoseok, how long have you two been dating,” Rajveer asked. They were sitting in the back row on some plastic chairs that were arranged in front of the stage. 

“Our second anniversary is next month,” Hoseok replied. The boys seemed pretty nice. They knew you inside out and really cared for you.

“Don’t worry, we aren’t going to ask you when you’re getting married,” Arshad laughed. Hoseok looked mortified. He thought you told them about him. 

“Did y/n tell you that,” Hoseok asked. All four of them burst out laughing. 

“No, she didn’t but we were sure you would have been asked that question a million times cause y/n is our community’s sweetheart. She has always been the perfect friend, daughter, niece, student, you name it. She was really popular in school for being the best dancer. All of the people here want her married off to a good guy,” Dhiraj explained.

Hoseok took a sip of the beer they gave him when he realised something. “Wait a minute, did you say dancer?" 

They nodded. Hoseok was confused. He never knew you danced. You had never mentioned it before. Just when he was about to ask the boys another question, the lights on the stage turned on and the music started playing. It was a peppy Bollywood song. The dancers danced gracefully on the stage. But what shocked Hoseok was the person standing center stage.

You, in all your glory, were standing in the middle of the stage, dancing to the beat. Your movements were fluid and flawless. Hoseok’s jaw dropped as he watched you go through the choreography. Being a dancer himself, he could see the technique as well as the grace in your dancing. Your skirt swirled beautifully, complementing your each movement.

Hoseok stood there, mesmerized as you finished performing and stepped off the stage. The crowd clapped loudly and you folded your hands together and bowed. When your eyes met Hoseok’s, you were quick to look away.

Dhiraj gave you a tight hug and complemented your dancing. Hoseok was still with the rest of the boys when someone called for you and you disappeared. 

"She’s a wonderful dancer, isn’t she,” Alex asked and Hoseok agreed. He told your friends that he needed a drink and went to look for you. 

You were speaking to one of your childhood friends when you noticed something. It was an old dirt path that went behind your school. The memories came back to you. You walked along the path and reached your hideout from when you were young. It was a small patch of grass atop a small hill. You sat down and looked up at the sky, reminiscing about the good times you had had in that very place.

Someone sat down behind you, but you were too lost in your own thoughts to notice them. They cleared their throat and you turned around and gasped. Your ex smiled at you and you quickly stood up. 

“I’m leaving,” you said as you walked away. He grabbed a hold of your wrist and pulled you to him. 

“Where are you going, love,” he cooed.

“Leave me alone, Jimin,” you said. 

Jimin was the only non-Indian kid in your school and you helped him around and ended up falling for him. It was you, who introduced him to your community. They absolutely loved him and he ended up moving in when he graduated. The both of you dated for about three years before you found out that he had cheated on you with your best friend. He begged you to forgive him and you eventually did.

But then, the day before your fourth anniversary, you walked in on him fucking the same best friend. It was only when he realised that you were absolutely ready to leave that he confessed that he had been with her off and on for almost a year. That day, you applied for a college far from your home and made sure not to come back often so that you didn’t have to meet him.

“Still feisty, huh? I missed you so much, love,” he said. His hand stayed firmly on the small of your back, exposed due to the short length of your top. You squirmed in his hold but he tightened his other hand around your wrist. Trying to push away from him, he pulled you closer to him and kissed you. You didn’t reciprocate the kiss but tried to get away from him.

“The boys said you’d be he—” Hoseok gasped as he saw you kissing some random guy. Jimin finally release you and you ran to Hoseok. 

“It’s not what it looks like, baby,” you said as you hugged you. 

“Who are you,” Hoseok asked Jimin. 

“Park Jimin,” he said and Hoseok immediately understood the whole situation. You had told him about your ex before.

“Get away from me, you cheater,” Hoseok said and pushed you away. 

“Please, Hoseok, listen to me,” you begged and Jimin smirked. He was really enjoying watching the scene unfold. The anger and resentment was evident on his face. Hoseok walked up to him and grabbed his collar. 

“Stay away from me unless you want your pretty face broken." 

Jimin looked genuinely scared. He quickly scurried away and Hoseok looked back at you.

You were sitting on the ground, crying. You had gone through a horrible break up with Jimin and all the memories flooded back to you. Hoseok was your everything, you wanted to marry the man someday. Your boyfriend sat down next to you and put his arm around you. 

"I know that you didn’t kiss him on purpose. I just wanted to make sure and seeing him smirk when I called you a cheater, I knew it was him who kissed you,” Hoseok said. You hugged him tight and explained exactly what happened.

“I know you wouldn’t do such a thing to me, y/n. I just hated the fact that he hurt you so badly and still had the audacity to touch you. I would have broken his nose if I could” Hoseok comforted you.

Caressing your face, he cooed and tried to calm you down. That’s when you heard a loud sound. The frown on your face disappeared and you pointed at the sky. Beautiful colours filled the sky and the sound of sizzling filled your ears as the crackers burst above you. You had once told Hoseok that your favourite memory was laying in your hideout and watching the crackers.

You both layed down and watched them, fingers interlocked. Hoseok struggled to keep his eyes on the sky as his gaze would always wander back to your face. He couldn’t help but admire your flawless features and pretty smile. You looked at him and saw him staring at you, specifically at your lips. Turning onto your side, you held the back of his head and pulled him in for a kiss.

You don’t remember most of it, but you somehow said your goodbyes to your family and friends and got to the car. You were wrapped in Hoseok’s spare jacket as Hoseok played his ‘songs for sex playlist’. You had always found the playlist ridiculous mainly for including songs like 'Give It To Me’, 'Singularity,’ and most importantly, 'Expensive Girl’. 

The moment Hoseok parked the car you rushed out to call the lift. Hoseok followed behind silently before he pinned you against the wall of the elevator when it arrived and kissed you roughly. He pulled  you out of the lift when you reached your floor and quickly unlocked the door. You haphazardly took your heels off while Hoseok closed the door. 

He throws you over his shoulder before you could utter a word, cause a yelp to escape you and took you to the bedroom before dropping you onto the bed. Your clothes, quickly discarded and you were pinned beneath your boyfriend. He devoured you with deep kisses as both your lungs strained for air, his soft lips coming down on yours aggressively. 

Hoseok makes his way down your body, littering kisses here and there. His fingers snake around you to take your bra off before it is thrown away into a corner. Mouth attaching to one nipple, he uses his hand to massage your other breast before switching. He nips at your skin till he finds your sweet spot and sucks hard, making you moan and squirm in his hold.

He placed a chaste kiss on your belly button before getting up to walk to the closet. Rummaging through the drawer, he picked out a few things before returning to you. He pried open your legs and settled between them before grabbing both your hands and bringing them to the front. He tied your wrists together with some red rope.

You knew he was pissed off about the whole Jimin thing and the only way he would calm down was by punishing you. Not that you minded, though. You were such a brat that you would go out of your way to ask him for punishments or act bratty just to get him to punish you. Once he finished tying you, he tapped his thigh and you got up off the bed. Over the years that you’d been together, you both had developed a sort of non-verbal communication system.

You bent over his lap, your ass in the air. Hoseok grabbed the leather paddle from the nightstand and ran it over your backside and thighs. Goosebumps rose on your skin as you awaited the first blow. It came down harshly and you hissed at the pain. 

“One, thank you, Sir,” you muttered. 

The rough edges of the paddle made dark blue and purple lines on your ass. Bruises formed all over you as Hoseok continued to deliver hits. The hits got harsher as they came down on your skin.

“Twenty, thank you, Sir,” you said as tears streamed down your face and your boyfriend finally dropped the paddle on the floor. He tapped his foot twice on the floor and you immediately got up.

Kneeling in front of him, you settled between his spread knees and looked down at the carpet. You winced as you sat down on your sensitive ass. 

“What an obedient slut you are, aren’t you? But you still had to make Sir mad and you’re going to pay for it. Open,” he commanded and you immediately dropped your jaw, opening your mouth as widely as possible. Digging his thumb into the hollow of your cheek, he made you open your mouth wider, making your jaw hurt.He pushed his boxers off letting his already hard cock out of the dark material.

“I’m going to fuck your throat and you’re just going to take it all, understood?” he warned and you nodded.

A sharp pain blossomed across your cheek as Hoseok slapped you. 

“Yes, Sir,” you corrected yourself. Without further delay, he stuffed his cock down your throat making you gag, but he didn’t relent and continued until your nose brushed up against his pelvis. You willed yourself to breathe through your nose as Hoseok thrusted in and out of your mouth. Tears and saliva dripped down your face, making you look like a mess. Hoseok smirked down at you and thrusted even harder.

Your muffled moans and his grunts filled the room. Your throat felt all rough from your boyfriend’s relentless pounding. His balls slapped against your chin, making your face hurt. You were just about to tap out when Hoseok gave out a broken moan and came down your throat. You swallowed it all and opened your mouth to show Hoseok. He patted your head before tucking his hands under your armpits and lifting you onto the bed. With your head down and your ass up in the air, he spread your knees apart after discarding your panties so that you couldn’t move.

You moaned as you felt his tongue flick your clit. He immediately stopped and lifted you up by the hair. Grabbing the ball gag, he fastened it around your head. 

“Shh, babygirl, you don’t want to make Sir angry, do you,” he cooed and you whined. 

Getting back to work on your core, he inserted two fingers inside you, curling them and finding your g-spot. Muffled cries escaped your lips as your orgasm drew near. Just when you were about to cum, Hoseok pulled away.

“My little slut knows better than to cum without Sir’s permission, right,” he asked before pressing his favourite vibrator against your lower lips. Tears streamed down your face as your orgasm started building up again. Your legs shook as you tried not to cum. Hoseok didn’t stop even though your moans were getting more and more desperate. Before you could tell him to stop, he threw the vibrator away and without warning, he sheathed himself inside you in one smooth stroke. You squealed through your gag as started thrusting.

Gripping your thighs harshly, he pounded in and out of you at a slow yet hard pace. You whimpered and tried to tell him to go faster but were muffled by the gag. 

“Want me to go faster, whore? Then beg for it,” Hoseok hissed and you continued trying to beg with the gag still in your mouth. He just chuckled. He slowed down further just to frustrate you.

“What a pathetic bitch, can’t even beg properly.” Hoseok pulled the gag out of your mouth and let it hang around your neck. 

“Pl-please, go faster, Sir,” you begged, which he rewarded with a slap to your already bruised ass causing you to whimper. He humoured you by going a tad bit faster but not fast enough to get you to cum.

“Faster, Sir, please. Please,” you begged further and Hoseok finally gave in, pounding into you at an inhuman pace. Broken moans escaped you as he abused your g-spot and grinded against it. 

“So tight,” Hoseok gritted.

“Are you close, babygirl,” Hoseok asked in a soft voice. You nodded which resulted in another slap to your ass. 

“Use your words, slut,” Hoseok said. 

His fingers tightened around your thighs, sure to leave bruises, not that you minded them. You loved to see marks that your boyfriend left on your body.

“Please Sir, I’m s-so close. Please, let me c-cum,” you muttered. The pleasure was getting too much to handle. You needed to cum but you knew very well that if you came without Hoseok’s permission, you wouldn’t be getting any sleep. 

“Go ahead, cum for Sir,” Hoseok cooed and you let your body fall over the edge. 

You chanted his name as you came. He helped you ride out your orgasm, but didn’t stop even after you came down from your high. Fucking you into overstimulation, you cried as he reached his own high. Cumming deep into your pussy, he pulled out and rolled over to lay down next to you. Both of you laid there in bed for a few minutes to catch your breath.

He untied you and ran a bath for the both of you before picking you up from the bed and carrying you into the bathroom, setting you on the counter. He sat in the tub and pulled you in to sit between his legs. After a long relaxing bath, both of you collapsed on the bed, limbs tangled. 

As you stared at your boyfriend’s beautiful face, you recalled the incidents that had taken place over the course of the previous hours and felt an indescribable feeling towards him. Your love for him was infinite but it somehow continued to grow.  

Over the next couple of days, you didn’t leave your studio at all. You barely interacted with Hoseok during this period of time. You slept on the couch in your studio a few times and other times you would get home really late and leave really early. Your boyfriend was getting nervous and was confused as to why you were behaving in such a manner. He was worried that he went too overboard that night and that you were mad at him.

In reality, you had gotten this idea stuck in your head since the day of the Diwali celebration that you just needed to get out and the only way you knew how, was to make a song about it. So, that’s exactly what you did, spending those days composing and writing nonstop. When you were finally done, you recorded it to send it to the team for approval. Once you got the thumbs up from the higher ups, you send it to the group you were in charge of for final recording.

Hoseok was in his dance studio when one of his co-workers came in to give him a new song for him to choreograph. The track was titled, 'Lights,’ and he played it on the speaker to hear it and start working on it. He heard the signature synth sound that you added to every song that you produced, a sort of signature, if you will, to indicate that the song was made by you. As the song played, his eyes filled up with tears.

“When I close my eyes

In the darkness, your light

Lights the way for me

We can walk forward without fear, you & I woah

You’re my light you’re my light

Always shine into my heart

You’re my light you’re my light

No matter how far apart we are

Your light shines on me”

He realised why you hadn’t been interacting with him and he also felt guilty for doubting your love for him. He concocted a plan to surprise you. You had revealed to him quite a secret recently that helped his plan perfectly.

You got a call from Hoseok in the middle of a writing session, asking you to come down to his dance studio in half an hour. You finished your session just in time and headed towards your boyfriend’s practice room. When you knocked on the door, Hoseok asked you to come inside. The members of your group and your boyfriend were sitting on the floor, clearly exhausted after a long practice session.

“So, as you all know, our lovely producer, y/n, over here made you guys a new song. I got the track today and was asked to choreograph it. But after a long discussion with the CEO, Mr. Kim Seokjin, we’ve come to the conclusion that I won’t be choreographing the song." 

Loud gasps filled the room as the boys looked at their teacher with confused expressions on their faces. 

"Instead, your choreographer for the song will be y/n herself!" 

You were shocked at Hoseok’s sudden revelation. 

"What,” you asked, confused. The boys started asking Hoseok why you were going to be in charge of the song.

“Your noona here is a wonderful dancer. I didn’t know this fact until recently, either. But after having a conversation with Mr. Kim, we’ve decided that this song should be choreographed by noona." 

You told them that you’d come in tomorrow for working on the song and you and Hoseok left to go home. "What in the world just happened?” You asked your boyfriend and he just smirked. You felt confused and happy at the same time because this was a big opportunity that you weren’t expecting at all.

The articles said everything. 'Lights’ had set innumerable records on the music charts and was the group’s best selling single. When asked about the song, the boys all credited you for producing and writing it. The choreography was also applauded as one of the best ones that the group has ever had. Your fan following and popularity skyrocketed to the point where the CEO offered you to quit your job as a producer, and join as an artist and you immediately agreed.

You and your boyfriend curled up on the couch after coming back from a party that was held by KM Entertainment for the success of 'Lights.’ 

“I’m so proud of you, baby,” Hoseok cooed as he ran his hand through your hair. You snuggled into his chest as he praised you. 

“I should thank you for letting me choreograph the song,” you muttered.

“By the way, why didn’t you ever tell my you danced,” Hoseok asked. You had never actually had a conversation about this topic since that night. 

“I was too insecure. I always thought I was never as good as you, Hobi,” you confessed. Hoseok chuckled.

“Are you actually kidding me? You’re a way better dancer than I am. I almost lost my job because of you. If Seokjin hadn’t asked you to join as an artist, I was sure he was going to make you the new choreographer." 

You hit your arm playfully against his chest before you turned to look up at him. The pride and adoration on his face was so evident that it made your heart beat faster. 

You placed a chaste kiss on his lips, whispering, "I love you." 

Hoseok hummed in response, the sound echoing your own sentiments. Arms wrapping around you tighter, he pressed a kiss to your forehead. 

"I love you too.”

25 Days Of Christmas: A BTS Anthology Masterlist

[andrea-lyn]

For the holiday prompts- I love cheesy fluffy Hallmark Xmas movies, so one of these but insert Malex? Maybe Alex is a famous singer who is alone at Xmas cause his family sucks and the only people he surrounds himself with are people who work for him. Of course he's lacking the Xmas spirit cause he doesn't usually do holidays. He stumbles into (or gets stranded in) a small town and meets Michael. They fall in love and now Alex has this found family and is reminded of what's really important !!

I’ll Be Home For ChristmasMichael/Alex, Hallmark AU“What do you mean I can’tbring it in? The engine is rattling!” Alex protests. He’d taken the phone fromhis assistant when clearly no progress was being made. “I rented it from you, Ineed a new one!” The agency tells him that they’re very sorry, but being thatit’s the holidays, they have no other cars available. 

The best they could do was to send him to the auto repair shop in town and promiseto reimburse him when he returned it. When Alex Manes had made it big on the music scene, he thought he’d be donewith these types of situations, but here he is, as frustrated as ever. He’s notsure who he wants to blame here, but he’s pretty sure this one comes back tohim. He’s the one who’d wanted to spend Christmas in Roswell after his fatherand brothers had waved him off, too busy with their own plans to have Alex forthe holidays.Instead, he’d come to a place that held old memories.He hasn’t been here in years, but when his mother had still been alive, thishad been her absolutely favorite place, and it’s why Alex had wanted tobe here. If he’s going to survive the stupid holiday season, he might as welltry relaxing somewhere that his mother used to love – not that he enjoysChristmas, because in the Manes family, it’s just another holiday where yourfamily lets you down.“Find me the auto repair shop,” he directs his assistant, hanging up the phoneand pinching the bridge of his nose. She nods frantically and takes his cell from him. “Yes, sir, but um…”Alex narrows his eyes. “What?”“It’s just, it’s the twenty-first?”Alex stares at her, not sure where she’s going with this, but he’s not about tointerrupt. He waits and stares at his young assistant.“You said that I could head out today to start the drive back, so I could spendChristmas with my family. Because it’s really important to me,” she says,starting to look nervous. “I can find you all the information you need, but ifI don’t get going soon, I’m not going to be able to make the drive up to SantaFe to catch my flight. I…um…” she’s near to babbling and looks close to tears,as if Alex is that much of a grinch that he’d prevent her from spending timewith her family.Shit, he’s not that bad, is he?

He knows that he’d struck it big a few years ago with some of his solo stuff,but he’s tried as best as he can to keep grounded. Maybe it’s just that hedoesn’t get the point of these holidays and it reflects in hismanagement style. They don’t decorate his house or his trailer, no one isallowed to suggest Christmas songs for Alex to cover, and his team getsbonuses, but they’re not Christmas gifts.“Yeah, of course,” Alex agrees, hurrying to make sure he doesn’t sound like anasshole. “I can take care of the car. Just give me the information and I’lltake care of it. Small town like this, there’s nothing else to do, right?”She looks almost relieved enough to cry, which kind of makes Alex feel like anasshole, because is he really that much of a bad boss that his staff thinksthat he’d deny them going home to their families for the holidays, just becausehe doesn’t see the point of celebrating with his own?“Just tell me where I’m going,” Alex says.The last thing Alex is expecting is to be told to go to a junkyard lot,but here he is. He’s adjusting his leather jacket and sliding his sunglasses upto the top of his head, watching the whole town flock to the Christmas treemarket that Roswell hosts once a year while Alex stands there beside his rentalcar, keys in hand, wondering who the hell here is supposed to look at his car.“Excuse me?” Alex calls to the man in a Santa hat, working near the cash. He’scounting bills and swaying a little to the music that’s playing over theloudspeakers nearby. It’s blaring out, drowning out the sound of thetownspeople milling around. Alex reaches out to touch the man’s shoulder,trying to get his attention. “Are you the owner?”When the man turns, Alex swallows with an audible click.“Yeah!” says the most handsome guy Alex has seen in ages. Under the Santa hat, goldenhoney curls spill out like they can’t be contained, and when he grins, his eyesactually look like they sparkle in the lights. “Hey, hold on, you gotta just…”He closes his eyes. “Can’t miss my favorite part here.”Alex is so confused, but then the guy croons along to the music playing overhim.“Baby, all I want for Christmas,” he sings, loud and not off-key, butdefinitely not with any talent that would make him famous. He opens his eyesand points to Alex, hands over his heart as he draws out, “is you.” Alex rolls his eyes, which is the normal human reaction to that, but he alsocan’t help being somewhat charmed.“And all I want is my rental car fixed,” Alex retorts, jangling the keys.“Well, that’s me,” he says. “Michael Evans,” he says, reaching out to shake hishand. “Certified mechanic, temporary tree-lot runner, and mediocre singer.”After he shakes Alex’s hands, he takes the keys. “What’s wrong with it?”Alex gives a bewildered shrug, because if he knew, he’d try and fix it himself.“I don’t know. It’s rattling?” Michael looks him over like he’s debating what he’s about to say. He looks overhis shoulder to the other people manning the cash booth (a couple of women anda guy), then back at Alex. “Okay. Give me the keys. I can look at it during afew breaks, but it means it’s not gonna get done soon. You going to be okay ifyou stick around?”What other choice does Alex have? Beyond that, what else had he been planningto do?In order to go see his mother’s old haunts, he’d need to get a taxi and this feelslike the kind of personal thing that he wants to do on his own.“Fine,” Alex says, waving a hand to let him have the car. “I guess I’ll just…”He turns and stares at the trees, hears the holiday music, and looks at all thepeople decked up in red and green. It’s like the holiday spirit puked on thearea around him, but if this is what he needs to tolerate to get his car fixedby the town’s handsome mechanic, he can deal. By the time he turns around, Michael’s gone, but the women at the cash are eyeinghim with a speculative eye, which means Alex has probably been clocked. Heheads into the trees to get lost before this ends up an autograph session,winding his way around and finding a bench near a trailer near the back of thelot. He digs out his phone to text Kyle about where he is and the updates on hissituation, scrolling through texts and emails to pass the time. He doesn’t evennotice that most people have left with their trees because he’s started tolisten to some demos to give them approval, taking advantage of the time to gothrough them. It must be hours before the car is done, but Alex doesn’t actually notice thetime passing. The tree lot isn’t the worst place to spend an afternoon,especially in a quaint and quiet town like Roswell. Michael comes to get him eventually. “Hey!” he calls over to him, wiping offhis hands. He has to duck through the trees so he can hold out the keys to him.He’s still wearing the Santa hat, but his shirt bears a few new grease stainsnow. “Thanks for waiting. I know this place can be a bit much,” he admits. Alex stands, prying the air pods out of his ears. The sun’s gone down, so thejunkyard is illuminated by twinkling lights and the stars above cutting throughthe light pollution, and Alex’s instincts are to complain that he shouldn’thave to wait around like this, but on the other hand, what else is he supposedto do in Roswell?“You’re Alex Manes, aren’t you?” Michael says, handing over the invoice for therental company. “Sorry I probably ruined your eardrums earlier,” he jokes. “it wasn’t so bad,” Alex admits, standing and taking the invoice from him. He’sstill just as handsome now – maybe even more, because he tugs off the hat andhis curls spill loose with it. The soft twinkling lights highlight the anglesof his face and the softness of his lips and god, Alex wants to kiss him morethan he’s wanted to kiss anyone in recent memory. “So uh,” he manages, findinghis voice. “I’m new in town. What’s a guy do to entertain himself in Roswell?”“Well,” Michael says. “If you’re okay with waiting ten more minutes, you couldcome to dinner with me and my family?”That’s way more than Alex had been anticipating. “I…”“You’re not intruding. They’ve been curious about you since you turned up,”Michael says, and Alex’s mind flashes back to the people at the desk staring athim. “Besides, Liz’s family owns the local diner and you can’t leave Roswellwithout a meal at the Crashdown. You should come, have dinner with us. That, orI’m gonna bring it back to your hotel, but one way or another, we’re gettingyou to try it,” he warns.Alex laughs in protest. “Okay! Okay, I’ll come to dinner with you.”Michael’s smile is as beautiful as the rest of him; so is the way he breathesin and then holds it, like he’s trying to hold onto a little hope, before helets it out. “You won’t regret it.”Alex absolutely doesn’t. That one dinner turns into lunch the next day, then it becomes Alex hangingaround the junkyard with his guitar, singing his half-written songs whileMichael works on cars. With the tree lot packed up, it’s back to normal, butMichael keeps up the lights and the sound system still plays carols. “Myparents and siblings love Christmas,” he’d explained with a warm grin. “I loveit too.”“I don’t get it,” Alex admits, “The holiday spirit. I guess because my motherdied when I was so little and my father’s not exactly the warm and fuzzy type.Half the time, he wasn’t even there because he or my brothers were out of thecountry on a mission. For me, Christmas was just another week that I didn’thave a family.”“That’s really sad, you know,” Michael says, and pries his guitar back fromAlex. He sits in the back of his pickup and nods to him. “Come on, you can’thate it so much that you won’t at least sing along,” he coaxes, playing theopening chords of Winter Wonderland, and when Michael gets to, “a beautifulsight,” he winks at Alex, which makes him flush.He ducks his head down and sings with Michael, listening to how their voicesharmonize together and sound so right. It all feels right. It feels perfect. At least, right up until the moment Alex’s other life comes into town and burnsit to shreds.Alex is starting to love his lunches at the Crashdown. He’s made friends ofMichael’s friends and by now he’s in tight with his family, and they’ve alltaken him on as a project, sympathetic to the fact that he’s alone onChristmas. He drinks at the Wild Pony every night, then meets Michael forbrunch before he goes to work. Liz makes sure he’s well fed, Maria keeps himdrinking, and Michael and his siblings occupy his time with holiday parties andchores. Right now, he’s in the middle of helping Isobel stuff Christmas cards when hehears a familiar voice.“Holy shit, you weren’t joking about this place being a hellhole.”Kyle Valenti, as loud as ever. Alex tenses up when he sees the hurt onMichael’s face. He rushes out to meet his manager at the door, giving him awarning look even as Kyle pulls him into a hug. He’d said those things when Alexhad first come into town – trust Kyle to repeat them now, after Alex has had acomplete change of heart.“Outside?”“Nah, I’m starved,” Kyle says, pushing past Alex. “Besides, we’re not gonna behere long, so let’s grab some lunch and talk.” Alex tenses up, but he leads Kyle to the only other open booth, which is theone beside Isobel and the others. He’s not facing Michael, which is for thebest, because he doesn’t want to see his face after that first insult. It doesn’t get better.Kyle’s as direct as ever. “So listen, we got a flight to Bora Bora,” he says,once lunch is delivered and he’s in the middle of eating fries like it’s hisjob. “The rest of us figured that it’d be shitty for you to sit here in Roswelland sulk in some stupid town…”“Kyle,” Alex warns.“And since you don’t do the holidays, it’s perfect. The resort doesn’t go infor the festivities, so it can be an Alex Manes special. Get drunk, find a hotguy to sleep with, and then back on tour in the new year.” Usually, any other year, he’d be eager to hop on a plane and do exactly asKyle’s listed. Kyle’s not wrong, that is what he excels at, but somehow thisyear is different. Staring at Michael’s curls in the booth over, he knows why,even if he doesn’t want to say it out loud. “Anyway,” Kyle says, finishing with the burger and laying down a few bills topay for his lunch. “The tickets are back at the hotel for you, okay? I’ll seeyou at the airport and then we’re Bora Bora bound,” he says with an excitedsmile, squeezing Alex’s shoulder as he bounds out, unaware of the damage he’scaused in the course of a thirty-minute lunch. Alex slowly stands, heading back to join the others, but when he gets there, itlooks like Michael is on his way out. “I…wait…”It doesn’t help. “You’re leaving, huh?” Michael says as Alex settles. “I get it. Why would youwant to spend the holidays in a stupid little town like Roswell when you couldbe off living the rock star life with drugs and sex in some tropicaldestination.” He hasn’t looked up at him, won’t meet Alex’s eye. “Shit, BoraBora, if I had that kind of money, I’d go too.”“Michael…”Michael digs into his pockets for crumpled bills to pay for his meal. It hitshim, belatedly, that it’s Christmas Eve. He’d spent so much of his life tryingto ignore the holiday and the one year he finds something he wants, reallywants, and he’s losing it because of his life outside of this town.“I get it,” Michael cuts him off. “We’re just a town you pass through, right?It was never going to be anything.” He stares at his boots, shaking his head,like he’s talking to himself. “It was never gonna be anything,” he repeats, andbefore Alex can protest, he’s gone.In the hotel nearby, Kyle’s waiting for him to pick up the tickets and leave. Tomorrow,this whole town will go have dinner with their families and curl up by thefireplace exchanging gifts. They’ll kiss under the mistletoe and drink spikedegg nog, and they’ll be happy in a way that Alex is only starting torealize he wants.He wants it. It’s not just the holiday spirit and that warmth.He wants Michael. He wants the man who’s sat with him at every meal at theCrashdown. He wants the man who tells the dirtiest jokes to get Alex to laugh asloud as possible. He wants Michael, who drinks with him at the Pony and thendances badly to the Christmas music Maria puts on, who wears reindeer antlersat the junkyard while he’s fixing cars, who plays the guitar while Alex singsfor him. He wants him and maybe he’s starting to understand the Christmasspirit, because he wants to shower him in love and gifts and kisses, butMichael thinks he’s about to leave to go to Bora Bora.“Hey,” Alex says, glancing over to Isobel, who looks at him cautiously -- likeshe’s deciding how cruel to be in return for Alex’s insults about the town. “Doyou have a guitar I can borrow?”His equipment is back in Los Angeles and if he wants this surprise to actuallybe a surprise, he can’t walk up to Michael and ask him for his. When Isobeldoesn’t answer, he figures that she’s trying to freeze him out, but Alexdoesn’t have time for it.  It’s Christmas Eve, he only has so long to prove to Michael that he’s not theman that the world wants him to be, especially not right now.“Please, Isobel,” Alex begs. “I need to win him back.”That seems to do the trick. “If that’s the case, Maria can help,” Isobelsuggests. “The Pony’s always got music nights, and if it’s to win over Michael,then I think she’ll be okay loaning it out.”“Thank you,” Alex exhales in a rush, kissing her hand before he bolts to thePony to get what he needs. He has to show Michael that he’s not Alex Manes,rock star. Right now, he’s just Alex Manes, who’s a guy wanting to prove thatthere’s more for him here than there is on some island.By the time he gets to the junkyard, it’s started to snow. Big heavy flakesfrom the sky obscuring the stars, but it gives the world a glow, especiallywith the junkyard lights. Alex can see that the lights are on inside theAirstream and Alex heads over, standing under the twinkling lights a few feetfrom the door. He’s performed in front of thousands of people before, and yet he’s never feltas nervous as he does right now. “I don’t want a lot for Christmas,” he begins without the guitar, adding in thechords after, and playing as he sings. It’s the first holiday song he’s evercovered that wasn’t with Michael playing guitar for him, but when the Airstreamdoor opens and Michael steps out, Alex knows it’s the most important song he’sever sung in his life.Michael looks stunned to see him, but he steps down into the snow. He’s onlywearing a cream sweater and a pair of sweatpants, no jacket to speak of. Thesnow lands in his curls, dissolving as he gapes at Alex, open-mouthed. The cover he’s doing is slow and sweet, but the only thing that matters is thechorus to Michael’s favorite song. “Baby,” he sings, barely more than a softplea, “all I want for Christmas is you.” He doesn’t sing anything beyond that,cautiously putting the guitar down as he approaches Michael. He waits for a signal to stop.Alex looks for a twitch or a flinch. He looks for a single sound that wouldtell him that Michael doesn’t want this, but by the time Alex crosses the fivesteps separating them, he hasn’t seen a single one, which is why he feelsconfident grabbing Michael’s face with both his hands and kissing him under thetwinkling lights, snowflakes cascading towards the ground.He’s on the tips of his toes, like he’s desperately eager to make this kisslast as long as it possibly can, tangling his fingers up in Michael’s curls theway he’s thought about since the moment he met him days ago, and when he easesback, he’s still nervous despite the fact that Michael’s hand is tangled up inAlex’s leather jacket, like he’s going to refuse to let him go.“You’re an idiot,” Michael laughs fondly when they finally drift apart. “You’rechoosing me over Bora Bora? You don’t even like Christmas. You don’t even knowme!”He’s still not letting go.“This is the first time I’ve felt like I had a home or a family in years,” Alexgets out, his voice low and determined. “You’re the first person I’vefelt like myself around in ages. I think I’m figuring out that it’s not that Idon’t like Christmas, but I’ve never had someone to show me how good it can be.Fuck Bora Bora,” he swears. “I mean it. Michael, all I want for Christmas isyou, if you’ll have me.”Michael grins at him and Alex’s breath catches as he sees the lights reflectedin Michael’s eyes. “I’ve been dreaming of having you in about ten different ways,” Michael informshim, tugging Alex towards the Airstream as he wanders idly backwards. “I neverthought I’d get what I asked Santa for Christmas,” he jokes. “Maybe you’ve been a nice boy this year,” Alex suggests, traipsing after himwith a wide-eyed besotted look.Michael smirks as he steps inside, casting Alex a filthy smirk before he pullsoff his shirt. “Baby,” he says, and pushes Alex to the bed. “I’m definitely onthe naughty list for the thoughts I’ve had about you.”Naughty or nice, Alex thinks that they both got exactly what they wanted thisyear, and if anyone had told Alex that this is what he’d be yearning for at thestart of the year, he’d think they were insane. Now that he has it, he knowsthat the only madness would be not having this, not wantingMichael.With Michael finally in his arms, Alex isn’t going to let go.It’s rude to take back the gifts you’re given, after all.*It’s December 21st and Alex turns over in bed to see snow fallingoutside the window. He’s warm in bed, curled up with thick blankets, but despitethat warmth, he’s missing the body heat of someone pressed up against him. Heturns, with a whine of protest, sleepy eyes opening to see Michael sitting nearthe door, tugging on his boots, along with his denim jacket. “Wear the puffer,”Alex mumbles sleepily. “You’re gonna freeze out there in the tree lot all day.”Michael pulls on his other boot and wanders back to bed to give Alex a kiss onthe cheek. “I’m sorry, is my sleepy husband asking me to wear his expensivegifts?”“What’s the point of being a rock star if I can’t spoil you?” Alex asks,yawning in the middle of his words as he grabs at Michael’s jacket to try andpull him in for another kiss. “Your Santa hat’s by the door,” he mumbles, stilldebating whether he wants to go back to sleep.“Thanks, babe,” Michael says, adjusting the hat as it jingles and jangles.“Don’t forget, you’re on stage at noon to lead the carols,” he says, pocketinghis keys. Alex stretches his whole body out and stares at Michael with a happy grin,thinking about the days ahead and the activities they’ll be doing to ring inthe holidays. His house in Los Angeles has been sold, the fancy cars gone, andwhile Alex hasn’t stopped touring and has the same team supporting him, he’slearned an important lesson.It’s one thing to have a career that you love, but having friends and familyaround you at the same time makes life so much better.“I’ll see you there, Santa,” Alex promises, voice low and thick with the headypromise.“Thanks Mrs. Clause,” Michael teases as he goes, whistling a very familiar songon his way out, and as Alex falls back to sleep, the last thing he hears isMichael singing, “I don’t want a lot for Christmas…” under his breath, whichcoaxes Alex back to sleepy warm and perfect dreams about the life he’s made forhimself.

[parf-fan]

Hello, I am alive, PARF-fan content is not necessarily resuming at this point because capitalism exists and abelism exists and I don’t get enough sleep these days even without spending time actively updating this blog.

BUT!

As anyone who subscribes to Mount Hope’s newsletter or follows them on the magical Book of Faces undoubtedly already knows, the Faire is a go for September and October, albeit under very strict perimeters.  There will be no streetwork, and thus no Blackfryars, and but a skeleton crew of Bacchanalians.  Out-of-house acts are likewise reduced.  I’m frankly too tired to rephrase everything right about now, so I’m going to just drop the image from the Faire’s facebook page here.  I’ve pasted the text from the email below it, if that’s more your speed. (I think the contents are the same, but I haven’t done a side-by-side comparison.)

Greetings!

I am excited beyond words that we are soon able open to celebrate the 40th season of the glorious Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.  It certainly isn't how we had hoped to commemorate this momentous milestone, but, in a way, this year's Faire experience will harken back to "the olden days" when crowds were smaller and intimacy was the order of the day.

We will operate this Fall significantly different than what we have become accustomed to as we adapt to the new landscape created by COVID-19.

Our maximum daily attendance will be set at 25% of capacity as we swing wide the castle gates. Smaller audiences will ensure safe and socially distanced seating at stages and eating areas as well as shorter queuing lines at Faire gates, kitchens and merchant booths.

Advance, date specific tickets will be required in keeping with the strict attendance limitations as directed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

In addition to the reduction of audience size, we will be taking extraordinary efforts to ensure a safe and comfortable Faire day, including CDC approved sanitizer stations at every food booth, merchant booth, and stage area, as well as requirements of face coverings for staff, performers (not performing), vendors and guests throughout their stay, and reminders of social distancing throughout the Faire grounds.

As we are only open weekends, increased sanitation and cleaning using CDC approved cleaning equipment and sanitizers will take place after each Faire day as well as during the week. Every member of our staff will be screened before they begin each Faire day and we will encourage guests to self-monitor their health before joining us at the Faire.

All health and safety information will be published to our website and updated as new policies or procedures are mandated. We will follow the lead of our other great PA amusement and theme parks (including HersheyPark, Dorney Park, Sesame Place and many others) as we carefully monitor Dept of Health policies to assure a safe experience.     As we continue working towards welcoming Her Majesty, our overriding concern is providing a safe Shire for all staff, performers and patrons to put aside life's everyday concerns, even if for but a few short hours.

Since the beginning of this crisis, our choices have been rooted in the health, safety and well-being of hundreds of actors, performers, merchants and staff, as well as the many thousands of patrons who visit to experience the fantasy of the Faire.

With new policies and precautions in place and, with the cooperation of all, we can look forward to sharing a very special 40th Anniversary season together.

Until our paths shall cross again, stay thee safe and fare most well!

Scott Bowser, Proprietor

As far as I understand it, the Faire is taking just about every single precaution short of actually not running this year.  It’ll come down to whether or not they actually enforce the whole hey-patrons-wear-a-mask-and-wear-it-right thing.

But my chief purpose here is to share what, as is their wont, the Faire hath not posted upon their Facebook: the cast list!

At this point, characters have not been announced anywhere; and though a visit to the Faire’s website will yield costumed headshots, those are definitely not going to be the characters – at least not all of them, not unless the plot involves all of time having collapsed even more than usual.

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

Bacchanalian Cast 2020

Leigh Ann Hamelin

Jonathan Handley

Mary Huff

Dana Micciché

Joe Penn

Jules Schrader

Adam Shepley

Katelyn Shreiner

Alex Stompoly

Jeff Wolfthal

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

My observations:

A small enough cast that the living quarters might actually be spread out enough to be safe for them, THANK GOD.

Looking like there’s likely no in-house combat (only two actors have been on the combat track that I know of), which makes sense.  Also probably no in-house music groups (only two have been on music track that I know of), which also makes sense.  So pretty much improv only, then.  Wise decision, all things considered.

My Lady Dana Micciché hath been robbed of her accent mark on the Faire’s site, but is a Bacchanalian this year?  Hell yes?

I was about to say that the only casting I feel remotely confident will be the same is Mary Huff as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, but then it occurred to me that with so small a cast, the story might well call for not having a royal progress happening this time.  That’s what I would do if I were writing it in this situation.  Then it also occurred to me that having Mary Huff as Queen Elizabeth again would enable the writers to bring back a couple of insanely popular characters that likely would not logistically be able to return otherwise. (I’m referring, of course, to Jonathan Handley and Alex Stompoly as Sirs William Pickering and Henry Carey, respectively, because I stg some patrons of last year only recognize or acknowledge or care about those two.) So now I’m sure of nothing.

I had words I wanted to make about how I would arrange things in this situation, because I am theoretically a writer and like to play what-if sometimes, but no matter how I phrased things, it sounded like I was either trying to predict things or (worse) trying to unsubtlely drop hints directed at the writers and directors about what they should totally do.  Which, nope.

[angry-slytherin]

Heaven Help Me(Ch 2)

Jo is reading scans from an email on her cell phone when she hears a voice behind her.

“Hey, Jo, wait up!” Jo whips around on her way to the coffee cart outside the hospital. She stops just short of the doorway. Amelia is walking briskly toward her.

“Okay so I know probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I’m dying to tell someone. Meredith is going on a date with Hayes. Don’t tell her I said this, she’ll kill me.”

Jo gives Amelia a look of confusion. “Uh, first of all I don’t know who ‘Hayes’ is and why are you telling me this?” Jo and Amelia had of course met through Link, and Jo likes her well enough, but she feels it’s weird that Amelia is sharing personal information about her sister’s dating life with her.

“Doctor Hayes! Pediatric co-chief of surgery! And I told you before, I needed someone to tell. You were on the way to the coffee cart and I don’t think you’ll blab to Meredith.”

Jo nods, “Right. You getting coffee?” Amelia frowns.

“No, I have surgery.” She says, and Jo just watches her walk off towards the elevator. Jo is just glad Amelia is self-aware of her crazy. That much is true.

Jo sees Rayn coming up the hall and quickly turns back toward the doors.

“Before seven is mine, Doctor Rayn. I told you this.”

“Doctor Wilson, I think you’ll want to come see this.” Rayn is tight-lipped.

“Fine; tell everyone I’ll be there in ten. I need sustenance or I’ll be crankier than normal. You don’t want that.”

Rayn agrees, still somber. “See you in ten. And I know we’re professionals, but I think it’s important you know that know my first name is Carleen.”

Jo studies the younger doctor carefully, realizing she reminds her of herself during her early residency years.

“Thank you, Rayn. I’ll be there in ten.”

Rayn goes to turn away, but Jo finds herself compelled to speak again.

“My first name is Jo.”

Rayn grins wide at Jo, before rushing back to the lab. Jo finally reaches the doors, stepping outside into one of Seattle’s rare clear mornings, and takes a deep breath. The fresh air helps to clear her mind.

“Good morning, Doctor Wilson.”

Jo jumps. Behind her is Alex Karev, scowling.

“Jesus, you scared me. Good morning to you too. What’s got you in a mood?”

“Got into a fight with my wife.” He practically tears his wallet out of the pocket of his jeans, and opens it.

“Oh, well. Don’t let it get to you too much. She loves you. And you don’t have to harp on it if it’s nothing that important.” Jo then remembers to take her wallet out of her own purse, fishing out a couple dollars.

“It was about— You know what, it doesn’t matter, you’re right. I’m just going to forget about it.”

“Right then,” Jo awkwardly moves on, “Did you read the article on ex-lap efficiency from Doctor Yat-Sen at UCLA? It was really interesting, the way he argued that you can minimize OR time by immediately doing a biopsy on the healthy tissue also.”

“I actually did. I dunno if it’s practical for me. It’s harder to decide on things like that with kids. They’re so compliacated. Like my wife.”

Jo openly laughs at that.

“Don’t hate on your wife. I thought you were forgetting about it?”

Alex groans, scowling again, “Right.”

“You’re right about the kids part though. Peds was super fun to me, but in the end I ending up in general, specialty-less.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Indecisiveness in the end. I never thought too far enough into it in the first place. Plus now, I have my research.”

Alex stands behind her on the coffee line, and Jo orders a lemon scone.

“What do you want, Karev?”

“I can pay for my own coffee.”

Jo turns to the clerk, “One black coffee please.” She smiles and hands the clerk the money.

“How could you possibly know how I like my coffee?” Alex says, accepting the cup.

“Please, you’re clearly not a sugar and milk person. You’re such a grouch.”

Alex keeps his scowl, but thanks Jo nonetheless.

***

“Good morning, all.” Jo greets the team as she enters the research lab. ‘The team’ being surgical resident Cross, oncology intern Rayn, and three biomedical engineers— John, Armani and Deborah.

“Doctor Wilson, we have great news. The mice are fine.” Deb is smiling, and the other engineers follow in suit.

“I don’t understand. That means our cells are flawed.” Cross furrows his eyebrows Jo sighs.

“Yes. It means we have lots more work to do. Actually, that’s the bio engineers’ job. Us doctors have to sit back now. Doctor Rayn, you’re of course welcome to help, as you’ve got the most extensive knowledge of cancer. Doctor Cross, thank you for all your help, but your services are no longer needed here.”

“It was wonderful to meet you Doctor Wilson. Hopefully we can call you back soon, once we’ve better understood this in our lab.” John sticks his hand out, and Jo shakes it.

“Thank you all. I look forward to it.” Jo nods, and she and Cross exit the lab.

“Doctor Cross, you should scrub in on as many surgeries as you can. I appreciate all of it, but your time spent here has set you back as a surgeon. Take some extra nights on-call for a while. Thank me later.”

Cross looks both solemn and grateful, and he simply walks away. Jo feels surprisingly upset at this; she knew her idea wasn’t the end all be all, but she had hoped it would’ve fleshed out more. All she had done was make mice ill, not help anyone.

She had gone and given up a great surgery fellowship, for one of her ideas to fail within only a little more than a week. Her favorite research already up in flames.

Then her pager goes off, and she is being briefed by a senior resident on a hernia patient who came into the ER last night. The woman whose scans she recieved this morning.

“Audrey Davis, 36. Came into the ER last night complaining of abdominal pain. After CT, it was concluded she has an epigastric hernia.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Jo nods to the resident.

“Doctor Wilson,” a medical student begins, “Am I correct to assume you’ll be performing a hernioplasty?”

“I will. Does anyone know why?”

“Yes. Mesh has proven to be exceedingly effective in long-term hernia repair.” A third-year resident answers.

“Doctor Wilson, will you be using an animal-based mesh or a composite synthetic one?” Another medical student.

“A bio human-based one. Why?”

“Because there’s a lesser chance of rejection.” A second-year.

“Alright, anyone who answered a question can join me in the OR today. Baker, scrub in. The rest of you can watch in the gallery. Find me later if you have further questions. Now excuse me.”

Jo makes her way into the patient’s room and the woman is surrounded by multiple people, ranging from toddlers to elderly. Jo counts thirteen.

“Good morning Ms. Davis, and family. I’m Doctor Wilson, and I’ll be your surgeon. I’ll be performing a laparoscopic repair for your hernia, and then hopefully in a day or two, you can go home. Do you have any questions?”

The elderly man speaks up, “Honey, are you the nurse? Because you need to speak up. I have hearing aids for god’s sake.”

“No, sir. I’m the doctor. Doctor Wilson, the surgeon who’ll be operating on Audrey.” Jo tries her best to muster a smile.

The patient rolls her eyes, “I’m so sorry Doctor. He’s especially irrational when he’s stressed. My mom was the first one in our family to have a surgery, and she died a year ago.”

Well that explained the whole gang showing up.

“No problem, Ms. Davis. I will see you in surgery.” The patient nods and Jo moves on to her post-ops. One med student trails her, with a concerned look on his face.

“How could you possibly not yell at that old man, it was crazy sexist what he said.” Jo faces the not-yet doctor, sighing.

“It’s the world we live in. As a female doctor, you learn to get used to it. You could probably ask your female peers” He frowns at Jo, shaking his head.

“Somebody should change that.” Jo is nearly crushed by his hope.

“Somebody should.”

She bumps into Izzie Stevens as she walks past the med student.

“Sorry, Wilson. I should’ve been looking where I was going. It’s been a long morning.”

Jo remembers Alex’s grumpiness this morning and guesses he probably slept on the couch.

“Don’t worry about it, I understand.”

“Are you married? Have you ever been married? It’s exhausting.” Izzie says it tiredly, not antagonistically.

“No, I mean I- yes. I have been married. But not anymore.”

Jo does not wish to share her own experience with marriage. She feels bad for Stevens and Karev, but their petty arguments hardly compare to her memories. She went to therapy for a long time after it ended.

“My husband — I think you know him — Alex, is just exhausting. He always thinks he’s making me happy, but half the time it’s just him pushing his wants onto me and calling them mine. Sorry, you probably don’t care.”

“It’s okay, I could use a break from my own thoughts.” Jo gives her a small smile, but the other doctor is right, she doesn’t care.

“Sorry, sorry again. Goodbye Doctor Wilson.” Izzie rushes off.

Jo finds several residents and med students waiting for her at Willy O’ Connor’s room.

***

After performing two appendectomies, Jo takes respite on a hallway gurney. She rubs her temples, leans her head back against the wall, and closes her eyes.

“Feeling okay? Fellowship life getting to you?” Link’s voice rings in her ears, her head pounding. She feels him sit next to her.

“I feel more tired than on a 24 hour shift as a resident. I research, and then I do surgery, and then I do more research, and then I do more surgery. It’s like everything I’ve ever wanted but it is so draining. I am so tired.” Jo opens her eyes and looks at her friend, fatigued.

“Ah I remember when I was a fellow, I actually slept through a M&M. The resident next to me who’d been there all night woke me up. It’s so much better than residency though. You’re basically an attending and still learning.” Link looks at Jo.

“Yeah,” Jo lets out a breath of air.

“So how is wedding planning going?”

Link smiles, “Well we set a date. July 18th. At the Old Mill Factory.”

“It’s gorgeous there! Oh I’m so happy for you both!” Jo squeals and suddenly she’s energized.

“Speaking of my wedding, how would you feel about being my best man?”

Jo smiles slowly, “Really? I mean I would of course be the best woman but minor details. Yes, of course Link, yes.”

Link grins at her. “Not that I’m doubtful, but I’m going to need you up there. Because me and Amelia will both be nervous wrecks.”

Jo bites her lip, “I bet. It’s gonna be great.”

***

Jo makes her way to the attending’s lounge on the third floor, but her desire for hot chocolate and a comfortable seat is prohibited by a screaming couple in the room already.

Jo decides she’s had a long enough day and braves the sparring lovers. It’s Alex and Izzie, of course. Jo shrinks, just wanting hot chocolate. That’s all she wants.

“-well that’s rich! You haven’t thought about what I want in a long time!”

“Oh so now you don’t want kids? We’ve always wanted kids, what changed?”

“Of course I want- that’s not what I’m saying, I’m saying I can’t give up more time for maternity leave. I have a lot going on right now with my patients and I need you to be willing to take time!”

“And I’ve told you I’m willing. But I’m not being a parent alone. That’s no— Iz.” Alex looks over at Jo and she widens her eyes, scooping up her mug.

She awkwardly smiles, “I’ll just be going now.”

God, she thinks, what a mess.

Alex follows Jo out of the lounge.

“Sorry about that.” Jo furrows her eyebrows, frowning.

“I thought the argument this morning wasn’t important.”

“It wasn’t.” Alex grunts. Jo doesn’t want to aggravate him more, but kids seems like a big topic. Kids are always a big topic.

“Kids are a big decision. I was a kid no one wanted, not even my own mother could stand to keep me for more than two days. She was under different circumstances, but no kid wants parents who can barely agree before they’re even a clump of cells.”

Alex fumes, “Who the hell says you get to comment on my marriage? What gives you the right? You’re not married, you’re not a parent. You have no idea.”

Jo rolls her eyes, “You’re right, Alex. But I’ve been married before, and I- you should think about what you’re getting into.” Alex waves her off.

“Screw you, Jo.”

Jo takes a deep breath, moving on to her surgery.

[goodwriterwithbadhabits]

Love Like Him

(So this is high key cause of a poem called “When Love Arrives” by Phil Kaye and Sarah Kay. Look it up, its good)

Master List

~~

When you were young, you had convinced yourself you knew what love was, what love looked like. Love was blond hair and green eyes. Love was skilled hands playing all your favorite songs on the piano. Love was bright laughter cut off when you walked into the room.

In high school, you tried to convince yourself what love wasn't. Love wasn't leather jackets and ripped jeans. Love wasn't a Rolling Stones shirt left on your bedroom floor when he fled out the window in the morning. Love wasn't steamy windows of a car that was older than both of you.

Love wasn't Im Jaebeom.

It couldn't be.

Love wouldn't do what he did. Love wouldn't ignore you in front of his friends, but give you rides to and from school. Love wouldn't run from your parents or keep things secret. Love would have been there at your Mathletes competitions, celebrated your acceptance into your dream school. But Jaebeom wasn't love.

And you convinced yourself of this.

That's why you left without saying goodbye, even though you saw him, watching you from across the street, as you loaded boxes into your car. You were running away, you couldn't even pretend you weren't, but you weren't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing you cry.

That's how you landed here, 15 years later. Head of finances for a major entertainment company, worth millions of dollars, no longer wearing sweaters and jeans to everything. You had become who you were meant to be, and yet you still found yourself daydreaming about a leather jacket and a Pontiac Firebird.

“Y/n, I have the statements from this last week, and your mail.” Your assistant announced, knocking on your office door.

“Come in.” The young woman set down the stack of folders and a few envelopes.

“It looks like one of them is from a high school.” She mentioned, “I didn't know you were old enough to have a kid in high school, or that you had kids.”

“I don't. Its probably for the reunion.” You shrugged. You had gotten a few messages from old high school friends asking if you were going.

“Are you going?” You shook your head, tossing the envelope to the side.

“Probably not. It's next weekend and I don't know if I'll have the time off.” She opened her mouth to say something else but you held up a hand to stop her. “Unless its related to these statements, you're welcome to leave.”

“Of course, Y/n.” She bowed, leaving you to your work.

The following day your boss, the CEO, called you into her office the moment you arrived. Your boss was chill, a bit young, maybe only a few years younger than you, and had built the company when she was barely out of high school. She may not have been the oldest in the room, but she commanded respect like she was.

“Y/n,” She started. “I got an email today regarding you.” She started, not giving you time for any small talk. “It says your high school reunion is coming up and I noticed you didn't take any time off.”

“No, I only got the invitation yesterday.” You weren't technically lying.

“Did you want to go?” She asked, bored eyes looking between you and her computer.

“I'm not sure.”

“Well, let me rephrase that, do you want to be paid rather handsomely for giving them a large check?” You stared at her in shock.

“Why-”

“I'm trying to convince someone who went to school there to join us here. He went to school around the same time as you, I believe.”

“Who?”

“Can't tell you, it's classified right now. But I need to know how much we would be able to donate without altering personnel pay. I want both answers by tomorrow evening please.” You nodded, standing to leave.

“What if my answer is no?” She looked up at you, a smirk forming on her lips.

“Something tells me it won't be.”

~~

You hated how right your boss always seemed to be, but here you were, sitting in your old school's parking lot in a car at least twice as good as most of the ones around you. You had chosen to wear something that didn't immediately mark you as rich but most of the people walking into the school were dressed to the nines anyway, so your black and silver dress didn't make you stand out too bad.

“Oh my gosh! Y/n.” You recognized the voice the instant you stepped out of your car, turning to find the once head cheerleader walking towards you with three kids in tow.

“Alex, hey, how are you?” You greeted, letting her kiss both your cheeks.

“I'm amazing, these are my boys, Jasper, William, and little Malachi.” She introduced. “My husband's going to be a little late.” Your heart clenched as you prepared for the next question. “What about you, are you married yet?” You shook your head slightly.

“No, I've been focusing on my job.” You explained, opening your trunk to get the oversized check. She led the way to the gym, and you found yourself looking at all the cars for the Firebird. So far, no luck.

Why did you want to see him so bad? He broke your heart, he's the one who fucked it up. He pretended you weren't anything while sneaking into your room almost every night, so why did you want to see him so bad?

Inside the gym was full of people, and you plastered a smile on your face as people began looking at you. You had expected the stares, but it didn't stop you from trying to hide, walking along the edge of the room to find the current principle. Your cheeks were already burning from shame at the comments. Your dress didn't reveal anything but your bare arms and most of your legs. It wasn't so short you'd pop out if you bent over, you could have worn this to work.

“Damn, who hired her?”

“Dress like that, no way she'd say no.”

“There's no way that's her.” You heard someone say. “She got so hot.”

“She was always beautiful.” The moment you heard his voice a shiver ran up your spine.

“I think she heard you.”

“She did.” You breathed in, calming your nerves, before turning to the source of the voices.

He looked different now, and yet still the same. The stud on the side of his nose still glinted against the lights, but his eyes were warmer now, and his leather jacket had been traded for a grey sweater.

How the tables had turned.

“Miss L/n,” The principal greeted. “Thank you for your donation.” He shook your hand with a grin, which you returned. “The art department will be thanking you for years.”

“Don't worry about it, the company will always support the arts programs.” You explained.

“Let's have a photo?” He asked, pointing to the cameraman waiting.

“Of course.” You held up one end of the check, and he held the other, with his free hand resting on your waist. You smiled through a few photos until his hand slipped down from your waist, gradually going lower. The moment you felt his hand squarely on your butt you stepped away, sending him a harsh glare. “That's enough photos. Have a good night, sir.”

“Damn look at that ass.”

“What a piece on her.”

“How much do you think I'd have to pay to get her for the night?” The comments seemed 10 times louder than they were, but you had had enough. You passed Jaebeom and Jinyoung on the way out, walking so close to them you could smell the cologne he wore.

You made it outside and all the way to the broken wall you used to sit on to hide before the dam broke and your make up was ruined. People sucked, your heart hurt, and despite looking amazing, you felt gross. It didn't help that your dress was sleeveless and the spring night was providing plenty of brisk winds.

Something heavy fell across your shoulders and his cologne invaded your senses.

“Jaebeom.” You greeted blankly, staring at the ground by your feet.

“How'd you know?” He asked, sitting down next to you. He had bulked up a bit since you had seen him last.

“You wear the same cologne.” Silence fell over the two of you, the laughter and music from the gym barely audible.

“Did you get where you wanted to go?” He finally asked, voice barely a whisper.

“I'm head of finances for an entertainment company, I live in a penthouse, I don't have to worry about eating or being cold at night.”

“But are you happy?” You turned to look at him. Seeing him so close felt different. There was the shadow of stubble across his jaw, purple barely visible under his eyes and a small pout on his lips.

“No.” You found yourself confessing. Why? You weren't sure. “I haven't been happy for a long time.” You turned to look back at the football field down ahead of you.

“How come?”

“I don't want to talk about it.”

“I'll tell you why I'm not happy.” He started, hands pressed between his thighs like a scolded kid. “In high school I was an asshole. I found this girl, and she was beautiful and smart and funny and everything I never thought I'd look for in love. And I messed it up.” Your heart seized, he must have been talking about someone else. “I kept playing it off, pretending we weren't together, hiding from her parents, but in reality, I wanted nothing more than to hold her hand and talk her on movie dates, not just make out in my car.”

“So why'd you do it?” You asked once he had finished.

“Because I felt I had to. I was the coolest guy in school and when you're an idiot high schooler, its the most important thing in the world.” He sighed, shoulders slumping. “I was an idiot who couldn't see the woman of my dreams right in front of me.”

“So what are you now?”

“I'm a singer, with Jinyoung. I have 5 cats, whom I love equally.” He rambled. “I'm in love with this girl.”

And there's the heartbreak you were waiting for.

“She's smart, and somehow even more beautiful than the last time I saw her.”

“So go get her.”

“I can't. She hates me, the last time I spoke to her I laughed at her in front of the whole school, then we graduated and she left.” You were really hoping you were right about who he was talking about as you spoke next.

“She doesn't hate you.” You turned to look at him when he looked at you abruptly.

“Are you sure?”

“It's my turn to tell you a story.” You deflected. “When I was in high school, there was this guy I'm sure I was in love with. He was the opposite of what I thought love was, but he made me feel so amazing. He hurt me all the time though, he'd run from my parents and act like he didn't even know me at school. It hurt so bad.” He let out a deep sigh. “But then I ran away. I went off to college and I tried to forget about him. I kept using the way he would treat me as a standard. If they treated me like he did behind closed doors, but not the way he treated me in public, they were golden, but I started to realize something. No one could ever compare to him. No one held me with the same amount of emotion, no one looked at me the same way during sex, no one's car felt like home, like his. It took me until I overheard him tonight to realize, I had always been in love with him, even after 15 years.”

“Y/n.” You turned to face him, finding his face inches from yours. “You mean it?” You didn't answer, instead just pressing your lips to the corner of his mouth.

He smiled, no, grinned at you when you pulled away.

“Do you want to go back inside?” He asked, standing.

“Not really. I never liked dances, never had anyone to dance with.” You confessed.

“I know, and I should have taken you to Prom, so let me make it up to you? One dance and then I'll let you go back to the city forever.”

“Fine, but you have to walk me to my car.”

“I can do that.”

~~

A slow song started almost the moment you walked back into the gym. You stayed by the doors, but people were still watching you both.

“People are staring.” You whispered, cheeks heating up.

“Let them stare.” He shrugged, pulling you close by the waist. “I want my dance, I waited 15 years for it.” You shook your head, laughing.

“I have a question Jb.” You finally spoke after a few moments of silence.

“What's that?”

“What happened to the Firebird?”

“It's sitting in my garage.”

“How come?” You looked up at him, finding him smiling.

“Well, the day after that girl I told you about left, it stopped wanting to work. I usually ride my bike, but Jinyoung drove me today.” You nodded in understanding.

“Well then, here's my request. Come find me in the city. There's a diner there that reminds me of home, but you have to pick me up in the bird.”

“Why?”

“So we can pick up where we left off.”

~~Bonus~~

You stepped out of the elevator, coat thrown over one arm, and your bag in the other. Nearly a week had passed since the reunion and you were finally ready to go home for the weekend. People in the lobby were staring at you as you made your way to the front of the building.

“Hey, what's going on, why's everyone staring at me?” You asked the receptionist at the front desk.

“Well, the guy over there, he's from the boss' newest deal. He says he knows you, and that you made him agree to work here.” They explained, pointing to where a familiar leather jacket towered over your boss. Both of you exchanged confused looks before you walked over to the pair. The moment you smelled his cologne you smiled.

“Jaebeom?” You called, making him turn with a smile.

“Good evening, Y/n.” He greeted.

“I should be thanking you, Y/n. The JJ Project only signed onto the company because you impressed them so much during the reunion.”

“Excuse me, sir, is that your car out front?” A security guard interrupted the conversation.

“Yes it is, I'll move it in a moment.” Jb smiled, “Just me finish talking to the boss.”

“You two go have a good weekend, I'll see you both on Monday.” The Boss grinned, shooting you a wink. “Go on, I have business to handle.”

“Good night, boss!” You both called. You turned to Jb, who took the bag from your hand and offered you his own. Entwining your now free hand into his you let him walk you out the door to where the car was waiting.

“So you got her to work?” He grinned at you as he opened the door.

“I just told her she was getting her co-pilot back and she burst into life like she was brand new.” He explained, “I guess we both missed you.” Once he had sat down in his seat you leaned over, grabbing his collar and kissing him properly. “What was that for?” You just shrugged.

“Picking up where we left off.”

[brown-bi-beautiful]

Supernatural Series Rewrite

Supernatural Rewrite Masterlist

Dean Winchester x named reader (eventually)

Series Warning: language violence, angst, fluff, sexual content, Gore, molestation, mention of sexual harassment, usual supernatural violence. (If you're triggered by any of these then please don't read)

(A/n- I had to give the reader a name, there's a reason behind it but you can change it if you want. I changed some of the plot and some of the scenes but mostly it's the same. I do not own the supernatural series but there are some things that are completely my imagination, it has nothing to do with the actual mythology or the series)

Pilot (part3)

Season one. Episode Two.

Wendigo (part 1)

You groaned as you rolled over in the backseat of the Impala. You were not even asleep anymore but you were too lazy to get up. You could hear the music blasting through the radio. Another groan left your lips and you rolled over in your back.

"you still asleep back there?" You heard Dean asked and got up. "Nah." You replied and pressed yourself against the window. "I need coffee." You groaned and Dean handed you a cup while laughing. You were about to make a snarky remark when suddenly Sam woke up with a gasp and jumped forward.

"you ok?" Dean asked and your heart ached for Sam, actually your heart ached for yourself too, but it ached for sam more. You saw Just how much Sam loved her and losing someone you love that much is unbearable, you knew 'cause you've been through it a few times now. That's why you refused to get attached to anyone anymore.

"I'm fine." Sam replied.

"another nightmare?" You tried to ask him in the nicest way possible but he did not answer you.

"wanna driver for a while?" Dean asked and your eyes widen a little. 'well that was a first.'

"hey, how come you never asked me that before?" You asked and he threw a wrapper at you, hitting you in the face causing you to slap his shoulder. Sam finally let out a laugh at childish behavior of his brother and his friend.

"it's true, your whole life you have never once asked me that before."

"just thought you might want to. Nevermind."

"look, guys, I know you are worried about me, I get that. Thank you, but I'm perfectly ok."

"alright" you exclaimed when you started feeling the tension building in the car . "Where are we?" You asked.

"we are just outside of Grand junction." Dean answered and Sam started looking through the map of blackwater ridge. You were starting out of the window perticularly at nothing. It was silent for a while.

"maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon." Sam said breaking the silence and making you sigh.

"Sam, we dug around for a week. If you wanna find the thing that killed Jess, we need-"

"to find dad first." Sam said completing his brother's sentence.

"Dad disappearing and this thing showing up again after 20 years. It's no coincidence. Dad will have answers. He'll know what to do." Dean said as he kept driving. You are still leaning against the window and you were almost asleep again, even though you just had coffee. Long rides with these two did that to you.

"it's weird, man." Sam stated making you listen to him carefully. "these coordinates he left us, this blackwater ridge... There's nothing there. It's just... Woods." Sam said making you frown

"why is he sending us to middle of nowhere?" You asked frowning at both the men in the front seat.

*******

"Rise and shine, sweetheart." Dean said opening the door you were leaning against making you almost fall out of the car but he caught you before you could hit the ground.

"what an asshole." You yelled and hit him in the arm which only earned you a chuckle from both the boys.

Sam made his way inside the rangers station followed by you and Dean.

"so, blackwater ridge is pretty remote..." Sam said while looking at the model sitting on the table while you and Dean kept looking around the office. "It's cut off by these canyons here. Rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place."

"Dude, check out the size of this friggin' bear." You quickly turned around ignoring sam to see what Dean was looking at. You walked closer to him and looked at the picture. The ranger was happily standing over the big bear they hunted. 'how could these people be proud of killing innocent animals?' Dean suddenly started chuckling and you raise your eyebrow.

"I bet he could eat you in one gulp." He kept chuckling.

"hey, I'm not that small."

"oh really? I can't see you let me find my glasses." He said and you hit him yet again.

"ha ha ha. You are so funny." You rolled your eyes.

"you boys aren't planning to go out near blackwater ridge, by any chance." the ranger said and he couldn't see you since you are standing behind the brothers. All three of you turned around to face the ranger. "Oh and lady. Almost didn't see you there." He said as soon as his eyes fell on you making Dean laugh, he was happy that his point was proved. You glared at him before looking back at the ranger.

"oh, no, sir, where environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper." You answered with the biggest smile you could muster.

"recycle, man." Dean said making you hit him from the behind.

"bull." The ranger said, thanks to Dean's overacting. "You are friends with that Haley girl right?" He asked and you stood silently for a second before not in your head. "Yes." Dean said. "We are, Ranger..... Wilkinson." The ranger laughed a little before saying.

"well, I will tell you exactly what I told her, her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Black water ridge until 24th. So It's exactly not a missing person, is it?" He asked and you shook your head agreeing to him. "No you tell that girl to quit worrying."

"we will. Well, that Haley girl's quite a pistol, huh?" Dean asked and you looked at Sam who looked just as confused as you over what he was doing.

"that is putting it mildly."

"actually, you know what what help? If I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit. You know, so she could see her brother's return date." Dean said, raising his eyebrows. ranger Wilkinson eyed him back for a minute before giving him copy of the permit.

"you cruising for a HookUp or something?" Sam asked as Dean walked out laughing

"what do you mean?" Dean gave his brother confused expression.

"no he's right. The coordinates point to blackwater ridge. So what are we waiting for? Let's just go find John. I mean why even talk to this chick, Haley?" You asked as you approached the car.

"I don't know maybe we should know what we are walking into before we actually walked into it." Dean shook his head at both you and his brother.

"what?" You asked in unison.

"since when are you guys 'shoot first, ask question later' ?" Dean asked and you said "since forever " at the same time Sam replied "since now." You heard Dean mumble something as you got inside the car. He got into the car as well and took off to Haley's.

You didn't know why you being so jealous, you just were. You haven't even seen this Haley girl yet, for all you know she could have a Salvador Dali mustaches. And well Dean, he made it pretty clear that you were just another kid to him. That kiss meant nothing, he was just really happy to see you alive, nothing else. How could you be jealous over something that wasn't even yours to begin with.

When you pulled up to the Collin's house you quickly got out of the car amd started making your way toward their door. But before you could take another step Dean grabbed your arm and pulled you back to him.

"you ok?" He asked looking into your eyes.

"yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" You question afraid that he could actually feel your jealousy.

"I don't know, I thought you were mad at me. You didn't say anything the whole ride."

"Dean, I'm not mad at you. If anything I think you are right, we should know what we are walking into before we actually walk into it." You said and have him a smile.

"so we good?"

"yup." You stretched out the 'p' and then made your way to the front door where Sam was already standing waiting for you two. Dean knocked on the door and a girl opened up the wooden door, but another door that had net on it was still closed.

"you must be Haley Colins. I'm Dean, this is Alex and Sam. We are rangers with the park service. Ranger Wilkinson sent is over. We wanted to ask some questions about your brother Tommy." Dean explained. She looked unconvinced, mostly because of you maybe.

"let me see some ID." She said staring right at you and you pulled out your fake ID and slammed it on the door. She looked at it for a sec but then opened the door. "Come on in. That yours?" She asked looking at baby. "Yeah." Dean replied. "Nice car." She gave a flirtatious smile to Dean and you rolled your eyes while he smirked. As soon as she turned around and went inside Dean turned to you two and mouthed 'oh man.' with a wide smile.

the fact that she was really beautiful and definitely did not have and Salvador Dali moustache was only added to your jealousy.

"so, if Tommy's not due back for a while, how do you know something is wrong?" You asked. No matter how much jealous you were you had to solve the case.

"he checks in everyday by cell, he emails photos, shipped little videos. But we haven't heard anything over 3 days now." She said as she brought out her younger brother's dinner.

"well maybe he can't get a cell reception." Sam said.

"he's got a satellite phone, too."

"could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?" Dean questioned.

"he wouldn't do that." This time it was Ben, Haley's younger brother who replied.

"Our parents are gone, it's just me and my two brother. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other. " She said and you gave her a small reassuring smile.

"can we see the pictures he sent you?" You said and she nodded. she showed you Tommy's pictures in her laptop then she clicked at a video and you looked that it carefully. You noticed a shadow in the video but you kept quiet. Dean told Haley that we will find her brother and that we were heading there in the morning.

"then maybe I'll see you there." She replied causing you to exchange with both brothers. "Look I can't sit around here anymore. So I hired a guide. I am heading there in the morning and I'm gonna find my brother myself."

"I think I know how you feel." Dean said and you looked around awkwardly, being the only one who doesn't have a family. Sometimes you can't even remember how it feels to have someone blood related around you.

After that you guys headed to a bar which you were pretty sure that you weren't allowed at but hey thanks to fake ID cards. you already had two beers and you were a bit lightheaded not tipsy or drunk just a little more lightheaded than normally. Sam opened up his file and started talking about blackwater ridge victims but you were barely paying attention to him.

"every 23 years. Just like clockwise." Sam continued as he opened his laptop. "I downloaded Tommy's video to the laptop and look what I found." Before he could say anything further you blurred out.

"so what, it's a shadow, it can move. It's flesh. You did not make a big Discovery." You exclaimed making both the brothers chuckle.

"woah, princess, you almost stole Sammy's thunder."

"it's just, can you be any more geeky about this?" You said making Dean laugh again.

"I got one more thing." Sam said and you took your eyes mumbling ''of course You do, Sammy, of course you do."

"in '59, one campus survived the supposed grizzly attack. Just a kid.. barely crawled out of the woods alive."

"is there a name."

"Dean, it's Sam you are talking to, he probably got his address." You said making Sam smirk.

*******

"look, rangers, I don't know why you're asking me this. It's public record. I was a kid. My parents got mauled by a -" the grumpy old man said as soon as we asked him the question about the attack.

"grizzly? That's what attack them?" Sam asked completing his sentence. Mr Shaw took a puff of his cigarette and nodded his head.

"the other people that went missing that year... Those were bear attack too." You asked stepping forward. Mr Shaw looked nervous, like he was hiding something, and he most definitely was. "What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing?" This time it was Dean who asked the question.

"if we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it." You said in a soothing voice which you always used while questioning witnesses, well most of the times, with stubborn ones it's always threats of making them eat their own intestine. Both the boys seemed a bit surprised by this side of you, specially Dean. Mr. shaw looked at the three of you, not sure if to say anything or not.

"Mr. Shaw, what did you see?" You asked again as you sat on the chair next to him.

"nothing." He said and you frowned. "It moved too fast to see. It hid too well. I heard it though. A roar. " he said and you look back at the brothers who were standing right behind you for a second as Mr. shaw continued his story.

"He came at night? Got inside your tent?" Sam asked.

"he got inside our cabin." Mr. Shaw answered. 'so whatever it was knew how to pick locks?' you asked yourself.

"I was sleeping in front of the fireplace when it came in. It didn't smash a window or break the door, it unlocked it. I didn't even wake up till I heard my parents screaming."

"it killed them?" Sam asked.

"why it left me alive, didn't ask myself ever since. It did leave me this though." He said after a small pause. He pulled down the collar of his jumper to show you a claw mark. It was too big to qualify as claw mark. Nothing you've ever seen had claws that big.

"there's something evil in those woods. It was some sort of a demon " Mr. Shaw said and you gave him a sympathetic look.

"thank you for your time, Mr. Shaw. " You said politely as the the of you made your way outside to the car.

"what the hell was that?" Dean asked as soon as you were outside.

"what?" You asked making your way around the car to sit in the backseat.

" 'Mr. Shaw what did you see' " he said mocking you and Sam giggle. "Since when do you talk like that?" He asked and got inside the driver seat.

"first of all he was a nice person and I always talk to nice witnesses like that and second, I so did not sound like that."

"oh, you sounded worse, almost creeped me out back there. I thought you were possessed or something." He said and you took the empty coffee cup from the backseat and threw it at him.

"OW!" He exclaimed and threw it back at you

You finally made it to the motel. The whole ride you and Dean bickered. You were standing by the car with Dean as Sam went to get you rooms. You were leaning against the bonnet and looking around you. When your eyes finally fell on the older Winchester beside you, he was already looking at you. Just starting at your face and saying nothing.

"what?" You asked letting out a very small laugh. "Stop staring." You said and turned his face away from you but he looked back at you.

"Alex." He finally said making you frown at his tone. "About that kiss-"

"no Dean, it's ok. I get it, you were just very happy to see me, that's it-"

"no Alex, that's not it, I lied. I mean, I was very happy and relieved to see you alive but I want you to know that that's not it. I don't know why I just want to be honest with you." He said making you frown even harder. You were about to say something but he cut you off again.

"Let me finish. When I saw you that day after all these years I felt something. I don't know what but something and it wasn't just something physical or sexual, it was like I had to be around you. And on that hunt when you were beside me all the time, I had this big urge to protect you, to keep you safe. For the first time I actually cared for my life, like I had something worth living for." You were dumbfounded by his confession, a part of you was beyond happy, gleaming but the other part was scared. Scared that if you get attached to him you'll lose him too. Like you always do.

"but I don't want to get your hopes up, I don't want to get either of our hopes up. You are too young for my shit, you already got so much on your plate and I just can't add to it. And like I said I want to be honest with you, I don't think there will ever be a future for us together. " He said and you let out a chuckle.

"I know the drill, Dean. We are Hunter, there's never a happily ever after for us. There never can be anything between us. Let's just hope we can be friends without making things awkward between us." You said this time making him chuckle.

"they had only one room left. With two beds." You almost didn't notice Sam untill he was right beside you. "everything ok with you two?" Sam asked looking simultaneously between him brother and his friend.

"yup. Dean was telling me about the time you cried while watching Titanic."

"Dude, that was you." Sam exclaimed and you raised your eyebrow at Dean. "Yeah, whatever. You peed your pants when you were in second grade." Dean said as the three of you made your way toward your motel room. "Dude, I was 6. "

"ok guys enough. What are the sleeping arrangements?" you said as the three of you made your way inside the motel room and looked at two queen size beds on the either side of the room and a small couch on the other end of the room.

"me and Sam are to big to fit on the couch. So that leaves you " Dean said pointing a finger at you.

"nope. Not happening. I'm not sleeping on that couch. I Don't know how many gross assess have been there." You said looking at the dirty couch. "And done what?" Sam added and both of you scrunch up your nose in disgust.

"ok fine. The floor is it." Dean replied while taking off his jacket and throwing it on the couch.

"Dean this is where you say, 'ok, Alex, you take the bed I'll sleep on the floor.' " you said

"hell no, I'm not sleeping in the floor. Ask Sam."

"hey, hey, don't drag me into this. This bed is already mine." Sam said jumping on the bed on the left side on the room and sprawling out making both you and Dean roll your eyes. He was too big to even share with. "Well, I'm not sleeping on the floor either." You said looking him straight in the eye. Sam was watching both of you, curious about what was gonna happen next

"well, sweetheart, if you don't wanna sleep on the floor. You are welcome to join. " He says with a smirk and sat on the foot of the bed.

"you know what? Actually I will." You said taking off your jacket and shoes and then got inside the sheets. "but don't get too wussy if I kick you in the crotch in the middle of the night." This was your turn to smirk as you covered yourself with the sheet. You heard a scoff coming out of Sam and next thing you know Dean grabbed the pillow and throw it between the two begs.

The next morning the three of you were getting ready to leave for the hunt. When you made your way out of the bathroom you heard Dean say "spirits and demons don't have to unlock the doors. If they want inside they just go through the Walls."

"so it's probably something else, something corporeal." You said slipping in your boots and sitting on the bed to tie them. When you looked up both the boys were staring at you. "What?"

"corporal? Excuse me, professer." Dean smirked. "Shut up." You said.

"so what do you think?" Sam asked.

"the claws, the speed that it moved. It could be a skinwalker, maybe a black dog. Whatever we're talking about, we're talking about a creature and it's.....'corporeal' " Dean said looking at you when he said the last word and you hit his arm mumbling a "asshat". You made your way outside to the Impala and loaded the trunk. "Wait. Which means we can kill it." You said with a bright smile.

"you're weird." Sam mumbled.

*******

Part 2

Taglist:

@rach5ive @paintballkid711 @chubby-dumplin @hobby27 @colie87 @iilooveereadiingfiics @spnchick1996

[jenni42085]

Made in the AM <Five>

Ch. 5

Louis' POV

Getting back on the swing of touring after a month off was hard. Plus being a person short was even more tiring with rearranging songs and trying to reset everything. But the second night was epic. The energy that the fans give off will instantly make you feel pumped and excited though.

After the meet and greet we all head back to the hotel. During the ride I see Liam and Alex deep in discussion about something. Niall has his head on her lap. While she runs her hands through his hair. Harry was zoned out listening to music trying to drown out them talking.

Sitting there long enough with out doing anything I decide to join in their convo. " What are you talking about?"

"Working out and stuff." Liam answers returning his attention back to Alex.

"What about it?" I ask.

Alex sighs slightly, "Niall asked why didn't I just do the weight loss surgery instead of working out. Since I was so stressed about being skinny."

"Ohh. And you don't agree with it?"  I ask.  

"Nah. I feel like doing that would be the easy way out with more complications than I would want to deal with. Plus hardworking never hurt anyone. You know?" she replies with honesty.

"I understand. That is good that you weighed the option before jumping into surgery like others do, but honestly you look fine."

"Nah, I'm a little pudgy and need to tone up per everyone lol. Plus get my parents off my back about my relationship status.  I'm single while all my cousins my age are either married, dating, or kids. They make me feel like the reason I'm single is my weight. I'm ok with being single I just would like someone for moments when I'm sad and beat myself up. Having girlfriends who tell me I'm awesome is great but having a guy to be your cheerleader is so much better."

Liam puts an arm around her and she casually rests her head on his shoulder. "I'll always be your cheerleader.  I just want you to love yourself first.  You are beautiful, but if you want to tone up, I've got your back."

"Me too!" Niall and I say at the same time. I turn around in the seat and get another look at them. "You guys look like a huge cuddle pile."

"Jealous?" Niall asks lifting his head from her lap.

"That is debatable. You guys just look cozy though."

"She has magic fingers. I swear." Niall says taking her hand and putting it back into his hair.

"I think I'm spoiling him. His hair is really soft so I don't mind."  Alex replies with some humor to her voice.

"So what is the plan for tonight? After you work out that is." I ask already knowing Liam and her would be working out for at least an hour. I'm still slightly amped up but I don't want to go out staying in for a hotel drinking, eating, and goofing off.

The two of them reply in unison, "Working out, then I don't know afterwards. Why? What'd you have in mind?"

"How about some chicken wings, drinks and etc" I turn the overhead light on to screen their expressions and they were all smiles. "I take that as a yes."

"You would be correct good sir." Alex replies with a horrible English accent.

"So after you work out come to my room and I'll have the food and drinks." I reply. This night is going to be fun.

*****************************************************************************************************

Liam's POV

Harry had texted us to meet him in his room before I go work out with Alex. I meet everyone in his room. "So what is with the male only meeting?"

"Well, I just wanted to say sorry for my shitty mood. More importantly sorry if I seem not myself." He replies looking seriously sincere in statement.

"No worries, we know, we are all going through issues since Zayne left, then the tour, and the album. I'm just glad Alex is around because she is affectionate and her insight to life and music helps me open up to things I wouldn't normally want to listen to or write." Niall says while stretching out on Harry's bed.

"So is she really that good?" Harry asks with an unsure look.

"Honestly, yes. When you get into her bubble you can see that she is really open about things. I really want to listen to songs she wrote for Tori. I saw her texting her about a new song she was working for her as an album bonus track." I state.

"Can I work out with you guys tonight? Maybe she'll open to me when there isn't so many people around."

"You can try but I'd but I think you'd be better off if she is a little drunk." I state calmly.

"Seriously?!?  The is your brilliant idea?"  Harry exclaims.

I look at him with a smirk, "Yes.  Only way to get people to be nice to have have them a little drunk.  Do you have any other ideas?"

"At this moment..... no"

"Well, we will make sure she is a little drunk so you two can play nice."  Louis says.

*****************************************************************************************************

Alex's POV

That work out with Liam was intense.  I feel so sore already but hopefully the hot shower will loosen my muscle enough to enjoy this night in with the guys.  Going to try to be nicer to Harry because I don't want the entire time on this trip to be awkward or me avoiding him.  While in the shower, I think on how to let the happiness I show with the others spread to Harry.  It wasn't that he was a bad guy, just not one for someone to judge me with out fully knowing me but, I guess that can be said to be the same of how I am treating him.  

After my shower, I smooth some Hemp lotion into my skin, braiding my braids into a Elsa from Frozen type of style.  While packing my MacBook and guitar there is a knock at my door.  Louis is standing there with a big smile on his face.  "Are you done yet?  We are waiting on you to get our party started."

"I'm coming I was just grabbing my stuff just in case inspiration hits me plus, I have to let Harry hear the song and maybe work on some other stuff."  I reply.

"So are you going to give him a break?"

I put my head down at his comment then look up at him, "Yes I'm going to try.  I don't want my whole trip to be awkward, but if he says anything else stupid or hurtful, there will be a throat punch in his future."

"Noted.  I will hold you to it."  he says with a wink.

"Why is he so worried about it?"  I ask making my eyebrows raise slightly.  

"He just feels bad about it because that wasn't his intention."  

"Fine.  Let's get something to drink."  I say to him with excited expression.

"Oi!  That's my girl."  Louis grabs my guitar then follows me out of my room to his.  We get in his room,  while he is setting up the drinks and food I check my emails.  Tori and I have been messaging back and forth regarding a few songs as bonus songs on her album.  My heart is telling my 'Beautiful Things' will have to be on there because is it a soothing song and it is just with the guitar.  The other song I haven't been quite sure on.  It is has been a thing I've been playing around with, I've called it 'Dear No One'.

"Where is everyone?"  I ask pulling my guitar out of its case.  

Louis is pouring me a drink, "Probably late.  Chances are that Niall and Harry are playing games and Liam is still is in the shower."

I take a sip of my drink, "Wow!  That is strong.  I'm going to need a chaser."  Louis hands me some apple juice to drink with it.  "Do you think they will be much longer?  Tori needs another song, and I need to do a rough demo to send to her it shouldn't take long."

"What shouldn't take long?"  Niall comes in with a curious expression.

"Recording a quick song for Tori to play around with.  Would you do me the honors of playing the guitar while I plug the piano in so I can just do this in one take?"  

"Sure!  Hand her here."  I hand him my guitar then sprint back to my room and grab my travel keyboard then hand Niall the music. "You named a song 'Dear No One'?"  He looks over the music sheet then gives me a curious look.

A sheepish slightly embarrassed expression crosses my face, "Yes.  It is a pretty good song.  I think everyone will love it."

"Ok.  You are the songwriter."  Niall says sitting down next to me at the table.  

" 'Dear No One', take one with Niall Horan on guitar."  I take a deep breathe and Niall starts playing and the door flies open.

"Hey!  You ready to party?"  Liam was actually acting like a party animal with loose fitting gym shorts and a tight tank.  

"Damnit. Liam!  She was about to record."  Louis shouts at him.  I let a small chuckle as he hangs his head in embarrassment.

"It's ok deary.  Here can you play this?"  I hand him the piano version of the music.

"Yeah, are you asking me to play while you sing?"

"Well of course!  Niall is on the guitar so I can just sing."  I reply.  He looks at the sheet music and shoots me two thumbs up.  I hit the record button and close my eyes. " 'Dear No One', take two featuring Niall Horan on the guitar & Liam Payne on the piano playing......

I like being independent

Not so much of an investment

No one to tell me what to do

I like being by myself

Don't gotta entertain anybody else

No one to answer to...

But sometimes, I just want somebody to hold

Someone to give me the jacket when it's cold

Got that young love even when we're old

Yeah sometimes, I want someone to grab my hand

Pick me up, pull me close, be my man

I will love you till the end

So if you're out there I swear to be good to you

But I'm done lookin', for my future someone

Cause when the time is right

You'll be here, but for now

Dear no one, this is your love song

Ooo-OhOh

I don't really like big crowds

I tend to shut people out

I like my space, yeah

But I'd love to have a soulmate

And God'll give him to me someday

And I know it'll be worth the wait, oh

So if you're out there I swear to be good to you

But I'm done lookin' (But I'm done lookin'), for my future someone

Cause when the time is right

You'll be here, but for now

Dear no one (Dear nobody) this is your love song (Ooo-Oooh)

Sometimes, I just want somebody to hold

Someone to give me the jacket when it's cold

Got that young love even when we're old

Yeah sometimes, I want someone to grab my hand

Pick me up, pull me close, be my man

I will love you till the end

So if you're out there I swear to be good to you

But I'm done lookin' (I'm done lookin'), for my future someone (Ooo-Yeah)

Cause when the time is right

You'll be here, but for now

Dear no one (Dear Nobody) this is your love song (This is your love song)

Dear no one, no need to be searchin', no

Dear no one...

Dear no one...

Dear No one, this is your love song."   I stop singing and open my eyes to see all eyes on me.  I hit the button to stop recording and look at the time, only three mins long not bad for the length of a song. A few seconds pass and no one has said anything to me. "What?"

"How do you not have a record deal?"  Harry asks, while singing I guess I was so focused that I didn't hear him enter the room. "You are great.  You wrote that?"

"Yeah, been on my list of things to perfect while working on song ideas.  I didn't want a recording deal  so I never went looking for one.  I wanted Tori to accomplish her goals, so I wrote for her to express myself.   So you like it?"  They all nod their heads at me.  "Thanks, Harry I haven't forgotten to let you listen to 'Drag Me Down' do you want to hear it now since I already have my stuff out?"

I think I asked him a little to quickly because he had a shocked expression on his face.  This was me trying to be nice, even if it kills me.  "Yeah, I'd love too!"  While finding the file on my computer Louis hands me another drink.  Normally I'm cold because I'm anemic but now I'm feeling warm peeling off the lightweight hoodie I had put on exposing me in just a pastel aqua cami to match my teal cotton capris from Old Navy.  I take off my flip flops and yawn quietly.  

When the song finishes Harry's expression is hard to read.  "You are quite talented.  I think stronger drums in there would get it a more intense feeling to it but your lyrics were great.  Again sorry for being an ass."

"It's ok, as long you can see my talent and acknowledge it."  I say with a bright smile, "Enough of the mushy stuff, let's drink, dance, and be merry!"

The rest of the night was composed of taken shots, drinking, and  playing drinking games.  Not going to lie it was nice being the only girl there. Louis decides to do some Truth or Dare which was quite fun with seeing Liam streak through the hotel lobby.  Niall giving Harry a lap dance and Louis telling us his most embarrassing story ever.  I was laughing at this story with tears in my eyes when he asks me "Truth or Dare?"

Feeling drunk and very brave I decide to be daring instead of a chicken, "Dare."

"Ok, I dare you to kiss Harry."

"Say what?"  I ask.  

"Kiss Harry.  Come on.  Don't be a chicken.  Show us that you guys will be playing fair."  Louis replies with his eyes looking glazed over from too much alcohol.  

<sigh>  "Do you mind Harry?"  I ask feeling the heat rise in my cheeks.  

"Nah, I don't mind.  Come here.  I'll rock your world."  I roll my eyes at his comment while he flashes me a cock grin exposing his dimples.  

"So cocky.  How do you know that I won't rock yours?"  I reply feeling all that liquid courage in me.  I stand up and sit on Harry's lap, he wraps his arms around my waist and it makes me blush.  I hope my fat ass won't break his lap.  He grins me at me reassuringly.  "You ready for your first kiss from a black girl?"  Before he could respond I kiss him.  At first it was a few pecks then I liked his lips so much I slipped him some tongue, next thing I knew it was game on, Harry's hands were exploring my body while my fingers were going through his hair.  After a few minutes I realized that I needed some air, so I pull away from him.  The room was quiet but I didn't care it was a good make-out session and it has been way too long.  

"Wow that was some dare."  Harry says barely loosening his grip on me.  I try to stand up to get something else to drink and he stops my movement,  "What are you needing?"

"I wanted to make another drink and then stretch out on the couch."  I suddenly feel shy about making out with him.  He stands up with me in his arms, shocking me as to how strong he was.  I give him a shocked expression.

"Here get comfy and I'll grab it for you."  He carries me to the couch putting me down and makes me another drink eagerly.

"Well, that was interesting."  Niall says as Harry joins me on the couch placing my feet in his lap.  

A small chuckle escapes my mouth, "It's go big or go home right?"

"That is true.  How was it Harry you look a little flustered,"  Liam asks playing on my guitar shooting him a big grin.

Harry sits quietly for a moment then squeezes my foot,  "I rather enjoyed myself.  Maybe all her hatred turned into passion."  I tense up at his comment, "Just joking.  I swear love.  I think you are naturally a good kisser."  

"Thanks.  You aren't too bad.  Can we play another game?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"  Louis asks while eating some nachos.

"Twister!!"  I say with a shout.  "Well at this point, it will be drunken Twister so this should be more fun."  Not sure what came over me, but when I got up from the couch I turned and gave Harry a quick peck then sprinted off to grab the game.

[planetsam]

Anything where Michael and Alex realize that their relationship will work better if they’re not in Roswell.

It’s a gallows walk.

Michael shuffles forward in the line, fighting to not be terrified as they approach the guards. He feels like he’s got a sign over his head saying that he should be inspected. They are going to take one look at him and know. He’s as good as dead. When he gets to the guard he gives up trying to act casual and just tries to go for getting through undetected and without causing a scene.

“Morning sir,” the guard says, flipping through his passport before marking the ticket, “have a good flight.”

“Thanks,” he says and steps into the line.

He joins the rest of the passengers, doing his best not to fidget and instead removing the things that the sign has told him to. Alex joins him in the line and smiles before signaling a TSA officer.

“I have a prosthesis,” he explains.

He makes it through security easily, he even avoids the pitfall of not emptying his pockets which catches the other travelers behind him. He gets his stuff and waits as Alex talks to the person inspecting his leg. After he and the guy shake hands, Alex shoulders his backpack and grabs the rest of his things, coming over to where he’s standing.

“Come on, let’s get to the gate.”

“We’ve got a couple hours,” Michael points out.

Alex smiles and dips his head.

“We can walk around,” he says, “but let’s just make sure our gate is still the one listed.”

The last time Michael was in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport he was coming to Roswell and he was eleven. Everything was big and bright and completely disorienting. So really nothing’s changed all that much. Except now instead of a woman from the system who pushed him along like he was going to make her late for everything, he’s got Alex who walks next to him and lets him take it all in. Whenever Michael looks over, Alex is looking at him with a soft look or he’s looking at something on his own.  He slowly finds himself starting to relax and put aside his misgivings on this whole thing. Michael hasn’t been on an airplane since he was a kid. He’s never actually been out of the country.

“Alex!”

They both turn as one of the Captains comes over and clasps Alex in a hug. Alex grins at him.

“Michael this is James Bradley, we served together.”

“Call me Jamie,” he says, shaking his hand, “good to meet you,” he looks between them, “you ready?”

“Ready for what?” Michael asks.

“The tour, come on,” Alex says.

Jamie flashes his lanyard and brings them down the walkway to the plane. Michael looks over at him and Alex smiles. Michael’s shoved down his nervousness this entire time but Alex doesn’t want him to spend the next hours wondering if the plane is going to blow. Michael is brilliant, he’s always known that, but he’s brilliant and he’s been betrayed by most authority figures. Telling him something is the way it is, well, it’s a recipe for disaster. Thankfully Alex has friends who have gone on to have careers in the aviation industry.

“Okay here we go,” Jamie says and brings them onto the plane. Michael is quiet and thoughtful as Jamie takes them around and then into the cockpit, “so this is where the magic happens,” he says, “not the bathrooms. Please don’t do that.”

“What kind of engines does the plane have?” Michael asks.

“We’ve got twin 9Xs,” Jamie says. Michael looks interested, “an engine man,” Jamie clasps a hand over his heart, “we’re one of the first whose got them.”

“Do you see a difference from the 90s?” He asks.

“Loss of thrust, but it hasn’t been an issue. Fuel efficiency is much better though,” he says, “the airline likes that.”

Alex smiles and takes in the feeling of watching Michael and Jamie talk about the engines. He’s used to this kind of mechanical show off, where it’s as much a quiz as it is a conversation. He can pinpoint when the pass each other’s evaluation because the conversation turns incredibly technical. Alex has always been more about the software than the hardware when it comes to this kind of thing, but he can keep his own with what’s being thrown back and forth while he looks at the various screens and sees if he can spot the infamous Black Box.

“So how do you two know each other?” Jamie asks.

“We grew up together,” Alex says. Jamie’s eyes narrow and he clocks Michael’s hand. Michael blows a breath out and holds it up, showing the shiny pink scars Kyle carefully put on him, “ignore him,” he says to Michael, “he’s a gossip.”

“Uh, maybe but there’s only one guy you ever talked about,” Jamie points out.

“Yeah that’s me,” Michael says.

For a moment it’s silent.

“Well?” Jamie prods, looking between them. He’s trying to judge how far he can push and Alex appreciates that. He also wants to kill him. He looks at Michael who returns the look, “is this—“ he motions between them.

“Yes,” Alex says.

“I knew it!” He says triumphantly, “this is adorable on an almost nauseating level,” he says, “don’t worry about getting there safely, God and I won’t let Alex die before he gets to the beach with you.”

“I appreciate that,” Michael says relaxing.

“Yeah let me finish things here. Why don’t you two take your seats.”

“Thanks again,” Alex says.

“Yeah, thanks,” Michael says and they all shake hands.

Sitting in their seats, Michael inspects the safety pamphlet as he flips through emails just to see if he needs to answer anything. Most of the nervousness is gone from him. But his eyes keep drifting over. Finally Alex looks over, catching him in the act and raises an eyebrow at him. Michael fiddles with the safety card for a moment and then presses his lips together.

“What’d he do over there?” He asks, “can you tell me?”

Alex nods. Michael knows to ask about his military service, even though as he pointed out once Alex knows he’s an alien and there literally is nothing more classified.

“He flew medivac choppers,” he says. Understanding flares in Michael’s eyes, “I thought I was dying,” Alex begins, “we said we weren’t going to judge—“

Michael cuts him off with an almost desperate press of their lips together. It catches Alex off guard. Neither of them are that much into PDA. But Michael’s hands flatten against his cheeks and he leans into the kiss all the same. Talk of what came before is usually fraught with land mines, things they don’t want to get into and things they aren’t ready for. Even the things they are hurt. But Michael kisses him so fiercely it’s hard to think about any of that. It actually takes Alex a moment to open his eyes after and he feels dazed.

“What—“ He begins.

“I wanted to go away with you too,” Michael tells him, drawing circles on his cheek with the pad of his thumb.

Alex reaches up and takes his hand, kissing his knuckles.

“Now we are,” He promises.

It’s the first of many, many trips.

[bitcoinevolutionapps-blog]

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Keep in mind though, that even with a robot like Bitcoin Evolution, there is a margin of error. Due to its high volatility, not even the best auto trading robot out there can predict changes in the cryptocurrency market with 100% accuracy, so you may run into losses at some point.

How does Bitcoin Evolution work?

As we briefly mentioned, Bitcoin Evolution claims that it is based on a sophisticated algorithm which allows the software to scan the markets for tradable insights. In other words, the robot is completely automatized, meaning that there is not an individual person or group of people controlling how it functions. All you have to do to start trading is sign up and deposit your funds, that is pretty much it. You do have to spend a few minutes a day to check your trading settings though, but we will get back to that in our step-by-step guide later on. The most important thing you should know is that to be able to use Bitcoin Evolution, you are not required to know anything about online trading. The whole point of bitcoin robots like this one is to provide inexperienced users with an opportunity to make as much money as experienced traders with an automatic, sophisticated trading platform.

Bitcoin Evolution says that the more you invest, the higher are your potential returns. However, please be aware that you can run into losses, so start off with minimum investments and see how that goes. You can then choose to increase your investment amounts as you go along.

Who founded Bitcoin Evolution?

The founder of Bitcoin Evolution is Edwin James. According to the website, he made billions with forex, crypto, and binary options trading. He claims to be sharing his secret trading strategies through the Bitcoin Evolution app. According to him, the platform was designed to give new traders the opportunity to make money in less than three minutes after they’ve signed up.

How to sign up on Bitcoin Evolution?

Before you can start trading on Bitcoin Evolution, you will have to register and create an account on it. As we mentioned already, signing up is free, but there is a minimum amount that you will have to deposit to be allowed to start trading.

We put together a step-by-step guide on how to sign up on Bitcoin Evolution:

1. Registration - First of all, you will have to go on the Bitcoin Evolution website to be able to register. As soon as you access the website, on the top right of the page, you will find a registration form requiring you to type in your email address, full name, and phone number as well as the country code.

You will later be asked to create a password so that you can log into your account later on. At this point, you will officially have an Bitcoin Evolution account, but you will have to deposit funds in it before you can start trading on it.

2. Deposit - As soon as you create your account, you will be connected to a robot broker, where you will be able to make your deposit. It is recommended that you start off by investing the minimum required to allow you to start trading and that is $250.

You can pay via credit or debit card as well as Skrill or Klarna. Alternatively, you can also pay via bank transfer. The valid currencies are Swiss Franc, British Pound, US Dollar, and Euro. If you decide to pay via credit or debit card, you cannot deposit more than $/£/€/₣10,000 in one day and $/£/€/₣40,000 in a month. As soon as you have made your deposit, you can start trading on Bitcoin Evolution.

3. Demo Trading - The availability of demo trading depends on the broker you are connected to once you sign up on Bitcoin Evolution, some of them have it and some of them don’t. For those that don’t though, you normally have access to the trading platform before you deposit funds into your account and although you cannot place actual trades, you still have access to a lot of the functions of the broker. That is the whole point of demo trading, it allows you to get familiar with the trading space and see whether you are satisfied with its functions and proceedings. Once you feel confident enough and ready, you can start live trading.

4. Trading - Before you start live trading there are a few things to look out for. Even though it is an automated software that you are trading on, you are still required to check on the trading settings on a daily basis. This includes stop loss, maximum amount of daily trades, investment amount for each trade and so on. Other than that, you can also choose which cryptocurrencies you want the software to trade with.

Bitcoin Evolution offers all of the most popular ones, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, but if you want the software to trade with a digital coin in particular or to trade without one, you can definitely make that happen. Whenever you are happy with your trading settings, you can switch on the ‘auto-trading’ button and start live trading. We do recommend to monitor the profits/losses though so that you can stop trading once you are satisfied with your results.

Why trade with Bitcoin Evolution?

There are quite a few advantages to trading with Bitcoin Evolution:

Bitcoin Evolution is User-Friendly. The platform is based on a complex and sophisticated algorithm but despite this, it is capable of delivering a simple platform design and users learn how to use it quickly and intuitively. Not many bitcoin robots have this to offer.

It claims to have a high success rate. Bitcoin Evolution claims to have a high success rate. Of course, how much you can make varies.

Dedicated customer services. You can contact a member of staff any time you want via email or live chat. You will receive a reply as soon as possible and be sure to have your issue solved in no time.

Bitcoin Evolution has a success rate of around 85%.          

Not many auto trading robots have such high success rates.

Bitcoin Evolution offers a demo account allowing you to familiarise with the proceedings of the robot.

Some robots do not offer demo trading or access to the trading platform to trick you into depositing funds that you will never see again.

Registering and creating an account on Bitcoin Evolution is very easy and only take up to two minutes.

Some robots have very long questionnaires before you can finalise your account creation.

Making profits is very much possible and withdrawal requests are processed in around 24 hours.

Many robots stop you from making withdrawal requests, forcing you to keep re-investing your profits until you lose them.

The minmum deposit required to allow you to start trading is $250.          ❌ Many robots require higher minimum deposits.

Can You Make Money With Bitcoin Evolution?

Bitcoin Evolution claims that their platform is very profitable and there are several user testimonials on their website from investors who claim to have made significant profits using the platform. Keep in mind though, that the fact that you can make money on the platform does not mean you will. Cryptocurrencies are known for being highly volatile, meaning that predicting the direction of their prices can be extremely challenging and often not even the most sophisticated of bitcoin robots get it right.

Start Small. It is always a good idea to start with small investments. As mentioned before, Bitcoin Evolution requires a minimum deposit of $250. If you see that you are making significant profits, the app recommends taking into consideration investing larger amounts to try and make more profits in a shorter time.

Withdraw Your Profits. Please make sure you withdraw your profits regularly and you do not re-invest all of the money you make. If you re-invest it all, you can make higher profits but you could also lose everything you’ve earned!

Follow the Expert’s Advice. If you have a look on YouTube or financial blogs, you can find a lot of great expert advice on the best ways to trade with bitcoin robots. They will most likely have some great tips on trading strategies, especially if you are new to the world of crypto trading.

Only Invest What You Can Afford to Lose. We always recommend investing amounts that you are ready to lose. Please do not invest amounts of money that would affect your financial circumstances in any way. That is also a reason why we recommend to start small. Even though Bitcoin Evolution has a high reported success rate, you can lose money so please be cautious when trading.

Does Bitcoin Evolution have a mobile app?

The bitcoin robot does not offer a mobile app, unfortunately. However, the good news is that it runs on a browser, meaning that you can definitely trade on the go as long as you have an internet connection on your smartphone.

Bitcoin Evolution Review: The Verdict!

Bitcoin Evolution appears to be a legit platform that many sites claim that the app has generated money for their users. The algorithm the software is based on appears to be as sophisticated as all the most trusted bitcoin robots out there. No matter how reliable your trading platform is, you can still run into losses so we recommend caution. Start with small investments and see how things go.

Remember that all investment opportunities carry a certain risk. This especially applies to cryptocurrencies, which are still relatively young in the financial markets.

FAQs:

Is Bitcoin Evolution App a scam?

Bitcoin Evolution appears to be a completely legitimate platform and users claim that making money on it is possible.

What is the minimum deposit on Bitcoin Evolution App?

You can deposit as much money as you want on it but be aware that you can lose it so the website recommends investing the minimum allowed, at least at the beginning. That means that you should invest $250 at first. If you are happy with the platform you can increase your investment amount as you go along.

Is Bitcoin Evolution endorsed by Gordon Ramsay?

Bitcoin Evolution is not endorsed by Gordon Ramsay or any celebrities. These are rumors and the Bitcoin Evolution CEOs do not support these false marketing tactics.

Has Bitcoin Evolution been on Shark Tank?

Bitcoin Evolution has not appeared on TV show Shark Tank. These are simply rumors and have no truth to them. Bitcoin Evolution is legit and these rumors are simply marketing techniques made up by affiliates.

Is there an Bitcoin Evolution App?

Yes, there is an app available for this robot and it is available for iPhone and Android devices.

Can you make money with Bitcoin Evolution?

According to the website, you can make profits with their app. Users report making between $950 and $2,200 in one day. However, you should also take into account that the more you invest the higher the potential returns according to the app.

Can I withdraw my money from Bitcoin Evolution?

Users report that you can withdraw your funds immediate from Bitcoin Evolution. Many scams out there stop you from making withdrawals, forcing you to re-invest what you earn without giving you a chance to ever get it back, but it is reported that this is certainly not the case for Bitcoin Evolution.

Is Bitcoin Evolution legit and safe?

Bitcoin Evolution appears to be a safe auto trading robot, linked to reliable robot brokers.

More Info Read Here - https://www.bitcoinevolutionpro.com/

[xxkellsvixen19xx]

Forget Me Not Jim Mason x Reader 50 First Dates AU Pt 3

Jim laid a hand on her thigh out sight and casual-like. Just a light pressure to let Y/N know he was there for her.

Her entire body tightened, and she darted a glance around the table to see if anyone was watching. Everyone else was far too interested in their conversation and the joint floating around. He leaned over slightly to whisper by her ear. "You know they love you to pieces. It's going to be just fine, angel eyes."

His use of her nickname made her lips twitch. But even more importantly, to his delight she snuck her hand over his, linking their fingers together and squeezing tightly in response.

"You two got something on your mind over there?" Chad's question buzzed angrily in Jim's ears.

It was rather amazing how much disapproval could be put into such simple words.

Y/N took a deep breath, but before she could speak Jim decided what the hell. He'd sooner be skinned for the whole disaster, no matter what she'd said before.

"Not a secret," Jim announced. "We're dating."

Other than her quick gasp of shock, there was no response to his comment. Not for a full five seconds. Then an uproar of noise hit from all sides.

"The hell?"

"Since when?"

"Are you serious?"

Over all the questions and cussing lay a deep, heavy rumble, starting low then increasing in volume until Mr. Y/D/L/N's laugh broke through. He waved his sons off. "Calm yourself, boys. You really surprised by this?" He clicked his tongue. "Never thought I’d raised a pack of dullards. I saw this coming from a mile away."

Y/N gave Jim  a dirty look before facing her father.

"What's that mean?"

The older man shrugged. "Means I'd seen you two making calf eyes at each other when you thought no one was looking. About time you came to your senses."

Chad stumbled to vertical, glaring daggers at Jim. "Bullshit. You can't be dating Y/N."

Jim stood to meet him eye to eye across the table. "Not your decision."

"She's still recovering from the accident. She doesn't need to get involved with anyone."

A stream of very creative swearing burst free from a most unexpected source. Jim waited cautiously until Chad looked away before also turning toward Y/N.

She'd stood as well, her much shorter status very clear as everyone loomed over her from where they’d all risen to their feet around the table. The vile language spewing from her mouth stuttered to a stop as she whipped out her finger and stuck it in her oldest brother’s face.

"The accident happened two months ago. I. Bumped. My. Head. That's it. I didn't have a lobotomy or revert to childhood. I've had enough of you wrapping me in cotton and refusing to let me do anything on my own. Yes, I have gaps in my memory, and yes, dealing with that is a pain in the ass. But you, Chad"-she glared around the table to take in all her brothers-"all of you, are even bigger pains. I did not break my brain, or my body. My sex drive did not vanish out the broken window, and I will not allow you, or anyone else, decide what will or won't happen in my life."

Jim wasn't sure the mention of sex was the wisest idea as eyes narrowed further, and fists were clenched. Only he couldn't worry about that because she'd spun her fury toward him.

"And you! You're the biggest pain of them all. I told you I wanted to do this myself. You agreed, and now you just leap in and do exactly the opposite of what I asked for? Damn you." Y/N stepped back from the table, her eyes full of fire as she planted her feet wide and crossed her arms. "Jim and I are not going out," she stated clearly.

Oh, shit. She was more upset by his taking control than he’d expected. He reached for her, but she twisted from his grasp.

"Forget it, Jim. We might be seeing more of each other in the future if you get your head out of your ass, but the only reason will be because you might be the father of my baby."

The question exploded from five male throats at the same moment.

Y/N lifted her chin, cheeks red, her chest heaving. "Yes. I'm pregnant. Jim insists he could be. That's all I'm going to say about this tonight because I'm sick of all of you. Good night."

She twirled on her heel and stomped from the room, the door slamming shut after her. Jim wavered between running after her and staying to explain to the guys.

He never saw it coming. The fist that connected with his jaw made stars burst before his eyes, and he stumbled backward before landing on the floor, five very angry faces staring down at him.

"Shall we bury him alive in the back forty?" Danny asked, wiggling his fingers to shake out the blow he’d delivered. "Hang him in the garage. We can use the welder’s torch and skin him first."

Jim shoved aside the anger inside that wanted to flare like a torch. "Let me explain, dammit."

Chad dragged a hand over his head then gestured his brothers aside. He extended his hand to Jim.

Jim eyed it with distrust.

His friend snorted. "Look, you surprised us all, but I’m not going to beat you any further, and neither will the others."

"Speak for yourself," Alex drawled. "What the hell is going on, Jim?"

"Boys, let him up." Y/D/F/N Y/D/L/N pushed through his sons to cast an unreadable stare upon Jim.

Alex looked disappointed. "Does this mean we're not killing him and hiding the body?"

Y/D/F/N rested a hand on his shoulder. "Not today, but there's still hope for tomorrow."

And with that, Jim sighed in relief. He was going to be forgiven, at least by the guys. ,Y/N on the other hand, was another issue. He'd have to watch his balls around her for the next while.

They all settled around the table, a little uneasy. More awkward than he'd ever felt with the family. "So, now what?" Alex asked.

"That one is easy," Y/D/F/N answered. "Now Jim finds a way to convince Y/N they’re a couple. If she's going to have a baby, she needs all the support she can get."

"So you’d better find a way to convince Y/N she wants you in her life, or else," Chad snapped. Chad's ultimatum pissed Jim off all over.

"There’s nothing I want more." The secret seed of fear inside was shoved down and ignored as Jim went nose to nose with his stubborn best friend. “Did you not listen to what I said about sending you an email, you stupid ass? Did you not hear the part about how I'm the one who came to her before she even told me about the baby?"

"Easy words to say when none of it can be proved."

"Still say we take him outside and work him over,"  Alex muttered.

"Shut up, all of you." Mr. Y/D/L/N didn’t shout. Didn't storm, but his intensely spoken comment quelled all four of his sons. "Stop poking at Jim. He knows what he did was wrong, and if my baby girl is going to have a man in her life, I like Jim."

Warmth rushed him at the man’s words of acceptance. "Thank you, sir."

Y/D/F/N turned toward him with ice in the depths of his purple eyes. "You hurt her again, though, and I'll shoot you myself."

Ahh, family. Jim straightened up and wondered if he was going to survive.

Remembering the expression of fury in Y/N's eyes, he just might be better off dealing with the guys.

*********************************************

Y/N pulled herself alert. She was only a moment away from sliding into a puddle of relaxation in the overstuffed easy chair, tired from her week and everything that had been going on.

Medina had plopped herself on the floor to apply a new layer of polish to Y/N's toes. Instead of Friday night at the pub, Medina had suggested a girls’ home spa. The laid-back evening was so much better than fighting the noise and the crowds. Y/N was in heaven.

"Skipping away from the baby talk for a minute." Heather leaned forward on her elbows. "Tell me to butt out if you're not sharing, but what's this I hear about Jim.Mason basically camping out in your front yard?"

Y/N wasn't sure if she was pissed off or pleased with his relentless attention. "I laid down the law about two weeks ago, and ever since he's been trying to get back in my good books."

"Is it working?" Medina snorted. "Jim has not yet perfected the art of the grovel, we'll just put it that way."

"Hmm." Cami and Annisa, two more of Y/N's friends, exchanged glances. "A good grovel is always nice,”  Cami admitted.

"Followed by make-up sex, right?" Annisa grinned. "So, what’s he not doing right? Not being determined enough?"

Y/N stopped to think for a minute. Jim had been persistent-that much was in his favor. "I don’t think he understands what he did wrong in the first place."

"Of course he doesn’t." Heather grabbed a pitcher and topped up her drink. "He’s a guy. The words 'I was wrong' kind of stick in their throats and end up coming out as 'Get over it, little woman, I know best.'

A snort escaped before Y/N could stop it. "Yeah, that’s about the entire story."

"So, all he needs to do is say he was wrong?" Medina tilted her head to the side. "I would have thought this situation required more than that."

"Oh, 'I was wrong' would be the first step," Y/N agreed. "But until he figures out that this is my life, I'm not letting him back in. It's bad enough with my brothers wanting to make decisions for me."

"And you don’t need another big brother, right?" Ava winked at her. "I know you probably hate getting asked, but how are you feeling?"

"Much better,” Y/N admitted happily. "Morning sickness is done. Lots of energy. I haven’t got back my memory, but I have progressed in my math beyond two plus two is four."

"Hmm, too bad you have no memory of sexing it up with Jim." Cami waggled her brows. "I bet he’s got some moves."

"I can’t believe sex with Jim wasn’t memorable enough to stay in your brain no matter what. I mean, do you think he's got a teeny penis or something, and your mind is trying to wipe that out?"

"Not the size of the equipment, it’s how well they use it," Annisa quipped innocently, batting her lashes at the laughter that rose from the other women. "Well, that’s what they say, right?"

"No, I doubt Jim is lacking penis power. Unless he's shoving socks into his jock strap, the guy's got the goods."

Like a barometer, Y/N’s cheeks had responded to the chatter. She didn't really want to speculate on Jim's... equipment. "Sorry. Memory loss doesn’t pick and choose to save the juicier tidbits for repeat consumption. We'll have to stick with 'I don't remember’ on this one."

Laughter exploded, and Y/N relaxed back into her happy haze of food and friends. It wasn't the size of Jim's equipment that interested her -well, okay, not completely. But if she remembered the act, she'd know for sure who was involved in making the baby in her belly. She slipped her hands over the slight bulge beginning to show and wished again for a miracle, like total recall. It didn't come, but the friendship and warmth around her helped. Helped a lot.

The next morning Jim shifted uneasily on his feet and waited for Y/N to answer his knock. It was just past ten. Late enough she would have had time to sleep in a little and dress, because he didn't need any temptation to mess this up.

It sort of worked. She was awake. The woman who pulled the door open had bright eyes and a rested face; only she was still wrapped in a mass of soft terry cloth. Her robe ended at mid-thigh, and Jim snapped his gaze back up to safer territory.

He swallowed hard. "Hi."

She lifted one brow in a perfect Vulcan imitation. "Hi." Jim paused. "How you doing?"

Y/N nodded. "Good."

Ah, fuck it. "I'm so sorry, Y/N. I was an ass, and I had no right to butt in and go around your wishes."

She opened the door all the way and they headed towards the kitchen. She watched with a bemused attitude from where she’d pushed herself up to sit on the counter. "What are you doing, Jim?"

"Apologizing." He lifted his glass to her. "Trying to find a way to truly be there for you and make up for my stupid move at dinner a while back."

Y/N lifted her hand to touch his jaw where the final tinge of a bruise was slowly fading. "You got worked over by my brothers that night. I'm sorry for leaving you to them."

Jim stood stock-still as her soft fingers caressed his cheek. "I blew it more ways than one that night."

"You did." She patted his cheek gently then leaned forward to whisper, “But I'm ready to forgive you. Only for heaven's sake, stop acting like some ball-less dweeb."

Jim couldn't help but to laugh. "That's blunt."

Y/N shrugged. "It’s the new Y/N-I tend to speak my mind a little sooner. So here’s the deal. You will not fuck up and go against my express wishes, and I'll stop my brothers from beating on you."

Jim nodded. "And you'll let me get involved in your life; however it will help you the most. Whether that’s getting things ready for the baby's arrival, or being there to rub your feet or ..." He'd spotted the circle on the calendar on the wall. "Or going to prenatal visits with you."

She hesitated. "I don't know how I feel about that."

"That’s not true." Jim laid a hand over hers where it rested on the counter. "Come on, new Y/N, tell me what's racing through your mind."

She stared down at their fingers. "I'm afraid to let you in, I'm afraid to have you around and then have you taken off down the road." Her head lifted and those beautiful eyes stared into his soul. "I want you to be there for more than just the baby."

Jim stroked her fingers lightly. "I’m here. In spite of your fears." In spite of his own. "I wanted you before the baby was in the picture, and I'll want you no matter what." That much he could say with full and complete honesty.

The moment hung between them. Anticipation and longing right there. All his concerns and worries were overwhelmed by the need to have Y/N make the decision for him. To be with him, and give him a chance. Even though her accepting him would open up a world of nightmares-facing those would be worth it. Had to be worth it. He'd chosen to be a better man than his father, and this was the place that he made his stand.

Y/N moved so slowly, but finally she did move. Leaned toward him and rested her head on his shoulder. He slipped up a hand to brush the inch-long hair over her scalp, the softness against his palm like satin.

She leaned away. "Okay."

His heart raced like an out-of-control train. "Okay?"

She nodded. "You can come to the prenatal with me. And you can do some stuff around here, to help get things ready for the baby."

Jim waited, then got tired of waiting. "And us?" He demanded.

Her tongue snuck out quickly as she moistened her lips. "Well, I suppose we could start seeing each other."

He wanted to toss his fist into the air and shout, but that might freak her out. So instead he picked her up and twirled her. Hugging her close as she laughed. "Put me down, silly."

Jim lowered her carefully, reluctant to allow her warm, soft body to leave contact with his. "Does that mean we can go on a date?"

"Yes." She got an evil look in her eyes. He lowered himself onto the open space next to her, leaving room between them. There would be time to make a move on the physical side of things soon enough, now that she was letting him in. Letting him have a chance to do the right thing, and more.

She leaned back, the sunshine in the window making her soft and edible, and incredibly beautiful. "You have any plans for the day?"

"You are my plans."

Her smile bloomed, and Jim's heart swelled a little. It wasn’t what he’d expected to be doing, but in the big scheme of things-it was right.

@michael-langdon-appreciation

Credit to @carolthors

[stunudo]

BAU Prep School AU: Class of 18

Welcome to the Frederick Buchanan Institute located in scenic Quantico, Virginia, a senior high academy that shapes the best and brightest minds. Its motto is “Behavior, Analysis, Unity,” the mascot the Submariners, colloquially “the Unsubs”. The small school supports the most accomplished faculty from across the country. (image link)  2016-2017 school year  Class of 18 

Okay, my lovely Submariners, it has been far too long and I apologize for that. About half of my usual audience has vacated Tumblr with all the excitement, but I hope some of you are still out there and still interested. A very special shout out to Nicole @dontshootmespence for writing the clues for the hunt, she is far more clever than I.

The Scavenger Hunt

Friday March 23, 2018 7:10am

The silence in the usually bustling space sent Headmaster Aaron Hotchner into a suspicious scowl. His leer lingered on the un-womaned front desk of the main office. No Ashley. There had never been no Ashley before. Hotch thought she would rather infect the entire school with germs than miss a day of the gossip and constant paperwork. She hated to fall behind in the daily attendance logs and phone calls. He checked his watch with his briefcase still firmly in his right hand before heading into his office to check his email.

Just as a sigh of relief left his lips, Penelope stormed in, rolling up the sleeves of her violet cardigan.

“Just heard about Ashley’s cat. Poor baby. Where do you need me first?”

“Let’s get through morning announcements and then we can decipher Ashley’s very detailed list of instructions for the remainder of the day.”

Two hours later

Penelope had sorted through announcements and daily communications, once the first period’s attendance was logged, she cross-checked it with any approved absences. She swore there had to be a more efficient way to do it. Somethings just took longer than she had patience for and technology had seriously evolved in the past fifty years. Hotch began organizing the mail and other fliers left in the office’s inbox when a square unmarked envelope caught his eye. Thinking it was a simple greeting card, he opened it to get it sent along to its intended destination. What he found instead was a simple handwritten not in capital letters:

HERE YOU FIND A MILLION WORDS, BUT YOU MUST READ THEM FOR THEY CAN’T BE HEARD.

“Garcia? Is this something I should be concerned with?” Hotch’s eyebrows raised in confusion while Penelope flitted over to read the card.

“Probably not, but can we?” Penelope clenched the paper in her bejeweled hands. “Sir, please? I mean, it will only take a second to find the next clue.”

“Clue to what?”

“Precisely! To what!” Penelope beamed with curiosity. Hotch rolled his eyes and shook his head as a conspiratorial smirk crept across his face.

“Alright, let’s go see if Ms. Donovan has found any peculiar envelopes today.”

The Delaney Owens Memorial Library, 9:37am

Dr. Spencer Reid had plans to start his weekend with a good book, which is how he found himself roaming the stacks of the cavernous library with little inkling to what would catch his fancy that crisp Spring morning. The use of his prep period for such a personal use would be suspicious if it was the Regents Board monitoring the staff like prisoners, but luckily for Spencer, his silent companion wouldn’t breathe a word outside of the sacred space. He hadn’t had many interactions with the secretive librarian since he took the science position, but mostly that was because she was exceptionally shy.

Their communication tended to be mostly non-verbal, which added to her general mystery and librarian clout. As Spencer lingered in the Poetry section, something out of place jutted out between two well-worn volumes. He reached out to grab the white envelope as the heavy doors opened ominously. He instinctively slipped it into the back pocket of his dress pants, like a thief prior to discovery and spun to see who had entered. Their telltale voices floated through the vast quiet and Spencer chuckled beneath his breath.

“Hey, Hotch, Penelope, what’s up?” Spencer approached, hands in his pockets and slightly concerned.

“A plot is afoot, Boy Wonder!” Penelope was instantly shushed by the Headmaster and the Librarian behind the low counter. She waved them off, thrusting the card from the Main Office to her fellow genius. Spencer’s brow pinched as he read the riddle.

“Well, let’s just see the next destination for the hunt, shall we?” Spencer whisked his matching clue in flourish from behind his back.

“Reid?”

“I didn’t plant the notes. I just found this in poetry when you came in.”

“Very suspicious, if you ask me,” Penelope squared her shoulders and held her hands on her hips.

“He’s not lying, Garcia.” Hotch said flatly.

“He’s not?! But that was too easy.”

“Right place, right time.” Spencer shrugged before reading the next note for the waiting ears, “Sit down and eat and don't be rude, if you're mean you get no food.”

Cafeteria, 10:58am

Jackson Curtis had perfected balancing his lunch tray on the seat of his walker-scooter, something he had switched to from his arm-crutches in early October. Like most days he made sound effects as he walked, keeping people out of his way while entertaining himself. Rita Cruz giggled as he made a hydraulic hiss and a Tardis-reminiscent whooshing before settling across from her at the end of the nearly empty table. Fourth period lunch was the least populated because a lot of the upperclassmen knew to schedule their classes, ensuring they didn’t eat so early in the school day. The two freshmen were aware of others’ preferences, yet they liked the quieter atmosphere for their own extremely different reasons.

“Have you noticed the teachers today?” She asked as she watched Ms. Blake and Coach Jareau bending over and checking beneath the tables and benches.

“Think it’s a mysterious package they’re looking for?” Jax wiggled his eyebrows, earning a wad of bread crust tossed at him.

“Not funny, but no, we’d be evacuated, and somebody’s parents would be up in arms and all sorts of crap would happen if there was a threat. But, seriously, what is their deal?”

“I think you mean everybody’s parents would be throwing a fit.”

“Pretty much.”

A short screech rang out across the cafeteria as the Drama teacher flagged down her fellow faculty, Coach Jareau jogged down the center aisle as Ms. Blake ripped open a small white card, Rita could see her lips working over the words without hearing her over the surrounding ruckus. The soccer coach pulled her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of its contents, leaving their audience in the dark.

Teacher Lounge 11:40am

Emily kept checking her watch and Chef Rossi noticed, not making a comment, but not keeping the Italian snark from his face either. JJ and she had lunch together everyday and today, of all days, JJ was late, and Emily was increasingly anxious the later she got. Did she have the wrong place? Had she remembered wrong? Was this whole thing a mistake, was this note she found in theatre not meant for her? What the hell was going on?

Stabbing into her chicken cutlet was the last straw, Dave cleared his throat. “You know, Emily, there are these fancy new gadgets called cell phones. You could call your girlfriend and ask where she is?”

If looks could kill, Alex Blake would have just qualified for a hefty inheritance. Without a word, Emily pulled out her phone and dialed JJ all the while keeping Dave locked in a staring match.

“Jayge?”

Dave didn’t get to find out what was going on, but by the quirk of her lips Emily told him it wasn’t serious. She single-handedly cleared her place and clipped out of the deserted dining room. Leaving the chef shaking his head as he sipped his cappuccino.

Just down the Hall, outside of the Cafeteria

Stephen Walker was holding up two plain index cards beside Penelope who held up another, while Dr. Reid articulated with his hands to a rapt Hotch, JJ and Tara. Emily slid into the semi-circle as the cards became legible.

HERE YOU FIND A MILLION WORDS, BUT YOU MUST READ THEM FOR THEY CAN’T BE HEARD.

SIT DOWN AND EAT AND DON’T BE RUDE, IF YOU’RE MEAN YOU GET NO FOOD.

I MEASURE SUCCESS IN APPLAUSE AND YELLS, THIS IS A PLACE WHERE THE MUSIC SWELLS.

Silently, Emily unfolded the missing piece she had found during first hour. Adding it in sequence into Penelope’s left hand. Returning beside JJ she leaned in, “I thought you were being cute.”

JJ gave her a confused face as Tara read the new information aloud, “I don’t have the advantage of home field, but please don’t try to make me yield. There is nothing more I want than this, meet me in a place like our first kiss.’ That…is suddenly personal.”

“So that means this game is meant for a specific staff member,” Hotch added.

“Where did you find this?” Spencer leaned in, examining Emily’s clue for any other anomalies.

“My Shakespeare class are using the theatre to perform their favorite scenes from the plays we have covered so far. I found it in the front row first thing this morning.”

“The sequence is Office, Library, Cafeteria, then Theatre. But we can’t tell who it’s for after that,” Stephen’s deep voice surmised.

“Garcia?” Hotch had his brooding eyebrows on. “Is today a special date for you and Coach Morgan?”

“No, sir, our anniversary is in December and, he knows better than to do surprises during school hours.” Hotch smiled at her defense.

“Okay, so it’s not Emily and JJ, nor Derek and Penelope. Does this seem like something Grant would do?” Spencer looked to Hotch and the amused Dave who had found the conspirators before the turn of the hour.

“Interesting,” Tara added.

“Guys, I hate to break up the Scooby Gang, but Fifth Period is just about over.” Dave raised his hands, gently pushing the air to clear the hall. The faculty broke off in groups and pairs, speculation and gossip flowing freely.

Clear as a bell before she rounded the corner, Penelope squealed, “Ashley is going to be so mad she missed this!”

Gymnasium 2:16pm

Luke Alvez rounded the track in a measured pace, his last quarter mile slated for a cooldown before hitting the showers. He didn’t use his prep period for exercise often, but he had a lot of thoughts eating away at him and his best anecdote for a racing mind was an adrenaline tapped body. He relished in the barely Spring air, letting the cold hit his dark curls as he pulled off his hoodie. He nodded to Coach Morgan as the heavy outside door groaned closed behind him.

“Yo, Alvez, come here a sec,” the football coach called from the sidelines of an intense match of 3v3. Luke folded his damp sweatshirt over his forearm as he waited for Derek’s query. “Take this to Hotch? It’s probably a prank, but Zach Henkel found it during Running Club and I haven’t gotten a sec to drop it off yet.”

Luke’s eyes grew impossibly darker as he read the simple hint on the ordinary cardstock. “Uh, sure, no problem. I’ma go wash up first.”

“You better,” Derek grinned, earning a tongue in cheek smirk from the soccer player in return. When he got to the emptiness of the showers, Luke finally let the panic set in. This was a familiar game.

THE PLACE WHERE THE HEADMASTER GETS THINGS DONE, AMIDST PAPER AND PENCILS AND NOT MUCH FUN, AMONG DESKS AND DRAWERS AND TABLES AND CHAIRS, YOU WILL FIND YOUR NEXT CLUE THERE.

The card still taunted him as he strolled down the hallway, ducking around students during passing time. He was going to be late for his Latin class, but it was a Friday afternoon’s last class of the day; the kids wouldn’t even notice. He found Penelope talking to a picture frame, seated at Ashley’s desk.

“What’s up newbie?” Penelope asked waving a fuzzy pen in greeting, her face paled and eyes widened as he held up the clue. “Did you find another one?! Gimme, gimme, we need to finish this before the weekend, or I will not be able to sleep.”

“Uh, what are you talking about?”

“The clues? All of us have been searching the school since first hour. Keep up.” She snapped, wrenching the paper from his hand.

“Quite the run around, how come nobody said anything to me?” He was trying to be casual, luckily Penelope’s intuition was otherwise engaged.

“Ugh, it’s just a precursor! It doesn’t tell us WHO or WHEN or anything really.” She moaned in defeated.

“Look, I gotta get to class, but if you want a set of fresh eyes, I can take a look at the rest of them?” Luke smiled as Penelope slowly perked up.

“You HAVE to tell me the SECOND you figure it out, deal?” She threatened with a fiercely manicured index finger.

“Deal,” Luke chuckled, giving her his usual easy grin. “Hand ‘em over before I get marked tardy.”

She waved off his joke, “I’ll write you a pass, geez.”

Guidance Office, 3:47pm

Derek Morgan leaned his broad frame through Penelope’s door, peeking to see if she was still there. She was, fingers typing absently as she glanced over her shoulder at her second monitor, a grimace half way between annoyance and confusion met his low voice. “How’s my Baby Girl today?”

“Ugh, You’re not Luke!”

“No…. I’m not, is there something you want to tell me?” Derek asked with a faux serious face.

“Luke hadn’t seen all the clues, so I let him take them with him when he brought the last one.”

“So, it was a big game after all? I thought it was just a single prank, huh.” Derek sat on the edge of Penelope’s desk as she leaned back in her swirly chair in thought.

“It was a Scavenger Hunt, my dear sweet man, but you were too busy in your sweaty gym to notice. We, all of us, have been in a tizzy all day!”

“Right, well, can we go home now?”

“Not yet.”

“Penny Grace Garcia.”

“Soon! I swear!”

“It’s Friday!”

“Five more minutes?”

“Look, if Luke doesn’t show up with an answer in the next two, I’m driving home. You can walk.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Hey guys,” Tara sauntered in, her tailored suit accentuating her long legs. “Any news?”

“No, Luke has all the clues, but I haven’t heard or seen anything else.” Penelope pouted, fluffing the feathers at the end of her pen.

“Luke left.”

“What?! When?!” Penelope stood up, Derek soon followed. “He can’t! I need answers. We had a deal.”

Derek and Tara shared a look, but they let her go, fuming down the hallway and toward the parking lot. “Why is this so important?” Derek groaned under his breath.

Tara warned, “Don’t get between her and a mysterious romantic quest.”

He guffawed, “Oh shit, never mind, of course let’s waste our weekend storming off in circles.”

“I can hear you!” Penelope called back, not bothering to slow down, rounding a corner and almost knocking Spencer on his bony bottom. “Oh, sorry, have you seen Mr. Alvez?”

“Uh, no, but Grant said he had a few more hours of work. Maybe Luke’s with him?” Spencer straightened his tie and looked to Derek and Tara. “What’s going on?”

“We think Luke may have figured out the next clue,” the history teacher explained as Penelope started marching once more.

“He has the clues, I don’t know if he knows shit!” Penelope grumbled, either way, Spencer joined the pursuit. Once the ragtag group reached the side exit, they spotted Luke’s form across the soccer pitch heading away from the school and the parking lot. “Where does he think he’s going?”

“It looks like he’s headed to the football field,” Derek shrugged.

“Anybody know where their first kiss was? Maybe this was for Luke all along?” Tara pointed out.

“I thought it was our house?” Derek asked Penelope as she slipped out of her heels.

“Who knows, but we better catch up if we want to find out!” She stepped into the damp grass and recoiled. Though her curiosity won out, Penelope cursed muddy stockings the whole way there.

Fifty Yard Line

He didn’t know how long he would have to wait for Luke to find his clues, either way the nervous energy wasn’t dissipating anytime soon. He paced, jogged and tossed the ball in the air, anything to keep him from checking his watch. He still checked his watch. This was his element, the fresh air and the chalk lined field should be a comfort to him, but his better judgement screamed caution. An ominous groan escaped the latch of the gate at the far end of the field. His breathing increased as Luke slowly made his way towards him. The moment had finally arrived. Luke was tense, constantly checking over his shoulder while Phil was just happy, he had agreed to see him.

“That can’t be good,” Kate said like a curse, eyeing her coworkers from the back of Hotch’s car. She had a box of hand-me-down clothes to give to Jack in her arms. Hotch’s furrowed brow told her he shared the sentiment. With a casual relocking of both of their trunks, they followed the small swarm of educators to the vacant football stadium.

Grant had been dodging questions and bad weather all day. The sun had only another two hours left, and he needed to get serious about the soccer pitch. He had plans that weekend and nothing was going to keep him at work longer than what was necessary. When he spotted the crowd of suspicious educators galivanting through the grounds, his possessiveness of the grass maintenance nearly gave him a coronary. He needed to make sure they weren’t going to be long or damaging, so he followed them.

“Why are you doing this?” Luke balked down at Phil, blindsided by the gesture that had his ex-lover kneeling before him and holding up a ring.

“Because I need you in my life, Luke. We’re better together,” Phil insisted, reaching for Luke’s left hand. “Say yes. Say yes and I can spend the rest of our lives making it up to you.”

“What is happening?!” Penelope’s voice echoed through the stands, forcing Luke’s eyes closed in shame.

“You should leave,” Luke spat at the ground and turned to try and make up for the confusion. As Luke spun his eyes locked onto the only pair that shouldn’t have seen the last few minutes. Grant’s usual gentle blue turned a cold and distant storm. “Grant, wait, let me expla—”

But he was gone before Luke or anyone else could stop him. The crowd dispersed quickly. Derek ended up dragging Penelope back from attacking Phil in the parking lot. Grant seemed to have vanished in a way only someone who knew the school’s oldest secrets could. Hotch looked at Luke with a rare moment of pity before wishing everyone a safe weekend.

Through stinging eyes, Luke found his way to his truck at the back of the parking lot. Stuck beneath his wiper blade was a now ominous white envelope. He snarled into the night as he ripped it from its perch, throwing it with a frustrated backhand. He climbed into the cab and let the menacing engine take over for his frustrations, leaving the litter to drown in a pothole with his hopes and intentions.

General

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Prep School

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