#they sit on her sofa his arm around her and she’s describing all the terrible things she went though that day

[mymelodyisme]

Okay but Mys and Shane totally have pet names for each, some that stuck around from the days when they weren’t supposed to be cute nicknames.

Shane for Mys: Doll face, Sunshine, Gumball/Drop, Dotty, Princess, Daisy, Sweat Pea, Chatterbox, Angel

Mys for Shane: Grumpy, Handsome, Cheekie, Sour Patch, Lemon Drop, Pizza Pie, Light of my Life

Also!! 🥺 Shane calls her Henny instead of honey because chickens, and so she calls him Rooster. So,,,

Henny ♥️ Rooster

Bonus: some nicknames they call Jas 😋

Jazzy, Kiddo, Little Princess, Little Flower, Little Lady, Little Fairy

[jomiddlemarch]

christmas prompt #6, anne/gilbert!

“I’m sorry, Anne, truly,” Gilbert said, his arm warm around her waist, the words dropping as softly as the snow that had begun to fall. 

“I’m not,” Anne replied. She didn’t dare glance up at him. He was tall and sturdily built and it was taking a great deal of determination to serve as his crutch, which she could hardly let him see. He’d be sure to insist she go to fetch someone to help him back, as if she’d leave him sitting beside the frozen pond with only his great-coat and scarlet muffler to keep him from becoming a block of ice. She could also feel her nose turning an unbecoming red in the cold and was vain enough not to want Gilbert to notice.

“You ought to be,” he said, wincing as he made an entirely unsuccessful attempt to bear some of his own weight. Like every doctor she’d ever heard of, he made a poor patient, a fact she intended to share with him just as soon as they were settled safely back at Ingleside, Susan whipping up a delicious pot of her famous vegetable soup, “known to keep body and soul together, Mrs. Doctor, a tonic far tastier than anything the Doctor ever prescribed.”

“Let’s not have any oughts or shoulds,” Anne said. “It was a wonderful idea, an afternoon of skating, just you and I, the way we never did back in Avonlea. I had a lovely time, you thought of everything, the flask of hot tea and those lemon biscuits—”

“And then I nearly crushed you, falling like the greatest oaf, as if I’d never worn a pair of skates before,” Gilbert interrupted. “If you weren’t so quick and graceful, I’d have hurt you badly.”

“That’s quite enough,” Anne said, letting her voice hold the faintest hint of Marilla’s regular asperity. “You didn’t come close to toppling me and the only consequence is your poor sprained ankle. If you’re quite sure it isn’t broken, you’re limping terribly.”

“I’m sure I can diagnose a broken ankle, whether I’m the patient or yet another one of the infinite McPherson clan,” Gilbert said. “It’s just a sprain—”

“A bad one,” Anne said. “I saw how you looked when you tried to stand up, don’t try to convince me otherwise. You shan’t and it will be a waste of your strength.”

“You’re not wrong,” Gilbert said, which she knew was as far as he would go in allowing he was in pain. She made a quick mental inventory of the pillows in the sitting room and decided which ones she’d use to prop up his foot. The squashy green velvet one she sewed just before Walter was born, the one he said made her look like a most industrious nymph, would at the top of the pile. “Why aren’t you sorry, though, Anne-girl? If you’re not sorry the skating ended early, it sounds rather heartless and that’s the last word I’d use to describe you.”

“I’m not sorry because I loved skating with you, Gil,” she said. “It felt like heaven, flying about the ice, and though I’d never want you to be injured, now you’ll have to rest for a few days. You can’t drive the carriage with your bad ankle. I’ll have you all to myself at Ingleside, Dr. Blythe unable to attend clinic or conduct any house-calls. I can’t think of the last time you had to stay at home and let yourself be tended to. You’ll have to let me be the one who takes care of you.”

“It sounds like work,” Gilbert said. “Me, a useless lump stuck on the sofa, Jem and Walter running you ragged—"

“I shan’t tell Susan you said that,” Anne replied. “She’ll reproach you so long and thoroughly you’ll wish you’d sprained both ankles or knocked yourself insensible. The boys will be delighted that Papa is home and happy to read them stories and Susan will be overjoyed to make us all twice as many of her little snacks as usual and when Jem and Walter are napping and Susan is in the kitchen, I’ll have you all to myself—”

“And what will you do with me?” Gilbert asked, his voice low, a little husky, startling to hear outside of their moonlit bedroom.

“That’s quite a good question,” Anne said. She risked a look at his face, the gleam in his hazel eyes obscuring any distress from his ankle or the growing cold. “You’ll be at my mercy, won’t you?”

“I will indeed,” he said. “I’m curious to see what form it will take.”

Nine months later, the form was apparent: twins, Di her mother’s image and Nan just as fair, with his own dark curls and eyes. He’d laughingly suggested they name Diana Mercy, but Anne, tired but indomitable, had only shaken her head and cuddled the swaddled babies a little closer.

[crackedoutwalnut]

woah can you maybe please write a prequel with wanda x r getting together, and maybe carol and nat meeting r for the first time? (in reference to that amazing last post of yours!!)

A/N: Okay soooo this took a little bit longer than expected lol,,, I tried incorporating Wanda and R meeting but it was nearly 7,000 words before I even got to Carol and Nat meeting R. (Also the writing was horrible) so I scrapped that and started over with just Carol and Nat meeting R.

Warnings: gun wounds and blood.

Word Count: 3k

Read the first one here.

--

"Do we have to tell them? I don't see why we can't just live our entire lives without Natasha and Carol knowing."

Wanda looked over at you with a raised brow, "Y/n, you are overreacting. Natasha and Carol can be a bit protective," you shot her an incredulous look.

"A bit?"

"-But, it isn't like they will kill you. Now stop pacing; you are wearing a track into the carpet." You halted your nervous loop and rubbed a hand over our face. Wanda's roommates and self-proclaimed mother figures were on their way back home from a mission. They had been gone for a few weeks, and the job had gone off without a hitch. In an uncharacteristic display of optimism, your girlfriend suggested that this would be the best time to tell them about your relationship. They were bound to be in a great mood from the mission's success so, the chances of them killing you were slimmer. Hopefully.

Outside of missions and monthly SHIELD meetings, you had little to no interaction with the two superheroes. The only one-on-one conversations you have had with Natasha or Carol have crashed and burned with you stammering and avoiding eye contact until awkwardly parting ways.

Wanda, having read your anxious thoughts, cradled your face in her hands and smiled. "Sweetie, I'm sure they will love you. Now, we have a decent amount of time before they get back..." she trailed off and moved her hands so that they looped around your neck. Your girlfriend tilted her head so that her lips were barely grazing your jawline. "We should use that time productively." Shuddering, you scrambled to straddle her lap with your thighs. Wanda chuckled at your eagerness and captured your lips with her own.

You arched your back and leaned further against her as she traced her hands up and down your back. You let out a small gasp as she settled them against your ass. Then, squeezing playfully, she grinned into the kiss and slipped her tongue past your parted lips. You pulled away and let out a breathy, "Cheater."

Wanda nipped lightly at your lower lip before poking out her lip in a fake pout. "Oh, I know. I'm awful."

You scowled and clenched your thighs and fists, using your leverage to switch your positions; you pinned her against the couch cushions. "And mean," you pecked a kiss against her jaw, "and terrible," a harsh bite to her collarbone, "and a bully." Wanda arched her back into your body as you continued to pepper her neck with slow kisses. You wrapped your arms around her back and moved her legs so that they were locked around your waist. Sitting up, you hastily pinned her against the window sill.

Wanda gasped and clutched at the back of your shirt, "Oh, you are going to be in so much trouble after this."

You lapped and sucked at the pale column of her neck for a moment before parting to peer up at her with a smug grin. "Says who?"

Wanda reached up to trail her thumb over the bottom of your lip before leaning in closer to your ear, "Keep kissing me like that, and I might consider not turning that perky little ass black and blue." You smothered your breathy moan in the crook of her neck. Quickly, you grasped at the hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head. Wanda followed suit by returning the favor.

You opened your mouth to say something else when both of you froze. The front door had slammed open. Before either of you could react, there was a sound of tramping boots, and suddenly, you were sent flying across the room by a strong hand. Gasping, you slid across the carpet and landed against the opposite wall. Your vision cleared to reveal Black Widow and Captain Marvel standing over you in a fighting position.

Wanda quickly ran over to the two of them and wedged herself between you and your surprise assailants. "Wait! She's not an attacker, I promise!"

Carol loosened lightly. However, she did not drop her fists, "We saw you struggling through the window and assumed there had been an attack."

You could not see your girlfriend's face from your vantage point on the floor; however, you assumed it was glowing red. The witch sheepishly crossed her arms over her bare stomach. She was wearing nothing but black pajama shorts and a matching bra. In any other situation, that would be enough to have you opening your legs then and there. However, after tonight you had no inclination to have sex ever again. "Natasha, Carol, this is my girlfriend, Y/n," she gestured to you as you scrambled to your feet.

Despite being dressed in a sports bra and sweatpants, you felt naked as two pairs of eyes settled on you. "Hi," you squeaked, offering a small wave.

Carol's eyes lit up in recognition, "You're that nervous little hacker Fury hired awhile back."

You felt your cheeks heat as you looked down at the carpet, "That's me."

Natasha's look of shock slowly morphed into a grin that one could only describe as sadistic. "So, if no one was under attack, that means..."

Wanda buried her face in her hands, "Please do not finish that sentence."

The assassin held her hands up in surrender, the smirk never leaving her face. "I didn't say anything. Now let's sit down- with all of our clothes on- and talk about this." You kept your gaze glued to the floor as you snatched your shirt and pulled it back on. You sat down next to Wanda, careful not to let any of your body touch hers. Glancing up, you saw Carol and Natasha peering down at you like a hawk would a field mouse.

"How did you two meet?" Natasha asked, folding her arms over her chest.

Wanda scratched the back of her neck, "We met in our programming class and then again at an on-campus coffee shop."

"And how did you hide this from a former Kree soldier and an assassin?" Carol asked.

"I would usually invite her over when you and Nat were away on missions," the witch explained.

"So this isn't the first time you have attempted to stain our new sofa?" Natasha asked. You suspected the question was rhetorical.

"Wanda, could you go upstairs for a minute? We would like to have a little chat with miss Y/n alone," the assassin requested, a too-sweet smile on her face.

You looked over at Wanda, silently pleading for her not to leave. Despite being telepathic, Wanda ignored your internal screeching and nodded, "I'll be in my room." As you watched her go, you started praying to whatever deity was up in the sky to keep you safe.

Natasha and Carol sat down on either side of you, shark-like grins on their faces. "So, Y/n, what are your plans for dating Wanda?" Carol asked, peering down her nose at you.

"Uh, what do you mean?" You shrunk further into the crack in the cushions. The back of your neck had started becoming slick and hot with nervous sweat as you looked anywhere but at the two women.

"I'm sure you are aware of Wanda's past and how much she has lost. The last thing we would want is for you to... reopen old wounds," Natasha said. Her voice was like sharpened steel as she stared you down.

Your eyes widened in shock as you looked over at her, "I would never hurt her, miss. Wanda is the first real relationship I have ever had, and I have no intentions of screwing that up."

Carol sighed and rested a hand on your shoulder. You nearly jumped out of your skin at the sudden contact. "You seem like a nice kid, Y/n. But, if you ever have sex in our living room again, knowing we'll be coming home soon. It will be the last thing you ever do."

You nodded and looked down at your lap. "Yes, ma'am."

--

From that day on, your interactions with Natasha and Carol were even more painful than before. Because, now the two had taken to "hazing" you, as Wanda described it. They would walk up behind you as silent as a panther ready to attack before barking an order at you. Every time this happened, you would nearly fall out of your seat, completely messing up whatever work you were doing on your computer. Usually, it would be something as simple as getting them a coffee- a task that was typically reserved for the interns. However, you scampered off without complaint and grabbed them what they needed from the breakroom.

"They will settle down, Y/n," Wanda assured. She was sitting on your desk, completely disrupting the research you were currently doing on one of your monitors. Her chunky combat boots were propped up on the armrest of your desk chair as she used her magic on a pen resting across from her.

"Natasha and Carol hate me, Wan," you groaned.

Wanda snickered and flicked the hovering pen at you with a streak of red magic. You huffed and pushed it away. "They don't hate you. If they really did not like you dating me, you would have been fired from SHIELD already. Nat and Carol can be protective, that's all. I think they are actually quite fond of you."

You scoffed, "That might be pushing it."

"I'm serious. Whenever you come up in conversation, they will always refer to you as my 'little hacker' or 'that cute nerd.'" Wanda hopped off your desk and planted a sweet kiss onto your cheek.

"They will grow to accept you, I promise."

--

That acceptance came on a rather stressful mission. It was your first time out in the field, and you were armed with nothing but a handgun and a taser. Your job was to hack into the terrorist organization's database and steal information about the location of their bombs and alien tech. In addition, Natasha, Carol, and Wanda were sent with you to rescue valuable hostages the terrorists were keeping in the basement of their HQ.

Natasha was sent with you for protection, much to Wanda's displeasure. The idea of leaving you alone in a den of wolves made the witch want to wrap you up in a blanket and run out of there. However, Carol needed Wanda's abilities to get to the hostages. So, that is how you found yourself shimmying through a ventilation shaft behind Black Widow. It was unbearably hot in the vents as you tried to maneuver through in sweat-slicked clothes. Your hair was clinging to your face in wet strands as you backed up to allow Natasha to kick open the slatted hatch below you.

She hopped down and looked around the security room before motioning for you to leap down. With far less grace, you jumped down to the tiled floor with a muffled grunt. Then, sliding into a desk chair that sat in front of over twenty different monitors, you set to work. Your fingers flew over the keys as you glared a the screens in front of you.

"How are we doing, Y/n?" Natasha called over her shoulder. Her gun readied in her hands.

"They have really advanced firewalls," you grunted. "But, I think I can figure a way around them."

"I hear footsteps," the assassin called. "Hurry up back there."

Your hands were cramped painfully as you reached into your pocket to grab a flash drive. Shoving it into the USB port, you fired off the last few commands. As a loading screen popped up, the metal door to the security room boomed open. You leaped out of your chair, hand reaching for your gun immediately. Six armed soldiers charged towards you, and the Black Widow with firearms and other weapons raised.

Natasha pivoted on her feet and kicked one of the men's guns from his hands. The rifle skittered across the tile and landed near the desk. Without looking back, Natasha shouted, "Get the flash drive, and go."

You glanced at the half-complete loading screen that was flashing a 5-minute timer. "What about you?" Natasha didn't reply, instead opting to turn her focus back to the man she was currently wrestling to the floor. Two other soldiers surrounded her while the three remaining ran towards you.

Scrambling to remember any combat you had learned in SHIELD training, you slammed your taser against one of their temples. The man convulsed and fell away from you with a cry of agony. Your hands shook violently as you tripped over the desk chair to recover the now complete flash drive. Another scar-faced man grasped at the back of your neck and pulled you towards him. You grunted and squirmed in his grip as the other one raised a gun to your head.

A loud bang sounded, and the gunman was toppling to the ground, blood leaking from his neck. The man holding you fell to the floor with the sound of another gunshot. You stumbled forward, away from the bodies. Grabbing the flash drive, you turned to face Natasha. Your relief was cut short when you saw a man, seemingly playing dead on the ground as he aimed his gun towards the assassin's head.

Crying out, you lunged into action faster than you could think. Your strides cleared the room in two healthy bounds as you tackled the soldier. You managed to get in two good kicks and a headbutt before another sickening bang echoed through the room. It took you a minute to register that the blow did not come from Natasha. You stumbled back and slowly peered down at your stomach. A stain of crimson was now leaking from a hole in your shirt.

Your vision grew bleary, and your ears were stuffed with cotton. Was that red stain new? You thought dimly as your feet fell from under you. You heard another shot, now much fuzzier and far off. Then, before your body could hit the floor, you felt two strong arms scoop you up. No, you decided, that stain had not always been there. It was blood; you were bleeding.

"Oh," you muttered, looking down at your leaking abdomen. "Thass not good," you slurred, peering up at the person carrying you.

Your brain vaguely registered them as Natasha. She looked down at you with an expression you had never quite seen before. "You have to stay awake for me. Can you do that?" Her request was quiet and strangely shaky.

You furrowed your brows; Natasha was never shaky about anything. You didn't like it. "Iss alrigh' Nat, you aren' hurt. What 'swrong?" If the assassin wasn't injured, then why was she crying? The Black Widow never cried.

"I know I'm not hurt, kid. That isn't the problem," she assured you with a humorless chuckle.

You winced as her running jostled your wound, "I think 'm hurt, Widow. Hurt real bad." Tears gathered in your eyes at the agony radiating from the hole in your abdomen.

"You're going to be alright, sweetie. I promise." Natasha held you closer to her chest.

"I'm glad I got to you, though," you continued. "Cause you and Carol already don' like me so, you definitely wouldn' be happy if I failed you."

You felt Natasha's hand go to cradle the back of your head. A gentle kiss was placed on the crown of your head. "We don't hate you, I promise. You're a really sweet kid. I'm really proud that Wanda found you."

Despite the black dots consuming your vision, you felt your chest explode with joy. "'N Carol too?"

Natasha chuckled, "Yeah, and Carol too." Then, as the last of your vision faded, you felt a smile rest on your face.

--

The first thing you registered when you awoke was the sound of beeping. It was annoying as all hell and caused the pain in your skull to worsen. You were warm, almost to the point of discomfort, and your abdomen was radiating a numb tingling. Almost as if it wasn't there at all.

Cracking your eyes open, you took in the dim room around you. It was a bedroom made up of plain oak furniture and eggshell walls. A guest room, maybe? Beside you was an IV that was hooked up to your forearm and a heartrate monitor. On the bedside table was a vase of expensive-looking flowers and an orange pill bottle.

You peeled back the three blankets that had been stacked on top of you to see a thick layer of gauze wrapped around your stomach. You were dressed in a sports bra and Captain America shield boxer shorts. Where was everyone? Who was everyone? Gritting your teeth, you slid out of bed. Nauseating pangs threatened to buckle you as you gripped at the IV stand next to you. You limped towards the door, the metal stand used as a makeshift cane. You scrambled to open the door with clammy hands. Once you stepped into the hallway, you realized where you were—Wanda's house.

"Wan? Are you here?" You called, your voice hoarse. Down the hall, to your right, you heard two doors fly open. Natasha, Carol, and Wanda came rushing out, eyes wild with concern.

"Babe, what the hell are you doing out of bed," your girlfriend asked, hands hovering around you as if you were a house of cards. You attempted to bat her hands away before stumbling slightly at the effort.

Carol rushed to your side and wrapped an arm around your waist. "Shit, kid, take it easy. Don't want to reopen that bullethole, do we?"

"What happened? Did we get the flash drive," you looked between the three of them.

Wanda shook her head and started leading you back to the guest bed. "Of course, that's the first thing you are worried about after nearly dying." She gently settled you back into bed and pulled the covers back over your body. "But, yes, the flash drive and the hostages are safe in Fury's possession, thanks to you."

You scoffed, "I'm just the techy. I didn't really do anything," you shrugged. "Besides, you three were the muscle."

Natasha scoffed and stepped forward, "You saved my life, Y/n."

Picking at a loose thread on the blanket, you shook your head, "I wouldn't go that far. I'm sure you could have handled it."

The assassin shook her head, "I didn't realize that he was still alive until you were on top of him."

Carol smiled and ruffled your hair, "You did good, kid. Thanks for saving my wife." Your answering grin was nearly blinding.

[calumxkisses]

Dancing In The Sky | a.i.

pairing: ashton irwin x reader

genre: fluff to angst

warnings: death (not main characters)

summary: request - Hi!!! It’s very morbid but, I really want one with ash or cal, where they’re in one of the boys house just the boys and their girls, and then the reader receive a call in the middle of the conversation telling someone in her family is dead and she just in shock and she tells them, and the he hugs her and she breaks!!! Thanks

a/n: recently my granny had to be rushed to the hospital and i thought i was going to lose her - luckly it didn't happen. i felt this request particularly close. i always say 'i love you' to my grandma before hunging up on the phone (we live pretty far away from each other) and i thought about what would happen if i forgot to say it, not knowing it would be for the last time. i'm sorry to anyone of you if this triggers you. i love you.

you should read this imagine while listening to: before you go

➳

The light coming in from the window on your right illuminates the whole room, it’s late afternoon but the sun shines almost as if it were noon. The scorching heat has now passed, there is a breeze that cools the air and spreads the scent of the grill in the garden, alternating the scent of grilled vegetables and steaks throughout the house. The pool water is still moving, the inflatable flamingo is wedged near the pool stairs and you can still see the tracks of Michael's wet feet near the diving board.

Halsey's songs are repeated at a low volume, but the guys sing them out loud and a smile forms on your face as you see how they are always ready to support their friends, not only publicly with tweets or instagram stories, but also in private, enjoying music like normal people do.

You hold onto the sweatshirt Ashton gave you as you grab your cell phone from the sofa and put it in your shorts pocket. Your hair is still wet from the shower you just took and it’s leaking few drops of water as you head outside, where your friends are starting to set the table for dinner.

You don't know how it happened, you have vague memories, but you feel grateful to have them around you, to have the opportunity to consider them as a second family, to be able to hug them and to be able to laugh with them. It is a fortune that not everyone has and you make sure you don't waste this opportunity.

“Honey!” Ashton yells, shaking his hand up and looking at you with an amused look. A few tufts of hair fall in front of his face and with one hand he tries to move them back, only to find them in front of his eyes again. His swimsuit is now dry, his chest is red from staying under the sun all day but his tattoos still manage to stand out in the tan and a huge smile covers his face.

Seeing him so happy, confident, at peace with his mind and in love with life, warms your heart and you almost feel like crying of joy in seeing him like this.

You wiped his tears, hugged him under the covers and held him a million times as his demons took over, when mirrors became enemies and food scared him.

You turned off his cell phone every time he read comments about his body and spent sleepless nights keeping him company while he vented his frustration by playing the drums.

You held out your hand to him while accompanying him in his battle against himself, you kissed him as he went through hell and his joy was worth every single tear.

You are proud of him, of the way he went back to wearing his favorite t-shirts and of the way he has come to love all his flaws, even though you're still sure he doesn't even have one.

As you leave the house, a cool breeze passes through your hair and you instinctively close your eyes to be able to appreciate the moment of coolness in the terrible heat of the last few days.

When you open your eyes, amazement takes over your body: the sky is not simply blue like the water in the pool you've been in all afternoon, but pink and orange clouds cover it completely; the sun hides behind them, tinges the sky with more intense colors and you feel your soul leave your body at the sight of so much beauty.

The sunset is so mesmerizing that you don't even feel the need to pick up your phone and take a picture of it, it's so beautiful that you're sure not even the best cameras would be able to capture such a marvel.

It’s a pink and orange sunset, bigger clouds are the backdrop to smaller more intense colors and the skyline of the city is slowly tinged with black, the lights of the buildings begin to see each other more and the world slows down as it prepares for the quietest hours.

The sunset arouses familiar, nostalgic, certainly not typical emotions in you; it’s so beautiful that you feel like you are living a dream, you pinch your arm lightly to make sure you are awake but Ashton's laugh reminds you that it is reality and, with that melody in the background, you understand that the difference between dream and reality is not that big.

And even if it were a dream, you know that dreaming never hurt anybody.

As the sunset surrounds you in a warm hug, a small white butterfly begins to flutter around you, spinning around and bringing a smile to your lips. The insect is small, but in the orange sky it stands out in an important way, making you feel like a Disney princess. You stretch your hand up, raising your forefinger and inviting the little butterfly to lean on it and, without fear, it leans on it, resting its wings and showing itself even more beautiful than you thought.

It’s white but at the corners of its wings it has black spots, its gaze seems to be directed towards you as its antennae move delicately. A sense of awe and wonder makes its way inside of you and you slowly bring the butterfly closer to you so you can admire it better, noticing how safe it continues to feel with you.

“Is everything alright?” Sierra asks as she sets the plates on the table, she's too busy to notice how you seem to be in symbiosis with the butterfly.

“Yeah.” You whisper while the insect continues to stay on your finger, motionless, leading you to feel a sense of peace in the moment you are living.

Suddenly, while the blue sky is giving its space to the dark night, the butterfly takes off and, after making another turn around you, heads towards the sky and merges with the lights of the stars.

You walk back to your friends, still confused about what just happened, and you see Michael trying to move the fire bowl to the corner of the pool. “Mike, if I were you I'd be more careful, you're not the luckiest person when it comes to fire.” You smile and you hear your friends laughing out loud as a grin appears on Michael's face.

“Don't worry, Crystal has seen enough tv shows about doctors to know what to do if I get burned again.” He replies looking at his girlfriend and laughing.

“Shut up and come here,” Crystal responds by pretending to be offended. “Dinner’s ready.” her lips try to hold back the smile that is forming on her face.

You sit on your boyfriend's lap while Luke sets the meat on the plates and Sierra pours the beer into your glass. Ashton pushes your hair to the side and kisses you on the neck, giving you goosebumps and getting winks from his friends.

“You’re terrible.” he replies while looking at them and squeezing his hands on your lap, his head resting on your back while he rolls his eyes and smiles. Everyone burst out laughing and the sound of their laughter still feels like the most beautiful melody to you.

As you are about to take your first bite, your phone starts ringing and vibrating inside the pocket of your shorts. You put your fork down and stand up, being careful not to trip over Ashton's feet as he gives you a questioning look. You give him a kiss on his head and you go away slightly from your group so you can hear better.

Your mother's voice is low as you bring the phone to your ear, a smile forms on your face to hear the sound of her voice but the world collapses on you a few seconds later, when her words become understandable while she cries.

The conversation is short-lived, it is mostly made up of your mother's sobs and words you never wanted to hear. Your mouth opens slightly and your heart seems to stop. And when she closes the call, you have a hard time figuring out if you are having a nightmare or if you are still in reality.

“Was that your lover on the phone?” Calum smiles as you stare at your phone screen as soon as you hang up the call. You look up and see everyone's gaze on you as your eyes start to pinch.

“It was my mother,” you take a deep sigh as you try to find the courage to speak. “My grandmother died a couple of hours ago. She's gone and-” and the words die in your mouth.

Your friends' smiles quickly transform as their brows rise and their eyes lose their light. Crystal is the first to hug you, in less than a second her arms are around you but it's all so surreal that you can't even find the strength to move your body. You hear whispers, but your ears are muffled as Ashton takes the place of your best friend and holds you close to his chest, kissing your hair and whispering words of comfort.

It all happens so fast that you struggle to metabolize, it seems to you that the whole world has stopped or is going too fast, it is hard to try to understand as your mind repeats your mother's words all over again.

You talked to your grandmother the day before, you described to her the weather and you told her all the projects you had in mind, including going to see her as soon as possible. She had told you some stories from her past because she knew how much you loved hearing stories from other times and then you said goodbye to her in a hurry because someone had rang the doorbell.

You didn't tell her you loved her and your heart breaks even more at the realization that she left without knowing the affection you felt for her.

Did she know you loved her? Did she know that she was the most important person to you? Did she know you were grateful for all the sacrifices she had made to make you happy? Did she know you were proud of her? Did she know you loved the way she kissed your hands? Did she know how much you cared about her? Or did she pass wondering if you loved her?

If that were the case, you would never forgive yourself.

Part of you, however, is aware that behind those wrinkles and trembling hands, there were years of wisdom and intelligence and that, even when she was sick, she knew that you loved her unconditionally.

You still remember how she was the one who taught you to ride a bike when your parents were too busy working, how her hunched back bent even more as she pushed you along the street outside your childhood house, letting you go on your own when you learned, while still lying to you about how her hands were attached to the bike, to make you feel protected.

You certainly still remember the way she bragged about you, how she proudly used to tell all the ladies at the grocery store that you were her niece, her greatest joy and the best gift she ever received.

And, if you close your eyes and focus, you can still feel the warmth of the old fireplace in her home, of her hands holding yours while your face was resting on her shoulder. You can still hear the sound of burning wood, of her sweet voice singing melodies belonging to past eras while, between one verse and another, her lips kissed your head and whispered words of love.

Most of all, you have memories of how her arms wrapped around your little body when there was a thunderstorm, when the screams inside your house got too loud and when you saw her again after weeks, with your hearts coming back to beat in unison and your lungs beginning to breathe again.

Now that she is gone, who would be by your side? Who would teach you to cook and sew?

You would no longer hear her heart beating when you leaned against her chest, you would no longer hear the sound of her breaths when you slept next to her, you would no longer wake up with the smell of the flowers she grew and, above all, her dry, wrinkled lips would no longer whisper “I love you” to you.

All the fights, all the moments when you were bothered by her calls and all your snorting about the boredom of being with her bring a pang to your heart that tastes of guilt and arrogance, of shame and wasted moments that won't come back.

She was now gone, her heart had beaten for the last time and her eyes had stopped shining and the more time passes, the more her absence starts to hurt.

While your friends are around you to not leave you alone and Ashton hugs you tightly while caressing your hair, everything seems to start to make sense: the butterfly that just moments before had leaned on your hand, the sunset so beautiful and intense - she was there, she was giving you her last goodbye with all the delicacy possible.

She was reassuring you that she will always be there for you, that she will be in the sunsets under which you will fall asleep and that she will be the butterflies that will fly around in the sky, to reassure you that everything’s gonna be alright.

And with this new certainty and a weight in your chest that will slowly go away, you let yourself go, the tears begin to roll down your face and the sobs echo in the silence of the evening, as the stars light up the sky and God gains a new angel.

Ashton knows it won't be easy, that it will be months before that pain will become more bearable and that family lunches and dinners will be harder, that that empty chair around the table will be a stab in the heart every time.

But he also knows that you are strong, that you will be able to overcome everything, that sadness will turn into a smile when you’ll remember her and that, whatever happens, in a way or another, he will always be there next to you, just like your grandma used to be.

—

[stardustincarnate]

CONFESSION // Mello x Reader

word count : 4016 genre : fluff a/n : i haven’t gotten over my writer’s block, so yes -- here i am, once again posting old fics from my wattpad account. 

Today is the day.

After contemplating about it for a couple of weeks and confiding it to his best pal, Matt, Mello has finally decided to confess his feelings for you tonight, exploiting the situation where you two will normally go riding on the city streets during Friday midnights such as this one.

To say the least, he isn't the best in this kind of thing— love, that is. Before, all he could think about was one thing which was proving that he's better than Near, and besides, no one really piqued his interest. But then the enigma that you are came.

You can be cunningly evil at times if you want to. You'll often say to the ones you've fooled or to the other mafia members, "It's nothing personal, it's just business." You also have a harsh mouth as he would like to describe. Anything that comes out of it may sound derisive or blatant, but it's basically the truth. You don't sugarcoat things— you don't even try to. Although sometimes you seem to make the truth more cruel than it really is, which makes you look too intimidating for the others. They're only thankful that you don't talk very often and only will if you have something conducive to say.

But that's not all that you are. Mello could feel it, so he grew curious of you. Just a mere speck of curiosity, but then it grew. He wanted to talk to you, but then he asked himself what's the point of doing so, thus he disregarded the idea. That's why you developed a friendship with Matt, who you think is really fun to be with, first. Then as your friendship grew, he thought of introducing you to Mello, and that's when it began. To be frank the beginning of your friendship wasn't easy, and to think that friendship only started growing not until you celebrated a year and a half of being with the mafia.

It was a long process, but in the end, it was worth the wait. Day by day he started lowering the walls he barricaded himself with, and same as you. He became really outgoing and deep down truly caring as your friend, like he is with Matt, because after all you two are the only family he has. And— let's not forget his strange addiction with chocolates! And, well, you like it.

You like him.

Mello knows this as well. He knows that his feelings are reciprocated and he's happy with that. But the question is, who's going to make the first move? Certainly not you. Between fighting the devil and confessing your feelings for someone, you'd probably choose the former. You don't seem like the kind of person who will make the first move. He as well is like that.

And that leads us to his acquiescence of doing it instead. Did he have a choice? Well, maybe, if one considers you doing it instead, but that will definitely take several months, or even years, from now. And he can't wait that long! What if you suddenly start to develop feelings for another person? He can't lose you, you that is just in front of his eyes, one step away from him. He needs to grab the opportunity while it still is there.

Because with you, he feels happy and contented. And for the first time he finally feels like he is number one.

And he really is, in your heart.

"Wooh!"

Matt exclaims after slamming the door, causing Mello to jolt upwards from his reverie. "You know I almost got caught by another mem!"

"Is it done?"

"Of course."

"Hm. You sure this suggestion is for the better? You know how scary that woman can be when she's mad. Especially after finding out that her tires have been flattened."

"Didn't you say you wanted something more romantic tonight? So, I thought of flattening her tires so she can't use her own scooter, that way she can ride with you."

"Uh-uh... Is it romantic though?"

"You two will be close enough. And—no perverted thoughts—she gets to wrap her arms around you while riding. If that's not romantic, I literally don't know what is."

"I'm having qualms about this one."

"What? I'm just as clueless as you are when it comes to romance. I'm doing my best here to help you ya know?"

"I know, I know. Sorry."

"It's your fault you fell in love with her." Matt jests, chuckling. But he immediately behaves himself when he sees that deadly glare of his friend. "Hey! I was only kidding! Don't look at me like that, Mels. You're creeping me out."

"Hah. But I guess you're right. My fault. And great— now I'm having more doubts than before and feeling.. tentative."

"The almighty Mello is nervous? Wow. I never thought I'd live to see this day!"

"Say one more word and I'll make sure it's the last you'll ever emit."

"HE-HE-HEY! Now you're just being belligerent. Don't worry. I'm sure you two will come back here as a couple. Swear it on my life. So stop doubting yourself. And just.. don't act awkward and dorky when confessing towards your little devil."

"Just how am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know. Just don't."

Mello heaves a sigh. "Sometimes I do wonder if you're really the smart Matt they used to talk about back in the orphanage."

Matt only grins. He's about to reply, but then they both hear footsteps—angry footsteps—coming closer.

"Oh, speaking of the devil. Here she comes. In three.. two.. one.."

With that, you kick the door open and look around. You look like you're about to whip someone's ass and the men can almost laugh at your reaction knowing the reason behind it. You give them a steely look when they unknowingly start to curve their lips to a grin. They quickly change their reaction.

"This has gotta be one of the worse days of my life!" You exclaim as you slump on the sofa beside Mello. "I can't go with you. I've got a flat tire, and I have no idea why. Someone must've done it.."

"Who would do such a terrible thing? Especially to you, the devil no one else even bothers to approach?" Mello momentarily glances at Matt before taking a bite of his chocolate, which you then steals from his grip. "But don't worry, I gotcha. You can ride me... with me I mean! You can ride with me, NOT RIDE ME—good Lord I'm sorry."

'Aha, and there goes Matt's reminder that I shouldn't act awkward.' He looks away with a blush.

"I think [Y/N] is okay with either of that—"

You raise an eyebrow at Matt. "Oh, you mean you Mathematics. You can ride him all you want so don't be shy and put my name in your shoes."

"That's not—!"

"—ANYWAYS, Willy Wonka, you sure you okay with me riding with you? You won't mind?"

"Jesus, stop calling me that! And yes. You're my friend so I won't mind."

"Thanks mate!" To his surprise, you hug him from the side. And you are hugging him a little too much. "You know I've always wanted to ride your motor. It looks cooler than mine."

"Ah.. well— you're squeezing me a bit too much.. don't you think?"

You pull away and snicker. "Sorry. You're like a marshmallow that I just want to squeeze sometimes."

"EHEM. Pardon me, will you? I need to go to the restroom."

Matt stands up, thinking that his job here as cupid is done—or not quite yet. He has one last plan in mind. And even he isn't sure that that plan is going to make things better or worse.

"Enjoy taking another dump!" You shout as he leaves the room, making sure to lock it. Now you and Mello are completely alone, facing one another in utter silence. And it's too silent that you can hear some of the other mafia members arguing in a distant room. You can even hear someone moaning. Mello can hear it too.

You both give each other a look that only you two can understand.

"Oof. Must be nice. Err, so anyways," you start. "The usual place tonight?" And by that you mean stopping by to go atop a dilapidated building in a forsaken road to stargaze with him for ten minutes. You two make sure to always include going there to find tranquility in the stars and with each other. It temporarily removes all the problems and worries you have.

With Mello ruefully shaking his head, you frown. He puts an arm over your shoulder and nods reassuringly instead. You hide a smile.

"We can do that next week or earlier if we're not too preoccupied so don't be so glum. I'll be taking you somewhere new. I'm sure you'll like it."

"I hope so. Otherwise I'm gonna kick your ass."

"You'll be the one getting your ass kicked it if you don't give me back my chocolate right now."

"But I need chocolate too! Chocolate makes you happy. So I need it, 'kay?!"

"As far as I know that chocolate is mine and not yours???"

"But I'm your friend aren't I? You still have a lot of stock in there I'm sure."

"I'm running out of chocolates so give it back you little demon."

He hastily maneuvers before you can even stand up and try running away. He seizes your wrists and places your arms behind your back to prevent you from moving. Since you two are facing each other instead of him being behind you, the position is rather awkward. The proximity of your faces makes both of you blush and in an instance he backs away. You cackle in triumph as to his dismay of not getting his chocolate back.

You look at your wristwatch before taking a bite of the sweet. "Well Marsh-Mello, what are we waiting for? Let's hit the road! I'm already bored." You hold his hand the moment he stands up and you two run outside.

Mello throws the helmet to you which almost hit your face, earning an irked look from you. He then starts the engine as you wear your helmet.

When he starts to move just before you can take a seat, you panic. Of course he only wants to toy with you. He stops at a corner and waits for you, who's running and ready to smash his face. You pant as you finally reach him.

"You little bastard! Why'd you have to make me suffer?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"You groan and then sit behind him, wrapping your arms around his waist. The closeness of your bodies make you both blush. He makes sure you're all set before once again driving in a high speed that made you hug him tighter. You've always known that he drives this fast, but to experience it yourself? It feels like your skin is being blown away and seperated from your bones.

"W-Would you mind slowing down, just a bit?"

"Come on [Y/N], that's not fun."

"So you call this fun? You're gonna kill us both. I'm too beautiful to die right now!"

"Tsk. You're no fun." You're about to make a rebuttal but he slows down reluctantly and matches the speed you will normally drive at. You sigh in relief and absently rests your chin on his right shoulder, looking at the stores, buildings, and a few people walking on the sidewalk which you are hastily passing by. On your left you see numbered vehicles and a few more buildings.

You're enjoying the ride, however, you hear the tire from behind pop. That is already bad, and worse comes when the front one pops too. He goes to the side before halting.

"Shit! Just our luck!"

"Haha seems like you and I share the same fate, huh? Goals."

Mello sighs as a realization dawns him.

'Matt.. you little shit.'

"Whadda we do now?" You worriedly ask.

"We're still halfway to the place I'm taking you and this happens.. I suppose I can just park this somewhere. You wouldn't mind walking, would you?"

"Sounds fine with me then."

He nods and parks the motor beside a bicycle and a car in front of a store, placing a tracker in it just in case it gets stolen. But if it ever does, he can just get another one. Legally or not. Doesn't matter.

In silence, you and Mello start walking side by side. Arriving upon a city bridge you can't help but stare at the river. The limit to what you can see on its side is a lively city despite the hour, with skyscrapers and billboard signs lit up. You can hear the occasional, distant sounds of car engines.

You avert your gaze back in the front, meeting chatty people on your way who are walking opposite to you and Mello. You realize that they're mostly couples who are matching clothes and openly talking, not caring if they're to be heard by others. Mello also notices, and not only that but the way you two undeniably look like one. Without any intentions, your clothes match. Not that it's a big deal since everyday you two wear black, but because of your surroundings, he might as well seize the opportunity.

Beaming from ear to ear, he holds your hand and intertwines your fingers together. You're confused, but at the same time liking it, a blush creeping on your face.

"Don't mind if I do. We don't wanna look like a couple who can't bear with each other after some kind of quarrel, do we?"

"But we're not a couple."

"No, not yet."

You stop and raise an eyebrow.

"Oop. Did I say that out loud? My bad."

He cheekily grins. It's only a joke, you think, but at the same time you wish that he's not joking—which he really isn't.

"Hey, how long are we going to walk?"

"Why? Are your feet giving up already? Want a piggyback?"

You completely turn red. He smiles at that.

"Nah.. I—"

"Don't waste the opportunity. I might change my mind later."

"I don't care. This is enough."

You squeeze his hand tightly—too tight that he swears he feel his phalanges breaking—but unexpectedly, he just moans. And people look at the two of you.

"The fuck was that?!? I didn't know you were some kind of masochist!"

"DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO SAY IT OUT LOUD?"

"AHA so you do admit being a masochist!!"

"WHAT? NO! I'M NOT!"

"Why so defensive now?"

"Because people are hearing you???"

"Let them! HAHAHAHA! MY BOYFRIEND IS A MASOCHIST! ISN'T THAT CUTE??"

But after realizing what you just said, you stop and gnaw your lower lip.

"Oh earth swallow me right now.. Sorry! God I'm embarrassed. You're not my boyfriend—"

"Didn't I tell you? Not yet."

You punch his shoulder playfully. "Stop joking around! I might actually believe you ya know?"

"Who said I was joking?"

"..Of course you are—"

"—OH, here we are!"

He diverts the topic, leaving you to slightly pout to yourself as he turns left to an unoccupied and dark area, pulling you to the railing where you two halt and see the perfect angle to view the city and the river from. The water and its light ripples glimmer under the moonlight as the brisk wind hits your skin, making you slightly shiver. Mello notices this and takes off his jacket, insisting you should wear it instead. You don't argue.

"Mello, this is.. magnificent. And a nice spot to stargaze as well! It's pretty wherever I lay my eyes on."

"Except behind us, maybe. You don't like trees that much."

You cackle. "They give me the creeps, especially during night. But at least we don't have to face that way, do we?"

He shakes his head as he laughs, inclining himself closer to you. He places his hands just beside yours on the railing, looking up and then looking at you, who's still busy admiring the sky.

He can't help but smile admiring you in your adorable placidity.

"The stars are pretty tonight." You say as you notice him looking at you in your peripheral vision.

"You always say that. They're always pretty. Sparkly."

"Mesmerizing to look at." You add. He nods, still staring at you.

"That's why I love the stars.."

"Uh huh. And chocolate." You grin.

"And you."

You stand flabbergasted, daring not to look at him directly. Your heart feels like it's about to jolt out of your chest. Your fingers begin to tremble on their own as you feel something intangible whirling inside your stomach. You know what it is—and he's making your heart flutter. But you can't trust this feeling as you aren't even sure if he's joking or not. And if he is, you kinda hate it. You want it to be real.

"Aye, don't flirt with me. That's so not you." You snap, rolling your eyes.

It doesn't take him too long to perceive what's on your mind. He taps your shoulder before sitting on the railing, inviting you to join him. You're a little hesitant for the fear of falling to the water. And when it comes to this kind of thing, you don't trust Mello. You're sure he'll eventually push you. The number of times he had done this to you in some places before is something you can't even count anymore.

"C'mon [Y/N]. Don't be scared. I won't push you. Or if I do, you're free to drag me as well."

"Tch. So you do intend to push me." Nevertheless, you sit beside him and grip the bars tightly with your clammy palms. Luckily the concrete extends six inches after the railing.

Mello feels like you two aren't physically close enough, and he thinks it's not 'romantic' enough, so he slides even closer to you until his palm is already above your hand and your shoulders bump.

"Oh, no. You keep your distance, Mr. Wonka."

"It's not like we're having social distancing here you know?"

"You're too close."

"And I'm going to get even closer.."

He whispers, his hot breath tickling the side of your neck. You sigh and face him, and your noses bump. You urgently back away and you almost slip if not for him.

"What's gotten into your system for you to act so flirty all of a sudden?"

"You."

"MELLO!! I'm damn serious. Like, all the jests can wait but for now, just.. don't flirt with me. I'm in no mood."

"Aww, trying to shoo me away huh? After stealing my heart and my chocolates, here you are suddenly breaking my poor, poor heart."

"One more attempt and I'm going to drown you."

"Heeeeeeey. Don't be so vicious now." He softly bumps your shoulder with his. You only click your tongue in annoyance.

"Seriously. Stop messing with me. I hate you."

"No you don't. I'm not messing with you. I'm serious—"

"Tch. Serious my ass."

"..You don't have one—"

"See? You little fucktard. You keep on messing with me. So just stop flirting with me. I swear I'll kill you if you continue."

"Whaaat? Seriously, I'm not messing with you. You gotta—"

"Mels, no, no, no. You can poke fun of me, push me off right now or anything but just don't flirt with me. You're a bastard for torturing my feelings. That's not cool at all. Damn it," you spat. He keep his silence, his mouth starting to gape.

"Don't make me assume things because I really, really, really like you!"

The words pour out unbidden. Your voice resonates and immediately you shut up and look down with a furious blush.

'That's it, congratulations for possibly ruining your friendship.' You think as you bite your lower lip.

Your blush vanishes as the fluttering feeling in your chest does, being replaced with instant regret, as if your heart has dropped to your stomach.

The look of surprise in his face turns to a cheeky grin. With much glee, he chuckles.

"I've always known this devil is a pure softie inside..."

"M-Mello.."

You are about to tear up, but then he says, "Do you know what you just did? You ruined my plans, [Y/N]! But I suppose I can forgive you for that."

"What?? Plan?? Damn you, damn you, damn you! I knew you were up to no good! Damn it, Mello! Pretend this night never existed. I'm outta here—"

"No no, it's not what you think. 'I like you' was supposed to be my line, not yours!" He can't help but burst out laughing, leaving you momentarily dazed, but then when you realize what he possibly meant by that, it's as if your heart has come back to life. Your face turns red.

"I was going to confess to you tonight, but it looks like the tables had turned. You are a.. partypooper! Do you know how many times I've practice saying that in front of Matt, just to end up with you saying it instead of me? Unbelievable!"

He wheezes, catches his breath, then looks at you. "And look, I'm not complaining, alright? Haha.. but the way things turn out to be in the end is just so.. whimsical. But I'm gonna say it anyway: I like you. I like you a lot."

You scrutinize his facial expression just to be sure that he's serious, and you confirm he truly is. He's absently smiling, and just from staring at you is the reason. Rapture dances in his eyes. He looks genuinely happy and candid at the moment. And here you are left speechless, only staring at him as a sheepish smile slowly invades your face.

You almost lose your grip on the railing when he briefly kisses your cheek. And again, nothing comes out of your mouth.

"Do I also need to say that I wanna be your boyfriend? Because, isn't it obvious?"

"Mello..."

"No pressure, [Y/N]. If we both like each other but you're not yet ready for a relationship, I understand and I can wait."

"Well.." You hide your face on his shoulder because you feel like the longer you stare at him, the more probable it is that you'll faint. "Uhm.. Err... Have you ever been.. in a relationship?"

"No, not really. You will be my first one. If you accept."

You smile. "Well, same as you here."

"Really? I thought you already had a partner or two before."

"I had no time to be in love. Add that some of the people I was acquainted with sucked, and the kind ones.. well, let's just say that they seemed to be missing something.. something that, I suppose, only you have. And.. it will really make me happy if you are to be my first," you lift your head up to meet his eyes. "So I accept."

"You serious?? Right here?? Right now??"

"Need I repeat myself, partner-in-crime?"

"Haha! Course not!"

You peck his cheek as your warm smile broadens. You then rest your head on his shoulder, your eyes never leaving the distant city as he wraps an arm around your waist, meticulous so that you two wouldn't slip from the railing and fall down.

"I think it's safe to assume now that you're the one behind flattening my tires. And just so I can ride with you. You're a cunning man, so I suppose you also did something with your own scooter just so we could walk together, like couples in movies. Haha I never thought you'd think something like that!"

"It was Matt's idea. Swear. He thought it was more romantic that way. And he's probably the one who rigged my scooter. He really can be a huge pain in the ass sometimes."

"Like you are."

"Aw come on. Take that back you little demon!"

"Noooopeeeee! Pfahahaha— AAAA SHIT!"

And with that, you both plunge into the frigid water with a loud splash.

[themaribatpit]

Jasonette July Day 2: Protection

Written by: The Maribat Pit  @jasonette-july-event

Prompt: Protection

Rated: T 

It was just supposed to be a normal housewarming party, a small get together in a small apartment.  Dick, Damian and Tim were there on behalf of the rest of the Bat family, and Roy had brought Lian with him.  Marinette and Alya were off to the side happily chatting away. Alya’s years of writing Ladyblog caught the attention of Cat Grant.  Now she was getting paid to chase down costumed superheroes.  Meanwhile Marinette ran a small boutique in Gotham City, meeting Jason shortly after she first came to Gotham soon came with various perks.   None of the criminal gangs in the area gave her any trouble, and because of him, she knew the measurements of every member of the Bat family off by heart.   Damian was entranced as he watched Marron, Marinette’s hamster, sleep soundly in his cage.  Alfred (the cat) on the other hand was chasing Plagg across the floor like he was a weirdly shaped laser pointer.  Just when Alfred thought he caught him and was ready to present his prize to Damian, Plagg would literally slip through his paws. 

Given that they were all vigilantes who worked tirelessly to hold the fort in their respective cities, the lighthearted atmosphere was just what everyone needed.  Occasionally Dick would make a terrible pun, causing Alya and Marinette to cringe as they collectively remembered fighting alongside Chat Noir. 

It was at that moment that Alya decided that now was the time for gifts.  Dick had never met a pun in the English language that he didn’t try to make at least once in his life.  He brought a space heater for when it got cold in the apartment.  “I brought you an actual housewarming gift” he said with a wide grin, everyone else humoured his joke with a groan. It was a thoughtful gift nonetheless.  Tim and Damian brought Alfred’s baking, a batch of cookies, half of which were probably going to be eaten by Tikki.  This was on behalf of the rest of the Bat family, since neither Bruce nor Alfred could make it that day.  Marinette thought his baking only came second to her parents’, so it was always a nice treat whenever she felt homesick. 

Roy was grinning like an idiot when it was his turn to give his gift, Lian was sitting next to Alya, who was captivating her with stories to keep her entertained.  Roy’s gift was wrapped in layers of colourful wrapping paper and red ribbon.  Marinette tried to delicately unwrap the box, whilst Jason noticed a knowing look on Roy’s face.  Something was amiss, this all seemed like an elaborate prank waiting to happen.  It was the same gleeful face Roy made that time he burned down the shower, with Jason still inside.  Now that he thought about it, Roy hadn’t put down his duffle bag once since entering the apartment with Lian.  Before Jason could ask what was in the box, it was too late.  

Marinette’s face blushed a deep scarlet, redder than Jason’s helmet. Dick was covertly trying to cover Damian’s eyes and Alya was trying to keep Lian’s attention.  She could have plenty of time to tease her friend about this present later, and maybe Lian didn’t need to see what would happen next.  “I figured you’d both need protection” Roy said, giving his friend a wink. Inside the wrapping paper and the ribbons, was a very large box of condoms.  It wasn’t just a little box that you got from a corner store, alongside various items to hide it with.  No, this was a bulk pack and everyone knew it.  Jason bit his bottom lip, there were several things he wanted to say, but kept his mouth shut because Lian was right there.

So Jason walked up to Roy, his best friend, his partner in crime. He slung his arm around Roy, and led him to the small balcony overlooking the streets below “Roy, buddy, pal,” he whispered.  Jason quickly glanced over his shoulder to make sure Lian was captivated by whatever story Alya was distracting her with.  He turned his attention back to Roy, only to utter one word, “bye”. 

With that he threw Roy off of the balcony, “I REGRET NOTHING” Roy’s voice slowly faded as he disappeared from sight.  Jason turned his attention back to everyone else at the party.  Marinette was still absolutely mortified, while everyone was stunned for a minute until they saw the cable from Roy’s grappling hook arrow behind him.   Everyone who knew what they were like had grown used to this, Alya was stunned at first.  When Marinette described Roy and Jason’s friendship and Roy’s hairbrained antics, it did not prepare her for witnessing it firsthand.  Tim took a seat on the sofa next to them, “give it five minutes, they’ll be laughing about it soon enough” he said with the air of someone who had seen this happen far too often.

Lian looked up, suddenly noticing her father’s disappearance.  “Where’s daddy?” she asked.

“Bathroom, he’ll be back in a minute sweetheart,” he said smiling at her. 

Marinette had only just recovered from how embarrassed she felt when she made eye contact with Alya, who was now wagging her eyebrows at her.  She buried her face in her hands, but Alya could see her giggling through her fingers.  She had to admit, there was never a dull moment with Jason, especially when Roy was around. 

[lumiereandcogsworth]

Otp questions 1, 4, 6, 7, 12, 14

1. Who likes to sit in the other’s lap?

ooooooh my gosh belle likes sitting on adam’s lap and adam LOVES it. he loves it so much he didn’t even realize how much he loved it until the first time she did it. he just loves having her right there. he loves having his arms around her waist or one hand on her waist with the other on her legs. he loves looking up at her just a little bit and she loves feeling safe in his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck and looking at him and leaning down to kiss him and gosh. yeah.

4. How would they describe each other to loved ones who haven’t met their partner yet?

oh my goodness. when belle talks about adam she gets this cute little smirk on her face. like she’s just smiling she doesn’t even realize it. she tells them that he’s brilliant. and goodness, so kind. she jokes that he’ll be particular about the food and the atmosphere and he’ll definitely come across like this is the last place he wants to be but it’s all a facade. he’s so sweet, really. he may never let you know it but oh, he’s got this wonderful heart. it’s buried under 30 layers of pompous opinions and sarcasm so you may not get to see it but no, it’s so worth it once you do. oh and he’s so funny. he said the funniest joke yesterday….

when adam talks about belle he’s got such pride on his face, he practically glows. he tells them she’s the smartest woman you’ll ever meet. she’s incredible, have you seen her plans for the school? or her work on the recent amendments? god, she’s a genius, really. she’s gorgeous out there, isn’t she? she’s an incredible dancer too, you know. stunning. isn’t she wonderful? so thoughtful. i swear, she never thinks of herself, always others, she’s so terribly kind. she’s got this beautiful heart that you just… you can’t ignore it, can you? she just makes everyone’s lives better. where would the world be without her?

6. Who makes a scrapbook of all their memories to give to their partner for a special event? Ex- anniversary, birthday, etc.

(modern au) oh BELLE absolutely. she totally scrapbooks. she has so much fun with it and she loves capturing memories whether it’s trips or holidays or the kids or anything. i don’t know if she’d make them gifts specifically for adam on occasions, because i think adam would be very aware she was making them because she makes them in a very haphazard manner and you can see the trail of stickers and glitter from room to room as she needs to change locations so she has better lighting or so she can “think better.” but she always shows adam first! she sits him on the sofa and they flip through it and adam has his arm around her and kisses her temple looking fondly at this wonderful life of theirs.

7. Where would they go to get away from everyone else and just be alone?

ooooh i love this question. well the master chambers, at the tippy top of the west wing, that’s certainly their little haven. the only other people allowed up there are the kiddos. but besides that, i think they like to go for long walks and/or long horseback rides to the far ends of the estate. they find little lovely spots and they’ll just sit awhile. belle definitely brought snacks and books and sometimes they’ll just sit and read their books silently or they’ll talk and joke and laugh. or sometimes they’ll start dancing and just holding each other and being away from all their responsibilities and everyone, just for a few peaceful moments.

12. If they each went to go buy an outfit for one another, what would they get?

(modern au) HAHA i also love this. i think adam would buy her a REALLY fancy pantsuit with exquisite jewelry and shoes to match because gosh she’d look so hot in that and he wants to SEE IT. he’d also buy her some lovely dresses!!!! belle would be very tempted to get him something SO stupid like overalls or plaid or a polka dot shirt just to see him screaming internally but ultimately i think she’s just buy him a bunch of comfy sweaters because she loves when he wears sweaters and he doesn’t wear them enough.

14. What memories do they share together that will stay with them forever?

oh good GOSH. their first dance, of course. their first kiss and that entire crazy magical completely unreal day. just that whole like, 48 hour period of time. was that even real?? how could they ever forget it.

i think they both hold fondly the first time they laughed together in the library. it was unexpected and timid and they looked at each other stunned like did you also just laugh???? but they also felt a certain peace from it. a first inkling of their souls beginning to tangle together, just a touch.

they remember a night when they were courting after the curse was lifted. laying outside under the stars on a blanket, looking at each other. belle was falling asleep and adam couldn’t take his eyes off her. he couldn’t believe any of this was happening.

they remember their wedding day and how beautiful it was and how neither of them ever stopped smiling.

they remember the day each of their children were born and a thousand million memories watching their children grow up.

they’ll never forget that one really stormy night. worse than they’d seen in years. lightning struck and thunder clapped so loudly against the castle walls they both woke up at the noise. like clockwork all three of the children came running into their room. they clamored onto the bed without a single word or thought and piled under the covers between their parents. their son maurice, just four or five at the time, was entirely on top of adam. the girls nestled in between, belle wrapping an arm around them both. the family huddled together as blankets were bunched up and there wasn’t an inch of room left. adam hugged his shaking son close and looked over to belle. they smiled at each other in the very dim moonlight and kissed their children’s heads, closing their eyes and promising they’d be safe here.

[blu-joons]

You Get Jealous ~ Kim Namjoon

Your eyes lit up as soon as the boys reappeared in the dressing room having completed their rehearsal for the show tonight. Namjoon’s eyes looked straight for you as soon as he walked in, throwing himself down beside you and resting his head in your lap.

Your hands moved to run through his hair, instantly regretting it when you felt the damp beads of sweat that sat in his locks, wiping it off over the material of his shirt.

“That’s disgusting,” you sighed, shaking your head at the teasing smirk that appeared on his face, “I can’t believe you didn’t warn me.”

Since you’d arrived backstage that morning, he’d been unable to hide the smile on his face. It was the first time you were attending a show of the current tour tonight, and Namjoon was beyond excited to finally have you there supporting him.

“It wouldn’t have been funny if I told you,” he finally replied, sitting himself up properly beside you. “It’s easier to just leave for hair and makeup to sort out rather than me fix it.”

“Hair like that is going to need a lot of fixing.”

Only a few moments later, the stylists appeared in the dressing room to start preparing for the show after the rehearsal. With a quick peck on your cheek, Namjoon excused himself so he could get his hair fixed. You caught on quite quickly to how close one of the stylists were to him, how she’d smile at everything he said or did.

“Everything alright?” Jin asked, taking a seat beside you, following your gaze. “Don’t worry about it.”

It was much easier for him to say than for you to do as you continued to watch everything she did. Whilst Namjoon didn’t react, it still unsettled you to see someone so close to him without any regard for the fact you were in the room.

“She’s always been this way,” Jin added, sensing how uncomfortable the situation was making you. “I know it’s easy for me to say, but please don’t let it get to you,” he added, resting his hand cautiously against your shoulder.

“Am I just invisible or something?” You asked him, feeling the anger inside of you grow. “Did Namjoon tell everyone I was coming today? Do they even know that he’s got a girlfriend?”

The silence that came from Jin in response told you everything you needed to know. You scoffed loudly, looking away from the two of them in search for your phone beside you. Jin quickly reacted as you stood up from the sofa, positioning himself in front of you.

“I just need some space,” you assured him, taking a step to the side so you could walk out of the dressing room, not even acknowledging Namjoon.

The reflection in the mirror of your figure walking out caught his attention, he glanced back at Jin who simply shrugged, knowing he had no place to really get involved. Namjoon quickly stood up from the stylist’s chair, removing his apron despite her protests that he needed to finish.

“What happened?” He snapped at Jin, placing the blame firmly on him. “You can’t just let her walk off on her own in this place, it’s huge and she has no idea where she’s going. I thought I could trust you guys to look out for her?”

His attitude struck a nerve with Jin, who pushed lightly against his shoulder. “Have you ever stopped and thought that maybe you could be the problem? Look a bit closer to home Namjoon for the reason that she’s left.”

“What am I supposed to have done?”

“Did you tell the stylists that you have a girlfriend?”

“No,” he sighed, finally realising what had gone on. “I’ve been such an idiot.”

Before anyone had the chance to respond to him, he ran out of the dressing room, turning left and right for a sign of you. Instinct carried him left as he ran down the corridor, stopping when he finally saw you sat in the cafeteria.

“Y/N,” he sighed, standing beside the table that you sat at. Your head slowly turned up to look at him, using the sleeves of your shirt to quickly wipe under your eyes before he had the chance to see that you’d been crying.

After a moment of silence, he sat himself down opposite you, refusing to walk away from the situation and let it continue.

“Jin told me what happened, and all I can say is I’m sorry,” he began, resting his arms across the table, “I can’t begin to imagine what the situation looked like to you, especially when she’s still under the impression I’m single. I guess it just never came up in conversation with her.”

Your eyes rolled, continuing to look away from his glare that was firmly on you. Your whole body shook as you desperately tried to maintain your composure, refusing to let Namjoon see just how upset you were.

“What can I do to make this right?” He asked you.

“How do you think this looks to me Namjoon? Do you get that?”

“Of course,” he acknowledged, “it probably looks terrible to you, but I promise you that’s not the case. She’s flirty with everyone, it’s nothing to do with me.”

You didn’t care at all how she acted around the other members, the only thing you cared about was how she reacted around your boyfriend. You understood some people had flirty personalities, but even they could tune that down, if they only knew the person, they did it with had a girlfriend.

The overwhelming feeling you had was shame, trying to figure out if there was a reason Namjoon hadn’t told people about your relationship. Was he embarrassed of you? Ashamed to admit that he was dating?

“I’ll go back now, and I’ll introduce you to everyone, as my girlfriend, if it will put your mind at ease. I don’t want to argue over this Y/N when nothing really happened. All I can do is apologise; can you at least accept that?��

“I can, but why didn’t you tell everyone?”

“I really don’t know.”

Finally, your eyes looked across at him, resting your head in your hands against the table. “Do you want to keep us a secret? Is that what this is about?”

“Absolutely not,” he quickly assured you. “You drive me crazy in the best possible way, I’d love to shout it from the rooftops how in love I am with you. It’s never been about keeping it a secret, it really just never came up in conversation, it would have seemed strange if I just randomly told her about you.”

“But it would have stopped her acting the way she does around you, so when your girlfriend finally came to visit you, she wouldn’t have to see her carry herself around you like she does?”

It was a lesson learnt for Namjoon; a mistake he knew he’d never make again. He hated how he’d made you feel and how inconsiderate he’d been towards your feelings, and whilst nothing could change what had happened, he just hoped he could make it up to you.

“All I want is you, yes, I get a lot of attention sometimes, and there might be thousands of females around me at times, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re the one for me. You never have to feel jealous of anyone around me.”

“I don’t get jealous.”

“Y/N,” he giggled, “there’s only one way to describe the way you acted right now.”

You opened your mouth to protest, but words failed you, as your heart reminded you that you were most definitely jealous of her.

“I’ll continue to reassure your mind forever if I have to but trust me when I say there is nothing for you to worry about.”

“You promise?”

“Of course, I’m yours, forever.”

---

Masterlist

[official-weasley]

Meant to Be (Charlie Weasley x OC)

What happens when Bill brings home a girl and Charlie is completely awestruck by her?

WARNINGS: SMUT, angst, mentions of alcohol, curse words

CHAPTER 5

Charlie

She cupped my face and stuck her tongue down my throat. She was not messing around, she meant business. She took off her shirt and I followed her lead and did the same. Soon her bra flew off and I looked at her in pure admiration. She had stretch marks on her breasts and a big, deep scar from between them and all the way down to the right side of her belly button. I ran my finger across her scar and looked at her. I could see it in her eyes that she felt insecure about it but to me, she looked absolutely stunning.

I turned her arms around so I could see her wrists and I could finally run my thumb over her tattoo. She was watching my every move before she leaned closer to me and started sucking on my neck.

I unzipped her jeans and she put her hand on my crotch. Her eyes sparkled when she felt how hard I was. She stood up and took off her jeans and I did the same with my sweatpants and boxers.

She sat back on me and rubbed herself against my dick. Fuck, she was so wet. She grabbed my neck with her right hand and looked me straight in my eyes. The fact that she wasn’t shy at all made her so sexy. Without breaking eye contact she sat on my dick and I let out a loud groan which brought a naughty smirk to her lips.

She started to move her hips up and down, biting her lips, still looking at me. I was beginning to feel dizzy and I wasn’t sure if it was from the Fire Whiskey or the fact how good she felt. Damn, I was hard for her. This was insane!

Is this how it feels like having sex with someone you really connect with? Is this it? I heard people say that it’s so much better if you’re with someone you care for. But I was in love before and it didn’t feel like this.

The sensation I was getting from our bodies being together was so much more than I thought a human could feel. I swear I never felt like this before, it should be illegal how good it was. My body was shaking with all the pleasure running through it.

Even though I know it was wrong on so many levels, it felt so right. As if everything I ever did in my life; every decision I have ever made led to this moment and it finally happened.

I noticed she was getting weak, her breaths got faster and deeper. I gently pushed her away from me. She slouched her back and put her hands on my knees behind her. I helped her bounce with my left hand, licked two of my fingers on my right, and pressed them on her clit.

Her eyes rolled into her skull and she let out a loud moan that filled the whole lower floor of the house. What a melody for my ears! I put more pressure on her button and moved her hips faster up and down.

She put her hands on her breasts and started playing with them. She was getting tighter and I knew she was close. Just looking at her enjoying every second of it was bringing me close to the edge.

“Cum for me, baby.” I whispered to her.

“Oh, Charlie.” The way she said my name fried my brain. I never wanted it to end.

“Charlie.”

“Charlie? Charlie, are you alive?” I opened my eyes and saw Bill waving a hand in front of my face. I sat up so abruptly that I heard something pop in my spine. My action made papers fly all around me and I rubbed my eyes, the sunlight being too bright.

Papers?

I looked around me and there were pieces of parchment everywhere. On the floor. On the coffee table, on the sofa next to me. I was covered with a blanket and my eyes widened when I realized it was the next morning.

I looked down in panic and saw that I had my boxers on and my t-shirt. I looked at the kitchen table and it was empty. Was I dreaming? Was the whole night just a dream?

I rubbed my eyes again and felt the headache kicking in. Well, I’m definitely hungover. I looked around but I couldn’t see the empty Fire Whiskey bottle anywhere. What was going on?

“Seriously, are you okay?” I finally looked up at Bill.

I didn’t even know how to feel. For the sake of me, I couldn’t remember if I slept with Rhylee. Where was she anyway?

“I…” I took a deep breath.

I have to calm myself down and my heart needs to chill. Going from seeing Rhylee sitting on me to seeing Bill’s face was not a good transition.

“I’m fine. I just had a bad dream.” It was the first thing that came to mind.

“I see you had fun last night?” Bill laughed.

“What?” I barked in panic.

What did he mean by that?!

“Your reports.” Bill said in a gentle voice.

I exhaled and felt my heartbeat slowing down.

“Right.” I smiled faintly.

“How was the village?” I turned the conversation to him.

I couldn’t keep up with my thoughts. It couldn’t be a dream, could it? I have never had such a vivid dream before. This was insane. I started piling up the paperwork and Bill kneeled to help me with the ones on the floor.

“It was fun actually. Can you believe that the twins were complete angels?” He chuckled.

“A true Christmas miracle.” I laughed and he followed.

This was too much. I felt so bad. He was clueless and this brotherly bonding made me feel even more guilty even though I am still unsure if I was dreaming. It definitely felt too good to be true.

“I wish you could be there, Charlie. We hadn’t had such a peaceful Christmas since Fred and George were in their diapers.” Bill sighed.

Bill, stop it, you’re making me feel worse!

“Perhaps I’m the reason they misbehave.” I joked.

“Mistery solved!” Bill clapped.

He was too happy for me to be around him.

“Now, how about you go take a shower and we’ll tell you more about it when we all sit down for breakfast.” He put his hand on my shoulder.

I hated that he looked concerned for me. I didn’t deserve a brother like him.

I stood up and rushed upstairs to my room. I took a fresh towel from my drawer and went to the bathroom across the corridor. It was a miracle it was empty today and nobody was banging on the door.

I took my clothes off and waited for the water to get hot. I stepped inside the shower and just let the water run down my body. I leaned on the wall with my forearms and stuck my head between them.

I was still confused about what happened last night. I could swear I went downstairs to work and Rhylee joined me and then we got drunk and had sex. But then again I could just be dreaming about it all night, couldn’t I?

I closed my eyes, trying to remember how I brought all my papers from the kitchen to the living room but I couldn’t. The second I shut my eyelids I saw her. Naked, sitting on me, moving her hips and biting her lip. I could feel the heat of her body on my skin, her breath on my neck. I could hear her moans and her calling out my name.

I felt myself getting hard and I shook my head. I needed a cold shower not a hot one.

I pressed my palms into my eyes so much it hurt. I needed to get these pictures out of my head and focus. This was ridiculous. I never obsessed over a girl with whom I had a one-night stand before.

But that was it. It didn’t feel like a hook-up. It felt like so much more. There was so much passion and so many feelings. I know I sound insane since I barely know her but that’s how I feel.

I still have the feeling, she gave me when she kissed me, in my lungs. It wasn’t butterflies, it was more. If I didn’t feel so guilty and so bad about the fact that I don’t know if it actually happened, I could describe it as pure happiness.

This is what I always imagined feeling when I would find a girl to settle down with. When I would know that she’s the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.

I can’t feel like this now.

I can’t feel it with her.

I can’t.

Just a few more days and then I’ll go back to Romania and I can bottle my feelings as deep as I possibly can.

I closed the pipe and stepped out of the shower. I dried my body and rubbed my hair into a towel. I forgot to bring my clothes so I put the towel around my waist. I started towards the door and my towel got loose so I tucked it in again, while opening the door with my other hand.

Because I was looking down at what I was doing I didn’t see the person standing in front of the door and bumped into them. I hastily grabbed my towel, which got loose again upon collision.

“Good morning.” Rhylee smiled at me, her eyes beaming. “You don’t have to hide anything from me. I saw it all last night.” She winked at me when she saw what I was doing.

“So I wasn’t dreaming.” I blinked at her. “Last night really happened?”

“Dreaming?” She pressed her lips together, trying hard not to laugh. “You’re dreaming about me already? At least buy me dinner first.” She leaned in to kiss me.

I grabbed her shoulders to stop her and pulled her into the bathroom closing the door behind us.

“I’m sorry for what happened last night.” I said with a shaky voice.

It actually happened. I wasn’t dreaming. Oh, this was bad! This was really bad. What am I supposed to do now? I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I felt my throat tighten and my chest started to hurt. Is this what a panic attack feels like, because I am sure I am having one.

Guilt.

It was guilt for what I’ve done. The events from last night rolled in front of my eyes again but this time there was nothing happy about them. It was terrible. I am a horrible brother. How could I do this to Bill? He is going to kill me and he will never speak to me again! I won’t only lose my big brother but my best friend. I can’t live with this.

“Why are you apologizing?” Rhylee frowned in confusion. “I can assure you I had a great time.” She smirked and took a step toward me again but I motioned with my hand for her to stop.

“Look, what happened between us was a mistake.” I whispered.

I didn’t have the strength to look her in the eyes.

“Oh.” Was all she said. “I thought…”

“You thought wrong.” I interrupted her. “You came here with Bill, Rhylee.”

“Bill? Is that what this is about?” She questioned. “You feel bad because I’m your brother’s friend?”

How couldn’t she understand? How couldn’t she see the bigger picture here – see how wrong this was.

“You…” I bit my upper lip. I was not the person to tell her this but I didn’t know how else to explain. “Bill fancies you, Rhylee.”

Now she was the one who took a step back. I finally mustered the courage to look at her. Damn, why did she have to look so cute in her pajamas?

“What?” Was all she could reply.

“You are seriously going to tell me that you didn’t know?” I narrowed my eyes at her.

Bill looked at her like she was the only person in the room and she didn’t notice?

“I...”

She did know! Then why in the bloody hell did she sleep with me?!

“It’s true, he is always so nice to me but he is nice to everybody so I never thought twice about it.” I could see the panic in her eyes but I don’t think she was telling the truth.

“I’m sorry I was the one who told you. It’s just…” I sucked in a breath. “I thought you knew since he brought you to meet his family for the holidays.”

“I thought he was just being polite because he knew I was planning on spending Christmas alone.” She said innocently.

Was she really that clueless? Somehow I didn’t believe her. She put her hands to her mouth. I could see she started to feel guilty.

“Look…” I put my hand on her shoulder.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t expect this. Any of this. I didn’t know how to comfort her when I didn’t even know what to do about it myself.

“Nothing has to change. We will forget about what happened last night and you can go out with Bill.” I tried smiling at her.

This was killing me but I knew it was the right thing to do.

“What?” She failed to understand.

“Bill is going to ask you out and you should go out with him.” I explained.

“I don’t like Bill like that.” My heart sank at her words. “I know we only know each other for a couple of days but I am not the type of girl to play with someone’s feelings.” She shook her head. “Do you really think that I would have sex with you if I knew your brother fancied me? I would never do anything to come between you two, I know you’re his best friend.”

“Then why did you sleep with me?” I didn’t know what else to say.

I felt like screaming. I still didn’t believe she was telling me the truth. I felt as if she was pretending not to know that Bill liked her.

“Because…” She took a deep breath. “Because I thought we had a connection.” She looked down at floor, trying to avoid my eyes.

This made me feel worse.

This was so unfair.

A beautiful girl was standing in front of me and she felt the same way about me as I did about her. She knew there was something between us and it was tearing me apart that I couldn’t put my arms around her waist and kiss her. I hated feeling like this. I hated how right it was between us and I had to let her go instead of asking her out.

What did I do to deserve this?

“Is this why you were resisting me so much yesterday?” She snapped me out of my thoughts. “Because you were giving me such mixed signals. I found you so playful and you looked like a person who knows how to loosen up a bit and have some fun but then you were so stiff when we started playing the game.” She was talking more to herself than to me.

I guess everything started to make sense to her now.

“You were holding back.” She came to a conclusion.

I simply nodded. I couldn’t deny that. She was right. If the circumstances were different I would’ve enjoyed the game much more last night. I would flirt with her. Heck, I would even bring the other bottle of whiskey, that’s how fun she was to be around. We could’ve had a whole party for all I care if…

I felt my throat tighten again. Every time I start feeling the happy sensation I remember why I’m so miserable.

Bill.

She’s here because of Bill.

“What are we going to do about it?” She continued as I still didn’t say anything.

“We?” I shook my head. “Nothing. We can’t do anything about it.”

“You can’t deny that last night meant something to you.” She breathed.

I replied with a hum. What was I supposed to say? Of course, it meant something. It was the best night of my life. But I can’t tell her that. I can’t give her hope. I have to get out of here!

“Did you move my papers?” I changed the topic.

I couldn’t continue talking about this.

About us.

There was no us.

It can’t be.

“I woke up in the middle of the night and I tried to wake you but you’re a heavy sleeper.” A smile started to spread across her face but apparently, the expression on my face told her that it shouldn’t. “I didn’t want your family walking in on us naked on Christmas day so I moved your papers and put some clothes on you so it would look like you fell asleep working.”

“Thanks.” I whispered.

I was grateful for it. And she was right. I was a heavy sleeper. I don’t even want to imagine the consequences if my family found us naked on the sofa; if Bill saw us like that.

“Charlie?!” I heard my mum calling me. “Breakfast!” I don’t think I was ever so grateful to hear her voice.

“I have to get dressed. You should go down.” I said in a much colder voice than I intended.

I didn’t want to be rude to her. Quite the opposite but I didn’t have a choice. We slept together. It was a mistake and it can’t happen again so the faster we forget about it, the better for us both.

I walked past her, without looking at her, and exited the bathroom. I returned to my room to get dressed and rushed down the stairs as fast as I could. Perhaps I will be able to stop thinking about it, about her, if I’m surrounded by other people.

Rhylee proved me wrong the second she sat down and I saw Bill blush. I don’t think I would feel this bad if I’d kill someone. The guilt is going to be the death of me.

I couldn’t eat. I think I left my appetite in the bathroom upstairs.

“Charlie finished his reports yesterday. Did you managed to get everything in order for the dragon?” Bill asked Rhylee while putting a sausage on his plate.

“I did.” She put on a faint smile. She was observing Bill’s every move and I could see the guilt in her eyes. “It turned to only be a few papers so I wish I went with you. I was done rather quickly.”

“What did you do after that?” I stiffened in my seat at Bill’s words.

I tried avoiding looking at Rhylee but I couldn’t.

“I stayed in Ginny’s room.” She glanced at me but quickly looked away. “I took the liberty of reading one of your books, I hope you don’t mind.” She said to Ginny.

“Not at all.” Ginny said with her mouth full.

Usually, that would make me smile but right now nothing could. I was preparing to get up and run to the bathroom as I felt like I wouldn’t be able to stomach this for much longer. I completely ruined the only free time I had in six months. I ruined the holidays for myself and I practically broke Bill’s heart.

I know Rhylee said that she only sees Bill as a friend but perhaps if we hadn’t slept together she would say yes to going out with him anyway. I don’t know what she is going to do now. I was certain she felt just as bad as I did, I knew that much.

“Mum, can we open the presents now?” Fred asked.

The twins were shaking in their seats from excitement.

“But you didn’t finish your breakfast.” Mum replied.

They both gave her the sweetest look that melted my heart. Ron and Ginny followed their lead.

“Pretty please!” They all said in unison.

“Oh, alright.” Mum rolled her eyes playfully and gestured for them to go to the living room.

I decided to join them.

Soon, wrapping paper was everywhere. The twins and I were already wearing our newly knitted jumpers mum made us. My parents, Percy, Bill, and Rhylee joined us soon after and we exchanged gifts.

I bought my mum a pair of gloves, a scarf and a hat to match. I visited a Muggle electronic shop in Romania to get my dad some plugs as I knew he didn’t have any from Romania yet. I got Ginny a book about Quidditch and bought a few new figures for Ron’s chess set as some of his were looking very worn down. I bought Percy a book about advanced spells and Bill a book about ancient magic. I remember him mentioning it in one of his letters and I made sure to write it down to get it for him as I knew he was too busy to do it on his own.

Now that I was watching him turn the pages, the biggest smile on his face, it didn’t bring me joy. I wasn’t happy how excited he was to read it. I felt horrible. He thought I was the best brother to remember the book he wanted to read. Little did he know that he would be better without me.

“How about us?” The twins turned to me when they realized that they were the only ones that didn’t receive a present from me.

“Yours is upstairs.” I leaned closer to them and whispered. “I placed them on your tables and you can open them later.” I emphasized the last word, hoping they would get the hint that they can’t do it now.

I bought them a set of fireworks that is sold only in Romania. I know mum is going to lose it but I couldn’t help myself when I saw it. I just had to get it for them. Mum would have to get in line to kill me anyway. I think Bill should do the honors.

I was sitting there, watching my family open their presents. They were all so happy and cheerful. The smiles on their faces were priceless. I won’t deny that I enjoyed opening presents but observing them having fun, sitting on the floor around the Christmas tree was my favorite activity of this holiday.

A smile spread across my face. I loved them all so much and seeing them so happy meant the world to me. I would do anything for every single one of them.

“Wow, Bill.” I turned to Rhylee as she spoke. “It’s beautiful.” She was looking at the necklace in her hands. It was golden with a little dragon egg charm.

I looked at Bill and he looked so proud of himself. I knew how happy it made him that she liked the gift. I, on the other hand, wanted to die. The way he was looking at her, the way his eyes sparkled, and how shy he got all of a sudden, it was killing me.

“Uhm…”

I can't take this anymore.

“I completely forgot to tell you. I got a letter yesterday that I have to return to work today.”

“What?” Mum’s smile disappeared from her face.

My dad was frowning in disappointment and it looked like Ginny was about to cry.

“I know I was supposed to stay for a few more days but a few eggs hatched prematurely and due to so many people leaving for the holidays the team that stayed behind can’t handle it.” I couldn’t believe how convincing I sounded.

It was breaking my heart looking at all of their faces. I know they wanted me to stay as much as I wish I could. But I have to get out of here.

I know it’s cowardly of me. I know I should own up to my mistake but I love my family too much and I never thought I would have to be in a position like this. If they knew what I’ve done. If they knew how I betrayed my brother, they would be so mad at me.

Mum would have my head. I was taught better than this. It might be seven of us but we were raised properly. We were raised to be fair and admit our wrongs and love each other. And I did quite the opposite. I’m lying to all of them. I hurt my brother by sleeping with the girl he liked so much.

I didn’t deserve them. I didn’t deserve them feeling sorry for me that I have to go back to work. I didn’t deserve to be missed that’s how bad I felt about this. How will I ever look Bill in the eyes again? I really hope Rhylee will go out with him. I hope she will say yes when he asks her out on a date. I hope she will be able to forget about this and start a life with him so that he can be happy.

I don’t care about myself. Bill was there for me for 5 out of my 7 years at Hogwarts. He advised me and scolded me and wished me all the best every step of the way. We got so drunk the night I got my job at the Sanctuary and we were planning all night how to tell mum about it as we knew she was going to flip out as much as she did when Bill got his job in Egypt.

He was beyond happy for me. He is the best brother anyone could ever ask for. He’s kind, he always puts others first and he’s not selfish. He is loving and caring and would do anything for his family.

Until yesterday I thought I was the same. But I was wrong. I felt like the worst person in the world. I was a scumbag. Unworthy of a brother like him.

I ignored the groans and whines of my family, stood up, and went upstairs to pack. Hopefully, by leaving I will feel better. At least I won’t have to look at Rhylee anymore for her to remind me how special last night was and what we both felt when we were together. At least I won’t have to look at Bill and lie to his face that everything is fine because it wasn’t.

Nothing was.

I might be a big family guy when it comes to my parents and my siblings but Bill was the one who dreamt about having one of his own more than me. I knew that with the job I have it would be difficult to settle down and I’ve made my peace with it but deep down I always hoped that there would be a time when I would meet a girl and she would prove me wrong.

With every girl I’ve met and been with, I lost more hope of that ever happening for me until I’ve met Rhylee. Her personality, her playfulness, her brutal honesty, the way she made me laugh. I never thought I would get a chance to meet a girl like her. And to top it all of, she was as obsessed with dragons as I was.

She was everything that I ever wished for in a girl and I can never be with her. It was painful to know that but it was true. I know you only come across a girl like this once in your life and I got my chance but she came home with the wrong brother.

I sighed and zipped my bag.

I was about to go down the stairs when I heard a noise behind me.

“Charlie, do you have a mo?” I turned around to see Rhylee standing in front of Ginny’s room.

I hesitated for a second. One part of me wanted nothing more than to talk to her again but another part of me was telling me to just go downstairs and return to Romania already.

The former part won. I put my bag on the ground and stepped closer to her. She was hiding something behind her back.

“I just want to give you your Christmas present.” She said in a whisper.

“You didn’t have to get me anything. I don’t have anything for you.” Great, another thing for me to feel bad about.

“You couldn’t know I would be here.” She giggled.

I couldn’t help but do the same. Her laugh was contagious.

“Right.” I didn’t know what else to say.

I hated that my heart started to beat faster and there was nothing I could do about it.

“It’s silly, really.” She smiled, revealing the little box she was hiding before, and looked at it. “The only thing I knew about you was that you love dragons. So here…” She extended her arm with the box in her hand.

“Thank you.” I slowly took it from her and turned around.

I can’t do this. I can’t make small talk with her when all I want to talk about is us and how amazing we could be together.

“You’re not leaving because of what happened last night, are you?” I felt her hand around my wrist.

It gave me goosebumps and sent shivers down my spine.

“Look, Rhylee.” I swallowed hard, turning back to her. “Bill is a great guy. The best actually. He’s loving and has the biggest heart. You should really give him a chance.”

“Charlie, I…” She shook her head. “Last night…what happened between us was so magical and I never felt…”

“Please, don’t.” I stopped her.

I shook my arm so she let go of it and went for my bag.

“You should give him a chance.” I said again, looking down the stairs, her standing behind me.

I stood there for a second more to collect myself. A few months ago our Swedish Short-Snout hit me with her tail and knocked me out. That was less painful than letting her go. I felt as if my chest was going to split in half and I had to try really hard to breathe.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath. and went downstairs.

“Oh, Charlie, dear, I wish you could stay longer.” Mum said as she pulled me in a tight embrace.

“Me too, mum.” I hugged her back even though I didn’t deserve her hug.

“I’ll miss you, Charlie!” Ginny was next in line to say goodbye and Ron followed, hugging me awkwardly.

“Thank you for the gift, Charlie.” Fred whispered to me. George grinning next to him.

“But you don’t even know what I got you yet?” I ruffled their hair.

“If we can’t open it in front of mum, it has to be something amazing.” George added.

I shook my head. I love them so much, no matter how mischievous they are.

“Bye, Perce.” I went to hug him but he gave me his hand to shake instead.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. He will never change.

I quickly hugged my dad and then the moment I dreaded finally came. I turned to Bill and for the first time ever wished I had more siblings to say goodbye to so that I wouldn’t have to face him.

“This was very sudden.” He whispered in my ear as he pulled me in a hug.

“Yeah, I got the letter yesterday evening. You know how it is.” I shrugged.

“You sure you’re okay?” He put his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes.

“Sure.” I smiled as much as I could, even though I felt like taking him outside and telling him everything and then beg for his forgiveness and ask him to hex me as many times as he needs to.

He nodded, believing yet another lie I fed him today and I started towards the door. I opened it and turned around to wave at my family. I closed the door behind me and closed my eyes. I wanted to remember their happy faces. I know that with the amount of guilt I’m feeling I’m not coming home for a long time.

[atmostories]

Okay, this might be a bit obscure and all that, but write something with Terry McCain from Excessive Force - I can't believe we got not one, but two characters played by Thomas Ian Griffith and they're both called Terry and I really need this right now. It's highly self-indulgent, but - 😂💜😉

Yandere Terry McCain x Reader Terry was. . .well frankly he was ridiculous.   If there was an award for a perfect human being, he'd be in the  running. Physically. . .well look at him. Somehow he was both pretty and  handsome, he had a beautiful smile, bright expressive eyes, lush, curly  hair that was the envy of anyone in his vicinity, he was absurdly tall,  both strong and fit from his work and from the martial arts he  practiced on a regular basis. He was a cop, which could have easily been  a demerit, but he truly wanted to help people and his heart was  infallibly in the right place. The thought that he'd ever be corruptible  simply was not feasible in any form or fashion.  

Terry was also a musician. He could both sing and play the piano which he did on a regular basis at the jazz club. Terry would literally waltz into the club, remove the pianist with nothing but a warm smile and a hand gesture, before he'd somehow immediately play along with the band like he'd been a member of theirs for years. You couldn't even call him arrogant because he never overstated his capabilities, he simply was that talented. Of course he was well liked by everyone he came across. Even the criminals he arrested probably couldn't help but admire him in some way. His coworkers adored him and whenever you met him at the station, the secretary on one of the front desks would always gush about whatever latest assortment of pastries Terry had brought in from the bakers a few blocks over. He was kind, considerate of others, headstrong about taking care of people. Sometimes he'd be too protective and insistent but again he couldn't be faulted for it. You'd been friends with him for over a year now. To this day, you still didn't know what he saw in you. A couple of weeks after you met him for the first time he broke up with his girlfriend, who was, as expected, absurdly gorgeous like he was and actually worked as a model. Unlike how you'd imagined, she was genuinely sweet and easygoing and she didn't harbour any bad feelings against Terry. He'd broken up with her and she still respected him and hell they were still friends. It was like they were both in a separate category of human, far beyond the reach of normal folk, far beyond your clutches. Falling in love with him was as natural as breathing. It couldn't be helped. You tried so hard to ignore it, to suppress that pleasant ache in your heart every time you saw him, but it was pointless, inescapable. You would never tell him how you truly felt. His friendship meant too much to you. Terry was a good man, a close friend, confessing your feelings would muddy the waters. You could so clearly picture the pity in his eyes, how uncomfortable it would make him and how he'd try his best to be nice about the whole thing. Silence was the only option, maybe over time the feelings would fade. He'd picked you up from work and drove you to his apartment, animatedly describing his day and ranting about his boss Devlin again. After opening up the apartment door, Terry took off his coat, threw it haphazardly onto the sofa and said he was going to shower, what with all that criminal chasing. He also promised he'd cook you dinner and forbade you from the kitchen so you found yourself settling down on the sofa. You were about to turn on the TV when his coat fell onto the floor. Picking it up, you wandered to his bedroom looking for a hanger, to save the coat from wrinkling. A pile of folders was sprawled across his bed, bits of paper, photos and mugshots were laid out in disarray. You supposed being somewhat disorganised could be one of his faults, though you were sure that would be how he worked best, how he made links with his investigations. He hadn't specifically barred you from looking at his work but hadn't actively encouraged you either so in the past you left it well enough alone. That was until you spotted something familiar in the corner of one of the photos which was mostly covered by some paper. Standing next to the bed, you leaned in closer, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. You slowly uncovered the picture, your heart stuttering at the sight of yourself. You were fast asleep, in your own bed. . .what. . .why did he. . .what was this? Before you could stop yourself, you were lifting up folder after folder until you saw one with your name on it. Blood rushed to your ears. No, no, there had to be some explanation, some reason for this. Maybe he was just being facetious and had checked to make sure you hadn't done anything illegal. You could believe that, you could. . . You flicked through the pages, horror seeped into you with every passing moment. This wasn't just a criminal history check, this was. . .this was everything, it was your whole life splayed out before you in explicit, bone-chilling detail. Your family, your background, your childhood, your exam results, pictures of you when you were younger, your employment history, your friends, a list of every person you'd ever been intimate with, a psychiatric profile and oh fuck he'd made little notes too. Slight improvement of self esteem after initiation of physical contact. You immediately turned over to the next page, and your gut lurched. There was a collection of photos of you, more photos of you sleeping, you at work, you walking down the street, you waiting for him outside a diner. Closing the file, you gently lowered it back down onto the bed, placing it carefully how it was before. You walked back to the sofa with his coat still in hand. The shower was still running, but he wouldn't be long. He didn't like to make you wait. Your eyes fixated on the front door, the urge to run at the forefront of your mind. You had to get out, you had to get away from him. You couldn't deal with this, you had to go, but then. . .he'd know something was wrong, he'd know what you saw, and what would he do then? No, you had to stay, things had to appear normal, perfectly normal. Laying out the coat on the armrest, you stared at your hands resting on your lap. They were shaking slightly. You felt nauseous. This couldn't be happening, this couldn't be fucking happening. What were you to him? A project? An investigation? A charity case? Something to dissect and pull apart for his own amusement? You should have known something was wrong, you should have known he was too good to be true, people weren't just that good, people weren't just that nice, especially not to you. Why didn't you see it before? How did you believe it so easily? All those pictures. . .he'd been. . .he'd been surveilling you? Watching you? He'd taken pictures while you were sleeping. . .what else had he done? You felt violated, small, insignificant, and so terribly alone. How were you going to keep it together? How were you going to- “Something wrong with the TV?” The sound of his voice almost made you flinch. You turned to see him wearing sweatpants and a black vest. His hair was still damp, there was a towel over his shoulders. “Uhh. . .” you mumbled as he held up the remote and clicked on the TV. He raised his eyebrows at you expectantly, obviously wondering why you had been sitting still in silence. “I've uh. . .had a long day.” “Oh. Why didn't you say something earlier?” He asked, positioning himself next to you on the sofa. His arms wrapped around you and he pressed himself firmly against you, the pleasant smell of his skin filling your nostrils. You forced yourself to return the hug, mind picturing the little note he'd written. “Don't worry,” he murmured softly. “I'll make you all better.”

[jaskierswolf]

The Grass is Greener Pt.3/3

CW: More shitty parents...

Previous

Dinner was an absolute nightmare. The food itself was delicious. They ordered from the lovely little Italian place in town that was one of Jaskier’s favourites for board game night with his housemates. Geralt and Jaskier both ordered pizza, which was the totally normal thing to do when ordering takeaway. His mother ordered sea bass with new potatoes, spinach and mediterranean vegetables.

Ciri was snoring quietly in her pram. Geralt had popped home to get it whilst they were waiting for the food as Ciri threw a bit of a tantrum when they’d tried to get her back into her carry cot.

They were eating on the patio table. Jaskier had insisted. They had spent over two hours trying to clear up the garden and his mother was going to fucking appreciate it, seeing as she’d found every reason to pull apart his house.

The carpet was the wrong colour, the oven was shit, his bedroom was a mess (it wasn’t), the bathroom stank even through the jammy door (it kind of did, thanks Regis), the windows were filthy, there were too many beds…

It went on and on and on.

Geralt, who was supposed to be helping to charm his darling mother, was just glaring at her across the table. Jaskier was trying to joke and make awkward conversation but the tension was just too much. He couldn’t do this. Everything he said was met was snide comments from his mother, who’s current favourite topic was Geralt being a single father, because how could Jaskier ever be good enough to help raise a child. Geralt didn’t once defend himself against his mother’s remarks which Jaskier found infuriating but he was immensely glad that Geralt was there to serve as a buffer. He was struggling to remember how he coped in past years without Geralt’s assistance. How on earth had he managed this battle on his own every year?

Geralt had held his hand throughout the entire dinner, which was both amazing and really awkward when it came to eating. Luckily pizza didn’t require a knife and fork. Occasionally, Geralt would lean in to kiss his cheek or brush Jaskier’s fringe from his eyes. Jaskier hadn’t known what to expect from fake dating Geralt. He’d assumed that he would be the better actor out of the two of them, but his mother was throwing him off and Geralt seemed to have slipped into the role as if he were born to love Jaskier, and didn’t that just make him feel all giddy?

Still he could do without the death glares being shot towards his mother whenever she said… well, anything really.

“Geralt. A word, please.” He said firmly, squeezing Geralt’s hand and standing up.

Geralt grunted and turned to flee into the house. Jaskier sighed. “Mother, can you watch Ciri?”

His mother nodded and stabbed at the poor dead fish on her plate. He nodded back and ran into the house.

“Geralt!” He called after his neighbour.

Geralt was now the one pacing in the living room. “What the fuck is her problem?”

Jaskier frowned. Why was he so angry? It wasn’t as if they were actually dating…

Jaskier shrugged and tapped out a rhythm on his leg with his fingers as he tried to recap an entire lifetime of terrible parenting as quickly as possible. “I’ve always been the problem child, according to my parents. I came out when I was sixteen after years of running around in my sister’s high heels and dresses. Mother and Father didn’t exactly welcome the news and proceeded to ignore it until I left for uni. When I said I was going to study music they all but kicked me out the house. Apparently being bi was tolerable but not having a ‘proper’ career was a step too far. After uni, I sofa-surfed for a few years until Pris suggested we all get a house together, that’s when Regis practically adopted us and… well… here we are. Present day.”

Geralt put a hand on his shoulder and then pulled him into a hug.

Jaskier yelped, surprised by the sudden show of affection. “Geralt?” He mumbled against Geralt’s chest, trying to ignoring the blooming love in his heart.

“You don’t deserve that.” He grumbled. “Any of that.”

Jaskier pulled back and furrowed his brow. “Yeah, and how would you know?”

Geralt… blushed?

“Geralt?” Jaskier asked, cupping Geralt’s cheek.

“When you moved in you made me cupcakes.” Geralt mumbled.

Jaskier stared in shock at the man in front of him. He’d forgotten about that. They’d been a complete mess and the icing had leaked all over the bottom of the box, but they’d still been edible and Geralt had insisted that Jaskier stay for a cup of tea to try them.

It had just been Geralt in the house at the time. He’d still been waiting for the paperwork to be finalised to be approved as a potential adoptive parent and the house had seemed so empty. It was the same size as Jaskier’s and Jaskier shared with four other people, well, three others and Valdo Marx. Apparently, Geralt had come into some money following a death of a family friend and he’d been able to afford a family sized home. Jaskier had just seen the hot guy next door and decided to spontaneously make cupcakes in a half-baked attempt, pun intended, to get laid. It hadn’t worked and Jaskier had settled for pining for his hot neighbour instead.

How had he forgotten about that?

“Geralt.” He breathed.

“And when I got the flu you came round with groceries and made soup.” Geralt added.

Jaskier swallowed nervously. “I was worried about you. You hadn’t left the house for days and I don’t think I’d even seen you miss a day of work before. You leave every morning like clockwork.”

“You’re a great person, Jaskier.” Geralt chuckled almost nervously, in a way that was making Jaskier’s heart run far too fast in his chest. “And seeing you with Ciri, Jask, you’re incredible.”

Jaskier scoffed trying to calm the torrent of feelings in his poor bisexual heart. “This fake dating is getting to your head, Geralt.”

Geralt hummed and pulled away from him. “Right.”

“Can you please just try and get along with my mother until I can send her off to the hotel room she inevitably booked so she doesn’t have to stay with us, me, with me.” Jaskier stumbled over his words. “Please?”

“Then we can get the pictures for Yen and I’ll be out of your hair.” Geralt grumbled.

Jaskier laughed nervously. Why did that suddenly sound like a death sentence?

God, he was already addicted to Geralt being in his life.

“Right.” He mumbled.

They both sulked back outside to the patio where his mother was cooing at baby Ciri in her pram.

Jaskier turned to face Geralt who had a matching confused expression on his face.

“Geralt, she is just the cutest.” His mother cooed.

“What the…” Jaskier muttered.

“Thank you, Mrs Pankratz.” Geralt said slowly, as if he didn’t trust his words.

His mother bopped the young girl on the nose then turned up to look between Geralt and Jaskier.  “Now then, what’s up with you two? Julian, don’t tell me you’ve managed to ruin your relationship with this young man already!” She snapped.

Jaskier gaped. What the fuck?

This wasn’t his life.

Dear god this wasn’t his life.

Geralt wrapped his arm around Jaskier’s waist pulling Jaskier towards him and placing a kiss on Jaskier’s temple. Jaskier’s heart fluttered in his chest he couldn’t help but lean into Geralt’s embrace.

“Not at all.” Geralt said in his lovely deep voice that made Jaskier’s insides turn to goo.

“Geralt was just worried about me.” Jaskier chimed, the fake smile back on his face. “All sorted now.”

“Worried?” His mother scoffed and then turned to give Ciri a smile that, if Jaskier didn’t know better, would have been described as motherly. “Whatever for?”

Geralt smiled too sweetly. It looked wrong on his face. Jaskier gulped and looked between them. “He’s tried so hard to make you proud, Mrs Pankratz and you have not been kind. As his guest you should be grateful that he’s invited you into his home. Yet everything he does is flawed in your eyes. Makes me wonder, is there something wrong with your eyes? Because your son is… he’s one of the best people that I’ve had the pleasure to meet.”

“Excuse me?!” Jaskier’s mother shrieked and Jaskier decided it would be rather lovely if a big hole would just open up under his feet right.

“And yet, you look at my daughter as if she is an angel.” Geralt growled.

“Oh well. She is rather amazing.” Jaskier mumbled.

“If only you had treated your son with the same respect, maybe we could have gotten along better.” Geralt carried on as if Jaskier hadn’t said a word.

“You have no right!” His mother pointed at Geralt. “No right!”

Geralt shrugged. “Perhaps, but Jaskier was too good to say what needed to be said.”

“Geralt, love.” Jaskier squeezed Geralt’s hand, probably too hard. “You promised.”

Geralt closed his eyes and growled. “Jaskier, I can’t just sit here and listen to her bullshit.”

“Why not?” Jaskier pouted. “I’ve done it for years. One day, Geralt, you had to do it for one fucking day. Why couldn’t you?”

“Because I love you!” Geralt snapped.

Jaskier froze and stared at Geralt.

It was an act.

It was all an act.

Except…. what if it wasn’t?

Jaskier lunged forwards and pulled Geralt into a bruising kiss. He needed to, he needed Geralt like he needed the oxygen in the air. He’d been pining after this man for a year and hearing those words, fake or otherwise, it was too much. He felt a prick of tears in his eyes and he sniffed.

“Oh bollocks.” He mumbled against Geralt’s lips. “Fuck, Geralt, you made me cry. You bastard.”

Geralt pulled back to stare intently into Jaskier’s eyes, searching for the answer to some unasked question. “Jask?”

He sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes. “I love you too, Geralt.”

Geralt brushed his thumb across Jaskier’s cheek and laughed. “You promised you wouldn’t.”

Jaskier snorted. “You promised to be nice to my mother.” He countered.

They both ignored the squeak of protest from the woman in question.

Geralt scoffed. “Some promises are worth breaking.”

“Can someone please explain, what is going on here?” His mother snapped, causing the girl in her arms to start screaming again.

Jaskier gave Geralt another chaste kiss and winked before turning to face his mother with his hands on his hips.

“Mother, dearest. Please return Ciri to her father and kindly fuck off.” He sneered.

“You can’t talk to me that way!” She protested as Ciri was pulled from her arms.

Jaskier tilted his head. “Oh ho ho! I think I can. You!” He pointed at her. “Kicked me out, or do you not remember that lovely little detail?”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“I’m really not. Now as wonderful as all this has been. You should know that this house is not just mine, I live here with my friends.” He snorted. “As if I could afford the rent on a house like this on my own, Geralt here, is not my boyfriend—”

“Yet.” Geralt added with a smirk.

“—Yet.” Jaskier agreed and winked at Geralt. “He agreed to help after spending over two hours mowing the lawn because it was so overgrown it resembled a small forest. The only reason he helped was because I have no idea how to actually do basic gardening tasks because I am terrible at anything that isn’t music and writing.”

“Jaskier.” Geralt growled.

“Oh and falling in love with my incredible gorgeous neighbour before he even asked me out on a date. It’s an oddly specific talent but has served me remarkably well, I think.”

“Julian!” His mother gasped.

“Oh and I did babysit Ciri a few times, but get this… I didn’t even ask for money!” He laughed at the shock on her face. “I did it because Geralt asked me to and she’s actually rather cute.”

“I can’t listen to this.” His mother started to head back to the front door.

Jaskier was absolutely fucking delighted! Oh he should have done this years ago! He should never have let the woman back into his life. It had only hurt him, but then again would he have tried to fix the garden without her? Would he have ever worked up the courage to ask Geralt out?

Probably not…

He scoffed.

She would hate that he had only gotten a boyfriend because of her meddling.

“I’m leaving!” She called over her shoulder as she stormed out the front door.

“Thank fuck for that!” Jaskier waved after her and then turned to go back in the house.

He almost ran straight into Geralt who was stood right behind him with Ciri in one arm.

Thirteen years he’d put up with his mother’s torture. More than that if you counted the years before he’d come out. All that time trying to be someone he wasn’t just to please her when he could have just left her and his shitty family behind.

Why had he’d been so scared?

Geralt pulled him into a hug and kissed his hair with a hum.

Jaskier scowled as the thought hit him. “Geralt?”

“Hmm.”

“Did you really mean it?” He asked as he rested his head on Geralt’s chest, listening to his  heartbeat.

“Yeah. Did you?” Geralt pulled back so they could see each other’s faces.

Jaskier laughed and cupped Geralt’s face in his hands. “Oh, dear heart, I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

Geralt tilted his head and glanced down at Ciri. “And you don’t mind, about Ciri?”

Jaskier giggled.

“Geralt, darling.” He kissed his new boyfriend chastely and then crossed his arms, putting on his best scary Geralt face. “The child must not be an obstacle.”

Geralt shoved him and he fell over laughing, as Geralt stalked back into the living room.

“I regret nothing!” He called after Geralt before scrambling to his feet and chasing after his grumpy, and still insanely hot neighbour/boyfriend. 

________

More witcher fun!

[evanoracronwell]

Life as he knew it

Chapter 2 - What’s next?!

Buddie♥

“I’m your father. And I already love you so much, little girl. You’ll see, we’ll be fine. I promise I will be the best father in the world for you."

Also on ao3 (2/?)

Driving through the streets of Los Angeles took more than an eternity and Buck is sure that he exceeded the permitted speed limit several times. His heart was beating so fast that felt as if it would come out through his mouth any second.   A reception desk in green tones appeared in front of his eyes as soon as the elevator doors opened on the 3rd floor of the north tower, and he breathed slowly and deeply, trying to calm himself down as much as possible in the face of this situation.   This bizarre and completely surreal situation.   All of this had to be a huge, ridiculous, joke; and one in bad taste, at that there was no chance that the information he’d been given on the phone was true.   "Excuse me,” he went to the reception desk and a nurse smiled at him. "I'm looking for Taylor Kelly's room"   "Oh dear ...” she replied, her smile immediately fading and the sad look that appeared on her face causing Buck to swallow. "Room 312, in the corridor on the right"   He thanked her and turned down the hall looking for the room. Buck tried to ignore the sadness he’d seen in the receptionist's gaze when he had said who he was here to see and walked at a quick pace until he found the room number. Taking a deep breath once more, he knocked lightly at the door and waited for an answer before opening it. Upon entering the room, he saw a woman dressed elegantly in a black suit, sitting on a sofa just below a large window and in the center of the room a bed where Taylor Kelly was sitting with her back against the headboard and an extremely bored and impatient expression on her face.   "Well ... finally, Buckley."   "Is it true? Did you really give birth to a girl? My daughter?"   "Obviously not, Buckley. I needed a break and I thought a room in the maternity ward was an excellent idea. What do you think, genius?  

"So why didn't you come to me before? Damn, Taylor, you should have told me you were pregnant! I would have helped you and stayed with you all of these months."   "Please, the last thing I would do was look for you, and I definitely wouldn't want you around for months. If I had suspected for a second that this pregnancy was your fault, believe me, I wouldn't have allowed it to get this far.   "I ... shit, Taylor ... what the fuck is all this?!"   "Shit is a good way to describe the fucked mess up that my life has become because of you."   "Because of me? I don't even know what's going on here, Taylor; a woman called me ... your attorney, which I believe is you, right?”He looked quickly at the woman on the couch who just nodded without saying a word.   "And she told me that you just gave birth to a girl and now you blame me, as if I did it on purpose?"   "Damn it, I had everything very well planned, Buckley, everything was perfect and then you came and fucked it up ..."   "I don't understand. What do you mean that you had it all planned out, Taylor? Tell me what's going on here."   "I was dating the owner of the station I work for. I spent three months Buckley, three damn months fucking that unbearable and pathetic old man, acting like I was in love, all so I would get pregnant and guarantee a good future for myself at the station. When that asshole went on vacation with his wife, I wanted to enjoy it; a weekend to go out and have some good sex. Then I see you, and I think "great, I won't even have to bother to seduce anyone” One fucking night, Buckley, that honestly wasn't even as good as I remembered, and you ruined the perfect life that I had planned. "   "Wait a minute, you were having an affair and trying to get pregnant, probably without this guy knowing, just for what? Blackmailing him into a promotion at the station?"   "Obviously, Buck. Or did you think I would want him to marry me? Of course not, what I wanted was to be the anchor of a news program on TV. Something much more important than that shit they gave me after I got out of the traffic news. "   "You are unbelievable... I really can't believe I'm hearing this."   "Oh, I'm so sorry, did you wish I was crying with happiness with the little bundle of joy in my arms? Spare me, Buckley, the last thing I wanted in my life was to have a kid ruin it. That baby was an investment that, thanks to you, didn't work out. "   "But ... we used a condom. Dammit, Taylor, we only had sex once and we used the damn condom. They’re 98% effective!”   "Well ... that 2% came back to bite me in the ass."   "You just said you spent months with that guy, Taylor, how can you be so sure it's mine? It doesn't make any sense."   "Well, to start with, he's black and the baby was born as pale as a ghost, with blue eyes and, I mean, if that wasn't enough, she also inherited that ridiculous birthmark from you. He may be stupid, but not so much that he would believe that the kid was his "   "I can't believe this ... I ... fuck, I have no idea what to do."   "You better figure it out quickly, Buckley, because I don't have much time to lose. Tomorrow, I have a flight to catch and I'd rather die before missing it."   "What do you mean, a flight? Taylor, you can't tell me that you just gave birth to my daughter and then say that you're leaving. I'm not going to let you take my daughter away from me."   "Oh dear, this would be lovely if I wasn't so angry right now. What makes you think I'm going to be taking the girl with me?"   "Wait, what?"   "Listen here, Buckley; it's very simple, so pay attention. This whole baby story may have gone wrong for me, but I wouldn't play all my cards in just one hand. I documented all possible evidence of Scott's affair with me, and thanks to that, I got him to hook me up with a great job in Washington; a direct correspondent at the White House, with a chair and everything. So, I'm leaving tomorrow for my bright future, and this kid definitely has no place in it. "   "You can't be serious, Taylor; this is your daughter."   "Oh no, right now she is just your daughter, and depending on your decision, she might not be that, either."   "What do you mean, my decision ?!"   "Mr. Buckley, if I can?”The woman, who Buck sincerely forgot had been there, got up from the couch and walked to the center of the room with a folder in her hands. “Ms. Taylor contacted me yesterday as soon as the child was born and informed me of what happened. Following her orders, I have in hand a document stating that you and only you are the child's guardian exempting my client from any responsibility or bond to the child and to you. "   "What?"   "If you do not agree to raise the child, we already have contact with two families who would love to adopt her."   "One of them is even in Italy; the farther the better.” Taylor replied, still extremely annoyed and impatient.   "Are you fucking kidding me now? How the hell did you get these documents and two families in less than 24 hours?"   "Money makes everything move faster Buckley, and a friend of mine works with an agency that specializes in adoption. Now, just make up your mind because, as I said, the last thing I have is time and patience."   "Of course, I am going to raise my daughter! Not even for a second would the possibility of not raising her cross my mind."   "Well then, sign the papers and go be a daddy !!"   "Taylor listen to me, you should just calm down and think about this l. I know that now you don't want to be a mother, but in a while, you might regret it and ..."   "My only regret, Buckley, was going to that bar and having sex with you. Although, honestly, when I think about it, maybe I should thank you. After all, being a direct correspondent in the White House is definitely better than being a TV news anchor here in Los Angeles. But don't even think for a second that it means I want to be part of this child's life; any purpose that she could have for me has already been fulfilled, Buckley, and let's leave it at that "   "But, what if you want to be a mother someday ... Taylor, you can change your mind..."   "If I ever decide to become a mother, you can believe me it will be a much better reason than the cliché of maternal instinct, Buckley. Now, please. You made your decision and I’ve made mine. Sign the papers and we will end this conversation."   "You know what, fine, but I want a guarantee that you won't show up sometime in the future and take my daughter away from me. If you want to go that way, then it's forever, without regrets."   "Please, that would never happen."   "So what? Should I just take your word for it?"   "I can draft a document ensuring that it doesn't happen, Mr. Buckley, and I will personally hand it over to you, signed, tomorrow, before Ms. Kelly leaves for DC."   "Great ... everything’s settled and everyone’s happy; now get out of my room, Buckley. I already left all the papers signed regardless of knowing what your choice would be. Although, honestly, I should have imagined it would be this one; you always were extremely needy."   "And you've always been a heartless, unscrupulous bitch. I hope you have a terrible time in DC."   Without saying another word, and not wanting to allow her to respond, Buck strode out of the room and closed the door with a little more force than he should have, then leaned against the wall. His knees felt so weak and shaky that he was afraid of falling to the floor. He closed his eyes and threw his head back against the wall, pulling the air into his lungs as he tried to calm the agitated beating of his heart and the anger that ran through his body while trying to wrap his head around what had just happened.   Fuck ... he had a daughter.   "Mr. Buckley ?"   A soft, low voice came from his side and Buck opened his eyes to see the attorney, who had just closed the door, standing right next to him.   "Olivia Mason, right?"   "Yes, sir"   "Buck ... just ... Buck."   "Okay, Buck. First of all, I would like to say how sorry I am about the whole situation. Despite being Ms. Kelly's attorney, I admit I don't agree with everything that is going on. Having said that, we should be concerned about having you sign all necessary documents to take custody of your daughter. "   "What exactly is in these documents?"   "It says here that Ms. Kelly gave up the child's shared custody, thereby making you solely responsible for any family decisions. A unilateral custody, Buck, with some additions specifying that Ms. Kelly does not wish to be sought out, either by the child or by you, whatever the situation may be. Think of it this way, Buck; Taylor Kelly was just the surrogate for your daughter, and now any decision regarding the child's life must be and will be made only by you. "   "And with the document I asked for, will she also be unable to contact my daughter?"   "Yes; as I said, for all intents and purposes, she was just a surrogate."   "I can't believe that she really said all that."   "I imagine that all of this must come as quite a shock to you ."   "Yeah ... you could say that. Look, I appreciate, what you did and also that you’re going to help keep her out of my life, and if what she’s paying you doesn't cover it, then I’ll guarantee your payment myself and ... "   "Don't worry; I have to confess that when she came to me and specified what she wanted, I made sure that I was charging twice as much as I normally do."   "Well ... she deserves it."   "Why don't you keep these papers and think about everything that happened today, and tomorrow I’ll bring you the other document and have you sign it. Inside the folder is my contact information; send me your address and any questions you may have, and I will be happy to answer them. "   "Thank you .... seriously, just ... thank you."   "You should go and meet your daughter, Mr. Buckley,”she replied, and with a gentle smile walked away down the hall.   She was right. He had a baby to meet.   His daughter was ... beautiful; just the most beautiful thing Buck had seen in his entire life.   Taylor was right, apart from a slight red tone in the blond curls, she was all Buck.   The nurse who had walked him down the hall to the nursery smiled through the glass as she lifted the baby high enough that he could see her even at this distance, and then she nodded and disappeared through a door, with Buck following until he reached a reserved room with a few armchairs. The nurse instructed him to wash his hands and Buck did so immediately.   “This is a breastfeeding room, but it’s rarely used, since we prefer to leave the babies with their parents as long as possible. You can stay here with her for a while; we just fed her with the bottle so it won't take long for her to fall asleep.   She placed the baby in Buck's arms, who took her with the greatest care in the world, arranging the child affectionately and snuggling her against his chest.   "What do you mean a bottle? Taylor didn't have any milk?"   "From what I understand, Mr. Buckley, Ms. Kelly simply decided not to breastfeed her daughter. I'm very sorry; I heard about what happened. I was in the room trying to convince her to breastfeed when she talked to the attorney about the child. "   "I can't believe she didn't even want to breastfeed her daughter. But she's fine, right? Is my daughter healthy?"   "Yes, sir. She's a full 7.5 lb and 18 inches of cuteness. Perfectly healthy and beautiful."   "Yes, she is."   Buck looked at the baby, who opened her eyes to look directly at him with a huge pair of curious blue eyes, which made him immediately fall in love with the girl. He would do anything, would give the world for her without the slightest hesitation.   "I'm going to leave you to sit alone with your daughter. The chairs all have a call button on the side; if you need anything, just press it, and a nurse will come over to help you."   "Thank you."   "There’s no reason to thank me l, Mr. Buckley, I ..."   "Just Buck,” he interrupted her with a smile.   "Buck, right. I'm Emily; it's a pleasure to meet you. I must inform you, though, that the child hasn't been named yet; we haven't even managed to put the mother's last name on the nursery ID. Just the room number."   "Taylor didn't even name the baby? Guess I shouldn't be surprised."   "I am very sorry. Anyway, the baby will be discharged from the nursery tomorrow, and we will need to print the birth certificate. We’ll need a name, and also your personal data, Buck."   "Yes, of course, I ... I don't have a name planned; I didn't even know I needed one until a few minutes ago. Can I take the day to think about it?"   "Of course; as I said, I know the situation and I understand how confusing everything must be at this point. But if you would allow me to be nosy, you seem to have made an extremely important decision that will change your life in a way that you can’t even imagine ... and yet, I didn’t see any fear in your eyes. "   "Well ... I can guarantee that I'm terrified of being a father."   "Oh, I know, all parents always are. This is normal, Buck, but you have the look of someone who is afraid of not being a good father. That’s the first step in becoming an excellent one"   She smiled again and then walked out of the room, leaving Buck alone with the child in his arms.   He walked comically slowly for fear of hurting the child until he sat down in one of the armchairs and then settled her more comfortably in one arm while gently touching her cheek with his finger.   "She was wrong, you know? Your birthmark is beautiful, just like the rest of you. Jesus, girl, you’re going to give me a lot of trouble when you grow up, aren't you? Look at you! You're so beautiful"   He smiled when she grunted, making a face - which Buck definitely thought was a toothless smile - and then she grabbed Buck's finger, making the fireman blink as the tears fell from his eyes and his voice failed him.   “I’m your father. And I already love you so much, little girl. You’ll see, we’ll be fine. I promise I will be the best father in the world for you." 

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When Buck parked his Jeep at his building, he was exhausted. He looked like he had just worked a long shift filled with difficult calls. Getting out of the hospital and leaving his daughter behind was the hardest thing he had had to do in his entire life, but he knew it was necessary. In less than 24 hours, he would have a baby to raise in an apartment that wasn’t prepared in the slightest to receive her. He needed to buy clothes, a crib, and countless other things that a baby needed, Buck, honestly, had no idea what most of those things were.   Which was exactly why he sent a message to the 118 group before having even left the hospital asking everyone to go to his house. He sent separate message to Eddie asking him not to just open his house for everyone but also, for him to text Carla asking her to go too, Because God knows he was going to need all the help he could get. And with the speed at which everything had to be arranged for the arrival of his daughter, the last thing he needed now was to waste time telling people separately, so the best idea was to bring them all together and tell them all at once.   When he opened the door to the loft he was immediately greeted with various exclamations of concern from all his friends, and then a small - yet incredibly strong - Maddie Buckley throwing herself into his arms, hugging him tight enough that he could hardly breathe.   "Evan, thank God! We are all worried after your message. You asked us to come here without explaining anything else!"   "I'm sorry, I should have said something more. I'm fine, Maddie, I swear."   "So ... what happened, Buckaroo,” Athena asked, equally concerned.   "Well ... I have a daughter"   "I'm sorry. You have what now ?!"

[melofanish]

Hold Us In Those Arms

@strandbuckley Day 4: “Look How Far You’ve Come” + Future

Summary: If Carlos could use one singular word to describe the day, it would be some mix of 'horrendous', 'terrible' and 'assfuckery'. Apparently, the entirety of Austin decided to lose their brain cells on the same day, doing a range of dumb shit. And he was done. He was tired, and exhausted, and hungry. The promise of home was the only thing that kept him going as the last few hours of the shift rolled by. He can't believe that once upon seven years ago, he'd told TK that "if it isn't meant to be it isn't meant to be."They've all come so far.

Tags: Carlos Reyes, TK Strand, Original Female Character, Established Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Married Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Soft Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Carlos Reyes Needs a Hug, Good Significant Other TK Strand, Mentions of Past Emotional Child Abuse, Future Fic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort

Warnings:  There is a minor mention of past emotional child abuse of an original charter, so tread lightly if that's not something you're okay with.

Beta: The magnificient and mejestic @lire-casander

Read on AO3.

---

If Carlos could use one singular word to describe the day, it would be some mix of 'horrendous', 'terrible' and 'assfuckery'. Apparently, the entirety of Austin decided to lose their brain cells on the same day, doing a range of dumb shit. And he was done. He was tired, and exhausted, and hungry. The promise of home was the only thing that kept him going as the last few hours of the shift rolled by.

He parks in the driveway, unwilling to open the garage and snake his car inside. It's turned into somewhat of storage for a number of items they need to get rid of. It still takes both of their cars, but it requires manoeuvring the car around and a level of concentration that he just doesn't possess at the moment. So he parks in the driveway instead, stretching back to grab his bag, and then he's jogging up the porch.

He stops just outside the door, hand on the handle, and takes a breath. His family is extremely sensitive to his moods. He may not have a mirror at hand, but he can imagine how he looks; wrinkles on his forehead, a glare in his eyes, and thin lips. He sighs slowly, willing some of the tension to leave with the exhale. He repeats it again and then decides to pull on his big boy pants and he opens the door.

He's greeted by the smell of something sour cooking, and picks up lime and chicken spices in the air almost immediately. He drops his bag, toes off his shoes, and then takes a moment to stretch. He wants to get inside, feel the love and safety and security, but he doesn't want to bring any troubles from the outside world in.

He passes across the living room, dodging through Legos and car toys, making a mental note to tidy up the haphazard toy boxes in the corner. The TV is on, playing "Moana" on mute. He turns it off, the sound of a cabinet opening, a pan being lifted, and the cabinet closing pulling him further in.

As he steps under the door frame, Carlos can't help but take a moment to appreciate the way his life has turned out. TK is wearing his favourite apron, a piece of light yellow fabric with small, animated elephants stamped all over. He has his back to Carlos, focusing on whisking something in a bowl, and then he stops and slides over to the stove, lifting the lid of a pot to add green peppers and then closing it again, before returning to the bowl.

Ella is sitting behind TK at the bar on a high stool, her back to Carlos as well, and what looks like the contents of her school bag thrown across the table. Carlos can see that she has a pencil in one hand, and she's using the other one to count on her fingers.

He approaches her, standing right behind her, and peeks over her head. Her textbook is open to a page with two colourful red circles and four blue circles joined by an '×' sign, followed by a '=' sign, and then an empty cloud. He identifies the multiplication equation, the current lesson they're doing at school. He can see that she has already drawn in six circles, and the seventh has been drawn and erased. Multiple times if the wear on the paper tells him anything.

He bends and presses a kiss to the unruly brown curls on the top of her head. She stops looking at her fingers and diverts her focus up, at him. Her grey eyes are blown wide, and they're lined by an unshed layer of tears. Carlos is about to ask her what's wrong when the quiet serenity of the house is broken by the loud, high-pitched "DAAADAAA" as she stands up on the stool and turns to hook her arms around Carlos' neck.

Carlos picks her up, holding her little, lithe body against his, trying to squeeze her into himself. He can feel the swell of her smiling cheek in the crook of his neck, and as he turns his head to press another kiss to her head, he feels her reciprocate and press tiny, small pecks to the underside of his jaw. He feels two arms wrap around his torso then, hugging them both, and a strong muscular chest attaching itself to his back. TK lifts up on his toes and rests his chin on Carlos' empty shoulder.

They stand there for a few minutes, their daughter wrapped in his arms, and his husband enveloping them both, holding all three of them together.

TK is the first to pull away, squealing as he runs to the oven when he hears the jumble of the lid lifting by the boiling steam underneath. Ella lets go of Carlos' neck, and he drops her back into her seat before he excuses himself to go upstairs to change. As much as he wants to stay wrapped up with them, both he and TK have made it a point to change as soon as they get home. Getting into comfortable clothes, they've found, helps them let go of the burden of their jobs. It takes them away from professional mode and puts them into home mode, into parents mode.

Into family mode.

He can see TK giving him a look from the corner of his eye. But under Ella's watchful gaze, and behind the disguise of changing, TK doesn't say anything. He knows TK won't be expecting him back for a few more minutes, as he does his usual decompression coping mechanism of sitting on the sofa and trying to drown his own misery in the happiness around him.

He jogs up the stairs two at a time, and crosses the hallway to their bedroom in long, purposeful strides. He opens their closet and pulls out the first pair of sweatpants and t-shirt he spots, laying them both on the bed as he begins to remove his clothes. He hurries through the process, getting his pants and socks off in one move, and then unbuttoning the top three buttons of his shirt and removing it through his head. He gets into his home attire just as fast, and then he's out the door. He stops at the last moment, turning back to grab his clothing off the floor and throwing them in the general direction of the hamper, and then he's out.

He's right about halfway down the stairs when he hears a faint echo of a whimper. He pauses, trying to focus on the source of the noise, when he hears the clearer, unmistakably Ella's sniffles.

"What's wrong, baby?" He hears TK asks, the concern and the worry apparent in his voice alone.

"I don't- I don't know how to do it, Papa, I can't d-do it, it's so hard!" comes Ella's crying response. Carlos doesn't need to have them in his visual field to know that TK is wearing a sympathetic, heart-broken look and that Ella's looking up at her dad, seeking comfort and solace.

He isn't sure what it is, but something compels Carlos to sit on the stairs and listen, rather than walk in and act. Just as his butt touches the rising, he hears the scratch of a chair on the flooring, and then TK's "come up here," and he knows Ella has been picked up.

Carlos hugs his knees, knowing that down the hall, Ella is held in TK's arms. He's been in those arms many-a-times, and he's very aware of the safety and security and love that they radiate. He knows Ella is in the most comfortable place she could possibly be.

The few next moments are spent in silence on both ends. Carlos is solely focused on the soft taps on TK's feet as he undoubtedly sways from one side to the side, and Ella's slowly diminishing gasps until both sounds stop.

"You're doing so well, honey. Why are you saying that you can't do it?" TK breaks the silence, voice full of love and concern.

"It's hard, I don't know how-" Ella’s voice wavers for a moment before she takes a breath and continues, "I don't know if I can."

TK lets out a sad whine, and Carlos' heart does the same. He can hear the insecurities seeping into Ella again, her seven-year-old mind still not over the three years she spent with a family that called her 'stupid' and 'idiot' for not being able to do things that she shouldn't have been able to do in the first place.

"Yes, you can, love. Just because it's hard doesn't mean you can't do it!" TK tries to reason with her. Carlos can tell Ella doesn't believe him by the violent whimpers she lets out before TK follows up, "No, no, listen, remember last year? When you said you couldn't do addition?"

There's no reply for a moment, and then Ella is humming a small "yeah?"

"Yeah, remember? You can do it now! You learned! You do addition so fast now! You've come so far!"

There's another beat of silence that leaves Carlos straining to listen for the smallest of noises, anything so he can know what's going on in their kitchen.

"Oh," Ella grumbles eventually. "So, I just need to work like I did with adding?"

"Yes!" TK exclaims, and Carlos can't help but smile at the excited tone coming from his husband. His smile widens even further when Ella huffs a quiet "okay" in response.

He hears a thump that he thinks is Ella being put down onto the stool, and then the rustle of pages being turned. The soft padding of feet drag away from him, and then there's the sizzle of oil as something is dropped on it. He knows that they're back to normal.

Carlos takes another moment, just sitting there on the stairs, hugging his own legs. There's something about being there with them - but not - that gives him a weird sense of peace. It's witnessing them alive, hearing the sounds of their voices and movements, knowing that their personal tiny bubble is untouched, undisturbed, untroubled by whatever dangers are in the outside world. It's knowing that his family is safe and sound within the walls of their home.

He takes a deep breath and gets up. Whatever peace he feels hearing them, he knows it'll be multiplied when he's around them. He continues his descent down the stairs, walking the length of the hall, but when he gets to the living room he pauses. His plan was to just plop on the sofa for a few minutes, get his psyche and emotions under control. Instead, he finds himself drawn to the kitchen.

He heads to Ella first, dropping a kiss on her head again. He's pulling away when realises that she has eight circles drawn now, and is on to the next problem, and he finds himself bending for another kiss. She looks up at him with the second one and smiles, her bunny teeth piercing through his very soul.

He moves on from her, entering the 'U' of the kitchen and hugging TK around the waist, laying his chin on his shoulder. TK turns his head and plants a kiss on his cheek, eyes quickly darting away to rack over Carlos before he fixes his gaze on the pot again. Carlos hears the unspoken question all the same. He isn't usually back with them so soon. But hearing Ella cry and TK comforting her must have healed some part of his own sad soul. And now he's onto the next part; he wants to be in their arms as well.

Carlos smiles, hoping it carries as much peace as his heart is starting to feel, and he plants a kiss at the edge of TK's jaw. He trails a few up, and then whispers in his ear, "Wow! I can't believe you used to burn toast! You've come so far!"

TK freezes under his arms, head fully twisting this time as he turns to glare at Carlos in recognition of the very same phrase TK just used.

There was a time, when they first adopted Ella, when TK would feel attacked at being listened to while he deals with her. But they've talked about it. TK understands now that Carlos' need to stay close to the moment - but not in it - has nothing to do with his ability to parent. It just calms Carlos down, and his view on it has since shifted. He now sees it as proof of his skills. If Carlos didn't think he was doing something right, he wouldn't just sit there and watch and listen from afar.

Carlos doesn't react to the glare and pursed lips. He just laughs, steals a kiss off the puckered mouth, and then moves to sit by Ella.

As he plops down next to her, she turns to him and asks about the next equation she's solving.

He can't believe that once upon seven years ago, he'd told TK that "if it isn't meant to be it isn't meant to be."

They've all come so far.

[noona-clock]

What’s Your Sign?: Gemini

Genre: High School!AU, Domestic!AU

Pairing: Shownu x You (Female!Reader)

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol/underage drinking

Words: 5,617

Author’s Note: Since I’m so fascinated by astrology, I decided to do a Zodiac series! I will be writing a one-shot fic for each sign featuring different members from different groups (and even an actor!). Each story will be posted on the 5th of the month during that sign’s season. Please reblog, comment, or send in an ask with your feedback! Thank you for your support 💜

It had all started back in high school.

You’d had the biggest crush on Shownu -- I mean, how could you not? He was cute, sweet, kind, ambitious, thoughtful, funny in a lame way, and he had muscles for days.

What was there not to like?

Since he was a fairly popular jock and you were a fairly unknown nerd, though, you kept your crush to yourself. I mean, that and the fact you were too shy to even approach him let alone talk to him. The guy lived in the same neighborhood as you, and he still had never noticed you, for crying out loud. You had every reason to be scared of walking up to him and introducing yourself and every reason not to do just that.

...Your best friend, Miley, however -- she had other plans.

Somehow, she had figured out you were as in love as a teenager could be with Shownu. You hadn’t been sure how she’d figured it out because you’d certainly never told her, but one day at lunch, she had come right out and asked you.

“Do you like Shownu?”

You had nearly coughed up your peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but since you’d always been a terrible liar, you’d had to admit it to her.

And then she had followed up her question with another question: “Why haven’t you told him?”

I mean, really! It’s like your best friend didn’t even know you at all!

“...Why would I tell him?” you’d asked with a very confused, wrinkled forehead.

Shouldn’t it have been completely obvious why you hadn’t told him? And would never tell him?

“Yeah, but you don’t know how he feels if you don’t try! What if you confess to him, and he says he’s been crushing on you for a long time, too! But he’s just never worked up the nerve to tell you! And then the two of you start dating, you graduate and go to college together, you get married, you have kids, and live the rest of your lives in domestic bliss!” Miley replied before sighing dreamily.

You stared at her from across the lunch table, one brow quirked and the most confused half-grin on your lips.

“Are you serious?” you finally asked. “That’s... never going to happen. This is real life, Miles, not a fairy tale.”

Miley rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, what I just described isn’t a fairy tale, either! It’s perfectly possible!”

“Not with Shownu, it’s not,” you murmured. “We live in the same neighborhood. If he liked me, don’t you think he would have at least talked to me by now?”

“There’s a party on Saturday,” Miley replied instead of answering your question. “I know you don’t want to, but you should come. Even if just for a little while!”

“Give me one good reason.”

“Because I want you to come.”

Since you were a shy introvert, your first instinct was to say “Absolutely not.”

...But Miley hardly ever asked you to go to a party. She knew you would say ‘No,’ and she respected your choice. So, her even asking you in the first place was kind of a big deal.

It was also your last year of high school; if you were ever going to actually go to a high school party, now was pretty much the time.

And... it’s not like you had any other plans this weekend besides reading and Netflix.

So, you let out a deep sigh.

And, despite your extreme urge to refuse, you said, “...Okay, fine.”

Miley froze, her eyes wide and her jaw agape.

“Yes, I said ‘okay, fine,’” you repeated with pursed lips. “But I’m driving us there so I can choose when we leave.”

“DEAL!” Miley cried, causing several classmates in the vicinity to turn and look at her. She clapped a hand over her mouth and shot you an apologetic look.

You simply rolled your eyes as you suppressed a smile.

There was no question in your mind that Miley wanted you to go to this party because Shownu would be there, and there was no question in your mind she would try to make you talk to him -- at the very least.

...This weekend was going to be interesting.

“I’m home!” you called out as you pushed the front door open with your knee. You turned sideways so you could fit through with your load of grocery bags, though before you could even take three steps into the entryway, Shownu was jogging down the hall to meet you.

“Hey, welcome back,” he greeted with a small smile. “Let me get those.”

He carefully -- but easily -- took one handful of bags from you and then the other before turning to head down to the kitchen.

“How --” you started to ask.

“She’s upstairs taking a nap,” Shownu answered before you could even finish, his voice soft so as not to wake up your sleeping daughter.

Ever since you had welcomed your daughter into your life, this had been the grocery routine: you would go shopping while Shownu stayed home with her. You truly didn’t mind because you would rather pick things out yourself, and Shownu always took over carrying things in and putting them away. You did most of the cooking, anyway (while Shownu did most of the dishes, in turn), so it made sense for you to shop for all of the food and household items you needed. In your eyes, it was a completely fair deal.

You followed Shownu down the hallway, waiting until he’d set the bags down on the counter before resting your hand in-between his shoulders blades.

“How are you?” you asked with one corner of your lips quirked up into a half-smile.

Shownu glanced at you over his shoulder, returning your smile with an adorable one of his own and leaning in to press a quick kiss to your lips. “I’m glad you’re home,” he answered.

Even though your husband always insisted you didn’t have to help put the groceries away -- you did all the shopping, after all -- when you came home to a sleeping toddler, you couldn’t resist. 

As slightly sad as it sounds, it was a nice way to get in ten extra minutes of alone time with him. And, Lord knows, after having a baby, alone time was in short supply.

By some miracle, your daughter was still quietly sleeping even after you finished putting all the groceries away, so you and Shownu decided to continue your alone time on the sofa.

As soon as you flopped down onto the cushion, Shownu reached out and circled his arms around you, pulling you against his chest. A smile tugged at your lips, and you nestled into him, inhaling his familiar scent and fitting your head into the crook of his neck.

Even after all these years, being in his embrace, being held so tightly made your heart all warm and fluttery.

“Are you sure I look okay?” you asked Miley for probably the fifth time as the two of you headed down the walkway of... Well, you weren’t sure exactly who was throwing this party. But you were walking toward his or her house, anyway.

And for probably the fifth time, Miley replied with, “Yes, you look amazing. I promise.”

You had let your best friend pick out your outfit for this party, and while she really hadn’t dressed you in anything you didn’t actually like... you just weren’t sure you liked it on you. But if she said you looked amazing, you figured you should trust her.

When you reached the front door, Miley stopped. She turned toward you and took your hands in hers, squeezing them affectionately. “You can have a good time if you let yourself,” she said with a half-smile. “And I swear I won’t purposefully try to get Shownu to talk to you.”

You shook your head gently as you let out a breathless chuckle at her promise.

“But if it happens accidentally, then I won’t do anything to stop it!” she added cheerfully.

Before you had the chance to assure her that was not going to happen, Miley opened the door and practically pushed you inside.

As soon as she closed the door behind you, you felt uncomfortable.

All of the people you didn’t know, the music, the red, plastic cups you knew had alcohol in them even though nobody here was legally allowed to drink...

It was an introvert’s nightmare, basically. But you’d promised Miley you would come and that you would try to have fun. 

You’d also promised to stay for at least an hour, so it was time to find a quiet corner -- and maybe a pet, if one was available -- and play games on your phone.

But you didn’t even take one step down the hallway before Miley gently grabbed your upper arm and murmured into your ear, “Do not just find a chair to sit in for an hour.”

You whipped your head around to look at her, your brow furrowed deeply. “But I --”

“I’ll stay with you the whole time,” she assured you. “But I’m not letting you just make yourself invisible. This is one of the last times we’ll be around these people. In a few months, we’ll all be graduating and going off to college, and you’ll never know what you might have missed out on if you just find an empty corner and play games on your phone the whole night.”

To be quite honest, you didn’t quite feel the same way about high school as Miley did. You had a strong inkling you really wouldn’t miss it once you left, but... to appease your best friend (whom you would miss once you left), you simply let out a soft sigh and nodded.

“All right,” you relented. “But if you leave me, and I end up alone --”

“You’ll never forgive me, I know,” Miley interrupted with a grin. “Now, come on. Let’s see if Shownu is here yet.”

“You said you wouldn’t --”

“I’m not! But if we just happen to run into him...”

You groaned as Miley tugged you down the hallway, already wishing your promised hour was up so you could go home.

After Miley had procured a drink for herself and a bottle of water for you, she led you around the house, stopping to say ‘hello’ and chat with anyone she even vaguely recognized. You knew a few people (knew of was more accurate, though, since you’d never actually had real conversations with any of them), but for the most part, everyone at this party was a stranger to you.

But then you saw Shownu.

Someone Miley had been chatting with had mentioned there were some games going on down in the basement -- which you figured probably meant Beer Pong or whatever it was -- so, she had excused you both and coerced you down there.

You had no intention of playing any sort of game, and Miley definitely knew that. When you reached the bottom of the basement stairs, though, you heard her whisper “Bingo.”

And that’s when you saw him.

And that’s when you knew.

Miley wasn’t going to purposely make you talk to him -- or make him talk to you -- but she sure as heck was going to purposely find him and force you to be in the same room as him.

Thankfully, Miley didn’t immediately push you toward him. She didn’t even go up to join the small group he was talking to. Instead, she corralled you over to a sofa with a couple of empty spots, and after over an hour of walking around and socializing, it was more than nice to be able to sit down and relax.

“How you holding up?” Miley asked, setting her drink down on the coffee table before sliding her arm through yours and resting her head on your shoulder.

“Well, we’ve been here for more than an hour, and I haven’t brought up leaving yet,” you answered. Which was true. But would you tell her you were having a good time? No, you would not.

“We’ll stay down here for a little while -- just to see! And if nothing happens after... half an hour, then we can --”

“Leave?” you interrupted, knowing she had just been about to say you could go back upstairs. But you wanted to take your chances.

Miley let out a soft sigh and nuzzled her head against your shoulder. “Okay, fine.”

It took everything in you not to pump your fist and cry out with a ‘yes!’

Miley sat back up and leaned over to get her drink, and you -- in true you fashion -- began to daydream. Half of your brain was daydreaming about Shownu coming over to talk to you, and the other half was daydreaming about going back home and turning yourself into a burrito blanket.

But then a loud voice interrupted your daydream before you even got the chance to really start.

Sigh.

“All right, everyone,” one of the guys standing near Shownu called out. And you kind of thought maybe he was the one throwing the party. Hadn’t you come trick-or-treating at this house once when you were little? And his mom had answered the door and given you two handful of chocolate? 

The guy began talking again, and you shook your head to rid yourself of your rambling thoughts. “Since this is our last high school party, I thought we should take it old school and play some games we used to as kids.”

Ooh, like Go Fish?

“So, we’re starting out with Seven Minutes in Heaven.”

...Oh. So, not Go Fish.

You started to get off the sofa, but Miley tightened her hold on your arm and pulled you back down.

Excuse me?

She expected you to join in on Seven Minutes in Heaven? The game where you get shut into a closet with someone and are expected to make out?

...Was she drunk?

“Miles, how much have you had to drink?”

“Not as much as you’re thinking. Just relax, your name probably won’t even be picked.”

Just after she said that, someone handed each of you a slip of paper and a pencil. You figured you were supposed to write your name on it, drop it into someone’s hat, and then somebody would pick out two names.

As your heart began to thump in your chest, you quickly scribbled down your name and thrust your slip of paper into Miley’s hand.

Oh, god, why hadn’t you written down someone else’s name?! That was a genius plan!

You tried to get the piece of paper back from your best friend, but she closed her fist tightly, hopped up off the couch, and dropped both pieces into a hat the guy who’d announced the game was holding out.

You watched with wary eyes as everyone in the basement came to put their name in the hat. All the while, your brain was repeating over and over again, “Your name probably won’t even be picked.”

When the party host started shaking the hat around, you closed your eyes.

Your name probably won’t even be picked. Your name probably won’t -- oh, god, why had you done this? -- even be picked. Your name probably --

“Y/N!”

Well, there went your friendship with Miley.

“Shownu!”

...Excuse me what?

...Oh, wait. Did you just say that out loud?

Before you even knew what was happening, someone (presumably Miley) had forced you to stand up and was pushing you toward an open door. The other party-goers in the basement were hooting and hollering, and Shownu was walking toward the door, too, and it was all such a blur and then you were suddenly in the closet and someone was closing the door behind you.

Oh, my god.

Oh, my god.

You were currently shut in a closet with Shownu.

It was completely dark, so you couldn’t see anything, but you could feel him standing in front of you. You could hear his breathing, even over the anxious rushing in your ears.

Actually, the longer you stood in silence, the more you could hear how rapid and erratic his breaths were.

“...Are you... okay?” you asked, though you were incredibly surprised you were able to manage words right now. And you were also surprised that those were your very first words you’d ever spoken to him.

“I, uh --” he stammered. “I just... don’t want to be in here.”

Your heart sank when you heard his answer. Or maybe a cold knife went through it. Or both.

He didn’t want to be in here with you.

Wonderful.

“Sorry,” you murmured, feeling a bit breathless. “We don’t have to do anything --”

“No, no!” he interjected. “Not -- it’s not you. I just -- I don’t like small spaces. Or being closed in.”

It honestly took everything in you not to let out a huge sigh of relief. 

He didn’t want to be in here because he was claustrophobic! That was great news!

I mean, not really because he was probably on the edge of freaking out, but you know what I mean.

“Oh!” you breathed. “Well. I, uh... I don’t like flying, but my grandparents live too far away to drive, so we have to fly every time we go see them, and I’ve found that writing down memories or future plans I’m looking forward to helps -- except you don’t have a pen and paper in here, so you can just talk about them. What are you doing after graduation?”

...You were thoroughly impressed that you’d just said all of those words to Shownu. And they all made sense! They’d been a bit hurried and maybe you’d stumbled on a few here and there, but you’d talked to him!

“Well,” he replied with a soft, anxious chuckle. “I got accepted at my first choice, so I’m moving there once summer is over.”

“Oh, really? Which school?”

And when Shownu told you his future alma mater, your heart skipped a couple of beats. “Really?” you asked. “Me, too. Both of my parents went there, so it’s becoming a sort of family tradition.”

“Do you know which dorm you’re in?” he inquired.

“Morris Hall,” you answered with a grin. You’d just received the email yesterday, and you’d been looking at layouts and pictures of the dorms online to try and figure out how you wanted to decorate it.

“No way, same here,” Shownu replied, and you could hear he was grinning, as well.

Oh, good gracious. Not only where you and Shownu going to the same university in the fall, but you would be in the same dorm?

...Were you going to survive your freshman year?

“Your name is... Y/N, right?” he asked, sounding a bit less confident than he usually looked.

You simply hummed positively, nodding even though he couldn’t hear you.

“We live in the same neighborhood, don’t we?” he continued.

“Yes -- I mean, I think we do.”

“...How come we’ve never talked or anything?” Shownu sounded genuinely confused, and it was probably the cutest thing ever.

“Well -- we, uh -- I guess we just... haven’t ever been in the same classes?” Which you knew was true because you’d been keeping track. By some act of Satan, Shownu’s schedule had literally never matched up with yours. Some semesters, you’d had the same teacher, just different class periods, and it had taken everything in you not to ask the guidance counselor to switch your classes just so you could be in the same room as him.

“Yeah, that must be it,” he murmured. “What are you majoring in?”

And so your conversation continued, focusing mainly on your university plans and what you wanted to do for a career, but there was also some high school and neighborhood talk sprinkled in there.

A loud knock suddenly rang through the air, and a muffled voice announced you had one minute left.

Really? Six minutes had already gone by?

“Hey,” Shownu began, and you could feel him shifting around. “Thank you. All that talking really did help. I actually completely forgot we were... in a closet.”

You could feel your cheeks warming, and you were now glad there was no light whatsoever. “You’re welcome. I’m glad it helped.”

You then heard some rustling, and after a few moments, the light of his phone screen shone through the darkness. “Here, put your number in -- if you want to. You don’t have to, of course, I just figured since we’re going to the same university --”

You took his phone, though you truly had no idea how your hands were not shaking right now.

After typing in your number, you handed it back to him. The soft light from the screen illuminated his face slightly, and you could see he was smiling as he looked down at your number.

Oh, god, you were about to die. Your heart was going to give out right here, right now. Shownu was smiling because you had given him your number.

You knew the whole point of Seven Minutes in Heaven was to make out with someone, but what had just happened between you and Shownu had been so much better.

It didn’t take long for Shownu to lie back down on the sofa, pulling you with him and shifting so you could rest partially on his chest.

You let out a very content sigh as you settled in and tangled your legs with his. There was hardly anything better in the world than cuddling like this with Shownu, even though you’d done it countless times by now.

“All we need is an episode of Law & Order playing on the television, and it would be just like old times,” Shownu murmured.

You chuckled softly, lifting your free hand and beginning to trace over the letters on his t-shirt. “But you would also need to be eating something.”

“Not just any something,” he replied.

And then both of you said, “Luigi’s Pizza” at the same time.

Yep, that was it. Law & Order, Luigi’s Pizza, and sofa snuggle sessions. That described your last year of college to a T.

That was the year you and Shownu had (finally) gotten together. After almost three and a half years of being friends, Shownu had confessed his feelings for you, and you’d been dating -- and then engaged, and then married -- ever since.

When you’d walked out of that closet all those years ago at the party you hadn’t wanted to go to, you’d truly thought you wouldn’t hear from Shownu again. He had gotten your number, and the two of you had been set to live in the same dorm at university just a few months later, but still. Why would he have actually wanted to hang out with you? Talk to you? Get to know you?

But, to your surprise. he had texted you the next day. Nothing super exciting -- it had just been a simple “hey how’s your weekend?” but that was still worlds more than you’d been expecting.

In fact, the entire summer turned out to be worlds more than you were expecting. You and Shownu actually... hung out. You talked. You got to know each other. And when you both eventually packed up and moved into your new dorm for your first year of college, Shownu actually called you his friend.

While getting to know Shownu on a personal level did confirm that your crush on him had been completely justified, you... actually weren’t heartbroken or disappointed in the least that he saw you as just a friend. You had kind of gone into this knowing he wouldn’t see you as anything more because... why would he?

But anyway -- the two of you had grown pretty close during the first three years of university. Shownu was much more outgoing than you, but as it turned out, he liked to stay in for a quiet night just as much as you did. He was quietly intelligent, highly adaptable and laid-back, and he made friends more easily than you could ever comprehend. He was the perfect balance to your very structured, slightly stubborn, incredibly shy self. 

The two of you had spent just about every weekend together, even moving to the same apartment complex after two years in the dorm.

You studied together, ate meals together, watched movies together -- Shownu had even convinced you to work out with him a handful of times.

And then one night during your Senior year, Shownu had just come out and confessed. The rest, obviously, was history.

“Do you... remember when we first met?” you asked, keeping your gaze focused on your finger as you continued to trace over Shownu’s t-shirt.

“Yeah,” he murmured, and you could tell his eyes were closed. If you kept on tracing his shirt, he would probably be asleep within five minutes. “Seven Minutes in Heaven.”

“Miley forced me to go to that party,” you told him with a bashful grin.

Shownu let out a soft chuckle, his breath ruffling the hair on top of your head. “I wondered about that. Especially after I really got to know you. I mean, I’m glad you came. Obviously. But have you been to a party since?”

“No,” you laughed.

“Why did she force you to go?”

“Oh, you know,” you sighed. “Typical ‘the last time we’ll get to see these people’ stuff. And... well, I kind of had a major crush on you.”

Shownu paused, and for some reason... you were nervous. You weren’t sure why because Shownu was literally your husband and the father of your child, but... you had never told him. 

“Wait, really?” he asked, squeezing your shoulder a little.

“Yeah,” you chuckled awkwardly. “For basically all of high school. You have no idea how nervous I was when we got shoved into that closet together.”

“Wait, what? You had a crush on me for all of high school?”

You pressed your lips together, nodding and letting out a positive hum.

“Wh -- Babe, why did you never tell me?” he asked, sounding probably as shocked as you’d ever heard him.

“Because! Once I got comfortable enough around you, we were already friends,” you explained.

Shownu moved to sit up then, gently pushing you up, too, and turning to face you. His forehead was adorably wrinkled as he stared at you, and then he asked, “Did you... like me the whole time?”

You thought for a moment before lifting one shoulder into a clumsy shrug. “I mean, the feelings were always there, yes. But I wasn’t, like, pining. At first, it was kinda hard, yeah. I really liked you even before we met, and then getting to know you proved how justified my crush was because you’re such an amazing person. But... eventually... I don’t know. You just became my friend, and that’s what I saw you as. For the most part.”

Shownu still looked incredibly confused, even after your explanation, so you decided to continue.

“Okay, do you remember the night I found out my dad had been in an accident?”

He nodded.

“I called you over because you were the only person I knew I could trust with my vulnerability. I didn’t want to tell anyone else -- just you. I knew you wouldn’t be uncomfortable, and you would know what to do, and... I just wanted you to be there with me. Not because I thought you would hug me and I just wanted to be in your arms -- because... I needed my friend.”

You felt like you weren’t making much sense, but Shownu’s look of confusion had faded slightly, so maybe you were.

“But... you still liked me?”

“Of course, I did,” you smirked. “The feelings were always there. They... just took a back seat for a while.”

“Until I confessed.”

“Until you confessed.”

“And I never figured it out?”

“My love...” you chuckled softly. “You’re rather... oblivious. I’m not saying I was being obvious in the least, but even if I had been flirting in your face... you probably wouldn’t have noticed.”

He furrowed his brow then and shot you a curious look. “If I hadn’t --”

“Let’s... not go there,” you interrupted, resting a hand on his upper arm.

Believe me, you’d thought about that before. A lot. You’d come to the conclusion that it wasn’t healthy to think about Ifs. If this had happened differently in any way... you may not be where you were right now, and where you were right now was exactly where you wanted to be.

Shownu nodded slowly for a few moments before moving to put an arm around your shoulders. He pulled you in close, pressing a kiss to your temple and not moving for almost a minute.

“I love you,” he murmured against your skin.

A smile sprung onto your lips, and you closed your eyes so you could truly revel in this feeling. Even though he’d held you and kissed you and told you he loved you literally hundreds of thousands of times by now, you never took it for granted. You never got tired of it, not even the tiniest bit.

“I love you, too,” you replied before you tilted your head back and requested a real kiss.

Just as Shownu obliged, placing his lips on yours... your daughter’s babbling trickled through the speaker of the baby monitor.

You smiled wryly, letting out a soft chuckle and kissing your husband quickly before pushing yourself off of the sofa. “I got her,” you said. Shownu had just been a single parent for almost two hours while you’d been grocery shopping, so it was your turn to take the reins.

Before you could leave, though, Shownu reached out and gently took hold of your wrist.

“Hey,” he said quietly.

You raised your eyebrows, turning to look down at him.

“Thank you. For... everything. For being a great wife and a great mom and a great person and... for being you. Thank you.”

You’d known Shownu for so many years now. You knew everything about him, and yet... he still managed to surprise you sometimes.

He could be oblivious and clueless and even too laid back. He showed you he loved you all the time, of course, but he wasn’t always the best at telling you. Usually, you were the one to say it first, and he would respond with that sweet, eye-crinkling smile of his.

And then he had moments like this. Moments where he thanked you for being you, just out of the blue.

You wouldn’t lie: sometimes it felt like you were married to two different guys. But you didn’t really have a problem with that because you loved both of them. You loved all sides of Shownu with your whole heart, and you always would.

You leaned down to press yet another kiss to his lips, murmuring a “You’re welcome” against them.

But your daughter’s voice interrupted you again, so you laughed softly and excused yourself once more.

As you headed down the hallway, though, you heard Shownu’s footsteps thudding behind you. He came up and slid his arms around your waist, announcing that he was coming with you.

“You don’t have to,” you chuckled, walking awkwardly with him behind you.

“But I want to. There’s no one else I’d rather spend time with,” he told you as he kissed your cheek. “You’re my friend, too. My best friend. And we made the best daughter in the world, so... yeah. I’m coming with you. Always.”

Well, there he went again. Surprising you.

But instead of getting all emotional and sappy about it and reacting as his wife, you decided to react as his friend.

“Oh, so I’m your friend,” you said.

Shownu nodded, humming positively in response to your statement.

“You... only see me as a friend.”

“Wait -- no, that’s not what I meant --”

“Okay, then, friend,” you teased as you approached the bottom of the staircase. “Let’s go get our daughter up from her nap, friend.”

“Be quiet,” he chuckled.

“Okay, friend, I’ll be quiet.”

You could tell Shownu was going to attack your sides with tickles at any moment, so you squirmed out of his hold and began to rush up the stairs.

Your husband was quick, though -- and you knew this. He chased you up, eliciting a laughing squeal from your throat, and you knew it was only a matter of time before he caught you, held you tightly, and kissed you until you admitted you were more than just a friend.

Despite your teasing, though, you knew Shownu was right. And you felt exactly the same way.

He was your husband, yes. The love of your life, absolutely. But he hadn’t just stopped being your friend the moment he’d confessed his feelings to you. He still was your friend. You still loved just hanging out with him and talking to him about whatever was on your mind. You still knew you could count on him to be there for you when you felt vulnerable. You still wanted to spend time with him more than anyone else (except maybe Miley, who was now the best Aunt to your daughter she could possibly be).

Truly, you couldn’t imagine your life being even an iota different than what it was right now, and you honestly didn’t even want to.

And to think... it all started in a basement closet.

Other Signs: Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces

[paradox-psyc-hoe-sis]

Overreaction

Loki x reader, Bruce x reader ,(platonic), avengers x reader (platonic).

Word count: 4.9 k

A/n: Heyo! I didn't actually mean for this to be as long as it was, but it turned out to be quite pleasing. Writers block is a bitch so it's taken me a while to write, but I hope I didn't disappoint! Requested by @marvelloonie, thank you for the request! - Aphrodite

Summary: you and Loki have been secretly meeting without the avengers knowing, and when you realise you've fallen in love, you decide it's time to tell the group. After trying to keep you, the groups little ray of sunshine, away from the mysterious asgardian for a while, the group are shocked to find out that you've been seeing each other.

Warninngs: angst, fluff, that's all! Enjoy x

For your entire life, you were always the 'innocent' one. Sure, you were optimised and generally a happy person, but people seem to take advantage of that a lot. That never dampened your mood, though; you always stayed the same happy-go-lucky little burst of sunlight through childhood to adulthood. That's also the reason that upon meeting new people, they never expect your job to be an avenger. Your work never really phased you; most of the people who you killed deserved it, but every now and again there was an odd time where you felt a slight hint of guilt.

Among the avengers, you were known as the little ray of sunshine, too. Pretty much all of the avengers had dark pasts, but not you. You lived a normal life, excelled at school, went to college, and got a normal job. S.H.I.E.L.D discovered you after you got into an accident and were struck by lightning: after you recovered, you found out that you could control lightning. You quickly joined the avengers, and got on very well with everyone. You knew all of the avengers, and were aware of all possible threats, enemies, blah blah, except one. Thor's brother, Loki, had committed several offences in the past, but redeemed himself by helping the team every now and again. You had never met Loki, but the Avengers made it clear that they wanted to keep it that way.

"Hey Steve!" You walked into the common area after a few hours training in the gym. Steve was in the kitchen, passing him as you got a bottle of water, and you looked over to see Natasha, Sam, Bucky and Thor on the sofas. "Good morning guys, how are you all?" You grinned at them as you walked over to sit next to Nat, a slight spring in your step.

"Why are you always so happy?" Bucky grunted as you sat unbeaten him and Nat. Sam gave Bucky a frown, and turned to you. "Don't mind him, he just found out that his favourite TV show has been cancelled."

"Aww, Heroes of Bruin!?" Bucky gave you a small nod, his arms crossed tightly around his chest. You placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, Buck. I'm sure you'll find a better series soon! You can always borrow one of my box sets, you know where they are!" Bucky thanked you, and you sat back on the sofa, taking long gulps of your water.

"Seriously though, y/n. What keeps you so positive?" Steve asked, leaning on the kitchen counter. You shrugged, taking one last sip of your water.

"I don't really know, to be honest. I have a roof over my head, a good job, food, clean water, and friends and family who love me!" You stood up, walking over to the kitchen island and sitting opposite Steve. "Besides, what's there to be miserable about? Yeah, work does get hard sometimes, and life isn't easy, but that's just more drive to stay positive. It's not going to get me anywhere by being grumpy and mean like a certain tin man in this building!" You both laughed, thanking God that Tony wasn't in the room to hear what you just said. From the sofa, you heard Nat starting to talk to Bucky and Sam.

"...but there's nothing else we can do about it other than get in contact with some of our aliases and-"

"What's going on?"

Cutting in, you stood up from the island and walked over to the sofa.

Nat turned to look at you while Sam and Bucky continued to read from the iPad she held.

"There was a break in at a Hydra base a few days ago. The person who broke in stole Hydra's files about us, and some files about them. My best guess is that it's somebody who's against Hydra but also against us." Nat took a long deep breath, and turned back to her iPad, still talking to you. "We need to get in contact with non-avengers who have fought with us in the past, see if they have any idea. Steve and I are going to S.H.I.E.L.D. tomorrow, Thor will be returning to Asgard to talk with Loki, I don't know what else we can do."

You perked up at the mention of Loki, and suddenly came up with an idea. "How about I go with Thor? I've always wanted to see Asgard, and it's better than just having one person go." You saw Nat look up and glare at Steve, who did the same, before they both turned to you. Steve sighed, and looked away; clearly, there was something on both of their minds.

"That's a good idea about somebody going, it's better to be safe than sorry. What about Clint? D'you think he'd want to go?" Steve was looking at Natasha when he asked, and you felt a but left out. Instead of becoming angry, you just smiled and turned to face Steve. "What about me?" You asked, still smiling widely.

"Uh, y/n? I don't really think you should go..." Natasha remarked next to you, and you ever so slightly frowned.

"What do you mean?" You kept your voice gentle and upbeat, thinking of reasons why it would be perfect to go.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but there's some bad people on Asgard. We know you could handle it, but people like Loki are...dangerous, and I for one don't think it's in your best interest to make friends with people like him." You could tell by her tone that she felt guilty, but that didn't stop her from speaking her mind anyway. You didn't really understand what she meant; you're around dangerous people all the time, you can easily handle another one.

"If you don't think it's a good idea for me to go, then why is Clint an option?" Like magic, clint walked in at the exact second you said that. Looking up at him, you carried on speaking. "We have the same skill level at fighting, anyway! Besides, I have superpowers too, I can easily protect myself and Thor if need be."

Clint looked at you and Natasha, a puzzle expression plastered on his face. Nat gave him the run down, and he seemed slightly underwhelmed.

"There's no reason why y/n shouldn't be able to go to Asgard."

"Yes, but she's going to asgard to get in contact with Loki." Natasha's expression looked stern, her eyes piercing through Clint's.

"...oh."

"C'mon guys, what're you hiding? I'm sure I can take it, what's the harm in me going to Asgard?" Despite being slightly irritated, you still smiled and laughed a bit at the end of your sentence, making sure the rest of the group knew you were still just as happy as you were after returning from they gym, 10 minutes ago. Clint, Natasha, Steve, Bucky and Sam all gave each other quick glances before Bucky groaned and sat up.

"Listen, y/n. The reason why none of us want you to go to Asgard is because we want you to stay away from Loki. Although he's fought along side us in the past, he's a terrible person. And you're so...so happy and innocent all the time, we don't want him to..."

"You don't want him to corrupt me." You finished off Bucky's sentence, speaking quieter, thinning to yourself. There was suddenly a sort of dark cloud above the room, and an awkward silence prolonged for at least 20 seconds. You could sense how guilty everyone felt, but instead of exploding, you burst into a fit of giggles.

Everyone frowned as they watched you almost fall off the sofa in laughter. Once you calmed down, you wiped your eyes, and almost bust out laughing again at the confused faces of everyone around you. You sat back, smiling ear to ear. "Why would you think something like that?" You asked the room, taking a sip of water. "Honestly guys, I've been with you bunch of Serious Sally's for almost a year. I think it's safe to say that no matter who I spend my time with, I'll never stop being the 'happy and innocent' person who I am. Besides, we're only going to be on Asgard for a day at most, what could go wrong?"

—————

The next day, you were on Asgard. You were so thankful that Nat had finally let you go with Thor, and now you were stood outside of a tall golden palace, behind a beautiful view of Greek-style hills and mountains. You were speechless, to say the least.

"Brother Loki should be here any minute..." said thor, looking over at a clock tower. You couldn't make out what time it was - the numbers were Asgardian - but it was about 12 before you left. Before you could think anything else of it, something appeared before you two. It was Loki.

"Nice to see you again, brother!" Thor exclaimed as he went in for a hug. Loki barely hugged him back, and pulled away, turning to face you.

"Well well well, who's this who you've brought along with you?" Loki asked Thor, yet stared at you with a slight smirk. "Loki, this is y/n. She's a friend from work." Loki took your hand and bowed down slightly, and placed a kiss on the back of your hand; a kiss which you couldn't describe as chaste, making eye contact with him the entire time. He rose and let go of your hand, fingertips brushing slightly. "Pleased to make you acquaintance, Lady y/n." You were tongue tied, but before you could even begin to formulate words, Thor started talking. He rambled on about why you were here, and if he knew anything about the break in, but you weren't listening to a single word. Instead, you never took your eyes off Loki.

His shoulders were broad, sleek black hair running just past them. He stood with confidence, taller than Thor but thinner. Despite this, you could still see defined muscles from underneath the Asgardian clothes he wore. His eyes were a cold shade of blue, resembling ice. While Thor was still talking, he looked over at you, catching you staring at him. You maintained eye contact, your cheeks turning a childish shade of pink, and he winked at you before turning back to concentrate on his brother. The corners if his lips were slightly upturned, and a few strands of hair fell into his face as he nodded along to whatever Thor was saying.

"Well, I haven't heard any news, I'm sorry I can't be of any help. Do you both want to get lunch?" You turned to Thor, cocking an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, brother, but I must go and talk to the others and see if they've heard anything. But, it won't hurt if you and y/n get something to eat?" You and Loki both turned to face each other, and you smiled wider than ever.

"I'd love to."

You and Loki walked in silence to the dining hall, passing many Asgardian maidens on your way. You felt slightly underdressed; all asgardian women wore long flowing gowns, whereas you were dressed in high waisted denim shorts and a red turtleneck. Once you arrived at the dining room, you were confronted with a grand gold table topped with all kinds of food. Cheese, grapes, wine, and some sort of Asgardian meat that you couldn't recognize. It felt magical, yet you felt out of place. As you furthered towards the table, Loki took out a chair for you to sit down in. Thanking him, you sat, and his fingertips brushed against your clothed shoulders. Butterflies swarmed in the pit of your stomach, and you quietly giggled at yourself for becoming so flustered. Once Loki was seated, you asked him a question.

"So, Loki," you began, looking around at the feast laid out for you, "what do you get up to on Asgard?" As you spoke, he poured crimson wine into a goblet, and you felt obliged to do the same.

"Surprisingly, not much." He spoke with, what resembled, an English accent. Every consonant was sharp, every vowel curved on his lips. "Every now and again we have to meet with people from other worlds, like you. Thor doesn't come and visit very often, so the mass amount of paperwork that has to be done is left to me." He rolled his eyes yet bore a smile, to which you laughed.

"Trust me, I know what it feels like. Ever since Tony and Steve got into that disagreement about where the files should be stored, I've been in charge of all paperwork. I don't mind it though, there's some sort of satisfaction in the orderliness of it all..." you looked up at him and grinned, being able to physically feel the awkwardness between you both. Although, he could look at your smile forever; the way your y/e/c shone in the light, dimples in you cheeks becoming more pronounced by the second, your lips curling ever so slightly inwards as a sigh escaped from them.

"I'm sorry, I've never really been one for small talk. Asgard seems wonderful, though. The landscape is impeccable, and everyone just seems so...perfect, I guess!" Speaking quieter, you leaned in the get closer to Loki, sat opposite you. "I feel like I could spend the rest of my life here." He knew you meant it, being able to feel the pure excitement you radiated. Tucking a piece of hair behind your ear, you sat back and pointed towards one of the golden dishes beside you, holding some fruits and vegetables.

"May I?"

"Of course, go ahead."

As you spooned a kind of salad onto your plate, Loki rubbed his stubble dotted chin. Loading your fork and taking a bite, you felt a wave of peace flow over your body. You had no idea what you were eating, but it was damn good.

"What part of midgard are you from, y/n?"

"Midgard?" You spoke through your mouthful of salad and swallowed. "Oh, right, Earth. I'm from Brooklyn, New York, but I live in Manhattan." You took a sip of wine, cringing at it's strength. Noticing this, Loki let out a laugh.

"Asgardian alcohol isn't for the weak, I'd take it easy if I were you..." you knee he was joking at the last part, so you laughed with him. The moment was sweet, but you can always have too much of a good thing. After Loki filled his plate, and you took a few more mouthfuls of salad, Thor strode in looking pleased with himself.

"Hey Thor, what's up?" Thor sat down at the table and picked up a bunch of grapes, popping one into his mouth.

"I just checked the comms," he swallowed, "Nat and Steve have all the information we need from S.H.I.E.L.D., so we can go back to midg- uh, Earth, sorry. Ready to go?" You looked at Loki who gave you a small nod as he put his cutlery down, and you stood up with a smile.

"Ready than I'll ever be!"

Thor and Loki stood up and walked towards you, and you went to shake Loki's hand. His hands were cold, icy to the touch, and his slender fingers certainly overpowered your small ones. He leaned in before you could break away, whispering in your ear. "Come back soon, I'd love to see you again."

You blushed, nodding, and he gave you a sly wink. Sooner or later, you were back on Earth, missing Asgard more and more by the second.

—————

Two months later, and you were head over heels for Thor's brother. Once you returned back to earth, Tony made it very clear that he disapproved of your trip. He sat you, Thor, Clint, Nat and Steve down in the conference room and screamed at all of you, acting like a very strict father. He had no idea what had happened on Asgard, but he let it slip that all of the avengers had an agreement - never let y/n meet Loki. Obviously, that was out the window, and it resulted in a conflict between Steve and Tony, as per usual. However, all of the avengers shared one common thought, and it was that you should never go back to asgard again.

"She's met Loki and had a look around Asgard, now there's no reason for her to go back."

"What if he's done something to her mind? We can't let her go back."

"We can't let Loki back into the facility when y/n is around, we can't handle anything else happening at the moment."

You often heard Steve and Tony talking about you in the other room, but you ignored it. 3 trips to asgard, 2 secret earth dates and 1 sleepover later, you and Loki decided you were serious; you both liked each other so much, and you wanted to tell other people. However, you had no idea how you were going to tell the avengers. You almost got caught a few times, but luckily, you were quite good at covering yourself up.

"Yo, why are you texting Pizza Hut?"

"Stop looking at my phone, Sam! Besides, I was actually ordering us a pizza, but I guess I'll just go and make myself a sandwich instead..."

"No y/n I take it back!!!"

It was a quiet day in the avengers tower when you decided to share your secret. You, Steve, Tony, Nat, Thor, Bruce and Clint were in the conference room having just finished a meeting. Before anyone could leave, you asked to talk to them for a bit. Despite being happy and confident in telling your friends that you were in love, your palms were sweating and you felt slightly nauseated. Nat must have noticed, and asked if you were okay.

"Everything alright?"

You stood in front of the table, toying with the hem of your skirt behind your back. Taking a deep breath, you looked up at your colleagues sat in front of you.

"I actually have some news to share with you all. A couple of months ago, Thor and I went to Asgard, and I found out about your weird pact thingy forbidding me from meeting Loki. Well, it happened, and it went well! Despite you all feeling very strongly about it, I did enjoy myself. Honestly, I heard you all talking about me 'never returning' and not being able to see Loki again, and it did sorta hurt..."

Steve bowed his head down slightly and Natasha avoided eye contact; you didn't want to guilt trip them, so you continued.

"...and that's okay! You're allowed to be protective of your friends, and I understand why you'd want me to be cautious around certain people. But that's not the point: the point is, I'm an adult, and although I may not be as old as Steve," (Tony chuckled at that) "I'm still an adult. I went to college, I have a job, my own apartment. I'm old enough to know right from wrong, which is why I may or may not have seen Loki 6 times in the past two months..."

"What!?" Natasha looked furious, and everyone had their eyes on you. Steve looked disappointed, Tony didn't look surprised, and Thor seemed quite amused. Bruce and Clint didn't look phased, to be completely honest.

"Please listen to me, I'll explain everything." Everyone eased up slightly as you took a deep breath, standing closer to the table. "I've been back to Asgard four times, and Loki has come to earth twice to see me. I know you would all freak out about him coming to earth, but I made him wear that patch that Tony built which dampened his powers. Whenever he was on earth, he was just a normal person. We got to talking and decided to see each other more often, and we've become quite close."

"If you say that you and Loki are friends, I will jump off of this building." Natasha remarked, crossing her arms. She was definitely the most protective of you, seeing you as a little sister.

"You're not going to like this." you muttered, sighing.

"Loki and I are in love and we've been seeing each other for two months!" You spoke quicker than lightning, grinning at the end, and sprinting out of the conference room. As you ran to the common area, you heard shouting erupting from the conference room, mainly coming from Nat, Steve and Tony. You knew they wouldn't take it well, but you didn't expect it to go down this badly. You heard the commotion from the conference room slowly make it's way closer to the common area, so you bolted towards the bedrooms. You didn't live in the avengers tower, but practically everyone else did.

Hiding in Natasha's room is too obvious, she's the avenger who you're closest to. Hiding in Thor's is also too risky, as he has asgardian technology; as far as they're concerned, you might try and get in contact with Loki. Tony's room? Too stinky. Clint's room? Too stinky². Steve's room? You looked up to that man as a brother, and you certainly were not interested in whatever sort of magazines and movies that he kept in there ( ;) ). That left one other person's room: Bruce's. Quickly sliding into his room, you crawled under the poofy duvet on his bed. Luckily, Bruce's blanket was practically three duvets thick, so they wouldn't be able to tell that you were in there.

Bruce's sheets smelled like lavender and vanilla, with a very vague scent of aftershave; you loved it. You could probably stay there for hours, and even fall asleep, but the faint musk you smelled on his sheets reminded you of Loki. His aftershave always smelled like bonfires and liquor, a scent that you could fall in love with over and over again. You must have laid in in Bruce's bed for 20 minutes before you heard footsteps outside the door. You were never one to do this (run and hide from something difficult) as it seems childish, and the gang already treats you like a child enough. However, you didn't know how you would recover from this one. You heard doors open and close nearby - they must be looking for you. The door to Bruce's room suddenly opened, and you held your breath in an attempt to be quieter. You heard a deep sigh, and somebody sat on the end of the bed. You could just tell that it was Bruce, and you felt safer with him here.

"Listen, kid-"

"Bruce, you're my favourite, but call me kid one more time and I will smite you."

He chuckled and apologised, continuing to talk. "Sorry, y/n. I know how you feel. Frustrated, confused, low on hope." You poked your head out from underneath the duvet and moved over on the bed, sitting up. You motioned for Bruce to sit next to you, which he did.

"I've been through this sequence over and over again," he said, laying down next to you, "yet I never seem to break the cycle. But there's a difference between you and I, y/n. When I'm feeling like this, I show it. I'm not talking about hulking out, but about how I hold myself. I'll be visibly down and depressed, everyone can tell that I'm going through something. But you, you hold it in. You smile and laugh through every emotion you have, and I can't help but admire you for it."

You both turned your heads to look at each other, Bruce giving you a small smile.

"When you're sad or angry, you continue to smile. All of the other avengers get tricked by it, thinking that you're truly fine, but you don't fool me. I can see, every time you cover your emotions, I can see the fire behind your eyes. Or how you tighten your grip when you feel stressed. Although you may be smiling and laughing, I know what's going on behind those eyes. You do a good job, y/n, but maybe bottling it all up isn't the best option. Maybe that's why you fell for somebody who is the completely opposite, like Loki. Because you'd never dare to show your negative emotions outwardly and indulge in the feeling of letting everything out. Now that you've found somebody who you can share these emotions with, you feel like you can be yourself. What I'm failing to say, is perhaps you could let your emotions show a bit more. You don't have to complain or mope around the tower like Tony, but maybe let people know when you are uncomfortable, or confront people who make you upset."

You had closed your eyes about half way through Bruce's speech, and when you opened them your eyes brimmed with tears. He didn't say anything, but instead, Bruce held his arms out and took you in an embrace. You hugged him back, feeling warm and safe, not knowing how to express to him how much he meant to you.

"How did the others react?" You asked into his chest. Bruce was hesitant to reply, and didn't know whether it was best to tell you the truth or let you see for yourself. With a content sigh, he replied.

"I'm afraid to say they didn't take it very well. Natasha blames herself, Steve's a bit frustrated, and Tony...Tony said he feels 'stabbed in the back by his greatest friend', but I think he was being a bit too over dramatic."

"Why do they hate him so much?" You asked, pulling away from Bruce and sitting up on his bed.

"It's complicated." Bruce said, rubbing his forehead. "He's been with us in the past, but there have been multiple occasions where we've had to lock him up. We still don't know whether he's with us or against us, and now one of our best teammates is in love with him." You nodded, knowing what he meant. You knew you had to clear things up with the rest of the group, and you'd start with Natasha.

"Yeah, that makes sense. I'm sorry for hiding in here and messing up your covers, I'm going to go and talk to them and apologise." Before you got up from the bed, Bruce pulled you in for one last hug, planting a friendly kiss on your forehead. "Never apologise for falling in love."

—————

Never apologise for falling in love.

Never apologise for falling in love.

Never apologise for falling in love.

In your head, you repeated what Bruce had told you in his room. You were walking towards to common area where you knew the rest of the avengers would be. Bruce went in there first to calm everyone down, and you told him you'd be in there in a few minutes to tell everyone the news. Walking into the room, all eyes were on you. You became conscious of what you looked like, your face was probably red and puffy from crying.

"Do you have anything you'd like to say, y/n?" Steve asked in a harsh tone. He seemed extremely intimidating, and you suddenly felt small and worthless.

"Take it easy, Steve." Bruce said quite calmly. "Let her do it herself."

You smiled, a genuinely happy smile at Bruce. Despite having little to no confidence whatsoever, you were actually happy. Bruce had made you feel so much better, you had a boyfriend who you loved, and you wanted your friends to know whether they approved or not.

"I want to let you all know that I didn't do this on purpose. I didn't mean to bond with Loki, and I should never apologise for falling in love, and I'm not going to apologise. It's my life, and whether you approve or not, I'm going to continue to see Loki. However, I would like to apologise for how I acted. I shouldn't have run and hidden, and I could've broken the news in a nicer way. Do any of you have anything you'd like to say?"

There was a gloomy silence as the rest of the group contemplated what to say. Trying to alleviate the room of the awkwardness, Thor opined. "Well, I approve of your relationship, Lady y/n. I'm glad you've found someone!" Everyone looked at Thor, then back to you as you sat down on a chair. Steve opened his mouth and closed it a few times, he clearly was lost for words. Natasha was the first person to speak, coming to sit in the chair next to you.

"We overreacted, I'm sorry, y/n. I'm sure you could understand what we felt, but we support you. It'll take us a while to get used to it, but we all want you to feel comfortable. We love you, and if you love Loki then there is nothing we can do about it other than accept you."

The day ended with a group hug, lots of individual hugs from Natasha and Steve, and you & Bruce watching Star Wars after everyone had gone to bed. You were going to see Loki the next day, and you knew it would be the best day ever.

[script-nef]

Of animal cafés and favourite authors | Yagi Toshinori

Inspiration: ["This was fun—let's do it again sometime!"]

Category: fluff

1.8k words; how a scheming duo created a nice date

Yagi Toshinori was experiencing one of the worst moments in his life.

He sipped at his tea, groaning internally at his current predicament. It was supposed to be a relaxing day. He was invited to a visit to an animal café that had opened near his house by his friends/co-workers. (Aizawa scathingly remarked with an "I’m not your friend." before. Yagi could tell that they were becoming closer though. They even shared a drink!) The place was secluded, making it an ideal place for famous people (read: him, whose true, and now only, form had been outed to the world after beating All For One on live TV) to enjoy while not having to worry about people recognising them. Establishments like these weren’t common, so he was looking forward to it even more.

That was his plan. It was going to be nice. It really was. He was going to relax with kittens and puppies and other small adorable animals. He was looking forward to calming down with his colleagues and sharing little anecdotes of teaching that they amassed over the years.

But, instead of that amazingly comfortable and pleasant plan, he was sitting next to a friend of his co-workers who he is a long-time fan of, who was currently making baby sounds at a particularly affectionate kitten. He could hardly even look at your general direction without screaming internally and freaking out, and he knew he was going to blow this for all parties involved.

God, how did I get into this mess?

"Hey, are you free this Saturday?" Yagi looked up from his laptop to be met with Midnight, her eyes glittering in a happy/mischievous manner. Huh, must be creating another test for the students.

"Yes, I don’t have any prior engagements. Is something the matter?"

"Oh, no, no, no. It’s just that I found an animal café opened up nearby here and was inviting Aizawa when Yamada butted in. That’s why he’s quiet right now." She pointed behind her and Yagi leaned back to see that Aizawa had his quirk activated with a glare that could flay someone alive. Yamada was kneeling while mumbling something along the lines of "I promise I won’t start yelling just as you’re about to fall asleep ever again." Yikes. "And then I thought you should come along too, y’know, enjoy the fluffballs. And," she lowered her voice to a whisper. "if you catch Aizawa on a good day, he smiles." Yagi grinned at that.

"I’ll be happy to join all of you! Is this why you were laughing with Present Mic before?" She stiffened.

"Uh… yep. That was it. We were really excited about this. Animal therapy for the tired mind and all that, y’know? God knows we need it with all the villain attacks. I wanted to blow steam off at a bar or a nightclub, but Mr. Stick-in-the-mud," She pointed at Aizawa. "kept grumbling about how ‘that’s a terrible idea’ when I wasn’t even finished!"

The sleeping-bag bound hero shifted at her words, somehow scowling even more.

"You just want to set this up because you think [Na-"

"AH!" Yamada screamed with his quirk. "SPEAKING OF STICK-IN-THE-MUD, WE NEED TO TALK TO PRINCIPAL NEZU ABOUT THE FIGHTING GROUND AND THE MUD PIT. LET’S GO, LET’S GO!" If glares could kill, the loud hero would already be rotting six feet under. This didn’t faze him this time, and the he dragged Aizawa off along with Kayama, lifting the tired teacher over their shoulders like a log.

Yagi tilted his head in confusion at the sudden exclamation but shrugged it off. They were always quite the odd, but pleasant, bunch. He later received the details of the meeting, along with a p.s which read, "We’re also bringing a friend. I think you guys will hit it off!"

"Huh. Well, the more the merrier. Ah, a text from young Midoriya!"

In hindsight, that was pretty suspicious. I should have realised something was wrong.

"Yagi-san, I heard from my friends you read some of my works. Is that right?" You asked, detaching your face from the kitten’s tummy and smiling up at him. (It was kind of impossible not to look up at him, what with his impossibly tall stature even when sitting down.) Oh God, you’re so damn adorable.

"Ah, yes, I uh, I particularly liked Courage to Love and be Loved. The way you portrayed the, the aspects of self-love and identity was beautiful. A-and in Fallen, the romance between the characters was so sweet, so beautifully written. I cried so much at the end. Ah, but the mystery and suspense in Written by Camellia was captivating!" He stuttered and rambled on about all his favourites from your short story collection and series with such passion that you felt like you should be writing this down for reference. You were glad someone loved your books so much. He apologised about his enthusiasm and lack of eloquence, emphasising his behaviour is due to the fact that you're his long-time favourite author. (And also because he's infatuated with you but he's never going to say that.) You replied with, I'm your fan too!" (Which made his heart rate spike exponentially and he was sure that you could hear it.)

A café staff interrupted the fanboying with a slice of cake and topped off your drinks. You immediately brightened up at the sweet since you were absolutely craving sugar. You grumbled to your companion about how your editor never lets you eat anything sweet while working because you have a tendency to slink away to enjoy the treat with some Netflix for hours on end. It elicited a small chuckle  from him which you joined in on.

Yagi watched you as your face morphed into bliss, letting out a moan and melting into the sofa. He wondered what it would taste like. He couldn’t remember the taste of something sweet, or zesty. Or anything at all.

You noticed him staring at your cake and slightly pushed it towards him with the fork. He noticed and pointed to himself, as if to say, "You want me to try?" and you nodded.

"Ah, thank you for the offer. But, um, I can’t eat anything particularly sweet. Or just about any food." Your eyes widened at that, and Yagi braced himself for the further explanation required. Instead, you nodded and peered back to where the trio were fooling around. They were trying to see how many cats could be put on Aizawa at once. You could count around 10.

"I see. I know I’m not supposed to use my quirks in public areas since I’m not a pro hero, but can you make one exception Yagi-san?" You asked while extending your hand to him, the other one holding a forkful of cake. Confused, he tentatively took your hand and watched as the cake disappeared into your mouth.

He could taste smooth chocolate, the soft vanilla cream in between the soft and fluffy layers along with fresh strawberries. But his mouth was empty. He whipped his head to you in surprise, a hand covering his mouth.

"How is it?" Expectation was written all over your face. He let out a soft laugh.

"It’s… the most delicious thing I’ve tasted. It’s so sweet but light as well. I… can’t describe it. You give me some of the best writings I’ve ever read and then add this. I can’t thank you enough right now or forever."

You simply smiled, taking another mouthful. Yagi flopped his head onto the sofa, ignoring everything, even the adorable Golden Retriever licking at his hand, and enjoying this sensation.

The rest of the visit was in that position, you stuffing yourself with different desserts so he could understand your predicament of picking a favourite one. (He found out he likes tiramisu.) Conversations flowed, from quirky fans to nice gifts to personal preferences in fashion and artwork. You were so immersed in your talk that the squealing created by Kayama and Yamada, which was quite loud in the staff’s opinion, went unnoticed. They high-fived Slam Dunk style at their success in pairing you two together. Aizawa just sighed, but also smiled underneath his scarf.

You stayed in the café until closing time, incredibly reluctant to part ways with your new-found, adorably-cute and sweet idol-newly-turned-friend. As the trio walked on ahead—Yamada yelling loudly into the night and immediately being scolded by the other two—Yagi matched his steps to yours. He offered to take you home, and you graciously accepted.

The chatter kept on, ranging from "Did you know that bananas are actually berries?" to "I seriously want to kidnap one of those kitties back in the shop." He laughed boisterously at that, reminding you that while he isn’t a hero anymore, he could still report you. That was met with, "You would help me. I saw how you looked at those puppies." And yeah, you were right. They were just too cute.

"This was fun—let's do it again sometime!" You exclaimed, passing him a piece of paper. "There’s a wonderful ramen place nearby. They have rooms for privacy if you don’t feel comfortable exposing yourself to the public. It's too late today, and I’m really full from the desserts." Yagi stared at the paper, then back at you. It contained your number. "If you… have more free time, I would love to show you what different types of ramen taste like. What do you say?"

He nodded jerkily, brain still trying to understand what was happening. Is she asking me out on a date? No, that’s preposterous. She’s so amazing and talented and I’m just… me now. It must be a friend thing. Midnight, Present Mic and Aizawa will all come. Yep, only explanation. That made an ache bloom in his chest for some reason, but he pushed it way back to somewhere he didn’t even know.

"Great! Oh, this is my house." You went up the steps and unlocked your door, but stopped. You turned back. "I really liked today. It was… just really nice. I hope our next one is like today as well." Standing on your tiptoes, even after three steps, you barely managed to get your arms above his shoulder for a hug. Pulling back, you planted a kiss on his forehead. "M’kay bye!!" And immediately bolted to the safety of your house so he couldn’t see your cheeks burning off.

Yagi brought a hand to his forehead, caressing the spot where you made contact. His brain short-circuited but his legs were moving towards his own house, aware that standing here would raise some attention and suspicion. When he arrived home, he went through his night routine—brushing teeth, washing face, taking medication—and plopped into bed. Then it hit him.

Holy shiiiiiiiiit.