#was THE WILDEST hour of my life bar none

[bowling-with-ham]

me approximately 3 days ago, deep in my goes wrong era, listening to the mischief makers pod and getting to ep 5: who the FUCK is harry kershaw

me today one full season of MMNI later: alright mischief makers pod tell me everything about my new best friend harry kershaw

[bangtanpromptsfics]

anemone.

dialogue prompt #5: “We are not getting married!”

pairing: jungkook x reader

genre: established relationship, angst

word count: 1,173

warnings: none

summary: you go for vacation at las vegas with your boyfriend and the boys and some haywire was well expected, but it's much crazier than you thought.

a/n: another angst oneshot!! I will start writing taehyung x reader soon. my friend chooses these prompts for me!! this is lowkey inspired from the sitcom, friends :)

masterlist

“We are not getting married!”, you groan, hands clutching your skull, “especially in Vegas and definitely not like this!”.

You knew shit was about to go down the moment Namjoon planned this trip, especially a full night at the casinos. Your wildest guess was one of them going naked in public, but it's worse. Jungkook proposed to you. Out of fucking thin air. In a bar. While he's drunk.

Anything but this.

“Baby why!?”, your boyfriend slurs. You snatch the glass of booze from him before he loses more of his mind.

“You are not in your right mind Jungkook”.

He ends up being a little grumpy at your answers. The boys were in their own worlds of being drunk. Jimin had passed out on the reception couch an hour ago. So basically there isn't anyone else to hammer sense into Jungkook’s brain. And you can't help but grow anxious.

Even though Jungkook is saying this out of a hazy mind, you can't help but wonder if he had been thinking about this.

To begin with, Jungkook wasn't your fiance. But you were indeed in a very serious relationship for the past five years. If Jungkook has to propose to you someday, you would be affirmative of course, but does he think about this when he is sober?

“You don't love me?”, he asks, trying to fill up his glass which you stop by placing a palm over it.

“Jungkook… I do love you. But please understand baby you are not in your right mind. We'll… we'll talk about this later okay? Let's just get back to hotel”. You take hold of his arm but he yanks it away.

“No! You said you don't want to marry me!”. His eyes are glistening. Does he think you wouldn't want to be his wife? Does he think you don't see a future with him? It scares you now. Of course the day at the altar when he stands there in a tux and vows to be your husband would be the best day of your life without doubt. But now you feel the more you oppress, the more insecure you are making him.

You had been anxious all these while. So you try to breathe before talking again.

“Let's go back and talk okay? ”, you say softly but you don't touch him because he is distancing from you.

“Thank God you guys are here— woah what's up with Kook?”, Namjoon barges in, the only slightly sober one left. Thank fuck.

“He had way too many shots. Joon will you help me get him back to our hotel room? ”

“Sure”.

Jungkook doesn't bat a lash at you the entire drive, and the same goes on at the hotel. He throws his jacket somewhere on the floor and plops straight into the bed.

“Kookie… are you mad? ”, you ask softly, standing at his end of bed. He doesn't answer again and turns around showing you his back.

So you nudge on his shoulder very lightly and that's when it hits you that he's crying.

“Kookie it's not what you think baby!” you rush, trying to touch him more, but he moves away.

After several attempts of trying to get his attention, you see him falling into slumber so you let him be. But now you sit with a very heavy chest. It takes several hours for you to fall asleep, and eventually you do.

__

Jungkook stirs, trying to get his throbbing head in control. Burying his head in pillows several times, he later realizes the space beside him is empty. And it's cold too, meaning you had been awake for a while.

When he sees you come into the room from the shower he smiles.

He definitely doesn't remember.

And now you don't know if you should bring this up or not.

“Fuck my eyes hurt so fucking much”, he groans, rubbing them aggressively before looking into the vanity mirror in front of the bed, “Shit, it's so swollen, was I crying last night?”.

You turn around, caught with your words. And he notices that your eyes are puffed too.

Fear in him grows as he gets out of bed immediately and approaches to cup your face, “Babe tell me what happened last night”, he demands. From the looks of it all he could comprehend he pulled some sick shit. The last thing he remembers is discussing about taking shots with Taehyung.

“Babe please tell me. If I had hurt you I'm so sorry. I swear I don't remember anything”.

“You… you proposed t-to me last night”, you say. Head low and shaky breath.

Jungkook freezes on spot, his hands coming down from your cheeks.

“And… and… what did you say? ”. He takes a few steps back because he doesn't know how to act. It was his mistake in the first place. But he fears something else.

“I said no”, you whisper. Fuck yesterday's incident was still hurting too much to be able to speak.

“I-I understand…”, he trails off.

“Baby it's not what you think! I said no because you were not in your right mind. Things like this are a big decision and I want you to be fully aware what you're doing. Please understand. I do see a future with you Jungkook. It's my dream I promise”. And with that you breakdown.

He is quick to wrap you inside his embrace. He feels so warm.

“I'm sorry I put you through it love. I'm never drinking again God”.

“And you said I don't love you”, you pout, finally looking up at him.

He wants to slap himself for saying bullshit. He is perfectly aware how strong you feel for him and never in million years he would question that. Good luck Jeon, you stoned yourself and went ahead and said it anyway.

He doesn't have a good apology for all this, so he kisses you instead. You gladly part lips for him, and he makes sure to give it to you just the way you like, slight sucking at the lips.

“I'm so sorry Y/n...I didn't mean a word of it”.

“It's alright”, you smile, finally feeling ease. You plant slow kisses on his mouth for a few minutes, stopping when Jungkook comes to say something.

“I-I just want to say Y/n, when such a day comes… I'll respect your decision… whatever it is”, he swallows a lump down.

Though he says it, he knows it'll break his heart if you said no. He had been deciding upon rings for the past months with Taehyung. He has it safe in the pocket of his tux inside the closet behind you. He is so prepared. It kills him to know he accidentally drained his own hardwork.

“Shut up Kook. Don't think a lot about it alright?”. You smile, so that he does too, “Forget about it and kiss me now”, you grab his collar, pulling him close. Warmth of his breath close to your forehead.

“Fuck I love you so much baby”.

Thank you so much for reading!! ♡

Original Content of ©bangtanpromptfics

[pedro-pascal-love]

The Nanny

Chapter Two of Well, This is Awkward

Series Masterlist ❖ Main Masterlist ❖ Join My Taglist

Rating: 18+, NSFW

Word Count: 1k+

Summary: Dave and Reader realize that they’re going to be seeing a LOT of each other now that it’s come to light that Reader is their family nanny. Uh ohhhhh.

Warnings: Language, angst, slow burn, no smut this chapter but mentions of sexual situations

⟸ Previous Chapter ❖ Next Chapter ⟹

Dave was so screwed. Carol was going on a work trip, and he would be stuck at home with you the entire time. All he could think about was fulfilling all the fantasies he had about you from the night you both met.

Taking you over the kitchen counter.

On the couch in the living room.

Over his desk in his office.

And, of course, in his own bed, the same one he shared with his wife.

Fuck, I need to stop.

She’s my nanny, for fuck’s sake!

“Honey, I’m about to head out, and the nanny should be back in a bit. She's dropping off the girls at school,” he heard from downstairs. Dave sighed. His marriage was no longer a happy one, but it was a massive risk for him to sleep with the nanny, especially while under the same roof as his wife. But your smell and the feel of your walls clenched around him was just —.

“Stop,” he told himself. He shook his head, trying to get those thoughts out of his head but to no avail. Dave sighed again and got up from his desk, making his way out of his office and into the kitchen to bid Carol goodbye. He came up beside her and poured himself a cup of coffee.

“How long is your trip again?” Dave asked, already knowing the answer but asking nonetheless.

“Two weeks, but might be more than that, depending on things,” Carol replied. Dave nodded, already formulating some plans in his head on how to fill his time and avoid his nanny.

“Ok, well, let me know if anything changes. I have a bunch of work to do, so I have to head back upstairs. Have a safe trip,” Dave said, kissing Carol on the cheek and making his way back up to his office to hide.

“I love you,” Carol called after him.

“You too,” he replied as he made his way up the stairs.

This is going to be a long couple of weeks.

Your morning was spent inwardly panicking while trying to get the girls out the door and to school. After finding out that the mysterious, sexy stranger who’d given you the best sex of your life was none other than your employer, more importantly, your employer’s husband, you weren’t sure how to feel. That first night after finding out who you were working for, you laid in her bed looking up at the ceiling, wondering how fucked up the universe was for doing this to you.

Of course, I’d hook up with such a hot guy and have some of the best sex ever, and it turns out that HE IS MARRIED.

Why do you hate me, universe?!

The second and third nights were spent much of the same, just counting down the days until you’d have to start working for them and living in their home. On the fourth night of no sleep, you were contemplating what you were going to do about the situation.

“Fuck, and his wife is going to be gone for a few weeks!” you groaned out while rolling over and looking at your phone. 4:43 AM blinked back at you, and you groaned again. “I hate this. Maybe I should just quit… Ugh, but the money,” you tried to reason with yourself. You sighed and got out of bed. Since you couldn’t sleep, you might as well get up and get ready for the day, especially since today was the day you were officially starting as the York’s nanny. You cracked your back as you got up and padded your way to your bathroom, looking at yourself in the mirror.

“Girl, you got this. Just pretend that it never happened,” you told yourself.

Who am I kidding?

I can’t even look him in the eyes without getting all nervous.

You shed your clothes and started the shower, turning the heat up to the hottest setting. You’d slept with a married man, might as well get ready to go to Hell.

—THREE HOURS LATER—

You made your way to the York household, dressed as modestly as you could.

As if I need to, he’s already seen me naked, and at his mercy, you thought as you made your way up the steps to their front door and rang it. Carol greeted you, and she smiled as she saw you.

“Oh, you’re early! I wasn’t expecting you until 8:30!” Carol said as she opened the door to let you in.

“Heh, yeah, it’s a bad habit of mine, always being at least 30 minutes early to anything,” you replied.

“Oh, nonsense,” Carol replied, “Dave is the same way. He always has to be at least 20 minutes early, even if it’s just to the movies.” You tried not to let the statement affect you, as you thought of other things you and Dave might have in common. Like sleeping with a random stranger at a bar.

Snap out of it! You chastised yourself. You followed Carol into the kitchen where Molly and Alice were sitting, finishing up their breakfast, and greeted them warmly.

“Hi!” Alice greeted, while Molly simply waved, her mouth full of cereal.

“Oh, sweetie, before I forget, here are the keys to the house and the code for the alarm, and all the contact information you’ll need. Your room upstairs is ready for you to move into when you’re back from dropping the girls off,” Carol said as she handed you a manila envelope. You gingerly took it from her and smiled.

“Thank you,” you said. “Do you need me to do anything around the house while the girls are at school?”

“Not really; we took care of most of the things this weekend, you just make yourself at home, and if you have any questions, Dave should be upstairs in his office,” Carol replied. Your heart skipped a beat.

Fuck, he’s here right now?!

Doesn’t he have a job that he has to leave his house for or something?!

“Oh, ok. Sounds good! I actually brought a good amount of my stuff over from my house, but I may need to stop by and get a few more things,” you said.

“Nonsense,” Carol replied. “Here’s a card for you to get anything you need for the room, and don’t worry about spending too much, you’re a part of this family now. And you’re going to have your hands full taking care of the girls while I’m gone.” Your eyes nearly fell out of your head.

Are you fucking kidding me?!

“Oh my gosh, Carol, this is too much! You’re already paying me more than enough,” you pleaded.

“Don’t even worry about it. Dave and I, mostly Dave, make more than enough that we won’t even notice. Besides, as I said, you’re going to have your hands full,” Carol replied. You merely nodded your head and looked down at the black card in your hands.

This has to be some weird, fucked up dream.

The metal felt heavy in your hands, and you turned it over several times while eyeballing the gold lettering of your name on the front. Never in your wildest dreams had you thought you’d ever hold a black card, let alone have one with your name on it.

“Thank you, Carol. This is seriously too much, but thank you,” you said gratefully. She smiled at you and nodded.

“Of course, sweetie. I should be leaving a bit before you get back from dropping off the girls, so I won’t see you, but have fun! Girls, behave for her and your father,” Carol said as she handed the girls their lunches.

“We will, mom,” both girls replied as they got up and got their backpacks. You straightened up and smiled at Carol one more time before making your way out the door to drop off the girls at school. The girls followed closely behind you and gave their mom kisses before getting into the car.

“Have a safe trip, Carol,” you said as you and the girls waved, and you pulled out of the driveway. “Alright, girls, let’s get you both to school!” The girls cheered as you put on some music for the short drive to their school.

I really hope that Dave isn’t home when I get back, you thought as you spied his car in the driveway next to Carol’s.

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[andypantsx3]

conspire | 2 | first date

pairing: Todoroki Shouto / Reader

length: 13,307 words / 5 chapters

summary: Shouto Todoroki had definitely only asked you out in order to ward off his horde of interested suitors. So why does he keep actually taking you out on suspiciously realistic dates?

tags: romance, reader-insert, fake dating, misunderstandings

warnings: aged up characters, eventual smut

The next morning, your classmates wouldn’t shut up about it.

The rumor of your rendezvous with Shouto had spread like wildfire through the school, and you were assaulted by a wave of questions the second you turned up to modern lit. “Is it true?”, “Is he your boyfriend?”, “How do you know him?”, “Is he a good kisser?”, all blended into a cacophony of sound that nearly bowled you over as you stepped through the door.

You felt your face grow hot under their scrutiny and quickly stuffed yourself into your desk. “Yes, we’re dating. No, I won’t answer other questions about it.”

“Come on,” Miko--the girl in the desk closest to you--begged. “You’re dating Shouto Todoroki, the cutest boy in school, and you won’t even tell us how you know him?”

You wracked your brain for something close to the truth. “We, um, got along really well on that support item project last month. It’s nothing special.”

Miko’s mouth opened to fire off another question, but Mr. Cementoss cut her off with his arrival, launching immediately into his lesson plan. You sent up a silent thank you to whichever patron saint of fake dating had been listening.

The rest of the school day passed much the same way, and you wondered several times if the price of your senior project was perhaps too high.

You’d known that Shouto was something of a celebrity due to his parentage, supreme good looks, and incredible power--even outside the walls of UA--but you hadn’t really thought through how that would affect the people who stood closest to him. Knowing what celebrity looked like and actually experiencing it for yourself were two very different things, you found. You’d never been subjected to attention like this before and you weren’t sure that you liked it.

By the time Saturday rolled around, you’d started to wonder if you shouldn’t just call this whole thing off.

The sight of him that morning, however, immediately robbed you of your resolve.

He’d asked you to meet in front of your dorm mid-morning, and he showed up looking unfairly handsome in well-fitted jeans, a grey scarf, and a dark jacket with a high collar that framed his sharp jaw. He looked good, way too good for this early in the morning. You felt a shiver go through you, and not just because of the cold.

“Good morning, Y/N,” he greeted you, the corner of his mouth curling. He gestured with something in his hands and you found your eyes drawn to two takeout coffee cups from the cafe just outside the school gates.

Okay, he was a literal angel and forgiven for everything you had been through this week.

“I didn’t know how you liked yours, so I got all the extras,” he said, handing a cup over to you and turning out a pocket to unveil a mound of sugar packets and tiny creamer containers.

You smiled, feeling warm. “Thanks, Shouto. Pretty sure every support engineer has bypassed the need for modifications at this point and just mainlines straight from the coffee pot. Black is perfect.”

He grinned down at you. “Too many late nights?”

You groaned at the tidal wave of memories. “Support items should just build themselves.”

He laughed and gestured you to follow him, leading you out of school grounds and to the nearby train station.

“Where are we going?” you wondered as he ushered you onto the train. He herded you into a corner and stationed himself in front of you, one arm extended to hold the bar over your head. You wondered if it was something like a natural instinct at this point for hero students to assume a protective position, as Shouto’s choice had the effect of shielding you from the rest of the train car.

“I...asked around about you,” he admitted, looking a little embarrassed. “I’ve been told that your interest in quirks and support items doesn’t just end at the classroom door.”

You flushed. You were kind of a nerd, he had your number.

“I’m taking you somewhere I think you might like,” he said. He took a sip of his own coffee, varicolored eyes glinting down at you over the rim of his cup.

You nursed your own coffee as the train rolled into the city, resisting the urge to close your eyes and lean into him. It was something you might do with an actual boyfriend, and as cute as it was that he was taking you out on a real life fake date, you didn’t think he would appreciate you putting the moves on him.

He led you out of the train at the city center and down a few blocks, finally pulling you into a building with a very modern glass facade. You recognized it at once.

“The Support Museum!” you chirped happily, your interest picking up. They had an interactive exhibit going on right now that you and some classmates had talked about coming to see. Your fingers suddenly itched with the need to test out some of the items.

Shouto looked at you from the corner of his eye, a flash of curious blue. “This is okay?”

“Hell yeah,” you intoned, picking up the pace to get in front of him. “If you’re cool with being bored to death for the next six hours while I have a great time, then this is perfect.”

He gave you a dry look. “I care about support items.”

You scoffed. “You have like, one.”

A slow smirk overtook his features. “Maybe you could convince me to add more.”

Something hot flashed through you and you gave yourself a hard pinch through the fabric of your jeans. His tone seemed laced with insinuation, but you knew better than to buy into it. It was just hard when he was looking at you the way he was.

Damn him for having a face like that.

“Careful,” you said, trying to reroute your brain, “you’re signing yourself up for a whole lot of wild rambling and weird tangents.”

That soft smile pulled at the edge of his mouth again. “I’m used to it. Midoriya, my best friend, is a lot like that.”

You’d been in the room with Izuku Midoriya before and didn’t doubt it. The boy could certainly give you a run for your money. If he wasn’t equipped with the wildest quirk you’d ever seen, he would have made one hell of a support engineer -- you were probably lucky you didn’t have to compete for grades with a mind like that.

“Treat me like white noise,” you said as he shouldered past you to pay for tickets.

You let out a noise of protest when you noticed what he was doing, but he pressed you back from the ticket counter with a strong arm you couldn’t get around. It seemed only too easy for him to hold you off and pay for tickets at the same time, and it was slightly offensive. Maybe you needed to put in more time in the support course gym.

“I asked you out,” he said by way of explanation after you complained all the way through coat check, only shutting up when you were distracted by the sight of him in a soft tee shirt and blue button up. “I should pay.”

You made a dismissive noise. “It’s not the nineteen thirties anymore, dude. I can pay for my own stuff.”

He turned to you with a wry look. “Are we fighting about money already? Not something I’d thought we’d get to at this stage, to be honest.”

You laughed. “Our first fight as a couple.”

He pinned you with an interested look, something in his gaze growing hot. “Should we kiss and make up?”

Your face instantly went up in flames, like he’d lit you up with his quirk. Jesus Christ, he was a teaser? You’d thought he was just the quiet and thoughtful type -- who knew that he hid an ironic sense of humor underneath all that? This was going to be bad for your health.

“Cute,” you quipped for something to say, marching in front of him quickly so he couldn’t see your face. “Uh, where to first?”

He let you lead the way around the museum, and in minutes you’d pretty much calmed down from the heat of the moment, distracted by the halls filled with the forefront of quirk theory and the corresponding support equipment.

As someone who’d been born without a quirk of their own, the concept had always been fascinating to you, leading you into the support track at UA in your efforts to study quirks and their applications. It was incredible how genetics determined which people had none, and whose ranged from benign improvements like seeing slightly better through fog to more deadly power that roiled just beneath the surface of one’s skin like Shouto.

The deviations in power manifestation stretched the genetics of each human further from one another than they had ever gone before -- sometimes by a full 0.1-0.2% of their DNA structure -- and it was crazy cool. While your speciality was more applied science, you couldn’t deny the biology of it was equally as interesting.

At the rate it was going, people like you could share more genetic similarity with a banana at some point than someone like Shouto. Well, after a couple more millennia of evolution.

Shouto chuckled and you realized with some alarm that you had been babbling all of that out loud.

“Should I be concerned that our children might come out as bananas?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

You gave him a sour look. “You know that’s not how it works.”

He flashed you a cheeky grin and followed you easily as you led the way through the other exhibits.

He listened attentively as you oohed and ahhed over the different displays, asking very pointed follow up questions like he was actually interested in what you had to say. You fell into a very involved discussion about most of the displays, and you realized with some surprise that plenty of time had passed without you realizing it, and that you were having an incredibly good time.

Shouto paid for lunch at the museum cafe as well, affecting hearing loss over the sounds of your protests, and kept up the easy conversation all the way through the meal.

After lunch, you two queued up for the interactive exhibit that you’d initially wanted to see, eventually being let into the exhibit hall in a small group. You immediately lit up like a kid on Christmas.

The hall was studded with actual support items that had been developed for the top twenty heros, ranging from real costume pieces that had been retired to replicas of items currently in use, supplied by the same companies as had built them. The items were free for testing with the caveat that the user had to be careful.

You spent a fair amount of time over pieces of Edgeshot’s costume that had been made from strands of his own hair, allowing it to fold and reshape with the changes to his body, and more time over Ryukyu’s size-changing suit that mechanically adapted to her dragon form.

Shouto stopped over a flame-resistant gauntlet from his father’s previous costume.

“Think you can melt it?” you asked with interest. You wondered how fast they’d eject you from the museum if he succeeded.

Shouto shook his head. “My flames are hot but I doubt it.”

You perked up. “How hot?”

“I haven’t actually measured,” he admitted and you groaned.

“Your super cool quirk is totally wasted on you,” you said. “You have to let me do tests.”

His mouth twitched again. “What kind of tests?”

“Anything you’ll let me,” you said. “Temperature gauges, cryogenic structure analysis, body scans when you use both energy sources. I have my theories as to how your quirk is actually scientifically possible but I need more data.”

“Body scans, huh?” he asked.

Of course he’d seized on that one. God, he was such a boy.

“Yes. We’ll get you all strapped up in wires and those little sticky nodules. It’ll be super sexy, trust me.”

He chuckled, and set a hand to one of his father’s boots that was also on display. “Fine, but later. Want to test this out now?”

You leaned in, nodding, and he let a flame grow in his hand, pressing it to the fabric of the boot. The cloth activated instantly, channeling the flame across the surface of the boot in the customary style of Endeavor’s flaming costume.

“Fuck, that’s so cool,” you breathed, leaning over to read the description of how it worked. “You need something just as obnoxiously showy on your costume. You’re letting your own dad upstage you.”

He laughed again and let the flame die down.

You wandered companionably through the rest of the exhibit, thrilled when it ended in an arcade-like simulation of Wash’s quirk that let you rig up and shoot water around at various targets. Shouto immediately targeted you instead.

“You're supposed to be a hero,” you whined, whipping around to aim your water cannon at him in revenge. “How could you target a civilian like this?”

His hero training had clearly paid off, as he was too skilled at dodging to get caught up in any of your attacks. Your time was called without you able to catch him once, but you left the exhibit with your own shirt sticking wetly to your body. You tried not to wince, thinking of the wintry weather that would no doubt invade the confines of your jacket once you made it outside.

Shouto immediately pulled you to the side of the coat check, however, his eyes trailing down your shirt where it clung to you. You tried not to feel self conscious.

“Let me,” he said quietly, placing a hand against your shoulder. Searing warmth washed over your skin under his hand and you tried not to arch up into the pleasant heat. You stood incredibly still, hardly daring to breathe as he passed his hand lightly over your shirt, taking care not to touch you anywhere too scandalous, though some traitorous part of your mind almost wished he would. This close, you could catch the scent of some light cologne, minty and fresh, and the smell of it made your head spin.

It took just under a minute for him to fully dry out your shirt, each second passing like a small eternity.

You were able to gather your wits just enough to laugh about his bright future in steam cleaning as you tucked back into your coat, then followed him to the train back to campus.

It was nearly dark by the time he walked you back to your dorm, the sun dipping low to kiss the horizon, sunset orange fading into the deep blue of an evening sky. You realized that you’d spent all day with him and had hardly noted the time passing -- he was a very, very good date. Some girl in the months after graduation was going to find herself very lucky with him.

The dorm was quiet as you approached, which was unusual for a Saturday evening, and you realized with a growing sense of horror that your classmates must be waiting quietly, watching for your arrival from inside to see what he’d do. Shouto must have realized the same thing almost the same time that you did, as he stepped into your space at the doorway, catching the sleeve of your coat to pull you close to him.

“Is this okay?” he asked softly, face dipping close to yours. His features were somehow even more symmetrical up close and it was overwhelming to look at. “I quite liked today, so I thought…”

Your heartbeat kicked up in your chest and the tips of your ears went hot as you panicked, tangling your own fingers in his dark jacket like a lifeline. “Y-yeah,” you answered. “This is g-great.”

He smirked, leaning in even closer to you. You held carefully still as you had in front of the coat check, all the nerves in your body straining with anticipation. Then a hot mouth pressed softly to yours, and every neuron in your brain misfired.

The next thing you registered, your arms were around his neck and he was pressing you gently up against the door, his tongue in your mouth and his large hands on your waist. You arched up into his touch, desperate to get closer, twining your fingers in his soft hair.

He gave a low groan and pressed you harder into the door, a hand coming up to cup your face as he did something absolutely criminal with his tongue. So much for his career as a hero.

A muffled shout came from within your dorm and you jerked apart, panting. Your face flamed in embarrassment.

“Wow,” you said dumbly, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

“Wow indeed,” he teased, stepping back from you.

You shook yourself as he did. Right, fake dating. The kiss had been hot but it was only for show--and the show had been successfully executed. You had to resist the urge to drag him back for another.

“I’ll text you?” you squeaked out and he agreed, looking weirdly satisfied as he bid you good night.

You watched him for a long moment as he trudged back down the path to campus, heart beating a frantic staccato in your chest.

Shouto Todoroki was the most dangerous boy alive and it finally dawned on you just what you had agreed to for the next few months. You were so absolutely fucked.

[plaidbooks]

Liquid Courage

A/N: Okay, so, this Sonny Carisi x reader fic was literally just an excuse to write drunk!Sonny. Idk how it got so long, but here we are. My headcanon is that Sonny is...touch starved is the wrong adjective. Affectionate? Touchy? Something. Hope y'all enjoy!

Tags: SVU talk, alcohol mention

Words: 3270

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You were standing in the vast hallways of the courthouse, waiting to hear if your testimony helped at all. You were a Medical Examiner for the Manhattan NYPD, meaning you couldn’t tailor your statements like the detectives or victims could; you only spoke about the facts. And the facts were simple; with the injuries the deceased sustained, they died from asphyxiation. Could it have been caused by their husband wrapping a soft material around their throat? Of course. Could it also have been caused by the victim hanging herself in her room? Yes, it could. The same could be said for a thousand other scenarios. The difference was the husband was found to be abusive, and it was highly suspected that he killed her. But that was the detective’s job. Yours was to give them the facts. Did you want the sick fuck behind bars? Of course, but that wasn’t what you were called for—no opinions, just facts.

The SVU squad caught up with you quickly; Olivia, Amanda, Fin, and Sonny. You adverted your eyes when you saw Sonny; you had a crush on him, though you were only friends. At first, you were just the ME, hardly talking to him…or any of the squad, really, outside of work-related things. But he was charming and made it a point to talk to you every time he visited about, well, everything. Soon enough, you knew all about his family, and he knew about yours. He even invited you over for game night with the squad a few times.

“Jury back yet?” you asked as they got closer. You asked Olivia, but your eyes darted to Sonny a few times, your cheeks burning. He, of course, decided to stand right next to you, close enough to touch.

“Not yet; it’s only been a few hours—” Olivia was cut off as her phone pinged. She pulled it out of her pocket, glancing at the screen. “Never mind; jury’s back now.” You followed them to the courtroom, and congratulated them all, including Barba, when the jury came back with a guilty conviction.

“Celebratory drinks?” Amanda asked, grinning. Everyone agreed with that…except for you.

Sonny looked to you expectantly, but you shook your head. “I’d love to, but I’d rather decompress at home,” you replied, smiling sheepishly.

The detectives all nodded in understanding. Sonny patted your arm lightly, muttering a, “you’ll be missed. See ya on Monday,” before following his coworkers. You trailed behind before splitting from the group, heading home while they headed in the direction of Forlini’s.

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

You were at home, reading a book while soft piano music played softly on your speakers. You jumped as your phone rang. Looking at the id, you cocked an eyebrow. Sonny was calling you?

“Hey, Sonny; everything okay?” you asked as you answered.

There was loud music playing and voices before Sonny’s voice overpowered them all. “Heyyyy doll! I hope you’re doing okaaaay.”

Oh god, he was drunk. You let out a little huff of laughter, shaking your head. “I’m doing just fine, Son. How’re you?”

“I-I miss you,” he hiccupped, and your cheeks burned. “I wanted to l-let you know….” He pulled away from the phone for a moment, talking to someone before he was back. “I app-appreciate all you do, and I-I looooove youuuu~.” He dragged out the last two words, saying them in a sing-song voice.

Your heart leapt into your throat. He was obviously drunk; he didn’t mean it like that…or did he? “Do you need me to come pick you up?” you asked, concerned.

Sonny’s words all melded together and you couldn’t understand what he was saying anymore.

“Okay, I’ll be right there. Stay. There,” you ordered, pulling your shoes on. At least he was with his squad. He slurred something else unintelligible before hanging up, and you rolled your eyes, a small grin on your lips.

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

You made it to Forlini’s in record time, glancing around at the patrons, looking for the lanky detective. He wasn’t too hard to find; in the corner of the bar was the whole SVU squad, and Sonny was loud. He was laughing at something, pounding his hand on the table, his head thrown back as he guffawed. Picking out a path towards him, you weaved through the crowded bar feeling completely out-of-place in your sweats and loose shirt.

Once close enough, you reached a hand out, laying your hand on Sonny’s elbow. He jumped, whipping around to look at you and almost falling off his seat in the process. His cheeks were rosy, and he had the widest grin on his face as his watery eyes focused on you.

“You came! Can I b-buy you a drink?” Sonny asked loudly, his voice carrying over the rest of the cacophony in the bar.

You gave him a soft smile. “Actually, I think it’s time to take you home, Son,” you replied. The rest of the squad seemed to be in various states of sober or tipsy, but Sonny was obviously the one that was gone. He didn’t object as you helped him stand, waving a goodbye to the rest of the squad, and pulling him through the bar.

“Guys! The hot ME is taking me home!” Sonny yelled, and you ducked your head, your face on fire. Other drunks in the bar congratulated him, and you as well, as you made your way through the throng. You just wrapped an arm tighter around Sonny’s waist, pulling him towards the exit.

Once outside, Sonny wrapped his arms around your midsection, pulling you close to him. “Have I told you how much I love you?” he asked, resting his head on top of yours.

“You may have mentioned it on the phone,” you commented, trying to drag him towards your car.

Sonny was having trouble walking straight, mostly because he was trying to wrap himself around you. “I mean it, d-doll. You’re so fuckin’ smm-art and pretty and funny and cute and beautiful…” he trailed off, leaning almost completely on you now, his weight crushing you.

“Uh huh,” you replied, smiling despite yourself. You knew he was only saying this because he was drunk; sober-Sonny would never be like this. It left a pang of sadness in your heart, because you really did like him. But come tomorrow, he’d remember none of it, and life would go back to normal.

You made it to your car and deposited him in the passenger seat, buckling him in. Sonny attempted to get out, but the seatbelt held him down. He seemed confused, pulling at the material across his chest as you slid into the driver’s seat. You cracked his window so that he’d get some fresh air and pulled away from the curb. You knew where he lived, so you headed in that direction.

“Love you,” Sonny muttered, his eyes glued to your face. You smiled, ignoring the fluttering those words made burst forth. Only in your wildest dreams did Sonny say those words to you, but he’s said it so much tonight...at least it would fuel some late night fantasies. You jumped as his hand connected gently with your head. You were about to ask what he was doing until you realized; he was petting your hair.

“So soft…” he breathed, his fingers twining through the strands of hair. Your breathing hitched slightly, and you tried to focus on the road.

“Is there a reason you’re petting me?” you asked, chuckling lightly.

“Cause your hair is so soft, so pretty…feels so nice,” Sonny replied. You were thankfully getting close to his place when you noticed him moving; it seemed like he was trying to fight the seatbelt, but couldn’t quite figure it out.

“What are you doing?” you asked, alarmed.

Sonny grunted against the impossible belt holding him down. “Wanna cuddle. Wanna hold you.” He said it almost angrily, but that was directed more at the damned seatbelt holding him from you.

“Sonny, stop struggling; wait until we’re not in the car,” you instructed. He let out a huff of defeat, sinking into the seat grumpily before dissolving into giggles.

You pulled up in front of his apartment complex shortly after. As you got out and came around to his side, you let out a chuckle, watching Sonny fight and lose against the seatbelt. You hurried to open his door, leaning across him, and clicking his seatbelt off.

“Freedom!” Sonny cheered as you helped him out of the car. Though, now free of the car, nothing stopped him from draping his body over yours, leaning over your back.

“Sonny, this isn’t helpful—” you started before he cut you off.

“Mmm cuddles,” he murmured, his voice directly in your ear, slurring even worse than before.

You struggled under his weight as he forced more of himself on you, wrapping his arms completely around your torso and arms, leaning almost completely on top of you, forcing you to bend forwards under his weight. “S-Sonny…I need you to walk with me, man,” you huffed, trying to take the few steps into his building.

“Can we cuddle, though?” Sonny asked, wrapping a leg around your waist.

You had to stop walking, spreading your legs so that he didn’t completely throw you off balance. “Oh my god; yes, we can cuddle. But let’s get inside first.”

Reluctantly, he peeled himself off you…mostly. He kept his arms around you as you tried to hurry to his door, before he changed his mind and rewrapped around you.

“Keys?” you asked as you made it to his apartment.

Sonny seemed barely conscious at this point, leaning fully on you again, but from the side this time. You had to lean partly against the wall to keep from falling. “You’rrrrre prettyyy,” he hummed in your ear.

“Yes, thank you. Where’s your keys?” you repeated. Sonny swayed on his feet, blinking slowly, showing no signs of hearing you. You sighed, reaching into his pockets, searching for any kind of jingling. You found his phone and wallet easily enough before your fingers closed around his keyring.

As you pulled your hand out of his pants pocket, he said in a low voice, “I like when you touch me.”

Heat rushed to your face, and you ignored him, as well as the rush of arousal you felt, and unlocked the door. “Come on,” you grunted, dragging him over the threshold. You half led, half carried Sonny back to his bedroom. Once his bed was in sight, Sonny extracted himself from you, moving to collapse onto the mattress, face-first and laying diagonally across it, legs dangling off the side. Bending down, you were able to get his shoes off quickly before he rolled onto his back.

He reached out for you, muttering, “cuddles” over and over again as you shook your head at him.

“Hold on, Son. Let me go to the bathroom really quick,” you lied. You had no intentions of cuddling with him, nervous about what he may do. Sonny was a good guy, but alcohol was a hell of a drug.

He nodded to you, letting his arms fall to his sides. You quickly leaned over him, loosening his tie and pulling it off. “Be right back,” you said, leaving his room and closing the door behind you.

Searching in his kitchen, you quickly found glasses. You filled one with water before heading back towards his room. You debated finding food for him, but water seemed more important right now. That is, until you opened his bedroom door and found him passed out. Sighing once more, you deposited the glass on his nightstand, then reached into his pockets, pulling out his wallet and phone. His charger was laying on the floor by the nightstand, and you plugged in his phone while he snored loudly. Then, as gently as you could, you lifted his legs and pulled them to the bed, angling him so that his head was on the pillows…more or less.

Shaking your head slightly and fighting a smile, you crept out of his room, letting him sleep it off. You wondered if you should just go home, but you were worried about him; he had gotten pretty drunk. Making your way back to the kitchen, you glanced in his fridge. He kept it well-stocked, and you vaguely remembered him telling you he liked to cook. Nodding to yourself, you went to the couch in the living room, making yourself comfortable, and falling asleep quickly.

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

You awoke early in the morning. The apartment was silent, and you stretched before getting up. After splashing some water in your face while in the bathroom, you made your way to the kitchen. You took out the eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, cheese, and salsa you had found the previous night. You weren’t a whiz in the kitchen, but you could make an omelet easily enough. Searching through cabinets for pans, you also found a cheese grater. You glanced at the potatoes in a basket on the counter, deciding to add some hash browns to the mix. Greasy food was the best for hangovers. Finding the pans, you started grating the potatoes, letting them cook a bit before starting on the meat.

There was a beep behind you, and you jumped before you realized it was the automatic coffeemaker. You searched until you found mugs, then made yourself a cup as you cooked. Once the meat and potatoes were done, you turned everything to low, waiting for Sonny to wake up. Eggs don’t take much to cook, and you could make them as he showered or drank coffee.

As if your thoughts summoned him, you could hear Sonny shuffling about in his room. The door slowly opened, and a very disgruntled-looking Sonny stumbled out of his room. Since waking, he had stripped down to his boxers and undershirt, making your cheeks burn. His eyes were barely open, and his hair hung limply on his face as he rubbed his head.

When he caught you in his kitchen, he froze, eyes going wide. “Wh-what are you doing here?” he muttered. His eyes traveled over the various pans on the stove before coming back to your face. “Wait…please tell me we didn’t….”

“N-no! I just gave you a ride home last night, then slept on your couch to make sure you didn’t die from alcohol poisoning,” you explained. Though, you were slightly disappointed with how upset he seemed about potentially sleeping with you.

Sonny nodded, moving to make himself a cup of coffee. “And the breakfast is just a bonus?”

“I figured you’d need the help. You were pretty…fucked up last night,” you smiled, and he groaned.

“Please tell me I didn’t do anything too embarrassing,” he mumbled as you cracked the eggs into the pan.

You salted and peppered the eggs, then moved to poke at the hash browns, making sure they weren’t sticking to the pan. “I wasn’t there at the bar, so you’d have to ask your squad for that story. But, uh, I did watch you lose a fight to a seatbelt.”

“Fucking fantastic,” he replied, letting out a soft chuckle. He came over to you as you flipped the eggs, watching you work. “That it? Nothing else? Because I did wake up fully clothed, minus shoes and a tie.”

Your cheeks burned and you kept your eyes on the eggs as you put the mushrooms on top. “I’ve learned you really want cuddles when drunk…and that you think my hair is soft.” You didn’t dare look at him as you sprinkled some cheese on the mushrooms, then folded half the eggs on top of it. You plated the omelet, pouring some salsa on top and adding more cheese. “The tie just seemed like a safety precaution.”

You kept your eyes on the food, even as you felt Sonny staring at you. Once you had scooped hash browns, sausage, and bacon onto the plate, you chanced a glance at him, offering him the plate. Sonny’s eyes bored into yours, holding you there for what seemed like forever before he took the plate from you.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

You gave him a small smile. “Anytime,” you breathed back. Sonny moved to a free spot on the counter, taking small bites of food. But his eyes went wide as he tasted it, and he started shoveling food into his mouth. Grinning, you scooped the rest of the food onto another plate before moving to soak the pans.

You ate in silence, pausing only to drink coffee. Having less food, you finished first, then moved to start doing the dishes.

“No, no. You made this amazing food; I’ll do dishes,” Sonny said, swallowing hard.

You shook your head. “It’s fine, Son; I made a mess of your kitchen. I’ll clean it—”

“Like hell you will. First, you made sure I made it home safe. Second, you stayed the night to make sure I didn’t die. And third, you made me the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time—I swear my hangover is gone. You are not doing dishes.”

You smirked. “Okay fine, you win.” Instead, you finished your coffee, rinsing the mug out in the sink. Sonny continued eating, and you felt awkward standing in his kitchen. “So…I guess I’ll see you at work?” you said as a way of goodbye. You grabbed your phone off the counter, slowly making your way to his door.

“Wait!” Sonny called out, following you out of the kitchen. You cocked an eyebrow at him, and he shifted on his feet. “I-I feel like I should give you a better thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

“It’s fine, Sonny, really. That’s what friends are for, right?” you shrugged.

Sonny seemed to fight with himself for a moment before he muttered, barely audible for you to hear, “what if…I don’t want to be just friends?”

“What?” you asked, your heart racing. He wasn’t drunk anymore, and if what he was saying was true….

He came closer to you. “What if I don’t want to be just friends?” he repeated. “It seems like…drunk me was at least trying to flirt with you…. Something sober me is too damn nervous to even attempt.” When you still didn’t respond, he let out a huff. “What I mean is, I-I like you…a lot. And I’d, uh, I’d like to get to know you better?”

“You’re not still drunk, are you?” you asked, half-joking. Sonny shook his head, eyes wide. “Okay, good. Because you kinda did profess your love to me last night…but I was afraid that it was only because you were drunk.”

Sonny ran a hand over his face. “Did I really? I’m…so sorry if I made you uncomfortable—”

“No, it’s fine, really. I, uh…I’ve liked you for a while now. I was just worried that it was your drunk self that liked me, and not, uh, you,” you explained.

Sonny smiled sarcastically. “Drunk me says what sober me is thinking…most of the time.” He rubbed his neck anxiously. “So, uh, can we go on a date? No alcohol, I promise.”

You chuckled. “I’d like that. You obviously have my number—call me?”

“Of course. Let me clean up here—myself as well as the sink—and then I’ll give you a call,” Sonny grinned genuinely this time, and you melted.

“Sounds good. Talk to you soon.” You made your way out of his apartment, giving him a small wave. As he closed the door behind you, you broke out in a wide grin, excited for a date with Detective Carisi.

[wallwriterstuff]

Baby’s First Christmas ||Demetri Volturi x Female Reader||

Part 1: Found Family 

Warnings: Mentions of death very briefly but the majority of this is tooth rotting christmas fluff. 

Words: 3707

Summary: A request for @raindancer2004

A Christmas one-shot for Found Family. It’s Lyra’s first Christmas with Demetri in the home he has brought for himself and his new family, and he goes overboard ensuring his little girl is spoiled rotten.

There are had been many horrible days in the past year. Your boyfriend of the time had packed up and left in April, your daughter born to you in the January where your only support in the room was a midwife who had been called in last minute to replace the one suddenly taken ill. Your best friend leaving to a new city in March, never to be heard of again despite leaving you the gift of a lovely holiday – where you almost died. Meeting Demetri was one of the few highlights of your year if you were honest, and life had gradually improved since with his video calls, once weekly and suddenly every other day when you both realised you physically couldn’t cope with the silence for more than 24 hours at a time.

Then your parents died.

Demetri had flown straight out, taking some extended leave to ensure you had someone to lean on in your grief. Lyra had needed someone to care for her properly on the days your tired body couldn’t cope. It wasn’t until you had came crawling pitifully down the stairs for some sleeping tablets at 3AM once that you understood how difficult it had been for him, catching him hunched over a baby book as he absorbed every word in an effort to be the perfect caregiver for your daughter. When he’d asked you to let him look after you in a more permanent fashion, you’d agreed without hesitation. He had taken you back to Volterra the following week, helping you pack your possessions, sell what you didn’t want, and send things off to await your arrival. You’d ignored the looks of your neighbours, the old kooks peering through the curtains to eye you with disdain. What kind of woman moved to a new country with her boyfriend of four months after all? Obviously, you had to be knocked up again.

They had no understanding of just how deep the bond between you and Demetri was, not a single idea of how all-consuming, soul warming and fulfilling your love for each other had grown to be. Your new home was ready and waiting and it was beautiful, a little Tuscan cottage all of your own on the outskirts of town, far from the danger of the Volturi’s castle and away from prying eyes where you could raise your daughter in peace. He had spared no expense at all, letting you decorate to your hearts content in an effort to move on with your life, away from the grief and the pain the world had tried to beat you down with before he lifted you above it. Now…now you were feeling that familiar, frazzled feeling. You had gone to Florence for the day, leaving Demetri alone for a full day with lyra for the first time since…ever. It was as much a test for him as it was for you. You found yourself missing Lyra not ten minutes into the drive towards the city, having spent most of your time with her for the past 11 months since she’d been born.

What had followed had been one stressful problem after the next as you tried to complete your Christmas shopping for your found family. You had been forced to visit the castle once or twice to declare yourself to the Masters’ as Demetri’s mate, but a few of his friends had also come to visit you. Felix was a family favourite, though his size unnerved your daughter when Lyra first met him, and the twins had been curious about the baby Demetri had been telling them about. In your mind, they were still children and very much deserving of Christmas presents. The twins didn’t give much away, so you’d guessed at a lot of the things they might like but were fairly happy with you haul. Felix had been the only one that was easy to buy for to but Demetri…what did you get for the man that had everything and wanted nothing? He had given you the world and a pair of socks didn’t seem to be the best kind of repayment.

You had agonised for hours, walking around in a bustling shopping mall where the fluorescent lights made your eyes hurt and the constant chatter in rapid Italian made your head spin. Demetri had been teaching you but you were by no means fluent, and the people in the city spoke much faster than the local market stall owners you had gotten to know – you were starting to suspect they slowed down for you on purpose. Your day had been long and your stress levels high. You just wanted to settle down with your mate and your daughter, cosy up for the night perhaps, but you still had gifts to wrap. Maybe it could wait. Christmas day was still a few weeks away yet, you hadn’t even put up a tree to put your presents under.

Eyes trailing to the bags in the back of your car, you bit your lip softly and felt your heart skitter in your chest. You hoped they would like their presents but you weren’t holding out much hope of a thank you, especially not from the twins. Demetri had heard of the Christmas holidays but the traditions surrounding it were new news to him, and it had taken a lot of explaining before he finally seemed to understand how important this was for you to celebrate.

Lyra’s first Christmas.

When she had been born and you’d started thinking of these things you would never in your wildest dreams have imagined she would be spending it in her new home in Italy, nowhere near her biological father and without her doting grandparents, yet here you were. With a quiet sigh, you steeled yourself to put on a happy face and gathered your things to enter your home. Immediately, you were hit by the smell of spring flowers, a sure sign Demetri had been cleaning today. How he had found time to do that while caring for Lyra you didn’t know but you put it down to his vampirism. If it wasn’t so important for Lyra to grow up with you around in her formative years you might have considered turning sooner purely for the perks of moving fast and not needing sleep anymore, though she was starting to sleep better now and was on her way to her first full night of rest.  

Upon opening your door your world became bright and colourful, not the neutral tones of your hallway you were used to. Bright red tinsel was wrapped around your stair railing, twisting upward to the second floor of the cottage, and it framed the photographs adoring the walls in a dazzling array of red, green and blue. A few snowflakes had been tied to the poles of the stair railing by some white ribbon. Slowly, you placed your bags by the door and closed it behind you, locking it for added safety before venturing carefully into your home. You hadn’t remembered asking Demetri to put up any decorations, hell you didn’t even think you owned any, so where had all this come from? The glass in the door leading from the hallway to the living room was frosted, but you were able to see a dark shape moving back and forth, the vague outline of a Christmas tree.

Your kitchen had a tiny tree on the breakfast bar, a Christmas themed tablecloth lying over your dining room table and, much to your amusement, little festive gel stickers on the window looking out over the garden. The legs of Lyra’s high-chair was also wrapped in tinsel. You couldn’t help but smile as you turned towards the living room, listening to the conversation inside.

“Not here either? You are fussy today your highness.” Demetri’s voice was light, teasing, completely at ease. Lyra had grown to be quite the babbler and he was more than happy to engage in conversation with the eleven-month-old girl, even if she couldn’t form proper words just yet. More garbled noises escaped your daughter and when you peeped around the doorframe, your heart melted. Demetri’s Christmas tree had been trimmed to be a little lopsided, not quite to your tastes, but he had tried. Lyra was on her blanket, surrounded by her toys, but none of them seemed to be taking her interest as she sat and watched Demetri put the last few ornaments on a frankly overcrowded tree. There were glistening lights and tinsel and beads and tinsel and baubles and…and…

“Is that…Demetri is that my parents?” you asked, having to swallow around the lump that had formed in your throat. He turned to look at you, still holding the last bauble of a big box of them in his hands. For a moment he said nothing, simply watched you take in all the lights and ornaments he’d put up about the place, the stockings by the fireplace personalised for you and Lyra. How much had he spent? How hard had he worked?

“Yes. I understood Christmas celebrations as something you did with family from how you explained them to me, so I thought they should be here in some way,” He said softly. Tears welled in your eyes and he frowned, “Is it not what you wanted? I can always redecorate?” he looked a little lost as you wiped your eyes and hurried into the room to scoop up Lyra, smiling through your tears as your overwhelmed heart skittered in your chest. This man was just too much for you. Bouncing her on your hip you pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Have you seen this? Look what Da – Demetri’s done for us!” you quickly caught yourself, your voice shaking with the intensity of your emotion. It was too much but in all the best ways. Lyra was absorbed immediately by the twinkling lights on the tree as you brought her closer, showing her the glass bauble with your parents photograph in. She looked back at you, head turning so fast it almost fell off her little shoulders.

“Ah!” she exclaimed, looking back between you and the bauble. Head nodding you tenderly brushed your hand over her hair. It had started to grow a bit more recently and you were able now to twist small pieces at the front around your fingertip. Demetri kissed your temple, winding an arm around your waist.

“Welcome home.” He murmured, lips trailing along your shoulder, up your throat. Your head tilted automatically and you could feel him smiling at your obvious submission.

“This is perfect.” You whispered. He chuckled.

“I tried my best.” He assured you.

“Our house is clean.” You noted.

“Hmmm, hardly any evidence of disaster.” He agreed with a cheeky grin as you turned to face him. Lyra wriggled, wanting to be put down. She had started crawling just last week and after a bit of rocking, managed to haphazardly crawl back towards her toys. You watched her go with adoring eyes.

“She seems happy.” You said. Demetri chuckled, cupping your cheek tenderly.

“I told you I could do it,” He turned you to face him, embracing you properly this time. You melted into his arms, kissing him sweetly before resting your head against his shoulder. “You seem very tense.” He murmured, fingertips skating up and down your spine. Your nose scrunched.

“Christmas shopping is a tense activity.” You retorted wryly.

“Ah, I have yet to experience the joys. Is there anything you want?” he wondered. You smiled, curling closer to him.

“I have everything I need right here.” You sighed contentedly, basking in the warm glow of fairy lights. Demetri didn’t reply, simply held you close and kissed your forehead. You were rather excited the next day, to wrap and put his presents under your newly decorated tree. Lyra took to helping you with the bows and after a constant battle of wrestling the one she chose from her tiny hands you had some fully wrapped presents…which you then had to keep your child away from. What you didn’t understand was how the present pile just kept growing…and growing…and growing…

Finally, four days before Christmas Day, you caught Demetri in the act. With a cough and some raised eyebrows, you had the suave tracker smiling sheepishly.

“Yes, my love?” he asked, feigning innocence terribly.

“Just how many presents have you brought Demetri? You do know Lyra is only turning one in January, right? She won’t remember half of these things. Christmas is what you do, not what you buy.” You reminded him. His sheepish smile turned cheeky as he moved at lightning speed to place the last of the presents in his bag around the tree, since there hadn’t been room under it for weeks now, and raced over to pull you against him. He stole your breath and anymore scolding words you’d prepared with a single, heated kiss. If he was trying to distract you, it worked wonders.

“Not all are for my princess,” he assured you, his hand slipping to your rear end to pull your hips flush against his, “Some are for my queen.” Cheeks heating in a blush, you swatted his chest and turned your face back to the ginormous pile of presents in the corner of your living room. There were quite a few big boxes and something that reminded you suspiciously of a rocking horse.

“Demetri. You know we don’t need all of this right?” you turned back to look at him, hands sliding up his chest to his neck. His hair was always so soft and you loved nothing more than to play with it on the evenings. He purred softly, leaning into your touch with a hum of approval.

“Is it so bad I wish to spoil you both?” he murmured, eyes closed as you twisted the hair at the nape of his neck around your fingers. Leaning up on your tiptoes, you pressed your mouth to the corner of his in a teasing kiss. Demetri immediately turned, trying to seek more from you, but you pushed him back with a soft sigh.

“You’re too much you know that? If you really want to spoil me, a nice cup of tea for when I come down to snuggle with you will be enough.” You smiled. Demetri’s eyes rolled but he nodded.

“Of course. This is the first of many Christmases like this you know, I have every intention of spoiling you both for the rest of eternity…that and, well…nothing I bought seemed good enough.” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. You tilted your head.

“Demetri you know us better than anyone, I’m sure whatever you’ve bought is going to be perfect.” You promised, taking one last look at the giant present pile with a fond shake of your head before going in hunt of your cosy pyjamas. You really regretted saying that to him come Christmas day however, when you had wrapping paper littering your floor and a pile of presents you had no clue how to find homes for. The best perfumes and the clothing brands’ you would never have asked for all needed a place in your walk-in wardrobe for example, but he had already filled it with brand new designer tags when you first moved in. Lyra was surrounded by toys, looking mildly overwhelmed by the choice but utterly thrilled with all the bright colours and sounds coming from them, though her favourite so far seemed to be the simple teddy bear, one she hadn’t let go of since she had unwrapped it. Demetri was currently sat with her on the floor, Lyra resting between his legs as he helped her unwrap a present from Felix.

“Can you guess what it might be?” he asked her. Lyra was frowning, the deep concentration it took to tear at the paper with her fists evident on her face. Demetri stepped in to unstick a bit of sellotape that was making it tricky for her, his free hand gently smoothing over her hair as they worked on the present together. It was a heart-warming sight, one that only made you more confident in your gift to him.

“Dabaga.” She sounded so cross with the resistant bit of paper you both laughed, unable to help yourselves.

“I know princess, how mean of Uncle Felix to wrap it so tightly. Shall I help you do the rest?” he questioned. Lyra made another angry, garbled noise, smacking her fists on the paper in frustration. Demetri chuckled. “Alright alright, here.” He soothed, deftly unwrapping the bright pink paper from around the box Felix had put his present in. Lyra was able to lift the lid herself, looking pleased with her small victory before she tipped the box onto its side, its contents spilling into her lap. Her head snapped up to Demetri, eyes wide as she pointed at it.

“Gar!”

His face feigned shock as he nodded along, watching her pick up and inspect the small toy. There were no tags of any description or branding on the side, and you had a feeling that the pull along ducks had been made by the giant man by hand.

“They are ducks, princess,” Demetri pointed them out one by one, “A little family just like ours, a Mommy duck and a baby duck.” You noticed he pointedly left out a label for the larger duck and decided that was the perfect moment to interrupt the dynamic duo. You searched through the torn-up paper to find the small bag you had prepped for Demetri, crawling over to hand it to him as you welcomed Lyra into your lap when she crawled for you. She held her teddy bear up to you and you subconsciously leaned down to kiss it, holding her close. Demetri read the tag, glancing up at you both with a smile.

“Merry Christmas.” You said softly. His eyebrows rose slightly, the trepidation on your face confusing him almost and making him slightly more wary to open the bag you had taped shut. You stopped Lyra wriggling, hushing her slightly as you watched him. It was impossible to deny you felt nervous, unsure how he would react to the presents inside, cheap and corny but…heart-felt. Stomach churning, you were hyper-focused on his face as he opened up the bag. Nothing inside it was wrapped but there was a layer of tissue paper to move aside. Demetri paused, carefully setting the gold, shimmering paper to his left as he examined the contents of the bag. For a moment, he looked up at you in bewilderment, as if to see if you really meant it, then his breath-hitched and he reached in to reverently take out the things inside. His socks, mug and t-shirt were all inscribed with a simple but meaningful slogan, one you hoped he would understand.

“Do you mean it my love? Truly?” he asked, voice wavering. His eyes appeared to glisten, like he wanted to cry even though he wasn’t capable of it. You on the other hand could, and a single tear slipped down your cheek.

“Yes. Please? Be our Daddy duck?” your heart clenched and you almost stopped breathing as you watched his composure completely break. Demetri huffed a laugh you were sure was supposed to really be a sob, but he carefully placed his presents down into his bag and crawled across the paper to hold you both. He bent at the waist to press a kiss to Lyra’s cheek first, then shifted upward to give you a kiss that was far hungrier, far more passionate. He captured your lips over and over until you were breathless, dizzy with desire. Pressing his forehead to yours, he squeezed your hip lightly.

“Always. I will be yours as long as you will have you me. I never thought I could have a family, that things could be like this, but this is…this is perfect.” He whispered. Through your watery eyes you could still the socks peeking over the edge of his bag, World’s Best Dad emblazoned on the sides. Lyra seemed to sense this was an emotional moment to, putting her toys down in favour of taking Demetri’s large hand and tugging for his attention. He pulled back with a slow exhale, smiling down at her.

“What is it princess? You want to open more presents?” he asked. Lyra tugged at his hand again, trying to pull it past her little body it seemed. Demetri looked confused a little bit, neither of you really understanding what you wanted till he pulled her into his lap to see. She settled into his abdomen, leaning back against him quite happily. Lyra’s eyes met your own and you could have sworn if a baby could look smug, that was how you would best describe her expression.

“Are you jealous of Daddy giving Mommy kisses? Is that it? Huh?” you asked her. Demetri grinned, red eyes sparkling. They matched the Christmas lights perfectly. He easily lifted her up in the air, nuzzling her tummy with his nose before peppering soft kisses all over her cheeks to make her giggle. You began to collect the paper up as they played together.

“I can get that done in half the time, let me.” Demetri offered. You shook your head.

“It’s alright, I don’t want to interrupt Daddy-Daughter time.” You teased. Demetri just grinned brightly, looking happier than he had been since you met him. He was watching you like you had given him the world and more, and maybe you had in some respects, since Lyra was the world to you. His new title far outweighed any ranking he had gotten in the Guard and somehow, you had managed to ensure Lyra spent her first Christmas with her Daddy after all. He settled back against the edge of the sofa, Lyra straddling his lap as they both explored her teddy bear once more, her babbling filling your ears as she showed him all the buttons and patches on it that made for interesting new textures for her to feel. Demetri nodded along, the perfect little play partner for her on the most wonderful Christmas day.

[delaber]

Just Friends (Part 3)

Story Summary: After moving to America for a 3-month long internship, you meet two interesting characters on a boring night out.

Word Count: 2.2K

Pairing: Rafael Casal x Reader

Warnings: Alcohol, minor drug use, smut, slight dom!Rafa, swearing, and loads of British references (sorry not sorry lol).

Chapter Note: let me know what you think

Tag List:  lonelydance mysearchforgratification

Other Parts: See Masterlist

FIVE WEEKS LATER

With the amount of work you had had in the lab in December, five weeks passed by easily, and before you could truly process what had become of time, you had spent your first Christmas ever away from England.

Still, even though five weeks had passed by, you caught yourself thinking about this guy, this Rafa, annoyingly often. 

You couldn't believe that you had fallen for (what you assumed were) his regular normie cad tricks: He had talked you up, walked you home, made you feel special, and then he hadn't given you any sign of life since then - and now the complete lack of contact was driving you insane! You knew that he was only interested in the shag, and so were you to be honest, but it still annoyed you immensely that the mere thought of him roughing you up had taken over most of your thoughts.

As if Rafa was a professional womaniser, it had only taken him a couple of hours and an obnoxious fuck boy-attitude to etch himself into your brain. And five weeks later, he was still on your mind?! What was going on with you? If you'd only invited him inside to boff back then, he probably wouldn't even have been the least bit interesting here five weeks later.

Thus, irritated with yourself and your flair for the dramatic, you often cursed yourself for having left him on the pavement that night back in November. On the night in question, however, the need to stand up to his spoiled attitude had been stronger than the urge to let him win and shag him senseless - and as a result, you often found yourself fantasising about him when you lay in bed at night. So in a way, he had won anyway.

And you hated it. You hated that he had somehow gotten to you. The way he had acted around you had made you aware that this boy was an avid smooth talker who was probably used to get whatever and whomever he wanted by any means necessary.

And you were having none of it. Forgetting about him was definitely for the best. You needed someone to knock the naughty thoughts of him out of your mind. By any means necessary.

You had never really cared much for New Years Eve, but this year, you found yourself in the right spirit for the first time ever. You had changed into the most form-fitting, festive dress you owned in the hopes of meeting a cute guy with whom you could spend the night. A guy who could knock the last thoughts of Rafa out of your head.

In the mood for an eventful evening, you had showed up for Miranda's all-girls pre-party right on time, tagging your roommate Samantha along with you. The first part of the evening passed by quickly; you had loads of champagne and ate a fancy dinner at Miranda's place surrounded by all of her best friends and some of your colleagues from the Hospital. You had all clinked to the new year as the date shifted to January 1st and you soon found yourself in a taxi on the way to an exclusive party downtown that Miranda's friend had secured you all tickets for. Big, fancy parties like this wasn't normally your scene, but you could make an exception for tonight. It was New Years, after all.

You had arrived at the club, had had a few drinks at your private table, and had even talked to some pretty cute guys, but for some reason they all bored you. At one point you found yourself cornered by a handsome - but particularly boring - gentleman when Samatha finally saved you.

"I just flirted my way to a bottle of champagne!" she squealed as she came running towards you with a magnum flask in hand.

"You did what?" you laughed at your bubbly roomie, the bore of a man by your side already forgotten.

"I just asked a random guy at the bar if he wanted to buy a table of pretty girls a drink - and the patsy did," she laughed, "not in my wildest imagination had I ever expected him actually to do it," she squealed as she twisted off the cork with a loud pop.

"So you just let the poor guy pay for it and then you ran away?" you laughed at her while holding out your glass, waiting for her to fill it.

"I reckon he did it to make me go away - I think he may have found me annoying," Samantha laughed, "He told me to take the bottle back to my friends' table and clink his glass from a distance. Look, it's him over there," she raised her glass to a guy that you recognised immediately; you would've recognised those fluffy black curls anywhere.

Rafa's friend Diggs.

When he noticed you looking at him, he too raised his glass and sent you a warm smile, silently telling you that he definitely recognised you too.

"Hey; I know that guy," you said slowly, "I met him when I'd just moved here."

"You know him?" Samantha stared at you with a sly smile, "Probably why he was so eager for me to bring the champagne back to the table instead of drinking it at the bar with him. How well do you know him if you don't mind my asking?" Samantha wriggled her eyebrows.

"Not like that," you laughed, "I only talked to him for a couple of minutes."

Samantha nudged you with her elbow, "you should go thank him."

"Yeah," you hesitated, turning away from him, "I'm honestly surprised he even recognises me."

"Well, you must've made quite the impression," Samantha was still looking at him from over your shoulder, "Oh shit, he's coming over here right now," she squealed in a whisper.

"Be cool!" you laughed before turning around, suddenly face to face with Diggs.

"Happy new year," he smiled and squinted his eyes slightly, "I think we've met before."

You nodded, reciprocating his wide smile, "we have. You're Rafa's friend," the words escaped your mouth before you could stop them.

He nodded, "...and you're Rafa's girl."

You could feel your cheeks getting warm now, "I've had like an hour long conversation with him. I would hardly refer to myself as his girl," you squinted your eyes at the handsome man in front of you.

He shrugged and laughed, "you know what I mean."

You cleared your throat, "well thanks for the champagne. You really didn't have to."

"I wanted to," he smiled, "I was hoping to catch your attention."

"Why? We've exchanged about ten words..."

"Yeah, but I'm sure Rafa would love to see you again."

"He's here?" your eyes widened. The mere thought of meeting Rafa again tonight was making your heart beat faster. You reminded yourself that you needed to keep your cool. He may be handsome and charming but he was also loud and obnoxious and a sleaze.

"We have a table in the back," Diggs nodded and pointed to an area that was cordoned off with red rope, "you should come with me."

"I don't think so," you managed to say with as much clarity as you could muster. You needed someone to help you get rid of Rafa - not indulge further in him. He was dangerous.

"Aw, come on," Diggs smiled charmingly.

"What makes you think he even wants to see me?" You tried, "as I said; I've had an hour-long conversation with him over a month ago."

"Trust me," he smiled convincingly, "I know my best friend. Are you coming or what?"

You weren't exactly sure whether it was a good idea or not. You were quite sure that if Rafa was acting just half as charming as last time, you'd be throwing yourself at him at the first chance you got and you were scared that his bad boy demeanour might lead to you wanting more even though you were going home in a couple of weeks. ..But then again, you were on the prowl for someone who could knock Rafa out of your head. Maybe actually being with him would be enough to finally close that chapter.

"Oh, she's coming!" Samantha said loudly while giving your back a small shove.

"Great!" Diggs shot you a blinding smile and stretched out his hand for you to take.

"Uhm, okay..." you said, actually glad that Samantha had made a decision for you.

As Diggs pulled you towards him, you looked back at Samantha who was looking at you with huge eyes and moving her lips without any sound, "who's Rafa?" she mouthed.

"I'll tell you later, okay?" you whispered to your friend.

Samantha tilted her head and whispered back, "well, if all of his friends are just as handsome as that guy," she nodded towards Diggs, "you're coming back for me!"

You laughed at her, "of course. I'll see you later," you said before taking Diggs' hand, following him straight through the club's dance floor and towards the closed off area.

When he reached the bouncer, he pulled up his sleeve and showed him a stamp on his wrist. "She's with me," he nodded towards you and the bouncer stepped aside, letting both of you enter the scene behind the red rope.

"Is this some sort of VIP area?" you asked Diggs as you took in the room that had been closed off to the rest of the party. The tables back here looked far more fancy and were lined with much more expensive booze than what had been available where you had been sitting only moments before.

Diggs looked at you with a weird expression, "Uh yeah..."

"It looks very expensive."

"Yeah, well..." he looked a bit uncomfortable, "we  - uh - we have a good friend who's a bit over the top with these things, but we just roll with it."

He sounded weird. Almost as if he was lying. You quickly shrugged it off, however, telling yourself that of course he was being honest; it would've been a weird thing to lie about. "Must be a good friend for you to spend this amount of money on his comfort," you mumbled as you watched a girl open up a bottle of ridiculously expensive vodka.

"Yes, well... come on," Diggs said and urged you to follow him.

You scanned the room as you tagged along Diggs, noticing several low-key famous people that you were sure were known for something semi-popular but that you couldn't quite place your finger on. You'd never really been the type to care for fame. Still, you turned to Diggs and asked, "hold up; are you famous or something?"

Diggs sent you a shrug, "...or something," he said mysteriously and pointed to a table in the far back, "our table is over there."

Slowly, you turned your gaze away from him with a feeling that you were definitely missing out on something. You followed the direction that he was pointing in and found a table lined with people. You quickly scanned their faces, eyes landing on Rafa almost immediately.

Just as you had expected, he was laughing obnoxiously loud, his Adam's apple bouncing up and down in his throat in time with his vociforous outbursts of laughter. He was wearing a dark suit and he had his blonde hair slightly slicked back, making him look particularly dark and handsome. It was pure sex.

Okay, you definitely needed to keep your cool.

He was chatting up a very attractive girl who was twirling her black hair between her fingers and smiling suggestively at him. His signature charming smile was in place as he leaned closer to her and whispered something in her ear. Whatever he was saying was definitely working as she kept touching his arm and batting her eyelashes seductively. He seemed to enjoy the attention, scooting closer and closer to the beautiful woman with each passing sentence. The sight of it made your stomach drop slightly.

You contemplated turning around and go back to Samantha before Rafa had had the chance to see you. Clearly, he was busy. You told yourself that you didn't want to be the reason why he was striking out with this girl who he was clearly trying to charm the knickers off - when in reality, you were angry with yourself; It was stupid of you to think that he actually wanted to see you when he hadn't stopped by since that night five weeks ago.

You took a step backwards to go back to Samantha but immediately felt Diggs standing behind you like a concrete wall. His palm came into contact with your back as he gave you a light shove between your shoulder blades, pushing you towards the table. "Hey Rafa!" he called out, "look who I found!"

[drariellevalentine]

Medically Inevitable

Chapter 4- Radical Revelations

Characters:- Arielle Valentine, Sienna Trinh, Bryce Lahela, Landry Olsen, Elijah Greene, Jackie Varma, Rafael Aveiro, Ethan Ramsey, Harper Emery

Pairing:- Arielle Valentine x Ethan Ramsey

Warnings:- None

Arielle’s PoV:-

Completely exhausted from the day’s events, you head into the locker room and take a nice but quick hot shower. Drying off, you quickly change into a cute pearl silk tied top with a comfy pair of ripped jeans. Taking out the bun in your hair, you decide to let your hair down, parting deep to the left, caressing your revealed shoulders.

You enter Donahue’s to find it completely packed. You try to squeeze inside apologising every now and then and look around to spot your friends.

You finally find them sitting in a table at the furthest corner of the bar.

"Long day?" Si asks as soon as I slump into the seat next to her.

“You have no idea, according an 18 year old, I look younger than him, so apparently I not eligible to be a doctor cause I look too cute!," I sigh dramatically and she giggles.

"Careful please," Bryce says before placing a tray of shots in our table.

Jackie scoffs, " Why are you even buying us drinks, meathead?"

"He's being nice, Jackie.”, Sienna smiles.

"Yeah, and also you think you could afford to buy that tonight?" I add.

"Sure," she rolls her eyes, "Thank youu," she says sarcastically.

Bryce laughs. "Think of it as a good luck drink guys. You are going to need a lot of luck to get into the diagnostics team."

"Wrong meathead. What we need is brains and hard work. Duh!"

"And luck," Bryce adds smirking, ‘lots of luck’. He emphasizes on the word "luck".

After minutes of bickering in between Bryce and Jackie, Bryce leaves to join his fellow surgeons. But my friends are still talking over the fellowship.

"I can't still believe they'll be taking an intern in the team!" I hear Landry say, his voice filled with excitement. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think that they'll even consider giving an intern a spot in the team let alone train them."

"Cheers on that," Jackie says forwarding a glass.

"Let's have a toast guys," Elijah forwards his glass. "To having a marvelous fellowship."

As we all toast to it I say, "Honestly guys, good luck. I won't be joining the fellowship but I wish the best of luck to you all." I smile. Everyone stares at me like I just refused a million dollars.

"You won't be joining the competition?!" Jackie asks shocked. "But why?"

"Not everyone wants to join the diagnostics team, Jackie," Landry states.

"Maybe not everyone, but Arielle does. The diagnostics team is the very thing that made Arielle apply here, in Edenbrook. That's one of the many things she said to me the day we met." Jackie turns to me then giving me a look that says "I want an answer".

"I know. The diagnostics team is what made me apply here on the first place, but I changed my mind. I got through my first week because of you guys. I don't think I could have done it if you guys were not there to support me," Sienna places a hand on my shoulder, giving me an understanding look.

"I don't want to ruin our friendship by competing with you guys. I need you guys by my side not against me."

"Idiotic choice but your call," Jackie rolls her eyes. And I smile as Sienna hugs me. A while later, you all head home for the day.

General PoV:-

Harsh sunlight streams through the open curtains of Arielle’s magazine cover worthy bedroom. Arielle turns around in her bed to grab her phone from her nightstand. The alarm clock catches her eye ‘9:15 a.m.’ She bolts right up in bed, rushing to her closet while ranting a ton of expletives. Hearing the commotion, Elijah and Sienna rush inside to see Arielle on the floor half-naked tangled in a bunch of clothes. Sienna stares at her in confusion while Elijah understands what’s going on and bursts out laughing.

“What’s so funny?”, Arielle asks.

“You forgot today’s our day off, didn’t you?”, Elijah asks knowingly.

“It is? Oh shit! I completely forgot!”

They help Arielle out of the tangle of clothes. “Anyways, we were thinking of going to a baseball game so...I bought everyone matching t-shirts but they only come in two sizes you’ll have to adjust yours. Only then Arielle notices their shirts. Sienna hands her an red oversized t-shirt. “We’re leaving in an hour, get ready!”

Arielle’s PoV:-

You shower and slip on a robe after drying yourself off. “There’s no way in hell I’m wearing this!”, you exclaim holding up the red,baggy, oversized shirt. If there’s one thing you care about, it’s your style. You grab a pair of fabric shears and crop the oversized shirt folding the hem to create a neat finish using fabric glue, then cinch the extra fabric on the slides and secure it in place with a few stitches. You hold up the newly altered shirt and look to your mirror. “Much better!” Pairing it with a pair of studded white jeggings, white heel sandals and a couple of accessories, you sit down on your vanity’s stool. You take out your braid from last night, leaving thick curls in its place. You carefully clip your hair out of place and decide to brush on a little extra makeup. After finishing with your usual moisturiser, concealer and primer, you accentuate your almond eyes with a jet black eyeliner and brush out your brows. Knowing that you won’t need any help in the blush department, you move on to your lips. You decide on your favourite red transfer-proof lipstick ‘Bold Beauty’. You grab a crossbody purse and place your wallet, keys, phone and other essentials and head to the living room.

“What do you think? Is it too much?”, you ask uncertainly.

“Hot damn!”, says Jackie.

“You look gorgeous.”, Sienna says.

“Woah! You look good!”, says Landry.

“Someone call the fire department cause it’s getting hot in here!”, exclaims Elijah.

You blush furiously. “Thanks guys, I’ll drive us there.

You pile in the car as Elijah rides shotgun and gives you directions. You reach there at 10:30. “Ok, 10 minutes till game starts. Everyone split up and stand in a different line and get one of everything. I’ll get the drinks.” Sienna tells everyone where the seats are and everyone splits up. You get a drink tray full of sodas, beers and a lemonade for you, everything packed with ice, and head down to the first row where you find everyone holding snacks.

“Great seats Elijah!”, says Sienna.

“Have to be close to fully appreciate the bloodbath, these teams loathe each other.”

Landry and Elijah start geeking out as you, Jackie and Sienna are talking.

“So...I may or may have not seen you get into Dr. Ramsey’s car yesterday.”, Sienna slyly says.

“Crap!”, you think.

“Tell us everything!”, says Sienna.

“Seriously?”, Jackie asks.

You slowly confide in them about yesterday’s events and what you confessed about your personal life.

“Oh my god, Ari! I’m so sorry!” Sienna pulls you into a hug.

“It’s okay, I’m fine now.”

“Now I feel really bad for judging you, also very surprised and impressed that you managed to get away with sleeping on Dr. Terminator’s shoulder.”, says Jackie.

“It isn’t that big of a deal!”, you counter. Both of them give you a look. “Ok, fine, it is. He was actually really sweet, he even tried to console me.”, you confess. Sienna smiles wide at the mention of this.

“Anyways, you both have to promise not to say a word about this.”, you give them a pleading pout. Jackie’s about to ask about something else when you realise some kind of commotion is going on.

"Oh no, did he faint?" Si says and I look forward to see Jake Sandburg, one of the players lying on the floor. 

The other players rush to his side trying to wake him up.

"Uh, coach, he's in real bad shape," another player says leaning down beside him.

Their team manager hurries out," Damn our team physician quit on us just before the game."

"Is there any doctor here?" The manager asks and on instinct all of our hands goes up.

The manager looks clearly shocked to see five doctors in a front row but doesn't express it as we move towards the field asking the other players to help us move Jake inside.

We follow the other Nighthawker players into their locker as they carry Jake on a stretcher.

"Have you called 911?" I ask their manager.

"Yeah, the paramedics are on their way," the manager sighs, " Poor kid."

"Lay him here," I hear Jackie instruct them as they follow.

"He's got a pulse, but his breathing is shallow," Sienna says in a low and shaky voice. This sudden situation is clearly affecting her.

Landry pulls a stethoscope from his bag and places it against his chest.

"Sounds like fluid build up. We have to solve it fast or else he could be in trouble," Landry announces.

As the others take his vitals, Elijah and I  go to ask his teammates some questions, which we think might help us to crack the case.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" One of the player asks as we approach them.

"You can help us by answering some questions. Has this ever happened before?"

"Not as far as we know," he looks at his other teammates. " Also he had to pass a physical test just recently."

"He was called up from the minor league just a few weeks ago," the manager adds.

"Did he complain about any pain recently?"  Elijah asks.

"No, he was pretty quite, kept to himself. I think he was worried," the player says. "About what?"

The player shares a look with his manager as soon as I ask that. 

"Look, he's been struggling in the majors. I was in discussions with ownership to send him back down to the minors," the manager answers, a pained expression plastered across his face.

"Did he know about it?" Elijah asks in between.

" You know, the guys talk. Rumors."

"He was kinda freaking out about it, he kept sweating, hyperventilating," the manager adds and I make a mental note of it.

"Hyperventilating... How often?"

"I only saw it a couple of times," the managers states.

"Well, it could've been panic attacks," I conclude thoughtfully.

"He always seemed tired too. Yawing in the meetings, like he didn't get any sleep at all," the player from before says.

"Have you seen any changes in his behavior recently?" Elijah asks.

"Uh, I guess he's been hitting the ice bath a lot recently. Probably because of feeling sore," the guys answers. "But he'd do it even in the days when he wasn't playing," the guys adds after a moment.

"Thanks you for the help. Was he on any medications?" I ask before moving towards the table

"No. The team doctor left all the prescriptions and Sandburg wasn't prescribed anything," the manager says going through the charts.

"Thank you that'll be it," I say and look forward to find a player from the opposite team sneaking in. 

"Hey! You aren’t allowed here," I motion the others towards him as the player who was helping us moves towards him. But then to my surprise he hugs him and the other one whispers words of encouragement in his ears.

"Wait, weren't you two fighting in the field?" I ask shocked.

" Yeah, but that's only on the field. Ray and I grew up playing together in the streets of Miami. We are basically family," The Nighthawker player concludes.

“It’s that easy?”, you ask.

“When we’re in a game, our minds are focused on the game. But the minute it’s over, we’re brothers again. Iron sharpening iron, you know.”, he says but your mind is somewhere else.

“Iron sharpening iron. Competing makes them stronger...” You run back towards the patient.

I think it's a drug interaction. His medicines are amplifying each other out," I announce reaching them. "Two medications perfectly fine on their own, cauting each other to have an outsized affect."

"Oh, that could be it!" Sienna says, a sudden excitement hinting in her voice.

" But the team manager said that their previous doctor didn't prescribe him anything," Elijah says confused.

"Sandburg was already worried about being cut. If the team knew he had a medical condition, they'd be oven less likely to keep him around," I reply.

"So you think he kept him situation quiet to keep his job? Wouldn't be the first time someone's done that," Jackie shrugs .

"What do you think he was taking?" Landry asks.

"Well, maybe something for his panic attacks. Let's say fluoxetine," I reply to him

" That could be it. Getting a prescription for that isn't really hard..."

"Okay, maybe you are right. But what was reacting with it. What else was he taking?" Jackie cuts in between.

"Something for his soreness. His team members said he'd be sore even the days he was not pitching," I answer remembering what the player said.

"It could have been arthritic inflammation," Sienna states.

"Right? He's male in his twenties..." I try to think what it could be.

"Ankylosing Spondylitis!" Landry says.

"He could've been taking N.S.A.I.D for it, like - celecoxib," I say while checking his locker, " Here they are." I say taking out the medicines proving what we said is right.

" It could be doing irreparable damage to his kidneys! We gotta take him to the hospital as soon as possible," Elijah says.

The sound of helicopter blades cut through the commotion in the locker.

" The paramedics are here!" Sienna exclaims happily.

Soon the paramedics enter and you see Rafael running towards you. We explain him about the situation.

"Would you like to have a ride on the choper? My shift will end in five minutes. So after dropping Jake to the hospital we could maybe roam around the city," Raf says nervously once we are out of the locker. The other paramedics get Jake in the chopper.

"I would love that," I give him an assuring smile which he returns.

"Great!" He says making his way towards the chopper after asking me to follow him.

"Any certain place you have in mind where you'd like to go?" He asks smiling broadly getting back to the choper after we've successfully admitted Jake.

"Not really," I give him a silly smile.

"We'll have a tour over the whole city then, more fun," he winks and I giggle.

I am really enjoying the birds eye view. The city looks more beautiful from up here. Capturing the breathtaking city from above, I put it on my Instagram story.

The next picture I take is ours, I smile towards the front and Raf's is a candid, he's looking forward flying the chopper but smiling.

I post it on my Instagram feed, tagging Raf and captioning it "Soaring high with @raveirotheemt.”

You notice you have over 250 likes already. Perks of being famous.

"What do you see?" Raf asks and I look down.

"Edenbrook!" I squeak happily. " The first day in there, the hospital looked so enormous but now it looks so tiny!"

"Everything comes into perspective up here. It's one of the reasons I like it so much."

" How'd you learn to fly?"

"My uncle was a pilot in the Marines. He started teaching me to fly when I was still in high school."

"That was so young!"

"I just saw it as a fun thing to do on the weekends, you know. It was a great way to spend time with a great man," he smiles recalling the memories.

"Are you guys still close?" I ask

"He... He died two years ago."

"I'm so sorry Raf."

"He was really active in our community. When he wasn't flying, he'd organize food drives and buses for anyone struggling," he smiles sadly remembering those days," He's the one who inspired me to be an paramedic. I wanted to help people the way he did."

I nod at him understanding.

"Buckle up. We're ready to land," he tries to say it as normally as possible, smiling. But I know it is just an effort to not let people show his broken side.

“Hey, Jake and many other lives have had a chance to live because of you.”, I assure him.

He relaxes. “You too, Arielle.”

“You both land on Edenbrook’s helicopter pad as staff takes Jake away. You inform them of his condition.

“So... are you ready for the tour?

At first I thought that Beacon Hills were the most beautiful thing I saw today. But when we were taking a turn over Cape Cod Bay, my opinion changed. Nothing can be more beautiful than this. The breathtaking view of the glimmering ways merging with the bright golden sun creating a golden hue in the clear ocean water. The scenery is just breathtaking.

"It is beautiful," I say softly, still looking at the ocean.

"It's the best thing you can see in the city," Raf smiles.

"Can't disagree with that."

"And as much as I would hate for this to end," he smiles sadly, "But I need to return the chopper to the hospital now."

"It's cool Raf, we've been out here on it for a while," I smile.

Within minutes, he manages to fly back to the stadium and drops me off.

You return to your friends and show them the wonderful pics and views that you took.

“Of course!” After some time, you and Si head to the food court for a refill on food and drinks.

Ethan’s PoV:-

You’re stuck closing off an important deal with Banner Health alone, as Harper was called in for an emergency. You’re walking towards the bar in need of a stiff drink when a familiar waft of vanilla and cinnamon hits you. There she is, her beautiful jet black curled tresses falling below her waist, standing near you ordering something. She doesn’t seem to notice you. You turn your head the other way and ask for a club sandwich. A few minutes later, you receive a tray full of cheeseburgers. Somebody calls you.

“Excuse me sir, but it seems our orders got mixed up.” You turn around to find none other than Arielle. Her violet eyes widen in realisation.

“Dr. Ramsey! Hi, guess the world really is small!”, she responds enthusiastically.

“Some would say too small.” A petite intern who often you see beside her comes and doesn’t notice me.

“Hey Ari! I’ll take these down. You coming? In a minute, Sienna.” The intern leaves.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you for a baseball type of guy.”

“And you pegged me just right. I’m here to close a deal with Banner reps. They have me in the box suite, trying to butter me up with lobster and wine.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad...”

“I know it might surprise you, but I’m not one for schmoozing.”

“Nooooo... I don’t believe it. The great Ethan Ramsey doesn’t like it when someone butters him up!”, she feigns shock.

“Would you like to join me?, the words slip out before you can react.

Arielle’s PoV:-

You’re surprised. You’d never thought that your medical hero would need your help. He notices your expression and starts explaining, more like rambling.

“You know I’m not much good at speaking to other people, much less idiots but this is a very important deal for Edenbrook. Harper was taking the reins but she was called in for an emergency. One of your traits is that you’re quite persuasive, I was hoping that would help.”, he says.

“Of course.” You follow him to the private entrance which is blocked by a guard.

“Ah, Dr. Ramsey. The Banner Health execs are waiting.” He gestures for you to follow. The guard stops you.

“I’m afraid I’ll need to see some ID, Miss. Alcoholic beverages are being served.” Dr. Ramsey gets irritated.

“I can assure you she’s older than 21.”, he says. The guard insists. Sighing, you pull out your ID. His eyes flash with recognisation.

“I’m extremely sorry miss, but I have to follow protocol.”

“It’s quite alright.” Dr. Ramsey leads you into the private box, where you see a crowd of ‘business’ dressed people lounging on the posh sofas. He picks up two glasses of Malbec and hands one to you.

“Thank you. To deals, negotiations and whatnot!” He rolls his eyes. “To negotiations.”, he toasts.

“This is quite nice.”

“It is, don’t get used to it. I knew many great doctors, all who swore never to make it about the money but did. Don’t let it become about the money.”

“Ha! If only he knew I had millions of dollars in my name and still live like this.”, you think.

“You’re right. It never should become about the money.”, you say truthfully. Two reps saunter up and start sucking up to him. You roll your eyes internally.

“I’m sure there are many opportunities. By the way, let me introduce you to Dr. Arielle Valentine, one of Edenbrook’s newest interns, and one who shows much promise.”, he says.

Your lawyer/advocate instincts kick into action, which includes an amazing first impression.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Valentine but no formalities between us. I have already been impressed upon the very invaluable and precious bond of Banner Health and Edenbrook and hope today will also add on to that. I’m looking forward to the other ways that you have suggested for this partnership, all to help our patients.”, you say.

“Oh my, if this is who Edenbrook is recruiting these days, our partnership is very sure to exceed high expectations.”, they say. Dr. Ramsey nods in approval. They all start negotiating deals, which end in their favour and not-so-good for Edenbrook. Dr. Ramsey looks to you for help.

“Okay, time to pull out all the stops!”, you mentally prepare yourself. You launch into a very persuasive but subtle argument slowly shifting the deal in Edenbrook’s favour. By the time you’re done, the execs have given their consent and you just got them to add a lot of benefits starting from loans to better rates on different services including neurological and cardiac.

“Thank you, Ethan and Arielle for the pleasure. Perhaps we could meet for a round of golf next week to hammer out the fine points.

“Oh hell no!”, you think.

“Oh! Dr. Ramsey is busy next week but how about later tonight?”, you say. They’re about to agree when you drop the bombshell. “Dr. Ramsey and I have an appointment later this week at the shooting range and self-defence center downtown. Don’t worry, I have quite a few guns to be spared, but be warned, I’m quite experienced.”, you say trying not to burst out laughing seeing their shocked faces. You catch Dr. Ramsey which a not-so-well hidden smirk on his face.

“That’s quite alright, we both have made many commitments later this week.”, say frantically say.

“That’s alright, another time then.” A few minutes later, they both leave claiming they had to go. As soon as they leave, you burst out laughing.

“That was quite an act you put on there.”

“Who said it was an act?” He gives you an incredulous look.

“Anyways, it was quite impressive how you shifted the deal in favour to Edenbrook.”, he says questioningly.

You sigh. “Pretty much everyone in my family are lawyers, different areas though. I picked up a lot of skills when watching their hearings.”

“You’re quite good at it. May I ask why you didn’t follow their path.”

“...My godfather was also a doctor. He would tell me stories of how he was able to save lives, make a difference, experience all the love, pain, loss, heartbreak. And I fell in love with it over time. My father wasn’t supportive of it though. I don’t know what went wrong. When I was a child, we had an unbreakable bond. Over time, he buried himself in his cases, that bond slowly evaporating. My brother always knew that I would work in the medical field and was very supportive. When I announced that I had gotten into Johns Hopkins for med school, my father was angry and didn’t support me. He claimed that I had led his hopes up and shattered them, when all along I always was hinting about my dream to become a doctor. We both said hurtful things that a father nor daughter should ever say, that night. After that, I cut off all contact with him.”, you carefully say making sure not to give any clues that Dr. Banerji is your godfather.

Ethan’s PoV:-

You’re shocked. Utterly shocked. You’d never guess that this bright, cheerful, kind intern had such a rough childhood. Especially when your’s made you turn out like this.

“I believe you made the right choice.”, you assure her.

“That means a lot to me.(more than you could ever know)”, she says and whispers.

You both relax and lounge on the comfy sofa, watching the game.

You notice the sun setting as the game ends. “It’s quite late, how will you get home?”

“My friends and I came here by my car, but I told them to take my car when they said they were leaving early. I spent all my money on food so I’ll take a train or something.”

“I’ll drive you home, it’s the least I can do.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”

“It’s alright. Let’s go.” You lead Arielle to your car, at the same time kicking yourself. “Dear god Ramsey, what the hell is wrong with you? Offering a ride!” You convince yourself that it’s just a thank you but you know it’s because you want to make sure that she gets home safe.

Both of you are exiting the stadium and stop when you see Harper.

“Ethan! Thank god you’re still here. I just received the terms of agreement of our deal with Banner. What did you do?” She notices Arielle.

“Dr. Valentine, what are you doing here?”

“She was here with her friends when I saw and asked for help with negotiating. She was the one who turned the deal into our favour.”, I quickly reply.

“Very impressive Dr. Valentine, but do know that this doesn’t make a difference in the fellowship rankings.”, Harper says.

“I know Chief Emery, anyways I haven’t entered the competition. But thank you though.”, she replies. You’re surprised. You thought she had entered, but you never checked the list of participants. You tell her to wait at the car.

“You’re dropping her off?”, she asks.

“She literally just scored us a very big deal. I’m just thanking her.

“Hmm... Well I’ll see you later. Goodbye, Ethan.” You nod and get in your car. Turning on the engine, you drive.

“Where do you live?”, you ask.

She pulls up a location 20 minutes from here on her phone.

“Why didn’t you enter the fellowship?”

“Did you want me to?”, she asks. You don’t answer.

“My first week was hard enough, with a competition that would jeopardise our friendship, I decided it wasn’t worth the risk. Especially when they were the ones who got me through the first week.”

“I understand. A lot of friendships of mine were severed during my residency due to the competitiveness.” You both talk about leisure topics until you reach a tall apartment complex.

“This is me. Thanks for the ride, Dr. Ramsey.”, with that, she swiftly exits out of the car. You reverse the car and drive to your apartment.

Arielle’s PoV:-

You walk up to the entrance of your building, taking the elevator to your floor. You pull out your keys when Jackie opens the door and lets you in.

“I was wondering when you’d be back.” You smile, taking off your shoes and head into the living room.”

“Hey Ari! Join us for a drink!”, says Elijah.

“Nah, I don’t want a drink. But yes for the company.”

“You all better kiss that fellowship goodbye, cause I just solved that case in record time.”, Landry says.

“You do realise that Arielle was the one who did most of it and we all helped.”, Jackie says.

“Exactly, I looked at the clues and diagnosed the problem!”

You laugh with your friends as they playfully egg each other on. You’re going over today’s events, thinking about all the crazy events, when you realise that you haven’t been true to yourself. “Competing makes them stronger.”, you remember saying. You’ve given advice to other people but you aren’t following your own. You bolt up from the sofa, grabbing your purse and keys and head towards the door.

“What are you doing, Ari?”, Sienna asks.

“You smile replying, “Something I should have done way before.” Your roommates give you a knowing smile as you head towards Edenbrook.

You park your car, rushing through the atrium and up the stairs towards Dr. Ramsey’s office. You a minute to compose yourself and knock.

“Come in.”, his professional but baritone voice replies.

You enter his office to see a minimally decorated desk, covered with papers and patient files. He files them away neatly as you enter. “Rookie. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I want in.”

“I made it clear that the cutoff was midnight.” Your eyes follow his gaze to the wall clock. ‘12:02’

“What makes you think that you’re an exception?”

You steady yourself. “I know I can be a good doctor. I know that I can make a difference in people’s lives, like you do. It just took me a little longer to realise it.” You gulp, wondering if you’ve blown your chance.

He smirks and pull out a long list of names, adding yours at the bottom. “You had me worried there. What changed your mind?”

“I always advised other people to follow their dreams, never give up, to take a leap of faith. I realised I needed to take my own advice.” He nods with approval.

“Good Night, Dr. Valentine.”

“Good Morning, Dr. Ramsey.”, you say, pointing at the same clock ‘12:08’. He shakes his head with amusement.

You head out to your car, the cool autumn breeze in your hair, and drive into the night.

“Bring it on.”

[villainousshakespeare]

Just one bed fluff with a character of your choosing, if it isn't taken yet?! I'm partial to Loki and Tom, but whoever floats your boat in the moment! Congratulations on 200 followers! You deserve them and more, sweetheart!

Sorry this took so long my dear! Hope it was worth the wait. I decided to do Tom for this. :-)

Kicked Out

Rated T - alcohol use, kissing, implied smut

Lots of fluff!

Tom Hiddleston/Reader

The music pulsed around you too loud for the small space. Mechanically you sipped your watered down margarita, trying to push down the depression that threatened to overcome you. If your friends back home could see you now they would be laughing at how excited you had been. Here you were, sitting alone at a hotel bar. This was not how you had envisioned things at all.

It had not all been bad of course. You loved the play you were acting in. Well, of course you did! It was Shakespeare! Even though you had only a bit role you were understudying Desdemona. And the cast was all first rate. You had already learned so much in just a few weeks! The upgrade in quality from your scrappy theater company where it was a struggle to get male performers who came anywhere near the talent level of the women such as yourself to an internationally renowned ensemble boasting genuine stars more than made up for going from playing the lead to a glorified extra.

If only you didn't find yourself feeling so cursedly shy. You had always had a bit of social anxiety, but until this tour it had never been an issue with castmates before. The theater was the one place you had always felt in your element, confident in yourself and able to mingle with everyone. You wished that were the case now. 

Being assigned to room with Tisha had seemed like a wonderful stroke of luck at first. Like you she was on her first international tour, and was therefore playing several smaller parts in the ensemble. She was bubbly, outgoing, and talented, immediately drawing the attention of everyone around her. Unfortunately for you, that everyone included Michael, the actor playing Othello. He had become visibly smitten with her during the first read through, ignoring everyone else to shamelessly flirt with her whenever the opportunity presented itself. You would have been happy for her if he wasn't married with a child. The situation didn't seem to bother Tisha, who carelessly told you that she saw the whole thing more as a career move than a real relationship. What happened on the road, she breezily said, didn't effect real life, except for possibly leading to bigger roles down the line when he recommended her for future shows.

It was none of your concern, you had told yourself. They were grown adults and for all you knew he had an understanding with his wife. The problem had begun tonight, when they decided to take their relationship to the next, inevitable level. You had assumed that when this occurred, as you had guessed from the start it would, they would avail themselves of his room. After all, as one of the stars of the production he had a large room all to himself. Unfortunately for you, this did not turn out to be the case. As a married celebrity, Tisha had explained to you in hushed tones, Michael's meant had to be careful in situations such as this. He could never be seen having a woman enter his room, much less stay over night! Of course you wouldn't mind vacating your room for a while, would you? She had pleaded with big puppy eyes in a tone that clearly said she did not expect you to say no, and had somehow ushered you out the door, blithely commenting that you should be able to come back in a few hours, just knock before entering to be sure. The door shutting in your face had been cruel and final.

So here you were, sitting by yourself at the hotel bar with a bartender who looked like he would dearly love to cash you out and head home. You could have found one of the other actors to let you crash wish them, but you didn't really know anyone that well yet. The insecurity that flooded you when you thought of knocking on a virtual stranger's door and asking to sleep on their floor was too overwhelming.

"Trouble sleeping?" a voice like melted caramel asked from just over your shoulder.

You choked on your drink, splashing a bit of it onto your lap and the bar in front of you. You would have recognized that voice anywhere. You heard it often enough in your fantasies. But though it had been three weeks since you had begun working with him you still could not believe that you were now hearing it in person as well. Never in your wildest dreams had you believed that you would actually book a show with Tom Hiddleston.

Turning on your stool you saw the man himself standing behind you. He was so attractive it made you want to cry sometimes. You had come into contact with other celebrities over the years, and in almost every case seeing them up close and personal had somehow ruined the fantasy of them. In real life they had each just seemed... ordinary. With Tom, it was the exact opposite. He was handsome on screen or in pictures, in real life he was literally breathtaking. From the top of his burnished gold curls to the soles of his well worn grey boots and everywhere in between he was perfect. 

"You could say that," you laughed uneasily, face turning crimson. You had never spoken to him alone before, and never anything other than vague platitudes at the end of rehearsals or addressed to a group at large. 

"Me too," he said, giving you a half grin. "Would you mind if I joined you?"

What could you do but shake your head and gesture to the seat next to you. Pulling out the bar stool he folded his long, lean frame onto it, stretching his legs out. Your feet dangled like a child's from the stool, but his reached the floor with ease you noticed. Damn, but his legs were long!

"I'm always nervous before opening in a new city," he admitted, signaling for the bartender to come over. He ordered a single malt scotch and another daiquiri for you, requesting that the waiter make it with top shelf tequila.

"Still?" you asked, surprised that he would get nervous given his lengthy resume.

"Of course," he shrugged. "Never trust an actor that tells you he's not nervous. He's either lying or not pushing himself hard enough. The day my nerves go is the day I pack it in. The challenge is everything."

"Well, it's good to know it's not just me," you said quietly with a soft smile. You were nervous of course, even if that wasn't why you were there now.

"This is your first professional show, isn't it?" he asked.

You nodded, surprised that he knew. Was your acting that clunky that your lack of experience showed in just your few scenes?

"I watched your audition tape," he told you, grabbing a handful of bar nuts and arranging them on a napkin. "I wanted to come to the auditions, but Ken thought it might make people nervous. I made sure to watch all the tapes though. You were very good. The passion you put into Lady Anne was remarkable."

You blinked at him, all words deserting you. He had seen that? You were quite proud of your Lady Anne, but he was right. It was hard enough to have Kenneth Branagh watching you audition. If Tom had been in the room, you doubt you would have been able to do it.

"Thank you," you said at last after a long pause while he snacked on peanuts. "I had no idea."

"I like having a say in things like that," he shrugged. "When you're doing a show that's this intense, who you're on stage with is a big deal. Also, both Ken and I are firm believers in giving new talent an oppertunity. After all, him taking a chance on me is how I ended up with my career. What kind of person would I be if I didn't pass on the favor. I was the one who pushed for you to be Desdemona's understudy, by the way."

"Really?" you wished the word didn't come out like a squeak.

"Mhm. In fact, I thought you could have played the part. Producers wanted a name though, and I guess you can't blame them. Have to make their money back. Still, you were quite impressive."

You were saved the trouble of responding by the arrival of your drinks. Tom thanked the bartender and asked to have the drinks, including the one you had had before, charged to his room before leaving a large tip on the bar.

"Thank you again," you said, sipping on your new and much stronger drink.

"No need," he waved it off. "Othello was my big break, you know. I played Cassio in a production with Chewitel Eijifor and Ewan McGregor. It was fantastic, but I always wanted to do Iago. I try not to make dream part lists, I'm a bit superstitious that way, but now that I'm actually doing it I can admit it."

"I would think it would be on any actor's list!" you said, trying to hide the fact that of course you knew about his previous Othello, along with every other part on his lengthy cv. "I would like to tackle it myself some day."

"I would love to see that," he smiled, looking sincere. "You have a great facility with the language. And there is no reason why Iago should have to be male. I must say that I greatly appreciate that we live in a time where the gender barriers for such superb parts are beginning to break down. What other roles do you dream of tackling? I promise I won't tell a soul!"

You weren't sure whether it was the alcohol warming you or the way he smiled and listened to you like you were the only person in the world, but you soon found yourself engaged in a long discussion of Shakespeare that ranged from contentious - you would never agree on who the ultimate Richard III was, with you preferring Ian McKellan and Tom being loyal to his good friend Benedict - to the ridiculous. He had you in stitches when he recounted the story of an actor (he refused to name them) who had so completely missed an entrance on press night for Much Ado that Tom and his scene partner had to improve in verse for three minutes. When the poor man had made it onto stage, he had not had time to put his shoes back on. The review in Time Out the next day had gone on for two paragraphs about the social commentary of having a barefooted Don Pedro. By that point you were on your third drink and laughing like old friends, hunched over and shaking with mirth.

"Oh! Yes!" Tom said suddenly, pulling himself up to standing and holding out his hand to you. "Come on!"

"What?" you asked, totally confused.

"This song!" he replied, enthusiasm shining from his face. 

"It's a good song," you agreed, listening to Michael Jackson's Beat It blaring out from the speakers.

"Well then?"

"What?"

"Dance with me!"

"Tom..."

"I refuse to take no for an answer," he insisted, dragging you to your feet and onto the dance floor.

Tom's energy was infectious, there was no avoiding it. Abandoning the last shreds of your dignity you surrendered to the music and the exuberance of the man spinning you around the floor. He was good of course, you had seen it on videos often enough, but he made you actually feel like you could dance as well. Michael Jackson turned into Prince and then Tina Turner as the two of you made idiots of yourselves in the empty bar.

"Last call," the beleaguered bar tender called, ruining the vibe. 

Looking around you realized that he had put up all of the chairs and wiped down the bar. As tempting as it was to order another drink and prolong the fun, you knew that it was not fair to the poor server. Still, you didn't know what to do with yourself now. Would Tisha and Michael be finished with whatever they were doing? Had it been long enough to go up?

As Tom helped put up the remaining bar stools and finished off his scotch you collected your purse. You stared at your phone, trying to decide whether or not to text Trisha.

"Okay, out with it," Tom said, looking at you with an unwavering stare.

"With what?" you evaded.

"The truth. Why were you down in the bar by yourself? And don't say nerves. I've talked to you enough now to know that you are not the sort to drown your anxiety in alcohol."

"You did," you said, not believing your audacity.

"I came down for tea," he said.

"Tea?" you parroted.

"There was no earl grey in my room. I like to have a cup in the morning while I get ready."

"But you had a scotch! Two of them!"

"Well, I would hardly be a gentleman if I let a lovely lady drink alone," he shrugged. "So. Spill it. What brought you down here all by yourself?"

"Um... it was just... a little crowded in my room," you tried to sound as noncommittal as possible.

"Ah, I see," his quick brain filled in the pieces. "You're rooming with Tisha, aren't you?"

"Yes," you answered slowly.

"So Michael has made his move has he?"

"You know?" you asked, somewhere between mortified and relieved.

"Well, they haven't exactly been subtle," he said with a wry laugh. "Also, he has a bit of a reputation. I had hoped it was just rumor, God knows there are enough of those about me, but it appears in this case there was some truth behind it. Don't tell me they kicked you out?"

"They told me I could come back later," you said quickly, trying for some reason to make them look not quite as selfish and failing miserably.

"Why couldn't they just have gone to his room? No, never mind. Foolish question. You poor thing. I am so sorry you have to deal with this. Would you like me to check with the front desk and get you another room?"

"Oh, no, that's really not necessary!" you said. You could only imagine the talk if that were to happen, trying to explain to the tour manager why there was an additional expense on the invoice. True, it was Tisha and Michael who should be made uncomfortable by it, but you just knew you would be the one to squirm from the scrutiny.

"Well, there is only one thing for it," he said, placing his large hand on the small of your back and ushering you out of the bar. "You shall stay with me."

"What?" for the second time your voice, pride of your acting arsenal, was rendered little more than a dog whistle.

"It's no problem," he shrugged, walking towards the elevator and taking you with him. "I have a large single room all to myself. I'm sure it will be much more comfortable than breaking up whatever your roommate and Michael have going on."

You looked away and bit your lip, trying to decide what to do. It was such a tempting offer. Not that you would ever get any sleep in the same room with this man, but at least you wouldn't have to face the love birds.

"Darling," Tom said, gently turning your face to look you in the eye, "you have no reason to worry. I am not Michael. I would never take advantage of a costar. I just want you to have a comfortable place to get a good night's rest before your performance."

"I never thought... Of course you wouldn't take advantage!" you said with a laugh. As if someone like Tom would try to take advantage of you, you thought. It would be hilarious if he wasn't standing there looking like an overly attentive angel.

"Good, then it's settled," Tom's smile beamed at you. "Come on."

And just like that you found yourself in the unbelievable position of movie star Tom Hiddleston showing you into a large corner hotel room on the top floor. The comparison to your small shared double was insane. You were fairly sure your whole room would fit into his en suite.

"Oh," you gasped, not intending it to be audible.

"What's wrong?" he asked, turning to you all solicitous.

"Nothing," you said miserably, trying not to stare at the giant king size bed. You didn't know why you had expected there to be two beds. He had told you it was a single room. As it was there was not even a couch for you to sleep on. Two large over stuffed chairs took up space on the other side of the room, and hard backed ones surrounded the table near floor to ceiling the windows.

"Ah," he said, perceptively following your thoughts. "Yes. One bed. If you like I can sleep in the chair."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" you blurted out.

"I assure you, I have suffered much worse," he smiled. "If you feel uncomfortable sharing, I will gladly curl up in the armchair."

"No, that's just silly," you said, swallowing around the lump in your throat. "After all, the bed is so big you could fit five people in it. As long as you don't mind, that is."

"Not a bit," he said rubbing the back of his neck. "Now, let me find you something to sleep in."

To no surprise you soon found yourself in a pair of long running shorts and a Legend t-shirt. You surreptitiously pinched yourself to make sure this was real. To be dressed in one of the patented Hiddleston outfits was surreal to say the least. 

You walked out of the bathroom to find Tom sitting on the edge of the bed in his own pair of jogging shorts, glorious broad chest bare. Trying desperately not to stare, you shyly walked around to the other side of the bed.

"Left side alright for you?" he asked, always the gentleman.

You nodded and quickly got yourself under the covers, pulling the blankets up to your chin. Tom turned off the light and got himself situated, leaving the bedding down at his waist. In the dim light you could just make out the whirl of hair on his chest as he curled onto his side facing you. Your fingers itched to reach out and feel it, but you managed to keep them to yourself. You could feel the heat radiating from him, like a live fire warming your body. He reached out gently and touched your face with the backs of his fingers, still staying to his side of the wide mattress.

"It was lovely getting to know you, darling," he said quietly. "Rest well."

You smothered the whimper threatening to erupt and rolled onto your side, facing the window as far away from him as you could get without hanging off the edge. Attempting to ignore the pooling desire in your center you settled in for what was sure to be a long, sleepless night.

When the alarm went off you almost jumped out of your skin. Blearily you tried to sit up, but a strong arm around you kept you anchored to the bed. A murmured curse sounded behind you and the beeping stopped. A face buried itself in your hair as you were pulled closer to the wall of chest at your back.

Oh sweet lord! you thought, as awareness of your location flooded into your brain. Gingerly you opened one eye just enough to confirm that you were half way across the bed in the center of the mattress. You must have rolled over in your sleep, you realized. Which of course meant that Tom had also drifted to the middle of the bed to meet you in what could only be described as he the most comfortable and simultaneously uncomfortable embrace of your life.

He felt divine. He body was all pliant skin over hard muscle, Warm and soft and deliciously scented. His obscenely large hand splayed across your waist, just below your breasts, to rest against the stripe of bare flesh where your borrowed t-shirt had ridden up in your sleep. His legs, those impossibly long limbs you had admired in the bar last night, were pressed against you, one rising up to hook over your own. It was heaven. If only it was intentional. Silently as you lay in his embrace your mind cringed awaiting the moment he woke the rest of the way and realized that the woman in his arms was only you, a pathetic cast mate he had taken pity on when she was cast out of her own room.

When you could bear it no longer, you tried to gently pull away from him. Once again his arm tightened around you, holding you close to him. You closed your eyes and tried to think of a way to delicately extricate yourself. That was when you heard your name, mumbled in his honey warm voice made rough by sleep into your hair.

"Stay," he said, snuggling further into you. "Please."

Well, when he asked so nicely! Really, you decided, when would you ever have such a chance again. Surrendering to the bliss, you allowed yourself to sink back against him. You would soak up these moments, you decided. Save them for when you were feeling lonely, or needed a happy memory to see you through a hard time. After all, what could be better than being held in Tom Hiddleston's strong arms?

It was too short a time before the alarm went off again. Tom swore, lifting his arm from around your body to turn it off. You felt him, more fully awake this time, realize the situation you found yourselves in. His body stiffened and his leg quickly slid off of yours.

"I am so sorry," he said, pulling his head from where it had lain in the top of your hair. "Please, darling, forgive me. I didn't mean to take advantage."

"No need to apologize," you assured him, trying to sound as though this sort of thing happened to you every day. "After all, we were both asleep."

"It's just been so long since I've had a beautiful woman in my bed," he sighed, arm rising to cover his eyes. "My body just reacted instinctually."

"Beautiful?" you heard yourself say, a note of disbelief in your voice.

"Can you doubt it?" he asked, sounding surprised himself. 

"Generally speaking," you laughed, thinking that this man calling anyone beautiful was like the sun calling a lightning bug bright.

"My darling, you are stunning," he said, rising up on his elbow to look at you. "You are also intelligent, funny, and delightful. I thought I had a crush on you before I got to know you last night, but now..."

"You have - a crush?" 

"Damn," he said quietly. "Forgive me. I should not have said that."

Slowly, not daring to believe what you had just heard, you rolled over so that you were facing him. Hair mussed and eyes slightly unfocused Tom looked even more devastating than usual. A light growth of stubble shadowed his jaw, and in the dawn light his freckles stood out against his pale skin.

"Did you mean it?" you asked, stunned.

"There are few things as attractive... as sexy as talent," he said quietly, not meeting your eye. "When I saw you act, well, I could scarce keep my eyes off of you."

"You do realize that you are the most talented person I have ever seen," you told him, shock bringing out your candid side.

"You are very kind," he blushed.

"I am very honest," you answered. "You really think of me like that?"

"I think of you all the time," he replied, looking at you at last. "Often like that. I have spent the last three weeks trying to work up the courage to speak with you. When I saw you sitting alone in the bar last night, I thought someone must have heard my prayers."

"I am in a dream," you said. "I am in a dream and any moment now I will wake up and be back in the small black box theater performing for ten people."

"If you are in a dream than I am too," he smiled. "Darling, I understand if you want to leave. Things with me are never simple. It is an unfortunate side effect of the career I have chosen. But if you are willing to try, I would love to court you."

"Court me?" you grinned at his archaic turn of phrase. "Like with flowers and poems and such?"

"If you would like," he said, surprising you once more. "I have written a poem or two in my day, though I am more adept at songs. They are more forgiving. For now, we could perhaps start with breakfast?"

"Breakfast sound wonderful," you said, realizing suddenly that you were in fact hungry.

"I will order room service then," he nodded. "But first, sweetheart, would it be too forward of me... may I kiss you?"

Unable to speak you nodded your head once. Tom smiled, and reached down to grasp your chin gently between his thumb and finger. With an aching tenderness he brought his lips to yours. The kiss was soft and sweet and full of promise. You felt it all the way down to your toes in ways that far more invasive kisses had never moved you. Your back arched and you molded yourself to him, his free arm encircling you to hold you close. Emboldened by the embrace, you let your own hands find their way around him and to his back where they slid down the naked skin in a caress. With a quiet moan he pulled away, and you briefly felt his arousal brush against your let as he let you go.

"The things you do to me," he sighed, fingers lightly tracing your face. 

"I know what you mean," you breathed, feeling light headed from the kiss.

"I started this leg of the tour irritated at Michael," he confided. "Now I am tempted to send him a thank you gift. What do you thing? Champagne? Chocolates?"

"If we give them all that, won't it just encourage them the next night?" you giggled.

"Ah, now you see my clever plan," he teased. "How else can I hope to get you back in my bed?"

"Tom," you spoke seriously, "clever plans are not needed. All you need do is ask."

"Hmm," he grinned, pulling you close once again. "I am suddenly more happy than I can say that they forgot my tea."

"So am I," you smiled, nestling in against him. "You have no idea."

"Well then," he said. "You will just have to show me. Fortunately, we have months to go, and I for one have never been so happy to start a tour."

As you burrowed back together under the covers you could not help but agree.

@yespolkadotkitty @hopelessromanticspoonie @nonsensicalobsessions @hiddlesholic

[demigodsanswer]

Once Upon a Pointe - Chapter 6

Story Summery:

“Annabeth, you’re with Percy,’ Chiron said. Annabeth. She looked like the figurine in a little girl’s music box had come to life to dance in City Ballet. Percy felt like every opportunity to dance with her was a privilege. Just don’t forget the choreography, Percy thought as he got into the right starting spot for the wedding pas de deux. Don’t forget the choreography, and don’t drop her.”

Percy is soloist with the ballet company, and he is offered one chance to dance with Annabeth, one of their star principals. If he nails the choreography, he might just earn a chance to dance with her. And, if he’s really lucky, he might get a date out of it as well.

Chapter Title: Vision

Read on AO3

Start from the beginning

Notes: I am in no way finished bringing attention to issues of race, religion, and cultural appropriation in Rick Riordan’s books & in the fandom. Do not misinterpret me posting an update as a desire to move forward. 

Katheryn Morgan (soloist with the Miami City Ballet) has recently uploaded an interview with the dancer and author of "A Final Bow for Yellowface" Phil Chan, where they discuss race in ballet. Please consider checking it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYw2pLn9CAg

Percy woke up to the soft February sun beaming in his face through Annabeth’s large bedroom window. When he opened his eyes, squinting in the sunlight, he saw that she had already gotten up. He rolled over to check his phone – 8:30 a.m.

They both had today and the next day off before the show as other casts ran their dress rehearsals. Usually he spent his days off wandering the city, catching up on TV, or hanging out with Grover once his boring and normal nine-to-five job at a nonprofit ended. But those days off didn’t usually start in Annabeth Chase’s bed – in face, none of them ever had. He hoped that maybe they’d end up spending the day together.

Or maybe she’d ask him to leave as soon as he left the bed.

He stayed there for another moment, trying to think of the perfect “spend the day with me” line, but he came up blank. He’d just have to wing it.

He opened the door and stepped into the living room. Annabeth was standing in the kitchen over a frying pan, still in her pajamas (now rumpled from a night of sleep), and her blonde hair was up in a high ponytail, the ends tangled together.

She looked up and smiled at him. Percy’s heart raced, fuck, he thought, she’s gorgeous. Before he could say anything to her, though, she told him: “You drool when you sleep.”

Percy flushed, a hand going up to his mouth to wipe away any trace of drool that might still be there. She laughed at him, and he smiled.

She turned back to the frying pan. “I’m making eggs. I hope that’s okay.”

“Eggs are great,” he said. “I thought you didn’t cook.”

She shrugged. “I told you, I’m not completely incompetent. I can scramble an egg reasonably well.” She said, dishing out the servings onto two plates.

Percy took a seat at the table. “Have you been up long?” He asked.

“No, ‘bout half an hour.” She said. “Coffee?” She offered.

He nodded, and she put a mug down in front of him, and then his plate of eggs and avocado toast.

She sat down at the other end of the table.

“Thanks,” Percy said, about to dig in.

He piled some eggs on top of his toast and took a bite. They were good, although he would struggle to find an adult who couldn’t make a decent scrambled egg. “How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Better,” she said. “A lot better. Thanks for listening to me and for staying the night.”

Percy smiled. “Of course, any time.” He realized what he said and felt his ears get hot. “Anyway …” he tried to think of literally anything else to say, but nothing came to mind. Annabeth saved him, though.

“Do you have any plans for today?” Annabeth asked.

It took a moment for Percy to register what she had said. He was preoccupied by the casual way she sat at the other edge of the table, sunlight bouncing off her curls, as if they sat together like this every day.

Finally, though, he remembered she’d asked him a question. “No, not really.” He told her.

“Do you want to hang out downtown for a little while?” She asked.

Percy smiled. “Sure, that’d be great.”

Percy stood in front of Annabeth bathroom mirror, which had fogged up with steam from his shower. She had showered before him and was getting ready in her bedroom.

He leaned forward and drew a smiley face on her mirror for her to discover the next time she showered.

He dressed quickly, only having the same sweatpants and tee shirt from the night before, but it would have to do.

Annabeth was waiting on her couch for him to get ready. She was dressed in a light pink sweater and light jeans with her hair braided over her shoulder.

“Ready to go?” She asked.

Percy nodded. They grabbed their jackets and headed out the door.

~*~*~

They walked down the avenue to Washington Square Park, stopping on the way to indulge in some hot chocolates. It was just starting to get a little warmer – they daily temperature tended to hang out in the forties during the day, rather than what Percy called ‘face hurting temperatures.’

Still, he wished it was a little warmer so they could sit on a bench or the grass for a while and just relax in the Spring sun. But the cold sun of the end of February would have to do.

It did come with its perks, Percy realized, when a cold wind blew, prompting Annabeth to instinctively move closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his chest for a moment as the breeze blew by. When it was over, they parted, neither blushing or uncomfortable.

Sure, he was usually physically close to her, but stage intimacy was far less erotic than many people assumed. On stage or during rehearsal, both were sweaty, trying not to breath too hard, and mostly worrying about their own steps and safety and the safety of their partner.

A gentle closeness so far removed from the studio, though, felt deeply intimate. He almost reached down to hold her hand, but she had it in her jacket pocket. He left his hand by his side in case she had the same thought, but she never reached for it.

When they reached the arch, Annabeth paused in front of it. “You know, if I hadn’t joined the company, I would have gone to school for architecture.”

“Really?” Percy asked, looking at her.

She nodded. “I guess I kind of am or was at least.” She said. “I was part time at NYU for a few years, but between being a principal, and planning a wedding, then calling off the wedding, and everything that came after that, I haven’t taken a class in almost …” she paused, “almost two years, I guess.”

“Why architecture?” Percy asked.

She shrugged. “Aesthetics, partly. I really enjoy aesthetic, design, and flow. Obviously, I do, or I wouldn’t be a dancer. But buildings can have all of those things too, just not in the same way.” She sipped her hot chocolate. “It’s also the opposite of dance. Buildings are static, and they’re so permanent.”

Percy nodded. The fleeting nature of ballet loomed over all of them. Most men could go until thirty-five at least, and a lot of women made it to forty, if not longer. But one bad injury could end a career in an instant.

“Do you want to be an architect when you retire?” He asked.

She shrugged. “Maybe, but that’s a hard career to start at forty. Knowing myself I’ll end up teaching or choreographing. I don’t think I could ever really leave it behind, you know?”

“You could design theaters.” He suggested.

She smiled at him like she had had the thought before. “Yeah, I could.” Her hand dropped out of her pocket and rested near his, but he didn’t feel courageous enough to take it. “What about you?” She asked.

“Oh, I have no idea.” Percy said. “I barely graduate high school.” He admitted. “College is not my speed, so I’ll probably linger in the ballet world as long as they’ll have me.”

She bumped him with her shoulder. “Come on, you have no ideas?” He shook his head. “Wildest dream? If a genie showed up right now and told you he’d give you your dream career, what would it be?”

“Well,” Percy said, “if I’m wishing for stuff, I’d just wish to be able to dance forever.”

“Alright that’s on me,” Annabeth said, laughing, “I set the bar too low.” She took his hand, and his breath caught. “Seriously, I won’t judge you.”

It was a hard question to answer. Percy had spent a lot of time in his training thinking about what he’d do if he didn’t get a company contract when his training ended. Teaching was one option, but he didn’t know if he’d like doing that if his own dreams had fallen through. With his poor grades, he always figured he’d just get a retail or restaurant job and try and work his way through management and dance on the weekends.

But if today were the day that he had to stop dancing …

“I guess I’d teach,” he admitted, “but I don’t know if I’d want to teach at the academy.”

“Why not?” She asked. They started walking out of the park and towards the street, wandering aimlessly through the West Village.

He had never really wanted to teach at the academy, he realized. Sure, the prospect of training a new group of kids who would go on to join City Ballet, Miami, Royal Ballet, Ballet West, and all the other big companies was exciting, but he was lucky to have had that education at all. So many things had to go right in his life to even make it into their ranks – a good ballet teacher off the bat, scholarship money, his mom marrying a man who had a savings account and cared about her son. Without any of those things, Percy wouldn’t have a career.

“I was on my own at the academy,” he said, “one of the only kids who started late and didn’t have great training before that. Most other kids were,” like you, he though, but he didn’t say it, “born lucky. They had exposure to ballet young, good training, and they never had to worry about how they were going to pay for things. I had to worry about that all the time. And I was still luckier than most.” He said. “Just think about how many talented kids there are just on my block alone that will never get my chance.” He looked ahead towards the street. The West Village had once a bohemian shithole, but (thanks in no small part to NYU), it had been gentrified into one of the most expensive areas in the city. “I guess if I could do anything I’d just try and help those kids. Don’t know how I’d do it, but that’s what I’d really like to do.” He told her. “I know it’s crazy.”

She stopped walking and pulled him to the side of the path, getting out of every one’s way.

“It’s not crazy.” She said.

For a moment on the edge of the sidewalk, hugging the wall of some coffee shop, neither of them moved. She looked at him, tilting her head up just slightly to look him in the eye. When she licked her lips slightly, Percy’s heart almost exploded, sure that she was going to lean in. But instead she broke the tension, turning back to the middle of the sidewalk to keep forward, dropping his hand.

“At least,” she said, not looking at him, “not as crazy as wanting to pivot to architecture.”

He jogged to catch up with her. “That’s not crazy either. Besides, if I know you at all, I know nothing will stop you from getting what you want.”

She smiled, looking down at the sidewalk as she walked forward. “Nothing stops you either as far as I can tell.”

“I am notoriously scrappy.” He said, pulling a laugh out her, which dissolved any remain uncomfortable tension while taking away any remaining hope of a kiss.

~*~*~

When they finally got too cold to stand walking around any longer, they ducked into a dimly lit pub.

“Do you ever just wish you had a job where you didn’t have to worry so much about what you ate and drank?” Annabeth asked him. They did eat a lot, of course. They both probably ate more than the average person, they just also had to eat way healthier than the average person.

“Pretty much every day.” Percy said. “Every time a season ends, I just crush a cheeseburger, first thing.”

Annabeth had been to the pub before, and guided Percy through some good options on the menu.

Their conversation stayed light – childhood stories, embarrassing moments, favorite TV shows. When Annabeth started to ramble about architecture being a universal language for people, and how The Hunchback of Notre Dame is actually all about the building, and how the novel saved the church, Percy couldn’t stop smiling. Her gaze was distant, but her eyes were bright. Percy was delighted to see her so happy.

When the check came, Annabeth grabbed it off the table before Percy could even reach for it.

“Absolutely not,” Annabeth said when Percy reached across the table. “You’ve done so much for me the last few days, buying you lunch is the least I can do.”

Percy didn’t protest anymore, instead just choosing to thank her for the meal. He hoped it wasn’t the last one they got to share together.

~*~*~

As the afternoon went on and the sun started to set, Percy realized he needed to go home. He didn’t want to leave Annabeth, but he also didn’t want to be wearing the same clothes for twenty-four hours.

“I can come back if you need anything, or if Luke comes around,” he said as they headed towards the subway.

Annabeth shook her head. “I should be fine. I think I’m going to call Piper or Silena and talk some things out with them.” You can talk to me, Percy wanted to insist. But he knew she was closer with them than with him, no matter what he wanted to be true.

“Call me if you need anything,” he told her. She nodded and promised she would.

They stood at the top of the subway stairs, doing their best to stay out of everyone else’s way, but that was almost impossible to do when you were standing still on New York City sidewalk.

“Percy,” she said looking up at him, “thank you. Seriously, thank you for everything.” She pulled him into a tight hug, burying her face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to hold her even closer. Her hair smelled like lemons.

“Anytime,” he told her. He pressed a gentle kiss into the top of her head; if she noticed or minded, she didn’t show any sign of it.

Annabeth pulled away after a little too long (not that Percy minded) and smiled at him. “Get home safe,” she said, before turning to head towards her apartment.

~*~*~

Percy rested his head back against the subway window, grateful for a seat on his way back up town, trying to remember the way Annabeth’s hair smelled, and the ways her eyes lit up when she was excited.

He hoped that they stayed close when they weren’t dancing together anymore. The have to, he figured. They were friends now, not just coworkers or dance partners.

He knew from experience that performances come and go too quickly – a month of rehearsal just for four shows? It was almost unfair. Lee’s husband, a Broadway actor, had once complained about his eight shows a week schedule at a company party. Eight Sleeping Beauty’s a week was probably physically impossible, but Percy did sometimes miss doing six or eight ballets a week as an apprentice or corps member. He certainly wouldn’t pass up one or two extra performances of Sleeping Beauty if he had the chance. He wanted to hold onto it for just a little bit longer.  

~*~*~

The next morning, Percy woke up feeling like he was an astronaut on the moon, hearing the air leave his spacesuit, but he could not find the leak. He didn’t remember his dream, but his heart was beating hard and fast. He performed tomorrow, he remembered. He took a deep breath, but it didn’t do anything to calm his anxiety. Throughout his morning routine, of breakfast, palates, and stretching, he felt like he was the vice president of anxiety, and the president was nowhere to be found.

He had fleeting moments of confidence as a dancer – moments where he was sure he was good, that he was going to succeed, moments where, if he closed his eyes, he could swear that he was flying not just jumping. But mostly he would bag on himself for things he couldn’t do or didn’t do well. Those fleeing moments of confidence could be diminished by any small error.

He had to succeed. Part of it was vindictive – people had always underestimated him. But most of it felt like debt. His mother had sacrificed so much just to get him to dance practice and to keep him enrolled at the school. If he never made principal …

When he was eleven and his YMCA teacher told Sally that he should be in more advanced classes, Sally asked him if he wanted to continue ballet. Just say no, he had told himself, knowing that there was no way his mom could pay for all the lessons he’d need. It would hurt less to stop dancing at eleven than to make it all the way to fourteen or fifteen only to give it up then.

He had spent as much time in dance classes dancing as he spent worrying that at some point the rug would be pulled out from under him, and he’d lose it all. That there would be a point where he just couldn’t continue. He already spent most of his training playing catch-up with people who had been dancing since they could stand, and he always feared his career being stunted on the other side.

But when he was eleven, and he told his mom he wanted to stop dancing, he had called him on his lie. “If you want to do it, we will do what we have to do,” she told him. That meant he had to switch to public school and work jobs to pay for summer intensives and after-school classes. Even with all that, and his scholarships, it was Paul that made any of it possible. He’d gotten lucky; finally, some of that luck that seemed to grace some of the worst people finally trickled down to him and his mom. She had married a man with a savings account and love of the arts. He had no problem helping them pay for his summer intensives or his academy tuition.

He thought his meeting with Chiron at the end of his last year in the school. The year before, he had been encouraged to try out for other companies but told that an apprenticeship wasn’t out of the picture. When he got back to his apartment, he tried not to tell his mom, to keep it a secret and to work as hard as he could the next year to earn his spot.

He’d cried as soon as he saw her though; guilt and disappointment cut through his stomach and chest like a knife. Sally had tried to assure him that he wasn’t a failure, but that didn’t change any of his thinking on the issue.

When Nutcracker season came, and Percy wasn’t offered an apprenticeship, he figured that it truly was over. He had almost gotten to a point where he thought his entire dance career was over, until Lupa Lopez had called him back about his audition, and offered him a spot at Miami. His mom had let him have a glass of Champaign to celebrate.  

Chiron was less enthusiastic than his mother had been. When Percy told him the good news, he kept a straight face and asked, “Have you signed anything yet?”

“No.”

“Good, don’t.”

He was called into the office two days later. “Lupa and I have the same eye for dancers,” he said. “She’s taken some of my best away from me. So, it wasn’t surprising to hear that she was interested in you joining her company. She must see the same things in you that I see.”

Percy’s eyes went wide.

“You’re talented, Percy,” Chiron continued, “and disciplined,” that was the first time a teacher had said that about him, he realized. Chiron handed Percy a stack of a few papers. “And you should stay with City Ballet.”

It took Percy a moment to realize what he was looking at. His dyslexia only acted up when he got stressed. Finally, he deciphered it. “Wait … is this for real?” He was holding an apprentice contract with his name on it.

“Sorry for making you go on all of those auditions,” Chiron said.

Percy hadn’t even waited to get home to tell his mom. Instead, he found a quiet stairwell where he could tell her and cry with her. He thought she was going to break his ribs with how tightly she hugged him when he got home. “I’m just so happy,” she said, “that you don’t have to move to Miami.”

He was tired of barely succeeding – barely making it into the academy, barely getting an apprenticeship, barely getting leading roles. He wondered for a moment if she had these fleeing moments of confidence met quickly by self-doubt, before he remembered their last Diamonds rehearsal. Percy was terrified when she had stopped dancing, and he became more worried when he saw the frantic look in her eyes. She had broken, he realized; she had hit a level of doubt and pain that you can’t easily pull yourself out of.

He didn’t, Percy realized, have the luxury of breaking, though. If he left, there was no guarantee that his spot would be there when he came back. He could only bend.

Annabeth couldn’t break either. Percy could end up stagnant if the shows didn’t go well. If Annabeth broke again, though, her career could be over.

They both had to bend and bend far. Four shows, Percy realized, four shows to get it right. Just don’t forget the choreography, and don’t drop her. He told himself. And if you forget the choreography, just make it up.    

Luke had left a principal male spot open that Chiron still hadn’t filled. In a fleeting moment of confidence, Percy told himself You’re the perfect fit.

He felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, but he couldn’t see what was at the bottom. He was safe as long as he stayed on land. If he jumped, he could die, or he could land safely in the water. There wasn’t another way forward.

[sinhnhi678]

His Majesty's Dark Queen Chap 3

Note: yeah, got me whole week to write this chap. It's like 4A.M in my country now, and I'm still typing :D Oh and I forgot to introduce the background of the series. Let's assume everything in this fanfic is just like the main series, except that Star doesn't erase magic in the end, okay? Good. Now, let's enjoy chapter 3 ^^

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“So, what's that all about?” In the end, Tania can’t just let her friend out of the bar, and because this time seems kinda serious. She gets Tom the “dumped-seat” then comfort him.

“About what?”

“The GIRL, man!! The GIRL! It must be a girl, who dumped you, so you were so sad like this! No, this time must be very serious. I have never seen you sad like this ever since… since… you broke up with that Nana…”

“It’s Jana.”

“…. That Jana. The weird lady from Erath, you said. Man, maybe I have never met your Starship and know about you two’s past, but I've heard enough about your Janna. You two were like… born for each other. What could be better suited for a demon, like a demon lover? You talked to me about Jana like this, Jana like that. You were so happy, I thought when I finally get a chance to met your girlfriend, is when I received the wedding invitation. But then you came here, told me that she broke up with you, and you was sad for a long time. I also had to take you to places like Amethyst Arcade or Quest Buy to make you feel better, even introduce you new girlfriend. It took you half a year to get over it.” Tania tried to sound dramatic. She stretched her voice, deliberately pressing, waving, rolling her eyes. Tom could not resist this, hugging his stomach and laughing non-stop. Tania is always a caring friend, she does not care about her image getting worse, every time Tom is sad, she always uses this way to comfort and make fun of Tom. And it works every time. That is the first step.

“Stop, Tania, stop. You crack me up!!!” Tom tries to stop laugh, “And… what makes you think this time is worst like that?”

“The eyes, my friend. You can try to look sad, try to look happy, but your eyes always tell me the truth. That’s the reason I make friends with you in the first place. Because there is no way a ‘heartless demon’ can have eyes like that. Your three eyes, especially this one,…” Tania pointed to her forehead, “are very honest. Outsiders might think every time you broke up, you sad the same way. But those eyes tell me when you really sad, or just annoyed.”

“This is the reason why sometimes I said I just got dumped, but you still kick me out?”

“Yes. Because your eyes said you just a little bit annoyed, so I just kick you out. No one can stand after see their friends broke up like… 4 or 5 times in one month, you know? It’s very annoying. I am your friend, not your mama, remember that.”

“I guess. But you are the only one left I can talk, literally. I have few friends, but only two of them are my BF. One is very busy with her life, I can’t just chat with her hours about my relationship like that…”

“And you think I can?”

“Tania, that’s Star. She’s my ex. Even now we are friends, but I still can’t talk with her about that stuff.”

“Good point. And what about another one? If I remember correctly, that’s a he, right? What his name again? Ma… Marcus…? No.. no… co… MARCO! Right, Marco. Why wouldn't you told to him? He is, well, a guy. Sure, he has a feeling for your Starship, but you said you are cool with that, and this thing is 5 years so far, and you two still be friends. Why not?” And there we go, step 2: Make Tom said the problem. Make he feels comfortable, then draw a way so he could go with the flow, says the problem so Tania can help him. Usually, this step took quite a lot of time, since Tom is just want drinking and whining, avoiding the problem, having to lure him to say it takes half a day. But this time, Tania did not expect Tom to speak from the beginning.

“The truth is…” Tom stopped talking. He closed his eyes, rubbed his face, took a deep breath, and sighed, seemingly pondering something extremely difficult to say. “The truth is… I'm here today has something to do with him.”

“Shit!” This is what Tania doesn't want to hear the most. “This is worse than I thought!” She thinks. In fact, Tania didn't really understand Tom's romantic relationships before the two knew each other. Tom didn't tell, and neither did Tania because she knew it was a sensitive issue. That great battle took many people away, some lost their loved ones, some lost their possessions, Tania herself struggled hard to rebuild her Lily Dog bar. As for Tom, he didn't tell much about it, but Tania sensed that he seemed to have lost himself in the great battle. He still looks normal, but Tom's change in such a short time cannot be due to the fact that he is trying to be an intern king, only love. From a kid who was grumpy all day with everything (despite trying to be normal), he turned into a calm gentleman, only talk to solve the problem. Maybe for Tania, Tom has always kept the attitude as when he first befriended her, warm and cheerful, but with strangers, his attitude and way of talking are different. He is calm and aloof when talking to them, even talk to them in a voice has a semi-sarcastic style imbued with nobility to normal people, like in the movie. “This love triangle thing is really troublesome!!” Look what it did to Tom, made he looks miserably.

Miss Star Butterfly is a trouble-maker. But this Marco boy is also one, too. Tania only knows him through Tom’s story. She gave a good impression with him at first. To Tom, he is a dear friend, the one who always helps him to keep calm, when he needs and has the same hobby with him. Even when he was dating Janna, the conversation between Tom and Tania always have Marco in it, more or less. If it wasn't for Tom dating only girls, Tania thought he had something with Marco. But then, Tom starts to open with her, starts to talk about his relationship with those two. It’s broke his heart to realize that he and Star can’t belong to each other anymore, and the fact that she and his best friend have “a thing”. He chooses to broke-up with her, told them he is cool with this, hopes them would go on with each other. Poor little one still tries to smile with those two. “I swear to God, I gonna kill that damn brat right…”

“Four days ago, me and he met. We drank and talked about the old days. I don’t know how, but we end up have sex.” Tom confessed.

The silence is in the air.

“Have sex… with who?” Take long enough for Tania to dare ask him again.

“With Marco.” He answered softly.

“Ho… ho… How?? How??” Tania can’t believe what she just hears.

“I don’t know. We were drunk, and… and… Love Sentence! Tania, it’s Love Sentence! Everything was dizzy. I'm pretty sure he took the initiative first, but it was me who did the last step. I mean, how could I not? He looked cute at that time. And honestly, I've wanted to do that to him for a long time...” Tom kept on babbling and dreaming about that night, unaware that Tania was having a huge shock at his side. “This can be true!” Tania denied, “If it’s true, then…” the whole thing about love triangle that she knew, the whole time, will completely different. She quickly squeezed his shoulders, turned him back to her, asking slowly: “Tom, dear! So, what are you saying, is you have feelings for him? For… that Marco boy?”

Tom did not answer immediately but looked directly at Tania. In his eyes filled with many things, there is heartache, there is love, there are concerns, feeling like about to spill out of the eyes.

"You DO have feelings for that boy." Tania did not need Tom to speak, his eyes answered for him. She let go of his shoulders, immersing herself in her thoughts. She knew Tom had suffered because of that relationship, she also blamed the other two for making Tom change himself so much like that. But what Tania can’t think to, even in her wildest dreams, Tom is indeed being hurt by that love, but not because the person he loves cheats on him with his best friend, it rather because he has feelings for that friend. But, for how long? Since when did he have that kind of feeling? Is it ever since that great battle? Or, worse, even earlier? She didn’t dare to think. How did her friend, after all, endure himself so he could suppress his emotions all those years? “Oh, Tom…” There are some tears in her eyes, she feels sorry for Tom. “And… and then what? What did he say? Is he said he hated you or something?”

“No. He doesn’t say anything. The next morning, we woke up. Then he ran away. I haven't said a word to him yet.”

“Wha… So you mean, you haven't spoken to Marco, like at all, since that night? Even just texting?” Oh no, he better be NOT.

“Yes… because I’m…”

“And… and you said you ARE the one who done it, right?”

“Yeah… Yes?”

“…”

“…”

The silence is in the air. Again.

“OMG! OMG! OMG! I make friends with a dumbass demon. OMG! OMG! OMG!” Tania muttering. “Tom, do you realize the seriousness of this?” She turned to stare at the demon. Tom became extremely confused by his friend's fast-changing attitude.

“Uhm… Tania? I… I do realize. So I must talk to you about this, then find out how to solve this problem…”

“No, you DON’T. Because if you do, you wouldn't wait until 4 days, then come to my place to ask me how to solve this problem. Tom, I know you have suffered greatly from this love, you are also very confused, but try to stand under that boy's perspective. Suddenly his best friend done that thing with him, and then the subject went silent without any explanation or inquiry for 4 days. If it were you, do you suffer?” Tania stopped, she should not go too deep. Saying more will only make things confusing. Tom endured that was enough. She patted his shoulder, then went out to settle the bar, giving him space to think for himself.

Tom was left alone. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his mind to think. None of this would have happened if that damn instinct didn't inspire him. But Tom knows, he can't blame all on instinct. Marco Diaz, that name also made him sleepless all day and night. From the beginning because of jealousy with Marco when he was a close friend of Star, until he knows that for the first time, he had made a close friend besides Star. He treasured this friendship very much because not everyone could stand his normal temperament. Tom treasured it so much that he didn't want to break it. At one point, he almost lost this friendship. Luckily, Tom tried to calm down, so nothing happens. But now that he thinks about it, if at that time, he passed that point, maybe everything will be better.

Tom took another deep breath, took up his courage, and opened the compact. Before going to see Marco, he needed to talk to this person first.

___________Marco’s POV___________

Marco's whole body was exhausted after that night, his head was hot, stomach still felt yoke and burning hot don’t know why, but these injuries are nothing compared to Marco's feeling right now.

“Tom, what is he doing right now? Why doesn't he call me? Is it ... he hated me because I had proactively kissed him first?” Marco kept muttering like that. That morning, he was embarrassed so he runaways, but he still wanted to see Tom again. He had hoped Tom would come to see him, scold him, or take pity on him, whatever. But he didn’t come. Marco felt extremely uncomfortable, wanted to cry but couldn’t because doing so only made his parents more worried. He had been lying in bed for 4 days, taking the excuse that he had a cold, taking some medicine, and then resting was fine. The discomfort in his abdomen became increasingly uncomfortable. The lower was getting hotter and burning, and sometimes the pain was throbbing so he had to bend over to hug his stomach. This discomfort continues even in dreams.

In the dream, he was swimming in a black sea without a shore. Above the black border is a blood-red moon, as red as the Blood Moon night that Tom once determined to invite Star to attend. Blood moonlight shone on the surface of the dark, turn one spot in the black sea into dark red. Marco hurriedly swam there, feeling that if he could swim there, he would be safe. But every time, every time he swam near that red spot, there was a hand holding him back. He tried to pull away, but that hand clung too tightly. When that thing saw him still trying to swim to the blood moon, it got angry, decided to drag him down. Marco could not breathe, that thing still pulled him further and further away from the red light, down to the bottom of the black sea. He tried to turn to look, but could only see three bright lights gleaming on the black seafloor. Then, he woke up.

He wanted to sleep, but if he slept he would have to go through that dream again. But if he didn't sleep, his body would collapse. Marco closed his eyes again, really determined, certain this time, he would win that light, to swim to the red light.

___________The Present___________

Tom crouched in the Star's bedroom at Butterfly Castle. Star is pacing in front of him. Her face was completely distorted, hard to describe the feelings of Star right now. Several times she turned to look at Tom, frowned, then turned away, muttering to herself, pacing the room.

“No! No! No! Tom, why? Why is this thing happen??” Eventually, Star stopped pacing, turning to ask Tom. “It’s only 4 days, Tom. 4 DAYS. Then you just called me, saying, ‘Oh hey, Star! I accidentally have sex with Marco on the evening of your birthday party and I have run away for like 4 days. What should I do now?’ WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? What should I say, you tell me?”

"Star. I don't need you to do much for me. It's just ... you heard, I haven't seen Marco for almost a week. And to be honest, I'm more scared now. Listen, you're the best friend of ours. As it turned out like this, having a friend like you with me was better than I go alone to see Marco. And to be honest, I didn't dare to imagine Marco's angry form. Maybe he's cursed and never wish to see me ever again. ”

“He better be! You deserve it! ” Star angry said.

“Star, I know it. I should have died hundreds of times. However, Starship ... " Tom stood up, holding Star's hand earnestly," ... Please, just this once. The truth is, I have feelings for Marco too.”

“You… do?”

“I ... I ... Do you still remember the day I said I wanna break-up with you? The truth is ... I discovered that I liked Marco before that, liked… a lot. But I know that you and Marco had something at the time, I couldn't say it, or else I would not only hurt you two but also lose both my best friends. ”

“Oh… Tom…”

“So at that time, I made the best choice is to break up with you and encourage him to be with you. But Starship, I didn't expect him to choose not to come with you. He even decided to return to Earth, finish his studies, and live a normal life. For years, I tried not to say anything. I'm like a madman, trying to find a relationship like our old relationship, hoping that thanks to it, I could forget about Marco, about my love for him. But in the end, the new left faster than the previous one. And during those years, Marco was always single. I thought I had a chance. Just unexpectedly, things were happening so quickly... So fast, I didn't know how to handle them."

"Tom ..." Star softened, hugging his friend tightly. She was too heartless, didn’t realize Tom's feelings were so confused. Five years, neither long nor short, but enough to torment a person into crazy. She still knew that Tom's relationships were usually not last long, and she used to worry about him, but come to think about that… “Tom, about your feeling with Marco, is Janna know any about that? Is that the reason you two broke up?” Every time Star have a chat with her girls, and if she told about Tom’s relationship lately, Janna just laughs and telling that he deserved that, nothing to worried. At first, Star thought Janna was still angry with him because of the breakup thing, but after that, Janna still met Tom when the whole meeting and didn’t show any discomfort. That always confuses Star.

“I… I don’t know… Everything between me and Janna is fine, can say it’s perfect. The two of us enjoy doing weird things to her liking. To be honest, she’s the only one that made me think, maybe I can move on with, and someday, I can over Marco. I even prepared everything, told my parents, introduce her to those two. Everything was so smooth, but suddenly one day, she called me out to talk, then said nothing, just punched me in the eye… Then… after that… she said she wants to break-up… She doesn’t even answer my phone. If… if it’s true, that she knows about my feeling for Marco…” Tom held his head, not sure what to say. “Oh my god, I’m such a jerk!”

“Tom! We can talk about Janna later. I know she, if she can still show up at our group meetings without complaining, it means she wasn’t too angry with you. You still can find and apologize to her later. Now, MARCO!”

Encouraged by the Star, Tom felt that he was calm. He thanked Star, saying, “Thank you, Starship. You really are the best friend a demon king can ask for. Can this good friend follow me now to Marco's house to talk with him? ”

She smiled at him.

___________About 2 hours later___________

“ARGHHH! Can you just hurry up? How the hell does your dressing take two hours to complete?”

“Relax, Star! Bathing, choosing clothes, beautifying yourself need time. Not to mention I'm about to talk to Marco. I want to be beautiful in front of him.” As he said that, Tom remodeled his tie, though it looked perfect.

“Ohmygod! Don’t tell me, that EVERY TIME our group meeting, you always like this. No wonder you always look so… fancy like that. Turn out you want to flirt Marco ~~” Star pulled Tom while giggling teasing him.

“Star!!!!” Although it is true, but being so explicitly made Tom blush. His cheek turns to purple quickly.

Star still giggled, pulled Tom to Marco's door, and quickly rang the bell. She turned, instructed him. "Listen, maybe Rafael or Angie will open the door, just let me talk to them. While I was talking to them, you said you had something to tell Marco and…."

“Creak.”

The door opened, but behind it wasn't Rafael or Angie, but Marco. Neither Star nor Tom had expected it, since the one who opened the door was still one of the Diaz couples, they love to have someone visit them. Marco looked extremely tired, his red eyes looked like sleeplessness, even the puffiness became black. He was very pale and lethargic, but his hair was still neat, and in his arms, Marco was holding a cup of coffee, Star guessed that he had just washed his face and was drinking coffee to regain consciousness. Marco pulled back his bathrobe so he wouldn't get cold, intentionally not paying attention to Tom who was standing next to him, only smiling at Star: "Star! What are you doing here?"

“Oh, hi Marco! Uhmm… WE are here to talk. Can we… come in?” Star tried to smile brightly.

Marco glanced coldly at Tom. His brown eyes once full of affection are now as cold as ice. It hurts Tom's heart, he feels more guilty for ignoring him for 4 days.

“Sure, why not? Come on in, it’s cold out there.” Marco stepped aside, inviting the two to go inside. Both of them noticed Marco's cold attitude, but still went inside the house. The heat transfer between cold and hot made them shudder.

“Marco! Who is that?” It’s Rafael, resounded from the kitchen.

“It’s Star! She has something to tell you and mom!”

“Is she? Then tell her to sit down and wait a minute. We are in the middle of something!”

Both Tom and Star were amazed at Marco's attitude. Marco is a lousy liar, if not basically he can't lie. But just now, Marco lied extremely smoothly, even choosing an extremely natural reason without any loopholes. The two were not yet over surprised, Marco returned, coolly speaking. “Star, you're here waiting for my parents to come out and talk. And Tom, I need to talk to you.” Then he turned upstairs, seemingly unwilling to hear any more words

“Okay, we know for sure that Marco is extremely angry at you now. You go up there, trying to console him. Acting very sorry for the ‘incident”, trying to appease as much as possible. If he takes the bait, you go ahead. If he gets really angry, remember to call me, I'll go up there.”

Tom nodded, then gathered his courage, went upstairs. Tom has never felt so scared like now, as if he's now fighting thousands of monsters, not going up and talking to Marco. He tried to reassure himself, hypnotizing himself that he was just going to talk. Ah, wish it was just a simple talk. This conversation means a lot to him. It was not just his own show of affection for Marco over five years, but also its result. If Marco agrees, then he and Marco can finally be together. But if not, then he feared that even friendship would be gone. Who would accept that his best friend has feelings for him, and then willfully did such a thing like that to him?

Tom took a deep breath, then turned the door handle. He saw Marco standing with his back to him, his face turning to the window. He felt Marco was skinny and gloomy than before. He sighed, closed the door, and said his line: "Marco..." But before he could say anything, Marco quickly turned around and walked in front of Tom. And then, he leaned up, wrapped his arms around the back of Tom's head, and kissed him.

Tom was very surprised. He could not guess this was coming. Marco is proactively kissing him. His full lips are plastered on Tom's lips, soft, cool, and extremely real. Tom was overwhelmed, but he quickly regained consciousness, his hands quickly hugging Marco’s waist, picking him up to press the kiss deeper. Tom could smell the scent of his shampoo and shower gel, and felt the bitter coffee he just drank as they both kissed. It all made Tom infatuated. He leaned against the wall completely, one hand lifted Marco's butt, one hand pulled his leg around Tom’s waist, then kissed him passionately.

“Tom, do you love me?” Marco stopped the kiss, but his forehead rested on Tom's, their lips only a few centimeters apart. Tom looked into his eyes. It was not as cold as it used to be, it was glittering with emotion, reflecting Tom's image in it. Tom felt revived, the whole body energized. He hurriedly kissed small kiss on Marco’s face and lips, answering: "Yes, Marco. I love you. Love you very much. Love you till the day I die."

“Is that so? So if I want anything, you can give it, right?”

“Yes, anything, even my heart.” Tom hurriedly answered. Marco giggled, rubbing his ear. "You goofy, I don't need your heart." He gently kisses back, “I just need you to love me, with all your souls!”

“Yes, I will.” Tom leaned over, kissing Marco once more time.

___________Down stair___________

Star sat opposite the Diaz couple, holding the teacup they were invited to and extremely confused. If Marco was said to be a lousy liar, then Star lied worse, the truth proved that. Star tried to smile, asking some silly questions to the couple. She was hoping Tom would comfort Marco soon to get herself out of this situation, or she was afraid she might flush it out. But before she could tell the truth as she feared, Rafael changed the subject. He looked confused and worried when asked Star. “Star, on your birthday night, did something happen to Marco?”

“Wh… What~~? No… No! Nothing happens! Everyone is fine. No one gets trouble or something… hahahaa…Ha!” Star negated in a soaring high voice. “Oh shit! Oh shit! Help! Tom, hurry up!!!” She tried to keep calm but her forehead was still sweating, even a sip of tea she just drinks couldn’t make her throat less dry.

“Is that so?” Rafael sighed. He looked hesitant, even giving Angie a look when he saw her nod, he turned to Star and continued. “Star, we really don't want to say this, for fear you will be worried. But before we start, we just want to say that everything is okay, everything is under control. No need to be overly worried.”

“Yes?” Star realized the strangeness of the two.

“It’s about Marco. He has severe depression.”

“Severe… depression?”

“Simply put, it is a disease caused by long-term stress. It causes patients to have trouble sleeping, tired, irritable, and especially thinking about committing suicide.” Rafael explained. “At first, the two of us just thought that Marco was not used to normal life, maybe it would be fine later. But he is getting more and more strange. He often has insomnia, cries often, and the teacher at school often complains about his distracted attitude. And then one morning, Angie found him holding a razor blade in front of the mirror, right at his neck as if about to cut down. Although Angie had stopped Marco at that moment, and he didn't seem to recognize or remember that suicide, but we were forced to take him to a psychiatrist.”

"The doctor concluded he had severe depression." Angie burst into tears, trying to hold back her tears but unable to. “At that time, we did not know what to do. Oh, our mijo! Marco promised us he would try to get through, telling us not to tell this to anyone else. But how can it be overcome so easily? He had been miserable for a long time, only when he went to meet his friends, he seems to have returned to normal. It took more than two years for Marco to no longer have the thought of committing suicide. But the depression is still there. We were so afraid that one day, he couldn’t think and then commit suicide like that morning.”

“Two years? That… the time when Tom and Janna...?”

“For that reason, we forced him to stay with us, even though he went to college now. Maybe with his friends, he said that he wanted to save up for student’s loan, but actually it was because of his depression that we couldn't stop watching him.”

“Lately he's been better than before. We were extremely excited, thinking that he might have returned to being old Marco. But, four days ago, after your birthday party, it became strange again. Even though he told me he only had a cold, he tried not to cry and sleep well, but why didn't we realize that.”

“That why, we want to ask you, do you know what happened that night?”

Being looked at by both Diaz and the couple, Star felt like a criminal being questioned. She couldn't keep her word, sorry Tom, but she had to say it.“Uhm… Actually… That night…”

“STAR!” Glossaryck from nowhere naturally appeared right next to Star, screaming her name.

“AHHHHHHHH! Cheese and crackers! Glossaryck?! What are you doing here?” Star feels confusing. A few days ago, Glossaryck suddenly said he has something important to deal with, then disappeared from that moment. But now, he suddenly appeared here.

“No time to talk! Where is Tom? We need to save him. NOW!”

“Tom? What are you talking about? He is fine. He with Marco now. The two of them were talking about their problems…” Star quickly turned to the Diaz “… at the previous four days. But it’s like 10 minutes has passed, and there was no sound of fight or argument, so I think we're okay, it's all right. You two can be chill. Marco will soon…”

“No, Star! Marco IS the problem.” Glossaryck protested.

“What are you…”

BOOMM!!!

A loud bang, coming from upstairs. The four of them stopped talking and quickly ran upstairs. Star went upstairs first, and quickly ran to Marco's room, she realized that loud noise came from the direction of his room. But when she got to the door, she felt something amiss. The door of Marco's room was still closed, but there were cold, chilling breezes coming through the door, along with a frightening green light. Star recognized that light.

“Star, you better be prepare beforehand.” Glossaryck flew close, reminding Star. Star took a deep breath, then turned the door handle.

Behind the door was a scene, that perhaps until the end of her life, Star can not forget. Tom was lying near the door, unmoving, his pale lilac skin even paler, almost becoming white, as if he were dead. The room was disturbed by a hurricane, everything was lifted by the wind, scattered in the air. The roof has a very big hole, snow poured everywhere. Looking up, Star sees something even more terrifying. It was Marco, float in midair. But that was not normal Marco, it was a monster with Marco's face. His eyes are completely black, from the pupil to the sclera. Marco grew a small horn on the right, which resembled Tom's. There was a crescent moon shaped magic mark on his cheek, but it was not like what she had ever seen. Marco's magic mark is shown in bright red, but now it shows in the formidable green of dark magic.

“Mar…Marco?!” She couldn't believe it was her friend.

“Oh, princess Butterfly! We meet again.” "Marco" smirked, responding softly.

“Be careful, Star. He was no longer Marco.” Glossaryck appears, alerting Star. He also quickly closed the door to prevent Rafael and his wife. Can't let them see this situation. “So I guess you were the cause of the disturbance in the Realm of Magic, right?”

“The Realm of Magic has its own consciousness, Glossaryck. You can't blame us because it's been unstable lately. It simply... is welcoming a new member of it. A Prince! Prince of Darkness!”

“Marco” laughed maniacally. And, he began to change again. Two pairs of huge wings sprouted from his back. It has color of purple and green, with skull and hypnotic patterns on it. He also grows 4 more arms. He looked exactly like one of the Butterfly members when they transformed. “Marco” tried flapping the butterfly's wings and pleased to see it flap naturally.

“You… Who are you? Why did you take Marco? Give him back to me!”

“Ouch! It’s hurt, princess. After all, you did KILL us! Remember?”

As if something awakened, Star was scared, unable to believe in the truth. “You… you… Toffee?!” It can’t be! It can’t be! Toffee is dead!

“Close enough! Actually, it takes more than just one spirit to get this form, you know. But luckily, thank to you, this boy had absorbed enough evil spirits. But still, it takes a little more energy to convert. And then, you brought that guy to me, just in time.” He pointed to Tom, who was lying motionless on the ground, laughing. “Oh, men! I have nothing to say. You are just like my guardian angel. Tricking him is really too easy, it was like taking candy from a child's hands. All that because he loves 'me'! Hahahahahaha….!”

Star felt unprecedented despair and regret. If that's what he said, was that her fault, so Marco turned into that? And also because of that, so Tom got involved? Did she harm her loved ones?

“No! Give him back to me!” Star screamed, transformed, and took the magic wand, rushing towards “Marco”. But before she could get close, she was repelled by a wave of dark magic, shot back.

“Oh, Princess Butterfly. Although we would love to stay here to have a little chat with you, but unfortunately, we have to go. See you soon!” Marco smiled tenderly, then created a portal. Star has never seen such a gate. It was similar to the gate she went to the Realm of Magic, but instead of the inherent color, it was black and green. “Oh, one more thing. Send Tom a kiss for me. He really loves me with ALL his souls. Well, half of it is enough. Hahahahaha… Bye~~!” Marco chuckled, then disappeared behind the portal.

As soon as Marco disappeared, the whirlwind in the air gradually dissipated, the furniture gradually lowered, scattered everywhere. Star sat motionless on the ground, unable to believe what he had just heard or seen. She just sat there, staring into the air, enduring every wave of snow and wind blowing in her face. Outside, Rafael and Angie, despite being prevented by Glossaryck's magic to prevent them from entering or hearing anything, but they were too nervous, standing outside and try to knock the door.

Glossaryck sighed. He removed the magic from the door, letting them enter. Upon entering the room, both of them were rendered speechless by the scenery. But before they can be saying anything, Glossaryck took the initiative to say it first. “Star, we need to go now. Bring Tom and the Diaz family back to Mewni. I'm afraid this is not gonna end well.”

_______________

From this chapter I will post on tumbler too. Because the previous 2 chapters are too ... hahaha...

[mraaronwhite]

THE GOLDFISH

We sat in the conservatory of my weathered, beach side cottage, overlooking some tomato plants and a splintered oak bench that I collectively called my back garden. Now, being a cottage, you would be forgiven for thinking that this was a small affair, the kind of cottage that malicious, child-eating witches would inhabit deep in the woods. Not this cottage though. There was actually too much room believe it or not. Well, too much room for a man and his cat at least.

You see, I grew up in a cramped, narrow excuse for a flat in Edinburgh. Usually being able to touch two opposing walls at once. So, when I inherited this place, a fortnight ago, from my recently deceased Aunt, it was a breath of fresh air to say the least. It felt like the perfect excuse to have a party. Not to celebrate my Aunt just dying (she was a grumpy old boot, mind you) but rather the fact that after twenty-three years of always wanting a place of my own, I finally had it.

I messaged the group chat, letting them know of the upcoming shindig to mark my housewarming, informing them that they would all be coming. None of them having a choice in the matter, I joked. There were ten of them in the group, eleven including myself, and we had been inseparable since the later years of high school. That fact surprises most people actually. Given that when folk head off to university, college or go backpacking through Asia, they normally lose contact. After all, it’s a perfect chance to reinvent yourself, and doing that sometimes means saying goodbye to some folk.

Not us though. We had to be different. Having nearly been out of high school for as long as we were in it, our collective friendship was as strong as it ever. We hadn’t all been together in nearly a year as well, so when I sent out the invites, they all jumped at the chance.

 The night itself exceeded my wildest expectations. We laughed, we sang, we laughed again. It was a night of pure merriment and happiness and it will live forever in my head as one of the high points of my life.  As I sighed a breath of relief when I moved into my sand surrounded home, I did the same when I saw all my friends together again that night. My face literally started to hurt with the amount of smiling I was doing, which only made me smile all the more.

All good things must come to an end though I thought, and as the clock flashed one in the morning, the designated drivers began ferrying home their passengers. Before they left however, we had but one tradition to enact. An exclusively Scottish ritual that you have to do at the end of a good party. Listening to Runrig’s Loch Lomond at full volume and jumping up and down like a bunch of toddlers on a sugar high. Once the song was over however, the party was too unfortunately. One by one, they said their farewells and staggered down my grassy strewn path. They waved and honked their horns until eventually they fell out of sight, becoming part of the jumbled mess of streetlights and other late-night travellers.

 I ventured back inside my new home and couldn’t help but feel lonely. Lonelier than I had in a while. At least I had Bean though, I thought to myself. She was my ashen-haired feline companion, and we’d been through thick and thin together. I don’t know what I’d do without her to be honest. She’s a nervous wee thing though and doesn’t do well around crowds, so had been chilling in the spare room for the night. That was until I opened the door of course, and then she was out of there at damn near mach four.

As she sniffed and scratched her way around the room, I flung myself into the heap of cushions and blankets people had sat on in the conservatory, their lazy attempt of tidying up before their departure I concluded. I sighed, letting out a small chuckle. Planning on just kipping there for the night, I shut my eyes and soon felt myself drifting off into the endless depths of my unconscious.

A distant toilet flushing filled the house and swiftly brought me back to reality. Then click clack, click clack, click clack. Footsteps. They were closing in and at this point I was on my feet, starting to panic. I had never been in a fight before, but I was about to be if my theory of a murderer checked out. In my drunken state, I never thought to question why someone would go to the toilet before killing me. I looked about the conservatory, trying to see something I could use to defend myself and grabbed the first thing that came to me. A tube of Paprika flavoured Pringles. In hindsight, I could have probably picked something a little more useful, but hey ho, that’s what a night of binge drinking and anxiety gets you. Then as the “Murderer” got closer, she appeared in the doorway. Clio DeLuca. My best friend.

 “Where did everyone go??” she said, cool as a cucumber, leaning on the frame of the door.

“They left like half an hour ago” I replied, my face a picture of confusion “What the hell are you still doing here though?? We all thought you left ages ago” I asked, half laughing, while letting out a sigh of relief.

“Funny story. I went to the toilet and kinda just fell asleep half way through.” She told me, sitting down the arm of the raggedy couch. Then flopping onto my makeshift bed, that I had been nice and comfy on only moments before.

“What are you like??” I said, now properly belly laughing. “You might as well get comfy, the buses stopped at eleven.” I paused “Sooo, do you want another drink?”

“Yeah but my heads splitting, nothing hard.” I was about to offer her some of the special stuff but she got in before me “Oooh in fact, have you got any hot chocolate??” She asked, looking up at me with those wild green eyes, that I first met oh so long ago.

“Now we’re talking” I exclaimed with glee “I’ve got just the thing!” I then marched off into the kitchen, meeting Bean as she was having a nibble at some of her biscuits. I flicked the kettle on and shouted through “What one you fancying then?”

“I dunno - hic” she mumbled. The sounds of her then rolling off the couch and wandering through soon followed. “What kind - hic - you got?” she asked, parking herself at my breakfast bar.

“Weeeell” I started, opening my cupboard I that housed my secret obsession “I’ve got your normal supermarket kinds - Cadburys, Galaxy, Bournville?”

“Yeah, one of them is fine” she chimed in.

“Nah, that’s the boring stuff. I’ve also got white chocolate, orange, peppermint, vanilla bean, salte” Bean scuttled into the room, hearing this, thinking I was talking to her, to which prompted Clio to scoop her up.

“Well hiii, where have you been hiding all night??” Bean purred, gladly accepting the cuddles and attention. Clio looked back up at me, staring through her shadowy locks that fell onto her face like a waterfall in the night. “Please continue” she smiled, nodding at the cupboard, all the while still scratching Bean’s belly.

“Ah yes, where we, so we’ve got salted caramel flavour, cinnamon, apple pie and the Pièce de résistance of my collection, genuine Peruvian hot chocolate.” I turned back to her “Think I’m gonna go for the Peruvian blend, you?” I asked. She was back looking at Bean again, given her some more lovin’. She’s always had the attention span of a goldfish, and I always found it quite funny. “I’ll just make the you the same” I laughed.

“Sorry, aye, sounds lovely.” I spooned the mixture into two bulky mugs, hearing purring and some meows coming from behind me. “Sooo” she started, “When did you become the Ramona Flowers of hot chocolate?” she jested.

“What you talking about, I’ve always been into hot chocolate?” she started to speak before I cut her off “Cream and marshmallows by the way??”

“Ooh yes please” Her eyes lit up “But yeah, I know you’ve always liked it but this is like obsessed. Like I’m scared if I don’t like this” she paused, while pointing her head at our mugs “that you might actually kill me.” She looked so sincere as she told me this.

“Shut up” I pleaded, in the moaniest voice I could muster “You know, I don’t have to let you sleep here tonight, I’m doing it out of the pure goodness of my heart.”

“Nah I’m being serious, and once the papers find out, you’ll probably get a cool nickname as well. The hot chocolate killer, perhaps? Whadda ya think, Bean?” She gave a solemn meow.

“Fuc..” she cut me off, looking aghast, while covering Beans ears.

“There’s children present” she shot back, with a hint of faux anger and a wry grin. I then simply mouthed my retort, all the while giving her the finger. Then, just as quickly, she flipped it right back at me. We then both had a good giggle as I stirred our drinks, plopped in the marshmallows and squirted the cream on top.

“Shall we?” I asked, while gesturing to the conservatory with my head as my hands were full. She cradled Bean like a new-born, stood up and we both made our way through.

 I gently placed our steaming mugs down on the glass topped coffee table, moving some meekly filled beer bottles out of the way to give us some room. We both fell back into the warm embrace of the couch, prompting Bean to hop out off Clio’s lap and curl up between the two of us.

My Bluetooth speaker, which sat in the corner atop some books, echoed out the tunes of my Spotify playlist which I had shuffled at the beginning of the party. Turning it to a whisper when folk left, I turned it back up again to fill the room with some life.

Looking about, the room, and the rest of the house was an absolute state. Crisps everywhere, too many cider cans to count and an embarrassing amount of smarties lay scattered about the floor, from when I was trying to toss them up and catch in my mouth earlier in the party. A dozen or so polaroids were sprinkled about the place as well, and when one caught my eye lurking under the armchair in the corner I got up and quickly collected the rest. “Get any good snaps?” Clio asked, while taking a generous sip of her hot chocolate, leaving a lovely big creamy moustache under her petit, turned up nose. I smiled, deciding not to tell her. “Daaamn, this is gooood!” she exclaimed, in a warm, satisfied tone, telling me she loved the drink just as much as I did.

“Told ya!” trying to not look smug “Let’s see here” I pondered, thumbing through the small pile of photos. “Hmmha” I grinned, looking at Clio, who was puffing her cheeks and making her eyes go crossed “That’s a good ‘un” handing it to her. She flung herself back onto the seat, seeing the picture.”

“Oh my God, what the hell is wrong with us?” she chortled, leaning forward again to take another sip of the sweet goodness. Her face then quickly soured “Can you skip this one, it reminds me of when I worked in Asda. They played the same six songs on repeat. It was actually hell.”

“Us!?” I asked her, while I pulled out my phone, skipping to the next song “Speak for yourself! I take only good photos.”

“Is that right?” she laughed back, cocking her head, proceeding then to snatch the bundle of photos from my hands. “We’ll see about that” in a determined tone, while furrowing her brow. I took the opportunity to indulge in the heated sweetness of my mug and no less than ten seconds later “Here, look at this, what the hell are you doing with your lips?” shoving the polaroid at my face.

“Its called blue steel, look it up” I confidently hit back.

“I dunno what that is but you LOOK like a goldfish”

“I think you’ll find I look damn sexy” making sure to sound as cocky and arrogant as I could.

“And by sexy” doing air quotes with her fingers “I take it you mean the lesser known definition of the word, meaning to look like you live at the aquarium at Dobbies?” she ranted, putting one her best condescending voice as she could.

“You know, sometimes, your words, they hurt.” Looking back at her, attempting to appear actually upset and offended. She could always see right through my piss poor acting skills though, and we both just started giggling again.

This is the norm for when me and Clio hang out. I make fun of her, she makes fun of me, we laugh about it and on and on it goes. It’s been our routine since primary four, when we first met, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The rest of that night was no exception, we bantered about for a bit then did some actual serious talking as well. Our sexuality, putting the world to rights, family shit. The usual kind of deep topics you chat about after a night of drinking and partying, and before we knew it, I looked at my phone and it flashed 4:33AM.

  Bean had migrated over to the open window by this point, she was doing some serious loafing. Presumably to cool down I thought. The dregs of our hot chocolate sat in the now cold mugs and the two of us were cosy under a massive blanket. Her head gently rested on my shoulder.

I peered out through the double doors that lead to my garden, amalgamating into the sands and shells of the dark beach. The North Sea lay before me, stretching as far as the eye could see, eventually bleeding into the never ending abyss of space. An army of stars littering its canvas, shining down on us mere mortals below.

I stared at the colossal entity that was the cosmos, trying to make shapes out of its burning suns. I was at a loss at how the early astronomers of prehistory were able to see anything apart from a jumble of distant polka dots. “Hey” I whispered, gently nudging my shoulder.

“Hmm” She softly moaned to let me know she was listening.

“Do you see anything up there? You know, in the stars.” I continued, still whispering. She craned her neck back and opened her wild grassy eyes to look up at the sky above.

“I dunno” she looked from corner to corner, eventually pointing toward the right of where we were sitting “There’s Orion’s belt.”

“Nah like I mean something new, not an already existing constellation.” I prodded.

“I really can’t say. What can you see?” she asked, shutting her eyes getting comfy under the blanket again. I gazed about the dark blue sky with great curiosity. Then, directly in front of me, high above the wispy clouds I faintly made out the shape of goldfish. Probably because it was on my mind from earlier, but nevertheless, I could see it clear as day. I jostled Clio’s head once again.

“Look, there, right in front of us. Can you see a goldfish?” Groggily sitting up, she focused to where I was pointing and tilted her head.

“Yeah, I can actu…” She trailed off, as did my music. Both of us were looking at the fish in the sky, but now, the stars in our newly discovered constellation were twitching and swirling. They also began glowing much brighter than the other stars in the sky. Both of us were transfixed. The whole thing eventually started pulsing. Going dim and then shining bright. It was slow at first but then gradually got faster and faster. Then, and I’ll remember this moment until my dying day, it appeared in front of us.

 There, in the obsidian blackness of the sky, it shone down on us. A gargantuan, glowing goldfish. It swam about as if we were looking through the cold, wet glass of an aquarium. Darting about the night sky as easily as it would have underwater. Its visage, although similar to a normal goldfish, was still very different. Apart from the obvious size distinction, the one before us existed purely as an outline defined by the stars. Its body was see-through, the same inky darkness as the rest of space. I couldn’t believe my eyes, and neither could Clio given her jaw was almost touching the floor. We were both outside by this point, wanting to get as clear a look as possible.

“Te.. tell me you’re” I mumbled “you’re seeing this as well” I eventually mustered, breaking the silence.  Clio simply nodded, staring unblinkingly at the godlike being as it swished and swooshed through the cosmos.

“Okay” she finally said “Either we’ve fallen into some weird sci-fi novel or you spiked my hot chocolate” trying to make sense of the impossibility of what was happening.

“Why isn’t it cold though? I asked, looking up and down the beach, and after a few moments had passed, she eventually processed my question prompting her whip her head at me.

“There’s a massive floating fish made out of stars in the sky and you’re worried about the weather? She half yelled, with great incredulity.

“Clio, its 5 in the morning. In February. In Scotland. It should be freezing.” She thought about what I was saying and looked about as well. “Its warm though, and there’s no wind.” I paused “And no noise for that matter.” I paused again “I don’t understand”.

“It’s weird” she started “I feel like I should be scared or freaked out or… something” she looked at me “But.. it feels right. It feels like we were meant to be here. To see” she paused, looking back at the fish who was still merrily swimming about the sky “whatever this is.”  I felt the same way, in my gut. I knew that whatever was happening wasn’t meant to hurt or frighten us. So, I began walking forward, taking Clio’s hand as I did so. We walked far onto the beach. It was still warm, still completely quiet.

We eventually reached the waters edge, as close as we could get to the being in front of us, when we notice that the sea itself had stopped. It plateaued to a complete halt. No waves. No tide. Nothing. It looked like a gigantic mirror, that stretched out past the horizon. Reflecting everything that was happening above. I bent down and dipped my fingers in, expecting it to be solid but it was just as wet as the normal sea. Just completely still. As if someone had hit the pause button.

 I sat down, cross legged on the shore, as did Clio, and we watched the fish for hours. It swam to the left, to the right. It swam far away, getting smaller, then past the horizon only to jump up again as if it was a dolphin doing tricks.

The sky was gradually getting lighter, now a dusky blue, and we both knew that the fish’s departure was upcoming. Potentially any minute now. It suddenly came to a gentle stop, high in the twilight sky. It was looking right at us, into the deep-seated depths of our souls.

Now, I’m not an emotional man, it takes a lot to upset me. Even the most heart wrenching of films doesn’t evoke a reaction. But at the very moment, I couldn’t help but shed a few tears. Not out of sadness, or even happiness. It was just raw emotion. I could tell by Clio’s sniffling that she was having a similar reaction.

Then, as mysteriously as it arrived, it vanished. Its image fading back into the now pale blue of space. The stars that made up its outline, in their original position. It’s retreat from our world meant that it was back to normal, and in perfect synchronisation, the temperature dropped to just above zero, the wind blew at our backs and the once static waves drenched us in salty seawater.

Needless to say we both screamed out in discomfort, then looking at each other deep in the eyes, we embraced. I hugged her tighter than I had ever before, never in my life had I felt as close to someone as I did in that moment and I could tell she felt the same way. We swiftly then ran back to my cottage to warm up. After a nice warm and soapy shower, a fresh change of clothes (her having to borrow some shorts and a hoodie) she joined me on the couch, where we first saw the big fish, only a few hours ago.

 We sat in the conservatory, in silence for the most part. My tomato plants blew in the wind, gently tapping against the glass of the doors. Bean now sitting, curled up between us. Purring softly as I patted her silvery fur. Clio eventually spoke.

“Y’know, no one is gonna believe us” she said, in a solemn tone.

“No” I sighed, while shaking my head.

“Then why should we tell them” she exclaimed. “They’d think we were insane”. I acknowledged her sense; everyone, anyone we told, would think we were mad.

“I just don’t get why” I interjected, to which she looked puzzled “Why did that happen to us, what does it mean?”

“Does it have to mean anything?” I couldn’t help but furrow my brow, not being content with her answer “Look” she began again “When you see a sunset, a deer in the wild or you’re caught in the middle of a thunderstorm, do you ask why?” She paused, looking at me “No, you just enjoy them for what they are. Beautiful acts of nature.”

“But what we saw, Clio. It was Impossible. It shouldn’t have happened. It defies all the laws of physics that we know.”

“So?” she said, shrugging, casually as ever.

“So, don’t you want to know how all of that was possible?”

“Of course, I do, but even if I did, it wouldn’t make what just happen any more meaningful. In fact I think it would detract from the whole thing.” She could tell I was confused, which only made her smile, sit right next to me and take my hand in hers “When you see a magic trick, when you see a magician pick the card you were think of from thin air, what’s the best bit about it?” She said, looking right at me, with her wild green eyes. I thought about it for a few seconds.

“The trick” she smiled even wider “The mystery of it all and the trying to work it out.”

“And if you knew how it was done?” she continued

“It would ruin it.”

“Exactly.” I finally got what she meant and appreciated our night-time visitor all the more. I put my arm around her, pulling her into another hug. Gently kissing her on the side of her head.

 Things aren’t beautiful because we understand them or know when they’re going to happen. It’s the fleeting mystery and spontaneous nature of it all that truly makes it exciting. The late-night conversations, when you can’t stop dancing with your pals, warm hot chocolate, a cat’s affection, silly photos with funny faces and stargazing with your best friend. Its moments like these that make you really appreciate the wonderfully weird gift of life.

[space-helen]

Fire and Ice

Words: 1276

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

A/N: Ok long time no see! It’s been like 3 months since I last wrote/posted any writing and I’m so sorry. I’m kinda out of practice but at least this is something? I hope you enjoy.

Request: Hi again!😋Can I request a Bucky one-shot, where Reader is Peggy's older sister, and Bucky and her are in love with each other? Their fate is tragic as they both end up in Hydra's hands and turned into emotionless lethal assassins(i.e. The Winter and Summer Soldier). As a former engineer, Reader's tech skills become even more enhanced(i.e. she's able to fix any tech given and hack into anything)+she gains some additional Wanda/Carol-like powers. Bucky's bond with R is the strongest he's ever had - @witch-of-letters

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“You’re so pretty when you concentrate” Bucky’s voice came from beside you as you loaded your gun, usually you didn’t go with everyone but this time you were tagging along as you had engineering knowledge that would be useful.

“Like you haven’t told me that before?” you laughed “I really don’t think this is the time for flirting Buck.”

“Oh? So I’m not allowed to flirt with the prettiest girl around even if she is my girlfriend now am I?” he gazed down at your lips as you smiled. Leaning in he pressed a kiss to them.

“This is highly unprofessional,” you said quirking your eyebrow.

“Shoulda thought about that before agreeing to date me.” The smile on your face faltered as you thought about the mission ahead of the both of you. “What’s wrong doll?”  He gently placed his pointer finger and thumb under your chin and brought your gaze to his.

“I tried calling Peggy earlier but she was too busy. I’m scared, I have a funny feeling about this one. I just wanted to talk to my sister.”

“Hey, you know as much as I do about how busy she is right now. I tried contacting Steve a while ago and still haven’t heard anything back. I don’t even know where that kid is right now. Hopefully in one piece somewhere. She’ll be ok, we’ll be ok?” he took your hand “You ready to go?”

“Yeah” you nodded and sucked the air in through your nose. Leaning forward he placed a kiss to your forehead and led you out of the tent.

Azzano did not go as expected. You had quickly realised how unfortunately outgunned you were and you had no reinforcements but you still fought regardless. A second German unit had arrived and you knew you’d lost but hope stemmed through you when the second unit turned on the first. Shocked you quickly hid with the rest of your unit and came out to look over the empty battlefield. That’s when the tank turned on you, looking towards Bucky you raised your hands in surrender and he followed and soon the rest of the unit did too.

You’d been captured by an organisation called Hydra. Stuffed into a small van and then forced to work on weapons. However, this didn’t last long for you. 

Hydra were extremely interested in you being the only woman with the unit and seemed to have an impeccable knowledge of the equipment they were giving you to repair, they took even more interested when you fought back to a high standard, managing to take out many hydra agents before finally being thrown in a cell. You had no idea how long you were in there, the minutes, hours, even possibly days merging into one. Lying in the corner of the room guards heckled you as they passed but none dared enter your cell. 

“Y/N?” broke you out of your trance. “Y/N!” the voice seemed to be getting closer. Dragging yourself to your feet you ran towards the bars of your cell “Bucky!” you practically cried seeing him rounding the corner at the end of the corridor. Shoving your arm through the bars you reached for the man he skidded to a halt in front of your cell and immediately took your hand, placing a kiss on it before putting it against his cheek very much in a dazed state himself. 

Not long after Bucky stopped next to your cell Steve joined him “I guess you’re Y/N” Steve broke down the door and you were free to join the men on their quest.

All you could hear and feel were explosions, the heat from the fire prickling your skin. Running with Steve and Bucky the three of you came to a stop on a bridge. Looking up you saw none other than Schmidt on the opposite side of the bridge. You braced yourself on the railings and to catch your breath, taking in the scene in front of you. Steve threw a punch as Schmidt and you peered sideways at Bucky, concern in his eyes for Steve but he was helpless, whatever they’d done to him had really taken a toll. You heard the bang of a fist coming into contact with Steve’s shield, whipping your head up you saw steve dive backwards as another punch was thrown towards him. Running forward you jumped over Steve and kicked Schmidt back with all the power you could. As he fell backwards you did the same, hitting your head on the bridge, the pain erupted through your skull and that’s when you felt the bridge shift underneath you. Pulling yourself forward you held onto the railing as you peered backwards. Steve was getting to his feet, Bucky gazing over his shoulder his blue eyes looked into yours, deep with concern. That’s when you realised the bridge was moving apart and you were sat right on the edge. Turning quickly you saw Schmidt get to his feet you went to stand but just before you could he pushed you, you tumbled over the edge into the flames below, the last thing you heard was Bucky’s heartbreaking screams of your name before everything went hazy and dark. The Summer Soldier. That was your name now, when you asked the reasoning they told you it was because you were born in fire and your colleague, or fellow assassin, was born in ice. You’d often be sent out with Bucky but you both didn’t recognize each other, you just did your tasks as you were told and suffered together. But somehow that suffering made you remember more. You remembered snippets of your past life on occasion. Snippets from before you’d assist the Winter Soldier killing people on the daily. You’d often go with him as back up and to deal with any technical problems that would arise such as overriding sealed doors and security cameras and breaking into secure databases. And now you were sat in this small chamber waiting. They’d shoved you in here and locked you in after hearing the news that the Winter Soldier had escaped. You’d never let on that you remembered, you even thought you remembered more than Bucky had but Bucky showed it more. Wakanda. In your wildest dreams, you didn’t think you’d be here. It had been a long time since Bucky and you had been on the run from Hydra after he broke you out. It was a shock to see Steve to say the least. He helped you get to Wakanda and get the treatment both you and Bucky needed and here you were, both together living in a little hut on a goat farm. Living the peaceful life that you both wanted since the war. Sure you’d had the treatment and were better but you still both had nightmares. Nonetheless, you both had each other and each day you sit and go over your memories together. Bucky joined you sitting on the grass overlooking the lake, the sunset now casting you both in silhouette. He wrapped his arm around you and you leant into his side and he leaned into you. He placed a kiss to the top of your head. You looked up at him and brushed one of his stray strands of hair behind his ear, he smiled and you stretched your neck to place a kiss on his lips. The two of you sat there and watched the sun go down and the stars appear in the sky. Utter peace and tranquillity filled you both and you knew you’d always be safe and at home with each other.

Tag List: (Open)

Bucky:

Marvel (all):

[golbrocklovely]

the chosen daughter // colby brock - chapter one

A/N: READ FIRST!! AHH IT’S FINALLY HERE :) I’m so exicted for yall to read this story. I haven’t written a vampire story in a long time, so hopefully this goes well. That being said, it is similar to the one shot it is based off of, HOWEVER, you need to read this chapter. Things aren’t all the same from the one shot, so please read this otherwise you will be confused. I know it’s long, but that’s because there is a lot of backstory to give first. I’m posting the next chapter tomorrow and then I will be posting once a week. All right, without further ado, here’s The Chosen Daughter ;)

story description

taglist: @far-to-many-bands , @idfk-tbh-oops

trigger warning: backstory (but necessary), cursing, mentions of blood/fighting, mentions of sexual assault, death

word count: 3260

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED TO THE TAGLIST :)

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

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought vampires would be real. Yet, here we are: 2019. The year of the blood sucker. Everywhere you turn, vampires were to be seen.

I relaxed back against my couch, watching the news while I ate breakfast.

A news anchor appeared on screen, a graphic next to them reading ‘Vamp News’. “Today’s top story involves another vampire killing. Last night, outside of the popular club Bloody, two vampires murdered a young female. Police have not released the name of the victim. Eyewitnesses say that the two vampires in question had been harassing the girl during the night. Police ask that if you know these two vampires, to please call in at the number on your screen and if you see them in public, call the authorities immediately.”

Two blurry images from a surveillance camera came on screen, showing the vampires in question.

“How the fuck is anybody gonna know who those two are?” I mumbled out loud, taking another bite of cereal.

I sighed, changing the channel. I hated hearing vampire killings first thing in the morning.

My whole life, as of recent, revolved around vampires. And I guess, a lot of other peoples did too now.

I stood up and walked to my kitchen, dropping my bowl into the sink. I glanced around my apartment.

Empty… very empty.

I’ve always enjoyed being alone. I’ve been alone my whole life. I was born into foster care, my parents dying right after my birth. The only thing I had left to remind me of them was a crystal necklace that I never took off. After bouncing around from family to family, I never got to settle down. When I turned eighteen, I was able to get away and move to Los Angeles. Now I live here in my own little apartment, working at a vampire bar called Vampiro.

Growing up, I was interested in the supernatural. I always liked the idea of vampires existing.

‘Be careful what you wish for’ was a bit of an understatement for me.

When I was in eighth grade, vampires came out to the public. It was… weird to say the least. At first, people didn’t believe they existed – chalking it up to some strange, elaborate prank. But it became apparent very soon that vampires were real. There was a lot of violence, but it calmed down after a while. A good number of ‘powerful’ vampires (celebrities, politicians… you get the gist) came out with a PSA letting everyone know that vamps were harmless, only wanting to be treated just like humans.

They were tired of hiding and wanted to be out and proud.

It took until now for things to feel normal, almost as if vampires always did exist in our culture. However, there was still animosity towards vamps. Some states, especially in the more ‘religious’ areas, hated vampires. They believed they were demons, dressed in the bodies of humans. But that wasn’t the case. But nonetheless, these states didn’t want them, so they banned almost all vampires. Because of this, other states took this as an opportunity to be the sanctuary for these tossed out vamps.

Enter stage left… California. In particular, Los Angeles.

LA was the hub for all things vampy. It was almost the vampire capital of the world. We had sections, stores, bars just dedicated to vampires and the tourism it brought here.

The bar I worked at, Vampiro, was a non-exclusionary vampire bar. Vampires and humans could mingle as they pleased, and no one minded. However, we weren’t the most popular out of all the clubs and bars. Because of this, our human-to-vampire ratio was a bit slacking.

But Bloody, the most prominent and well-known, catered heavy towards tourists and vacationers who wanted a ‘vampire experience’. It was extremely hard to get into, mostly because it was packed every night.

Another famous club, The Trapp Haus, was a ‘vampire only’ place. One night a month they would have a human and vampire night. Those were the nights our bar had its lowest patrons.

I had never planned to work in a bar that’s mostly filled with vampires. But it was one of the only places that would hire me. Originally, I was hired because I was human, which would attract more vampires. My best friend and coworker Ronnie and I were the only two humans in the whole place. I had planned to only stay at this bar for a bit, get enough money to be alright, and then find a better paying job.

But because of this place, I was able to learn something about myself.

One of the reasons I was never able to stay at a foster home for too long was because I was deemed ‘special’. When I look at vampires, I can see an aura around them. It’s always in a different color, and this color depends on the vampire’s power and how they use it.

Oh yeah… vampires have powers.

Vampires’ powers ranged all over the place: from the scariest (mind control), to the least frightening (super hearing). Depending on how old the vampire was, their power could be extremely strong or barely noticeable. This is why certain states believed vampires were demons. No one knew what powers a vampire had or how strong they were unless they told you. And none of them really ever did.

I was able to tell though.

When a vampire would use their power, an aura appeared around them. Every vampire had a different aura, even if they had the same power as another vampire. Their aura was based off them and how they used their ability.

Because I would see these auras, but didn’t know vampires existed, I thought I was crazy.

And so did my foster parents.

Years later, this all makes sense. But as an extra added bonus to me being able to see these auras is that vampire powers don’t affect me. Vampire powers work on everyone, except vampires. And me.

I’ve never told anyone this. Mostly because I don’t have anyone to tell. But also, because it would be too dangerous for me. I try not to let vampires know, but that can be hard when you work at a bar that vampires frequent at.

I get by… but I feel like that’s gonna change soon.

~ \/ \/ ~

“Jade, you’re late again.” Roger, my boss, berated me.

I groaned. “I’m sorry. I tried getting here early, but traffic getting into the city is crazy. The Trapp Haus must be having human night early.”

“Didn’t you hear?” Roger raised his eyebrows. “They’re changing it to two nights a month.”

“Cool… so I’m gonna be late twice a month.” I smirked.

He sighed. “Why did I hire you?”

“Because her blood smells good… apparently.” Ronnie chimed in, walking behind the bar with a tray of empty glasses.

“Veronica! Did you get to table two yet?” Roger asked.

She shook her head. “I thought Jade could get them.”

“Jade’s mending the bar while I go take a break. Go on now.” Roger stated, waving his hand and heading into the back of the bar.

Ronnie rolled her eyes. “I swear if he wasn’t a vampire, I would fist fight him.”

I laughed. “Even as one, I might still.”

She chuckled, grabbed her notepad, and walked over to table two.

The night slowly became a blur. Hours passed. I bartended while Ronnie waitressed, and when the night began to slow down, three vampires strolled in.

You could tell they were vamps. They had a certain confidence that only immortal beings could have. They were all dressed nicely, a little too nice for a bar. Each had different hair colors; black, brunette, and blonde. Blondie and Brownie went to a table, while the black haired one walked up to the bar.

I wiped down the counter as he called to me. “Yo! Can I get ten shots of jäger? And a pint of blood? B positive?”

“Of course. Since you asked so kindly…” I replied, a tight-lipped smile falling to my face.

I typed in the drinks at the register. Looking up at him, he waved his card at me, smiling with his fangs out. I swiped his card, glancing at his name for a second.

Cyrus Gladstone… interesting.

I handed it back to him with a nod as he went back to his friends.

Grabbing the jäger bottle, I poured out the shots. Going to our mini-fridge, I pulled out a bag of blood and emptied it into a cup. Placing everything on a tray, I glanced around for Ronnie. She was over with another set of patrons, talking and getting orders. I shrugged, picking up the tray and walking over to the vampires.

I set the tray down, sliding all the drinks onto the table. “Ten shots jäger, one pint B positive for Cyrus and co.”

“You know his name? She must have feelings for you.” The blonde haired one joked.

“Right... Anything else I can get you guys?” I questioned, my hands resting on my hips.

“Why don’t you relax, get to know us a little better? My name is Jasper.” Blondie smiled innocently.

“Lovely. Unless you guys need anything, I kinda need to go back to the bar.” I stated.

Blondie lightly grabbed my wrist. “You know, I’m not really into B positive. What blood type are you? You smell like O positive, maybe AB?”

“My blood type is actually super rare. You might have heard of it? It’s F.U.” I deadpanned.

He stood up quickly, gripping my arm tightly as I tried to pull away. “I think you should be a bit nicer to me. I am a paying customer.”

“I’m pretty sure Cyrus is the one that paid. Also, get your hands off me.” I grunted, glaring up at him.

“Why don’t you say that looking into my eyes, sweetheart?” He hissed, pulling me into him, making me stare into his eyes.

The way vampire powers work is first, the vampire must make you look into their eyes. It draws you in, making whatever power they have connect to you immediately.

I could see his pupils dilate and shrink. Suddenly, a deep purple aura appeared around him. It ended at his fingertips, where he was touching me.

In a split second I could tell what he was trying to do to me, an almost vision-like image came to my mind. He was manipulating me, trying to make me feel sexual feelings for him.

“I think you’re feeling apologetic for being a bitch to me. Maybe you want to say sorry to me by giving me just a bit of your blood. And of course, sex.” He whispered. He nodded his head to the rest of the boys at the table. “I think we could all have a turn. Don’t you agree?”

Oh my God, what an absolute douche.

In most situations like these, I would just go along with what the vampire wanted. I didn’t want anyone to know about my powers, but this was too fucking far.

Fuck hiding it.

I smiled, still staring into his eyes. “I... can’t do that for you. Besides, if I say I’m sorry, that would make both of us idiots.” I ripped my arm away from him and took a couple steps back.

His mouth was slightly gaped for a moment. He hid his surprise, immediately glaring at me.

I sneered. “Do anything like that again and I’ll call the cops on you. And let me tell you, they ain’t as nice as me.”

I rolled my eyes and walked back to the bar. I could hear the vamps whispering to each other as I got back to work.

“What was that over there?” Ronnie nudged me as she strolled behind the bar.

I shook my head. “Nothing. Just a couple vamps being dicks to me once again. I think I attract them like a magnet.”

“Sucks to be you.” Ronnie joked.

“That’s not a lie.” I mumbled, starting a new cocktail order.

~ \/ \/ ~

“Night, Ronnie! See ya later!” I yelled, exiting the back door of the bar. Ronnie waved as she walked to her ride, getting in and leaving.

I sauntered towards the employee parking lot, where my car was parked.

A chill ran up my spine. The air wasn’t cold; August in California never reached a temperature below 70. I could feel goosebumps rise all over my skin. I could feel eyes on me.

Suddenly, a gush of wind flew past me. And then another. Another. Another. I looked in every direction hastily.

What the fuck is that?

I ran to my car, keys in hand ready to unlock it. Right as I was opening the car door, it slammed shut, a hand pressing it closed. I was then spun around and pressed against my backseat side door.

“Hello bartender. We meet again.” Blondie smiled, holding me against my car.

“What the fuck do you want?” I snapped, trying to shove his hands off me.

He pushed me harder into the car. I could feel the handle press harder into my lower back, causing me to wince. “I want to know how you did it.”

“Did what? Make such a fine cocktail?” I jeered.

“How did you ignore my power?” He insisted, getting close to my face. “I can make anyone want me with just a single touch. Except you…”

“Guess I’m lucky. What type of asshole has to use his powers to get girls to fuck him? Must be small, huh.” I hissed.

He chuckled darkly. “Saying shit like that really isn’t gonna keep me from getting what I want…”

His hands tightened their hold on my waist. I started punching his chest, trying to shove him away. He just kept grinning down at me, not a single hit phasing him.

“Let her go.”

My movements stopped as Blondie turned around to the deep voice that spoke.

The man stood a few yards back. His body was relaxed, but his face was tense. He was dressed in all black; a fitted tee, ripped jeans, and vans. His hair fell over his forehead and almost covered his eyes. The front of his hair was an icy blue, almost matching his eye color.

He was beautiful.

“Who the fuck are you?” Blondie demanded.

The figure shrugged. “I don’t think that matters. Just let her go and there won’t be any problems.”

Blondie laughed. “Is she your bitch or something?”

“Fuck you.” I fumed.

He turned back to me. The smirk on his face fell. “You know, that is the exact reason why you’re in this predicament.” He opened his mouth and showed his razor-sharp fangs at me. “But you know what? I’ll do one better.”

Blondie grabbed my face, twisting it to the side and slammed his fangs into my neck. I screamed out in pain, feeling his teeth sink into my skin. But before he could drink from me, his mouth was yanked away.

The dark figure had grabbed Blondie and ripped him away from me. They began to fight. The dark figure threw punch after punch, blocking all of Blondie’s moves. Blondie might have been fast, but the dark figure was faster. Stronger.

The dark figure wrapped his hands around Blondie’s neck and snapped it, the loud crack echoing through the lot. Blondie’s body fell to the ground with a loud thud. Then, the dark figure pulled a stake out and slammed it into Blondie’s heart.

My eyes met the dark figure’s. I could feel myself get lost in them, almost like he had me entranced. I pulled myself away suddenly, pressing my body against the car, shaking.

His presence was suddenly behind me. I was turned around abruptly, the dark figure now directly in front of me. His hands rested exactly were Blondie’s had been. The gentle touch of him was surprising, given his overall demeanor. I glanced down at his hands. He noticed and pulled them away softly.

“Are you hurt?” He asked calmly, staring at my neck wound.

I placed a hand over my bite. “No. I… just like to casually bleed from my neck.”

He raised an eyebrow at me, smirking. “You don’t gotta be a smart ass. I did just save your life.”

“I had it under control.” I groaned, running my other hand through my hair.

“Right. My bad.” He chuckled, taking a step back. “So, being cornered up against your car was part of the plan?”

I rolled my eyes at him, not saying a word.

“What was his problem anyway? What did you do?” He inquired.

“Why do you assume I did something?! Motherfucker tried to assault me and I’m the one to blame?! On the news, there’s a new vamp attack every night. I highly doubt they’re all to blame too.” I argued.

He smiled lightly. “And they’re just the ones they tell you about.”

“How would you know?” I stared at him for a moment.

He cocked his head to the side. “Do you really think a human could have taken down that vampire?”

“…You’re a vampire?” I responded, leaning back from him.

I could see his fangs stick out while he talked. “Don’t I look it?”

“Without the fangs, I would just assume you’re emo.” I shrugged.

He bit his lip, hiding a smile. “You know, you’re not the first person to say that to me.”

“It’s because you look like you work at Hot Topic.” I smirked. “Who are you anyway?”

“I’m… X. What’s your name?” He stuck his hand out.

I shook his hand politely, our eyes meeting. “Jade.”  

A blue aura appeared the moment our hands touched. He stared at me for a moment, but suddenly his eyes widen. I tried to pull my hand away, but he held onto it.

“What the fuck?” He whispered, staring at me. The aura intensified in color.

“What?” I gasped, trying to yank my hand away.

X stepped closer to me, his eyes bore into mine. “How can I not see into you?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I exclaimed.

He ripped his hand away, the blue aura evaporating. “I’m able to read people. I can see their whole life by a single touch. How can I not see yours?”

“…Let’s just say I’m immune.” I answered.

X stepped back, stunned. “That’s impossible.”

I shook my head. “Not in my world.”

He backed away for a moment. “That’s why he was attacking you.”

“Not the only reason… I may have also said his dick was small which is why he had to use his powers.” I mumbled.

A light breath left X’s mouth as he shook his head. "Um... I have to leave now. As long as you're safe..."

"Yeah, I'm fine.” I bit my lip nervously, “Thank you, X... for saving me."

He nodded his head slightly, and then within the blink of an eye, he was gone. And so was the body of Blondie.

I sighed, finally somewhat relaxed as I realized I was alone. As I went to get in my car, I saw a white piece of paper on the ground, something that wasn't there until X had disappeared.

I reached for it, picking it up and looking at it. Scribbled on it was a phone number and a name of some sort.

 XPLR Services

(555-0157)

 “What the hell is this even for?” I wondered, gazing around at the empty parking lot.

CHAPTER 2 >>

[sweetness47]

BAKING TOGETHER

Pairings: Dean x reader, Sam x reader, Dean x Cas, Sam x reader x Dean x Cas

@spndeanbingo​ – Castiel

@spngenrebingo​ – friends to lovers

@spnkinkbingo​ – face fucking

@samwinchesterbingo​ – Bakery owner! Sam

@teamfreewillbingo​ – Bakery AU

@castielspnbingo​ – Room mates

@deanandsambingo​ - fluff

WARNINGS!!! 18+ READERS ONLY!! MATURE CONTENT!!!! Fluff, smut, anal penetration, vaginal penetration, fingering, oral, language

Final word count: 2708

Sam stood proudly as he surveyed the new sign going up. “Fresh Baked & Awesome” was going to be the best café/bakery this town had ever seen. And his would be the first bakery in the small settlement, so it was potentially going to be a huge deal. He’d already sent out coupons and flyers for opening day specials. People had already been coming by to see if it was open for business.

“Looks great Sammy.” Dean commented from behind. Sam turned to his older brother. Dean had a huge grin. “Nervous?”

“Ha, never. You?”

“Nope.”

While the two brothers and their friends had pooled together to get this bakery open, it was originally Sam’s idea, which made Sam manager by default. No one could deny the natural ability to lead and delegate chores and jobs. Sam just had a way with people in general.

YN was inside putting the finishing touches on the kitchen organization. She had labeled absolutely everything, and made sure the health inspectors found nothing but a clean, well maintained cooking area. All her ingredients and storage were pristine both in capability and in cleanliness. Fridge and freezer met the same criteria. Everyone had aprons and hair nets, including the guys. YN, being the head baker, would spend the majority of her time in the back, baking and decorating, but would also tend the front if needed.

Dean and Castiel would be the main front counter personnel. They were in charge of the tills, the coffee machines, soda fountain machines, and the display area. If something needed to be restocked, or if they were out completely, they were to notify YN, who would have frozen, ready to bake items standing ready to pull.

The menu board, a chalkboard style with colorful displays, was ready, listing prices for muffins, pastries, cakes, cookies, special order cakes, coffee (regular and specialty), cannoli, tarts, pies, soft drinks, cinnamon rolls, breads, and macarons.

The four friends had each pledged one menu item as their specialty, they were all fantastic cooks, and prided themselves on their work. Sam’s addition was the tarts, he loved all kinds, especially lemon. Castiel was a natural with macarons, no one knew how he did it really, but damn, they were amazing. Dean, of course, was the pie master, as he dubbed himself, having been a fanatic of the round dessert for what seemed like ever. YN, although good at everything on the menu, had a particular fondness for cookies, and had already begun baking batches for the morning.

The bakery would be open daily from 7am to 9pm. Tomorrow morning would be day 1. The four friends called it a night around 11pm, knowing they would have to be here early for baking. The boys would be helping bake the first day, so everyone was to show up at 5am.

The floor above the bakery served as the living quarters for the four friends. There were four separate bedrooms, and a shared living/dining space. The renovations for the entire building took 6 months to complete, the friends doing most of the work themselves, and with some quality equipment from Bobby’s Business Equipment, and some occasional volunteer help from Dean and Sam’s Dad. They worked hard, making sure the entire building was the very definition of perfection, every crevice, every nook, every cupboard.

Dean couldn’t sleep, wandering into YN’s room as he sometimes did, seeking the one thing that would help him sleep, mind-blowing sex. It was a friends with benefits thing. Sometimes Sam sought the same solace, but he wasn’t the restless one tonight. Dean removed his clothes, crawling in to join YN, who began removing her tank and shorts when she heard him enter. His mouth found hers as he moved his body to cover hers, kneeing her legs apart and sliding his cock into the warm, wet heat.

The alarm rang at 4:00am, and the four friends dragged their asses to the showers. There were two showers, so they took turns, sometimes Sam or Dean would join YN to save time. This morning, YN snuck in to join Sam, who had somehow managed to beat her to her favorite bathroom. He grinned as she stepped into the shower behind him, and he turned to her, pushing her against the wall in a heated exchange of need. She didn’t mind being their fuck buddy, and neither of the brothers minded that she was one to both of them.

Cas was the last to shower and dress, Dean having beaten him to the other shower. YN went down to start prep for the baking, turning on the ovens, making a list of all the goodies that would need to be out by opening, including the croissants, bagels and the cinnamon rolls. The coffee machines were turned on and warming up as well. Dean prepped the till before joining the others in the back, and set to work on the pies. Today’s opening day specials were cherry, apple and blueberry. All the ingredients were homemade, even the fillings. Sam worked on getting muffins ready, focussing on carrot, blueberry, chocolate chip and banana, and raisin bran. Castiel worked on cinnamon rolls, then moved to macarons. YN, being YN, baked cookies, then cakes to decorate later.

Half an hour before opening, the whole building smelled wonderful, the mixture of baked goods providing a tantalizing aroma for the 7 am opening. Crowds had already formed outside, lining up to check out the new bakery. When the door was officially unlocked at 7:00 am on the dot, the display counter sported all sorts of fresh goods, assorted bagel flavors, croissants, muffins, donuts, cinnamon buns, some still warm, and all mouth-watering. Coffee had been made, and the tills were busy right from the first moment.

Sam and YN both helped with front counter, getting orders ready while Cas and Dean took orders and payment. By the end of the first hour, YN had to go to the back to bake more goods. The dozens the four friends had made in the morning were almost depleted. The biggest surprises were the amounts of cookies that were being bought this early, and the cake orders.

By the end of the first day, after expenses, the bakery had pulled a huge profit, more than they’d originally estimated. Word spread like wildfire to neighbouring towns, and business was booming by the end of the first week.

Four exhausted friends sat at one of the tables after closing Saturday night, and toasted their success. Sam stood, beer in hand, “To the best opening week ever. None of us could have predicted the business succeeding our wildest expectations. To the three of you, without whom I would never have been able to pull this off.”

YN, Dean and Cas stood, each sporting beers as well. “We want to toast you Sam, without your vision and leadership, this would never have become reality.”

Sam blushed. “To us.”

“To us!” the four friends cheered together, clinking bottles and chugging back a swallow. They finished cleaning up and went upstairs.

Sam followed YN to her room, closing the door behind him. He had spent the night there since opening day, and while she didn’t mind, she was beginning to wonder why the sudden change.

“YN? Can we talk?” It was as if he’d read her mind. She turned to him, and gestured to the bed so they could sit. “I want to thank you for putting in all the extra hours in the kitchen, first of all. I know you’ve been getting up super early to put extra ready-to-bake goods in the freezer so we don’t run out.”

YN shook her head. “I’m the head baker, it’s kinda my job. You don’t have to thank me.”

Sam didn’t let her finish. “I love you.”

YN felt her jaw hit the floor. She wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly. “What?”

He moved closer to cup her face in his hands, then he pulled her close to place a soft kiss on her lips. “I love you YN.” He saw the hesitation and mild confusion in her eyes. “I don’t know when the feelings changed. But watching you this week, every time you smile, every time you greet me or Dean or Cas, every time you talk to a customer, every thing you do, you do it with a grace and gentleness I can only dream about. Your laugh is infectious and your eyes are like bright emeralds. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else.”

Her heart leapt to her throat, and her stomach did flip flops. Fuck! And even more surprising was her response to his words. She realized she felt the same way. “I love you to Sammy.”

He brought their lips together once more, but it was different this time, it wasn’t a friends with benefits thing anymore. His touch, his entire demeanor, changed. He pulled back to dig into his back pocket. “I want you to marry me, be my wife, my partner, and my life.” He opened a small velvet box, revealing to her a stunning, vibrant, diamond ring with garnets accenting the center stone, and set on a 24 karat rose gold band.

Tears pooled in her eyes. “Yes.” She said as she extended her hand so he could place the ring on it. He lowered her to the bed, and they made love that night.

~~

Cas was super happy for the couple when they announced the news the next morning. Dean was happy too, although he sported a hint of jealousy. Cas watched his friend smile and congratulate his brother, but also saw the sadness behind the joy. His heart ached. Cas had a major crush on Dean, but had never told anyone. He knew Dean didn’t see him like that, or he assumed it, since Dean was known to seek the company of females, even YN.

Two days after Sam and YN had announced their engagement, Cas asked Dean to go for a drink with him. At the bar, they sat and talked, laughed, and it felt good to see Dean smiling again by the end of the evening. They walked home and hugged before going to their separate rooms.

After a week and a half of just drinks, Cas asked Dean to have dinner with him. Dean didn’t think much of it, but he was happy to spend more time with Cas. He loved the easy going nature Cas displayed, his ability to take any situation and turn it into joy and laughter. Dean also was in love with his beautiful blue eyes, the ones that shined like sapphires under the moonlight.

Dean was in love with Cas, and had no idea.

The restaurant had a special candle lit table prepared for the two men as they entered. A bottle of fruity red wine sat in a bucket of ice. Dinner was already ordered and was served shortly after arriving. Dean hummed in appreciation at the perfect rare steak with mashed potatoes, gravy, and mixed vegetables. The waiter poured the wine, which complimented the meal perfectly. Dean and Cas both stole glances at the other, neither sure if they wanted to make the first move at conversation.

Finally, it was Dean who spoke, although the dinner had been Cas’s idea. “This was a beautiful surprise Cas. I loved it.” He paused, biting the inside of his cheek. He’d never said this before to another man, so the whole experience was very new to him. “And I’m falling in love with you.”

Cas simply stared at Dean, speechless. It took all of two seconds for Cas to leap off the chair and pull Dean up so he could claim his lips. Dean responded, his arms wrapping around Cas, pulling him closer. Cas whispered in Dean’s ear. “Home, now!”

They threw money on the table for the waiter, who was smiling at the romantic scene before him, and couldn’t get home fast enough. The two stumbled on the stairs, kissing and fighting to get each other’s coats off. They went to the shower first, stripping down and getting under the steamy spray. Dean knelt down and stroked Cas’s length, already hard from their kissing, and took him in his mouth. Cas groaned at the sensations that washed over him, grabbing Dean’s hair and fucking his perfect mouth. “Dean!” he cried, shooting cum down his throat. Dean swallowed, licking off the excess and then coming to kiss Cas. They finished in the shower, drying off at super speed, eager to get to the bedroom.

Cas’s room was closest, so they stopped there, Cas pushing Dean to the bed. “Fuck me.” He ordered.

Dean made a noise that sounded like a whimper, scrambling to obey his lover. He pushed Cas to the mattress, found a jar of lube on the bedside table, and generously greased both his aching cock, and Cas’s tight sphincter. Then he was pushing in, both men growling at the pain and pleasure as it mixed, swirled in them, then Dean bottomed out and the lovers sighed. Bliss was the best word they could think of for the whirlwind of new sensations that was overwhelming them.

Dean pulled back and went in again, pushing the other man further into the soft bed. “Harder!” Cas exclaimed. Dean grabbed his hips then, and began to fuck him faster, pounding into the tight ass hole with lustful need. Dean’s cries echoed off the walls as he came inside Cas, semen pouring out from the hole as it pumped into him.

Cas went and grabbed a cloth, washing Dean off thoroughly, then drying him off. Then he pushed Dean down to his knees. “Open your mouth again Dean.”

Dean eagerly complied, his mouth opening wide, ready to take Cas once more. He ran his tongue along the impressive length that was Cas, musk and salt and sweat mixing together as he grabbed his hips to steady himself. Cas grabbed fistfuls of hair, making sure Dean didn’t go anywhere while he fucked his mouth. He pounded hard, thrusting in as far as he could, Dean struggling to take it without gagging.

Cas felt powerful as he made Dean his bitch, fucking his face and making him swallow every single drop. Dean had no complaints. He loved Cas’s assertive nature, his dominance of him, the way he ordered him around the bedroom. Cas cried Dean’s name once more as he shot cum down his throat again, Dean making sure he took every single damn drop.

~~

One month after opening day, Cas and Dean announced their official status as a couple. Sam and YN hugged them both, thrilled they’d found each other. The restaurant itself had gotten so much attention, customers, and good press, that they decided to open a second bakery in the neighbouring town, 20 minutes away. Cas and Dean would manage the new location once built, and Sam and YN would stay to manage the other.

The first month had brought in enough revenue to pay back any loans they’d taken out, pay their salaries, and put down money for the new building. Even then there was still some left over. YN planned to make some extra frozen goods to get the second bakery up and running once it was finished. The boys worked day and night to get the new place up and running, even hiring some staff at both locations to help with customers.

The opening day of the second bakery/café, the four friends were there together, celebrating, John, Bobby, Charlie, Ellen, Jo, Garth, all their friends came as well. Loud cheers erupted from the large group when YN took off her coat to reveal a new tee shirt, sporting the following: FRESH BAKING IN THE OVEN. The would-be parents received numerous congrats and hugs. Life just didn’t get any better.

@legion1993​

[canyonmoonlily]

| mixtape |

side 1, track 1:

Elderberry Wine | Elton John

It was always something.

Y/N could never enjoy herself for long. Between rapid fire texts from her (recovering) alcoholic mother and a splitting headache from all the crying she’d done reading them—the happiness she’d felt onstage with her band an hour ago had completely dissipated.

She stumbled her way back into the bar, her bandmates on opposite ends of the dimly lit room. It was not far from where they’d filmed a performance on the Jimmy Fallon show in New York City. A small, hole in the wall place filled with other celebrities. None who paid any mind to the now puffy-eyed girl reentering—except for the Scotsman who’d been sneaking glances at her all night.

Richard was promoting Marvel’s newest batch of superhero movies, the Eternals— a movie he’d been working for the better half of the year on. An interview with Fallon gave him the perfect opportunity to both visit one of his favorite cities and do his job. He was vaguely familiar with the small upstart of a band, The Strangers. He’d never really paid too much attention to the shifting music industry. He liked what he liked and that was that, he had no interest in trends.

When the three girls stepped out onto the stage he’d just finished his interview with Jimmy. He intended to make his way back to his dressing room—get an early start for the next morning but the opening notes of their song caught his ear. One of the three was sat at the piano, a little blonde with a dazzling smile and a pixie-like air. Another taller brunette began singing and moving around the stage, so much so that he didn’t notice the third woman until she opened her mouth.

Dancing around in a little blue sundress on stage, the girl delivered the notes with the ease and grace of a seasoned performer, though she seemed rather young. Richard was in awe of her voice, the brightness of her big, blue eyes—and painfully aware of the little smirk playing on her full lips. The little sundress did nothing to hide the curves of her hips and exposed enough of her breasts to have any man looking for the nearest restroom. Her eyes met his from time to time throughout their set, he had to fight back grinning at her like an idiot. There was something so joyful about the little upstart of a band’s performance, a contagious energy. With her thick, waist length curls and big doe eyes Richard was certainly smitten. Maybe fate had let him land this interview for more than just a visit to New York City.

Y/N had been oblivious to Richard’s presence and his searing glances all night. The lights on Jimmy’s stage had been far too bright for her to see any of the audience or techies side stage. She could certainly hear them though. Now, however, she was consumed with troubling thoughts prompted by her mother, once again, blowing up on her. After about 20 minutes of fighting back tears outside, she had opted to just shut her phone off altogether—no use in feeding into her mother’s vicious mind games and manipulation. I’m 22 now, I gotta grow up and learn to live without her validation at some point, she grumbled internally.

She stomped over to the bar, ordering a little strawberry drink despite the voice in the back of her head warning her not to drown her sorrows in booze. Y/N was living out her wildest dreams with two of her best friends. She had no reason to still feel so alone.

Richard watched her enter the bar, drained of the energy he’d seen on stage. After shooting Taron a quick text of his location, Richard approached her with as much confidence as he could muster.

“You were amazing onstage, tonight,” came a raspy, Scottish accent to Y/N’s right. The dimly lit room combined with his deep rasp giving her goosebumps.

“Oh! Uh, thanks,” she turned smiling to—Richard Madden? Y/N had seen most of his work, but he was about 30x more beautiful in person. It was like seeing Robb Stark come back to life, the alcohol in her system and his closeness making her heart rate speed up. He returned her smile tenfold, his dimples and bright blue eyes dizzying.

“Uh—your, your voice,” Richard stuttered, losing himself in the moment, “it’s gorgeous. Couldn’t believe something so powerful came out of someone your size.” His awkward little chuckle was contagious, Y/N humming along.

“What? I don’t seem every powerful to you?” she deadpanned suddenly. Her blue eyes narrowed but Richard immediately caught on.

“Well, most of the five feet tall women I’ve encountered, even those with enormous, muscular physiques such as yours,” y/n chuckled at this, “don’t have vocal chords that powerful. You, ma’am, are a rare gem.”

Despite the playfulness of his comments, y/n had to suppress a blush. She wanted to pull him closer, his shoulders rather broad in person, his full lips screaming to meet her own. Had she not been drinking on an empty stomach she might have been alarmed at her sudden sexual thoughts. She opened her mouth to respond when his phone began ringing loudly. He glanced at the name, eyebrows furrowing.

“Hold on, i have to take this. My friend is terrible with directions,” he started before Y/N cut him off with a soft reassurance that she’d wait, in exchange for a drink. He beamed at her, a jovial glint in his blue eyes before making his way to the exit.

Y/n turned back in her seat, smiling like an idiot to herself. She was unsure whether it was the alcohol or Richard that to had this strange effect on her, turning her into a smiley, giggle-y mess. Probably his eyes, she thought. Or the accent.

Y/N continued sipping on her drink, looking around the bar for her bandmates, finding them in a booth over in the corner. She flipped Miranda off, the pixie like blonde sticking her tongue out before chugging another shot and immediately gagging. Y/N snorted, amateur.

All was well in the world until she felt a hand pulling on her from the left, a man’s breath in her ear.

“Hey, doll,” slurred what sounded like a drunk college frat boy in her ear. She yanked her arm from his grip and pushed him away, snarling.

“Back the fuck up, buddy. Not interested.” Y/N’s eyes and voice holding a venemous tone as she looked the assailant in the eyes. A shaggy looking blonde who was clearly out of his mind drunk.

He pouted. “Oh come on, baby. Lighten up a little.”

“You’ve got about 5 seconds before I start yelling.”

“Oh really?” The man drunkenly smirked, “didn’t peg you as a screamer.” He moved impossible closer, she could smell the vodka sodas on his breath and had to bite back the vomit.

“Okay. Nope. Not doing this.” She hopped down from the barstool, only getting a step in before he put his arms on either side of her, caging her against it.

“A little game of Cat and Mouse. I like it, baby.” He giggles. Stupid, entitled fucker.

“Woah—mind your personal space, mate,” came the angelic Scottish accent of her savior. Y/N hadn’t noticed him approaching. The drunk creep dropped his arms and turned to face Richard.

“You’re here with this pretty boy?” He slurred angrily, his head nodding in Richard’s direction. Sensing the aggressive undertones Richard stepped in between the two.

“Yes. She is.” Y/N didn’t say a word, enjoying her view from behind Richard—his jaw clenching, eyes narrowing. He glared at the drunk for a few seconds before turning away and back toward Y/N.

She smiled and let out a shy thanks.

“You know what? fuck you, slut!” was the last thing y/n heard from the creep before being soaked in wine. She hadn’t even noticed he’d been holding a drink and now, she was wearing it. Richard’s fist immediately connected with the bastard’s jaw. An audible crunch sounded and everyone around them stopped and gawked. Y/N just froze until she felt Richard’s hands around her waist, urging her towards the exit.

“Come on, let’s get ye out of here,” he murmured softly in her ear. She just nodded, stumbling out of the bar with him, leaving the injured drunk and the judgmental eyes of the other bar-goers.

The cool September air nipped at her skin and nearly froze her soaked form to the bone. Wearing a sundress at the start of fall in New York City? Y/N wasn’t sure if she’d made a brave or just plain stupid choice in attire.

After calling his driver, Richard shrugs off his denim jacket and wraps it around her shoulders, the wine had drenched the poor girl beside him. She looked up at him gratefully, a small smile playing upon her lips despite her condition.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she says quietly.

“Well I don’t want you to catch your death out here,” he smiled, eyes twinkling. His hair was styled up and he was almost clean shaven, a rare look for the Brit. Y/N couldn’t help her lingering stare, admiring the all black clothing he’d worn beneath the denim jacket. This man, this beautiful man she’d only just met had knocked the shit out of some guy over her.

“I was talking about what you did to that guy in the bar. You didn’t have to punch him,” she started, then smiled, “But I’m glad you did.”

“I didn’t scare you, did I?” Richard chuckled, reaching for her hand before he could stop himself.

She accepted it without hesitation, allowing his hand to envelop her much smaller one.

“I grew up with 4 younger brothers, I can’t tell you how many times we first fought,” Y/N snorts at the memories. “I think the last time we came to blows I was 16 and it was Christmas Eve.”

Richard laughs at the thought of her in a fight, she definitely didn’t look like type.

His driver pulls up in an all black Sudan, Richard opening the door to let Y/N in. She smiles gratefully and climbs in, telling the driver her address. Richard notices she sits in the center seat, hoping it’s because she wanted to be close to him. He couldn’t help the dull ache of longing in his chest every time a smile lit up her pretty face.

“Richard! Oh my god your hand,” Y/N gasps when she sees the bloodied flesh of his right hand after buckling himself in. That guy must’ve had a steel plate in his face.

“Oh,” Richard laughed as he looked down at it. He’d been so focused on Y/N he hadn’t felt the dull throb of his bloodied knuckles. Y/N grabbed the hand gently with her own, her eyebrows pushed together in concern.

As they arrived at her apartment building, she insisted Richard come inside to let her take care of his hand—not that he would’ve refused had she given him the chance to.

.....

“Okay, this is probably going to hurt,” she warned him as she grabbed the rubbing alcohol from beneath her sink. “But I’ve got something that should help with the pain.” A mischievous smile spread across her face as she pulled a bottle of Elderberry Wine from the fridge.

“Oh now it’s a party,” Richard laughed as Y/N poured each of them a glass. Though his laugh was cut short as she doused his first in the antiseptic.

“I’m so sorry, you’re probably going to hate me by the time we finish,” y/n winced as he groaned in pain, stopping to take a swig of the wine. “It’s going to be a long night.”

...

Even sat upon the counter in your kitchen, Richard towered over you. Both of you were beyond drunk at this point, though you weren’t sure if it was the alcohol or the heat of his body so close to yours that had your skin on fire. He was standing in between your legs, his head nuzzled in your neck as he wheezed through his laughter. You can’t even remember what you were both laughing about at this point.

Suddenly he stops, realizing he’d invaded your personal space and pulled back. You want to stop him but your thoughts are such a jumbled up mess that you can’t think of how to.

“You still have wine all over,” his brows furrowed, blue eyes flashing in concern and something else? His pointer finger grazing the skin along your chest that now seemed to be stained with the pervert at the bar’s wine. “It might stain.”

“It’s no matter, not like anyone will be seeing me naked anytime soon,” you shrugged nonchalantly. This caused Richards breath to hitch and your cheeks to burn at the admission.

“And...and why is that?”

“Uh,” a nervous chuckle leaves your throat, “not many people want to see me naked I guess.” You can’t meet his eyes anymore.

“Bold of you to assume I haven’t been fantasizing about seeing what’s beneath that little dress of yours since you stepped onto Jimmy’s stage tonight,” he slurred without a second thought.

“Richard!” You gasp, but suddenly filled with confidence.

“What? I was just being hone—“

“Kiss me.”

The man doesn’t need to be told twice, his lips meet yours with an unbridled passion. All you can feel is bliss and his hands desperately pulling you closer.

okay so the next part will contain some dom!richard smut. let me know if you’re enjoying it so far and if you want me to continue. I’m very new to writing and still learning. I have lots of exciting things planned for this au though. Thanks for reading!