#we don't celebrate Halloween here but it was fun to dress up

[thtfailedartist]

Rotoscoped picture of my John ward cosplay

Meant to post it on 31 October but didn't like how it looked so I altered it

[ziggyzolch]

Queen Bee-atch Ⅳ (Regina George x Reader)

Warnings: underage drinking, cursing, attempted assault

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Grass tickles your bare feet as you run around the field, picking pretty flowers and humming random tunes. Falling to the ground, you stare up at the sky. You turn your head to the sound of little footsteps approaching. A little kitten appears next to you on the ground and paws at your cheek, pressing harder and harder with each poke. How can something so tiny press so hard? The kitten opens its mouth, but instead of a meow, it lets out a, "Dude, wake up!"

You jump up in your bed, falling off and landing on your ass. Two voices laughing at you catch your attention. You look up and find Janis and Damien laughing their asses off, Cady standing behind them with her hands joined at her front, smiling. "What the hell, guys!" You stand up, rubbing your palm into your eyes, "What're you guys doing here?"

Janis adjusts your blanket as she takes a seat on your bed, "Cady told us what happened, we came to check on you." She says while pulling you down to sit next to her. "It's nothing, seriously." You roll your eyes at her. Cady joins in, "Look, there's a Halloween party tonight, you should come with!" Your groan is interrupted by Damien, "Girl, you look horrible. It'd be good for you to go out and get your mind off of things. If anything happens, me and Janis are waiting for you at her house."

Never in a million years would you be caught dead at a high school house party, but you don't think they're going to take no for an answer. "You need a distraction, some fun! You do know what fun is, right?" You shove her lightly with a smile on your face. Cady celebrates at your reluctant nod, "It'll be so fun!"

✮✮✮

Spoiler alert, it was not fun. The crowding and loud sounds were starting to become overstimulating, and Cady had ditched you to look for Aaron the second you reached. You were clad in a short black dress with fake blood smeared on the bottom half of your face. In the 15 minutes since you reached, you've been pushed, cursed at, and almost thrown up on. You were now leaning against the kitchen counter, nursing your 5th cup of mystery alcohol. There was no way you'd stay sober at a party like this. You thank whatever god is out there that your tolerance was low. The familiar buzz had made itself known 4 drinks ago, and you were now borderline drunk, watching Shane Oman approaching you.

Regina had been watching you take shot after shot from the other side of the room. Her plan was to drag Aaron away from Cady and guilt-trip him into getting back with her, but she couldn't bring herself to take her eyes off of you. The memory of you running out of her room crying was still fresh in her mind. God! Why is she being like this? Who even invited you!? Pushing you to the back of her mind, she stomps towards Aaron, dragging him away with the intention of carrying out her plan, when she notices Oman attempting to get with you.

You were frozen up, your feeble attempts to push him away weren't working. "Come on, you want this. Think of this as your apology for being an ungrateful bitch-" A punch lands on his jaw before he could continue. Using all your strength, you lift your head up and see a familiar senior readjusting his stance. "Thank you, Aaron, I'll take it from here," Regina smiles gratefully at him as he drags a barely conscious Shane out of the party.

Her attempts to wrap your shoulder around her were stopped by you weakly shoving her away. "F-fuck you, b-bitch," You slur out while swaying on your feet. Regina sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Do you have a ride? Do you know how you're getting back home?" You squint your eyes at her, about to reply, when you fall into her arms, mumbling incoherent insults. "That's what I thought." She grunts, placing her hands under your armpits and lifting you upright. "I'm good, I'm good-" Regina's eyes widen as you turn, throw up, then fall to the ground. "Gross, gross, gross, gross..." Regina gags as she picks you up from where you were lying in your own vomit.

"Move!" Regina bumps into Cady on her way to the front door, ignoring her calling after her.

"Hey! What the hell happened?" Cady yells over the loud music.

"Maybe you'd know if you didn't ditch her for a boy!" Regina snaps, adjusting her hold on you.

"Oh fuck you! I saw you about to chat it up with Aaron, and she was fine by herself!"

"No she wasn't! She's like an antisocial puppy, why would she be fine at a party?"

A groan coming from you stops Cady from retorting.

Sighing, she looks at Aaron then back to Regina, "Now's not the time. Please take her back to yours. I'll call her mother and tell her she'll be staying at mine."

As much as Regina wanted to argue that Cady brought you here, so she should be taking care of you, she takes a deep breath and walks away, shoulder bumping Cady for good measure. Being the bigger person really suits her.

✮✮✮

You were being insufferable. Throughout the whole car ride back to her house, you kept making lame angel jokes, which she assumed were meant to be insulting. She was now wrestling you into her bathroom.  Your whine bounces around the bathroom walls as Regina finally manages to place you on the edge of her bathtub. "Sit still and lift your arms up, puppy" Regina doesn't let her eyes linger on your body as she peals your dress off of you. 

After pointing out where the body wash and shampoo was and making sure you were good to wash up on your own, she exits the bathroom and takes out clothes for both of you. She rushes into the bathroom after hearing you call out her name. "I'm done" you say, avoiding eye contact.  The shower had sobered you up enough to feel embarrassed about how you were acting.  She smirks at your sudden shyness.

After handing you a towel and waiting for you to cover up, she leads you to her bed. "I'll be back, okay? Gotta wash your vomit off of me." She laughs at your glare and walks away.

✮✮✮

It's been 10 minutes since you woke up and you haven't moved from your spot, staring at the ceiling, mortified. God! You can't face Regina after yesterday. Sneaking out without letting her know was your only option. You put on the first pair of shoes you find as quietly as possible. 'I should become a spy' You thought immediately before bumping straight into her bedroom door.

 Regina jumps up, now awake, and finds you at her door rubbing your head. The second you notice that she's up, you move to open her door, but are stopped by her hand on your shoulder.

"How are you so fast-"

"You're leaving already?" Regina interrupts.

You roll your eyes, "What do you want, Regina?"

"Seriously? You're being a bitch after I took care of your drunk ass?"

You could feel heat creeping up your neck. "Sorry. Thank you, really, but I have to go."

"No, fuck! Can we please talk?"

You really didn't want to talk about her making fun of your weight after she saw you naked, but you knew she wouldn't stop, so you compromised, "Look, I am really busy this whole weekend. I give you full permission to drag me away if you find me at school, though."

 "Okay." She really wanted to talk to you now, but this was better than nothing. You bid her a goodbye, making sure to avoid her mother on the way out. You truly had no idea why she even cares about your opinion of her, but you figure she felt bad for you after realizing who you were and was trying to make up for it.

Moving to lay back down on her bed, her eyes widen in realization. She never gave you a change of clothes, and you were now unknowingly walking home in booty shorts with 'SLUT' plastered on the back.

✮✮✮

A/N : not proofread, so tired. sorry for any mistakes or awkward wording. thank you for reading!

[violentdelightsandviolentends]

Hi! Im not sure, feel free to completely ignore! But I love your writing and I saw this tiktok and it made me think about reader being exited for trick or treat but not a lot of kids come by so Bucky does something special? Or they go out to give out candy?

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMjtSWwmp/

Thank you so much in advance if you decide to write something related to this!

Have a nice day/night

Trick or Treat.

Pairing - Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Warnings - none!! just bucky being a sweetheart in love

Word Count - under 1k

Author's Note - thank you for this request, it's so lovely!! seeing as we've just passed halloween, thought i'd write something short and sweet. hope you enjoy.

Masterlist. Inbox.

You've been sat on your front steps for hours.

Bowl of candy in hand, goodie bags made up, decorations hung and ready. You've always loved Halloween, for as long as you can remember. Now you're older, the highlight is getting to see all the neighbourhood kids dressed up as they trick or treat.

Not this year. You and Bucky moved apartments last year, and you were ridiculously excited to get to give out candy on your new block. Turns out, no one really passes by your place.

"Baby," comes a voice from the front door behind you. "You're gonna catch your death. It's freezing."

Bucky sits down next to you, wrapping a blanket around your shoulders and pulling you into his side.

"You wanna come inside? We can watch those old Disney Halloween movies you love."

You rest your head on his shoulder, revelling in his warmth.

"Not yet, Buck. Just gonna wait a little longer."

It's breaking his heart seeing you so defeated. You've been looking forward to the holiday for weeks, and it certainly hasn't turned out the way either of you hoped.

"Do you think there just aren't any kids around here? I've literally seen none."

"I don't know, baby. I'm just as confused as you are."

He presses a kiss to the top of your head, arms tightening around you.

He is confused. In your old apartment, you'd have dozens of kids come by, eager for candy and the cookies you'd make. You and Bucky would sit out on the front steps and give out goodie bags for hours, striking up conversations with parents and celebrating all of the costumes.

"Maybe we should go inside," you say quietly, starting to shiver. "We'll have to ask Sam tomorrow if he got any trick or treaters. Maybe it's going out of style."

Sam.

Bucky has a sudden eureka moment, jumping up from his spot next to you.

"Wait here, baby. One minute."

He runs inside, leaving you disorientated on the steps. He's back within thirty seconds, your bag in his hand.

"Come on. We're going out."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise. You'll see."

You pile into the car as Bucky loads all the candy into the trunk, trying to be as subtle as possible. He climbs in and presses a kiss to your knuckles before holding your hand for the entire journey, humming along to the radio as he drives.

You suddenly begin to recognise your whereabouts, more confused than ever.

"Why are we in Sam's neighbourhood, Buck?"

He winks.

"You'll see."

As soon as you pull up to Sam's house, he's striding out of the front door and towards you.

"Thank God you're here. I can't do it anymore. Why didn't we just do this in the first place?"

"Do what?"

"I remember Sam telling me about the, quote on quote, 'obscene amount of trick or treaters' that he gets at his house every year. And he hates Halloween -"

"It's true!" Sam interjects.

"- so I thought you could save him from his misery, and you get to give out candy like you wanted."

You're grinning at him from ear to ear, practically bouncing on the soles of your feet.

"You're a genius," you whisper, leaning up to press your lips to his softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," he smiles, stealing another kiss or four.

"I'm gonna head upstairs and watch the football game. You guys have fun out here!"

Sam throws you a thumbs up before retreating inside, closing the door behind him. You and Bucky bring all of your goodies from the car and set up on the porch, ready and waiting.

Before you know it, there are dozens of groups of kids on the street, all of them adorned in spooky costumes. They practically skip up the pathway towards you, excited and giddy.

"Trick or treat!"

"Woah, you're all super scary... I like your makeup! And your wig! Hey, your shirt is super cool!"

You're placing candy in their bags, so you can't see Bucky beaming behind you, light radiating off of him in all directions.

He'd find a way make it Halloween everyday if it meant he could see you smile like this.

[cupid-styles]

touch me here (sugar daddy h)

the final fall/halloween-themed blurb !!!! thank you so much to everyone who read, reblogged, liked etc etc etc any of the writing I put out this month. it was definitely a challenge to post twice a week but I'm so happy to be rounding it out with this reader's choice blurb :))))

in which mia and harry celebrate halloween at a sex club, things get spicy, and harry realizes something big

word count: 2.1k

content warnings: smut (exhibitionism, dirty talk, cum play, voyeurism, daddy kink, a tiny bit of degradation and impact play if you squint, description of facials/multiple partners in a mmf threesome)

masterlist | talk to me

fall/halloween blurb masterlist

. . .

"You wanna go where?"

In Harry's classic, slightly annoying way, he lets out a cackle before taking a sip of his wine. Mia's jaw is still slack, a look of confusion and shock clearly etched on her face. She's not sure why her boyfriend isn't more surprised that his suggestion elicited this type of reaction, but part of her assumes he's just messing with her for his own weird entertainment.

"A sex club," he shrugs nonchalantly, and Mia wishes he would spill his wine on the crisp button down he wore to work today, "I've gone a couple of times and I like it. They're throwing some sort of Halloween event, figured it could be fun."

"You've gone?" 

He nods, "Yeah, before we met, of course. There's no pressure, it's all anonymous. Since we don't have any plans for Halloween—"

"I told you Rena is throwing a party—"

"And I'm not going to a student-thrown party," he says through furrowed brows as Mia's shoulders deflate, "This could be something fun. Different."

She worries her bottom lip between her teeth as she attempts to conceptualize it, but she doesn't know the first thing about sex clubs, so it's difficult to even imagine what it would be like. Harry can tell her anxiety is quickly growing so he sets his glass down on the coffee table and places his hand on her thigh, giving it a small squeeze.

"We don't have to, baby. It was just an idea. No pressure."

"I just... what is it like?" she asks softly, and his eyes widen slightly at her piqued interest.

"It's intense, but also laidback if that makes sense," he says, his throat bobbing as he swallows, "You can watch or you can partake, or you can just sit and talk to people. You get a wristband if you're not interested in chatting with strangers or joining certain... situations. So, we would both wear them since we'd go together."

She nods, and he continues when she doesn't outwardly reject the idea.

"There's lockers when you come in so you can lock your phone up, so no one will ever be able to take pictures or videos or anything," he murmurs, moving his hand up to her hip, "It's... my experiences have all been very good."

Mia rolls her lips into her mouth, her core fluttering as she thinks about what Harry might have done at this mysterious club. She knows he would tell her if she asked, but she imagines him pressed between bodies, kisses sloppy with spit, him being the mean dominant she adores him to be — all as people watch on, wishing they could be lucky enough to touch him. It makes her skin pebble with goosebumps, a shudder traveling down her spine. 

"Yeah, okay," she says breathily, and Harry takes notice of the way she's squeezing her thighs together, "We can do that."

. . .

Mia thinks she may ask Harry to dress up as a greaser once a week.

She can't stop grazing over the sharpness of his jawline and his newly colored hair (courtesy of some messy temporary black dye that will surely take him weeks to rinse out of his shower). His biceps are bulging beneath the formfitting tank top he's wearing, forcing her to take another sip of her Halloween-themed drink so she didn't say something stupid about how hot he looks. 

Much to Mia's surprise, the sex club she and Harry went to tonight is actually... nice. She knew he would never attend, let alone take her somewhere, unsafe or gross, but in her mind, she built it up to be more akin to a strip club of some sorts. This is anything but — they signed in at the front, provided official identification to ensure they weren't minors or had criminal backgrounds, and even had to have STI testing done within the week to prove they were both clean. After that, they locked up their phones and any other technology they had on their persons; Mia swallowing nervously when she realized this was technically when she was supposed to take off her clothes to reveal the costume — or lack thereof, really — she wore tonight.

She didn't give Harry much an inkling prior to getting here, instead just telling him that she had everything figured out. In reality, once they decided on their Halloween plans, she took to Pinterest to find costumes she could wear a set of lingerie for, eventually settling on some sort of sexy bat. It was a poor excuse for Halloween, but Harry's jaw nearly dropped to the floor when she disrobed, revealing a velvet black bodysuit, a leather harness strapped over her torso, and a lacy collar around her neck to resemble bat ears.

"You're going to fucking kill me," he muttered, pushing her up against the cool lockers, his thumbs digging into her hipbones, "Or you just want me to kill every person who looks at you in there."

She'd just smirked cheekily and slipped out of his grasp. 

Which, all of that being said, is how they ended up here. 

They both wore red bracelets around their wrists, signifying that they're not open to anyone else joining. They hadn't really discussed what their plans were for the night, instead just agreeing that they'd do whatever made them most comfortable, even if that meant just renting a room upstairs to be in private. However, Mia didn't expect to sit on the sidelines next to Harry, his hand wrapped protectively over her stocking-clad thigh, as they watch a beautiful blonde girl deep throat two guys.

"Are you doing alright?" Harry asks, his voice barely above a whisper, "I know it's intense. We can leave at any time."

Instead, she just nods, her bottom lip tucked under her teeth. "No, I... I like it. I'm okay."

He smirks, his fingers dancing along the inside of her thigh. "Is this turning you on, sweetheart?"

Again, she nods, her eyes glued to the slight bulge in the girl's throat from sucking one of the men off.

"Do you want to go upstairs so I can touch this pretty pussy?"

Mia swallows and tears her gaze away from the show in front of them. She wraps her hand around his wrist and gently pushes it closer to her core, panting slightly as she watches the cogs turn in his brain.

"You want me to touch you here?" he asks through raised eyebrows, "Are y'sure baby? There's no pressure just because other people are doing that."

He's right, there's a few other couplings and trios on the side also watching, touching themselves or the people they're with. Realistically, though, it's the only reason why she feels comfortable enough to request this from him, knowing that she likely won't be the object of anyone's affection.

"If you want to," she breathes out, "We can go upstairs if you'd prefer— I'm fine with whatever."

Harry chuckles. "I'm perfectly okay with showing off daddy's sweet pussy knowing that no one else can get a taste."

She shudders at that, her eyes fluttering closed as he uses featherlight strokes to brush over the covered clit. 

"But you know the safe word, hm?" he asks, pressing a kiss to her temple, "Any time, we're done."

"Yes, daddy."

He lets out a groan and gently pulls her into his lap, spreading her thighs over his own. He makes quick work to push her bodysuit out of the way, revealing her glistening lips to the room, her hole already pulsating just at the thought of being so open. She can feel his erection pressing into her back, wanting nothing more to twist her body around so she can bounce on his cock, but the thought is too nerve-wracking for her to take action.

She sighs out in relief when he begins to run his fingertips over her clit, lulling her head back against his shoulder. He smiles gently and kisses her hair, his chest vibrating as he speaks lowly into her ear. 

"Do you like watching them?" 

She nods, biting her lip. "She's pretty."

"Yeah?" he smirks, "Do you like being watched?"

"'s fun. Like knowing people can see." she murmurs. He winds his other arm around her waist and tugs at the harness around her chest, a gasp leaving her mouth. 

"I like this. Did you wear it for them or for me?"

"You, daddy."

Harry hums and moves his hand up to her mouth, plucking at her bottom lip. She gets the hint immediately and unhinges her jaw, allowing him to sink his thumb inside. She sucks greedily and he pushes a finger into her pulsating hole, the sound of her moan muffled. 

"There you go, baby," he grunts as she grinds her hips lightly, the friction going straight to his plumping length. "Just take it like the good girl you are, hm?"

Her walls clench around his finger, the praise going straight to her pussy. With a smirk, he begins to thumb at her clit, rubbing small circles into the bundle of nerves. 

"Fuck," she whimpers. He's pumping steadily and she swears she can feel her arousal dripping down to Harry's pants as she watches one of the men finish on the blonde girl's face. With her eyes flutter back open, streaks of cum dripping over the apples of her cheeks and down to her mouth, Mia gasps. Harry realizes it at the same time, her hips stalling — the main event of the show, the girl in the middle of the room, is staring straight at them.

He knows being directly under the gaze of someone may make her uncomfortable so he pauses, giving her the opportunity to murmur out her safe word. He's half expecting her to, but instead, she grinds down against his cock, hand wrapped around his wrist to tug at her harness again. 

"Keep going."

The girl's eyes are still on Mia as she takes to working on the other man's length, cum still dripping down her features. He glances down to look at her, and he smirks devilishly when he sees that she's gazing right back at her. 

"You like her watching you?" Harry asks, dipping down to take her earlobe between his teeth. She nods eagerly and he pushes a second finger inside, her eyes rolling back slightly.

"Naughty fuckin' girl," he mutters, "She's staring at your pretty little pussy, baby. Watching it gush around my fingers."

"Oh my god."

Her limbs are jelly under his touch, the dirty phrases he's whispering into her ear just pushing her further and further to the end of her rope. It's all so much, but she loves it — loves the way he knows how to wind her body up perfectly, two fingers knuckle deep with his thumb pressing circles into her sensitive clit, murmuring reminders to keep looking at the girl so she watches her come.

When the second man explodes into her mouth, drips of cum from both loads drooling out the sides of her mouth, it's what finally sends Mia over the edge. Her legs shake and her walls throb as Harry works her through her orgasm, a look of pride painted over his features as he watches her.

"There's my pretty girl," he purrs, the squelching between her legs making Mia tremble, "Came all over daddy's fingers like the little slut you are, hm? Open up, want you to taste yourself."

Through hazy eyes, she does as she's told, dropping her mouth open so he can shove his fingers inside. She sucks eagerly despite her tired demeanor, licking off every drop of her arousal. Harry smirks and kisses her temple, using his other hand to brush her hair behind her back. 

"Good girl. Did so good for me."

She smiles lazily up at him and his smirk morphs to a grin as she presses a soft kiss to his lips. 

"That was fun." she mumbles against him. He nods, running his fingertips down her spine comfortingly. "Can I do you now?"

He chuckles lightly at her enthusiasm, "Think we've given people enough of a show tonight, sweetheart. Kinda wanna just take you home and soak in the bath."

Her eyes light up at that and it makes Harry's heart squeeze inside his chest. 

"Really?"

"Course," he answers easily, "Even bought us a Halloween-themed bath bomb. Figured it would be fun to try."

"You're perfect." Mia murmurs between kisses to each of his cheeks, a laugh reverberating from his chest.

"I just made you cum in a sex club and that's what makes me perfect?"

"Mhm," she nods, fixing her bodysuit so her bottom half is covered back up. She carefully gets off of Harry's lap and steps in front of him, reaching out for his hands. "C'mon, I miss the heated floors in your bathroom."

Harry cackles loudly at that and follows her into the locker room, where they grab their phones and Mia puts her dress back on, covering the lingerie she'd worn for the night.

He won't tell her tonight, not wanting to fog the existing intimacy of the evening, but he knows for a fact as they wait for an Uber outside the club, bundled up together while she babbles on about how much she loves his heated floors: He's undoubtedly in love with the girl wrapped up in his arms.

[runningfrom2am]

cold nights // part twenty-nine

summary: you were back in the capitol, and you would be damned if you didn't try your hardest to make it worthwhile.

pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader

wc: 4.2k

masterlists / nav / requests

tags/warnings: tribute!reader and mentor!coriolanus, r is very sweet (too kind for this world. literally.), sunshine x grumpy trope kinda, he falls first, violence typical for the source material, depictions of mental illness, also she's is very smart (as she should), district twelve!reader.

a/n: ahh shit really hits the fan in this one oops

my asks are also open to talk about this series! (i do have emoji anons open now too!)

send me any and all of your thoughts! here!

series masterlist // playlist

"Coryo." You hum, knocking on your boyfriend's doorframe.

He looks up from his desk, smiling as he sees you standing in the door. You were still wearing what you had worn to class that day, a button up shirt he had bought for you with the orange skirt Tigris made, short and simple as if it was made by your own mother. It matched perfectly with his own mother's scarf that you always wore out, that was left draped over your shoulders. You were looking at him like you needed something, and it just made him light up.

"Love," He closes his book and stands up. "What do you need?" He asks, quickly pushing up his unstyled hair out of his face- the curls were beginning to come back, but they weren't quite as long as they once were. When he's with you, which is almost always, he makes a very conscious effort to keep it up and away from his face.

Your hands are tucked behind your back, nervously twisting your fingers. "Why must you assume that I need something?" You giggle.

"Because I know that look." He pokes your nose as he gets close enough to do so, now standing a foot away and looking at you expectantly.

"Okay, fine." You sigh. "I was wondering if you had any plans for Halloween."

"Hallo-what?" He asks, tilting his head at you. Your jaw drops.

"Halloween." You say again, wondering if it was possible he just misheard you.

He laughs, eyebrows raised in clear confusion.

"You don't know what Halloween is? You don't celebrate here?" You gasp.

"No, sorry."

"Oh my god, okay. Well, we must do something." You clap excitedly.

"Slow down, darling. You're gonna have to tell me what it is before I can agree." He chuckles, holding a hand out you to stop you before you got too excited.

"Okay, okay." You agree. "So, it's a holiday, similar to Christmas if you have that."

"Of course we have Christmas."

"How was I supposed to know?" You laugh. "Anyway, it's mostly for little kids, but still. Basically, on the last day of the month everyone dresses up in costumes of monsters or animals or different jobs- whatever you want, and the kids go knocking door to door and adults will give them treats."

"Treats." He states, but it comes out more like a question.

"Yes. Like cookies, or candy if you have it, really anything." You grin, nodding at him excitedly. "My Ma usually makes fudge."

"Okay..." Coryo laughs. "So... sorry, I'm confused. What do we do? Hand out candy to kids who won't come because no one's heard of it here?"

"That's the best part!" You clap. "We aren't parents; old enough to be stuck handing out candy, and we aren't young enough to go trick or treating, so we get to have the most fun."

"Okay..." He urges you on.

"We get to have a party!"

"A party." He eyes you a little bit skeptically.

"Yes!"

"Since when do you like to party?" He seems wholly unconvinced.

"I don't, but it's tradition! I always have fun, I just don't drink much anymore. It'll be good to make friends, Coryo. Please?"

"Anymore?" He laughs, but quickly shakes his head to stay focussed on what you were asking of him. "Love, I wish we could but I don't know where we'd have a party, we can't have it here."

You frown, thinking for a moment. "Oh! I'll call Sej." You grin, already bounding off down the hall toward the phone.

That was that, he couldn't change your mind even if he desired to- but really, if a party would make you happy, then you would get a party. He would make sure of it.

You had spent weeks handing out invitations to the other people in your classes, most of which, as you noticed, ended up in the trash cans or littering the halls. You didn't let it bother you, Coryo insisted that people just didn't tend to hold on to those kinds of things and it didn't mean they wouldn't come. (What you didn't know, was his near-constant cleanup efforts of asking anyone he knew or had classes with to come to his "costume party"- and people didn't like to say no to Coriolanus Snow.)

You had come up with a plan. Coryo would say it was his party, and he would be hosting it at the Plinth's estate. You couldn't run the risk of putting your name on the idea, especially after your interview assuring parents that you were just there to learn- not fraternize. You didn't mind, you knew more people would want to come if it was his party, and that it wasn't a "Halloween" party. Just a costume party that happened to land on the district holiday that none of these kids nor their parents knew about. Hopefully.

You were incredibly excited. You spent the days after Sejanus's parents left town over there making decorations, and begrudgingly, Coryo joined you after realizing you weren't only there to drop things off.

He never pictured himself spending so much money on orange and black coloured paper, but here he was. The list of things he would do for you is growing by the day, surprising even himself.

You had put a lot of time into your costumes, with Tigris's help over the last couple of weeks. It wasn't anything crazy, just a white dress and some small angel wings, and for Coryo a gray shirt with leather straps, some light chain mail on the shoulders, and silver sleeves. You were very proud of them, but you hadn't shown him yet. You would be Romeo and Juliet, and you thought it was just perfect.

You smile as you knock on his bedroom door, already in your costume. You would get there a little early to help Sejanus with some final touches, but you did have a lot of people confirm with Coryo that they were coming. You were excited.

He opens the door, his breath dying out in his throat as he takes in your outfit. He must have died and gone to heaven. "Well hello, angel." He grins as he regains himself, opening the door fully for you to come in.

"Do you like it?" You ask, giving a quick spin even as you're holding his matching costume behind your back.

"You look beautiful." He says quietly, nodding as he eyes how the white satin clings to your figure. He couldn't think of a more fitting costume for you; although to him, you always looked like an angel. But now, more beautiful than ever. Ethereal. "It's stunning, love."

"Thank you!" You smile, pulling his forward and holding the folded mix of fabrics up to him. "This is yours."

"Mine?" He asks, a confused smile on his face as he grabs it and unfolds it carefully. "What is it?"

"You're a knight!" You say, clapping your hands together excitedly. "Well, you're Romeo as a knight. And I'm Juliet." You grin, holding the hem of your dress and prompting him to look at it again.

"Romeo and Juliet." He chuckles, nodding slightly as he looks between the two.

"Yeah!" You smile excitedly. "Romeo! Here's drink. I drink to thee."

He laughs, nodding as he closes the door behind you and pulls off his shirt to put on the costume you made for him. "I love it, Y/N/N. Thank you."

"Of course." You nod excitedly. "I've always wanted to do a couples costume."

"Is that a thing?" He asks, getting ready to pull it over his head.

"Yes. It's so sweet! Couples will wear matching costumes and that's how you know they're together, I always loved looking at other peoples." You explain. "My parents always do matching costumes. One year, they both dressed up as cats. My mom made the ears out of felt, and they carried Tybs to the door with them to hand out candy. It was so cute. Like I said, they do matching costumes every year."

In your rambling, you don't notice how he freezes up completely, face falling. Hesitantly, he pulls it over his head. "How do I look?" He asks, gluing a smile back on.

You smile, nodding at him. "So handsome, Coryo." You confirm. "Tigris helped me make it."

"It's... a little uncomfortable." He tells you, pretending to adjust the light chainmail that hung over his chest.

You frown, reaching out to help him adjust it for a moment. "Is that better?"

He hates to do this- it fits perfectly, but he can't have people knowing you're together. Not yet. "Uh..." The hopeful look in your eyes breaks his heart. "Yeah, that's better." He nods, relieved by the smile that returns to your face.

"Are you ready to go, then?" You ask, tilting your head at him.

"Just give me ten minutes, love. Would you mind gathering up our drinks?" He asks, kissing your forehead.

"Of course, Romeo." You giggle, turning on your heel and leaving, closing the door gently behind you.

He hates himself for what he knows has to do.

When you got to Sejanus's house, you were practically vibrating with excitement as you ran around hanging up decorations and placing and replacing drinks and snacks on the tables, moving them around.

"Sej?" You ask, standing on a stool to be able to reach up above a doorframe.

"Yeah?" He calls back from across the room, turning to look at you.

"I'm out of tape, could you grab me another roll? We brought some, it's in the kitchen. Coryo will tell you which bag." You explain and he nods, giving you a quick thumbs up as he walks by and down the hall. 

Walking into the entrance to the kitchen, his eyes go wide.

There's Coryo, holding out the front of his shirt over the sink and pouring a glass of red wine down the front. Extremely, very intentionally.

"Uh... what are you doing?" He asks, and Coryo's head snaps up, eyes panicked.

"Uh, shit, I..." He laughs slightly, placing the glass down quickly and turning on the tap. "I tripped and, god I don't really know. I'm just trying to get this out..."

Sejanus nodded slightly, trying to hide how unconvinced he was. "I don't know if that will come out." He states.

"Shit..." Coryo sighs, albeit dramatically. If Sejanus hadn't just seen him do what he just did, he would be convinced. Coryo would make a good actor. "Well... Do you have something else I could wear?"

"Yeah... uh, yeah. Just go into my closet and help yourself." Sejanus tells him, gesturing down the hall.

"Thanks," Coryo says, brushing past him eagerly all ready to go and change into something else.

Your friend swallows, watching him as he disappears down the hall. Sejanus knew you had spent hours putting together that costume for him, could he even tell you that he saw Coryo ruin it on purpose? It would break your heart- but he did really want to know why.

Sejanus couldn't tell you. You were having fun, or at least trying to, and he didn't want to ruin that. People were talking to you, and to him, which was kind of new territory for the both of you. Your interview and your kindness in classes and to everyone you met did wonders for your reputations as "District kids". Surprisingly, your classmates had lots of questions and none of them seemed to have any real problems with you in a less pressurized setting. The alcohol was likely a contributing factor.

"Yes! Well, we'd go to the lake a lot. Oh! So, one time, my brother and I spent all day dragging this old barrel up a cliffside just to hang it off a tree at the top. We just spent our time doing the most random stuff." You giggle over the music, clutching your glass to your chest as you continue on a conversation with Hilarius, who you saw as a new friend even though Coryo wasn't his biggest fan. You had probably a little bit too much to drink, spurred on by your nervousness.

"A barrel..?" Hilarius laughs, tilting his head at you. 

"Well, yeah, what kind of stuff did you do for fun, then?" You ask over the loud music.

"Chess, I suppose. Reading, I don't know. Fun wasn't really on the schedule." He explains.

"Well, I'd rather drag a barrel up a hill than do nothing, wouldn't you?" You laugh.

"Touché." He tilts his glass at you before taking a sip.

"Y/N, can I steal you for a second?" You hear Sejanus say in your ear, suddenly beside you and you nod, politely dismissing yourself from the conversation.

You follow him down the hall to an empty corner. He couldn't take it anymore, he had to tell you. "I'm sorry about Coryo's costume, I know you worked hard on it." He says honestly.

"It is okay. Spills happen." You smile.

"Well, yes..." He agrees, looking around quickly to make sure he can't spot Coryo's blonde hair in the vicinity. It was a rare moment he wasn't with you, so now was his only shot. "But... it wasn't an accident."

"What do you mean?" You ask, tilting your head at him with a slightly nervous smile.

"Y/N I... I watched him pour the wine on it. Like, very intentionally."

You don't know what to say, slightly shocked. After a moment of him watching your expression evolve, you begin to laugh. "No, no. Sej, I love you, but how much did you drink before we got here? Because he wouldn't-"

"Nothing." He answers shortly, giving a firm shake of his head. "Not a drop, Y/N/N. I swear."

Your smile fades slightly at his abrupt statement. "Well..." You say quietly. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, but I know better than to be the one to bring it up to him. You should ask."

"I mean, he said it wasn't very comfortable before we left the house. Maybe he just didn't want to hurt my feelings." You smile to yourself, nodding as you decide.

"By ruining something you made for him? Yeah, that'll spare your feelings." Sejanus scoffs, looking past you once more to make sure Coriolanus wasn't nearby.

"He tried to spare them, I assume." You sigh, giving him a reassuring smile in hopes that he won't let it worry him. "It's okay. Thank you, Sej, for telling me, but it's really not a big deal."

The knowledge that Coryo ruined his costume on purpose was eating you alive. The feeling of dread sat deep in your chest where it apparently couldn't be drowned out with more wine or posca or anything that you could find or was offered to you. It made you so horribly sad, that even though you couldn't seem to find your boyfriend in any room of the large house you weren't sure if you even wanted to.

Talking to strangers helped, meeting new people. Some people you shared classes with, and you could mostly discuss that. It was a lot of explaining and reexplaining that people in the Districts were more or less normal, just with less access to resources. You got a few laughs out of that, but a surprising amount of understanding nods. Maybe all hope wasn't lost.

You were here to have fun. It wasn't like Halloween parties back home, and the sheer volume of boys in their own father's old peacekeeper uniforms was chilling to you. Even back home, where you knew those old uniforms were lying folded up in an attic somewhere, very few kids would dare touch them even to make a joke out of it. You couldn't take it anymore, deciding to just step out onto the back patio to get some fresh air.

The air hits your lungs and brushes over your skin, instantly giving you chills but you don't mind. Hearing talking over to your right, you take a look only to see Coryo with a few of your classmates, smiling as he leaned back against the wall of the house. A couple of faces you recognized, and one you didn't.

You smile as you walk over to them, squeezing in next to Coryo. "Clemmie, Livia. It's good to see you." You smile at them, and Clemmie gives a polite nod while Livia just takes another sip out of her glass while the other boy with them just continues talking.

"I don't believe we've met, sorry." You smile at him during a break in his story, extending a hand to him. "My name is Y/N. What's yours?"

He laughs, hesitantly shaking your hand. "Festus. Festus Creed." He tells you.

"Lovely to meet you, Festus." You grin. "Are you a friend of Coryo's?"

"Yeah, you could say that." He chuckles and you look up at your boyfriend who suddenly looks annoyed, rolling his eyes.

"I just love meeting his friends." You smile excitedly. "Are you studying at the university? I haven't seen you before." You say, folding your arm around Coryo's and he tenses up, not so subtly shaking you off.

You look up at him for a moment, a confused smile on your face from his actions.

"Would you mind giving me some space?" He asks coldly, almost glaring at you. Your eyes flick to his, but it's dark. They're cold, icy blue even in the poor lighting. His cheeks are flushed, but maybe that's from the chill.

"Oh, sorry." You laugh nervously, taking a step back and abandoning your conversation. "I... um, I'm gonna go get some water. It was nice to see you." You wave quickly to his friends, turning and heading for the door.

"Sorry, apparently my tribute gets touchy when she drinks." You hear Coriolanus laugh behind you as you enter the house again. It was met by laughs from the rest of the group he was with, and your heart dropped practically out of your chest and onto the floor. You wouldn't have been shocked if you looked down and saw your white dress absorbing the remains of your heart.

Your white feather angel wings catch on the curtain of the door as you close it behind you, and you want to scream and rip them off as you feel tears well up in your eyes. You look around for your best route of escape, feeling the familiar tightness in your chest begin to build.

You'll have to go along the wall- clinging to the outside of the room as you avoid the chaos of the middle in an effort to make it up to Sejanus's room. You'd be alone there.

Tears stream down your cheeks as you keep your head up, eyes locked on the entrance to the foyer with the large staircase, which you know you can take to get to your friend's room. Your fight or flight is kicking in, you think, as the music and laughter and voices fade into nothing. You almost expect the familiar clang of a metal weapon to sound out in front of you as it slams into the wall- but you have to make a very conscious effort to remind yourself that you aren't in the arena anymore. Even if it felt like it more and more with every step.

Shutting the door to Sejanus's bedroom, you quickly shuffle over to his bathroom and lock yourself in, freezing when you catch a look at yourself in the reflection. She was hardly a reflection of you; tear-stained cheeks, angel wings- when you knew that these days you were just about the farthest thing from it. You had changed. You hardly recognized her, and that's the thing that forced you to look away.

You don't even hear someone enter the room until there's knocking on the bathroom door. "Y/N? Are you in there?" Lyssie asks, concern dripping through her tone.

You sniff, quickly wiping your eyes. "Yeah! Yeah, I just need a moment." You choke out, trying and failing to keep your voice steady.

"Are you okay?" She asks through the door, wiggling the handle now. "What happened?"

"I'm fine just fine." You insist, laughing nervously as you look down at how badly your hands are shaking.

"Can I come in? Can you open the door for me?"

God, how you wished it was Lucy Gray on the other side.

But Lucy Gray isn't here. Lysistrata Vickers is all you have- so with shaky hands you reach for the door and unlock it, letting her in. She won't hurt you, you're sure.

Her eyes are already wide with worry as she gets her first glimpse at you. "Oh, Y/N, what's wrong?" She asks, stepping in and quickly closing the door behind herself. "Here, sit down..." She nods to the floor, which has clearly been recently cleaned. Even so, she pulls a towel from the rack and lays it out for you to sit on.

"I'm just a little too drunk." You sniff, trying to dismiss her worries, and slide down against the wall on top of the towel she laid for you as sobs take over you.

"Want to tell me what happened?" She asks again, hurriedly reaching for a smaller towel and wetting it with what you assume is cold water, wringing it out before joining your side on the floor.

"Nothing." You shake your head and bring your hands up to cover your face as you cry into them. "I can't... I can't tell you."

"Okay, that's okay..." She soothes you. "Here, this will help. Can you move your hands for me?"

She doesn't want to touch you, no one really does. You lower your hands, squeezing them tight together in your lap as she carefully reaches up to dab the cloth across your forehead. It does feel good on your burning skin.

You focus on taking deep breaths, trying not to embarrass yourself any further.

"There you go..." She smiles. "You're good at this."

You laugh through your tears. "Well, it comes with my title, I guess." You sniff, wiping your cheeks again.

"I'd bet..." She hums. "But you're doing great."

You just nod slightly, running through lines in your head out of nervous habit. "I love him, oh, I love him; but he won't let himself be loved."

You don't even realize you're saying it out loud to yourself until Lysistrata speaks. "Is it... Is this about Coriolanus?" She asks, and you don't want to tell her that it's a quote from a story of her namesake because ironically, she is right, and ironically, that was the only line you could think of when you strained to remember any of it.

You nod slightly, biting into your lip and letting your shoulders shake with the latest round of sobs.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." She gently rubs your shoulder. "He's... He's not very sensitive to people's feelings. I know that. Just try not to take it personally. It's not your fault."

"How could it be anyone else's?" You sniff. "I embarrass him... But I try so hard to be good. I try so hard..." You cry, wet eyes making it hard to see.

Lyssie looks at you, a little confused. "What did he say?" She asks.

"That..." You hiccup, trying to breathe through it so you can explain better. "That I needed to give him space, all I was doing was standing next to him." You sniff again, wiping your eyes. "And he called me his tribute to his friends- it made me feel just sick... And earlier Sej told me that he ruined the costume I made him on purpose, we were supposed to match! Now I just look like I'm desperate for people to like me- dressing up as an angel when everyone here knows what I did! I don't know what I did wrong... Why does he hate me now?"

She watches you silently, trying to put together the pieces. 

"I don't understand." You say again, shaking your head. "He told me he loved me this morning! I don't know what I did to change that..."

"Sorry, he said he loved you?" Lyssie asks, eyes wide.

You nod slightly, looking over at her. Why does she seem so shocked?

"Wait, Y/N..." She pauses, shaking her head slightly. "Are you guys like... together?"

"Mhm." You swallow, wiping under your eyes. "But apparently not anymore."

"Oh my god, I had no idea." She stammers out, snapping out of her shock to pat the cloth on your head again.

"You didn't?" You sniff. "He didn't tell you?"

"No." She shakes her head, but quickly continues. "I'm sorry, he doesn't tell much to anyone, though..."

You let out a shaky breath, leaning your head back against the wall. "I should have known this couldn't work. I feel so stupid."

"He shouldn't have led you on like that..." She replies quietly. "I don't know a whole lot about you, but I know you're not stupid. I also know that Coriolanus always gets what he wants, one way or another."

"I just want to go home..." You cry, shaking your head. "I want to go home."

Lyssie looks back to the door, gently dabbing the damp material across your forehead. "I'm going to go get Sejanus, okay? Can you hold this on your head for me?" She carefully passes the cloth into your shaking hands and you nod, leaning your head down against it instantly.

She gets up and leaves, carefully and quietly closing the door behind herself. If one person in this city knew even a little bit about what you were feeling or how to help, it would be Sejanus Plinth.

taglist: @soulessjourney , @that-veela-girl ,  @dreamyysouls, @rockstarbfs, @maysileeewrites , @baybieruth , @kitscutie,  @fratboyharrysgf0201 , @totallynotkaibiased , @stelleduarte , @secretsicanthideanymore , @bejeweledreverie , @drewsandsebastianswife , @niicole-87 , @queenofshinigamis , @innercreationflower , @nallasstuff , @iovemoonyy , @thatmarvelchick19 , @wearemadeofstardust0 , @regulusblackcore , @puredreamagination , @fantasticchaosthing , @becauseseaotters , @secretsicanthideanymore , @strawberryflavouredkisses-deact, @cascadingbliss

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[javierpena-inatacvest]

Chapter 12- I Love You. I Know.

Summary: As the end of October approaches, you and Javi learn more about celebrating Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos together. After a sleepless night, and a Halloween party at the Murphy's, Javi begins to open up to you about his past.

Word Count: 15.6K (I'm sweating)

Warnings: SMUT (18+), unprotected p in v sex (don't be silly, wrap your willy), oral (m receiving), vaginal fingering, creampie, praise kink, semi-public sex (Oh the poor Murphy's...), PTSD/Anxiety around grief, loss and Javi's past, some angst/tension, mentions of drinking/being drunk (Steve is getting PLASTERED), mentions of food/eating, SO MANY STAR WARS REFERENCES, literally this chapter made me sob while I was writing it, editing it, and re-reading it, I am SO sorry

A/N: You guys. Holy shit. This chapter really had me in my feels. This chapter was def a labor of love, but I'm really happy with how it turned out!! Thank you for as always for all you kind words, you truly, truly, TRULY have no idea how much your support means to me 😭💖 Also please don't kill me after you finish reading this chapter I PROMISE *things* are happening so soon I can literally taste it, but I needed for this chapter to happen first, and you would be silly to think that *things* didn't get its own whole ass chapter and I am just as excited as you AH

Series Masterlist Next Chapter Previous Chapter

The excitement of October’s conclusion was in the air, and the joys of getting to celebrate what you hoped would be the first of many holidays with Javi was at the forefront of your mind. While the end of summer meant school was here and your carefree days were gone until next June, October meant it was time for one of your favorite holidays- Halloween. It was one of your most cherished things to celebrate as a kid, and even still as an adult. The memories of jumping into leaf piles off your swingset with your brothers, dressing up in goofy, homemade costumes to trick-or-treat (because your mom was not about to buy 4 new sets of costumes every single year), carving pumpkins, and stealing as many of your brother’s Kit Kat bars as you could without getting caught, filled your heart with a warmth and joy that you couldn’t quite describe. While the 80 degree temperatures and lack of bright reds and yellows painted across the leaves falling from their trees was much different from the Chicago Octobers you were accustomed to, it hadn’t stopped you from heading full steam into Halloween. 

“So do you have any thoughts on what we should be for Steve and Connie’s? I have no problem going out to buy stuff for costumes, but I can already hear my mom yelling at me for wasting my money on cheaply made clothes I’m gonna wear for 5 hours when I have something perfectly good in my closet.” You rolled your eyes as you shuffled through the hangers, Javi sitting on the edge of your bed folding the laundry you were working on putting away. 

The two of you had gladly accepted the invitation from Steve and Connie to spend the weekend with them in San Antonio, as the Murphy’s planned to host a Halloween party at their house for their friends and co-workers, giving you and Javi a chance to have a fun weekend out of town together. 

“Hmmmm?” He asked, looking up at you as you grabbed a few shirts, examining them for costume potential. “We’re dressing up for this thing?” 

“Yeah, that’s like, the whole point of Halloween, dummy.” You giggled, throwing a few options on the floor before making your way over to your pants. “Didn’t you dress up as a kid for Halloween?” 

Unlike yourself, Javi had spent his whole life celebrating Día de los Muertos, Halloween having nowhere near as much relevance to him as it did to you, spending the end of October and first days of November gathering with his family to spend the day making Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead sweet bread),  watching the parades on the streets of Downtown Laredo before visiting the cemetery where his grandparents were buried, decorating their graves in cempasúchil (marigold flowers), candles and photographs with his primos (cousins). Since his mom had passed, Javi hadn’t been home to celebrate with his family, and had almost forgone the tradition completely during his time in Colombia, the pain and loss of his mother and the solemn sadness of celebrating alone leading him to try his best to forget about the holiday all together. 

“Uh, no, not, not really. Didn’t really do Halloween, isn’t really as much of a thing down here. My family always celebrated Día de Los Muertos instead.” He replied, almost embarrassed by his answer, not wanting to damper your excitement as you dug through your closet for costumes. 

Your heart sank to your stomach, feeling awful that you hadn’t even taken into consideration that Javi's traditions around this time of year were completely different from what you were used to. The two of you had never really talked about how you wanted to celebrate future holidays, and always had wanted to make sure that the important parts of your lives were celebrated equally. Javi hadn’t said anything after you had spent the past few days putting up Halloween decorations around your apartment, and now you felt like an idiot assuming he had spent his whole life celebrating just like you. 

“Oh… Shit. Javi, I’m so sorry, if you don’t wanna do costumes, we don’t have to, you just hadn’t said anything about Día de Los Muertos so I just assumed that-” 

“Baby, it’s okay.” He pushed himself up off the bed, the width of his broad palms wrapping around your hips, trying to ease the guilt he could tell was rapidly consuming you. “You’re right, I never told you about it. It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything to celebrate it, and I haven’t been home for it since I’ve gotten back from Colombia. I just- I don’t really know how to feel about it, I guess. The last time I did anything for it was before my mom died. I was never able to bring myself to do anything about it while I was gone, and I guess now I just feel really shitty that was the way I decided to handle it.” It broke your heart to see the pain in his eyes, pulling yourself closer to him as you wrapped your arms around his stomach, leaning your head against his chest. It was then, the realization had hit you too- This would be your first year of holidays without Patrick. You didn’t know as much as you would have liked to about Día de Los Muertos, but you did know that it was to celebrate the lives of loved ones you’d lost, a feeling that you and Javi were both all too familiar with. 

“Listen…” You raised your head, looking up at him, arms still intertwined around his waist. “I don’t- I don’t wanna make you do anything that you’re uncomfortable with. I guess this is the first time we’ve ever really talked about this kind of stuff. I wanna spend the rest of my life with you, Jav, and that means celebrating the things that are special to both of us. The things that are important to you are important to me too. I want our lives for us, for our future family, to be filled with all the things we care the most about, whether that means keeping old traditions or making our own new ones. It would mean a lot to me to get to celebrate Día de los Muertos with you, and if it’s okay, I would love to sprinkle in some Halloween too, because I’m fucking dying to carve a pumpkin.” 

You smiled up at him as his hand slid under your jaw, his thumb tracing across your cheek as he tried his best to hold back the tears welling in his eyes. It took everything in him to not ruin his plans, wanting to run into the bedroom, grab the ring out of his sock drawer and propose to you that very instant. Even after all this time, Javi still couldn't believe that he was the person you wanted to share the rest of your life with. That you wanted to intertwine your past, present, and future with his, to have a life, a family, together that the two of you could cherish forever. Never in a million years had he assumed he’d be anywhere close to where he was today, holding the world’s most beautiful, perfect woman in his arms, as she told him how she wanted nothing more than to build a family and spend the rest of her days with him. 

“Osita… I fucking love you so much, you know that?” He leaned in, his lips meeting yours in a soft and deep kiss, your heart racing as he pulled you in tighter. 

“Yeah, I mean, I guess, just a little bit…” You giggled, poking fun at him, considering not a day had passed since the first night he had said it that Javi hadn’t told you just how much he loved you. 

“Shut up, you dork.” He chuckled, making you squeal as he picked you up, playfully shaking you in his grasp before setting you back down. “I’d love nothing more, Hermosa. I don’t know how the fuck you’re supposed to carve a pumpkin or what the hell you have planned for these costumes, but I’m all in. I want it all with you, Osita. Thank you.” 

“Of course. For as much or as little as you want to do for Día de los Muertos, I’m all in too. I’m gonna be honest, I love Hallowen. Not as much as Christmas, but it’s a close second. It means you’re gonna have to trust me with a giant ass knife and cover yourself in pumpkin guts, though.”

“My trust is quickly starting to fade. Seriously though, what the hell are we supposed to dress up as?” He raised an eyebrow at you, nodding over to the pile of clothes you had pulled from your closet, now piled on the floor. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got some ideas.” 

  The weeks leading up to the holidays had made for fun at home date nights, the both of you genuinely looking forward to learning about the traditions you had both held so dear to your hearts. Almost every night after work, you had done something to celebrate the events leading up to the day. You had shown Javi a few of your favorite Halloween movies, including It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Beetlejuice, and Ghostbusters, very adamantly insisting to him that those movies were about as scary as you were going to get, blaming your brothers for scarring you after forcing you to watch The Exorcist at the ripe age of 7 years old. In addition to the movies, you had told him about other funny Trick-Or-Treating stories from your childhood, Javi’s favorite being how your brothers, (being the ruthless idiots they were) paid one of their friends in all of their halloween candy to jump out of a bush dressed as a terrifying old lady to scare the absolute shit out of you, and making you quite literally pee your pants. In return Javi shared his favorite memories of cooking in the kitchen with his mom as she made Pan de Muertos for his family, the two of you even attempting to make it one of the nights after work, milling about the kitchen together as Javi told you about his family you had yet to meet, or had passed away long before you. 

After a lengthy hunt, you were able to find pumpkins, bringing them to Chucho’s house to carve them since you had nowhere to put them inside your apartment. You offered him the rest of your Pan de Muertos in exchange for a place to work on your pumpkins, and while he gladly accepted the bread, the three of you knew Chucho was always happy to have you and Javi over, regardless. 

“So tell me, mija,” Chucho spoke in between mouthfuls of sweet bread, rocking back and forth in his chair, “is there a meaning behind carving the pumpkins, or is it just for fun?” 

“Just for fun! Okay, it looks like we’re ready, you want me to show you how to do it, or just let you go for it?” You smiled at Javi, the two of you sitting cross legged on Chucho’s porch, pumpkins open in front of you. 

“You just scoop them out, right?” Javi questioned, looking into the pumpkin with an unsure grimace. “It seems like there's a lot in here, Osita. I have to get all of it out?” 

“Yeah, or else you can’t see the design when you carve it. C’mon you big baby, just stick your hand in there and pull the guts out!” You laughed, digging your hand into your pumpkin, scooping out hearty globs of pumpkin guts, slopping them into the bucket Chucho had set out for you. Reluctantly, Javi joined, you and Chucho both absolutely dying at Javi’s face as his hand met the squishy fibers inside his pumpkin. 

“Jesus, that feels fucking gross!” He laughed, shaking his head as he threw some of the seeds and strings into the trash next to him. 

“You need me to do it for you?” You giggled, flicking a pumpkin seed at him as he winced with the second handful he pulled out. 

“No, cabrón (asshole), I can do it.” Javi grumbled as he rolled his eyes at you, the both of you scooping hearty handfuls of goop. 

“You hear that, Chucho? Calling me an asshole because he’s too scared to pull out pumpkin guts.” You looked back at his dad, giving him a playful grin, his smile already wide from the enjoyment of watching the two of you. With your back turned to Javi, you hadn’t noticed the small handful of seeds he had collected in his hand, lining up his arm to aim right at the back of your head. “I can’t believe that- HEY!” You whipped your neck around, running your hand over the back of your neck, picking seeds and strings out of your hair, seeing Javi snicker to himself as your jaw dropped open in shock. “Did you seriously just throw pumpkin guts at me?!” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, must have been a ghost.” He shrugged, smirking to himself before digging his hand back into his pumpkin. 

“You see this?!” You looked back at Chucho, pointing your finger at Javi, pretending to be stern, although your laughter quickly escaped. “Absolutely ridiculous, I swear.” 

“Javier, that is no way to treat your future esposa! (Wife) No quiero mis nietos ser cubierto en calabaza! Me encantáran en cualquier caso, pero todavía! (I don’t want my future grandchildren covered in pumpkin! I will love them either way, but still!)” Chucho scolded with a smirk, you and Javi silently smiling to each other at the thought of one day doing this with your own children. Javi had tried to stop fighting off his dad’s comments about grandkids a while ago- Chucho knew just as well as the two of you that he would have his grandchildren soon enough. 

“Ella lo pído… (She asked for it…)” Javi muttered under his breath, shooting his gaze up at you as he felt cold goop hit the side of his cheek, wiping the pumpkin you had just thrown at him off with the back of his hand, watching you smirk silently to yourself as you continued to scoop out your pumpkin.

“Ahora… Estamos a mano. (And now… We’re even.)” 

The 3 of you chatted on the porch, the sky now painted a dark black, filled with twinkling constellations above as you finished carving your pumpkins. Yours, a cute ghost with a little smiley face, and Javi’s, what he had tried to convince you and Chucho was also a ghost, even though it looked more like he had just carved a squiggly hole in the middle of his. It took a little prodding and convincing, but as you all talked about how the Peña family had spent many a Día de los Muertos, you and Chucho were able to get Javi to agree to go visit his mom’s gravesite on the Sunday after you got back from Steve and Connie’s party. Chucho had even promised to keep his tias, tios, and primos (aunts, uncles, and cousins) completely out of the picture this year, wanting to give Javi all the time and space he needed to go see his mom for the first time since her funeral. He was reluctant at first, riddled with the guilt of leaving her unvisited all these years, but as he felt the gentle squeeze of your hand, your silent reassurance was all he needed to know that you would be by his side, every step of the way. As you said your goodbyes, Chucho hugged you just a little extra tighter than normal, as if to thank you for everything you had done for his son, and just how thankful he was to have you in his life, too. 

Even though the Murphy’s had very graciously offered to let you and Javi stay on Friday night as well as Saturday, both Steve and Connie very much understood when you had told them on the phone that the only thing that you wanted to do after coming home from the chaos of managing an elementary school Halloween party was take a very, very long nap. You and Javi had spent the night ordering pizza and watching Young Frankenstein, only lasting about 20 minutes into the movie before you were dead asleep, snoring against Javi’s chest, still dressed in If You Give A Mouse A Cookie costume from earlier today. Carrying you to bed and undressing you from your mouse ears and oversized overalls, Javi curled into bed next to you, pulling your body against his as he stared at the ceiling. Despite how hard he tried to fall asleep, he laid there, wide awake as ever, as his head raced with the tornado of thoughts brewing inside his brain. 

Javier Peña had never really considered himself to be an anxious person. For most of his life, he couldn’t be. For the sake of his job, the sake of his family after his Mom passed, Javi had survived the only way he had known how- Block it out, and ignore it. And so far, that strategy had seemed to bode for him pretty darn well. But that was before he had anyone who depended on him, cared about him, anyone who made his life worth living for. That was before he had met you. Now, Javi found himself at the crossroads of a moment he had been waiting for since the moment he had first laid eyes on you. Something that brought him absolute joy and sheer terror at the same time- Javier Peña was going to propose to you, and he was an anxious fucking mess. 

If that in itself wasn’t enough, things at the Laredo County Sheriff's Department had been an absolute shit show. Mexico was the only thing on anyone’s radar, making for long days and high tension at the office, trying to do anything to slow the spread of the cartel’s influence across the border. Day after day, report after report, it felt like the department was drowning in the endless shitty news of new death tolls, record breaking trafficking stats, and lack of control as cocaine moved across the Rio Grande at a groundbreaking pace. Even though he found himself even further removed from Mexico than he ever was in Colombia, he couldn’t help but feel that painful, searing wrench in his gut when he sat down to really think about it. 

You. 

Spending your lives together.

Having a family.

Protecting his wife and kids. 

The things he would do to keep you safe.

The terrible things he had done he had justified were keeping other people safe. 

The imagines of the things he wish he could unsee.

The pain and hurt he wished he could take back. 

The fear of what he was capable of doing. 

So with a knot in his chest from work, a ring hidden away in his sock drawer, and the beginnings of a plan to ask the woman he loved more than life itself to marry him, Javi coped with the weight of his stress the only way he knew how. He couldn’t fucking sleep. 

The thoughts played in his mind on repeat, torturing him with every loop around his brain. He tried his best to close his eyes, to empty his head for a moment of peace, but no matter how much he wished he could have willed himself to sleep, it was no use. By the time the alarm clock on his nightstand read 2:05 AM, Javi had completely given up on the idea of rest for the night, quietly making his way out of bed to go wander around the living room. It wasn’t long before you too were also awake, rolling over in your sleep to find Javi’s space in the bed cold and empty. Rubbing your eyes and propping yourself up against your pillow, you scanned around the darkness of your room as you came to, realizing that Javi was nowhere to be found.  Draping one of the blankets from your bed over you, you crept into the hallway, greeted by the soft light of one of the living room lamps painting shadows against the wall. 

“Javi, are you up?” Your voice still soft and sleepy, rubbing your hand along your face, squinting from the sudden brightness that lit up the room. 

“Osita, baby, did I wake you up? I'm so sorry. Go back to bed, okay?” Javi shot up from the couch, setting down whatever book he had been half focused on reading as he watched your bed headed figure meander into the living room. 

“No, it’s okay.” You grumbled, holding out your blanket covered arms for Javi to melt his body into yours, wrapping you in a tight hug. You pressed your head into the bare skin of his chest, snaking your hands around his waist as he planted his lips against the the top of your head, burying his nose in your tangled hair. “Baby, what’s going on? Why can’t you sleep? I’m worried about you, Jav.” 

“I’m… Yeah, I’m okay, Hermosa. Just a lot on my mind.” He sighed, his exhale still buried in your hair as he savored the smell of you, still lingering even in your sleepy state. 

His pause alone was enough to know okay wasn’t the word that you would use to describe Javi right now. His words were burdened and fatigued, making it clear that whatever was on his mind was weighing on him more heavily than he wanted to admit. 

“Are you sure? Javi, if you wanna talk about anything, you know I’m always here, right?” 

You wanted so desperately to pry. Everything in you had a feeling that whatever was keeping him up were entangled in the parts of his dark parts past, the last secrets holding up the final wall between the two of you. You knew from your brothers how hard it was to talk about the pain and suffering they had witnessed, and begging them to talk about it before they were ready only seemed to make it worse. Hell, after Patrick died, it felt like you didn’t sleep for weeks, and it had taken you months to open up about it. You knew Javi hurt, and as much as you wanted to, digging deeper into the things that plagued him in his restless nights wasn’t what he needed right now. Right now, he just needed someone to be there for him. 

“Is there anything I can do, Javi? I just wanna help.” The breath of your sympathetic whispers were hot against Javi’s skin, squeezing your arms to pull him as close to you as he could. He paused for a moment, letting out another deep breath as cradled the back of your head with his palm, running his hands through your hair. 

“Will- Will you stay up with me? Just a little bit longer?” His voice trembled as you turned your head to lock your eyes with his, the gentle nod of your head bringing him a moment of relief. 

“Of course, baby. Of course I’ll stay up with you. Do you wanna turn on the TV or put on a movie? Sometimes that helps me sleep.” You stretched your arms over your head, scrunching your face as you yawned before tugging your blanket tighter around your body. 

“Believe me, Hermosa, I know it does.” He let out a soft chuckle as he pressed a soft kiss against your forehead. 

“Oh shit, yeah that is true. I don’t even think I made it halfway through Young Frankenstein tonight, which is a crime. It’s such a good movie. I don’t even remember getting into bed.” You yawned again, this time taking one of your blanket covered fists to try and rub the sleep out of your eyes, forcing yourself to stay awake. 

“Well, if you give a mouse pizza and a movie after a long day at school, then she’ll probably need her boyfriend to carry her to bed because she’s so tired.” Now awake enough, Javi’s cute jab at your costume for school made you let out a little giggle, giving him a little shove with your blanket wrapped body. “Why don’t we turn the rest of it on, so you can finish watching?” 

“I don’t wanna fall asleep on you, Javi.” You grumbled, pouting up at him, considering he had just asked you to stay awake with him. 

“It’s okay. As long as I have you by me, I’ll be alright, I promise.” Reluctantly, you nodded in agreement, plopping yourself on the couch as Javi turned on the TV, rewinding the VHS tape to the point where you had fallen asleep earlier before joining you, draping his arm around your shoulder as you tucked in your knees and scooted closer to him. You sat for a few minutes in silence, letting the sounds of the movie fill the background. As you turned your head to look up at Javi, you could tell that even though his eyes were pointed at the screen, there was no way he was really watching the movie. Reaching up your hand, you ran your fingers across the length of his strong jaw, his stubble scratching against your palm, forcing him to look back at you. Your eyes met his, the sweet, chocolate brown looking back at you, with a confusing mix of exhaustion, guilt, want and helplessness. You brought your face closer to his, your lips now only inches apart as your whispers danced against his mouth, desperate to find something to ease his pain. 

“What do you need, Javi? Whatever you need, I’ll give it to you.” 

His tongue swept against his bottom lip, taking one last shaky breath before his words left his body with his exhale. 

“You. I need you.” 

His hands found their way to the bare skin of your thighs, his fingertips barely brushing against your flesh as he traced his way up to your torso, toying with the hem of one of his shirts that always looked so much better on you than him. Pressing his palm against the soft curves of your stomach, he tugged at the waistband of your sleep shorts, causing you to shift your body so he could slide them down your legs. Reaching over towards his lap, you grasped at his boxers, feeling him already half hard under the fabric as you rubbed your hand against him. Javi held your hips, slowly guiding you to straddle him as you kicked your shorts off your feet, leaving them in a pile on the ground. Slowly, you began to grind deeper into his lap, the feeling of him now fully hard beneath you. Gently prompting you to raise your arms over your head, Javi lifted your shirt, leaving you bare as he dropped it next to your shorts. 

“Is this okay?” Javi rasped, pressing languid kisses against your neck and collarbone as you ran your hands against the width of his broad shoulders. 

“Of course, baby.” Your reply low and horse as you began to drag the fabric of his boxers lower and lower, finally letting his cock spring free as his waistband pushed past. You brought your palm to your mouth, licking a long, wet strip across it before wrapping it around his length, thumbing over the precum already leaking from his tip. Javi tilted his head against the back of the couch as you twisted your wrist, stroking his cock, letting out a hushed moan before sitting back up to watch you. 

“You’re fucking perfect, Osita. I don’t deserve you.” He dug his fingertips into the soft flesh of your ass, his sweet, brown eyes locked on yours as you pressed against him, nibbling at his ear. 

“You deserve everything, Javi. I could give you everything in the world and it still wouldn’t be enough.” Javi grasped at your face, cupping your cheeks as he pressed his lips against yours in a deep, intense kiss, his voice shaky and lustful as his mouth parted with yours before he spoke. 

“I don’t need anything besides you, Osita. Eres mi todo. Estás todo lo que necesito. (You are my everything. You’re all I’ll ever need.) He shuttered, letting out a low groan as you continued to rub your hand along his length, Javi now reaching down to trace lazy circles around your clit before dipping his fingers inside your wet heat. His fullness made you whimper, wrapping tighter around his cock as you stroked him, now bucking your hips against his hand as his fingers curled, bumping against the spongy spot that made you lose control. “Does that feel good, sweet girl? Fuck, you’re so wet. 

“Mhmmmmm.” You gasped, rapidly nodding your head as his digits pulsed inside you, your cunt already drenched, desperate to feel the fullness of his dick, despite the thickness of his fingers. Carefully, you lifted your hips, moving yourself closer to him as you ran your fingers through the soft ends of his sleepy curls. Sitting up on your knees, Javi removed his hand as he watched you hover over him, his palms roaming to your hips as you guided his tip through your folds, collecting your arousal before lining him up with your entrance. His jaw went slack as you lowered down on to him, taking your time as you savored the stretch of every sweet inch until you had bottomed out at his base. 

“Fuckkk, baby.” He mewled, gently guiding his hands against your hips as you dragged yourself up along his length before headfully sinking back down, the tip of his cock bumping against your cervix with each movement. Javi nipped at your neck, trailing hot, wet kisses down your collarbone before stopping at your breasts, flicking this tongue along each of your pebbled nipples as you pushed deeper into his lap, whimpering at his touch. “My sweet girl, always taking me so well, like you were fucking made for me, baby. God, you’re so fucking gorgeous.” Javi pulled you in tighter, caging his chest against yours as his arms wrapped around the small of your back as he rested his face in the crook of your neck. “Fuck, I love you so much, Osita.” His words were desperate and needy against your bare skin, digging your fingers into his dark curls as you swirled your hips around his cock. 

“I love you too, Javi. More than anything.” You moaned as felt Javi shift his weight, thrusting upwards as he buried himself deep inside you. His fullness had you digging your nails into the nape of his neck, your body melting into his with each push and pull against each other. You could feel the all too familiar tingle creeping up your legs and through the base of your spine as Javi’s hand found its way to circle around your clit, already throbbing as the curled hair around his base brushed against your sensitive nerves. The lewd noises of your moans and tangled bodies drowned out the sounds of the TV behind you, practically hearing how wet you were as Javi cock slipped in and out of your heat, his pace pounding as he punched into you. You could feel your walls beginning to tighten around him, arousal pooling in your belly, Javi knowing you were close as you whimpered into the crook of his neck. “Fuck baby, don’t stop- ahhhh- please don’t stop, I’m so close.” 

“I know, baby, I know. Let go for me, Osita. Wanna feel you soak my lap before I fuck you full of me. Cum for me baby, it’s okay, I’ve got you.” Javi’s fingers rubbed faster along your clit as you rolled your hips, sinking yourself deeper onto his cock with each thrust, your vision going white as you could feel yourself come undone. 

“Javi, Javi- fuck- Javi, Jav-ahhhhhh.” You could feel yourself gush around him, crying out his name as you reached your high, your legs shaking and fingers digging into his skin, pleasure flowing through your veins. 

“That’s it, Hermosa. Fuck, baby, I’m gonna cum too, fuck myself so deep inside you. My perfect girl. Mierda- Quiero que seas mío para siempre, mi amor. Solo tú, por siempre y para siempre. (Shit- I want you to be mine forever, my love. Only you, forever and always). Fuck me, I- fuckkkk.” Javi hissed as he buried himself deep in your hilt, spilling every drop of his spend against your walls. You could feel the mixture of the both of you dripping down your thighs, soaking Javi’s lap as you slumped into his body, your heart racing as the damp curls of his hair pressed against your shoulder. You both sat there for a moment, letting your chests rise and fall together in sync as you came to. “Fuck me, Osita. I could stay like this forever, baby.”

“You and me both. Although, I feel like that would make things awfully inconvenient for the both of us.” Your soft, sleepy giggles making Javi smile as he ran his fingers though the twisted ends of your hair. Carefully, you lifted yourself up, hissing at the loss of Javi inside you. 

“Thank you, Osita.” Javi whispered, tenderly circling his thumb along your jaw as you curled up next to him. 

“For what?” 

“Just- fuck, you’re so good to me. I don’t know what I’d do without you. So, I just- thank you. Thank you for being everything I need.” Planting a gentle kiss on your forehead, Javi pulled you tighter, holding you in his arms as you leaned against him. 

“I’ll always be here for you, Javi. I promise.” 

You hoped he knew. That he knew your words were true. That when the time came for him to open up to you, letting you into the painful past that loomed above him, that you wouldn’t run. You would be right by his side, just as you were right now. 

“Well good morning, Sleeping Beauty.” Javi chuckled as you twisted in the passenger seat, stretching your arms over your head, scrunching your face, letting out a lengthy yawn. 

“Fuck, how long was I asleep for? How much longer do we have left? Sorry, I wasn’t planning on sleeping that long, I just wanted to take a nap for a little while we drove.” You ran your hands over your face, looking out at the bright Texas sun shining over the neat suburban neighborhood you now found yourself driving through. Javi reached over across the center console, rubbing his hand along your thigh as he chuckled to himself. 

“Baby, I knew from the moment you fell asleep you were gonna be out for the rest of the drive, it’s okay. I was just worried I was gonna have to wake you up in the Murphy’s driveway.” You grumbled as you looked over at Javi, giving him a playful swat against his arm, shaking your head, now emerging from your post nap fog. 

“Well if we weren't up fucking at 2:30 in the morning, perhaps I wouldn’t be so tired, hmmmm?” 

Javi rolled his eyes as you poked fun at how the both of you had found yourselves last night, trying to ease Javi’s sleeplessness. While your solution had worked enough to ease him back to bed, it had now left you wide awake, wondering what had been going through Javi’s head, torturing him enough to keep him up. It had also meant that the two of you had slept in much longer than you intended, leaving later than planned for Steve and Connie’s. The two of you had quickly packed your things and hit the road, stopping to grab lunch on the way before you found yourself dead asleep next to Javi for the last hour and a half of your journey to San Antonio. With only a few minutes now left in your drive, you peered out the window, admiring the houses that lined the quiet streets of the Murphy’s neighborhood. 

“This is a cute subdivision.” You smiled over at Javi, admiring the houses, charming and inviting as they were freshly decorated from Halloween. 

“Yeah, it is pretty nice.” He grinned back, wrapping his palm around your thigh, giving your leg a little squeeze. He took a deep breath, his voice now shifting in tone, becoming more shaky and nervous. “Would you uh- would you, um, wanna live in a neighborhood like this?” 

“Maybe. I don’t know, the houses are all really close together. I spent so much of my life in the city, and even at my house growing up, everything always felt so cramped. After coming here, especially after seeing your ranch, I don’t know, I would love to be somewhere with more space. But that’s a big ask, so, maybe one day if it works out, I guess.” You reached over, rubbing your hand along Javi’s arm, your soft smile meeting his tender gaze as he smirked, nodding to himself. 

“Yeah, one day.” 

Taking a last turn down one of the neighborhood streets, the two of you pulled up to the quaint two story home belonging to the Murphy’s. Turning off the ignition, Javi paused for a moment, grinning to himself as he ran the hand resting on your leg up to your face, cupping your check as his eyes roamed the length of your body, taking every inch of you in as his sweet brown eyes consumed you. “I love you, Osita.”  

“I love you too, Jav.” Both of your heads tilted, your lips gently pressing against one anothers as you traced your hand through Javi’s dark curls, pulling him closer into you. You could feel his smile against your mouth as his tongue barely swiped against your bottom lip, the two of you so lost in the moment, you hadn’t even seen Steve make his way out of the house to greet you, let alone the fact that he was now standing at the driver’s side door, hands on his hips as he watched your impromptu makeout session in Javi’s truck. 

“You two lovebirds want help bringin’ your bags in, or do I need to give you a minute?” Steve chuckled to himself as you and Javi shot up, hearts racing and faces going white hearing his distinct drawl and rapid tapping at the driver’s side window. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Javi placed one more soft kiss on your forehead before promptly turning around to flip off Steve and opening the driver’s side door. “You two are worse than a pair of horny teenagers, I swear.” You could hear Steve still snickering to himself as you exited out your side of the car, making your way over to find Javi and Steve in a tight hug, lovingly patting each other on the back. 

“Fuck off, Murph.” Javi shook his head against Steve’s embrace, pulling away to grab your two bags from the backseat. 

“Listen, I’m not the one makin’ out in my driveway.” Steve shrugged as you sheepishly emerged from your side of the truck, smiling at you as grimaced at him. 

“He started it…” You glanced over at Javi, you and Steve now both giggling as he pulled you in for a hug. 

“Of course he did, wouldn’t put anything past this old bastard. How ya doin’ sweetheart? Good to see the both of you, we’re really glad you guys could make it. 

“She’s doing great after the hour and a half nap she took on the way here.” Javi interjected, slamming the truck door behind him, slinging both of your bags over his shoulder. 

“Whatever, you meanie. In my defense, I was not planning to sleep that long, and I think Halloween exhaustion got the best of me.” You shot Javi a quick wink, trying to bite down on your lip before turning back to face Steve. 

“Listen, I don’t blame ya. I’m fuckin’ exhausted after trick-or-treating with 3 kids, let alone tryin’ to keep ‘em wrangled at school all day. I love those girls, but I don’t think I could've gotten them in my parents car fast enough when they came to pick ‘em up this morning. Here, come on in, I won’t make you stand out in the driveway all day, unless you need to make out more.” 

As you stepped into the Murphy home, you were greeted by an abundance of Halloween streamers and banners hanging in the living room and up the stairwell to the second floor, along with a few Barbie dolls and accessories scattered across the entryway, nearly stepping on one as you came through the door. You could smell the sweet scent of something baking in the kitchen as Connie came rushing through the hallway, arms outstretched to greet you and Javi. “Oh it’s so good to see you two, thank you so much for coming!” Connie squeezed you and Javi in a tight hug before she backed away, kicking one of the toys on the floor across the room. “Sorry about the Barbies, I told the girls to clean up before they left for their grandparents this morning but I think all 3 of them are still running on a sugar high from last night and that obviously didn’t happen.” 

“Thank you so much for having us! Don’t worry about it at all, I totally understand! Javi was just telling me on the way over how much he was hoping the girls had Barbies he could play with anyways!” The 3 of you laughed as Javi rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as you gave him a smirk and a little nudge. 

“Fuck, I forgot how funny she was Jav.” Steve snickered to himself, picking up one of the Barbies and tossing it across the room into one of the toy baskets along the wall. “Seriously though, we are really glad you guys could make it. Your birthday party was fun as hell, old man. Glad to be close enough to actually see each other and do stuff like this again.” 

Before Javi would respond, you all jumped, startled by the sound of the kitchen timer beeping rapidly from the other room. “Oh crap, sorry, I gotta grab the cupcakes out of the oven!” Connie grimaced apologetically, making her way back to the kitchen. 

“Do you need any help?” You asked, excited to spend more time with Connie. 

“Oh my gosh actually if you could help with frosting the cupcakes that would be amazing. I made these yesterday for Olivia and Abby’s class parties, and I had no idea it was gonna take so long and was worried I wasn’t going to have enough time for all of them before the party! Thank you!” 

“Of course!” You replied, grinning at her before following her lead to the kitchen, giving a little wave as you disappeared around the hall, looking back at Steve and Javi. “Have fun, you two.” 

Steve paused for a moment until the both of you were out of sight, waiting to forcefully slap his hand against Javi’s chest, making him groan from the unexpected pain. 

“What the fuck was that for, you jackass?” Javi winced, glaring at Steve. 

“Where the fuck’s the ring, man?! Steve hissed through gritted teeth, looking back at Javi in disappointment. “I thought you were gonna fuckin’ do it after you got back from Chicago and met her family?! I thought everything was all good with- oh shit, did something happen with the ho-” 

“Shhhhhh! You fuckin’ idiot, please, talk louder, I don’t think the people at the end of the street could hear you.” Javi looked around the corner, clenching his jaw, praying that you hadn’t heard anything from the kitchen. 

“I’m not that fuckin’ loud… Shit, what the fuck happened then?” Steve grumbled, looking over at Javi with concern. 

“Can we maybe talk about proposal plans somewhere that’s not right by the woman I’m trying to propose to?” Running his thumb over his balled fists, Javi’s eyes darted back and forth, staying on the lookout for your return. 

“Fine, fine, fine. I’ll show you where the guest room is and then you can tell me.” Steve motioned up the stairs, Javi trailing behind with both your bags draped around his shoulders

“Was I really that fuckin’ loud?” 

“…Have you heard yourself talk?” 

“So how’s everything been going at work? There definitely was a full moon sometime in the past week because things were crazy at the hospital, I’m sure they had to be equally as bad at an elementary school.” You and Connie giggled as you squeezed a dollop of orange frosting onto one of the cupcakes before taking one of the little bags to pipe on eyes and a mouth to make it look like a pumpkin. 

“Oh my god, I think it must have been on Wednesday, I had a boy cut another girl’s hair with scissors and then had to call another parent because her daughter bit another kid at recess pretending to play werewolves. I felt really bad we didn’t come last night, I was exhausted after our Halloween party, I fell asleep on poor Javi at like, 8 o’clock.” 

Although you found yourself laughing with Connie again, you couldn’t help but shake the uncomfortable feeling you had in your gut as you thought about after you had woken up in the middle of the night to find Javi wide awake and distressed. You carefully set down your spatula, taking a deep breath before glancing over at Connie, still frosting next to you. “Hey, uh, Connie? Can, um- Can I ask you something?” Connie immediately sensed the shift in your tone, putting down her cupcake. 

“Of course, honey. What’s going on?” 

“Did um, did- Did Steve ever- ever talk to you? About all the stuff that happened in Colombia? I mean like, I know you were there, but I don’t know. Sorry, I don’t know what I’m trying to ask, this is probably way too personal, I-” You could feel yourself shrinking, retracting in embarrassment at your overly intrusive question, unable to finish your thought before Connie cut you off, placing her hand on your shoulder. 

“Oh, honey…” Her eyes were filled with sympathy as they looked back at yours, letting out a sigh before she responded. “Did something happen?” You began to nod your head no, even though you could feel the words yes burning in your throat. You took another shaky breath, trying to hold back the tears now welling in your eyes as you spoke. 

“No I mean- well, yeah, I guess. Last night, I woke up and Javi wasn’t in bed. He was out in the living room and I could tell that something was bothering him. I don’t know- maybe it was nothing. I just- when my brothers came back from active duty, there were a lot of things that kind of just went unspoken. I knew it was hard for them to talk about. Charlie handled it okay, but my brother Patrick never wanted to talk to anyone about what happened, and it just- I don’t know Connie, I don’t think Javi would ever do anything stupid like he did, but- fuck- it scares me sometimes. I know Javi’s done things that he’s probably not proud of, and I get it’s part of the nature of what his job was. I don’t care. I really don’t. People do shitty things when they’re put in shitty situations. But he never talks about it. Ever. Does… Does he not trust me? I care about him so much, Con. More than anything. I get so worried about him.” 

Your tears were now streaming down your cheeks, leaving your face wet as you wiped the back of your hand across your skin to try and do some form of damage control before Connie embraced you, pulling you in for a hug, tightly wrapping her arms around you. “Oh sweetheart. Of course he trusts you. When Steve came back, he was a mess. I don’t think it really all hit him until he was finally home. I guess you’re right, it was different because I was there, but even then, there were things that happened that I didn’t know about. After begging and begging him, I finally got him to go to see someone and it really helped, but even now, there’s times where it still creeps up on him. Honey, Javi loves you so much. I didn’t think I’d ever live to see the day he was in love as he is with you. If he’s anything like Steve, he just doesn't wanna hurt you.” 

You sniffled, taking a step back to wipe your nose with your sleeve, your lip trembling as you tried to keep from crying harder than you already were. “But that’s what hurts, Connie. It hurts me to think he has to keep this from me, like I’m gonna think less of him for what he’s been through.” 

“I know. Have you talked to him about it?” Connie’s voice was gentle and sweet, rubbing her hand along your arm as she listened to what you needed to get off your chest. 

“No… I guess I should have. I never wanted to pry. I know it’s hard to talk about, I just- I wanna be there for him Connie. I don’t want him to have to do it all on his own.” You shifted your gaze to the ground, guilt washing over you. After Patrick, you couldn’t live with the idea of letting Javi try to suffer through his past alone. You loved him more than anything- and even the slightest thought of going through anything similar to what had happened to Patrick again with Javi was almost paralyzing. 

“I think the best thing you can do is to go talk to him.” Looking back up, you saw Connie smiling at you, trying to convince you that everything would be okay, even if it felt like it wasn’t. “Why don’t you go find him? Party’s starting soon anyways, you can go change into your costumes and come down wherever you’re ready. I’ll be just fine with the cupcakes, tell Steve can put himself to work frosting.” The both of you grinned as you tried to wipe your tears, nodding slowly in agreement. 

“Thanks, Connie.” You whispered into her shoulder as you pulled her in for a hug before heading up the stairs to find where Javi and Steve had gone. It didn’t take you long to find the pair, hearing their voices carry through the hallway from the slightly cracked door of the guest bedroom. You were about to knock and interrupt their conversation, stopping yourself with your fist barely touching the door as you tried to make out what they were talking about. 

“The offer was in fucking cash, too. I was trying to make it easier so I could speed up the process, but it’s been taking them so goddamn long to close on everything so I can finally go sign the fucking paperwork.” 

“That fuckin’ blows, Jav. I’m sorry. It’s not like she knows any better, though. It’ll still be a huge fuckin’ surprise, I’ll tell you that much.” 

“I know. It’s been killing me to wait this long. I just want it to be perfect, Steve. She deserves everything. Honestly, I’m kinda glad it bought me some more time. I need to find a way to get her to see it before everything’s official in case she fucking hates it.” 

“Javi. She’s not gonna hate it. Fuck it, tell her Connie and I are lookin’ for somethin’ and we wanted you two to go see it for us. I don’t know, maybe that’s too obvious. Speakin’ of which, I should probably go check to see if she needs anything before this party, I’m already in the fuckin’ dog house for forgettin’ to bring the girl’s trick-or-treatin’ bags to school, I don’t need to be in trouble for anything else.” 

What the hell were they talking about? What was Javi signing? Why was it taking so long? What the hell did it have to do with you? Wait… holy fuck. No way… Was he- 

Before you could finish your thought, you suddenly realized Steve was making his way towards the door. You quickly rapped your fist against the wood, trying to play off the fact you had been eavesdropping and make it look like you had just unassumingly made your way upstairs, not overhearing the conversation the two were just having. 

Knock, knock. 

“Hey, it’s me! Uh, Steve, Con wants to know if you can help her with the cupcakes really quick.” You pushed open the door, trying your best to smile at the suspicious pair as Steve shook his head, looking back at Javi. 

“It’s always fuckin’ somethin’. I don’t even know what I did wrong this time, I swear.” Steve held up his hands defensively, sliding his way past you in the doorway before heading downstairs, leaving you standing there awkwardly, unsure how to feel after your conversation with Connie and the one you had just overheard. 

“Hey, Osita. How’s everything goin’ down there? Sorry, we were just about to come down and- Hey, baby, you okay?” Javi stood up, concern spreading across his face from the strange scrunch in your brow as you stared at the floor. 

“Ummmm…” You froze for a moment, unsure of what to do. On the one hand, your conversation with Connie had you ready to confront Javi, to finally work up the courage to ask him about the past life he had tried his best to keep from you. But as you glanced over at him, seeing his sweet brown eyes and stupidly handsome face, remembering the discussion you had just overheard through the doorway, the other hand meant you weren’t at risk of ruining your night that the two of you had been so looking forward to, and right now, the other hand was going to have to be the one you needed to play. “Yeah, yeah, I’m good, I just- I was gonna ask you something but forgot what I was gonna say. I’m sure I’ll remember it eventually.” You smiled at Javi, neither of you completely convinced by your response. “But um, Connie said that people are gonna start getting here soon, so we can change into our costumes if you want.” A smirk slowly stretched across your cheeks as you nodded over to the black duffle bags laying on the bed. 

Javi’s grin matched yours quickly, grabbing your hips and pulling you closer against him as you giggled. “You sure we’re not gonna be the only ones dressed up?” 

“Well considering it’s a Halloween party and I literally just talked to Connie about what she and Steve are wearing downstairs, I’m gonna give it a pretty confident yes. Worst case, it just looks like you’re wearing a white shirt and vest, Mr. Solo. You stuck up, half-witted, scruffy looking nerf herder.” You raised your eyebrows, playfully poking at his chest. Javi paused, shaking his head at your quote, firing one right back at you as he bit down on his lip. 

“You just like me because I’m a scoundrel. There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life.” 

“I happen to like nice men.” 

“I am a nice man.”  

Javi cupped your face, pulling you in for a long, heavy kiss before backing away to unpack your bags, shooting you a quick wink as you rolled your eyes. Jesus, he even found a way to make Star Wars sexy. Just when you thought you couldn’t be anymore in love, Javier Peña never failed to find a way to make you realize you’d never stop falling for him. 

After putting in what felt like the 74th bobby pin into your hair after getting the last braid wrapped over your head, you gave yourself a once over in the mirror, pleasantly surprised by how well your costume had turned out. While Javi was disappointed you were adamant you were not going as Princess Leia from Return of the Jedi and showing up in front of a group of strangers at Steve and Connie’s party in her slave costume, you and Javi both agreed that Hoth Princess Leia was definitely the next best look. Staring at you with his puppy dog eyes, Javi had been adamant about waiting with you as you finished getting ready, leaning his hip against the bathroom counter, arms crossed over his chest as he watched you finish the last of your hair and makeup. 

“Okay, I think that should stay. All those years of braiding my hair for under my hockey helmet are finally coming in handy for something.” You snickered, pushing the final clip into your hair to hold it into place, giving yourself a once over in the mirror. As you looked yourself down, Javi’s eyes wandered up and down your body just as fast, practically undressing you as fast as you had put your costume on. 

“Goddamn, Osita… Fuck, you’re so hot.” 

“Me? Jesus Christ, Javi. You put Harrison Ford to shame with how fucking good you look. I like Han Solo better with a mustache anyways.” You licked your tongue against your bottom lip, running your hands along the muscles of his arms, straining against the tight henley shirt he was wearing under his vest. You were no better than Javi, practically having to force yourself to not look in his general direction while you were getting ready to prevent yourself from pouncing on him. But given the lack of chatter downstairs, and the impressive speed at which the two of you had gotten ready, you really couldn’t help yourself. Slowly, you let your hands begin to slip down his arms and across his chest, palming at the denim of his black jeans as he let out a deep groan. 

“Hermosa…” He hissed against your neck as you grasped at the bulge now growing under his pants, your other hand now making its way down to undo his belt, the clinking of the metal drowned out by Javi’s heavy panting. You began lowering your body, sliding Javi’s pants and boxers down his thighs as his cock sprang free, his tip already red and leaking with precum. You rested on your knees, face to face with his length as you wrapped your hand around him, slowly stroking him a few times. 

“This okay, Captain Solo?” You batted your lashes at him, giving him a wink before letting your spit dribble onto his cock, taking his tip into your mouth and swirling your tongue around it. Curling your fingers around his base, you began to twist your wrist, hollowing out your cheeks as you took him deeper into your mouth. 

“Oh, fuck me. Holy shit, Osita.” He moaned, tilting his head back, letting his jaw go slack as your head bobbed back and forth. He gently rested his hand along the side of your face, helping to guide you along his length as you took him deeper and deeper down your throat. “Jesus Christ, baby. Fuck, that feels so good. You look so hot, god fuckin’ dammit.” Javi’s words were labored and shaky as you started to increase your pace, wrapping your free hand around the back of his bare thigh, digging your fingertips into his leg. Feeling the pressure beginning to build in his stomach, Javi began rocking his hips, his jaw completely slack as he looked down at the sight of how well you took him in your mouth, saliva dribbling down your chin as sucked along his cock, hard and heavy on your tongue. “Fuck, Osita. I’m not gonna last much longer. Can I cum like this, baby? Fill up that- fuck- fill up that pretty little mouth of yours?”” 

You glanced up at him, nodding, your lips still wrapped around his dick, the motions of your head and wrist now becoming faster and sloppier as you watched Javi’s brow scrunch and jaw clench, a sign you knew all too well that he was moments away from coming undone. 

“Such a good fucking girl, taking me so well. Fuck, baby- shit- se sientes tan bien, estoy tan cercaaahhhhhh-” (you feel so good, I’m so closeeeee-). The hot ropes of his spend coated the back of your throat, the salty, tangy mix filling your mouth as Javi whined, giving his hips one last push as kept your lips wrapped around him, making sure that you had milked him of every last drop before releasing. Letting your spit and his release fall from the corners of your lips, you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, smirking up at Javi’s blissed out expression. “Jesus Christ, Osita. You’re too fucking good at that. Holy shit. Lemme take care of-“ 

You held up your hand to stop him as you stood up, your gesture cutting off the rest of his sentence as you helped to pull up his jeans and boxers still resting along his thighs. “I’m allowed to give my hot ass boyfriend blowjobs without anything in return. C’mon, we better get downstairs before Steve walks in on us again.” You pressed up on your tiptoes, planting a quick kiss on Javi’s lips as he reached down to buckle his belt before the two of you tried your best to fix yourself up in the mirror to avoid the inevitable shit Steve was about to give the both of you. Giving Javi a quick nod in the mirror before turning off the light and heading out the door, he gave your ass a playful smack, making you squeal in surprise, making you turn on your heels. Resting his hand on his hip, he beamed at you, biting down on his lip. 

“Fuck, I love you.” 

“I know.” 

The Murphy’s living room had begun to pool with guests as you made your way down the stairs, looking for Steve and Connie amongst the crowd. You and Javi both grabbed a beer from the cooler at the bottom of the stairwell, quickly turning around as you heard Steve’s familiar twang approaching behind you. 

“Well I’ll be damned. You got this motherfucker in a costume? He must really love you.” Steve chuckled, shaking Javi by the shoulders. “And Star Wars too?! You asshole, how many times did I try to tell you they were good fuckin’ movies?! You shoulda dressed him up like Jabba the Hut.” You and Steve cackled as Javi rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, and what the fuck are you supposed to be? A sad pirate?” Javi jabbed, poking fun at Steve’s poorly put together costume. 

“Listen, Olivia and Abby both wanted to be the Little Mermaid, so we had two Ariel’s, Con was Ursula, Madison was the yellow fish and I didn’t wanna be that annoying ass crab, so pirate it was, asshole.” Steve retorted, punching at Javi’s arm, the two of them laughing at each other like little boys. “Alright, go enjoy yourselves lovebirds, I’ll see ya in a little bit. And Javi?”

“Yeah Murph?” 

“You really gotta start checkin’ your pants, buddy.” 

Javi’s cheeks turned red, his eyes darting down to his zipper, still all the way undone from your activities upstairs, the both of you grimacing at each other, sheepishly avoiding eye contact with Steve as he disappeared into the crowd. 

It really wasn’t a surprise to Javi how many friends the Murphy’s had already managed to make in their time since moving to San Antonio. Their house was quickly crowded with all sorts of people- Steve and Connie’s co-workers, neighbors, parents of friends Olivia and Abby had made at school, regardless of where the party goers were from, everyone had collectively agreed to make adult Halloween just as fun as any kids. You and Javi were having a great time catching up with Steve and Connie, as well as meeting some of their other close friends, one of Connie’s neighbors being an elementary school teacher, giving you two plenty to commiserate about from the hellish week it had been. It didn’t take long for the party to move outside, Steve drunkenly deciding that he needed to make a bonfire, despite adamant argument that with the amount of alcohol Steve had in his system, he was going to spontaneously combust if he got close enough to a flame. Javi, sober enough to still help his friend make rational decisions, was glad that Steve was happy to let him build the bonfire. 

“The force is strong with you, Han Solo.” You giggled, Javi wrapping his arm around your shoulder, pressing a soft kiss into your forehead as the two of you stared into the flickering orange glow of the fire pit. 

“Not strong enough to extinguish Steve if he got close enough to it. Hey, I got shit all over my hands, I’m gonna go to the bathroom and wash ‘em off. You need anything while I’m inside, Princess?” You smiled as you nudged Javi at the nickname he had been adamant about using since you had put on your costume. 

“I’m good, thank you. I’m gonna go wait over on the swingset so I don’t completely reek of bonfire later.” Javi nodded as he slid his hand down your back, giving your ass a quick squeeze before making his way through the crowd, heading towards the house. Surprised no one else had capitalized on the chance to sit down, you wandered over to the wooden playset at the corner of the Murphy’s backyard, taking a seat on one of the plastic swings, kicking your feet against the grass below. 

“Hey, there she is! How goes it, Leia?” Taking a few long strides through the yard, Steve was now quickly making his way over to you, stumbling over his own feet as he somehow managed to sit himself down on the swing next to you. You tried your best not to laugh at Steve’s drunken state, but his current antics weren’t making it very easy on you. 

“I could ask the same to you. You doin’ okay there, pirate?” 

“Fuck sweetheart, I’m doin’ fuckin’ great. Where’s the asshole?” 

“Inside, I’m sure he’ll be back out soon.” You snickered at Steve watching the beer dribble down his chin from the overly confident swig he had taken. 

“Good, I don’t need ‘em right now. You were the one I was lookin’ for.” Steve pointed in your general direction, but clearly wasn’t aware enough to hit his target head on. 

“Me?” You laughed, pointing back to yourself. 

“Yes, you. You talk to him yet?”

“About?” You paused, wondering if Steve had any inkling of the conversation you were planning to have earlier, or if he was drunkenly deciding you and Javi needed to discuss something else. 

“You know about what. I talked to Connie earlier. I figured I owed it to you to come talk to you about it, too.” 

Your heart began to race, that uncomfortable feeling once again beginning to churn in your stomach as you thought about the things you and Connie had discussed earlier. “Steve, you don’t owe me anything, I-” 

“No, I do. Hold on a second.” Steve turned away, letting out a hearty burp, pouding on his chest before facing back towards you. “Sorry, I’ve been holdin’ that in for like 10 minutes, I needed to let it out. Anyways… What was I sayin’? Oh shit, yeah, the grumpy bastard. Listen, sweetheart. I know it’s gonna fuckin’ suck,  but you gotta be the one to bring it up and talk to him about it. If I know anything about that motherfucker, it’s that he will bottle things up for way too fuckin’ long until someone gets it out of him. He’s a good guy. He says he’s not, but he is. Saved my ass more times than I can count. That job made us do some fucked up shit neither of us are fuckin’ proud of. But that doesn’t mean he gets to keep it from you. I swear to God, that asshole is so fuckin’ in love with you, it makes me sick. You make him so happy. He just doesn’t wanna fuck up the best thing that’s ever happened to him.” 

You weren’t sure if it was the right thing to do, but in that moment, all you could manage was to reach over to the swing next to you, pulling Steve in for a hug as you tried to keep your tears from staining his shirt. “Thanks, Steve.” You whispered, leaning back into your seat, using your sleeve to wipe the wetness from your cheeks. 

“I know you love him too. You deserve to know. Don’t let him be a stubborn jackass to you, okay? I’m bein’ serious. I should be the one thankin’ you though, honey. In all the years I’ve known him, I never thought I’d see ‘em this happy. I promise I won’t get this drunk at your wedding.” Steve winked, straining to push himself up out of the swing, somehow managing to catch his balance as he stumbled into the grass. 

“You do make a very inspirational drunk, Steve.” You laughed to yourself, looking up at him with a genuine smile. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome. Alright, enough sap, I’m gonna go get another fuckin’ beer, I’ll see ya around okay?” 

“Okay, maybe a water would be good for you, too.” 

“Water’s for pussies.” 

“Water’s good for people who don’t want raging hangovers tomorrow.” 

“Pirates are always drunk, so I’ll be fuckin’ fine.” 

“Whatever you say, Steve.” 

It didn’t take long for Javi to return, easily spotting his tall, broad body making his way through the crowd, beaming at you as he walked over to the swings. You tried your best to smile back at him with the uneasy pounding in your chest quickly building, feeling your heartbeat in your throat. “Hey, Hermosa. Sorry it took so long, I ended up stopping to get another drink on the-“ 

“Do- Javi, do you trust me?” 

Your words were quiet and blunt as they rolled off your tongue, your eyes peeled on your feet kicking through the grass beneath you. 

Javi’s brow immediately scrunched in confusion, completely off put by your question and demeanor. “Do I- Baby, what are you talking about? Of course I trust you? What’s going on?” Setting down his drink, he began making his way next to you in frantic, worried strides. 

“Then why won’t you talk to me about it?” Your eyes darted from the ground up to his, his sweet brown eyes swirling with confusion at the firm tone of your voice and desperation growing across your face. 

“Talk to you about what? Hermosa, what’s going on? Is everything ok-” 

“Why won’t you talk to me about Colombia?” 

 Javi took a step back. He wasn’t sure if it was out of defense, or absolute shock from the words that had just fallen out of your mouth. He stared at you for a moment, his jaw locking as you could see how hard he swallowed, trying to bide his time as he calculated his response. 

“Osita… It’s not that simple.” 

“That’s not an answer.” 

“I don’t understand why we’re talking about this. Baby, if this is because of last night, you don’t need to worry about me, can we please just drop it?” The two of you faced each other in an unspoken standoff, Javi’s hands now resting on his hips as you crossed your arms over your chest. You had tried so hard to be patient, but in the moment, it was like all of your frustration was beginning to boil over. 

“That’s exactly why we’re talking about this, Javi. Because I fucking worry about you. All the time. I’ve tried so hard to be patient. I’ve never, ever tried to get you to talk about it because I know it’s fucking hard. But last night, you’re up at 2 A.M, wandering around the apartment, and I’m begging you to tell me what’s wrong and you won’t fucking do it. I’m not an idiot, Javi. I can’t live in this weird in between space in your life where you pretend your past doesn’t exist when I know it still fucking haunts you. Why won’t you just talk to me about it?” 

Javi could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his palms sweating as they clenched in tight fists at his sides. He tried so desperately to find an answer, something, anything he could tell you to try and justify his choices. The choices he had kept from you. The choices he couldn’t forgive himself for. “Because, I- fuck- because, goddamnit, I just- I was a terrible fucking person, okay? The things I did, they were-” 

“What? Fucked up? Painful? Shitty? Of course they fucking were, Javi. You were literally in Colombia chasing down Pablo Fucking Escobar. What did you think I thought you were doing down there? Filing away paperwork? You don’t think I know that you did things you regret? That you’ve hurt people? Made choices that hurt innocent people who didn’t deserve it? I know Javi, I fucking know. I watched my brothers come back from the same goddamn thing. I tried so hard to give them space, to let them come to terms with the fucked up things they did on their own, and you know what fucking happened? One of them’s fucking dead because of it. I can’t let it happen again. I don’t care about what you did. It doesn’t make you a bad person. But you can’t try and hide it from me and pretend like it doesn’t exist. I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. But I can’t if you don’t trust me. Please trust me. Please. I love you so much, Javi. I can’t lose you.” 

Javi stood in silence, as the both of you fought the tears streaming down your cheeks. He wasn’t sure if he had just been hit in the gut with a giant sucker punch, or if the weight of the world had just been lifted off his shoulders. He truly didn’t know how to feel. He wasn’t even sure if he had heard you correctly. Did you really just tell him that you knew about the fucked up, terrible things he had done and that you didn’t care? That you still fucking loved him? All you wanted was for him to trust that you wanted to be there for him? He could feel his hands trembling and lip quivering as he tried to find the words to speak.

 “Osita… I- fuck, baby. Osita, I’m so sorry. I trust you with my fucking life. You- You don’t deserve to have to deal with with all the fucked up things I’ve done. I don’t wanna scare you away, baby. You’re the best thing that’s ever fucking happened to me and I was so terrified if you found out about the terrible person I used to be, you’d leave. It’s not fair to you, I can’t expect you to carry the weight of all the fucking things I’ve done, too. I’m so sorry.” Quietly, Javi sat down next to you on the empty swing, burying his hands in his face. Gently, you reached over, pulling his hands away, forcing him to look at you. 

“Whatever you tell me isn’t gonna scare me away. I promise. The only thing that’s gonna scare me is when you try to pretend you’re okay when you’re not. Javi… Javi, I just- I just wanna be there for you. I don’t want you to have to do it alone. I’d do anything for you. I trust you more than anyone. You’re my best friend. I just- fuck- I just want you to trust that I’ll always be there for you to. I promise.” 

And just like that, the last brick holding up the wall between you and Javier Peña collapsed. There was nothing left to run from. Nothing left to hide. After he returned home, he was a changed man. He had hated the person he had become. Maybe there was a part of him that didn’t want to be loved, because he didn’t believe that he deserved to be. But then, there was you. 

You. 

You had taken everything he had known and changed his life for the better. You had become his better half, the person he loved more than anyone in the world. You had proved he was worthy of more than just existing- you had proved to Javi that he was worth the love and happiness you had promised him from the moment you had come into his life and made it worth living for. 

“You promise?” 

“I promise. Always.” 

The way Javi grabbed you and wrapped you in his arms, grasping at the back of your shirt as he pulled you in tighter, feeling the hot breath of his silent sobs against your shoulder told you everything you needed to know. You didn’t know much, but if there was one thing you did know, it was that you loved Javier Peña more than life itself. As quickly as it had felt like your life had fallen apart, he had come into it and picked up the broken pieces to put it back together. And on an October night in San Antonio, sitting on an old wooden swing set in the Murphy’s backyard, you hoped that Javi knew that you would always be there to pick up the shattered parts of his past, too. 

You weren’t sure how many hours had passed as you sat hand in hand in the swings with Javi as you listened to anything and everything he had to say. Long after the backyard was empty, and the bonfire had faded to embers and ashes, and the only one left awake besides the two of you was Connie, trying to drag Steve back inside from the plastic lawn chair he had passed out on, you finally made your way up to bed for the best sleep the two of you had in a very, very long time. Your goodbyes to the Murphy’s had been short and sweet- Connie exhausted from the late night, and Steve barley coherent from how hungover he was, you were still both so thankful the two of you had made the journey out to see them, and the both of you, just as grateful for the sweet and supportive life long friends you knew the Murphy’s would become. Most of your drive back to Laredo was spent in a comfortable silence, the golden sunrise spilling through the windows of Javi’s truck as you cruised down the highway, Javi’s hand never leaving yours, your fingers intertwined together as his thumb gently rubbed against your soft skin and your head rested against his broad shoulder. 

“How are you feeling about seeing your mom today?” You asked, lightly squeezing his arm as you smiled up at him, now exiting off the freeway quickly approaching the cemetery where you planned to meet Chucho to celebrate Día De Los Muertos, trying your best to comfort Javi as he prepared to see his mom’s gravesite for the first time since her funeral almost a decade ago. Javi let out a quiet sigh, his grip tightening just a little tighter around your hand as he looked over at you, a surprisingly calm look flooding his face. 

“I’m actually doing okay. Better than I would have thought. I think I was always so worried that she wouldn’t be proud of me and the man I’d become after she was gone. I um- I finally think that she’d be proud of me now.” He glanced over at you, his smile soft and tender as he soaked in the reason for his pride sitting right beside him. 

You noticed Chucho’s truck as you pulled up to park along the edge of the small cemetery, Chucho excitedly waving you down as you both hopped out of the car. Walking around to Javi, you were quick to grab his hand, giving him a reassuring grip as the two of you made your way through the gravestones along the thin cobblestone path towards Chucho, already arranging the items he had collected for Lucia’s ofrenda. 

“Hola, niños.” Chucho grinned, wrapping his arms around the both of you. “I’m so glad you’re here.” 

“Thanks for letting me be a part of today, Chucho. I know… Well, I just- I’m really honored to- just, thank you.” Chucho wasted no time pulling you into your own hug, his rough and worn hands holding you by the shoulders as he looked at you with misty eyes. 

“Mija, I should be thanking you. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know if we would all be here today. Lucia’s last wish to me was that I would promise to make sure Javier was happy. Now hija, I think my sweet Lucia can rest a little easier knowing someone else has already fulfilled my promise for me.” As the two of you spoke, you hadn’t noticed as Javi had quietly stepped over to his mother’s gravestone, crouching next to it, his fingers delicately tracing along the engraved letters of her name, his other hand holding one of the marigold flowers Chucho had brought with him. The two of you watched quietly as Javi sat next to his mom, gently placing the flower on the shiny stone as he spoke. 

“Hola, mamá. Te extrañé. Siento haber tarado tanto.” (Hi mom. I missed you. I’m sorry I took so long). Javi’s voice trembled as he took a deep breath in, slowly exhaling as his hand rested on the stone, warm from the sun, shining brightly in the blue November sky. “Que estaba asustada de de verte porque estaba orgullosala de la persona en la que me había convertido. Que no quería decepcionarte. Tenía miedo mucho, mamá. Me sentí como si todo se derrumbase. solo quería olvidar. Pero entonces…” (I was scared to see you because I wasn’t proud of the person I’d become. I didn’t want to disappoint you. I was so scared, mom. I felt like I let everyone down. I just wanted to forget. But then…).  Javi turned his head, seeing you and Chucho, arm in arm, a smile growing across his face as looked back at the two people in life he loved the most. He took an extra moment to stare at you and the soft grin spread between your cheeks, basking in the comfort and warmth of the woman who had forever changed his life for the better. “Pero entonces, mamá, La conocí. Que es perfecta. Nunca supe que podías amar tanto a alguien. Ella es lo mejor que me ha pasado. La habrías amado.ella es una maestra, tambien.  A veces me pregunto qué ve en mí. No sé qué hice para merecerse. voy a pedirle que se case conmigo.Cuidaré bien de ella. Ella se merece todo lo que le pueda dar y más. Espero que estés orgulloso de mí, mamá. te echo mucho, Pero le juro a usted, al fin soy feliz. Te amo, mamá.”  (But then, mom, I met her. She is perfect. I never knew you could love someone so much. She is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You would have loved her. She’s a teacher too. Sometimes, I wonder what she sees in me. I don’t know what I did to deserve her. I’m gonna ask her to marry me. I’m gonna take such good care of her. She deserves everything I can give her and more. I hope you’re proud of me, mamá. I miss you so much, but I promise you, I’m finally happy. I love you, mom.) 

With a gentle nudge from Chucho, you softly stepped behind Javi, gently placing your hands on his shoulders before he rose up and you wrapped your arms around his waist, resting your head against his chest as he wiped away the tears welling behind his eyes. Staring down at Lucia’s gravestone, Javi ran his hand through your hair, carefully planting a kiss against your head and burying his nose in the soft waves of your hair. 

“I wish I would have had the chance to have met you, Mrs. Peña. I would have had someone else to commensurate with over all of the crazy teaching stories I’m sure the both of us have. Maria, Estelle and Linda all miss you a lot too, but I’m sure they haven’t changed a bit. Thanks for raising such a good son. I don’t know what I would do without him. I know he says that he doesn’t know what he did to deserve me, but I really think it should be the other way around. I promise I’ll look out for him.” You tried your best to smile through your soft sobs, looking up at Javi, tears streaming down his wet cheeks. It wasn’t long before Chucho had snuck up behind you, patting each of you on the back before smiling down at Lucia, too. 

“Estos dos están tan enamorados, Lucia. Tal vez más que tú y yo. Ella es una buena chica. Estoy muy contenta de que ella sea parte de nuestra familia. Finalmente tendremos a nuestros nietos, también.”  (These two are so in love, Lucia. Maybe even more than you and I. She is a great girl. I am so happy she is a part of our family. We are finally going to get our grandchildren, too). Chucho winked, nudging Javi in the side, forcing him to laugh through his tears, shaking his head at his dad’s comment. “Now, no more tears, you two. This is a happy day. Your mamá is smiling down on you, and I can almost hear here scolding me to keep you from crying anymore. C’mon, let’s decorate and eat, I even brought pozole.” 

The three of you spent the next hour decorating Lucia’s grave with bright orange and gold cempazuchitl (marigold flowers) and little Calaveras (sugar skulls) painted in bold colors and refined details, sharing and laughing about Javi’s favorite memories of his mother while snacking on the Pozole Chucho had brought to share. For the first time in a long time, Javi no longer felt guilt and grief when he thought about his mom- her memory filled him with love and joy. He wasn’t the same bitter, broken man he was when he had said his final goodbyes to his mother all those years ago. While he wished he could change the past, the reality of the present, and his future finally brought him peace, knowing he could be proud of the man he had become, thanks to you. 

As Javi helped Chucho to clean up the extra flowers and decorations he had brought, you couldn’t help yourself from reaching at the wrinkled photo you had shoved in your pocket as you had packed up to leave from the Murphy’s this morning. You carefully took it out, holding it gently in your hands as you tried to uncrinkle the edges. “You ready, Hermosa?” Javi called out, now a few steps ahead of you, making his way back towards the truck. “Hermosa?” He asked again, thinking perhaps you hadn’t heard him the first time. When he was greeted by silence again, he looked back to see you staring at the crumpled photo in your hands. 

“I um- I know that he isn’t buried here, and uh, if you don’t want me to, it’s okay- but um- is it, is it alright if I leave a couple flowers for Patrick?” You sniffed, a tear dropping down on the photo of the two of you, Patrick holding you in a headlock as you laughed with a wide, toothy grin, drowning in one of his old Blackhawks jerseys that you were so excited to wear because it belonged to him. 

“Of course, Osita. Of course it is.” Javi smiled at you softly, turning back around with the tub of leftover decorations, making his way towards you. Quietly, you walked back over to Lucia’s gravestone, carefully setting down the picture of you and Patrick next to it, putting a few marigolds over top of it so it stayed pinned in place from the warm breeze. 

“I miss you, asshole. You deserved so much better. I hope you don’t still think that I hate you. I mean, I do, but you know what I mean. Honestly, you were lucky you didn’t have to live through the Blackhawks losing in the playoffs this year, that fucking sucked. Mom and Dad and Charlie and David all miss you too. I finally went back home to see them. It still wasn’t the same without you there, but I know you don’t hurt anymore. I hope that you don’t hurt anymore. I love you, Patrick. Crack open a cold one up there for me, okay?” Trying your best to not to uncontrollably sob, you sniffled, wiping the tears running down your face as you leaned your head against Javi’s chest. He ran his hand along your back as he held you tighter, letting you take a moment to get everything out before you took a deep breath, nodding your head as if to signify to Javi and yourself that you were okay. 

“You okay, Osita? We can take all the time you need, baby.” Javi whispered, pressing a gentle kiss into your shoulder. 

“No, I’m okay. I just- I wanted to do something for him, too. Thanks, Javi. I love you.” 

“I know.” 

After several more long hugs goodbye with Chucho, you and Javi began your journey back home, marveling at the beautiful sunset, painting the sky with bright pinks and oranges and the warmth and comfort of Lucia and Patrick’s presence. You were so lost in thought staring out at the fading sky, you hadn’t even noticed that Javi had detoured from your usual route home until he had said something to you. “You okay if we make a quick pit stop on the way home, Osita?” You nodded, smiling at the golden glow covering his face. It wasn’t long until you were veering off the main road, Javi turning to make his way down a tree lined gravel pathway with a “For Sale” sign posted in front of it. 

“For sale?” You questioned, looking over at Javi before peering out your window to watch the trees lining the path pass by you as the gravel crunched under the truck’s tires.

“Yeah, uh- I was talking with Steve at the party yesterday and he- uh, one of his buddies said he was looking to get out of the city- wanted a plot of land to build on. Said he had heard good things about Laredo but didn’t have time to go check things out for himself, so I told him I would go take a look around and let Steve know what I thought.” Javi replied, trying his best to sound nonchalant as you shrugged before looking back out the window. As you reached the end of the path, the trees opened to reveal a beautiful, lush green field, the sun setting perfectly along the rolling hills of the horizon in front of you. Turning off the ignition, Javi gestured for the both of you to get out of the truck so you could go take a look around. 

“Jav… This is beautiful.” You marveld, grinning as you took in the beauty of the open space drenched in golden sunset. 

“You like it?” Javi grinned, laughing as you spun around, the gentle breeze blowing your hair in and out of your face. 

“Oh my God, yeah. Tell Steve’s friend to get on this place ASAP before I scrounge up every penny I have and sell one of my kidneys on the black market to buy it from him. There doesn’t even need to be a house, I’ll just lay in the empty field, perfectly content.” You giggled, letting out a happy sigh as you grabbed Javi’s hand, leaning your head against his arm as you admired the sun slipping away below the horizon. 

“I’ll take that as a yes then. He said he’s wanting to build a house here, do you think- do you think that he would think it’s got enough space? It’s not too far from everything? I know it’s a little farther from downtown and a longer drive to work- if uh, if he works by where we do, you don’t think that’d be a problem? For him?” Javi squeezed back, trying his best not to stumble over his words. 

“Are you kidding me? It’s literally perfect out here, Javi. Could you imagine getting to see this every night? He better put some big windows on this house so he can get all of the sunlight, oh my god, it would be so pretty. It’s not even that far from everything, and the view makes the extra drive time worth every minute. I know it’s probably a far way off, and we haven’t really talked about it, but I would love to live at a place like this someday.” 

Javi smiled to himself, looking down at you as you rested against him, soaking in every ounce of you as he shifted his arm to wrap around your waist, gently rubbing his thumb along the soft hem of your shirt before letting out a content sigh. 

“Yeah. Me too.”

Taglist: @cool-iguana @rhoorl @whyjuliaaa @bbiophiliaa @pertinentpostmortem @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @pedrobaby @fatima-marisa @beboldbebravethings @poodlebae @kittenlittle24 @3sriracha @jungchloee @perennialdoll247 @prettyinpunk85 @partyofone3413 @harriedandharassed @pedrohoe04 @theorganasolo @endlessthxxghts @blackfemalenerd

[cherrythepuppet]

The puppets Before Christmas

this AU belong to @cloudy-dreams

'Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems, in a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams. For the story that you are about to be told, took place in the holiday worlds of old. Now, you've probably wondered where holidays come from. If you haven't, I'd say it's time you begun. This Is Halloween'

"Boys and girls of every age Wouldn't you like to see something strange?" The shadows sang as they appeared from the graves

"Come with us and you will see This, our town of Halloween" "This is Halloween, this is Halloween Pumpkins scream in the dead of night" The shadows and pumpkins sang together

"This is Halloween, everybody make a scene Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright It's our town, everybody scream In this town of Halloween" The ghosts said

"I am the one hiding under your bed Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red" The man under the bed sang as the man under the stairs continued "I am the one hiding under your stairs Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair"

"This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!" The Corpse Chorus said "in this town we call home Everyone hail to the pumpkin song" the vampires sang

"In this town, don't we love it now? Everybody's waiting for the next surprise!" The mayor exclaimed "Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll scream" the Corpse chorus said

The Harlequin demon, werewolf and melting man all sang together "Scream! This is Halloween Red 'n' black, slimy green!" 

"Aren't you scared?" The wolf asked "Well, that's just fine Say it once, say it twice Take the chance and roll the dice Ride with the moon in the dead of night" the witches sang as they were riding their brooms

"Everybody scream, everybody scream!" The hanging tree siad as the hanged men joined in "In our town of Halloween!"

"I am the clown with the tear-away face Here in a flash and gone without a trace!" The clown Dog sang as he ripped his face off and then disappeared "I am the "who" when you call Who's there?"

A Puppet Ragdoll up in a tower was Fixing his hair when "I am the wind blew I am the wind blowing through your hair!" The wind said

The shadow of a humoniad house was seen in the moon "I am the shadow on the moon at night Filling your dreams to the brim with fright!"

"This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!" Everyone sang

"Tender lumplings everywhere Life's no fun without a good scare!" Two child corpses exclaimed "That's our job, but we're not mean In our town of Halloween!" The parent corpses said

"In this town Don't we love it now! Everyone's waiting for the next surprise!" The mayor sang

"Skeleton (Y/n) might catch you in the back And scream like a banshee Make you jump out of your skin This is Halloween, everybody scream Won't ya please make way for a very special Person! Our Skeleton (Y/n) is Ruler of the pumpkin patch Everyone hail to the Pumpkin Ruler now!" The corpse chorus exclaimed 

"This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!" Everyone sang as the mayor pulled a horse with a scarecrow on it

"In this town we call home Everyone hail to the puppet song!" Everyone sang as the scarecrow jumped into the foutain

"La la-la la, Halloween! Halloween!" Everyone sang as the scarecrow came out of the foutain no longer a scarecrow but now was a 6 feet tall Skeleton wearing a black pin-striped suit, complete with a bat bow-tie and black dress shoes. 

Everyone was celebrating and cheering "I believe it was our most horrible yet! Thank you everyone!" (Y/n)  exclaimed "No, thanks to you, (Y/n)! Without your brilliant leadership!" The mayor, Howdy, said "Not at all Mayor" (Y/n) replied "You're such a scream (Y/n)!" "You're a witch's fondest dream!" "You made walls fall, (Y/n)!" "Walls fall? You made the very mountains crack, (Y/n)"

Everyone continued to praise (Y/n) as the Blue haired rag doll stared at Them with amazement in his eyes but then someone grabbed His arm "The deadly nightshade you slipped me wore off, Wally!" Poppy Yelled "Let go!" Wally yelled back

"You're not ready for so much excitement!" Poppy told him as she held onto his arm and tried to drag him back to the lab "Yes I am!" Wally said "You're coming with me!" Poppy grumbled 

"No I'm not!" Wally yelled as he pull out the thread that's holding his arm on making it to where he can run off "Come back here you foolish!- oaf! Ow!" Poppy yelled as Wally's arm hit her on the head as he ran to the graveyard 

"Ooo (Y/n), you make wounds ooze and flesh crawl!" A monster said "Thank you, thank you, thank you- very much" (Y/n) said as they began to back away from everyone 

"Hold it! We haven't given out the prizes yet! Our first award goes to the vampires for most blood drained in a single evening!" Howdy announced which gained everyone's attention "A frightening and honorable mention goes to the fabulous Dark Lagoon leeches!" Howdy added

(Y/n) had begun walking to the graveyard where Wally was stuffing the leaves back into his arm but once he saw (Y/n) he hid behind a gravestone, (Y/n) had started singing as they would walk around the graveyard 

"There are few who'd deny, at what I do I am the best For my talents are renowned far and wide When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night I excel without ever even trying With the slightest little effort of my ghostlike charms I have seen grown men give out a shriek!" They sang

"With the wave of my hand, and a well-placed moan I have swept the very bravest off their feet Yet year after year, it's the same routine And I grow so weary of the sound of screams" They sang "And I, (Y/n), the Pumpkin Ruler Have grown so tired of the same old thing Oh, somewhere deep inside of these Bones An emptiness began to grow!" They sang as They stood on the top of the spiral hill

"There's something out there, far from my home A longing that I've never known...I'm the master of fright, and a demon of light And I'll scare you right out of your pants To a guy in Kentucky, I'm Mister Unlucky And I'm known throughout England and France And since I am dead, I can take off my head To recite Shakespearean quotations!" They said

"No animal nor man can scream like I can! With the fury of my recitations...But who here would ever understand That the Pumpkin Ruler with the ever-lasting grin Would tire of Their crown..." They trailed off

"if they only understood...They'd give it all up if he only could Oh, there's an empty place in my Bones That calls out for something unknown The fame and praise come year after year Does nothing for these empty tears" They said before They left the graveyard

"Oh (Y/n), I know how you feel" Wally mumbled as He gathers herbs then heads back to Poppy's tower

[yongbokology]

the one where satoru won’t leave jujutsu tech’s receptionist/bookkeeper alone

poc coded reader wc; 1.3k warnings; gojo fucking satoru, graphic language, innuendos, slight nsfw language an: this was supposed to be a drabble at first but um yeah, anyways happy/spooky 🎃 readings 

your morning consists of the same routine you’ve been doing for the past ten years.

being a receptionist and bookkeeper at jujutsu tech is not a simple job by any means..

answering calls, documenting, filing, sorting paperwork and books- just the whole shabang.

for ten years you’ve worn the same dress shirt and pencil skirt, often switching out the pencil skirt for slacks.. hair neatly kept and pulled up in any updo.

for ten years you’ve had the same cafe breakfast order to start your day.

… but for thirteen agonizing years, there’s been this pestering.. infuriating white-haired sorcerer whose favorite pastime was doing anything to get under your skin. 

satoru who first laid eyes on you as a fifteen-year-old when your uncle, the principal, took you in after your parent’s untimely demise.

satoru who knew you’d always be in the school library with your face buried nose deep in a book and found you every day after class or training.

you wouldn’t admit but you did appreciate the company. even though you did enjoy your own company it did get lonely at times.

so when you hear a familiar ‘{name} -channnn.’ off in the distance, you shake your head as you continue to click-clack away at your desktop. already knowing what’s to come.

you hear the door to the library slide open and pretty soon you have a tall, glossy lipped and infuriatingly handsome sorcerer planting both hands on your desk, leaning over your computer to see what you’re tasked with.

“how many times do i have to tell you to drop the honorific, satoru.” you don’t take your eyes off the screen in front of you. 

“i only use it because i know it bothers you, pretty girl.”

oh yeah, there was also that to mention; his nickname for you. 

a nickname his seventeen-year-old self gave to you after having a cherry blossom stuck in your dark locs and asking him to get it out for you- only for him to tell you that you look pretty with it and to keep it in. you did.

you’d never admit to him that that memory makes your cheeks warm when you think about it.

“it’s halloween, almost everyone’s off. i know you’re off because i made the schedule. so why are you here?”

satoru scoffs, “yeah, everyone’s off but you. why’d you choose to work on halloween? don’t have any plans?”

you can taste the teasing on his tongue at the end.

“haven’t celebrated halloween since i was twelve, satoru.” you push your chair back from the desk a little and finally take a look.

he’s dressed in a bomber jacket with racing pins and slacks. satoru always had an eye for fashion and the school’s uniform really did him no justice.

“we can change that today.”

“no thanks.”

he shoves his hands in his pockets, resting his butt against your desk. you fight the urge to push him off the desk, knowing he never had his infinity on around you.

he’s frowning, pulling a hand out from his jacket pocket to move an unruly strand out of your face. the pad of his fingers lightly brushing against your hot skin. your heart thrums from both the action and the brief feel of his slender fingers.

you feel so trapped under his gaze that you don't move an inch when he brings his face close to yours. “and why not?”

you swallow thickly, satoru’s notices this and his lips twist into a playful smile.

you close your eyes and clear your throat, readjusting yourself.

“i have work to do, satoru.”

“come on, pretty. you never want to hang out. you have no plans, no responsibilities at home, you’re hot, i’m hot, the possibilities are endless. we need to get you out of those work clothes and have some fun. whaddaya say?”

you don’t miss the innuendo that makes your leg twitch and below your skirt go warm. you sigh, rolling your head back.

“pretty please?”

a night out couldn’t hurt, right?

“i can’t believe you said yes to that dumb ass, {name}.” utahime sighs over the phone.

you’re dolling yourself up at your vanity with utahime on speaker. “i did say no at first but.. satoru can be convincing at times. plus, i can’t remember a day or night where i wasn’t working,” you reason.

you’re doing the finishing touches of your makeup, making sure your lip combo is to your liking. after being happy with the way you look you get up from your vanity in your white silk robe and over to your bed.

“i’m gonna leave soon but i’ll send pics, thanks again for helping me pick out my costume.”

“of course and you better. i wanna see how it all came together. anyways, go enjoy your date with satoru.”

you stiffen. “IT’S NOT A DATE, WE’RE GOING TO A PARTY!”

she hangs up mid-yell.

unbelievable. after all, he didn’t explicitly say it was a date. even then, who’d take someone to a party as a first date.

you lift up your black skims dress that you had bought months ago but never worn. utahime encouraged you to get it after seeing it go viral on social media. she knew you’d look drop-dead fucking gorgeous in it.

you loved utahime. she was such a girl’s girl.

you carefully slipped the dress on, it was a tight but comfortable fit. you turned to look at yourself in the mirror and immediately planned on calling utahime to thank her when you got back home.

your figure was accentuated to a t. you were so used to seeing yourself in work attire, any other clothing was house/sleepwear so this was new to you.

though you never got out much didn’t mean you didn’t know how to do your makeup. you for sure knew how to do your makeup and made a point to make it flawless for work and definitely not for a certain set of blue eyes.

you checked the two holes on your neck to make sure it wasn’t smudged when you changed into the dress.

it was definitely a last-minute costume but you could never go wrong with the classic vampire. the smokey eyes, red + black lip combo, thick and dark bouncy curls. it was definitely giving vampiress. 

you pick up your phone and walk to the mirror, snapping a few pictures for utahime and maybe one to post later to update your instagram. as you pose and try to get good angles you freeze when you get a message notification. 

satoru

u ready?

gosh he still typed like a damn teenager

you

just finished actually 

satoru

lemme see :3

you

just hurry up and get here before i change my mind

satoru

keeping me on my toes?

i’m already here pretty

turn around.

you nearly jump out of your skin when you turn around to see satoru leaning up against your bedroom wall. you want to cuss him out and shout various expletives at him but it’s hard to muster up the will to do so when he’s standing there looking fine as ever in his fireman costume.

the phony uniform sleeves are wrapped around his slender waist, a white wife beater to go with the fireman get-up.

there was a fire going on with all the alarm bells going on inside your brain and he fucking smirks when he catches you ogling. 

“how the fuck did you know where i live?? and how long were you standing there?”

satoru pushes himself off the wall closing the proximity between the two of you. he’s towering over you and suddenly you want to become one with the floor.

“nevermind that, the way you look right is enough to make any man go weak at the knees.”

you quirk a brow. “are you one of those men?”

he crosses his arm over his chest, wife beater having his muscles on full display. those muscles were new information to you but you weren’t complaining.

“definitely,” he pauses before bending forward slightly, his slender fingers suddenly having your jaw in a soft hold.

“change of plans, how about we ditch this party, yeah?”

.

.

.

.

© yongbokology y2k23

thx 4 reading <3 border creds @leopardprnt

[myeagleexpert]

【ＨＥ　ＳＡＩＤ　ＴＨＡＴ　ＡＮＤ　Ｉ　ＷＯＮ＇Ｔ　ＦＯＲＧＥＴ　ＩＴ】

You know those important parts where you use the highlighter to highlight something important? So, my dear player, that's what we have here. Some interactions between the characters x yuu and the interactions between them that make me think a lot about the character they are!

Pt1: Heartslabul - Savanaclaw - Octavielle ( You're here!)

Pt2: Scarabia - Igynia - Pomefiore - Diasonia ( Loading...)

Wₕₐₜ ₐᵣₑ yₒᵤ dₒᵢₙg ₕₑᵣₑ? ₜₕₑ Qᵤₑₑₙ wᵢₗₗ cᵤₜ ₒff yₒᵤᵣ ₕₑₐd!

"Trey enthusiastically said he’s going to bake a strawberry tart for my birthday party. Make sure you come to eat some too. …Well, it not like it’s a Rule of the Queen of Hearts or anything"- Birtday Union

"Thank you for coming to celebrate my birthday. …Eh? You’ve hidden my present somewhere in the Heartslabyul dormitory? I see now. The answer to the riddle on this card must reveal the location of the present. Heh, you’ve sure come up with something rather interesting. Well, since you’ve gone through the trouble of planning this for me, I suppose I’ll just have to play along."- Birtday Union

"You are as energetic as ever today, I see. No, this isn’t any sort of rebuke. I truly do hope to see you enjoying my birthday party to the fullest."- Birthday Union

((he deserves to have more light and fun moments, and eat lots of strawberry pies))

"Don't worry, if you get lost, I'll come searching for you. I'm pretty used to looking after my siblings, so I'm sure I'll find you quickly."- Playfull Dress

"Thanks for celebrating my birthday. But I have to say, I wasn't expecting you to have my gift delivered to my dorm like that. You should have just handed it to me directly, since we were meeting up, anyway. Was I shocked? Well, yes... Ah, so it was supposed to be a surprise present! Haha, oh man. You're always finding ways to startle me."- Platinum Jacket

"Riddle’s got a pretty tight handle on everything, there’s not much for me to do as his Vice Dorm Leader. I’m basically just here as decoration." - Cerimonial Robes

"You want to take a picture of me? You’re the record keeper, so just do as you like. …It’s more nerve-wracking if you know you’re being watched, you know?"- Outdoor wear

"Oh, good timing. Help me carry these dishes. Of course, there’s some for you and grim too."- Outdoor Wear

"Hm, you want a scarf? Well... Oh, maybe if I ask Sam, he can lend you a spare one. Just wait a sec."- New Year Attire

"Do you have any plans for the winter this year? If not, what if you got a temp job at a cake shop...? Haha, I'm just kidding."- New Year Attire

((he's so big brother material, I love these little moments of him being so attentive))

"Amusement parks are so rad～! Why don't we take a selfie together right here at the gate? Think of it as the first of many to remember today!"- Playfull Dress

"Oh hey, think you'd want any popcorn? If so, tell me your favorite flavor. Your boy Cay-kun'll get it for you."- Playfull Dress

"Thanks for coming to celebrate my birthday! I’m super stoked! You’re gonna give me whatever I want for my birthday? Well, if you say that… it might make me want to ask for something huge. I’m kidding, don’t worry! How about we go skateboarding together? We can do some sweet tricks and post some pictures online!"- Birthday Union

" “#Birthday #NRCUnionJacket #SpecialMadeForCay-kun” …You know I totally gotta brag about today’s special outfit!"- Birthday Union

" Why are you looking at me like that while petting the tsum? You’re making Cay-kun feel so conflicted～"- Tsum Event

"Pfft, your hair is all over the place from all the wind. Sooo laaame… Eh, mine, too!?"- Playfull Dress

"The whole point of birthdays is definitely the presents. So what did you get your dearest friend Ace-kun, then?"- Birthday Bloom

"I’m good with not dating anyone yet. 'Sides, I’m already busy looking after you lot."-Suitor Suit

"A word of warning. Until I say it’s safe to, deeefinately don’t look up at the ceiling… Juuuust kidding! Haha, did that scare you?"- Halloween

"The basketball club's most promising rookie has arrived! You better not take your eyes off my fresh plays, 'kay?"- Club Wear ((He's a little shit, but I'd root for him in the front row))

"Practicing passes with Floyd is basically a matter of life and death. But that's 'cause he's always throwing them at breakneck speeds!"-Club Wear

"Hey, we should all play basketball together sometime soon. If we invite Deuce or whoever, we can probably get a 3-on-3 game goin'.-" Club Wear

"Are you going to come cheer for me at my next track meet? Then, I definitely can't do anything uncool. Just you wait and see how I do!"- Club wear

"You want me to show you the awards I've gotten from my track meets? You bet! I was hoping I'd get to show you."- Club Wear

"I bet if you, me, and Grim just go ham talking about all that happened today when we get back to school… Ace’ll get crazy jealous."- Rabbit wear

"I think I was able to help my mom feel a bit of relief. And that’s because you all came with me, so, thanks."- Rabbit wear

"I can’t believe you’re here to wish me a happy birthday… Today’s such an amazing day. …Oh, shoot. I definitely have some kind of weird look on my face right now, don’t I? Sorry, I just got so happy I couldn’t help this wide grin. Anyway, thanks so much, Prefect! I’ll make sure to keep doing my best to be someone deserving of your celebrations!"-Birthday Union

((he is my good little boy, I love him, Deuce you live in my heart))

​🇹​​🇴​​🇳​​🇮​​🇬​​🇭​​🇹​, ​🇮​​🇳​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇬​​🇷​​🇪​​🇦​​🇹​ ​🇯​​🇺​​🇳​​🇬​​🇱​​🇪​, ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇱​​🇮​​🇴​​🇳​ ​🇸​​🇱​​🇪​​🇪​​🇵​​🇸

"They got bone-in meat to eat right there, and you still order the salad. And that's why you're a herbivore."- Playfull Dress

"You don't have to call my name over and over again, I hear you. I'm just staying silent so I don't ruin all your amusement park excitement."- Playfull Dress ((Are we going to delude ourselves and dream that he was admiring us the whole time? Yes))

"A horror attraction? Sure, I'll tag along with you for that, 'cause I bet I'll get to hear some good screams from you herbivores."- Playfull Dress

"You have my utmost gratitude for such a splendid celebration. …There, I thanked you. I’m not saying it again."- Birtday Boy

"You want to make me happy? Hahah! What fine intentions coming from a herbivore. I’m looking forward to it."- Birthday Boy

"Sneaking up behind me like that, were you attempting to surprise me? Aah, my bad. I’ll pretend I didn’t notice, so go on, continue."- Birthday Boy

"You’re just going to carry drinks around and not even toast with me? Hey, bring a glass for yourself too."- Birtday Boy

"Did this sword catch your eye? The motif of the hilt seems to be a jellyfish. I can let you borrow it, but don’t swing it around."- Halloween ((Would you also have a jar of dirt too? Asking a friend))

"You can’t trust someone who smiles all the time, like Jade. Usually guys like me end up being the more trustworthy ones, you know?"- Halloween

"Doesn’t matter who the opponent is. The only one deserving a win is me"- Beastly Garb

"Magic is strictly forbidden in Catch the Tail. Maybe I’ll train you up for the next one… I kid, this ain’t ever happening again."- Beastly Garb

"Back home, there were a ton of people who took issue with my sense of fashion. You wouldn’t do that to me, hmm?"- Gala Couture

"The rich folks from the Scalding Sands are much richer than royal families in other countries. If you want to butter someone up, you’d have better luck with Kalim"- Gala Couture

"Well, aren’t you super meticulous on something as simple as a cake cutting. I don’t really care how you do it, but just get it done before tomorrow comes."- Blooming Birthday

" I had Cater delete all the pictures he took. Obviously, I asked him nicely. Yeah, that’s right, I’m such a shy boy."- Blooming Birthday

"If you’re going to act all high and mighty, I’m going to expect something grand from you, y'know? So hurry up and bring out my present, already."- Blooming Birthday

"Wouldn’t ya believe it, Vil gave me a sewing kit. Something this special deserves to be shoved in the far back of a drawer for posterity."- Blooming Birthday

"If it’s survival, leave it to me! My experience is different from all the other guys."- Outdoor Wear

" You wanna know the trick to fishing? Hmmー …How ‘bout I trade you for those nuts you’ve got in your hand?"- Outdoor Wear ((What nuts? THESENUT--))

"Grim-kun stole your food? Guess it can’t be helped, here, I’ll share my grilled fish with you. Now you owe me one! Shishishi〜"- Outdoor Wear

"Shishishi, you totally remembered my birthday, right?"- Union Birthday ((It's marked on my calendar, my hyena))

"Thanks for celebratin’ my birthday with me! Since it’s my big day, we should go grab some grub and… Ah! Oh noooooo, this is sooooo terrible, I forgot my wallet… I guess I can’t buy… Eh, you’ll treat me? Really? Maan, it’s really great having such a generous junior like you! C'mon, let’s go, let’s go. Shishishi～" - Union Birthday

"Can’t believe a talkin’ portrait wished me a happy birthday… ’S not something I woulda ever been able to imagine happenin’ to me while I lived in the slums."- Union Birthday

"The guys in the magical shift club gave me some powdered sports drinks. I love gettin’ practical gifts like that!"- Union Birthday

" If you’re gonna come check out our practice, make sure you bring us refreshments! Like sports drinks, nutritional jelly drinks, or even doughnuts!"- Club Wear

"My nickname “Disc Thief” is pretty well-known, so maybe I might get scouted by some pro team with their eye on me… Nah, that’d be too good to be true."- - Club Wear

"We can hear Leona’s voice pretty good even when we got noisy spectators durin’ a game. Guess lions just got a healthier roar to ‘em." - Club Wear

"Even if you can’t use magic, you can still join our club. We got a ton of stuff for a manager to get done!" - Club Wear

(Leona simps… do you think his snores are loud too? And during… NO I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THAT)

"Hey, are you here to celebrate my birthday? Thanks for coming all this... Wait, you just wanted me to show you my homework? Do you own homework! Geez, don't mislead me like that... ...What is this box? Is it a present? O-Oh. Then, I'll gladly take it... Hey, you didn't do all this just to get a kick out of how I'd react, right?" -Platinum Jacket

"Ah, you wasted no time in coming. …You’re not scheming to horseplay around on my birthday, are you?" - Union Bithday

"You want me to take a picture of in this outfit and send it to my family? …Well, I guess that’s fine. Th-Then… please take one for me." - Union Bithday

"Thanks for the birthday wishes. …Something I hope for in the coming year? I want to grow some more. Eh? I’m already big enough? …I’m not talking about my height! I mean I want to mature more. Whenever you’re around I end up feeling so dazed. It must mean I’m relaxed around you. Thanks." - Union Bithday

((i mean… he's already our big boy… I hope the wolf form grows bigger and bigger too, my cute puppy))

((I feel like Yuu feels lighter and more playful around Jack, to the point of making pranks and having fun together <3))

ɐɐǝs ǝɥʇ ɹǝpu∩ ɐɐǝs ǝɥʇ ɹǝpu∩

"Oh my, I see how your eye shines so... If you've taken a liking to that painting, I shall order a reproduction for you. At a discounted price, of course." - Platinum Jacket

"Young love is wonderful. There is no end to the troubles that come from it, so it's quite a favorable emotion for those of us who impart counsel." - Platinum Jacket

"Laying out on the beach to watch the sunset is actually rather lovely, isn't it?"- Beach Wear

" The water around this island is unbelievably delightful. The water is warm and there are no predators. It is a far cry from my hometow."-Beach Wear

"If I were to describe the Coral Sea in one word, it would be "vast." If you ever decide to visit for a vacation, you may come to regret it. "- Beach Wear

"What could you possibly... ...Oh, it's you. I thought it may have been Stitch-san coming to pester me once again."- Beach Wear

"You may leave it to me to lead us in this dance. Allow me to show you just how much effort I've put forth."-Masquerade Dress

"You wish me to take your picture? Of course, I don't mind whatsoever. Now, what should I ask for in return?"- Masquerade Dress

"Oh, my, are you sharing your pastries with me? I would be elated to take some off your hands. It is rather nice that I can try so many in smaller portions."-Masquerade Dress

" What is it? Eh, oh, I look good in this outfit? ...Fufufu, whatever are you scheming? Please, do tell."-Masquerade Dress

"Jade poured this tea as his gift to me. Only... He had this strangely good-natured smile on his face as he did so. ...Would you care to drink it?"- Bloom Birthday ( you littl-)

"I don't understand why candles are inserted into the cake... Sure, it's lovely to see the flames dance in the dark, but it ruins the cake's presentation when it comes time to eat it." -Bloom Birthday

"Something I would like? ...Then, please sing a birthday song for me. Come, you'll sing for me, won't you?"-Bloom Birthday

"Azul can grant any wish," they say. ...Would you like to see if the rumors are true?- Ceremonial Wear

and this duo dialogue? BOYYY

Azul: I am so honored to be paired with you, Jamil-san.

Jamil: Get moving instead of just flapping your lips, Azul.

(suck this up octoponk)

"Down in the ocean depths, the Sea Witch's favorite lipstick is very popular. The container is even shaped like a seashell... I recall gifting it to my mother once, as well."- New Year ((I have a wish for my birthday present, and I think you do too))

 "Do go on, Tsum-san, do whatever you please. It's alright, I shall be watching over you."- Tsumsitter ((Go ahead little creature, spread chaos, I'll be admiring your work))

"Allow me to show you how wonderous the mountains truly are. I do so hope that you will want to join the Mountain Lovers Club afterwards."- Outdoor Wear

"I brought along a very large backpack, but it is mostly empty. That is so that I will be able to bring home some of the nature's bounty as souvenirs."- Outdoor Wear

"It is more crucial to use your intellect when it comes to potionology, rather than magic. Since you have no magical abilities, don't you think this would be the perfect subject for you?"- Lab Wear

"Could you tell me your favorite dish? It may be a good addition for the Mostro Lounge menu."- Lab Wear

"Have you ever heard the phrase "haste makes waste"? ...Never mind, how foolish of me to ask."- Lab Wear

"In the Mountain Lovers Club I founded, we study the flora that we've collected. ...Oh, does this pique your interest?""- Lab Wear

"May I help you? ...I'm afraid it is somewhat difficult to continue exercising when you're staring at me so intensely."- Pe Education

"You are quite... No, nevermind. You do realize that courage and recklessness are two different things entirely, yes?"- Pe Education

"You wish to climb Moln Mountain? I understand how you must feel, but... Snowy mountains are quite dangerous. It may be better for you to build up your climbing experience little by little first."- Apple Boa

((I don't know about you, but Jade's sentences wander from a nice person to someone suspicious)) ((Do you want to know something? Everything that comes out of his mouth is a trap, suspicious as hell))

"Here, Shrimpy-chan, you can have my fries. Nah, you don't gotta thank me. I just couldn't finish 'em 'cause I just slathered something spicy all over it." - Playfull Dress

" Y'know, I really like big and hefty shoes like these～ I love the way they make big, strong stompy sounds when I walk～" - Playfull Dress

"My shoes and jacket sparkles just like scales! Humans have it so good～ They can just swap up their scales whenever they want just by changing clothes." - Platinum Jacket

Beach Wear Vignette - Dialogue

Floyd: 'Cause, I mean, if someone tells you not to do something, doesn't it just make you want to do it more?

Stitch: Yahahahaha!

Floyd: My pops and mama always told us that it was dangerous for us kids to go by ourselves, so we shouldn't go near it.

Stitch: Grrr, rargh!

Floyd: Hmm? Oh, it's nothing like that. That whole thing where the humans and merfolk were afraid of each other is stuff from a long, long time ago.

Floyd: Folks've been comin' and goin' between the land and sea for a while now, ever since the mermaid princess married that human prince.

"Aha. I'm all ready to go, but is the party ready for me?"- Bloom Birthday ((Chaotic child detected))

"Ah, hey, it's Koebi-chan. So you're gonna give me whatever I want as a present? Then, tell me a fun story you know from up here on the surface. ...What, you weren't expecting me to ask for somethin' intangible? I mean, this is waaay better than getting somethin' I don't need. But I ain't gonna let it slide if you tell me a boring story. Mmkay, you can go ahead and start now～"-Bloom Birthday

"Maaan, passing practice is so boring 'cause it's too easy. Koebi-chan, wanna play 1 on 1 with me? I'll go a little bit easy on you"- Club Wear

"Hm, I don't see your mouth watering. You saying my food tastes bad?"- Apprentice Chef

"I make a ton of grilled sandwiches. I ain't got a recipe or anything. Just toss in some leftovers and grill 'em and you're done."- Apprentice Chef

"Jade'll put shiitake mushrooms in pretty much anything, so I got to the point that just lookin' at 'em pisses me off."- Apprentice Chef

" You make real great-lookin' faces when you're eating, Shrimpy. Didja like my cooking? 'Kay, then next time, I'll make you something even better."- Apprentice Chef (( PLEASE DO ))

" Next time, you should go up on stage, Koebi-chan. I'll be expectin' a fun show."- Port Wear

" Ehhh, my ribbon's crooked? I don't have a mirror, so I can't see it... Shrimpy-chan, why don'tcha fix it nicely for me?"- Platinum Jacket

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Every like, repost and comment is very welcome and appreciated. ♥

[dailyclarkegriffin]

Clarke Griffin Appreciation Week 2023!

Hey Clarke Kru! It's been a while since Daily Clarke Griffin has had an event, don't you think? Well, it's time to change that! We're bringing Clarke Griffin Appreciation Week back for its third year! As always, the event will run from October 24th to October 30th. (We start on Eliza's birthday and end the day before Halloween, it's the perfect time to celebrate Clarke, not to mention it's her birth month too!)

As we've done before, a list of prompts have been selected for each day to give you some inspiration for what you create for the week! Like we have said in the past, this event is hosted for all types of content creators, whether you make gifs or graphics or moodboards or videos or fic, we try to pick out themes we think will work for everyone. Check them out below!

Prompts:

Day 1: Favorite Look — For our first day we'd love to see your favorite Clarke outfit/look! Do you love her classic season one outfit? Maybe you like the black and blue outfits of season two! Or maybe give a nod to her temporary outfits like the Ark flashback or one of her dresses? Maybe you think her short hair could use some more appreciation, or you could even make a compilation of all her different hairstyles throughout the years!

Day 2: Favorite Underrated Friendship — We've done favorite friendship/dynamic, but what about a pairing that you think deserved more love? Maybe you wished we got a lot more out of the Clarke and Wells relationship. Maybe it's another one of the delinquents like Miller or Harper. Or what about Clarke and Roan? There's tons of duos to choose from, tell us your fave underrated relationship!

Day 3: Color — For this day we want to challenge all of your beautiful creative minds by channeling color! Whether that be one single color that makes you think of Clarke or a whole plethora of colors by making a rainbow edit! You could even use a color palette generator for some inspo if you want! Anything goes!

Day 4: Lyrics & Poetry — We love seeing things like this in the fandom and we want to see some more! Find a quote of some sort, whether it comes from a song or a poem or even somewhere else, and let it inspire you into creating something beautiful to celebrate Clarke! This could be in the form of gifs, moodboards, fanart, even a songfic! Whatever you want to create, we want to see!

Day 5: Bi Pride — It's not Clarke Griffin Appreciation Week without bi pride day! As always, we'd love to see all the bi love whether it's with a bi flag inspired gifset, a moodboard with cute bi aesthetics, maybe you could even use some lyrics from your fave bi musician as inspo! (Gentle reminder that this day is about bi positivity, we're here to celebrate Clarke's role as a bi leading character!)

Day 6: Halloween — The holiday is right around the corner and we'd love to see some fun and spooky ideas! You could do something orange and black themed, you can make an AU edit like Clarke as a witch or a werewolf! Maybe a manip of what you think Clarke would dress up as. You could also do some spooky horror-inspired editing if that's your thing. Even a Halloween drabble if you feel like writing instead. We hope you have fun with this one!

Day 7: Free Day — As always, we're going to end the week by giving you free rein to do whatever you like for the final day! If you have an extra idea or something you've been meaning to post, now's the chance to do it! It can be funny or shippy or completely AU or even just another compilation of your favorite Clarke moments! It's the last day so we want to see what you love to make!

There it is! Clarke Griffin Appreciation Week 2023 is officially happening! When the event begins please tag all your creations with #cgaw23 so we can reblog them here on the main blog for all our followers to see. We hope everyone interested in the event is able to participate, and we'd love it if you reblogged this post to spread the word! See you soon, friends! 💗💜💙

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

4k fic recommendations

thank you all so so much for 4000 followers! truly, that's wild! unfortunately I don't have the time right now to do the usual fun, big celebration, but I do have time to scrounge up some fics I've been loving lately/just ones that are on my mind, show them a little bit of love. other then that, I hope you all are having a wonderful morning, afternoon or night, sending you all a bunch of smooches in the form of recommending some fun reads ♡

the bodyguard by @chvoswxtch (bodyguard!frank castle x reader, series, still ongoing)

I love this series. every time a new part comes out I genuinely get so excited! I also low-key feel so spoiled because I know court and she tells me a bunch of secrets about things she wants to play with in this story... love you court. thank you for blessing us with this amazing AU.

why are you scared? by @onsunnyside (stepbrother!curtis everett x innocent!reader)

yes, this was a halloween fic but I still think about it to this day. I only have one question for you, do you like somno? are you a little somno hoe? if so, might I recommend this nasty little piece of fiction because DAMN! like all of sonny's works, this is just the purest of filth and we love that here. (also her life has been pretty busy lately, so I just hope she's okay. hope you're okay, darling. miss seeing your beautiful little stories on this mess of a website)

your head is so numb (that nervous breath you try to hide) by @oncasette (eddie munson x reader)

best friends to lovers is actually something that can be so personal. I gobble that shit up every time. (also just hey roma. get over here, let me give you a lil smooch♡)

reader being like a little crow blurb by @appocalipse (eddie munson x reader)

idk what to tell you, this is actually just the cutest ♡

this blurb by @solarluvs (peter parker x clumsy!reader)

PETER AND CLUMSY!READER! THIS IS THE KIND OF ROMCOM I NEED IN MY LIFE!!!!

sirius doesn't want you to leave for work by @bruisedboys (sirius black x reader)

in this house, we worship adorable little domestic tales like this.

this blurb by @ddejavvu (eddie brock x reader)

and speaking of domestic little tales, no one does it better then my wifey mei. she is the queen of adorable little blurbs. so if you like pretty dresses, chocolate or monsters flirting with you, this blurb is for you ♡

this blurb by @ddejavvu (aaron hotchner x bau!reader)

okay, even though I'm not really an aaron girlie, this one was just too cute to pass up. also, maybe a little bit too relatable going grocery shopping while looking like an actual zombie. I remember the time when I lived somewhere where I bump into my crush on those kinda days... it is mortifying, but the kind of mortifying that you're secretly crossing your fingers to have happen, you know?

[domxbot]

✗ — Halloween. It's probably my favourite time of the year because we always fundraise for a charity that we all care about. I hired a house and Chaerin helped with the decorations, we have everything a haunted house needs plus some activities outside for the kids to do. I don't usually dress up but since this year I've been designated as the host of the house, I'm here to make the kids scream with fright. What are your plans for Halloween? Do you plan to come down and check it out?

✩ — Sadly, I can't be there to help out with the celebrations this year but I'm sure Chris will do just fine entertaining and scaring the kids. I've got a few schedules overseas that I need to do so I'll be missing the fun and working instead. It's okay, as much as I want to be there, this is good because once this set of schedules are done — there's nothing planned until Christmas. Are you dressing up this year? What's your favourite thing about Halloween?

❀ — My hair did take a long time but it's all worth it~ this year, I dressed up as Mother Gothel but instead of going black, I kept my beautiful blonde hair and just styled it in her honour~ I love Halloween! Almost as much as I love Christmas~ Seeing how happy the kids are and fundraising for charity always feels so rewarding when you get to see how many people are having fun. This is different from usual charity galas where fancy celebrities walk around and auction off their shoes, this feels more... authentic and brings us closer to the community that we are surrounded by~ Do you like going trick or treating? We have plenty of candy to go around~

[marymary-diva17]

Baby first halloween ( morden au) 2/4

Tonowari x reader x ronal

Happy Halloween month or spooky scary skeleton season, here is the started my first Halloween holiday or month one shote. I hope you all enjoy it.

avatar holiday masterlist

You had married your childhood friends and started a new life with them. Once celebrating the holiday from halloween to summer as a friends, dating, and now married those holidays had always made you happy. Now this years it was completely as you and your partner had added a new member to the house hold and that was a baby. A son that had been born this year and now it was all different, as now you will be celebrating your son first Halloween. Now you were over the moon getting to celebrate your son first holiday with his parents.

y/n " the month of halloween and fall already here" you had brought out the decorations for Halloween and fall, that were stored away. Your husband and wife were away at work leaving you at home with baby aonung.

y/n " now little boy what should we go from funny looking pumpkins or ghost" decorations for aonung and the boy had smiled at his mama, reaching out his hand and going with the pumpkin.

y/n " well pumpkin it will be baby boy mama is so happy to celebrate halloween with you this year, and we will get you all dressed up for cute pictures"

y/n " if we are lucky we will get you baba and mommy to agree as well when they are home" aonung had clapped his hand and laugh at what you were saying toward him. you soon kissed his forehead making him laugh even more.

y/n " now come on lets get this home ready for the holiday day spirt" even due aonung couldn't help you put anything up he still made great company as you were talking with him, getting smiles or laughter from him.

y/n " see this is good for the family home it will be be safe near you, when you started getting all grabbing hands with anything in your reach " aonung had gave you a shocked experiences it seems like he didn't like that from you but you were right, when there was something in aonung reach he will grabbed it.

????? " hey we are home ... wow you were not kidding when you said you will be decorating the home today" soon tonowari and ronal had come home to see the home already decorated for the holiday spirt.

y/n " hey my loves welcome home" you soon went over to them and gave them a kiss to welcome them home after a long day that work.

ronal " did you leave anything else for us to do "

y/n " oh yes I did I only did this room I left everyone else for us to do"

ronal " cool I been waiting to help decorate our home ... how was aonung today did he get scared"

y/n " he is was very brave"

tonowari " like his baba" tonowari went over to aonung who was laying down on mat, but he soon picked up aonung and gave the boy a kiss on the forehead.

tonowari " you are baby brave little boy are you aonung"

ronal " he want to take all the credit for aonung behavior"

y/n " yes that is so tonowari he hasn't changed"

tonowair " don't hate it ladies you married this all for life and now we have a mini me"

ronal " oh look what I got today on my lunch break some costumes for aonung"

y/n " really"

ronal " yes" ronal soon showed you the shopping bag and soon started showing you some costumes, that were very cute and perfect for aonung.

tonowari " hey we should also go to pumpkin patch at some point we can get aonung his first pumpkin it will be a cute and fun moment"

ronal " we can do this weekend it will be family outing with all four of us, and we can make them into Jake-o-lanterns it will be fun"

y/n " that will be amazing there a flyer for the pumpkin patch in te mail box today, there also a fair with some fun and games as well"

tonowari " Then it agreed on buddy we are giving you the best first Halloween ever" tonowari was ticking aonung making the boy laugh sound bring a smile and laugh from his parents. Aonung seem to be enjoying his first Halloween with his family, even due he would not remember it fully when he older there was enough pictures for him to be told of the past.

[jamisonwritestf2trash]

October is almost here!! Any idea what the mercs would dress up as to celebrate halloween?

Love your writing :D

TF2 Mercs Halloween Costumes!

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I'm gonna cry I love Halloween and I'm also really glad you like my writing 😭

Mutual appreciation comment: Thank you for such a fun request and thank you for being a mutual, ily 💖

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I tried super hard to come up with originals ones and not like opt out into easy costumes, I sorted through many a costumes and my god some were so bad.

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Demo dresses up as the Grim Reaper and doesn't hold back on making his costume as scary as he can. Like this man is going to make at least one kid piss themselves. His costume gives people (Scout) Nightmares. It's even scarier/funnier when he gets drunk and starts stumbling around and groaning, looks like he's about to actually harvest someone's soul. The other mercs end up having to carry him home, and apologizing to multiple angry parents, Demo is only allowed to wear less scary costumes or at least not get wasted while wearing a scary one.

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Engie and Pyro have to go together, I'd be so wrong not to put them down as having a duos costume. Kronk and Yzma, please it's such a funny concept to have Engie as an evil (semi) mastermind and Pyro as a well meaning but slightly dumb sidekick. I just love this idea so much. Their so silly going trick or treating together, people are a little freaked out by them but it's all in good fun I'm sure. If anyone dares say anything about them being "to old." there will be hell to pay from Engie.

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Heavy is Michaels Myers, I just think this fits so well? Like? I don't know how to elaborate on this one other than the fact that he'd play the part so well. Also, if we're talking about the fear factor like we did with Demo, and costume this man wears is terrifying everyone, it just so happens that dressing up as Michael Myers yielded the most terrifying reaction. Made kids cry, felt bad about it, probably went back to the base after that happened, or just took off the mask. Gets made fun of for this for at least a month afterwards.

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I have rewrote this for Medic at least six times now. I want this man to dress up as a nurse so bad it's not even funny. I'm going feral over here guys, I'm using all my restraint to not go into graphic detail about Medic being a nurse for Halloween. But for this prompt I will attempt to be a normal and sane human being, and go with an almost cliché, I think he'd be a plague doctor for Halloween. He loves his job, what can I say, of course it'd transition over to his Halloween costume. I think he'd also just like the look of it, and it doesn't help that this man is a history nerd who was obsessed with the plague. Dresses up Archimedes as a tiny plague doctor so he can take him with, introduces Archimedes as his assistant. Also manages to get the bird head tilt thing on point and pull that move every so often to freak people out.

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Scout is going as Beetlejuice. I think he'd be able to act as gross and silly as Beetlejuice. ALSO kind of obscure but not really, in an episode of The Amazing World of Gumball, Gumball dresses up as Beetlejuice while scamming the entire city of candy and I honestly saw that and though, oh yeah scout would do that. Like my man manages to get as much candy as he possibly can, he is ruthless. Accidently uses semipermanent hair dye instead of the washout stuff and has green hair for about six months after Halloween.

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Sniper was planning to just go as he was, Scout begs him to dress up, it being traditional and all. Decides he's pretty much dressing like a cowboy at all times anyway, so why now just roll with it? Manages to beat the system with this one, and bearly puts on anything new for his costume. Makes a lasso buys a sheriff star and some boots and deems his outfit complete. Scout is mildly disappointed but still happy he could at least convince him to dress up.

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Is it to much if I say Spy would be a princess for Halloween? Is it too much if I say a specific Disney princess? I mean it's not my fault that Cinderella is so iconic, and that Spy would slay so hard in that dress, like come on, I can't stop putting him in dresses now. If that's not what people wanted they wouldn't have made the art of Spy in a dress. And you know this man has the glass heels, takes dressing up very seriously. Maybe even makes a couple of stuffed mice to keep on his dress to make it look more accurate to the movie, who knows.

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I think it would be so funny if Soldier dressed up like a revolutionary soldier, but I won't go for something so easy, I refuse. I'll say he'd dress up as a werewolf, but with a twist, he's a were-raccoon! He'd make the costume himself and be so proud. Shows it to his raccoon pals (I don't know if this was someone's headcanon or actual canon but either way, I agree he has pet raccoons), and they cheer.

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Sorry it's not super long! I don't know why my headcanons have gotten less detailed, maybe the brain rot is that severe, but I still loved doing this one. and I'm glad I could at least get this one done!

I promise one of these days I'll get back into being able to do longer posts!

Love you guys 💖

[aly-corner]

PKNA/Ducktale 2017 Halloween Tale

Ghost of the past are always catching up on Halloween

Like every kids on this time if years, the Duck/Mcduck's children and their friends were preparing for Halloween.

It would be the third Halloween since Della Duck came back and she wanted to introduce one of her favorite Duck's Halloween tradition. She wanted and she did it, she had introduced to her children since they were now old enough (13 years old), THE WHEEL.

Do not worry, it was just a regular wheel but it has a lots of theme and where the wheel stops is which halloween's theme will be picked this year. There was over 20 of them, coming from horrible creatures to celebrities while getting an halt to aliments.

This year, Della wanted her boys to have time to prepare their costumes so the family had decided to turn to wheel two weeks before the famous night.

"Guyyyyyssssssss, do we really have to do this!????" asked a duckling wearing a green jacket or to be more specific, Louie Duck the last triplet. Who was currently being dragged by his blue counterpart, Dewey Duck and pushed by the oldest triplet, Huey Duck at the same time.

"Come on Louie, it is going to be fun! And don't y-"began to say Huey to his younger brother before the middle child chirped in.

"And don't you want to have a good moment with mom. She really seems excited to shows us? And beside, what could go wrong?!!!"

"First, do not say something like that, you know Uncle Donald is visiting later today and we don't want his bad luck to worsen. Two, please Dewey, it is only respectful to not cut someone when they are talking. And Third, Louie, don't you want to know more about mom and Uncle Donald's childhood?" exclaim Huey before finally arriving in the kitchen, where everyone were already settled.

Upon seeing the kids arrived, Della didn't lost any time and slammed the wheel as hard as she could, getting the object of doom to spin at an incredible speed.

While the wheel was spinning, everyone was beting which theme would be chosen. Scrooge bet on historical characters, Mrs Beakley and Duckworth both bet on regular animals while Webby hoped and bet for mystical creatures. Lauchpad chose fictionnal character when Fenton bet on robots and aliens. Finally, Della bet on objects or foods while her lucky cousin, Gladstone bet on superheroes. HDL didn't mind any of the theme, except Huey who didn't wanted to dress as a superhero again since he did three years ago.

When it ceased, the room was filled by desception noises except for one person.

Gladstone as usual was the luckiest duck on earth because the theme chosen by fate for this Halloween was Superheroes.

Even with her sour feelings caused by her lost, Della quickly took her kid and began preparing the costumes with them while she also calmed down an upset red duckling.

"Come on Brother, don't worry, didn't you say it would be fun? On top "What could go wrong" like Dewford here presents said?" whispered Louie to his older brother who calmed down in an hearthbeat.

Della was about to question her kids about what was being said when she saw her youngest and trickiest son heading upstairs with determination and pure mischielf in his eyes.

Gulping and turning her attention to her two other children to help them. She couldn't stop worrying over the fact about What was planning Louie! because this child here had an idea and was determined to bring it to life. However, would this be good or something she would regret?

Nevermind, she already regret introducing the wheel to the boys, this is what she conclued even she saw the biggest smirk on the loving gold child.

2 weeks later

Donald has entered the mansion with the help of Webby since his arms were full of Halloween pastry for everyone. He then headed to the decorated kitchen to help with tonight dinner. His help didn't last long between Grandma Duck, his cousin and his sister questions and Fethry who was tasting everything like a little child would.

"Yes Grandma, i am eating my vegetables and -No Gladstone, i can't come with you to saturday baseball match, i have work to do. And for the 23rd time, Della i won't help you scare young children wit-" quickly answered the sailor Duck before he was interrupted by Four young voices calling out to him.

Setting aside what he was doing, he rushed to the main area, where he could go upstairs to help the kids but upon arriving he saw Dewey rushing the stairs before throwing a smokebomb in front of him.

"I am the Terror that flaps in the night, i am the best Superhero to have ever existed, I AM DARKWING DUCK!!!!!" shouted Dewey in a kindway like Batman pose.

Following soon, almost instandly, came Huey who glided down the stairs with a soft metal costume of Gizmoduck, minus the weapons and the single wheel.

"Fear not citizen, I Gizmoduck , an actual hero, will come to your help!!!!!" proudly shouted, as much as his brother ,Huey.

Before Donald could say something, a thrid voice joined the Duo. "Everyone keep calm, everything will be okay because your lucky hero has come to save the Day!" yelled Webby from behind Donald.

Upon taking his breath from the little scare, the little girl gave him, Donald eyed the new Superhero better, she was wearing a green, blue and yellow suits with huge trefoil.

"Cloverleaf, i see, good pick Webby." said Donald behind a kind ssmile before all the lights were suddently cut.

Getting the girl behind him, he got in his fighting stance like the rest of the family because even if he coudn't see, he could feel someone lurking in the shadow, someone small and bad at it. Believe him, he knows what he is talking about.

However, before he could say something, he felt Webby being pulled from him and heard some groans.

Then suddently, the lights were on and was he was seeing let him speechless.

There in front of him, laid the Hewey, Dewey and Weddy tight together in a rope and behind them was none other than Louie Duck.

"You call that superhero? WOW! The level is low nowadays. You can't even defend yourself. And i know what i am talking about because i am Duckburg's first vigilante and earth greatest superhro. Now, shall we get a little Diabolical?"

Louie Duck who was wearing a perfect replica of one of his identity, PK or Duck Avenger.

END.

Happy Halloween!!!! Have a good day/night. Hope you like it.

PS: if it wasn't clear, Louie cut the lights and tied his brother and Webby. He did that to show that PK was moving in the shadow, discret, fast and efficient. He just wanted to prove that Paperinik was the best superhero. And i agree with him, everyone who thinks so too, repost please!!!!

[sunenjoyswriting]

A very twisted Christmas.

Writers note: “I’m not gonna reupload my AO3 fics here”, I say, before reuploading an AO3 fic here. Anyways more Yuune yippee!! This is one of my longer fics (it’s not even 1k words…)

Possible warnings: Angst for two lines. I think that’s it…?

It was Yuune's first Christmas. He didn't have high expectations for it, nor were his expectations low... They didn't have any expectations. They didn't know what's it be like, [[PLAYER]] never once has mentioned it and the rest of the main cast hasn't either.

But it was definitely a unique experience.

Just like the usual routine, the first thing [[PLAYER]] did after waking up was turn on their phone and open up Twisted Wonderland. They had gotten used to the weird occurrences that happened (which were just Yuune changing the code for fun and giving [[PLAYER]] messages), but was pleasantly surprised at the immediate change that definitely hasn't intended by Disney...

A, slightly glitchy, textbox was the first thing to pop up on screen. It simply said;

"Happy holidays from Yuune~ I wonder what presents ill get! Hm... If you get a new phone, I think this game should be the first thing you get on it!!"

Then the usual thingy happened, and [[PLAYER]] took no note of the text box. They had gotten greeted by this "Yuune" quite the few times by now. They were usually on holidays, examples include:

"Happy halloween, I'm dressing up as one of the ghosts in ramshackle~! Trick or treat~ Gimme candy! Now!!" On halloween ([[PLAYER]] put a piece of candy next to their phone later that day after trick or treating to "give" it to Yuune), and "Happy birthday, [[PLAYER]]!! I wonder if the day you installed twisted wonderland is my birthday or if we share one..." On their birthday ([[PLAYER]] made note of the question Yuune had asked, sometimes wondering that themselves...)

This greeting wasn't particularly special in any way (except for the lack of a specific holiday, but that really didn't make a big difference), so [[PLAYER]] just ignored it.

So, [[PLAYER]] just did their usual grinding (with, surprisingly, no interruption from Yuune.), and left the game a little quicker then usual, to go and celebrate Christmas!

With Yuune... Well, I have genuinely no idea how they celebrate Christmas in Twisted Wonderland. So unfortunately, you just have to assume it went like in the game (with more added mischief from Yuune!)

Presents Yuune got include:

A tablet from Idia (oh god Yuune is gonna turn into an iPad kid/j), A crocheted bat from Lilia (I believe Lilia crochets and I will stand by this), A full size gargoyle from Malleus (that was a pain to get into Ramshackle...), and more that I don't feel like adding because its not important.

Honestly, after the whole celebration was over... Most of the rest of the day was spent in ignihyde, just like most days for him... It wasnt too bad, though! The tablet was pretty nice to play with, and since it was so high tech... It could do practically anything!! It was a pretty nice day for Yuune.

Only at the end of the day when Yuune was about to (attempt to) sleep, did [[PLAYER]] return to Twisted Wonderland.

And the first thing Yuune noticed was that their room definitely had... More items! A lot more items...!!

Most notably, A new phone. With the TWST transfer data screen on it... Looks like Yuune managed to predict what one of their gifts would be.

"I wonder if the glitches will be transferred to my new phone..." [[PLAYER]] muttered to themselves, quickly pulling up the screen with the TWST transfer stuff on their old phone.

Yuune's mood made a complete switch at that comment... Will he also be transferred, or... Will he be stuck without [[PLAYER]]...?

Well, only one way to find out!

[[PLAYER]] quickly transferred the data to their new phone, reloading the game to quickly start up playing Twisted Wonderland again.

And, it seems the "glitches" also got transferred, because the first thing to pop up was a glitchy textbox.

"Woah... The screen is so much bigger! I can see you in higher quality, as well!!" Was what text the textbox had, clearly from Yuune.

~The End~

and a very twisted holidays to you~