#we practiced it once two weeks ago and then returned to it today and she nailed it

[abirddogmoment]

i hope i never stop being amazed at the power of latent learning, like wow how cool is it to practice something a little bit, take a long break so it can sink in, and then return and do it beautifully??? amazing phenomenal and so so cool

[yexthiccxa]

The Angel With Horns Pt. 1

summary: you accept a teaching position at jujutsu high where you get to work with your childhood crush, suguru geto. unfortunately, that means you'll also have to work with your childhood nemesis, satoru gojo. are you going to rekindle new flames or potentially make new ones?

wordcount: 7.3k 🙃 (this is pt. 1 and it's four chapters long)

c/w: gojo/fem!reader, geto/fem!reader, gojo/oc, geto/oc, modern!au, teacher!au, smut, fluff & smut, some plot, plot what plot, flashbacks, timeskip, asshole!gojo, flirty!gojo, cocky!gojo, soft!geto, cousin!shoko, mutual pining, teasing, flirting, playful banter, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, sensual tension, sexual tension, pet names (angel), dry humping, fingering, oral, fantasizing, multiple orgasms, inappropriate use of cursed energy, inappropriate use of cursed techniques

a/n: eeeep. this is my first fanfic so feedback is welcome 🥺it’s a first person pov where the unnamed oc is meant to be the reader! Currently working on Part 2!

edit: just posted this part on ao3 if you'd rather read it there!

✦✧✸✧✦ 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT ✦✧✸✧✦

Chapter 1: Reunited

It’s clear as day but my mind is fuzzy. There are thousands of thoughts surging through me, but all I can focus on is the pleasure filling my body. For as long as I’ve known him, I’ve always wondered if this day would ever come. My hips are pinned against his counter. Arms stretching wide while my fingers grip his sink. My neck rolls back as the rays of light blind me from his window. 

In my head, I’ve spent countless hours wondering how it feels to have his body pressed against mine. Or how his breath hovers on my neck as he pulls me closer. His scent is undeniably sweet, but the way he handles me tells me that he’s everything but that.

“I always thought you were a good girl,” he growls in my ear, kissing his way down to my neck like it was never his to claim. “I never expected you to prove me wrong.”

I imagined how his kisses would consume me, how his touch would paralyze me, and how his moans would ignite me. But in all these years, I never imagined this entire fantasy would be with someone else instead.

✦✧✸✧✦

TWO WEEKS AGO

The clouds begin to subside as I walk through the familiar gates of Jujutsu High. The droplets of rain fade away and a strange mix of emotions hit my core. Today marks the beginning of my journey as a teacher here, but I can't stop myself from feeling a pang of anxiety. Amid the unease, there’s still a sense of comfort in returning to a place I once called home.

My footsteps echo softly on the hallway tiles as I make my way to room 3-A for orientation. The memories of my time as a student creep into my thoughts. It’s changed in many ways, but I find solace in knowing that there are still a few people here that I can lean on.

When I moved back to Tokyo and got the teaching position, Shoko mentioned that Suguru taught here as well. Memories of him invaded my thoughts. We were practically inseparable during our high school years, largely due to my close bond with Shoko. Wherever she was, I was sure to follow—our Ieiri blood may tell us we’re cousins, but I always thought of her as my sister. Her friends were always fun to be around. However, they constantly got into situations that always put me on edge. Shoko has always been such a free spirit, and while I adore her, I know her comfort zone far surpasses my own. Despite my lack of participation in their wild adventures, I surprisingly never felt left out or lonely.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go? Finding curses in abandoned hospitals sounds way cooler than studying curses… in a book,” I muttered to Suguru as I gestured to my pile of textbooks.

“How many times do we have to go over this? I’d rather practice my curse techniques here instead.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and lowered his face towards mine—his breath tickling my ear.

“Plus, taking care of you is a hell of a lot better than taking care of everyone else,” he chuckled.

“Who said you needed to take care of me?” I protested. He remained close, and I felt his mouth curve.

“I never said I needed to. I want to take care of you,” he whispered. A secret for only my ears to hear.

Throughout the years, I grew to love his playful laughter. It was soft, tinged with warmth and sincerity—though it always seemed to trail his jokes that slightly missed the mark. And his touch, though never sensual, always felt protective—like a wolf looking after its pack. The more I learned how sweet Suguru was, the deeper I fell in love. For years my guarded soul harbored this secret, and even if the world was ending, I swore to myself that I would never tell a soul. The "what ifs" often danced through my thoughts, but ignorant bliss always outweighed the risk of potential heartbreak.

My thoughts come to a halt as I turn a corner, and suddenly, I'm face-to-face with a towering presence. My breath catches, and my eyes instinctively trail up the contours of his strong frame. The world around me blurs for a moment, and my heart quickens. But before I can fully process the shock, a familiar voice calls out to me.

"Hey, there’s my girl! Did you realize the world wasn’t as great without me?" Suguru teases, his voice bringing back years of memories.

"Suguru!" I exclaim, a surge of excitement makes me toss my arms around him. My words tumble out eagerly, "If I was your girl, I probably would’ve never left." I laugh, though my heart races as curiosity causes his brow to rise. “I’m just kidding. Everything was great, but I’m glad to be back though." It may not have been the best save, but it’ll work for now.

My arms tighten ever so slightly, and I’m compelled to study him. His shoulders are still broad, yet somehow, they seem larger than I remember. His hair has grown longer, though he still keeps it partially tied. The chiseled contours of his jaw feel like steel against my skin, but his arms around waist are gentle and comforting. I notice that the morning gloom has officially cleared, because his beauty is bathed in sunlight. As we break away from our hug, his dark eyes meet mine with recognition and warmth, as if our time apart has only deepened our connection.

"Well, I’m glad it was good. I’ve missed you." he rumbles, his voice resonating like a soothing melody.

"Likewise," I reply with a warm grin, feeling a rush of nostalgia. "Will you be at orientation today?"

He explains that he has to help Yaga with some setup throughout the morning. I try not to let my smile drop, but he's quick to notice. Of course he notices, it's Suguru. Before I can even process my thoughts, he adds, "I have the same lunch break as everyone else though, let's catch up then? We can meet in the courtyard."

A surge of excitement washes over me, and I nod eagerly. "Sounds perfect," I reply. Feeling a newfound sense of confidence, I continue on my way to the orientation room. 

“I’ve missed you." his voice echoes through my mind. For a moment, I can't help but wonder, was he thinking about me the whole time I was gone? Why did he call me his girl? Does that mean he had feelings for me? No—stop, that can’t be. If he had feelings for me, he would've said something, right? But maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

My stomach begins to flutter as a seed of hope is planted into my heart. The slightest possibility of Suguru's interest sends me to the moon. I know I’m not the same girl I was when we last saw each other. So maybe, just maybe, this is a sign.

As I head towards the room, my steps feel lighter than they've been in a long time. For once in my life, I can finally hope for something more. I finally believe that I…my heart sinks as I reach the door. 

Blocking my path is a figure I desperately hoped to avoid—the infamous Satoru Gojo.

Chapter 2: Repulsive

Much like Suguru, Satoru’s build overpowers me. His arms rest on the edge of the doorframe and I can see the contours of his bicep peek through his shirt. I take in a sharp inhale and reluctantly step forward. Satoru will not, I repeat, not get the better of me today. I hesitate for a moment, locking my eyes with his.

He peeks out from the edge of his sunglasses, and the corners of his lips begin to curl. I watch as pieces of his platinum hair barely brush the top of his rims, while others just fall short of his eyes. It’s been years, but those striking pools of blue remain etched in my memory. Swirls of azure, navy and cobalt fill my vision, but I stop myself before my gaze begins to linger.

I attempt to slip past him but find myself with no clear escape. As I contemplate my next move, I mutter a greeting through gritted teeth, "Satoru."

His smirk grows into the devilish grin that haunted my past. "Hey there, Angel,” he purrs. “No hello? Or how have you been?" His tone takes on a playful note, laced with a hint of something else—something I can't quite decipher.

I try my best to let the moment pass, but I’ve let this go on for far too long. I’m done ignoring his comments. “You know I have a real name right?” I bite back.

“But why switch it up now? You’ve always been my little angel,” he teases mockingly. 

“And you’ve always been a pain in my ass,” I reply, my stare unwavering.

“She fights back,” his brow rises in shock. “I like this new version of you. Keep it up.” His grip on the doorframe loosens and he turns to make his way into the room. 

I let out a deep sigh, feeling the tension of my grip escape through my fingers. As I regain focus, I notice Satoru has turned back, his face mere inches from my ear. His voice is smooth, like silk across my skin as he whispers, “I can be a pain in a lot of other places, but I promise it’ll feel good.” 

My eyes widen as my pupils darken. My mouth runs dry as he chuckles his way to the edge of the room.

Memories of my high school days with Satoru flood back into my mind. His words cut through me, but in a way more akin to pleasure than pain. A mix of emotions overwhelm me, but I ultimately scowl at the sight of him. While Shoko and Suguru have helped me blossom, Satoru has always been the thorn in my side.

“Come on Suguru, are you really going to stay with her again?” Satoru asked.

“It’s okay, just go without me. I’ll go with you next time,” Suguru replies. His arm raises to scratch the back of his head.

This is the last festival of the season; there won't be another chance. “Please just go. I’ll be fi—,” I uttered.

“Well, enjoy your time with the little angel,” Satoru calls out as he continues walking away.

He makes his way out of our view, and I turn to Suguru, “Why do you even call him your best friend? He’s kind of a dick.”

Suguru laughs. “When you go through some of the stuff that we have, you’ll see that there’s a bond that goes deeper than blood. He’s a bit rough around the edges, but it’s not an excuse. Don’t worry. I can talk to him.”

I can’t stop myself from smiling with adoration.

I quickly find an empty seat in the orientation room, my mind still buzzing. The comfort and familiarity of the school are now tainted by the presence of someone I had hoped to forget. It was stupid of me to think Suguru and Satoru would drift apart after all these years. As I gather up my resolve to remain close with Suguru, I accept that their connection means my path with Satoru will cross more often than I would like.

✦✧✸✧✦

A full morning of orientation reduces my brain to mush. The anticipation builds and all I can pay attention to is the clock ticking away. Yaga drones on about teamwork, collaboration, and trust – unsurprising, considering his history mentoring Suguru and Satoru. If he survived that, I’m sure being the principal is a piece of cake.

As the clock finally strikes noon, I gather my belongings and head for the door.

“Ms. Ieiri—one moment please,” Yaga calls to me, stopping in my tracks. He assembles the group of new hires and hands each one a folded letter. “This is for the afternoon sessions. On this sheet you’ll find…”

His words trail off and I find myself glancing at the clock again, hoping that Suguru hasn’t been waiting too long. Once we’re dismissed, I rush towards the courtyard.

While my legs carry me on autopilot through the halls, I take a moment to examine the letter. The paper feels coarse, the creases are weighted with importance, yet the ink is delicately placed. The overwhelming amount of information makes it clear that I'll have to review it once lunch is over. I scan the letter to find main items scheduled for the afternoon:

1pm: Mentor Session (Room 2-C)

2pm: Lesson Planning (Room 1-B)

3pm: Team Review (Room 1-B)

Seems simple enough. I approach the stairs leading to the courtyard, when my eyes catch the small section at the end of the letter:

Mentor Assignment: …

As I hurry, I fail to notice the uneven step at the halfway mark. My foot catches the edge and suddenly, I’m airborne. I feel the letter escape my fingertips. My heart leaps into my throat and the world starts to blur.

I reach for the railing, but my grasp barely holds. In the following moments, I find myself colliding with a figure. His hold is strong, bringing me comfort. I feel his fingers slowly cup my arms—they’re soft, tender, holding me with care. 

“Easy there,” he rumbles. “I got you,” his voice is low and radiates through my core. Suguru’s eyes lock onto mine and I feel the heat beginning to smolder. “I got you.” His words bounce through my head.

“Suguru. Sorry… I—” The words are impossible to make out.

“Don’t apologize,” Suguru smiles. “I like having you in my arms.” He adds a playful wink sending butterflies through my chest.

I hold his gaze and my body melts into his. Suguru and I have been close for years, but this time, it feels altered, deeper. It feels like the intensity of our connection is seeking something beyond friendship. We’re inches from each other and I wonder if he can hear my thoughts or feel my heart beat out of my chest. Time slows as I marvel at his smile. I let my mind wander just for a moment…

Suguru lowers, barely touching his lips against mine. He starts soft, planting kisses down my neck as he caresses my cheek. His touch trails to the rest of my body and delight surges within me. It's gentle, but I crave more. He bites my lip before slowly letting his tongue make his way inside my mouth.

Passion builds within me as one hand grips my hair and the other grabs my waist. When his fingers gently graze the small of my back, I writhe with pleasure, hoping he can’t feel the squeeze between my thighs. His taste is intoxicating—sending me into a fever that I can’t seem to break. 

I close my eyes and let his mouth take me.

“I’ve been waiting for you…” he breaks away to tell me. His voice is on the brink of losing control. “...for a very long ti—”

“Hello? Are you okay?” Suguru asks. My focus immediately returns. “I’ve been waiting for you, so I was heading back inside to make sure you were doing alright.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Yaga needed to give us this letter and—oh fuck. My letter.” 

He senses my worry and swoops me up in one solid motion, but I feel too weak to stand.

I turn to see that my letter has found its way in a puddle pooling at the edge of the steps. I rush down to grab it, but it’s already too late. While I can make out certain areas, the majority of it has smeared away. I bring my gaze towards bottom in hopes of making out some of the letters:

M..nt…. ….gnment: S…..u G…o

I pause—Suguru Geto. A knot hits my stomach and I’m waiting to identify whether this feeling is anxiety or joy.

I look up from the letter expectantly. “Suguru, my mentor… is this right?” I ask.

“Yeah, it is! It’s nice being paired with someone you know. It’ll be just like old times.” His words are the only confirmation I need.

✦✧✸✧✦

Although the years have passed, it feels like Suguru and I have never skipped a beat. I miss the way he talks, the way he laughs, the way a strand of hair always manages to fall even when it’s tied. I could spend hours looking into his eyes and hearing all of his adventures and how he’s mastered his curse techniques. 

The minutes go on and the end of our lunch hour approaches. Suguru frowns as he glances at his watch, and offers an apologetic smile. "I have to head out a bit early. Yaga needs some help before the mentor sessions start," he explains.

I nod understandingly, though I can't help but feel disappointed. "No problem, I’ll see you in a bit?"

He grins, those familiar eyes twinkling with warmth. "Definitely, I’ll see you later!" He gives me a hug and we part ways.

With a sway in my step, I find myself standing before the door of 2-C—but it’s locked. I scan the hallway to see if anyone can help, but there’s no one in sight. I grab my phone to text Suguru for help, but fate has other plans.

Before I can send the message, a familiar presence creeps up behind me. The weight of his aura envelops me. His body feels warm, yet somehow my blood runs cold. With a key in hand, he moves to unlock the door.

A gasp escapes my lips, and I feel the tension build around us. My heart races as I hear a voice, a soft whisper that ignites my soul.

"Hey there, angel," the voice purrs. "Were you looking for me?"

I let out a deep breath to release the fury that boiled inside of me. “As a matter of fact, no. I wasn’t looking for you… Satoru.”

Chapter 3: Reinforcements

It takes me a second, but it finally registers. The letter didn’t actually say Suguru Geto. It was supposed to say Satoru Gojo. Suguru’s voice rings though my head:

“Suguru, my mentor… is this right?” I try to recall. I guess I didn’t explicitly mention a name.

“Yeah, it is!” Damn it, why didn’t I say his name?

“It’s nice being paired with someone you know.” My body feels heavy as my soul fills with dread.

“It’ll be just like old times.” The world begins to spin around me.

I walk through the door without looking at Satoru and head straight for the windows on the other side of the room. The room itself is quite small, just large enough to fit a blackboard, a full teacher’s desk, and three smaller desks for the students. There’s a bit of extra room to spare, but none of it is enough to keep me away from Satoru.

In the reflection of the window, Satoru props himself against the larger desk, his long arms draped behind him. His smirk tells me he's completely at ease, as if he enjoys torturing me this way. “Not who you were expecting?”

I hold my response and continue staring out the window. I suspect he can read my discomfort.

His footsteps are quiet, but I feel them reverberate behind me. The air from the window feels cool, but it fades when his body radiates against mine. He leans down, bringing his hands around my sides. As he places them on the window sill, I can feel his face inch closer to mine. He’s too close for comfort but I can’t bring myself to push him away.

“With a bit more time, angel, you’ll see that I’m full of surprises.” I can feel the rumble in his throat as he speaks. “That is…if you’re willing to find out.”

My face turns hot and my thighs tighten. I may hate Satoru, but there’s something about his charm that feels irresistible. After years of dealing with him, I thought I’d get used to it. But this doesn’t feel like the same Satoru I used to know.

His arms are still placed on either side of me, but I swat him away, “Don’t you have better things to do than to tease me?” My brow rises. “Maybe… actually mentoring me?”

He lifts his arms in defense, “Hey angel, sorry if I’m coming on a little strong. I’m just having some fun.” He nudges my arm, and the force leaves me unsteady. “For old times’ sake.”

I roll my eyes and take a seat at one of the smaller desks.

“Plus, I’m not big on mentoring,” he adds. “Yaga has me doing this because I owe him for saving my ass on the last mission. Luckily he assigned me to you, and we both know you’re more than capable of doing this job without my help. It’s always been like that.”

“Oh how sweet. Is this your way of complimenting me?” I tease. He wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t going to give in that easily.

“What do you mean? I always give you compliments.”

“Calling me angel doesn’t count,” I sneer.

“Would you like me to call you princess instead?” He curled into a self-assured smile.

I blush, trying to bite back a chuckle. I lied, this is the same old Satoru. “So are you going to keep making up names, or are you actually going to teach me something?”

He brings himself close, his face stopping just short of mine. “I can teach you a lot of things, angel.”

I let out a sigh, “I’m serious, Satoru.”

“Fine, if you insist.” My curiosity is piqued as he props himself up and heads for the blackboard. 

“Lesson number one: If you ever want me, don’t want me,” he smirked.

I drop my shoulders and let out a sigh, but he continues.

“I’m serious! Lesson number two: If you ever need me…”

I finish his sentence, “Don’t need you?” His smile confirms my thoughts. “What’s number 3, Gojo-senpai?” My eyes plead as I pout in an attempt to mock him.

He seems uneasy. “Don’t do that,” he quickly snaps back, and I straighten up. “And now, lesson number three, the most important one: If you ever need my help, learn how to help yourself first.”

With a hint of sarcasm, I reply, “Wow, what a wonderful lesson. I’ve learned so much.” I gather my belongings and prepare to leave. “I think I'll just ask Yaga to assign me to someone else.”

He steps closer, blocking my path before I can fully rise from my seat. "No, wait. Don't do that,” he implores, his gaze earnest. “Can you stick it out for a little while? Just until this mentorship period ends. I need to get through these two weeks so Yaga won't make me do this again next year.”

I force my way up and scoff in his face, “Why on earth would I do that? What the hell have you done in these last few hours or even the last ten years that would make me put in a good word for you?” My volume increases. “You constantly tease me, you’ve never helped me, and—”

“I can hook you up with Suguru,” he murmurs.

“Excuse me?” My voice remains elevated from the anger.

“I can hook you up with Suguru,” he repeats firmly.

“Oh,” I pause as my voice settles. “Why would you do that?”

“For someone so smart, you ask the silliest things. It’s obvious you like him, angel.” 

My cheeks heat, feeling exposed and vulnerable under his penetrating gaze.

“It’s been obvious…for years—at least to me,” his voice softens. "And I promise, if you put in a good word for me, I'll help you with Suguru. No tricks, no games. Do we have a deal?" He extends his hand, waiting for my response.

This deal seems too good to be true. I try to figure out what the catch is, but nothing comes to mind. Unlike before, his gaze feels genuine and his smile seems sincere. I take a deep breath, preparing for a leap of faith. For the first time in my life, I guess I’m going to have to trust Satoru.

I reach for his hand, allowing a confident smile to grace my lips. “Deal.”

✦✧✸✧✦

Although this is not how I pictured my first couple of weeks back in Tokyo, this alliance isn’t as terrible as I thought. At the end of our work days, Satoru and I hang back in Room 2-C for our “mentoring” sessions. We spend 1% of the sessions on actual work, and the other 99% on dating. I tell him that it’s been a while since I’ve dated, and Satoru jumps at the opportunity to refresh me on the art of flirting.

 "Alright angel—you’ve known Suguru for a while, but I’m guessing like you only ever interact with him as a friend. Try starting…” he picks up his hand to graze the side of my arm, fingers lightly dragging towards my wrist.  “...with light touches. Make sure you maintain eye contact and smile genuinely." His voice is velvet and slow.

A shiver runs through me, and my mouth goes dry. I clear my throat. "Light touches, like this?" I laugh hesitantly. I try to mimic his advice, but it’s nowhere near as gentle as his.

Satoru chuckles. "Close, but you’re too tense. Just relax a little bit."

I soften my touch and continue to brush my fingers up his arm. As I slowly pull him towards me, our eyes lock and I’m immediately mesmerized. There’s a flutter in my core and it turns into desire. There’s an ache between my thighs, and moisture begins to form.

“That’s it,” he purrs as he leans towards me. “Just like that.” The pull of his voice is a magnet that continues to bring me closer. My heart races while the quickness in my breath trails slowly behind.

I close my eyes and let my cravings take control.

Satoru rests his thumb on the edge of my lip while the rest curl under my chin. He tilts my head and slowly whispers, “And that is exactly what you should do…” His voice perks back up to his normal tone. “...when you’re flirting with Suguru,” he smiles.

I shoot my eyes open and straighten up. What the hell was I thinking? Was I seriously trying to kiss Satoru? I mean, it wouldn’t be so bad, would it? Wait…no, stop that. Something must be wrong, my wires are completely crossed. I shake it off to rid myself of the residual shame.

Shoko braided my hair like she’s done a million times before. “Hey, who do you think is cuter, Suguru or Satoru?” she posed out of curiosity.

“Hmm, that’s so hard. You know they're both hot.” I laughed. “If we’re going purely off of looks, probably Satoru. Sometimes I hate him, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t cute. I think it’s the eyes.” 

“Yeah,” she replies with a hint of dejection in her voice. “I think so too.” I knew what was coming, but I could tell she had trouble getting it out. “Would you be mad if I asked him out?”

I pulled away for just a moment, “Oh my god, go ahead! Don’t worry about me. Suguru is still cute, plus he’s way nicer to me anyways.”

She paused for a moment, then threw her arms into a hug, “You’re the best.”

I smiled back and returned her embrace. “Okay, now finish doing my hair.”

✦✧✸✧✦

During these last two weeks the only times I see Suguru are during our lunch breaks. His schedule is hectic, but I can see that he makes the time for me—even though I know he doesn’t have any. I use these moments to practice some of the things I’ve learned from Satoru. Light touch, eye contact, genuine smiles.

I’ve touched Suguru’s arm, stared into his eyes, and laughed at his jokes many times before, but it was never like this. This time, all of my actions are bold, assertive, and confident. It’s no surprise that Satoru is a master of charm, but I didn’t expect him to be a decent teacher as well. Come Monday, he’ll be happy to know that Yaga will get glowing reviews for his mentorship.

For today’s lunch, Suguru and I are sitting on the courtyard steps, inches away from where he caught me just two weeks before. He has a look on his face that I haven’t seen before. I can tell something is on his mind by the way his brow furrows and his smile drops.

“Hey, what’s up?” I ask.

“I was—” he pauses, then retracts. “Nevermind, it’s nothing.”

“Come on, Suguru. You can tell me,” I place my hand on top of his.

He smiles, and I can tell my assurance has calmed him down. “I just found out that I’m leaving for a mission next week, and I won’t be back for a few days.”

“Oh,” I reply, a pang of disappointment lingers in my tone.

“I was wondering…” he starts. “Did you maybe want to hang out or something before I leave?” A nervous grin crosses his face before he adds, “Like outside of work?”

I perk up at his proposal. “Of course! I would love that. When were you thinking?”

“I know it’s last minute, but maybe… tomorrow night? It’s okay if you’re bu—”

Cut him off before he has the chance to ramble. I reply with, “I would love to.”

Our lunch continues and the conversation shifts between current events, life updates and playful banter. I learn that Suguru still prefers staying in over going out, he’s got a new obsession with cooking, and his hair care routine is a lot more involved than I thought. As he speaks, I can’t help but admire him and the person he’s become.

When we prepare to part ways, Suguru confirms our plans for the weekend, “So, I’ll see you tomorrow? Meet at my place around 7?” Grinning as he inputs his address into my phone.

“I’ll see you there,” I return a smile and hug him before I leave. The feeling of his touch is perfect.

Chapter 4: Reckless

The workday ends and I make my way to the usual room for my last mentoring session with Satoru. As I walk in, he notices the stupid grin plastered on my face. “You look a little chipper today, angel. What’s up? Excited that you’re no longer forced to spend with me?”

“Well, yes,” I laugh. “But also… Suguru asked me to hang out tomorrow tonight. I’m going to meet him at his place,” I fight to contain my excitement.

Satoru’s brow lifts with intrigue, “If you wanted an invite to come over, you could’ve just asked me.”

Confusion clouds my brain. “Excuse me?” I ask.

“He didn’t tell you we were roommates?”

The clouds dissipate when I realize what’s going on. “No he didn’t. I guess it makes sense though.” The thought of Satoru joining in on our date fills me with unease. “You won’t be there right?” I clarify.

“You can relax, I’m meeting up with someone too. No need to worry about me barging in on whatever “activities” you two plan on doing,” air quoting as he takes a seat at the desk in front.

“Satoru, stop. You don’t even know if that’s gonna happen,” I argue.

“You’ve spent ten years drooling over this man, and you finally get a chance to spend some time with him in his apartment…alone.” he starts. “I don’t know about you, angel, but that sounds like a recipe for sex to me.” He leans back towards the blackboard and places his arms behind his head. A smug look sweeps his face.

“Well, yeah I guess… but it’s more so…” I hesitate, struggling to find the words to say. The thought of Suguru and I being intimate has always crossed my mind, but I can't believe it might actually happen.

“Oh I get it… There’s no reason to be nervous. Sex is sex,” he interjects. “Plus, if he’s the one who initiated the date, I’m sure he’ll enjoy whatever happens, sex or no sex.”

He makes a good point, but I still feel unsure. Before I have the chance to stop myself, I blurt out, “Do you know what he’s into…like when it comes to sex? Do guys even talk about that stuff to each other?” The regret immediately slips through my lips.

Satoru gets up from his seat and brings his hands to my shoulders—a gesture of comfort I’ve never seen from him before. “He’s my best friend, I know everything about him,” he assures me. “Trust me, you’ll be fine.”

“Can you just tell me? Please?” I playfully beg, placing my hands on top of his.

Something about my question changes his demeanor, like he’s been waiting for it all along. The air shifts and suddenly I feel a rush of heat. Satoru drops one of his hands while the other drags across my chest. He begins to circle me, walking slowly, like a lion with its prey. In a situation like this, his towering presence would normally intimidate me, but something this feels different. I'm not feeling fear; instead I feel secure, fascinated, and curious about what lies ahead.

He makes his way behind me and I can feel him lower his head towards mine. “I can tell you…” he whispers, grabbing my waist and pulling me closer. “But do you want me to show you instead?” His words send shivers to my spine. 

He retrieves something from his pocket and places it into my hand. It’s a long piece of fabric, similar to the one he uses to wrap his eyes. My mind spins—stuck between the logic in my head and the cravings of my body. I hesitate for a moment, but the weight of my desire defeats me. “Yes. Please,” I say softly, as I wrap the cloth around my eyes.

“Perfect.” He ties the back securely, and I feel his touch tilt my head toward him.

I let out a breath and part my lips. Our lips touch, locking just for a moment before he briefly pulls away.

“I think for your benefit, and definitely mine, I’m going to keep my limitless on. That way it’s purely informational and you won’t feel a thing,” he says.

And just like that, an invisible barrier forms between us. While his touch is subdued, I still feel the heat hovering between us. The closer I try to get to him, the more I feel his body vibrate against mine—like magnets trying to repel. Damn it, Satoru. He might not feel a thing, but I… I still feel everything.

In my mind, I do my best to recall every part of Suguru from memory. I try seeing his face and emulating his touch. As the pieces of Suguru form, a clear image of him floods my brain.

I can feel his touch as Satoru moves up from my waist and beneath the hem of my shirt. He continues up to cup my breast and I can sense his kisses on my neck. They’re soft and muted, but the sensation still gives me chills. His breath is hot as his mouth works his way up to nibble my ear. I can feel his throat rumble when Satoru continues his lesson, “Do you want to know what Suguru is like?”

I nod. In my mind, Suguru’s dark eyes ease their way shut as he takes in my scent. His strands of hair brush against my shoulder as he continues to plant kisses down my neck.  

“Suguru is a lover—always takes care of his women,” Satoru purrs as he rubs his thumb over my breast. The friction against my nipple sends a jolt of euphoria through my chest. “Do you want to see how he’ll take care of you?” he asks.

My body tenses and I feel a rush of liquid between my thighs. I roll my head back onto his shoulder and hum with pleasure. My breath is labored, I can barely speak. “Show me,” I manage to let out.

“Well to start, he’d make sure your lips never go hungry.” Satoru slowly turns me around while his kisses move to my lips. His lips are soft, smooth as he takes me in.

The intensity rises as his kisses become needy. Using his hands to grip my ass, he leans me on the edge of the desk behind me. Shock fills my body and I can feel his tongue finding its way inside my mouth. Waves of his cursed energy flow through me. It’s powerful—commanding my fingers to lock into his hair. I pull him closer, imagining Suguru's weight crashing into me.

As the ache between my legs intensifies I ask, “What else would he do?”

“He’d work his way up your leg… past your skirt…” he slowly whispers. “And find your clit. Just to make sure she’s happy too.” His fingers travel to my panties, stopping just above my slit. He uses thumb to rub the cloth, and the trembles of his limitless cause me to moan. I roll back and forth, grinding against his hand, desperate for more. My moans are endless and slowly amplify every time the pressure increases.

When he realizes I’m enjoying myself, he runs his fingers along the edge of my panties. I whimper, wondering when he can put an end to this torture. I crave him so badly, I crave the feeling of him inside me—anything to help me find release. He finally gives in and slides my underwear to the side. As his touch grazes against my folds, I picture how good it would feel to have Suguru’s large hands cupping my center.

Satoru picks up on my thoughts and continues feeding my fantasy, “While he teases your pussy, Suguru would tell you that you’re already soaking wet…” The thought has me dripping more liquid onto his fingers. I feel his mouth curl into a smile and he whispers, “...but we’re only getting started.”

His fingers thrust inside me and I can feel the magnitude of his hands as my walls tighten around him. The thrill from his fingers barreling into me stun every inch of my body. I can feel my thighs clenching on the brink of release. His fingers find the sensitive spot within my walls and his mouth claims every spot on my body. His kisses become ravenous, like he can’t get enough. The more he devours me, the more he leaves me breathless.

I can hear him groan in delight and I notice the way his bulge presses against me through his pants. The desperation only makes him harder.

As the intensity grows, I cry for more. “Oh Suguru, just like that.”

“Do you like that, angel?” His pace remains steady as the sensation of cursed energy collects into his fingers. They continue to push against the insides of my center until I can’t take it anymore. The rhythmic motion leaves me breathless and I feel my body racing to its peak.

“Ugh, Suguru, fuck…that feels—”

“Does he make you feel good?” His voice feels heavy, like a low growl.

“Y—, ugh, ye—” I can’t form words through the pounding of his hand. He’s rapidly sending me to the edge and I’m ready to fall. “Suguru, you’re going to make me come.”

“Yes, angel.” Satoru says, before planting his lips onto mine. “Come for him.” 

Those words are enough to break me. The orgasm flows through my body and I feel myself beat around his fingers. His pace slows, but the sensual touch only brings more gratification. The thought of Suguru sending me into ecstasy leaves my body light, and my mind clear. The waves slowly subside and I feel myself resurrect. 

My hands head for the wrap on my eyes, but I hear Satoru whisper, “We’re not done yet, angel.”

I follow his lead and let the rumble of his voice bring me back into my dreams.

“Did you think Suguru would stop there?” he teases. “If there’s anyone he’d take special care of, it would be you.”

I feel his fingers slide out of me and I hear him lick the tips. “You taste so good.”

The words release a flutter in my core. I’m immediately enraptured and can’t help but crave more.

“Suguru would love this,” he starts. “Would you let him taste you too?”

“Yes,” I breathe.

I imagine Suguru’s strength as his hands cup my waist and he lifts me up on the desk. When I lean back, I feel him lift my shirt, exposing my breasts. “You’re so god damn beautiful.” His tongue licks my nipple before fully taking it into his mouth, giving it a playful tug.

“Please, I want you to taste me,” I plead. Liquid gushes out of me, giving him a good dose to start.

“As you wish, angel.” He bends down to hover his mouth over my center. I feel him linger before he adds, “Do you know what else Suguru likes to do?”

“Tell me,” I whisper.

“He likes making sure your pussy never goes dry,” he growls, letting his mouth devour my clit. The vibrations from his limitless amplify the sensation, and I’m on the verge of losing control. 

My body goes numb as his words echo through my head. He likes making sure your pussy never goes dry. I let out a moan, but it feels more like a cry. I completely unravel, feeling the tides of my orgasm come back to shore.

“Oh my god, Suguru. That feels so good. Don’t stop,” I cry.

As he continues to glide over me, I throw my head back and writhe in pleasure. His tongue goes up and down my center in a harmonious rhythm, and I’m so close to feeling ecstasy. His mouth on my lips may have felt needy, but his mouth on my pussy feels absolutely desperate. The ripples of his limitless accompany the motions and bring me to my limit. As he plants his hands on my thighs, I immediately crumble.

I melt into my orgasm as my legs tense up around him, squeezing him towards me. I picture Suguru’s hands gripping my thighs while he moans back in delight. My breath is quick, my heartbeat is unsteady. The muscles inside me contract and pulsate all over his tongue. He has me slick and he licks up every bit of the liquid that trickled from me.

“And that, my little angel… is a little taste of what you can expect from Suguru Geto,” Satoru chuckles.

I relax my legs and I feel one last kiss grace my center. I lay for a moment, feeling both lifeless, yet satiated. The thought of Suguru between my thighs still lingers in my mind.

“That was amazing, Suguru,” I breathed quietly.

As I sit up, my head is in a fog. I feel my brain spin for a moment. What just happened? Did I just have a wet dream about Suguru? Wait, no. Was it Satoru? It takes me a minute to recollect myself. Although I could see Suguru vividly in my mind, I remember that he wasn’t the person in the room. Anxiety surges throughout my body when I’m faced with the reality of what occurred.

I hear the door click, and rush to take off the wrap around my eyes. “Satoru, can we ta—”

To my dismay, there is no one else in the room. I see the blackboard behind me, the desk that seats me, three smaller desks in front of me, but Satoru is nowhere to be found.

Read Part 2 Here!

[stillsaltyaboutmcr]

Pain In the Neck- Jake Seresin

a/n: this is a short little blurb because this idea is funny to me

Warnings: implied sexual relations, Rooster having angry dad energy, Phoenix being nosey, cursing

A fic in which the team finds out why you call Hangman a pain in the neck and your brother loses his shit.

You walked into training and sat down, wiping your face with your hands. You were struggling so hard this morning to be awake, something you normally never had an issue with. Yes, you may have been up late arguing with a customer service representative, but besides the point. Phoenix sat down next to you and you shot her a quick smile. “What’s wrong with you?” 

“I was up late last night trying to make a return. The customer service lady was not helpful at all. I’m dragging today.” You finally looked up from your hands and saw Hangman sit in front of you. “Not today.” 

“Hey darlin’. What crawled up your ass today?” His southern drawl only made your oncoming headache worse. “Come on, give me a smile.” 

You rolled your eyes, “Can you not be a pain in my neck today? I’m exhausted.”

“Woah, no witty comeback?” Hangman gave you smirk. 

“Leave her alone cowboy. Maverick’s coming in anyways.” Rooster passed you all and hit Hangman upside the head before taking his own seat. 

Lessons went by just fine and before you knew it, it was the end of the day. 

You were all getting ready to hit the showers and head home when Phoenix came up behind you. “Hey c/s. You wanna come over for dinner tonight?” You two often did wine nights once a week.

You finished undoing the zipper on your flight suit and turned to her. “I’m just real-” Before you could finish your sentence Rooster came up to you both and his face was stone serious. “Can I help you?”

“What the fuck is this?” He angrily pointed his finger to a spot on your neck that’s usually covered up by your suit. Laying on your neck was a fat hickey. Your face became red and you looked to the floor. “What is that c/s?”

‘C/s! You didn’t tell me you had someone! Who’s the lucky guy?” Phoenix teased. 

“It was like a one time thing a couple days ago. I don’t have anyone, it’s nothing special-”

“Nothing special? That’s not what you said last night sunshine.” Hangman now entered the situation and made it worse. Your face fell to your hands. Phoenix gasped audibly.

“You guys are sleeping together! You’re fucking Hangman! Oh my God!!” She was practically bouncing around the locker room. Meanwhile Rooster looked like he was going to kill Hangman. 

“You’re dead Hangman. You stay away from my sister.”

“Oh, we both know I’m not going to do that.” He smirked before they both took off. Rooster was now chasing Hangman down, leaving you with a giddy Phoenix. 

[harley-sunday]

Feels Like Home [Epilogue]

Summary: When an unexpected three-week break between Monza and Singapore finds Daniel back on his farm in Perth he’s desperate to use this time to clear his mind, figure out his future in Formula One, and find his way back. He didn’t expect a new neighbour, a sassy two-year old, and three alpacas would make him realise that sometimes, what you’re looking for is right in front of you.

Pairing: Daniel Ricciardo x reader (unnamed OFC)

Warnings: None. Weird.

Word count: 3k

AN: Sorry for the long wait, bb’s. Life got in the way and- Ugh. Anyway. Here we are, the last part of this story. I hope you liked reading it all as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please leave a comment if you did :) ♥

Masterlist

"Danny, banana. Danny, bana-"

"Mate-" Daniel locks eyes with his best friend through the rear view mirror and shakes his head.

From the driver's seat Blake shrugs and grins, "What? Shi-" He catches himself just in time, no doubt also because of a whispered, "Blake!" coming from next to Daniel, and corrects himself quick enough for it not to reach a certain three-year-old's ears. "It's a catchy song, mate." Blake looks over his shoulder then, wiggling his eyebrows, "Right, El?"

Ellie nods in response, dancing in her car seat as she continues where Blake left off, "-na. Danny, banana. Danny, banana."

There's a stifled laugh coming from his left, followed by a hand on his knee, "Regretting bringing us along for the weekend yet?"

He takes her hand in his, intertwining their fingers effortlessly, before he brings them up to his mouth and places a kiss to the back of her hand, "Never."

They're on their way to the track, Blake driving the Ford pickup Red Bull arranged for them this weekend, Mia, one of the Red Bull PR girls, in the front seat and Daniel, her, and Ellie crammed in the backseat together. It's Friday, free practice day, and so there's no rush, not much on his schedule except a sit-down interview with Sky Sports later today, once the two practice sessions are over. 

Next to him Ellie keeps singing her song and when he looks at her she smiles up at him with her toothy grin, holding out her hand to him. He takes it and presses a kiss to the back of her hand the same way he did to her mum's a few moments ago, "You excited, bub?"

"Yep," Ellie says confidently even though Daniel's sure she has no idea what's about to happen. She leans forward and looks around him, at her mum, "Happy days."

On his other side she laughs and shakes her head, muttering a quiet, "Tell me your kid is hanging out with your boyfriend too much without telling me your kid is hanging out with your boyfriend too much."

Daniel doesn't say anything but an exciting mix of happiness and pride and love spreading inside his chest, pushing out the nerves that have been there all morning. Because it's one thing to be going to his home Grand Prix, but it's another thing to do so with her and Ellie by his side. 

It feels like only yesterday when he was in Abu Dhabi, confirming after weeks of speculation that yes, he would be returning to his former team, but at the same time so much has happened in the time he’s been home that it’s hard to believe it’s only been four months.

The farm- their farm now, ever since he asked her and Ellie to move in with him at the end of January- has seemed to come alive and feels more like a home than it ever did before. They moved the girls from Oscar’s farm to theirs early March because it would be a lot easier for them to look after six alpacas than it would be for her Granddad, who now only has Homer to worry about and can finally enjoy his retirement. 

Last week they spent some time with Blake, trying to figure out whether or not they should launch their relationship ahead of the Grand Prix but in the end she made the decision for them when, after another hour or so of discussing the pros and cons, she looked at him and Blake and simply said, "Why don't we just see what happens? It can't be that bad, right?”

Blake, bless him, wasted no time and started rattling of a list of reasons why it would be bad, why they needed a plan, why-

"I get that part," she said, reaching over the kitchen table and putting her hand on Blake's arm, "and I think it's good that we have something to fall back on once the news breaks, but- I just don't like the idea of an official statement, or orchestrating a 'candid'-" she air-quoted the word, "-moment with the press. I much rather just have it happen naturally, if that makes sense."

Daniel remembers nodding in agreement, "She has a point, mate.”

Blake had leaned back in his chair, pushing up his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose but then he dropped his shoulders and let out a resigned sigh and Daniel knew they had won Blake over, "Fine. I'll call Christian and Vicky and hear what they think.

Daniel told Christian about her, last November, in the few quiet hours before they announced his return to Red Bull. Christian hadn't said anything at first, just looked at Daniel the way he so often looked at Max, a softness there that Daniel hadn't quite known how to take until Christian clasped his shoulder and told him, his voice thick and laced with pride, "I'm really happy for you, Daniel. You- You more than anyone deserve this." 

And so he wasn’t surprised when Christian gave them the go-ahead.

They’re almost at the track now and when Daniel clears his throat, the nerves from earlier back in full force, he feels her squeeze his hand, like she knows exactly what he's feeling right now. He guesses that in a way she is. 

***

From the moment you arrive at the track it's hectic, Daniel and Blake leaving the car first in an attempt to give you and Ellie some respite from hundreds of the waiting fans. Mia stays with you, so she can escort you, in what everyone hopes will be relative peace, to the paddock once Max arrives in about five minutes. 

It's a carefully planned setup by Vicky who, more than anything else, was concerned about you and Ellie and promised she would try to make it as enjoyable as possible. Even if that meant you had to wait in the car for a few minutes so Max could act as a decoy.

Looking out of the window and seeing just how crazy people get when they see Daniel, you're glad you agreed. 

You're not sure if Vicky had anything to do with it but both Max and Sergio arrive at the track at the same time and with the fans' attention turned solely to the two Red Bull drivers, you make it to the team's garage without too much trouble. Mia not wearing any team gear but instead being undercover in her plain clothes definitely helped, you tell her with a wink once you're safely inside.

"I felt like I was on a secret mission," the young girl beams back at you. She nods then, "You guys have fun today."

"Thank you, Mia," you tell her with a warm smile that grows even wider when you see Daniel coming towards you.

"Hey you," he says, standing in front of you with his back towards the pitlane, effectively blocking you and Ellie from prying eyes. "All good?"

"All good," you confirm easily enough. 

He holds something out to Ellie then, looking extremely pleased with himself, "Here you go, bub. You have to put these on when the cars start to make loud noises, ok?"

Ellie takes the headphones from him, looking at Daniel with wide eyes.

"Oh wow, Ellie," you say as you pinch her cheek with your free hand. "Danny got you pink headphones, huh? How cool!"

"Thank you, Danny," Ellie says, leaning forward in your arms so she can press a kiss to Daniel's cheek.

Daniel smiles widely at Ellie before he grabs something off the counter next to you, "I got you a pair as well."

"Momma, look!" Ellie holds up hers, "The same!"

You smile, "Yeah, we're matching, bub. How very awesome."

"So free practice starts in an hour or so, do you want to grab something to eat first?" Daniel's rocking back and forth on his feet and you can tell he's getting a little nervous again. It’s the only downside of not having an official moment scheduled, you’ve come to realise, because it’s completely out of your hands and it’s just one big waiting game until someone spots you together and runs with it. 

You try to give Daniel your best reassuring smile, "Sounds great." Taking Ellie's headphones from her, you put them, and yours, in the large tote bag that's hanging from your shoulder before you move Ellie to your other hip, "Lead the way, Ricciardo."

Daniel nods towards the back of the garage and when you turn around he puts his hand on the small of your back, guiding you through a maze of corridors that lead back to the paddock and the Red Bull hospitality. 

Before you've crossed over though, Ellie starts wriggling in your arms and it isn't until you see a familiar face coming your way that you understand why. Ellie tries to push herself free and so, once he's close enough, you set her down and watch as she wobbles over to, "Uncle Mikey!"

Michael's entire face lights up and he squats down just in time to catch her, picking her up and laughing when she presses a wet kiss to his cheek, "Hello Miss Ellie. How you going?"

"Uncle Mikey," Ellie repeats, a little quieter this time, letting her head rest against his shoulder with a content sigh.

Michael nods to the driver who's standing next to him, "Go on, mate. I'll catch up with you in a bit, yeah?"

Yuki nods and gives Ellie a quick wave, "Bye."

A few heads have turned your way but then you greet Michael with a warm hug, Daniel keeping his distance, and it seems people lose interest rather quickly, probably thinking you're here for the Alpha Tauri trainer instead of Red Bull's reserve driver. Ellie, bless her, helps by babbling incessantly about whatever she deems interesting enough, as if she hasn't just seen him last Sunday when he was over for dinner with Nathalie and Blake. 

Michael listens intently but nods towards Red Bull's hospitality and so you follow him to where he stops in front of the sliding doors, thankful for the escort. When there's a lull in Ellie's stories, Michael takes it as his cue to hand her back to you, but not before promising he'll catch up with you later this weekend. 

Daniel reappears then, and together you head inside. The room is full of Red Bull employees enjoying their lunch but none of them seem to pay you any mind and it's then you remember a brief was sent out by the team earlier this week, where it was mentioned you and Ellie would be joining Daniel this weekend, effectively introducing you to the crew. 

There is someone waving at you from the other side of the room and so Daniel gently pushes you forward to where Blake is sitting. Without hesitating Blake pushes his chair back so he can take Ellie from you, bouncing her on his knee as you hang your bag on the back of a chair and sit down. Ellie's giggles quickly fill the room and you can't help but smile by how at ease she is.

"Well, hello,"

You look up and see Christian joining your table, giving Daniel a hug before he turns to you. Standing up you're ready to shake his hand but find yourself being pulled into a hug instead.

"It's so nice to finally meet you," Christian says when he lets go of you, one hand still on your arm. He nods to Daniel then, a mischievous grin on his lips, "This one wouldn't shut up about you."

You let out a laugh at the way Daniel's cheeks redden and smile at Christian, "Surprisingly enough we talked a lot about you on our first date, so I guess that makes two of us."

Christian chuckles and nods at Daniel, "I can see why you like her so much." He turns to Blake and Ellie then, "And who is this lovely lady?"

"Bit weird of you to call Blake that," Daniel pipes up with a grin, "but I'm sure he doesn't mind the compliment."

You shake your head at Daniel, trying to not laugh at the way Blake gives him one of his better scowls, and pick up Ellie, "This is my daughter Ellie."

"Hello Ellie," Christian says, giving her knee a gentle squeeze. "Don't you look just like your mum."

Ellie studies Christian for a second, her little eyebrows knitted together as she tries to decide whether she likes him or not, but then she grins widely, "Danny go racing."

"Not this weekend, bub," Daniel explains from next to Christian. "Some other time maybe."

Christian leans closer to Ellie then and whispers, loud enough for you and Daniel to hear, "Definitely some other time, sweetheart."

***

She and Ellie watch both the first practice session from inside Max’s side of the garage, while Daniel is on the pit wall, trying to concentrate but catching himself looking over his shoulder every couple of minutes to see if they’re still ok. He spots Brad, Max’s trainer, chatting to Ellie animatedly towards the end of the session and feels a little more at ease, once again reminded how fiercely loyal and protective everyone in the Red Bull family is. 

Once free practice is over he starts to head back inside where he finds Ellie admiring the lion on top of the helmet Max is showing her.

“It is of course not like a real lion, Ellie,” Max tells her as he traces the lines with his finger, “but it looks like one don’t you think?” 

“Danny, look!” Ellie says when she spots him and points to Max’s helmet, “It’s a lion.”

“It’s sure is, bub,” Daniel agrees with a smile, picking up Ellie then when she holds out her arms to him. When she rests her head against his shoulder he hugs her closer, still amazed by how much it means that she trusts him so much.

Max looks at him a little strange and Daniel half expects him to crack a joke but instead he claps Daniel’s back and gives him a kind smile, “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” 

“Yep.”

Daniel watches as she says her goodbyes to Max, not surprised when his teammate returns the hugs she gives him without hesitating. When she turns back to Daniel she smiles, “I like him.” 

“Good.” Daniel chuckles, “I like him too most of the time.” Ellie lets out a yawn then and Daniel presses a kiss to the top of her head, “You tired, bub?”

Ellie shakes her head but another yawn betrays her.

She runs her hand through her daughter’s hair and smiles, “It’s a long day, huh bub?”

Daniel smiles apologetically, “I can have someone take you back to the hotel if you want?”

“Oh, no, that’s ok,” she says. She nods towards Ellie then, “She’d never forgive me if we left early but-” she looks around, “-if we could find somewhere quiet, maybe?”

“Say no more,” Daniel says and uses his free hand to guide her to the back of the garage and into the maze of corridors that ultimately leads them to a conference room that he hopes still has a comfortable couch in it like it used to do when he first was with the team. It does.

“Perfect,” she tells him with a smile as she sits down at an angle, one leg folded in front of her. She leans in and takes Ellie’s shoes off, the little girl already fast asleep in Daniel’s lap. She looks up at him then, “You sure you don’t have anywhere else to be?”

“Nah.” Daniel shakes his head and leans in to give her a kiss, “There’s nowhere I’d rather be right now.” 

***

“Daniel, after four years you’re back to where it all started for you, back at Red Bull,” Nathalie looks up at him and smiles. “Are you happy to be back?”

“I am,” Daniel agrees easily enough, leaning back in his chair. You can tell he’s at ease, no nervous tapping of his foot or biting the skin around his nails, and you know it’s because he and Nathalie are good friends and he knows he won’t push anything. You watch as he nods to where the Red Bull garage is, “It feels good, you know? They’re family.” 

Nathalie nods, “Christian told us you’ll probably be at eight races this year, Melbourne being the first, are you ok with being around the paddock but not being able to drive? Do you miss it?”

“Of course I miss it but-” Daniel sits up a little, as if he wants to get his point across, “-I know I still need some time. These past few months- Without the pressure of having to prepare for a season, you know, it’s- It’s been good. I’m in a much better headspace now and I think if we can keep this up for the next couple of months-” He shrugs, “Who knows what might happen.”

“Would you say you’re happier now than you were at Renault and McLaren? Even though you’re not driving-”

“Oh definitely,” Daniel answers without hesitating. “It feels like this is exactly where I’m meant to be.”

Nathalie smiles, “You seem more relaxed than when we last spoke in Abu Dhabi last year- Would you say the longer winter break helped with that?” 

“Amongst other things,” Daniel says with a grin, making Nathalie shake her head. 

“I heard something about you being an alpaca farmer now,” Nathalie teases, as if she didn’t come by after Jeddah for a two-day visit where she spent most of her time cuddling the girls. And Ellie. 

“You heard correct,” Daniel shoots back, smiling widely.

“You are a man of many talents, Daniel,” Nathalie says as she throws him a wink. “Amazing.” She clears her throat then, “So is it safe to say you’re in a good place right now? That you’re happy?”

Daniel nods, “Yep.” 

“Why?”

Daniel looks past Nathalie at you and Ellie, locking eyes with you as he smiles and says, “I’ve got everything I need right here.” 

“Yes?”

“Yeah.” Daniel looks back at Nathalie, “I’m home.” 

[fourseasonscomeandgo]

The Jealousy Playlist: The Only Famous Nick Jonas' Song.

Pairing: BLACKPINK Rosé x gn!reader.

Word Count: 1.6k

Genre: Fluff, a little bit of Angst (not really)

TW: Cursing.

You loved accompanying your girlfriend when she had to rehearse. There was something that fascinated you about watching her get ready to do what she loved most.

Some time after the release of On The Ground, Rosé had finally had the chance to start preparing a mini album as a solo artist. Almost everything was ready, so the practices for the choreography had started two weeks ago.

Today you finally had some time to go with your girlfriend to see the rehearsal. You were really excited before you arrived.

Not anymore.

You had always seen the Kwon twins in passing. It's impossible for them not to catch your eye, not only are they identical, but also, and you hate to say this,

they're attractive.

And you hate to admit that they are attractive because Deukie was definitely flirting with your girlfriend.

Or maybe it was just a delusion of yours.

He really had just tied her sneaker laces.

But somewhere in the world that must be like proposing to her.

Right?

It should be you the one to tie your girlfriend's shoelaces.

You're not a jealous person, not really. You would never forbid your girlfriend to hang out with her friends or would you check her phone, or other things alike. But there are times, very specific times, where you have jealous outbursts with very particular people.

This was one of them.

Now that your head had decided that the dancer was interested in your girl, everything he did looked suspicious.

But even worse,

you began to see everything Chaeyoung did as suspicious.

Something about how she looked at him when she paid attention to him as he explained the choreography, or how she laughed at all his jokes, even how they touched each other in the parts of the choreography in which they danced together.

You were fighting with yourself to get all those ideas out of your head, but every time you calmed down, you saw something else that made you uneasy.

But when practice ended and they hugged.

There you lost your composure, there you stopped being classy.

Your girlfriend approached you, with open arms, ready to receive the warmth of your body and lots of affection, but you only returned the hug unwillingly and walked out of the room without saying anything. She quickly grabbed all her things and ran to follow you.

"Are you okay?" She asked once already walking beside you.

"Sure." You said dryly, without even looking at her.

The whole way to her apartment was silent, inside that car there was so much tension you could cut it with a knife. When you arrived, she got out, expecting you to go in with her, but you just said you wanted to go home and then said goodbye.

All the rest of the day and the next you didn't talk to her, didn't answer her texts or calls. To the point where she had to show up at your house to force a response out of you.

"What are you doing here?" You had no emotion in your words, just some frustration.

"I came to talk to you so we can sort out whatever is going through your head in an adult way," she walked into your apartment even though you didn't get away from the door, walking past you "because last time I checked, we're both closer to 30 than to 20, so we're not teenagers anymore so you can get mad at me and decide to ignore me as a solution." You turned to look at her, she was standing with her arms crossed.

"I just don't want to talk to you."

"Why? What's your logic behind that? If you ignore me and don't communicate what's bothering you, how am I supposed to know how to fix it? And if I can't fix it, how are you going to stop being upset?" You could tell she was upset as she spoke fast and her voice sounded annoyed.

"I have no idea."

"Fuck! What's wrong with you!?" She yelled, completely stressed out.

"Don't yell at me, Chaeyoung." You closed the door behind you, which was still open until that, and approached her.

"How do you want me to react!? If you're acting so annoying. I just want us to be fine!"

"Then you shouldn't be fooling around with other people!" You lashed out, losing your patience.

"What are you talking about?" she calmed down a bit, her tone returning to normal, looking at you in confusion.

"That fucking Deukie and the fucking way you act around him." You let out angrily.

"Wait, you're jealous of Deukie?" you faced her and nodded your head "Ew..." she complained in disgust.

"What do you mean 'Ew'? If when you were rehearsing you had no problem touching him."

"It's part of the choreography."

"And the hug at the end when you said goodbye?"

"What hug? I don't even remember, y/n, I hug everyone when I say goodbye to them!" She defended herself.

You didn't say anything, you just stood there, thinking. But in her you could tell that progressively, as she analyzed your behavior in her head, the rage grew more and more.

"God, y/n, you ignored me for two days because of a fantasy of yours?" She questioned when she finally got it all straight.

"What do you want me to do, watch you while someone else flirts with you?" You reproached.

"No one was flirting with me!" She exalted again "You know what, y/n? Talk to me when you come to your senses."

She brought her hands to her face, rubbing her eyes and then her temples from the stress, then headed for the door and left.

The first day you didn't talk, you were fine, angry, but fine. You didn't think Chaeyoung would last long without speaking to you.

Now, as the days went by, you were progressively starting to go crazy. Usually you can't be more than twenty minutes away from her and now you hadn't spoken to each other for almost a week. But your pride was bigger.

If you talked to her, you had to apologize.

And you weren't going to apologize.

It was already ridiculous, though, that you wouldn't talk to each other. She had to travel for the first concert of the Born Pink tour tomorrow. Which meant that if you didn't patch things up today, she would leave, for a year, angry. Not that you couldn't work things out ever again, but who knows how long you wouldn't be able to see her and the last time you would have spent together before she leaves would be arguing.

But even that didn't make you talk to her.

Idiot.

Rosé traveled, without talking to you first, not even a message. You didn't get to see her in person and have a nice goodbye moment before she left.

Now you were sad, lying in your bed, as you had been for the four days since your girlfriend went away.

Still not texting her.

Idiot.

Tomorrow is the first concert of the tour and you knew that was going to tear you apart. Seeing pictures and videos of her on stage, possibly cheerful and energetic, and not being able to call her to congratulate her afterwards.

Well, yes you can, but she sure as hell won't answer.

You couldn't help it and burst into tears, sinking your face against your pillow, letting all the anger you had built up towards yourself come out.

You really can't go that long without Chaeyoung.

You picked up your phone, still crying, and dialed her number, hit call and waited.

A phone ringtone started ringing behind you and you turned abruptly to see the door of your room. There she was, smiling, holding her phone and looking at you.

"You look pathetic right now." She spoke.

Her voice, you missed her voice so much. Never, since you met her, had you gone so long without hearing her voice. It was like filling your body with honey, with ecstasy, hearing her speak for the first time after two weeks.

You got out of bed fast and ran to her, catching her in a tight embrace and crying even harder.

"My love, I'm sorry, I should have called you before, I should have apologized for reacting like that." You pulled away from her so you could look at her face "You're right, it was all a fantasy of mine, I acted immaturely for something I imagined," you took her face in your hands "sorry, sorry, I never want to be away from you again."

"It's okay baby, calm down." She brought a hand to the back of your head, playing with your hair, trying to calm you "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did either, I should have tried to stop you from feeling insecure."

"No, no, you had nothing to do with it, it was my fault..."

"Oh, of course it was, it was definitely your fault," she interrupted you "but I did one or two things wrong too." She admitted.

"I love you, I'm so sorry." You pressed your forehead to hers "I'm so, so sorry." You said again

"I love you too."

"What are you doing here?" you asked after a moment in silence.

"I couldn't perform in the state I was in," she explained "anxious and sad because I missed you and needed to know we're okay," she continued "so the girls told me to come and talk to you. I'll be back tomorrow before the concert." She finished.

You nodded your head and hugged her again, even more tightly and affectionately than before. You were grateful that she came back to talk to you, to work things out. You would never make the mistake of letting her go again as long as you were fighting.

—ica.

[simpliao]

i know u wrote ‘let you break my heart again’ quite a while ago but it would b so cool if u wrote a part two where schlatt wonders why y/n had stopped attempting to hang out with him and ect and it ends in fluff maybe?

good person at heart ; (irl) schlatt x reader

summary : we do bad things even if at heart we're good people.

info : angst hehe, (kinda) cheating, semi-fluff (not really), smoking, disordered eating, hospital, depressive inner monologue,

a/n : I don't know if I'm gonna post after this but I hope this feeds you guys for the next handful of months ! I know the request was for it to be more fluffy... and sweet. but because of what this is based off of I couldn't do that. Thank you so much for 200+ followers even if I literally have not posted since last year. I love you guys, pro-tip, never fall in love.

"So, next week same time?"

"Yeah, sure. See you then."

Routine, as it's become. Another woman to pass through his life, momentarily fulfil selfish desires, to have nameless faces leave to come again like clockwork. Distantly he could make out her footsteps, and the almost silent opening and shutting of his front door. Letting eyelids fall and leaning back to rest against the bed frame, a heavy sigh left his lips. When did it get this bad? When was the last time he'd felt... Whole.

Since Y/n, likely. Taking in another inhale of heavy smoke, lips clenched between the cigarette twitched at the thought of her. So... Damn sweet. Thinking about her, knowing how she'd react to seeing him like this, a mess, had him practically spit out the smoke. Putting it out carelessly at the ashtray that sat by his side.

So real. Unbelievable how real she felt, unlike any of the other women he's kept around him. Kept for a night, if kept is an appropriate word at all. They were blurs that served as gaps in his memory, hours if them amounted to no more than a handful of fuzzy colours and lights. That woman, no, who once was his woman he couldn't for the life of him forget a second in her arms, of her in his life.

So vividly he could make out hazy mornings of watching her chest rise and fall as her relaxed features radiated in the warm luster from early rays. Almost as serene as the specs of dust that wafted the air only visible by yellow dawn. Time with her was so eventful, so easy to find yourself in the present moment and just feel... In love.

But that was the fear wasn't it? Breaking out of thoughts his eyes fell to his illuminated phone, a notification. Curious, it was Ted. He was in town at the moment, but as far as he was concerned he was out with Shae... Shit, had he forgotten more plans today? This wouldn't be the first time.

'Jeremiah Schlatt call me back as soon as possible.'

That, accompanied with an hour's worth of missed calls, had his back straighten and rush of energy flood his body. Wasting no time dealing back, it couldn't have been more than three rings before the phone was picked up.

"Where the hell are you? I've been calling you for an hour– this is..!" His voice gruff and loud enough to resonate in his ears, consequently contributing to the growing of a dull pain within his frontal lobe. "I'm at home, sorry. Did we have plans today?" There was murmuring following his question, two voices discussing in a much softer, uneasy tone from what he could make out.

"Jesus, you sound out of it. Get some sleep I'll call you back tomorrow morning." There was the overly worrisome Ted he was more accustomed to, his voice returning to the phone with a complete one-eighty of tones. It practically sent him into whiplash, a twinge in his gut telling him something wasn't quite right. "Ted, what the fuck is going on? You don't just call people like that, where are you?" Hesitation highlighted the silence, he could practically hear him gulp as a reassuring female voice was at his side.

"I'm with Shae and..." His voice caught up in his chest, his girlfriend's murmurings being heard from the other end of the line even if unintelligible. "...We're at the hospital on 51st Street." I could feel my heart sink in my chest, "I'm on my way."

"Wait, wait, wait..!" He cleared his throat and halted in his steps, half naked and feeling the chill of the room after throwing himself out of bed. "...neither me or Shae are sick. I, I figured you had the right to know what's going on, but it's a delicate situation. I don't think it's smart for you to just show up out of the blue–" "Ted, what the fuck is going on?"

A breath was drawn, and the following words made it seem like his whole world had fallen apart. "It's Y/n. She just... Collapsed. She hasn't been eating I just... I didn't know who to call she's still stubborn but I don't think–" "I'm on my way." Before any protests could have been made the phone was hung up and the previously languid Schlatt was dashing round the place for his misplaced articles of clothing and his car keys.

The rest was a blur, with a conscious heavy with worry and thoughts centred around only her there were only flashes of memory of driving to the previously mentioned hospital (how he remembered he didn't know in that state); his brain was on autopilot.

And yet someway, somehow, he blinked and before him was the woman he once (and likely still) adored. Her skin paler than her usual tone, sunken and sullen. Her head tilted to the side, gaze pivoted towards the window. Her monotonous heart rate was barely audible, it was like he was underwater. Throat dry, neither said a word, his palms sweaty and pulse feeling as if it could burst his veins open.

"Y/n..." His voice low, knowing he had no place here, not after everything. He stood closer to the door than her, she seemed tense with him being there and he wasn't exactly relaxed either. Just as he spoke those words, he could visibly see her grip at her arms slightly tighter, her body at a slight tremble he recognized she would do before she cried. He hesitated to say anything else if his voice alone had already done so much.

"..what are you doing here..?" Her head slowly spun towards him, fully in view he could see just how worn down and tired she appeared. She was frail, eyes once filled with so much life now dreary with eyelids relaxed and harsh shadows under them; tears brimming and threatening to fall. Chapped lips with every lethargic movement seemed as if they were so heavy, as if she struggled to even open them. "...I heard. You..." Schlatt hesitated on his words, a little lost to find them.

"Save it." Whatever force she had left she used it to spit out those words, "I'm alright..." "Obviously not." He let out softly, carefully making his way over to sit at the chair by the foot of the hospital bed. "I just..." "Why did you come here?" Her voice strained asked with such desperation, confusion evident with tears ever present. He took a breath, "I came because I still care." And that was what it took to cause the surface tension to break and tears fully roll down her cheeks, unable to even manage reaching to wipe them away. "You came to lie to me." She choked out between broken sobs, he held such a gentle, caring look while she fought to not completely break down into ugly crying.

"No, no I didn't–" "cause if you cared I wouldn't be feeling this way." Her words spoke such conviction, eyes once saddened had an edge of power. The wrath and justified venom dripping from her words was enough to have the air catch in Schlatt's chest.

"You're right." He wouldn't deny it, everything that's happened up till now was a result of his own selfishness, never having the slightest thought about her. "I'm not here to make things right between us."

"...then..?"

"Y/n, I'm sorry." His head quickly dipped downwards, a prolonged pause was taken before a sharp inhale could be heard. "I'm not worth destroying yourself over." He didn't dare raise his gaze, knowing he'd be heartbroken at the sight that would lay before him.

"...why wasn't I enough for you..?" Hiccups between cries tearing at his heart, he clenched his teeth and shut his eyes tight. "You were more than I could have ever imagined." "I'm not... I couldn't be... I've seen the women you're around now..."

"And yet you're more beautiful then all of them." "...then why have you been so... cold?"

Cold, and cold was what he meant to be; pushing her away to save himself. Yes, she was too real; just like every other person he kept too close. One by one, they all did what he did to her: disappear.

He wanted so desperately to explain himself. Tell her stories of how other lovers had done a similarly cruel trick, family issues, people that were supposed to be there for him to rely on... But he couldn't. He was as bad as them, he hurt her tooth's extent because he couldn't handle commitment or trust.

She was the victim, no doubt in anyone's mind. Who was he to make this all about himself?

"I'm just not a relationship kind of guy, I... I should of said something, and for that I'm sorry. But please, please don't beat yourself up about this. If what we were is what's causing this."

She deserved to thrive, not to be weighed down by him.

At heart he was a good person, even if his actions didn't show as much. She didn't need to know, and he wasn't ready to get better.

[underforeversgrace]

healing the wounds we hid - 6

title: healing the wounds we hid

Finally, the sequel to broken trust and the wounds hidden behind! (Refresh here on AO3 or here on Tumblr)

Story Summary: Now that his father knows, Danny's life is changing for the better. Jack encourages him to let his friends and the rest of the family into his small word. Unbeknownst to Danny, Jack is secretly worried about how Maddie will react to the news upon her return to Amity - and how to confront Vlad once Jack learns his true identity. Amidst it all, an enemy lurks and plots their revenge.

Chapter 6 of 11: Lying to You

AO3

Tumblr Chapter One

Tumblr Chapter Seven

~~~~~~

Jack heard Sam’s laughter as he hung up the phone, before the trio joined him in the kitchen. She seemed to be teasing Danny and Tucker about something, though Jack had no idea what. He smiled anyway. The two had become commonplace figures again in the Fenton home over the past week and Jack loved seeing the changes it brought to Danny. He smiled more, laughed more, even when he wasn’t around them. Even as Phantom he had more quips and grins.

As much as it pained him to know his son had been practically suicidal less than three months ago, it gave him immense joy to see Danny recovering from his depression and isolation so easily.

Jack resisted the urge to touch the bruises aching around his neck from Vlad’s hands as he wondered if Vlad would ever be able to recover the way Danny had.

“You two staying for dinner?” Jack asked, banishing the thoughts of Vlad from his mind.

“Is it okay if we do?” Sam asked.

“I’d like them here, at least while I talk to Jazz.” Danny added.

“You two know you’re always welcome here!” Jack said boisterously.

The three grinned and settled into their seats. They passed a look between them and the mood sobered.

“Actually, Dad, I need to talk to you before Jazz gets home?” Danny said, fidgeting in his seat. Tucker wrapped his arm around Danny’s shoulders, giving him a comforting squeeze before letting go.

“Sure, kiddo,” Jack said, settling into the remaining empty seat. He’d have to remember to get one of their spare chairs when Jazz arrived.

“So, uh, we discovered something at school today,” Danny said. The tone of it left no doubt within Jack that it was related to ghosts and not at all with their classes.

“Are you alright?” Jack asked. That was always the first thing he always asked these days.

“I am. I’m just, uh… a bit more ghostly than I realized?”

Jack shrugged and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, letting Danny continue at his own pace. 

“Dude, you know he isn’t going to care, in like, a bad way,” Tucker said.

“Trust me, as someone who recently found out you’re half ghost - this is so low on the totem pole for us in terms of new things we’ve learned, it barely registers.” Sam agreed.

“I know! I’m not scared or anything. It’s just… it’s still hard to be open with ghost stuff, y’know?”

“Danno,” Jack said, keeping his voice soft. “Talk to me.”

“We realized I’m able to eat emotions.” Danny admitted.

“Oh. Uh, okay. I’m sure we can watch a lot of sad shows or those scientifically inaccurate shows that make me mad, to make sure you’re getting enough… sustenance? Jazz has always been easily spooked by horror movies, anyway.” Jack said, trying to think of all the ways to safely bring up emotions of fear, anger, and sadness.

“Huh?” Danny said.

“Positive emotions, Mr. Fenton,” Sam piped up, rolling her eyes at Danny. “We realized Danny’s been eating less human food since the three of us found out the truth. He’s spending more time with all of us - who feel positive emotions about him - and he’s been unknowingly absorbing it.”

“Oh!” Danny said, finally understanding the miscommunication. “I’m not like Spectra, who eats negative feelings. I’m the opposite. I guess I just never realized it because I was pushing everyone away.”

“Or it’s a new ghost ability,” Tucker added. When Sam and Danny looked at him in confusion, he shrugged. “Danny, you’ve already told us you’ve occasionally gained new ghost abilities. It might be new.”

“I hadn’t considered that,” Danny frowned. “I don’t know if -“

He was cut off by the sound of the front door slamming open. “Dad?!” Jazz called, a hint of panic to her voice. “I just saw your text, is everything okay?!” She asked, turning the corner out of breath, eyes wide as she took in the scene. She seemed to relax marginally when she saw Danny sitting there. “Sam! Tucker! It’s been so long!” She said, hugging the two of them and then Danny.

“Let me go grab one of the spare chairs,” Jack said, but Jazz stopped him before he got out of his chair.

“I’m fine standing, I’ve been sitting in class all day. So, family meeting?” She said, lingering behind Danny.

“Well, family plus Sam and Tuck.” Danny said, craning his neck slightly to look at her. “But I think you should sit down, Jazz. It’s kinda a big topic.” Danny was out of his seat before Jazz could protest, gently pushing her into the seat he’d abandoned.

“Okay?” Jazz asked hesitantly.

“Okay. Well. Uh…” Danny trailed off, sending a panicked glance to Jack.

Jack just shook his head slightly. “You’ve got this, son.”

"Is everything alright, Danny?" Jazz asked, turning in her seat to grab Danny's hand, concern painted across her face. She glanced over at Jack with an expression he couldn't read.

"So. Uh. Y’know, like, ghosts? How they're a thing?" Danny stumbled.

It took everything Jack had to not laugh at the 'are you serious right now?' look Jazz gave her brother.

Sam and Tucker, however, also saw the look and broke out in laughter.

"Hey, you try telling your sister you're half ghost! It's not easy!" Danny whined before going ramrod straight as Jazz's eyes widened. "I mean, uh, shit, uh, like… that isn't how I meant to tell you."

Jazz just smiled and stood, wrapping her arms around Danny, though she stepped off a little further to the side than necessary, completely blocking Danny from Jack’s view. A frown pulled to Jack’s face. Something about that felt… intentional?

He could only see Jazz’s back as she leaned down closer to her brother and whispered something too low for Jacks to hear, followed by Danny shouting, “You what?”

Jazz looked over her shoulder at her father, seeming to be gauging a reaction from him. He smiled at her, though he was sure she could see the confusion on his face.

“How long have you known?” Danny asked, pulling away from his sister, shocked.

Jazz shrugged, turning her attention back to Danny. “Since the Spectra incident.”

Danny groaned. “I swear to Clockwork, if Mom says she already knew when I tell her, I’m blowing something up!”

“You need an excuse to blow something up?” Tucker quipped.

“Wait,” Jack said. “Jazz, did you already know?”

Jazz sighed and turned around, wrapping her arms around herself. “Yeah. I found out by accident.”

“Dude, how in the hell do you still have a secret identity?” Tucker asked, laughing. Sam thwacked his arm, raising a finger to her lips in the universal sign of ‘shut up!’

“That’s a good question,” Danny grumbled. “Why didn’t you ever tell me you knew I was Phantom, Jazz?”

Again, Jazz watched Jack a moment before answering, and he finally realized why. Jazz had been - and still was - worried about how Jack would react. “At first, I wanted you to want to tell me. So I tried to give you space, help without it being obvious I was helping. After some time passed, though…” Jazz trailed off, biting at her lower lip. “I almost exposed your secret a few times. I’ve never been good at lying. Until this, I didn’t think anyone in this family was capable of keeping a secret. It’s why I haven’t been home a lot and signed up for all those extra classes and study groups.”

Sadness grew in Jack with Jazz’s every word. Had he and Maddie really made both of their children believe they’d hurt one of them for being a ghost? Made both of them afraid of their parents? So much so that Jazz, ever the level headed peacekeeper, who always worked to bring the family back together, decided that letting the family fracture further was the safest option?

Danny had pulled away to keep his secret safe. Jazz had pulled away because she wasn’t sure if she could keep her brother safe.

“I’m sorry,” Jack said hoarsely, staring at both of his kids - the two people he loved more than anything in this world, who he’d die for, who he’d protect until the ends of the Earth. They both looked at him in confusion, though Sam and Tucker looked at him with sympathy. They hadn’t been trusted with the truth either, so they probably understood some of what he felt.

But Jack hadn’t been trusted for much worse reasons. He hadn’t been trusted out of fear that he would torture and kill his son. “I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“Dad…” Danny said, moving around the table until he was behind Jack, patting him on the shoulder. “It’s okay.”

Jazz pressed her lips together into a thin line and said nothing. She didn’t contradict Danny, at least. They all knew this wasn’t okay, no matter how much Danny was trying to pretend it was.

“Thanks, son,” Jack said halfheartedly. “Well, now that Jazz knows, time to discuss telling the final Fenton.”

“Mom?” Jazz asked. “Are… are we sure that’s safe?”

He paused, staring at the wood grain of the table as he thought.

That had been one of the reasons he’d gone to see Vlad earlier. Maddie had to be told… and Jack needed a back up plan for if she took it poorly. To his immense relief, Vlad had agreed to help, though he had insisted the only reason he was willing to help was because he knew how brilliant Maddie was and she’d connect the dots between Danny’s accident and Vlad’s own.

If the worse came to pass, threats of child protective services being called on the Fenton home should work, and Jack would publically decimate their research as flawed and made up to discredit her or any crazy theories she may spread - including the possibility of her own son being half ghost, if she tried to go to the media with it.

Danny couldn’t leave Amity and Jack would always stay with his son. If it got too bad… Vlad was rich enough to make Maddie disappear and make it look like she left, abandoned their family and their ‘freak’ of a son.

Jack and Vlad had set several contingencies in place, and none of them would he ever admit to either of his kids. As much as it hurt him, as much as it made his heart stutter in grief, if he had to make a choice between his wife and his son, he’d choose Danny, every time.

“Everything will be fine,” Jack lied. “I was afraid at first, too, but I know Maddie, she loves you two. I have no doubt that she’ll accept you, Danno.”

A look passed between Jack and Jazz. The look in her eyes told him that she knew he was lying. The look she sent Danny after told him she’d lie and protect him too, no matter the cost.

Danny seemed to buy it, relaxing slightly at his side. “Guess we should plan how to tell her?”

“Do you want us there, Danny?” Sam asked.

“If nothing else, you can eat our good vibes!” Tucker grinned.

“I’m sorry, eat what?” Jazz asked.

“Oh, your brother recently learned he eats feelings.” Tucker said with a shrug, like it was the most uninteresting thing he'd ever heard. Despite the situation, despite learning that his daughter also feared he'd carve up Danny, Jack grinned, because his son's friends accepted him - and his secret - with open arms.

Jazz sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she took a few deep breaths. “Okay. Okay, that’s fine,” she said before grinning at Danny and ruffling his hair. Danny sent his sister a relieved grin before swatting her hand away, whining about ‘ew, sister cooties!’ and then returning his attention to his friends.

“I think I’d like you guys there for that one, too,” Danny said, his eyes lingering on Tucker and the two sharing a shy smile.

Well, Jack had always wondered which one of his friends Danny would end up dating (if not both of them), and he supposed he’d just gotten his answer.

“I’m thinking we tell her here,” Jack said, deciding he needed to give his son the talk later. Dating is dating and needs to have the talk! “Over dinner. I can disable all the ghost defenses like we did for the time we tested your powers, if you’re worried.”

Danny nodded. “That sounds like a good idea to me.”

Jack could see the fear in his son’s face and he tried to smile, tried to hide his own fear, reassuring himself that he and Vlad had a plan, had it worked out if the worst came to pass.

Danny eventually realized they needed the spare fifth seat and when Jack went to get it, said he would handle it. He was all smiles as he transformed into Phantom, flying intangibly to the other room and back, grabbing the chair. Jack was calmed by the display - his son, in front of people who accepted him, showing off his powers, showing off the thing that had made him so afraid for so long.

If anyone else besides him noticed that Danny’s ears remained slightly pointed when he reverted back to his human half, they kept it as quiet as Jack did.

The pizza finally arrived shortly thereafter and they all settled in to eat. Jack couldn’t help but smile, content as he watched the teens eat and chat. They joked around and goofed off, they talked about school. Danny’s chair was closer to Tucker’s and Jack didn’t miss the smiles the two shared as they discussed video games while Jazz and Sam discussed various activist organizations.

There was an ache deep in his bones as Jack prayed, beyond all hope, for this to become their new normal - his family restored, his son’s friends at his side. So, silently, quietly - Jack prayed.

~~~~~~

Agents Byte and Bit were ready when Operative O showed up, a week later as he’d said. Byte was O’s equivalent in the chain of command on the technological side.

“Byte. Bit.” Operative O greeted.

“O,” the two tech nerds greeted in unison.

“Judging by your presence, I am assuming Bit failed to restore any of the lost data?” O asked, cutting straight to the point as he scowled at Byte.

Bit shuffled slightly, moving slightly behind his boss.

“Unfortunately, when Phantom triggered an electrical surge, all electronics were fried and, as Bit has no doubt explained, we do not keep any offsite backups for security reasons. In layman’s terms - the information has essentially been burned to ash. There is nothing to be done for it,” Byte said, holding himself up straight, trying to look stern and intimidating despite being half a foot shorter than O was.

O growled. “This conversation could have been an email, then. Why did you request a meeting?”

The prosthetic hand clenched into a fist at his side as it sensed his rising anger and O tried to relax it subtly. The prosthesis was extremely experimental, fueled partially by mortal electricity and partially by ectoplasm. It was a genius construction of the two, but ectoplasm was well known for reacting to emotions - and it showed every time O had strong feelings.

Which was quite annoying in times, such as now, when O couldn’t get the fist to relax, which made him frustrated, which just caused the fist to clench tighter. This is all Phantom’s fault! O growled internally, his hatred rising as he gave up on trying to make his hand do what he wanted. He felt like he had no control over his own body, all because that stupid ghost kid had fought back.

“Because we found something else we think you might like,” Byte said, unaware of O’s internal struggle.

“Did you capture Phantom yourselves?” O asked sarcastically.

“No. But we may have an idea to help you catch it. Bit, show him,” Byte said, stepping out of the way.

“Uh, here, look, Operative O,” Bit said, sliding into his seat and pulling up… something with a lot of numbers and shorthand on it that O couldn’t interpret. “We’ve been studying Phantom since its escape. We’ve noticed some changes in the routine it follows in the weeks since the incident, and there have been a few notable ones that may benefit us.”

“Fascinating,” O drawled. “Point?”

“Well, to put it simply…” Bit said, pulling up another file, this one so simple even O could understand it, even if he couldn’t believe it. He didn’t even notice the self satisfied smirk on Bit’s face as he took in O’s shock.

“You’re sure?” O asked in disbelief, rereading the text. “How?”

“We’re not sure, but we’re guessing Phantom has enough intelligence to realize it needed help after escaping our facility and figured out how to get some.”

“And how is this supposed to help me recatch him - I mean, recatch it? This would just complicate things further.”

A devious grin crept onto Bit’s face. “Because we’re noticing Phantom’s been falling back onto this ‘support’ more frequently recently. But this help won’t be available in a few nights,” Bit explained, handing a piece of paper to O, smirking as though he’d just handed over the keys to the Ghost Zone.

And, while that wasn’t what he’d handed O, there was no denying it was a strong second prize. A rare smile crept onto Operative O’s face. “You’re sure?” He asked, glee in his voice. 

“Positive,” Byte confirmed for his agent, lips curved into a cocky smile.

“Perfect. I’ll go brief K and -“ O began, cutting himself off and grimacing at his error. “I mean. I’ll go brief M and get us ready to roll, when the time comes.”

Bit and Byte looked at him sympathetically, but he ignored it - he didn’t do pity, especially pity aimed at him. He was fine.

He wasn’t the one who bled to death under tons of concrete.

O took one final look at the paper before crumpling it in his good hand.

Phantom was about to learn - the hard way - that he should’ve killed O in that blast too. And this paper was going to help O teach the freak that lesson.

[heimdallsbraids]

Blood of Mine | Ch. 2 (Heimdall x fem!reader)

Summary: Life is pretty simple. Survive the harsh conditions of Fimbulwinter in Midgard, trade with your dwarven friends in Svartalfheim and – avoid the shit out of Odin’s most loyal lapdog? If word reaches the All-Father about your blood-bending origins, you’re doomed… (Hints of Avatar: TLA, but not a crossover)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Profanity, mentions of death

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Chapter Two: The Offer

As much as you hated it, shivering underneath layers upon layers of clothing was becoming second nature to you as you slowly plodded your way across the frozen Lake of Nine with two freshly caught rabbits slung over your shoulder. It was a lot less than what you wanted – no, expected – from today’s hunt, but it’s not like you would’ve been able to hike a deer all the way back to camp without your sled.

Thanks to your father, he’d all but given it away to a couple of raiders during your last visit to Svartalfheim, ultimately leaving you with no form of transport around Midgard. No form of transport meant a hell of a lot more work for you to keep the trade afloat.

“Sure, Dad. Just donate the sled. I mean, why the Hel would we need that piece of crap anyway?” You mumbled under your breath. “Should’ve just stayed in Niðavellir and worked for Durlin full-time – perhaps toss a cup of mead in that stupid Aesir prick’s face the next time he visits.”

Several weeks had gone by since your unfortunate run-in with Heimdall in Svartalfheim, and you hadn’t been back since. Durlin had become mighty antsy that another event like that would happen and had all but forbade you to return so as to let it blow over. You attempted to voice your protest by visiting the realm the very next day, but you only made it a few steps out of the mystic gateway before you were shoved right back in and sent on your merry way. You understood why he was being this way, but it didn’t make it any less frustrating.

He was one of the only souls who knew your mother, Randi, personally before she died. She was a powerful Valkyrie who served under the former queen Freya many years ago before she was killed in the midst of battle - or so you'd been told. You were only young when it happened, but it left a gaping hole in your heart that could never quite be filled.

Frankly, to this day, you have no idea how your father managed to land someone like her, but here you are - and wielding a dangerous power thought to no longer exist, at that: blood-bending. An extremely rare power it was; the ability to control a person or being from within, to tear them down from the inside as if they were nothing but a clump of wet sand. As far as you knew, your mother didn’t harness those same powers but rather passed them down through a long line of descendants – and even that was difficult to get a grasp on.

Unfortunately, this paints a giant red target upon your back for power-hungry people like Odin. If he were to get his hands on you, especially during this fragile window before Ragnarök, you and many others were doomed.

Luckily, no one but a tight-knit group of family and friends – including Durlin and Lúnda – knew of your circumstance, having taken an oath the moment your mother discovered the power flowing within your veins. But that didn’t make it impossible to find out if one dug deep enough. Hence, why you are lying low in Midgard under the guise of being a simple, mortal tradeswoman. With a few dwarven friends, of course. Your Vanir roots were practically non-existent to those who didn’t know you, and that was just the way you liked it.

“Dad?” You called upon making it to the cave where your crew had set up camp. Waving to the few who noticed your arrival, you quickly headed to where your shared tent was. You called out once more, basking in the warm glow of the fire outside, “Hey, you in there?”

A groan of ‘mm in ‘ere,’ was your only confirmation before the retching sounds began.

You grimaced, “Ugh… when is this ever gonna stop?”

As expected, there was no response to your jab, only more retching. The soft part of you considered heading inside and comforting him with some water and a small serving of soup to regain his strength, but that thought was immediately snuffed out the second you laid today’s excuse for a hunt on the makeshift bench near the tent.

Gonna have to go hunting tomorrow, too, you grumbled inwardly.

You set to work skinning and preparing the rabbits for the camp cook. It should suffice for a couple of days’ worth of rations if everyone spaced it out, but they weren’t exactly on the large side, so you weren’t holding your breath. You were in the midst of fixing up a flask of fresh water when a familiar voice floated through the camp.

Shock coloured your features once you spotted the culprit, “Durlin?”

He looked relieved to see you as he marched past a handful of curious locals, ignoring their puzzled expressions. He never visited the camp. Hel, even Midgard was a rare outing for him these days, the dwarf all too happy to stay nice and cosy in his home realm.

“How’s Björn?” He asked, finally reaching your workstation.

“Throwing up.” Your lips formed a thin line. “Now, why are you really here?”

“Straight to the point, eh?” He muttered, looking around before voicing lowly, “Something’s come up. I need you to come back with me.”

You folded your arms across your chest, quirking a brow at him. “I thought I wasn’t permitted.”

“I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t… urgent.” He pressed, glancing around once again. Come to think of it, he did look more rattled than usual.

“It can’t wait?”

He shook his head.

“… Fine,” you conceded. “You’re lucky I like you.”

He anxiously waited as you readied yourself, choosing to poke his head inside the tent to greet your dad. Disgust was written over his face as you finished packing your things and left the meat with the cook. The trek to the mystic gate felt longer than usual, your short friend barely uttering a word as he ushered you in.

“Are you going to tell me what’s happening, or are we playing some sort of guessing game?” You asked, blinking rapidly as your eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight of Svartalfheim.

“There’s someone who wants to meet you.”

“You’re being awfully cryptic, you know?”

His expression remained grim as he led you straight to the southern docks, bypassing his home and the safety office. A tall figure stood with their back to you, all on their lonesome as they observed the calm blue waves lapping at the jetty. A dark brown cape with green and gold accents flowed over their shoulders, granting them a mysterious air of superiority. Upon hearing your footsteps, they turned around. It was an older man you didn’t recognise. With an eyepatch.

You glanced down to Durlin. "The Hel?"

He only shook his head.

The confusion on your face must’ve been clear as day because he regarded you with a light chuckle.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve asked to meet you. The name’s Odin.” It suddenly felt like a stone was lodged inside your throat. He continued, “Your friend here tells me you’re struggling to make a living. Something about your father?”

“Yep.” You responded, narrowed eyes never once leaving Durlin’s, even as he looked anywhere else but at you.

Odin sidled forward, placing a gentle hand on the dwarf’s shoulder. “Now, now, no need for the hostility. Durlin was simply worried for your wellbeing.”

“Sure,” you offered, finally regarding the taller man with a forced smile. “But I’ve managed this long on my own. I’m sure I can hold out a little longer.”

He chuckled once again, “Determined. I like that.”

He placed his hands on his hips, a tiny grin stretched across his lips as he regarded the water once again. You couldn’t help but stare. For some reason, you’d had a grander image of the God painted in your head. Perhaps taller? Less old-looking even though he had centuries upon centuries on you.

“I wanted to offer you a place working with my merchants in Asgard, perhaps expanding the trade when the time is right. I’ve heard you’re pretty nifty in the kitchen, too. Lord knows Gladsheim could use a little shake-up with the food.”

Your mouth fell open. Just how much has Durlin blabbed about you? Here you were, weeks with no communication whatsoever between the two of you, and now all of a sudden Odin himself was inviting you back to Asgard with him? As a chef, no less?

No… this is bad news. I’ve got to stay away from him. You eyed the dwarf beside you once again. I’m gonna have a stern chat with this little shit as soon as-

Your chaotic train of thought was interrupted. “Having doubts? To sweeten the deal, I’m more than happy to discuss a working wage – with enough to send home for your father, of course.”

He had you there. Money was a constant problem over recent years, what with your father draining most of it away on his pick of poison. That, and his lack of assistance with the trade certainly didn’t help either.

You mulled it over carefully. He didn’t seem to know who you were other than the fact that you were a struggling Midgardian with Durlin as a friend. Perhaps it couldn’t hurt to give it a try - if only to get you and your father out of the sticks?

“I’ll give it a shot.” You agreed, but before he could say anything else, you added, “On one condition.”

“You name it.”

“I, uh, I could do with some new clothes. Mine are kind of…” you trailed off, scratching at the back of your neck in embarrassment.

“Consider it done,” he smiled, reaching over to place an arm on your shoulders. “Shall we head off then?”

Durlin’s worried face was the last thing you saw before you were enveloped in a dark flurry of screeching ravens.

[torreshalstead]

You make the miles worth it - Chapter 19

Summary - The Chicago Marathon had always been a dream for Hailey. And when she meets a stranger in pink running shoes whilst training, she realises maybe she had been dreaming for more.

Chapters - 20/24

Chapter Summary - it’s Jay and Hailey’s final long run before race day so they go to wind down afterwards at Molly’s.

Notes - this is a little shorter today but hope you enjoy none the less! AO3 Link

3 weeks to go

‘Hey guys!’ The loud voice of Stella welcomed them as they walked into Molly’s that evening. They’d completed their final long run together that morning before tapering off for the big day and were excited to have a calm evening with a couple of drinks at the pub. It had been one of the things keeping them going as they made their way through the miles a few hours previously. ‘Beers?’

‘Two please,’ Hailey returned Stella’s cheerful smile as she and Jay made her way over to a couple of empty stalls at the bar, his hand warm against the small of her back. Hailey had grown to love the small moments of contact between her and Jay, from the hand holding to his hand on her back or an arm across her shoulders. What had once been so foreign now brought her a great sense of comfort.

The bar was filled with its usual patrons, the members of 51, some doctors that Jay recognised from Med and some Saturday regulars. They smiled warmly and exchanged pleasantries with those they recognised.

‘Been training today?’ Stella asked as she set two beers on the bar for them.

Jay nodded as Hailey took a long swig from the bottle, ‘20 miles’ he said with a smile.

‘Damn, first rounds on me. You two need them after all of that,’ she smiled as she flung her towel over her shoulder and headed down to the end of the bar to deal with the other customers.

‘Cheers’, Jay said, tapping his beer against Hailey’s. ‘This time in 3 weeks, we will be marathon finishers’.

‘Isn’t that crazy!’ Hailey chuckled whilst taking another drink. ‘So we’re doing 8 next week and then what did you want to do the final week before?’

‘About 6 miles I think, 10K?’

‘Sounds good to me.’ They settled into a comfortable silence, glancing up at the TV’s above the bar on occasion, sharing short glances with small smiles, their legs pressed against each other under the bar.

‘Would you have believed we’d end up here?’ Jay asked after a short while.

‘At Molly’s? Well it’s not that hard to believe,’ Hailey chuckled but Jay shook his head with a small smile.

‘No, 3 weeks out from the marathon together. When we met all those months ago?’ He was picking absentmindedly at the label of his beer.

‘I guess I haven’t really thought about it. But no, if I’m honest probably not. But I’m happy we have’, she bumped him with her shoulder and was met with a soft smile.

‘Me too. Although you did practically throw yourself at me after I had only said hi to you a couple of times,’ Jay smirked as Hailey’s jaw dropped.

‘I did not throw myself at you! Okay, I may have run into you, but it was purely accidental and I didn’t hear you complaining,’ she raised an eyebrow as she lifted her bottle to take another drink.

‘When a beautiful lady throws herself at your Hails, you do not complain. I can assure you,’ he chuckled as Hailey felt her cheeks redden as if Stella had suddenly turned up the heat in the bar.

‘Shush it,’ she muttered. Jay easily threw compliments around and although Hailey knew he meant them and was talking from the heart, it didn’t stop Hailey from getting embarrassed every time he did.

‘Okay, we can move on from you throwing yourself at me,’ he smirked and continued. ‘Let’s go back to the start. Before I said hi to you, had you even really noticed me?’

‘With those pink sneakers on, how could I not?’ Hailey laughed loudly. ‘But yes, truthfully I had decided that day I was going to say hi to you, we’d been smiling at each other for a couple of runs but I had plucked up the courage to actually speak to you. You just beat me to it.’

‘Sorry about that,’ Jay smiled.

‘Don’t be, I probably would have flaked on it anyway. Vanessa tried to persuade me to just ask you out straight away.’ Hailey shook her head with a small chuckle at the memory of her conversation with Vanessa that night.

‘Did she now?’ Jay raised his eyebrow along with the corner of his mouth. ‘Knew I liked that girl!’

‘I’m glad I didn’t listen to her though. If I had, I don’t think we ever would have ended up here,’ she smiled and subtly scooted even closer to him. ‘And I wouldn’t want to change that. Well maybe when I ran out on you that time but-’

‘You know I’ve never once held that against you right?’ Jay asked sincerely, his sarcastic smirk long gone.

‘I know Jay, I know.’ She smiled, reached across and rested her hand on his arm. When he pulled it away, her smile immediately dropped from her face but when he repositioned it so he could take her hand in his, the warmth spread through her.

‘It’s just part of our story,’ he rubbed his thumb in a circular motion across the back of her hand.

‘Our story, hey?’ Hailey leant her elbow on the bar and rested her cheek on her open palm, allowing herself to turn toward him.

‘Yeah, two strangers who met whilst training for the same race on the same trail. And became more than that.’

‘I like that story’, she said softly, allowing herself to get lost in the emerald shine of his eyes.

‘Me too,’ he whispered. Neither of them chose to break eye contact and settled back into a comfortable silence until Hermann interrupted them to see if they wanted another drink.

‘Hermann!’ Stella’s voice loudly called from the other end of the bar. ‘Can’t you see they were having a moment?’

‘Well they can have another one when they aren’t both nursing an empty bottle!’ Stella shook her head as Hailey and Jay both laughed and agreed to another drink.

The evening continued in much the same vein, conversation remaining at a minimum except with others asking them about the race and how their run had been. All the regulars knew they were running the marathon, Stella had got all of 51 on board to be pitched up somewhere on course as long they could get the trucks to a call if needed.

As they were drinking their 4th beers for the evening, Jay’s phone rang.

He glanced down at it and Hailey saw his shoulders sag.

‘I gotta take this,’ he said apologetically, gesturing to the phone. She nodded as he headed to the back door, answering the call with a ‘Halstead’ as he exited the bar.

When Jay hadn’t returned after 5 minutes, Hailey decided to pop outside to check on him. She expected to see him in deep conversation on the phone, what she found couldn’t have been more different.

Jay was sitting on the curb, his back to the building, his head in his hands.

‘Jay?’ She said softly, taking a seat next to him only for him to not acknowledge her in any way. ‘What’s up? Who was on the phone?’

‘It was my boss,’ Jay muttered, keeping his head down as he spoke. ‘I’m being loaned out.’

‘Loaned out?’ Hailey questioned.

‘To the FBI,’ Jay said flatly.

‘Oh, you’re working with them on a case?’ Jay nodded. ‘And you don’t want to?’ She asked curiously, trying to understand Jay’s reaction.

‘It’s not that,’ he said, finally glancing up at her. ‘They need me in New York.’

‘Oh,’ Hailey said, shocked.

‘And they expect the case to take 2 to 3 weeks.’ His voice was still void of emotions as he looked at her.

‘Oh’, Hailey said in realisation. The race was in 3 weeks. If he went to New York, he might not make it back in time.

‘And I need to leave tonight’.

[snailsandpuppy-dogtails]

Centauri Flu

A Lost In Space fic that never got posted, published one year ago today! 😄

Lost in Space Judy is sick, Don takes care of her. (pining, angst, hurt/comfort) WC: 3,205 ao3

"I’m fine, leave me alone. I have a practical in two hours….I’ve been studying all week." The room swooped around Judy, Judy swooping in return, Don lunged catching her. “Uhh-huh. And that there was just you dancing, right?” She glared, snapping out, “Don’t be stupid, I don’t dance, I didn’t even go to Prom.” Don kept his steadying hold firm, laughing, “Trust me, I know, you told me. That’s still something we need to correct by the way,” and then slightly more serious, "but right now, you need a bed, or a couch, or a comfy chair and maybe some tea. Definitely soup and rest.” His hand was tucked snugly into her waist, arm wrapping around her back as he guided her shuffling feet through the kitchen. She pushed at him weakly, twisting and turning as much as she could without making the room spin, when a coughing fit attacked, her lungs unable to inhale fully and choking on the exhale, forcing Judy to double over, briefly glad of his support. “I’m fine” she groaned more to convince herself than anything once she caught her breath. “Jude, you’re clearly sick. Or unwell. I don’t know, I’m not the doctor here. But I do know you, and this ain’t you, Sweetheart.”

She gritted her teeth at the term of endearment. All of his nicknames irritated her, his overbearing nature bothered her. They weren’t dating and they weren’t together. They weren’t with anyone else either though. He was waiting. Waiting for her to finish med school. Didn’t want to "be a distraction” he’d said. Sometimes she got the feeling he was just scared. She tried to explain that med school could take years…that it was offensive to suggest she’d let feelings interfere with her career. That they should try it out, see how things went now. He wouldn’t give in though, so they weren’t together, but their relationship felt an awful lot like a Relationship.

“Don’t you have work? Shouldn’t you be somewhere?” she swatted at his hands trying again to pull out of his grasp as she righted herself. Her head throbbed and every joint felt like it’d been hit with a brick. She pushed through the pain, tears pushing through her eyes, trying to get him to comply, to leave her alone. “And anyway, if I were sick, the hospital would be the perfect place for me.”

Don wasn’t going for it. He couldn’t leave her like this, wouldn’t leave her. “Day off." he beamed, "You’re right, the hospital is the perfect place for you, sick or otherwise. And if I thought you could be trusted to actually seek help for whatever is currently afflicting you, you would have my full support in going there. But as you made very clear just a few minutes ago, you’d only be going for school, and we both know you’d be disappointed with your performance in this state.” He was sitting her down on the couch, hand moving to her forehead. She was burning up. Heat radiated from all around her.

He was right, she knew, and it made her mad that he was right. She tilted her head away, she didn’t need him caring for her. She was the doting one, she was the older sibling, the one that took care of people, she didn’t need him doing that. “Stop. If I don’t go, they’ll fail me. I need valid paperwork.” She felt like a furnace had been lit inside her, the room sweltering. "It’s so hot. Don. Is the ambient temperature monitor not working?” She fanned at her face and peeled off her top collapsing against the back of the cool chair.

Under normal circumstances he’d probably take a second to appreciate the view that was Judy’s firm body in nothing but a bralette and scrubs, but as it was all he could do was become increasingly more concerned for her. "Doc, it’s working just fine, that’s your fever.” His mouth was a hard line of determined worry. “You need a sweater, I’m taking you to the hospital. And I’m staying. And then I’m making sure that paperwork gets forwarded to your professor or whatever you call them and I’m bringing you right back here as soon as they clear you to come home. I’m making you soup and I’m tucking you in and Jesus Christ if you ever tell anyone about this I swear to God Judy-”

Judy’s lips curled despite her frustration and whatever pathogenic warfare was taking place inside her, “I wouldn't think of telling Ava... or Cassidy...or Tony about my nurse, Don West."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her playfully, “ 'Think I’d look sexy in the uniform though.” finishing with a flourishing wink before extending both hands out “Alright, to the hospital it is then.” and snatched her hoodie from the door on their way.

At the hospital a handful of people inevitably recognized her, it was still a small place after all and she was there most days learning, shadowing, practicing, testing…but everyone steered clear once they got within steps of her, not wanting to catch whatever it was Judy had. They’d been camped out in the waiting room for some time before being seen. The fluorescent lights above, and constant beep and swoosh of the doors did little to alleviate her pain and dizziness. Don had taken up residence in the chair next to her. He was wrapped around her protectively, hands never straying too far from some part of Judy, face creased in worry and agitation. She wondered if this is what he looked like when he’d rescued Penny, wrapping her in that blanket, holding her close, comforting her, warming her. Probably not.

“Judy Robinson?!” They were taken in to a small room off the main hall, A doctor she was familiar with did the examination. Don had been permitted in the room only because Judy had ok’d it, but she was starting to regret that decision, becoming deeply embarrassed at his ridiculous involvement. He was answering and asking questions and describing and reminding her of actions and symptoms from earlier, being too forward and familiar for her liking in this setting where nearly everyone knew her.

The doctor, not having a definitive answer for her illness, but having seen the same symptoms making their rounds and knowing what meds were working to help mitigate symptoms, gave her a shot of steroids and a round of pain killers, along with strict orders to “take it easy” and “ingest lots of fluids” finishing with “it should be over in 24-48 hours.” Don prompted the doctor to fill out paperwork excusing Judy from the day’s practical and made sure it got where it was supposed to go. Judy’s frustration grew at what she took as being infantilized, what the fuck was his problem? She wasn’t a helpless child. Is that how he saw her? Is that why he wouldn’t... The doctor though, amused at his attentiveness, asked the obvious question, “This your boyfriend, Robinson?” Judy rolled her eyes with an accompanying huff of “Hardly”. It stung. He knew he had no right for it to, but it did. The question stung her, he had no right to act this way when he wouldn’t act on it. “Well, hardly boyfriend, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, but make sure she gets home ok and follows orders, we’ll send over a round of antibiotics in about an hour.” Don elbow bumped the woman in leu of a handshake and said he would before walking out just behind Judy, spotting her.

The day so far had taken a lot out of her, physically, emotionally, she was drained. By the time they got back to the house, wether due to pain meds, exhaustion, illness, or some combination of all three, she could barely muster the strength to unbuckle her seatbelt let alone walk the 40 or so feet to the door. Angry and unwilling to admit needing help though, she pushed on trying anyway, scoffing at his “Wait I’ll help." Don had just enough time to run to the opposite side of the chariot before she face planted yelling “Damn it, Judy, wait!” catching her mid-descent. He grunted against the awkward position of her full weight before scooping her up. "You’re a terrible listener. You’re a student?” He teased carrying her to the house. Her eyes were closed to stop the spinning but she could feel his breath on her neck and his heart beat against her shoulder. "You’re not my teacher.” she responded in slow shallow breaths. Being so close, taking in the smell of him, the feel of him, she wasn’t so mad anymore. “Doesn’t mean I won’t teach you a thing or two...” Her mouth quirked, voice at the edge of sleep as he shifted her in his arms unlocking and opening the front door, "Don’t threaten me with a good time, West.” She let her head fall, nuzzling into his collar slipping into slumber for the next few steps waking only at the light shake he gave and “Jude, bed or couch?” His voice was low and soft, it lulled her despite pulling her out of the vortex sucking her in. “Take me to bed…” and though she’d meant it in the most base way, a simple answer to his question, she enjoyed the feeling of his heart speeding up it’s thub-dub against her shoulder.

He carried her through the house, easing her down as gently as he could onto the covers of her bed. Don stood watching her, taking in every detail. Her skin was coated in a thin sheen of sweat, lips slightly trembling, and color too pale. She was still feverish, but at least she had been seen by medical professionals and they seemed to think people were living through this just fine. He sucked his top lip in, chewing it, thinking through what he should do next; let her rest? Make food? Try to move her again to cover her with a blanket? She let out a small groan as her eyes fluttered open a crack to find him. “Take a picture, it'll….” she drifted off just as quickly, remark left unfinished. It drove him crazy seeing her like this, not knowing how to help, knowing there wasn’t much that could be helped. He felt anxious and fidgety and like he wasn't doing enough but knowing there was nothing to be done.

Get it together, West, it’s just a space flu, it’s not like she’s being torn apart by alien robots.

She shivered again and he moved to sit on the edge of her bed, mattress dipping and legs rolling against him as he leaned over to bring the free edge of her blanket from the other side across her. He pushed a stray lock of coils off her forehead before making to get up.

He shouldn’t be here, watching her, so close. He was letting things get mixed up. He didn’t mean to do it, it’s just he cared for her... She worked hard, and he didn’t want to fuck it all up for her. He’d never been a fuck up before, he wasn’t going to be one now. No. He needed to leave before he did something stupid.

She could feel the heat seeping out of her every pore, but inside she was sub-zero, so cold, so different from earlier. She felt him next to her, her thighs against his back, and she wished he’d lay down with her, give her the full length of him to roll into, to sponge delicious heat from. She felt him lean over her and she could feel him tuck her in, just like he’d said he would. In her mind she smiled, but she knew her face hadn’t moved a muscle.

Easing up off the bed, she could feel the mattress gently lift under her, legs raising and lids following suit once more. “Abandoning me, West?” A rueful smile cracked his lips at being caught “I was going to heat up some soup, Princess. But thanks for calling my character into question.” The puff of air from her nose was meant to be a laugh, and her brow furrowed, “Stay.” Judy slid her hand out patting the bed. He dropped his head to the side, resigned and slipped off his boots walking to the other side of her bed, propping himself up against the headboard leaving space between him, the blanket, and her. With effort she turned, crying out a painful moan and erasing the space he’d carefully crafted. She curled against him, head nestling into warm lap, inhaling him. The unique blend of eucalyptus and dirt and oil and spice soothing her into quiet darkness.It wasn’t what she wanted, but it would do for now.

For a while he fought the urge, simply studying her sleeping figure, the soft flair of her nose, the twitch of her brow, the gentle murmur of lips. She wasn’t resting peacefully, that much he could tell, and so eventually his hand drifted from it’s place on the pillow next to her, brushing across her forehead, thumb swiping over soft damp skin in slow even arches. He could feel the difference from earlier, her fever was breaking, not as hot to the touch. Her face calmed and her breathing evened under the caress, molding her face further into the heat of him, lips washing breath down his leg.

For a long while he continued, movement trance-like combined with the steady rise and fall of her blanket, rise: left, right, fall: up, off, rise: left, right, fall: up, off, until he was sure she was out. Further medication was dropped off by delivery, but he hadn’t felt like he could leave her until now. Gradually he stopped, and gently he scooted out from under her and off the bed careful not to disturb sleeping Judy. He took pains to step as quietly as he could exiting to get water and retrieve the antibiotics from the porch.

While up, Don shuffled through the Robinson pantry looking for soup. He moved pre-made chili, and peaches John had canned the summer before, freeze-dried ramen packets, and mac and cheese cups, identifying one lone can of chicken soup way in the back.

Sorry, Deb, but Sister Agnes always said, nothing heals faster than the magical broth of chicken bones.

Don had given up chicken early on after a few awkwardly attempted meals, and as he spent a lot of time with the Robinsons they’d also all but given up the tasty poultry, he took it as a sign that this one was still here.

Finding a tray, he arranged the bowl of steaming golden soup, some crackers, a glass of water, and a cup of tea on it along with a round of medication and walked back to Judy’s room.

“Thought you’d left.” she looked up at him coming in. “You did not.” he argued back, nudging her over and sitting with the tray. The ghost of a smile crossed her face and she leaned up against her pillow, “Yeah, I heard the tea kettle whistling, that or your singing.” “Nice. Nice to see you’re feeling better. I do not sound like that, by the way. Here take these, they dropped um off while you were out.” He picked up the pills and placed them in her upturned palm, fingertips tickling skin as he released them, thumb brushing a trail on her wrist, eyes meeting. The touch, electric.

Don looked away back to the food, something not so soft and dangerous, clearing his throat. "Anyway. We have soup, crackers, tea, and water, what do you want first, Doctor Robinson?" “I want you to kiss me.” It was light, but she was firm, gaze never straying from his face, ready for when it returned, heated and heavy, prepped for assault. He laughed quiet and warm, glancing back up “That’s the meds talking, Doc.” She chewed her lip, considering how to convince him. “But it’s not, and you know it." Don sighed softly, sad at the truth of her statement and the choice he’d made, he drug his gaze away. “Yeah…maybe.” He was the one keeping them apart. This wasn’t a new conversation, they’d talked about it months ago. He wasn’t even sure why he was doing it anymore, if he was being honest. Fear? Some moral obligation? It wasn’t feeling very moral at this point.

Don looked back and her hand was still extended, perfectly frozen in time. “Princess, you need to take those.” His voice was velvet and deep, the way he made it just for her, when it was only them. A sly smile crept across her face, "I forgot how…” “Judy-“ It was a warning, he knew where she was going, he couldn’t meet her there... “Help me?” And he had to laugh at the predictability of it, because it was predicable wasn’t it? She frowned at his laughter, position unchanged.

He moved the tray off his lap and on to the floor, feeling there was only one way the DOCTOR was going to take her medicine. Once again he took the pills in his fingers, “These,” he said low, raising an eyebrow, “go here.” He slipped them into her open mouth, his breath catching at her lips dragging down his thumb, kicking himself for not seeing that coming.

He felt like giving up, not seeing a reason not to any more. Is this what it took? Not the eminent danger of a persistent fleet of singleminded murderous aliens, but microscopic invaders, easily overcome, to force his hand, break him, and shelf the idea that they shouldn’t be together? Her tenderly wanting him; not to save lives, not to be a hero, but to just be? People had always wanted him, needed him, but for what he could do for them, what he could get them, what he could fix. No one ever wanted him, just him. The thought that Judy would...

Staring at him with deep intensity she made no move to swallow, holding the medication on her tongue. “Jude, you need to swallow, they aren’t the dissolvable kind... -Jude” he urged, smiling nervously, unsure of his next move. She continued to stair him down, ear falling to her shoulder in question. The corners of his eyes tightened fractionally, a wordless argument between the two. Eventually, he relented, giving in to more than just the game. Don leaned forward, fingers resting lightly on the column of her throat, lips hovering millimeters from hers. His thumb gently stroked down the side, massaging the muscles, he murmured “Relax and swallow, Princess.” Suddenly that name wasn't bothering her anymore, she swallowed hard at the command, and instantly his lips pressed into hers, hand still stroking against pulse, mouth drawing her in. Her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him down, finally having won. Lip against lip, gentle and slow, undulating, glide, press. Slide, press. she could taste him all around her and he could feel her smile against him. “What?” he whispered between kisses. Judy let her head fall back releasing her grip “Just glad that’s finally settled.”

[just-another-boring-bisexual]

Little Darlin' (an Elvis fanfic)

Word count: 899

Rating: G

Summary: One summer afternoon at Graceland, things take an unexpected turn while Elvis gives Lisa Marie a manicure.

Author's Note: I had this idea a few weeks ago, but wanted to wait to post it for Lisa Marie's birthday.

The summer was dwindling away, its conclusion drawing near. For Elvis, this meant just a few, precious days remained that he could spend with his daughter, Lisa Marie. In just a week’s time, he would resume his performances at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, while she would return to her mother, Priscilla. Few things could surpass the ecstasy Elvis felt entertaining crowds of adoring fans, but the love for his family, especially his daughter, was definitely a worthy opponent. For now, it was just a lazy August afternoon as the two sat on the floor of Lisa’s bedroom. Each day had an aura of unpredictability about it. Today, Lisa decided that she wanted nothing more than to paint her nails. Elvis held her small, delicate hand in his, brushing nail polish on her even smaller fingernails. He made one final stroke along her pinky nail as she eagerly waited for him to finish.

“There. All done,” he announced. Lisa quickly pulled her hand from his grasp to admire her nails, now colored a peachy pink. “Do ya like ‘em?”

“Yeah!” she stated, unable to contain her joy.

“Alright, you jus’ gotta let ‘em dry for a few minutes,” Elvis told her. Lisa, being ever so impatient, began to shake her hands in hopes that the fresh polish would dry faster. Elvis couldn’t help but grin at his little girl’s antics, knowing he was just as eager and impatient as her when he was her age. “Okay, I think that’s good,” he said as her hand-shaking came to a conclusion, “Anything else you wanna do?”

“That was fun,” Lisa said, “I want to try painting nails, too!”

“Honey, we jus’ painted your nails,” Elvis reminded her. “That polish is gonna be on for a little bit. Your gonna have to wait ‘til it comes off before you can paint ‘em again.”

“I can’t wait that long!” Lisa looked at the bottle and got an idea. “Why don’t I paint your nails, Daddy?” She grabbed the bottle and began to unscrew the cap before Elvis stopped her.

“Maybe we could try somethin’ else instead,” he said, guiding her hands into putting the bottle of nail polish down.

    “Why? You don’t want me to?” she asked dejectedly. Elvis could tell from her pout that he had just done the one thing he swore he would never do: upset his daughter. He never could say “no” to her, and had to act fast in order to rectify the situation.

    “No, sweetheart, it’s not that! It’s jus’... why don’t we use a different color? I can’t go stealin’ your look, ya know?”

    “Okay!” Lisa’s spirit instantly perked up. “What color do you want?”

    “Well, let’s see what you have.” Elvis placed the bottle of nail polish on top of Lisa’s dresser alongside a few others. Weighing the options, he chose a navy shade sitting on the far end. It would at least match the jumpsuits he planned to wear during his upcoming engagement. “How about… this one!” He handed the bottle to Lisa and resumed his position across from her on the floor. His hands lay flat as Lisa began adding color to them. Elvis had rarely been on the receiving end of such treatment, so the sensation was unfamiliar to him. The stroking motion of the brush, the sensation of the cool polish touching his bare fingernails, something about it felt refreshing to him. As the brush reached the edge of his nails, Lisa grumbled. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

    “I can’t do it as neat as you did,” she stated, referring to the streaks of blue now lining his fingers outside the border of his fingernails.

    “These things take a little practice, honey,” he reassured her. “Besides, we can clean that up real easy once it dries.” 

    “Okay. Hold out your other hand,” she ordered. Elvis did as he was told while Lisa restarted the process. She worked more carefully this time around, concentrating hard on staying within the lines. She made her way across his hand, slowly brushing one last stroke along his pinky, just as he did with her. Once she deemed her work complete, Lisa framed her hands to view her work the way an artist would to envision their painting in a gallery. “Perfect.” With this stamp of approval, Elvis lifted his hands and inspected his nails in a manner similar to his daughter just minutes prior.

    “That’s a real nice job ya did, sweetheart,” he commented. “Maybe you could be a professional painter when ya grow up.”

    “Maybe,” she pondered. “I don’t know yet.”

    “That’s all right,” he said. “You don’t gotta decide jus’ yet. Jus’ know I’ll be proud of you no matter what ya decide.” Lisa giggled, enjoying her father’s praise. “Come on, let’s go show everyone your pretty new nails.”

    “And yours too, Daddy!” she reminded him.

    “And mine, too.” Elvis took his daughter’s hand as they made their way out of her room, letting her lead the way. He had no qualms about being seen with his new manicure. It was hardly a secret that he regularly wore makeup, and it didn’t feel too out of place among the emerging musicians of the day. Even within his inner circle, most of them had children of their own and would probably understand. Besides, no one dared to come between the king and his little princess.

[minria]

Instagram Update

Pairing: idol!Hoshix idol!(reader)OC

Word Count: Approximately 800 words

Type/Genre: Fluff

Warnings: none?

Prompt: Nari goes back to Korea with her members after their world tour and dyes her hair blonde for the first time since their debut in 2015. Soonyoung, her childhood friend, is in for a surprise when her finds out about it from her Instagram post.

Note: I hope you guys don’t mind that I named the reader. I’m much more used to using names instead of y/n. 😅

______________________________________________________________

Hwang Nari

I sighed for the nth time whilst scrolling through my phone’s gallery, it’s been an hour since my indecisiveness struck and all I wanted to do was choose two photos to post in my Instagram. Two photos out of the 50 that Aeri Eonnie took for me. I dyed my hair blonde for the first time since our group’s debut 7 years ago, so I’m really excited to surprise our fans and even my friends. I thought posting in my Instagram would be the easiest way to show it, but here I am an hour after.

“Nari-ah, any photo you choose to upload, everybody’s gonna love it.” Aeri Eonnie commented after hearing me sigh once more.

I looked up from my phone to see her shift her gaze from my eyes to my phone and giving me a pointed look, to which I replied with another sigh. She groaned, pushing herself up and mumbling about getting us some drinks, leaving me in our practice room.

By the time she returned, I managed to narrow down my choices to 5, and with an exasperated groan, I randomly chose two and posted it without second thoughts. Downing my coke in big gulps after clicking ‘post’.

Kwon Soonyoung

I didn’t even notice I finished my drink when another bottle of water was handed towards me. I nodded my thanks to Minghao who flopped down on the floor beside me, Dino and Jun hyung, working on the choreography for one of our songs in the new album.

My phone vibrated beside me, lighting up with a notification from my peripheral vision. I didn’t bother taking my attention off from my notebook but when my two members beside me ‘ooh-ed’ in unison and Dino commenting, “Nari-noona looks so pretty!” “I didn’t know they’re back in Korea.”

I snapped my head to look at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Did I forget they were coming home today? I thought it was supposed to be on the 5th. It was only August 3 today the last time I checked.

I grabbed my phone to check my messages. Sure, enough Nari had 3 messages for me letting me know they left Europe early and that she was here in the company for a meeting. The other notification from her as well, in Instagram. After replying to her messages and asking her to come up to our practice room if she was free, I opened my Instagram to see what was her update.

Oh.

Heat rushed to my face as I physically felt myself blush. Though she wasn’t fully showing her face in both photos, I still had to clutch my chest in a poor attempt at slowing my heart rate.

In the first photo, her blonde hair fell like a curtain on her shoulders and she was looking sideways, her laugh captured in frozen time, her eyes closed and crinkled from joy. The faint blush on her cheeks was so endearing but it was her outfit that made my heart thump louder. She was wearing my black and white checkered polo, unbuttoned and a black sleeveless shirt inside. I know it’s mine because I’ve been searching for that same polo in my closet for months and it looks very big on her. She looked ethereal even in casual clothes. Just as beautiful as she was, the day I finally understood what love was and how I saw it in her when we were kids.

The second photo was simply cute. Her face covered by her favorite chocolate milk drink that she was holding. I tried to act nonchalant while saving her picture and making it my home screen, but I should’ve known better than to do such things when I’m with my members.

One snicker from our maknae and I already know I’d be teased for weeks.

Hwang Nari

I just finished walking out the rest of my members who I didn’t notice was wearing sly smirks in their faces. The moment I turned around, a body knocked in to mine and arms wrapped themselves on my waist, pulling me flush against their chest. My panic faded when I recognized the scent that had me smiling and hugging them back.

“Hey Soon,” My words muffled and yet he was still able to understand me.

“Nari-ah,” he whispered, “I missed you. You look so pretty.”

“Shut up…I missed you too.”

After a few minutes, he pushed me to the elevator.

“Come on, we can catch up at the practice room, I wanna hear what my best friend has to say about her experience in Europe. I also ordered us pizza for dinner.”

“I already told you everything when we face timed!”

“Then tell me all about it again right now, and monitor my choreo after, I wanna hear your opinion on them.”

___________________________________________________________

“I can’t believe he kicked us out!”

“I can’t believe he still hasn’t asked her out, when they already act like a couple.”

[eddysocs]

What If It’s You - Chapter Three (Small World)

Summary: Alex figures out that her boss is Reba's ex husband and Reba and Alex have a run in at Brock's office.

Word Count: 1,237

Warnings: None

Alex showed up to the office on day five of her new job as a dental hygienist feeling incredibly well rested. Yet when she went to go inside, she found the door still locked. She tried it again to be sure, but was met once more with resistance stronger than just the case of a sticky handle. "Sorry, I'm late. I had to take my son to daycare."

"You have kids," Alex asked. She’d only known the man for less than a week so she had a lot yet to learn about Dr. Brock Hart. "Four. Three from my previous marriage and one with my current wife."

Coincidence, Alex dismissed when the alarm bells went off in her head. A lot of people had three kids, and a lot of people get divorced and remarried. The only reason she even thought it was odd is because she was still thinking about Reba, even five days later. Part of her wanted to press him further, just to be absolutely sure she was only making something out of nothing, but it turned out she didn’t have to. Brock was more than willing to keep talking.

"Actually, BJ was supposed to take him, but—"

Whatever he said next didn’t register with Alex, because once she heard the name BJ she froze stiff. She brushed off her initial shock quickly, so as to not invite any unwarranted questions, but she could not stop thinking about what she’d just heard. What were the odds that Reba's dentist ex husband was her new boss? Apparently not zero, because here they were. Houston wasn’t a small city, but Alex's world was feeling very small indeed right about now. She wasn’t about bring up the fact that she met both his ex wife and his current wife just a few nights ago in a bar. No, she’d keep that to herself until she figured out a way that maybe it wouldn’t sound super weird.

It was a slow day with many lulls between appointments, so Alex tried to fill her spare time by doing anything other than talking to Brock. Not always easy when you have to share a space and work side by side for most of the day. Thankfully the day wound down without Alex slipping and saying something she’d regret. However, it felt like the end of the workday would never come, but finally, joyously, it did.

Alex crouched down behind the reception desk to pick up her bag so she could head home when she heard the office door open. "Brock, get out here, we need to talk." At hearing Reba's all too familiar voice, the one that had been stuck in Alex's head for days, she couldn’t help but pop up from behind the desk to confirm it was actually her. "Alex," Reba exclaimed, a bit awed at seeing her there.

"Reba," Alex practically exhaled, subconsciously fixing her hair. The two stared across the desk at each other, not even looking away when Brock entered the room.

Brock looked between the two of them, trying to study their expressions, before shaking his head in defeat when he couldn’t make out what was transpiring between the two. Giving up and clearing his throat, he turned to Reba. "Reba, you wanted to talk," he prompted.

While her head turned a bit towards him, Reba's eyes lingered behind a moment, still fixed on the shock of seeing Alex. "I…yes," she recalled, the reason she’d come in returning to her. They adjourned to one of the exam rooms as Alex got her wits about her. She thought one coincidence was enough for today and then to have Reba walk in on top of that was a bit more than she felt she could take.

When Reba came back out to the waiting room after speaking with Brock, Alex's heart leapt into her throat, but she wasn’t going to let this twist of fate pass her by. Problem was, she didn’t know where to start. "Hi," was as best as she could manage.

"Hey. I was going to call. I mean, I thought about it." Reba trailed off, for a moment before switching subjects. "I didn’t expect to find you here."

"I wasn’t expecting that my boss was your ex husband either until he mentioned BJ this morning. I was completely thrown." Alex paused, trying to laugh it off, only to falter into an awkward, halfhearted sort of giggle. "We’re done here for the day. Maybe we could take a short walk around the block and talk?"

"I'd like that," Reba agreed. Brock re-emerged from his office as Alex slung her bag over her shoulder. She and Reba made their way out of the office without a word to him, leaving Brock behind with a still bewildered look on his face.

"I really was going to call," Reba reiterated as they stepped into the hall.

"I was hoping you would." Alex smiled and Reba briefly smiled back at her before quickly looking away.

Reba kept her eyes cast to the ground where she walked. "I’ve had a crazy couple of days," Reba told her, as if it were some sort of excuse, though it was at least partly true.

"I’ve had a crazy day myself. It’s a small world, huh?"

"Sometimes too small," Reba replied with an anxious sounding chuckle. She figured if she didn’t call, there was little chance of ever running into Alex again and Reba could put this whole thing, whatever it had been, behind her. But it seemed Alex wasn’t as easily avoidable as Reba originally thought, not now that she knew she worked for Brock. Sadie's voice rang through her head. 'Maybe this Alex is worth the chance' she had said. If seeing her again like this was meant to be some sort of sign, she should take it, shouldn’t she?

"I’d love to grab lunch sometime," Alex offered, sensing Reba's apprehension. Lunch seemed like a safe enough option, fairly low pressure as far as dates went.

"Sure, lunch sounds nice," Reba agreed after a moment. It was followed by a short chuckle that caused Alex to look over at her. "It’ll be a hoot when Brock finds out I’m friends with his hygienist."

Alex almost visibly winced at the word 'friends'. Was that all Reba thought this was? Or was that just all she wanted it to be? This was brand new for her, Alex supposed, both dating again after her divorce, and she suspected, dating women. For now, she’d go along with it. Whatever Reba wanted. Alex just wanted to get to know her better.

Besides, it wouldn’t hurt for her to try something new. She’d never been friends with any of her exes, not really. They’d all either been a string of one night stands, or casual situationships that she thought were real at the time, but looking back, she could hardly call any of them an actual girlfriend. So maybe this was new for them both. Either way, Alex wanted to see it through, see where things went.

"I know this great little place just down the street," Alex chimed in, breaking away from her thoughts. "It’s nothing fancy, but the food is good. Stopped there on my first day in Houston."

Reba smiled. "Sounds good to me," she replied, and the two of them headed on down the street to a restaurant called Lucille's.

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

Chapter Two <- 🧡 -> Chapter Four

Forever Tag: @arrthurpendragon, @baubeautyandthegeek, @foxesandmagic, @carmens-garden, @fawera, @themaradaniels, @that-demigirl, @iloveocs, @bossyladies

[chandelier-s-notebook]

Does the @witchersummercamp team have a day built in their FAQ at the end of the week for people to post missed prompts? Yes. Will I not be able to finish this event if I don’t do it in order? Also, yes. So here’s yesterday’s prompt, today’s will be coming later.

Day 4 Prompt: Mischief

AO3 Link (628, G)

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

Kingdom Dancing in a Wooden Clearing

“And how have you managed this?” Yennefer asked when she returned from the afternoon’s hunt.

“Managed what?” Jaskier asked innocently.

She  gesticulated vaguely to the scene in front of her.

Jaskier thumbed at his lute thoughtfully. “Hmmm?”

“Jaskier!”

“What?”

The witch gestured to the scene once more, raising a brow. “The dancing Geralt?”

“Oh the dancing Geralt!” The bard’s face broke into a smile. “Well our lovely Princess Cirilla wanted to brush up on her dancing skills. While I am an excellent dance partner, I am the bard, and Ciri said she can’t dance without music.” He made his own wild gesture to the woods. “There aren’t very many dancing partners out here, so Geralt it was!”

Geralt hummed in agreement, trying his best to follow Ciri’s footwork for the solo sections.

“You can dance bard?”

“Why of course!”

“He refuses to show me!” Ciri called. “We’re taking his word for it at the moment.”

Yennefer tilted her head to the side in amusement.

“If the princess says we can’t dance without music, then dance without music I shant. And if I’m not playing the music, my dear witch, then who is?”

Yennefer unfroze her soles from the ground and went about preparing their evening meal.

“I think he’s just trying to get out of it.”

“Well Geralt said he’d rather dance than try to play your music, princess; it’s not like I had a choice.”

“I’ve seen you prance around a pub during your performances,” Yennefer quipped. “But I can’t quite imagine Jaskier doing a waltz.”

“Well I haven’t waltzed in ages, but when you learn so young it becomes muscle memory.”

“You learnt how to waltz?” Ciri asked under Geralt’s shoulder.

“I’m a Viscount, princess. Of course my mother to taught me to waltz. Dance was the one class I was forced to take as a Viscountling that I enjoyed any amount.”

Yennefer scoffed. “You’re a Viscount?”

Geralt hummed.

“He is?”

“Begrudgingly,” Geralt answered. “He was called home when his father died years ago. They agreed that Jaskier keeps the title, but his younger brother does the Viscount things.”

Jaskier picked a flourish on his lute. “Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount of Lettenhove, at your service.”

Ciri giggled. “No. You aren’t.”

Jaskier turn to her. “You doubt me, little mischief maker? How shall I prove it?”

“A duel,” Yennefer suggested.

“If I could duel that would make everyone’s life so much easier.”

Geralt hummed while he led Ciri through another twirl.

“Yennefer can you play the lute?” Ciri asked. “If Jaskier can dance, we will go to Lettenhove next, to see if he really is a Viscount.”

Yennefer laughed. “I can’t play, but I spent thirty years in court. I can dance if you’d like to practice your lute playing.”

She sent him pleading eyes he couldn’t refuse. “Oh can I, Jaskier?”

“Very well.”

She whooped with glee.

Geralt let her go softly, and the two bowed. He then left to take over dinner preparations.

Jaskier removed his lute strap, and placed his instrument on the princess’s lap when she ran to sit next to him. He got her in position to play.

“Oh Jaskier. I don’t know any ballroom songs.”

“We can dance to Toss a Coin,” Yennefer called.

“We most certainly cannot! Toss a Coin is in four counts; a waltz is in three.”

“Have you taught her any songs in three count, bard?”

“Erm. No.”

“Then Toss a Coin it is. Surely you can dance a waltz no matter the song.”

“My dear witch, I said I could dance, not that I’ve done it recently.”

Yennefer and Jaskier bowed.

“Backing down from your claim?”

“Never.” He took the witch’s hand in his own. “Let’s dance. Play the song, little mischief maker.”

Ciri started strumming.

[fanficandgossips]

Make me yours, Cho! (Leitor Cho Beom Pal X) (KINGDOM Netflix) (SMUT)

Magistrate Cho is a coward, ugh, very coward! But still, the bravest man I met after the prince himself. He made mistakes, he tried to overcome his fears, and that makes him more of a man than half the men in the kingdom.

How can a man be incapable of taking initiative? They had gotten married a week ago, after the longest engagement he had ever known, such was his cowardice in getting married all at once, and of course he knew it. Everyone rubbed that fact in his stupid face. We got married, and something that was usually done was not being done, well, as the ladies said, it was necessary to carry out the marital ceremonies, where the man and the woman…. Well, they… Heavens! The two of us, together, understand?

Everyone thought he would marry Seo-Bi, but they became great friends, it was clear that it would be just that, and he and I became very close, we became friends, We courted, well, I practically threw myself into that idiot's arms, and he said he loved me one winter day, we got engaged, and we got married.

But why didn't he say what he felt? Was he avoiding that topic?

But it would end, and it would be today! Seo-bi and I talked earlier.

"Tell him! Didn't he really say anything to you?" She exclaimed, twisting her lips in disapproval of her friend's conduct.

"No dear friend, I didn't say anything…" I sighed.

"Different from what he is, in fact, my friend" she concluded "He was always so clumsy, reckless and desperate, he should have already said"

That made me feel even worse, what if he didn't feel anything at all?

She saw my distress, and laughed soberly, it was difficult to see her smile so calmly.

"I think I should tell you" she whispered "He talked to me a night ago.

"Really? About us?" I almost spill hot tea on my wrist as I pour it into the cup, I'm so anxious.

"He said he wanted to tell you how much he liked you, that he feels strange things when he's with you."

"Weird stuff?" I furrowed my eyebrows and became thoughtful.

"Yes, it gets hot, and something in your stomach starts to twist, and your mouth goes dry and…" She was hesitant to finish. I saw that Seo-bi seemed to be trying to be natural, but her face turned pink.

"What else?" she said anxiously, my heart ached with curiosity.

"From my studies, well, all these symptoms, in addition to being in love, mean that he wants to have sex with you" She concluded, quickly eating a cookie.

I felt my face burning, and burning, and burning.

Did he want to consummate? But… Why didn't he visit my quarters?

"He's afraid of doing something he won't like" Seo-bi said, standing up.

"He's slept with other women, hasn't he?" I get up too, it was late. I had to go back, he would soon return home.

"Well, honestly, if he did, it must have been a one-time thing. I've never seen someone so nervous about something so natural." She shrugged.

"And I, Seo-bi, what should I do when he comes looking for me?"

She looked at me, and honestly, I felt like she herself didn't know, well, she understood the anatomy, what was going to be done, but not how it should be done, nor what it was like. She just grabbed my shoulders and said:

"Just turn yourself in, that should be all."

"There are things I've been feeling, the same as him, so does that…mean I should?" I asked, shyly.

"Yes" That was all she said, it was clear that the matter had to be closed.

And that motivated me, finally!

I went home, but not before hugging my dear friend, and then walking, it wasn't far, it was late afternoon, the sun was setting, leaving a crimson trail in the sky. I felt my heart beat and accelerate, I wanted him, I wanted to be his. I didn't really understand what it would be like, but I was determined.

I got home and he was waiting for me.

God, he looked so calm, it barely seemed like he wanted to….

"Dear husband, sorry for the delay" I apologized, taking off my shoes.

"It didn't take long, were you talking to Seo-bi?" He approached "The maid said she would be there"

"Yes, I was talking" I sat at the table, distressed.

He looked so handsome, the last rays of sunlight were illuminating his face through the cracks in the window, he was wearing a different outfit than the one he wore at work, simple but still delicate and refined, his hat was still in his hands, which indicated who had just arrived, his face always slightly flushed, his big and soft body, his delicate mouth that always wore a big smile, everything about him was so good… It was happening.

I felt my heart tighten, as did my stomach, my throat slowly drying out… And suddenly, I sighed, as if that could lessen the heat that had started very slowly.

"You're looking at me, okay?" He caught my attention, worried. "Did you go look for Seo-bi because she's sick, dear?"

Always so worried and servile.

"I need to ask you something" I took courage, and started, getting back to my feet.

"Anything" He was still standing, and instinctively held my hands.

"Why don't we ever…don't we ever sleep together if we're married? Don't you like me?" I looked at him, distressed.

His first reaction was to blush, but that didn't shock him as much as he expected, instead he just let go of my hands, looking even more shy.

"Honey…" he swallowed, "You mean…"

"Marital Duties" concludes.

"You please me, yes, you please me very much! How can you think otherwise?" He seemed to be trying to comfort me, but I didn't want that.

I wanted answers.

"You want me…?"

I asked without thinking, damn it.

"I…"

He backed away, again, he looked cowardly, his face flushed more, and he ran his tongue over his dry lips.

"Answer, please! What are you afraid of, Cho?"

I never called him that, not even when I was angry, usually he was my sweetheart, my husband, and in funny moments, I called him a silly magistrate, and he laughed.

But not now, I wanted him to tell me, if he didn't want me, I would never ask him to consummate again, we would just stay married, or not, it doesn't matter. It was indecent what I was doing, but I needed to know if something was wrong with me, or with us.

He looked at me, slightly attentive.

"Try to understand… I want to, we should… But I'm afraid of.." he breathed anxiously.

"Afraid to lie down with me?"

"Afraid you won't like it…and…"

"But I want him, I want him….A lot. So please don't be a coward." I stated, approaching, he was static.

"I want to give myself up.." I intertwined our hands.

It was the end, now he would run away, reject me… Or pass out.

But no, he held me by the waist, and gave me a kiss, not on the forehead, not on the face, on the lips. And by heaven, a real kiss.

He kissed me, passionate, desperate, his mouth moved like I had never felt, his lips touched me, in a way that lit the fire in my heart.

"Husband…" I separated from him, my body warm. "Do it again"

He did so, once again, he kissed me, but now he lifted me in his arms, as if I were a feather, and carried me to my room, to our room.

I felt the tip of his tongue wanting to explore, I gave way, in an inexperienced way, and it was delicious, it was good, so good. He laid me on the bed, looked at me, with devotion.

"I'm a fool" he said, now kissing my hands "I always wanted this, but I feared it so much..."

"Cho, my beloved Cho Beom, I love you, and I know with all my heart that you would never hurt me" I say affectionately, stroking his beard, his tied up hair

He then smiled, relieved. The candle light was lit, he just turned it off. Suddenly, I heard the sound of silk running across the floor, without rushing, and when I touched him again, I felt the skin on his back. As hot as summer.

"I want to touch you all over" he confessed, in a low voice, kissing my shoulders which he moved the fabric out of the way.

"So soft... My beautiful wife" he murmured passionately, as he undid each tie on my dress.

His touch was gentle, soft, but there was also strength in it, when he squeezed my waist so I could feel him against him, a sound came out of me, warm and pliable.

"Husband...what should I do?" I whispered very quietly, he was just touching me but I didn't know if he should touch me more than he already had.

"Do what you want" he said as his mouth explored my bare chest, which caused me to make more low noises. His mouth was boiling on my skin.

I touched his strong back and his soft skin, I went down his ribs which made him sigh deeply, his belly was soft, he wasn't a strong man in the sense of a warrior, he was robust, and I admired him.

He seemed in a trance, his desire consuming him, suddenly, I felt his tongue against my breast, his mouth opened in a moan, I was afraid that this would make him back away, but no, he took it in a more intense way, he kissed my breast me again and again, he seemed hungry, hungry for me.

I felt something wet and increasingly warm forming between my legs. What was?

"love... My body is... burning" I said between low moans.

"where does it burn?" He asked patiently, kissing me again as much as he could.

I didn't know if I should show it, it was my intimacy that was burning, it was hot and hot without stopping, but I remembered what Seo-Bi ​​said, I needed to surrender. So I took his hand and led him there

I heard his breathing become rapid, and something came out of his mouth, a sensual and husky sound, he ran his fingertips over my slit, that...oh that was good.

"Here my dear?" He whispered, his voice filled with something he had never seen.

"Yes...husband" I murmured, and instinctively, I rubbed myself against his fingertips, trying to get relief from that heat "Please..."

Didn't you understand why I begged, what I begged for? I felt the urge for relief, he seemed as hot as an oven, his skin was already damp with sweat, and something pressed hard against my thigh.

It was something hot, very hot that pressed me, he slid his fingers along my intimacy, which made me whimper, which made him sigh deeper, then I felt something.

"Honey... this might hurt, we don't need to continue if you're scared" he warned, but I held him by the shoulders. I wanted this.

And he didn't back down, for the first time. I felt something trying to invade me, something hot, I felt a painful needle, but he calmed me down, holding me in his arms. But the pain quickly stopped.

I felt him whole with me, our bodies connected. He was breathing deeply, heavily, and seemed to want to move, but held back.

Until slowly, he kissed me, and then he moved, thrusting into me, it was big, it filled me all over. My moan came out needy. I really wanted him to be mine. He continued, moving slowly back and forth, holding me tight, letting me drag my nails down his back. As my moan became louder, he increased the speed.

"My...my love.. oh, my... love" I said between moans, calling him. And that drove him crazy.

"My...my wife, only mine, my sweet woman" he said, in a loving, needy, possessive tone.

He didn't stop, he was going strong now, pressing me, his head against my neck, the strands of hair now sticking to his face, and my hair spread across the bed. I felt something forming in my stomach.

I moaned, without context, I clung to him, it felt so good to be his, I felt something pulse in me several times. Which made him roar with desire. Until the knot in my stomach became very, very strong.

"Cho...I...I think something is happening" she drawled.

"Let go...whatever it is"

he said, and then kissed me deeply. And then I got lost. I let go, rolled my eyes as I felt a release come. And he, releasing something hot on me, so hot...

We become one. He hugged me, and lay down next to me. He kissed my forehead several times, his altered breathing, along with mine, was all we heard. Until he said:

"I love you, and now...you are my wife and I will take care of you until my hair turns white"

"I will stay by your side, and raise our children, until my hair turns white" I promised, holding his hand.

It didn't take long and we fell asleep. I was his. And he wasn't that cowardly. He was my husband, my lovely magistrate.

[amoveablejake]

Album of the Week: ‘Silk Purse’ by Linda Ronstadt

Stand out song: ‘Long, long time’. 

For a moment there, I thought about leaving this week’s album of the week piece blank. Not because I didn’t want to write it but instead because I thought that in a way that might be a fitting tribute to Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Silk Purse’ inparticular the track from it, ‘Long, long time’. ‘Long, long time’ is a track that really, you need to breathe in as it fills up your whole being with its sound. Over the past week there has been an album that I clicked with right away and then a curated list of tracks that also has really taken over and again that was instantaneous. A week ago this evening I heard ‘Long, long time’ for the first time and it didn’t quite click right away but that may have been more to do with the context as to where it was listened to or rather where it was lifted from but more on that in a moment. It took a few days for me to return to the song and then after a few times listening to it, the song has been practically on repeat all through the end of last week and the weekend. When I say it is a song that needs to fill you up I really do mean it as everytime I listen to it it feels as if the song starts at my toes and then by the end of it has consumed every part of my being as it rises up my spine, wrapping my heart up in its hands on the way to my head where I’m sure it will stay for quite some time. 

It is perhaps fitting that I have in a way described an infection their with this listening experience when I have been introduced to Linda Ronstadt’s music through the HBO version of the ‘Last of Us’. Now yes, I know I have spoken a fair bit about the adaptation of the video game over the past couple of weeks but look, when something as important as this comes along it deserves the airtime. The ‘Last of Us’ continues to have a wonderfully realised soundtrack as today’s episode has shown once again but so far the stand out song from the series really has to be ‘Long, long time’ for me.’ Knowing what happens in the video game and what is to come is perhaps feeding into that idea aswell as I’m associating different memories with the track that haven’t happened in the series yet but we’ll get there and when we do, I almost hope that this song is playing. I say almost because really, this is not a song for Joel and Ellie and really should remain the song for Bill and Frank. The song is the spark of their relationship and listening to it always makes me think of the two lovers caught in the apocalypse and how painfully beautiful their story is. 

Ofcourse, ‘Long, long time’ is not the only track from Linda Ronstadt’s record here although I will admit that it does eclipse everything else that accompanies it and really how could it now. From the dive that I have done into Ronstadt’s career that I have done so far, it appears that she is an artist that is truly adept at a multitude of genres and this record is a shining example of her prowess within the country music genre. ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ feels like it should be the song that draws you into the country music hall to hear exactly where that sound is coming from and who has the resonance to sing it with the flowing emotion that Ronstadt does. ‘Mental Revenge’ again is another true demonstration of Ronstadt’s talent as this track will put you at ease knowing that you’re listening to a master at work. As that is what Ronstadt is capable of doing, she is so talented and uses her voice so skillfully that through listening to her music you are able to relax and breathe it in fully as you know that you are safe here. Its like when you watch a film and from the opening few minutes you know that you can breathe easy because you’re in safe hands and what you have shown already has proven to you that you’re going to be in for a wonderful ride. ‘Silk Purse’ features track after track that will draw you in and will allow for you to make yourself comfortable, ‘Nobody’s’ gradual growing into itself is an example of this, and through that comfort you will become more susceptible to the sound and so when ‘Long, long time’ comes on, you have no choice but to give yourself to it completely. 

For a long, long time. 

-Jake, a man hunting for the Red October, 06/02/2023