#who live hours away and have none of my friends nearby

[lostwanderer42]

Tired of reminding myself it's been tough year and it's ok to not feel good

[whore-ibly-hot]

THROUGH OUR LORD AND SAVIOR @yanderereblogs THE FACULTY HAVE BEEN FOYND AND RETURNED TO US! PRAISE BE TO REBLOGGERS, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARCHIVISTS!

Yandere Boarding School Part 2, (Faculty)

18+ Minors DNI

Warnings: Multiple yanderes, non-con touching, dub-con, perverted thoughts, obsession, bullying, masturbation, aphrodisiacs, general perversion, dry-humping, voyeurism, controlling behaviors, typical yandere stuff, breeding, smoking, horny posting.

(AN: Part Two has been reuploaded after a takedown, godspeed @yanderereblogs for saving it! Mmmmmm, old men. Everyone pictured as a student is OF LEGAL AGE TUMBLR MODS HOP OFF MY DICK.

Background: Thinking about a Headmasters Son or Daughter!Reader at a private boarding school. For a Fem!Reader, perhaps you're just visiting daddy for the season while he's running the school, or maybe you've been bad, and need more supervision. For a Masc!Reader, it could be the same case, however, with Ridgemoore Academy being an all male school, this makes it easier to imagine a world where reader is allowed in the school. Now, let's focus on the faculty...

◇ Mr. Joel Murphy, who teaches the majority of the 'life skills' classes at the school. The school being all-boys is very traditional, and teaches things like game hunting and orienteering, which is why they hired a manly-man like Joel. If only they knew what a bitter grump he is. An ex-sheriff of the nearby town, he decided to leave the force after realizing there was no real crime in the small, privileged town, and decided to take up an easy job at the school. Unfortunately, he realized his love for camping and hunting is warped into what he considers 'frilly shit for rich little boys'. He's gruff, barking out orders and easily been exasperated at the sheer incompetence of the boys.

"Shoot one quail, and these boys act like they killed a bear..."

He thought about retiring from yet another job, as living on the ritzy campus just doesn't feel like home to him, and lord knows he's not fond of his job. However, things change when you arrive. Whether you're a delinquent or a little more sweet and obedient, he likes you. If you're a delinquent, he likes seeing a little hell-raiser kick up some shit at the fancy school. If you're sweet or shy, he gets protective. Nice youngins' like you shouldn't be thrown in amongst these spoiled weasels.

He's sure to help you if you need it, a gentle hand on your back as his burly chest presses against your shoulder blades, adjusting your position against the butt of a rifle. Standing by while you're on hands and knees trying to light a fire, making sure none of the boys are trying to get a look at your assessts. Not that he isn't going to, but he justifies it to himself as just making sure your school shorts/skirt is regulation. He's protecting your modesty. After class hours, come to him with any issues, or shit, even his room. He'll put on some coffee and ask you to help him create a curriculum that 'reaches the kids', as your father instructed him to. It's cozy, the fancy school adnorments thrown away for medals and plaques, national parks posters and a few old family photos. He'll keep you tucked in on his warm couch while he strays from curriculum talk to stories of his time in the scouts and on the force. Tells you about how much he loves just... laying out under the stars with somebody special, to sit around a campfire with friends, then slyly ask is you've ever had somebody to do that with. He knows you're younger than him, and he struggles with the idea that you won't want him cause of it, so for now, he'll bask in the feeling of seeing you curled up in his room, keeping the idea of picking you up and having you accept his cock to himself. If you can get pregnant, his fists his cock to the thought of that too. He's not some horned up boy, he wants you in the long term.

He looooooves the yearly orienteering final, in which the students in the class are made to go on an actual camping trip. It's possible a tent will 'accidentally' go missing, leaving you to bunk with him. Don't worry, nothing bads gonna happen while you've got this burly bear of a man practically spooning you, warm gut from his dad-bod pressed against you as he tries his best to make sure he doesn't scare you.

"Sorry those damn boys left your tent back at the school, kiddo. I... wouldn't be suprised of one of them did it on purpose, little bastards." He grumbles, hoping you'll take the hint to separate yourself from those immature preps and stick to being with a man who can treat you right. "Remember that lesson from a couple weeks ago, on body heat? I know it's awkward, but we've only got one sleeping bag. You feel like you can trust this old man to keep you warm?" Unfortunately for his ego and trying to keep down his urges, the trees aren't going to be the only wood in the morning.

◇ Mr. Paul Burton, head of the arts department. He's so over this, a once decent artist who dabbled in pop art and theatre only to stop getting gigs and be black-listed after offending several more famous artists, calling their work 'sell-out chic', he's now a burn-out who smokes and ignores his students all class. He's passionate about art, but frankly he doesn't want tow aste his time teaching when he knows these rats are taking his class for easy credit. He's only teaching here to utilize the facilities and studios so he's not living in a van in the Walmart parking lot. A mix of hippie culture, live and let live and cynical burnout, he's so. Fucking. Done. But... maybe you change that for him.

You're interesting, a headmasters child who doesn't fit in to your fathers perfect mold? Maybe a rebellious student who goes against the grain of this perfect school. Or a blooming ray of sunshine in this dark den of privilege and conformist curriculum for the future lawyers of the world. Either way, he's found a new muse. See him after class.

He'll be thrilled if you're into art, let him guide you. Tell him your favorite artists and he'll tell you when he threw up on there shoes by accident in his hey-day. Gossip about a student you don't like, he'll listen while he smokes and tell you about how that guys mom hit on him. He loves to gossip, but he loves to watch you create more. The way your hands shape a vase or brush across a canvas light a fire in him he hasn't felt in a while. He's more willing to forgo the age gap between you, while it's never something he considered before, he knows he's not gonna let go of the one thing that makes him feel like he lives again. Besides, he's always been unconventional.

He'll have you stay after class, maybe he'll have you pose nude for a painting, assuring you it's fins, it's platonic, it's just for the love of art. He chooses and extra large canvas, it lets him paint while he relieves himself as you explain you're getting cold. He'll put on some artsy, silent, black and white film from the 30s, and while you watch and slowly realize it's pornographic, He'll grin to himself while he watches you flush. He'll ask you all sorts of questions about your thoughts on the film, the actors, what they're doing. He really wants to figure out how experienced you are. "What do you think of the composition? It's really carnal, you know?" He puts out his cigarette. "I'm glad I can show this to you, you'll actually appreciate it. You're not giggling like an idiot when some guys penis is out on the screen." He groans, thinking of his other students.

He does actually like one student, though they make an odd pair. Joseph's easily spooked and shy personality clashes with the brash older man's, but he's glad to have someone he can think of as a protege. Someone who loves art as much as him, but get isolated for it. He was doing a portfolio look over when Joseph accidentally turned in the wrong folder. Joseph feels like he might die as Mr. Burton, a man he admires, flips through nude pictures of the object of his affection, and at a distance no less. A part of him wants to rip it away, but he needs this scholarship.

"Please, please, sir! I-I'll never do it again, it was just a phase, I didn't mean for you to see-"

"They're good." Mr. Burton flips through the folder. "Real good. You could really get somewhere with these, maybe not in the fine art scene, but... tell you what." He adjusts his glasses and leans forward on his desk. "We'll do a special session, you and me, yeah? I'll get your friend here, and I'll vouch for your integrity so you can take some less-" he purses his lips. "Stalker-ish pics- Jesus, kid, is that taken from a tree?"

☆ Anatoli Sidorov, probably the best paid staff given how they got him here. He's a Russian coach for a former Olympic Russian swim team, and he joined the prestigious American school to escape shame after he 'resigned' post a doping scandal which he swears he wasn't involved in. (Whether he was or not is your choice.) Still, he's led the boys swim team and track team to nationals several times, and he's a legend among the wealthy benefactors of the school. He's outwardly very serious, hard on his team but respectful of them. He doesn't put up with any unruly or unsportsmanlike behavior from his boys, at least not what he can see. He's very nice deep down, intellectual and funny, though he still struggles with American humor and English.

He adores you when he meets you, milking about with the other students before class. You seem genuinely social, and wanting to fit in. The idea someone could be so welcoming warms his heart. Deep down, he misses his home, and he misses the friends he once had. You're warm, and he likes that. Not to mention, you're a looker. He's embarrassed, especially if you're male, seeing as he never considered swinging the other way, and much less with someone younger. But he can't help but stare when your pretty tits bounce as you run, or the way those jogging shorts hardly conceal your bulge. He even pulled you to the side one to scold you for not wearing regulation gym clothes, before realizing they were and awkwardly sending you back into class. That was a moment of self-reflection for him.

He's not necessarily outwardly softer to you, you might even think he doesn't like you, given that he has you stay late to run or jump rope, or constantly pulls you into time out mid-game. It's all for your own good, trust him. He doesn't like the way some of the boys were looking at you, and he could tell Evan was a only a play away from trying to practically hump you while trying to 'get the ball'. He's made Harrison, who he loves as a player, run laps for talking to you for only a few minutes. He hates feeling like a jealous boy, but he can't help it. You make him feel young.

He establishes a private locker room area for you, since you're the headmasters kid and not an official student. Besides, you're clearly being harassed by the others! So, he's got a nice little closet for you, with a not suspicious air freshener that's not a hidden camera, and a private key only you have access to. (Technically that's true, he just has a bypass key for himself.) He'll snatch a pair of boxers or some panties, slipping them into his track coat for later. Eventually, he'll tell you he's worried you aren't able to catch up to the others, given that you arrived later and started the gym curriculum later than the others. He'll start having extra 'make-up' workouts with you, starting with stretching. One leg uo on the bar, you'll have to excuses his cold hand running along your thigh, or stroking over your chest as him just admiring how your strength and flexibility is evolving. He relishes the feeling of your body on his, groping you under the guise of training and resisting the urge to just slip aside your gym shorts and veg you to take him.

"Little star, part 'dem a little, there ve go." He keeps your legs parted as he works you into a position on your back, against the rubber mats the tumbling team had laid out. He lays just over you, pushing your legs back a little further with his arms, just far away enough to keep you from noticing his hard on, but enough to lightly press it against the plush swell of your ass. Good, let's just- fuck- hold. Let's hold."

☆ Kory Koffman, English teacher and part time librarian! The school outs so much effort into sports, both admin and students seem to forget about him. Hell, the library is used so little they fired the librarian, and he took it upon himself to try and care for the building himself. He's a sweet, shy man, who just wants to share his passion for literature with others. However, unlike Mr. Burton, he was never popular or famous, so he's content to keep to himself, but the loneliness does get to him.

When you wandered into his library one day, maybe looking for a book or seeking refuge from a hoarde ofadmirers, he was happy to welcome you into his little safe haven. He'll give you some warm tea from the little coffee machine he has set up, and sit you down. Let him help you find a book, or tell you about his creative writing class? He'd let you join, even late in the semester! It's not a very full class.

For the first time in his life, he finds himself craving the attention of another, of someone else's company, other than his books. He hasn't felt that need for connection since he was a boy, after his momma passed. He'll do anything to keep you there, and if reading isn't your thing, much to his chagrin, he'll add a DVD section to the library, but only good films and classic for you! No Adam Sandler, those movies are to overstimulating for poor Mr. Koffman.

As his feelings turn romantic, he's ashamed. You're a student, and he's a lonely old man, you deserve someone better, someone your age. However, the thought of you being with any of the many students who mock him in the halls or disrupt his class, the thought of hand you over to those-those imbeciles, hurts him. He wants you, and he's ashamed at the way his trousers go tight when you bend over to get a fallen book, or when you hand him his glasses after he misplaced them (again), the fact he just stares at your finger prints for awhile and refuses to clean the lens. He's not had sex in a long, long time, but he finds himself masturbating more than he ever did when he was younger. He'll watch library security footage openly, moaning and whimpering at his desk with no fear anybody will stop in, no one ever does but you. He wants you as his spouse, you already make his library, his home away from home seem brighter, imagine what you could do for his actual apartment.

"Oh, hello! It's good to see you, it's been a bit." He's a little bitter at that last statement, but adjusts his glasses and continues. "Just remember to stop by often, okay? I'd really, really hate to impose the late policy on you..."

☆ Atticus Critch, the schools latin instructor and head sponsor of student body, (not to mention the man in charge of detention), is a strict disciplinarian. He takes no nonsense from anyone, and despises the behavioral pardons given to boys like Evan or Harrison simply because they are athletes. Peter is obviously his favorite, and when he catches wind of the ways the boys around campus are speaking about you, he decides to take it upon himself to remove the distraction, by having Carter trail you and give you detention for minor inconveniences. Carter isn't particularly thrilled at always having to send you to detention instead of extorting you to get his rocks off, but he's hoping maybe he'll get to 'monitor' detention one of these days.

Initially, Mr. Critch has you doing small tasks, writing lines or organizing things, but soon he starts to see the appeal. If you're a good student for the most part, he's determined to keep you good, and away from all the vermin in this school. If you're bad, he's had plenty of experience in taming brats. He's open with his sexual desires, it his growing affection for you that makes him struggle.

If you've stayed out too late and broke curfew, you can spend detention on your knees, suckling his cock into the late hours. Maybe you've been running around with Tyler. He'll make you lay down on his desk and deny you your climax over and over again, asking 'if not making you cum' is what that boy does to you, never fully satisfying you. He'll make you beg to finish, and to promise you'll be good from now on.

"Come on, repeat it. Tell me you'll be good now, that you won't bother with BOYS-" He annuciates with a thrust, "When you have a man right here, whose willing to take time out of his day to discipline you!" One the amorous session is over though, he definitely softens, trying to prove he's more than a boy in many ways, including good aftercare. He'll dress your limp form back up in your uniform and walk you get you a cup of water from the fountain. "Only ten minutes till your detention is over, dear. Just sit there, take some time to reflect on how you got here." His tone is demeaning, but as he pets your scalp, his touch is so feather-light. Don't expect is to last into the next day though.

[swan-of-sunrise]

...Is Love, Sweet Love (Part II)

Summary: Eight months later, (Y/N) and her daughter Molly have settled in well at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, with (Y/N) teaching a Classical Literature class and six-year-old Molly taking courses while learning more about her telepathic skills. Charles, having fallen head over heels for the school's new professor, debates whether or not to act upon his feelings.

Pairing: Charles Xavier X F!Reader

Word Count: 5.3k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: Yes, I know, it's slightly unhinged to write a Part II to a one-shot that I published over 2 years ago, but I couldn't get this idea out of my head and here's what I came up with! Again, "What The World Needs Now Is Love" by Jackie DeShannon partially inspired this fic, so you should totally give it a listen if you haven't heard it before :)

…Is Love, Sweet Love May 1980 Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, Westchester (Previous Chapter)

Despite living in his family’s mansion for the majority of his life and spending countless hours of his childhood eagerly exploring its sprawling grounds, Charles Xavier hadn’t truly grown to appreciate the tranquility that the estate provided until he’d re-started Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. The sight of young mutants happily playing on the playground and partaking in group sports without feeling the need to hide their differences away brought a smile to Charles’ face, and the cheerful laughter of his students paired with the beautiful spring sunshine inspired him to once again enjoy his lunch outside with a good book…although, it was difficult to deny that he spent far more time listening in on Professor (Y/L/N)’s nearby Classical Literature class than actually reading his novel.

“Can anyone tell me why the characters of King Lear worship the pagan gods and not any form of Christianity?” (Y/N), who was sitting cross-legged on the grass in front of her small class, arched a brow as she surveyed the silent group of teenagers before her. “C’mon, guys, you know this. We went over the background of the play during our last lecture, and I seem to remember some of you even taking notes…” After a moment, a timid hand went up from the red-headed girl in the front and (Y/N) smiled. “Yes, Jean?”

“The play is set in ancient Britain, long before the arrival of Christianity.”

“Very good, Jean!” Jean Grey’s shoulders relaxed and beside her, her friend Jubilee gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “Now, why would Shakespeare choose to set this play in this specific time period? Think about the time period in which Shakespeare lived, and what the social and political climate in England was like.” A dark-haired boy towards the back of their group raised his hand. “Go ahead, Remy.”

Remy LeBeau lowered his hand and began fiddling with his deck of playing cards as he spoke in his distinct French-Creole accent. “Well, Professor, that was when there was a lil’ trouble brewin’ ‘tween the Catholics and Protestants over there, right? He prob’ly didn’t wanna ruffle any feathers by puttin’ a popular religion in his plays, so he had his characters worship the gods from ol’ Roman mythology; anybody who’d be offended would’ve been long dead, so Willy did what any guy’d do to keep his head on his shoulders.”

Charles smiled to himself as the class laughed and (Y/N)’s lips curved upwards into a reluctant grin. “A little unorthodoxly put, Remy, but you’re absolutely correct. In the play, Lear states that-” She was cut off when the familiar sound of the school bell rang out and her students started to pack their things away. “Remember, on Monday we’ll begin performing your assigned scenes so be sure to work on memorizing your lines with your groups over the weekend. Have a good rest of your day!”

While they laughed and talked amongst themselves, the students headed back towards the mansion for their next class and with a fond smile on her face, (Y/N) looked away from them and finished packing her binders and books into her messenger bag. The novel in Charles’ hand was all but forgotten in favor of admiring his colleague and friend, who’s effortless beauty almost always succeeded in making him stutter over his words and caused him to blush in a way that he hadn’t since he was a schoolboy; she was dressed casually in a striped button-down blouse tucked into a faded pair of high-waisted jeans and well-worn Birkenstocks, with her (Y/H/C) hair pulled away from her face by a blue headband and her reading glasses dangling around her neck by a colorful beaded chain. Charles took in all of her striking figure, but it was her content smile and the happy gleam in her (Y/E/C) eyes that made him release a lovelorn sigh and look down at his lap.

Charles was infatuated with Professor (Y/L/N). Well, it perhaps started out as a simple infatuation, back when she’d first arrived on his doorstep pleading for him to help her daughter; her kindness and caring nature in regards to Molly’s safety and well-being was touching, considering how many parents he’d met who were overly eager to pass their mutant children off to a complete stranger just to be rid of them. After hearing their story, he knew that she couldn’t bear to be separated from her five-year-old and so, he asked that she stay and teach at the school to ensure that they would remain together. That was eight months ago and since then, the infatuation had evolved into a full-blown romantic crush; Charles was captivated by (Y/N)’s capacity for compassion, enchanted by her quick wit and natural beauty, in awe of her progressive idealism in regards to mutant rights and more than appreciative of her boundless consideration in regards to his disability.

Yes, Charles was enamored by his school’s newest professor, but he was also plagued by insecurity. The last woman he was romantically involved with was Agent Moira MacTaggert of the CIA, all the way back in 1962 when he was a dashing young man who’d just earned his doctorate and possessed an egotistical streak wider than the English Channel; nowadays, his ego was tempered and his youthful good looks were beginning to give way to wrinkles and streaks of silver. While a ten-year age gap between two consenting adults was hardly an insurmountable obstacle to a happy relationship, a part of him couldn’t help but think that (Y/N) would be happier with someone younger than him. Both Alex and Hank thought that he was overthinking the situation, and perhaps they were right but whenever he started to consider asking her out, that little voice of doubt whispered on in the back of his mind.

“Hi Charles!”

Looking up, Charles’ face reflexively broke out into a grin when he saw (Y/N) approaching the bench he’d parked his wheelchair beside. “Hello, (Y/N)! Holding your classes outside today, I see?”

“It’s such a beautiful day, so you could hardly blame me for taking full advantage of it.” The professor adjusted the strap of her messenger bag and tilted her head as a teasing smile played across her cherry-red lips. “Enjoying your lunch outside today, I see?”

“Touché, Professor,” Charles chuckled, slipping his bookmark into his novel to mark his place and tucking it into his wheelchair’s saddle pack. “Hank seems to believe that my vitamin D levels are too low, so I decided that eating outside was the quickest way to get our resident worrywart off of my back. Not only did I soak up plenty of sun, I had the added pleasure of listening in on your fantastic lesson on Shakespeare’s King Lear; no offense to the Bard, but it’s refreshing to see an Classical Literature professor teach her students about one of his historical plays instead of one of his romances.”

(Y/N) shrugged nonchalantly, but the way she began to fiddle with her pendant revealed the bashfulness she was attempting to mask. “Well, I remember what it was like being fourteen; you’re around the same age as Romeo and Juliet, yes, but you don’t know a damn thing about love and it’s not easy to understand why they do the things they do.”

“As a former fourteen-year-old, I heartily concur. At that age, I could scarcely understand myself let alone an emotion as complex as love, no matter how beautifully Shakespeare described it,” Charles replied, looking out across the manicured grounds as he recited, “‘My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep-’”

“‘-The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite,’” (Y/N) finished and when their eyes met, Charles’ heart fluttered and he could feel his face beginning to warm; his brows rose in surprise when the professor hastily turned her head to try and hide her besotted smile, a flicker of hope igniting within him at the sight. “I, um, I-I should go and find Molly…”

“She’s at the playground with Alex’s second graders. Speaking of which, I need to speak with Alex about tomorrow’s scheduled book delivery…” Charles awkwardly cleared his throat before giving (Y/N) a tentative smile. “Would you allow me to escort you there?”

(Y/N)’s own smile widened at that. “Of course!”

While Charles wheeled himself along the stone pathway and (Y/N) kept in step with him, they eagerly discussed the school’s ongoing library expansion and all the new books they’d obtained for the students; any progress made at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters filled him with a sense of accomplishment, but expanding his ancestral home’s library was one of his greatest desires and he was thrilled that the children would soon have access to more knowledge than many of the country’s best private schools and universities. (Y/N) was just as excited about the expansion as he was, and he couldn’t help but admire the enthusiasm written across her beautiful features while he listened to her talk about all the lesson plans she’d brainstormed involving their new books.

They reached the playground sooner than Charles would’ve preferred, but his disappointment was set aside by the sight and sound of his school’s youngest students happily entertaining themselves on the elaborate structure; so many of them came from broken homes and were sent away without any second thoughts by families that couldn’t care less about them and while Charles couldn’t change their heartbreaking pasts, he did all in his power to give each and every one of his students a loving home and bright, promising futures. For the first time, I find myself truly understanding the blinding rage that fills Erik in regards to mutant rights, he thought with an inward grimace before glancing over at (Y/N) and smiling as the human woman affectionately watched her mutant daughter play, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve lost my faith in humanity’s innate goodness.

“Hi Mommy!” Molly exclaimed from the top of the structure, a toothy grin stretching across her face as she gave them both an enthusiastic wave. “Hi Professor ‘Zavier!”

“Hi Molly-Bear!” (Y/N) called back while a beaming Charles returned the little girl’s wave with one of his own. He’d always maintained that a good professor shouldn’t have favorites, but no one would blame him if he came out and admitted that Molly (Y/L/N) was – hands down – his favorite student; she was as exuberant and carefree as any human six year old, but her mutant abilities as a psychometric telepath meant that she was more insightful and tended to see the world around her with sage eyes. In truth, Molly reminded him so much of himself when he was a child and knowing first-hand how challenging having telepathic abilities at that age can be, he was grateful that he could help her by teaching her how to control and accept her gifts.

While Charles scanned the playground for Alex, he caught (Y/N) looking over at him and the tender expression on her face nearly took his breath away; she quickly looked away and pretended to adjust the fasteners of her messenger bag, but not before Charles noticed the glimmer of affection in her gorgeous (Y/E/C) eyes. A familiar whistle cut through his racing thoughts and when he glanced over, he spotted Alex leaning against a light pole that bordered the playground; a knowing smirk curved across the younger man’s face, widening as he brought a hand up to his temple and wiggled his fingers to signal for Charles to read his mind.

“I told you so.”

“Alex…”

“(Y/N)’s into you, Charles, and you’re clearly into her. So, what’re you gonna do about it?”

After taking a steadying breath and running an anxious hand through his hair, Charles cleared his suddenly dry throat and hesitantly spoke. “(Y/N)?” The professor looked over at him expectantly and his finger drifted upwards to loosen his shirt’s collar while he clumsily continued. “I, ah…well, I-I was wondering if I…(Y/N), would you and Molly care to join me for dinner sometime? There’s a wonderful Italian restaurant in Salem Center and a little movie theater just down the street from it that I think you’ll enjoy…”

(Y/N) blinked, looking dumbfounded but slightly hopeful as she took a moment to find her voice. “Charles, are you asking me out on a date?”

Charles nodded and offered her the barest of smiles. “Over the past few months, I’ve grown…immensely fond of you; I wake up every morning looking forward to our usual discussions over breakfast, I find myself spending far too much time styling my hair and picking out what to wear in the hopes that you’ll take note and every time you smile at me, my heart skips a beat.” The professor shyly smiled at that and he couldn’t help but lightly chuckle, the weight in his chest already feeling lighter with each confession he uttered. “Yes, just like that.”

“And you…you wouldn’t mind Molly coming along?”

The anxiety that filled (Y/N)’s eyes as she awaited his answer nearly shattered Charles’ heart; based on what little she’d disclosed to him about her past, he knew that she’s struggled with dating as a single mother and he could only imagine how disillusioned with romance she’d become as a result. “Of course not, (Y/N),” He softly replied and in a bold move, he reached forward and took her hand in his. “You two are a team, after all; Molly is your entire world, and I want you to know that I respect that more than anything. It’s also…well, let’s just say that it’s been quite a while since I’ve gone on a date, and I’d…”

“Like to go slow?” (Y/N) gently offered and when Charles wordlessly nodded, she gave him the smallest of smiles before looking over her shoulder and calling out, “Molly? Sweetheart, can you come here for a second, please?” After coming down the slide, Molly skipped over to them and the professor knelt down so that they were eye-level, her hand still holding onto his. “Professor Xavier wanted to know if he could take us out for dinner and a movie. Does that sound all right to you, Molly-Bear?”

The little girl’s head tilted to the side as her (Y/E/C) eyes studied Charles, and he was forced to mask his amused chuckle with a cough when she brought a mitten-clad hand up to her mother’s ear. “Like on a date?” Molly loudly whispered, and (Y/N) pursed her lips to keep from chuckling as she nodded; her daughter lowered her hand to reveal her excited smile and she gave her mother an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “Sounds good to me!” Molly looked back at Charles with a conspiratorial giggle. “Mommy likes you, Professor ‘Zavier.”

Charles arched a playful brow as his eyes flicked between the embarrassed elder (Y/L/N) and the beaming younger (Y/L/N). “She does, does she?”

“Mm-hmm, she likes your eyes and your smile and your hair and your-”

“Okay, young lady, that’s enough out of you,” (Y/N) hastily interrupted, tickling her daughter’s neck with both hands and smiling when she shrieked with laughter and scurried back to the playground. Shaking her head in fond exasperation, she stood and glanced back at Charles, who was trying and failing to muffle his laughter. “Well, I guess that settles it. Does six o’clock this Friday work for you?”

He emphatically nodded. “Yes, of course, it’s perfect!” He felt himself begin to blush at his obvious enthusiasm, and it was (Y/N)’s turn to chuckle as he awkwardly cleared his throat and tried again. “…I-I mean, Friday at six o’clock works for me.”

“Good. I guess that Molly and I will see you then.” The professor turned to walk away but took Charles by surprise when she turned back around and bashfully smiled at him. “I’ve…I’ve grown immensely fond of you too, Charles.”

Before he could say or do anything, she’d bent down and pressed a feather-light kiss onto his cheek, an infatuated gleam in her (Y/E/C) eyes as she flashed him one last smile and left to meet her daughter on the playground. A broad grin slowly spread across Charles’ face and while he watched her walk away, he leaned an elbow onto his wheelchair’s armrest and rested the side of his head against his palm, releasing a love-struck sigh and barely taking note of the familiar figure that moved to stand beside him.

“See what happens when you actually take my advice?”

Charles straightened his posture and glanced over at Alex, who was wearing the smuggest of smiles on his faces as he stared back at him. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re an impertinent ass, Alex Summers?”

Alex’s smirk widened. “Heard it all my life. So, when’s the big date?”

“This Friday at six o’clock. And since you and Hank have taken such a keen interest in my love life, I’ll be requiring your assistance on Friday.” The younger man quickly sobered and with a grin of his own, Charles chuckled and patted his arm. “There’s a good chap. Now, about tomorrow’s book delivery…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although it was a far cry from the hazy evenings spent at Oxford’s many lively pubs and in the company of the college’s most flirtatious female students, Charles’ date with (Y/N) and Molly was undoubtedly the most enjoyable one he’d ever been on. He’d met the mother and daughter in the mansion’s foyer with two bouquets in his hands – daisies for Molly and vibrant pink roses for (Y/N) – and he happily watched them admire their flowers while simultaneously hiding the fact that he was studying (Y/N)’s figure; the professor was wearing a knee-length yellow dress with long billowing sleeves, a bright pink sash tied around her waist and matching high heels, and her carefully styled hair was pulled back by a pink headband. She was beautiful, far too beautiful to be going out with the likes of him, but his fears of inadequacy were quickly alleviated when she looked over at him and smiled.

Hank and Alex drove the three of them to Salem Center in Charles’ maroon 1959 Jaguar Mark IX, the pair of them opting to stay in town and catch a showing of the newly-released The Empire Strikes Back while they dined at La Mensa. Sensing Molly’s apprehension with being around so many non-mutant strangers, Charles distracted her by playing ‘tic-tac-toe’ and ‘hangman’ with her on her paper place-mat and (Y/N) threw him a grateful look as she asked her daughter about her schoolwork; while they enjoyed their food, (Y/N) entertained them with stories of her students’ antics and after some goading by Molly, she even balanced a spoon on the end of her nose much to her daughter and Charles’ delight. After dinner, they made their way down the street to the small movie theater and while many of its patrons were queued up to watch the latest Star Wars film, the three of them decided on watching the re-release of Disney’s Lady and the Tramp; Molly adored the classic cartoon and while Charles was impartial to the film, he thoroughly enjoyed exchanging enamored glances with (Y/N) over the little girl’s head.

Molly fell asleep on the drive home, cuddling against her mother’s side as she lovingly brushed her fingers through her daughter’s (Y/H/C) hair. In low whispers, (Y/N) assured Charles that Molly had a wonderful time and that she hadn’t seen the little girl so happy since before she’d come into her mutation; although aware that Hank and Alex were clearly eavesdropping from their front seats, Charles quietly asked her if she’d care for a quick nightcap in his study after putting Molly to bed, and he was thrilled when she readily accepted his invitation. When they arrived back at the mansion, (Y/N) carried the still-sleeping Molly inside, but not before giving Charles one last smile as he maneuvered into his outside wheelchair.

“So…” Hank arched a curious brow as he walked beside Charles’ wheelchair and steadied it when they reached the top of the ramp, where Alex was waiting with his motorized indoor wheelchair. “How was it?”

“Charming, but I could’ve done without the rather offensive Asian and Italian stereotypes-”

“Not the movie, Charles, the date,” Alex interrupted and when Charles chuckled in amusement at his friends, he leaned a shoulder against the doorway and crossed his arms over his chest. “C’mon, you finally ask out the woman you’ve been head over heels for and you’re not gonna give your two best friends the four-one-one?”

Shaking his head in faux exasperation, Charles shifted himself into his motorized wheelchair and arranged his legs as he airily answered, “(Y/N), Molly and I ate a truly magnificent meal at La Mensa that we followed up by watching a classic Disney film at the movie theater. What more is there to say?”

Alex heaved a sigh but moved to allow Charles to wheel himself into the mansion. “A little help here, Hank?”

“Oh, he’s having far too much fun messing with us to stop.” The scientist tucked his hands into his jacket pockets while a mischievous smirk played on his lips. “But speaking as the school’s resident genius, I couldn’t help but notice the good professor clearly checking (Y/N) out before we left and blushing when she smiled at him just now.”

A reluctant blush warmed Charles’ cheeks at that. “Don’t you two perverts have morning classes to prepare for?”

“Tomorrow’s Saturday, lover boy,” Alex smugly countered, nudging Hank’s arm with his elbow as they walked beside Charles’ wheelchair down the vacant hall to his study. “Well, Beast, there’s no doubt about it: Charles here’s got it bad for our lovely Professor (Y/L/N).”

When they reached his study’s door, Charles nudged it open and wheeled himself inside, but not before giving both men a look of genuine sincerity. “Thank you, for your assistance tonight and for your encouragement; the pair of you can occasionally be a pain in the ass, but tonight couldn’t have happened without you.”

Hank’s smile softened. “You’re welcome, Charles. We’re just happy that we succeeded in making you do something selfish for once.”

“Yeah, you’ve helped us both out so much over the years and it was high-time we returned the favor,” Alex added as he clapped Charles on the shoulder, his earnest expression morphing into a knowing smirk while he continued. “Enjoy your nightcap with (Y/N), and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, lover boy.”

“Oh, and don’t forget protection!”

“Goodnight, gentlemen.”

Chuckling, Alex and Hank left the study and closed the door behind them; after pausing for a moment to take a calming breath, Charles wheeled himself over to the oak cabinet near his cluttered desk and unlocked it, pulling out a glass decanter of scotch and two glasses and setting them down on the coffee table. He bit his lip as his eyes surveyed the messy state of his study, cursing himself for not tidying up earlier, but a part of him knew that (Y/N) wasn’t the type to mind a little clutter; she liked to joke that the best professors had the messiest studies because they spent all their time teaching instead of worrying about how others perceive them. It was the good manners instilled in him from birth that saw him gathering stacks of loose papers, binders and leather-bound books and unceremoniously shoving them behind his desk before lifting himself out of his wheelchair to sit on the couch; with nothing else to distract himself from the anxious anticipation building up within him, Charles plucked the maple-colored queen off the chessboard and nimbly twirled it around his fingers as he waited for (Y/N).

Minutes later, there was a quiet knock on the door of his study and after scrambling to straighten up his chessboard, Charles called out, “Come in!” The door opened and (Y/N) stepped into the room, her gentle smile widening when she spotted him seated on the couch. “How’s Molly?”

“Out like a light.” (Y/N) crossed the room and sat on the couch beside him, her fingers playing with the flowing yellow material of her dress’ skirt as Charles poured their drinks. “She wanted me to tell you that she had a really fun time tonight, and she wanted me to thank you.”

“She’s been working so hard these past few months to complete her schoolwork and training, so if anyone deserves to have a little fun it’s undoubtedly her,” Charles replied, a surge of fondness for his youngest student and her kindheartedness bringing a smile to her face as he turned to (Y/N) and offered her a glass of the amber-colored liquid. “As do you, Professor.”

Accepting the glass, (Y/N) hummed thoughtfully before holding it up and angling it towards him. “In that case…to having fun.”

“To having fun,” Charles repeated, lightly clinking his glass of scotch against hers and taking a sip, his eyes appreciatively roaming along the professor’s figure while she took a sip of the strong liquor. “Do you like it? It’s top shelf scotch whiskey, all the way from Scotland.”

(Y/N) arched a playful brow as she crossed her leg over her knee and angled herself to face him. “Expensive, imported liquor? Are you trying to impress me, Professor?”

“Well, that all depends…” Following his instincts, Charles set his glass down and rested his elbow on the couch’s back cushion, his lips curving into a playful grin. “Is it working?”

Her (Y/E/C) eyes softened and after setting her own glass down, she rested one of her hands on his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Charles, I was impressed by you before the top shelf scotch, before the fancy Italian restaurant, and before I ever laid eyes on this beautiful mansion.” His brow furrowed in confusion but she merely smiled and rubbed small circles along his knuckles with her thumb. “Eight months ago, the letter that I sent you asking for help with Molly was my Hail Mary; I had nowhere to go and no way to protect my daughter from the people who hated her for who she was, so I decided to write to the one person I knew could help her. And when you sent me a letter back – that incredibly kind and empathetic letter – you gave me hope, hope that I hadn’t felt in so long. So, you see? You managed to impress me before we’d even met, Charles Xavier.”

Charles, touched by her sincerity and feeling a little emotional, reached forward with his free hand and carefully cradled her warm cheek in his palm. “Oh, my darling (Y/N)…you’re not the only one who’s had their hope restored; I gave up any hope for romance not long after I lost my legs, choosing to focus my attention on the school and my fellow mutants. Over these past several months, however, you helped me to see that there was still hope.” His thumb traced along her cheekbone as he smiled and slowly began to lean in. “And now, I would very much like to kiss you, (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”

(Y/N)’s smile widened. “I’d like that very much as well, I just…” He could feel her cheek flush beneath his touch, and a look of embarrassment flashed across her face. “God, it’s been so long since I’ve done anything like this. Would it be silly to say that I’ve got butterflies in my stomach?”

“Not at all, darling. Truth be told, I’m a little nervous myself,” Charles murmured, his eyes flicking away from hers to stare at her enticing lips before glancing back up. “The last time I kissed a woman was in 1962, so you’ll have to forgive me if my technique has gotten slightly rusty over the past eighteen years.”

“Well, we won’t know unless we give it a go, will we?” (Y/N) breathed and her (Y/E/C) eyes burned with desire as they both inched closer. “Charles, dear…please kiss me.”

Wanting nothing more than to please the professor, Charles’ eyes fluttered closed as he tentatively brushed his lips against hers. (Y/N) wasted no time in returning the kiss, kissing him softly and sweetly as her hand left his to rest on the back of his head, her fingers tangling in his hair and eliciting a blissful groan from him; with one hand still cupping her cheek, he rested the other on her waist but soon found himself winding his arm around her in an effort to bring her closer. (Y/N)’s lips were soft and oh so addictive, slowly but firmly caressing against his as her fingers carded through his locks, and Charles surrendered himself over to the woman wrapped in his embrace.

Eventually, they were forced to separate for some much-needed air, the both of them out of breath and almost dizzy from their impromptu make-out session; Charles felt a surge of pride as he took in (Y/N)’s kiss-swollen lips, heaving chest and the dazed smile on her face, and he couldn’t resist leaning forward to lightly rub his nose against hers. When he pulled back, he huffed out a breathless chuckle at the incredulous look that she was giving him. “That’s a rusty technique?”

“Mm-hmm. Dreadful, wasn’t it?”

(Y/N) giggled at his joking question and pretended to consider it. “You know, I think I need another example before I can definitively say.” They both laughed but when Charles moved in for another kiss, a sharp twinge in his lower back caused him to recoil with a hiss of pain. “Charles, are you okay?!”

He mutely nodded, his eyes squeezed shut as he straightened his posture and leaned his back against the plush couch cushions. “I’m fine, it’s just a muscle spasm.”

“Is it…?” (Y/N) trailed off and when Charles finally opened his eyes as the pain began to fade, he could see the worry written across her face. “Is it because of your spinal cord injury?”

“That, and I’m afraid that I’m getting on in years; I’m not as young and spritely as I was in 1962.” Instead of stammering out a string of apologies and getting up to leave as Charles feared she would, the corner of (Y/N)’s lips curved upwards into a lopsided grin that left him slightly confused. “(Y/N)?”

The professor shifted closer to him. “Did you know that Molly’s father was fourteen years older than me?” Charles’ brow rose in surprise and he silently shook his head, watching as she reached over and brushed a lock of hair behind his ear. “You could say that I’ve always had a thing for older men…” Before he could think of something witty to say, (Y/N) swung her leg over his to straddle his lap and rested her hands on either side of his face; Charles couldn’t help but grin and, inspired by her delectable boldness, he placed his hands on her waist to hold her securely to him, his grin widening as her breath hitched. “Go ahead and read my mind if you don’t believe me, but it’s true.”

Shaking his head, Charles rested his head on the back of the couch so that he was staring up at her, softly smiling as one of his hands traveled upwards to cradle her cheek. “I believe you, darling. Would it be too sappy to say that I don’t want this night to end?”

“Not at all, dear,” (Y/N) shook her head before closing the distance between them and captured his lips in another passionate kiss; when they finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against his and returned his blissful smile with one of her own. “We can make this work, can’t we? Balance the two of us with running the school and raising Molly?”

“I believe that you and I can do just about anything, so long as we’re together,” Charles replied, his thumb and forefinger moving to guide her chin forward and pouring all his emotions into another kiss; there was no place on Earth he’d rather be than in the arms of the lovely Classical Literature professor who’d captured his heart and judging by the way she kissed him back, it was clear that she was thinking something along the same lines.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: I had so much fun dipping my toes back into the Fox X-Men Universe (I still have a massive thing for 80's Charles Xavier and his flowing brown hair lol) and I loved that I finally resolved Charles and (Y/N)'s mutual attraction with this cute Part II! I may or may not have a few ideas for a possible Part III, so let me know if you'd be interested in reading more! Thank you all so much for reading and enjoying!

Story Tag List: @mostlymarvelgirl @holb32 @f1uveryysblog Marvel Tag List: @brooke0297​​​​ @deadlymistletoe Permanent Tag List:​ @momc95​​​​ @crowleysqueenofhell​​​ @groovy-lady​ @yasmin12312

[dewdropdinosaur]

Fixer Upper

ALASTOR x (F)READER Summary: Someone dared to break Alastor's precious radio and his wrath is inconsolable. But turns out you may have some small tricks up your sleeve. Warnings: NONE For the dearest @anon-of-the-void. My darling, it is a pleasure as always to write these for you.

In the bustling chaos of the Hazbin Hotel, where demons sought redemption amidst the fiery chaos of Hell, an unlikely friendship blossomed. Alastor, the infamous Radio Demon, found solace in the presence of Y/N, an inventive soul from the Victorian Era who had found herself amidst the peculiar denizens of the underworld.

Y/N was a tinkerer, always tinkering away in her workshop, concocting gadgets and gizmos that would make even the most adept engineers marvel. Alastor, with his vintage charm and macabre wit, found her creations fascinating, and the two formed an unusual bond over their shared love for innovation.

One fateful day, disaster struck when Alastor's beloved old-time radio, his prized possession from his living days, broke down. The demon was devastated, his usual jovial demeanor clouded by a rare display of anger. The residents of the hotel trembled in fear, knowing the havoc that could be unleashed if the Radio Demon's rage remained unchecked.

Alastor's crimson eyes blazed with fury as he prowled the halls of the Hazbin Hotel, his usual jovial smile replaced by a menacing snarl. The residents cowered in fear, whispering among themselves as they caught glimpses of the Radio Demon's wrathful form.

"You there!" Alastor's voice boomed, sending shivers down the spines of those unfortunate enough to cross his path. "Do you have any idea of the inconvenience of my beloved radio breaking? The nerve, the audacity!"

Niffty, the hyperactive cleaner demon, spoke with a frantic passion as she viewed the mangled radio."Alastor! I'll do it! Let me clean it please!"

Alastor's laughter rang out like a chilling melody, sending a chill through the air. "Oh, my dear Nifty, no thank you. This requires some…interrogation but feel free to clean up the aftermath."

Angel Dust, lounging lazily on a nearby couch, scoffed, "Oh, lighten up, Al, it's just a stupid radio. Besides, it's not like anyone listens to your old-timey tunes anyway."

The room fell silent as Alastor's gaze bore into Angel Dust, his smile twisting into a sinister grin. "Is that so, my dear Angel? Perhaps I should demonstrate the consequences of underestimating the power of music."

With a snap of his fingers, Alastor summoned a spectral microphone, its ethereal glow casting eerie shadows across the room. "Now, let's see who's laughing when I unleash the full force of my wrath upon this wretched offender!"

The residents of the Hazbin Hotel trembled as Alastor's menacing laughter echoed through the halls, knowing all too well that when the Radio Demon was in a foul mood, no one was safe from his terrifying fury.

As fear spread throughout the hotel, Y/N knew she had to act swiftly to quell the storm brewing within Alastor's heart. Ignoring the warnings of her peers, she clandestinely snatched the broken radio and retreated to her workshop, determined to restore it to its former glory.Under the cover of night, she stealthily crept into Alastor's room, her pockets filled with tools and determination. With deft hands, she dismantled the broken radio, each cog and wire familiar to her skilled touch.

Hour after hour, Y/N toiled away, her nimble fingers dancing across the delicate machinery. With each adjustment and tweak, the radio gradually came back to life, its familiar crackle filling the air once more. But as the night wore on,  fatigue gnawed at Y/N's bones, her eyelids growing heavy with exhaustion. But she pressed on, fueled by determination and a desire to see her friend smile once more.

Finally, with a soft click, the radio sprang to life, emitting a crackling sound before filling the room with the familiar strains of vintage jazz. Y/N let out a sigh of relief, a triumphant smile gracing her lips as she admired her handiwork.

But as she stood there basking in her success, fatigue finally caught up with her. With a yawn, she sank into a nearby chair, her eyes fluttering closed as sleep claimed her.

Unbeknownst to her, Alastor had been silently watching from the shadows, his expression unreadable as he observed Y/N's tireless efforts to fix his broken radio. When he saw her succumb to exhaustion, a pang of concern tugged at his heart, softening the edges of his usually stoic demeanor.

Quietly, he approached her slumbering form, his footsteps barely audible against the creaking floorboards. Gently, he brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, his touch light as a feather.

"My dear Y/N," he whispered, his voice barely above a murmur. "Such devotion, such selflessness. You truly are a marvel."

A warmth blossomed in Alastor's chest as he watched her sleep, a feeling he couldn't quite put into words. For the first time in centuries, he felt something akin to tenderness stirring within him—a feeling he realized with a start was nothing short of admiration.

With a soft sigh, Alastor leaned in closer, pressing a gentle kiss to Y/N's forehead before picking up her form and striding over to his bed; tucking her in with the utmost care. As he stood there in the dimly lit room, surrounded by the quiet hum of the fixed radio and the soft breathing of his friend, he knew at that moment that he was irrevocably touched by her kindness.

And as the first light of dawn painted the sky, Alastor silently vowed to cherish and protect Y/N, for she had not only fixed his broken radio but had also managed to mend something far more precious—his wounded heart.

The next morning dawned upon the Hazbin Hotel, the air tinged with a sense of relief as the residents basked in the knowledge that Alastor's beloved radio had been fixed. Alastor strode into the lobby with a confident swagger, his usual grin plastered on his face. With a flick of his wrist, he turned on the radio, the familiar crackle of static filling the air before giving way to the melodic strains of love songs from a bygone era.

The residents exchanged puzzled glances, their confusion evident as they listened to the unexpected playlist. Angel Dust raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. "Well, well, looks like someone's feeling a bit sentimental today."

Alastor's grin widened, though there was a hint of something softer lurking beneath the surface. "Ah, my dear Angel, music has a way of stirring the soul, don't you think?"

As the love songs continued to play, the other residents couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth wash over them. Even the gruffest demons found themselves tapping their claws to the beat, caught up in the unexpected romance of it all.

But as Alastor's gaze lingered on Y/N, who stood among the crowd with a shy smile, a wave of realization washed over him. It wasn't just any love songs he was playing—it was a silent declaration of his growing affection for the inventive soul who had captured his heart.

And as the music filled the room with its sweet melody, Alastor couldn't help but feel a surge of hope coursing through him. Perhaps, in the midst of Hell's chaos, there was still room for love to blossom—a love that transcended time and defied all odds.

With a soft chuckle, Alastor stole a glance at Y/N, his heart swelling with newfound courage. For in that moment, amidst the gentle strains of love songs and the soft glow of morning light, he knew that he was falling—falling head over heels for the one who had fixed not only his broken radio but also the shattered pieces of his soul.

[glittergoblinzz]

Mer!König who washes up on shore, injured and bleeding, covered in a fishing net. You find him on the beach behind your house on the coast of Denmark. Without thinking, you use a shard of broken glass you spot nearby and cut the net away from the merman, freeing him from man's web. You notice the sniper hood obscuring his face, and a part of you is tempted to remove it....but out of respect for his privacy, you leave it alone.

But you could tell the poor fella was unconscious....whether from the loss of blood or from being out of the water too long, who knows. You don't hesitate to bring him back to your house, putting him in your tub before filling it. The giant mer could barely fit in your tub, but it was better than nothing.

Once he was submerged enough in the water, you get to work on stitching up the cuts he had from the net and bandaging the smaller bleeding wounds. He's still unconscious but also still alive. You let him rest in the tub while you go start on some tea and do a little cleaning.

About two hours later, König wakes up and is extremely confused on where he is. From the corner of his eye, he sees someone moving around outside of the bathroom and he calls out to them....

"Äh, entschuldigen Sie....Excuse me?"

You quickly put down whatever you're doing and go to the bathroom where you find the merman wide awake in your tub. Walking over, you kneel down beside him.

"You helped me...thank you. May I ask what your name is?"

You go ahead and tell him your name while asking for his after.

"That's a nice name. You can just call me König."

Despite everything he was told about humans, he could tell you were dangerous. That you could be trusted. You did save his life, after all. Most people would have taken him to God-knows-where and have him tested and experimented on.

The two of you chat for a while, getting to know each other. You find out that he was part of a large group of Mer folk who have their own little community who lived in the North and Baltic Seas. He finds out that you're just a simple farmer who lives alone. König feels a little bad at first but then you say that you do have friends and family, but they prefer living out in the city. None of them wanted a quiet life out in the country side but you visit them often so you weren't lonely.

Eventually, König has to get back to his group so you help him out of your tub and put him in your wheelbarrow outside. Taking him back to the beach where you found him, you bid your goodbyes and you gently lower him into the shallow water.

König turns to you one last time, promising to come back tomorrow at the same time if you'd want to talk again...discuss each other's lives, each other's worlds, some more. You agree, of course, and König couldn't be happier. You were proof that not all humans were as bad as he was told, and he couldn't wait to get to know more about you.

________________________________

This is just a little start to my Mer!König stuff. I'll do more in-depth scenarios and stuff on him and reader in the future 😁

[doctor-dusk]

𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 | 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐭.

when alex (early sias era - MY FAVOURITE BOY) meets you and accidentally falls in love with you.

warnings: none, actually. most angst and fluff, light smut - fingering (f receiving) and piv - but very light.

word count: 4.1k

coming out of limbo to possibly get back to it after posting this. i wrote it while i was bored and melancholic during my criminal procedure law class, so... yeah, enjoy :)

"and if all people were like rain, i would be drizzle. and she, a thunderstorm."

there was something about her as mysterious as an unsolved case. something in her gaze, in the way she spoke, or in the way she walked. something that left alex thinking for hours on end, even though he never came up with an answer that would concretely explain why he felt like a puppet on a string when it came to her. 

yes, there was something. 

something he couldn't shake, as if it were something that stuck in his teeth and wouldn't let him be still for long. something that started a little over three months ago, when the last thing he wanted was to get involved with someone at that moment, after a somewhat turbulent breakup. 

but, it was somewhat impossible when he saw her entering the bar on that exceptionally rainy tuesday night. the white knee-length dress along with the brown leather jacket over her shoulders never seemed to make much sense to alex until he saw this combination on her. the icing on the cake were definitely the motorcycle boots that wrapped around her feet all the way to the end of her calves, even though the place was hot at that moment. or was it just him who was feeling that his drink was warming him from the inside out.

turner is suspected of saying that he watched all of her actions, from sitting on a chair at a table for two and ordering a beer and fries as a side dish to seeing her take a book out of her bag to read.

"The Prince", by Machiavelli.

you might ask yourself: who the hell would go to a crowded bar with loud music to read a book?

and he answers: her.

he wanted to get her attention somehow, and perhaps the worst and most cliché of all was to buy her another beer and ask the waiter to bring it to her. his heart was beating hard against his chest, especially when the waiter served her the beer, exchanging a few words that made her look at alex, analyzing him from top to bottom. he wanted to say that he didn't feel nervous with that look, but he would certainly be lying.

as he told himself, there was something about her that made him feel more foolish than usual. but even though he felt that way, he didn't let the opportunity to sit in the chair in front of her pass him by. that night, he discovered three things about her: that when she felt embarrassed, she pretended to scratch her nose so she could look away; that she certainly left him subtly and quickly enchanted; and last but not least, her name. 

and since then, whenever alex was in town, he felt that strange need to be with her even though he had only known her for so little time. for many days he tried to occupy his mind with other things that seemed more important, but he soon accepted the fact that he couldn't stop thinking about the girl with the captivating eyes and radiant smile. 

and when he wasn't in his hotel room or in a pub with his friends after a concert, alex preferred to spend his nights listening to her recite some random poems in a restaurant or any other quiet place, or else, getting lost in the ease of her body in the middle of the bed in her bedroom, in the apartment where she lived alone. 

she claimed to be a normal person like any other, but alex was far from believing that. he knew that she liked to listen to david bowie when she was studying; that she always puts on her socks before her pants, without exception; that she prefers to read — or pretend to be reading — when everyone around her is talking about subjects she has no interest in, or when she doesn't have a book nearby, she just gives a weak smile so she doesn't have to give her opinion on the subject; that her favorite game is donkey kong country, and she's already finished it four times; that she likes to wear clothes whose colors define her mood for the day.

but as much as alex knew all of this, he still thought there was so much more to know about her. as if she were an addictive book, and with each page turned there would be a different plot twist to surprise him. and even though alex didn't read that often, ever since he met her, he'd become the most assiduous of readers.

and now, after a private show at a pub, alex could barely contain himself with the idea of ​​seeing her after a few weeks away. he texted her during a break just to see if she had any plans after 10pm. even though he knew she knew he was in town, alex wanted to make sure he could see her, even if it was just for a few minutes.

she didn't answer him right away, even after seeing the message. he had a strange feeling, but he let it go when she replied that she would be available to meet him. his heart raced again when he saw her entering the bar. in the same bar where he had met her, and ironically wearing the same motorcycle boots that had caught his attention so much, along with a gray flared dress. 

he hurried when he saw her sitting in the same chair at the same table as always, but unlike the other meetings they had had, she seemed more distant, her eyes were empty and didn't narrow their gaze on him for long, even after she had noticed him walking towards her. 

"hey, love. how are you?" alex asked, his overly worried expression went unnoticed by her, who was more focused on looking at the window just so she wouldn't have to look at him. 

"i'm fine, how was the show?" she replied, looking at him briefly and giving alex a glimpse of the teary, red eyes of someone who was about to cry or who had cried a lot before that. maybe both.

turner felt a pang on his chest. he felt bad for seeing her like that, and he didn't understand why he was like that for someone he barely knew. i mean, you couldn't catch feelings for some... hookup. could you?

‘’c’mon, you're not okay, what happened? maybe i can help-’’ alex said, completely compassionate with the situation that he didn't know how it had started, but wanted to help put an end to it.

‘’forget it, alex. i have a bit of a headache, can we get out of here?’’ she interrupted him abruptly. 

alex didn't reply, just followed her outside the pub.

after a few minutes, they were in the hotel room where turner would be staying that night before returning to los angeles. the dimly lit room seemed to become warmer when she took off her boots to lie down on the soft mattress and scented sheets of the bed.

alex lay down next to her, the silence was comfortable and just the sound of their breathing was enough to bring some peace to both of them. but alex knew that she was the master of replacing peace and quiet with something that made his heart beat faster and his blood run faster through his veins, so he wasn't surprised when her lips touched his in a calm kiss, which became urgent at a speed he didn't even notice. it was like a race car, able to go from 0 km/h to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds. and alex liked that adrenaline.

turner felt submerged in the sensations, the touches, the sounds and the looks under the incandescent light of the lamp. he felt her calm breath beating against his ear when she kissed him on the cheek, a warm and tender kiss that seemed simple, but that left alex in a state of restlessness he had never imagined.

"hmm, i'm in love with the smell of your shampoo."  she muttered, running her fingers over turner's shirt-covered back, still giving him a huge shiver.

he had been thinking about her and what they had for a while. and adding all the things he felt when she was around and that she was doing an endless loop in his mind, he was almost certain that he was in love with her.

"just the smell of my shampoo?" he asked, pulling his face away to look at her, to appreciate her red face and the slight curve her lips made to sketch a smile.

at that moment, all he wanted to hear was "and i'm in love with you too".

she laughed, answering him with another kiss while her anxious hands massaged the warm skin of alex's back under his shirt, and soon the piece was on the bedroom floor. the shivers were increasingly uncontrollable as she struggled against the belt of his pants, and as much as alex knew he was completely submissive to her, he didn't want to completely lose control. 

he took her hands away just as she was starting to pull down his pants, pinning them above her head and holding them there firmly with his hand, and his other free hand groped her burning flesh in the region of her thighs, trying to get rid of the underwear she was wearing.

turner used to think that he was only able to achieve pleasure when he was completely buried to the brim inside someone, but with her, just a single touch or a finger invading her insides could drive him crazy. 

and not only that. 

he already felt satisfied seeing her face contorted in an expression of pure ecstasy; her eyes closed tightly; her mouth half-open that did not contain a delightful sigh that was soon stopped when she caught her lip with her teeth; her hands pressing the skin on the back of his neck and arm; and lastly, the smile she showed when her eyes opened and met his.

fuck, that made him crazier than he cared to admit.

he would never get tired of watching her whenever he had the chance, he wanted to do it forever every moment he was with her, even if she wasn't looking directly at him. he wanted to look at her when she was drinking coffee and complaining that it was too hot, when she was reading and making a face like she didn't understand what was happening, when she was watching the sky through the window and asking for it to rain so she wouldn't have to go to college. 

he pulled her in for another needy kiss, feeling her legs lock around his waist like an unbreakable lock. alex pushed his body back, standing up only to press her body against the cold wall of that hotel suite, supporting her with his hands on the lower part of her thighs. 

and at that moment, he couldn't stop looking at her when he replaced his glistening fingers with his aching length, feeling all the nerve endings in his body active. the flammable desire was capable of burning them both completely, and for a few moments silence reigned as he buried himself completely inside her, his heartbeat was deceitful and showed how euphoric he was, resulting in a voracious flow of blood under his skin. he felt her wrap herself around him, and hugging her was like wrapping herself in an electrified concertina, and oddly enough, that didn't sound bad to him at all. 

‘’god, you feel so good. like always.’’ he praised her with a whisper, not caring about receiving a compliment back. when they were like this, at that moment, he became completely selfish with himself.

she wrapped herself around him to the last inch, gasping against his mouth when she felt a slight tingling in her lower abdomen, and another when he lifted her a few inches just to pull out a little and penetrate her again, the moans in his ear excited him more and more.

his hands knew exactly where to touch and how to touch, caressing that shivering skin, and as the intonation of her moans changed, alex knew she was very close. 

‘’al, i’m close, so close…’’ 

‘’i know, baby.’’ he cooed, kissing right below her ear, shivering at the feeling of her clenching around him.

and soon, when he felt her skin almost burning, she let herself melt against him, her last moan likened to a thunderclap that could not be ignored and was particularly pleasurable to hear. he couldn’t help but follow her suit, giving in to the pleasure of yet another climax with her.

the aftermath was embraced by the stillness and the faint trace of smoke from the cigarette that alex was smoking. he knew that she did not smoke, so he made a point of smoking far away, preferably near the window so as not to let the room be filled with that vaporous curtain of nicotine and other substances.

soon, he heard her say in the background that she was hungry, and like any fool, alex would give her whatever she wanted.

alex didn't know where he was going, but as long as he was with her, he didn't care about having a specific destination to go to. the wind blowing against his face and her laughter muffled by the helmet invading his ear gave him a strange thrill and impulse to let the vehicle's speedometer increase, letting the asphalt run under the motorcycle's tires as if they were in a marathon where the only competitor was the idea of ​​being separated at some point. 

they stopped at a 24-hour diner, they weren't that far from the city, but not that close. the only establishments nearby were gas stations and 3-star motels. but not that Alex was paying attention to that, quite the opposite. he was too busy watching her as she took a last sip of her soda, her eyes were distant again and alex would really like to know what was going on in that extraordinary mind. 

"what's wrong?" she asked without looking at him, the cracking sound of the can being crushed didn't break turner's concentration as he thought about how she knew he was looking at her. 

‘’just looking at you. is that some kind of crime?’’ he joked, watching her shake her head and lean a little on the motorcycle's tank, brushing a few loose strands of hair from her face in the wind.

‘’nope. i just wonder what has you so fascinated that you can't blink.’’ she replied, tilting her head to the side and staring at him. alex could easily get lost in those fascinating eyes if he wasn't in disbelief at her question.

‘’ah, i dunno... maybe everything. does that answer your question?’’ alex says, she makes a slight grimace as if she's not completely convinced. alex adjusts his posture, not putting all his weight on the motorcycle's seat so he can turn completely to face her. ‘’you are a fascinating creature.’’

‘’define 'fascinating', turner.’’ she replied, seeing alex throw his head back and look up at the sky, make a noise with his mouth. he loved the way she left him speechless with simple questions, and although he is capable of writing several songs with the deepest meanings, he wouldn't know how to define that word applied to her.

in fact, he wouldn't know how to define her. maybe no word or adjective would be able to define that woman. before alex could think of an answer that was even remotely capable of convincing her, she got off the motorcycle, taking two steps to face turner. her body now threatened to press his against the upholstered leather seat and he felt her leg slipping between his, and even under his jeans, he couldn't help but feel a voracious shiver. 

"adjective to define something charming that leaves you exaggeratedly seduced or attracted." she said, an amused smile appearing on her lips when she realized that alex was too close and most likely hadn't paid attention to what she said. and he was certainly paying attention in parts, since he really felt tempted to interrupt her just to steal a kiss. "is that what you think of me, turner?" 

‘’to be honest, i think a lot about you, miss.’’ alex wet his lips with his tongue, regaining some of his sanity to answer her without taking too long. she raised her eyebrows, another open and comical smile playing on her lips.

“oh, really? tell me more.” she prompted him, her free fingers curling around the belt loops of his jeans and he felt his breathing heavy. maybe she didn’t know that being so close like that left him completely disoriented, her eyes fixed so intently on his easily made him forget even his own name. he felt her hand invade his back pocket, groping until she managed to steal a menthol candy.

“what can i say? you’re… inexplicable.” alex trailed off, since he was too hypnotized by the scene of her opening the package and placing the candy on her tongue, making a popping noise as she closed her mouth. turner felt the night breeze blow against his face, as well as a few fluttering strands of her hair, which she tried to calm down by running a hand over her head. ‘’like an open sea, intensity and calm.’’

“how can i be intensity and calm, alex?” she asked curiously, leaving alex once again at a loss for words. In his mind, she was like a mix of feelings, like that new drink you try and suddenly it becomes your favorite in the whole world; like that song you discover and get addicted to, listening to it on repeat until you get sick of it, even though he knows it's impossible to get sick of it.

‘’it was like i said, it's inexplicable.” he replied, feeling his face burn with the touch of her hand on his forehead to brush away a few strands of his hair, still paying attention to his every word, as if she were a teacher giving an oral test to an intelligent but shy student. ‘’you ask too many questions. like a fusion of a four year old and a philosopher.’’ he joked, making her crack a smile.

‘’and what would you be in the middle of all this?’' she asked, the same hand that was on his forehead went down to the back of his neck, her index finger sliding up and down and finally tangling in a lock of his dark hair. alex relaxed his shoulders, letting out a brief sigh that was lost in the vague environment lit only by the street lamp.

“you tell me.” he said, feeling her hand briefly leave him only to rest on the tense muscles of his thighs covered by jeans. she closed her eyes, pressing her lips together in a moment of reflection, and alex wanted to be trapped in her deep devotion forever.

“taking into perspective what you said about the open sea… you would be a sailor. a brave and solitary sailor amidst the sinuosity of the water. brave, by the way.” she recited, gesturing serenely, simulating the waves of the sea as the wind hit her body. alex smiled, not letting the questioning expression on his face hide, which she didn't miss. "brave because at any moment your boat could capsize and you could drown."

alex didn't need any more words to understand that. he knew that things could change overnight, he knew that one day a simple and brief encounter between the two of them could be the last. he didn't like to think about the possibility, but he also couldn't let it go. in fact, he didn't want them to have one last encounter.

 "what if i want to drown?" alex asked, almost letting the words hang in the air. she turned her eyes to him. for the first time, she wasn't sure what to answer him. but that soon passed, and what she offered in return was a shy smile as she approached him again.

 "there won't be anyone to save you, alex." she whispered as if she were telling a secret, her mouth was so close that he could almost feel the texture of her sweet lips, but all he felt was her refreshing breath hitting his face with a brief, icy and aromatic touch.

“it’s not like i care about being saved.” he whispered back in the same tone, feeling her vibrant eyes hover over him, and deep down she admired the idea that he didn’t care about the fact that they might not work out, although she felt a little sorry. she really liked him.

“aren’t you afraid of the chaos that an open sea can bring?” she asked, and before he could answer, she kissed him sweetly, as if nothing else there mattered, not even the answer turner was about to give.

the kiss tasted like melancholy and mint, alex felt inert in the middle of a crossfire, but her arms around him and her hands bringing him closer when he felt she was a little far away gave him the feeling of being completely taken and tamed, just like the night does with the day. in a last act, his tongue snakes inside her mouth boldly just to take the candy, feeling her grunt between the kiss before feeling her smile against his mouth.

‘’a calm sea never make a good sailor. and besides, everyone needs a dose of chaos.’’ alex replied, letting the candy run inside his mouth to refresh each area. she smiled, licking her lips and closing her fist around the empty soda can she had drunk and left resting on the handlebars of the motorcycle to throw in the trash later. 

she walked away, alex missed the warmth of her body, but was content to watch her walk away, the wind always making a point of making its presence felt and adjusting her dress, giving her serenity with each step as her boots made an almost rhythmic noise on the pavement.

‘’you need to have a little chaos inside you to give light to a sparkling star.’’ she recited in a poetic tone, loud enough for alex to hear and smile as she threw the aluminum can into the trash can attached to the post.

‘’nietzsche,’’ he thought. ‘’she’s really extraordinary.’’ 

the first lightning flashed across the dark sky long enough to make them both look up. soon, she turned to admire the desert horizon, the night sky being illuminated by the flash of lightning hidden by dense clouds in different spots. she didn't notice that alex was right behind her, since he had gotten off the motorcycle and taken silent steps just to appreciate not only her, but also the scenery of a heavy rain on its way, rain of the kind that makes you take shelter somewhere until it passes completely and makes you think about how powerful nature is and how small human beings are compared to it. 

she felt alex's hand pass by her waist, a fleeting shiver when she felt him use two fingers of his free hand to move away the handful of strands of hair that were over her left shoulder, feeling the slight pressure of his lips on the spot. she felt the first drop of water splash on her forehead, opening her eyes and turning to alex with a contemplative smile. 

"i hope this rain lasts until tomorrow." she laughed, reaching into his jacket pocket and stealing the motorcycle keys, making alex aware that she would want to ride on the way home, and he wouldn't be able to deny her. alex let out a laugh through his nose, again feeling her move away as she walked towards the motorcycle as the raindrops began to become more frequent.

alex turned around, just as she wanted that rain to last until the next day, he would also like to feel her body next to his when he woke up the next morning. he wondered if she would call him to come into her apartment as usual or if she would just say "see you later" along with a resentful kiss.

but he was convinced that she was like all the sensations that made him feel more and more alive. and he wanted to get wet to the last strand of his hair in the middle of that storm in the shape of a woman.

[hauntingkiki]

OKAY SO idea with sloan! Sloan has a crush on another co-worker, and is telling reader alllll about it, gushing over her, giggling about her, etc., all while reader has a crush on Sloan secretly

:( baby doesnt know theyre so loved by reader

Ending can be fluff though, where it turns into Sloan pining for reader instead!

oh. my. GOD I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!

people who request sloan/venture things HAVE MY HEARTTT ILYYYY

Let Me Be the One for You

Sloan x Reader

OverWatch

2nd POV

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

today was day 91. simply; three months.

three long and exhausting months.

you, y/n I/n, have had a huge crush on your coworker for three months.

your crush, sloan camron, has been oblivious about your feelings for three months.

as of now, the two of you are sitting together, eating lunch and talking about whatever comes to mind.

"oh! and then aurora found me some quartz, since she knew i've been looking for them for YEARS." sloan beamed, pulling out a small handful of raw quartz from their pocket. the crystals were a plethora of colors; hazy grays, pinks, and clears were scattered in sloan's palm.

you nodded in agreement, gently picking up one of the stones that laid in their hold. "yeah, these are really pretty." you cooed, moving the rock around in your fingers, the gem glistening in the sun that was starting to set. "she has a great taste in rocks." you punned, making sloan snicker. you gently gave the rose quartz back to its owner, sloan taking a final look at them.

they shoved the rocks back into their pocket, grabbing their fork to eat their lunch again, which was hand made tamales made by their grandma. "but anyway, none of the boys want to go into the deeper part of the cave; i was wondering if you wanted to tag along!"

you glanced up from your food, which consisted of f/f and half a tamale from sloan. nodding, you started to eat the treat from your friend, a faint smile on your lips. "sure, i'd love to!" you gushed, a hand ghosting over your mouth since you accidentally started to talk with your mouth food, a habit you were taught not to do. swallowing, you finished up your lunch before packing up.

sloan grinned, their cheeks a faint pink as they took your trash into their hands once they were done with their food. they stood up once they got all of the garbage, turning in their heels as they spoke. "great! we'll go in an hour, yeah?" sloan quirked a brow, looking over their shoulder.

you nodded, humming in agreement. "works for me!"

sloan smiled softly and gave you a wave, walking with their chest puffed out toward a nearby garbage bag then to their tent when they discarded the trash.

you smiled stayed on your lips until they were out of sight, a frown twisting on your face as your head fell into your hands with a groan.

you've done everything you could think of in order for them to notice your feeling for them.

you told them that they looked great in a suit, that their eyes stood out with the colors they picked for the fancy dinner.

you fluttered your eyelashes a little extra every time you saw them, a little more when you talked to them.

you described them to a tea as your 'dream partner', but all they said was 'you'll find them! don't worry!'

you gently pulled at your hair as more memories popped into your mind, the hint getting bigger and bigger as they went on. 'jesus, how dense are they?' you thought, your eyes peeking through your the gaps between your fingers.

"still nothing?" one of your friends, samantha, questioned, sitting next to you on the rock.

"no." you huffed, pulling your hands away from your face. your eyes stayed on the mud in front of you, footprints scattered around the soft ground. "i feel like whitney houston wrote that song for me...the 'how will i know' one..."

samantha threw her head back as she hollered a laugh, clutching her sides. "it sure seems like it!" she giggled, wiping the tears from her eyes. "or maybe you're living in her song."

you shrugged with a snort. "feels like it." sighing, you pushed yourself off of the rock, stretching and cracking your joints. "well, i got a 'date' in an hour, so i got to get my gear on for that."

samantha's face softened at the statement, cocking her head to the right faintly. "y/n, really?" she gasped, standing up and stepping in front of you. she shook her head, her afro slightly bouncing with her movements. "girl, you're just hurting yourself by doing this. you need to tell sloan how you feel." she placed both hands on your shoulders, gently rocking you back and forth with knitted brows.

you ran a hand down your face, dirt getting smeared against your skin. "it's not that easy, sam." you protested, looking at her gear before meeting her eyes. "i work with them, we're in the same group. if i was in your group, then i totally would."

she tilted her head side to side, flexing her fingers as her palms stayed on your shoulder blades. "i get that. but it's been three months-well, technically longer- but you need to tell them." she jerked her head towards the area sloan's group was camping out. "if you don't do it soon, i will."

you slouched forward, your head tilted back as you whined, your hands gripping at your hair.

a nearby coworker walked past, stopping when samantha and you caught his attention. "sloan?" your coworker, axel, laughed, gear in hand as he made his way over to you two.

sam nodded, letting go of you as you fell back onto the rock. she crossed her arms, turning towards the taller, muscular man. "yep. won't seem to get the hint with this one." she teased, pointing at you with a thumb. "she's got a 'date' with them in an hour."

axel quirked a brow at that, his eyes slightly wide. "date?" he repeated, dropping the gear in his hands and turning towards your shriveled up position.

"YES!" you screamed, your hands flailed around in exasperation, startling the people around you. groaning, hurled back over, you wept into your hands. "we're going exploring deeper into the cave together." you pointed over in the general direction of the cave the two of you were going to go into.

"just..." axel started, eyeing you with an idea forming in his mind. "the two of you?"

you nodded, lifting your head up to see him softly smirking down at you.

"and you're going into the deep part of the cave, yeah?" he asked again, rubbing his hands together which made you gulp with a head nod. "the part where you need a pulley and gear for?"

you agreed hesitantly, sitting up fully. "yesss?" you dragged on, standing up after a moment. "why-why does it matter?"

samantha seemed to catch on, 'ooo'ing at axel with a smug expression that twisted her face.

"let's just say i can help you out." axel grinned, grabbing the gear off of the rocky ground.

•••

venture arrived at the deeper cave entrance. five minutes early per usual, but instead of being alone, there were two guys waiting at the entrance.

those two guys knew sloan's secret.

"kayden? zane?" sloan gasped, adjusting their gear as they made their way over to the two. "what are you guys doing here?" sloan started to sweat, their hands shook as they gripped the buckles that held straps of gear in place.

"we're your pulley guys." zane shrugged, cocking his head toward the steep decline into the earths crust. "ya know, for y/n and you."

sloan nodded. "o-oh." they gasped faintly, getting the straps to their liking, getting go of the cold metal that soothed their hot palms.

kayden sighed after a moment of long, painful silence. "sloan, can we be honest with you?" he asked, crossing his arms and shifting his weight to his right foot.

sloan nodded, swaying on the balls of their feet. "yeah-yeah, what's up?" they tilted their head to the side, swallowing hard.

"you're totally fumbling." zane piped in, also crossing his arms.

"yeah, she's been playing her cards right for MONTHS." kayden added on, pointing at the campsite.

sloan stumbled back, appalled at their outbursts. "what are you talking about?" they asked.

"Y/N!" they both groaned, trying to get it through their thick skull.

“fumbling? y/n?” they repeated, titling their head to the side like a lost puppy. “what are you two talking about?”

“sloan, she LIKES you.” zane huffed, rubbing his temples in annoyance. he loved sloan, but sometimes it was hard to get them to understand.

sloan shook their head, tapping their canteen with their fingertips. “no, no she doesn’t.” sloan shot the idea down. “she likes someone else.”

the two started at sloan in disbelief, their mouths slightly ajar as they glanced at each other then back to sloan.

sloan blinked a few times, a brow raising awkwardly as the two guys started at them in disbelief.

“you’re joking…” zane muttered, snapping out of his state.

sloan slowly and unsurely shook their head before becoming confident. “i’m…i’m not joking.” they chuckled awkwardly, rubbing a hand through their hair. “she described someone else-“

“yeah- YOU.” kayden laughed, throwing his hands on their shoulders. “who else has a chipped tooth with dimples? and flame tattoos on their neck?!”

zane nodded, walking over to kayden and placing a hand on the man’s shoulder. “and do you think a girl would compliment their…their-uh…” zane gulped, an unsure face expression pinged on their face.

“guy?” sloan quirked a brow with a monochrome expression.

“yes! no girl would compliment their guy friend who’s wearing a tuxedo to a company dinner.” zane snapped his fingers, his eyes vast as he spoke.

suddenly, it clicked in sloan’s head.

all of your interactions suddenly made sense to them in that moment.

“holy shit.” sloan gasped, their eyes darting to the floor, their cheeks turning into a deep wine red.

“i’m not late, am i?” you called out, jogging over to the three with a sweat drop. your attention flashed over to kayden as he flashed you a look, making you gulp with a slight nod. “sloan, you ready?” you walked over to them, smiling brightly.

sloan slowly nodded, making eye contact with you as they reached out for the hook that was tied at the end of the rope. “y-yeah..” they whispered, clipping the hook into their gear.

you followed in suit, the two of you slowly slipping into the jagged hole, your faces inches apart due to how small the hole was.

as the two of you went deeper into the ground, the darker it got, but small glows of color illuminated the tight squeeze, causing the two of you to stop and admire the beauty, and the occasional pick of rocks, gems and other goodies which went into your pockets for further research.

“wow…” you breathed out, looking around as small amounts of color highlighted your skin in all the right places, making sloan’s heart rate race. “it’s beautiful in here.”

they hummed in agreement, swallowing before clearing their throat, catching your attention. “do you…like me?” they whispered without reason, the two boys at the surface weren’t able to hear anything sloan and you were saying due to how far you both are, but they still couldn’t risk it.

your face flushed into a bright red, a coughing fit started which made sloan panic. “w-what?” you gasped once you calmed down from your attack, your eyes darting between theirs.

“do you like me?” they repeated louder this time, glancing away in shame.

the two of you fell silent, both of your hearts racing at the question that was brought up out of nowhere.

had they finally caught on?

did all the pieces of the puzzle click in their head?

or where they far fetching with said question and seeing if you’d bite, then when you’d answer they’d laugh in your face and tell EVERYONE once you two were back on the surface and they’d embarrassed you so badly that you’d have to quit your job, change your identity, move to a new country, and you’d have to find a new job and-

“i’m not mad!” sloan reassured almost instantly when the thoughts in your head started to get anxious. a hand made it’s way to their neck, their eyes lock with your vast, glassy ones. “i just…i just really, really want to know.”

you gulped, sweat building up above your brow and another places you don’t want to be thinking about as you felt the liquid make your joint slick. you clamped your eyes shut, faintly tilting your head down before nodding. “i do..” you mustered out, your voice cracking. you made eye contact with them, your eyes glassier than before. “i have for the longest time! i’ve tried EVERYTHING for you to notice, i-i tried complementing you, i tried acting a little more ‘extra’ around you. you name it, i’ve probably done it.” you let out a weak chuckle, your face and body unbearably hot as waves of heat rolled over you.

sloan’s body also started to become unbearably hot, their eyes the size of plates at your confession.

“and don’t get me started on why i like you.” you waved both hands around awkwardly in the small space, rolling your eyes as you snickered. “like-like how your eyes light up when you talk about your interests, or when you’re outside, when the sun hits your eyes just right which reveals small golden flakes around your pupil. or when you think about something, your left dimple peeks out for no reason, you don’t even do anything but it’s there for some reason. a-and when your holding back a laugh, your lips curl slightly and you can see your chipped tooth-“

“i like you.” sloan interrupted, face completely flushed from your ramble.

you froze, your face slowly turning red as you let the words settle. “n-no you don’t.” you shook your head. “you like…you like aurora- you never stop talking about her.”

sloan shook their head in disagreement, making you softly gasp. “i-i don’t…” they admitted, their fingers fidgeting at a strip of leather. “she’s was a stupid cover up crush cause i thought you didn’t like me, and i was trying to cover up my feelings so i wouldn’t get hurt in the long run.”

silence took over the two of you again, the sound of cloth shifting echoed in the small confinement.

sloan inched their hands towards your face. their dirty, calloused hands cupped your red, hot cheeks, their right thumb gently rubbed against your cheek bone. their eyes glanced between your eyes and down towards your lips before repeating the cycle about five more times. sloan started to lean into your face, their eyes slowly fluttering shut.

you gulped harshly, also leaning towards them as your eyes clamped shut. your hands found their way onto their chest, your left hand sliding up their chest and snaking up into their dark curls, your right hand staying over their heart as you felt it pound against their ribcage.

the two of you eventually met in the middle, your lips crashing gently against one another’s. sloan’s lips were, surprisingly, slightly chapped, as if chapstick was applied an hour or so ago before coming down into the cave, as if they knew this was going it happen (they didn’t btw). their lips were slightly plump and full as they moved in sync with yours, but you assumed it was good genes from their parents- which you were correct cause when seeing pictures, their mom had lovely lips.

butterflies fluttered in your stomach as you pulled them closer into you, both of your heads slightly turning to the right as you both deepened the kiss faintly, like you both have been craving this for years.

pulling away, the two of you stayed inches away from each other, your lips ghosting over one another.

“that was amazing.” sloan suddenly whispered, their lips faintly brushing against yours as they spoke certain letters.

you smiled, giggling softly as you leaned into their left hand. “kiss me again.” you muttered, making eye contact with them.

their eyes sparkled as they pulled you into another kiss, both of you smiling into it.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED!! THIS WAS SOOO MUCH FUN TO WRITE I HAD TO MAKE SURE IT WAS PERFECT!!

sorry there wasn’t a lot of gushy, sloan yapping about their crush to reader! i completely spaced it!😓

[simpingland]

The little lights// Osferth x fem!reader.

Summary: Osferth has many reasons to keep his love for you a secret. But there is a limit to everything, and if can't marry you, then he will make his bows during a secret handfasting ceremony by the river.

A/N: fluff and so much fluff!!!! Osferth does inappropriate things here but not specified.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Osferth found it hard to keep secrets, but since it was you, he always did his best, knowing that the consequence of not doing so would drive you apart. However, you always took care to give him a reprimanding look when he got too close or whispered things in your ear.

It had all started when Uthred and his party had let you get involved in their adventures when you were orphaned, you knew how to ride a horse and you were a quick learner. So taken in by father Beocca and Thyra, you soon became something of a niece to the Danish-English leader. To the rest you did not think you were too important. True, Sihtric and Finan were fond of you, as if you were fond of a friend, and Hild also helped you in the few things Thyra could not understand. But from the beginning, with Osferth everything was different.

The instant you rode beside him, his eyes stayed with you as much as the afternoon went on. And though it was Uthred who gave you water and bread to fill that empty stomach, it was Osferth who had accompanied you in prayer to watch over your parents. He knelt beside you, and his concentration inspired yours for hours. You had never been a devout Christian, and Osferth assured you that none of that mattered if you were good at heart. Even he didn't know at first if that would be the case for you, but he soon discovered that it did. It was when you tended his wound after the battle of Beamfleot that you watched over him day and night.

"Aren't you going to sleep at some point?" he would ask you when he regained consciousness.

"When you wake up. I have to watch to see if you suddenly stop breathing."

"And what would you do if that were the case?"

"Punch you so hard I'd make your light soul go back to where it was."

That managed to make him laugh, causing him some pain too, but after that the baby monk regained his colour.

"Everyone here wants to hit me..." he was referring to Finan and his threat to kill him if he died, and though he said it with a smile on his face, you felt a little sorry for him.

"I guess... I guess we're not all as sweet as you. You're always clear about how you feel, and you know how to say it."

"I disagree. My mind is constantly collapsed with thoughts and my heart is in knots."

"Because of faith?"

He nodded slowly. It took you quite a bit of courage to take his hand and stroke it. The coldness he conveyed was short-lived as he squeezed your hand back.

"I have seen true evil, Osferth. And I do not fear it, but I do hate it. And in you I see the opposite of hate. You are...all love."

You needed only the nearby rustle of leaves to let go, hands away again, and you lost yourself as Osferth's heart filled at your words. If this was a test, God knew he would not pass it. The days following his recovery were meals together, walking on your arm, letting him smell your hair, which you washed in the river. And he imagined you bathing with soap made by Thyra. And thanks to the soap it all really began.

He asked you, blushing, if you could wash his hair. His arm was sore and he felt dirty. The others he didn't trust, for they liked to laugh at his monk-cut, and threatened a few times to cut it off for fun. And you took him to the river where you bathed. Holding your hand, he followed your footsteps, without that oppressive sound of metal, for the weapons were outside, that place was pure comfort.

"Lie on my lap" you asked him. And his doubtful face made you question if that was a good idea. "Oh if you prefer, put your head down..."

He sat down next to you, but changed his mind. With the subtlety of a fawn, his head rested in your lap, and he watched you for a moment before closing his eyes and letting the water run over his head. Tenderly, the foam formed on his head and you rinsed him with a small glass. Your hands almost made him fall into a deep sleep right there. But when you wiped a wet bandage over his face he opened his eyes again. Concentrating on removing the stains, you tried to avoid the blue eyes staring at your lips. A moment of weakness and you looked back at him.

Who it was, it doesn't matter, but your noses brushed and your lips followed. There in the river, with the waterfalls dreaming and the frogs croaking, the soap disappeared in the water, but the butterflies in your stomach flew looking to burst into the air. That's what an Osferth kiss felt like. Immense, fresh, pure. From then on, the soap did not smell the same, it smelled like that sweet moment, repeated in a thousand different ways every time you and him were even the slightest bit alone.

You never noticed the looks the others gave you every time you laughed at everything Osferth dared to whisper in your ear. He tugged at your sleeves to hold your hand in the moments when your nerves ate at you, and you wrapped your arms around his shoulders when they marched far away and you were not allowed to accompany them, and by letting him take you by the waist, Osferth needed a whole world to let you go. Only Thyra would remove the tears that fell from your eyes at night when you did not hear from him. He always came back, and you saw his smile grow wider each time he was made proud among men, when he could bring you a small relic wrapped in simple cloth. His hanging cross was the only thing he kept when you went to the river. And there he would tell you everything he had seen, and everything he had suffered. He enjoyed washing your hair too, and he kept a lock of hair that he asked you for his travels. He cried on your shoulder more than once, and though he tried not to kiss you beyond your face, he soon reached your neck, and you could feel his hands wandering through the seams of your clothes, through the knots he imagined himself removing at night.

"I don't understand, Lord, why if I've been faithful to you so long you put me to this test. Put anything else in the way, I will overcome it, but it is only she who now occupies my mind..." Osferth prayed in his sleepless moments. "I ask you not to use her to break my heart. I feel that all her pain will be mine too."

The prayer could not avail him much, or perhaps it was precisely heard, when one night, one of those merry ones where the ale is quickly drained from the cups, Osferth and you led a secret dance, and where you went, he went. The music was secondary and a mere excuse to touch Osferth's hands so that he could cling to you. And the heat of happiness set your cheeks on fire and you stepped out into the cool of the night. In the courtyard of your house, near the tavern and where no one was yet around, you and Osferth lay looking up at the sky.

"You are a surprisingly good dancer, dear Osferth," you teased.

"That's not much credit coming from such a lousy dancer as you, my lady..."

Surprised by his comment, you gave him a gentle nudge and pushed him to the floor.

"I never expected such treachery from you.... This is not the monk I adore."

He turned you around, leaving you wrapped in the straw, and tickling you somewhat with his gentle grip. The cross hung down and brushed your neck. In the gloom, his face was still as distinguishable as in your dreams.

"I may never have told you..." he sounded sweet and serious, and his hand caressed the bridge of your nose. "But when you were in my care, I thought...I thought I was on the verge of death, and all I could feel with pain and fear was your presence beside me. I thought the Lord was preparing me to go in peace...sending me an angel."

Crickets chirped as you felt the excitement fill your eyes. You smiled like a fool at the sweet thought, and found it hard to believe. You could feel his slight embarrassment and you kissed his cheeks and could not help but giggle with pure joy. What to say to that? That you loved him? That it was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to you? He was the man of words. You only wanted one thing. And that night you got it. Starting with a kiss, the moon saw you finally shed your clothes and he let you explore his flesh. And out of that night came the biggest scare of your life and your greatest blessing in turn.

The news of the pregnancy nearly stopped Osferth's heart while it kept you in a state of disbelief that made you awkward all week. You needed to go cry in the river to come to terms with what was to come. You would never let go of that baby if you were healthy and had the money to raise it. But everything felt rushed and Uthred would not look kindly on this strange union between people he considered family and people he considered a team. Besides, Osferth would soon be off on a dangerous new adventure, and he himself had moral doubts about the whole life. What was clear to him was that he would not abandon you. There must be some middle step to bring you together and make that baby more than a bastard, for he had certainly sprung from the purest love.

"Marry me, please," he said as he brushed your hair away from your face, trying to wipe away your tears as well."

"No, Osferth...not like this."

"Why not?"

"For many reasons...Uthred will get angry with us, and if you depart married then you can die peacefully and I want you to stress yourself so much that you force yourself to survive long enough to come begging me to marry you..." that made me laugh, though you were quite serious.

"Then let's get married in secret."

"No!"

"Why?" he was beginning to stress. You took a moment to find the words.

"Because I've already hidden for too long how much I love you and this is the only thing I have left to give you! I want Beocca to walk me down the altar and I want Thyra to make me a wreath. I want everyone to see me happy because of you. I don't want there to be any doubt in your mind that I'll be happy because of you. Let there be no doubt in your mind that...as much as you're crazy about me...I'm pretty much in love with you too."

Smiling and thinking, Osferth enjoyed your little jokes that served to tell him the things that really mattered to you. And yes, he agreed, he wished to see Finan and Sihtric drink in honour of your union, and receive the full blessing of the man who had brought you together in the first place, Uthred. He needed everyone to see how beautiful you were and how happy you made him without contingency. He took your hand and caressed it, looking at it with a throbbing thought.

"There is a ceremony...less than a marriage, but it will soothe my conscience, and I hope yours."

In the sunset, on that river where you first kissed, a kind-hearted priest agreed to offer ceremony. Witness Hild, the first to have noticed your pregnancy symptoms and who did not question your actions. You bought a yellowish ribbon, like Osferth's hair, and with thread of a blue that reminded you of his eyes, you wove him a cross that stretched to resemble a sword. He, on the other hand, chose a greenish cloth, like that of the plants that grew in the river, and with white thread he had depicted outstretched wings, like those of an angel. When you exchanged them, Osferth kissed the cross while you caressed the weft of the thread, both of you with your souls full. Then the vows began.

In the handfasting ceremony, one did not join his soul to the other, but promised before the loved one that they intended to remain by eachother side in an uncertain future. Perhaps your child would be born a bastard, but the ceremony, in the eyes of god, and in your own eyes, was a promise of good intentions and love.

"I promise to become a man worthy of you and our family. I promise to try with every breath I have left to return to your side. I promise never to leave you uncertain of how much I want to live with you. I promise to cherish the protection I know you give me."

You were somewhat lost in the trance, and it took the priest to mention your name to get your attention. Osferth's cheek, occupied by his smile, was too pretty to look away.

"I promise...to wait for you calmly, to receive you with the gentleness you deserve. I promise to take care of everything we harvest, and I promise to always, always tell you the truth. I promise to help you whenever you ask. I promise to let you know how much I want to see you every moment of every day."

The priest speech was not that important for the last part in your humble opinion. There were many other things to look at and to listen to. And Osferth's gentle caress on your hand made noise. And your little discomfiture of joy that made you sway in your place was to Baby Monk a lovely dance. Though the kiss was not part of the ceremony, when the man fell silent, your arms leapt to his shoulders and Osferth. With bonds forgotten, you tugged at his hand and both of you hurt each other through inertia.

"Forgive me," he said tenderly.

"Forgiven."

With his loosened hand he was able to grasp your cheek and deposit at last the kiss you had spent the night dreaming of. Hild clapped her hands and withdrew soon after you thanked her for her discretion. And then you didn't quite know where to begin your life with Osferth, though really, it hadn't quite begun. Strolling along the river as the day wore on, leaving others to wonder about your whereabouts, neither you nor Osferth cared about anything beyond what happened on that river.

Your good soon-to-be husband held out a hand for you to walk through the water, and when he saw the beautiful fabric of the skirt you were trying to protect, he picked it up before it got wet. And he followed you carefully as you told him how much you would miss him.

"I will pray day and night for you to come home and meet our child," you told him sorrowfully.

"Don't pray for me, pray that they bring the baby to us healthy and strong...I will pray for that, and for you. And I will ask him, if it is not too much, to let me see both of you in my dreams."

You turned to cling to his rib, and he nuzzled the back of your head as you absorbed his scent.

"Oh, Osferth, please tell me you will never hold a grudge against me for derailing you from your calling as a monk? I can't help but feel guilty."

That revelation hurt him a little, empathising with the woman he loved most in this world and the one who would make him the happiest man in a few months. He lifted your face, stopping the walk, and kissed your eyelids.

"You didn't derail me, you led me. This is the life with which I have been rewarded for so many years of dedication. To be with you is not to forsake God. In fact, I can be nothing but grateful to him. If he sees everything, he will be unable to lose sight of all that I am moved by you."

You had to keep walking to hide the silly redness that filled your face, and Osferth's hand on your belly made you slow your pace. And though you were afraid of a thousand things, that feeling was indescribable. The purest state of happiness.

"I think it's going to be a girl," he said, stroking the fabric against your belly.

"I think it's going to be a boy," you contradicted him mischievously.

"They say that boys make pregnant women beautiful. And I see you looking the same as ever."

You gave him a shove as he laughed, but he didn't see the branch behind him and ended up falling awkwardly as he laughed almost completely. Now you were laughing as Osferth tried not to perjure himself from the cold.

"That's what you get for being an idiot..." you continued your walk, your dress starting to get soaked. Something in her look and half-smile made you suspect a thousand things. "Osferth no..." He stood up slowly. He approached you soaking wet and dripping. "I can't swim and you know it."

"Can't a man give his wife a hug?"

"Give it to your wife when you marry her."

"I can't resist, my lady!"

He pounced, instantly drenching you with his big body and wet clothes. And coldness mingled with laughter as you tried to escape him.

"Osferth! You're going to drop me, and I'm going to get soaked and catch a cold!"

You said it in jest, but something clicked in the Baby monk's head and he let go of you. He then ran to get the cloaks you had brought with you and helped you out of the river. He put yours and his own your shoulder. He helped you dry off and turned a deaf ear to your suggestion that he should dry off too. You gave him a kiss on those lips, and he seemed to calm down instantly.

The sun had already set by the time you returned to the house where your friends awaited you, your feet marking distance, but your eyes following each other's like a light. And perhaps, you were just that, lights on the other side of the room, endlessly tinkling, guiding and simply beautiful.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tag list: @slytherincursebreaker

[colossrat]

Anyone interested in the superficial lives of Gotham's socialites knows what a chicken Bruce Wayne is. This is a persona that Bruce puts a lot of effort into as no one would think that a playboy like him would be Batman, he's too busy kissing and making bad jokes with hot people.

That said, he is careful not to repeat the people he spends a night with. He makes mental notes to only be seen in public with this person again after a semester maybe

But one day, he finds himself forced to attend a party alone. The women he planned to flirt with and appear in front of the paparazzi just did not show up and he finds himself needing to pull someone to his side. He watches every corner of the room intently, looking for people he hasn't hung out with in the last six months, only for his eyes to be reluctantly locked on an oddly familiar, yet unfamiliar man.

This would be Clark Kent aka Superman, disguised as a high society figure looking for information from Lex Luthor and perhaps some gossip for the daily planet. Changing his posture, clothes, a fake earring and wig he SURPRISINGLY passes off very well as a shy playboy who has a lot of money but little attitude.

Outcome? After Bruce stares at Clark for 20 minutes mentally cursing himself while trying to remember WHERE he could know that guy, his mind suddenly wanders to memories of another strong man with a jaw as sharp as his, and he subtly finds himself thinking, "He kind of looks like Superman...?" and then once again “I never got with him? Strange” because IN FACT he has already effectively flirted with all the gay bi pan or any men from Gotham's high society who would subtly remind him of his co-worker.

Clark, breaking into a cold sweat (not really) thinking that Bruce Wayne was suspicious of him because of his farm boy attitude, begins to sweat even colder (not really) when the prince of Gotham approaches with a charismatic smile  and an extra drink, sticking to himself for the rest of the night with stupidly bad but very effective flirting. He finds himself laughing awkwardly as Bruce eats him with his eyes from head to toe.

But no matter how much Wayne flirted with that guy, making him blush, laughing like an idiot with those hands without knowing where to stop, he couldn't get ONE PHOTO. Clark was just very good at turning his face away at the right time, or covering up, hiding like a little mouse. Bruce thought it was strangely cute, but MY GOD, what's the harm in letting yourself be part of a little gossip? He needed an alibi that he was at that party before going around like Batman beating up some bad guys, but Kent wasn't cooperating at all. None of his photos would be in any gossip magazine if they weren't newsworthy like “Bruce Wayne caught swapping spit with mysterious playboy from Gotham”

Normally it wouldn't be that difficult for him, normally it wouldn't be difficult at all. This made him strangely motivated and curious about his new friend. However, he was never really able to find out more, as Clark left the party in the blink of an eye when he heard some crimes nearby.

In the end, Bruce had to cause a scene by pretending to be drunk to get the flashes in his direction. Nothing that showing your underwear while taking a shower in a decorative fountain won't solve.

This happened and months passed, to this day Bruce feels stupid for not having gotten that man's contact, also wondering how he disappeared from the face of Gotham since he never saw him again. But he wasn't a villain or informant since nothing happened in any way related to that party after that. So he wasn't a bad guy? Who was he???

Sometimes he thinks about it before going to sleep, losing the will and going to spend three hours in the Batcave researching the socialites who have already set foot in Gotham and trying to find this handsome man that he couldn't figure out.

im sleepy so maybe this is messy

[cwritesforfun]

Jamie Tartt x Fem!Reader: Neighbors

Y/N = Your Name

**I do not own Ted Lasso characters or the scene used in bold & italics or the New York, New York song by Frank Sinatra**

TW: Talking about Anxiety

Masterlist

Y/N's POV

Moving to Richmond (Greater London, UK) from NYC (USA) was scary because you had never considered moving abroad until your boss asked if you could work in the overseas branch for 1 year. You said yes like the people-pleasing employee you are. You applied, got a visa, and then soon enough, you were in Richmond. There was actually way more to it. It was a horrid process.

You moved into a nicer neighborhood to a one-bedroom flat near a tube station. Your work was paying for your place to live, so you didn’t care. It did seem posher than you would’ve chosen for yourself though. Your mom would tell you to find a man here because she wants you to marry well and she thinks you’ve been single for way too long.

You met your first neighbor in the hallway one night when you were getting back from a concert and he tried hitting on you. You could tell he was drunk, so you told him no. You would say yes if he was sober and meant it. Also if you knew him well before he asked you out. You liked being friends with guys before dating them. He was hot though, so you made sure to note that one of your neighbors was hot.

The next week, you turned on the TV and your hot neighbor was playing football or as you called it soccer. You then stalked his social media and found his name was Jamie Tartt. He seemed like an arrogant player from what you could tell online.

One of your job's perks was attending an AFC Richmond game with coworkers where you saw Jamie Tartt play. He was actually really good. It's good to see that his attitude online could be backed up with such talent. You had a pint or two because your work was paying the tab. You screamed loudly at the win! You got to go to the press conference to get quotes for your work and you made eye contact with Jamie who you could tell kind of recognized you. You said nothing and looked away. You didn't want anyone thinking there was something happening between you two when there was not. After the press conference, you grab drinks at a pub nearby before heading back to your place.

When you make it back to the apartment complex, you slowly walk up the stairs and you hear, "I knew I recognized you! You're my new neighbor!" You look to your side and see Jamie smiling widely. You smile back and say, "Yes, I am. You also hit on me when you were drunk. I said no." He replies, "That was for the best, trust me. I was feeling like rubbish that night." You laugh and he asks, "Has somebody had a little too much to drink tonight? You're taking these stairs slowly." You answer, "1, that's none of your business, but 2, my work paid for half of the drinks I had today. So long answer, yes." He smiles and says, "I need your job then. That sounds ace!" You both walk up the stairs together before parting ways.

The next day, you hear someone knock on your door and Jaime is standing there happily with a bag in his hands. He exclaims, "Hey Y/N, I brought you a housewarming present. I didn’t know what you liked, so I grabbed a few different things. I hope you like it.” You invite him inside, he hands over the gift, and you open it. It's a small succulent, a small chocolate cake, and beer. You laugh and smile. This was actually really thoughtful of him. You say, "Thank you. I really appreciate it. I think I'll have some of the cake tonight after dinner." He asks, "Ooh what's for dinner tonight?" You answer, "I made chicken, veggies, and rice. It's simple but good." He replies, "That sounds really good. I'll leave you to your dinner and your presents." Without thinking, you ask, "Would you like to stay for dinner?" He asks, "Really?" You nod and he agrees to stay. You both sit at the table talking for a few hours until he starts yawning. You exchange numbers before he heads out.

You and Jamie end up texting every day. You also start eating dinner together once a week then slowly it becomes two times a week…and then it’s every night he is in town. He travels a lot for games and with friends. You alternate who cooks and whose place you eat at. It’s a nice routine.

You even go out with him to a pub one night and you both get drunk, which means you both think you rocked the karaoke. You woke up the next morning to videos of your karaoke with Jaime everywhere on the internet. Lots of people ask what you are to Jaime in his comments. You’re glad that your social media accounts are all private. Your coworkers somehow have seen the karaoke video and freak out that you know Jamie Tartt. You don't end up seeing him that week, but you still text. He makes sure you’re okay with the karaoke video being public and checks in to make sure it’s not ruining your life to which you tell him it is not.

It's a Monday morning when you get a text from Jaime asking if you could have dinner together at your place instead of his. You agree immediately. You're excited to see him again no matter the change in plan. You missed his bubbly presence and his kind soul.

You finish work early, clean your place, and then start making dinner. You manage to finish it before Jamie arrives so you keep it covered then sit on your couch to scroll on your phone until he gets here. You see AFC Richmond lost their away game over the weekend. Oh no:(

You hear a knock on your door and you open it to reveal a visibly shaken-up Jaime. He walks in and you follow him. You wait for him to speak and he says, "I'm so I'm so tired. I can't sleep. I can't eat. I wash me hair but I don't use any conditioner. And it's like what's the fu**ing point? I feel like the guy in the Red Bull commercial who's pushing the big rock up the hill, but but he's lost his wings. Y/N, I feel like I feel like I've lost my wings." You open your arms and he hugs you tightly. You rub his back as he cries into your shoulder. You sit on the couch as he cries onto you for a while. He then confides in you about his worries about his dad and you talk about anxiety for a while. He also talks about the constant losses that his team has had. You have your fair share of anxiety about life and you even have daily medication for it. Jaime calms down enough to eat plain rice, which you're proud of him for. You know how anxiety messes with your stomach. He thanks you before heading out.

Jaime comes over the next night crying again and he falls asleep in your lap on the couch. You wake him up after 30 minutes because supposedly 30 minutes is the time for a good nap and you don't want him to wake up achy. You did like it though. He looked peaceful as he slept and he was so cute all flustered from his sleep.

You don't see him the next few nights, but he asks if you can be at the game over the weekend. You let him know that you already have tickets from your work and he likes the message.

At the game, you cheer loudly for AFC Richmond and you get more drinks. You and your friends go buy merch... you buy a Jaime Tartt jersey because you can't help yourself. You want to show your support for your neighbor. He’s not just your neighbor now. He's one of your closest friends... And well, you like him a lot. He's cute, kind, and a really great guy.

You get a text at halftime from Jaime leaving you instructions on how to meet some girl named Keeley Jones who will bring you down to the locker rooms to see him after. He explains that he needs you after this game. You stop drinking alcohol and switch to water at that point. This sounds serious.

After the game which AFC Richmond lost, you navigate around drunk blokes and fans of all sizes until you see a blond woman who matches the description from Jaime. You ask, "Hi excuse me, are you Keeley Jones?" The blond woman turns, does a double take, and says, "Yes, who are you? Do I know you?” You answer, "Oh sorry, right, I am Y/N. Jaime texted me that I was supposed to meet you here." She replies, "Wow, you're fit darling. I should’ve expected he would find a babe. Follow me. We'll talk on the way." You have so many questions… You follow her on the field and off to the tunnels. She asks, "So, how do you know Jaime?" You answer, "I am his neighbor. How do you know Jaime?" She answers, "Ah I'm his ex, but don't worry about that. I am happily with Roy and happily the team's PR consultant." You reply, "That's so cool. I bet you get a lot of crazy stories from the job." She laughs and says, "Oh I do. Do you like Jaime?" You answer, "Yeah, but don't tell him. I haven't even told him that." She replies, "Oh why not? I mean, you're wearing his jersey and he invited you down to the lockers to see him. It seems serious." You reply, "We're just really close and I've been there for him recently. I don’t want to ruin what we have. My coworkers were buying jerseys tonight and I didn't want to feel left out. I have to support my neighbor. He deserves it." She replies, "I like you. We're going to be friends after this. Ok, so this is the locker room. They might be naked, so let me enter first. Then, I'll let you know when it's safe. Oh and enter your number into my phone. We have to have a double date soon." You enter your phone and wait in the hallway. You sigh. Keeley is a lot omg... she seems cool. Ex-turned-team consultant?! You also said you liked Jaime out loud for the first time ever. That felt good to get off your chest to someone.

The locker room door swings open and Keeley sticks her out saying, "All clear! The boys have clothes on." You follow her inside and everyone stares at you. You wave and say, "Hi I'm Y/N." The coach who you've learned tonight during the game is named Ted Lasso excitedly says, "Ooh another Americano! Ain't that cool?" You smile and say, "I was born and raised in New York City." Ted Lasso sings, "I want to be a part of it New York!" You sing back, "These vagabond shoes Are longing to stray Right through the very heart of it New York, New York!" A man standing near Ted who you can assume is Beard says, "Don't get Ted started. He’ll keep singing. Y/N, I think you sing better than that karaoke video of you." You start laughing and you say, "I blame the alcohol for how I sounded in that...Hey wait, where is Jaime?" Everyone shrugs and Ted says, "I think he's showering." Oh... so now you just have to stand in the locker room ... great... Everyone introduces themselves first and you shake a lot of hands. Ted offers you to wait in his office with Roy, Keeley, and whoever wants to talk. You take up his offer because you feel awkward standing in the locker room with everyone surrounding you.

You sit in the seat Beard offers you and talk with some of them. Roy slides next to you and asks, "How do you do it?" You ask, "Do what?" He answers, "Put up with Jaime every day. We hear your name every day, so I assume you hang out all the time." Keeley says, "It's true. It's Y/N this and Y/N that. But hey Roy, get this, she likes the bloke." Roy sighs and asks, "And what you doin' that for? You could do better. Keeley did." Keeley slaps him and laughs. You say, "I think Jaime is kind. Did you know he brought me a housewarming gift? It was so sweet. He checks in on me as much as I check in on him, which it’s nice to have someone there for me. We also both have lots of anxiety in life. He's very hug-able if you count that. He also makes me feel understood and I think that's important." You hear, "You're going to make me cry." You turn and see Jaime standing there. He opens his arms and you rush into his arms to hug him. You hear a laugh from him and he asks, "When did you get this jersey?" You pull back from the hug, do a turn, and answer, "Tonight! I had to support you! Do you like it?" He smiles and says, "Yeah I think you should never take it off... Ready to head out?" You nod, say your goodbyes, and leave hand in hand with Jaime.

Jaime opens the passenger seat for you and you slide inside. He gets in and asks if you're up for a drive to which you agree. You pick up food on the way and make it to a pretty park with an overlook. He rolls down the windows, turns the car off, and says, "I figured we'd just park here and eat. I don't want to go back to my place yet. I did want to see you and bring you here though... I come here a lot to think or run. You can use it for thinking and running too. It's even prettier during the day." You reply, "I bet it is. I saw you play and you were great. I'm sorry you lost, but I'm happy that I got to see the game. I like seeing you play." He smiles and says, "Thank you, Y/N. It means a lot to me that you showed up for me then and now. I appreciate you... I heard what you said 'bout me to Keeley and Roy too. It was sweet of you to say. I feel the same about you. You make me feel understood too." You ask, "What happened tonight? The text at halftime really worried me." He explains how he invited his dad who didn't show up again then tells you about other pressures in his life. You can tell he's trying not to fully break down and you reach out to hold his hand as he talks. He gladly takes it and you rub circles on the back of his hand.

You both end up eating your dinners before heading back to your apartments. Before parting ways, you ask, "Hey uh Jaime, do you wanna sleepover? I know hugs make me feel better when I'm down and cuddles are like one long hug." He laughs and answers, "Yeah, let me just put my stuff up and change. I'll be right over." You nod and head into your place. You wash your face, change into pajamas, and get water for beside your bed. You make a glass of water and set it on the other side too.

You hear a knock and you let Jaime in. He asks, "What no jersey?" You answer, "It was getting stinky. I sweat so much in it tonight. I'm sorry." He laughs. He follows you to your bedroom and you both climb on the bed. He says, "Thanks for asking me to sleep over. I wasn’t ready to say bye to you just yet.” You reply, "I wasn't ready to say good bye to you either. I like being around you." He replies, "I like being around you ... and I just like you." You reply, "I like you too." He asks, "Really?" You answer, "You've always been my favorite AFC Richmond player too." He smiles and says, "Thank you. I'm glad or this would be more awkward." You laugh and say, "You're so cute. I hope you know that." He replies, "My followers on Instagram agree." You playfully hit him on the shoulder and say, "I bet they do. I thought you were hot when I saw your Instagram, but I also thought you were a player." He replies, "Only a football player, love." You laugh and he moves closer to you. He moves a strand of your hair out of your face and asks, "So you think I'm hot?" You answer, “Yeah, what are you going to do about it?” He asks, “May I kiss ya?” You answer, “Yeah.”

…

I visited Richmond omg and had to write an imagine about someone in Ted Lasso haha

[crazyk-imagine]

Gym Crush

Pairing: Benny Miller x Gym crush!reader

Characters: Benny Miller, William "Ironhead" Miller, Francisco "Catfish" "Frankie" Morales, Santiago "Pope" Garcia, Gym Crush!reader, Samantha (reader's friend)

Warnings: Fluff, cursing (briefly), gym, gym things, reader is a trainer and trains with her friend, I'm sad, I know gym things because of work, Benny is like horny but also not, Frankie is a tired old man, Santi a big flirty hoe, I feel like Will feels like he has no personality :(

Word Count: 1,959

A/N: Not gonna lie, while writing this... I had a thought. This is the first part of the non-official series/ universe for the TF boys called (in my mind) "Gym World"

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

The boys, Will, Santiago, and Frankie have always known when something’s up with the baby of the bunch. It’s hard not to.

It consumes him until he barely has anything left to offer. That’s why they knew this was something different.

Instead of running to the woman (he deems to be the woman of his dreams) he, instead, runs from her. Or, in better words, avoids her entirely.

Ever since they came home after their last mission, they’ve been living their lives the way they want to… or at least Frankie and Santiago are.

Will is slowly working a little more on himself, not wanting to scare off anyone else in his life like he did with his ex-fiancée.

And now, Benny’s life mainly consists of working out, preparing for his fights while working at his annoying side job as a convenient store clerk.

Today was no different for him, train and then go out for a celebratory drink.

Usually with the way he acts when he sees you, none of the guys want to come with him anymore and it makes sense since he’ll either stare while you work out and he thinks you don’t notice (you do) or glance in your direction and check to see if you’re getting closer, wanting to try and ask you out (never happens).

Will shakes his head, “you’re shameless.”

Benny hangs from the pull bar, smirking at his brother. “Better to be shameless.”

“Then?” Frankie chimes, finding himself intrigued.

“Nothing, just better to be shameless.”

-

"He's back." You move your headphones over your ear to hear your friend, Samantha better. "What'd you say?"

She purses her lips, "you know exactly what I said."

You smirk, "no I don't."

She groans and throws her head back. "Why are you like this?"

"Like what?"

"Next is the rower."

Your cheeky attitude quickly falls from your face.

Samantha points at your fallen expression and starts laughing.

Benny hides his humor when he sees you stomping over towards the rower.

You pout, strapping your feet in, “I hate this!”

She smirks, “I know! But we’re gonna do,” Samantha pauses, thinking about how bad she should torture you. “Three reps for five minutes with wall sits as your forty second break.”

Your eyes widen at her words. “No.” You shake your head, “nuh uh. No way.” You start to remove the straps.

“I have four back-to-back clients in an hour, and I need to be able to crawl and not walk.”

-

He drops down from the bar, wiping himself dry with the towel he keeps nearby (curtesy of Will).

Frankie nods to the older Miller, “you go get him, I’ll deal with Benny.”

Will sighs and runs after Santiago who’s trying to flirt with some of the other girls around. They’re not going for it, and he doesn’t want to have to talk to another security guard because his friends an idiot.

The younger Miller takes a step forward only to be stopped. “Ben, your fights in three hours we need to go.”

“I-” he sighs, glancing back at you. “Yeah, alright. Let’s go.”

-

The next couple of days are quiet and you don't see much of “your” mystery guy, it makes you a little sad to be honest.

And then, there he is, as if he was reading your mind, he shows up with the other guys he’s almost always with.

"Guess who's back to cure you of your depression?"

You roll your eyes and shake your head, shoving Samantha away from you. “Stop it.”

She chuckles as you head out of the employee office, grabbing your phone on the way out. “I’m going to work out while I wait for my next client to arrive.”

She nods before heading out.

‘Maybe today’s the day.’ You can feel his eyes on you. You continue to think about what to do while stretching. You catch his gaze in the mirror and a decision’s been made.

Santiago smacks Frankie’s shoulder when he sees you coming closer. “What?”

The latter turns, “oh shit.”

“What’s going on with you two?” Will asks, glancing between the two of them, waiting for an answer.

Santiago points to the space in front of Benny.

He doesn’t see you there at first, focusing on finishing his last set before getting off the machine he was using. “Oh shi-”

You chuckle, crossing your arms. “Hey, there.”

“Hey.”

“I noticed you’ve been staring at me for a bit. You got something you want to say?”

If he were a cartoon, his eyes would be as wide as his head followed by a nosebleed. “It’s- it’s not like that.”

“Then what’s it like?” You cross your arms. “I’m thinking you’re planning something hinky and quite frankly it worries me-”

His eyes widen even more. “No, no. I mean- I just- I didn’t mean to…” He pauses when he sees the way you try to hide your laughter. “Oh, you’re messing with me. Awesome.”

“Sorry, it was just too easy not to. But seriously, about the staring. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. I- you’re really,” he gulps, “good.”

You raise a brow.

“I’m just saying, I don’t normally see people pushing themselves as hard as you do… or when your friend does.”

You chuckle, “that’s true. But it’s not really anything worth admiring, it’s your average trainer workout”

“Well, I can tell you that you do a damn good job. I’m impressed.”

“Well, consider me flattered. A handsome guy like yourself, commenting on my workouts, kind of makes a girl want to ask said guy for his number and make him her workout partner.”

He glances behind him before pointing at himself, earning a nod from you. “You’re serious?”

“I don’t joke about these kinds of things,” you pull yourself up on the pullup bar, something you’ve noticed he goes on more than anything here. “Which is something you’ll learn about, the more we talk.”

He’s never pulled his phone out of his pocket faster than he did right now. “You want to hand me your phone?”

“You’re gonna do this one handed?”

“No, I just wanted to try and impress you.” You jump down and smile at him.

He is more than willing to offer his phone to you. “I sent a text to my phone so now you have my number.”

“Great.”

“If I don’t hear from you before nine tonight, I can’t promise I’ll be as speedy with my responses.”

“So, I should text you now?” He jokes.

You shrug, “whatever you think is the smartest decision.”

The dopey smile on his face never leaves even after Santiago starts teasing him again. “Wow, I never thought you’d ever talk to her and look at you, you didn’t burst into a puddle of desperation.”

“Can I hit him?”

“No,” Will shakes his head, “you can’t, Ben. You know that.”

“She’s coming back.”

“What?” He whips around and almost bumps into you. “Hey, you’re back.”

“I am. I’m impatient and I want to go out with you.”

He owlishly blinks, trying to get his brain to move faster so he can understand. “Really?”

“Yeah. My friend would say I’m acting desperate and insane for asking the weird guy with a staring problem out.”

He scratches the back of his head, “you guys caught that, huh?”

You pinch your fingers together. “Little bit.”

“And you still want to go out with me?”

“Don’t read too much into it. Text me when you’re done here and when you’re free later.”

You turn around and walk away, leaving the Miller, Santiago, and Frankie speechless.

“I never thought I’d say this this,” Santiago pats the younger Miller’s shoulder. “Can you teach me how you- show me your ways, wise one.”

Benny shrugs him off, pushing him away from him. “Shut up.”

“Guess we’re done here?”

Frankie glances at Will. “What makes you say that?”

“He’s going home to shower and then call her so he can finally go out with her.”

Santiago shrugs, “I mean, I guess.”

“He’s right. If you two aren’t done, you’re on your own.” Benny throws his bag over his shoulder. “Come on, Will.”

-

You hit the call button, “Sammy!”

“What?”

“I did it.”

“I know you did; I was there.”

“I don’t know what outfit to pick you bitch.”

“How do you even know he’s going to call? Stupid question, I know. Moving on. Do you want to look slutty or a little conservative?”

“What makes me look better? Slutty or not slutty?”

“Where’s he taking you?”

“I don’t know.”

“How am I supposed to help you pick an outfit when you don’t even know where you’re going. I’m hanging up.”

“Wait- no.” You groan and are about to toss your phone down onto your bed when you get a text from Benny.

Hot Gym Guy

‘Wear something comfortable I don’t know if I already told you where I plan on taking you it's not gonna be some anything too crazy’ 4:36pm Sent Read

You smile holding your phone just a little closer to you.

Eye Candy

‘It’s like you knew what I was thinking’ 4:38pm Sent Read

‘Makes sense seeing as you’ve been watching me over the last few months every time you were in the gym’ 4:38pm Sent Read

He chuckles hoping this is going to be a good start to the date. He’s happy he kicked Santiago and Frankie out of the house now and thankfully Will had other plans.

Now he's debating calling you to invite you over or take you out to a restaurant followed by you coming over, not for anything that would be normal for his past self (as the other guys would say).

Hot Gym Guy

‘Would you rather do something fun and casual at my place or something new and different at a restaurant?’ 4:41pm Sent Read

You don’t think he has an ulterior motive because you know that he’s being genuine and asking you so you’re not uncomfortable.

Eye Candy

‘Are you a good cook because if not I think should go to a restaurant’ 4:43pm Sent Read

‘Not to offend you, I’d like to not have food poisoning tonight’ 4:44pm Sent Read

‘We should*’ 4:45pm Sent Read

Hot Gym Guy

‘I could whip up something decent and if it’s not up to your standards then we can either go out to a restaurant or have something delivered’ 4:46pm Sent Read

‘It’s up to you.’ 4:46pm Sent Read

You shake your head, even though Sammy really thought that he was creepy; turns out he’s really the sweetest guy you've ever talked to.

Eye Candy

‘Send me your address and I’ll tell you in person’ 4:51pm Sent Read

You knock on the door and wait.

The door opens less than a minute later. “Hey.”

You smile. “Hey.”

“Have you,” he clears his throat. “Have you made a decision?”

“I hope you're as good a cook as you are handsome.”

“Oh, baby. You have no idea.”

-

And let’s just say the next time you guys went to the gym (together, of course) everyone you knew was thanking all the gods that you two finally got together, until they realized that your guy's fawning was going to be ten million times worse because you’re together.

"Another day of him staring at her," Frankie comments, watching you two.

"How long are we going to see this?" Will asks, working on his bicep curls.

“I don't want to see him drool again; I'm going over towards the smoothie bar." Santiago walks away.

“I don’t know but I think we need to go back and grab Santi before he does something stupid,” the ex-pilot tells the older Miller.

“For fucks sake,” Will grumbles, putting the weights back in its place. “Let’s go.”

-

Taglist

@casa-boiardi

[lizaawinchester]

promise me, you wont decide for me

Title: you need to promise me

Word count: 1442

Description: After living with the boys for years and having a non official relationship with dean you finally decide to bring it up. His need to protect you has always stopped you from titling what it was you had together but after an easy hunt just you two and Miracle in your hometown the nostalgia reminds you of how much you want to be able to make your love for him public. but first he has to promise never to push you away just because he thinks you're better off without him (Post Chuck; (dean never died in my head)

tw- none

You were tired of leaving his bed after an amazing couple of hours together, sometimes only talking and watching movies, sometimes steamy sex only to sleep in a cold bed alone 2 rooms down. In a tired haze you wondered what he was thinking as you both fell asleep sharing an old creaky bed with the awful tv playing a random movie.

There were never any set rules with your arrangement but you never really talked about it. Just living together with Sam in the bunker meant that you had practically already been a couple. Everyone knew the feelings were mutual but it was never discussed. Small I love you’s were said occasionally and you two would cuddle up in private. Sharing your favorite movies and talking about everything from your wildly different childhoods to your worst memories. Eventually you started hooking up and that lead to where you were now. Alone together in your home state in nostalgic town for you. This area was memorable for you as a kid and when you saw that there was likely a Vamps nest nearby you had to come and get rid of it. After finishing late at night you and Dean decided to just keep the room an extra night to let Sam and Eileen have the bunker to themselves for one more day. You had come here with your family and made your best in this little town before your parents were possessed and killed by angels. Even in the freezing cold of February you remembered the good parts of having a somewhat normal childhood here and getting into hunting later in life, unlike the Winchester brothers.

That night you asked Dean if he was open to the idea of making it official, being back home made you remember the love you had always wished for and practically already had but were too afraid to admit. In his half asleep voice he admitted "I wish you were mine from the second I wake up to the second I fall asleep." before falling asleep with you in his arms.  Slowly, knowing that his tired self was not up for much of a conversation you fell asleep too, thinking of how to possibly bring this up again on the long drive home tomorrow.

The next morning.

Taking miracle out to run around before your long drive back to the bunker you decided to get it out of the way hoping he even remembered the conversation from his half-asleep state

Staring at the rocky pathway you practically whispered, “So about what you said last night, did you really mean that”

D “of course." he said surprised you would even ask. "I mean I am ok with this sort of together but not really officially thing, but I mean it when I say I love you and I would rather have you officially be mine than be friends who have and are aware of their feelings”

“If were going to do this you need to promise me something.”

“Ok… “

“I make my own decisions for myself. I know what is best for me and you cant try and decide that”

“ok… I know that you can make your own choices. Where are you going with this”

“I need to know that one day when you are feeling shitty or when I am pissed off by something you’re not going to tell me to leave. If you ever tell me to go because you are bad for me, I will not come back”

“wait so you want me to promise that I will never end it, because I never plan on telling you to leave.”

“No. I am saying that you can never, I mean ever, try to tell me that I am better off without you or I deserve better than you. I deserve what I want and someone who loves me enough to see that. With jack in charge we control our own lives and that includes me too. I know you don’t see yourself the way that I do but I know that there is no one out there better for me.”

“Y/n.. ”

“No let me finish. If I thought you would do anything that would hurt me, I would not be here, living with you and sam. You are the kindest and most loving person I know. You let me sleep in your bed after having a panic attack and you make me feel safe. You are definitely the best sex I have I ever had plus you let me take all of the covers and because you know I get cold at night. You are the best person I could ever find for me and  If I thought that you were not what was best for me I would leave on my own.”

“what if I am not what is best for you”

 “then we should not be together at all. But that’s just it you are.

You stopped your walk grabbing his arm to turn him to look at you. “I need you to see that I want you and all of you. The good and the bad because if you want to be with me you have to love all of me the good and the bad.”

“I don’t think there is any bad”

“Then youre lying to yourself… or you don’t really know me” He practically glared at you as you said it.

“ Cmon you cant say that. I know you better than anyone, even sam. And I do love you, all of you”

“ok then if you love me you cannot wake up one day and decide that you think I deserve ‘better’ or deserve more. I don’t want to have ‘normal life’, especially not if it means I can’t have you. Living like this sucks sometimes but so does every life and I don’t want to leave the bad parts because it would mean leaving all of the good parts too.”

“ok I think I get what you mean. You’re really mean when you’re hungry but I wouldn’t change it because when I start making burgers you come up and hug me from behind”

A small laugh fell as you smiled up to him. Picking up the tennis ball Miracle dropped at your feet. You turned to throw it before looking back at him and said,

“So I need you to promise me that you will not make that choice FOR ME. You will not try to tell me that you are bad for me or I should leave because you think I would be better off. I would have asked months ago but you always try to protect me from everything and I will not lose you because one day you decide you need to protect me from you.”

 You looked at each other for a long second as the wind blew by your face. Your ears stung as the sharp air got under your hair and you shrugged your shoulders for the large coat to cover you.

“if you are ever going to end it, it will be because you want to, not because you are trying to protect me from something”

He looked down to you, and you squinted up blocking the sun coming from behind his head. He wrapped his arms around your waist pulling you in to his warmth, blocking out the wind for a moment of relief to the cold. You looked up and locked eyes as you held your arms to your chest protectively, unsure what he would say next.

“I promise you that I will never try to end this for your benefit. I will let you decide what is best for you. But I cannot promise that I will not protect you because hat I will always do.”

He pulled you in closer moving his arms up your back to pull your head into his chest and kiss the top of your head. Staying comfortably there for a second as you both lightly swayed with his heart beat. Letting go only when Miracle jumped on his knee and released you back to the cold to lean down and throw the ball to the water. Grabbing your hand walking along back to baby.

“I mean if you get tired of me or my hunger mood swings and that’s why you want me gone, I would understand”

“ok so I can break up with you, but only if you really piss me off.” Dean said sarcastically as he turned to meet your eyes already looking to him

“yeah and If you tell me to leave because you have decided its what its ‘best for me’” you said using your one hand for air quotes, “then I will chop off your head with a machete. I’ve beheaded plenty of monsters, you know I can do it”

 He smiled, laughing at your dark humor before switching from holding your hand to wrapping an arm around your shoulders “ok I promise I won’t tell you what’s best for you”

[k-evans-reads]

In Living Color

Chapter 21

Summary: When Natalie Marton, lead character designer for Buzz Lightyear, meets the voice of Buzz, Chris Evans, the sparks are undeniable. But when their work pushes them away from each other, both physically and emotionally, will the sheer differences between their worlds be enough to force them apart?

Pairing: Chris Evans x Pixar Animator OFC Natalie Marton

Word Count: 4,358

By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour

We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.

Warnings: None.

Previous | Main Masterlist | In Living Color Masterlist

April 2022

Nat balanced the phone between her shoulder and ear as she put a dish in the oven, shutting the door as she turned on the timer. “So have you given work an answer about the promotion yet?” Her father asked, his voice a calming wave over her as she cooked dinner. 

“Not yet but I have to by Monday,” she replied, biting her lower lip as she watched the timer count down on the small screen. She had a lot going on, a running to-do list in her mind – and on her phone, her computer, and the back of her hand – but at the top of it right now, was the man on his way from the private airfield nearby. “I was going to talk to Chris about it last weekend when I went to his sister’s wedding but obviously that didn’t happen. I tried to talk to him a few times this week but he didn’t have time but he’s in town this weekend for his friend’s bachelor party, and he’s coming over soon so I’ll talk to him then.” 

Eric made a small sound at those words, assuring her, “I’m sure he’ll be so excited for you.” 

“I hope so,” she sighed, frowning as she stared down at the stove top in front of her. She ignored the messy remnants of the previous week’s cooking, the messy kitchen sink, and the billowing work bag strewn across the kitchen table, scrutinizing herself and Chris rather than the chaos surrounding her. 

“You don’t sound so sure…” 

She sighed again, tilting her head back as she stared up at the ceiling above her. “Chris has just been so unhappy about my hours and work lately that I’m afraid when he hears the word ‘promotion’ he’s just instantly going to be against it,” she admitted to Eric. It’d been a build up that hadn’t gone unnoticed by Nat, starting in January. She and Chris had discussed her schedule while in Washington for New Year’s, but since then, something had shifted between them. She’d long attributed it to the distance really being back in full-throttle for the first time in several months, with Chris across the country working long days on set while she worked long days in Burbank. But as plans were changed, canceled, and argued over, she recognized that the distance she felt wasn’t the physical distance, but their minds. They were in different places, focusing on different things, and life just felt as if Chris was suddenly not the companion he once was to her. 

He sighed on the other end of the call, and the noise made Nat feel as though he was sitting right behind her in the kitchen, watching as she cooked. “Just remember to make the right decision for you, Nattie. You’ve worked for this for so long and I don’t want to see you give up what you want for a guy,” he encouraged, his voice firm and proud. “I saw you hold firm to who you were through everything with Shane and I was so proud of you for that.” 

“Thanks dad, that means a lot to me,” she spoke honestly, but her mind was racing as she moved around the open apartment to sit on the small sofa. As she folded her legs next to her, she added, “I hope I’m just worrying over nothing. Hopefully Chris will see that this will have me working less in the long run and is a good decision for us. It’s been so hard lately with Chris being gone and then he told me before I went to Atlanta that he signed onto another project for the fall and winter so it’ll be nice I’ll have more flexibility to visit him by then.” 

“Yeah,” Eric told her quietly, his voice sounding distant suddenly. 

“Dad? What are you thinking?” 

“What? Why do you say that?” 

“Because I know you and I know that ‘yeah’ meant you’re thinking something,” she insisted, rolling her eyes to herself as she leaned back against the soft cushions of the couch. 

Eric sighed, the action sounding almost frustrated while he delicately began, “Nattie, honey you know how much I love you. And you know how much I love Chris and how happy he makes you.” 

“But…” She trailed off, practically able to hear the argument coming from her father. 

“I just can’t help but wonder why he’s the one complaining about your hours but then is also the one signing onto new projects,” Eric hurriedly confessed. He knew some details of what’d happened between Chris and Nat lately, but she wouldn’t be surprised if he had heard more from either of her sisters. She mulled over his words, seeing the validity in them, that Chris was the one disrupting her schedule when it was convenient for him. “I’m not saying that he shouldn’t be doing what he loves but it seems like from what you’re telling me that you’re the one making more of the decisions for your relationship and he’s still kind of doing what he wants.” 

“...I think some of it is just that he’s worried about me working a lot but I do think that a part of that might be true,” she admitted slowly and carefully, choosing her words deliberately. “But I’m not just making this choice for our relationship, I want this promotion too. I want what it could offer me and that it can help me keep moving up.” 

The familiar, comforting sideways smile of Eric’s was evident in his voice when he assured his youngest, “Then I think it’s as simple as that, Nattie. If you want to do it, then I think you should do it, plain and simple.” 

“I want to do it,” she decided, her voice clear and steady. 

“And I’m so proud of you Nattie. I remember filling out those forms for art school and just knowing that you’d go on to do incredible things, and you have,” Eric told her, his voice thick with emotion as tears threatened to spring from Nat’s eyes. “I wish your mom could be here to see it, but I’m proud enough for the both of us.” 

“Thanks dad, it means a lot to me,” she murmured, but as her phone chimed with a text and she pulled it away from her ear to momentarily read it, she told him, “Hey Chris just texted me and said he’s on his way up, but I’ll call you tomorrow.” 

With her father’s praise rattling around Nat’s mind and Chris’ impending arrival looming, she listened to the sounds around her. The gentle humming of the oven as it ran, the rattling of the air conditioner outside her unit, the chirping birds, the occasional honking horn from the road outside, and eventually, the sound of a familiar set of footsteps approaching her unit, until finally – the sound of a set of keys unlocking her door. 

It didn’t take long for Chris to cross the room and have his arms around her, holding her tight against his chest as their lips pressed together passionately. Although there were so many things lingering around them and swirling inside of Nat, it still always felt so good when she was with him. Somehow things just felt a little less chaotic when they were together, but she just only hoped that it stayed that way once she told him the things he didn’t know yet. 

Nat let him pull her onto the couch, her legs in his lap and his hand rubbing along her thigh as they caught up, sharing so many of the things they hadn’t had time or space to. But even as they talked, eventually moving to the table to eat together, that gnawing feeling showed up inside her as the inevitable loomed and soon enough, Nat just couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Chris, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” she finally told him, her fork rattling as she dropped it against her plate. 

His brows rose and fell quickly as he wiped his face with a napkin, murmuring, “That doesn’t sound too good.” 

“No, no, it’s good but I just wanted to be able to tell you before you go back to Atlanta tomorrow,” she assured him, but was unable to help herself from tapping her foot anxiously against the floor. 

“What is it, baby?” He asked, nodding his head encouragingly as curiosity took hold. 

“Last week I had a meeting with the department head of animation,” she began, pausing to note the miniscule changes in his expression, knowing he had a horrible poker face. “And he was telling me that they’ve been really impressed with all of my designs that I did for Lightyear and that they thought I did a good job as the lead character designer for it.” 

His jaw dropped a bit as he shook his head, a sideways smirk on his lips while he assured her, “That doesn’t surprise me at all. You’re so fuckin’ talented Nattie.” 

“Well that wasn’t all he wanted to tell me…you know how I’m the lead designer for Disgust on Inside Out 2?” She paused, smiling a little as Chris immediately nodded in acknowledgement. “He told me that they want me to move to overseeing the development of all the characters in the film.” 

“Seriously?” Chris asked, pausing himself before he delicately asked,  “… is that what you want to do? I mean, what exactly would that job look like?” 

She took a long sip from her water glass, her foot still tapping nervously as she explained, “I wouldn’t be really designing the characters myself anymore and doing the day to day type stuff but instead I’d be the person that the leads report to and I’d kind of give them feedback and make sure all the designs are fitting in the mold of the movie and everything.” 

“So you wouldn’t be designing yourself?” His voice quietly asked.

“Well, not really,” she answered, shrugging her shoulders as she nervously pulled her long-sleeved tee over her hands. “It’s overseeing more.” 

“Do you want to do that, Nattie?” 

She nodded, her gaze breaking away from him as she stared past him into the hallway. “It’s a huge promotion, like honestly it’s kind of unbelievable that they offered it to me,” she shook her head, adding on, “I’d be moving up the ladder and switching over to Pixar.” 

His brows furrowed in confusion and he tilted his head, clarifying, “So wait, you wouldn’t be at Disney Animation anymore?”

She took a deep breath as the other aspect was finally brought up, informing him, “No, I’d be going to Pixar since all the leads are at their headquarters in San Francisco.” San Francisco had always been in the back of her mind, especially with how often Jamie went back and forth for meetings and events, but especially as of late. She’d kind of reached her peak for growth at Disney Animation, having a much smaller-scale Pixar team here as compared to in the Bay Area. It was the natural progression, not only for her specifically, but for nearly anyone involved with the company. 

Chris leaned back in his chair, his lips pursed as he unhappily concluded, “So you’d have to move if you took the job.” 

“...You don’t sound like you’re very happy about this,” she replied, her brows furrowed and a deep frown on her lips as she stared over at him. She thought he’d be thrilled. She didn’t see why it mattered to him whether or not she was in Los Angeles anymore, especially given how little he’d been in the city for any reason that wasn’t to see her in the past year. A few meetings happened, sure, but if he was in Massachusetts, Georgia, or anywhere else, what difference would it make that she wasn’t in this city? 

“I’m just surprised I guess. I wasn’t expecting you to say this,” he shrugged, his voice clipped and frustrated, causing Nat to sigh exasperatedly. 

“It’s a huge step in my career that I think it’d be stupid not to take this,” she explained with a shake of her head as she dropped her napkin on her plate. “This is making a career out of art.” 

“Haven’t you done that already though?” 

“But now I’m the one in charge of it though. I’m overseeing all of it,” she explained, her hands moving wildly as she attempted to explain the entire picture to him. 

“Nattie this just… doesn’t seem like what you wanted before. You love being able to actually create the characters and now you won’t get to do that,” he dismissed her enthusiasm, running a hand through his hair as he shook his head. “I don’t really get where you wanting this is coming from.” 

“You’re the one who’s always complaining about my hours and wanting me to work less so I thought you’d be happy about this,” she pointed out, biting her lip as she huffed out a breath. “I wanted to do this for us.” 

“I just am shocked, I guess,” he shrugged, eyes looking away and around the apartment as he thought. “But we can think it through and talk about it to see what’s best for us, I’m sure you don’t have to give them an answer immediately, right?” 

“I have to decide by Monday and I want to say yes,” she told him, knowing the date Jamie and the other heads had given her. Her mind had been racing ever since, but she knew in her heart what she wanted, and it was to prove her worth beyond the small impacts she’d made, to take the logical next step so that in the long run, they’d get more time together to do the things she knew they’d both craved and dreamed of. “They want me to move up to San Francisco soon if I say yes.” 

Chris scoffed as he shook his head, his voice dripping with near-sarcasm as he told her, “So basically what you’re saying is that it doesn’t matter what I want because you’re going to say yes anyway.” 

“That’s not what I said and you know it,” she told him firmly, her voice wavering slightly as she watched the way he reacted. “I was going to talk to you about this last weekend but I got sick. That wasn’t my fault, Chris.” 

Nat watched as Chris abruptly pushed his chair back, a horrible screech from the wooden chair scraping against the floor, before he stood up, walking a few long strides away as he ran a hand through his hair anxiously before turning around and blurted out in a sharp tone,“So you’ve known about this for a week and just didn’t want to tell me,” 

While tossing her napkin on the table, Nat stood up and insisted, “I tried to tell you this week and you were too busy to talk to me!” 

“I was filming!” His blue eyes were wide as he threw both hands up in the air. 

“I told you that I wanted to talk and you didn’t make time for it! What was I supposed to do?” 

“You could have fuckin’ told me it was about your job!” Chris’ six foot frame suddenly seemed so much taller and the space between them feeling so much farther as he shot back, “I kind of would like to fucking know when you make decisions that alter your life and mine by the way.” 

But with this explosion of emotions, Nat couldn’t help but wonder if the selfish side of him was just annoyed that it would affect him and that their relationship would take a lot more work now than it had before. Her hands came to her hips as she fired back at him, “Are you just pissed because I’m going to have to move?” 

With a scoff and his head turning away for a long moment, shaking it back and forth before he loosely waved his hand, struggling to find the words before his voice came back a bit softer than it was before, “I thought we were getting closer, Nattie. I thought that we were really serious here and now I feel like you just threw it all in my face!” 

“I thought you’d be happy for me but I guess that’s too much to ask,” Nat felt her anger rising. As much as it hurt to hear his push back to her news, it almost hurt feeling the same sort of rejection and unimportance as she had before, telling Chris, “This is exactly what happened with Shane. He pretended like he cared about my career until it didn’t suit him and then he wanted me to drop everything that I’d worked for to go be with him and now you’re doing exactly the same thing!” 

“What the fuck, Nattie!” He exploded, blue eyes growing wide as his voice boomed. “I don’t give a fuck where you live! I don’t want you to drop everything for me but this just isn’t you! I don’t fucking know why you’re uprooting your life to go do a job you don’t want!”

Nat shook her head, curls bouncing wildly and she leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed over her chest as she retorted, “Oh it’s nice to know that you know what I want more than I do now.” 

“When have you ever wanted to be a fucking mananger, Nat? What part of that is you?” Chris insisted as he leaned his upper body toward her, a hand held in the air like a question mark. 

She pointed a finger at her chest, loudly reminding him,“The part that has busted my ass for over a decade working to make art my career.” 

“And you have! You’re doing what you love so why do you want to do this now? Why do you want to be a manager and not design things yourself and move away from Mark and Jamie and all your friends here?” 

“Because this is a huge deal! You have no idea what this promotion could do for me!” 

“Like what? What could it do?” He wanted to know, eyebrow cocked as he stood up fully upright, his arms crossing over his chest mirroring her position. 

But Nat wasn’t going to let him bulldoze her and answered his patronizing question, “It could let me keep moving up. It can open doors for me to keep progressing in my career!” 

“What the fuck does that even mean? So you can go sit in some office and make sure everyone is doing their job? Nat, you’re the one creating things, not the one making sure they’re getting done,” he argued.“Why is your end goal moving up the ladder?” 

“Because that’s something most artists never get. Most artists don’t ever get to do this, especially people like me and I can’t throw this away,” she was firm in her statement. 

There was a long silence between them, both staring at one another with a harsh gaze. Nat stayed in her place, arms crossed defensively as she watched him take a long breath before turning his back to her, walking over to the other end of her apartment as he looked out the window for a long moment before coming back to his previous position right in front of her. She watched as he rested a hand on his hip, the other running through his short hair and his tone was softer as he brought his blue eyes to meet hers, “Look, I don’t know what the fuck is going on but this isn’t you, Nattie. You’re an artist and a damn good one and now suddenly you decide to take this promotion immediately and basically become a manager?” 

“I’m still an artist but it’s time to grow up,” Nat’s answer was simple, emphasized with a soft shrug. “I’ll still be creative but now I'm just overseeing it instead of doing it myself.” 

“But doing it yourself is what you love!” He insisted, both hands held out as he rationalized, “I thought you were wanting to do your own art and make more time for that and now suddenly you’re moving and doing this?” 

“This is the career everyone wants. Everyone wants to move up,” she struggled to understand how he couldn’t see this. He couldn’t seem to understand that not every creative had the opportunities he did and had an upward trajectory. Chris didn’t understand what it was like to struggle to make it in the creative world and how much this promotion validated that all her hard work had paid off so she decided to put it plainly for him by telling him, “This is the dream.” 

But Chris just shook his head, eyes flickering down for a minute before clarifying, “No, it’s not your dream.” 

“And since when are you an expert on my dreams?” 

“Since I fell in love with you and got to know who you are,” Chris reminded her that she wasn’t alone on all of this, but any softness that was there seem to get ripped away when he sarcastically scoffed, “Seriously, what is this? Is this little Nattie trying to follow in her big sister’s footsteps and prove she’s successful like they are? Or are you just trying to run away from what you really want?” 

“This is what I want!” Nat yelled, not knowing a more simple way to get it through his thick skull. 

“So what the fuck was all of that shit after your art show about wanting to create for yourself? You told me that you wanted to slow down and focus on the things in your life that made you happy and that you didn’t want to get caught up in what society deemed as being successful and now here you are doing exactly that!” Chris’ tone rose to match hers before asking with his left eyebrow raised, “Or was that just a bunch of bullshit you fed me because that’s what you thought I wanted to hear?” 

But Nat just couldn’t understand how no matter what she said, no matter what she told him that she was feeling, it was met with an argument and could only arrive at the conclusion, “I feel like you just don’t want me to succeed!” 

“You’re right, I don’t want you to succeed at things you don’t give a shit about! I want to see you succeed at the things you actually want in life!” Chris insisted, his whole body filled with tension as his low voice scoffed, “I thought that our relationship was one of them.” 

Nat wasn’t about to let him put everything on her though. She had supported him in so many things along their relationship and didn’t understand why he couldn’t do the same for her now. She knew how unfair he was being and questioned,“Why does getting a promotion and moving mean I don’t want our relationship to succeed? You took on two more projects for this year that put us on separate coasts and the only thing I did was cheer you on and now when I have an opportunity you just shoot it down and try to convince me that I don’t want it!” 

“Sorry for trying to fucking make sure you’re doing what’s best for you Nattie!” 

“Why do you always assume you know the right answer to everything?!” She shouted, not understanding how he felt he held the magic answers to everyone’s life and reminded Chris, “I can figure things out on my own!” 

“I thought that we’d make decisions together!” Chris emphasized, drawing out his words in a way that made Nat scoff as she rolled her eyes. 

She pointed a single finger towards Chris as her hand nearly shook with the emotions coursing through her system. “Oh like when you signed onto your extra projects without talking to me first? Was that a decision we made together? Or does that together shit only apply to my decisions because you want control of them?” She scoffed, laughing bitterly as she shook her head. 

His hands flailed at his sides before he extended them fully, waving them as he insisted, “I’m not trying to control you!” 

“Yes you are!” 

“Fine, then fucking go to San Francisco. Go fucking live your ‘dream’ that is the exact opposite of what you’ve told me you wanted but this isn’t my Nattie. This isn’t the Nat that I fell in love with,” he ground out, his body tense as his voice quietly – but increasingly angrily – sent warning signals to her, but Nat was too angry with his hypocrisy to pay them any mind. 

“So just because I made a decision you didn’t like, suddenly I’m not the same person?” She asked, pausing to let Chris try to plead his case one last time. But when the man standing across the room from her fell completely silent for the first time since dinner had begun. She scoffed at how little he tried to push back before she concluded, “You’re just like Shane. This is exactly what happened with him!” 

“Don’t fucking do that Nat. Don’t compare me to that dickhead,” Chris instantly rebutted, his face bright red. “I’m trying to help you!” 

“No, you’re just trying to tell me what to do!”

“No, I care about you Nat!” 

A heavy silence fell between them, anger flushing both of their faces as they stared each other down harshly. Nat’s lips were pursed as she looked at him with his hands on his hips as he waited for her response but it ended up coming a lot more calm than expected when Nat stated, “Well maybe I don’t want you to if this is what that looks like.” 

“...Then I guess I better go.” 

“I guess you better.” 

And just as suddenly as Chris had entered her life over a year ago, now he was leaving it just as suddenly, slamming the door behind him as he left the broken pieces of what they had been, shattered on the floor. 

[andsour]

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ... only friend

characters : mackenzie "kenzie" noh , mark lee

warnings : none i think! it's not necessarily angst , but lmk if there's something i should add

notes : this takes place in summer of 2017! it's more like a prologue. named after the song "only friend" by wallows <3

words : 881

“hey, remember the first week you got here—”

“oh god,”

“when— when we—” mark struggles to speak, cut off by his own obnoxious laughter. “and then you started crying—”

“not funny! you guys told me there was a ghost in the practice room and then left me alone in there!” kenzie defends her only somewhat younger self. it was two years ago, but the memory is fresh in her mind.

“okay, but dude, it was necessary,” he snickers, and technically, he’s right. would she have come out of the shell of shyness and nerves she’d formed around herself with time? probably. but scaring her out of it worked well enough, in the end. “i mean, look at us now.”

“i should’ve gotten you back,” she pouts, but it melts into a smile.

the chains make this horrible screeching sound as she digs her shoe into the mulch below her, twisting herself a little in the swing. they’re at this playground, deserted due to the late hour, that’s just a five–minute walk away from the sm trainee dorms.

this is something they used to do all the time— sneak out of their respective dorms when everyone else was asleep, walk to a nearby convenience store and buy soda and snacks, then come back here to hang out and talk all night. after mark debuted, it became their primary way of seeing each other, albeit much less often.

“you’ll never get to now, though,” he doesn’t mean for it to come out sounding as sad as it does, clearing his throat afterwards.

“yeah…” she mumbles, looking down at her half–eaten cup of instant noodles, poking around at it with the wooden convenience store chopsticks.

she really, really wanted things to work out as sm. after all, this had been her dream. she dropped her whole life— her family, all her friends, school, competitive dance— and came all the way to seoul just to train here. she thought she had it all figured out, so close to her goals she could taste them. then she went on tv and those netizens said all those terrible things, and the boys all debuted and herin left, and she felt so alone all of a sudden. her goals had started to taste bitter, rotten.

after a long discussion with her parents, they agreed to let her stay in korea with her aunt and uncle full–time so she can continue going to hanlim and hopefully try again somewhere else, so it’s not like it’s completely over. just an end of an era.

still, these past two years have been the best of kenzie’s life. she’s learned so much, made so many meaningful connections. she may have hated being crammed into a tiny dorm with all the other girls and having no privacy, but she’d still shed a few tears with them when she officially moved out a couple days ago. she’s always going to have a soft spot for the time she spent here.

“it’s gonna be really weird. it already is. like, i can’t just go downstairs and talk to you anymore,” mark says, his hoodie pulled up over his head and black face mask tucked under his chin. he’s not quite swinging, just rocking back and forth. “what am i gonna do without you?”

“i think you’ll live,” she scrunches her nose. “you still have your whole group, all our friends.”

mark shakes his head, a soft smile pulling at his lips. “nah, it’s different,” he pauses, looking over at her. “you’re my person, y’know?”

a familiar warmth floods kenzie’s chest at the words, flowing right from where her heart is.

she guesses now, more than ever, would be the right time to finally get this off of her chest. after tonight, mark’s going to be even busier with his career and kenzie’s technically going back to being a normal teenager. he’ll travel the world, meet all types of girls, all prettier and more interesting than she is. who knows if they’ll ever even see each other again.

but then she thinks again.

she shouldn’t risk ruining the night. and it’s not that even that big a deal, really. he’s just one boy out of millions in the world, crushes come and go faster than the winds change. even quicker than the speed of light. surely, she’ll sooner feel nothing but friendship for mark lee before the world ends.

“so, what now?” mark inquires. “any ideas where you’re gonna go?”

kenzie tilts her head at the question. she actually hasn’t given that much thought. “i dunno. i think i’m just gonna focus on school and dance for right now, then probably start auditioning later. or maybe i’ll go back home and become a professional clerk at whole foods.” she says sardonically, shrugging, and mark chuckles.

“and i’ll come buy frozen pizzas from that whole foods every time i visit— fund your career, y’know,” he promises, leaning close enough in his swing to nudge her with his elbow, and the sheer sincerity in his voice is enough to make kenzie giggle. “but for real, though. we’ll still get together and hang out and stuff. nothing’s gonna change. right?”

everything is going to change. kenzie knows this for a fact.

but tonight, absolutely nothing has to change.

“right.”

[hungerpunch]

the world lost a very, very good girl yesterday

some of our best friends lost their five-year-old rescue husky, who was adopted with the name arya but whom everyone called barya or barrio.

shortly after rescuing her they found out she had really severe epilepsy. for two years, they tried different combinations of drugs to get her grand mal seizures under control, and nothing was working. until finally they did find a medication that worked. but it only worked at maximum dosage, given every single day. unfortunately, before long, it was revealed the medication that was saving her from epilepsy was also destroying her liver. it was a rotten choice. left to the grips of epilepsy, she wouldn't have lived much longer. the meds would extend her life by years. if they were going to lose her either way, the choice to medicate her for the seizures seemed obvious.

we all knew time with her was limited. none of us expected her to live a normal lifespan, but i think we all hoped to get her close to 10, at least.

two weeks ago, she stopped eating. she lost six pounds. her protein levels were so low that her veins could no longer keep her blood inside of them, so blood was pooling in other places. briefly, it seemed like she might be able to recover. she started eating again, wagging her tail again, moving around. but on wednesday she was hospitalized, thursday she was moved to ICU, and yesterday around 2:00pm, she passed away with my friends at her side. she was so sick she couldn't lift her head up and her white & blue eyes were so jaundiced they were yellow & green instead. she didn't smell like herself, except for her paws, which still smelled like corn chips.

arya was a singular sort of dog. she really wasn't all that much a dog at all. she was aloof, no brain-celled, goofy, mysterious, guileless. you could pick her up and put her in your lap and she wouldn't move for hours. she only walked/ran in circles, as if something in her brain was just forever pulling her to the left. we live nearby, so we spent a lot of arya's five years with her. she had a special bond with my wife, who would feed her slices of green apples and carrots from between their own teeth. we are very sad. my little heart is broken. i'm so grateful i got to see her one last time last saturday and stroke her 4-inch deep fur and see her moving around. hug your animal companions tight <3

[next-autopsy]

A/N: Well, hi there! Damn, it has been awhile, how have y’all been? I hope y’all enjoy this chapter, I have more chapter to come so stay tuned

Based on the actors portrayal/hbo show and written with no disrespect to the real life veterans. Also all images found on Pinterest.

TW: I think none...

Tags: @malarkgirlypop, @panzershrike-pretz

Made of Glass

Chapter twenty five: A Sleepover 

Nixon snored peacefully in the spare room of the house Winters was billited to, while Birdie and Joe stood nearby waiting like kids in trouble.

Winters had taken his drunk friend off of the woman and with Liebgott’s help, tossed him there to sleep off the alcohol. He rummaged around for a blanket and once found, lay it over Lewis.

“Good thinking, bringing him here.” Winters commended Birdie, she beamed at him, happy to receive any sort of compliment from her favourite lieutenant. Meanwhile, Joe kept silent, watching the interaction between the two with curiosity.

“Thank you, sir.” Bernadette smiled at him, following him out of the room and downstairs with Liebgott trailing behind.

“You remembered they are away visiting relatives.” Again, he praised her and Birdie smiled up at him, cheeks tinting pink.

“Yes, sir.” Winters nodded at her response. “I wouldn’t have brought him here otherwise.” As she spoke, Richard gave a small smile, seemingly impressed with the young lady.

“You’ll take my bed, I'll get you some clothes to sleep in.” Richard spoke to the girl, he led the two into the kitchen, “Liebgott?”

“Yes, sir?” Joe tensed, fearing a scolding from the redhead.

“You’re on the couch.” Clear and simple. No reprimands.

“Yes, sir.” He had no arguments, sleep sounded amazing right now.

“Sir? Shouldn’t we head back to the barracks?” Birdie reached out to touch Richard's forearm, gaining his attention before he marched off to find them spare clothes. Winters stopped his action to look at her.

“It’s far too late for that, Birdie.” Dick spoke softly to her, using her nickname, something that shocked Joe. He could only watch the two talking and listen in, “By the time you two get back, you’ll have less than an hour to sleep before you need to get up. Just stay here the night, I'll make breakfast for you and you can head over with me.” He wasn’t exactly leaving room for discussion. Birdie nodded and Richard left.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know he'd make us stay.” Bernadette took a tentative step closer to Joe.

“Don’t worry about it.” He spoke quickly and wouldn't make eye contact so Birdie assumed he was upset with the situation.

“Are you-” She began to question his odd behaviour but was interrupted.

“Here.” Winters was back and handed over two piles of spare clothes to the two soldiers in his temporary kitchen.

“Thank you, sir.” They spoke in tandem.

“Living room is through there.” Dick pointed to the door behind Liebgott, who nodded and walked in that direction. Winters turned to Birdie and gestured to the staircase, she nodded and headed that way.

“On the left.” Dick told her, she turned left and entered the room, revealing a simple bedroom with drawers, a single bed and a little window covered by light blue curtains.

“Where will you sleep?” She eyed him, he only smiled and shook his head. A gesture that made her think of her father, sudden melancholy washed over her. She missed him dearly, even though they exchanged letters often. She saw her father in Richard, little movements or facial expressions, sometimes his tone of voice.

“I’ll be fine, Birdie.” His words were soft, “Bathroom’s down the hall to the right, can’t miss it.”

“Thank you.” She fiddled with the fabric in her hands, waiting for Dick to say more or leave. He turned and took a single step, then froze and faced her once more.

“What were you doing out so late?” Richard questioned, not judgmentally simply curious or slightly concerned for the young lady he had grown so fond of.

“We were…. I-I….” She sighed, “Dancing….” Birdie stuttered, keeping her voice and head low. It really did feel like she was speaking to her father and she couldn’t shake the notion that he was disappointed in her, it made her shrink back and cringe.

“Birdie….” Richard paused, “I care about you. I don't want to see you dismissed because of-...” He let out a deep sigh, “You understand fraternizing is against the rules?” That got her attention. Her head shot up, eyes wide as she gaped at him,

“Oh! We- It wasn't like that!”

“Sure. But you understand, right?” He had to be certain she was aware of the consequences and how serious the punishment would be for her.

“I understand, sir. Nothing happened.” Bernadette gave in, sighing. Richard felt bad, he hadn’t meant to upset her, but he wouldn't allow her to get this far only to be sent home in disgrace because of some boy.

“Good. Sleep well.”

—----------------------------

“Liebgott.”

“Jesus! Sir, you scared me.”

“Here.” Richard passed over a pillow and a blanket, which Joe accepted happily, now wearing the lieutenants spare clothes.

“Thank you, sir.” Joe spoke, stepping to the couch to set up his sleeping space. Richard stood and watched him, studying his movements, it gave Liebgott chills and made him feel like he had done something very wrong.

“Was there something else, sir?” He wanted to fidget with something but knew the lieutenant observing him would notice so he refrained. Richard kept quiet for a moment, his eyes squinted at the man, then like nothing happened, he shook his head, spoke a soft ‘No’ and left.

Joe tried to shrug off the behaviour but couldn’t help the ideas forming in his head. He lay on the surprisingly comfortable couch and stared up at the ceiling, brain occupied with Birdie and Winters strange responses. He kept switching between thoughts of dancing with the beautiful girl and then the look of… was it disappointment? Displeasure? Anger? He couldn’t tell, Winters was a hard man to read.

—--------------------------

Breakfast was an uncomfortable ordeal. Richard had woken his three guests in the otherwise empty house, though Nixon told him to ‘fuck off’ and kept sleeping. Birdie spent ages in the bathroom primping, she tried her hardest to brush through her hair with her fingers so she was somewhat presentable.

Downstairs, Dick toasted bread and boiled water and Liebgott sat at the dining table, waiting. The quiet between them was palpable. Joe considered sneaking off and never returning but before he could make a move, Winters placed plates on the table with a clatter and sat in the seat across from him. The only thing Joe could do was wait while the lieutenant stared at him from the otherside of the table.

“So… dancing.” Richard was the first to break the silence.

“Sir?” He was confused by Dick’s words, was that a question? And why did Joe feel like he was about to be told off?

“Last night… Birdie told me you two… danced.” The places he decided to pause gave the sentence a very different meaning, one that had Joe blushing.

“Uh… Yes, sir.”

“Hmm…” A brief pause, “Birdie- Corporal Coldwell has worked very hard to get where she is. Harder than any man, harder than me…. Harder than you.” Winters told him, his face was stoic and stern. Liebgott shuffled his feet under the table. He should've left last night when he was alone in the living room.

“Yes, sir. She has.” Joe agreed, she had proved herself time and time again and it wouldn't stop there, she’d have to continue proving she was of value to every man she met while serving as a paratrooper.

“I would hate to see her throw all her hard work away, wouldn’t you?” Dick raised his eyebrow to make sure Joe understood the underlying meaning of the early morning chat.

He did. “Yes, sir.” He had understood the redhead loud and clear and now he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

“Morning!” Birdie chirped, appearing round the corner. She skipped to the table with two sets of eyes on her.

“Good morning.” Dick replied, watching as she sat and picked a piece of toast, smothering it in marmalade and chomping at it. After she had taken her food, the two men began to consume theirs.

“Morning.” Joe mumbled. The trio took turns looking at each other while they chewed and sipped.

“I’m heading back to base at 0700.” Richard checked his watch, making sure they were still on track to make it there in time. Luckily it was a Sunday, which meant late morning starts as most people were hungover or at the Sunday service put on for those wanting to worship. Birdie was usually one of those people, raised a devout Catholic, she was yet to miss a Sunday service.

Today might be that day. Winters saw the look on her face and read her mind. “You’ll make the service. I’ll make sure of it.” She nodded at the man, trusting he had a plan.

Liebgott found himself observing the pair yet again, intrigued and confused by the dynamic. At first glance, the Corporal and the Lieutenant looked at each other like they were in love, absolutely smitten. Birdie’s eyes shimmered everytime she glanced at the redhead and he couldn’t help but smile at her even though he typically dawned a stoic expression. There was something between them, Joe was sure of it.

The more Liebgott watched, the more he noticed. The pair shared small touches, a hand on the arm, a gentle pat on the back, even a brush of their knees.

Something in the back of Joe’s mind yelled everytime Birdie smiled at Richard and begged him to speak up when Richard showed any affection back. He just wanted to know, for certain, how Birdie felt about the other man at the table. The previous night they spent together, dancing, talking and laughing had made him realize his feelings towards the Mississippi woman, and he had started to believe she may reciprocate. He was hooked on everything about her, her charm and wit was only the beginning.

But now, he questioned that. Joe had truly thought she was leaning in to meet him halfway, before their almost first kiss was interrupted. Seeing how she acted toward Winters was unsettling, he hadn't realized they were that close and he didn’t like it.

“I’ll go get Nix up.” Dick told the young lady, smiling at her warmly then left her at the table to finish her breakfast.

“So… How did you sleep?” The woman spoke out to him, her morning voice was somewhat groggy and strained but her interest was genuine.

“Fine.” Joe really tried to keep his upset to himself, it wasn’t his business if Coldwell was in love with Winters. They were friends, he reminded himself. New friends, so he had no say in who she liked or talked to.

“Joey… are you okay?” Birdie paused, “You seem… quiet.”

Joe found that he didn't like that nickname anymore. When she first suggested it, he had feigned a hatred for the title: Joey, but hearing it from her had him reeling. It was all he wanted her to call him for the rest of their lives. He thought he would never tire of it. Joey. Yes he was pleased last night when she bestowed the cutesy name upon him but now…. Now he wanted it to stop. His stomach churned at the sound and he toyed with the idea of asking her to stop it.

“You go to service every Sunday?” It was his attempt at changing the subject, ignoring the twist in his belly and the hot feeling that crept up him when he thought of her and Winters.

“I sure try.” Birdie knew he was avoiding but she decided to let him… for now. She would not forget this moment and most definitely be finding some time alone with him, properly alone, to discuss it.

“Hmm.” Deep in thought he continued with his breakfast, his mind kept wandering to Winters. The man was an officer for Christ's sake, he couldn’t compete with that. He was well respected, calm and compassionate, all great qualities and essentially the opposite of Joe. He tried to find a flaw, something he could zone in on and hate but he just couldn’t. He liked Richard Winters and was starting to see the compatibility between the officer and Bernadette.

“You can eat on the way.” The two men from upstairs, trotted into the kitchen. After seeing Nixon so out of sorts the previous night, it was a surprise to both Joe and Birdie to see the man fully dressed and clean shaven standing in front of them like he hadn't just been severely drunk several hours before.

“Morning all.” Nixon spoke, turning to give Dick a concealed look once he noticed which two soldiers were sitting at the table. He didn’t exactly remember the night's events but Richard had told him he was brought here by two second platooners and now seeing their faces, flashes of meeting up with the couple on an empty road replayed in his head.

Nixon couldn’t help but smirk. Someone owed him twenty dollars.

A/N: Tell me what you think and expected another chapter shortly

~ Nex ~

Chapter twenty six: Half an explanation