#also realized that both of these contain 110 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hockeylvr59 · 1 year

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I posted 2,314 times in 2022

1,811 posts created (78%)

503 posts reblogged (22%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@hockeylvr59

@reavenedges-lies

@horsesandhockeyplayers

@blueskrugs

@captainscrosby

I tagged 2,102 of my posts in 2022

Only 9% of my posts had no tags

#cavalanche - 1,619 posts

#cale makar - 1,113 posts

#colorado avalanche - 550 posts

#taylor makar - 370 posts

#my gifs* - 364 posts

#umass - 261 posts

#ppenguins - 115 posts

#scf celebrations - 110 posts

#nathan mackinnon - 93 posts

#cale cam - 91 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#posting this separately since taylor tube is going to be massive and may take a couple days to post depending on how cale plays tonight

My Top Posts in 2022:

263 notes - Posted June 27, 2022

Cale + single mom w/ daughter + valentine’s day blurb

Did I send myself an ask as a reminder to write a blurb idea I had? Absolutely. Did I then not write it for 3.5 months. Also yes. But better late than never right? Also used the prompt: “Thank you for being born" as inspiration. (1,189 words)

~~~~

“Mom, mom, mom. Wake up!” With a groan, you stirred into consciousness as your five-year-old daughter Savannah burst into your room.

“We knock…” You mumbled under your breath as Savy jumped onto the bed completely brushing your reminder off.

“Look what Cale left for me!” She stated, shoving something into your face as your mind processed her words. Cale was your boyfriend of about four months now though you’d met last spring. Focusing your eyes on the item Savy had shoved in front of you, you realized that it was a light pink rose.

“Mmm….pretty.” You replied, your brows furrowing a little in confusion.

“He brought breakfast too…donuts…come on mom!”

Just as quickly as she had jumped up on the bed, Savy took off again, racing back to the kitchen. Swinging your legs out of bed, you stood and stretched, looking out the window at the snowy Denver streets. Following after her after throwing on a hoodie, you nearly gasped when you reached the kitchen. On the counter stood two vases, one full of a half dozen pink roses matching the one Savy had shown you while the other contained what had to be over two dozen mixed roses in varying shades of red, pink, and white. In front of each vase stood an envelope labeled in Cale’s familiar script. Savy had clearly already opened the one addressed to her and you shook your head at her eagerness and impatience.

“Well…what did yours say?” You asked her not even pretending to believe she didn’t already know.

“He wants to take us for dinner tonight.” Savy relayed. “Does that mean I get to get all dressed up mom?”

Opening up your own envelope, you skimmed the note, your cheeks flaring at some of the extraneous content. It essentially stated the same thing regarding dinner plans for the three of you and you nodded at Savy murmuring that yes you both would be getting all dressed up to go out tonight. But first, Savy had to get to school so she needed to go get dressed and have a donut for breakfast while you went to get changed to take her to school.

As you changed, you thought about how Cale had snuck into your apartment this morning using the key you’d given him only weeks before when you’d had an emergency at work and had asked him to pick up Savy from a gymnastics lesson. You weren’t opposed to the idea and thought it was honestly super thoughtful. Cale wasn’t the most romantic person but apparently, Valentine’s day made him go all out.

____ By the end of dinner, you were once again left amazed at just how thoughtful Cale was. Because of Savy you were fully expecting that dinner would be at some family-friendly restaurant. And that would have been fine, you were used to that and it was already more than enough that he was including Savy in the plans without complaint. (He had never complained about you being a single mom and that was one of the reasons you were so in love with him.) But instead of your expectations, you had pulled up to a restaurant you’d been dying to try after hearing about it from your coworkers.

You’d looked at Cale in confusion but he just shook his head and offered a hand out to you, his expression telling you to just trust him. After helping Savy out of the car, Cale took her hand as well and guided the two of you into the restaurant.

You’d been seated out on the patio with heaters all around you, just the three of you, and your eyes went wide taking it all in as Cale pulled out first Savy’s chair and then your own. It wasn’t long before a waiter came out with a bottle of wine and a small bottle of sparkling wine for Savy, filling your cups before leaving. While you and Cale had the normal restaurant menus, a special menu had clearly been created just for Savy and you looked at Cale. He didn’t explicitly say it was his doing but it was clear that it had been and included all of her favorites as options.

You’d watched with obvious heart eyes as Cale talked to Savy throughout dinner, helping her decide on a meal choice, talking about how her day at kindergarten had gone and all of the valentines and candy she’d received from her classmates. Cale never talked down to her, he treated her a bit like she was an adult and Savy loved him for it, smiling and giggling all through dinner. Nothing made your heart feel fuller than watching the two of them and knowing that Cale adored Savy just as much as he adored you.

All the while, Cale shared little touches with you throughout, drawing you back into the conversation when you sat back to just watch. Dating hadn’t been easy with a 5-year-old but Cale always did his best to balance making sure you both felt special and had his attention and while he was making an effort for Savy that he hadn’t forgotten about you.

Dinner was delicious and while you thanked him, Savy had jumped in asking about dessert. As you chastised her, Cale just smiled and murmured asking how she felt about going to get ice cream on the way home. There was no way she was turning that down and so off you’d gone to get ice cream before returning home where Savy had asked Cale to stay and watch a movie with her.

Though you’d sent him a look that he didn’t have to, Cale had agreed and after you got Savy bathed and changed into pjs, she’d settled onto the couch rambling to Cale about the movie that she wanted to watch with him. Assuring your daughter that you would join them soon, you moved to get changed yourself and start a load of laundry after cleaning up the bathroom from her bathtime mess. By the time you finished tidying up and returned to the living room you could see that Savy was asleep draped over your boyfriend’s lap while he brushed his fingers through her hair gently. You’d moved quietly, so quietly Cale evidently hadn’t heard you because as you approached the couch you heard him whispering softly.

“You and your mama have changed my life in ways I never imagined. I love her more than I thought possible and even if you’re not mine genetically, maybe someday you can be mine by choice. Thank you for being born and for lighting up our lives.”

People said that Valentine’s Day was a hallmark holiday. That may be true, but not even hallmark could encompass the love you felt for Cale at that moment in a card. You may not have been dating very long but you knew now that whenever Cale asked you to marry him, the answer was going to be yes because you had never met anyone else like him before and you knew that you never would again. He was truly one of a kind.

269 notes - Posted May 28, 2022

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If anyone needed a reminder on how great of a person josty is....

291 notes - Posted March 16, 2022

Last Name || Cale Makar

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no

Authors Note: So I was going to write a second part of my Cale/Nate threesome fic with both being All-Stars but then Nate had to go and break his nose. So instead we’re going to celebrate Cale being an all-star with a cliché plot line because well...I wanted to.

Warnings: cursing

Word Count: 4,787

~~~~~

Vegas. It was usually associated with flashing neon, gambling, shows of all different types including magic. Yet for you, it was associated with hockey. The NHL All-Star Game to be specific. After all, it wasn’t every day that your best friend was named an NHL All-Star. And it certainly wasn’t every day that he invited you along for the ride.

You’d met Cale your freshman year at UMass in a hundred-person lecture. Back then he was just a rosy-cheeked boy who had picked the spot two chairs down from you. You had no idea the superstar that he’d become. Yet, getting to know him…well it didn’t surprise you in the slightest. Cale was…well a number of things really. He was focused and driven. But he was also thoughtful, both in a studious manner but also just being considerate to those around.

In the two years that he was at UMass you were friendly but not overly close. You had a few of the same classes together, you occasionally studied together, you followed each other on social media but it wasn’t like you hung out.

Then, just like that, he was gone. Leaving you to follow along with his career and life through Avalanche social media just like anybody else. Occasionally you’d be included in a ‘close friends’ Instagram story or a snap chat but it wasn’t like you actually communicated.

Two years passed. When you graduated with your bachelor’s, Cale had sent you a snap of congratulations. When you posted about uprooting and starting a job in Denver of all places, he’d dmed you, promising to take you to dinner once you were settled and he was back in town.

And because he was Cale, he made good on that promise. One dinner led to another and before you knew it you were spending more time on Cale’s couch than your own. He was just as easy to be around as he always had been, neither fame nor money changing him in the slightest. It wasn’t long before he wasn’t just the only person you knew in Denver, he was your best friend.

You hadn’t been shocked in the slightest when Cale was named to the all-star team, that had been inevitable. You had been shocked when he’d proposed that you take a few days off work and come along. Though you’d protested because he was already bringing his parents along, Cale wouldn’t take no for an answer and it was hard to deny him when those blue eyes looked at you like that.

____

Arriving in Vegas had been a welcome change to the freezing temperatures in Denver. You’d followed Cale through the airport to the gate his parents were soon to be arriving at and settled into a seat to wait. You’d never met Cale’s parents before and admittedly you were a little bit nervous about it. Apparently, you had no reason to be because as soon as she’d finished hugging Cale tight, Laura had greeted you and wrapped her arms around you in a hug as well proclaiming that it was wonderful to finally meet you and asking how you were finding living in Denver so far.

Gary had greeted you with a brief hug as well before falling into conversation with Cale, the interaction between them looking like this is what always happened when they were together thereby making you smile.

You hadn’t been sure how much Cale had told his parents about you, but as the four of you rode in an Uber to the hotel, Laura peppered you with friendly questions that suggested Cale talked about you quite a bit with at least his mom. It was a little bit of a weird feeling but it wasn’t something that made you uncomfortable, in fact, it was reassuring that Cale considered you the kind of friend that you’d tell your parents about.

After checking in, you’d gone to your respective rooms to get settled before going out to dinner. There you took a quick shower, changed into something nicer than travel clothes, and just took in the view from your hotel room until Cale texted asking if you were ready.

Throughout dinner, you chatted with Cale and his parents about so many things and in a way, it felt not too dissimilar to conversations with your own parents. Of course, you didn’t request embarrassing childhood stories from your own parents the way you did Cale’s but Laura was all too willing to share cute stories about Cale and his brother Taylor when they were kids. You couldn’t decide whether you liked the stories themselves better or the way they made Cale’s cheeks flush varying shades of red.

As if the conversation wasn’t good enough, the food at Hell’s Kitchen was absolutely amazing. This was definitely a trip you weren’t likely to forget anytime soon.

Promising you’d see them tomorrow for the skills competition, you said goodnight to Cale’s parents and followed Cale through the Vegas Strip to head over to where Nazem Kadri was performing in his skills challenge tonight to pre-film for television tomorrow. Watching Naz you mumbled to Cale that the NHL didn’t even know the rules for its own event causing him to check that no one else had heard you before laughing softly and agreeing.

By the time Cale left you at your hotel room door, your stomach was filled with warmth and your muscles were aching from the fatigue of the day.

____

Snuggled into one of the most comfortable hotel beds you’d ever experienced, you didn’t awake until there was a knock on your door. Groaning softly you pulled yourself out of bed and padded to the door, peeking to see who it was before opening the door to a familiar figure.

“Hey.” Cale greeted. “Shit did I wake you?” He asked a bit softer seeing your rumpled morning state. As you nodded at him softly while yawning you watched as he brushed his fingers through his hair. “Sorry.” He murmured. “I uh…just wanted to see if you wanted to grab breakfast with me. I’m going to be in media and stuff most of the day.”

The sheepish look on his face made you smile and you took in his appearance a little more closely. Sweats sat low on his hips and a t-shirt covered his torso and he looked the epitome of casual and comfortable. Though you were still exhausted, it was impossible to say no when he looked at you with a quirk on his lips and those blue eyes bright and pleading. Biting your lip you swore to yourself that those eyes were going to be your undoing someday even if the two of you were just friends.

“Yeah…yeah, we can do breakfast. Just give me like five.” You replied.

“Are you sure? You can go back to bed if you want?” Cale questioned, his voice deepening for a moment before returning to its normal timbre.

“Yeah. I’m sure.” You replied. “I can always nap later while you do media or whatever.” You assured him, already turning to dig through your suitcase for something more appropriate for breakfast. Cale watched for a minute before turning away, letting the hotel door fall mostly closed.

Quickly changing, you tidied up your hair before brushing your teeth and applying deodorant. Deeming yourself ready, you grabbed shoes and your phone and room key before wrenching the door open again and smiling at the sight of Cale scrolling through his phone in the hall.

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293 notes - Posted February 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

508 notes - Posted March 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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musicproductionpros · 2 years

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ochomachuu · 2 years

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maybe someone has already asked this, but what are your favorite matsu trios? mine personally are tsuri/fishing trio (oso+kara+totty) and genshoku/primary colors trio (oso+kara+jyushi) !!

i honestly love content of any sort of trio because trio dynamics are fun, but my favourites will always be otouto (ichi+jyushi+totty) and konshoku (choro+ichi+totty)! otouto because they get along so well together (and theyre just cute) and konshoku because theyre snarky and bitchy at each other, but also kind of brought together by the other 3's stupidity.

i love how otouto seem to operate as a unit a lot of the time (dayon tribe, choro incident, matsuyos trap, choro memorial hall) and i also enjoy moments where ichi has to be the 'big bro' because he can actually be sorta sweet sometimes. they just feel like theyre pretty close and comfortable when theyre hanging out together!

i hadnt thought too much about konshoku until season 3, but they had so many good moments and interactions, dimwit generation and pizza in particular. seeing them sip tea and talk shit about the other 3 together was too good. also cyber, 110, and nenchuu are all duos id really like to see more of, so this trio is great for that. (especially love the dynamic of 110 making fun of choro, theyre such little shits)

#ask #otoutomatsu #konshokumatsu #also funny how 136 was originally thought of as the normal people trio in s1 #bc ichi kept threatening people and shitting on tables #but now konshoku are the 'normal' trio #i ended up rambling sgshsh #also realized that both of these contain 110

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candybullet · 3 years

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-:♡:- lee haechan headcanons

! can be read as platonic or romantic

the personification of sunshine

his mood is contagious and he's always able to bring a smile on your face no matter how cranky you are that day

also will not hesitate to have deep discussions about seemingly insignificant or mundane topics

like once he called you at 2am asking if you think worms have feelings and while it is very adorable it is two in the morning and you have class at 8!!!!!

the type to take out one of his earphones and give it to you without a word when sitting next to you on a train or car ride, or on the couch, anytime really

just has to be physically near you at all times

confident on the outside but actually very soft and blushy

loves when you compliment or hype him up but will never admit it

he's not as sly as he thinks though so you quickly catch on

and of course compliment him at any chance you get

really values genuineness. will probably be a little reserved before getting to know you

but once you become close.... this boy does not stay quiet for long

but you don't mind, because there is not one dull moment with him by your side

110% the type to gift you a big bear plushie for "when he's not there to keep you company"

will relentlessly tease you when he sees it on your bed when you facetime but also loves it so much his heart Might just explode

also the type to insist u get matching tattoos just for you to go first and he chickens out

now you're the only one who got the tattoo so it doesn't make any sense because you decided on some inside joke that would only be completed when you held them side by side

"sorry but it looked so scary!!!! there are NEEDLES!!" "HOW DID YOU THINK A TATTOO WAS MADE?????"

it's okay though, he pouted his way out of trouble as usual

competes with you about who is doing any chore. take out the trash? rock paper scissors. pay for dinner? two rounds of super smash. but if you genuinely weren't in the mood he would no questions asked do your chore for you even if you lost

always the one to suggest horror movies but ends up hiding behind a blanket for half the time

"we can switch movie if you're scared haechan" "i'm not scared!!!!!!! it's just really cold in here!!" "mhm, you sure?" "yes, now cuddle me!!!!! yknow, for more heat"

looks at you very!!! fondly!!! whenever you talk about something you're passionate about

i think this is something he does with all people who are special to him so obviously you're no exception

lets himself into your house/apartment and you nearly get a heart attack coming out of the shower seeing him on your couch watching tv

a lot of "this you" [points at weird drawing in textbook] and playfighting

LOTS of playfighting, pillowfights etc

mario kart tournaments well into the night which only end because his upstairs neighbor comes banging on your door all it's three in the morning if you kids don't turn it down i will call the cops!!

which makes you quiet down before you start giggling hysterically

he catches on and you two have to lie down from laughing so hard, eventually realizing how sleepy you both are and before you know it you're asleep side by side on his couch. grabs hold of your waist so you don't fall off because that couch is Tiny

very thoughtful. will do small acts of kindness without much thought that make ur heart go :((((

like when he got you the biggest container of a snack you offhandedly mentioned loving as a kid like four months ago and one day he's just like "hey i forgot to give this to you" and you're just like?????? you remembered???:((

overall very soft and cute, confident but also a bit fragile... please take care of him</3

#haechan fluff #nct headcanons #nct dream headcanons #haechan headcanons #best friend haechan #bf haechan #idk i just think hes cute #mhaechan #gfluff #tbff #tbf #nct fluff #nct scenarios

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nutty1005 · 3 years

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Exclusive Visit of 72 Hours! Full Record of “A Dream Like A Dream” Behind the Scenes

Original Article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/yI4arm9P9nJwE3RMSUW-5Q Original Author: 杨晋亚 Translator’s note: The original author is part of Yuli Studio, this article is published in Yuli Studio’s Weixin Official Account on 23 Apr 2021 as a part of “Behind the Screens” Volume 640.

On 22 Apr, “A Dream Like A Dream” Wuhan Charity show was still in the midst, countless related topics were already on Weibo Hot Search.

This is probably the hottest play on the internet till date.

A big intellectual property that lasted for 21 years, and now with the addition of the hottest celebrity, debuted for the first time as a Charity Show in honor of the heroes of the pandemic last year, “A Dream Like A Dream” contained stories on stage and backstage.

Before the official start of the play, Yuli Studio walked into the backstage of “A Dream Like A Dream”, and entered the dream in advance.

“A Dream Like A Dream”

Celebrity Cast

On 19 Apr noon, 15 minutes before the first full dress rehearsal for “A Dream Like A Dream”, there were not much audiences, they were all in the lotus pond seats.

Overall producer Wang Keran was suddenly notified that there was someone recording secretly, he immediately called the executive producer Da Shan to check, who had already expressed multiple times that audiences were not the take pictures. Wang Keran face turned gloomy, loudly accused Da Shan of incompetency, stood up, “Trusted friends who are currently seated, I hope that everyone would protect the actors, stop filming.”

Afterwards Wang Keran told us, his anger then was actually “for show”, that situation needed him to make a stand, scold Da Shan so as to alert everyone else, “I needed to kill two birds with one stone, control the scene, protect the actors.”

Xu Qing, Xiao Zhan, Zhang Liang, Huang Lu… the addition of many celebrity actors, caused the interest in “A Dream Like A Dream” to increase.

Protecting his actors, was something that Wang Keran always did ever since he built this group.

Yanghua Theatre and Baoli Theatrical Center collaborated and did some massive and intricate work, in order to ensure that protection project was as per usual, “The theaters put in a lot, the meager profits that this project is giving them, can’t completely cover their massive investment.”

Wang Keran also helped to block countless signature and photograph requests for Xiao Zhan, his good friend had came from afar to Wuhan just for a photograph with Xiao Zhan, but Wang Keran did not agree, “I promised a clean creative environment for my actors.”

The “A Dream Like A Dream” group tried their best to give all the actors an equal, harmonious creative environment, and in here, there is no celebrity actor Xiao Zhan, only Patient No. 5 B.

In the backstage of the Wuhan Qintai Theatre, the plaque on the door of Xiao Zhan’s resting room was not labelled “Xiao Zhan”, but “No. 5”.

Director Chen Limei and Zhang Rui said that the group did not treat Xiao Zhan specially as a celebrity; Actress Huang Lu, who portrayed the role Jiang Hong, had the most scenes with Xiao Zhan, she said that everyone was just actors.

Privately, Xiao Zhan would treat Huang Lu fruits, as well as recommend good motives to her, Huang Lu said, working with Xiao Zhan was not much different from working with other partners, the only difference was that there were suddenly a lot of Xiao Zhan fans leaving messages on her Weibo, most of them were messages of encouragement and support.

“A Dream Like A Dream” , Xiao Zhan, Huang Lu

During the very initial rehearsals, the director closed Huang Lu and Xiao Zhan into a small practice room, in order to cultivate tacit understanding.

“When we were rehearsing the French portion of the play, I knew he was from Chongqing, I would suddenly use French translated to Wuhan dialect to talk to him, what d’ya wanna eat what d’ya wanna eat, and then he would suddenly reply me in Chongqing dialect.”

Huang Lu remembered, when Xiao Zhan entered the group, he had already memorized all of his lines, the tacit understanding between them were built up within 3 or 4 days, and on the details of the performance, they would also inspire each other.

For example, the biggest reaction from the audience in the Wuhan show was the scene in the Parisian apartment, actually contained Xiao Zhan’s designs, when they spoke the lines “Monday Wednesday Friday Tuesday Thursday Saturday and Sunday”, Xiao Zhan suggested that the two of them would lean their heads on each other, so as to give a better effect.

When the two of them were conversing in comedic Japanese scene, there were traces of the old version of the play, but there were new creativity as well, “Pikachu” was from the old version, whereas “sleeping” was an idea that Xiao Zhan came up with.

“A Dream Like A Dream”, Xiao Zhan, Huang Lu

The duration for “A Dream Like A Dream” was long, the lines voluminous, there was once during rehearsal, one of the actors had a sudden breakage and his lines became more and more scattered, voice lower and lower, that day Director Chen Limei gave him a stern talking to, but in the director’s memory, this problem never occurred to Xiao Zhan.

“Xiao Zhan was very serious, we could all feel that, every night after he went back, he definitely thought through his scenes once more, so that he would not make this kind of mistake.”

Xiao Zhan expressed that his familiarity with the lines had gone to the state that he could say it “whenever”, he was more focused on the “current feeling and the chemistry with his partners.”

Xiao Zhan was very strict with his own expectations, on the 19th after the first full dress rehearsal, there were many audiences who gave his performance good reviews, but he said, “I’m not quite satisfied with today, it wasn’t as good as yesterday.” Although the audiences did not spot any problems with the lines from the scene ”Monday Wednesday Friday Tuesday Thursday Saturday and Sunday”, but after the performance ended, Xiao Zhan himself felt that there were some slight flaws.

“A Dream Like A Dream”, Xiao Zhan

The lotus pond seats in “A Dream Like A Dream” to Xiao Zhan was a challenge, it made it easy for him to lose concentration, and once you had lost it, it would be easy for the scene to scatter, he described, “the feeling in concerts is that you need to interact simultaneously, plays to me meant that I need to make myself lonely”, so he needed to make sure he could ignore the audiences.

Wang Keran invited theater critics to view the play for the 19th’s full dress rehearsal, after the upper half ended, they were exclaiming in praise of Xiao Zhan’s acting, Wang Keran also proudly recommended this newly found actor to people around him: “He had a different layer of creativity process, the first day we’ve finished the script, he surprised me onstage the second day, it was green but came with a lot of accurate instincts. He constructed the character to be intricate and abundant, but yet layered, not just emotional scenes, everyone could burst into emotions, but he was intricate, lively and entertaining, he conveyed the soul of the character, his sense of pace was this good.”

“A Dream Like A Dream” Performance Stage

The story of “A Dream Like A Dream” and Xiao Zhan had to begin with the Cao Yu 110 Anniversary Special Event last year.

In 2019, Wang Keran heard of Xiao Zhan’s name, but he quickly forgot about it. “Then I was in Wuxi, there was a large excited crowd of people, said that the hottest actor, Xiao Zhan, was in there.”

Until 2020, a psychiatrist friend told Wang Keran, to take note of this actor Xiao Zhan.

“Before then I was an older person, I’ve always picked actors above 35, but after the psychiatrist finished talking, I started subconsciously noticing this person, and then I found out that this person was really interesting.

How interesting? There were a lot of people attacking him, I thought I’d understand what these attacks were, I found out that these people were a contradiction of the most realistic things and most hypocritical things, this era’s idols were different from 5 years ago, they are now placed on a pedestal as a symbol, as something to be fought over or stepped upon. Via Xiao Zhan I noticed the new pulse in the development of society, understood this movement, art should be something that is most compatible with the times, my personal view on plays is just like this, plays should be the current drama action of this moment, and the emotional relationship of the people here and now.”

“A Dream Like A Dream”, Xiao Zhan

The commemoration event for Cao Yu, Wang Keran needed to find a young guest who could have a conversation with Wan Fang, a colleague suggested Xiao Zhan, Wang Keran suddenly realized, this was perfect, “The complexity on Xiao Zhan would fully represent the complexity of plays.”

The first time he met Xiao Zhan, Wang Keran captured the mysterious sense of fate behind his back, but yet he also gave a sense of youthful obtrusiveness, gentle and warm. Wang Keran gave Xiao Zhan a list of books and asked him to go back and read, after which Xiao Zhan finished the books in a few days, even wrote some 10 over questions to Wan Fang, the questions were simple but deep, and moved Wang Keran.

On the Cao Yu Commemoration Event, Wang Keran studied Xiao Zhan, and found that his sense of stage was fantastic, and immediately invited him to join “A Dream Like A Dream”.

To Wang Keran, the similarity between Xiao Zhan and Patient No. 5 was that they were both trapped in the uncertainties of fate.

Xiao Zhan’s portrayal of Patient No. 5 gave Wang Keran a pleasant surprise, as to whether he would continue as Patient No. 5 after this year’s shows, they had not spoken about it, but Wang Keran felt that “A Dream Like A Dream” already gave Xiao Zhan some rewards, “I feel that via this play, he can prove that he is a good actor, I feel that ‘A Dream Like A Dream’ gave him a power.”

“A Dream Like A Dream”, Xiao Zhan

Entering the Dream Again

Not only Xiao Zhan was a new addition, the Yanghua version of “A Dream Like A Dream” had almost a brand new cast.

Zhang Liang and Yanghua had collaborated for 2 plays, they were old friends; Huang Lu was recommended by Xu Qing, she was also the only actress that was confirmed without meeting Wang Keran.

Director Zhang Rui was in-charged of arranging actors, but because of the pandemic, the Taiwanese actress who was supposed to play the role of the wife could not arrive, another actress had to take on this role. “A Dream Like A Dream” had a total of 31 actors and actresses, many times one would take on multiple roles, any adjustment of actors would have big ramifications.

Zhang Rui created many versions of the casting chart, “This casting chart was an intricate process, move an actor, we might need to reallocate every scene, whether they could make the scene in time, whether they were suitable, reasonable, I’m so frustrated my hair’s dropping.”

Starting from 2013 when “A Dream Like A Dream” premiered in Mainland China, Director Chen Limei and Zhang Rui grew with this play for 9 years. Chen Lipai previously also handled the role of Stage Executive, Zhang Rui was with the crew everyday, there were the two who were most familiar with “A Dream Like A Dream”.

In their memory, the first rehearsal for 2013 lasted 3+ months, after which if there were not much changes with the actors, repeat rehearsals would last 1 week. Some years they had to change an actor, but yet they did not give sufficient rehearsal time and almost drove the actor insane, “Because the crowd actor had to act as multiple roles, the management of every role was complex, he needed to remember his position, his clothes, and he had to depend on himself, there would be no one backstage to inform him, he had to take care of himself.”

“A Dream Like A Dream”

This year, more than half of the cast was changed, theoretically they needed one and a half months, but to gather 31 actors to rehearse at the same time was not easy, the group merely squeezed out 17 days for practice time.

Practice time started officially from 9 Mar, the group settled in Hebei Tangshan, the time was tight, the mission was heavy.

Lai Shengchuan, who was faraway in Taiwan, gave instructions via video conferencing to the actors, to help answer their questions. Wang Keran, Chen Limei and Zhang Rui handled the task of direction.

Wang Keran mainly handled the mini classes to the new actors to the group, every actor had different classes to attend.

Huang Lu was a movie actress, her method for lines was to say to herself, but “A Dream Like A Dream” was to say them to 1200 audiences, Wang Keran gave her a training method, “He made me rehearse only with Xiao Zhan, each of us would stand at the furthest corner, but we must be able to hear each other’s lines, that is we needed to get used to speaking loudly, I felt that this method was actually quite crucial.”

“A Dream Like A Dream”, Xiao Zhan and Huang Lu during practice

When he first entered the group, Zhang Liang was tortured by the role of the Baron for 3 days, he totally could not find the sensation, Wang Keran gave him 3 days of progressive classes. The first class was to control the micro expressions and movements, “For example, the first day I reached Tianxian Court, he requested that when I did gestures, my hands could not be higher than my chest, when we normally spoke my palm would face up, but he said that the Baron could not have a moment where his palm was facing up, his palm would forever be facing down.”

The second class was culture class, discussing European culture, politics and artistic background, so as to understand the motives behind Baron’s actions. “Baron would not let Xianglan draw abstract art, made her start from still life, it actually had political connotations. Classical realism represented calm and control, whereas abstraction and symbolism, etc, developed from the lowest of the masses, represented the destruction to order, Baron hoped from the bottom of his heart that Xianglan would live with him, if you liked something he didn’t like, that represented betrayal to Baron, that’s where the cracks in their relationship started.”

Chen Limei and Zhang Rui understood every detail of “A Dream Like A Dream”, when the actors gave any small questions, they would immediately solve them.

For example, how to swiftly get into positions, what to wear after changing out, both directors could immediately give the correct answer, “We found that this time round that one of the new actors was slow in moving, he would say he could not make it, I would say you definitely could make it, you tell me why you couldn’t make it, I would know where you did wrong. He said it was very dark and he couldn’t find his bag, and he needed to take the gun from 2nd floor to the 1st floor, I said there’s another prop gun downstairs, you don’t have to carry it down, he said he didn’t know. We actually spoke to him after observing him for a few days, because we knew that the 2nd floor was very dark, we definitely had to ensure the safety of our actors first.”

“A Dream Like A Dream”, Xu Qing, Xiao Zhan, Zhang Liang, Huang Lu, Lan Nan, etc.

The time left for the directors was not much, rehearsal, costume, positions, etc, all had to be done simultaneously, the volume of “A Dream Like A Dream” was supposed to be large, there were pressures on progress, the experience for the whole group was basically demonic scheduling.

For example, for 22 Apr Charity Show, the schedule for the actors that day was like this —

10:30 to 11:30 Actors and actresses would set of from their hotels to the theater for make up and costume; 12:30 Lunch; 12:30 Microphone testing; 13:10 Warm up; 13:30 Audience entry; 14:00 Start of Charity Show.

After nearly 8 hours of performance, when the actors were having their media session it was already 30 minutes past midnight.

Everyday they worked for around 12 hours, that would be the normal hours for the group for the month, during practice they did not wear their make up and costume, but they still had to set out by 12:00, practice starts 13:00, 17:00 was dinner, 18:00 was practice again, and they end at 22:00.

“This time round we really went for it, we didn’t work this hard previously, because we changed very few people then, we could probably get to the practice at 2pm,” Chen Limei said.

“A Dream Like A Dream”, actors practicing

The tight rehearsal schedule was a challenge physically to the actors, as they practiced day and night everyday, even Huang Lu felt lost once.

“Because we would be acting the same thing everyday, everyday when you went in, it was day, but when you left, it was night, that period of time I really craved a normal life. There was once we were video conferencing with Teacher Lai, I just said that after this play, I suddenly feel that plays, movies weren’t that important, what’s important was our real life, I especially wanted to experience communicating with people, the feeling of being with family, friends and loved ones.

When you filmed dramas, you would still be outside, after you knock off you could be in touch with a more realistic life. When I was in the same play group as Zhang Ruoyun, we practiced in Beijing, everyday we practiced for around 3 hours, we could still meet friends in the afternoon and night, but this play was concentrated practice, when we left it would already be midnight.”

“A Dream Like A Dream”, Xu Qing and Huang Lu during practice

Wang Keran could foresee, that actors would experience this type of lethargy, so the arrangement from the very beginning was that after the 17 days of practice, the group would briefly rest for a period of time, until a week before the Wuhan Show, where he would recall them.

This method of working was not easily seen in plays, but to actors, this was a good time to rest and digest.

“The first day we returned, Keran said that was the best time I’ve acted with Xiao Zhan,” Huang Lu said. “Perhaps in-between I had time to digest, get in touch with real life, and had a new understanding.”

In comparison with “A Dream Like A Dream” from 8 years ago, besides the changes in actors, this year’s Yanghua version also shortened the script by around 15 minutes or so, without affecting the foundation of the script.

The adjustment was mainly on the pace of the actors. For example, at the end of the upper half, the housekeeper of the castle would talk about the past of Baron and Gu Xianglan, it used to use a slow and narrative tone, Wang Keran felt that it was not right, “This type of expression seemed to cause Grandpa, who just arrived at Shanghai, to seem unfamiliar with his surroundings, but in fact, Grandpa was very familiar with the castle, he could have returned frequently, like the feeling of a tour guide,” so he adjusted the tone and pace, and made the play richer and more layered.

“A Dream Like A Dream”, Xu Qing, Zhang Liang, Lan Nan

Every improvement in detail, came from written notes from everyday.

When rehearsing, both directors would sit in the middle of the lotus pond, with a small table, and a faint table lamp, the actors would be acting while the directors discover problems and mark it in the script, or write furiously on white paper, after the end of a day’s rehearsal, the paper would be littered with over 200 to 300 notes.

After the rehearsal ends, actors would sit together in the lotus pond and listen to the directors reading the notes one by one, every actor would record down their respective portions.

Xiao Zhan’s phone memo was full of everyday’s notes, for example there were around 10 notes for 19 Apr, Xiao Zhan’s note taking method was simple and concise, note down the scene, or a point, with the remarks of watch out for emotion or pace.

In Zhang Liang’s memory, with regards to his notes, there were up to 20 notes a day, but later on as the problems lessened, the notes also reduced.

Director Chen Limei said, some actors would be confused, why were there always 200 to 300 new notes everyday during the note session, did that mean that they had not improved, but actually everyone was getting better on the basis that they were already getting better.

“A Dream Like A Dream”, the directors at the rehearsal

There was a process in practicing, at the start you might not have memorized all the lines, that note would be about lines, when the lines passed, it could have been about wrong position or movement, at the last part when the acting was getting better, I might notice intricate details such as costume, hairstyle, which you needed to notice carefully. Every stage had its own set of problems discovered, only when you walked from Step 1 to Step 2 that I can see the problems of the current step, otherwise my focus would not be that.”

For example, on the last day before the official show, the note for Xiao Zhan became “the singing before the curtain call, stand slightly westwards” this type of small details.

After experiencing the full dress rehearsal of 18, 19 and 20 Apr, the last day of rehearsal became “note rehearsal”, that is to repeatedly rehearse based on the problems in the notes so as to affirm the scenes that could easily cause issues, including the group scene at Tianxian Court, the scenes between Baron and Young Xianglan, etc. For Xiao Zhan and Huang Lu, the scene they rehearsed was the propless scene around the staircase, which needed to take note of the eye contact as they two of them went up and down the stairs, entering by pushing the door.

After the premiere on 22nd ended, the notes continued, so as to have new improvements for the consecutive shows.

“A Dream Like A Dream”, Xu Qing, Zhang Liang, etc.

Idealism

After the full dress rehearsal ended on 19 Apr, all of the actors gathered backstage, surrounding the directors, quietly standing, it seemed like a special ceremony.

For the new actors who joined this year, this was their first time witnessing this ceremony, but to the actors who had been with “A Dream Like A Dream” before, this had already became a habit.

Director Chen Limei introduced that this ending ceremony was called “Echo”, it was a habit from Lai Shengchuan — a habit that existed since the first premiere in 2013, “When we finish a show, and gain the applause from our audiences, as well as new empathy for our roles, we must return this feelings out, give them to more people, you can imagine that there was a large crowd of people, we would send out these blessings and share them.”

After “A Dream Like A Dream” came to Mainland China, it had always been well acclaimed, it used to show in Beijing and another specific city. Starting the 9 Cities Tour, especially adding the Wuhan Charity Show, was also a form of “Echo”, to share this play with even more audiences.

“A Dream Like A Dream”, Wuhan Charity Show inside view

2 years ago, in Chongqing Theatre, Wang Keran came up with the idea to get more people to understand theater, experience theater. He started conceptualizing the 9th Anniversary 9 Cities Tour for “A Dream Like A Dream”.

When they heard of this plan, Chen Limei and Zhang Rui thought it was an impossible wish.

“Because ‘A Dream Like A Dream’ was such a large play, we would actually lose money by doing a tour. Such a big group, there’s about 130 people in the group, so many people’s living expenditures, including putting up the set for each location, it takes a week to put it up, only for a few shows.

Until the start of last year, Keran told us that we would still do it, I said we really had to do it? How could we do this in the pandemic? Last year he said that we could definitely do it the next year. This might had to do with his view of life, he would do what he set out to do, just like then when he did his first play, he sold 4 houses.”

In comparison with previous “A Dream Like A Dream”, the investment of this tour was obviously bigger. More touring cities meant that there was more costs with transfer of set, when they rehearsed in Tangshan it was not as good as Beijing, all the actors had to be in Tangshan with their living expenditures.

On the other hand, the seats in the theaters were fixed, there’s a ceiling to the ticket prices, in the face that it was not profitable, Wang Keran included a not-for-sale charity show, “The cost is too high, after completing the charity show, we basically have no profits for this stop,” Wang Keran said.

“A Dream Like A Dream”, Xu Qing and Xiao Zhan during rehearsal

Early last year during the pandemic period, Wang Keran already thought of doing a charity show in Wuhan.

Then, he spoke on the phone with the person in-charge of the theater, and asked about the situation in Wuhan, “He had always stuck to Wuhan, and told me that if you really cared about us, then you should bring your best show over, I asked which one did you mean? He said ‘A Dream Like A Dream’. I just felt that if ‘A Dream Like A Dream’ did not come, it would not fully express our special respect for Wuhan, and we would do a charity show, free.”

The actors had the same idealism.

Wang Keran said, theater would definitely be tough, the rehearsal time was long, and while they would perform for 3 days in every stop, they had to allocate 1 week for practice, a popular artist’s time would be calculated in days, but they were willing to allocate their schedule for the play.

Sun Zhongyi, who played roles such as the old housekeeper and professor, was one of the core actors for Yanghua Theatre, he was given the rare opportunity for a lead role in a movie, it was very important to him, but the schedule collided with one of the shows for “A Dream Like A Dream”, and for the play, he gave up this rare opportunity.

“A Dream Like A Dream”, actors rehearsing.

Plays do not earn as much as dramas and movies, no matter how popular the celebrity is, the profits from plays will never match up with the value of the drama, an actor’s rehearsal fee for “A Dream Like A Dream” is 100RMB a day, but all of the actors cooperated seriously.

Huang Lu said, sometimes we would joke that we “missed money making opportunities”, but everyone felt that this was especially fine, it was rare that we had a whole year to focus on doing one thing, the period where we practiced in Tangshan was very much like return to school.

“Everyone basically didn’t come here for money,” Huang Lu said, she viewed “A Dream Like A Dream” as a rare opportunity, it was a training for acting, also like a chance for self improvement.

After the “A Dream Like A Dream” Wuhan Charity Show ended, Huang Lu came to the front lobby for a photo.

Every actor gave their best performance.

Newly added actress for Young Gu Xianglan, Ge Xinyi, worked hard to match her senior; seasoned actress Feng Xianzhen controlled her character with grace and power, all 3 Gu Xianglan had an overall soul; Zhang Liang performed a Baron who was different from Jin Shijie’s version, but it was still accurate and layered; Fu Xing as the representative of the original group, became the foundation, their steady and down-to-earth performance assisted every new actor in building up their steady and accurate system of performance.

After performing for 9 years, Xu Qing had already embodied the blood and soul of Gu Xianglan, she also followed the progress of the group, and participated in all of the practices. Wang Keran expressed his thanks to Xu Qing once in Tangshan, “I say I really thank you for appearing in the practice, because your every practice would always accurately complete every detail, even if it was the most basic practice, you always put your heart to it, never held back, completely constructing the character.”

Xu Qing constantly improved her performance, frequently discussing how to handle every word with Wang Keran, for example after Baron had his car accident, Gu Xianglan would run up hurriedly to the police to say “I saw your incompetence” that kind of transition scenes, she would repeatedly try different expressions, after 9 years of “A Dream Like A Dream”, she is still pondering over it repeatedly, searching for the best method to handle every detail.

“A Dream Like A Dream”, Xu Qing and Zhang Liang during rehearsal.

During the rehearsal in Wuhan, Yuli Studio also witnessed how Xu Qing gave all of her emotions in every rehearsal, especially the important scene where Gu Xianglan took off her Cheongsam and walked through the lotus pond in sleeping garments, everytime Xu Qing finished that performance, her eyes would be filled with tears.

Xu Qing told Wang Keran one sentence later, and hoped that he would share that with the new actors, “Just tell them this point, 1 minute onstage, 9 years of effort offstage.”

Theater people always had this persistence in idealism and passion for the stage, with so much interest in “A Dream Like A Dream” this time round, Wang Keran hoped that with this play, more audiences would understand plays and love plays.

He especially prepared a live broadcast after the charity show ended, so that people beyond that 1200 audiences could see “A Dream Like A Dream”, hear the words from the actors’ hearts, he hoped that the other actors besides Xu Qing and Xiao Zhan would also be noticed.

“I know that the rules of news broadcast, if it wasn’t live broadcast, you would definitely cut away the people who weren’t important, right, but I hoped that everybody could see everyone’s effort. Xu Qing, Xiao Zhan, they were also very happy to have this method, I think that this is also a faith in collaboration equality built upon plays for them.”

“A Dream Like A Dream” would continue to tour 9 cities, Wang Keran hoped that through this play, it would encourage more youths to enter theaters, “I had this thought a long time ago, I just needed to find the right opportunity. For all of our lives we had hoped that plays would have more influence, could have more people entering theaters, if this worked out, then actors and actresses such as Xu Qing, Xiao Zhan, Zhang Liang etc, would have great contribution.”

#xiao zhan #sean xiao #xiaozhan #肖战

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kirishimaswife2819 · 3 years

Note

Hey, Danielle! This is an emergency request.. i think? But it's not like i would die without it so feel free to ignore this or see it as a normal request.

Lately i've been feeling down. I'm getting ignored by people when i talk (im sure they dont do it on purpose tho) and when i make a joke i just accidentally make things awkward. It's not only with my friends, but also with my family. And I've been very selfconsious these past few weeks and I'm feeling embarrassed by literally anything I do, like even now, writing this request, asking for a little comfort makes me feel embarrassed. I can't really function properly anymore, I don't talk anymore unless I'm spoken to and I don't like doing my hobbies anymore because I feel embarrassed. I can't even cry about it even if I'm all alone in my room. I'm just constantly asking myself "why are you like this?"

I've been scrolling through your blog and your reminder of how your fav fic character would adore you made me tear up..

I wonder what Izuku would do if he notices how his fem (or gn it doesn't really matter to me) s/o has been quiet lately and sits in their room all day doing literally nothing. And then he finds out about how they feel and how he would comfort and help them.

Okay I've read this like 5x, I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, English isn't my first language. Lol. But please don't force yourself to write this if you don't feel like it! I'd rather have you write something you like. Oh, and I really like your cat photos btw! I hope you have a nice day/night! :)

Them Comforting Their S/o That’s Been Feeling Down Lately || Midoriya

Masterlist 1 || Masterlist 2

↠Author’s Note: Hi! Sorry that you’ve been feeling like that :( I don’t really think I can help much other than saying that you’re perfect. But I hope you feel better and these maybe help? Even just a little bit. You’re English was fine tho, don’t worry :) But I hope you feel better soon! Make sure that you take good care of yourself (or the best that you can) -Danielle <3

↠Characters: Izuku Midoriya x Reader

↠Summary: Izuku comforting his s/o that’s been feeling down lately (not wanting to do hobbies, staying locked up in their room, etc.)

↠Genre: Comfort/fluff

↠Word Count: 450

↠Warnings: Mentions of s/o feeling down

↠Notes: None

He’s going to catch on to the fact that you’ve been feeling down lately, fairly quickly, he just pays a lot of attention to his s/o and there’s no way he wouldn’t notice that you weren’t feeling the best

He decides not to ask about it for a few days after he first notices though, maybe you were just having an off day. But then as he sat back, he realized that you weren’t starting to feel any better or show any signs of getting better, and that’s when he decided that he should maybe do something about it

But he didn’t want to confront you about it and potentially make you uncomfortable/hesitant to tell him what’s wrong, so instead he decided to just try and get you out of your room, doing things with him or one of your friends

It didn’t matter what it was when he first started doing this, he’d invite you to do any and every thing with him, it didn’t matter if it was training, studying, or even making something to eat at twelve a.m., he’d invite you to come with him

Throughout all of this, he also caught on to the fact that you weren’t doing any of your hobbies anymore, so he looked in his notebook that contained all of your information (which obviously includes your hobbies) and he learned a bit about a few of them (he picked ones that he thought he would enjoy as well)

And then he started inviting you on dates that had to do with the hobbies. You like to draw? Okay, come over to his dorm, you two can draw together while listening to some music! You like some type of sport? Okay! You two can practice outside of the dorms together until you both can’t breathe any longer. You like cooking? You guys can cook some food together for everybody else in the dorms! :)

He’ll continue to do this until you start suggesting these dates, or go back to doing the hobbies on your own time, and even after that, he’ll still do the hobbies with you, so you don’t slip back into your old mood

And as for the not talking until you’re spoken to thing, don’t worry! He will talk constantly, to the point where if it does get silent, you’re already back into a slightly better mindset and feeling better enough to speak first

Overall, he’ll help you out of your negative mindset, and into a better and positive one, and he’s not giving up until you’re feeling 110% better

#izuku x reader #izuku midoriya x reader #izuku midoriya #midoriya x reader #midoriya comfort #izuku comfort #mha #bnha #bnha x reader #mha x reader #mha headcanons #bnha headcanons #headcanons #headcanon post

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flodaya · 3 years

Note

Which kieutou moment is your favourite and why?

I’ll give you my top 5 because I can and because there are too many good moments (disproving the underdeveloped argument)

1. the museum date - not only favourite kieutou clip but actually my favourite druck clip, and definitely in my top three skamverse clips of all time. it just had everything I could ever dream of: the writing was beautiful, I love how those two got to connect and talk about deep stuff like dreams and fears, but also just trivial shared experiences like being second/their generation immigrants; I love the location, the natural history museum is beautiful on its own but not just that, it also just fit thematically, it’s grade A choice of location; the small romantic/cute moments, the glances, the awkwardness in the beginning, how nervous they were. I honestly can’t find a single second to complain about during the clip, it’s 8:18 that are just pure serotonin and perfect writing, they couldn’t have done this one better, no matter what happens in the last week I will carry this clip in my heart forever

2. when they matched on tinder - what a perfect use of that trope, I love this clip so much, shout-out to sira because that girls has some intense chemistry with her phone screen. it was just so unexpected? a sunday clip at 11:57pm, i love late night clips in general but that was just an absolute treat. the moment when she matched with kieu my and beyoncé’s angelic voice started singing *chefs kiss* their conversation and how much they were already flirting was so cute to see, you could actually tell how much both these girls were giddy and excited to finally take like a next step, they were both just over the moon to be texting with their crush, and even if we only saw one side of the conversation I would bet anything that kieu my was just as excited in her room, unable to sit still and contain her giddiness

3. when kieu my climbed the roof - “you just won’t leave my mind” are the most romantic words anyone has said on any tv-show ever; kieu my really climbed a whole fucking roof in her Sunday’s best just to confess her feelings to her girl, can you be any more whipped than that? it was such a short clip but it still conveyed what it needed to, it was such a soft and intimate moment, and to me that was the most honest and real portrayal how these two work together as a dynamic, everything after came from both of them being insecure stressed with their own struggles and inattentive to the others, when they learn to properly communicate you’ll see they’ll be right back to this dynamics of absolute support and love and the general feeling of “this person is my safe place”

4. the zombie movie clip - the way I lost my mind during this clip, the lesbian flirting tips, they were both so obviously flirting with one other but just didn’t believe they could be so lucky that the other one was also flirting as well, it’s just an absolute disaster from beginning until the end. when they complimented each other, kieu my asking the out-and-proud school lesbian “you’re into girls right” just to make 110% sure, those two just staring at each others lips the whole time, kieu my literally asking fatou “would you date me” and fatou saying “no❤️” I love my useless sapphic so much I could cry

5. this is a weird one to choose but the clip when kieu my volunteered to be fatou’s project partner - desperate times call for desperate measures, kieu my really went “imma force this girl to forgive me and if it’s the last thing I’ll do” I love how she glanced back at fatou to see her immediate reaction and then quickly looked away when she realized fatou was looking back at her; fatou standing up for herself, we love to see it, it really snapped kieu my out of it and she really took to hear to “say what she really wants”

honorary mentions: the making out in the bathroom clip because yes to girls who are so physically into each other; their second first kiss, this was the first time kieu my was actually honest and vulnerable in front of fatou and it was so perfect; and their first first kiss which was at the wrong time and the wrong place but kieu my just went “fuck it, now or never” and all my respect for her because it was her first experience with a girl and she initiated it, I never could have

the longer I think about it the more clips come to mind (eg. I haven’t even mentioned the cuddle clip yet) seriously, I don’t understand how ppl say they’ve been underdeveloped, they’ve been stagnant since getting together but tbh in my mind that is part of their development because they just weren’t prioritizing each other enough so their connection took a hit but these steps back are ultimately part of their progression forward, they hopefully learned a lot from it and will do better in the future

#druck #ask #skam ranking #my posts #kieutou

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javistg · 3 years

Text

A Second Chance CH 4.

Chapter 4 is ready!

I want to thank you all for your messages and support. I can't believe you've stuck with me and my story for this long and I'm incredibly grateful.

Also, I have added one more chapter to the story.

The next chapter is almost ready, but it won't be very long. It's just a short epilogue. Still, I hope it will be enough to answer all those questions I haven't answered so far.

In the meantime, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy. ❤️

Based on prompt 110: A time travel AU: Katniss from Mockingjay, (any part of the book, it's up to you), winds up back the day before her sister's first reaping. What does she do now that she knows what's coming? Now that she knows how Peeta feels about her, and she knows how desperately she needs him, and what they could share? What on earth could she, or should she, even do/change? And what is she should lose it all again? [submitted by @wingletblackbird For EFE 2019]

Want to read from the start? Go to AO3 or FF.net

CHAPTTER 4.

Claudius Templesmith’s voice booms all around the arena. “Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!”

As soon as the clock runs out, Katniss jumps from her platform and makes a beeline for the nearest backpack.

She’s almost at the tree line when she feels the impact of Clove’s knife sticking into her bag.

Right on cue, Katniss thinks as she slips into the woods.

Relying on her memory, she runs through the narrow paths and slopes until she reaches the lake. Getting on her knees, she shrugs the backpack off her shoulders and makes a quick inventory of its contents.

One thin black sleeping bag that reflects body heat. A pack of crackers. A pack of dried beef strips. A bottle of iodine. A box of wooden matches. A small coil of wire. A pair of night-vision glasses. And a half-gallon plastic bottle with a cap.

After filling her water bottle to the brim, Katniss starts walking again. She doesn’t want to go too far from the water —she refuses to deal with dehydration once more. Still, she tries to keep to the route she followed the first time she was there.

As she retraces her steps, she eventually comes across a familiar tree. A willow that’s not terribly tall but set in a clump of other willows, offering concealment in its long, flowing tresses.

She climbs up, sets her sleeping bag, straps herself to the branch, and waits.

The sky has already gone dark when she sees a small fire begin to bloom.

Katniss curses under her breath. Even now, she can’t bring herself to feel any sympathy for the tribute who’s decided to advertise their location in a place full of predators.

A few hours later, the Careers come traipsing through the forest. They’re about ten yards from her tree when an argument breaks.

Katniss grabs onto her branch and holds her breath in expectation.

Peeta’s words cut the bickering. “We’re wasting time! I’ll go finish her and let’s move on!”

Up on her tree, Katniss presses her lips together to contain her smile. The cameras are on her, watching her every move, and she stubbornly refuses to let the Capitol see her relief.

As Peeta walks away, she tries to conjure up all the anger and hurt she felt during her first Games so she can glare at him as he disappears from view.

XXXXX

Katniss runs through the woods, crushing branches and trampling down leaves and flowers in her rush to escape her nightmares, but it’s no use.

As the tracker-jacker poison courses through her veins —turning the world into a big shimmering bubble— Katniss berates herself for her carelessness.

She can’t believe her bow and arrows ended up stuck in Glimmer’s hands again; or that she needed Peeta’s warning to start moving.

Now, as she rushes through the forest trying to fight the ever-growing hallucinations, she knows that, once more, her clumsiness has placed Peeta’s fate in Cato’s hands.

Katniss turns a bend on the road. The earth shakes beneath her feet with the force of an explosion. She knows it’s not real, but she can’t fight it anymore. She sinks to her knees, exhausted, doomed.

Her nightmares have found her, and all she can do is give in.

XXXXX

Katniss wakes up a few days later to find her bow and arrows placed neatly by her side and Rue hiding behind a tree.

Together, the girls hunt and forage and --just like the first time-- their fast, easy friendship blossoms.

When the time comes for Katniss to leave to blow the Careers’ supplies up, she hesitates. Maybe I should take Rue down to the river, she thinks. We could dig Peeta from the mud and start treating him. The three of us could hide in the cave and…

With a shake of her head and a heavy heart, Katniss gives up. Thanks to Peeta’s intensive training for the Quarter Quell, she knows how that story ends. Alliances in the arena never last.

She would only be postponing Rue’s death. And for what? So that she can end up holding her mutilated body after a strange mutt kills her? The thought makes her shudder.

I need to weaken the Careers, she reminds herself as she walks towards the Cornucopia. Otherwise, Peeta and I won’t stand a chance.

XXXXX

Katniss is perched up on a tree, waiting.

A part of her mind is still consumed with Rue. Images of her, bloody and speared, play on a loop behind her eyes. She tries to block them out, to distract herself with something else, but she doesn’t have the strength; she’s too disgusted with herself.

Overcome by despair, Katniss hates the choices she’s made.

She hates that, despite having a second chance, she’s still helpless to do better, that she still thinks she has to put her life first.

As the sun sinks behind the trees, her mind flies back to Peeta. He’s somewhere out there, hurt, slowly bleeding to death by the stream.

She wants to drop this stupid pretense and rush to him, but she can’t.

There is one way out of this arena, and she needs to stick to her past actions to find it. So, Katniss wraps her arms around herself and waits.

She’s almost reached the end of her rope when the sky finally lights up. No deaths.

Her heart nearly jumps out of her chest when she hears the trumpets. Eager, she perks up in anticipation.

Claudius Templesmith’s voice blares down from overhead, congratulating the six tributes who remain. “There’s been a rule change in the Games. Under the new rule, both tributes from the same district will be declared winners if they are the last two alive.”

Claudius pauses, giving his audience time to digest the news. He repeats the change again, “Two tributes can win this year. If they’re from the same district.”

He’s barely finished speaking when Katniss reaches for her belt and begins unbuckling herself. The last time she was there, she waited for day to break, but she can’t do that this time. Not when she knows Peeta needs her.

With quick fingers, Katniss packs everything in her bag and slips the night-vision glasses on.

“Hold on, Peeta,” she says as she shimmies down the tree. “I’m on my way.”

XXXXX

As soon as she reaches the edge of the water, she realizes her mistake.

It’s a cold night. A bright round moon bathes the arena in pale light but, even with her glasses, that's not enough to make her way through the slippery mud.

Muttering obscenities under her breath, she backtracks until she finds a tree to spend the rest of the night.

With the first light of day, Katniss heads downstream.

After a while, the stream begins to curve to the left into a part of the woods where the muddy banks, covered in tangled water plants, lead to large rocks that increase in size.

Keeping her eyes to the ground, she spots a bloody streak going down the curve of a boulder.

Her heart picks up speed. Hugging the rocks, she moves, as quickly as she can, in the direction of the blood.

The blood trail stops. There’s no sign of Peeta.

She knows he’s close, though.

Crouching down, she whispers, “Peeta?”

The voice that answers back is hoarse and weak, but she would recognize it anywhere. “You here to finish me off, sweetheart?”

Katniss whips around.

“Peeta?” she whispers, biting back a smile. “Where are you?”

There’s no answer. So, Katniss creeps along the bank. “Peeta?”

“Well, don’t step on me.”

Katniss jumps back.

His voice is right under her feet. Still, there’s nothing.

Then his eyes open, unmistakably blue in the brown mud and green leaves.

Katniss’s gasp is rewarded with a hint of white teeth as he laughs.

“Close your eyes again,” she orders.

He does, and his mouth too, and completely disappears.

Katniss kneels beside him. “I guess all those hours decorating cakes paid off.”

Peeta smiles. “Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying.”

“You’re not going to die,” she tells him firmly.

“Says who?” His voice is so ragged it makes her chest hurt.

“Says me. We’re on the same team now, you know,” she tells him.

Peeta’s eyes open. “So I heard. Nice of you to find what’s left of me.”

Katniss pulls out her water bottle and gives him a drink. “Did Cato cut you?”

“Left leg. Up high.”

Her heart drops, she had hoped Peeta would fare better this time around, but it seems that they’re exactly in the same situation as before.

At least I didn’t leave him lingering here while I had breakfast, she thinks as she helps him take a few more sips. “Let’s wash you off so I can see what kind of wounds you’ve got.”

“Lean down a minute first,” Peeta says. “Need to tell you something.”

She leans over and puts her good ear to his lips, which tickle as he whispers. “Remember, we’re madly in love, so it’s all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it.”

Katniss bursts out laughing. “Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”

Remembering how hard it was to move him, she decides to skip that part and strip and clean him right where he is.

“Alright, let’s get you cleaned up,” she says as she begins digging into the mud and plants which seem to have imprisoned him.

To her surprise, Peeta shakily pushes his upper body away from the ground. A little push from her, and he’s sitting up.

His new position doesn’t last long, though. With a pained grunt, Peeta slumps against a nearby rock.

“How do you feel?” she asks, brushing the matted hair from his face.

“Woozy.”

Using her two water bottles and Rue’s water skin, she begins cleaning him up. It’s slow going. The water is cold, and he’s so caked with mud and matted leaves that she can’t even see his clothes.

When she’s done, she gently unzips his jacket, unbuttons his shirt, and eases them off him.

His undershirt comes next. It’s stained, but at least it’s not stuck to his skin.

“Can you lift your arms?” she asks.

Peeta complies, lifting one arm at a time and dropping them limply by his side as soon as he’s done.

With one last tug, Katniss pulls the undershirt over his head.

Tears well up in her eyes when she takes him in.

He’s badly bruised. There’s a long burn across his chest and a superficial cut on his arm. There’s also a bit of good news, though.

Only one of his tracker jacker stings looks bad. The skin around it is swollen and angry. The other three have been treated, Peeta's covered them with wads of chewed-up leaves.

“Did I do OK?” Peeta asks.

“You did great,” she tells him as she gently peels the dried leaves from his skin. “You only missed one.”

Peeta closes his eyes. His head lols back. “Where is it?”

“Right under your ear.” Carefully, she pours some cold water on the spot to clean it. Just looking at it makes her chest hurt. “Hold still,” she says as she digs the stinger out of the lump.

Peeta winces, but the minute she applies a fresh batch of chewed-up leaves, he sighs in relief.

Cleaning his clothes seems pointless right now that the sun isn’t hot enough to dry them. So, she uses the cleaner side of his undershirt to pat him dry and applies some burn cream to his chest.

His skin is warm but not excessively hot. This feels like good news but, Katniss isn’t sure. They’re out by the stream, and the nighttime chill hasn’t dissipated yet. The cold weather could be masking Peeta’s fever.

Since they can’t afford to waste any time, Katniss keeps going. Standing up, she shrugs off her jacket and gently drapes it over Peeta’s shoulders to protect him from the cold. Then, she digs through the first-aid kit she got from Marvel until she finds the pills that reduce temperature.

“Swallow these,” she tells him. Peeta obediently takes the medicine. “You must be hungry.”

“Not really,” says Peeta.

“We need to get some food in you,” she insists. Remembering what happened last time, she forgoes the groosling and gives him the dried apple instead.

“Can I sleep now, Katniss?” he asks after he’s had a few bits.

“I need to look at your leg first.”

Gently, she removes his boots and socks and then very slowly inches his pants off of him.

Her heart plummets when she sees the tear Cato’s sword made in the fabric over his thigh. Gritting her teeth, she keeps going.

As Peeta’s leg comes into view, Katniss gasps.

The wound isn’t exposed. Just like the tracker jacker stings, it’s been covered with leaves.

With trembling fingers, she carefully removes the green plaster.

The wound is terrible, a deep inflamed gash, but Peeta’s done a better job of taking care of it. It’s not oozing as much blood or pus as it did the last time.

“Pretty awful, huh?” says Peeta. He’s watching her closely.

Katniss shrugs. “I’ve seen worse,” she tells him honestly. “I just need to clean it well.”

Scooting her square of plastic under him, Katniss begins washing down his lower half.

Except for Cato’s cut, Peeta’s legs have fared pretty well. There’s one more tracker jacker sting, which he’s also cured, and a few minor burns that she treats quickly.

After pouring a few water bottles over it, the wound doesn’t look any better but, at least, it doesn’t look any worse.

Katniss applies a handful of chewed-up tracker jacker leaves to the wound. Within minutes, pus begins running down the side of Peeta’s leg. She repeats the process. This time, very little pus comes out.

“What next, Dr. Everdeen?” Peeta asks.

“I have a bandage I can use, but there’s something I need to do first.” Reaching behind her, Katniss pulls out Rue’s backpack. “Here, cover yourself with this, and I’ll wash your shorts.”

“Oh, I don’t care if you see me,” says Peeta.

Katniss sets her jaw. Anger and humiliation rush through her veins as an image of Johanna --stripping in front of Peeta-- comes to her mind.

Fixing him with a blistering glare, she growls, “I care, all right?”

With an aggravated huff, Katniss stands up and turns to look at the stream.

As she waits for Peeta to shimmy out of his undershorts, his words come back to her. “For the Capitol, you’re pure,” he had said, clearly trying to mollify her. “For me, you’re perfect.”

Placated by the memory, Katniss sighs.

As soon as Peeta’s undershorts splash into the current, she turns to look at him.

There he is, her boy with the bread, so strong and fierce and brave. He looks small right now, pale and weak and vulnerable, but she’s not worried. Peeta's done better this time, and he’s going to push through. Just as he always does.

Katniss walks over to him and puts a few dried pear halves in his hand. “I'm going to wash your clothes. In the meantime, you eat these,” she says before heading down to the stream.

XXXXX

Katniss holds the small vial of sleep syrup in the palm of her hand. She doesn’t like what she’s about to do, but she knows she has no choice.

Peeta’s condition is not as critical as the last time. She’s managed to keep his fever from spiking, but the wound on his leg isn’t getting any better.

Besides, if she doesn’t go to the feast, Thresh won’t kill Clove.

With grim resolve, she gets to work. She mashes up a handful of berries and adds some mint leaves for good measure. Then she heads back up to the cave.

“I’ve brought you a treat,” she tells Peeta, “I found a new patch of berries a little farther downstream.”

XXXXX

“You better run now, Fire Girl,” Thresh tells her.

Katniss doesn’t need to be told twice. She flips over, digging her feet into the hard-packed earth, and runs away from Thresh and Clove and the sound of Cato’s voice.

She reaches the woods and keeps going. Blood pours into her eye, but she just swipes it away.

After a few minutes, she hears the cannon. Clove has died.

When she finally reaches the water, she slows down. She’s fairly certain Cato headed out after Thresh. Still, she doesn’t want to waste any time.

Katniss pulls off Rue’s socks, which she’d been using for gloves. Setting them aside, she splashes water over her forehead to clean the cut.

Moving quickly, she presses the socks to her forehead to staunch the flow of blood.

She knows the socks will be soaked in minutes. So, she reaches for the bandage in her small backpack and wraps it, as tightly as she can, around her forehead.

That should do the trick, she thinks, standing up to continue her trek downstream.

She makes it back to the cave in record time.

After squeezing through the rocks, she pulls the little orange backpack from her arm, cuts open the clasp, and dumps the contents on the ground—one slim box containing one hypodermic needle.

Without hesitating, she jams the needle into Peeta’s arm and slowly presses down on the plunger.

Exhausted, Katniss sighs. Her head is throbbing.

Her hands go to her forehead. When they drop back on her lap, she sees they’re clean.

After taking one of the fever pills, Katniss snuggles next to Peeta and drifts off.

XXXXX

Cato rushes through the woods, making a beeline for the Cornucopia.

Without question, Katniss follows him.

Her hands have just landed on the metal at the pointed tail of the Cornucopia when she turns back to look at Peeta. He’s not that far behind, but the mutts are closing in on him fast.

She sends an arrow into the pack, and one goes down, but there are plenty to take its place.

Peeta waves her up the horn, “Go, Katniss! Go!”

Katniss starts climbing, scaling the Cornucopia on her hands and feet. The pure gold surface has been designed to resemble a woven horn, so there are little ridges and seams to get a decent hold on. But after a day in the arena sun, the metal feels hot enough to blister her hands.

Cato lies on his side at the very top of the horn, twenty feet above the ground, gasping to catch his breath as he gags over the edge.

Katniss stops midway up the horn, loads another arrow, and points it at him, but just as she’s about to let it fly, she hears Peeta cry out. She twists around.

Peeta’s just reached the tail, and the mutts are right on his heels.

“Climb!” she yells.

Peeta starts up while Katniss keeps her eyes on the mutts. When one of them places its paws on the metal, she shoots her arrow down its throat.

Peeta reaches her feet. She grabs his arm and pulls him along.

Remembering Cato is waiting at the top, she whips around. He’s still doubled over with cramps and apparently more preoccupied with the mutts than with his fellow tributes.

This is my chance, Katniss thinks. She’s replayed this moment hundreds of times in her mind. She’s ready.

At the bottom of the Cornucopia, the mutts are beginning to assemble. Katniss can hear their calls for blood. She knows they won’t stop until they get it.

She tugs Peeta’s arm to get his attention. “Think you could push him over?”

Peeta glances at Cato. He still hasn’t regained his feet, but his breathing is slowing. Soon he’ll be recovered enough to come for them and hurl them over the side to their deaths.

“Shoot straight,” Peeta says before taking a step in Cato’s direction and crouching.

Katniss aims her arrow at Cato’s head.

In. Out. Katniss breathes as she tries to block out the sounds of the mutts sniffing and tasting the metal, scraping paws over the surface, and making high-pitched yipping noises to one another.

Smirking, Cato pushes himself up and ducks his head under his arm to deflect the attack.

Katniss’s arrow flies and reaches its mark, piercing right through Cato’s unprotected hand.

Cato cries out and doubles over in pain just as Peeta slams against him.

Knocked off balance, Cato plummets to the ground.

XXXXX

“Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed,” Claudius Templesmith says. “Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor.”

Katniss looks at Peeta in dismay. She’s exhausted. She just wants the whole thing to be over.

“If you think about it, it’s not that surprising,” Peeta says softly as he pulls the knife from his belt and throws it into the lake.

Katniss doesn’t falter. She immediately drops her weapons.

“No,” Peeta says, reaching for her bow and pressing it back into her hand. “You need to use this now.”

“I can’t,” Katniss says, shaking her head. “I won’t.”

“Do it.” Peeta tightens his hold on her wrist in a silent plea. “Before they send those mutts back or something. I don’t want to die like Cato.”

“Then you shoot me,” she says furiously, shoving the weapons back at him. “You shoot me and go home and live with it!”

“You know I can’t,” Peeta says, discarding the weapons.

He turns to look at the lake. Frustration drips from his voice as he says, “This is why I didn’t want you to go to the feast, why I didn’t want you to risk your life for me. I knew it was pointless, that in the end, they were going to make us choose.”

Peeta drops on one knee and begins untying his shoelaces.

Katniss scowls; this is something new. “What are you doing?”

“I think I’m going to go out for a swim.”

Panic rises within her. The lake isn’t too deep, but Peeta doesn’t know how to swim. What if the Gamemakers decide to create waves or a strong current?

She needs to think. Fast.

Katniss kneels next to him. “Peeta, please don’t!”

“Katniss,” Peeta reaches for the end of her braid and gives it a little tug. “This is my choice. It’s what I want.”

“You’re not leaving me here alone,” she says, reaching out to grab a fistful of his jacket.

“Listen,” he says, pulling her to her feet. “We both know they have to have a victor. It can only be one of us. Please, take it. For me.”

Katniss swallows thickly. This is the opening she was waiting for.

Her fingers fumble with the pouch on her belt, freeing it.

Peeta’s eyes widen. His hand clamps on her wrist. “No, I won’t let you.”

“Trust me,” she whispers.

He holds her gaze for a long moment, then lets go.

Katniss loosens the top of the pouch and pours a few spoonfuls of berries into his palm.

She fills hers. Her heart races in fear and anticipation as she asks, “On the count of three?”

Peeta leans down and kisses her once, very gently. “The count of three,” he says.

They stand, their backs pressed together, their empty hands locked tight.

“Hold them out. I want everyone to see,” Peeta says.

Katniss spreads out her fingers, and the dark berries glisten in the sun.

She’s not afraid this time. If the Gamemakers call their bluff, she and Peeta will have a quick death. Protected by their anonymity, Prim, Gale, and the rest of District 12 will be safe.

Still, as she gives Peeta’s hand one last squeeze as a signal, she hopes it’s not a goodbye.

They begin counting.

“One.” Did she get it right?

“Two.” Maybe this do-over is not for her but for Snow, who’s wanted her dead from the start.

“Three!” She’s about to find out.

Katniss lifts her hand to her mouth.

The berries have just passed her lips when the trumpets begin to blare.

The frantic voice of Claudius Templesmith shouts above them. “Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you — the tributes of District Twelve!”

XXXXX

The tribute train speeds back to District 12.

Alone in her compartment, Katniss washes the makeup from her face and puts her hair in its braid.

As she stares in the mirror, she tries to remember who she is and who she isn't.

My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old. My home is District 12. I was in the Hunger Games. I escaped. The Capitol hates me, but I came back. Peeta is safe. Our families and our district are waiting for us.

With a steady hand, she pins the mockingjay back on her shirt and adds, Snow’s days in power are numbered.

The train makes a brief stop for fuel, and they’re allowed to go outside for some fresh air.

There’s no longer any need to guard them, so Peeta and Katniss walk down along the track, hand in hand.

As soon as they’re out of earshot, Katniss leans into Peeta’s side and asks, “Have you talked to Haymitch?”

Peeta shakes his head. “About what?”

Remembering how poorly this conversation went the last time, Katniss grabs his arm to keep him close. “He told me the Capitol didn’t like our stunt with the berries.”

Peeta’s body tenses under her touch. “What?”

“He says it seemed too rebellious.”

“Seemed?” Peeta deadpans.

Katniss’s jaw drops open. This is not the reaction she was expecting.

“Come on, Katniss, you can’t be that surprised. We basically forced their hand into doing what we wanted. It’s no wonder they’re upset.” Anger and suspicion quickly flash through his eyes. “Why didn’t he tell me anything?”

Afraid that he’s going to storm away, Katniss tightens her grip on his arm. “Because he didn’t want me to mess up in front of the cameras. He was afraid I’d be all prickly and aloof. So, he told me I needed to act like I was so madly in love that I wasn’t responsible for my actions.”

She knows she’s messed up the second Peeta takes a step away from her. “Act?”

“For the interview,” she quickly clarifies. “Only for the interview.”

The explanation seems to placate him, but he still asks, “So, what you did in the Games, was that—,”

“That was not an act,” she tells him. This time it’s the truth. Her only hidden motive was to bring him out with her.

Peeta nods but, before he can say anything, Haymitch appears by his side.

Even in the middle of nowhere, the old mentor keeps his voice down. “Great job, you two. Just keep it up in the district until the cameras are gone. We should be OK.”

“Thanks for the update,” Peeta growls under his breath.

A deep frown settles on Haymitch’s face. “What’s up with you?”

“I just told him what you said about President Snow,” Katniss whispers.

“Why didn’t you tell me anything?” Peeta asks.

Haymitch lets out an exasperated sigh. “Since when do you need coaching on how to act in front of the cameras, kid? You’re smooth and personable, and you always know exactly what to say.” Hunching closer to the two victors, he adds, “Besides, the walls have ears, even here. I didn’t have that many openings, you know?”

Mollified, Peeta nods. Katniss knows it's just a reprieve, though. Peeta's never liked being kept in the dark, and he'll probably go after Haymitch once they're back home.

“Alright,” Haymitch says, “fun’s over. Time to hop back on board.”

The three victors head back.

Katniss is already on board when she notices Peeta has fallen behind.

Alarmed, she whips around to look out of a window. Peeta’s just a few steps away. A smile splits her face when she notices the bunch of wildflowers in his hand.

As soon as he climbs up the stairs, he presents the pink-and-white flowers to her.

Katniss bursts out laughing. Her eager hands reach for the offering. “You brought me lunch, how thoughtful!”

Peeta tilts his head in question. “Lunch?”

Katniss nods. With soft fingers, she traces the edge of a pink petal. “They’re wild onions. Gale and I gather them sometimes.”

Peeta’s face turns serious. “Katniss, I’m sorry about earlier, I didn’t mean to snap—,”

“No,” she cuts in, “I get it. We’re a team. We’re in this together.”

Peeta reaches for her hand, interlacing their fingers to bring their palms even closer. Hope lights up his face when he asks, “Together?”

Katniss nods. Standing on the tips of her toes, she presses a soft kiss to his lips and whispers, “Together.”

XXXXX

The Tribute train pulls into District 12.

Katniss and Peeta stand side by side, watching their grimy little station rise up around them.

Through the window, Katniss sees the platform’s thick with cameras. Everyone will be eagerly watching their homecoming.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Peeta extend his hand. His eyes are warm and soft, her safe place in the storm that’s about to be unleashed.

Smiling back at him, Katniss takes his hand and holds on tightly as she prepares for the cameras. Her heart feels full, grateful for the fact that she won’t ever have to let go.

XXXXX

On the first Sunday after the Capitol cameras leave, Katniss sneaks out of Victors’ Village.

Partially hidden by the dim light of dusk, she quietly walks to the Seam.

A part of her wishes she could sneak under the fence and go to her and Gale’s meeting place like she did before. She mises the sounds and the smells of her woods and longs to hold her father’s bow, but she knows the rock ledge isn’t safe. Not today.

President Snow has eyes and ears everywhere, and she can’t afford to repeat her past mistakes. Not when what she has to say is this important.

Two blocks away from Gale’s house, she finds the perfect spot; a narrow corridor that stretches between two shacks. Despite being open on both ends, it’s dark and much too small for foot traffic or lampposts —which makes it a perfect hiding place— and it faces the street Gale uses to go to the woods.

She’s only been there for a few minutes when a silent silhouette walks past.

“Gale!” Katniss hisses as loud as se dares.

Gale stops on his tracks and turns towards the sound, leaning slightly into the small dark corridor.

Smiling fondly at her friend, Katniss lifts her hand and wiggles her fingers in greeting.

The glimmer in his eyes tells her he’s surprised to see her there, but he doesn’t hesitate. In two long strides, he’s by her side with open arms.

Just like she did the last time, Katniss jumps into his embrace.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembers crying —sobbing in Gale’s arms until she began to hiccup and tremble— but she doesn’t cry now. She doesn’t have time for that. Instead, she buries her face in his jacket and breathes him in, letting his fresh, clean scent comfort her and give her the strength she needs to carry on.

Pulling away from her friend, Katniss smiles. “Hi!”

“Hey!” Gale points his thumb back towards the woods. “I was on my way out to meet you.” Dropping his hand, he turns around and inspects their tight hiding place. “What are you doing here?”

“I knew you’d pass by.” Her smile drops. “We need to talk.”

A dark cloud passes through Gale’s eyes. “What’s wrong, Catnip?”

Grabbing a fistful of his jacket to keep him from storming away, Katniss begins to talk. As quickly as she can, she tells him about President Snow’s anger.

“He’s mad at us for showing the Capitol up in the arena and turning it into the joke of Panem,” she says. “It’s something that wouldn’t have mattered much before, but Snow’s control over the country is slipping. His enemies are gaining strength, and he can’t afford to look weak in front of them.”

Anticipation lights Gale’s eyes. “His enemies?”

“Rebel forces are organizing all over the country,” Katniss says, “even the Capitol has a few dissenters, but Snow’s biggest problem is District 13.”

Gale takes a step back. “Thirteen? There’s no Thirteen. It got blown off the map.”

“No, it didn’t,” Amused with the look of shock on Gale's face, Katniss smiles. “District 13 is still there. That footage we’ve seen, with the rubble and the ruins, is always the same shot. The Capitol just uses it as a backdrop for its TV presenters.

“The people of Thirteen have spent the last 74 years living underground, and they're done waiting. They’re eager to get rid of Snow.”

Gale shakes his head, still too disconcerted to fully grasp what’s happening. “How do you know all this?”

“I heard about it while I was in the Capitol,” she lies, convinced that this is the only possible explanation she can give him that will make some kind of sense. “I overheard some conversations during my training, and then, while I was recovering, I was... approached.”

“Approached?”

Katniss nods, hoping Gale won’t press any further. She’s ready to tell him what she knows about Eight and a few other districts, but she doesn’t want to go into any specifics in case someone decides to check up on her info later on.

Luckily, Gale is a man of action, and his hatred for the Capitol runs deep. He has all the information he needs. “So, what are you going to do?”

“Well... All eyes are on me right now, so there’s not much I can do —not if I want to keep my family safe— but I was thinking...”

Katniss looks up, silver eyes bright with trust and hope. “Nobody knows who you are, Gale. No one is following you. You could go. You could just sneak under the fence and march down all the way to Thirteen and tell them everything I know."

"Wait a second," Gale says, raising his hands as if to shield himself from her plan. "If what you're saying is true, District 13 must have agents in every district. So, why would they need me to relay your information?"

Katniss shakes her head. "Thirteen is in contact with a few people, but they don't have access to every district. My information is not very detailed, but it comes from every corner of Panem. The leaders of Thirteen might be able to use it to band the rebels together before Snow sends his Peacekeepers to start cracking down on us."

Pulling his shoulders back, Gale backtracks until his arm touches the cold cement wall. Looking past Katniss, he stares at the empty street at the end of the corridor.

Enveloped by silence, she sees his mind working, turning, and churning ideas as he tries to come to terms with what he’s heard.

“What about my family?” he finally asks.

“I’ll take care of them,” Katniss promises, “just like you took care of mine.”

When Gale looks back at her —full of fire and determination— she knows, clear as day, that she’s made the right choice.

Gale Hawthorne wants the revolution more than he wants anything else.

“I’m going to need a few supplies,” he says, his mind already thinking ahead.

“That’s not a problem. I’ll help you get whatever you need.”

Crossing his arms, Gale tilts his head to study her closely. Uprisings and rebellions are far from his mind when he asks, “So…you and the baker’s son. How long has that been going on?”

Katniss shrugs. What should she say? A year and a half? A month? A week? She doesn’t really know when to start counting. So, she sticks with the vaguest thing she can think of. “A while.”

A mirthless chuckle escapes his lips. “I can’t believe I never noticed.”

“Well," Katniss slips her hands into her pockets. Discussing Peeta with Gale --or Gale with Peeta-- has always made her uncomfortable. Luckily, her friend's tone is a lot more subdued than it used to be. "We weren’t exactly shouting it over the rooftops, you know?”

Raising a questioning eyebrow, he locks his gray eyes with hers. “I thought you didn’t want to get married.”

“I changed my mind.”

As soon as the words pass her lips, she knows they’re true.

She still doesn’t want to have children. If her trips to the Games have taught her anything, it's that Panem is not a safe place to live. But she doesn’t want to be alone anymore, not when she can be with Peeta.

Hoping to put the conversation to rest, she lifts her chin and adds, “Peeta changed my mind.”

Gale nods, slowly taking her in as if he's seeing her for the very first time.

In the small space, Gale offers his hand. "OK, Catnip, I'll do as you ask."

Smiling, Katniss reaches out to shake it and seal their deal.

Katniss heads back to Victors' Village feeling lighter than she has in weeks. Her plan is in motion. Gale is going to District 13.

As she reaches the steps of her new home, a thrilling thought crosses her mind.

She's back on uncharted waters. The future is about to become uncertain once more.

#things I write #a second chance #time travel!everlark #Everlark Fic Exchange #camp nano april 2021

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whimsicallyenchantedrose · 3 years

Text

Fluffy Fridays—Chapter 157: A Man After Midnight, pt. 2

Pairing: Captain Swan

Summary: A series of unrelated, fluffy one shots featuring Killian Jones and Emma Swan and the relationship that makes us all swoon. Will contain both canon and AU stories. My contribution to Operation Rainbow Kisses and Unicorn Stickers (aka, my attempt to drown out the season 4 finale angst with ridiculous levels of fluff.)

Other Chapters: ( 1) (2) ( 3) ( 4) ( 5) (6) ( 7) ( 8) ( 9) ( 10) ( 11) ( 12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) (28) (29) (30) (31) (32) (33) (34) (35) (36) (37) (38) (39) (40) (41) (42) (43) (44) (45) (46) (47) (48) (49) (50) (51) (52) (53) (54) (55) (56) (57) (58) (59) (60) (61) (62) (63) (64) (65) (66) (67) (68) (69) (70) (71) (72) (73) (74) (75) (76) (77) (78) (79) (80) (81) (82) (83) (84) (85) (86) (87) (88) (89) (90) (91) (92) (93) (94) (95) (96) (97) (98) (99) (100) (101) (102) (103) (104) (105) (106) (107) (108) (109) (110) (111) (112) (113) (114) (115) (116) (117) (118) (119) (120) (121) (122) (123) (124) (125) (126) (127) (128) (129) (130) (131) (132) (133) (134) (135) (136) (137) (138) (139) (140) (141) (142) (143) (144) (145) (146) (147) (148) (149) (150) (151) (152) (153) (154) (155) (156) (158) (159) (160) (161) (162) (163) (164) (165) (166) (167) (168) (169) (170) (171) (172) (173) (174)

(ao3) (ff.net)

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

“Good news, love. There is indeed a man out there who heard your prayer. It may not be after midnight, but I am most assuredly a man, and I’m at your disposal.”

Emma’s jaw dropped as she opened her door to see her across the street neighbor in full pirate regalia standing before her and flirting outrageously.

It took her brain a second to catch up, but when it did, she realized what he’d just said.

“Excuse me?” she asked, folding her arms and frowning ferociously. “What, were you spying on me? You think it’s fun to creep on a person working out in the privacy of her own home? You are a stalker!”

He swaggered a step farther toward her, and she put out her hand to stop his progress. “I prefer dashing rapscallion,” he purred, “scoundrel?”

The way he lowered his voice, tucking his chin and looking up at her from beneath heavily lidded eyes at that last part did things to her. Things that were very definitely not PG rated.

That annoyed her more than anything.

“What you are is someone who needs to leave,” she said. “Now. Before I call the cops or knee you in the jewels or something.”

He looked on the point of responding, when Henry, her miniature black goldendoodle, suddenly made a flying leap through the air toward their intruder. For a moment, the man looked taken aback, but it took less than a moment for him to realize that the only threat Henry posed to him was the threat of licking him to death.

“It would seem your dog disagrees, love.”

Emma rolled her eyes. A watchdog Henry was not. He’d yet to find another creature--of any species--that he didn’t immediately want to be best friends with.

The man laughed as Henry jumped around him, yipping and whining in excitement, licking any bit of skin he could find. The pirate bent down and patted Henry affectionately as his laughter continued.

Emma wished she could say the sound of his laughter, the fact that he was obviously wonderful with animals, didn’t do anything to her.

This man was trouble. She’d known that since the moment she’d first caught a glimpse of him through her front picture window three weeks ago. If her disastrous history with men had taught her anything, it was that hot men were not to be trusted, and though she hated to admit it, this man was hot. Like the-sun-feels-kind-of-lukewarm-in-comparison hot.

She’d noticed him throughout the past weeks. How could she not? His apartment was indecently close to her own.

Didn’t help that Henry had also noticed the guy’s golden retriever and, of course, was desperate to go play with him.

So far she’d managed to avoid actually coming into contact with her sexy-as-hell neighbor, but it looked like today her luck had finally run out.

Now that Henry had met his newest best friend, there would be no living with him if she didn’t at least let the man in for a visit.

Emma sighed again, before stepping back and sweeping her arm out in invitation (a move that surprised him, if the way his eyebrows raised was any indication).

“You got a name,” she asked, “or should I just call you annoying hot stalker guy who likes to spy on women in his spare time?”

He grinned delightely. “Hot?”

She rolled her eyes. Of course that’s the part of her sentence he picked up on. She crossed her arms again, and he apparently got the picture that outrageous flirtation time was over. “Killian Jones,” he said, “but my clients at the harbor have taken to calling me by my more colorful moniker. Hook.”

He raised his left arm, and she noticed the rather realistic looking steel hook he held in his left hand. She supposed she should be alarmed that a stranger armed with an apparently deadly weapon was currently standing in her living room, but her instincts told her that he posed no danger to her.

In fact, even more than that, her instincts told her he was trustworthy, maybe even a good guy, and though they’d never met, she had the strangest feeling that she knew the guy; that they were destined to be friends (or more).

She recalled a conversation she’d had once with her best friend Mary Margaret Nolan. “I can’t explain it, Emma,” she’d said. “From the moment I met David I just knew. It was like we’d known each other forever, you know? I don’t know if I believe in love at first sight, but I knew there was something there, something amazing from the very start.”

Emma had scoffed at the notion. After all, Mary Margaret had always been a hopeless romantic, someone who was utterly captivated by idiotic romantic comedies that usually had Emma’s eyes rolling out of her head. Only made sense that as soon as she met a guy she might like, she’d convinced herself she was living a romance novel of her very own.

But now...well, now Emma wasn’t so sure. Now she was starting to wonder if Mary Margaret had a point

And she hated it.

Give him a chance! Her inner Mary Margaret said. She should ignore the voice. She really should. She knew that. Did she remember Neal? August? Or worst of all Walsh (What even was his obsession with flying monkeys?!)? They’d all seemed promising at first, and then...ugh, she didn’t even want to think about how colossally badly each of those relationships had ended.

So yeah, she should toss Killian Jones out on his ass, cutting this off at the pass before it even started (not there even was a “this” right now. She’d just met the man for heaven’s sake!), but somehow she couldn’t. Somehow her desire to get to know him was stronger than her sense of self-preservation.

Damn Mary Margaret and her stupidly contagious hope.

“Emma Swan,” she finally responded, realizing to her chagrin (and to his delight, apparently, gauging by his stupid grin) that she’d been simply staring at him for an absurdly long time. “And that flying mop that is currently trying to drown you with kisses is Henry.”

He laughed, bending down again to caress her dog. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Henry,” he said, and then straightening again, he turned his gorgeous blue eyes on her before extending his hand. “And it is a very distinct pleasure to meet you, Swan.”

She felt her face flame and her heart pound in reaction to the smoldering attention he was tossing her way

Get a grip, Emma! You’d think this was the first hot guy you’d ever met.

She took a deep breath, took his hand, and gave it one quick, businesslike pump before she turned toward the kitchen. “You want something to drink?” she asked.

“A water would be lovely, if it’s not too much trouble,” he answered.

“‘Kay,” she answered, already heading in the direction of her fridge. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.”

She took as long as she could reaching into her fridge, letting the cold air bathe her, hopefully cool her down a little. She didn’t know what she was doing here; didn’t know how or why she’d ended up in this ridiculous situation, but in this situation she was, and she had to make the most of it.

Maybe...and she couldn’t believe she was even considering this...Mary Margaret had a point. Maybe it was time to start letting her walls down. She wasn’t going to take a wrecking ball to them altogether, but maybe, just maybe pulling down a few bricks here and there wouldn’t kill her.

Grabbing two water bottles, she turned back toward her living area, and her heart turned over at the sight before her. Killian sat on the couch, Henry draped across his lap, making small contented noises as Killian rubbed his belly.

You can trust him, her inner Mary Margaret insisted again. Today just might be the start of something amazing if you let it.

Maybe it would, or maybe it wouldn’t, Emma thought as she handed him his water and took a seat across from him, but for the first time in years she was willing to take that chance.

“So Killian Jones, tell me a little bit about yourself.”

Notes:

--Happy Friday and happy….spring? I don’t even know what season it is anymore after we got a ridiculously late snow earlier this week. At any rate you get an update two weeks in a row! (Don’t get too used to it; I make no guarantees that will continue, lol.)

--So Emma (with the help of her dog Henry) overcame her natural self-preservation instincts to slam the door in Killian’s face and has decided to take a chance on him. I suspect her inner Mary Margaret is right. This could be the start of something amazing.

--And Henry? Yeah, he is 100% based on my dog, Bear. This is exactly how he’d react if Killian showed up at my door. (Of course, that’s not saying much. It’s also exactly how he’d react if [fill in the blank with the OUAT character you hate most or find most annoying] showed up at my door.)

--What do you think? Is this fluffy little story at an end, or does it need another chapter? I’m kind of torn. On the one hand, I kind of like where I left it. On the other, I mean *shrug* Who knows? There’s always room for more CS romance. Maybe the muse will decide there’s more to this story left to tell.

NEXT CHAPTER-->

#cs ff #cs friday fluff #fluffy fridays #my fanfiction #cs au ff #a man after midnight

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avengerscompound · 4 years

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The Surrogate - Chapter 11

The Surrogate: A Clintasha Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing: Clint Barton x Natasha Romanoff x F!Reader

Word Count: 1868

Rating: E

Warnings: Pregnancy, sex talk

Synopsis: A freak end of the world incident leads to meeting your two best friends, Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff. While your friendship with the two Avengers is anything but conventional, they are your all-time favorite people. When you find out that Clint and Natasha want to start a family but have exhausted all their options, you realize your powerset might allow you to give them what they want. Having your best friends’ baby might seem like a good idea on paper, but when you are as close as you, Clint, and Natasha are, will doing something so intimate mean feelings get a little mixed up?

Chapter 11

Living with Clint and Natasha was the best worst thing you’d ever done. You loved being around them. They were fun and hilarious and they doted on you. While your morning sickness was kicking your ass, there was always one of them there with a cool compress, rubbing your back. They kept saltines and ginger ale on hand. They made sure you took your anti-nausea medication and your pregnancy vitamins. They were even pulling in favors from friends. Wanda had made up several batches of different soups she used to cook with her mother that you could eat with an upset stomach, and Pepper dropped off a few things that had helped with her when she was pregnant with Morgan.

As your morning sickness eased up at the end of the first trimester, you were hit by a sudden wave of energy. They moved on to doing midnight runs to get that very weirdly specific thing you were craving and offering you foot and back rubs every time you even remotely complained.

That would all be fine - more than fine. It was amazing and they were amazing. Only you couldn’t pretend that you weren’t feeling the way you were feeling about them anymore. You’d fallen head over heels for the both of them. Not to mention that your hormones being all out of whack meant you could go from being horny as hell to in tears in sixty seconds flat. Any time you thought about how you felt about them you were just as likely to want to jump them as to hide and cry about how terrible a person you were for not being able to get those feelings in check.

“Alright,” Clint said, coming in with a stack of different boxes and containers and putting them on the counter. “We have pizza, we have lo mein, we have fried chicken and biscuits, we have chocolate eclairs. Did I forget anything?”

“Whatchamacallit,” you said, sitting forward in the chair.

Clint fished around in the pocket of his coat and pulled out the candy bar. “One ‘Whatchamacallit’,” he said, miming slamming it down on the table.

“Thank you, Clint. You’re the best,” you said and grabbed the container of noodles and the chopsticks.

“You know it,” he said, getting a slice of the pizza.

Natasha came into the room with drinks and took a seat next to you. “Your cravings have been off the charts lately.”

“Yeah, I read they don’t really know why they happen, but I just need all the sugar and salt,” you said.

“I read it had to do with lacking dopamine,” Natasha said.

“I feel that,” Clint said, raising his hand to you. “High five!”

You laughed and looked at his hand. “I’m not high fiving your depression, Clint.”

“Damn it,” Clint said, putting his hand back down. “That’s not gonna help it.”

“You feeling okay though?” Natasha asked. “Feeling down or … you know?”

“Honestly, yeah, I feel good,” you admitted. “I got a huge burst of energy when I stopped getting morning sickness. It’s like I’m running at 110%. I really like living with you guys. The only thing…” You trailed off and shook your head.

“What is it?” Clint asked. “You need a softer mattress? More pillows?”

You shook your head. “No, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

Clint looked at you confused. Like he couldn’t imagine a possible reason why you’d keep a secret from him. It made sense. You didn’t normally keep things from him. There were days when you told him pregnancy stuff in such detail that he asked you to stop sharing.

“You know you can tell us anything, right?” Natasha said. “We’ll do whatever we can for you.”

“That’s the problem,” you mumbled, shoving a huge mouthful of noodles into your mouth.

“What? Is it that we’re smothering you?” Natasha asked, putting her hand on your leg. “You can tell us. I know I’ve been a little overbearing, but I’m still expecting the other shoe to drop.”

“It’s not that. You’ve been fine, I know what your head has been like. It’s nothing… no...I guess it is… you know what...never mind…” you babbled. You got up grabbing the box of noodles. “I’m going to go eat on the roof.”

As you hurried out of the room you noticed Natasha and Clint give each other a look just before you closed the door. You went straight up to the roof of the building. The building that the Avengers lived in was set below most of the others, so the view of the compound was obscured by the large white office building. It was set right on the water, and if you sat looking out at the Huson it was just the river and forest for miles and it was almost like it was just a normal apartment block with amazing views.

You perched on the edge of the building, one hand cradling your small belly while you ate the noodles. You’d only been up there for fifteen minutes when Clint appeared behind you.

“You forgot your ‘Whatchamacallit’,” he said, sitting beside you and putting the candy bar on the ledge between the two of you.

“Thanks, Clint,” you said. “Sorry, I’m being weird. Nat’s not too worried is she?”

“She’s a little worried. But she also gets you might be a little hormonal right now,” Clint said.

“Clint!” You squawked.

He laughed and nudged you gently. “It’s nice up here, huh?” You nodded and he rubbed your back. “I always feel like I see everything better when I’m up here. You know what I mean?” He said. You nodded again and he lowered his hand, resting on it on the edge of the building as he swung his legs over the edge. “The thing is sex, right? You’re super horny? I read that some women get like that when they’re pregnant.”

You whined and nodded. “Yes. It’s like half of what I think of. Then food. Then just everything else.”

“And we’ve had plenty of sex, so you know we’d help you out. So I’m guessing you didn’t tell us, because you’ve caught feelings and you think the sex will just make them stronger?” He asked.

It was annoying how much Clint picked up on. He acted like an idiot, but he never missed a single thing. You nodded and picked up the candy, tearing it open and biting into it, hoping that the chocolate-coated peanut wafers would distract you from the other things you were feeling.

“Are you in love with Nat?” Clint asked. “Cause… I get it. And… I can share.”

You squeezed your eyes closed and shook your head. “It’s both of you.”

Clint started laughing. “Then what’s the problem?”

“Clint,” you said, hoping that the pain wasn’t as evident in your voice as you felt. “I don’t just want something casual. I’m falling in love with you both, and I’m doing this -” you gestured to your stomach “-so you guys can be parents. It’s all complicated and you’re not going to have time to start a new thing. And my hormones are all messed up. The timing is off and … and…”

Clint took your hand and gently squeezed it. “Babe,” he said, gently. “Nat and I have been referring to you as our girlfriend since before you offered to have our baby.”

You looked up at him with your brow furrowed. “You have?”

“Yeah, we have. For a while we thought you felt the same way, but then you started dating and you’d stop sleeping with us,” he explained. “We just… didn’t think you could do the polyamory thing. You’d only ever sleep with us when you weren’t dating anyone else and when you did sleep with us it was always just when you were super desperate and you kept it very casual. So we called you our girlfriend to each other, but like… you were our casual girlfriend. And we knew one day we’d have to lose you. But if you’re saying you want us? We already consider you ours.”

“What about the baby?” You asked.

Clint let out a breath and tapped his fingers on the back of your hand. “I guess there’s a lot to talk about and work out there. ‘Cause if you really want in - properly in and not just the casual side thing that you kinda already have been doing the whole time - then you’re gonna be a mommy too, not just the best aunt a kid could possibly have.” He paused and ruffled his hand through his hair. “But the way I figure, if you do want that, it’s kinda perfect, isn’t it? I mean, there’s three of us. It’s got mine and Nat’s genes and you’re the one carrying it. We’re all connected to the little peanut.”

Your heart has started hammering. It felt like you were sitting on the precipice of something good. But you worried that it was just an illusion and if you plunged in it would be the end of everything.

“What if it doesn’t work out?” You asked.

Clint laughed softly. “Oh, babe,” he said gently. “Literally every day, multiple times a day I ask myself that. I wake up in the morning and think, ‘what if today’s the day Nat realizes what a piece of shit I am, and I lose her’. And I get to work and think, ‘what If today Steve realizes that an archer is a ridiculous thing to have in his superhero team’. Nat will look at me a certain way, or get frustrated with me and I will be sure that’s it. I ruined it. I keep going because so far no one has worked it out I’m a fraud. And she makes me happy. And you make me happy too. So if you want to try and fake it with me. I’d really like that.”

Your heart broke for him and you wrapped your arms around him and buried your face in his neck. You didn’t know if it was just that you were hormonal and a little over-emotional, but you started crying freely, your tears wetting Clint’s shirt. He wrapped his arms about you and held you steady as you cried against him.

As you started to get control of yourself Clint rubbed your back slowly. “Is that a ‘yes’?” He whispered.

You nodded and he tilted your chin up to look at him. His blue eyes looked down at you in that same soft and loving way he looked at Natasha. Like she hung the stars in the sky just for him. You leaned up, your lips barely parted and he bridged the difference, kissing you deeply but tenderly.

He pulled back slowly and you chased his lips, reluctant to let the kiss end because as soon as it did, everything would be different, and different didn’t always mean better. “You wanna come downstairs and talk to Nat? Maybe eat the rest of that food I brought you?”

You nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”

He got up and offered you his hand. You stood, taking it and he led you back downstairs to the apartment he shared with Natasha.

// NEXT

#clint barton #natasha romanoff #clint barton x natasha romanoff x reader #clint barton x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #clint barton x natasha romanoff #clintasha #clintasha x reader #hawkeye #black widow #hawkeye fanfic #black widow fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #reader insert #pregnancy #the surrogate

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accidentalrabbit · 2 years

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TOGETHER WITH ME

(series)

Thailand 2017

RANK: S

A-pairing: Korn x Knock

B-pairing: we will get to that

C-pairing: we will GET to that

Other character(s) i enjoyed: Yiwha, Faii, Farm

Overall review:

This show is a MESS. And it is iconic. Some truly horrible and inane things happen to its characters, and that’s a warning. It’s camp! Proceed with caution.

Overall, the production is par for the course. You get your occasional weird sound effects and audio, but in the edit, the show basically works. I love that Amphawa Floating Market is one of the major locations, it’s so striking and breaks up the university vibe with a standout, non-beach setting. Shoutout also to hair and makeup, ESPECIALLY on Yiwha, who is serving Carmen Sandiego/Fortune 500 CEO with a bold lip at all times, and Pleng, who is also on her evil girlboss grind 24/7. I’m going to be overusing the word girlboss, because this show is fully in its girlboss side character era. And everyone in this show is giving their roles 110%, boots the house down.

Alright, we have to start with episode one, which for the record is the most impressively homosexual first episode of any show i’ve watched. Korn and Knock are childhood best friends who lost touch but reconnect while studying architecture or whatever at university. If this were a drinking game, you’d already be drunk. And speaking of drunk, they go back home to pick up girls and get absolutely faded, but when the girls leave early (and rob them, those enterprising girlbosses!)...they fuck. They have just completely unrestrained and messy drunken sex in episode one. Twelve episodes to go! This is such an aggressive way to establish their barely contained homoerotic tension that i almost can’t believe more shows haven’t done it since, but i guess once you have a show that does it so well you can’t just do a pale imitation. This also establishes the insane level of chemistry these two have when they’re not holding back, and my god. In terms of high heat, who comes close? They also do a great job at playing awkward but still intimate when they are holding back, like when Knock gets injured during their soccer football match and Korn has to bathe him, but they’re both in their “let’s pretend nothing happened i love our friendship” era. Oh, they’re also pretending nothing happened because Knock has a girlfriend. Oops! We’ll get there.

For the remainder of the show we have three main characters to root for, if we’re generous. Korn is the audience insert/POV character and we love him, Knock is the somewhat passive (lmao iykyk) protagonist whose arc becomes the arc of the whole show, and then there is Yiwha, a gorgeous queen who has never done anything wrong. She is the girlboss: an excellent wingman, a nosy gossip, an amateur detective, never takes off her plot armor. Yiwha is the character who holds the plots together and moves them forward. She is responsible for creating the show’s main antagonists, the evil girlboss trio, and she is, for the most part, the one who moves between all the different subplots, acting at key moments when it looks like the story might otherwise stall. Knock’s girlfriend and noted evil girlboss Pleng puts out a hit on her at one point and i did worry, but Yiwha uses her plot armor to beat up the bad guys and convince Korn’s ex to betray the evil girlboss trio. You cannot stop Yiwha. She’s a legend and she is the moment. When she’s on screen, i’m having fun, even when she’s being slightly evil.

I’ll take a moment here to say that at first i thought the show had no moral core because the way these characters act is extremely chaotic. Even our main characters who we love and want to root for behave very sketchily, lying and cheating and betraying each other and outing their friends and just being plain mean. It makes for excellent comedy. But at some point i realized the theme of this show is that self-deception is the ultimate evil because it prevents the possibility of love, and then everything fell into place. These characters behave in amoral ways because they are hammering a point home for thirteen episodes and everything that stands in their way is a nail. Even deceiving others is okay if it’s in service of making them realize or admit something about themselves, and the most evil characters are the ones who want their loved ones to keep lying to themselves about what they truly want. And that’s why cheating on your girlfriend is okay if you’re a queer man, actually: Because she’s keeping you in the closet on purpose, because she is evil.

THE EVIL GIRLBOSS TRIO. I love the execution of the antagonists. No one has done it better more entertainingly when it comes to the (problematic) women scorned trope. All three of them have reasons, all of the reasons are bad, and all of them are at least partially antagonized by Yiwha. They are unhinged; they have zero hinges between them. Their schemes make no sense and require an incredible amount of expertise. Getting hired thugs to beat up your enemies? Hacking university databases? Printing hundreds of flyers of your boyfriend making out with his gay friend using a photo you took of their room from a rooftop fifty meters away? It’s camp!

Faii is a minor character in the grand scheme of things but i love her interactions with Yiwha and Farm. I love that she’s on the boys’ football team and WINS. I love her can-do attitude. I love her John Watson detective era. Lesbian-coded gnc icon. Ugh. Legend.

Farm: I love him. Perfect baby gay. We’ll come back to him. Dr. Bright is a good character in terms of the story, but i like him less because i want only good things for Farm, and he is Not That. Phu and Kawitra also exist and are characters. We’ll get there.

I appreciate how tightly written the side characters are. They all continue touching base with the plot throughout. They come back occasionally in unexpected ways. They all interact anonymously with Knock’s online thread about his conflicted feelings, and sometimes they say very insightful things. For a show that is so silly and trope-reliant, it’s refreshing that the writers demonstrate that they pay close enough attention to the plot to make the smorgasbord of characters both necessary and sufficient to the story. No one feels extraneous and no subplot feels underdeveloped. The writing is also very funny most of the time. It is like the best possible CW young adult drama crossed with a decent sitcom, with ridiculous soap opera plot details, and i mean all of that in a sincere and kind way.

Before i wrap this up, i am a sucker for a bow-tied happy ending, and Korn and Knock, despite spending several episodes driving each other up the wall, do eventually get to kiss without having to sneak around Pleng’s back or worry about telescopic camera lenses. These two are so compelling to watch even when they’re mad at each other; when they finally get to be openly in love, it feels transcendent. The writing also makes good use of the fact that they are childhood friends with a shared history in various foods, objects, and rituals, and it makes their scenes, ups and downs alike, that much more emotional.

This show is so...much, but part of that “muchness” is also its earnestness. Despite being weird, often uncomfortable, and not at all self-aware, it never felt like this show was cynical about its own existence or the progression of its story, which happens in even very good, very well-written Thai BL (see: Bad Buddy (2021), Dark Blue Kiss (2019), and also most of the mediocre series (My Gear Your Gown (2020) is a BIG offender)). I know it’s dangerous to make blanket statements but in my unitary and subjective opinion i think this is the best Thai BL made before 2019, and it still outshines many others made since.

I had a good time, but:

Together With Me is PEAK television, but that does not mean you should look to it for moral guidance or real world advice. Please. I had a good time, and that is not an endorsement of the objectionable plot points, which are so important to the show being peak TV and which i would like to never see ever again. This show is hanging onto its S-tier status by a thread, and these are the things that almost undid it.

I loathe student-teacher romances. LOATHE. I ultimately made some uneasy peace with the Phu x Kawitra C-plot, but every scene with them worked my nerves. I mean, from the jump i was on edge, and i sighed with relief every time a scene ended with the status quo mostly unchanged. I liked how Kawitra stands by her ethical principles as a professor (mostly), i was relieved that a fully-grown very annoying university student was the pursuer (so i didn't immediately have to root for prison time), and i tolerated how the narrative made their one kiss very unattractive, based entirely on Phu's lies, and blessedly unrepeated.

That being said, the moral core of this show was all about confronting self-deception and admitting your true feelings or whatever, so i understand why, to an extent, this storyline is here. I did not like what they did with it. But their little arc wasn't NOT compelling, in a narrowly-avoided trainwreck kinda way. And because all the characters are written so interconnectedly (she's Korn's sister and Yiwha's professor, all the students are roommates, they all care about each other), it also tied into the other plots in a way i appreciated. I now simply hope Phu graduates and gets a decent job far away and never bothers her again. (And Kawitra, ma'am, get a grip! you have to want better for yourself!)

Farm gets his own section. Don't you worry.

This is not a real complaint, but Yiwha deserved to be bisexual, because i say so, and we were robbed.

Other than that, there's not much left to complain about. Even at its…least restrained, Together With Me has the benefit of being very fun. The tropes, the edit, the neon blue tequila shots, the Yiwha ex machina plot armor, the evil girlboss trio—none of these things are unimpeachable. But goddamn do the weak spots have an oblivious charm that i don't think any other show i've watched has quite replicated.

Unfortunately, you have been chopped: Bad Romance (2016, parent story/sequel), Together With Me: The Next Chapter (2018, sequel).

Honestly, neither of these shows piqued my interest, and the stories they tell are entirely ancillary to this one. Korn and Knock lose a lot of their spark, which is one of the primary reasons i enjoy this show so much, and Yiwha, for all her girlbossery, has significant changes by necessity to her character when she’s with her little man or whatever. I think in the sequel in particular, everyone loses the kind of weird, chaotic, amoral edge that they have in this series. I did try to power through TWM:TNC, but it’s so long for so little payoff, and that’s not even bringing up what they did to

Character(s) entitled to financial compensation: Farm, my beloved. Here comes an essay.

Between his friends plying him with alcohol to get him to fess up about his love life, to his girlfriend drugging him and then trying to assault him to turn him straight, to getting punched by a random homophobic hitman, to his messy, messy, messy one-way puppy-love relationship with Dr. Bright—Farm deserves therapy. To be honest, if i didn’t see a lot of myself in Farm, his arc would have been much more uncomfortable and much less enjoyable, and i understand people who hate everything about this B-plot. But i actually found his story touching, even when it was being played for a laugh. (Which, to be clear, it usually should not have been.)

I do think the writers kept it real about different kinds of non-traditional relationships in the gay community, and i think they kept it real about how much it would hurt to go from one kind of relationship that looks right but feels wrong because of your sexuality, to one that feels right but is still wrong for you. But they definitely should have treated serious subjects like sexual assault with more care. I was definitely uncomfortable, and my heart really ached for the parts of me i saw treated so poorly in this character—and still i found his story worth showing even in such a problematic way. Bright enjoys very non-traditional relationships and Farm is a hopeless romantic, and they are both unable to love, persuade, cajole, or embarrass each other into changing what they want, and that is KEY to the theme of the show: Self-deception is the enemy of love. You cannot force a relationship that smothers your truth.

In the end, Farm learns the wrong lessons about jealousy and relationships, but it feels like a mistake he’s making as a confused baby gay, and not something he can’t grow past with the help of his (amoral and possibly sadistic) friends. And this is why i’m asking us all today to disregard TWM:TNC as canon. Do it for me. Do it for Farm. Thank you.

Conclusion:

I enjoyed this show a lot. Unreservedly, unabashedly, i say everyone who enjoys BL, or LGBT media in general, should at least try to watch it. Anyone who wants to get into the Thai genre should make this one of the first shows they watch in order to learn what these specific tropes look like when they're being played mostly straight, but with a solid cast and impressively tight writing to back it up. So: despite everything that is objectively weird and uncomfortable about it, i truly love Together With Me. It is, quite simply, peak television.

Tune in next time to read all about unproblematic fave Kieta Hatsukoi (2021), in which we dare to root for…the heterosexuals?

#together with me #S tier #thai drama #mine #reviews #together with me the series #korn x knock #i'm so glad yiwha is my header image i love her i love her i lov #anyway this took forever to put together and i'm sure i'm missing things i wanted to talk about #i should rewatch this #girlies. what are we thinking #how did you people feel about together with me and were you as generous as i was #i get why this show was divisive and yet i enjoyed it more than bad buddy which feels sacrilegious in some ways #which is not to say it was as good lmfao this show is a mess #i will say this is probably the S tier show i enjoyed the least if we're doing that intra-tier ranking #i promise most of my remaining opinions are more mainstream than this #minor edits for clarity #mostly for farm

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joyful-soul-collector · 3 years

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50 Christmas Ornaments My True Love Gave To Me

Summary: It was Christmastime in the Stark-Rhodes-Potts’ household, with Tony, Rhodey, Pepper, Peter, and Morgan all sitting at the table. Jingle Bells was playing quietly in the background, and each one of them was working on decorating a clear plastic christmas bauble, a growing pile of colorful ornaments in the center of the table.

The Iron Family gets carried away making Christmas ornaments, and Peter talks to his dad about asexuality

Taglist: @phahbiyah @keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars @clevermuffinalmondpeach @stuck-in-a-fictional-universe @canonismybitch @freckledmountain @hold-our-destiny @not-your-housekeeper98 @misskirkstark @iron-loyalty @skeeter-110 @m3ga1nsp1r3d @nazezdha321 @peterparkerspidgeons @fallenstar07 @baloobird

Let me know if you want to be added/removed! I don’t mind at all either way! Also thank you to @baloobird for beta-reading this for me!

Read on Ao3!

“This was the best idea. Peter, remind me never to doubt you again,” Tony said, gazing at his newly made red and gold Christmas ornament. It was Christmastime in the Stark-Rhodes-Potts’ household, with Tony, Rhodey, Pepper, Peter, and Morgan all sitting at the table. Jingle Bells was playing quietly in the background, and each one of them was working on decorating a clear plastic christmas bauble, a growing pile of colorful ornaments in the center of the table.

“I told you it would be fun!” Peter said with a laugh, carefully pouring a bit of red glitter into his own ornament.

“Told you!” Morgan echoed, despite the fact this activity had been a complete surprise to her and she had told Tony no such thing. Morgan reached forward suddenly, grabbing the white glitter.

“Oh, dear you need to be more careful with that,” Pepper said as Morgan spilled some on the table trying to pour it into her ornament. “Here baby, use the funnel.”

“Finished!” Rhodey said suddenly, nearly startling Peter into flinging glitter everywhere just as Morgan had done. Rhodey held up a bauble that had been painted in three stripes of red, blue, and grey, with “T+R+P=‎⎊” painted in black overtop. It took Peter a moment to realize that the colors were representing each of their Iron Suits, and he said “Awww” along with the rest of the family.

Both Tony and Pepper kissed Rhodey on the cheek, Tony on the left and Pepper on the right, and Peter laughed at the sheepish but adoring smile Rhodey gave them in return. He placed his bauble next to the others and gazed fondly at the colorful pile.

“I think these are my favorite ornaments,” he said with finality.

“Ha! You sure about that? You like them even more than your special War Machine one Pep gave you?” Tony said, an eyebrow raised skeptically.

“He’s a close second of course, but these are my favorite since we made them together as a family,” Rhodey said, grinning happily.

“Aw, you’re extra sappy today, Pops,” Peter teased, putting the top on his ornament, and smiling at the layers of red and white glitter in his candy-cane themed bauble.

“Are you implying that I’m sappy all the time?”

“Not even just implying. You’re sappy. You’re a sappy, mushy, lovey-dovey, man,” Peter said, scrunching his nose at his father, and sticking out his tongue childishly. Rhodey made a mock-offended gasp, and pressed his hand to his chest.

“I’m deeply offended by this. You know I’m not sappy, right Little Mo’?”

“Super sappy,” was all Morgan replied with, clearly more interested in stuffing bits of ribbon in her ornament than she was in the conversation itself. The rest of the family laughed as she continued to fill her bauble, and Tony threw an arm around Rhodey’s shoulders.

“Nah, I think I actually agree with you, Honeybear. These are probably my favorite as well, I can’t believe we never did this before. I almost wish we could make more, we were each only able to make five,” Tony said, looking down at his completed ornaments beside him, a slightly disappointed look on his face. “I had a lot more ideas for what to design.”

“I did too,” Pepper said, looking down at her own baubles, neat and elegant, all themed with the colors of white and gold, unlike the rest of the family, who had gone a bit more wild with their designs.

“Well… who said we’re not allowed to go back to the craft store and get some more?” Peter said tentatively. When all three parents raised an eyebrow he quickly went on. “I mean we have plenty of paint and glitter and ribbon left! We could probably just get some more baubles and have enough supplies to make more--I mean what else are we gonna use this stuff for? Might as well use it up on more ornaments so we don’t waste it, ya know?”

The three adults were now wearing varying convinced facial expressions, though Morgan’s response definitely worked in Peter’s favor.

“Yes! Let’s do it! Pleeeeease???” she said, looking up at them and giving them her best puppy eyes, garnished perfectly with a little sniff.

Peter was grabbing his coat before they even said “yes.”

~~~

“Ya know, I distinctly remember you saying all we had to get was more ornaments, and that we already had enough supplies to make another batch,” Tony said, frowning at Peter, who was gazing at the rows of glitter on the shelf.

“Yeah yeah, I know, but we only got christmas themed colors last time! What if we got something else besides the red, green, white, and blue?”

“Well we got gold and silver too, and a little black--”

“You know what I mean,” Peter groaned with a roll of his eyes. “We could do so much more with some extra colors--Ooh look!” Peter snatched four containers of glitter off the shelf and presented them to Tony. “We could make pride flags! You and me could have personalized asexual pride ornaments!”

Tony sighed at the sight of the bottles.

“Well… that would be cool… I dunno kiddo…” Tony said slowly, pushing his hands in his pockets as he thought.

But Peter suddenly realized what he was doing and his face turned red with embarrassment. He really shouldn’t be asking for things right now, especially when he only wanted these colors because he was feeling a little insecure. That’s not a good enough reason to be spending money on glitter they were never gonna use again.

“I--Um, nevermind, sorry,” Peter said, his hands shaking a little as he reached up to put them back.

“What? No, Peter, I was--”

“There you two are!” Pepper said suddenly, making them both jump and turn in her direction. She made her way over, Rhodey and Morgan trailing behind. “What’re you doing over here?”

“Well the kid’s twisting my arm into getting us some pretty ace glitter,” Tony responded, and Pepper glanced at the bottles Peter was still holding. Peter grimaced inwardly, wishing Tony hadn’t said anything. He didn’t need Pepper to explain to him they can’t just buy whatever he wants just because he’s a little upset.

But she wasn’t angry with him. She snorted, rolling her eyes at Tony’s pun.

“Well if you two get your pride flag then I want mine too,” she said, reaching over and grabbing some pink, purple, and blue bottles, the colors of the bisexual flag, and throwing them in the basket with the pack of ornaments. The knot of nervousness that had formed in Peter’s chest instantly unraveled, and he suddenly felt a lot more at ease about putting his own bottles of glitter in the basket.

“Hey don’t forget mine!” Rhodey said, reaching for the pink, yellow, and blue bottles, the pansexual pride flag, and putting them in too.

“Oh, you guys need the polyamorous flag too!” Peter chirped, snagging the blue, red, and black bottles of glitter. “We can use the gold paint back at home to put the pi symbol on it too!”

All three parents smiled warmly at him, and Rhodey reached forward to ruffle his hair affectionately. Peter remembered when Pepper and Tony had first started dating Rhodey, they’d been so nervous to tell him because they were scared he wouldn’t like it. Peter was only about ten when they told him, and he could tell they had been very worried. Peter colored a picture of the three of them holding hands the next day, and hung it up on the fridge. He found out later that Tony had given it to Rhodey, and Rhodey keeps it in his wallet now, taking it everywhere he goes. And when Rhodey eventually moved in and got married to Tony and Pepper, Peter was extra enthusiastic in helping him get settled, to make sure he felt welcome.

Peter’s always done his best to make sure his parents knew he loved them, and accepted them just the way they were.

But Peter was suddenly snapped out of his memories by Tony’s voice.

“But what about Little Mo’? We can’t have her feel left out!” he said, gazing down his daughter by his feet. But Morgan suddenly held up a large colorful bag, showing off the contents to her fathers, mother, and brother.

“Pom poms!” she squeaked happily. The bag was filled with hundreds of colorful pom poms of varying sizes, some of which were definitely too big to force into the ornaments, but Peter knew that wouldn’t stop Little Mo’ from trying.

“Oh yes, you forgot, Dad,” Peter said, scooping up his little sister and resting her on his hip. “The ‘P’ in the acronym doesn’t just stand for Pansexual and Polyamorous, it also stands for Pom Poms.”

“Oh yes, that’s the new one isn’t it?” Tony said with a snort, now sorting through the glitter in the basket to get rid of repeated colors.

“Yup. Maybe I can get MJ to design a pride flag for it,” Peter said with a smirk.

“I’m sure she would do so happily,” Pepper said, taking the pom poms from Morgan to put them in the basket, and kissing Morgan's head. “Now why don’t you and your Dad get back to the car and buckle Morgan in while your Papa and I get everything checked out?”

A few minutes later Peter walked out of the store with his sister and dad, and Tony was buckling Morgan in her carseat.

“Snug bug?” Tony asked her as he adjusted the straps of her seat.

“Snug bug,” Morgan confirmed with a giggle. Tony smiled and booped her nose, before drawing out his phone and opening up a game.

“Wanna play on Daddy’s phone?” he said, handing it to her and helping her put in the headphones. Then Tony moved back up to sit in the middle row of the van, where Peter was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

“You never let me play with your phone when I was little,” he said bluntly. “I’m sensing a favorite child has been chosen.”

“Pfft, is that another one of your spidey powers? Your Spidey Sense get upgraded along with your suit?” Tony asked with a roll of his eyes. “No, I just needed her to be distracted.”

“What? Why?” Peter asked with a frown.

“Well, it seems my other bug isn’t so snug,” Tony said, looking at Peter pointedly.

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“What’s up kiddo? You seemed a little worried back there,” he said.

“I did? When?” Peter said, hoping to wiggle his way out of the conversation somehow, stall until his Mom and Papa got back.

“When you were asking about if you could get the ace flag colors. You know I was joking right? I wasn’t actually considering saying no to you, I want you to be able to show your pride however you like,” he said gently. It seems Peter wouldn’t be able to get out of this one.

“No, yeah I know that, it… wasn’t you I was worried about,” Peter said with a sigh. “Part of it I guess was uh, well you know how I get guilty asking for things. I didn’t want to make you spend money on me.”

“Ya know for the child of a billionaire you sure worry about money a lot,” Tony said with a smirk. “I don’t mind spending money on you. You’re important to me, and I have the ability to do it, so I like to. But, you already know that, and I have a feeling the money wasn’t the only thing bothering you. Am I right?”

Peter’s face turned even redder and he glanced out the window to see if his Mom and Papa had come to save the day.

No such luck.

“I uh… Flash said something the other day. Bothered me,” Peter muttered.

“What did he say, kiddo?” Tony said, reaching over to squeeze Peter’s hand.

“…he said nobody would ever want to date someone who was asexual like me. That no one would wanna be in a relationship with someone who wouldn’t, uh--” he glanced at Morgan to make sure her earbuds were still in, “--‘give them any’.”

Peter looked down and picked at a loose thread on his jeans, avoiding his father’s gaze.

“Oh Peter, I’m sorry. That’s not true, there are plenty of people who will love you just the way you are,” Tony said, smoothing a thumb over Peter’s knuckles.

“Yeah, I mean I-I know that in the back of my mind--I mean you’ve got two people who love you, and you’re ace like me, so--so I mean I’m sure I’ll find at least one person, it’s just--” Peter broke off with a sigh. “What if… What if I find someone who’s okay with me being ace, but they’re not nice in other ways? What if there’s only one person who’s okay with me being ace, and it turns out they like, I dunno, hate that I’m Spider-Man? Or they’re even abusive or something? What if the only person who will ever like me is someone who’s bad?”

“Peter, nobody really ever has just one person they’re compatible with. I learned that when I fell in love with Rhodey,” Tony said with a soft smile. “There’s going to be more than one person who’s okay with your asexuality, just like there will be more than one who isn’t. There will be people who are okay with it but are terrible in other ways, just as there will be people who aren’t okay with it but are amazing in other ways.

“And of course, that means there will be people who are just bad for you overall. People who aren’t okay with your sexuality and are awful. But that means there will also be the opposite! There will be people who will be fine with your asexuality, and are also kind, and funny, and will have qualities you love.

“Humans are complex, you’ll never meet one that’s exactly the same as the other, and yet we have the ability to love so many different people, in so many different ways. It’s part of why I fell in love with both Pepper and Rhodey. I love how unique they are.

“Like you said: two people who are so different from each other, and yet they both fell in love with an asexual person like me. And neither of them are terrible, obviously,” Tony said, and Peter laughed, finally looking up at him. Tony smiled and gave his hand a final squeeze. “Basically, of the hundreds of humans your age in New York, I doubt there’s only one person who would be good for you, and even less likely that the only people willing to date you are abusive and awful. It mathematically doesn’t make sense. Throw in the fact that you’re the kindest kid I’ve ever met, and I doubt there’s an asexual-accepting human in the world who wouldn’t wanna date you.”

Peter laughed again, leaning back on the headrest as his chest filled with relief.

“Thanks,” he said quietly. “I dunno what I’d do without you to help me with all this stuff.”

“Of course, kiddo. It’s what Dads are for.”

~~~

An hour later, Peter and his family were finishing up making the last of their baubles, Peter carefully painting the Spider-Man logo on his glittery asexual pride ornament. He was feeling a lot better after the talk with Tony, like a weight had been lifted off him. It even made painting a little easier, despite the fact he was awful at painting.

Rhodey had finished about half an hour earlier, now in the kitchen making cookies while Pepper and Morgan watched Klaus in the living room. The smell of Rhodey’s cookies wafted into the dining room where Peter and Tony were still working. Peter snapped up and sniffed the air, drinking in the scent of chocolate, butter, and sugar, the signature smell of Rhodey’s chocolate chip cookies.

Peter’s stomach gave a deep growl at the scent, whining miserably about how empty it was.

“Wow, someone’s hungry,” Tony said, glancing at Peter’s middle with a smirk.

“I knoooow,” Peter groaned, wrapping an arm around his belly. “I was so distracted by the ornaments I forgot to have a snack when we got home. Dumb super metabolism, I’m gonna starve to death before those cookies get out of the oven.”

“Well don’t do that,” Rhodey said, walking in with a plate piled high with cookies. “Guess you were so distracted you didn’t hear the timer go off either, huh?”

Peter wasn’t listening though. He’d already put his ornament down to let the paint dry and was making grabby-hands at the plate, practically drooling.

“Alright alright, calm down, don’t eat too fast either, you’ll give yourself a tummy ache,” Rhodey said, handing him the cookies. Peter scoffed as he stuffed a cookie in his mouth.

“I’m fifteen, I don’t get ‘tummy aches’,” Peter said through his mouthful of cookie.

“Tell that to whoever got a tummy ache from eating a whole solid chocolate santa in five minutes last week on a dare from Ned,” Rhodey muttered as Peter stuffed more cookies in his mouth.

“That was not a ‘tummy ache’, that was Extreme Christmas Celebrating.”

“It was a tummy ache. You said ‘I have a tummy ache.’”

“I did not--”

“Uhh, guys?” Tony suddenly interrupted. Peter and Rhodey looked at him, and Pepper glanced back from her position on the couch.

“Yeah?” they all said.

“I uh… I think we have fifty ornaments here,” he said, staring wide-eyed at the pile. Peter blinked.

No, no way, they didn’t make that many.

“You sure you didn’t miscount?” Rhodey said, looking at the pile more closely himself.

“Oh I’m sure. There’s fifty ornaments here. We made fifty ornaments,” Tony said.

“That can’t be right, each of us only made… only made…” Peter had been about to say five, but realized that was before they bought the second batch of ornaments. If they made five, and then each made another five…

“Ten. There’s five of us and we each made ten ornaments,” Pepper said in disbelief. “How did we not realize we’d be making ten each? Fifty ornaments?”

They all stared at the pile in silence for a few moments.

“Well, I guess the tree will be a bit crowded this year,” Peter said, taking another bite of cookie. They all laughed, then Rhodey, Tony, and Peter, settled on the couch next to Pepper and Morgan to finish the rest of the movie with them.

Later that day when Peter had a bellyful of cookies, they decorated the tree with their new ornaments, as well as the ones dragged out from the boxes in the garage. And while it was a bit crowded like Peter had predicted, it was the best one they’d ever had, with their pride ornaments glittering in the firelight, and Morgan’s pom pom baubles adding the perfect sprinkling of color to the green branches.

Peter had never seen a more perfect tree.

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emberfrostlovesloki · 4 years

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#4 Reader X SickSpencer

Gif credit: @stunudo

Prompt: Reader X SickSpencer - Spencer catches a cold and doesn’t come into work on Monday morning. The reader goes to his apartment to check and see if he is doing alright.

Category: Fluff / Comfort

Content Warning: Language (maybe)

A/N: After watching the episode where Spencer gets tortured I had an infinite need to write something where he gets comforted by someone. This is pretty domestic and fluffy, but it’s what I needed right now. I want to thank @veraiconcos for helping me with the inspiration for this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Please like / reblog!

Link to all stories

_y/n_ = your name

_y/l/n_ = you’re last name

_h/c_ = hair color

_b/s_ = brother/ sister

_h/l_ = hair length

_f/c_ favorite color

_Y/n_ walked into the headquarters of the BAU with a pep in her step. She had spent most of the weekend hiking the paths of Ricketts Glenn State Park in Pennsylvania. She had taken the train up after she had clocked out of work and spent the rest of the weekend disconnecting from the world. She found the forested paths relaxing compared to her normal job she was bound to. She had asked if Morgan or Prentiss wanted to join her, but both of her teammates already had plans for the weekend. In total the woman had walked over fifty miles. At noon on Sunday _y/n_ sadly said goodbye to her campsite, and drove herself to the airport. She had arrive at the office before everyone on Monday morning. She hadn’t gotten any work done during her outdoor experience. Because of this she arrived at her desk early in order to make a dent in the pile of paperwork she had left behind on Friday. When she sat down at the white desk _y/n_ noticed that some of the files she was least looking forward to were nowhere to be found. She didn’t think too hard about it for the moment, and just grabbed another file instead. After an hour, the other members of the team started streaming into the bullpen. _Y/n_ noticed that at 8:00 A.M. Morgan, Prentiss, J.J., Hotch and Gideon were all present, except for Dr. Reid. Agent _y/l/n_ looked around the room once more just to make sure that the young man wasn’t actually there, and she was just missing him. Spencer had never been late to work before. He had actually picked her up multiple times when she had texted him in a panic that it was raining and the trains would run late, and she’d probably get fired for being two minutes late. She knew that her fears were unfounded, she also knew that Spencer knew her fear was stupid. None the less he would pull up to her apartment and swing the passenger side door open from the inside. Those had been good rides. When _y/n_ was very sure she had not missed Spencer she walked up to Morgan who was just now walking up to his desk. She leaned against his desk and asked, “Morning, do you know where Reid is? Also, I’m missing some files from my desk, any idea where they may be?” Derek smiled and said, “I can explain both questions sweetness.” _Y/n_ rolled her eye’s at Morgans flattery but still raised her eyebrows, non verbally telling him to continue. Morgan took a seat and continued, “Reid is sick, apparently he caught a cold. About your missing files, your boyfriend stayed late last Friday, last I saw of him he had taken about ten of your case files to his desk, and was filling them out himself.” Before _y/n_ had a chance to process that Derek had called Spencer her boyfriend she replied, “Oh my gosh, is he okay? When did he get sick?” Morgan smiled as she realized what term he had used for her friend. She grabbed one of his case files and started hitting him over the head with it. The athletic agent put his hands over his head and said, “Reid got sick on Saturday. He texted us on Sunday that he had a fever and Hotch told him to stay home.”

Before _y/n_ could ask more questions, J.J. entered the room and said, “We have a case, let’s head into the conference room to talk over the details.” When the team was assembled, Hotcher stood up and started explaining the case. “We’re looking for an unsub that has killed congressman Luke Allen. The murder took place in the senators office last night at 1:00 A.M. His body was found today by his aid, Gracie Suveua. There was no apparent forced entry. The senators most popular contributions on Capitol Hill have been his working and signing the bill regarding Obergefell vs. Hodges in 2015.” The team nodded and agent _y/l/n_ commented, “So we may be looking for a person that has problems with the implications of gay marriage in the Supreme Court: religious extremists, opposing party members or a person from another radical religions that oppose LGBTQ+ rights.” Gideon agreed and replied, “That’s a great start for a profile. Hotch and Derek, would you head over to the sight of the murder. J.J. would you give Penelope our main facts so far and get her to do a database search based off of those criteria. Prentiss, _y/n_ and I will head over to the police precinct to ask some questions and gather information from the force.” After a minute of gathering in their separate groups, the teams went their separate ways to begin the hard work of the new case. Prentiss and _y/n_ weren’t thrilled to be going to the prescient. The officers were mostly of a male demographic, and often ignored comments that both female agents had made before, and turned out to be true later. Nonetheless, the trio whisked away to the station. When they arrived, the Police chief heartily shook Jason’s hand, but chose not to shake Emily of _y/n’s_. The two agents looked at each other, shrugged and moved into the sleek building after Gideon. It wasn’t until 9: 30 P.M. that the team was back to the conference room debriefing the information that they had accrued during the course of the day. After the debrief was over Aaron said, “I think we will be better use to this case if we all get some sleep and pick this up tomorrow. I don’t think that we aren’t at risk of another victim being killed tonight. If we work hard there won’t be a second death to follow the first. Get some sleep and I’ll see you all tomorrow morning.” Each member of the team slowly got up, in their fatigue and moved out of the bright room and back toward their desks. When _y/n_ got to her desk she slumped down in her swivel chair. She pulled out her phone and looked at the message she had missed. She ignored a text from her mom and instantly scrolled down to the text that Spencer had sent her. The message read, “I’m still feeling pretty bad. I’m sorry that I can’t be useful in this case.” _y/n_ observed the text, and thought about how Spencer threw himself into his work 110% of the time and maybe it was batter that he had a break from work, even if he had to feel like shit to get to that place.

Before she could respond to the message that Reid had sent three hours ago Morgan approached _y/l/n_ and asked, “Do you need a ride home? Taking the train right now isn’t exactly safe.”_Y/n_ looked up to him and said, “I think I’ll go check on Reid first. Would you mind taking me to his apartment?” Morgan raised his eyebrows at the statement, and after a moment of silence said, “Sure thing.” The agents moved to the parking lot where Derek’s car sat ready to take off. _Y/n_ had sold her car when she had moved to D.C. to pay the deposit on her crappy apartment. She had always told herself that she would buy a new car when she had the money. Even though she had been working on the BAU unit for over a year she had never bought a car. She preferred the train anyway. When the agent got onto the car Morgan smoothly moved out of his spot and into the empty road. _Y/n_ pulled out her phone and texted Spencer back saying, “Sorry you’re still feeling bad. I am going to come over and see if you’re doing okay. Be there in about twenty minutes.” When she finished sending the text she put her phone in her pocket and looked out the front window at the empty road. After a minute Derek commented, “You really like him, don’t you?” The male agent had his big brother voice on when he asked the question. _Y/n_ pulled her hand through her _h/c_ before responding, “Derek you know how I feel about him. You don’t have to interrogate me. But it might be helpful if you didn’t call Spencer my boyfriend in front of him. You know how he gets when it comes to affection.” Morgan smiled. He knew that both agents had spent a good amount of time together outside of work. He thought that they made a good couple, but also that they hadn’t said anything about their feelings to each other yet. Morgan respected that they were moving slowly, that really was more their style anyway. Derek replied, “I get you. Plus, I wouldn’t want to jeopardize any chance you might have in letting him tell you that he likes you.” As he finished his statement the duo pulled into the front of Reid apartment building. She looked over to her friend and said, “You know nothing may happen. If it’s just platonic I’d get it. But I do love him.” Derek smiled at the fact that she had actually said the words out loud. He responded, “Go get him tiger.” She rolled her eyes and stepped out of the car. _Y/n_ leaned back in to say, “If I get anything it will probably be a cold from our resident genius,” before closing the door, waving and walking into the apartment.

When she was in the apartment she took a moment to enjoy the sleek interior of the building. She was always jealous of the coffee shop that the contained. She had to walk three blocks to get to a coffee shop from her apartment. Secretly she was grateful for this fact, because if her apartment had a cafe she knew she would spend all her money there. She was brought back to the moment when the elevator dinged and opened. The agent waited for the occupants of the elevator to get out, and she stepped in once it was empty. She pressed the cool round metal button that read ‘5.’ The moving contraption stopped twice for other residents to get in the metal box before _y/n_ got out on floor five. When she was outside Spencer’s door she realized that she had never checked her messages before just showing up at his room. She pulled out her cellular device, and saw that he had not responded. _Y/l/n_ thought, ‘Maybe he’s asleep? Or maybe he’s feeling really bad and didn’t want me to come?’ The agent panicked for a moment, considering that Spencer might be too ill to respond. After a moment she calmed down and knocked on the door. It took a minute before she heard light shuffling outside the door. She could barely hear her friend say, “Who is it?” _Y/n_ rolled hey eyes at the question; all he had to do was look out his peep hole. After quietly laughing she said, “It’s _y/n_. Can I come in?” The door opened slightly and _y/n_ could see a small sliver of Dr. Reid. She tried to ascertain his sickness level from the shade of his face. Spencer stood for a minute calculating how risky it would be for him to let her in. He said in a raspy voice, “I might get you sick. You know that 3% of American’s have a 64% chance of getting a cold during the year.” _Y/n_ smiled and replied, “I’m happy you’re still coherent enough to give me statistics Spence, and if I’m going to get a cold I’d rather it be from you, and not some random person on the street. I’m just here to make sure you don’t stay sick for longer than necessary.” Reid reconsidered the odds. How old _y/n_ was, how active she was and her general health. After he finished his assessment the young man opened the door and allowed his friend in.

When she was in the apartment the female agent set her backpack by the front of the door. Spencer had stepped back in an attempt to lower the rate of transmission. While he was doing this _y/n_ looked him over. He was paler than usual, and his cheeks were flushed red. His hair was limply hanging around his cheeks that were more sunken in than usual. Even in his comfortable looking Yale sweatshirt and grey shorts, the man looked miserable. _Y/n_ looked at him sympathetically and said, “Maybe you should take a seat?” Reid replied, “Do I really look that bad?” She shrugged her shoulders and sighed, but didn’t tell him verbally that he looked like a kid who had fallen into a swimming pool in his clothes by accident. She walked over to the coach and Spencer followed her. He sunk down into the dark fabric of the couch leaning his head against the back. She pulled a chair up while he was seated and asked, “Can I feel your forehead?” When the words were out of her mouth _y/n_ realized how strange it sounded, but Spencer didn’t seem to think it was weird - maybe because he was slightly delirious - or he just knew to expect strange expressions that he didn’t understand come out form her lips. So he replied, “Okay.” _Y/n_ stood up from her chair and knelt on the couch next to Spencer and lifted her hand. She placed it on his forehead. His skin was hot. For the moment that _y/n’s_ hand was on his head Spencer enjoyed it. The cool sensation of her hand was relaxing. He wished it stayed there for a moment longer. The genius realized that the concept was completely illogical because the heat of his fevered body would simply begin transferring to her hand. It only took a second for _y/n_ to realize that Spencer was still running a high temperature, and even though she didn’t need to, she slipped her hand under his chin to check the temperature there too. She assumed she did this because her mom had done it when she was a kid. She pulled her hand away again for the second time and got up. Spencer leaned his head back to look at _y/n_ as his friend moved toward his bathroom. He heard the tap turn on, and after a few seconds, she returned to his side with a small hand towel. She was holding her hand under it so that it didn’t drip water on his wooden floors. “When did you last check your temperature, and how high was it?” _Y/n_ inquired as she placed the damp towel on his hot forehead. Spencer breathed a sigh of relief at the coolness of the cloth. He then responded, “I checked it two hours ago. I think it was around 100.72 degrees. She nodded at the reply and then asked, “Have you eaten yet today?” The young genius was notorious for completely forgetting that he needed to nourish his slender body on a regular basis. So she could only imagine that while he was sick, food was the last thing on his mind. He gave the response she expected of, “No. I’ve felt kind of nauseous all day, I didn’t think eating was going to help with that.” _Y/n_ rolled her eyes and said, “Have you ever considered that not eating could make you nauseous too?” The young woman got up and went into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and only found a carton of eggs and a few containers of leftovers. She turned to Spencer and asked, “Why don’t you have any food Reid?” Spencer gave a cough before defended himself by saying, “I normally go grocery shopping on Sunday, but I was sick, so I didn’t go.” _Y/l/n_ understood and said, “Okay. Well I’m going to run down to the corner store and make you some dinner. Do you have a favorite comfort food?” Spencer stood and took a few steps toward her and said, “You really don’t have to. I can take care of myself.” _Y/n_ replied, “I know you can Spence. I just want to be here to show you you don’t have to all the time. Especially when you’re sick.’ Reid bit his lip as he usually did when he was thinking. After a moment he strode to his counter and grabbed the keys to his apartment, and car, and tossed them at _y/n_. She quickly shifted left and grabbed the object being flung at her. Spencer said, “I really like grilled cheese sandwiches.” She smiled and said, “I’ll be back in ten minutes.” Before walking out of his living room and into the hall. She locked the door behind her and moved toward the elevator.

The corner store was limited in it’s selections. But all that really mattered was that _y/n_ had a loaf of white bread, some American cheese, a kind of pathetic looking can of tomato soup, and some orange juice. With these items in her basket the girl moved to the counter and paid for the groceries with cash from her wallet. It wasn’t until she was at the counter paying that she noticed the time. The Digital clock that was displayed behind the cashier glowed in red letters 10:25 P.M. She knew that if she went back to Spencer and made dinner she was going to miss the last train. To the woman it was just a small thought that quickly came and went. She wasn’t going to leave her friend right now. If he was uncomfortable with her staying at his place overnight _y/n_ would get a taxi back to her apartment. Spencer heard the key slide in the door and knew that _y/n_ had returned. He was currently lying down on the couch and didn’t really move that much as she set down a bag on his counter. There was a moment where some glass clinked together, and a second later she was in front of him with a glass of ice water and a glass of orange juice for him. She set them down on the table next to the couch and he said, “Thanks. I’m feeling a little better now.” _Y/n_ smiled and said, “Good, if you want a distraction while I’m making the food you can look over the new case. We’ve been working on it all day and haven’t gotten very far. The files in my bag.” Spencer jolted at the chance of doing something other than feeling miserable, and he got up and found the file in _y/n’s_ backpack. As he walked back toward the couch he noticed that _y/n_ had bought herself a coffee from the shop in the lobby. She shared his taste for sugar filled beverages. Unlike him, she preferred milk in her caffeinated drinks. Spencer grabbed the warm polystyrene cup and took a sip of it while she was digging in his fridge for some butter. Spencer often stole _y/n’s_ snacks or drinks. It was the type of thing that would make her angry for a second and then she would laugh it off for five more. He would always buy her a replacement item, often he would make it a bigger cup of coffee or bar of chocolate than the one she had before. Spencer knew that the young agent was trying to save up money so she could fly down to her _b/s’s_ college graduation in a month. It was the least he could do. After all living in D.C. could be hard on the bank account.

It wasn’t until the soup was on the stove heating up, and the grilled cheese sandwiches were in the pan getting melty that _y/n_ started looking around for her coffee cup. After a minute of futile searching she spotted it in Spencer’s hand. She smirked, moving to the back of the couch, she pretended to look over Reid’s shoulder at the information he was examining. When the man removed the cup from his lips and lowered it toward his leg she grabbed it out of his grasp and said, “Really Reid. This is how you repay me for my help.” Halfway through the sentence and she was already laughing at his antics. She glided to a position in front of him and started bringing the drink to her own mouth when she remembered Spencer was sick. She examined the lid of the cup, and obviously some of his saliva was on the rim of the cup. Reid looked up at her and said, “Sorry I also haven’t had any coffee yet today either.” _Y/n_ sighed and handed him back the cup replying, “You know, I fear that if you asked me to murder someone I would consider it.” Spence smiled up at her. After another five minutes or so the pair were eating a very late dinner at the kitchen table. They were talking about the details of the case. As soon as they had finished eating Spencer asked, “Are you planning on going back to your apartment tonight? The train stopped running a half hour ago.” A blush rose to _y/n’s_ cheeks and replied, “Well. I was wondering if I could just stay here tonight? I need to look through the details of the case again, and do some research. I’ll be quiet.” It wasn’t a super odd request. The pair had stayed up all night before working on cases or having movie marathons, but they had never been at one of their apartments when one, or both of them was going to be sleeping. Spencer looked over to her and said, “Of course you can. I can help you with the research if you want.” _Y/n_ smiled and said, “Thanks for letting me stay. And offering the help, but I think you should get some rest. You aren’t going to get better without sleep.” She smiled at him and began picking up the dishes from their dinner. Spencer helped her put them in the sink and said, “I promise next time it’s my turn to cook. I’ll finish the dishes if you want to take a shower before I turn in.” _Y/n_ considered that she had been in the same clothes for over ten hours and knew that a shower would relax her she said, “that would be great.” She was embarrassed to ask it, but managed to stutter out, “Do you think I could borrow one of your shirts to wear while I work. These aren’t the most comfortable clothes.” Spencer opened his mouth for a moment at the idea and tried to clear his head of the image of her in one of his shirts. The man snapped his mouth shut and his jawline tightened before he responded, “Um, yeah. In my closet on the left hand side are all my t-shirts and sweaters. You can wear any of them.” She said, “Okay. I’ll just be a bit.” She rubbed her hand over his shoulder as she walked in the direction of his bedroom. After a minute Spencer could hear the water running.

The lean agent scrubbed down the dishes and put them in the drainer next to the sink. When he finished with the plates and bowls, he sat back down on the couch with the intention of looking at the case again. His thoughts didn’t allow him to. Instead he was considering how he was feeling. He wondered if it was alright to want these kinds of evenings to happen more often. He knew that he wasn’t that good with women. His few attempts to woe the friends and strangers he had been interesting in had usually gone horribly wrong. Yet, unbelievably a friend had come to check up on him, and was comfortable enough to spend the night at his place. He couldn’t figure out if he had done anything differently with _y/n_ than his other friends. He also was unsure if she felt the same way he did. Maybe she was uncomfortable being here and just needed to stay out of convenience. While Reid was considering the current situation _y/n_ was doing the same. She was running shampoo through her _h/l_ hair and musing over what had happened over the last two hours. She had always wanted, hoped, to get closer to Spencer, but she was afraid that if she moved too fast that he wouldn’t be interested, or worse not want to hang around her at all. She and Spencer did share some of the same hobbies but she hoped that she knew him better than that. She knew how he shied away from physical affection, and how he always seemed so happy when she or Jason told him he had done a good job, and how she knew what his shampoo was going to smell like before she even opened the bottle. She really hoped that her presence, both literally and metaphorically wasn’t making him uncomfortable now. When she was finished with her reverie _y/n_ rinsed out her hair and stepped out of the shower, After another ten minutes Spencer looked up to see _y/n_ in another one of his YALE sweatshirt. It was so long on her shorter body that it covered her like an ill fitting dress. However, Spencer thought she could wear a potato sack and pull it off. He quickly looked away from her to hide his blush.

The duo looked over the cases and _y/n_ hooked up to his WiFi on her computer. After this was finished and _y/n_ had bought herself another coffee (using Reid’s card), she recommended he go to bed. It was already 12:00 A.M. at this point. Spencer relented and headed to his bedroom. Before he went in he said, “Goodnight. If you’ve got any questions you can ask. Just knock on the door.” She smiled and said goodnight back, and told him to sleep well. The agent continued her work for another three hours before she moved to the couch to try and get more comfortable to do her work. The next morning Spencer found _y/n_ laying down on the couch she was clutching a pillow to her chest and had her left leg draped over the blanket she had covered her body with. Spencer dared not walk past her torso in case she was indecent below the leg she had over the blanket. He was feeling much better today, and wished that he could go into work with her, however, it was company policy to wait a full twenty-four hours after a fever to return to work. Spencer knew it was for the safety of his coworkers, but he hated being away from his job. The man knelt down and tapped _y/n_ on the shoulder. She sighed slightly before opening her eyes to see him. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. Spencer quickly averted her eyes as she rose. She looked down at herself and realized that her _f/c_ boy shorts were peeking out from beneath Spencer’s YALE sweater. Her face turned red and she coughed, stood up and pulled the sweater down. She looked at her phone and quietly cursed, “Fuck, I’m going to be late.” Spencer knew that if _y/n_ was fast, and hurried she could catch the train and make it in time. He said, “Go change. If you’re fast you can make the 7:30 A.M. train.” _Y/n_ nodded and grabbed her clothes and ran into his bedroom. She shut the door and didn’t even bother to lock it as she stripped and quickly changed. Reid, who had woken up about thirty minutes before her, and had grabbed some coffee for her and himself. He had meant to wake her up once he had woken up, but he couldn’t disturb her when he had seen her so peaceful. When the woman came out of his room in her usual black pants and satin shirt, she looked ready to fight the crime in the city as she usually did. She put on her shoes and grabbed her things, stuffing them into her backpack. Spencer cleared his throat after she was finished and handed her the coffee. She smiled at him and said, “Thank you so much Spencer, for letting me stay, and the coffee.” Spencer smiled and hesitantly asked, “Would you come back again tonight? In case I need help again. Or feel bad?” It took a moment for the words to register and _y/n_ said “Huh?” And maybe it was because it was from lack of sleep, or her just being awake for five minutes, but the meaning of the words struck her after she had responded. She realized that Spencer wanted, that he really wanted to spend another night like they had had yesterday. She smiled up at him and replied, “Of course I’ll come back tonight Spence. I’d love that.” The word love was not lost on the genius, and he took a minute trying to and express his feeling, saying, “You know I really like you. I mean I appreciate you, or I feel things about you…” _Y/n_ wanted really really badly to hear the words come from him, but she knew that she didn’t have a moment to lose or she would be late. She hated cutting him off, but reluctantly said, “I know Spencer, me too.”

At hearing this Spencer gave a heartwarming smile and leaned down to hug her. She quickly gave him a kiss on the forehead and cheek. She then let go of him, and ran out the door, shouting over her shoulder, “I’ll see you tonight!”

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