#[ family ] » | the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

[ro-botany]

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far: What Heroes Tells us About Validar

I blame @the-priestess-of-dawn for this one. <3

One of Awakening’s worst dads has finally weaseled his way into the mobile game, and so, here we are. If I can make a serious analysis post about Groom!Robin of all units, then I suppose Validar deserves a post as well.

For the most part, Validar’s dialogue in Heroes is unsurprising. There’s a lot of gloating about his plans, a lot of mocking everyone else for being feeble. But there’s one very key place where that pattern falters, and when you really dig into that crack... what at first looks like a shallow villain turns instead into a hollow one.

---

I’ve talked before about how the sprites in Heroes can affect your read of a character’s tone and ultimately change the meaning of their words. Such is the case for Validar’s 5* level 40 conversation. It’s easy to read it in a snarkier tone with his sprite sneering at you, but I invite you to read it without the visuals and really take it for what it is:

Askr's future is none of my concern. I aid you only to gain power for myself. I care not for the people of Askr. The evils of this world are nothing to me. I am an agent of fate. Whatever pitiful bonds you share cannot stop the inevitable! But do go on... I will enjoy your struggling.

Notice anything?

What I immediately notice is that for 4/5 text boxes, a solid 80% of the conversation, all the condescension and insufferable confidence is gone. There’s not one linguistic flourish, not one jab at Kiran or anyone else, not even any punctuation beyond the humble period. The sentences are short and to the point. And you know what it sounds like to me?

Like he’s reassuring himself.

He’s calmly repeating things that he thinks ought to be fact, like mantras. Oh sure, he’s trying to convince Kiran that he’s an uncaring shithead who’s only here to further his nefarious plans, but it sure sounds like he’s trying to convince himself of it, too. He only switches back to his usual sneering and mockery with the very last text box, as though he suddenly remembered himself.

What’s also striking about that conversation is how similar it feels to dialogue from other Grima-adjacent characters, and hell, even Grima themselves.

If you told me those first four text boxes were dialogue from one of the fallen Morgans (Future Past edition OR Heroes edition), I would believe you. They’re in a very similar state of mind, with a lot of lines dedicated to calmly repeating they’re only tools of Grima’s will. That they help you only to further Grima’s plans.

And while the phrasing of it is different, the underlying feeling of those lines is eerily close to some of Risen King Chrom’s dialogue, too. “I am the king of corpses” vs “I am an agent of fate”; both of them characterizing themselves as little more than weapons for a god to wield or discard.

We only ever see Validar in a vacuum in Awakening, but we can’t forget that the cycles of abuse that are the story's core apply to him too. I’ve written a lot about how Grima’s agency is constantly stripped from him. I think that if we can acknowledge how much that fucked Grima up in his first life and again as Robin, and how much it fucks up Morgan and Chrom in the bad timelines... We would be hypocrites to deny that that fucked up Validar, too. It must have.

The Grimleal have been trying to resurrect Grima for a long, long time, and Validar is one of the last born of that fucked up lineage. Only unlike Robin, Validar didn’t have the luxury of being swept away from the cult at a young age. No, he grew up steeped in the knowledge that he was born for one singular purpose. The brand he bears is just barely too faint for him to be an empty shell to hold their god, and so like his parents before him, he becomes living weapon and breeding stock. Expected to lead the Grimleal, as the one with the purest fell blood. Expected to produce a warm body suitable for pouring their mad god into.

The course of his life was decided for him long before he was even conceived.

He doesn’t have a choice.

Everyone he cares about and everything he knows is relying on him.

He doesn’t have a choice.

The Exalt of Ylisse hacks and slashes and burns through their home in the name of his god, and the whole damned world must answer for this suffering.

He doesn’t have a choice.

He is an agent of fate.

Validar never got to be a person, not really. He has only ever been a tool of someone else’s will and I think that’s left him empty. He gloats and mocks and insults and laughs about how much he wants it all to burn, but the fact that it’s all he ever does doesn’t paint a very healthy picture. He has no sense of self outside of how he can be useful to the cult. By all accounts he doesn’t even really think of himself as a person.

Many of the parallels between Validar and Robin/Grima start to make a lot of sense this way. The way they both bluster and monologue at least half as a cover, the way they cling to the concept of unalterable destiny to soothe the injustice of having so many choices ripped from them, the way they view every relationship as a means of controlling or being controlled. “Agent of fate” vs “wings of despair”. And I would bet money that Validar’s father was similar, because he too would've been brought up similarly. Risen Kings, the lot of them.

#fire emblem #fe awakening #meta #validar #grimleal studies #this one goes out to dawn for making me think deep thoughts about dad of the year over here #love how we're all posting new essays right after feli made that master post. lmao. #the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.... unless the apple's friends and family show up and throw it! #why do i title all these posts like high school essays

[esotheria-sims]

They'd been walking for a while, and the landscape was slowly starting to reveal signs of human life. Various huts were strewn across the lush wilderness in a haphazard way, and Beatrice suggested knocking to see if anybody lived there. She secretly hoped, although she didn't let on, that the homeowners would invite her and her family inside; her feet were starting to hurt and any excuse to rest would have been welcome. Winona, however, thought it was a terrible idea because they couldn't know if the people living there were savages or cannibals, gleefully proceeding to terrify her sister with bloody tales of kidnapping and murder.

Another screaming match was on the horizon and Adam could already feel a headache coming on. He was just about to say something and nip the argument in the bud when the headache, which was little more than a harmless throbbing just a moment ago, suddenly exploded inside his skull like a ticking time bomb. He stumbled back, dropping his luggage to clutch his head with both hands; a thousand sparks burst before his eyes, momentarily blurring the world into an incomprehensive flurry of green and grey.

And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone. Adam blinked a few times to refocus his vision; he saw his worried daughters against a background of dull grey, provided by the rickety hut behind them. A realization hit him, so startingly clear as to be almost prophetic: a good witch must live in that house. The guy who'd turned him had warned him that this might happen, that he could experience reactions to magic of the opposite alignment while he was still adjusting to his own powers; just how forceful those reactions could get, however, he conveniently neglected to mention.

The pain was only momentary and didn't leave any side-effects, but the whole deal still peeved Adam more than it likely should have. Glaring daggers at the inimical house, an idea suddenly occurred to him. The girls were completely baffled by the sight of their father stealing some strangers' newspapers, but they didn't know (or needed to know, really) that Adam planned to leave a little gift to said strangers later on, and the papers had their address.

#surprise: Winona may not be the only asshole in this family #the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all #sims 2 #ts2 #sims #gameplay #bacc #wb gameplay #wyverns bay #tanner #tanner week 1 #adam tanner #winona tanner #beatrice tanner #Abandoned Apothecary #mine

[paranormaliism]

tag drop

tag drop.

#[ visage ] » | pretty little ghost girl #[ head canon ] » | listen and learn #[ musings ] » | hidden voices from the other side #[ playlist ] » | the sound of music drowns out the voices #[ interactions ] » | i don't play well with the living #[ open starter ] » | don't play with the ouijia board #[ aesthetics ] » | there is beauty in oddity #[ family ] » | the apple doesn't fall far from the tree #[ answered ] » | letters to the other side

[periwinkla]

I think what I love the most about AA is that characters have a duality to them that I don't see often in media. They have actual flaws and do actual bad things, and it's not glossed over. Phoenix is a fundamentally good person, he helps people at the drop of a hat, risks his life for them. Has a penchant for taking strays under his wing. He believes in people... but also not really. He carries a literal lie detector with him at all times, and only employs people who can also peer into other people's hearts. So is he really that trusting? Sure he trusts his clients are innocent, but he doesn't trust they will tell him the truth at all (there's always something to lie about). He believes himself naive, and that's why he works extra hard not to be. Some people think he changed with his disbarment but I feel like when he actually changed was after Dahlia. He became less and less trusting as time went on. And Phoenix actually does forge evidence and risks his subordinate's career, and he says pretty nasty things sometimes (that one time to Edgeworth had got to hurt, badly, especially if you consider that the note could have been genuine at first, which we don't know for sure), has a pretty tactless and somewhat hurtful sense of humor, brings his daughter to cheat at poker, and doesn't tell said daughter she actually has some family left alive. He's secretive, elusive and cryptic, and masks it under a false pretence of goofiness. Miles is, by contrast, very easy to read. He may appear emotionally stunted but is one of the more emphathetic characters. He realizes when he's wrong and immediately needs to correct those wrongs. He grows uneasy and uncertain and eventually recognizes when he's mistaken. By the end of it he begins to help people naturally, without even thinking about it as much as he would have in the past. He helps so many people, he has basically got Phoenix's savior complex 2.0 but the healthy kind where he doesn't jump off a bridge. But... he was also actually cruel, and did send innocent people to their graves (was he really so naive to believe whichever defendant came his way was guilty?). He feigned his death disregarding other people's feelings, and while you could say he had no obligation towards Phoenix (apart from basic decency and respect towards someone who had turned his life around to save him), he still abandoned Franziska, who was still just a kid and had just discovered her father was a psychopath. She probably thought, at some point, that the apple didn't fall that far from the tree. That's it's somehow her fault as well. He may be rude and antagonistic, frank to a fault. Isn't afraid of telling stuff to your face. But he also cares about the people he loves so much, to the point he doesn't hesitate to risk his career and break the law multiple times. He may appear a pessimist but he's pretty idealistic at heart, it's quite funny that his favourite show is about an hero of justice, isn't it? Godot is... well, we don't know much about it from before his coma, but he definitely shared Mia's sentiments for helping people in their hour of need. But when he wakes from a 6-year coma he's so broken that he just pins the blame on the most absurd person to blame it on, settles on a complicated plan, and also prosecutes on that particular murder he should just confess upon. Iris was sweet, innocent, self-sacrificing. She knew absolutely nothing about the world apart from what Bikini or her sister told her. She was naive and falsely thought she could fix everything, that her sister was salvageable, that she could save Phoenix. But she still ended up lying to the person she loved and abetting a murder. That's why I love these characters so much. They're interesting and their stories make sense. People don't remain unchanged from what happens to them. People are multi-faceted and complex. You can't sum them up in a bunch of characteristics and aspect them to act on every single one of them, always, consistently. Sometimes people break. They make mistakes they regret, ...and some they don't.

#ace attorney #musings #aa musings

[lxkeee]

⋆.˚ . FLY ME TO THE MOON ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚.

—PART THREE

Pairing: Lucifer Morningstar x Archangel Raphael! Fem! Reader

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Notes: Lucifer and [y/n] will see each other again next chapter 👁️👁️

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART FOUR | MISC.

A lot of timeskip...

[Y/n] sat in her office chair. Bored out of her mind. Hand fluidly moved in motion as she signed her signature in each document. Paper works. So much paperwork. Just because she finished her duties on the mortal realm for this week doesn't mean she doesn't have work to do back in heaven. She needs to do countless paperwork. Writing down every detail of what happened during her time on earth.

She groaned, placing down her pen on to the table. Throwing her head back lazily against the comfort of her chair.

It has been years since Lucifer's fall. Years after the meeting he asked for that concern about his hotel to redeem sinners.

Thinking back about it. She regrets the harsh words she has said to him during that meeting. Rather too cold for her liking.

She can't blame past her either. She was mad at Lucifer, who wouldn't?

Your best friend stopped spending time with you as he spent most of his time learning about the newly made humans God created.

And once he got the time to spend with her, he always talked about the mortal woman that God has created.

It was very annoying.

Then suddenly, he did what she warned him. Giving the fruit of knowledge to Eve that caused his fall from grace.

[Y/n] loved him, she still does.

She was mad that Lucifer neglected her. She was mad that an angel as beautiful as Lucifer chose a mortal woman.

She was... Jealous.

Now, she heard he has a family now.

She sighs, eyes looking down on her hand. The wedding ring she used to wear is now on her middle finger. She and Azrael are still married to each other platonically for shits and giggles.

They still loved each other platonically. Often having sleepovers at each other's houses.

She wondered, Azrael is such a great man. Everything she'll ever need in one. Smart, funny, sarcastic, intelligent, incredibly handsome, and loving.

It's truly unfortunate her heart lies within another.

She sighs softly. She's been doing that often lately.

As she was about to continue working, the door to her office bursts open and her ex-husband flamboyantly announced his grand entrance.

“Wifeyyy, I have tea to share. I know you'll be interested.” Azrael asked, [y/n] had to look up as the man was literally taller than her. His slicked back black hair shined against the chandelier lights. His eyes are half-lidded—showing off the golden eyeshadow he's wearing, a smirk on his mischievously attractive face. Pulling back a chair across her desk, he sat down.

[Y/n] raised an eyebrow at him, curious what gossip he has to share this time.

“What is it?” she asked lacing her hands and placing her elbows on the table and placing her chin on her knuckles.

Azrael smirked, playing with his staff.

“Luci has a family right?” he asked and [y/n] just looked at him with curiosity. Surprised that Azrael brought the topic of the fallen angel up.

“Yes, what about it?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at the angel in front of her.

“I heard his daughter is coming up here for a meeting, Morningstar's daughter wanted to propose an idea to... Redeem sinners. Reminds me of Lucifer.” Azrael says with a smirk and small chuckle.

“The apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all.” [y/n] says with a small shrug. She wondered if Lucifer's daughter would propose the same idea like his.

“Indeed. So, are you going to attend the meeting? I heard Sera is handling it this time. Lucifer's daughter sure is lucky she won't be having a meeting with the seven.” Azrael says with a smirk before pouting a little.

“When will it be?” [y/n] asked, picking up her pen once more as she resumed working.

“In two days.” Azrael says with a shrug.

“Unfortunately I have work, all seven of us do.” [y/n] says with a shrug, a bored tone in her voice.

Azrael sighed and nodded, “Unfortunately, but... We can still attend but not physically. Eavesdropping as what others call it.” Azrael says with a grin, snapping his fingers and two eyeballs with wings appeared out of nowhere.

“We can use these. Both of us can have an eye.” he suggested and [y/n] looked at him with a raised eyebrow, curious why this man is so interested in listening to a meeting that is probably a repeat of history.

“I can see that look in your eyes that you're wondering why I'm so eager to listen to this meeting. I have a feeling that something will be revealed during this meeting and I am curious to what it is. My instincts are never wrong.” Azrael says, eyes staring outside [y/n]'s window. He has a feeling that the Seraphims are hiding something and he wants to uncover that.

“A secret?” [y/n] asked, curiosity piqued.

“Yes, I have a feeling that the seraphims are hiding something and that is a no-no especially if a high seraphim is hiding something.” Azrael says, his voice becoming serious. [Y/n] looked at him, her eyes narrowed at the possibility. The seven virtues are barely in heaven and that means the seraphims are in charge of the order up here. Lately, Sera has been acting strange but they just dismissed it thinking it was nothing. Now that Azrael mentioned it, they need to find out the truth.

“I assume we don't need to tell them we'll be attending the meeting then?” [y/n] asked and Azrael smirked and nodded.

It was finally the day where Lucifer's daughter would visit heaven for a meeting. [Y/n] sat on her couch in the comfort of her home, a third eye on her forehead. It means her consciousness is connected to the flying eyeball Azrael allowed her to use. It is currently the courtroom, hiding from plain sight.

Lucifer's daughter is really a copy of the said fallen angel. Same ideals too.

The meeting seems to be a bore, Charlie as what she learned the girl's name is, just proposed the same idea Lucifer proposed years ago.

The meeting was nothing but boring, annoying as she has to listen to Adam and Lute.

[Y/n] is still confused why that is in heaven and why he's being favored. The man is literally a walking asshole with a shit personality.

Azrael is probably in the same boat as her but he's back on earth doing his duties while simultaneously listening to this meeting.

The seven does not like Adam very much. Adam is too privileged.

Though, her views on the hotel changed as Charlie showed the progress of her guest, a demon named Angel Dust. Perhaps this silly hotel might actually work.

[Y/n] was about to stop listening and watching the meeting when Adam said something that caught her interest. Something that made her heart drop.

Exterminate... Extermination...

Of human souls.

Based on the reactions of other angels in the court, it was only Sera, Adam, Lute and other exorcists who knew about it.

Demon or not angels have no reason for doing this.

She's pissed and she could feel Azrael's annoyance from the eye she was using.

Who gave Sera the right to play God?

And the fact she didn't let the seven know about it is inexcusable.

The meeting ended and the two eyeballs remained hidden, eavesdropping on Emily and Sera.

So she's doing this because the demons were uprising?

Didn't they like to took care of it years ago? This just showed that Sera has no belief that heaven can handle a mere uprising of demons.

If the seven wanted to they could wipe out the entirety of hell. But no, there's no need for that. They have far more important matters to deal with such as trying to minimize the evil slowly growing on earth.

Hell couldn't steal heaven, they'd be dead before they could even enter the gates.

The third eye on [y/n]'s forehead closes and disappears. The others needed to know about this.

The others were concerned about this, angry even. Heaven does not need to do this yearly cleansing but apparently it has been happening for a few years already. So many human souls are killed by the hands of angels.

The seven talked about this with their creator and of course, he didn't listen to their concerns about this. Though, he did promise that if a soul is actually redeemed then the cleansing isn't necessary and Sera would be placed on trial as the seraphim didn't tell the seven nor god about this decision. The seven virtues didn't tell Sera they knew and just continued doing their duties. They trust their creator, based on his voice. He knew something that they don't.

[Y/n] has a feeling that this silly hotel might even work and she can't wait to finally put Adam, the exorcists, and Sera back to their place. To remind them where their power lies within the heavenly ranks.

TAGLIST:

@adaizel @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx @thedarkkitten @selvyyr @froggybich @brithedemonspawn @kottenox @totallymitya @many-fandoms-lover @dou-dou @mezzyb0nb0n @n1chxyaaenthusiast @cherry-4200 @koirb @galaxyj3lly @crystalplays28 @luleck @scootinonyourmom @rory-cakes @mixplara @crescent-z @bitchyzombienacho @kalisha2004 @altervex @nehy019 @napbatata

#hazbin hotel #lxkeee answers #lucifer hazbin hotel #lucifer morningstar x reader #lxkeee hazbin hotel masterlist #lxkeee updates #lucifer #lucifer magne #lucifer morningstar #hazbin hotel x reader #i love Azrael so much

[mhsdatgo]

Always hated the way according to TB I'm supposed, as a woman, to root for Rhaenyra "Mary Sue" Targaryen because she's a Valyrian woman and can't do no wrong. Otherwise I'm framed as a misogynist, an enabler, a rape apologist, every name in the book. As if this isn't the same girl who coerced her bodyguard because her erectile disfunction uncle didn't wanna bang her after leaving her in a brothel, naked and on plain sight for any kind of perverted brute. As if this isn't the same girl who weaponized both her and her best friend's trauma to twist a truth about something she very willingly did that could've had her disowned if her father was anyone else other than the weak ass neglectful rapist pedo father she had instead.

This is the same girl who ignored and mistreated Alicent when all she did was convince Viserys to allow her privileges she never had, like choosing a husband. Like it or not, it was Alicent the one who gave gave and gave, and Rhaenyra the one who took took and took and even MOCKED, time and time again. The same girl who acted like a victim when the girl she called her literal best friend (only when it benefitted her) was getting maritally R*PED in the next room by her crusty ass father. She never tried connecting with her siblings because they were Alicent's children. Not because their minds were poisoned, not because they were apparently bitter towards her. Because they weren't her mother's children. Same as Viserys. Guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

I'm supposed to root for a woman who doesn't do one single thing for the claim she feels so entitled to (who was purely based on Viserys' grief and guilt for Aemma)? I'm supposed to root for a woman who brings back to the line of succession the same man everyone wanted far from the line of succession? I'm supposed to root for the woman who wants to be the exception, not give possibilities to other women like an ACTUAL feminist does? She usurps her stepdaughters' claims in favor of her obviously bastard children, and no, betrothing the fpur of them isn't the same. If they die, the girls' claim dies with them, and guess what, exactly that happened.

No, I will not root for the woman who wanted a teenager's head because she was black and because she couldn't cope with the fact that "hEr pRiNcE" didn't love her, only what her title could offer. Or the woman who put a price on a 6yo's and a 2yo's head simply because they were her brother's children, thereby proving what Criston said about what was needed for Jace to raise to power after his mother. She even denied the request of multiple older daughters/sisters who rightfully wanted to lead their houses, with the excuse that the relam would be far too 'imbalanced'. Girl, are you that dense? There's the smallfolk getting eaten and burned and taxes by your dragon and your entire family fighting wars and dying left and right and you think two women ruling their houses will destabilize the realm?

Rhaenyra is many things, but feminist is not among them, no matter how much you cry and whine about it. Yes, I'm aware that no woman in asoiaf or f&b can be described as feminist. But the convinction (and delusion) that Rhaenyra is, without a shadow of doubt, is mindblowing. She's arguably worse than any of said women combined.

No, I don't feel represented or uplifted by a tyrant, classist, racist, hypocritical, spoiled kinslayer with god complex because she's albino and has a pet dragon as spoiled and as useless as her. Sorry not sorry.

#team green #anti team black #anti rhaenyra targaryen #anti rhaenyra stans #anti team black stans #anti daemon targaryen #anti anyone from team black except maybe for joffrey #no I'm not counting the Velaryons' #because they ain't Rhaenyra's emotional support #cry about it #and anti Hotd writers cause... #fr? good and bad? on asoiaf? #pro team green #pro alicent hightower

[percyshipz]

     Me 🤝 Murray

Playing love doctor 

#[[ y'know all those scenes where he's just like '' Just shag already. '' that's me. #[[ If you ever need relationship advice or a wingman? I got your back. #[[ this especially goes for stran.ger thi.ngs selfshippers if our s/i's would interact. I'll be that little boost. #🦅📻🔎 ;; Apple doesn't fall too far from the tree #💘💘 ;; Familial F/Os #💘💘 ;; Self Insert #⏳🔥📼 ;; You can't start a fire without a spark

[ro-is-struggling]

For Your Eyes Only || Spencer Reid x Reader

Summary: The three times you and Spencer managed to keep your relationship a secret and the one time you got caught.

Warnings: Garcia!Reader (but the reader's race/ethnicity is not specified, she could be adopted idk), mutual pining, love confessions, reader being a little insecure at one point, suggestive tones, implied smut, possible 14x01 spoilers, canon typical violence, angst with happy ending, fluff

English is not my first language

Word count: 11700 (I'm not even sorry)

Notes: This is based on a dream I had after binging the show so I’m sorry if it’s weird lol

Things between you and Spencer had always been complicated. You first met when you were young and inexperienced when you ended up crashing at your sister Penelope's place after losing your job and apartment all in the same week. She had offered to help you until you could get back on your feet, inviting you to live with her so you could save some money to move into a better apartment. And living with her also meant living with her second family, the BAU, so just a week after you moved in, Penelope organized a get-together with all her friends and co-workers so you could get to know each other.

Spencer stood out to you from the very beginning. He was shy and awkward and too young to be part of the team. You were a little intimidated by him at first. Despite his calm demeanor, he had an intense gaze that sent tingles down your spine every time his eyes fell on you. You felt a little self-conscious under his watchful eyes, feeling as if he was studying you. You knew he was not only a profiler, but also a genius with more than one college degree. There was no way you couldn't feel awkward under his gaze. 

That was until he opened his mouth, rambling excitedly about some random piece of information that he seemed to know a lot about, but that no one seemed to want to hear about. No one except you. You found his enthusiasm adorable and his voice soothing. He was a fascinating person who immediately piqued your desire to get to know him better. So that's exactly what you did. 

It was clear from the first moment that you shared a special spark. Within minutes of meeting you were already off in your own little bubble, chatting as if you had known each other all your lives. Spencer had never felt so comfortable with a complete stranger before, although he supposed it made sense given that you were Penelope's sister. The apple doesn't fall that far from the tree and all. You became friends in record time and fell in love even faster. But, as mentioned before, you were both too young and inexperienced to do anything about it. You didn't quite know how to deal with the feelings you were experiencing, so you did nothing.

You were always afraid that things wouldn't work out well between you, that somehow Spencer would get bored of you and leave you. You didn't want things to be awkward for your sister, you knew that if you two broke up she would feel the need to choose sides and you couldn't let her get into a fight with her friend and coworker because of you. And Spencer... Well, he had almost no experience in love or dating. It had taken him longer than he wanted to admit to even understand his feelings for you and once he did he didn't know what to do about it, so he did nothing. And when you finally went out to live your life on your own, he watched you walk away, burying his love for you in a box with a thousand locks, hidden deep in his heart so he could forget you. But he never forgot you and you never forgot him.

Timing was never right with you. You were perfect for each other, but there was always something that got in the way, as if fate itself didn't want to see you together. Even though your feelings for Spencer never died, you had given up hope that anything would ever happen between you. Apparently it wasn't in the cards for you to be together and you accepted it, settling for living with the what-ifs as your only consolation. At least that was until a new opportunity presented itself in front of you at Penelope's 41st birthday party. An opportunity you were not willing to pass up.

You were once again crashing on your sister's couch that year, only this time it was until you found an apartment in the city near her. Penelope's job was risky and in the last few years she had been targeted by psychopathic killers on several occasions. You hated the idea of her living alone and since you were now in a financial position to choose where to live, you decided to move close to her so that you could come to her aid in case of an emergency. You had to admit that your timing wasn't great since she was in the middle of planning her birthday party, so you postponed your apartment search until after the event, concentrating all your energy on helping her first. Luckily David Rossi offered to host the celebration at his mansion so you didn't have to make any more mess inside Penelope's apartment which was already a mess because of you. And planning such an event was always much easier when it wasn't your house that was going to be turned upside down. 

Spencer was in his mandatory retirement when you arrived, concentrating on his new found love of teaching. For that reason, Penelope hadn't had a chance to talk much with the boy wonder so when he showed up at Rossi's house for the celebration and saw you there he was greatly surprised.

You were laughing with Penelope and Emily and didn't notice his presence until you heard JJ call his name. When you looked up your eyes met his, those beautiful hazel eyes that you still saw in your dreams. It felt as if time stood still for a moment, the world around you disappearing as you became lost in each other's gaze. Memories of moments shared with Spencer came back to your mind in flashes, once again awakening those feelings you thought you had buried deep in your heart.

Spencer looked different, that was the first thing you noticed. He had changed, not only physically but also emotionally. He looked more serious than you remembered and seemed to have matured quite a bit. You didn't expect anything different knowing everything he had been through lately, the change was only natural. However, when he smiled you recognized the Spencer you loved so much. His essence was still there, a part of his innocence and charm still shone in his eyes. That made you smile, you were glad to know that despite everything he was okay.

Penelope was the one who snapped you out of your trance, giving you a subtle nudge in the ribs to bring you back to reality. She knew about your feelings for Spencer, you had never told her, but you didn't need to for her to figure it out. You guys were actually pretty bad at hiding your feelings, which is why she couldn't believe how you still weren't dating. God knows she hadn't stopped trying to push you in the right direction at every opportunity —Penelope loved to play cupid—, but so far nothing had ever worked.

Even though your sister successfully brought you back to reality, you were not able to give Spencer even a few words of welcome. You were still too overwhelmed by his presence, so you preferred to play it safe until you found the right words to express yourself. In the end you didn't get a chance to have a proper talk until late in the evening once everyone present began to show signs that they had had a few too many drinks. You went out into the garden to get some fresh air, getting away from the laughter for a moment to clear your head. Spencer followed you out and before you knew it you were engaged in a casual chat, catching up on things with a level of comfort that was unbelievable considering the level of tension that could be felt in the air when you were together. 

It was always easy to be around Spencer. Despite all the pent up feelings between you, you were able to maintain a good friendship. You didn't see each other very often, but whenever you met again it was as if you had never been apart in the first place. That's how strong your connection was.

"I missed this," you admitted after a few seconds of silence, your gaze fixed on the horizon, lost in thought. "I missed our talks."

"Me too," Spencer nodded, admiring your profile as if he were trying to memorize every little detail of your face. "I missed you." His voice sounded more muffled that time, heavy with the sadness accumulated after years of your absence. The mood in the air changed completely from casual and funny to sad and serious, letting you know that the time for explanations and excuses had come. 

"Why did you leave?" It broke your heart to hear the way his voice cracked as he spoke. You knew about his fear of change and his abandonment issues, he had opened up to you about it a long time ago. You left to take that job three states away knowing full well how much your leaving was going to affect him and now you were regretting it. It wasn't as if it hadn't hurt you too, but at the time you thought walking away was the best option for both of you. 

"I..." You didn't know what to answer. You had a long list of made up excuses you'd thought of over the years, but when you looked up to face him you didn't have the heart to lie to him. Spencer wasn't stupid, he could tell when you were lying, so what was the point? He deserved to know the truth. You deserved the truth. "I got scared and I ran away, just like I always do." You muttered, ashamed of your past actions.

"Scared of what?" Spencer frowned at you, confused by your words. You didn't respond verbally, you just looked at him and that was enough for him to understand what you meant. He could see it in your eyes, the fear, the insecurity. He couldn't believe how he hadn't noticed it before. Suddenly it all seemed so obvious to him that he wanted to yell at his past self for not doing something sooner.

"What we had... I-I never felt anything like that before and it scared me." You finally confessed after so long, keeping your eyes on the floor since you couldn't bring yourself to look Spencer in the face. It felt good to finally tell the truth, even though you felt a little exposed and vulnerable under his intense gaze. But it was worth it if it would finally bring closure to your story. 

"I wish you would have told me." This time it was your turn to look at him with confusion. "I liked you too."

You froze in place, Spencer's voice echoing in your head as you tried to process the situation.

He loved you too.

All this time you had spent wondering how things would have been if you hadn't been such a coward when you actually could have found out if you had just opened your mouth at the right time. Spencer loved you too and you had done nothing but waste time.

But then the cynical voice in your head asked the question you were so afraid of. Why did he love you? There was definitely nothing extraordinary about you, you were the most common and boring person that existed on the planet and he... he was the perfect man. He was sweet and sensitive, effortlessly beautiful and as if that wasn't enough he was also a literal genius. You couldn't understand how someone like Spencer could find someone like you interesting or worthy of his love. Being friends was one thing, but being a couple was a world apart. You were convinced that you were not compatible, despite all the love you had for each other. There was no way a genius like Spencer wasn't going to get bored of you in a matter of weeks. It just didn't make sense. 

You opened your mouth to say something, but before you could react to this new revelation, you were interrupted by your sister's voice announcing that they were about to cut the cake. You didn't even get a chance to look at Spencer before Penelope dragged you back inside, too tipsy to realize she was interrupting a very important moment. 

You had to put on a smile as everyone sang happy birthday to Penelope, feigning happiness when you felt anything but that. Confusion was the predominant emotion, but you also felt regret and a crushing emptiness in your chest that made it hard to breathe. You wanted to be there for your sister, but your mind couldn't stop replaying Spencer's words, having trouble processing the situation. 

You couldn't believe that all this time he had reciprocated your feelings. All the time you had spent mourning for what couldn't be, all the tears you had shed for him, it had all been wasted. You felt like a fool, though you couldn't deny that sabotaging your own happiness out of fear or insecurities was something you did more than you'd like to admit. It was hardwired into your brain, an automatic response that you could almost never stop. And now it was once again too late to do anything about it.

Spencer looked happy as he laughed with his friends, unaffected by the revelations that had just come up in your talk minutes before. It confused you a little, wondering how he was able to go on as if nothing had happened after hearing your confession. But then you noticed a detail that tightened the lump that had formed in your throat.

'I liked you too.' 

He had spoken in the past tense. He loved you, implying that he no longer did. Spencer had moved on from his feelings for you, putting an end to your story. And the worst part was that you had no one to blame but yourself. You were the one who had pushed him away, the one who had run away from your feelings instead of facing them and now you were paying the price.

Your mind was lost in horrible thoughts, imagining how many women had occupied that special place in his heart since you left. That special place you so longed to occupy, that place that should have been yours... that was yours without you knowing it. You wondered who had dethroned you, who had been able to erase you from his heart to take that place. 

Imagining Spencer in the arms of another woman made you feel sick. You knew he could date anyone he wanted —you'd had your fair share of failed relationships yourself over the years—, but for some reason this was the first time it felt real. You hated to think that another woman had come to occupy that special space in his heart, that she knew what it felt like to kiss him or wake up next to him. The thought of Spencer feeling safe and at home in the arms of someone who wasn't you crushed you. You knew you had no right to feel that way, but you couldn't help but feel jealous that someone else had the chance to experience what you fantasized about every night before bed.

Suddenly the room began to feel small, the walls closing in on you as the laughter around you grew louder and louder. You needed to get out of there, to get away from all the noise so you could calm your mind overwhelmed by the swirl of emotions that weighed you down. So you took advantage of Penelope complaining about the lack of ice to escape from there, jumping up from your seat as you offered to get more. 

The kitchen sheltered you from the noise of the party, giving you the peace and quiet you needed to try to work out your problems. You took a moment to take a deep breath, repeating to yourself over and over that everything was fine. It was a big lie, but you were more than willing to fake it til you made it. You poured yourself a glass of water and drank it in one gulp, hoping it would help loosen the lump in your throat. 

'Keep it together, this is Penelope's night!' the voice of reason echoed in your head, trying hard to keep your emotions in check.  You knew she was right, even though you were pretty sure your sister was too drunk at this point to notice the change in your mood, that didn't mean you had a free pass to ruin the party. You had to find a way to put aside what you were feeling for her.

"Is everything alright?" Spencer's voice startled you and you almost dropped the glass you were holding. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. It's just thought that you were taking too long and I wanted to make sure you were okay." 

"Oh yeah, sorry. I needed a moment away from all the noise." You forced a smile in an attempt to let him know you were okay, but the smile didn't reflect in your eyes. You could barely hold eye contact with him as you spoke, which made him think you were hiding something from him.

"I guess they are pretty loud, huh." He walked over to you, leaning back against the edge of the island in the middle of the kitchen. You tensed as you felt his closeness, feeling the warmth of his body against your side as the scent of his cologne assaulted your nostrils. It was as if he was doing it on purpose, as if he knew the effect he had on you and was using it to torture you. But when you looked up at him you were met with his usual innocent expression, with big eyes looking at you curiously as if he was studying you. 

"Yeah and it's been a while since I've been around them, I have to get used to the chaos again." You lied, lowering your gaze. You could no longer stand the intensity of his hazel orbs staring at you as if he could read your thoughts. You knew that was impossible, but what he could certainly do —and very well— was read your behavior. You were sure you were being very obvious and it was only a matter of time before he realized what was really going on with you.

"What's on your mind?" Spencer spoke in a soft tone, breaking the silence that had formed in the room. You bit your tongue, debating whether you should answer his question honestly or not. You wanted to lie, but you knew it was pointless. He would know you were lying, if he didn't already.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about us... about how strange life can be sometimes." You let out a bitter laugh, thinking about how different things might be if only you had done just one thing differently years ago. "D-do you think things between us would have worked?" Your voice was small and unsure, looking up at him hesitantly. You weren't sure if you were ready to hear his answer, but you couldn't contain your curiosity. 

Spencer looked at you, studying your face for what felt like an eternity. You felt small under his gaze, but you maintained eye contact this time. You needed to know the truth, to read in his eyes the sincerity of his words. Only then would your brain know peace.

"I don't know," he finally murmured. "I guess we'll never know."

Spencer's eyes did not leave yours, nor did yours leave his. You felt him moving closer to you, the warmth of his body enveloping you as he tilted his face toward you. You copied his actions without even realizing it, desperate to feel closer to him. It was as if you were in a trance, lost in the beautiful hazel color of his eyes. 

"Yeah, I guess we won't," you said absently, letting the scent of Spencer's cologne flood your system and wash away what little reason you had left. Your eyes traveled to his lips, reflecting the thoughts that occupied your mind. There was nothing you wanted more at that moment than to close the distance that separated you and join your lips in a kiss. You were desperate to know what it would feel like to kiss him, you had been dreaming about it for years. But you knew it wasn't appropriate, so you used your last bit of strength to hold back. 

When you looked back into Spencer's eyes you noticed that something had changed in them. He was looking at you in a different way, with a sparkle you had never noticed in his eyes before. It was... desire. He wanted you as much as you wanted him. He wanted to kiss you too, but he was holding back just like you. You were once again dancing around each other, hiding what you truly felt, waiting for the other to make the first move. You were tired of it and you weren't going to make the same mistake again. 

So you leaned into Spencer, letting him know that you wanted this as much as he did. Time seemed to slow down, making you feel like you were moving in slow motion as you drew closer to shorten the small distance that separated you. The tension in the air was strong, almost unbearable, as you lost yourself in Spencer's eyes, anxiously waiting to feel his lips on yours. 

Your heart raced as you felt his warm breath mingling with yours, the tips of your noses brushing and awakening a wave of electricity that coursed through your entire body. You shared one last glance before letting yourself be carried away by the moment, joining your lips in a long awaited kiss. 

It was shy and experimental, a simple brush of lips that did nothing more than leave you wanting more. Spencer caught your upper lip between his, caressing it with a tenderness that made your knees weak. It wasn't a full kiss, but it was still better than all your fantasies because this one was real. 

You broke apart almost immediately, opening your eyes once again to study each other's expression. Neither of you needed to speak to know what the other was thinking, it was enough to see the glint of happiness shining in your eyes to confirm that you both felt the same. So without wasting another second you brought your lips together once again, only this time in a more confident and passionate kiss. 

You let his lips guide yours, allowing yourself to get lost in the euphoria of the moment. Spencer's hand cupped your cheek, holding your face against his gently to deepen the kiss. His fingertips sparked a warm tingle on your skin and you leaned into his touch, clinging to his lips as you tried to keep up with him. Your lips closed over his lower lip, your tongue caressing it gently asking his permission. He granted it and you didn't waste a second exploring his mouth. He tasted like cake, the sweet blend of chocolate and cream still present on his tongue. 

You didn't want the moment to end. You didn't want to separate yourself from Spencer's lips ever again. You had fantasized about this moment for so long and wanted it to last forever, but unfortunately for you that wasn't possible. You were in the middle of a party and it was already taking too long to get back to the others. If you didn't pull apart now someone was going to find you like this and you didn't want to face the awkward moment, so you reluctantly broke away from Spencer. 

"That was..." he trailed off as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Late." You finished the sentence for him, letting out a chuckle. That kiss was long overdue and you couldn't believe it had taken you so long to get to this moment. "We should get back to the party." You said, making no effort to pull away from him. You were still so close to each other that your noses brushed and your breaths mingled in the air. And that's how you wanted to stay for the rest of the night, even though you knew you couldn't.

"Yes, we should." Spencer nodded, but instead of pulling away from you, he shortened the small distance that separated you even more, bringing your lips together in a quick kiss. You reciprocated immediately, allowing yourself to get lost in him once again.

"I mean it!" You exclaimed, parting from his lips for a second before being drawn into them once more. 

"Me too!" Spencer murmured against your mouth, making you giggle into the kiss. 

You allowed him to distract you with his kisses for a little while longer, taking advantage of the privacy the kitchen provided to explore a little more of whatever it was that you two had. That room was your little refuge, your little bubble in which there was only you and the tension in the air that had followed you all these years. It was your safe place, one where you didn't have to explain what you felt in front of anyone. You only had to look into each other's eyes to understand what you were feeling. Going through the kitchen doors meant facing the real world and that only made everything more complicated.

"I don't want to stop." You confessed finally, leaning your forehead against Spencer's as you looked into his eyes.

"Me neither." 

"Maybe... maybe we should try this out, see where it takes us." You didn't know why you were nervous to speak, you could see in Spencer's eyes that he wanted the same thing you did. You supposed it was because you weren't used to expressing your feelings in clear, concrete words. You hated feeling vulnerable even though you knew you were safe with Spencer. "I want to give us a chance, if you want that too, of course."

"I do! That's all I ever wanted." Spencer gave you one of his big, adorable smiles of his, the kind that made his eyes crinkle and radiated nothing but happiness and positive vibes. It warmed your heart every time he smiled at you like that, genuine joy written all over your face. It was hard not to return the gesture, his smile was so contagious. 

You shared one more kiss, the perfect seal of your deal. Even though you were running out of time, you took a moment to enjoy it, trying to memorize every detail, every sensation, for the future. Spencer took your face in his hands, pulling you closer to him and tilting your head so he could deepen the kiss, making the most of every second you had together. 

It left you completely breathless and a little stupid to be honest. So much so that you almost forgot you had gone there to get ice in the first place. He had to remind you before you left the kitchen empty handed, feeling secretly proud of his skills. 

"Wait!" you called out to him before Spencer disappeared behind the kitchen door. He turned to look at you with a raised eyebrow, wondering if there was something he had forgotten.

"What is it?"

"We should keep this between us, for now at least."

"Oh." He mumbled and didn't need to say anything else for you to realize he was disappointed. 

"It's not that I don't want to tell people," you rushed to say, taking a few steps towards him. "It's just that... you know how annoying Penelope can get with stuff like this. I want to explore our relationship without having her asking me about it all the time." You tried to explain, hoping he understood where you were coming from. 

There was nothing you wanted more than to go out there and shout how happy you were about all this, but your sister couldn't find out about anything yet. She had bugged you to go out with Spencer from the very beginning so you could only imagine how annoying she was going to be when she found out her wishes had been granted. You knew she meant well, but she could get a little intense at times and you'd rather have the freedom to explore your relationship with Spencer without feeling pressure from your sister every second. Besides, if things between you two didn't work out the way you hoped, you didn't want things between her and Spencer to get weird at work. You needed time to process your feelings so you'd be ready to deal with the intensity of your sister's love when she learns the truth. 

"I promise it won't be for long, just until we make sure we... work together, you know." 

Luckily for you Spencer was not angry with you. On the contrary, he agreed with you when you brought up Penelope's attitude to these issues. He wasn't one to share much about his private life anyway, so he didn't find anything unusual about keeping your relationship a secret for a while. He liked the idea of having you all to himself behind everyone else's back. It was as if you had your own separate world, your own little piece of paradise on earth. And that was exactly what he needed at this point in his life, a haven where he felt safe at all times.

So you shared one last kiss before emerging from your little bubble to face the real world, struggling to hide your happiness from a room full of profilers. It was not an easy task, but for that night you had alcohol on your side to help you.

Spencer knew from the beginning that keeping his relationship with you hidden from the team was going to be difficult. They were not only excellent profilers, but also his best friends and knew him too well to notice when he was hiding something. He liked to think that he was relatively good at lying since it was a tool he used from time to time in his work. However, lying to a suspect or an unsub was not the same as lying to his friends. He expected suspicion and curious looks from his teammates at some point in the near future, though he had to admit he was surprised at how quickly JJ seemed to realize something was up. 

It was late at night and the team was stuck in the office finishing up paperwork. Spencer couldn't wait to get out of there to be with you. Tonight was date night and even though you didn't have anything too fancy planned —just dinner at Spencer's apartment, you had learned the hard way that it was best to play it safe with his crazy work schedule—, but still,  he couldn't stop counting down the minutes until he could see you. Things between you were going great and he felt on cloud nine every time you kissed him or held his hand. He couldn't believe that after so long of dancing around each other things had worked out and now he wanted to spend every spare second of his day by your side to make up for lost time.

As soon as Emily allowed them to go home, Spencer was quick to pack up his belongings. He wanted to be the first one through the glass doors, to disappear before any of his colleagues could delay him any further. However, he wasn't quick enough since JJ managed to intercept him before he reached the elevator.

"I've been meaning to ask.... Is everything alright with you?" she asked him, lowering her voice so the few agents passing by wouldn't hear them. 

"Yes." Spencer hesitated to answer, sounding more like a question than a statement. "Why would there be anything wrong?"

"I don't know, you tell me." JJ folded her arms, waiting for an answer. When she got nothing more than a confused look from Spencer, she added, "You've been acting weird lately, like you're hiding something. You got a new phone! And you're always the first to walk out the door." JJ sounded genuinely worried about him and Spencer immediately felt bad about having to lie to her. Although he knew she would understand.

"Whatever it is that's going on you know you can talk to me, right?"

"Nothing is going on, I'm fine!" He tried to convince her friend, speaking in a calm and slow voice in an attempt to reassure her.

"Spence, do I have to worry?" JJ insisted, remembering what had happened the last time he had kept something from her.

Spencer could read the genuine concern in her expression and hear it in her voice as she spoke, so he tried his best to give her an answer that made sense but at the same time didn't give away his little secret. "There's nothing to worry about." He affirmed, giving her friend a warm smile. He appreciated that she cared so much about him, but this time it wasn't necessary. "I got the new phone so I could stay in contact with my students when I'm teaching. Apparently accessibility is a big part of the teacher/student relationship now days and I need to pay more attention to my emails."

That wasn't a lie in its entirety. The truth was that he had bought a newer phone so he could keep in touch with you. He didn't want to at first, but you managed to convince him that more modern technology would make it easier to keep your long distance relationship afloat when he traveled away for work, but it would also help you keep things hidden. Spencer knew that if you wanted your relationship to move forward you had to spend time together as a couple to actually know if you worked well together. And after having to cancel your first date three times because of a case, Spencer decided that maybe it was a good time to upgrade a little. The benefit of being able to communicate better with his students when he taught was an added bonus that had played almost no part in his decision. 

JJ looked at him with narrowed eyes, trying to search his expression for something to tell her if he was lying to her. She still felt he was hiding something, but when he smiled at her she saw pure happiness in his eyes. Then she realized that maybe there was a good reason behind his secrecy. "So I don't have to worry then?" Spencer shook his head and she smiled. "Good."

They walked together to the elevator, changing the topic of the conversation to something more trivial as the metal box transported them to the exit. As they parted ways, Spencer pulled his phone out of his pocket and hurried to let you know he was running late, but he was on his way. You responded with a picture of his apartment door, letting him know that you had arrived at his place. He then gave you permission to use the emergency key under the welcome mat so you wouldn't have to wait for him in the hallway. After all, it wasn't the first time you went to his apartment and it definitely wouldn't be the last. 

Opening his front door and finding you there with the takeout food ready to eat gave him a sense of joy he hadn't experienced before. The worries of his job, the gruesome crime scene photos and the wicked look of the unsub they had caught, all vanished from his system the moment you greeted him with a smile, telling him how much you had missed him. You were in your own little world when you got together, one that had no room for the stresses of work or everyday life. There was only peace, happiness and love. Suddenly the outside world ceased to exist, it was just him and you exploring the feelings you had hidden for so long. It was incredibly liberating in a way and made it all worthwhile. He could get used to that feeling.

Spencer wasn't the only one who had trouble keeping your secret hidden. You might not work with excellent profilers, but you lived with Penelope Garcia herself, which was almost the same thing. You thought that maybe the fact that your sister had such a demanding job or that Spencer traveled from state to state on a regular basis would play in your favor —you had no big plans to hide from anyone and Penelope was hardly ever home to pick up on anything anyway—, but you were wrong. Penelope didn't need more than a quick glance in your direction to raise an eyebrow accusingly. 

"You're seeing things." You tried to defend yourself when she confronted you about it. "I think you need to take some time off, the stress is getting to you."

"Oh no, you can't lie to me. There's something going on with you, I can sense it." She insisted, chasing you into the living room and standing in front of the TV so you couldn't avoid her gaze.

"You can sense it?" you repeated in fake disbelief. You were sure she could, she knew you too well not to realize you were hiding something from her.

"Yes! You're glowing, you have this, this... happiness aura you didn't have before. What's going on?"

You rolled your eyes, though you had to bite your tongue to keep from smiling. You did feel like you were glowing and, although it was inconvenient, it was nice to know that others could notice it too. It was the happiest you had been in a long time and it was all thanks to Spencer's company. 

"Nothing is going on, Penelope." You tried to convince her. "I promise."

She looked at you for a moment, squinting her eyes as if deciding whether it was a good idea to believe you or not. Finally she said, "You would tell me if there was something going on with you, right? You wouldn't keep it from me, would you?"

"Of course not! I promise you that when something good happens to me, you'll be the first to know." You felt terrible as soon as the words came out of your mouth. You didn't like lying to your sister, but it was for the best. Your relationship with Spencer was too new to be announced to others, you wanted to be able to enjoy a little more of the privacy and intimacy you were able to have by keeping everything a secret. Penelope would learn the truth eventually, but for now you wanted to keep things as they were. You were sure she would understand.

Penelope didn't say anything, she just sat down next to you and turned up the volume on the TV to watch whatever you had on together with you. You thought you were in the clear, that you had effectively eased her curiosity with your promise, but then your phone vibrated. The screen lit up with a new notification, drawing two pairs of eyes to the device resting on the coffee table. You reached out to grab it, immediately recognizing the contact who was texting you, but Penelope was quicker.

"Who is... 'S plus heart emoji' and why are they asking you if you can go over to their place?" She looked at you with an accusatory raised eyebrow and you almost let out a growl of frustration. How could she be so lucky? You and Spencer hardly ever texted, you always talked on the phone, and the one time he texted you she was there to read it. Fate hated you.

"That's... Sophie, my friend from work." You lied, hoping you sounded convincing enough so Penelope wouldn't ask too many questions. "She's going through a tough break up and I'm helping her whenever I can. Her ex boyfriend is an ass and I told her that whenever she felt bad and had the urge to talk to him she should call me instead."

Penelope couldn't argue much against that, leaving you alone the moment you mentioned broken hearts. Once again you felt guilty about lying to her, but all your worries disappeared when you set foot in Spencer's apartment. The smell of wood and old books hit you as soon as he opened the door, making you feel at home. It wasn't the first time you were there, since you were still living with Penelope most of your secret meetings had to be at his home to avoid being discovered. You were already more than familiar with the place and the beautiful scent that you could identify as the very essence of Spencer. It was your favorite smell in the world since it reminded you of him. 

"I don't think she's onto us, but she definitely knows something’s up." You told Spencer as you snuggled on his couch. You didn't have any plans in mind, you just wanted to feel each other's warmth close by, taking advantage of Spencer's day off to relax together like a real couple. You had your head resting on his chest, listening to the soft beating of his heart as he wrapped his arms around you, his nose hidden in your hair, inhaling the floral scent of your shampoo. It was his favorite scent in the world, associated with happiness and love since he recognized it as your very essence.

"Would that be so bad?" he blurted out without thinking before speaking, letting his heart take over his lips. "Getting caught, I mean. Would it be so bad if the others knew about us?" It was a question that had been bouncing around in his head for a while now. When you had sat down to talk through the implications of your arrangement, you decided it was best to keep things under wraps until you found out if you worked as well as a couple as you did as friends. The point was to keep things from getting weird with the rest of the team —especially Penelope— if things between you two didn't work out. Spencer thought it was a good idea and agreed to wait to announce your relationship to the others. But now that some time had passed since that day, he couldn't help but wonder how much longer you'd keep hiding it.

It wasn't that he didn't like it, he loved your secret dates and sneaky texts. Your relationship had become a kind of refuge, a sanctuary where he could go to escape the outside world. Yet he couldn't help but wonder if maybe the reason you wanted to keep things secret was that you weren't sure how you felt about him. Spencer was ready to let the world know he loved you and thought you felt the same way, but lately he wasn't so sure.

"I mean, w-we were supposed to do this until we figured out if we worked as a couple, right? I-I d-don't know about you, but I think this works, right?" Spencer added, stumbling over his words because of nerves. He didn't want to sound like he was pressuring you, far from it, he was willing to wait as long as he had to for you, but he needed some kind of confirmation that you felt the same way he did in order to ease his anxious mind. "I'm not trying to pressure you or anything, we don't have to tell people if you're not ready... I just-"

"Spence," you interrupted his ramblings, lifting your head from his chest so you could look him in the eye. He looked terrified in the most adorable way possible, looking at you with wide eyes as he waited for a response. "It works." You stated with a smile and felt him relax beneath you. "We work great together. That's not why I want to keep us a secret anymore."

"Then what is it?" You let out a sigh as you tried to find the right words to express what you felt. It wasn't that you didn't want to tell the world how happy you were with Spencer by your side, god knew that keeping your mouth shut was a challenge that was getting harder every day. But you knew that the moment you did, you would lose the special kind of intimacy you had now that no one knew about you. You knew that the moment you made your relationship public you would have Penelope bugging you with her questions, wanting to know every detail after pushing you to date him since day one. And you knew the other members of the group wouldn't be far behind. You and Spencer were like the babies in the family that was the BAU so it was inevitable to have them hovering over your shoulders looking over your shoulder with every step you took.

"I just... I know the second we tell people they're gonna be all over our business and I hate that. I love what we have and after all the time it took us to get here, I just want to enjoy this a little more, have you all to myself." Your answer seemed to be enough to erase the doubt in Spencer's eyes. He smiled at you in relief and you reached up to kiss him. 

The lingering doubts in his mind vanished as he felt the way your lips moved over his, your tongue caressing him in that slow, sensual way that drove him crazy. He let your kisses soothe him, losing himself in you and in the warm sensation that your closeness always aroused inside him. You worked your magic on him, replacing every negative thought in his mind with love and comfort just with the touch of your lips on his. It was amazing how quickly you could invade his mind, making him forget the world around him in a matter of seconds. It was an ability that only you possessed and it showed how madly in love with you he really was.

“Besides, you can't deny that keeping it a secret makes things more... interesting.” You whispered against his lips as you pulled away in need of air. There was a mischievous sparkle in your eyes that revealed exactly where your mind was going and he couldn't help but blush. Flashes of the nights you had shared together appeared in his mind, the sound of your agitated voice pronouncing his name like a mantra as you came undone under his touch replaying in his ears. 

"Those late night calls while your colleagues are only a few feet away, sleeping on the jet or separated only by the thin walls of a motel room." You teased him, your voice low and sultry as you settled into his lap. The atmosphere in the room changed quickly, the tension heavy in the air as you playfully teased Spencer, scattering kisses up and down his neck. You could feel him tensing beneath you, his hands flying to your hips, clinging to your skin in warning.

"Those pictures that I sent you while you were still at work," you purred in his ear, grinding your hips against his. Spencer closed his eyes, letting out a long gasp as he remembered the episode you referred to. Nothing could have prepared him for those messages, seeing you lying on your sheets wearing only one of his unbuttoned shirts and a red lace bra was too much for his poor heart. He had been lucky that his colleagues were distracted, otherwise he would not have been able to hide the clear reaction of surprise and desire that your messages had awakened in him. 

"I thought we were just going to hang out today." Spencer said, looking at you with a raised eyebrow. He tightened his grip on your waist, guiding your slow movements and pressing you against his growing erection.

"I got bored." You pouted. "I wanna play."

Spencer couldn't resist your charms even if he wanted to.

You didn't realize that agreeing to go to a bar with the BAU team was a mistake until it was too late. When Penelope invited you, you thought it would be a good idea to get out of the house for a while and it would give you a good excuse to be close to Spencer. You were prepared for the tension and having to hold the urge to kiss him in front of everyone, at this point it was part of your routine. What you weren't prepared for was how many women seemed to find your boyfriend attractive.

You couldn't blame them though, Spencer looked especially sexy in that black suit with his hair slightly messed up. The knot of his tie was loose and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing the skin of his forearm. Your eyes got lost following the path of his veins, remembering the way they stood out more clearly every time his hand closed around your neck or your hips when you were alone in his room. It was honestly torture to have him in front of you looking so sensual and not being able to do anything about it. Even worse was having to watch every woman in the bar try her luck with him, coming up to flirt whenever he was alone. And there was nothing you could do about it, not without revealing your little secret at least.

"You should have listened to me, little one." Your sister's cheerful voice startled you. You looked away from the woman chatting with Spencer at the bar to turn your gaze to Penelope, who was looking at you with a smile that said I told you so.

"Huh?"

"If you had listened to me when I told you to go for it, you wouldn't have that look on your face right now."

"What look?" You played dumb, taking a long sip of your drink. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You were staring at boy wonder talking with that woman over there." Penelope rolled her eyes, tired of hearing you deny your feelings for Spencer. It had been clear to her from day one that you were right for each other and she couldn't understand how you still weren't together.

"I was not!"

"Are you kidding me? If looks could kill, that poor woman would be on the floor right now."

"Very funny, Penny, but I wasn't looking at them." You tried to lie, avoiding looking your sister in the eyes for fear she might read the truth in your gaze. Keeping your relationship with Spencer a secret was one thing, but hiding your jealousy was something you apparently couldn't do.

"If it makes you feel any better he doesn't seem that interested in her." Penelope continued speaking, completely ignoring your previous comment. "You should go talk to him, I'm sure he'd rather be with you anyway."

"No. You know what I'm gonna do?" Penelope shook her head, watching you drink what was left in your glass in one sip before rising from your seat next to her. "I'm gonna buy another round."

You walked away from the table before your sister could protest, heading to the bar to get more alcohol. You were going to need a lot more to be able to handle this whole situation, otherwise jealousy was going to eat you up inside. You bumped into Spencer on purpose as you walked past him, successfully getting his attention.

"Careful with those, the rest of the team is pretty drunk and I'm going to need your help to make sure they get home safely." Spencer said, appearing at your side only a couple of minutes later.

"I can handle my liquor, I'll be fine." You sounded colder than you intended, mistakenly taking your jealousy out on him. Spencer noticed something was wrong with you right away, frowning at your sudden moodiness.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes!" you lied to him, answering without even looking at him. But you immediately regretted it, realizing that it was stupid to lie when you were doing such a bad job of hiding your jealousy. "No, it's not! That woman was flirting with you."

"No she wasn't!" Spencer said and you looked at him with narrowed eyes, deciding if he was serious or if he was playing you for a fool. It didn't take you long to figure out that the confusion in his expression was genuine and then you couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

“You can’t possibly be that naive! Half the women in here have been eye fucking you since we arrived.”

“So what? I don’t care about any of them.” The casual tone in which he spoke was almost as annoying as the women in that bar. You knew he was right, you didn't doubt his feelings for you, but you still hated having to watch all those strangers approach him thinking they had a chance. Spencer was yours and you were desperate to let them know, but you couldn't and it was driving you crazy.

"It's annoying, that's what!" you complained, crossing your arms and pouting. "I can't even hold your hand to let them all know you're mine." Spencer's hand traveled to your cheek, taking advantage of the fact that you were far enough away from the rest of the team to be seen. You leaned into his touch, enjoying the warmth of his skin against yours. You missed him and honestly didn't know how much longer you could stand it in this place without being able to touch him or have him near you.

"But that's part of the fun, isn't it?" He echoed the point you had made when he had come to you with a similar concern. You suddenly felt the urge to hit him, and you would have if it weren't for that adorable smile on his face. You couldn't stay mad at him when he looked at you with that face.

"You're lucky you're cute." You warned him, pointing an accusatory finger at him and making him laugh.

"C'mon, I'll stay with you the whole night if that makes you feel better." Spencer promised you, helping you carry the drinks to the table with the rest of your friends.

He kept his word, sitting next to you and not moving from his spot, but that didn't make you feel any better. You could still feel the curious glances of the women around him, wondering if he was single, hoping to get a chance to talk to him. You hated it and the alcohol in your veins wasn't making it any easier. You weren't necessarily drunk, but you did feel a little more liberated and uninhibited. You were a little tipsy and something you did a lot when you were in that state was touching and hugging anyone who was unlucky enough to be next to you. That combined with the jealousy that overwhelmed you was a recipe for disaster. 

You started with simple, inconspicuous things, taking Spencer's hand under the table and bringing your leg up on top of his. No one could see you, but it gave you a sense of closeness that calmed your anxious mind. But as the night progressed those hidden caresses turned out to be more and more about satisfying your need for him.

You needed to feel his warmth embracing your body, his lips on yours as he showed you how much he loved you. But, since you knew that wasn't possible —at least not until you left that place—, you settled for resting your head on his shoulder as you chatted, snuggling against him as if you were the only people there, too distracted by the ridiculous way your drunken friends danced on the dance floor. It was as if you were in your own bubble, enjoying your night together as a couple without anyone knowing. It was nice to share that complicity, to look into each other's eyes and understand each other without having to use words. 

"Are you feeling better?" Spencer asked you, taking his eyes off the dance floor to look at you. You smiled and nodded, feeling your heart fill with love as you lost yourself in the changing color of his eyes. You had to try hard to contain the urge to kiss him that came over you at that moment. And you were lucky you did because otherwise Emily, who appeared out of nowhere, would have discovered you.

"Hey guys, have you seen my phon...?" Her voice trailed off when she saw the pose you were in, her eyes immediately noticing your hands clasped together on the table. You pulled away from Spencer as quickly as you could, but you still weren't able to stop a smile from forming on Prentiss' lips - though you were grateful that she had tried to contain it. 

"Nevermind, carry on." She said, disappearing as quickly as she had appeared in the first place. You let out a growl of frustration, hiding your face in your hands as you promised yourself that you were never going to drink again.

Your heart dropped when you heard Emily's voice on the other end of the line telling you that Penelope and Spencer had been kidnapped. You hadn't even cut the call and you were already running out of your apartment, rushing to your car and on your way to the FBI headquarters where two of the most important people in your life worked. Your brain was on autopilot, reduced to controlling your movement and basic life functions. Your mind was blank, too shocked and scared to even try to process what was happening. You knew that the moment you started thinking about what might be happening to your sister and the love of your life was the moment you would lose your sanity, so you tried your best to keep your mind free of all thoughts. You had to stay strong for them, concentrate all your energy on your desire to see them safe and sound again and maybe the universe would listen. 

You lost all sense of time as you paced around the office where Emily had allowed you to wait while they worked, promising to get back to you as soon as they made any progress on the case. You felt like a caged lion, pacing back and forth while muttering to yourself that everything was going to be okay. Both Penelope and Spencer had had this job for so many years, that had to count for something, right? If anyone had the tools to survive a situation like that it was them. 

You felt like you were going crazy locked in that dark office. But then the door opened, revealing a very shocked, but safe and sound Penelope. You ran into your sister's arms, letting tears roll down your cheeks as you clung to her, relieved to feel her sweet embrace once again. You went back to your childhood for a moment, remembering the one time you had shared a hug like that in the past. You had just learned of the fatal fate your parents had met and through tears and sobs you clung to your sister. You cried together for what felt like an eternity, and in that embrace you vowed to always be there for each other. Just as you were doing at that very moment.

“He told me to run, so I did… I left him there, how could I have left him there?” Penelope sobbed into your shoulder, feeling responsible for Spencer's future. Through tears, she managed to tell you how she had managed to escape thanks to him, how she had had a small window of time to run and how she had had to ignore the sounds of the commotion Spencer had created in order to escape —even the sound of gunshots. You'd be lying if you said your stomach hadn't dropped when you heard her say that, immediately fearing for your boyfriend's safety, but you knew that wasn't the time to panic. Penelope needed you to be strong, so you swallowed your emotions so you could comfort her. 

"Penelope, listen to me." you said, pulling away from her so you could look her in the eye. "None of this is your fault, okay? Spencer made his choice, he's a smart man, you know that. He probably has a plan, he knows what he's doing. He's going to be fine, the team is going to find him and bring him back." You tried to reason with her and yourself, seeking to comfort your sister while calming your nerves with your own words. 

"But what if they don't get him in time? W-What if... what if they hurt him before we can get to him?"

"That's not gonna happen, not as long as you're out there using that brilliant brain of yours to help your team to find him." You assured her, giving her a warm smile as you wiped away her tears with your thumb. "You need to stay strong for him right now, alright? You have to help him get back home." It was a plea for help hidden in words of encouragement, a subtle way of begging her to bring Spencer back into your arms. It wasn't fair to ask that of her after all she'd been through, you knew that, but you were desperate. 

You knew she was just as desperate as you were, though, so she nodded at your words, wiping away her tears and letting out a long sigh before putting her glasses back on and heading back to her office to do what she did best. 

Once again you were left alone, pacing around the empty office with your thoughts as your only company. You hated the waiting, the uncertainty and the fear tightening in your chest and making it hard to breathe. You wanted to believe that Spencer would be okay, but the truth was you didn't know. There was no way to be sure the team would get to him in time and the mere possibility that something bad could happen to him was driving you crazy.

Your eyes were glued to the screen of your phone, reading over and over again the last texts you and Spencer had shared as you prayed they wouldn't turn out to be your final conversation. He had warned you that he would be a little late and apologized for ruining your first dinner in your new apartment. You had been quick to reply that it wasn't a problem, assuring him that the extra time would help you finish preparing dinner. Your last message telling him you loved him and to be careful still remained unread and you couldn't help but wonder if he really knew how much you meant it. You hoped he knew how much you loved him and how happy you were to have him in your life. He was the best thing that ever happened to you and you refused to accept that your story would end like this after all you had gone through to be together.

Just as you were about to go to Penelope to ask her if they had any progress on the case, your phone vibrated with a message from her. You almost dropped the device to the floor when you read the words 'Spencer is fine', feeling your muscles relax as a wave of relief swept through your body. You didn't even answer her, opting to go find her to ask her what she knew. However, you discovered that she wasn't in her office, so you went to the conference room where they used to have all their meetings. Then you saw through the glass the crowd of people gathered in the bullpen, among whom you distinguished the figure of Spencer being hugged and kissed by his friends.

You ran out of the office into his arms without a second thought, breaking some speed record in the process. When you called his name he turned to you and your vision blurred with tears as you noticed the purplish red tone on the skin of his temple and the corner of his lips. You hated to see him hurt, even though it was minimal considering the complexity of the situation. You knew things could have turned out much worse, but you still couldn't help but be upset at the image of the love of your life beaten and hurt.

“Thank god you’re okay, I was so worried.” You murmured against his chest as Spencer pulled you tightly into his arms. You let the warmth of his body envelop you, slowly calming your nerves. He was there. He was okay. He had come back to you and that was all that mattered to you.

"I'm okay," he assured you, placing a delicate kiss on the crown of your head. The scent of your hair brought him back home, filling his insides with that warm feeling that only you awakened in him. He was fine, he had you in his arms and that was all he needed to regain his composure.

You pulled away briefly so you could look at him, taking his face in your hands while your eyes scanned his wounds. It was nothing serious, just a couple of bruises that would disappear in a few days. You let your fingers caress his skin delicately before shortening the little distance that separated you, joining your lips in a kiss. You didn't think about the fact that you were in the middle of the office or that the entire BAU team was behind you watching the scene, the world around you wasn't a concern at that moment. You only cared about Spencer and the way his lips moved against yours, showing you how happy he was to be back in your arms too. 

It was a delicate, yet powerful kiss. You didn't want to put too much pressure on his lips so as not to hurt him, but you didn't need it to let him know how much you loved him and how worried you had been about him. For a moment you had thought that you weren't going to get another chance to do that, to kiss him with everything you had, to tell him that you loved him one more time. It was something that terrified you, so now that you finally had him back with you, you didn't want to pass up the chance to join your lips one more time.

However, your beautiful magical moment was interrupted by the high pitched voice of Penelope, who was admiring the scene with surprise.

“Oh my god! You two!”

You abruptly pulled away from Spencer, finally realizing what you had done. You were grateful to have your back to the team, so the only one who could see the panic in your eyes was your boyfriend, who smiled at you in amusement. You knew the situation wasn't so terrible, but this wasn't how you had imagined telling others about your relationship with Spencer. 

"I fucked it up, didn't I?" you whispered so only he could hear you. 

"Yep."

"And they're all staring at us, aren't they?" Spencer looked over your shoulder for a moment, passing his gaze over the group of profilers who were admiring you with surprised and happy expressions on their faces. Then he returned his gaze to your face and nodded, earning a grunt from you as you hid into his chest, seeking refuge from the inevitable comments and questions that were to come.

"I can't believe you two! How could you keep this a secret?" You heard Penelope complaining behind your back, speaking increasingly faster and in a high-pitched tone. "How long has this been going on?"

"You don't really want to know." You told her, emerging from your refuge in Spencer's chest to face your sister. She let out a gasp, clearly surprised by your response.

"How long?" she insisted, almost feeling betrayed that you kept something so important hidden from her for who knows how long.

You and Spencer shared a look before you let out a sigh. "Since your birthday party at Rossi's place." You confessed and Penelope's jaw dropped, unable to believe that you had been able to keep your relationship a secret for so long. "Oh and also, since we're sharing, I don't have any friends named Sophie." You added, amused by your sister's expression.

"Oh I'm so mad right now, but I'm also so happy for you guys! You’re so lucky I love you! Come here!" Penelope enveloped you in a tight hug before you could object. She planted a loud kiss on each of your cheeks, repeating how happy she was for you, before letting the rest of the team congratulate you. 

"I knew I saw something between you the other day!" Emily stressed, remembering when she had caught you together at the bar. Now that she knew the truth it was obvious that you were together, but at the time she hadn't given it much thought. You guys had been dancing around each other since she had joined the team so many years ago, so she thought it was just you being you. She was happy to be wrong though, you two deserved to finally be happy.

You were enveloped in the warm love of your friends, who showered you with positive wishes for your future. It was a nice ending to such a horrible day, exactly what you needed to finally quiet your troubled mind. It definitely wasn't the way you imagined revealing your relationship with Spencer, but you were happy it had happened. It reminded you that as long as you had Spencer by your side and your family close by life was beautiful no matter the adversities.

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x female reader #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid angst #spencer x fem reader #spencer reid #spencer reid x reader fluff #spencer reid x reader angst

[apomaro-mellow]

King&Prince 4

"Hey Eddie, what happens if you stick a finger up someone's ass?", Dustin asked.

Eddie choked on nothing and looked up from the map he'd been studying. He cleared his throat and flailed his hands at his young ward.

"The fuck Henderson?"

"I asked Steve about it once but he said he wouldn't tell me yet."

"Steve?!" Eddie got up while slamming his hands down. "As in the prince? As in the one I have locked away in the dungeon as we speak?"

"Yeah", Dustin replied, unbothered by the shadows shifting behind Eddie as his hair began to stand on end.

"I will say this in the simplest terms I can. Stay. Away. From Harrington."

Dustin put down the anatomy book he'd been reading. "But he's not dangerous. At least not while he's caged up. He's got pretty decent knowledge of how to hurt someone though."

"Oh I'm sure. He comes from a long line of people who live to hurt." Eddie moved from behind his desk, leaving the map behind. The fireplace was burning bright, the sun had set long ago and Eddie should have sent Dustin to bed by now, but he liked the company. "You know what his family has done."

"I do, but it's not like he's done it. He doesn't deserve to sleep in a shit hole just because his family is a bunch of assholes", Dustin said.

"And who's to say he isn't just as much of an asshole? Apples don't fall far from trees." Eddie moved to stare into the fire. He had been studying the map of his kingdom to think of ways to move his citizens and creatures. He didn't want to displace people, nor seem like he was conceding the border, but the Harringtons weren't giving him much of a choice.

"Can't you just give him some new clothes? He's literally starting to smell."

"I want you to stay out of the dungeons. You keep it up and I'll tell your mom that you're fraternizing with the enemy."

Dustin let out an offended scoff, upset that Eddie would go as far as tattling on him. Well, he had ways around that. Curious about the royal hostage, Dustin had intercepted the servant going to give him his meal and took over that task. But since Eddie told him he couldn't go anymore, Dustin got someone else instead.

Mike had to be bribed with a book, but he went and asked Steve what was worse, internal bleeding or dying of infection.

"Are you one of Dustin's friends?"

"Just answer the question so I can get outta here", Mike sighed.

"I'm not a doctor. I don't know which is worse. But infection is definitely more gross", Steve said. "Especially if it's on your-"

"On your what?", Mike pressed.

Steve considered how much of a pest Dustin was when he didn't get a straight answer and decided that having a conversation partner so he told Mike what he knew about infections while eating. Mike's jaw never left the floor.

"Eddie was wrong about you. You're so-!" Mike stopped short when Steve looked up at him. "You're uh, you're fine, I guess. Do you know a lot about gross stuff like that?"

"I don't know about a lot. I know a thing or two", Steve shrugged. That name came up again, Eddie. Steve was almost interested enough to ask about him but figured he was probably just someone else in the castle that hung out with these kids. And apparently he was someone they looked up to.

From then on, he had a rotation of visitors to bring him food. Dustin was still around, and he'd met Mike. But now there was also Lucas, who mostly asked about the fighting techniques Steve knew about. He also met Will, who usually came with a list of questions Dustin had but also asked about his kingdom in general. Something about the whole thing caught Steve off guard and he asked Dustin the next time he saw him.

"Does your king only employ children?"

"What? No, we don't get paid, but we should", Dustin rolled his eyes as he slid the food over. "We just live here. Lucas and Mike wanna be squires. And I-"

"Where are all the monsters?", Steve asked.

"You probably mean the demobeasts. They live outside, you know, like most animals." Dustin looked at him like he was stupid. It was a common expression on his face.

"They're not like, crawling around?", Steve hadn't even seen so much as a rat, even here in his cell.

"It's not a wild house", Dustin crossed his arms. "I brought one demodog into the castle and Eddie lost it just because it tore up some scrolls."

"You and this Eddie guy hang out a lot? How come you've never sent him down here?", Steve asked.

"He's pretty busy. Plus, he doesn't like you that much."

Steve didn't need to ask why. He was an enemy prince, after all. So far, only Dustin and his friends had shown him anything resembling kindness. Just a day ago, someone had been sent to 'clean' him. Which was really just tossing a bucket of cold water at him. And even those that knew him beyond his status weren't so loving and warm. It was why Steve wasn't surprised that his family had yet to burst through the doors to save him.

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

Alric had known long before he got a letter that his son had been taken and by whom. Steve's escorting party had returned much sooner than planned. Many of them injured, but none dead. They had reported to their king the events and just who was responsible. Still, Alric waited for the official word, just to see what that devil of a king wanted in exchange for his son.

It turned out to be a call to end his aggression and enter a truce. A call to discuss the details of the truce more in person. To sit at the same table as equals and figure out how to live harmoniously as neighbors.

He threw the letter into the fire.

Such terms were unthinkable, as was sending a reply of any kind. Alric would allow his silence to do the talking.

When it went on week three without any sort of word, Eddie called his council to discuss.

"What does it mean when a king doesn't care about his prince?", Eddie had asked.

"It's got to be a ploy", Nancy said. "He wouldn't abandon his only son."

"Unless he was some sort of disgrace", Jeff said. "But then again, something like that would have hit the rumor mill already."

"How can a prince be disgraced? They get away with everything", Robin commented.

Eddie was pacing around the table in the council room. "The point is, dear old dad doesn't seem to bothered with this. It's almost like he wants to be rid of him."

"So what do we do?", Jeff asked.

"We need a clearer picture", Nancy said.

"Clearer picture...", Eddie mused, pausing in his pacing. Then he let out a very loud, every exaggerated groan while bending so far backwards his head almost touched the floor. "Time to visit my favorite hostage."

Part 6

Tag Team

@thesuninyaface @only-evanescent @snakeorsquid @ignoremyworld @theclichefortunecookie @goodolefashionedloverboi @just-a-tiny-void

#apo writes #stranger things #fanfiction #steddie #the party

[andaniellight]

"i am neither your mom or your dad, and i can never be" i know. but do you realize that your murdered brother, my dead father, named me a name monophonic to yours despite of you being missing for seven years and a half? and i somehow just knew under the bed wasn't the answer when i saw your friend who you called after you went away and came in to secure my safety got killed by uninvited guests through the slight gap of my bedroom door, it's actually the fall from the window that'd kept the murderer away from me. and i was only seven at the time, but even the evil, evil man said "you are definitely his family by blood" and "the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree" when i chose to hurt myself just to get away from them, just to keep on living because you said you'd come back.

and you did come back.

#2 episodes in and i already cried two fuckin times #A Shop for Killers #Shopping Mall for Killers #KDrama #Lee Dong Wook #Jeong Jinman #Jeong Jian #킬러들의 쇼핑몰 #Korean Drama #Kim Hye Jun #Lee Dongwook #Kim Hyejun #Jeong Jin-man #Jeong Ji-an #chosen family always has my entire heart

[mihai-florescu]

Kaname's mom and Subaru's dad (Kaname's idol fanatic mom jumping on stage and then falling to her death at Subaru's dad's concert, top solo idol at the peak of the industry, leading to uncovering of past misdeeds, his arrest, deteriorating health and death. Kaname isnt told what happened but knows he needs to be an idol because it's the thing his mom loved best, and Subaru spends his whole life under the threat of his dad's legacy, thinking he will meet the same fate as his dad. And yet he still chooses to pursue being an idol to make people smile, starting from his mom. In a funny twist of fate, decades later Kaname is attacked by the non special student body of Reimei when they're shown a video of his mom's sins being a catalyst of That Akehoshi's decline. But when a video accusing Subaru of being his dad's son is projected at the biggest idol event of the year, he is protected by the friends he's made, escaping the same fate.)

Madara's parents and Kanata's mom (Madara's parents with their numerous connections helping Kanata's mom fake her death to set her free, to escape the cult worshipping her. Madara spending his entire youth trying to destroy the cult and give Kanata back his humanity, feeling like he's failed because he couldn't do it on his own when it was never a task that could be done alone in the first place)

Izumi's parents (They're controlling Izumi throughout his childhood to follow their wishes and expectations of him, but Izumi chooses one thing for himself that they don't agree with - Makoto. Eventually he grows up to follow in his parents' footsteps by trying to control Makoto himself to protect him from potentially getting hurt)

Jun's dad and Nagisa's "dad" (Jun's dad raising him to be a solo super idol that can defeat Jin, but Jun only flourishes when he joins a unit with Hiyori and stops seeing being an idol as a duty. Similarly Nagisa being raised to be the next supreme idol, finding warmth and a family in his unit instead of being alone at the top)

Wataru and his adoptive parents (who didn't pay much attention to him, leading to Wataru constantly learning new tricks to outdo himself until eventually he couldn't be understood by those around him anymore...)

Arashi's parents (individualistic and uncaring, leading to her developing the big sis persona to not let others feel unsupported as she was growing up)

Tsumugi and his mom (who has failed, got scammed by religious organizations and brought trouble to the point of divorce, and despite it all, Tsumugi can't give up on her, his mom who was for a long time the only stable connection in his life. Tsumugi who learns the signs of a scam and to avoid them. Tsumugi who is in charge of the SNS at school where the students start railing against Kanata's religion and recognize him as a fake god. Tsumugi who develops a big bro helpful persona to make himself useful. Tsumugi who considers becoming a teacher because of it, who gets confronted by Natsume "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, or have you forgotten that's the same vocation your mom failed at?" Tsumugi who is very much aware and had decided to make a separate path for himself, one continuing as an idol in Switch, even before Natsume's words.)

Man. Enstars characters and the relation to their parents, the expectations, subversions, accidental following in their footsteps etc. I couldve worded this entire post so much better and added more characters, but you get the gist. This is all just my understanding, if you think anything is off please let me know. And I did not mention every character so if you think I missed something important also share.

#just some notes #enstars

[in1-nutshell]

You know what

I do want fearless Buddy and Megs to go to tfp.

I want one of those little portals to open up during poetry club and Buddy just to accept their fate and let the portal take them, Megatron is less accepting of getting dragged through said portal but he has no choice.

I want Team Prime to not even be surprised at this point, and Optimus is already trying to calm down Agent Fowler because WHY IS MEGATRON NOW IN OUR BASE!?

I want there to not even  be a few days of peace before everything hits the fan.  

The Decepticons have Team Prime on their back foot.  There's no other choice.  Time to send in their own Megs.

And for convenience I shall be referring to Mtmte as Megs and Tfp as Megatron.

Megatron's shock of getting punched by himself doesn't last long and the fight between the two is evenly matched.  But Megs is older, tired, weaker.  Megatron starts to get the advantage.  Megs is on his back, Megatron's fusion cannon aiming right at his spark.

And then Buddy comes along.

Yep, With all the autobots out, Megs running to punch himself in the face, and Ratchet manning the ground bridge controls, there was no one to keep an eye out for Buddy and Miko as they immediately ran through the ground bridge, and poor Jack and Raf following just to keep an eye on them.

Poor Buddy who spent the last few days talking up Megs.  “Are you kidding me, your Megatron looks like he's on space crack, my Megs would beat him no question.”

Poor Buddy who was so confident while watching the fight because their Megs is out now and he’s here to clean house.

Poor Buddy who immediately runs through the fighting to throw a rock at Megatron's leg and yell at him various cybertronian swears because of course that's the first thing Whirl taught them upon meeting them. 

And poor Buddy who immediately gets Megatron's fusion cannon pointed at them

But it doesn't hit Buddy.  No, the blast nearly digs through Meg's back as he shields he’s funny little human kid.

Luckily they get him back to base, maybe Bumblebee rammed into Megatrons fucking shins and they drag Meg’s body back through a ground bridge.

Cut to Megs waking up and Buddy immediately sprinting towards him because the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and they also can't stand to be near his limp body while waiting for him to wake up

“...he was on space bath salts… that fight didn't count.”

FEARLESS IS BACK!

I tweak some elements in the request a bit, hope that's okay when you read it. If not please let me know.

Hope you enjoy!

Fearless Buddy witnessing Megs get beaten by his counter part

SFW, Platonic, Familial, Slight Angst, Mention of injury but nothing graphic, Human reader

TFP/MTMTE

It’s a normal day in Megatron’s classroom.

Megatron had just finished his final class of the day and was looking forward to going back to his habsuite.

Fearless had other ideas.

They decided to come by and visit after the lectures were over.

Megatron didn’t want to see Fearless right now.

He had been running a bit of the Cybertronain equivalent of a cold and hadn’t gone to the med bay yet.

Not that he thought he needed to.

He could handle something like this, but he knew Buddy would want him to go to the med bay if they found out.

Then portal time.

Megatron is clawing at his desk, refusing to get sucked into the portal.

Fearless sighs and just goes limp as the portal began dragging them in.

“What are you doing?!”--Megatron

“I’ve stop trying to fight these things Megs, just let go it makes things so much easier when you land.”—Fearless

“No!”--Megatron

Megatron lets go of one servo and tries to reach for Fearless as they are dragged into the portal.

His grip falters and let’s go of the desk and starts screaming as he gets dragged into the portal.

Meanwhile, Fearless was just thinking which dimension they were going to end up today.

Meanwhile in the TFP universe…

The portal opens dropping Megatron on the ground unceremonialy and Fearless safely bounces to the floor.

Team Prime just looks at the pair surprised.

Fearless waves happily as their Megatron groans in pain.

“Hey guys! How’s it going?”--Fearless

Everyone is surprised to see Megs and Fearless back.

Optimus has to calm down June and Fowler over this Megs appearing inside the base.

It’s a happy reunion with Fearless.

Ratchet’s sixth sense is tingling seeing Megs being more withdrawal than normal.

A couple days later, Team Prime gets ambushed.

Megs is actually feeling worse than what he felt on the Lost Light and still refuses to get help.

He feels bad for wasting their resources and knows he needs to cover his tracks better, Fearless was catching on to him.

Megs volunteers to go out and help.

He leaves before Fearless can do anything.

Fearless spots Miko running to the groundbrigde.

“I did not miss that, Miko!”--Fearless

Fearless is now running behind Miko trying to stop her from entering the groundbrigde.

“Miko! Get back here!”--Fearless

“I am NOT going to miss this fight!”--Miko

“Miko just because I said my Megs could crush yours, doesn’t mean that you get to go off on your own and—GET BACK HERE BEFORE THE PORTAL CLOSES!”--Fearless

On the other end of the groundbrigde.

Fearless sighs tiredly while Miko chuckles a bit.

“C’mon! You can’t deny that your also curious on how this fight could go.”--Miko

“Miko lets just get you back to—”—Fearless

Fearless turns around to see Jack and Raf behind them.

“… The three of you stick to me because I swear to Primus if you run off again, the last thing you will see if my foot denting your sorry behinds.”—Fearless

“Bet the last soda in the fridge Megs beats our Megatron”—Miko

“Miko!”--Fearless

They are not expecting Megs to get beat.

It was a bad beating.

Sure, Megs got good hits in the beginning, but it was nothing compared to the hits Megatron was landing.

Fearless starts panicking when they notice his fatigue.

It was time to put their name into use.

Fearless grabs a bunch of rocks and sprints to Megs and stands in front of him and starts chucking the rocks left and right.

They run out of rocks and move to their trusty pocket blaster, courtesy of Brainstorm.

“GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU OVERGROWN TOASTER!”--Fearless

Megatron looks down at the fleshy who was landing some blasts at his frame.

“Insignificant worm! You dare try and hit me!?”--Megatron

Fearless starts moving away from Megs and tries to lure this Megatron away from him.

“OH, I DARE BUCKET HEAD! I HOPE YOUR PEDE GETS RUSTY FROM THE RAIN!”--Fearless

Fearless dodges several blasts from the fusion canon.

“I HOPE THAT YOU FALL OF THE NEMESIS AND HIT YOUR HELM! MAYBE THEN IT CAN COMPREHEND ALL THE THINGS YOU’VE DONE! AND IT CAN START WITH YOU PUTTING SPACE BATH SALTS IN YOUR SPARK CHAMBER!”--Fearless

Megs is terrified for Fearless as his counter part starts going after them.

Megatron also spots the kids and fires one shot before continuing to pursue the other pest.

Megs shields the kids with his body nearly crumbling down at the massive hole burning on his side.

Fearless screams in agony and rage making rapid fire with their blaster straight to Megatron’s face and wire sensitive areas.

Thanks to this distraction Bumblebee could get the drop on him going to the kneecaps and Optimus taking him down before he retreated like the coward he was.

Fearless is running back to Megs as he is being carried to the groundbridge.

Fearless get taken care of by June as they wait anxiously for the news.

They were so sure that Megs would beat this Megatron.

What happened out there?

Ratchet comes out of the med bay.

Fearless is on their feet.

“How is he Ratchet?”--Fearless

“He is stable, my counter part would need to do more extensive work in the long run though.”--Ratchet

Fearless looks relief but scrunches to confusion.

“He should have beaten him. It doesn’t make sense! Something happened to him when he went out and… and…”--Fearless

They hang their head a bit.

“That could be the exposure to the dark energon and the illness.”--Ratchet

“… Run me that again.”--Fearless

“Dark energon and the illness.”—Ratchet

“He was sick?!”—Fearless

“It’s a non-lethal sickness, most akin to a human ‘cold’.”--Ratchet

“… So, my Megs got his aft kick because the other Meagtron was on the space drug and he was sick...”--Fearless

“I would use different terms, but that is the gist of it.”--Ratchet

“… Thank you Ratchet, seriously.”--Fearless

“You’re taking this well.”--Miko

“Oh, I’m furious that he hid this from me, but that’s something he’s going to get when he can at least walk again. Then he is going to be thankful that I’m not a full grown Cybertronian.”--Fearless

Fearless feels sick to their stomach seeing him power down and still.

They try their best to keep themselves occupied with the kids and the others.

Fearless jokes around that the match didn’t count because their Megatron had enhancements and theirs was weakened by a sickness.

It was an unfair fight.

The moment Megs wakes up Fearless is once again sprinting to his side, climbing to the top of the med slab by themselves and to his chassis.

They cry a bit with relief when they see he is okay.

They were so going to snitch on him when they got back to the Lost Light.

Right on cue the portal opens up.

Megs is strong enough to walk a bit and goes to the portal with Fearless.

They say their thanks and goodbyes as the pair leave this universe.

In the Lost Light…

Megs lands on his chassis groaning in pain as Fearless lands beside him.

His biolight flickered dimly which caused Fearless to panic bad.

“HELP! HELP HE’S DYING! SOMEONE, ANYONE!!!”--Fearless

The doors to Swerve’s bust open as several bots come out to see Fearless cradling one of Megatron’s digits with tears threatening to spill.

“HELP HIM!”--Fearless

Whirl comes over and picks up Fearless as some other bots hurriedly carry Megatron to the med bay.

Fearless just watches his limp body get carried away and digs their face into their Amica’s neck cables stifling a sob.

Whirl can only gently stroke their back as he takes them back to their shared room for privacy.

Megatron has to stay in the med bay for a while thanks to the injuries and the complications the illness made on his frame.

Fearless made sure to tell everything to the crew once they calmed down.

Once Megs is given a clean bill of health and another scolding for keeping his sickness to himself, Fearless isn’t leaving his side for a while.

Magnus grants some grace to Fearless on their work.

Everyone gives the two some patience.

It wasn’t everyday that one of the most fearless organics on board got into a panicky state.

Thank goodness Rung has some room in his schedule because this was going to be a lengthy session for many bots.

#transformers x reader #maccadam #tfp #tfp x reader #tfp x platonic reader #human buddy #mtmte x platonic reader #mtmte x reader #mtmte megatron x platonic reader

[hearteyes-for-killmonger]

Hood Nigga Deluxe 2

Fontaine × Black Reader

Part 1

Idea: You fell underneath the warmth of a self-proclaimed hood nigga for Spooky Szn and you've got a big secret that he doesn't know and you can't tell him.

Tags: smut, betrayal, date activity, spooky szn, smoking, blood play, dark romance

You're oversleeping a Saturday morning away when the obnoxiously booming bass of a familiar song explodes from car speakers, effectively waking you up. There goes Fontaine's annoying ass subwoofers disturbing the peace. Groggy, you throw your feet to the floor and get yourself together with minimal basic hygiene and a basic ass fit.

"You aint call, my nigga?" Falling into the passenger seat, you're a little agitated and still tired.

"Something came up."

You know what that means. It's some chitty chitty bang bang hood shit that you don't wanna be looped into.

"But I've got a few hours. You up for that shit we talked about?"

You kiss your teeth, mood lifting. "Yeah nigga..."

The ride out has a flow. You gotta pass the densely packed urban areas to get to the more rural developments where there are actually trees and grass. The country road lined with tall and vivid green trees on both sides brings you great peace. You feel like a giddy child, the closer to the destination you get.

"It's a different world outside here," you sigh, taking in all the greenery as he parks in an open lot surrounded by fields.

He turns the car off along with Lil Baby. Almost immediately, he's reaching in the glove compartment, pushing aside the black and milds and going under the gun for the backwoods cigarillos and weed.

You ignore the five wads of cash banded up as he closes the compartment and starts assembling a blunt, his expert fingers wrapping quickly.

"I can't believe we're going apple picking," you smile in disbelief. "Doesn't this go against your natural programming as a self-proclaimed hood nigga?"

"I'm not the activity type if that's what you mean," he mutters.

"It is. Why you don't ever ride out to get away from the bullshit? You got a whole car."

He takes a pull, and your mouth nearly waters, knowing exactly how it feels and what it tastes like. He passes it, giving you your moment.

"I stay where I know people."

You blow your smoke as you nod, fully understanding. "Not that there's anything wrong with that... but that's why you have me to broaden your horizons. We ain't finna get turnt at an orchard, but we can have fun, forget being broke or having responsibilities for a lil while, let the magic take over."

"Magic," he echoes.

"Magic," your fingers spread and wiggle.

The orchard doesn't disappoint. There are apples EVERYWHERE. In the trees, different kinds of trees. On the ground, making it hard to find spots near the trees to walk by. They're yellow and green for the most part and beautiful. Real and natural gmo free apples. Families are scattered with kids playing in the crisp air. Fontaine gravitates to a grove of ripe red ones where he bites into one fresh from the vine. You follow suite enjoying one of the most fresh, crunchy, sweet, and juicy tasting apples you've ever had.

"I'm still confused on how you eat."

You take another big bite. "Food is a comfort. I eat it for the feeling and the taste like chewing gum, but blood is that premium. It's got the nutrients and vitamins that a growing girl needs."

"You probably need a fix right now."

"You offering?"

"Yeah. Come here," he pulls down the bulky lining of his hoodie, revealing your go-to spot.

You rest a light hand on his shoulder and squeeze as you sink your teeth into the designated area of skin, careful not to drip or spill the earthy and metalic juice of life. He's used to the impact, and you're starting to think that he likes the little nibble of pain. Getting your dose for the moment, you keep in mind the environment. Y'all are in the middle of a grove among families. Young love in the air is cute, but you can't go too far. You lick your lips clear of blood as you pull back to wipe the corners of your lips.

"You ever thought you'd be dealing blood?" You smirk and start walking, knowing damn well you're his first.

"It's not really dealing if I don't get paid."

"I offered to pay you."

"Don't nobody want ya lil dingy money."

You giggle softly and the two of you walk together with a basket, picking up and pulling pretty apples to take home.

But first, you find the stands offering apple everything.

"There are two different kinds of hot apple cider, Fontaine. Did you know there was more than one apple cider? I thought apple cider was apple cider." You get a cup of both for comparison's sake. "Why am I the guinea pig when my favorite flavor is metal... this one," you raise the left cup.

That's the one he tries as you watch to see if he likes it. He shrugs.

"At least you tried it."

Interestingly enough, he finishes it and ends up getting more. It must be growing on him the more he tastes it.

"That was fun," you exclaim, once back in the car with the apples, applesauce, apple butter, and apple juice in the back. "Would you do it again next year?"

"Hm," he sighs.

"Don't bullshit me, Fontaine."

"Yeah, I'll come back."

You smile wide in a close-lipped show of high cheeks. "Where to?"

"I got a couple.. things to take care of so I can drop you home."

"That works. Stay safe. Try not to do anything too reckless."

You settle into your bed with your eyemask and chill genre playlist on bluetooth to serenade you to sleep. You're out before you know it but wake up to your ringing cell that's charging at your head.

"Hello?" It's 5:49 AM. Who the fuck. "Fontaine?" You listen, your heart dropping. He sounds pissed beyond belief. You've never heard him like this, so animatedly aggrieved. He's usually so nonchalant. "Slow down, what are you saying?" He's in a full meltdown. "I'm coming," you promise, getting up immediately.

"Shit," you pace, "Shit shit shit. Not now." It was only a matter of time, but still. You weren't ever looking forward to addressing this. You're not ready. Still, you make your way over to the apartment he shares with his mother. The apartment door is unlocked and ajar. "Fontaine?" You look around. There's a shattered glass in the hall like it's been thrown with water or something in it.

His mother's bedroom door is wide open.

You gulp, walking nearer. He's inside, sitting on the floor against the wall staring at the lonely record player that plays the voice of his 'mother' in the center of an empty room... This is the point where he realizes she doesn't exist.

"You know something about this," he accuses suddenly, making you a little defensive. Your hackles come up.

"What are you saying?"

"You walked in here looking guilty without an ounce of confusion..."

"That doesn't mean I'm not just as confused. What's going on?"

"What's going on?" He's quietly seething, staring daggers into you.

You feel like shrinking. You feel like confessing and begging for forgiveness, but you aren't sure how much he really knows...

Until he pulls out the inch-thick instruction manual. It's the nail in the coffin. He tilts his head, like you can but the bullshit because he knows it all. "You feel like talking now?"

"Fontaine..."

He flings the manual across the room, missing you on purpose by a thin margin.

You take a deep breath. "I didn't want you to find out this way. I wanted you to live a normal life like anyone.. with dignity."

"Dignity? What dignity? You telling me I ain't fuckin real? My memories? My mama? My brother? None of that is real," he questions, his mind and soul visibly broken through the window of his eyes. "I don't exist," he wonders, moreover to himself.

It's trippy, you understand, but you could never give him the empathy and understanding he deserves because he's right.

"I'll tell you anything you want to know," you whisper, keeping your distance for his comfort and sanity.

"What am I?"

"You're Fontaine. You'll always be Fontaine. But technically, you're an AI Intimacy Partner specially designed on request... You're not the only AI IP, but you are the only Fontaine because you were made for me."

"For you?" He stares, his thoughts going wild as he puts everything together in his mind.

"You're-- what they call the hood nigga deluxe. The company that created you, set up this apartment for you based on the memories and habits they programmed you with. They said not to let you open that door," you point.

"And the blood?"

You sigh. "Customization." You had them fill him with Type O blood like a giant juice box, and it seemed funny at the time, but you didn't expect him to be so lifelike. You regularly forgot he was AI.

"So what am I, your personal blood bag?" You can hear the disgust and betrayal. It stings.

"This wasn't what I wanted. I wanted you to be happy on your own with or without me. It's why I paid so much money upfront and in insurance when I had you designed from scratch. Every detail of you was meticulous. You were built based on my ideal type and description of perfection." He even pays for himself by 'working' and paying his own rent, supporting himself.

It's no good, you see it though in his face. That's a face of hatred. He will NEVER deal with you after this, and he's mid identity crisis. You don't know WHAT he'll do, and honesty, you're a little scared about it. Not that he could really hurt you, you being immortal, but he could try, and he could do damage to himself.

You leave without a fight when he asks you to, knowing what you need to do. It wasn't included in the handbook for this very reason, but you have the company contact number in your phone contacts and a pre-agreed upon guarantee that they'll come out as soon as possible to fix things if you put in a request via their help line. That's what you do.

They finally come out 3 days later, and by that time, Fontaine is gone. You haven't heard from him, and the apartment is empty.

"Thanks for nothing. He's gone now," you grouch, pissed at their delay. They don't take it personally, of course, they don't give a fuck about your emotions.

"Not quite," they say, setting up a laptop to show you GPS points on a map. "All of our models come with an embedded homing chip that lets us know their location in case of situations such as you described. We retrieve them, wipe recent history with a gentle reset, and bring them back to you. That's what your insurance does."

You sit up, feeling relief but also kinda terrible. "You're telling me he won't remember?"

"Nope. Nothing within the past 6 months."

It's another hit in the gut. "That means he won't remember the good either or anything we did, the talks we had?" It breaks your heart. You hold all those moments special, but it'll be as if they never happened. You'll be starting over practically.

"It's a steep trade, but at least he'll be in your life again."

You wanna slap him for being so casual about it. He doesn't understand how hard it is. You grew to love Fontaine and he was falling for you in a natural and humane way. You don't want that changed, but it's already been changed. "This is hard," you whimper, wanting to cry a little bit, but you can't just leave things as they are. Fontaine is stubborn, and once he hates you, he hates you. You made him that way.

An alert says that he's been located outside of the city, and developers are seizing him.

"What do you want us to do," the rep asks, waiting on you to answer him ad he re-gathers his things to leave your home. You cover your eyes, feeling like a traitor to your own man.

"Do it. Wipe him."

For the next six hours, you wait anxiously waiting for an update. They're supposed to fix him. An update comes that night with a generic ass thank you for your business message attached through email. You visit Fontaine's apartment immediately, knocking on the door.

He opens it slowly, watching you as you stare up at him, praying and hoping...

"Fontaine?"

"What's the problem? Come in the house," he backs up, letting you in to get you our the hall. You look around subtly seeing everything cleaned up and his 'mother's' room door closed. You smell backwoods and weed and his fresh, clean scent. There's a blunt between his fingers.

"I just--I had a bad dream," you lie, pinching the extra fabric of his sleeve. "You were in it."

"You dreamin' bout me now?" There's interest there in his expression, no longer the hatred that was emanating through him like electricity. It's almost unsettling.

You approach him somewhat sideways, still feeling him out. "Fontaine, what's something you've always wanted to do on Halloween that you haven't done?"

He hesitates, confused at the sudden change in direction, but considers your question. "I'm not a Halloween nigga."

"Would you go apple picking with me," you test, looking for any sign of memory, but he looks flabbergasted.

"Apple picking?"

"Yes."

"Do I look like a nigga that go apple-picking?"

You withhold your reaction, stealing his blunt to calm your nerves. It's bittersweet that he doesn't remember. You sit on his couch and call him to sit beside you as you rest your head on his shoulder, then test your hand on his lap, going into the waistband of his striped grey sweatpants.

He gently pauses you.

"Do you want me to stop," you meet his eyes to ask.

"Nah... I don't mind. I just wanted to see what you'd do."

"Stop of course." You proceed with his consent, squeezing and rubbing his dick to encourage the blood flow. It hardens bit by bit, growing as you touch it. He leans back enjoying it while you smoke simultaneously.

"Come with me back to my place so we can do it without your mama hearing us," you whisper.

"You know what time it is?" He takes the blunt back for a quick pull.

"I don't care." You take the blunt back again from his fixed fingers to puff, leaning in close to blow gently up his nostrils. His head remains invitingly still as your lips linger inches from his, ghosting close enough for him to feel you breathing.

"How you breathe when you vampire," he whispers, legit curiosity meeting lust. You bite his bottom lip.

"Reflex. It's just something I'm used to doing. Kind of like sucking dick. I kinda just do it."

"Show me," his eyes command, but you leave him dry and hanging, standing up, ready to go.

"Come over, and I will."

"So tell me about this nightmare," Fontaine says as he parts your legs by the knees and lifts them by the ankles and calves, lowering his head to your inner thigh to kiss around your panties.

"It was enough to scare me," you sigh. "I dreamed you'd left. No text, no goodbye, just abandoned me."

"Why would I do that?"

"You'd better not," you respond, feeling the familiar motions of him going down on you. He hasn't forgotten that, thankfully. There's a ton he hasn't forgotten, and you have to look on the bright side of that. You just have to train him again, a tiny bit.

"I'm not going anywhere," he confirms.

"Then fuck me like you're not ever leaving me. Don't be fragile."

It's all you needed to say for him to up the ante. He didn't forget how to fuck. You dig your fingers into his back as he pounds into you missionary-style with your legs around his waist. It's good enough for a night where your mind isn't where it could be.. which is present.

Fontaine lays in your bed as you think, his bicep cupping your head comfortably as the big spoon.

"You've been off since you showed up at my door tonight. What's really going on," he asks suddenly.

You swallow your emotions and go for asking the question you've been building since you knocked on his door. Him flipping out was rough. You don't want that again. You need him far away from that forbidden room. It's the only way you'll have peace and go back to normal.

"I've been wanting to ask you something really big." You look up to eyeball Fontaine. He looks at ease, half sleep, but still alert. "It's a pretty big thing."

"So ask," he smirks.

It's not that simple. Nothing is that simple.

You decide to rip the bandaid off and just say it. "I want you to move in with me."

He coughs suddenly, lifting to sit up, his brow raised. "I don't know."

"I do... Ain't you cramped over there?

He nods.

" Exactly. You'd have way more space here to live and move."

"Eh.... I'll run it by my mama."

"Mama? Fontaine... Do you need her permission? Just move in with me! We'll split the rent."

He smirks, giving you the low side-eye. "I'll think about it."

"Think about it," you reiterate because if he's with you, that means he can't open that damned fantasy running bedroom door.

"I'll think about it," he says again, stern like he's done with the topic.

You sigh, knowing you have to let it go and remain ready for the worst. That emotional explosion wasn't how you saw the relationship turning. You're still hurt for him and harboring those feelings, though he doesn't remember a thing.

Or does he...

"I won't forgive you," he says suddenly, his turned turned away in the shadow of the room. "But I understand now what I am and what I'm here for."

"Fontaine," you bolt upright in bed, alone and in daylight. It's the middle of the afternoon on Sunday. You've been sleeping hard as fuck and having thee worst nightmare that Fontaine actually found out the truth you've been hiding from him all this time. Thankfully, it was only a nightmare, but it was realistic enough to truly shake you into preventative measures. You have to get him outta that apartment and with you in yours where you can protect him from what he doesn't know.

You call him immediately and he answers.

"Yeah, what's going on?"

"Fontaine, come see me when you free. I wanna ask you something, but I wanna ask you in person."

"Ard.. I'll be there sometime around 5-5:30."

"Cool," you hang up, leaving your bed for some air. That nightmare fucked you up.

The End.

@dashhoney25 @lettidarawest @soufcakmistress @ljstraightnochaser @princessstevens-blog @eye-raq @thiccdaddy-mbaku @destinio1 @iamrheaspeaks @hidden-treasures21 @bidibidibombaclaat @forbeautyandlife @blowmymbackout @misspooh @thotyana-in-this-hoe @purplehairgawdess @thegucciwaffle @goddessofthundathighs @theegoldenchild @thadelightfulone @sultanabby @mysticalblackhottie @baekhyunbabybunni @fd-writes @richonne4life @goldieccentric @thehomierobbstark @capswife @blackpinup22 @harleycativy @lishabaybeee-blog @playgurlxoxo @beaut1fulone-blog @blackerthings @syndrlla97 @ladymac82 @browngirldominion @prettyisasprettydoes1306 @uzumaki-rebellion

#original #they cloned tyrone fanfiction #fontaine #fontaine they cloned tyrone #they cloned tyrone fic #black fanfiction #black fanfic writer

[ilovefictionalmen-123]

hey!! i would like to ask for 141 boys + keegan, ale, rudy, graves headcanons when their girl is pregnant. can be fluff only thank youuu <3333

im only gonna write for lessfor now, im sorryyyy, i should have made a character limit

GHOST/SOAP/GAZ/PRICEXPREGNANT!READER

SOAP

His eyes will go wide at the news.

Truth to be told, he never expected to actually, you know, settle down, let alone have a child.

But you're the woman he loves the most, and suddenly those visions of the future that seemed so impossible for him actually are... happening.

Takes him a good few days to process, but when he does he apologizes for being silent and embraces you, promising to take care of you the best he can.

He treats you like an egg.

So afraid, prevents you from lifting even light things, insists on helping you with everything.

On some quiet nights, he will lie in bed with you with his hands over your stomach, trying to comprehend that it's his child in there.

GHOST

You know this man's past.

When he learns about your pregnancy, he's out.

Leaves and doesn't come back for quite a while.

There are so many thoughts in his head, of his family, his nephew, and most importantly his father.

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. What if he loses his patience, what if he's actually just like his father?

The internal conflict is never ending.

Until you find him and reach out first.

It takes a lot of convincing, lots of talking, and even more patience to get him to believe that he will actually be a good father.

He, deep inside. is a good person, and the fact he fears becoming just like his father proves that he has better goals than that.

He will be hesitant throughout the whole pregnancy anyway.

It's only when he actually sees the child after it's born, when he holds it.

Those big, curious eyes that look at him with trust that he will take care of them.

He melts.

Even if it takes a lot of work, he promises himself, you and your child that he will try his best.

PRICE

Old man didn't even think he had it in him.

As worried as he is, he actually is happy.

He loves you and you love him, and while unexpected, it's still such a joyful moment for him.

Tries to show up for every appointment with you, always carries your bag for you.

He's not a great cook, but he still tries to prepare nutritious meals for you, making sure you're well fed.

After the child is born he just wants to show it off to everyone.

Such a proud father.

Shows Laswell baby pics, 100%.

The picture of all three of you taken on your kid's 1st birthday is his lockscreen.

Always asks for update pictures while he's away. It's his reason to keep going.

GAZ

Best at receiving the news.

He's so happy, just the thought of the person he loves the most carrying his child is just amazing.

The most attentive of them all, knows when you're nauseous, holds your hair back if you have to throw up.

Aware that pregnancy, while a beautiful process, is also a very uncomfortable and painful one.

Swollen and hurting feet? He prepares a basin full of warm water for you to soak your feet, he will also gently rub them, trying to make you feel at least a bit better.

Great cook, down to prepare anything you're craving at the moment, no matter how weird of a combination it might be.

@simpxinnie @night-owl-flight0222 @puff0o0 @yehet-moi-ohorat

#call of duty x reader #x reader #ghost x reader #price x reader #soap x reader #gaz x reader #gaz mw2 #john price #john price x reader #simon riley #simon riley x reader #soap mw2 #johnny mactavish #soap mactavish

[lullaebies]

fever dream. (952 words, helaegon, no warnings)

summary: On a sunny day, Aegon feels like recovering. (Aegon spends a day with his family, and only finds fever dreams).

Mundane, sunny days are the most pivotal of times.

Aegon sits on a stone bench in the Keep’s garden. This is not his most favorite of places, for the morning sun often shines too brightly on tired eyes, but he has woken early and couldn’t bear the feel of sweat and overheat the coverings bestowed. He feels feverish when the nights catch up to mornings, and the feel of fever starts to manifest.

In these sorts of days, there’s the urge to recover. It comes and goes, a fleeting dream, but when it arrives he knows what the sun bids. 

The maids surround the garden as if they are borders; he finds it rather constraining, but Helaena says it’s due with twins like theirs. 

“Just watch,” she says softly, with the calming scent of honeyed tea coming from the cup in her hands. Aegon thinks her own tranquillity lingers in the air. Tension radiates from her easily on most days, her sensitivity on her sleeve and in a manner more upsetting than one might want to admit; the days where she’s in utter peace are as odd as they are comforting.

The maids are up at arms when Jaehaerys dives headfirst into the grass. A boy of four years with a flock of mothers that rush over to him in absolute attention and fright. He looks to his unmoving wife; he wonders if she feels any envy. As uninvolved as he may be in these matters at times, he can’t say there isn’t any irk within him when Aemond or Criston have father-like moments with the children. He swallows it, but it’s an odd feeling, getting left behind for someone better.

It doesn’t seem to be the case for her. Helaena keeps herself poised at her seat, sips on her beverage and grins. When Jaehaerys lifts himself up from the dirt, face covered with some soil, he does not cry; only stands expectant, looking at his sister. 

“He likes to poke reactions out of her,” Helaena provides the information abruptly. “And he likes to attempt to make her smile, as some would say it is rather difficult to get her to.”

Jaehaera is often even-faced for a child of her age. His daughter is more dignified at four than he ever was throughout his two decades. She makes for a very poised, albeit shy princess; though not a very lively child. That is what most would say of her, at least. Aegon will admit she’s restrained in her interactions, but she smiles at him rather frequently. And what child isn’t shy of strangers? The entire court can shove that talk up their arse.

His daughter looks at her brother with the most refraining expression, lips pressed together with her cheeks pronounced. Not shy to try harder at reaching his goal, Jaehaerys fills his cheeks with air and smooshes them down, as if all the air erupted out. Didn’t I do that once? Regardless, the boy succeeds, and a grin makes an appearance on his sister.

The two children go on to play tag, their nervous maids tailing them to keep them in sight. Jaehaera is as good at disappearing as Aegon, it seems, and Jaehaerys uses every power granted to him to give a good chase for the adults around him. Sometimes they feel like him in a manner that hurts. 

Helaena comes up from her seat beside him to look at them as they stray. Calm in her steps, she knows they’ll return. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and even as it falls, it will always roll back around the soil of the tree’s roots. Aegon comes up after her, standing beside her in the shade of the pavilion’s roof.

She turns to him then, when they end up only having greenery to look at, their children out of sight. There is a feeling of vague emptiness now that the area is clear of the twins, but laughter from afar is what he’s rather used to hearing.

“Aegon,” Helaena makes him look down at her. There’s an odd pause, as there is before any of her provocations, as uncommon as they can be. Her mop of silver locks falls to her back as the tip-toes to kiss him. Her lips press against his softly, and her hand comes to squeeze on his arm. 

Her lips taste like sweet chamomile and tranquillity unknown, and he presses back into her kiss, as the sun threatens to uncover them from their shade. For moments few, he drinks in the heal of hope instead of the numbing of liquor, and grows unafraid to bask in the rays of this sunny day.

When Helaena breaks off the kiss, their noses brushing before finding their distance, she only says one more thing, with one hand touching his face. “Don’t look so sullen.” 

It invokes a dry laugh, the upturn of his lips won over. How many times has he been called sullen? Plenty, likely. Well, the court can shove that wherever they’ve left to shove it. The voices of his children become louder as they return, and he keeps his grin on.

“Papa, Rys fell again!” Jaehaera announces as she returns, and her twin comes behind her, proud in his scratches and ominous small blot of dry blood by his nose. 

“I won!” he counters his sister, unperturbed. 

“Your two left feet serve you well, don’t they?” He says coming forward. Without a beat, Jaehaerys replies.

“Yes!”

Helaena chuckles, and Jaehaera prevents her brother from slamming purposefully into the steps of the pavilion, dragging him up to them by the hand instead. It feels like he’s recovering; but it also feels a fever dream.

#i was in the mood to write them again finally my beloveds #unbeta'd sorry if there are mistakes #my edits may be gaudy but i loved this gif and it gives exactly what the fic needed so yeee #helaegon #helaena x aegon ii #aegon ii x helaena #helaena targaryen #aegon ii targaryen #prince jaehaerys targaryen #jaehaerys targaryen #jaehaera targaryen #hotd #house of the dragon #hotd imagine #team green #idk if i'll post this on ao3 we shall see lmao #my fics #my edits

[brunchable]

Thurber's Model — PT. 2 || William Thurber × F!Reader

Word Count: 7.1K Genre: Romance, Secrecy, Sneaking Around, Off-Limits Reader, Overwhelming Attraction Warning: Explicit. 18+ Only. unprotected p+v sex. Parings: William Thurber x F!Reader Summary: It took you about a week to learn the pattern of your parent's movements during the night and when you finally did, you sneak out of your family Manor to meet William in his dormitory. A/N: This is for the precious @classicrebound, I know this took A WHILE but I hope you Ben Barnes fans enjoy.

Part 1

William had his eyes on you the whole time. He wasn't even listening to the compliments he was receiving for his artworks anymore. Was it bad that he wanted you even more now that he knew you were out of his league?

As discreetly as possible, you looked down at the piece of parchment in your hand. You groaned inwardly. On the paper clearly written was the name of William Thurber.

This could not be happening…….

William has made a reputation for himself, known for his family's bankruptcy. He earned a scholarship at Miskatonic with his extreme talent at portrait painting. Though your father admits that Will was born to be an artist, he specifically warned you to stay away from men like him, stating the idiom, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." You would have never guessed that he was below elite society when he wore such sophisticated suits and styled himself rather nicely.

William waited until your parents, Mr. Dixon and Joe were ahead of him and you before he grabbed you by the arm and dragged you towards the small hallway behind the grand staircase. It was dark and, most importantly, private.

“Get your hands off me!” you demanded.

“We need to talk,” he said through clenched teeth.

“We have nothing to talk about.”

“I beg to differ.” He forced himself to ignore you soft warm body pressed up against his.

You tried to push past him, but he wasn’t having that. He gently pushed you back against the wall.

“William, let me go! They’ll notice our absence.” you look up to his devilishly handsome features, "And I do not wish to speak with you. Y-you tricked me! You knew my father was Dr. Reid didn't you?!"

“No! I did not. He was the last person I'd thought about being your father—"

You cut him off, averting your eyes, afraid that you might end up kissing him instead, "This was just a mistake, one better off forgotten.”

A mistake? The most passionate night of his life was a mistake? Your first time and that’s what you thought?

That grated on him in the worst way. “Is that what you think? Is it because you now know who I am? The son of a ruined man—”

“No, of course not! I am not that shallow. But if my father finds out about this, he will have you expelled.”

"The only way he'll find out is if you tell him what we did, right now." His eyes raked all over your face, "Or if we get caught."

God, his scent is so hypnotising, what is this man made of? You thought to yourself. Clearly he already made the conclusion that you'll be meeting each other again. He wasn’t wrong. The thought of an escapade just like Romeo and Juliet sent thrills down your spine. You might as well live the life of your fantasies before you leave the country in a few weeks time.

“One week.”

William's brows became knitted together in confusion,“What do you mean?”

“Give me one week. I'm Thurber's model, aren't I?” You tilt your head, your hand cupping one side of his face, your thumb brushing his soft lips, "I have plans already in place. You gave me your address, I know where you live. Wait for me."

A small smile twitched on the corner of William's lips and leaned in for a kiss but you released his cheek and stepped back into the foyer after making sure that it was empty. “Until we meet again, William.”

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

One week later.

You looked over at the grandfather clock clock with much eagerness. You couldn't wait for the time to come when you could sneak out of the house. 09:59 was the time.

It took a long time to figure out your parent's routine, and even longer to suck up the courage to sneak out. You had to sneak out though. You yearned for the risk and for the thrill of rebelling against your parents.

Of course, that freedom would be short-lived. You could only stay outside until 2:00 in the morning at most. Before 2:30, your father always wakes up to get a drink of milk. Usually, he won't check in on you. It's when your mother gets up at 2:40 to put away your father's milk and clean his mess that you have to worry about. She always checks on John and you before she returns to bed.

You watched the clock intently, every tick and every tock of the hand. You lay in bed in your brother's clothing. The ones you sneakily stole from the backyard after the maids left it in the sun for it to dry. Underneath it all you wore your nightgown, so that when you come back, all you have to do is hide your brother's clothes in your wardrobe and jump back into bed.

Moonlight streamed through your clear, glass window that was opened, just a crack, and spilled onto the wooden floorboards below.

Almost there. You thought to yourself, almost there. Then, the clock's hand ticked to 10:00, in an instant, sat up in your bed, your gaze wildly darting from one corner to another throughout your entire room and carefully, quietly, turned, and slipped out from under your covers and off the side of your bed. Your bare feet were soft on the dusty floorboards, and you tip-toed over to the balcony doors. Your palms were sweaty, and your breathing came in hard and rapid gulps.

You inhaled a deep, long breath, and relaxed to the sweet scent of home. Before you started to ever so slowly open the squeaky doors to your balcony, you quickly turned back around. In your excitement to get away you had forgotten to wear a sweater and shoes. It was the middle of December out there, and you'd be stupid to not wear more clothing. After throwing on the sweater and wearing your brother's loafers—which you stuffed with a handkerchief since it's too big on you—you returned to your task of climbing down the balcony and through the lattice covered with vines.

You heard a shuffling sound in your parents' bedroom, but you dismissed it and decided it was the family dog, Otto. You landed softly in the snow then you turned and ran full blast out the gates. Freedom at last.

It was freezing outside, even more cold than you imagined it would be. The wind blew hard and seared through your sweater as though it was nothing. The snow added to the cold weather. As you ran through it, you got bits of snow inside your loafers where it would melt and freeze your toes.

You slowed your run to a steady jog and crossed your arms as you did so. You shivered and huffed and you were sure that your face was flushed and red. When you woke up in the morning you would probably have a cold but you didn't care. You needed to see William. Even for an hour and a half. Any amount of time would do.

As you walked the empty streets, you tucked your long hair underneath your brother's flat cap. You were disguising yourself as a bloke because there was no way on earth would they allow in a lady inside the men's dorm where William lived.

You arrived at the block of red bricked dorm, some of the windows still had their lights on as you observed from afar. You dug the piece of parchment to make sure you were at the right place. The laughter of a group of boys headed towards the dorm caught your attention.

By the luck of the Irish. You thought to yourself because William was one of them. You scurried your way across the road and discreetly joined the group as they entered their dorm. They were either too drunk to notice that there was one additional person with them or you just did not have presence. You stayed closely behind William's tall structure and followed him as they dispersed to go to their own rooms.

You lowered your cap and kept your gaze low as you followed Will up the wooden staircase. Both of you made it up to the second floor until William grabbed you by the arm and slammed you against the wall, "What business do you have sneaking in here boy?"

You tilt your head up and meet with his hardened eyes which softened as soon as he realised who you were, "(Y/N)?"

"Shh." You hushed him, pressing your slender finger over his lips. William scanned the area, making sure it was empty before he practically dragged you up one more level where his room was located on the third floor.

He could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage. It's been over a week since he last saw you and thought that you were never going to show yourself again. William couldn’t stop thinking about you, there were nights where he couldn't sleep because he needed to know where you've been. He didn't expect you to dress yourself as a man and have the courage to go inside his dorm.

William shoved you into his room, scanning the hallways left to right once more for safety measures that no one saw both of you. He shut the door and locked it before turning around to find you, now with your hair down and slightly messed from being tucked from underneath the cap. God, you looked immaculate even in men’s clothing.

You expected him to have a messy room, it wasn't a surprise since you haven't met an artist who was neat and tidy. Your father certainly wasn’t, hence why your mother always cleans up after him.

"You have until one in the morning to stare at me, Thurber." You smiled softly at him. One that got his heart skipping a beat.

"Do you have any idea how much I looked forward to this day?" he asked, his lips kicking up into a sensual smile as he moved closer to you until there was barely an inch of space between you, "You probably kept me waiting on purpose." he said as he leaned down and brushed his lips tenderly against yours.

Your breath hitched, wanting to capture those lips. You leaned forward to kiss him but he retreated with a teasing smirk on his lips. Your stomach dropped as you watched him eagerly while he grabbed a sketchbook on his desk as well as a pencil case, "You can take the space on my bed."

“Like this?” You played innocent all the while staring at him innocently as you unbuttoned the dress shirt top to bottom painfully slow, revealing your sheer lace nightgown that was tucked under your slacks.

If you weren't too busy removing your top clothing, you would've noticed the clenching of William's jaw as well as the hard bobbing of his Adam's apple as you stood in front of him with nothing underneath that damned nightgown. His dark obs followed you as you sat on his bed, in a way where you flaunt your curves. You gathered your hair to one side, revealing your neck and collar bone to William before smiling sweetly at him.

Blood rushed throughout his body, particularly to the place where he didn’t want it to go because how was he supposed to focus when the shape of his shaft was squeezed up against his slacks, he was aware that you took note of that when your eyes flickered at the outline of his length behind the fabric.

"Are you comfortable like that? You can't move for a while, you know." William cleared his throat and shifted on his seat.

"I'm aware and I'm comfortable." You quickly replied.

Will jerked his head, "Alright."

He starts to sketch the outline of your body, eyes flicking back and forth trying his best to focus, but his cock wholeheartedly disagrees with the way it’s pulsing in his slacks. He can already feel the precum leaking into his briefs and William shifts uncomfortably at the thought that he's in this confined space with you getting harder by the second.

The movement must catch your attention because you look towards him and then down at my lap. ���What’s wrong, William?” You asked as if fondling his name.

“Stop it. Don't talk.”

"But I want to talk, you don't want your model falling asleep now would you?" You tell him.

William pauses and notes that your thighs are pressed together, "You have a problem, (Y/N)?"

“Yes, you’re the problem.” A deep blush bloomed across your body, and William wanted to trace its path with his tongue, mark you with his teeth and touch. Proclaim to the world who you belonged to, who you should belong to.

A growl leaves his throat as he fights aside the thought of pouncing onto you on that bed, "Let's talk about something else."

"What do you want to talk about? Mister Thurber?" You blink innocently as you fondle his name one more.

“We cannot tell a soul about anything that happens tonight.”

“Never,” you whisper, “Whatever happens…stays between you and me.”

“Yes.” His eyes are wild with fire and you have a feeling that he'll be a different type of man with you tonight, “I think if you asked me, I would do just about anything you wanted at this point.”

“So…kiss me,” you command, tilting your chin upwards and staring into his eyes. “Press your lips to mine and kiss me like you mean it. Like I’m all that matters to you.”

“You are all that matters to me, (Y/N).”

“Prove it.”

"My art shall prove it for you. Now kindly stop trying to tempt, you little minx." William cracks a short teasing laugh as he holds his opened notebook in front of you like a shield. In minutes he got engrossed in his sketch work.

You elicit a shy smile and try to even out your breaths as Will sketches you—but suddenly a thought too tempting not to ask entered your train of thought.

"William?" You cooed sweetly, trying your best not to move a muscle.

"Hm?" His deep silky voice hummed.

"Do you always draw your models like this?" You asked in a heartbeat. The thought of him doing this to other ladies made your stomach turn and it wasn’t the nicest of ways.

The silence was loud when he didn't answer straight away. Only the friction between paper and pencil could be heard.

". . .No, just you." You notice Will licks his teeth as he grinned and you wish you could squeeze your eyes shut at this moment in attempts to calm yourself down. You feel like you're ready to combust, and William is making it worse.

Did he feel it, the electric current running between us? Or was it only in my imagination?

You observed him closely. You really liked his short black hair and the way that his dark brown eyes twinkled when he smiled. He was also handsome, you decided, not really knowing why that mattered, but it did.

William was trying to stay focused on the task at hand, but he can’t deny the desire he had to reach out and touch you. His eyes are scrolling slowly from your neck all the way down to your feet. Everywhere his eyes focus, and you can feel it. His gaze lingered on you for a second before he looked away as if he was searching for a hint as to what was going on in that beautiful head of yours.

William's eyes dipped to your breasts as his hands kept sketching away. You followed his gaze and noticed for the first time just how thin your nightgown was. Your nipples were so hard they showed clearly through the two layers of flimsy material. His molten gaze pinned you in place, erasing your earlier chill and leaving a deep, fiery ache in its wake. Your heart thudded so hard against your ribcage you half expected it to leap out of your chest and into his arms.

As the wind howled outside, the soft creaking of the wooden floorboards beneath your feet mingled with the sounds of both your breaths—yours shallow, William's deep and even.

“Are you holding up alright?” His voice was full of gravel, dark and rough.

You couldn’t bring yourself to speak, but you managed a small nod.

The heaviness of the air caressed you like a bold lover’s touch, and you knew, deep in your gut, you stood on a dangerous precipice. The slightest movement from you, and you would fall. The question was whether you wanted to save yourself, or if the pleasure would be worth the eventual pain.

You glanced at the clock, it was just past midnight. William glanced at his wrist watch and put down his notebook and pencil, "Is it almost time already?"

"Yes, unfortunately, are you almost finished?"

"Far from finished, I want to get every detail." William rose from his seat and sat down on the space next to you. William's touch skimmed down your neck and over the curve of your shoulder. You shivered, your skin blossoming with a thousand more goosebumps.

Oh, God. Every ounce of oxygen disappeared from your lungs. The fact that the warm light of candles was the only thing that illuminated the room didn't help.

“You should go home, I'll walk you back.”

You shook your head. “Take me, William. I will leave in a few weeks. I don't know when I'll be back. Take me.” You whispered, "Make me yours."

You know you said you didn't want to be any man’s property, but William. . . You just knew he wouldn't treat you that way. He would treat you as an equal.

William groaned, and with that one sound, you knew he’d made his choice. Breathe. Even when there was no oxygen, no air, nothing but him. Breathe.

He dipped his head, but instead of kissing your mouth, he kissed the hollow of your throat. It was so soft it was more a whisper of breath than a kiss, but it was enough to make your knees weaken.

You were a lightning rod, and William was the strike that lit you up from the inside out. You closed your eyes and stifled a moan as he dragged his mouth up your neck, inch by inch. Just as the lazy possessiveness of his touch lulled you into a semi-stupor, he yanked you toward him with one hand and sank his teeth into the curve between your neck and shoulder. Hard. Almost as hard as the thick arousal pressing against your stomach and causing your core to throb with need. William's other hand clamped over your mouth, muffling your surprised yelp.

“Tell me.” His voice lowered. “What would your father think about this?”

He remained still, his muscles coiled with tension. He couldn’t claim you the way he wanted outside these walls, but right here, right now, when it was just the two of you? He was going to take you until you were both utterly ruined.

“He'll be everything but happy—but I don’t care. I want to be selfish for once. I want to be with you.”

“You want to be with me even though you're not supposed to?” William hissed out a breath and released your throat, only to curl his hand around the back of your neck. He yanked you to him again, crushing your mouth to his, and your world imploded. Tongues, teeth, hands.

You devoured each other like the world would end and this was our last chance to feel something. Perhaps it was. But you wouldn’t think about that now, not when your bodies pressed so tight against each other you might as well be one, and you were falling, falling into an abyss you never wanted to get out of.

Your sister was right. You could tell everything from a kiss.

You tugged on William's hair, desperate for more. More of his touch, his taste, his scent. You wanted to fill every inch of your soul with this man. He drew your bottom lip between his teeth and tugged. You gasped, so aroused you could feel your wetness slicking your thighs.

He leaves a wet open-mouthed kiss just at the base of your collarbone before lowering his mouth ever so slightly. His tongue darts out to taste your skin and he traces your bare skin delicately as you mewl beneath him.

“Quiet,” he rasped. “Or someone will hear.”

He swept his palm up your inner thigh to your core and let out a low groan when he discovered how wet you were. The room wasn’t that big, but the anticipation made it seem endless. You glimpsed yourself in the full-length mirror mounted on the wall, and your skin burned at the sight: He fisted your hair with one hand and used the other to unbuckle his pants. His cock sprung out, thick and hard, the swollen head dripping with pre-cum.

God, I needed to taste him. No one had ever turned you on as much as he did. Every word, every touch, every glance. You wanted it all. You scooted out of the bed and knelt in front of him. You stared at him with pleading eyes. William hadn’t finished nodding before you took him in my mouth, savouring his groans and the way he pulled your hair as you eagerly licked and sucked.

“Where did you learn how to do that?” he grunted, pushing his cock deeper until it hit the back of your throat. You spluttered, your eyes watering from the sheer size of him.

You moaned out an unintelligible response. Your hand drifted between your legs, but you didn’t make contact before he yanked you up and captured your mouth in a hard, starving kiss. He has waited for this moment. You could taste it on his tongue, feel it in the roughness of his hands as he squeezed your ass and helped you move until you were straddling his lap.

When he was younger he hadn't cared and never bothered trying, going from one woman to the next had made little difference to him. Over the years, things changed, he'd changed and he wanted more in his life, but no matter what he did nothing changed. He'd dated some wonderful women that would make any other man drop to his knees and thank god that he was alive, but not him.

He hadn't been able to return their feelings and it just about killed him when he couldn't force himself to love them. He could easily think of five of his past lovers that would have probably given him a good life as they grew old together, but he hadn't felt anything for them. Hell, he couldn't even get it up for them without thinking about the woman currently running her fingers through his hair as you urged him to continue with soft little moans that had his cock jerking in appreciation.

This was the woman that his body craved day and night and it would accept no substitutes. It was something that he'd have to worry about, but later. Right now he was going to enjoy the freedom to touch you. Whatever happened later he'd deal with it. Right now, nothing else mattered but you, the woman moaning his name.

"Stop," you said, panting hard as you tried to catch your breath.

Stopping was the last thing that he wanted to do, but he did. He wasn't an asshole and would never force a woman to do anything that she didn't want. It was a struggle, but he somehow managed to pull away from you.

As soon as he made a move and made sure that you were okay, he found himself shoved down onto his back. By the time the movement registered in his mind, you were already climbing over him and gripping his cock by the base as your pert little ass wiggled above his face. He didn't waste any time in raising his face to continue lapping at your slit as his arms wrapped around your body, holding you still.

"So much better," you said in a throaty whisper as you stroked his cock curiously. When you ran your tongue from the head to the base, his hips jerked up in response and when you wrapped your lips around the tip and lightly suckled, he swore that he saw God.

As his head hit the bed he brought you down with him, too greedy for you to allow even a second of separation. Your hard nipples brushed against his stomach, back and forth as you moved your mouth over his cock, taking it as far as your naturally talented mouth would allow while you rode his tongue.

He gripped your ass, restraining some of your movements so that he could slide his tongue in and out of your core to mimic what you were doing to his cock. He ran his tongue slowly between your slit, loving the moan you released around his cock. What you were doing to him felt fucking fantastic, but what he was doing to you was life altering. As you both took your time licking, suckling and nibbling, the only sounds that could be heard in his room were moans, groans and whispered pleads never to stop.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

A loud cry escaped your lips as you struggled to continue giving him pleasure, but you couldn't. You just couldn't take it any longer.

With another strangled cry, you released him from your mouth and was forced to rest your head on his hip less than an inch from the large erection that you'd been worshipping only seconds earlier. Your body tightened as your back bowed, seconds away from what you already knew would be a powerful orgasm.

You bit your lip as you pleaded with your body to hurry before he stopped. He hadn't yet, but in a few seconds he would realise that you'd stopped pleasuring him and he would demand that you continue. Men could be selfish jerks, you thought as you licked your lips hungrily.

Just when you thought that he was finally going to stop, he didn't. Oh no, not even close. His arms tightened around you, holding you securely against him as he devoured you and there really was no other way to describe what the man was doing to you. It felt good, so good……too good.

You tried to pull away, but the damn man refused to give you an inch. Your good hand clenched into a fist, gripping the soft comforter in a death grip as a muffled scream of pleasure like nothing you'd ever heard before ripped from your throat, taking your breath away. The surge of pleasure that rocked your body left you boneless and barely able to softly cry "Stop" as William continued, making your body prepare for another orgasm that would no doubt kill you.

"Shhh, it's okay," William said soothingly as he pulled away and gently rolled you off and onto your back where you lay panting as your overstimulated mind tried to figure out what just happened.

He gently brushed your hair out of your face as he pressed a tender kiss against your lips all while the proof that the man hadn't found any relief pressed against your hip.

"You okay?" he asked, giving you another one of those tender kisses that you were really starting to like.

"Mmmmhmmm," you sighed happily as you found yourself leaning in and kissing him. Right now, you couldn't think past how good he made you feel, how much you wanted him, needed him and suddenly nothing else mattered but you and him.

William growled in approval as he returned your kisses and his cock brushed against your sensitive skin. You reached between you as both of you took your time kissing and when you found what you were looking for, you didn't hesitate in running your hand over it. You couldn't imagine enjoying the way a man felt in your hands like this before. The hot, silky skin that covered the large erection felt incredible and you realised as you took your time running your hand over him that you weren't in a rush to finish this.

You were finding your aching all over for him. It shouldn't be possible, especially not after the incredible orgasms that he'd just given you, but you couldn't help it. The sexy little growls he made every time your hand skimmed over the large head had you shifting your legs as you tried to ignore the need growing inside of you until you couldn't ignore it any longer.

You were both breathing hard, the kiss becoming more aggressive as William reached between you and cupped you between your legs, careful not to get in the way of what you were doing for him. You tried to be good, tried to stay still, but when he ran one long, thick finger between your folds you were lost. You shifted your legs, desperate to give him more access. He growled approvingly as he slid his finger inside of you, matching the way you were moving your hand over him.

Unable to wait another minute, you released him and hooked your leg over his hip. With a gentle nudge, you had him turning over onto his back. He removed his hand from between your legs so that he could wrap his arms around you and take you with him, which was more than fine with you. Better than fine actually.

You shifted back, rolling your hips with the movement. When you slid over his erection you both groaned long and loud and when you moved to do it again, the tip of his erection came to rest at your core.

"Are you sure?" William asked, against your mouth.

"Yes," you said in a harsh whisper as you pushed back, taking the tip inside of you. His loud groan encouraged you to take more, but the problem was that he was a bit bigger from what you remember, but you didn't allow that to discourage you. You wanted this man and you were going to make damn sure that you had him.

A startled gasp escaped your lips as William suddenly thrust, filling you halfway. In the next second you found yourself on your back and William pulling out only to thrust back in, filling you all the way. As you lay there, digging your nails into his back as he stretched you a little too much, you were torn between screaming in frustration and screaming at him to move. You rolled him back over until you found yourself splayed on top of him.

"It's all yours, princess, but you gotta move before I lose my fucking mind," he groaned softly against your lips as his hands moved up to cup your face while he kissed you.

It took you a few seconds to realise what he'd said and done and when you did, you couldn't help but release a satisfied moan as you tentatively rolled your hips. His answering groan was all the encouragement that you needed to continue. You might not be experienced in this position, but you were more than willing to keep doing it until you got it right, you decided with a throaty groan as William slid one hand between them and cupped your breast as the other one moved down your back and palmed your ass as you rode him.

"Don't stop, (Y/N)," he said on a groan as he moved his mouth to your neck just as you registered his hand leaving your bottom and moving up your body to palm your other breast.

"Or what?" You asked breathlessly as you picked up the pace, taking him deeper and harder each time.

"I'll make you forget how to walk and we both know you like your walks." he promised tightly as he moved his mouth back to yours, kissing you and sending you over the edge.

You felt him grow inside of you and if Will hadn't suddenly released your breasts to cup your face and keep your mouth right where it was, you probably would have screamed in pleasure, well, screamed louder. He felt so good, sliding in and out of you as the large velvety head rubbed against you in just the right way.

You tried to make it last longer, but the second that you heard your name leave his lips in a strangled growl, you lost it. A violent orgasm tore through you, leaving you breathless and unable to so much as move as pleasure assaulted your body. You never broke away from William's mouth, somehow knowing that it wouldn't be as good without this connection. Everything about this moment felt perfect, felt right. You couldn't explain it, didn't want to look too deeply into it and wreck this moment.

Long after your bodies were sated, you lay on top of him, kissing him leisurely as you enjoyed the way that he held you. For several minutes you allowed him to hold you, comfort you and make you feel wanted, loved and cherished, but all too soon you realised that you didn't have an excuse to remain in his arms.

"Oh dear, look at the time. I must go." You hopped out of William's arms and hastily plucked your brother's stolen clothes from the floor and began wearing them.

"Allow me to walk you home." William sat up from his bed dressed himself as well.

"Oh no, no need, dearest William. I can walk myself home." You tucked your already buttoned up dress shirt in your pants—until William took you by the chin and tilted your head up.

"I must. If anything happens to you, I won't be able to forgive myself."

You felt your cheeks heat up, "You're too sweet." You placed your palm over his cheek, "This isn't a scheme to figure out where I live now, is it?" You teased him.

"You have me all figured out."

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

William accompanied you all the way to your father's mansion. Though you were dressed as a man, one could never be complacent. Sometimes a drunkard walks the street and picks on innocent passersby for a fight.

“What are your plans later on in the morning?” William asks.

You cleared your throat before you answered. “I thought I’d go for a walk in the park if it’s a beautiful day.”

“Wouldn't it be far too cold for a walk?” he asks.

"Yes but as long as there isn't a breeze that would take me away, you can get used to the temperature." You shrugged, "I also like to watch kids have a snowball fight, it reminds me of my childhood."

"I wish I could join you, during your walks."

"Well? Why don't you? Father introduced us to each other and we could say we get along well. . .maybe too well." You laughed sheepishly and looked away from William.

There she is again with that charming laugh. How does one stay away from her when her whole being just pulls you in? William thought to himself all the while laughing along with you.

The way William looked at you at the night of the exhibit didn't go unnoticed by Dr. Reid. In fact, after the little private conversation between you and William, Dr. Reid had a word with him.

"I saw the way you were looking at my daughter." Dr. Reid said discreetly as he stood next to William, "She is quite the beauty wouldn't you agree?"

William thought of his answer very carefully, "Yes, Sir, I agree."

"She was looking at you the same exact way—I've never seen her look at a man like the way she had her eyes on you tonight." Dr. Reid swirled his wine around before sipping it, "I want you to stay away from her and we won't have a problem."

"I'm sorry?"

Dr. Reid pivoted to face William this time, "You're a talented artist, Thurber. You should focus on that. Unless you have anything good to offer my family, don't even think about lining up to pursue my daughter."

"—Don’t you think? Will? William?" You nudged him out of his trance as both of you stopped right in front of the side of the mansion where the balcony of your room was.

"Hm?" He snapped out of it.

"Where did you go just now?" You chuckled and nodded towards the sky, "Help me up?"

"Just got lost in thought."

"Am I a bore to talk to now?" You teased, nudging him on his side with your elbow.

William gave you the sharpest worried gaze, “No! Of course not.”

“Oh William~ I was just teasing you.” You laughed, “Well? Are you going to help me up the balcony?”

William bent his knees and held his hands together for you to use as a boost to get onto your balcony. You hauled yourself up, trying to be as quiet as possible. You turned around and gazed down at William, who was admiring your beauty from below.

“Would you like to come up?” You asked.

William blinked, did he hear that correctly? “I beg your pardon?”

“Oh come on, Mister Thurber, don’t make me ask you twice.”

William nervously looked around, even though no one but you was around, he felt as though he was being watched.

“You’re killing me, princess.” He muttered and reached up at the ledge with his long arms. Unlike you, he climbed up that balcony effortlessly. Before you could even take another breath he was already in front of you. Yours was a story destined for a tragic ending, but when you were already on a train headed off the cliff, all you could do was hold on tight and make every second count.

William drank you in, not missing a single detail. The wisps of hair curling around your face, the nervous anticipation in your eyes, the way your chest rose and fell in time with his own uneven breaths. Part of him wanted to march over, rip off your clothes, and fuck you right then and there. Another part of him wanted to savour the moment—the last wild, beating seconds before both of you destroyed whatever was left of your boundaries. He was a rule follower by nature. It was how he’d survived most of his life. But for you, he would break every rule in the book.

“So.” You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, your hand trembling. “Now that we’re here, what do you have planned, Mr. thurber?” He smiled, slow and enchanting, and a small, visible shiver rippled through your body.

William grabbed the back of your neck, pulled you close, and crushed his lips to yours. You wrapped your arms around his neck, your body warm and pliant against his as he plundered your mouth. To him, you tasted like mint and strawberries, and he wanted more. Needed more. His heart was a loud drum in his chest, beating in time with the throbbing in his cock. All of his senses sharpened to near-painful clarity—the taste of you on his tongue, the feel of your skin beneath his hands, the smell of your perfume and the sounds of your little whimpers as you clung to him like you were drowning and William was your last lifeline.

You backed up in your room, pulling William in with you without ever parting your lips, until you landed on your mattress with him on top of you. He rubbed his thumb over your clothed nipples, and you fought back a moan as you arched into his hand— The floor creaked behind your bedroom door. You and William froze in unison, your breathing harsh. You’d gotten so wrapped up in what both of you were doing you’d forgotten all about the people sleeping just a few feet away. You both heard another creak, followed by the shuffle of someone getting out of bed. Your father, if the direction of the sound was any indication. William cursed under his breath and pulled his hand away. It was the smart thing to do, but you still wanted to weep at the loss of contact.

“I guess that’s my cue to head home.” William whispered against your lips. He gently pushed himself aside while he straightened his shirt.

“It’s very late and it’s cold outside,” You scooted closer and rested your chin on his shoulder, “Stay.”

William turned his head towards yours, “You want me to stay?”

You nodded, “We don’t have to do anything but sleep. I have to admit, I feel good being in your arms.”

William chuckled to himself, it was an offer he couldn’t refuse, “I’m starting to think you’ve put me under your spell.” William slipped out of his shoes and jacket before gathering you carefully into his arms, tucking your head into his shoulder and aligning your frozen limbs with his. You felt stiff enough to shatter due to the absence of his warmth, but bit by bit, your muscles began to relax until you lay pliant against him. Pliant and sleeping. It didn’t take very long. Maybe fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes for you to regain yourself. Fifteen minutes for him to lose himself.

At the crack of dawn, your skin buzzed with the warmth of waking up from a deep sleep. You looked up to the same ceiling but this time, William’s dark eyes blocked your view. They were constant yet unfamiliar. Your head eases back when you feel his fingers in your hair, playing thoughtfully with the strands.

“You’re awake.” You said, barely keeping yourself awake.

“So are you, you should go back to sleep.” William whispered and leaned down, leaving a kiss on your forehead. You hummed in return.

William sat still on the side of your bed to make sure you were back into deep sleep before he got up to leave. The sun was peeking slightly in the horizon when William walked out of the balcony, the freezing temperature nipping his skin. Slowly, William climbed down the same way he used to get up to your balcony. He landed on both his feet on the grass with a soft thud.

“Mister Thurber?” Dr. Reid blurted out confused as to what the lad was doing in front of his house. Dr. Reid stood in front of his house, looking well-decent, while William looked, well, like he just woke up, half of his shirt untucked and his hair slightly dishevelled.

“D-Did you just jump down from my daughter’s balcony?!”

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