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clairecrive · 3 years

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hiii! um i had a request if that’s alright? umm a darkling x tidemaker!reader where the reader slowly grows more and more jealous of alina until she finally snaps and tries to leave with another tidemaker to train with master tidemakers for the kings army but then darkling stops her. with a happy ending please 🥺🥺

Where your heart is

A/n; this took a life of its own but I'm still not too sure about it even though I had lots of fun writing it. Hope you'll like it, 🌻x

Word count: 2.4K +

Warnings: angst, darklina, jelousy

Tags: @blackst0nes7077 , @thefictionalgemini , @louweasleymalfoy , @jupiterandbutterflies , @for-bebbanburg , @tarkanelima-blog , @pansysgirlfriend , @acciorudolphx , @kaqua , @hannaxmaria , @vintagebitc , @deardiarystuff, @emmaev , @aleksanderwh0r3 , @hazelrose14, @crowssixof , @qhbr2013 , @odetostep , @strawb3rrydr3ss , @lizzie-he4rts , @korol-lantsov , @shadow4ndbone, @subjecta13-thefangirl , @mriddlemethis , @secretsthathauntus , @carnationworld (tag list form)

SHADOW AND BONE MASTERLIST

He was her mentor. He was the only one who could help her through the discovery and understanding of her powers. That's why he was spending so much time with her. No other reason.

At least that's what you've been telling yourself over and over in hope that you'd start believing it. So far, you had no success. And this had been going on since the day Alina had arrived at the Little Palace a month ago so you didn't harbour any hopes that it'll start working.

But what could you do?

He was spending every waking moment between his War room and the training grounds with Alina. You could see the allure that she had to have in his eyes.

He had been waiting for her for a long time, after all. You couldn't even be mad at him for investing his energies to help her harness her powers since she was the key to Ravka freedom. And, to be fair, Alina wasn't that bad.

Sure, you had to get through many layers of snarky remarks and dry humour that most of the times felt a lot like rudeness rather than humour. But she wasn't that bad. Not when there were people like Zoya walking around.

But the days without seeing him, with just a passing glance or a touch of his hand on your back were taking their toll on you. You missed him.

You had gone from seeing him every day to not seeing him at all.

You had tried to talk to him about it but he.was.always.busy. Or with Alina. You weren't proud to admit it, and you probably never will out loud, but a certain green monster had taken residence on your shoulders.

You were taking your usual stroll around the gardens when you spotted him outside the Palace's main entrance. Hurrying your steps, you called his name to catch his attention.

"Aleksander!"

Fortunately, he heard you and turned to see who was calling him. There were few people who knew his name and there was no chance in hell it would be Baghra. His lips morphed in a small smile as he watched you approaching with a sprint in your steps.

"Hey, I'm so glad I've caught you, it's been ages since I've-" you stopped when you saw Alina's approaching figure. Your eyes darted from her to Aleksander in front of you and you've finally noticed the two horses.

He wasn't wearing his cloak and of course, where Alina was Aleksander followed. Your lips thinned in a line as you rolled your shoulders back. You knew that Aleksander had noticed your expression change but you hadn't had centuries of practice to scholar your features into betraying nothing. But you forced yourself to at least keep up the appearances with Alina.

You gave her a smile when she stood before you complimenting her hair.

"Genya's handiwork," she simply said as it was enough to explain everything.

"Well, I'm going to leave you to your outing," you said hoping they couldn't notice the strain in your smile. Turning around, you retraced your steps to where you had been standing before and where you should have stayed all this time.

It was clear now- what other signs did he need to give you? Swallowing the lump in your throat, you forced yourself to not let the tears fall. You could feel his eyes on you until the sounds of hooves hitting the gravel told you that they were gone.

However much it hurt you to see again and again the proof that you were losing him, there was still a part of you that told you that this was just a phase. A temporary arrangement, given Aleksander's plans for Ravka. You just had to bite the bullet until it was all over.

And so, with renowned hope, you decided that you were going to talk to him. Even if you had to wait for him for hours or meet him at the brink of dawn, you had to do it. You needed to know where his heart was and from that, you could decide where to go.

However, to your luck, today was the day of the Winter Fete. Everyone, including you, was going to be super busy with finalizing the last minute details and rehearsals. Every Grisha had a role in tonight demonstration even though the star of the whole night was, of course, the Sun Summoner.

Since you were a tidemaker, your manifestation was scheduled before Alina's grand entrance. You and the other tidemakers had prepared a light show, along with Alina, to use water to reflect and amplify Alina's light so as to create a beautiful play of light.

The whole ordeal ended in time for Alina to get back inside the Palace and get on stage and for everyone else to get inside too to witness her exhibition. You followed along with everyone else but alas, you really wished you hadn't.

Aleksander had eyes only for Alina, he never looked away from her even when the light got blinding for everyone else in the room. And you couldn't blame him- Alina was literally glowing. She looked amazing in that black kefta and the symbolism of the colour wasn't lost on you.

You had been a fool, that's what you were. It was painfully obvious how whipped Aleksander was for Alina. Each of those signs was a painful blow to your heart and faith in him. His outings with her, her black kefta, the smile she sent his way and how enthralled he was by her.

Shaking your head, you fought to keep your composure. You had lost him, you realized. You had to accept the fact that it was over. Whatever you had, it had come to an end. The moment it did, was lost on you but you knew it had to coincide with the moment he had met Alina.

As if to confirm your inward musings, Alina and Aleksander walked out of the room, her under his arm.

Well, it was settled then. You couldn't stay here anymore. It was one thing to break up and grow apart but it was a whole other thing to watch him being in love with someone else.

You had to go. That was certain.

Nodding to yourself, you took your final decision just as they walked past you. Aleksander's eyes met yours briefly, just long enough for you to send him a teary glare.

This was the last time you were going to see him and as much as you could feel your heart breaking, you knew that it was something you had to do. They walked out of the room and you wasted no time in leaving as well.

However, before going to your room to pack the few belongings you had, there was somewhere else you needed to go first.

The wind blew harshly on your face, the salt of the sea breeze mixing with that of your tears. Alone on the dock, you allowed yourself to cry. To finally let out everything you had been keeping under lock and key for so very long.

You tried to comfort yourself by reassuring yourself that this was the right choice. The best choice. To stay in a place where you had never truly felt at home, where every nook and cranny reminded you of what you had and what you had lost- of the fact that you hadn't been enough. That your love hadn't been enough for him to stick around, to choose you over a girl he had known for about a day. Everything you had shared, the months spent together in intimacy under his sheets or under the comfort of your favourite tree.

Vanished. Erased. Worthless.

You allowed yourself to feel every ounce of pain his dismissing behaviour had caused you because as soon as you boarded, you were going to leave all of this behind. You were sailing towards your future, towards a new land full of opportunities and new people. Somewhere where you could start fresh.

You heard someone shout the name of the ship you had to be on and knew that the moment had come. Here you were about to step into your new life.

Heaving a sigh, you threw a last look in the Little Palace direction, at what-or rather- who you were leaving behind. Turning around, you gathered your kefta closer to your body to shield you from the harsh weather. As you were about to move, a hand clamping on your back, stopped you.

You winced, not expecting the contact since you thought you were the only one on the dock. Turning around, you were met with a familiar pair of onyx eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked, an edge on his voice that you couldn't figure out if it was surprise, betrayal or boredom.

"I could ask you the same thing, General." Taking a step back, his hand fell from your shoulder as you put some distance between you. Standing so close to him just as you were about to bid him goodbye forever felt like a cruel joke on destiny's part.

"So this is what you do? Leave in the middle of the night without telling anyone?"

"Those who needed to be, have been rightly notified of my departure. I don't see how this concerns you, though."

"You don't see-" he huffed out, a humourless laugh leaving him," how, in the name of all saints, don't you see how this concerns me?"

"This is the first time you've spoken to me in months, Aleksander so please spare me this bullshit. I've got it, alright?" Raising your hands you took yet another step away from him. "There's no need for you to be here and pretend anymore. Go back to your party and your Grisha and your girl."

"You're my girl," he stated somehow still calmly.

"No, I'm not," you scoffed, "and you've done a fine job proving that these past few months."

"I know I've been neglecting you, but what's a few months when we have a lifetime together in front of us?" he conceded taking a step towards you as his arms widened as if to show you the length of time you'd be spending together.

"It's everything, Aleks," you snapped as your emotions got the best of you, "seeing you getting cosy with Alina every day realising that the more time passed the less you were mine was excruciating and I'm done. I'm going away and I'm leaving all of this behind."

"You can't go."

"Watch me," you quipped as you turned around. Challenging you was not the best way for him to go about this. He knew better than anyone who proudful you could be.

"You cannot go," he... begged? the tone of his voice was so weird coming from him that had you pivot immediately. "You cannot leave. You cannot leave me."

You stood there, hair blowing everywhere for the harsh wind, just staring at him. You'd never seen him so emotional. Yes, you'd shared some intimate moments but he'd never been quite this open about his feelings. The sight of his teary eyes was so unfamiliar that made your brain short-circuiting.

Taking a shaky breath, Aleksander took a step in your direction, getting closer to you but still not close yet.

"Everything that I've ever done has been for a sole purpose, y/n, you know it. And you have to believe me, Alina plays a role in this as well."

"I know she does, it's obvious to everyone. It just has become painfully obvious to me tonight just how important she's come to mean to you." You shrugged as you looked away. Admitting this while also looking him in the eyes was an impossible feat.

"She may as well be the Sun Summoner, but you're my solnishko, y/n." He murmured softly as he took another step, this time getting close enough to you to reach for your hands.

"Sweet talking isn't going to change anything, Aleksander. I saw how you looked at her, I saw her wearing your colours. Do you take me for a fool?"

"Of course not," he disagreed vehemently, "but it's as I've told you, my dear, please believe me. Every action had its purpose which was not hurting you or expressing my love for Alina." He insisted, his hands squeezing yours. His eyes flickered between you and you spotted hopefulness as well as sincerity in them. Which made you hesitate.

Could it be...?

"But why didn't you tell me so, then? Why cutting me out dry without a word?" you uttered, afraid to believe him, afraid to let your heart hope again.

"It has been a play, solnishko. Ever since Alina has stepped foot inside the Little Palace, all eyes have been on us. I had a part to play and so did she. Unfortunately, I couldn't risk it." He explained, his eyes taking in your features, noting how hesitant you still were.

"I swear, my love, you should hear her. The only thing she can talk about it's her childhood best friend who seems so boring, I can't see what she sees in him." He added smiling hoping to lighten the mood. And as a matter of fact, he was rewarded with your giggles.

"Really?"

"I'd never lie to you," he murmured solemnly, his head tilting down toward yours. You met him halfway, your nose bumping softly with his.

"You better never start, Sasha," you warned lightly as he gave you an Eskimo kiss, his hands reaching up to hold your cheeks.

"Never," he promised on your lips. His trailed over yours softly before tilting his head to the side and letting them finally touch.

It has been so long since you've last shared a kiss that you'd almost forgotten how it felt like. How soft his lips were, how voracious he could be, how he always tasted of something sweet.

You gasped as his tongue trailed over your lower lip giving him the desired opportunity to sneak in and meet your tongue. Moaning, you moved your lips with his, hands sneaking through his hair to hold him close. The kiss came to a stop when you both were out of breath. He didn't get far away though as he rested his forehead on yours.

"The captain is going to be really mad at me." You murmured as you heard another shout coming from the end of the dock.

"Let me deal with him," he reassured you before giving you another small kiss. With that, he stepped away and headed over to where your ship was anchored.

You stood there, your fingers touching your lips, still in trance after what happened. So, you had never lost him. He had always been yours.

The realisation made you smile and as you watched his cape blowing in the wind you felt reassured. You knew he had plans but those were never the problem. You could bear seeing him with Alina if you knew that you were the only one in his heart and bed. And it seemed that you weren't the only one who wanted to keep it this way.

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theepisceswriter · 3 years

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𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 — 𝐑.𝐁

♡ Pairing: Reiner Braun x AFAB!Reader ♡ Rating: 18 plus, MDNI! or I’ll gnaw on your ankles like corn ♡ TW: Smut obvies besties, breeding kink like heavily, nursing mentions, lactation mention, oral (fem recieving), dirty talk, praising, a whole lot ! Also not proofread. ♡ Synopsis: Wedding night sexy and fluff with your breeding kink ridden husband Reiner ♡ WC: 2.3k

♡ A/N: AHHHH, my first ever collab ! this is for my bby, @saccharine-darling ‘s Reiner and Zeke birthday collab. Thank you so much for letting me participate and giving me the experience of being in my very first collab. Congrats on your milestone yet again babes !

The welcoming aroma of lavender and rose candles that omitted a warm, soft glow throughout the dimly lit suite of the newlyweds did very little to help calm the nerves that ran like electricity through your nervous system.

Every second your fingers ran over the see through coverup nightgown over your lingerie, not even smoothing out wrinkles anymore but giving your so awkwardly placed hands something to do; anything that kept you hidden away in the bathroom for a couple more seconds to compose yourself before you had to be met with Reiner’s hunger filled gaze.

This was nowhere near his first time seeing you naked or the first time he would ravage your body, nor would it be the last, but it was something about the newfound intimacy between you two as husband and wife that made this night especially special, the two of you right back in your honeymoon phase all over again.

Not that you two had ever really left it. Every day with Reiner was a day you felt loved and appreciated by him and that was only amplified by 100 today. You couldn’t possibly count how many times he glanced over at you with that loving doe look in his eyes that just screamed ‘Finally, you’re my wife.’ And you could’ve sworn that you saw tears slip from his hazel eyes the moment he saw you cladded in your silk white wedding dress, done up the prettiest he had ever seen you, as you walked down the aisle towards him.

He made sure to let everyone know that he was proud of his beautiful bride by holding you close to his side the whole day, arm hardly ever leaving from around your waist and always ready to sing praises about you to whoever would listen.

And now that the two of you were alone he was ready to appreciate you in a different way, the way he knew best.

“Come on, love. There’s no need for you to act all shy around me now,” His voice beckons you from the other side of the door, “I want to see my pretty bride in all her glory.

He lounged on the large California king sized bed situated in the middle of the room with nothing but briefs attached to his body, toned chest prickled slightly with stray blonde hairs that glimmered against the golden light of the lit candles, as he awaited your arrival. Any time spent away whether it was a couple of days or a handful of minutes while you got ready in the bathroom was always excruciating for him to deal with.

With hesitant fingers you twisted at the doorknob until the door opened wide enough for Reiner’s eyes to meet yours with something like a sly smirk painting his features the moment he saw the lace lingerie that hugged your body in all the right places.

It was his words and the expression on his face that gave you enough confidence to step from behind the bathroom door, finally putting your whole body on display for him to see as you made your way over to the bed.

He wastes no time at all, the moment your knees hit the cushioning of the bed he already has his large hands at your waist groping the skin that couldn’t all fit into the restraints of your undergarments and pulling you into his lap, forcing you to straddle his large thighs.

Immediately his lips find their way on yours, wanting and hungry as he practically devours them with open mouth kisses with the occasional tongue slipping past your lips just to get whatever taste of you he could right now.

His fingers traced the irregular pattern of the lace adorning your skin, continuing the pattern up your abdomen until he reaches the mounds of your breasts where he transitions to a grope, his hand nearly covering every square inch of the skin except for the gaps in between his fingers.

Breaking away from the kiss with a trail of saliva still connecting you two, hooded darkened hazel eyes looked up at you with nothing short of admiration, “Look at you,” The blonde nearly growled out in a feral tone, “So, so pretty and dressed up just for me. Too bad I’m going to ruin it, hm?”

His words bring flutters to the deepest parts of your abdomen, making the already damp spot that had begun to collect on your underwear accumulate even more. He always had that type of effect on you.

Peeling off the cover up that hid the rest of your body from him, he discarded it on the floor and was quick to do the same with your bra next. The warmth and moistness of his mouth engulfed your nipple and large areola with ease, already knowing exactly where to direct his mouth after doing so plenty of times, before beginning to suckle on it gently as if he were nursing from you while his other hand flicked over your other nipple getting it prepared next.

“That feels so good, Rei.” Your moans only encouraged him on more, his suckling becoming slightly harder and his tongue flicking faster once he moved on to the other nipple.

“I can’t wait until these are filled to the brim and leaking with milk once you’re carrying our child,” he nuzzles his face between the valley of your breast, sucking on the skin there and leaving a few hickies before motorboating and pulling away completely.

Ruin is exactly what he planned to do with you tonight. In seconds you were being flipped onto your back, not hard enough that it hurt but with enough force to leave you confused and shocked before you realized your positions had been switched. It left him with the perfect opportunity to lean down and rip your panties quite literally off of your lower torso completely, mumbling about how he was going to buy you even prettier ones in the future as he trailed kisses down your legs. Making sure to stop and give extra attention to the areas on the inside of your thigh that he knew would make you squirm up against him.

“Fuck,” Just the sight of your cunt adorned with arousal alone had him ready to cum undone, rough finger pads moving your lips around to observe the beauty that was you.

“I’m the luckiest man on earth. I must be to have someone as beautiful as you, love.” The words leave his lips in a tone that doesn’t allow it to come off as anything short of a fact because in his heart it was.

Spreading your legs further apart with the placement of his arms, he allowed a long trail of saliva to escape from between his lips and fall directly over your sensitive bud, sending shivers up your spine, before leaning down and adding on to the mess he created with his saliva by moving his tongue in a way that only accumulated more. It didn’t matter how much you squirmed beneath him or tried to move your hips against his mouth at a pace that wouldn’t have you cumming as fast as he was going to, he wasn’t going to slow down.

His lips isolated directly over your clit and collected all the wetness he could in his mouth as he continued abusing it with pleasure. His face was soaked in your juices at this point and that only made it all the more better for him; Reiner getting just as much pleasure as you the more he made you feel good.

“Oh, fuck baby,” the words left your lips in a broken moan that borderlined a choke and something about the way your husband hummed against your cunt in surprise let you know that he knew you were close as well,

“I know darling, I know. Go ahead and cum all over my tongue like the good girl you are.”

Removing himself from your cunt with pop, he allowed only those words to be spoken before he went right back to work. Even going the extra mile and slipping two fingers inside of you to give your pussy something to clench around for the meantime.

And it wasn’t long after that, that your thighs clenched tight around the sides of his head and your fingers found themselves entangled in his blonde locks as you rode your orgasm out on his tongue. Your hips bucking wildly up against his mouth that he gladly left open for you to use and small ‘thank you’s escaping with gasps from your lips.

A kiss to each inner thigh was given before Reiner merely situated his lower torso between your waist instead of his face, gathering your legs from the back of your thighs and pressing them against your chest so you were spread out nice and perfect for him. He didn’t even bother removing his briefs completely, only moving the band around his waist down far enough for this thick cock to come springing out and slap against his stomach. The precum leaking from his pretty peach tip leaving a stain on one of his abs that glistened when he was positioned perfectly in the dim lighting of the room.

He strokes his thumb over his tip with a groan, taking his cock at the base and sliding it through the soaked lips of your cunt. He needed as much lube as he could possibly get. Taking him wasn’t an easy task at all even after you had done it plenty of times; he was huge just by girth alone and he didn’t want to hurt his pretty wife. Especially not the pretty pussy he was going to be stuffing with children in the near future.

Lining himself up with your plush entrance, he groaned with each inch of him that sunk into your inviting walls, moving his hands to the side of your head for leverage as he began snapping his hips up against yours in swift calculated motions he knew would curve up into your most sensitive areas. His eyes never left contact with yours, still holding that loving gaze he had hours before during your ceremony despite how roughly he was thrusting up against you, cock hitting all the right spots.

“Fuck you feel so fucking good baby you have no idea. Such a tight and breedable pussy you have on you.” His fingers tangle with yours and holds them tight as he pounds into you from above, the weight of his meaty body keeping your legs pressed up against your chest, still sensitive from his suckling and biting from earlier.

And all you could do was take how deep he was going and the feeling of his tip gently pressing against your cervix at a pressure that didn’t quite hurt, but sent a shiver throughout your whole body in response.

“Fill me up, Rei. I want you to fill me up nice and full.” You finally managed to get out in stutters through his rough pace of fucking, thock cock invading every inch of your insides and wall with a burn that felt too good.

Your words clearly had an effect on him because not only did his cheeks visibly turn red, but you could feel dribbles of precum dripping inside of you. You just had that type of effect on him.

“My pretty little wife wants to be bred like a slut, hm? Then I’ll do exactly that for you, love. I’m gonna fill you to the brim with cum until you have no choice but to take it and get pregnant.” And on cue, hot spurts of cum release deep inside of you with one last stroke. So filled to the brim with cum that even with his dick inside of you acting as a stopper, it still can’t help but trickle down to your asshole.

“Don;t think we’re done yet because we’re nowhere near that.” He huffs into your ear and although you can't see his face, you can just hear the smirk in his tone. “M’not stopping until I know for sure that you’re going to be nice and plump in the next few months.”

#I literally posted like the day of the deadline im so sorry LMAO #but I hope u all enjoy babes #reiner braun #reiner braun smut #reiner braun x reader #aot smut #aot x reader #Spicy.#shingeki no kyoujin x reader #shingeki no kyoujin smut #ReiZe birthday collab

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mehphoobia · 3 years

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TRIPLE TROUBLE

Pairing- Tom Holland(x3) x Reader

Warnings- Language, extreme smut (I think most of it is just smut 😅), extreme cuteness.

Summary- Who knew moving into a new apartment would be so much fun if you have triplets as your neighbors. How much trouble can Peter, Tom and Arvin cause? only a lot...

MASTERLIST | REQUESTS OPEN |

PART 2

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There you were standing below a building in front of the entrance with the truck that carried your stuff on your left and surrounded by utter commotion. Why were you here again? Oh yes, you had to move out of your apartment because your godforsaken landlord, well ex-godforsaken landlord had to hike up the rent. You couldn't pay that much of an amount just for your rent to live in that matchbox of a place. Of course it had a nice view, office was closer but the world had to adjust and so did you.

"Miss we are done unloading!" grunted the man. You flinched because of his tone but then you realize you had to pay the man. After fetching a couple of bucks and paying the man, you started your journey to the fifth floor because the lift decided to sleep that day, the very day you had to move and who were your travel buddies? fourteen cartons. Why did you have so much luggage in the first place? you could literally contemplate your life's decision in the time you would have to waste carrying each one them, one by one to your apartment. "Fuck man!" you cursed as you kicked an imaginary rock to let out a bit of your frustration.

Where was your boyfriend when you needed him? oh how could you forget! He cheated on you. There you have it, your life. You stopped thinking as you picked one of your box, just then you heard a voice, "Do you need help?" that angel asked you and you would have cried. you looked at him and you were mesmerized with his curls and a jawline that could cut paper.

"Is it that evident?" you asked and he chuckled. "Are you new here?" he asked picking up one of the boxes. "Yes, my name is Y/N I moving in to 503" you informed as you picked one yourself. He looked at you wide eyed with ripples on his forehead. "Oh so you are the new neighbor. Hello there my name is Peter. W- I live in 502" he smiled as you both entered the building. The work got done easily with someone helping you out. The view from here was not that great, all you could see was your neighbor's balcony. Peter joked that this way you could meet each other every day.

Oh wasn't that guy an absolute sweetheart. If he had a little bit of attitude he would totally be your type. He left after wishing you a good night and flashing that beautiful smile of his, damn you could melt. After moving so many boxes and climbing up and down the stairs, tiredness captured you. You changed into your pajamas and finished the pizza that you had earlier ordered and slept on the couch. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, after all those boxes had to be unboxed.

You woke up to someone's washing machine's sound. You were pretty sure that washing machine was trying to run away because of low maintenance. You tried not to stumble over you unpacked luggage as you walked down your hallway tying your hair up in a bun.

Your scrunchie that was tugged onto teeth as you were getting your disheveled hair together fell to the ground. There was a girl sitting on top of the washing machine, naked and the guy was busy eating her out. You sprinted into your room as you saw the scene unfold in front of your eyes. You could feel your panties dampening because of her moans that were getting louder by the second. Luckily they took their show inside and you could finally breathe. Well, you didn't expect the view to be like that. Your neighbor with someone. Wait a minute, your neighbor, Peter?

"Wow" was all you could say before brushing your teeth and taking a bath. You never felt so ridiculously single before as you felt now. "fuck my life" was the mantra you kept chanting as you put on your shirt. "Idiot" you grunted as you realized that all your pants were packed and there was nothing you could put on below your shirt. Maybe except for the pencil skirt that somehow managed to escape and you had put it in your handbag as you found it at the last moment.

"Ah yes" you said grabbing the file which you were supposed to hand in today. You locked your door, double checked it and pressed the lift button.

As you were waiting for the lift, you heard Peter's door click open and the girl you saw today morning, yes the one sitting naked on the washing machine, made her way out. Her stumbling feet and incapability to even walk straight summarized her night. "Didn't she have a good time?" you thought to yourself and chuckled as she dared to take the stairs. Who takes the stairs when you have a perfectly fine lift?

"Good morning?" a very heavy voice said behind you. You turned behind to take a better look at him. "Good morning uh..Peter" you said obviously uncomfortable because he still smelt like sex.

"Oh yes me, Peter" he said laughing hysterically. You gulped as you stepped away from him. Sure you wanted him to have attitude but this is not what you expected. His cute little eyes were all hooded and spoke a different language today. As if you met someone else yesterday.

"Are you going up or down?" you asked in effort to change the topic as he walked closer towards you. "Going down kitten" he panted and smirked sheepishly. You could feel his breath as his hands checked you out. He smiled and started to walk away. He looked at you one last time before he locked his door. "Oh God" was all you could say as you clutched your shirt together. You would lie if you didn't feel aroused. Of course he was weird, hell, he was kind of a boy all mothers tell their daughters to be aware off. But this guy had a lot of surprises and were you gonna figure all of them out? Fuck yeah.

After handing over your file to your senior, you took the rest of the day off. On your way back to your apartment, you spotted a café. It was rustic and elegant and beautiful paintings hung on the wall. You stepped up to the cashier to place your order.

"Hi how may I help you?" gleamed the guy. Your smile disappeared when you looked at him. "Peter?" you questioned in confusion. "Peter?" he questioned back. "Uh we met today morning. Don't you remember? You helped me with the boxes too?" you explained. "Are you Y/N?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes" you replied in confusion. "Hi my name is T- Peter." he introduced himself. "yeah I know" you smiled embarrassingly. He noticed your expression and took a deep breath. "Miss Y/N why don't you have a seat? I think we need to talk." he spoke as if in an attempt to not mess things up.

You decided to sit down and talk to him. And you did. You realized he owned this café and a couple more around the city. His gentlemanly behavior was like a spell that enticed you. You could listen to him for hours. His honey glistened tone played their tricks on you.

"Why don't you come over for drinks tomorrow? We can spend a bit more time together" he suggested in a calm tone as he walked you towards your apartment. "Sure. Does 7 sound good?" you asked as you looked for your keys. "Perfect actually, we all will be home by then." "Great, I will see you tomorrow then" you said as you locked the door. What a strange guy? If someone would come and tell you that you saw three different versions of the same guy, you wouldn't be surprised.

You stood in pale pink dress that rested your hips and covered you till your mid thigs, that you hunted from your closet. You had spent the entire day unboxing and setting up your apartment. It was almost 7 and you were a bit tired but you would throw your away for the little get together you had with Peter.

Now standing outside their door clutching to the scented candle, you rang their bell. He opened the door and gestured you to come in. "In here" he said pointing towards a room that was co-joined with the balcony. As you were walking towards that room, you saw a photo frame. Your heart dropped. "Fucking triplets?" you murmured. "Hey kitten" "Hi Y/N" two voices spoke. You flinched at the sudden sound and they stood right behind you.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" you blurted out your question. You were no longer worried if you sounded rude. "All this time I thought I--you were lying to me?" you asked. "Y/N please listen" Peter spoke, the cute little one you had met for the first time.

You sat down, when they all started explaining themselves. First the other two introduced themselves. The guy near the lift was Arvin and the guy you had met at the café was Tom. Peter told you that he was the one who had started all this confusion because he fell for you at the first sight. He knew Erwin and Tom would like you too and how right he was.

"Peter couldn't control his excitement when he told us about you." Tom said caressing Peter's hair. All the anger somehow melted and turned into a genuine smile. Peter blushed when he saw you smiling, the same smile he fell in love with, they all did.

"Look I had a break up recently. He cheated on me and I might have a tough time adjusting to have another person in my life so soon and three of you together would be overwhelming so can we take it slow? like get to know each other first." you suggested to which Arvin sat down next to you.

"Take all the time you need kitten, we will be right here" he said as he stroked your hair. Soon he was joined by Tom, "1 month, spend one month with us and if its too much for you we will respect your decision." he said as he squatted down to your level. "Okay" you said after thinking about it for five minutes. Peter, baby walked to you and rested his head on shoulder as he sat next to you. Giggles filled the room as Tom cracked his bad jokes. Oh dear the three of them were walking trouble, triple trouble.

Now that you knew about their little secret, they took turns in spending time with you. Everyday Tom would drop you to your office and Arvin would pick you up. Peter would spend the weekends with you. Sometimes all the four of you went on a drive together. Peter would hold on to you as he clutched you from behind when you sat on the passenger seat.

1 month passed away like a jiffy taking away all the confusion and panic you had about being in a polyamories relationship and were you whipped for them. Of course you were.

It was a Sunday, exactly 1 month later, here you were sitting on the couch with all three of them. "So what do you think?" Tom asked you as he pulled you closer. "Do like us now?" Peter asked you with his puppy eyes. "I have always liked you but" you smiled as you continued, "I love you, all the three of you." you smiled with how fast Peter started crying after you finished. Arvin came close to you as he caressed your cheek.

Tom pulled you in for a kiss. His tender lips felt so soft on yours. You moaned into the kiss and he could easily slip his tongue in your mouth. Arvin dragged his lips on your neck, marking you as his, their's. Never breaking the kiss Tom dragged the zip of your dress exposing your black lace. "So pretty" Arvin moaned as he took notice of your exposed self.

You broke the kiss as your eyes landed on Peter. Tom and Arvin sensed you pulling away and looked at each other. "Peter is it too much for you? if you don't want-" "No" Peter's sudden confession stopped you midway.

"I want this, I do want you but I have never done it before." Peter confessed embarrassingly. You smiled as you pulled him close to you. "It's okay I will take care of you, don't you worry." As you pulled his pant's zip down exposing the dent that he was trying hide, Tom chuckled. Peter whimpered when you fetched his member out the confines and licked off the leaking precum. Tom slid your bra away and Arvin had his hands exploring your womanhood.

You licked a wide strip, leaving Peter withering above you. He clutched your hair when you suddenly made eye contact with him and pushed you down on his cock. His cock was girthy and long with made arousal drip from your pussy. Arvin was quick to spread your arousal, lubricating you. Tom had one of your nipple in his mouth as he lay below you.

Peter's girthy cock sat at the back of your throat leaving him in all moans. Suddenly Arvin pushed one of his digits in your leaking pussy. The sudden intrusion choked a moan out of you. The vibration of your moan had Peter's head falling back in pleasure. "You like that, kitten? You like my fingers in you?" you swallowed at Arvin's filthy words. "Do you want him to fuck you with his fingers, fuck you till you are shaking?" Tom said while rubbing your nipples together at the same time. Arvin rubbed your clit with his thumb as you bobbed you head up and down on Peter's cock.

"Such a good pussy, Tom" Arvin panted. "Vin' e-every time you talk like that, she s-swallows and it feels so fucking good." Peter said in between his moans. "Yeah? you like it when we talk dirty?" a sudden slap sent vibration throughout your pussy and you swallowed your moan. That was it for Peter, he came in your mouth and you could feel hot cum filling your throat.

You popped off of Peter's cock as Arvin pulled you backwards and kissed you. It was messy and rough and you loved it. "Do you want Tom to fuck you?" Arvin asked. On his cue Tom pulled out his cock and slid a condom on it and lined up at your entrance. "P-Please" you managed to say while Arvin continued to rub your clit. "Please what kitten?" he pushed you towards your edge. "Please fuck me" you moaned. "Fuck her Tom and don't cum till I say" Arvin commanded.

Peter took one your nipples in his mouth as he Arvin pushed through your velvety folds slowly allowing you to adjust. Arvin wasn't as girthy as Peter but he was longer than him. Tom bottomed out with a grunt, "so tight and wet. N-Not gonna last".

"P-Please m-move" you mumbled and it was enough for Tom to fetch out his cock completely and slam it in again. Soon he set a pace which had you writhing under him.

With Tom fucking you at a past that has you drifting to heaven and Arvin rubbing you clit vigorously with Peter sucking your nipples together was enough to send you over the edge. "Can I cum, Pplease?" you panted. "Not yet kitten" with that soon Arvin replaced his thumb with his tongue. "Come on kitten cream all over his cock. need you taste you." he said and it was enough for you to let go.

You had never cum this hard in your life. You could feel Tom's softening cock slip out of your pussy and Arvin was kind enough to clean all the mess with his tongue. The overstimulation was too much for you so you came second time that night.

All the three of you were staring at the ceiling, panting when you spoke, "Oh I am definitely into trouble".

"Triple Trouble" all of them spoke together.

______________________________🤍_____________________________

A/N- Hey guys, so this is just another fic in my draft. Tumblr is making me write all my fantasies and do I like it? I freaking love it.

I am thinking about posting a Sebastian Stan fic so if you have any requests please send them to me. I have been waiting to write a fic on him.

Oh ok on heavy request, HEAVY request there will be a part 2 of this fic..damn guys I received so many asks for this one 😂

for part 2 I didn't really plan anything it was just going to be a simple fic but look how that turned out to be?

if you have any specific plot for part 2 send me in your request i will definitely go through it..

Love yourself..you are worth it ❣❣

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deannaroxannewrites · 3 years

Text

Tropetember Day 5 - Accidental Confession / In Vino Veritas (Drunk Confession/Drunk Dial)

Unrequited love? Bite me

Pairing: Elijah Mikaelson x GN!Reader

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries

Rating: Teen and up

TW: Drinking/alcohol, language, vampirism/blood mentions, FWB mention

AN: Day 5 of @tropetember. Not my best work but hope you enjoy. Might rework this slightly at a later point.

A visit to the Salvatores in Mystic Falls should be pretty fun, until Damon decides to drag you to a party the Originals are throwing.

Find this story on Ao3 here.

Word Count: 1.5k

“Damon, you cannot be serious.”

Your best friend just gives you puppy dog eyes. Bright blue and sad as can be. It’s kinda pathetic.

“Pretty please.”

You huff, knowing you won’t win this argument. You’ve known him since you were both children, through him being turned by Katherine and later Stefan turning you (long story), and then on and off in the intervening century and a half. You even had a casual friends with benefits arrangement when you were both lonely/bored. Knowing him so well, you decide to save everyone the time and give in.

“You’re paying for my outfit Damon! I can not believe you’re making me go…”

He scoops you up and spins you, making you squeal as he thanks you. Stefan, who has been observing from the couch being absolutely no help, just laughs.

“You won’t regret it. It’ll be fun and we can learn some things at the same time. We’ll be the most attractive spy duo in history.”

You just roll your eyes and go to grab your keys before stealing Damon’s wallet. If you’re going to have to face the Mikaelsons again, you weren’t doing it in something you’d worn before. And you were going to buy something expensive out of spite.

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

The entrance to the Mikaelson’s house was the same as any other house in Mystic Falls: opulent, excessive and with far too much marble. You’d take a cosy cabin over this nonsense any day.

Clinging to Damon's arm, you enter the space and, thankfully, Klaus is the only one of the family greeting guests.

“Darling, it’s been a while.” You can’t help the reactionary smile as you embrace him. He could be bat shit crazy at times, but he’d always been kind to you.

“Klaus! I’ve missed you.” Out of your eye corner, you can see Damon giving you both evil eyes. Had you accidentally on purpose forgotten to mention you knew the original family? Oops, your bad.

Klaus doesn’t let you go far, holding you at arms length to admire your new outfit. You do look stunning in it, if you do say yourself.

“Beautiful.” He leans in to whisper in your ear “My brother really doesn’t realise what he’s missing.”

You laugh him off, ignoring the implication. You knew better.

“Now boys,” you say, glancing between them, “I’ll have no part in whatever this little competition or measuring contest is, and I expect you all to leave me out of it.” They both look a little guilty as they nod. “Marvellous. If you need me, I’ll be somewhere out of the way with a glass of champagne.”

And with that you head further into the party, leaving them to bicker.

-----

"Urgh, I've missed you so much! I can't believe you left us."

You and Rebekah are both waaaay too many glasses of champagne deep at this point. You’d been there a couple of hours by now and it had only taken Rebekah 30mins to realise you were there and take you hostage. You're currently sequestered on a sofa in a corner and are both a bit sloppy.

"What do you want me to say Bekah? It's your arsehole brother's fault."

"Wait, what? What did Klaus do?"

You laugh, just a tad hysterically and fortify yourself with another sip out of your glass.

"Wrong one. Go older"

A look of understanding comes across her face and she wraps an arm around you. You, sadly, don't have enough of your wits about you to realise that this isn't the best place for a drunken heart to heart.

Everything starts to spill out of you. How you and Elijah had spent so much time together. How you thought he liked you back, only for him to turn up with what's her name wrapped around him. How he'd laughed when you'd expressed your surprise that he was dating, and how it made you feel like nothing. It was too much for your heart to handle. So you’d left, had a fun rebound weekend with Damon and tried to move on.

Rebekah pulls back slightly, wiping a tear that had escaped without your permission.

"You're too good for him anyway," she says and you laugh.

"I wish that were true.” You pull yourself together a little and put on your best fake smile. “For now, I'm just going to don an air of indifference and pretend I'm not in love with your oldest brother."

Your mirth leaves you instantly as you hear a refined voice behind you ask, "now why on Earth would you do that?"

It’s amazing how panic can sober you up.

You turn slowly and meet the eyes of the oldest Original. He’s in a suit, as always, and has a confident smirk plastered across his face. That pisses you off.

“Cos he’s an asshole” you coolly reply before turning to Rebekah, pressing a kiss to her cheek and walking swiftly out of the room to find Damon to take you home. You’d embarrassed yourself quite enough for one night.

You’d never admit that you were disappointed that Elijah didn’t try to stop you.

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

One of the advantages to being a vampire was that you very rarely got a hangover. Instead, you just slept in a little, made a cup of coffee and did some yoga before heading out to treat yourself to lunch. You didn’t need to eat but you enjoyed the taste, there was much more variety in food than blood.

You'd only arrived in Mystic Falls a couple of days ago for your visit to see the Salvatore brothers and as such hadn't had a chance to try out the Mystic Grill. This seemed like a perfect fit opportunity. Something greasy would be perfect right about now.

The grill was a bit dingy but it worked for the place and you were happy to learn that they have a pretty good menu selection. Your excitement was soured though when Elijah decided to join you for lunch.

Dressed in yet another suit, no tie and the top buttons of his shirt undone, he oozes charm and money. Add in the handsome features and knockout smile and you were lost. You're sure back in the day the ladies with delicate constitutions had to keep their smelling salts close. You could easily have fainted over him.

But he wasn't interested in you, as he had made very clear, so you were just annoyed that he was existing in your space.

Elijah watched you eat for a few moments, clearly taking note of your reluctance to acknowledge him.

"For someone who's in love with me, you don't seem particularly happy to see me darling."

You groan quietly and lower your utensils. Wishing him away wasn't working.

"What do you want Elijah?" You sound bitter, even to your own ears. So much for attempting to sound neutral.

"One of my favourite people, who I haven't seen for a long time, has reappeared and I want to spend time with them. Is that too much to ask?"

You start eating again, using it to buy time. You had honestly missed his company. You just weren’t sure if you could bear him breaking your heart again, even accidentally and unintentionally. Luckily, he had more to say.

“Klaus told me off after you left, you know?”

You look at him in surprise.

“Told me that I’d wasted my best opportunity at happiness. Which is especially concerning considering who it was coming from.”

You nod your agreement. Klaus wasn’t exactly known for his sentimentality.

He continues, “would you believe that I really thought you were too good for me? That I really thought you weren’t interested?”

“Elijah, you can not be serious.” You pull a face at him. “I literally spent all of my time with you, hanging on your every word. I would have followed you to the ends of the Earth. How could you not have known?”

“I just thought you were being your usual effervescent self. I started dating again to try and let you go.”

Miscommunication. You shake your head. 30 years of heartbreak all because of miscommunication. God, you could bang the pair of your heads together. It’s basically a crappy romance novel. Ok, this is ok. You can fix this. You have pretty much forever left, after all.

Taking the initiative, you lean forward and grasp Elijah’s hand. His eyes fall to where you wrap your fingers around his. A hopeful look takes over his face as he returns to your eyes.

“Elijah?” You smile. “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

He laughs. It’s a beautiful sound. You’re going to make it your personal mission to make him do it more often.

Lifting your knuckles to his lips, he places a gentle kiss on them.

“I can think of nothing else I’d rather do.”

#tropetember #fanfiction #the vampire diaries #the originals #elijah mikaelson x reader #elijah mikaelson x y/n #elijah mikaelson x you #miscommunication #tw: alcohol #unbeta'd #slightly rushed #in vino veritas

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juniorgman187 · 3 years

Text

The Boy Next Door (Spencer Reid Imagine)

gif credits @toyboxboy Summary: The boy next door falls in love with the girl next door. Need I say more? Category: Fluff, Angst Couple: Fem!Reader x Spencer Reid Content Warning: Death, unrequited love, heartbreak Word Count: 10.4k A/N: POV switches from Spencer to Reader indicated by “᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Ground coffee, dates, and greek yogurt, all neatly encased in a brown paper bag.

Those were the things I was holding the day I first met you.

(You should know that I wouldn’t tamper with any of the moments that I’ve been so fortunate to have with you - I’ve watched enough “Dr. Who” to know that tampering with the past, even changing the smallest thing, could drastically affect the future). But if I could, I would probably change the precarious position you found me in that day.

When you exited your apartment, I had my knee hiked up embarrassingly high to support the weight of my groceries from underneath, leaving me to balance on one leg while the bag wobbled on my thigh as I ransacked my pocket for my keys. By the time you came out, I had been like this for the past few minutes, and if the task wasn’t already harder than it should’ve been to accomplish, you didn’t make it any better.

You walked out of the door in that wispy skirt and a denim jacket that swallowed your torso whole; your unwieldy boots clunked against the wood floors of our hallway. You even didn’t bother locking your door behind you after leaving - that’s how trusting you were. While I must admit, I found the action, or lack thereof, to be quite naive, it was endearing, too.

I, for one, am a firm believer that actions are indicative of character and from what I gathered: you trust easily, and at times, in a misguided manner.

After several seconds of being in your gravity, I figured you earnestly hadn’t seen me, given the fact that not once had you looked up from your phone to acknowledge my presence. Not to mention, your headphones were buried in your ears, blocking out any noise I could’ve been making with my unsteady stance or seemingly unfindable keys that would’ve, otherwise, made you known of my existence. Your music was so loud I could hear it from where I stood, clear as day.

Still don’t know how you haven’t gone deaf yet, (y/n). One of life’s greatest mysteries, I suppose.

It would be a gross understatement to claim that I couldn’t take my eyes off you. It was more than that. I felt entranced by you, like I was under your spell. Your perfume was poison, wafting through the hallway as you walked past me to descend the flight of stairs. I was in raptures from the way your wired earbuds got tangled with your hair. Normally, I couldn’t bear the thought of sharing headphones with someone, but I’d do it in a heartbeat with you.

I’d do a lot of things with you, actually.

I had to stop myself from trailing your movements when you reached a space in the hall directly behind me, and even then, my actions only ceased because my head couldn’t physically turn that far to watch you.

It was then that I recalled owls and how they’ve evolved into creatures that can turn their head a complete 180 degrees. Of course, that’s a trait meant for survival, merely an adaptation that allows them to detect danger or predators, but I wasn’t watching a predator, and I suppose that’s precisely why I wasn’t given the ability to turn my head so far. Because it was you I was watching - the girl next door (literally and figuratively) - nothing remotely close to a threat. I’d never been jealous of owls before, but in that moment, I wished nothing more than to be one just so I could get another look at you.

I forced myself to resume my unfinished task out of fear that you might finally notice me and become alarmed by my prolonged staring. Once more, I was sorting through the pocket of my pants for the key to unlock my door. Behind me, your foot was about to land on the next step of the stairwell, but instead, it quickly retreated at the sound of my groceries hitting the floor.

If there was ever a doubt in your head that you caused the collapse of my paper bag’s contents, there shouldn’t be.

It was you. It was all you.

I was too distracted by your poisonous scent and chunky boots to even notice my groceries struggling to balance on the precipice.

When I ascertained the mess I had made - the mess I knew you could hear even through your cacophonous music - I wanted nothing more than to find my keys and disappear into my apartment to mask the immediate shame I was feeling. My mind spun into a panic, my body incapacitated from the shock, and the first thing I could think to do was abandon my spilled groceries in the hall so you might not see me before I fled, but you were too quick. Your heart of gold made it impossible for that to be achieved.

“Oh my goodness, here! Let me help you.”

You knelt to the ground before I could even register your sudden presence and the lack of distance between us, let alone comprehend that your warm voice was speaking words meant for me.

“You don’t have to do that. I’ve got it.”

If you thought I was pushing you away, you should know that those weren’t my intentions. I was only emphasizing my ability to do it alone so that you might leave me to my devices - a state of conditions where I could actually think. With you so close, I simply couldn’t do that. Even now, it’s still an uphill battle to talk to you with a clear head.

“No, please. I insist. I’ve got plenty of time.” You assured me, tucking back strands of your hair that got in the way of your sight. I wondered then what it’d be like to do that to you myself. The vision ended there.

“A Teenager In Love” by Dion and the Belmonts cut into my thoughts. That’s the song that was playing on your headphones. And that’s exactly what I felt like.

A teenager in love.

It was also the song you paused to give your undivided attention to me.

“I’m (y/n), by the way. I live right next door. 3B.” You informed me, as if I hadn’t just come to that same conclusion when I observed you walk out of that door only moments ago. You extended your hand into the air between us for a handshake. I wasted no time returning it.

“Spencer.”

You batted your eyelashes and looked up at me with those unassuming doe eyes.

God, were you doing that on purpose? Were you trying to kill me?

When our hands interlocked, I couldn’t help but notice how yours fit so perfectly in mine, like it was made-to-measure. It led me to the belief that my hands were specifically fashioned for the particular use of holding yours. The shake lingered for a second longer than necessary, and I saw it in the way your eyes flickered down to where our bodies met, wondering why it was taking me so long to pull away.

“It’s nice to meet you, Spencer.”

I’ve never liked my name so much until I heard it on your tongue. It made me forget all about the mess and the shame and the fear of disturbing you. That is until I saw you sliding the last of my groceries back into the paper bag.

“I’ll see you later then?”

You had stood up before I could ask you not to go, wiping your knees of any dust they might’ve collected on the floor where you knelt in front of me.

“Yeah. I’ll see you later.” I dumbly answered back, watching you descend the stairs from a distance once more.

“Have a nice night, Spencer!” I heard you say before you disappeared below the ground that I stood on. You already had your headphones back in and were long gone before I could return the sentiment. I did want you to have a nice night, though. Even if I didn’t say it in time.

Then again, I guess there was a lot I didn’t say in time - right, (y/n)?

Two days went by before I saw you again.

You weren’t alone.

I was reading when I heard the sound of footsteps outside my door, unintentionally giving me full liberty to hear the conversation partaking as well.

“What’s his name?” Your friend asked you.

Originally, I was adamant about not purposefully eavesdropping - no matter how tempting it was or how amply I could hear. You deserved better than that ... but how could I help myself when I heard you answer your friend, “Spencer.”

It was the sound of my own moniker that lured me to the door, where I pressed my ear against it.

“Is he cute?”

“Very.” You gushed to her, my own heart swelling two sizes too big for my poor chest to contain.

“Do you want to fuck him?” Your friend giggled. You hesitated to speak. “Oh my god, have you already fucked?”

“No!” You defensively screeched.

“But you’ve thought about it!”

“Will you lower your voice? He lives right there! What if he hears you?”

I peeked through the peephole to spy on this encounter, brainlessly ducking down when I saw you eyeing my door curiously. After I finally slowed down the cadence of my heart, the realization dawned on me that you couldn’t possibly have been able to see me from the outside view of my peephole, but it still felt like you had; your eyes pierced through my soul, bewitching my body and soul.

Luckily for you - unluckily for me, I suppose - you and your friend vanished into your apartment before I could hear the rest of that conversation. I didn’t need to, though. What I heard was enough to keep me up all night. Had I heard anything more, I’m not sure how many more hours of sleep I would’ve lost just thinking about you.

Hours I could’ve spent reading. Hours I could’ve spent writing. Hours I could’ve spent, but time that I would never take back. Not for anything in the world.

Our next interaction took place the following week.

It was 5 a.m and Hotch had called us all in early, so I was already out the door before the sun was up, but evidently, not before you were up. Because when I left my apartment, there you were, lingering in the doorway, leaning against - what I had to assume was - your very much unlocked front door.

“Oh!” You flinched and gasped, while ripping the headphones out of your ears. “You scared me, Spencer.”

“Good morning to you, too, (y/n).” I quipped, puckering my lips slightly to reduce the immense size of my zealous smile before grinning back at you again, this time with a much smaller smile - one much less discouraging.

You were exactly what I needed to see to make my morning better, and your hair in a ponytail and your black leggings only made the view that much sweeter.

“What are you doing up so early?” You had asked me inquisitively.

“I got called into work.”

“Oh.”

You sounded so disappointed, and I couldn’t help but feel that I’d just let you down. The pout of your lips and deflation of your shoulders only solidified that.

It was then where I should’ve left you alone and gone to work, which I was already considerably late for, but I couldn’t help myself. I would’ve worried about you all day if I hadn’t asked, “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” You tried to wave me away down the staircase, but I knew better than to leave. You understood my maintained foothold as a silent communication that I wouldn’t walk away unless you told me what was bothering you so you reluctantly gave in.

“Well, honestly, I’ve been standing out here since like 4:30, trying to convince myself to go on a run, but ... I’m actually kind of scared to. I just, I don’t know if I feel safe running alone in the dark.”

You never met my eyes, they were only fixated on the earbud cord you were rolling between your fingers to make brief circles in the air.

“You know what?”

From those words alone, you perked back up.

“I’m already late, so I can ... I’ll run with you. If you want.”

In seven little words, I managed to gain all your trust. That’s all it took for you to never be ashamed of your feelings in front of me. You trusted me to always respond to your vulnerability like this, and I knew then, what the weight of having your trust felt like. I could never wish to break it.

Your joy was so uncontainable to the point where you were emboldened enough to show me your appreciation through a hug so big that I couldn’t understand how your petite body was capable of supporting something of its size. You wrapped your arms around my neck, pulling me down to your height despite already balancing on the tips of your toes. I had to remind myself not to indulge in your embrace too much, otherwise I might never have let you go.

Your hair smelled like a certain flower my mother used to put in a vase on our dining table. It’s the same flower that she grows in the garden of her assisted living home at present. It’s such a distinct scent - magnolias - I’ll never forget. But now whenever I pass those beloved magnolias during my visitations, the flowers from my childhood dining room won’t be what I associate it with anymore.

You’ll be what I think of.

I was met with the cruel reminder of what I’d agreed to when you left my arms. There’s not much I dislike in this world as much as exercise, but for you - I’d run to the ends of the earth. I mean that.

“You’re my hero!” You exclaimed when we reached our apartments again after that treacherous run, which felt more like a marathon and a half to me.

I would’ve said something back, but I was still trying to catch my breath, even folding over my bent knees to stop myself from panting so hard. For a moment there, I was sincerely upset that you weren’t nearly as breathless as I was. Were you just that perfect in every conceivable way? Not even a semblance of windedness from the miles and miles we just ran?

How unfair. Have pity on my poor soul.

“I had so much fun. We should do that again sometime.” You added.

Again, I would’ve responded to your exclamation, but I was still very much out of breath. You didn’t seem to mind, though. You even offered me a sip of your water. I politely declined, which I meant as no insult. I only refused because I would not have been able to handle the effects of tasting you on it.

Thankfully, I’d caught my breath before the next time we encountered each other. This time I could actually speak.

It was two in the morning and I’d just come home from an exhausting case, feeling more ready to sink into the depths of my bed than ever. Almost the entire way up the stairs, I was lethargically dragging my feet up each step to get to my apartment ... until I saw you.

“Hey, it’s you! 2B.”

Like a siren singing to a ship of sailors, your voice called out to me from the top stair, shocking me when I came around the corner - a most welcome surprise.

“Hey.” I cooed back softly.

Despite my mind firing impulses to run to you, my feet weren’t listening. I was stopped in my tracks by the mere sight of you.

It wasn’t lost on me that the bags under my eyes were probably heavier and darker than they ever had been before, and that my hair was in complete shambles from where I’d run my fingers through them in distress one too many times, and that my loosened tie that hung from the collar of my skirt looked disheveled, but you? You were still a radiant view to behold, even at 2 a.m. especially at 2 a.m. The sight of you shocked my onerous heart like a defibrillator on bare skin, reigniting my entire being.

I could finally breathe again.

My posture straightened, my head raised, and my smile returned. You looked just as excited to see me as I was to see you and it was such a warm feeling.

“So where have you been at this hour, young man? Your girlfriend’s?”

I should’ve noticed then the way you slurred your words together, but I think I was blinded by the bliss of being able to see right through you for the first time.

I could see that you were compensating. You wanted to look happy for me in the event that I did have a girlfriend, but underneath, you were morbidly curious, desperately hoping that I didn’t. For you, I chose the more merciful option - giving into your clandestine concern so as not to torture you any longer with the fear that I was in a relationship.

“I -” My own mirthless chuckle cut into my sentence. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

And I saw it - I saw the look of relief on your face.

“I was at work,” I honestly told you, my feet resuming their climb up the stairs. “So, why are you still up?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

By the time you answered, I’d reached the top step where you were perched, wearing that big flannel. It devoured your figure, the collar of the shirt hanging off your shoulders, the cuffs of the sleeves stretching way past your hands, the hem of the shirt falling at your thighs. That’s all you were wearing for pajamas, just a big shirt, not even shoes or socks to cover your feet from the shiny Merbau floors. It took all of me not to fasten one more of the flannel’s buttons to protect your modesty, but really, who was I protecting you from? Guys just as perverse and impure as me?

My jaw tensed as a reminder to myself not to wonder about what was underneath the flannel, or what wasn’t.

You shifted from the middle of the stair to the side, making room for me to sit beside you. Our proximity enabled me to notice your usual scent of magnolias was replaced with something much less agreeable - a scent that didn’t suit you.

Liquor.

At the exact moment I looked down at your face to locate the signs of intoxication, you’d taken it upon yourself to rest your head on my shoulder, blocking my view. I knew it wasn’t your intention to hide your face from me, but it was hard to believe that you were doing this just to get closer to me. Was it the alcohol that stole your inhibitions and unearthed the confidence to touch me further? Was this what you had wanted to do all this time but couldn’t without liquid courage? And I wonder, even with a calmer disposition created by liquor, were you still feeling first time nerves? Or were you the luckier of the two of us, fortunately avoiding the agony of a racing heart?

“So what’s keeping you up?” My voice croaked, trying to maintain a nonchalant attitude to your otherwise intimidating actions.

“This stupid guy.”

At first, I was sure that you were talking about someone else, and I prepared my weary heart to listen to you pour your soul out about ‘this stupid guy’ to me, but then I got smarter and recalled the conversation that took place not too long ago, the one that kept me up all night.

Was I the ‘stupid guy?’

“Tell me about him.”

“He’s ... he’s so tall.” You had laughed. “And he’s got this great smile. He’s super nice, too. But he’s the kind of guy that you can’t really figure out, but you want to, you know what I mean?”

I trained my eyes to stay forward and not look at you so that your resting head might not be disturbed by the action, but I wanted to look at you. I wanted to see those micro-expressions and read your face. I needed to know if you were talking about me.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“If he were any other guy, I’d be upfront with him, but this guy ... he’s different. He scares me, and his rejection scares me even more,” You went quiet for longer than a second and this time I actually did have to move my head to check on you in case you’d suddenly passed out. But when I went to look down at you, I was met with the shocking view of those batted eyelashes and big doe eyes again.

“What do you think I should do, 2B?”

I knew it. Those eyes can’t lie to me.

You were talking about me.

“I think you should tell him how you feel. You might be surprised.”

“Yeah …” Your voice faded out when you replaced your head on my shoulder. “Maybe.”

“He might feel the same way.” I whispered.

“You think so?”

“I do.”

“How do you know?”

It took me a moment to gather the right answer, but even with as extensive a vocabulary as I was equipped with, every single word in it was failing me. Though ultimately unsatisfactory, the only thing I could manage to say that was honest and quaint was, “He’d be crazy if he didn’t.”

The air was still. Not a word from either of us. Not even a peep, until the sounds of your snores revealed the true cause of the silence - you’d fallen asleep, and most likely before I had found it in me to confess my feelings. I smiled still, though. At least you’d finally gone to sleep.

Without another thought, I slid my hand under your knees with the other hand at the small of your back to lift you off the stairwell and carry you back to your apartment. And no surprise to me when all I had to do was press my arm against the door to open it.

You never do lock that thing, do you?

As I entered your apartment, I did my best not to gape at the surroundings, for it felt like an invasion of privacy without your verbal consent willingly granting me the permission to do so. I quickly located the bedroom using only the profound knowledge of my own apartment’s configuration that, for obvious reasons, identically matched yours. I made sure to sit you upright against your pillows in the event that you choked on your vomit, but I held high hopes that you weren’t so inebriated as to have that come into fruition.

When it came time to leave you, I had to slip my hands out from under your body. I attempted to perform this action with the utmost caution, but I think the coarseness of my hands gliding against your velvet skin made it impossible not to feel. You shivered at my touch, waking ever so slightly.

“Spencer?” You asked in your sleep.

“Shh, it’s okay. Go back to sleep.” I spoke softly, stroking your hair so it might soothe you back to sleep. This alone felt like a pure moment, but it was much sweeter when your small hand wrapped around my wrist while you placed your other one on top of mine. You leaned your face into my palm and gently shut your eyes, trying to maximize your ability to feel my touch. I even saw a smile come upon your face.

“Will you stay with me?” You whispered against my skin.

I couldn’t say no, sweet girl.

I stayed with you for two hours while you slept. I wanted to ensure that you were safe, but I knew that I shouldn’t stay the night. Not because I couldn’t trust myself, but because I was worried that you wouldn’t remember asking me to stay the night before. Honestly, I preferred that you woke up with no recollection of that night. Because while watching you sleep to fulfill your request, I was also experiencing the deepest regret of my life.

If I told you how I felt a second sooner, maybe you would’ve heard me and that night would’ve ended very differently.

I suppose that was our ‘missed chance #1.’

To be quite honest, that night did discourage me, and I made a conscious effort to avoid you in days to follow. I wish I could rationalize my behavior here, but I doubt that any explanation will suffice so I’ll settle for the truth.

I thought avoiding you would make the regret go away, and I hoped my feelings would leave with it. But if anything, the longing I felt to see you again, the urge for fate bring us back together, only made my infatuation greater.

As luck would have it, not even my most extravagant attempts to avoid you would work.

I had heard it from the first floor where I was getting my mail, a strangely familiar sound - the sound of knocking. It was growing more and more desperate with each step I took up the stairs and once I finally reached the top, I found the cause of this noise at last. It was you - knocking at my door.

“(Y/n)?”

You turned over your shoulder; your furrowed brows and disgruntled appearance faded at the sight of me.

“2B! I was wondering where you were. Where have you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

It had only been 9 days, (y/n), but yes, I suppose it did feel like forever.

I responded with an answer I always seemed to give you, an answer you seemed to already anticipate.

“Work.”

“Mmm, it always is work, isn’t it?”

“Yeah …” I sheepishly agreed, looking down to avoid your scrutinizing gaze. It was easier to let you believe work is what kept me away from you, and not the insatiable craving to be with you, but I could feel you sensing my lie.

“Well, I hope you’re not busy on December 21st.”

“What’s December 21st?”

“My going away party.”

My stomach dropped; my heart stopped, and I think I could actually feel the lump in my throat solidify into a pit.

“Going away party?”

“Yeah, I’m going home for the holidays, back to Oregon so I can visit my dad for a while and um …”

I saw the same look on your face that I saw all those days ago when you admitted you didn’t feel safe running alone. The fearful one, where you knew you had to gather the courage to be vulnerable. When you looked back up at me, I wish I would’ve seen those doe eyes, but no. Your eyes were bloodshot and filled with tears.

“I think, I think it might be his last Christmas, so I, I got an open-ended ticket just so I can -”

I didn’t want you to explain any more to me if you couldn’t bear it. “Of course. That makes perfect sense.”

“I’m not really sure when I’m coming back, so I wanted to have a little get together with my friends before I leave. And I was really hoping you’d be able to come. If you’re not busy with work, of course.”

How could I say no?

“I’ll be there.”

You sighed in relief and smiled at me in thanks. “Perfect. Thank you.”

You turned on your heels and vanished into your unlocked apartment before I could offer a hug, but I think even if I did have the chance, it wouldn’t have been enough to heal the hurt that penetrated deep within your soul. That was a pain, I couldn’t fix - no one could.

December 21st came faster than I imagined, and in no time at all, I was standing outside your unlocked door, trying to gather the confidence to enter.

I wore my best suit and tie specifically to impress you, but even if I was decorated with the finest silks, I still wouldn’t have looked as golden as you. Your neck, ears, and fingers were embellished with gold jewelry that sparkled ever so slightly under the pale yellow light of your apartment. You had styled your hair differently than I’d ever seen it, and I felt like I was seeing you for the first time all over again.

“You look …” Heavenly. Dazzling. Magnificent. “Breathtaking.”

“You’re not too bad yourself, 2B.” You drew closer, filling my senses with your poisonous perfume.

“I especially like this tie.”

God help me when you walked your fingers up my tie. It took everything not to shudder at the sensation. I gulped to replenish my dry mouth while I stared into your eyes. Don’t ask me how I did it, but I found the willpower to break away from your hypnotizing gaze.

“So,” I cleared my throat. “Where’s everyone else?” With these words, I walked away to catch my breath by your dining table, unintentionally abandoning you in the living room. In response, you sort of laughed, which made me concerned.

“I actually asked you to come an hour earlier than everyone else.” To my quizzical brow, you answered, “I told my friends about you.”

You can imagine the butterflies in my stomach from the joy of you telling me that. “You did?”

“They had a bunch of questions for me, but I told them to save them for tonight since you were coming. I just thought we could have, like, a pre-party-run-through of what to say.”

“Got it.”

You were shocked at my willingness. “You don’t think I’m crazy?”

The only person that I think is crazy, is the person that doesn’t admire you as deeply as I do, (y/n).

In no time at all, we were sitting on your couch, facing each other, while playing a speed round of 21 questions.

Here, we discovered our shared hobby of reading, you unearthed my job as a profiler (not without asking a million questions about it after), and I came to the realization of just how hopelessly devoted to you I was after a three-word question.

“Future baby names?” You casually asked. To say that that one caught me off guard would be the understatement of the year.

“Future baby names?” I repeated; my cheeks flushed while I felt you anxiously waiting for an answer. Your eyes were expectant and the large gulp I took was just a means to stall time until I finally whispered, “Harper.”

You were silent for a second and I felt the need to explain myself. “I don’t know why, probably because of Harper Lee, but I just like the name.”

The biggest grin crept its way onto your face. “Shut up.”

“What?”

“Shut up because that name is literally on my list!” You squealed delightfully.

Truthfully, ever since that faithful first day I met you, I deliberately refused to let myself imagine a future with you, but after December 21st - that’s all I could do. All thanks to your “baby names” question. Would you believe that the first time we ever truly hung out, you were reading off all your favorite baby names and giving me a thorough description of why you liked each one? That seems like only a thing we’d do - after all almost every experience we had together was unconventional to some degree.

That one hour of private bonding came and went, and soon enough, I was surrounded by the closest people in your life. And somehow, your boundless love made me feel like I was part of that close circle, too - like I always had been.

First to greet me was April, your roommate in college. I recognized her voice instantly, recalling it as the one I heard outside my door all those nights ago. I tried not to smile at the memory of her crude question, “Do you wanna fuck him?”

Arriving only seconds after her was Marty, short for Martin, and he’s Drew’s boyfriend. Drew worked with you at the grocery store, which was your first real job during college.

After Drew and Marty, came Jillian and Janelle, twin sisters you met in your “Introduction to Psychology” class, a class you thought you would end up hating, but you actually ended up loving.

“So, Spencer, what’s up with you and (y/n)?”

I knew the question was bound to come up, and it came as no surprise to me that April was the one to be asking it. After the conversation I overheard weeks ago, I came to the discovery that she is someone who is all but forthright. Given the fact that this was the singular opportunity to catch me alone, since I was practically attached at your hip the entire night, April wasted no time in jumping at the opportunity to back me into a corner at my most vulnerable.

“We’re just friends.” I said through a cheeky smile that surely gave me away. The lie stung my tongue as it passed through my teeth, and I knew it was impossible to have fooled her.

“(Y/n) would kill me if she knew I told you this, but I’ve known her since she was 17, and I have never seen her light up the way she did when she was talking about you. Sometimes I catch her just smiling out of nowhere, and I have to think that you’re the reason why.”

At the moment, my expressions were a completely separate entity from my mind because I could not control the grin that crept onto my face and I had no control over the minimization of it either. No matter how hard I tried to reduce it, it was impossible.

“Ever since her dad got sick, she’s been a different girl. But tonight, I think I finally have my old friend back again ... Thank you.”

April’s pursed lip smile, in any other exigence, could be seen as insincere or facetious, but here, I knew it was a smile of gratitude and thanks. As April left my gravity, you were simultaneously entering it with a sly grin on your face.

“What were you two talking about?”

“You.”

“Me?” Your voice heightened in pitch as you pretended to be shocked. “What about me?”

“Just about how much we both really like you.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Indeed, it is so.”

You came closer, wrapping your arms around my waist to draw me in nearer. You had your head cocked all the way up to look at me with those once again, batted eyelashes and doe eyes.

“Well, I really like you too, 2B. And so do all of my friends.”

A genuine laugh escaped me as I pushed you away from me and nudged you backward so we could integrate with the rest of the party again. It was all a charade to get you to look away from my visible joy. In the back of my mind lied the thought about what April said about your dad and how different you became following his diagnosis, but I knew better than to bring that up here, right now.

Once we immersed ourselves back into the group, I found you being even touchier with me. You would lock your arm around mine, or lie your head on my shoulder. Even while we were sitting on the couch, you were practically on my lap. I don’t think you were intentionally being so coquettish, but if you were - it was pure evil. Especially, when you left my lap to answer a call in the other room.

I deliberately tried not to stare into the room you wandered in so that I could look as present in the moment with your friends as possible, for it would’ve been rude both to ignore them and to invade your privacy, but I could see your body language even in the poorly lit space.

Something was wrong.

In a one minute and fifty-three second phone call, December 21st went from the best night of my life, to the worst night of yours.

I saw the way you came back into the living room with your eyes blankly staring into space. You were a walking ghost, a shell of a woman.

“That was Adriana, my dad’s nurse,” You told us, commandeering the entire room’s attention. And somehow, we all knew what was to follow.

“My dad just died.”

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

“I’ll take care of her, I promise.” I heard Spencer whisper to April as he walked her out.

I felt terrible for letting him walk out all the guests I invited, while I simply sat on my couch staring into the nothingness. I should’ve said goodbye to them, but I was paralyzed even when he came back into the living room.

“I know this is a dumb question, but - you okay?” I could see the way his eyes ran over my face to examine me. Were you profiling me, Doctor?

“It’s weird,” I admitted. “It hasn’t hit me, yet. That he’s dead.”

Even as the word left my mouth, my brain still couldn’t register it.

“That’s not weird at all. Statistically speaking, after the death of a loved one, 32% of people reported that they stayed in the first stage of grief the longest.”

I wasn’t familiar with what he was referring to, which was something I’d have to get used to considering I was talking to a provable genius after all. “What’s the first stage of grief?”

“Denial.”

And that was true, I was in denial. Even hours before my flight home, I was still in stage one. I was packing the last of my things when Spencer called to make sure I had everything I needed.

“Wallet?”

“Check.”

“Passport?”

“Check.”

“Ticket?”

“Check.”

“Door?”

“Door?” I repeated. “What do you mean door?”

“Have you locked your door?”

“I never lock my door.” I scoffed, partially recognizing my own naiveté.

“Yeah, I know you don’t. But will you please lock it for me when you leave?”

“Okay, okay, fine. I’ll lock it on my way out.”

Following my own promise, I hauled my suitcase through my apartment and turned the doorknob to exit, but I quickly stopped when I saw Spencer standing right outside.

“Spencer? What are you doing here? I thought you were at work.” Soon after my statement, I ended our phone call considering there was no need to be on the phone with Spencer since he was standing right there in front of me.

“I, um, I needed you to lock your door after you left because I won’t be around to do it myself when you’re in Oregon.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m coming with you.”

All the anxiety and stress left my body at once and there was nothing for me to do but show him my deepest appreciation by engulfing him in a hug.

“You’re coming with me?” I nearly cried.

“I couldn’t let you do this alone. And April practically threatened that if I didn’t buy a ticket, she’d kill me.”

I chuckled mirthlessly in recognition of April’s tendency to be harsh in pursuit of something she wanted. I was so pleased to hear she wanted him to be with me in Oregon as badly as I wanted him to come. Her approval meant the world to me, and to know that she brought us that much closer together, even under these circumstances, truly showed her support of us.

In the hug, my head was hanging over Spencer’s shoulder giving me the opportunity to see his hidden luggage that if I had noticed earlier, would’ve revealed this little surprise, but I was glad I was blind to it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have felt the sweetest relief imaginable, it would’ve only been a combination of diluted relief and satisfaction of confirmed suspicion - a mixture not half so rewarding.

“Thank you.” I whispered.

. . .

There’s something about driving through your hometown after years and years of being gone. It’s like listening to a song you used to play over and over again, after not hearing it for a while. Both are like little time capsules that simultaneously preserve those memories while also transporting you to them. Whether that was a good or bad thing was still undetermined.

“Home sweet home.” I sighed, the weight of everything coming down on me the minute I stepped foot in the doorway.

I could actually smell the interior of the house and it brought back so many memories. I lived here for so long and never once could I smell a scent so distinct as this one, but now, with how long I’ve been gone - I could distinguish it, as if it were just another person’s house, and not my own from childhood.

“(Y/n), is that you?” Adriana’s voice wavered as she ran towards me, embracing me with a warm hug. “I haven’t seen you in so long. Lemme look at you.” Adriana pulled back to stare at me in my entirety, and there was something about the look on her face. It was full of pride and sorrow - pride to see me in my full transformation into a woman but sorrow to be seeing me for these reasons.

“Your dad would’ve been so proud to see the woman you’ve grown up to be.”

Her teary eyes only brought on my own flood of tears. I hadn’t cried yet, but that was probably only because I was so distant from everything, but now, here in my childhood home, I was right in the middle of it.

Adriana inhaled sharply after realizing how long our hug had lingered and the fact that she hadn’t yet greeted Spencer. “Oh forgive me for being so rude, I’m Adriana. I was (y/n)’s father’s nurse.”

“Spencer Reid.” He kindly greeted. “How are you, Adriana?” He asked her, a question I realized I should’ve asked myself. Somehow I’d forgotten that this couldn’t have been easier for her either.

Walking through even just the front of the house was enough to overwhelm me with a plethora of memories. I was far too busy gaping at how much it hadn’t changed over the years to insert myself into Spencer and Adriana’s conversation.

“Well, right now, I’m just working on cleaning up the house. For when it goes on sale.” I heard Adriana tell Spencer.

I turned quickly over my shoulder in shock. “On sale?”

“Your father figured you would sell this house. He left it for you, but he didn’t think you’d want it.”

I should note that: here is where the seed was planted. The seed of doubt.

Should I keep the house and move back to Oregon?

“Oh and before I forget,” Adriana tapped her pockets until she found what she was looking for. “He wanted me to give you this. He wrote it for you a couple days before he ...” She couldn’t even bring herself to say, ‘died’.

It was an envelope with what appeared to be a letter inside of it. I never knew my father to be a writer, so I opened it with such passionate fervor that I nearly gave myself a paper cut. Adriana and Spencer must’ve recognized my overwhelming eagerness to read it because they disappeared into the kitchen to give me the privacy to do so.

To my dearest (y/n),

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you I was getting worse.

But what I’m not sorry about is not asking you to come home. I made a lotta mistakes when you were growing up, but I think the smartest thing I ever did was not ask you to come back home, because ever since I was diagnosed four years ago, you were ready to run home at the drop of a hat and rush back here in no time at all. That’s no way to live. You can’t just put your life on hold for my imminent death - and that’s certainly not what I want you to do when I actually am dead.

I want you to live your life, (y/n).

Never press pause. Keep going.

Live a long and happy life ... for me, alright, kiddo?

Love, your old man

All at once, I departed from the first stage of grief and straight into the second.

Anger.

I hurled the note with as much force as I could, screaming at the top of my lungs with an earsplitting shrill. After seeing the letter fall onto the entryway table, I took my outer arm and swept every single thing on the table off of it out of anger that his letter didn’t go far enough. I could still read the words - I could still hear his voice. I watched in dignity as I let the decor, lamp, and picture frames fall where they may. The lamp landed on its side, clattering beside fallen decor and the picture frames’ glass split in two. I saw the remnants of the mess I created, and I was even angrier at myself. I only created more destruction for me to fix later. My face felt fiery hot and my skin was burning. I was fuming with rage when I finally looked into the mirror and saw the person I hated the most.

Myself.

I was consumed by a deep loathing of the woman staring back at my in the reflection.

How could she? How could she not visit dad until now? How could she let Adriana take care of him instead of taking care of him herself? How could she not check in every day? How could she spend years away from him?

How could she not know he was going to die?

“I hate you!”

The anger took over my body and in one swift motion, my fist collided with the glass, shattering the dead center of the mirror. I cried out in immediate anguish as I felt my wrist go limp and a shooting pain going up and down my arm. Horror must’ve filled my eyes when I saw tiny shards of glass piercing my fist. I think I might’ve actually blacked out from the pain because all I could remember next was waking up in a hospital bed with my arm in a cast that extended all the way to my elbow. I blinked slowly to readjust to the glare, but thankfully, Spencer’s hovering face shielded my eyes from the bright florescent light.

“You know, for someone so small, you pack a pretty good punch,” Spencer chuckled mirthlessly. “You managed to dislocate your wrist, shatter a bone in your forearm, and fracture your elbow. Remind me to never get into a fist fight with you.” He kidded, making the joke just to see me smile, which it did, but he wouldn’t stop there. He had to actually see me laugh again.

“Well, I think it’s safe to say you’re in the second stage of grief now, huh?”

A soft giggle escaped me, and he knew his plan had worked.

“But seriously, how are you feeling?”

His question was accompanied with the delicate stroking of my hair out of my face, and I was transported to all those nights ago when I asked him to stay the night. I couldn’t remember much from that night either, but I could remember this feeling. The feeling of his touch.

I felt so loved.

I shut my eyes in an effort to hide the tears that were glossing them, but that only made them stream down my cheeks.

“Oh, (y/n),” Spencer frowned, replacing his stroking hand to the back of my head to bring my forehead closer to his lips where he would place a chaste kiss on it. “I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re feeling right now, but I am going to be right there for you - through every single emotion.”

His warm words only made me sob harder. I didn’t deserve his good heart.

“If I could take your pain away and experience it myself, I would. In a heartbeat.”

Only his words I could trust wholeheartedly.

I was discharged from the hospital several hours later, the loopiness I was experiencing from the anesthesia just barely wearing off, and I was forced to face the consequences of my previous actions in the form of a shower.

Yes, you heard that correctly - a shower.

“How do I even shower with a cast on?” I asked out loud to myself after turning the water on. My question was quickly followed with two knocks on the door and a, “Need any help in there?” from Spencer.

There was a quick moment of contemplation which ultimately led to a bashful, “Yes, I do.”

My timidity fell away shortly after seeing Spencer fumble into the bathroom with his hand over his eyes.

“I won’t look, I promise.”

My laughter erupted in the room at the sheer amusement I got from his sinless actions. “I’m not naked! You don’t have to cover your eyes.”

He made a gap between his middle and ring finger for his eyes to peek through just enough to register if I was really telling the truth and upon the discovery that I was, he removed his hand from his face. Afterwards, he left me with careful instructions to not wet my cast and carry on with the rest of my shower routine as normal.

My shower, though mildly inconvenient because of my cast, was just like any other - ending in me shuffling from the bathroom to my bedroom with just a towel to cover me and collect the water from my sopping body. It was after I shut my bedroom door behind me I was met with yet another daunting task - putting on clothes.

Unfortunately, my short temper didn’t bode well with my struggle to put pants on followed by my complete inability to find a shirt that had sleeves big enough to fit my cast through without excessively stretching the fabric. This resulted in the downright termination of the act after minutes of trying. I’d been rummaging through my luggage for minutes, but it wasn’t like I was planning to end up in a cast, so naturally - I didn’t bring clothes fit for such an occasion. And anything that was left in my closet were clothes that hadn’t fit me since high school.

“(Y/n)?” I heard Spencer knock gently then saw him opening the door with painfully slow caution.

“Down here.”

His eyes followed as my words told him, and there he found me, lying on the floor with my towel still wrapped around my upper body.

“What are you doing down there?”

I should add that, along with his playfully spoken question, he got down on the floor to further lie on his back, too. It was a simple thing really, but it meant more to me than he knew. He wanted to join me as I rested on the carpet; he didn’t want to be standing above me, talking down to me. He saw me as his equal and he was going to lie with me on the floor, too - no hesitation whatsoever. He was more than content to follow along with my peculiar schemes, to humor my weirdness.

How many people in your life can you say that about? There’s not very many in mine who will go along with whatever I do or say just to make me happy, and for that, I thanked my lucky stars for giving me Spencer.

“I’ve been trying to put on a shirt, but none of them would fit around my cast and I just got frustrated and gave up.” I bluntly told him.

“I can see that.” He jestingly noted, his eyes skimming over the mess in the room that I created trying to find a shirt that would fit. I could see the gears in his head turning for a solution to my problem.

“What if I give you mine? Do you think it’ll fit?”

He disappeared out of my bedroom and in less than a minute, he came back into the room with a worn Caltech shirt, and of course, it was a perfect fit. Almost made-to-measure.

After my content finding of a proper shirt, we resumed our position on the floor, lying side by side.

“I really like your room, by the way. I especially like your stars.” He pointed at my ceiling that was spotted with glow-in-the-dark stickers in the shape of stars and planets that I’d put up there as a child.

I tried not to laugh as to not insult his admiration of them, but I couldn’t contain the slight giggle that left me from the amusement of his childlike wonder.

“Why?” I had to ask.

“I dunno, it’s just nice to look at. It’s kinda like we’re stargazing.”

“Hmm, I guess we kinda are.”

“Oh look!” He quickly motioned to a different sticker than the one he’d pointed to before. “There’s a shooting star! Make a wish.”

“Shut up!” I childishly giggled, reaching across my body to shove him with my good arm.

“Come on it’s a shooting star - you have to make a wish!”

In the same way that he humored my silly antics, I knew I had to indulge his.

“Alright, I wish -”

“No, you have to close your eyes!” He insisted. “Your wish won’t come true unless you close your eyes.” To my furrowed brows and deadpan stare, he responded, “I don’t make the rules! You just have to!”

I played along and shut my eyes all while inhaling deeply in preparation to make a wish.

In that same breath, Spencer leaned over me, letting his face hang above mine for just a second to look at me. Even though I couldn’t look at him back, he didn’t mind.

“I wish . . .”

I parted my mouth to say something in addition, but my words were cut short when he placed his lips on mine.

The stars were aligning.

It was a shy kiss, just as I always dreamt it would be. He didn’t move his lips; he only puckered them against mine, and I could feel him begin to pull away. Before he could, I raised my head to follow his mouth, drawing him in closer with my one good hand on his cheek.

That was the only thing stopping him from kissing me harder before. He needed to know that I wanted it just as much as he did. And I did. I really did.

Now with more encouragement, he snaked his hand under my neck, supporting the back of my head, tangling his fingers in my still-damp hair. He cocked his head to the side, sharply inhaling so my own mouth would be forced to open, too, creating an entryway just big enough for his tongue to slip in.

I started seeing stars, and not the ones on my ceiling.

The moment was too quick and ended before I wanted it to, like all moments I had with him. He placed one small chaste kiss to give me solace, our lips clinging together briefly, bouncing back into place when ours faces were fully apart, making a small pop noise from the moist separation.

“Your hair smells like magnolias.” He drawled, seemingly in a daze when his eyes fluttered open.

It sent me into a fit of giggles - a sound he couldn’t resist. I noticed him eyeing me as I laughed and I tried not to let it get to my head, but God, if looks could kill. I wish I could see me the way he saw me. He looked at me like I was a galaxy full of stars, even if I felt like a dark abyss that would swallow him whole.

“I can’t believe it.” He dreamily whispered in awe.

“You can’t believe what?”

“When I first met you, I couldn’t get over how beautiful you were. And now, I’m smelling your shampoo while you’re wearing my clothes, kissing me under the stars?”

I’d never seen someone look so grateful. It was the purest vision.

I never did finish saying my wish, but if I had, it would’ve been to stay in this moment forever. But like all our moments together, this one, too, was gone in the blink of an eye.

Soon enough, all this would just be a memory of the past. Another moment locked in time, never to occur again.

. . .

The week later we buried my father.

I’d somehow skipped stage three and four - bargaining and depression - and was well on my way to stage five - acceptance. But it wasn’t really the acceptance of his death, more so the acceptance of what I had to do in the wake of it.

I heeded my father’s words of not pressing pause on my life, but what I did next wasn’t really pressing pause, just rewinding a bit.

I did say that whether coming to my hometown after years of not being here was a good thing or bad thing was still undetermined, and I think this was me realizing that it still is undetermined, and I wouldn’t be able to figure it out if I left. And really, I couldn’t leave. Not again. Not when Adriana needed me most to upkeep the house. Not after I’d purposefully bought an open-ended ticket to stay here for longer.

I was meant to stay here, and consequently, I knew what that meant for me and Spencer.

We were on our way home from the funeral when Spencer parked the car in the driveway and shut it off. The rain was pelting the windshield as the window wipers robotically swept from side to side. We’d been listening to the sound of rain and automated windshield wipers for the entire duration of the time we sat there. He was waiting for me to say what he already knew.

I wasn’t coming back to Virginia.

The loud silence was broken with my words, “I’ve never felt this way for anyone before.”

It almost seemed like he didn’t hear me because of the way he kept looking straightforward instead of at me, but I feel that it might’ve been so I wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes.

“Spencer, I love you.” I honestly confessed, the simultaneous feeling of weight being lifted off my shoulders and a new weight being placed onto them coming over me.

For the first time, he swiveled his head to the side, giving me full view of his crestfallen expression. I almost wish he hadn’t.

“I love you, too.” His voice croaked.

“But it wouldn’t be fair to start a relationship with you like this.”

“That’s what I was afraid you would say.” He whimpered.

I needed to take care of Adriana, look after the house, and recover from my dad’s death, and it would be so easy to escape all that if I went back to Virginia. But if I honestly wanted to grow from this, I had to accept the responsibilities I had waiting for me here. Nothing needed me in Virginia - nothing but Spencer.

And if I knew him as well as I thought I did, he would understand that I couldn’t come back just yet.

And he wouldn’t ask me to.

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

It’s been five months now, and somewhere around month two I got the sneaking suspicion that you were lying when you said you loved me. Because why wouldn’t you fight for us if you really did?

But you knew if you told me that a long-distance relationship was too much to handle on top of everything else you had going on, I would’ve offered to move to Oregon with you, but you didn’t want that. You didn’t want me to uproot my life for you, and you knew that’s exactly what I would’ve done.

So after three more months of that thought brewing, I’ve come to the realization that you weren’t lying. No, you loved me too much. Too much to make me choose between you and my life in Virginia, but I’m telling you right now - if you asked me to, I’d choose you. Over and over and over again.

I’d choose you.

But that’s just it - you wouldn’t let me choose you, and you didn’t. That’s why you didn’t ask. I’m mad you never gave me the option, but I know that you only did that out of love.

And I guess if that’s your way of saying “I love you,” then this letter is mine.

I only wrote this instead of telling you it in person, because I think, for the first time, I want to trust the world as much as you trust the world.

I want to have as much blind faith in something as you have in that unlocked door of yours.

I want to trust that when you come back to Virginia and find this letter, whenever that may be, we’ll be different people, and that maybe then we’ll be better for each other. But until that time comes - until that faithful day when you return from Oregon, I will wait.

I will wait, and I will not forget you - I promise that.

It’s quite hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember.

At this time, you and I haven’t spoken a word to each other since the funeral, so I have virtually no idea what your current state of affairs are, but I should let you know that by this time next week, I will be living in a real house, which also means I am moving out of this apartment at the end of the week. I'm quite disoriented from this to say the least, but I’ve never been more ready or excited to start a new chapter of my life.

As for us - this isn’t our last chapter. I know it. There’s more for us.

I have faith.

And if there’s one last thing I wanted you to know, it’s that:

You have given me a lifetime of happiness, 3B.

Sincerely yours, 2B

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

#the boy next door #spencer reid kiss #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid soft angst #juniorgman187 #Criminal Minds #criminal minds fanfic #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid

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babybamf · 3 years

Text

Meeting and Dating Warren Worthington III

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

(We’re just gonna throw together a little au, alright?)

- You met Warren after Xavier brought him back to the school. Most people stayed away from him and rightfully so; he had teamed up with a malicious god and was partially responsible for the destruction of your school.

- You’d stayed away as well, which is what he seemed to want. He wasn’t exactly putting himself out there to make friends, not with his glaring and standoffish demeanor.

- A part of you figured that he really didn’t want people around him. That, no, he wasn’t just being “cruelly” ostracized by his peers; he was actively and consciously making sure people stayed away.

- But then another part of you reasoned that few people had actually attempted to get close to him, and to be fair, you hadn’t liked those people either.

- You’d contemplated going up and introducing yourself. In fact, you’d tried to, taking a deep breath and maneuvering your way across the school grounds towards him with that exact idea in mind. But the minute you came almost close enough to throw away any doubt that you were approaching him, he’d looked up at you with such cold and venomous fervor that you’d lost your nerve.

- Instead, you’d; thankfully, managed to continue on walking and coincidentally run into a younger student that you’d known, making it seem like that was your intention all along. You decided that day that Warren Worthington just hated people and you shouldn’t interfere with that.

- That would have been the end of it, and at the time you wished that it was, but that wasn’t the case. The moment you walked past the boy, it was like you’d painted a target on your forehead.

- Everywhere you went, Warren Worthington was there to stare at you from across the way. He’d set his sights on you and you weren’t sure which emotion was behind his gaze, though you were pretty sure it wasn’t one of the good ones.

- It took a few months of this, and you wondering if he was planning on killing you, for anything to actually happen.

- You’d been sitting in the lunchroom, reading a book when you heard the rooms chatter die down. There, at the entrance, stood Warren.

- He scanned the room, his eyes landing on you; much more passively than most other times, before moving to the nearly empty table across from yours. He made his way towards it, unfazed by the students who’d been occupying it scrambling to leave, and soon enough he was seated a few yards away with a perfect view of you.

- You tried to ignore him, turning to the book you’d brought in hopes of just forgetting he was there. Although, it was easier said than done when you could feel his eyes on you.

- More than once, you’d glanced over and caught him watching you; albeit it a bit more casually than usual. You wondered if he’d specifically come into the room just to look at you, you’d never seen him inside before; and he wasn’t eating, so you had to assume so.

- Finally, you turned back to your book and promised yourself you wouldn’t look at him, no matter how much your body was screaming for you to. The monkey part of you brain told you that this was a test and that averting your eyes was the proper move to make; so you made it ...up until you could feel someone standing in front of/at your side.

“I’m Warren,” Boy were you not expecting him to be British. His voice was like honey, even though there was a twinge of; what seemed to be, discomfort to it. He seemed out of his element. “I’ve seen you around. You’re Y/n, right?”

“Yeah uh, yeah, that’s right. ...Hi.” You answered nervously. He nodded and a long moment of silence passed between the two of you before he asked if he could sit down.

- It was awkward at first but then he asked you about a band and you started a near hour long discussion about music.

- Soon enough you were talking like it was a normal thing to happen, up until you were interrupted by a peer who told you that someone wanted to see you. You excused yourself and walked away, feeling more confident now that you knew you weren’t going to be murdered.

- Warren was sort of like a changed person after your first few initially awkward conversations; at least he was to you. He was still his intimidating self to everyone else but you; and in some regards Storm, seemed to be an exception.

- After a few weeks of you slowly seeing more and more of each other, he finally decided it was time to ask you out like he’d been intending all along. Well, he asked you out in his own way.

- It was late, he’d caught your attention with a “psst” and a flash of a bottle of liquor and motioned for you to follow him as he led the two of you outside. You soon found yourself sitting with him in the dark of the night, taking swigs from the bottle he’d snuck with you.

- You caught him watching you while you brought the bottle to your lips, taking a small gulp before moving to pass it back, only to be met with his face close to yours and his hand sliding onto your cheek. It was a matter of seconds before his lips were on yours but that short moment of anticipation had your heart racing.

- You spent the rest of the night talking and kissing and by morning you were official.

- Soo much Pda. He’s constantly touching you and trying to get you to kiss him.

- He loves when you kiss him. Surprise him with a little smooch; you’ll never see anyone look more in love than he will.

- Hand kisses.

- His hand in your back pocket.

- His arm wrapped around you constantly.

- Warren alternates between only calling you pet names and only calling you your name. When he is using pet names, he’ll call you things like babe, birdie, and love.

- He’s surprisingly loving considering how violent he used to be. You don’t expect it at first but he’s absolutely adorable when he’s around you.

- The instant he sees you, his day gets 100x better. Even if his face just goes from glaring to neutral whenever his eyes land on you, rest assured that his bad mood goes away the minute you appear.

- He’s always incredibly gentle whenever he puts his hands on you with innocent intent, like when he’s pushing your hair back or helping you put in an earring.

- He’s definitely affection starved and heartclenchingly so. You’ll go to gently touch his face for one reason or another and he’ll act like he’s never felt something better in his life.

- Cuddling is a bit difficult with the whole wing thing but you try your best. Sometimes you’ll just lay side by side and hold hands, other times he’ll cocoon the two of you while you lay on top of him, and other times he’ll lay down and you’ll just snuggle yourself into him the best that you can.

- Going flying. He rarely goes really high up with you in his arms, he himself is afraid he’ll accidentally drop you or you’ll get hurt in some other way.

- Stargazing or watching the sunset/rise on roofs of buildings.

- Sneaking out to spend time with each other away from everyone else.

- Blasting rock music as you drive through town.

- Abandoned building picnics? Abandoned building picnics. What’s better than being able to destroy everything around you and not being bothered by anyone.

- Nighttime walks around town. He sorta likes just wandering around the city with you.

- Helping him shop for clothes that will actually fit him, or helping him cut holes into his clothing.

- He’s grown to love his wings over the years so he always straightens up with pride whenever you compliment or touch them.

- Hickeys.

- Constant making out. He can’t get enough of you.

- Groping, blatantly too, just right in the middle of the street or hallway.

- Innuendos that make you blush.

- You’re either treated like a queen or being harassed like you’re dating a horny teenager. There is no in between.

- Kissing his scars.

- Occasionally, he’ll tell you stories about his fighting days. He finds it amusing to watch your face change whenever he recounts something particularly painful or malicious.

- He’s been known to get drunk for several different reasons so you’ll just have to find out which one it is while making sure he doesn’t die from alcohol poisoning or any dumbass decision he may make while wasted.

- Sharing booze.

- He probably has a tattoo of you or your name somewhere on his body. He’s a reckless person; it fits the vibe.

- He loves people knowing that the two of you are together, he’s so proud.

- Sooo many compliments.

- Sarcasm and affectionate name calling.

- He always gives you the cutest smile and a kiss on the cheek whenever you get him a gift.

- As surprising as it may be; considering the way he acts, he’s genuinely charming; and his face isn’t that bad either. He’s capable of making literally any girl swoon yet he still feels lucky to have you in his life.

- I feel like Warren just doesn’t like people and probably for a number of reasons. With that being said, he prefers to keep to himself, though he’ll tolerate social events; and your friends, for your sake.

- Warren is the type of boyfriend that would rather be seen than heard. Sure he loves talking with you, but he would rather listen to you talk instead of actually talking himself.

- With that being said, he can talk your ear off whenever he gets angry or jealous, wanting nothing more than to divert your attention from everything else and make you focus on only him.

- He’s a pretty jealous guy. He hates seeing other men around you, especially if it seems like you’re really close or that the guy has a thing for you.

- He’s definitely fought a man for flirting with or disrespecting you. The man does not play when it comes to you.

- Whenever the two of you fight, he’ll turn into the biggest sarcastic asshole that you will ever see. That being said, he’ll never yell at you unless you’re walking away from him and he’s calling after you in exasperation.

- If he’s in the wrong then he’ll apologize; albeit slightly begrudgingly. He isn’t very used to it so bear with him, he’s trying his best.

- He doesn’t tell you he loves you very often but you’ll definitely be able to tell that he does, especially as your relationship progresses.

- Though he may not vocally express it, he doesn’t intend on giving you up any time soon so let’s hope you’re in it for the long run.

#xmen headcanons #xmen imagine #xmen x reader #xmen headcanon #xmen imagines #angel imagine #angel headcanons #angel headcanon #angel imagines #warren worthington imagine #warren worthington imagines #warren worthington headcanons #warren worthington headcanon

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let-it-raines · 3 years

Text

I Hope We Never See October (1/?)

Summary: When his personal life and football career go up in flames, Killian Jones escapes England for America, finding seclusion in Martha’s Vineyard in order to hide from his demons. It’s a fresh start, or at the very least a paused moment in his life, and all he needs is a few months alone to allow his heart to heal. He doesn’t count on meeting Emma Swan.

Emma’s life depends on tourists who come to the island every summer. It’s how she makes her money working in restaurants and clubs across the vineyard, but every year, she cannot wait until autumn comes and her life returns to normal. She especially cannot wait for Killian Jones to leave.

Rating: Mature

a/n: Do you know what’s a great way to distract yourself from writing and other responsibilities? By writing a story that you shouldn’t be writing. So, here we are, and I hope you enjoy 😂

On AO3 | Here |

-/-

June

The ocean water runs over his toes before disappearing, heading back to its home beyond the sand. It’s a cool contrast against the heat of the sun that’s warmly beating down on his skin, but it matches the chill of the beer bottle against his palm. Who knows what time it is? From the emptiness of the beach, Killian is guessing it’s mid-morning, but seriously, who the hell knows anymore?

Likely everyone other than him.

After more water washes over his feet and up his ankles, he decides the water is too cold to stay standing this close to the shoreline, so he walks up the path to his house and closes the gate behind him. He sits down at the bench by his pool and then buries his face in his hands before moving to take a sip of the beer.

God, he hopes it’s not truly the morning because he’s one second away from tipping the bottle enough for the beer to tumble down his throat.

Killian yanks it away and tosses it to the ground. He expects the damn thing to shatter against the tile, but it doesn’t. It rolls away into the grass, spilling a little beer with every turn until it stops against the tall grass lining the gate. Killian bends down and picks up another bottle, popping it open, then pouring it out. He does the same thing over and over again until his grass is fertilized with alcohol.

At least his body isn’t.

What a thought to have (presumably) so early in the morning.

His eyes close, the sun no longer blinding his vision, and he starts picking up the bottles, chasing them around and cursing himself for even buying the damn case in the first place. He has no clue what damn day it is, but he does know that it’s too damn early for him to be drinking. And if he’s going to get wasted and waste his day, he might as well do it with rum or whiskey. He doesn’t even like beer.

Killian chucks the bottles in the bin resting against the side of the rental house and goes through the side door into the kitchen. It’s clean today, all the white countertops empty of plates and pitchers and the junk that accumulates over time. The living room is clean as well, all the pillows in the right place, the throw blankets over the correct corners of couches, and he can see vacuum lines in the rug. He’s sure if he were to walk to the mantle, it’d be empty of dust. Ariel must have sent someone in to clean yesterday while he was away from the house. He’s got to have her stop doing that. He’s thirty-five years old. He can clean the house he’s staying in. He doesn’t need her taking care of his life for him.

Though, it is literally her job, but Ariel takes things far past being his manager. He doesn’t know anyone else who does all the things she does for their client, especially when he isn’t bringing in the same amount anymore. Sponsors aren’t exactly lining up at the door for disgraced football – not the American kind as everyone here believes – players, but he still has a few hanging around and good enough investments that he’ll be alright for a long while. Bored as hell with too much time for him to wander to bars in Martha’s Vineyard before talking himself out of them and sitting in a twenty-four-hour diner all night. He’s got his favorites. One has better coffee than the others, but the booths aren’t clean. Another has clean booths but a piss excuse for coffee, and his favorite has a selection of pies that have him eating in ways he hasn’t since he was young. Still, they’re all pathetic little places for him to spend his time so he doesn’t drink more than he can tolerate.

At least no one knows him here. It’s actually why he’s here to begin with. There are obviously less famous towns and places in the world, but he wanted to be near the ocean, wanted to at least have that if he was going to be in disgraced isolation. This area has beach for miles and different nooks to disappear into, and so far, it’s nice. He’d rather be in London or New York, but he knows this is better.

He collapses onto the couch and sees a note on the coffee table in Ariel’s neat script. When was she even here? Honestly.

Killian, Eric and I are in town for the week. Please come to lunch at our house. We’d love to have you! I know you don’t have anything better to do, so don’t bother calling me with an excuse. Hope you enjoy the clean house!

- A

He runs his hand over his face and scratches at his too-long beard before fumbling for his phone and checking the date and time. It’s half past eight. He can get two, maybe three, hours of sleep now, and he’ll only look half as pissed as he feels when he makes his way to Ariel and Eric’s house a few miles over in Tisbury.

At least he isn’t actually pissed. Always the positives, he guesses.

-/-

Ariel’s house is covered in gray shingles with white trim. The shutters are cherry red, much like her hair, and while there are obvious updates to the place, it looks just as it did in the pictures he’s seen from when Ariel was young. She was raised here, her father a local fisherman, and while she now resides outside of London, on occasion, she returns to Tisbury for a holiday. It’s why he chose to holiday here even if he’s over in Edgartown on the beach in a house too large for one person. He spent years listening to her talk about her childhood, and then visiting when she married Eric here, and he wanted that calm sense of relaxation.

Right now, however, he wants nothing more than to be back in a city. The firing squad won’t be as intrusive there where he can get lost in a crowd instead of being the center of attention.

Killian opens the unlocked front door that squeaks on its hinges, and he immediately smells garlic bread baking in the oven. She must be making her pasta, and his stomach growls for real food. As he walks through the hall at the entrance of the house, he notices that everything is the same, all the family portraits are in the same places, there are a few too many nautical decorations, but it all works. Killian looks into the kitchen, sees that it’s empty, and calls out for Ariel and Eric, no answer. He takes the liberty of checking the oven, and when he notices the bread is slightly overdone, he grabs an oven mitt and takes it out, placing the tray on the stove.

Where the hell are they?

He pushes open the kitchen door that leads to the backyard, and he sees two figures toward the side of the yard. Killian sighs and walks over to them, only stopping when he realizes it’s three people instead of two.

Ariel and Eric are talking to a gorgeous woman in a pair of small white shorts and a fitted polo. She’s got long, thick blonde hair pulled off her neck, and he can’t stop glancing down at her legs. He doesn’t usually pay much attention to people anymore, unless of course they are paying attention to him, but he cannot help but notice her. Because she’s stunning, of course, but also because he wasn’t expecting to see anyone else. He thought they would be isolated, and his gut tells him to turn around and run.

He doesn’t.

“Hello?” he starts, and they all turn to him. “I, uh, took your bread out of the oven.”

“Oh shit,” Ariel mumbles. “I forgot I’d put the bread in the oven. Is it burned?”

“No, I think I saved it just in time, love.”

Ariel’s shoulders deflate, and then she’s closing the distance between them, hugging him tightly, before Eric does the same and claps him on his back several times. He’s missed them, and it feels good to be embraced by something other than a heavy blanket. When Eric releases him, Killian can see the woman still standing in the yard, shifting on her feet.

“Hello,” he greets, nodding in her direction.

“Hi,” she nods back.

“Oh, Emma,” Ariel begins, walking over to her and grabbing her arm, “this is my friend, Killian. He’s staying on the island for awhile. Killian, this is Emma. We rent the house to her for most of the year, so we’ve invaded her home this week, I’m afraid.”

“It’s fine,” Emma says. “You guys basically give me the place for free, and I picked up some extra shifts at the club. I’d never be home anyway.”

“What do you do, love?”

“Not your love,” she corrects, and he feels the sting even if he uses the term for many a woman, “and I’m a manager at a little place by the shore, but sometimes during the summer I’ll wait tables at the local country club for extra money. The people will treat you like shit, but at least they tip well since they have no concept of real-life money.”

“What’s the restaurant?” he asks. “Maybe I could eat there.”

Her brows raise, and he gets the feeling she’s not a fan of the idea of him disturbing her at work. He gets the feeling she’s not a fan of him at all. Funny, his first impressions are usually better than this.

“The Blue Dog Tavern.” She points to the logo on her shirt. “I actually have to go there now. I just had to drop by and get my shirt since my boss is coming by today. I’ll stay out of your way when I get home tonight,” she tells Ariel and Eric. “It’ll be like I’m not even here.”

“Oh, no, honey,” Ariel sighs, smiling at Emma, “we’re the ones disturbing you. I promise, it’ll be a fast week, and then everything can go back to normal.”

Emma nods with a tight smile, and he definitely gets the idea that she isn’t a fan of having Ariel and Eric here. He wouldn’t be either if he had to share his home with his landlords. She walks away into the kitchen, leaving the door open behind her, and Killian makes a note of the restaurant she mentioned, not necessarily to see her but to venture somewhere that isn’t a twenty-four-hour diner.

“Is that why I couldn’t stay here?” Killian asks. “Because you already rent it out?”

“Yep. Plus, it’s not on the beach, and that was your request. This isn’t really to your taste anyway.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, A?”

She shrugs and walks toward the kitchen. “Nothing. I’ve got to finish cooking. I was just about to put the pasta on the stove when Emma came in through the back gate, and I got distracted. Thanks for saving the bread, Jones.”

“Is she okay?” Killian asks Eric.

“Yeah, mate, she’s fine.” He claps his hand onto Killian’s shoulder. “And what she meant by that is that you’re an ex-football player who is hiding from the world and is used to a certain kind of luxury. You’d lose your mind living in this house for months. It’s smaller than a quarter of your flat back home.”

“I would not lose my mind living here. It’s charming.”

Eric rolls his eyes. “You would. I think the giant crab pillow in the living room would be what pushed you over the edge.”

“That thing is still here?”

“It’ll never leave, and I’ve offered to pay Emma to get rid of it many times. I think she throws it out, and it finds its way back inside.”

Killian snickers and settles down on the bench of the dining table they keep outside, letting Eric follow. He feels like he hasn’t talked to another human being in ages, and he’s only been here for a few weeks. “You know her pretty well then? Emma?”

“No,” Eric starts, waving his hand, “no, no, no, no. You cannot go there.”

“What the hell are you on about? I can’t go where?”

“Emma. You can’t go there. She’s not a one-night stand for you. She lives here, takes care of it since we’re gone all the time. You can’t mess that up. Ariel would murder you if you screwed this arrangement up.”

Killian flashes a smile, the ones he’s used to get whatever he wants a million times. There’s an art to being in the public eye, one he figured out only to ruin it all over again, but he still knows the old tricks. Smile, be charming, never let them see any hesitation in your actions. If a question is too invasive or the answer to telling, redirect. It’s all about the redirection. Killian was never one to lie, but he was certainly one to evade, especially toward the end when he couldn’t handle hearing what everyone had to say.

Here, he doesn’t want to admit that Eric might be right about him, but mostly, he’s tired of people controlling his life because they think he can’t make good decisions.

“What?” he laughs, shaking his head. “You think I’m not capable of simply asking about a woman?”

“I think you are, but I don’t want Ariel to have any reason to kill you.”

“Eric,” Ariel yells from the kitchen, stopping Killian before he can speak, “set the table! We can eat in fifteen.”

Saved by the bell. Or the Ariel.

He hates himself a little for rhyming in his head. If this is how he thinks sober, he’s not sure he wants to stay this way.

“And Killian,” Ariel calls, “you can make the lemonade!”

Okay, so maybe he can, if only because Ariel will kill him if he collapses into the pit again, and she won’t be the only one. He’s had a few downfalls into drowning in alcohol since coming here. Maybe it’s boredom, maybe it’s sadness, who the hell knows? What he does know is that it makes the demons all disappear for the night, sometimes the morning too, but then it all comes roaring back in screaming color.

And with a hell of a screaming headache.

One or two drinks every few days, he reminds himself. That’s what he’s working with, and besides the few slips, he’s been pretty damn successful.

Killian heads inside to help Ariel, though he thinks he hinders her more than helps since he can’t find a damn thing, but eventually they get it all done and eat. Mostly, he has to listen to Ariel give him a briefing on things he has to do over the next few weeks. He has contracts to sign, video interviews and conferences to attend, and they need to happen at certain times. That’s a bit obnoxious, but he can’t complain. He’d be the biggest ass in the world if he did, and he’s certainly already in the running for that title. People still want his face and brand to represent them, and he doesn’t even kick around a ball anymore.

Fools. All of them.

Ariel asks him to stay for dessert, but he’s already eaten too much off his usual diet. Old habits die hard, and he isn’t working out like he used to. Maybe he’ll take up running again soon, but right now, the thought is exhausting. Killian excuses himself from the table, hugging the Fishers goodbye and wishing them goodnight. He’s sure he’ll see them before they return to England and go back to their regular lives. Ariel still has Will and Rob to manage, so she can’t spend all of her time on him. There are other pieces of work out there.

The streets are crowded as Killian drives back to his rental house. Tourists and native islanders alike are out to go to dinner or bars, likely a party or two, and while Killian is tempted to take a turn and go out himself, he doesn’t. He continues along the GPS guide back to his rental house until the garage door is closing behind him.

Day seventeen of being here - now that he knows the date, he’s reminded of when he arrived - is done and dusted, and he cannot wait to close his eyes and go to sleep. He’s been running on fumes all day.

Once inside, Killian quickly showers and puts on a pair of pajama bottoms, collapsing under the covers of his bed as soon as possible. So, of course, that’s when his phone rings.

“It’s bloody half past one in the morning where you are.”

“And only half past eight where you are, so why are you in bed? You look horrible.”

Killian groans and pinches his nose as he props the phone up to get a better look at the screen. “Thanks, Els.”

“No problem.” She flips her blonde braid over her shoulder, and despite the time, she looks as if she could be up and ready for work in minutes. “I was up, couldn’t sleep, and I figured I needed to check on you. I’m sorry I don’t have the girls with me.”

“Did you tell Ally and Sophia I love them?”

“I tell them every day, but I think they’d appreciate it more if they heard it from their actual uncle.”

“I’ll call tomorrow.”

“Good,” Elsa sighs. She adjusts herself on her couch, pulling her blanket up higher on her body, and the familiar pang of guilt hits Killian. It happens anytime he talks to just Elsa. The girls act as a buffer, and he feels guilty for using them like that. He feels guilt about a lot of things. “How are you?”

“Good,” he lies. “Really good. I think I’m going to take up real running again soon, maybe finally check out the gym in the basement of this house. What about you, love?”

“I’m okay. Work has kept me really busy, which I like. I have this one house with the biggest garden I’ve ever seen, and designing it has proven to be a bit of a challenge. But I miss spending time with the girls. Anna has been such a big help, though. I love having her here.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure that’s great.” Killian runs his hand through his hair, yanking at the strands, and sinks a little further into the bed. It’s nice that Anna is around, that she’s been around this entire time while Killian fucked off across western Europe and then eventually to America. Yet again, he’s let someone he loves down because he’s an absolute tosser. “It’s nice to have a family you can count on.”

“Hey, don’t start that again, Killian. I’m not here for self-pity. You’ve had a hard year, and you needed some time away. No one is blaming you for that.”

“I’m not the one who lost my husband, love. I wasn’t left with two little girls with no father.”

Killian tilts his head up so he doesn’t have to see Elsa as water gathers around his eyes. Today was an okay day. Started off rough, but it ended up being alright. Now he’s gone and made Elsa talk about Liam’s death instead of having a normal conversation with her.

“My grief doesn’t negate yours, darling. You lost your brother, who was your best friend, and you lost the career you spent your entire life building. We can both be sad. It’s not a competition.”

Killian blows air out his nose and blinks the forming tears away. “How’d you get so wise?”

“Well, you see, when a child with a head the size of a football comes out of your vagina, you get special emotional intelligence. It’s something to do with all the hormones and pain.”

Killian finally looks down at his phone to see Elsa laughing, and the corners of his mouth twitch. “You make me glad to be a man.”

“You should be glad. You’re at least fifteen steps ahead of every woman in the world. Now, come on, I want to hear about everything you’ve been doing. Have you made any friends?”

“What am I? A lad in reception?”

“No, because my child in reception has many friends.”

Killian rolls his eyes. “Well, I met the loveliest waitress last night. Reminded me of my Gran, and, uh, today I met the woman who lives in Ariel and Eric’s house. Don’t think she was a fan of me.”

“However could a woman resist your charms?”

He laughs, even if he doesn’t appreciate the sarcasm, and this time when he sinks a little deeper into the bed, it’s for comfort and not to hide. When Killian got the news Liam died in a Naval accident, it felt like his world was ending, that the ground was crumbling underneath his feet. He was at the club warming up to head out onto the pitch, and suddenly his sacred place wasn’t so sacred. He couldn’t understand any words leaving Elsa’s voice over the phone. Everything was ringing, and his legs collapsed from underneath him.

He’ll never forget that day. One moment everything in his world was right, and then it wasn’t. and he’ll never get over the fact that Elsa has been the one who has had to continue holding him up when she lost someone too.

“Well, if their names are Ally and Sophia Jones, they are experts at resisting my charms.”

“Unless you give them sweets.”

Killian chuckles. “Those are my good charms.” Elsa smiles and yawns on the other end of the line. “Els, I think you need to go to sleep. I promise to call the girls tomorrow.”

She nods and flips her braid over. “Don’t go breaking your promises to them.”

“Never, love. I’m a man of my word.”

Or, at least, he used to be. His word seems to falter lately, but mostly only his words to himself. Killian looks out the glass doors and windows toward the ocean, watching the water crest much like this morning, but he hopes that tomorrow morning he won’t be standing there with a bottle of beer in his hands.

Maybe he can keep that promise to himself at least.

-/-

Tag list: @qualitycoffeethings @marrtinski @klynn-stormz @scarletslippers @elizabeethan @jrob64 @snowbellewells @therealstartraveller776 @thejollyroger-writer @cowboys-likeme @galaxyzxstark @galadriel26 @idristardis @karenfrommisthaven @teamhook @spartanguard @searchingwardrobes @jamif @shireness-says @ultimiflos @onepunintendid @bluewildcatfanatic @superchocovian @killianswannn @carpedzem @captainkillianswanjones @mayquita @mariakov81 @jennjenn615 @onceuponaprincessworld @a-faekindagirl @scientificapricot @xellewoods @ultraluckycatnd @stahlop @kmomof4 @tiganasummertree @singersdd @tornadoamy @cluttermind @lfh1226-linda @andiirivera @itsfabianadocarmo @captain-emmajones @ilovemesomekillianjones @capthamm

(You can be added or removed at any time. I don’t know where my list went, so I’ve just taken it from my last story 😘)

#I hope we never see october #cs fic #cs ff #cs fanfic #cs fanfiction #captain swan fic #captain swan fanfic #captain swan ff #captain swan fanfiction #captain swan

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rikotin · 3 years

Text

Coffee's gone cold but you make me warm

Hello everyone! I have absolutely no idea from which prompt list this prompt is, nor who sent it to me (if you know the list or the sender, please share so I can credit, thank you!!) but I found this in my docs untouched and thought why not share it with you guys. It’s 1.2k and has references of depression, but I assure you it’s has a lighter tone to it and has a hopeful ending. Hugs <3

Read on AO3 Matteo knew he should have mentioned something to his therapist when noticed the first signs, but he forgot. Most of the time he counted on the fact that the worst of the funk would pass fairly quickly. It was nothing new: sometimes the melancholy just got the best of him even if he was doing much better after a couple of years of therapy. He knew it was something that just happened, and he mostly knew how to deal with it nowadays. He also didn’t want to disturb his closest people with complaints every time he hit another low – it made him feel like a burden, and he really didn’t need that on top of everything else. Besides, at times like these he was sure he’d suck out all happiness out of anyone that got too close – when he felt like the world was crashing down on him without any particular reason. He hated it all, even if he knew that it would pass. But the thing was, even if the worst of it usually passed in a few days - a few days of feeling absolutely terrible until he would find it easier to breathe again, to talk to people, to leave the house - that was just how it worked most of the time. Other times he wasn’t so lucky. This was one of those times.

It had been almost a week now, and it only seemed to be going downhill for him. He did have another scheduled session with his therapist soon, though, so he tried to count on that helping him, if nothing else did. Matteo knew David had noticed something was up, as for the past three days David had spent way more time at the flat share than usual, only going for the mandatory lectures at the university and running the errands he absolutely had to. Other than that, he stayed in with Matteo, keeping him company and cooking for them – well, not really cooking as David was absolutely useless in the kitchen, but making sure Matteo ate something during the day, even if it was just a warm sandwich or a small portion of leftover takeout. For some time now, David hadn’t had to ask how Matteo was feeling. Instead, he seemed to have developed a sixth sense for when Matteo was slipping and always acted accordingly. It was so relieving for Matteo, as he felt like he had difficulties in expressing himself on the best days, let alone when he was already feeling so down his bones felt like lead. In return for David’s efforts, Matteo did his best to seek out what he needed from David, even when it was hard to do it. He wanted to open up and ask for his help, and with support and advice, he’d slowly learned how to do it and David always understood. Matteo loved him so much it sometimes felt like his heart might burst. It was a rainy day. David had left in the morning to attend a couple of lectures he had, whereas Matteo had spent three hours of his morning trying to convince himself to get up so that he would be literally anywhere else in the flat than his bed by the time David came back. In the end he managed to drag himself into the kitchen, and there he had remained ever since. He was slowly drinking a cup of coffee. It had already gone cold some time ago, but it would be a waste to throw it away. Hans had fixed it for him right after Matteo had appeared into the kitchen where he had been making breakfast. He was grateful for Hans, even if his parental instincts were sometimes way too strong for Matteo’s liking. Hans didn’t quite know how to handle him when he was feeling like he was now. He tried, though. He tried very hard and aimed to learn more by always asking questions and taking everything Matteo said to heart whenever he felt like answering him. Matteo really appreciated it and had managed to tell him so. The smile on Hans’ face was blinding when he did. He wasn’t sure how long he had sat there when he heard the front door opening. David called out a greeting from the entrance. He’d been given a spare key to the flat share a couple of months back by Hans, who had announced he was tired of constantly buzzing him up as Matteo usually left the task of opening the door for someone else whenever it was possible. “Hey,” David said again, as he walked into the kitchen, dropping his bag to the floor as he leaned in to give Matteo a kiss. His hair was damp, and his curls stuck to his forehead. “You’re wet,” Matteo noted, attempting to pull away and taking another sip of his coffee. “Yeah. It’s raining,” David replied, wrinkling his nose, and pulled Matteo into a hug despite his whiny complaints about David’s wet hoodie. Not that Matteo really resisted. He was glad David was back and most of the time loved getting all the affection he could get from his boyfriend. They stayed silent for a bit and Matteo got lost watching the gloomy patterns of the rain clouds. He blinked and glanced down into his cup, frowning at the cup that was still half full. The coffee started a bit like dirt – on top of being disgusting when cold. “What's on your mind?” Matteo turned to look up to David who was looking directly at Matteo, open and waiting. Matteo averted his gaze. He stayed silent for a moment more, leaning heavier against David’s stomach, prompting him to hug Matteo closer. “I’m not sure how many coffees it takes to be happy, but so far, it’s not twelve,” he finally said. David sputtered. “Twelve? Please say you’re joking.” Matteo looked back up. David’s eyes were wide and alarmed, as he peered down at Matteo and straightened his posture. Matteo huffed, and shook his head. “You got me. My hands got too shaky after the seventh one.” David snatched the mug from his hands, his expression shocked, and Matteo felt mirth bubbling in his chest for the first time in two weeks. “I’m kidding, it’s my first and it’s already ice cold. So, it’s more like a half.” He watched as David’s shoulders dropped in relief. Even if he was still scowling at Matteo, Matteo could see there was some amusement in his expression. David set the nearly empty mug on the table. “You’re very lucky you’re cute. Truly a significant annoyance,” David grumbled and ruffled Matteo’s hair. The gesture was gentle, and David’s voice was way too fond, but it made Matteo giggle mischievously anyway. The laugh was kind of muffled, short, and felt a little bit weird, but it was still laughter and that itself felt amazing. David’s lips turned into a warm smile as well. “Laughing at me after deceiving me? Rude,” he huffed and pushed Matteo’s face away playfully with his palm, then instantly pulling Matteo back in and bending down to place a kiss into his hair. Matteo sighed, melting back into the hug. He turned his head so that he could bury his face into David’s hoodie, ignoring the damp coldness of it, and wrapped his arms around David’s waist. “Love you too,” he mumbled into his stomach, and smiled as David scoffed. And finally, he thought, the worst would start to pass – slowly but surely.

#druck #druck fic #davenzi #davenzi fic #ficlet #my writing #thanks for reading <3 #did i make someone proof read this - i did not because i work on impulse it seems #forgive me #if you spot something do say so and i'll correct it #have a good day <3

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ilikeoldchangke · 5 years

Text

Destroying my sister in law’s reputation

This has to be one of the most horrible thing I have done in my life and I would surely go to hell for it.

The idea of doing something like this just hit me out of the blue one day many years back and it has been festering in my brain for the longest time. At first I just wondered if it can be done at all, then slowly as the thought takes root inside my head, it became an infatuation.

Back in 2009 when I was dating my wife, I was introduced to Mandy, her sister. I’ve had the hots for my girlfriend’s sister before but never in such intensity. Mandy really brought out the monster inside me.

My girlfriend Melody then was a hottie too with the figure and brains to match but there is just something about Mandy that attracts me to her.

She is not only the splitting image of her sister, there is this sweet and innocent side to her that makes you want to dote on and pamper her.

You know sometimes you hear people say hey, so and so look like the younger version of a celebrity. A little more cute, a little more sweet. Mandy is just like a younger version of my wife.

Seeing Mandy is like taking a trip back in time.

Constantly.

Even till this very day when I look at my sister in law, I would be reminded of the times I spent with my wife when she was younger.

Melody and Mandy have an age gap of 5 years.

When I got to know Melody as a colleague at work, Mandy was still a JC student.

Looking at her in her JC uniforms, I can picture my wife in that exact same age, dressed exactly in that manner coming home after a day in school. That pair of slim legs and her ankle socks that are barely visible as she walks along the road, cradling her bag in hand looking all innocent and sweet.

That image alone made me attempt to recreate the scene no less than 10 times with Melody.

I’m sure this is something many couples do.

Getting their partners to put on their old school uniforms and pretend they are back in school. As for me, I would pretend I’m the one dishing out disciplinary action to her.

In bed of course.

I could picture myself fucking a younger version of my wife whenever I think about Mandy.

I’m sure if given the chance, you would surely want to be able to do a younger, wilder version of your partner.

Mandy got hotter and prettier as with each passing year.

I literally watch her blossom form a sweet young thing into the hot girl she is today. She got a little taller.

Her breast got a little more full.

There’s more bounce in her buttocks when she walks.

Her lips looked more kissable.

Even the smallest action of her brushing her hair behind her ears would sometimes give me an erection.

Mandy has no lack of followers and fans on her social media sites. She’s not a attention seeking whore or anything but there are occasions she does a bit of modelling for some of her entrepreneur friends.

I shall not waste time by going into detail the kind of fantasies I have of Mandy.

Every conceivable thought and fetish that has to do with your girlfriend sister back then, I have imagined it in my head. I pictured it in my mind and wanked off countless times.

Living in the same household was a added bonus. I live together with my in laws in a Jumbo flat in Woodlands. It’s huge and there’s more than enough space for everyone. Me and my wife’s room is right beside Mandy’s.

We share the same bathroom.

Right by the entrance into the bathroom along the wide corridor sits 3 baskets.

Laundry baskets. One for each of us.

Each time I had to force myself not to look when I see Mandy come home from school or from work as she grew older. The bundle of semi wet clothes with her worn panty and bra entangled into the mix just join the rest of her worn stuff in the basket.

Just think of all the things I can do with Mandy’s clothes. Her lingerie, her sports attire, her socks and heels. It’s a candy shop for a horny adult with a fetish.

I have access to so many things. As long as no one is at home of course.

I had access to Mandy’s laptop as well. She’s not exactly savvy with IT stuff and to be honest, I think she knows her phone better than she knows her computer.

Isn’t this the way things are now with the young people these days ?

I know her login password and ID, I setup the WIFI for the family and I even helped to configure her access to the network printer at home. The best thing I did was help her configure her phone to upload and backup her photos onto the backup drive shared among the family.

Every photo, every selfie. Every wasapp image file and videos.

Once she’s connected to WIFI, it gets backup and I get access.

It’s like stalking on a whole new level.

My relationship with Mandy cannot be better. She looked up to me as a older brother of sort, which really amplified how bastard I am when I do something like this to her.

Through sheer manipulation and the power of association and materials from the internet, I was able to destroy her reputation, wreck her relationship and drove her to the brink of a mental breakdown.

I live by a simple motto.

If I want to do something, I go all the way and this is definitely something that I went all out in terms of the money, time and resources I spent but it was all well worth it in the end.

How far did I go you ask ?

Mandy took down all her social media profile, her boyfriend left her. She quit her job.

When she makes eye contact with another man along the street, she tells me the look haunts her.

It made her question whether they saw the scandal that was floating around the internet.

The fake scandal that I created.

One that her boyfriend and everyone around her believed.

Mandy would shut herself in her room most of the time. Right at her most vulnerable moment, I would be her light at the end of the tunnel.

To lend her a shoulder when I most needed it.

So how did I do it ?

By being the absolute bastard of course.

By absolute, I really meant downright despicable.

The length I went to shock even myself as I did it.

First I need to discredit her and for her boyfriend Yogi to find out about it. Not about the discrediting of course. I wanted Yogi to find out about the personality I created about Mandy.

To paint Mandy in a different light to the people around her.

I plan to do that with the internet.

As a well-behaved goody two shoe, there are things that you would never imagine someone like her doing. I want to create the impression that she is doing something behind everybody’s back.

I don’t need her to be in the picture explicitly doing what want.

I just needed to plan the idea in people’s head and it’s not hard to do that. Given that her boyfriend is also visits the popular sex forums online, it would be a matter of time before he chance upon the charade I created.

For a start, I plan to make use of her own wardrobe against her. Yes, her clothes. Imagine one day coming across the picture of a girl exposing her breast, or her legs wearing the same set of clothes your wife or girlfriend wore to work that day.

Would that not make your heart skip a beat immediately even though no face was shown ?

First, I would need to find someone to play the role of Mandy.

Now it’s impossible to find someone who looks like my sister in law to play the role, I don’t need someone to look like Mandy, I just need someone who feels like Mandy.

Let me explain.

My sister in law has average height and weight.

Not fat, not thin, not too tall.

Just nice.

At 1.6m and 46kg with a proportional body, it’s not hard to find a girl with these stats in Singapore. The challenge is finding someone who is willing to do what I want her to do.

I started by scouring freelance modelling website.

I dropped countless messages and mails but no one seemed interested. I even posted classified ads on free sites and forums, looking for girls of similar stats.

The excuse I gave was for a personal project and that I am willing to pay for a simple photoshoot. However, since I’m not a registered photographer with any portfolio to show for it, it’s natural to expect the lack of replies.

I offered a good deal for about an hour’s work, no hanky panky.

No touching of the model’s body and we will be doing the shoot in public spaces in day time. That should give some assurance to the girls that I’m really not interested din violating them physically.

No face shots. Just the body.

I only needed to use their body, or rather, images of it.

After a 2 months search, I finally got a hit.

Charmaine.

The story here is simple.

She needed money for her school fees and chanced upon my ad. My instructions to her were simple.

Put on a set of clothes that I will be providing, and take some pictures, and I’m willing to pay her 200 for an hour’s work. It worked out easier than I expected.

We met up at a café, she asked for a 50% downpayment and I gave it to her.

I handed her the set of clothes I borrowed from my sister in law’s wardrobe.

Now, selecting the clothes is an art. There are so many, so which one do I choose ?

Well, I went through her photos and social media feeds, I found a few photos which I think Mandy looked pretty good.

She was wearing a short sleeveless white dress with black stripes. The hem of the skirt ends several inches above her knees such that as she walked, you would get this lively bounce that almost gave you a peak of her panty.

Instead of a cardigan, she had a faded denim long sleeve top she wore as a jacket. It’s loose, flowly and it covered up the good figure she has.

Shoes is a simple pair of sneakers that is plain light grey in colour.

I picked the same blue backpack she was using in that set of photos and stuffed all the clothes I borrowed into the bag.

These are the stuff I want Charmaine to wear.

Charmaine : The clothes are in here ?

James : yes… just a dress and a jacket of sort. The shoes I think…… let me see…

I took a glance of her feet and told her it might be a little tight but since we are just doing a quick shot, the discomfort should only be for a while.

Charmaine nodded and went into the ladies.

5 minutes later, she emerged in the same set of clothes Mandy wore in one of her Instagram photos.

I tried to picture Charmaine without her face and I tried hard to stop myself from nodding my head.

Looking at just her body, I think she can easily pass of as Mandy.

Charmaine : like this ??

James : yes… looking good…

I appraised Charmaine’s body and I could tell she was a little uncomfortable.

Charmaine : errrr…. So what now ?

I smiled and told her to follow me.

Charmaine : Where are we going ??

James : relax…. Just across the road. … the HDB estate…

Charmaine : take the pictures there ??

James : Yes…. Don’t worry… just taking some pictures….

As we crossed the road to the housing estate , Charmaine looked nervous. She kept looking around the vicinity.

James : Don’t worry… it’s really just taking photos….

Charmaine : Do you mind if I ask why are you….. ermm… why are you…. Doing this ??

I gave her a reassuring smile and told her that I just wanted some photos for my collection.

James : and ermm… you know… I’m single…. And my friends sometimes tease me I got no girlfriend….

Charmaine : huh ?? ….

James : So… I just want to take some photos…. For my own collection…. And some shots to prove to them I am attached…. Not a gay or something….

Charmaine : oh…. Ermmmmmm… that is so weird….

James : haha… I’m paying you for it… don’t worry….

I could tell she still looked unconvinced but I don’t care.

I just needed her body for a while and hopefully if I can convince her how easy it is to earn this quick buck, I could continue using her body for the other parts of my plan.

James : Alright…. Over here….

Charmaine : here ??

James : Yes… let’s go up….

We entered the lift and I hit the highest floor.

We came out on the 16th floor and I took a quick look around.

It’s a weekday afternoon, most of the people are out at work. I gestured to the corridor and we went to the staircase at the end of it.

James : here is good.

Charmaine looked around and nodded at me nervously, staring intently at the phone I was holding in my hand.

James : relax….

Charmaine : What do I have to do ??

James : haha… not much…. Not much…. climb up the staircase…. Slowly…

I brought up my phone and took the first couple of shots before appraising it on the small LCD screen of a old phone of mine.

I smiled as I looked at the photo.

Just like Mandy……. Just like Mandy….

………………………………………………………................................................

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ruslanalekseev · 3 years

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Was Hiruzen a Good Hokage?

No. As many people have already pointed out, Hiruzen was very indecisive, and he always did what his advisors told him to. Which wouldnt be that bad, if not the fact that almost every single one of their decisions were suggested to them by Danzo.

Hiruzen might have had good intentions, but good intentions wont do you much good, if:You orchestrate the massacre of one of the founding clans in your village. You dont react to bullying towards the villages probably most valuable shinobi.You cant even bring yourself to killing one of the greatest criminals from your village

· Suggested Reading

What if a gay person was elected as the POTUS?

We have already had a gay President. James Buchanan Jr. was the 15th President (18571861) He was a member of the Democratic Party.

The only president to remain a bachelor, Buchanan's personal life has attracted great historical interest. Buchanan had a close and intimate relationship with William Rufus King, an Alabama politician. Buchanan and King lived together in a Washington boardinghouse for many years, from 1834 until King's departure for France in 1844.

King referred to the relationship as a "communion", and the two attended social functions together. Contemporaries also noted the closeness. Andrew Jackson called King "Miss Nancy" and prominent Democrat Aaron V.

Brown referred to King as Buchanan's "better half", "wife" and "Aunt Fancy"

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How did Canada manage to control COVID 19 so well despite its shared border with the US?

When doctors and scientists here in Canada told us that the COVID-19 virus would not only kill some people, but others who contracted the disease might suffer permanent damage to organs and body systems, we listened and became afraid. Then, when it was shown some young children also suffered devastating organ failures, we knew we must all do what we can to protect ourselves and others.

We didnt each need to personally know someone who has been so affected, we just imagined how our own actions could cause this result. For some reason, Americans do not seem to feel that same empathy for their fellow citizens. Tragic and sad

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What is the significance of WhatsApp for Facebook?

Why did Facebook acquire WhatsApp at such a hefty price of $19 billion?

Let us think about it. Say you are talking to your girlfriemd and you decide to go for a movie coming weekend.

It is not a big information for you. But for facebook it is a priceless piece of information. Since it they know now that you ar going to the movie they will project all the ads that is pertaining to movie going.

. Hence facebook achieves a greater accuracy of targeted ads. And hence 19Billion dollars.

Also facebook knows everything about you except your messages to your intimate people. Now that they bought whatsapp they literally know everything about you to sell you out when the time comes.

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Will Joe Biden be worse than Trump?

Worse at what? I guess it depends on what you value and what you place importance on. If youre a Republican partisan it doesnt matter what Biden does itll be worse than Trump.

If youre a Democrat partisan it doesnt matter what Biden does because itll be better than Trump. If youre an independent youll recognize that all Presidents have pluses and minuses. Theyll do things at annoy you and things youll applaud.

I didnt vote for Trump in 16 and hes done things I despise and things I applaud. I didnt vote for Obama either time and he did thinks I liked and things I hated

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Do many Chinese people hate Fujianese people?

I don't know where did you get this view.

In college, I had a roommate coming from Fujian who is an authentic, courteous, helpful person with lots of computer's knowledge. Every time our computers occur in problems, our first thought is to seek for his help not to go maintenance store straightly because of its expensive charge. There are a few Fujianese.

as far as I'm concerned, They all good person through conversation and cooperation. But, I can't say Fujianese all good people since I had met all good Fujianese. In working with people, The significant thing We need to do is giving our sincere heart to them.

Similarly, you will be rewarded for your sowing.

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How old should a kid be before seeing Deadpool?

FWIW, the airline cut is devoid of *all* sexual content (to the point of blurring out the slight glimpse of butt-crack visible in the opening credits, as well as losing the Stan Lee cameo), but I dont believe they removed *any* of the violence or swearing.

What a country!As for child-appropriateness, it depends on the child. I was OK with my kid seeing the airline cut because he never swears and he doesnt like gory violence (it wasnt too gruesome on my 5 phone screen).

Other kids his age may not be able to handle this material. Heck, I know adults who wouldnt do so well with this material

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How can we stop people from throwing garbage in the empty plots?

Please know that if people throw biodegradable garbage only in an empty plot after removing all plastics and dry wastes, you are actually replenishing the ground.

This will improve vegetation of the plot.The second approach is to promote home composting and community composting. This can happen only if there is source segregation.

Third approach is to penalize through a law.Instal leaves composter in the entrance of the plot and encourage people to deposit the dried leaves into it. Many aesthetically good looking composters are available.

The process is very simple and no stink involved.Be creative and you will have many more options. Cheers.

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Could we derive energy from gravity in space?

You mean free flowing gravity? Yes.

Look at a grandfather clock and see the weights it has to keep it going. Except for dams most of the ways are small but all together make up huge amounts. You could use the same clock system method with a much larger counter weight and just by hand moving it back up daily to the top would generate constant power.

In other words you could produce huge amounts of potential power by a little daily hand labor.Now you got me wondering if there is a natural limit it this because it is not being done or that people are just lazy in not doing this

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How will the GOP change if Trump loses to Biden?

I dont think they will change at all, at least in the short term.

Trumps presidency has done one useful thing - exposed the corrupt innards of the Democratic party, and the Republicans, with or without Trump, are going to want to follow through on things, especially when the Durham report comes out. Trump has also shown how to do things economically, such that even Biden wants to plagiarize him. Theres been absolutely nothing wrong with his policies.

They were working great prior to the pandemic and theres no reason to think they wont work again when things finally get back to normal

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Who is the best teacher for sociology for the UPSC optional preparation in Delhi?

Hello there .I am a Civil engineer , who did not have any prior knowledge about sociology .

I was an expressive person and with the suggestions of friends , I chose sociology as my optional .I went to Pranay Aggarwal Sir and that was the best decision I made . Reasons :-He took classes in small batches with led me to focus more on the subject .

He is very interactive which makes sociology come out very naturally from oneself .He is very helpful and extremely accepting of different ideas which gave me confidence and started loving the subject . His notes are all encompassing and I can vouch for it

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Why was Paul Manafort sent to prison?

This just reported by NY Times:Banker Accused of Arranging $16 Million in Loans to Manafort to Gain High-Level Trump PostA banker in Chicago has been changed with trying to buy an appointment as Treasury Secretary. He arranged $16 million in loans to Paul Mafort. I dont know if the prosecutors knew about that alleged crime when Manafort was sent to prison.

This news certainly speaks to what kind of person Manafort is. It continues to astound me how corrupt Trump is that he picks people like Manafort. How can Trump voters have been so clueless to have voted for this narcissistic(oops, I better restrain myself).

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Why was the Roman Empire so successful?

the roman empire was successful in its government form.it probably had the most advanced government in ancient times, a republic which represent each of the classes in society.

Outsiders or barbarians could also aspire to gain citizenship if they work hard enough, slaves could gain or buy their freedom. This makes roman empire have a equal opportunity system similar to the american dream.But things slowly deteriorated once ceasar become dictator for life, or sulla and marius trying to monopolize power through using the military triumphs.

It lead to rise of emperors and rulers not acccountable to the public, and right to rule slowly degenerate into hereditary succession or military coup.

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Did the music of led Zeppelin change your life?

Yes!

As does every song does, some more than others. The Rain Song played while I was enjoying the company of a young lady I met on Manhattan Beach as I was coming out the ocean, exhausted from surfing for 5 hours. I collapsed on my board and was laying there taking in the scene when this beautiful blonde girl with curly hair, piercing blue eyes, and a body of a Black girl, blocked the sun, looked down and said are you ok?

. That was the beginning of summer of 91 and we had fun. Especially the night we spent in a motel on the beach, listening to led Zeppelin

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Who is the most under appreciated American president?

Adams greatest war president in our nations history.When almost everyone in the young country wanted war with France egged on by that snake Jefferson. Adams held back, he understood war was not necessary would be destructive and would cripple the country for decades, he also well understood his stand would likely cost him his reelection but he stood firm.

The country did not go to war but he did loose his office. Such a shame the country remembers the man who did his most noble service as a citizen under an English king and not the man who formed the nation after the Revolutionary War

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Why did you leave Hinduism for Islam?

People group or regroup into religion for rudimentary security reasons, not due to any love for a religion.

Any person who understands the first alphabet of any religion will know the purpose of religion is to help and serve the society he or she lives selflessly, particularly those who donu2019t follow his/her beliefs and faith has to be served, loved and cared.If someone thinks that his/her religious group is better than the other, it discredit the fundamental first alphabet of the religion. Islam, Hinduism or any religion in the world, if it is practiced by grouping and subgrouping its practioners, it is deplorably divisive for the society and in general human welfare

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In WW2 during the Battle of France, why did it take so long for France to surrender?

Why didn't France surrender earlier?

France waited so that the English could be evacuated from Dunkirk. They held the German back while the small boats could get in and get the boys home.

Then they had a resistance to organise not easy when you have a whole lot of tanks running over your toes. Finally, the Italians decided to pop in for a late entry in the game of conquest so they had them to send packing. Then they surrendered.

That is to say the French Government surrendered, the French people on the other hand fought on.If you have ever seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you see just how ferocious the French can be in their taunting of opponents.

0 notes

promisesvt · 7 years

Note

super angst with dk but a fluffy end please

Genre: angst, fluff

Word Count: 2,436

Summary: You’re tired of bottling up your feelings, but the same day you decide to confess is the same day you have to meet Seokmin’s girlfriend. After confessing in the worst way you could think of you stopped talking to Seokmin. Months later you meet Seokmin at your old meet up spot and he has something to say.

A/N: I wrote and rewrote this so many times I lost track. I’m not really good at writing angst so this is like the first legit one I’ve written, but I wanted to give it a try. This was like sitting in our requests so I really wanted to get it done I hope it’s not too bad. Also requests are still open so feel free to send them in.

The lump in your throat grew and the tears in your eyes threatened to fall as you stared at the pair of intertwined hands. This was the day you were planning to confess your feelings to Seokmin but this had also, unfortunately, been the day that Seokmin was going to tell you about his new girlfriend.

“(Y/N)!” Seokmin called your name in a worried manner.

“Are you ok? Do you need to go to the hospital?” Seokmin’s new girlfriend looked back and forth between you and him. You could tell she was worried, of course she would be, she was Seokmin’s girlfriend, she probably had a heart of gold. But no matter how sincere she may seem the sound of her voice caused a painful knot in your stomach, and just as your tears, your lunch that you had consumed previously was trying to escape your body as well.

You got up abruptly, quickly picking up your bag and sliding out of the booth you were sitting at.

“Um, I’m fine. I just, I don’t feel well all of a sudden so I think I’m just gonna go home and try to sleep it off. Sorry for ending our plans so early.” You began walking towards the entrance but you were stopped by a firm hand holding onto your wrist.

You looked back to see Seokmin with a worried expression plastered to his face.

You were trying to keep your cool but your anger was rising up inside you, and having him in front of you, Lee Seokmin, your best friend, the guy you had been in love with for years, with his girlfriend sitting and staring at the two of you from one of the booths behind was not helping the situation. You yanked your wrist out of his grasp and walked out of the building, eyes burning and tears running down your cheeks. You heard footsteps behind you and you had no doubt in your mind that they belonged to Seokmin. You picked up the pace trying as hard as you could to get away from him. Not only were you angry but you were embarrassed. You imagined how it probably looked to Seokmin and his girlfriend, to see you one minute ordering food and the next to just be crying. Your wrist was held in his grip once again and you were harshly pulled back to face him.

“(Y/N), what the hell is wrong?”

“I told you I’m si-,”

“Stop. Don’t even try to give me excuses. You rarely get sick and you definitely never cry when you’re sick. Now tell me the reason, I left her all by herself at the restaurant to come get you. You’re my best friend so-”

This time it was your turn to interrupt him. You couldn’t stand it anymore. The fact that you felt as if you had to hide your feelings, having to stick with Seokmin through all his relationships, and worst of all having to hear him call you best friend constantly. You never knew the title of such a positive relationship could hurt you so bad. It was the best thing to hear him call you when you were younger but now the words were like poison. Those two words burned into your mind and ate at your heart. Something you used to love being called was now almost insulting to you.

“That’s why.” you told him, the tears now stopped and leaving your cheeks stained.

“What’s why?”

“I’m sick of it!” all your emotions that you had kept hidden were now pouring out. If this had gone the way you originally planned you would’ve been a deep shade of red and embarrassed beyond belief, but all you could feel now was rage and pity for your past and present self for having to keep your feelings bottled up because you were too scared to ruin the relationship between you and Seokmin.

“How!? How, Seokmin? How could you be so oblivious?” the tears had made a return and you saw as he reached out to brush them away, but you couldn’t let him. You know if he did something like that you would melt and let him get away with it, so you roughly pushed his hand away and continued. “Do you have one thought in your head as to why I asked to meet you for something super important today? I was gonna confess, you- you idiot! I’ve been in love with you since we were thirteen years old, but you had never shown any interest in me so I decided it was better to be at your side as your best friend rather than not at all. Lately, I wish I hadn’t.”

Seokmin was frozen in front of you, unable to get any words to leave his mouth so you continued.

“I was never more happy than I was this morning. I thought that even if you were to reject me then at least I wouldn’t have to hide how I feel, that maybe if you understood how I felt you would at least try to look at me, at least just once. But when you showed up with that girl,” you’re voice was cracking, the image of that girl’s hand in his refusing to leave your mind. Seokmin was standing in front of you, his expression had now changed from shock to heartbroken but he still had nothing to say and you had a lot more to tell.

“I prayed to myself that she was just a friend you had met at a singing competition recently, or maybe your cousin. I repeated over and over in my head to whoever was listening to make sure she wasn’t anything more than a friend, but I guess I was alone in my thoughts. I loved being your best friend, Seokmin, but I just can’t anymore. It’s too painful. I know I’m selfish for ending our friendship because of this, but, I just, I can’t do it anymore. My heart and my mind can’t do this anymore. I don’t think I can just stand-by and watch as you’re in love with someone else anymore.”

“(Y/N),” Seokmin had said your name as if it were a fragile piece of glass, scared that if he were to speak too loud or too harshly it would shatter.

“Just answer me this,” you stared deeply into Seokmin’s eyes trying to find the answers you have been trying to get for years. His eyes that you were so used to seeing in the shape of a smile, shining brightly, were now droopy and filled with sadness. “Did I,” you paused, slightly scared to hear the answer even though you were pretty sure you knew what he would say, “Did I ever stand a chance?”

“(Y/N)…” he replied, his voice heavy with heartache. You sniffled and wiped the tears that were sitting on your cheeks.

“It’s ok. I get it. See you later, Seokmin.” you had started walking towards the bus stop. You wanted to get home as soon as possible. After all that just happened you just wanted to wrap yourself in a blanket and spend some time alone.

“Wait,” the one word that Seokmin said had stopped you in your tracks. “That’s not it,” you wanted to question him, ask him what the real reason was, if he had ever liked you, if he did why he didn’t tell you, but you couldn’t seem to produce any words.

“You’re too good for me, (Y/N). In every way possible, you’re better than me. And for that reason, you deserve someone better than me. I don’t want you to waste your time on me. It’s not like I never thought about us before as a couple, but every time it ended in thoughts of all the ways I might end up hurting you. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if that ever happened.”

Your mind couldn’t process what he had just said. How could he, Lee Seokmin, the happiest, sweetest goofball you know, ever hurt you? Other than today he had never hurt you terribly.

“When it comes to relationships you can’t make all the decisions on your own.” You looked into his sorrowful eyes and put on a fake smile that you were all too used to wearing. “You better hurry back. She’s probably still waiting for you.”

You unwillingly tore your eyes away from him and walked to the bus, ignoring the call of your names and the pleads of you to stop and wait.

Three months filled with unanswered texts and purposefully missed phone calls from Seokmin had passed. You did your best to avoid all the places where you and Seokmin had spent your time before your angry confession. You thought it would be easier to cut him out of your life so you could get over him and move on. The truth was, without Seokmin, who was your literal ray of sunshine, your life had become miserable and gloomy.

During the three months you were living without Seokmin in your life, you had gone on several blind dates, but none of them quite suited your taste, none of them were him. You were getting ready for your next scheduled date, and although this would probably end the same as all the others this date had you shaking. Of course with your luck it happened to be at the same place you had spent all your time with Seokmin at which was also the last place you ever wanted to go. You know there wasn’t a big chance of him being there at the exact same time as your date but that one in a million chance was killing you.

You had arrived in front of the familiar glass entrance and took a peek inside, with Seokmin no where in sight you exhaled the breath you weren’t aware you had been holding. You went in and ordered a drink for you and another for your date who hadn’t shown up yet. You went and sat down at a table observing the whole area. Not much had changed about it except for the fact that they had some new pictures and posters on the wall.

You pulled out your phone to text your date and ask where they were and then went on some apps to distract you from thinking of the memories this small place gave you.

An hour passed and the iced coffee sitting in front of you was still full and was no longer iced. You sighed playing with the straw stuck in the cup of your sweet, colorful drink that you had barely drank from because it doesn’t really fit into the category of what you would usually order. You had already figured out about fifteen minutes before that your date wouldn’t be coming. You had been telling yourself that maybe they woke up late, or maybe the traffic was bad, or that maybe they had a family problem, but you had given up making excuses for your date, especially because they hadn’t replied to your text.

You had started getting up from your seat when a voice, who couldn’t have belonged to anyone else, spoke from behind you. Of course with your luck you got that one in a million chance of seeing him.

“Were you with someone?” he peeked around your side to see two, almost completely full drinks sitting on the table and changed his question, “Or… were you waiting for someone?”

You hesitantly turned around to face him.

“Actually… I got stood up,” you rubbed the nape of your neck, both embarrassed by the fact that he had seen you alone and by the fact that this is the first thing you’re telling him after three months. You cleared your throat and took in the image of the face that you had missed so much. “Um, are you here with your girlfriend?”

A sad smile broke out across his face, “So you haven’t even listened to my voicemails then…”

Another wave of embarrassment hit you and you suddenly felt bad for ignoring him all this time.

“Ya I guess I didn’t get around to it,” you were trying your best to keep a calm composure and treated him as coldly as you could make yourself towards him. After all, you were still in love with him and if you cracked, even just a little, you’d be putty in his hands.

“Oh,” Seokmin had stared at you with the same sad eyes that he had on the day of your guys’ fight, “Well, uh, we broke up. After that day I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I mean I always thought about you before, I mean how could I not when we were best friends for years,” you winced at the two words that you had come to hate and Seokmin took a deep breath in to stop himself from rambling any further, “What I’m trying to say is, after that day, I thought a lot about the things you said, and I guess I was looking at you the whole time, I just didn’t realize it myself.”

That was it. You had cracked. Your feelings for him that you had been trying to throw away for the last three months came gushing back out. You had practically thrown yourself into Seokmin’s arms. Tears wet the part of his shirt that you had buried your head in. You felt Seokmin stiffen from the sudden physical contact, but as quickly as he tensed up he relaxed and wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you as tight as he could against him.

“I’m sorry,” you were bawling, not caring about all the stares you were probably getting, “I’m so so sorry, I’m really sorry,”

Seokmin was stroking the back of your head, calming you, “Shh, (Y/N), it’s okay now. I know my feelings for you now, all I see is you, all I ever want to see is you. Trust me, I’m never letting you go again.”

“(Y/N)”, you replied with a small hum, “I love you.”

You stopped moving and so had your tears. He had always said that he loved you before but this time you could tell there was a deeper reason behind it, it was no longer just an exchanged saying between friends.

“I’ve always loved you,” you smiled, moving your face in front of his before laying a long awaited, sweet kiss on his lips, “Thanks for coming on a one in a million chance.”

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secretagentspydetectiveninja · 6 years

Text

The Misadventures of Prince Kim - chapter 45

It’s been eight months, 45 chapters, 160k words to get to this moment, and DAMN THIS WAS SATISFYING TO WRITE 😏

Also on AO3 as usual

It was late in the evening on 13th February, and the clock was ticking.

“There’s no way I can go stash the flowers in Ivan’s room without Kim and Max spotting me, so you have to distract them,” Alix said.

“Got it,” Nino replied, nodding. “I’ll go do that now.”

“And you, Marinette…” Alix gestured at the rain out of the window. “If it keeps raining, the whole plan fails. You need to keep Aurore and Mireille in a good mood so they use their weather powers to make it sunny.”

“I baked some cookies earlier, maybe I’ll give them some!” Marinette said.

“Good. I’ll let you know how it goes. Now go off and do your thing!”

Marinette and Nino ran off in opposite directions. Alix picked up the wagon full of flowers beside her and started dragging it towards the exit of the merchant square. Once she reached the entrance to the dorms she waited for bit, just in case Nino had been delayed and Kim and Max were still around. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she took the wagon in and knocked on the door to Ivan’s room.

“Oh good, you brought the flowers!” Ivan said. “Mylène told me all about your plan and I can’t wait to help!”

Huh, usually Ivan always seemed overly grumpy and quiet, but for once he was smiling brightly and looking cheerful. No wonder Mylène liked him.

“Thanks,” Alix said. “We’ll hide these flowers in here until the rain stops, then go to the fountain and display them.”

Ivan pulled the wagon into the room and started having a sort through it. “Roses… some other pretty flowers… I don’t know much about flowers, really, but they smell so nice!”

“I don’t know much about flowers either,” Alix said. “I had to ask Rose and Juleka what to do, and then ask Chloé and Sabrina where to buy them.”

“So is it true you’re setting up Kim and Max?”

“…Maybe.”

Was there much point in keeping it a secret if everyone already knew? But then again, they were trusting her not to tell anyone. She had to at least try to act like the plan was still some big mystery, even if everyone already knew what she was up to.

“Looks like the rain is stopping,” Ivan said, looking out of the window. “I’m not sure since it’s quite dark out there.”

“Oh good, Marinette must be doing a good job already. Well – no point wasting time. Let’s go.”

She opened the door and had a quick check. Kim and Max were nowhere in sight. Good. Picking up the wagon handle, she pulled it out of the room and Ivan followed.

It was cold and dark outside, though the rain had stopped entirely by now. The fountain was deserted. Alix put the wagon down and started pulling out the flowers, having to squint to see with so little light.

“What if Kim and Max don’t even come here tomorrow?” Ivan asked.

“They will. I know they will. I told Kim myself to take Max here. Uh, not that this is anything to do with Kim and Max, of course…”

Holding a bunch of flowers in one hand, she pulled Nath’s drawing out of her pocket with her other hand and gave it to the snake to hold up so she could see it.

“Okay, so the roses go at the top and the carnations go lower down. I can’t reach up there so I’ll arrange the carnations here and you just make the roses look nice, okay?”

Ivan nodded. He picked up some of the roses and then stood on the edge of the fountain walls to start putting them up near the top. Meanwhile Alix worked on trying to make the carnations look somewhat nice. She really had no idea what she was doing. How did people find flower arrangement a fun hobby to do in their spare time?

It took quite a while, but finally the fountain looked somewhat nice. By that time they had spent long enough in the dark that their eyes were getting accustomed to it and they could see it a lot better.

“Yeah, this looks like the drawing,” Alix said, taking the drawing back and putting it in her pocket. “Thanks, Ivan. Good work.”

“No problem! Let me know if you ever need help with anything else!”

He held up his hand for a high five, and she happily did so. His hand was seriously so big – why was everyone else always so giant compared to her? It was just unfair.

“So are you and Mylène doing anything tomorrow?” she asked him as they walked back towards the dorms.

“Mylène says she has a surprise for me,” Ivan said, his voice sounding much softer than usual. “I can’t wait to find out what it is. I wish I could just go to her room now and go and see her, but she told me to stay out until whatever present she’s working on is finished…”

“Oh, nice.”

“And what are you doing now? Going to go give Kim and Max some advice or something?”

“Pffffff, no,” Alix lied. “I was just… well, I guess I could go see if Kim’s changed his opinion on pillow fights yet…”

Ivan’s face lit up. “Pillow fights?”

“Yeah. I always wanted to pillow fight that idiot, but he refuses because pillows are too special to him, of course. Don’t ask.”

“Then you can always pillow fight me!”

She tried not to laugh. “Are you sure? I’m not gonna hold back. You will die from blunt force trauma caused by me with a pillow.”

“Yes, that sounds great!”

Wait, he wasn’t kidding? She looked up at him to see him smiling just as cheerfully as he had been before. The usual grumpiness was nowhere to be seen.

“Alright then,” she said, a grin spreading over her face. “Let’s have a pillow battle. Class giant against the class midget.”

“I’ll race you back to my dorm!”

He laughed and ran off before she could even say anything else. For a few seconds she was too surprised to move – was Ivan really like this underneath that tough exterior? A sweet, goofy kid who liked to have fun just like everyone else?

Hmm. New friend alert. This pillow fight was going to be fun.

Somewhere not too far away, Kim traipsed back into his own room and just flopped down on the bed. Why had Nino wanted to show him and Max the graffiti corner around the side of the building? Kim already knew about that. Everyone did. Even the teachers did, and they never bothered to get rid of it. Something was fishy, but he couldn’t work out what.

Never mind. He was tired, and tomorrow was a big day. Time for some sleep.

The hours passed too slow and too fast all at once. Tossing and turning, Kim just couldn’t sleep. All he could think about was Max – how was he going to react tomorrow? What would happen? Would things go well? Or would it all somehow turn into a complete disaster, just like everything else in Kim’s life?

Morning soon arrived, and despite his lack of sleep he didn’t feel tired at all. He grabbed his phone and sent a very important message to Alix.

Just stay in your room and don’t interfere okay, I’m doing this by myself!

He hadn’t expected to get a reply at this early hour, but apparently she was already awake.

You can do it!!!

Reading her words of support gave him the motivation he needed. Today was the day he was going to confess his love to Max. Today! No more hesitating, no more putting it off, no more waiting. This was the Cupid Festival, the perfect day to do such a thing. The past several months had been leading up to this moment.

He jumped to his feet, ready to go, when he heard a knock at the door. That had better not be Alix, he’d literally just told her to stay in her room…

Opening the door, he saw Max standing there in front of him. His heart immediately started beating a thousand times faster – no, he wasn’t ready yet! Not yet!

But he may as well get this over with. Before he lost the opportunity forever.

“Max! I have to tell you something–”

“Wait,” Max said. He was standing with his hands behind his back, seemingly hiding something. “Kim, please will you do something for me?”

“Of course!”

“Close your eyes and don’t open them for 100 seconds. Okay?”

“Okay…”

Kim shut his eyes and began counting. Almost straightaway he felt Max pin something on the front of his shirt and then heard his footsteps running away, but he kept his eyes closed and continued counting.

Opening them at 100, he looked down at his shirt to see that Max had stuck a little red sticker there.

No wait… not a sticker. A badge. It was red, heart-shaped, and had golden sparkles on it.

A red heart…

Just like a Cupid sticker.

Cupid stickers. Those were what people gave to their sweethearts or crushes on the day of the Cupid Festival. And Max…

Max had just given one to him.

And not just any ordinary Cupid sticker either. A special one. A unique one. One that almost looked like some kind of medal.

A romantic gift.

Too many thoughts were whizzing through his brain at once for him to even begin to sort them out. Without wasting a second, Kim tore off down the corridor, not caring if any teachers saw him or he got into trouble. It didn’t matter to him that he was still in his pyjamas, or that he hadn’t even done his hair nicely yet. He didn’t stop running until he had reached the thinking fountain, the place where he knew Max would be.

Sure enough, Max was sitting on the ground beside the fountain, curled up slightly. He didn’t even look at Kim, he just mumbled, “I thought you should know.”

Kim’s brain was still whirling so fast he could barely comprehend what was happening. Max had given him a Cupid gift, an actual real Cupid present. There was only one explanation – and yet it still seemed to impossible to take in.

“Max? Are you… are you in love with me?”

Max turned away. “Well I just… yes. Yes, I am. But really, I just thought I should tell you, and it’s… it’s not a big deal, and I love being your friend so p-please don’t worry… I just… thought maybe if I tell you then I’ll finally get over it… and I j-just want you to know that I think y-you’re amazing… and…”

He couldn’t go on, not now that his voice was cracking and there were tears running down his cheeks.

So it was true? This whole time, Max really had loved Kim back?

Seeing Max sitting there crying, it was just too much! Max being sad was too heartbreaking to bear. Without even stopping to think, Kim bent down and scooped him up into his arms, hugging him tight. All his nerves, all his fear, it had vanished. The only thing that mattered right now was Max.

“I love you too,” Kim said, surprised to find himself on the verge of tears too. Max was just looking up at him in shock, so he took a Cupid sticker out of his pocket and stuck it to the front of Max’s shirt.

“You… you like me?” Max still sounded shocked. He took his glasses off and wiped a few tears away from his eyes.

Kim nodded, feeling a great rush of adrenaline – not fear, but freedom. Love. Finally. He didn’t have to hide it any longer.

“I’ve kinda had a crush on you for a while now,” he said, grinning a little.

Max smiled a little too, before something between a sob and hiccup, followed by burying his face into Kim’s shoulder to cry a little more. Kim just ruffled his hair with one hand and pulled him a little closer with the other. He could feel a tear or two running down his own cheek too now.

“Oh Max…” He sighed, not even sure where to begin. There was so much he had been planning to say, but now it felt like words were unnecessary. “I guess my little Cupid sticker present for you is kinda lame compared with what you got me…”

He could feel Max giggling into his shoulder a little. “I got it from Adam, he told me to give it to you… he wanted us to get together…”

“I think everyone did.”

“True…”

Feeling almost dizzy, Kim crouched down to sit on the ground, still holding Max in his arms. His heart felt like it was going to burst.

“I was gonna tell you I liked you today, I can’t believe you beat me to it,” he muttered. “So I guess I’ll beat you to the important question: Max, do you um… wanna be my sweetheart?”

He could feel himself blushing now, the ridiculous lovey-dovey feelings getting the better of him. All he wanted to do was hold Max in his arms forever, never having to think about anything or anyone else ever again. Fu had told him at the oracle session that he would not be getting a girlfriend within the next year. Well… he had certainly been right about that.

Max pulled his tear-stained face away from Kim’s shirt, looking up at him with such a warm, lovestruck expression that Kim’s mouth fell open slightly in surprise. Max had never before looked at him with such obvious affection. It was beautiful.

“Kim, I would love to!”

Wow. So he finally had a sweetheart. An actual, real sweetheart. And not just anyone, but Prince Max! The greatest person in the world. Feeling overwhelmed, Kim just wrapped both arms around him and squeezed him tight. Everything just felt so perfect.

They must have sat there together for several minutes at least, the only sounds breaking the silence being their occasional laughter and the flowing fountain water. It was so peaceful, so wonderful, so… satisfying. Kim was not sure exactly when he had fallen for Max, and perhaps it didn’t matter, but it was long enough ago that finally knowing the truth that his love was reciprocated was the most heavenly feeling in the world.

Eventually he loosened his grip slightly, wondering if he was accidentally strangling his new sweetheart a bit. He leaned back and wiped a little tear off Max’s face with his thumb. Every movement, every tiny bit of physical contact – it was electric. Kim was sure the hairs on his arm must be standing up on end, and he didn’t even care.

“You’re really cute, you know that?” he mumbled.

“If I’m that cute then surely you won’t object to me taking you out for a picnic brunch today,” Max replied, a rather attractive smirk on his face all of a sudden. “It’s too cold out here but Master Fu doesn’t stay at school the whole year round so his room is free.”

Kim couldn’t even say anything for a few seconds. Max had just asked him on a date, and he was internally freaking out so much that he could barely move.

“I’ll take your stunned silence as a yes,” Max said, that smirk still there. Why were smirks so hot? Even on guys? Especially on Max?

Kim finally managed to say, “Yeah, that would be… amazing…”

“And I can’t wait to tell Alix about all this. She was helping me out, you know. She knew the whole time.”

That seemed to shock Kim’s brain into action.

“She KNEW?” he yelped. “She knew the whole time and she didn’t tell me?!”

“I made her swear not to.”

“But so did I! She was being winggirl for me, and I told her not to tell you, and…”

They both looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, before bursting into laughter.

“Oh, poor Alix…” Max managed to stop laughing first, now resting his head against Kim’s chest. “She must have been so annoyed at both of us.”

Kim scratched the back of his head, feeling like an idiot. “No wonder she was always telling me not to bother waiting for the Cupid Festival. She knew you’d say yes the whole time.”

“She really doesn’t like the Cupid Festival anyway. People rarely give friendship any amount of real importance on this day, and to her it matters a lot more than other things.”

“Don’t worry, Super Kim is on the case,” Kim said, trying to put on the most fabulous smirk he could and flexing his arm muscles slightly. Hearing Max’s surprised little intake of breath gave him a confidence boost like no other. “I already know exactly how to make it up to her.”

“Really? Because I had some ideas too. I know I’ve sort of been taking her for granted recently, so…”

“Yeah, same. But don’t worry. I have a plan. Here’s what we can do…”

Over in her dorm, Alix and her snake sat waiting. She kept checking her sceptre-phone, but still no message from either Kim or Max. How long were they going to take? She wanted to leave her room already!

But then again, did she? Today was the Cupid Festival, so maybe it would be better to avoid everyone.

There was a knock at her door. She opened it to see Kim there, grinning at her and holding something behind his back. Well, if he was grinning then that was a good sign, right?

“How did things go with–”

“Shush!” he said, putting a hand over her mouth before she could finish. “Before I tell you anything I have to do something, so go sit down and listen and be quiet. And don’t laugh.”

Don’t laugh? Why was all of that sounding… familiar?

She sat on her desk chair and waited, slightly apprehensive. What on earth was this idiot up to now?

Kim pulled what looked like a guitar out from behind him – wait. It wasn’t quite a guitar. And it looked very familiar. Could that be…?

It was. It was that instrument he had played her a song with last year on this day.

Oh jeez… he was going to play another song for her, wasn’t he? Yikes.

Sure enough, he began playing – but this time it sounded different. The song was so much more upbeat and catchy, as opposed to whatever heartfelt ballad he had been playing last year. To be fair, last year while listening she had indeed started to suspect that he had a crush on her, though she immediately dismissed that idea when he had told her it was a “generic friendship song”, or whatever he had said. If he had played this song instead, she would have just had no idea. This sounded almost like a pop song.

“Ta-da!” Kim said once he was done, a cheerful smile on his face. “You can applaud now!”

She clapped a few times, not really sure what to think.

“And this time it was actually a friendship song, I promise,” Kim continued, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and thrusting it into her hands. “I made a translation and everything, look.”

She took a quick read of the paper. Sure enough, the lyrics were so… well… sweet. So platonic. And incredibly heartwarming. There were little yellow hearts drawn all around the edges of the page too.

Yellow… the colour of friendship.

She looked back up at him, about to say something, when he suddenly swept her fringe aside and stuck a little friendship sticker on her forehead.

“Happy Cupid Festival, Alix! I love you. No romo.”

No… romo…? That was the most hilarious phrase she had ever heard. About to say so, she stopped abruptly when she realized that her eyes were filling up with tears.

Her whole life, she had been waiting for someone to tell her they loved her on the day of the Cupid Festival. But not the way that everyone else always said it. She had wanted a friend to say it to her. And now it had really happened. Finally. Someone who didn’t love her any less, just because they weren’t in love with her. A true best friend.

She just stood up on the chair and hugged Kim, not trusting herself to say a word. He chuckled and ruffled her hair the way he always did. That really did not help stop the tears, couldn’t he just not do that, and go do something stupid and idiotic instead so she didn’t have to cry…

“Are you gonna say anything?” he asked.

There were a lot of things she wanted to say, but they were all way too cheesy. Instead she settled for muttering, “No romo is the best phrase ever and I’m gonna use it all the time.”

“It’s awesome, right? Max came up with that one.”

Max! Of course!

She let go of Kim and quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes. “How did things go with Max, then?”

Kim just carried on smiling, his expression not having changed at all. “Why don’t I take you to see him and you can ask him yourself?”

“Sure, but hang on a second.” She opened the cupboard and took out a bag. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“What’s in the bag?”

“You’ll see.”

“Alright…”

She followed him through the school corridors towards the oracle room. Kim explained along the way that Fu wasn’t actually at school most of the year, so his room was usually empty and available for use.

They arrived to see Max in the room, with a picnic blanket laid across the floor and a few plates of food on top of it. Max immediately rushed forwards to hug Alix and stick a friendship sticker on the side of her snake.

“Happy Cupid Festival!” he said brightly. “I’m sorry I’ve been taking you for granted so much recently, I want you to know that you’re my best friend and I care about you no matter what. And it’s thanks to your help that Kim and I actually did get together.”

So they were together now? Oh thank god, finally. More than anything else she was just relieved at this point. Those two had completely obliterated her willingness to be anyone’s winggirl ever again, thanks to how ridiculous they were.

“So are you two having a picnic date?” she asked.

“Actually,” Max said, “all three of us are. A friendship-date for you, and a Cupid-date for us.”

“We didn’t want to leave you out!” Kim added. “We promise not to be too sappy until you leave.”

“You’re very important to us.”

“You totally deserve to be appreciated on this day too.”

They were looking at her expectantly. Aware that her eyes were burning again, she put her hand into the bag and pulled out a few flowers.

“Um… these are for you. Just take them. Yellow roses symbolize friendship. And I know these are totally lame compared to this picnic you guys invited me to, but… you’re both… really… cool… so…”

Okay, she was crying a little. Forget it. She held out the flowers and looked away, not bothering to say anything else.

“Thank you,” Max said as he took half the flowers, with Kim taking the other half. “I didn’t know you knew flower language.”

“I don’t. I just learnt a bit so I could decorate that fountain place of yours properly for today.”

They stared at her. “…What?”

“The thinking fountain, as you guys call it? You must have been wondering where all those flowers came from. Well yeah, I did that. With some help.”

They glanced at each other nervously.

“Uh… I didn’t really notice,” Kim admitted.

“We were rather distracted,” Max added. “But I’m sure your decorations were lovely.”

“You didn’t notice? At all?”

They shook their heads.

After all that effort she’d gone to…

They really hadn’t noticed?

That was… just…

“That’s hilarious,” she whispered, before bursting into laughter. What idiots.

The picnic date really didn’t feel much different from any other time when they all hung out, and that was probably for the best. The snake had tied itself in a knot around Kim and Max’s arms, binding them together for a little while. Seriously – that snake must have been able to understand French perfectly well. There was no other explanation.

Eventually Alix and the snake left, Alix saying that now Kim and Max were free to be as “mushy” as they wanted in peace. Kim looked over at Max, wondering if he dared ask for a kiss, or would it perhaps be considered rushing things? He didn’t mind just being with Max, anyway. Simply being near him felt nice.

“I’m assuming you’re going to want to show off your new sweetheart to everyone who will listen,” Max said, stretching and then sitting back against the wall. “If so, feel free.”

“Really?” Kim certainly had wanted to do that, but he wasn’t sure if Max would like it or not.

“Of course. You know I like it when you compliment me, say nice things about me, all of that.”

Kim chuckled. “So when I had the flu and I was gushing at you loads about how cool you were, you must have been having the time of your life!”

“I certainly was!”

“How long have you liked me for, anyway?”

Max stopped to think for a few seconds. “Must be a few years now.”

“YEARS?! And you didn’t do anything about it?”

“You already had your own crushes. I was supporting those instead.”

Kim leaned forwards and pulled Max into a hug. He did that often, sure, but it felt different now. He was hugging his sweetheart. It felt good.

“You’re too good for me,” he said softly.

“Aww, Kim…”

“I know I’m totally super hot, but apart from that, what do you even see in me?”

“So many things!” Max said, pulling away enough to look at him in earnest. “You’re always trying your hardest at everything, and being supportive of me no matter what, and always striving to improve yourself! Not to mention how inspiring your energy and enthusiasm is, and how endearing it is to watch you jumping headfirst into everything you do, always putting in all your effort…”

Hearing Max say all this, it was like floating on a cloud. And he never wanted to come down.

“And how long have you liked me for?” Max asked, his gushing spree at an end.

“I don’t even know,” Kim admitted. “I noticed it just after the winter party, but it must have started before that. It’s kind of hard to tell.”

Max chuckled. “So you already liked me when I um… after that lacrosse match… kissed you on the cheek.”

“Oh yeah, that! I was so shocked I couldn’t move for like five whole minutes after that.”

“And so later on, when you did the same thing to me in return, you must have been flirting…” Max whacked himself on the forehead. “How did I manage to write that off as friendship?”

“It’s okay, I managed to convince myself it was all friendship too,” Kim admitted. “Though, to be fair, I did guess that you might have been into me. It was, uh, the thing during the last spring holidays. The… you know.”

He gestured vaguely at his chest, feeling too flustered to actually say it now. Max understood though, his eyes growing wide all of a sudden, before the smile returned to his face.

“Please don’t think your amazing athletic figure is the only reason I like you,” he said. “That’s just a bonus.”

“Don’t worry, I get it. And please don’t think I only like you ‘cause you’re smart. I like you for a whole lot more than that. You make me feel smart when you’re with me. And you’re super nice. And always there for me. And really, really cute. And…”

Kim broke off, blushing furiously. Complimenting Max usually came easily to him. However, complimenting Max in an obviously romantic sense was still quite new to him.

“When did you tell Alix that you liked me?” he asked instead, changing the subject.

“The morning after the winter party,” Max said.

“But wait… that’s when I told her too! She was actually there when I realized it in the first place!”

Max laughed again, such a sweet little laugh, like wind chimes in the breeze. “That must have been so frustrating for her.”

“And I think she’s wanted us to get together for a lot longer than that,” Kim continued, remembering something else. “Remember that one time when we were supposed to be doing work after the quarantine, and I won an arm wrestle against her for like the first time? Well later on she asked me if it was because of you, and uh… now that I think about it… she was definitely implying that she thought I had a crush on you… and I guess I did, without realizing…”

“You mean I can help you win arm wrestles?” Max asked. “I should go to duelling club to support you in that case. You’ll win all your matches!”

“It’s true though! When you’re around, it’s like I’m way smarter! I even started considering that maybe you had superpowers or something, being able to boost my focus and concentration and make me really clever, or something like that.”

Max took Kim’s hand in his own and held it tight. “I think that’s just called being in love.”

Kim was sure his entire face must be bright red. He fiddled with Max’s fingers – they were oddly small compared with his own. “I still think you have superpowers though…”

“Spider-removal superpowers?”

“Yeah… something like that.”

“Well, if there’s a superpower that you have, it must be the superpower of being supportive. I don’t think you’ve ever said anything mean to me for as long as we’ve known each other.”

“You’re a nerd,” Kim said, grinning.

“That’s not mean!”

“Okay, okay… you’re… a… cool person. Ugh, I can’t do this.”

Max laughed. “Exactly!”

Oh, he was just so cute. Kim’s brain was starting to spin in circles from being so close to Max for so long. There was no other feeling in the world quite like it.

“By the way,” Max said, “I have another guess about what happened in that lift. Did you spend the entire time boring Alix to death by gushing about how amazing I am?”

Hmm… not too bad.

“Not for the entire time,” Kim said. “I did talk about you for a while, yeah. But that’s not the main thing that happened, the cool thing.”

“And you’re not going to tell me?”

“Nope. It was the awesomest thing ever and I so totally would tell you, but me and Alix made a blood pact to never tell anyone unless they managed to guess. That was how awesome it was.”

“A blood pact?! What on earth is that?”

“Um, we weren’t sure actually but the idea sounded cool, so uh… let’s just say, a pinkie-promise mixed with a papercut, except using one of the tips of the snake’s fangs instead of paper. Therefore the pinkie-promise is now forever binding.”

Max shook his head in disbelief. “Well, it’s a good thing queen cobras don’t actually store their venom in their fangs…”

“Of course they don’t, you’ve taught me that before. I remember.”

“You do?” Max looked up at him with that adorable, lovestruck expression again. He really didn’t seem to be hiding his crush at all now. “Oh Kim, you always take everything I say to heart… you’re ever so sweet…”

Alright, maybe Max wasn’t the only one looking lovestruck. Kim himself wasn’t bothering to hide his admiration anymore, and it must have been showing on his face. Things were just going so well today. Like out of a dream, or a fairy tale. Max had only been his sweetheart for a few hours at this point but those few hours had already been precious. What were things going to be like in the future?

He squeezed Max’s fingers tight, smiling encouragingly, not really sure what to say now. Kisses were on his mind all of a sudden, and he wasn’t sure if he should go there yet or not. He’d never actually kissed someone while in a relationship with them. Well, he had never even had a relationship in the first place. Everything was a bit new for him. And he didn’t have much to go off, either – Max was a boy! Not that his heart noticed the difference.

“Do you think we should clear up the picnic now?” Max asked, bringing a halt to Kim’s train of thought.

“Sure,” he replied, ignoring his heart sinking a little. There would be time for all the romantic stuff later. Plenty of time.

They stood up and helped each other pack away all the leftover food and fold up the blanket, along with putting the friendship flowers in a bag to store for now.

“Thank you so much for organizing this picnic, it was awesome,” Kim said once they were done. He did the usual thing – hugged Max tightly enough to lift him off the ground for a few seconds. This time, though, he was sure Max was hugging him back tighter than normal. Much tighter than normal. He had to remind himself to breathe.

He put Max down and dropped his arms, but Max didn’t seem to quite let go of him. He was looking rather flustered all of a sudden, his face tinged red with a nervous smile on it.

“Kim?”

“Yeah? You alright?”

Max nodded. “I just… um… it’s a bit silly maybe. But…” He took a deep breath. “I have never actually kissed anyone before. And, well, I suppose I’m curious. And I’ve kind of wanted to kiss you for quite a while now. So, if it’s alright… can I kiss you?”

Kim just stared for several seconds. He was hyperaware of Max’s arms resting on his shoulders, his face just a few centimetres away. Time itself seemed to be slowing down.

“Yeah,” he said, nodding slightly. He’d kissed people before, right? He knew what he was doing…

But no, he didn’t. He just didn’t. Everything felt so different this time. He was so head-over-heels for Max, he just didn’t even know where to start. This was nothing like an awkward mistletoe kiss, or a quick surprise one, or a meaningless make-out session at a winter party. This was a proper kiss.

Max stepped up onto Kim’s feet and put his arms around his neck. He seemed to be shaking slightly – was he nervous? He must be. Kim was too. He put his arms around that fluffy green jacket of Max’s and pulled him a little closer, trying not to feel too overwhelmed. It seemed like time was slowing down even more around them, pulling the universe closer and closer to complete tranquillity.

There was that soothing feeling again, that calming influence that Max seemed to have on him. Recently Kim had always been in too much of a crush-fuelled adrenaline state to notice it, but it was there, alright. And now it was washing over him, as he moved his face closer and closer to Max’s, it was filling every single atom of him, as he tilted his head aside slightly and half-closed his eyes, forgetting that anything or anyone else existed…

The kiss did not last particularly long, but Kim realized at the end of it that he and Max were holding onto each other much tighter than they had been at the start. He tried to clear his head – all he could think about was that kiss.

It had been so different – how had that happened? Like nothing he had ever experienced before. Time had been going so slow, every second felt like a thousand years. It was so… bewitching? Was that a word? It was the only thing that could even come close to describing it.

Max seemed to have had his eyes closed, and now he opened them. Huh – his glasses hadn’t got in the way at all. Kim had forgotten about that completely. And now Max was staring at him, his expression unreadable. Kim rested his forehead against his.

“So uh… how was that?”

For a few seconds Max just looked down, smiling, before saying, “I liked it.”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

“But for the record, even if I hadn’t liked it, I would still like you.”

“That’s a relief to know.”

“And what about you? How did you find it?”

Kim grinned. “I think I absorbed some of your smartness. It was awesome.”

His phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. Still holding onto Max with one hand, he checked the message with the other. It was from Alix, of course.

Have you two kissed yet? If not I’m gonna push your faces together, honestly.

“Look at this message,” Kim laughed, showing Max. “She wanted me to kiss you at the Peace Ball, too.”

“Oh, the Peace Ball,” Max said, chuckling slightly. “I was very much thinking about kissing you there, but I sort of lost my courage…”

“Aw, it’s okay.” Kim turned their half-hug into a full hug. “I lost my courage that night too. But hey – it’s all worked out now.”

“Yes. Indeed it has.”

“You really mean the world to me, you know? I love you so much.”

Kim had told Max he loved him plenty of times before, of course he had. It felt so much more special now, though. Now that Max knew what he truly meant.

“I love you too,” Max replied. “Happy Cupid Festival, Kim.”

“Happy Cupid Festival, Max.”

#i actually wrote a lot of this chapter way back in april and have been waiting FOREVER to finally post it #things are gonna be different from this point on in the story #miraculous ladybug #le chien kim #max kante #KIMAX #HECK YEAH #alix kubdel #it's okay my salty aro daughter i hate 14th feb too for similar reasons #random stuff #the misadventures of prince kim #royalty au #aish writes

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littleindigochildx · 5 years

Text

Limbo Fair 🎡 [task 11]

“Savvy. Hurry up! I wanna go to the fair…” Timmy whined as he (not so) patiently waited downstairs for his sister to find a pair of matching shoes. How she always managed to lose one was beyond him. “I wanna get there before it’s too crowded.” The Limbo Fair was the one thing residence looked forward to the most all year, especially the kids. There were rides, games, food, prizes, face painting, and a petting zoo, and this year it was the perfect way to keep everyone’s mind off recent tragic events that had taken place in town.

“You’re not really gonna go to the fair, are you?” Ransom asked his mother. He had always been the voice of reason and he didn’t feel right about letting his mom and younger siblings go when there was still a murderer on the loose. A murderer that was targeting their family. “We’ll be fine. The kids can play a couple of games, ride a couple of rides, and then we’ll be home.” What were the odds a wanted felon would turn up to the biggest event of the year? “I wanna get my face painted too, mommy.” Savanna said as she came up behind Victoria. She was unsuccessful in finding a pair of matching shoes, but at least she was no longer barefoot. On her left foot she sported a Nike running shoe discolored from excessive wear. On her right, a Sketchers light up sneaker. At least they were both the same type of shoe. She could have easily worn a sneaker and a flip flop. “Are we gonna go now, mommy? Before Timmy has’a cow?” The seven year old teased as she gave her brother a playful eye roll. Timmy responded by sticking his tongue out at her. “Rannie, you’re not comin’ with us?” Savvy questioned. She knew he was still recovering, but he seemed to be healing quickly now that he was out of the hospital. She and Timmy were so thrilled that he was alright and even more elated that he was staying with them (despite DC’s wishes) until he was better. “Not this year, monkey.” Ransom told his little sister. “You’ll save me some cotton candy though, right?” He grinned. Savanna nodded her head in return.

“Finally...” Timmy said with an overly dramatic sigh. He was more worried about his favorite vendor running out of funnel cake than he was the lines for the rides. He missed out the previous year because Savvy got sick on the tea cups and they had to go home early. Victoria promised him that wouldn’t happen this year. “Can I bring Teddy?” Savanna asked. Normally Vic made her leave her stuffed bear at home because she didn’t want her to lose him, but she agreed to let her bring him this time as long as she kept him in the car. “We’ll be home soon. Call or text me if you need anything.” Victoria spoke to her oldest. She knew he was capable of taking care of himself, but she was overprotective...Especially after almost losing him. “I’m gonna win ya a biiiiig stuffed animal. Kay?” Timmy promised. He admired his brother so much he would literally do anything for him. The same went for any member of his family, whether they were blood related or not.

----------

“Whoa! Look at all the new rides they have!” The eight year old said as his eyes lit up. Savanna’s eyes were just as wide. “Mommy… How comes DC didn’t come with us?” The little brunette asked. “Doesn’t he like the fair?” She arched a brow as her gaze met Victoria’s through the rear view mirror. “Can we bring him some cotton candy too? I can buy it. Nanny Deschaine gived me five whole dollars for helpin’ her pull weeds from her garden.” Savvy had the money safely tucked away in a Hello Kitty wallet she kept in her purse. “I’ll buy some for him, Rannie, Dottie, an you mommy.” Realistically, she probably didn’t have enough money to buy something for everyone. Food at the fair was always ridiculously overpriced and Savanna didn’t quite understand the value of things yet. Five dollars to a seven year old was like a hundred dollars to an adult. It certainly seemed like a lot, but it wouldn’t get her very far. Savanna’s heart was in the right place though. She always insisted she use her money to buy things for other people. She definitely got her generosity from Victoria. Timothy did too. They weren’t perfect kids, but they were good kids.

“Savvy...No tea cups until after I get some funnel cake.” Timmy told his sister as Vic circled the fairgrounds to find a parking spot. They lucked out and found one just a few rows from the main entrance. Admission to get in was free, but tickets were needed to get on rides, buy food, and collect prizes. Victoria got $20 for each of them to spend however they wanted. “Don’t lose these.”She warned as she handed Timmy his and Savanna hers. “Once these are gone, it’s time to go home. I don’t want to hear any complaining, do you understand?” Both children nodded as they held onto their tickets with a death grip. Savvy knew exactly what she wanted to use her tickets on first.

“Mommy, can I get my face painted? Please?” The seven year old asked. There was no line, which was a surprise, but Timmy was already voicing his disapproval. Victoria gave him a warning glance. “She gets to choose first, Timmy.” The brunette explained. “It’s her birthday. Why don’t you get your face painted too?” Vic suggested as her youngest was already picking out what she wanted. “I want...the butterfly.” She pointed with a grin. Victoria wasn’t surprised. She figured Savanna would pick that or the unicorn. “Timmy, you should get Spiderman!” The little girl said excitedly, but when it was finally his turn for face painting he went with a shark.

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Victoria and the kids spent a couple of hours at the fair. So far, nothing eventful had taken place. Timmy was happy because he finally got a funnel cake he didn’t have to share. Savanna was happy because she won a stuffed seahorse playing some shooting game that made Victoria feel uneasy. They were down to their last few tickets...Just enough for one more game, ride, or snack. Timmy chose to spend his on a little roller coaster he had been eyeing up since they arrived, but Savanna didn’t want to go on it with him. They promised Ransom cotton candy, and she wouldn’t leave until she got him what he wanted. “We can’t forget ‘bout Rannie’s cotton candy, mommy.” Savvy reminded the brunette. “Can I get it?” She didn’t have enough tickets left, but the five dollars she still had in her purse would get her the tickets she needed to fulfill his request. “We need to wait for Timmy.” Vic explained. “You can wait for Timmy an’ I can get it myself. It’s right there.” Savvy pointed to the food truck a couple feet away. Victoria would still be able to see her. “Really quickly, Savanna...And then you need to come right back.” It was hard for Vic to let her baby go, but her baby wasn’t really a baby anymore. She realized that she would need to loosen the reigns at some point.

With the okay from her mother, Savanna made a mad dash towards the cotton candy truck. She asked the man inside how many tickets she would need and didn’t think anything of it when he gave it to her on the house. “Are ya sure it’s okay?” The little girl asked. She even offered him her money but he turned it down. “On the house means ya get it for free...My treat.” The man replied. He had a kind smile but there was something about his eyes that sent chills down Savvy’s spine. Something didn’t feel right. She knew she needed to get out of there, but before she could turn to leave a hand was covering her mouth and she was being scooped up and carried away.

----------

“Savanna?” Victoria called out in a panic. She turned her back for one minute to check on Timmy and Savvy was gone. “Savanna Thorne… Where are you?” She held Timmy’s hand so tightly he started to complain that she was hurting him. “Mom, look…” He pointed to what appeared to be his sister’s purse and the stuffed seahorse she won. He was scared. Victoria was scared. Savanna was missing in a town where there was a killer on the loose and all of Victoria’s worst fears were coming true. “Where’s Savvy?” Timmy asked with tears in his eyes. He was trying to hold it together for his mother, but he was genuinely terrified. The world seemed to be spinning in slow motion, even as people whizzed passed them. “Excuse me...I’m looking for my daughter. She’s about this tall, thin, long brown hair, blue eyes...She’s seven. Her name is Savanna.” Victoria thought she was going to throw up. There was no way Savvy had just run off...Not without her purse and stuffed animal. “Sh...she got her face painted. This is what she looks like, only she has her face painted to look like a butterfly.” Vic showed him a picture of Savanna she had on her phone. The brunette was on the verge of tears. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it was about to explode. Why did she let Savanna go off by herself? Why were the security guards just standing there when her daughter was missing?

“Mom...Is Savvy gonna be okay?” Timothy asked. Victoria couldn’t give him an answer. She could barely breathe, think, or function. Why Savanna? At a fair full of people...Why did it have to be her daughter that went missing?

“Timmy...I want you to look at me. I need you to stay right here. Don’t move a muscle. I need to make a phone call.”Victoria had the security guard watch Timmy just to be safe while she stepped outside the trailer to call her brother. This was a police matter...a real police matter, and there was no one she trusted more than Steve.

“Victo…” Steve answered but he got cut off before he could even say her full name. “She’s gone, Steve...Savanna. I turned my back for one second and she’s gone!” He could barely understand a single word that came out of her mouth. ��Where are you, Victoria?” He asked. “The fair...Steve...Please….We need to find her.” She couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. “Just stay where you are...I’m on my way.” By the time she hung up the phone she was hysterical. She had seen enough crime shows to know what came next. The clock was ticking. There was no time to waste.

#task 11 #limbo fair #♡ savanna thorne #♡ victoria deschaine | [connection]#♡ timmy thorne | [connection]#♡ ransom deschaine | [connection]

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whimsicallyenchantedrose · 7 years

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Under the Apple Tree--Chapter 2

Ship: Outlaw Queen

Rating: T

Synopsis: After being hit by the Olympian Crystal, Robin was transported to Seattle, unable to return to Storybrooke or any magical. When it was clear he had no way to return to his family, Robin finally decided to bury his broken heart in work–founding a landscaping business, Sherwood Forestry. Fifteen years later, Robin receives an order from the last person he ever thought he’d see again, making him realize that hope never truly dies.

Previous: Chapter 1

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Rayna Miller stepped into her heels and then gave herself one last look in her vanity mirror. Makeup carefully applied, chin-length near-black hair neatly coifed, power suit both professional and distinctly feminine. Rayna nodded at her reflection, pleased with the effect. She looked every inch the confident and capable business woman.

Good thing, too. This morning she had, quite possibly, the most important business meeting of her life. Not that she’d had all that many business meetings in her life. The daughter of an extremely successful real estate mogul, Rayna had never needed to work a day in her life.

But Rayna wanted to work; wanted to support herself; wanted to make a name for herself. She didn’t just want to be known as the daughter of the late Henry Miller. She wanted to be known for her own accomplishments.

From a young age, Rayna had loved baking, loved the way various and sundry raw ingredients could be brought together to form something new, something delectable. Desserts involving apples were her particular favorite. She made an apple turnover that was without parallel.

In fact it was that very apple turnover that had started Rayna on her current career path. She’d made the sweet, flaky dessert for one of her father’s business associates when he’d dined with the Millers, and the man had raved over it.

“Young lady,” he’d said, “you could create your own catering business with dishes such as this!”

And so she had.

Not long after Henry Miller passed of a sudden heart attack, Regina had used a portion of her inheritance money to open “Apple of My Eye Catering Service.” She could make a mean lasagna when the situation required it, but she far preferred the jobs that required her to simply provide dessert for her customers.

Which was why this business meeting was so very, very important.

One evening, after a full day spent in the kitchen, she’d collapsed onto the sofa and sighed deeply. “I am so sick of having to make full meals for everyone,” she’d groused. “I got into this business to make dessert.”

Her brother James looked up from the book he’d been perusing in his arm chair in the corner and shrugged. “So make dessert.”

Rayna rolled her eyes. “Make dessert? Like it’s just that easy? Yes, I’m sure my clients would be thrilled if I simply refused to make them entrees for their catered special occasions.”

James sighed, that familiar tragic look coming into his blue eyes once again. “Rayna,” he’d said, “life is far too short to waste on a job you genuinely don’t enjoy. If it’s baking that fulfills you, find a business venture that allows you to focus on that.”

James had been right. Oh, the two of them tended to roll their eyes and snark at each other more than anything else, but Rayna knew her brother cared about her. His suggestion that she find a job that allowed her to focus on her passion simply would not leave her.

And so, when Grandma’s Kitchen had opened not more than three blocks from her spacious home, the solution had come to Rayna with startling clarity. If she could talk “Grandma”—Rayna still didn’t know the woman’s first name—into partnering with her, she could sell her own brand of apple-based desserts at the restaurant. It really would be a win-win for both women. Rayna could focus on the delicacies she preferred and Grandma would have a premiere line of desserts that could make a name for her café. Grandma had been skeptical when Rayna first proposed the idea, concerned a wealthy heiress couldn’t be counted on, but Rayna had finally worn her down.

This morning at 9:00 sharp, she was to meet Grandma to make her pitch. It was quite possibly the most important meeting of her life. It felt as though her entire future rode on this meeting.

Satisfied that her appearance exuded precisely the mix of confidence and down-to-earth-ness that Rayna was looking for, she stepped from her bedroom and into her spacious kitchen. The large basket full of crisp Granny Smiths on the counter beckoned to her, and Rayna pulled on an apron and set to work to begin peeling. She had a rehearsal dinner to cater this evening, and she needed to spend every free moment she had making the necessary preparations if she was to be ready in time.

She’d just started in on the second apple when the doorbell rang.

Strange. She wasn’t expecting company. Who could be bothering her at this time of the morning?

Rayna shrugged, rinsed off her sticky hands, pulled her apron over her head, and made her way to the entrance foyer. Opening the door, she found herself face to face with a man dressed simply in jeans, a tee shirt and sturdy work boots.

“Regina?”

For a moment, Rayna simply stared, her heart racing for a reason she couldn’t understand. There was something so very, very familiar about this man. With his warm blue eyes, his sandy-colored hair, touched with gray at the temples, his scruff, there was just something about him…

“Regina?” the man said again taking a step forward. “Is something the matter?”

Rayna shook her head and put her hand out, stopping the man in his tracks. “There is no one by that name at this residence. You must have the wrong address.”

She saw a brief flash of confusion and intense pain pass over the man’s handsome face before he took a deferential step backwards. “Apologies, my lady,” he said. “I…I…it’s just that you remind me of someone I once knew quite well.”

She peered at him for a moment, the feeling of déjà vu coming over her stronger than ever. “No harm done,” she said beginning to close the door. “I hope you find this woman you’re looking for.”

The man stepped a foot into the door way, effectively blocking her attempt to shut him out. “Pardon,” he said, “but I’ve made quite a mess of this. Allow me to begin again. I’m Robin Locksley of Sherwood Forestry.”

He looked at her intently, as though hoping his name and title might mean something to her. “Nice to meet you,” she said crisply. “I don’t mean to be rude, but why are you still on my doorstep Robin Locksley of Sherwood Forestry?”

The man furrowed his brow. “Did you not order an apple tree from my nursery?”

Rayna’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. I ordered an apple tree,” she said in her most regal and imperial tone, “but it was not to arrive until tomorrow.”

“I assure you,” Robin said, “your order was to be delivered this morning. My secretary is quite diligent in her job. Now, if you would kindly show me where your tree is to be planted?”

“I’ll be happy to,” Rayna said, eyes narrowing, “Tomorrow morning at 8:00 am sharp, just as I ordered.”

“I’m afraid that’s quite impossible, Miss…” he looked down at his work order, “Miller. The tree has been uprooted and must be planted today lest the roots dry out.”

This couldn’t be happening! Not today, not on the day of her meeting with Grandma! Not when her entire future hung on this meeting!

“You don’t understand!” she said, a hint of desperation in her voice. “I cannot deal with this today. If I miss my meeting….This is my one opportunity…She already believes I’m just a useless heiress. If I cancel…Please. I can’t fail! Not again.”

Robin’s eyes softened and his hand came up to cup her cheek. To Rayna’s intense confusion, she found the gesture comforting, familiar. “No one believes you will fail,” he said, a gravelly note in his warm voice. “You can do anything you put your mind to, and I will do anything in my power to assist you.”

Rayna’s eyes widened at the tender, supportive words. She was quite sure she’d never met this man in her life, but something about him pulled at her, made her heart race, stilled her self-doubts.

“Do we…” she said breathlessly, “do we know each other?”

Robin glanced aside for a moment and then looked back at her with a sad smile. “I assure you. There’s no way I’d forget knowing you Reg…er…Rayna Miller.”

Something crackled between them, something deep and true and lasting. Something that spoke of forever. Rayna held his gaze for a moment before she blinked and took a step away. She couldn’t deal with this…weird connection with the literal stranger on her doorstep.

Instead, she focused on the problem at hand, desperate to make something make sense again. “Look, I don’t know where, but somehow along the way there was a miscommunication. I have a vitally important business meeting in half an hour, and if I cancel, if I’m late, the perfect career opportunity will slip through my fingers. I simply cannot have my tree delivered this morning. I can’t be here with you.”

“It’s no problem really,” Robin said. “Simply show me where the tree is to be planted. I’ve no need for your presence.”

“I will be gone most of the morning,” Rayna said. “I will not be here to pay you when the job is done.”

Robin shrugged. “All the better. It’ll give me an excuse to call on you again. Perhaps we might discuss the matter of payment tomorrow at the time you believed the delivery was to take place? Perhaps we might even have cause to celebrate the successful completion of your business meeting today.”

Rayna eyed the man skeptically for another moment. Something inside told her she could trust this Robin Locksley, could trust him with her life, let alone the planting of her apple tree. “Very well,” she said. “Return tomorrow at 8:00 am sharp, and I’ll have a check ready for you. Maybe…maybe if you’re not too busy, you could stay for a fresh apple turnover and we can get to the bottom of this mix up.”

Robin bowed slightly, tender smile on his face. “I shall look forward to it.”

Notes:

--So, I’ve decided to set an update schedule for myself. This story will be somewhere around 8-10 chapters long, and I’ll update every Tuesday. I seem to work best under a deadline, so this ought to motivate me to keep this story going.

--Back to the story! Clearly something odd is going on here! Regina not only doesn’t remember Robin, she doesn’t even remember her own identity. Just what’s happened over the last decade and a half, and why it is that Regina believes she’s Rayna Miller, the caterer, rather than Regina Mills, the mayor, will be revealed in due course.

--In fact, we’ll start to get those answers in next week’s update! We’ll not only follow Robin to his breakfast meeting with “Rayna” the next day, but Robin will also meet his rather reclusive neighbor, someone who can be very, very useful in helping Robin “wake up” his soul mate.

--Also…curious about Rayna’s brother, James? Don’t worry; we’ll learn more about him as well!

Tagging a few who I talk to frequently and might be interested: @flslp87 @hellomommanerd @linda8084 @snowbellewells @kmomof4.

#oq ff #oq fanfiction #my fanfiction #under the apple tree

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allyinthekeyofx · 7 years

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Fading Light - Part 4 - 4/4

PART ONE - Chapters 1-6

PART TWO - Chapters 1-6

PART THREE - Prologue & Chapters 1-6

PART FOUR - Prologue Chapter one Chapter two Chapter three

EPILOGUE

I can feel Mulder's arms around me, just like when I woke up to the feel of him cuddled against me yesterday morning and the morning before that and the morning before that. Sometimes I am laid on my back and he has his head nestled in the crook of my shoulder, or resting heavily against my chest, sometimes we are facing each other and his arms are loosely draped over my hips, those long fingers just skimming the small of my back, unconsciously moving them against my skin even as he sleeps. And sometimes, like today, he is spooned against me, holding me against him with boneless, heavy arms that entrap me so completely that I couldn’t move even if I wanted to.

Not that I have any desire to try to escape.

For the first time in my life I awaken each morning with such a sense of belonging that I have to talk myself in to opening my eyes, so sure am I that what I’m feeling is just the vestiges of a beautiful dream, just like all those heartbreaking nights when I dreamed he was with me only to find myself alone, so consumed with yearning that I sometimes just wanted to lay on this bed and never get up again. Knowing that I would have to face yet another day where I had to deny to myself and to him just exactly what he meant to me, that he had somehow become my whole reason for being; for breathing; for existing.

All those wasted years where we refused to acknowledge our intrinsic need, so blind that we didn’t take the time to really see just what we had become to each other; what we could be. Consumed with a fear that by allowing ourselves to be together, to admit all the yearnings that we had denied, we would become weaker and more vulnerable to those who sought to destroy us, when in actuality, being together just served to make us stronger; that the bonds that had tied us together for seven long years have now become unbreakable.

Because he is my everything and it feels like my entire universe has collapsed in on itself, bringing me to the end of a journey that has been filled with pain and suffering and loss and hurt; until finally, we have walked out of the shadows and in to the light, hearts and minds entwined, drawing strength from each other, the strength we both need to carry on with this quest that has sought to destroy us both in different ways.

I won’t say that the last few weeks have been without pain. Because I am still mourning all that was taken from us both. But slowly, slowly I am letting it go; as each day passes and I realise that the past can never hope to be recovered but that we have a present and a future together that transcends everything that has gone before and when the nightmares come occasionally to plague me, I feel his voice beside me, cutting through the darkness, quieting me, gentling me; because somehow, without me really noticing, his whispers have become louder than my screams as he floods me with light, with hope.

I truly thought I knew what love was; that I had been in love before in my life but I now know that what I feel for this man who has walked beside me, supported me and quite literally followed me to the ends of the earth, eclipses every single preconceived interpretation I may have held before.

Because love is not hearts and flowers and hollow declarations.

Real love is hard and painful and all encompassing; it steals our souls and makes us weep in quiet desperation. Love is knowing what might be lost in our acknowledgement of it, but at the same time knowing that there is nothing more powerful, nothing more affirming than admitting to ourselves that in order to love, we have to sacrifice ourselves to the potential for heartbreak. And real love makes it easy. Easier than I ever thought it would be.

And Mulder has always been so very easy to love; even more so now I am becoming accustomed to the implicit permission that I have granted myself to do just that. I have discovered aspects to his complex personality that hitherto have been denied to me. Of course I knew him before, seven years spent in daily company with a person means that pretty much everything about them is laid bare at one time or another but I find myself entranced by everything I didn’t know. Silly little things, trivialities that make up the person within and which are so innumerable and insignificant that within days they just become a part of the fabric of daily life.

The fact that he can cook came as a shock though, given that our entire culinary experiences as partners had mainly comprised ordering from whichever take-out place happened to be closest. And I teased him the first time he cooked for me, instantly regretting it because I realised that he had probably cooked for me a hundred times when I was sick. A memory that is lost to us forever and I had wrapped my arms around him in silent apology when I saw the hurt flare briefly to cloud his expression and darken his eyes and just as he is able to banish my darkness, I am adept at making things right for him too. It’s an ability we have always had I think but one which has remained largely unspoken until now and he recovered quickly, throwing me a patented Mulder-quip that lightened the moment just as he knew it would.

We don’t talk much of the time before. Because I think it’s just too painful for both of us. For Mulder, his memories of watching me slowly decline right in front of him as he helplessly tried to hold on to me even while denying the futility of it all and for me, the empty gaping chasm in my mind where a part of my life was erased as completely as if it had never existed at all, opening a wound that will never fully heal I don’t think. But we are here and we survived and I think we both hang on to that in unspoken acknowledgement that we need to keep moving forwards never back.

We don’t go out much, to be honest we have completely bypassed the need to engage in even a semblance of the accepted courtship rituals that exist at the beginning of a relationship because after all, our courtship lasted almost seven years and there is little we could hope to learn about each other in the confines of a restaurant or a theatre or concert. Because that’s what normal people do. And our complicated relationship could never be so easily characterised in such simple terms.

And that’s why I was so surprised, when we arrived home yesterday, after a long and gruelling day at work trying to make headway through a mountain of paperwork which seems to get bigger and more tied-up with bureaucratic red tape as each day passes, he announced that we were going out. That he was taking me out.

But I played along, trying to read in his expression just exactly what he had planned although for once he was completely inscrutable aside from an air of almost childlike excitement that kept him shaking his head and smiling teasingly at me every time I tried to get even a clue as to what he had planned, eventually giving up and going to change. The only indication he was prepared to allow me is that wherever we were going, it negated the need for fancy clothing.

It also negated the need for driving and I was still none the wiser when he steered me resolutely towards the metro. We don’t travel on the subway very often and it felt kind of nice to be stuck in that crowded train, pressed up against him as he slipped his warm hands beneath the hem of my shirt and traced patterns on my bare skin as the movement rocked us back and forth together.

“Where are we going Mulder?” I had asked, frowning as he smiled down at me and shook his head, eyes intense as always as he held on to me tightly when the train filled up even more and I was jostled almost out of his arms.

But the minute we exited the station at Woodley Park, his reason for bringing me out here became clear as my senses were assailed by the smell of hotdogs that wafted tantalisingly in the air from the many vendors that were set up alongside the colourful rides and attractions that made up the annual Woodley Park summer fair. I’d been here a few times in my pre-X Files existence with Ellen and Trent but truthfully, I hadn’t thought about it in years.

Mulder though, clearly had, and what’s more he had a very specific game plan.

We had talked briefly a couple of weeks ago about the one vague memory I did have of him when I was sick. Although not a memory as such; more a collection of sounds, of feelings, that flittered around on the very edges of my subconscious wanting to be heard but seemingly lacking the form and reasoning I required to make sense of them in any real way. And although he had verbally filled in the gaps for me, it still didn’t even go halfway to giving it any real structure, and I had seen the disappointment in his face because, as he had already told me, it was his favourite memory of that time in our lives that seemed blighted with such heartache because just briefly, he had felt like he had held the universe in his hands.

And so, like children, we had plunged headlong in to that colourful place, a place of escape, of twinkling lights and carousel music that seems to have no boundaries to either age or circumstance; a magical place where we can let go of the complications that are a constant blight in the corporeal world we inhabit in our real lives and for a few short hours, throw off the constraints of adulthood and just be.

I’ve always loved fairs and the fact that my fingers were tightly entwined with Mulders made me love this one most of all; as we feasted upon this place and gorged ourselves on the experience of just for once, being able to be ourselves, to laugh with each other in a way I don’t think we’ve ever been able to laugh before, falling breathless onto the grass after he chased me with the plush alien he had insisted on wasting money winning for me, gasping for air as he found my ticklish spots and showed no mercy with those long fingers of his.

And as the dusk turned to darkness and the fair began to empty, he led me without speaking to the ferris wheel, where we rode round and round with the wind whipping at my hair and my eyes burning with unshed tears as I realised that everything about the last few hours had been about this moment; about adding credence to an elusive memory that they hadn’t managed to entirely steal. Giving me back something I thought was lost forever.

And as the ride began to stop-go to enable the riders in the cars below to exit, as we reached the very top of the arc, he pulled me towards him, tangling his fingers in my hair as he kissed me with infinite tenderness, slow and deep and so excruciatingly perfect that I don’t know how I managed to stay conscious. I’ve never experienced a feeling like it, as this man, my perfect other and the centre of my world, held me in his arms and kissed me in starlight; healing me more with that single expression of love than I thought was even possible. And I wanted that moment to last forever, tears spilling over from my eyes as I suddenly realised that now it could because Mulder had somehow managed to merge old and new together and make it complete. And I think I loved him more at that moment than I ever have before.

And now, as I feel him begin to stir from his position behind me on the bed, I know that he also recreated that memory for him. To sustain him if things get bad; to know that the sacrifice he made was worth it. Because while he might think I am unaware of his undisclosed deceit regarding the lengths he went to keep me with him, I am not.

Because as I discovered with my cancer, truths will always seek to be known, no matter how hard we try to keep them buried and I am fully aware of the small ridge of scar tissue at the base of Mulder's neck that hides the product of the price he was required to pay to have me returned to health for the second time. That he has surrendered himself to whatever fate they decide to bestow him as recompense for giving him what he most feared to lose. And I will never tell him I know. Because I cannot add to the burden of a man who loves me enough to potentially exchange his life for my mine.

Instead I will continue as I always have, to walk by his side through the darkness, praying each time that the darkness is only temporary, that even as the light fades around us, somehow, because we have each other, we will survive.

END

#Fading light My fic

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